KR20090121688A - Tactile sensing system and device for handicapped persons having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A tactile sensing system and a device for the handicapped with the same are provided to realize pressure due to temperature and grabbing force on an external object to be similar to skin and improve realizing effects by preventing sweat and foreign materials of a person from being inserted. CONSTITUTION: A pressure sensor(110) generates electric signals by an external pressure stimulus. A tactile sensing unit(100) includes a temperature sensor(120) generating an electric signal by a thermal stimulus. A controller(200) processes the electric signal to generate a control signal. A pressure realizing unit(310) applies a physical force on skin of a person according to the control signal. A tactile feeling realizing unit(300) includes the first and second temperature realizing units. The first temperature realizing unit(320) makes and transfers temperature.. The second temperature realizing unit(330) absorbs and transfers heat.

Description

Tactile sensing system and device for handicapped persons having the same

The present invention relates to a tactile system and a device for a disabled person having the same, and more particularly, to a tactile system capable of easily reproducing an external stimulus and a device for a disabled person having the same.

In general, a prosthesis automatically driven by an electronic device is an electromyography type prosthesis which detects a small EMG signal generated from a muscle part remaining in a portion where an arm is cut and controls the operation of the prosthesis.

However, these conventional prostheses provide only one-way driving functions by performing only driving control functions such as automatic robots. Therefore, it does not have a tactile sensing function, so when the person with the prosthesis catches the object, it is difficult to control the power by themselves, and there is a problem that the prosthesis may be damaged by touching the hot or cold object.

In addition, this one-way driving function has a problem that the handicapped to the disabled to recognize only a simple mechanism rather than a part of the body causes a psychological rejection.

Accordingly, the present invention is to solve the above problems of the prior art, to provide a tactile system and a device for the disabled having the same to process the external stimulus as an electrical signal and to deliver it to the realistic touch. There is this.

The object of the present invention is a tactile sensor having a pressure sensor for generating an electrical signal by the external pressure stimulus and a temperature sensor for generating an electrical signal by the thermal stimulus; A controller configured to process the electrical signal to generate a control signal; And a pressure reproducing means driven by the control signal to apply physical force to the skin of the human body, a first temperature reproducing means for generating heat by transmitting heat, and a second temperature reproducing means for absorbing temperature by absorbing heat. It is achieved by a tactile system comprising a.

In addition, in the device for the disabled of the arm structure including the shape of the human hand, the temperature sensor which is located on the palm side and generates an electrical signal by a pressure sensor and a thermal stimulus to generate an electrical signal by an external pressure stimulus Tactile detection unit having a; A control unit positioned at a wrist and processing the electrical signal to generate a control signal; And a first temperature reproducing means positioned at an end of the arm structure and driven by the control signal to exert a physical force on the skin of the arm end of the handicapped, and a first temperature reproducing means for generating heat by transferring heat to the skin of the arm. It is also achieved by the apparatus for the disabled having a tactile system comprising a; tactile reproduction unit having a temperature reproducing means.

Therefore, the tactile system and the device for the disabled having the same of the present invention can similarly reproduce the temperature of the external object and the pressure due to the grip force grasping the external object on the skin of the human body. In particular, the temperature reproducing means is manufactured in a structure that can prevent the intake of sweat and foreign bodies of the human body to obtain an improved reproducing effect, the pressure reproducing means reproduces the pressure caused by the physical force by the physical force to transfer the force Can improve.

As a result, it provides psychological and physically stable effects by providing more realistic touch to the disabled.

1 is a block diagram of a tactile system according to the present invention.

2 is a block diagram of an off operation of the pressure reproducing apparatus according to the present invention.

3 is a configuration diagram in the on operation of the pressure reproducing apparatus according to the present invention.

4 is a cross-sectional view of the first temperature reproducing apparatus according to the present invention.

5 is a cross-sectional view of a second temperature reproducing apparatus according to the present invention.

1 to 5, the tactile system according to the present invention includes a tactile sensor 100 generating an electrical signal by an external stimulus, a controller 200 processing the electrical signal to generate a control signal, and It is configured to include a tactile reproduction unit 300 is driven by a control signal and transmits the stimulus to the skin 10 of the human body, and a battery unit 400 for supplying power to the control unit 200.

First, the tactile sensor 100 is a means for generating an electrical signal by an external stimulus, a temperature for generating an electrical signal by a pressure sensor 110 and a thermal stimulus for generating an electrical signal by an external pressure stimulus. The sensor 120 is provided.

In more detail, the pressure sensor 110 may use any one of a capacitive type of a capacitance-type change in capacitance and a capacitance-type change in resistance between the electrodes according to pressure, and a resistive type of pressure sensor in which a resistance varies in accordance with pressure. have.

The temperature sensor 120 is a resistance type temperature sensor (resistance temperature detectors) using the characteristic that the electrical resistance value of the metal changes with the temperature change, thermocouple temperature using the electromotive force change generated by the temperature difference across the junction surface of the dissimilar metal Any one of a thermocouple sensor and a thermistor temperature sensor using a semiconductor may be used.

However, the pressure sensor 110 and the temperature sensor 120 is not limited thereto, and may use various types of known sensors for generating an electrical signal.

Next, the controller 200 is a microcontroller for generating a control signal for driving the tactile reproduction unit 300 by processing a logic circuit embedded in the electrical signal applied from the pressure sensor 110 and the temperature sensor 120 ( MicroController: MCU).

Next, the tactile reproduction unit 300 is driven by a control signal supplied from the control unit 200, the pressure reproducing means 310 for applying a physical force to the skin 10 of the human body, the skin 10 of the human body And a first temperature reproducing means 320 for transmitting the heated temperature by exothermic heat, and a second temperature reproducing means 330 for absorbing the cooled temperature by absorbing the skin 10 of the human body.

The pressure reproducing means 310 corresponds to the pressure sensor 110 of the tactile sensor 100, and the first temperature reproducing means 320 and the second temperature reproducing means 330 are the tactile sensor 100. Corresponding to the temperature sensor 120 of each), it is possible to reproduce the stimulus applied from the outside.

First, the pressure reproducing means 310 is configured to include a body 311, an electromagnet 312, the pressing unit 315, in more detail, the body 311 has a space formed therein and the opening (one end) 313 is provided with a cylindrical shape.

The electromagnet 312 is a magnet which is embedded in the body 311 and a magnetic field is generated when a coil is wound around an iron core so that current flows through the coil.

The pressing portion 315 is connected to one end of the body 311 by the elastic means 314, facing the electromagnet 312 is located inside the body 310. At this time, the elastic means 314 is a device having an elastic force in the form of a spring, the pressing portion 315 is a magnet having a magnetic.

Therefore, in the pressure reproducing means 310, the pressing unit 315 is located inside the body 311 by the elastic means 314 in the off operation in which no current flows in the electromagnet 312, but the electromagnet ( In the on-state operation in which a current flows through 312, a magnetic field is formed to push the pressing part 315 having a magnet property toward the opening 313.

As a result, the protrusion 315a of the pressing unit 315 penetrates through the opening 313 to protrude to the outside to press the skin 10 of the human body with a constant force. In this case, the pressing force may be adjusted by the current size applied by the controller 200.

Next, the first temperature reproducing means 320 is a Peltier element using the Peltier Effect (Celtier Effect) is cooled when one side of the junction surface between the different conductors or semiconductors is heated according to the direction of the current Can be used.

The first temperature reproducing means 320 includes a lower substrate 321, a semiconductor layer 322, an electrode layer 323, an upper substrate 324, and an encapsulant 326.

In more detail, the lower substrate 321 is a substrate having a heat generating contact portion 321 a having a structure in which one side is bent in a lower vertical direction. At this time, the heat generating contact portion 321a is in contact with the skin 10 of the human body, it is possible to easily reproduce and transfer the high temperature heated through the heat generation process.

The upper substrate 324 is positioned on the lower substrate 321 at a predetermined interval and is cooled by an endothermic process as opposed to the lower substrate 321 as a substrate having an edge portion curved in a step shape.

In this case, the lower substrate 321 and the upper substrate 324 may be formed of a ceramic material having good heat resistance to heat and insulation that does not flow electricity. In addition, the stepped edge portion of the upper substrate 324 effectively prevents sweat or foreign matter, etc. from the human body from entering the interior of the semiconductor layer 322, the lower substrate 321 and the upper substrate This is to further improve the sealing effect of the encapsulant 326 by reducing the gap between the 324.

The semiconductor layer 322 is configured by alternately arranging N-type and P-type semiconductors. The semiconductor layer 322 forms N-type and P-type by doping impurities into general silicon or germanium.

The electrode layer 323 is disposed between the lower substrate 321 and the upper substrate 324, and is a metal element to electrically connect the N-type and P-type semiconductors in series.

The encapsulant 326 may be a UV curing agent such as epoxy as an adhesive for sealing an edge portion between the lower substrate 321 and the upper substrate 324, and may further include a spacer such as polymer beads or silica particles. It is also possible to obtain a stable sealing and mechanical support force.

When the current flows by the power applied from both ends of the electrode layer 322, the first temperature reproducing means 320 absorbs and generates heat in the junction region of the semiconductor layer 322, respectively. When the current flows from the N-type semiconductor to the P-type semiconductor, as shown in Figure 4, by performing the endothermic process of absorbing the ambient heat due to the difference in the energy level of the lack of electrons in the heterogeneous semiconductor to bring the cooling effect. Therefore, the upper substrate 324 exhibits a cooling effect due to heat absorption. On the contrary, when a current flows from the P-type semiconductor layer to the N-type semiconductor layer, a heat generation process is performed to release heat due to a difference in energy levels remaining. The substrate 321 has a heating effect.

Next, the second temperature reproducing means 330 except for the lower substrate 321 and the upper substrate 324 and the other configuration and driving method is the same as the above-described first temperature reproducing means 320 will be described in order to avoid duplication. Omit.

The lower substrate 321 is a flat substrate on which elements are formed.

The upper substrate 324 is positioned at a predetermined interval on the lower substrate 321, the edge portion is curved in a step shape, the one side is provided with a heat absorbing contact portion 324a of the structure bent in the upper vertical direction. At this time, the endothermic contact portion 324a is in contact with the skin 10 of the human body can be easily reproduced by transferring the cooled endotherm.

On the other hand, the lower substrate 321 and the upper substrate 324 may be formed of a ceramic material having good heat resistance to heat and insulation that does not flow electricity. In addition, the stepped edge portion of the upper substrate 324 prevents sweat or foreign matter from the human body from invading into the inside of the semiconductor layer 322, and the lower substrate 321 and the upper portion. This is to further improve the sealing effect of the encapsulant 326 by reducing the gap between the substrates 324.

Next, the battery unit 400 is a storage means for storing electrical energy capable of supplying power to the control unit 200 to drive the haptic system, preferably a secondary battery capable of charging and discharging.

Details of the above object and technical configuration and the effects thereof according to the present invention will be more clearly understood by the following detailed description with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 showing preferred embodiments of the present invention. In the following embodiments, the tactile system described in the detailed description is omitted in order to avoid duplication.

<Example>

6 is a device for a disabled person having a tactile system according to the present invention.

Figure 7 is an example of wearing a device for the disabled with a tactile system according to the present invention.

6 and 7, the device for the disabled having a tactile system according to the present invention is a device for the disabled of an arm structure including the shape of a human hand, which is located on the palm side and is applied to an external pressure stimulus. A tactile sensor comprising a pressure sensor for generating an electrical signal by a temperature sensor and a temperature sensor for generating an electrical signal by a thermal stimulus; A control unit positioned at a wrist and processing the electrical signal to generate a control signal; And a first temperature reproducing means positioned at an end of the arm structure and driven by the control signal to exert a physical force on the skin of the arm end of the handicapped, and a first temperature reproducing means for generating heat by transferring heat to the skin of the arm. And a tactile reproduction unit having two temperature reproduction means.

For example, wearing a device for the disabled (hereinafter, abbreviated as 'device' in the detailed description) equipped with the tactile system and the drinking water bottle 500 of 3 degrees Celsius 1kg / cm2 is held by the grip, the beverage bottle The temperature of 500 and the grip force for holding the object are converted into electrical signals by the temperature sensor 120 and the pressure sensor 110 of the tactile sensor 100 provided in the palm including the finger joint of the device.

Subsequently, the electrical signal is processed by the control unit 200 located in the wrist portion of the device to generate a control signal, and the control signal drives the tactile reproduction unit 300 located at the end of the arm structure.

Therefore, the pressure reproducing means 300 provided in the tactile reproduction unit 300 applies a physical force to the human skin 10 by a magnetic field when a current corresponding to a grip force of 1 kg / cm 2 flows. In addition, when the voltage corresponding to a temperature of 3 degrees Celsius is applied to the Peltier device electrode layer 323, the second temperature reproducing means 330 provided in the tactile reproduction unit 300 flows a current to the upper substrate 324 3 degrees Celsius. Cooling by the endothermic process corresponding to the Figure is to transfer the temperature to the human skin 10 in the endothermic contact portion 324a. Such a driving operation of catching an object may use an EMG signal processing robot technique using a fine movement of muscle, which is a conventionally known technique.

The apparatus for the disabled having a tactile system according to the present invention described above is an example of a prosthesis applied to a disabled person whose hand is cut for convenience of description, but is not limited thereto. The same applies to other types of devices for the disabled.

Such a detailed description with reference to the drawings is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1 is a block diagram of a tactile system according to the present invention.

2 is a block diagram of an off operation of the pressure reproducing apparatus according to the present invention.

3 is a configuration diagram in the on operation of the pressure reproducing apparatus according to the present invention.

4 is a cross-sectional view of the first temperature reproducing apparatus according to the present invention.

5 is a cross-sectional view of a second temperature reproducing apparatus according to the present invention.

6 is a device for a disabled person having a tactile system according to the present invention.

Figure 7 is an example of wearing a device for the disabled with a tactile system according to the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Skin 100: Tactile detection part 110: Pressure sensor 120: Temperature sensor 200: Control part 300: Tactile reproducing part 310: Pressure reproducing means 311: Body 312: Electromagnet 313: Opening part 314: Elastic means 315: Pressing part 315a: Protrusion 320: First temperature reproducing means 321: Lower substrate 321a: Heat generating contact portion 322: Semiconductor layer 323: Electrode layer

 324: upper substrate 324a: endothermic contact portion

 326: encapsulant 330: second temperature reproducing means

 400: battery unit 500: beverage bottle

Claims (8)

A tactile sensor including a pressure sensor generating an electrical signal by an external pressure stimulus and a temperature sensor generating an electrical signal by a thermal stimulus; A controller configured to process the electrical signal to generate a control signal; And A haptic reproducing unit having a pressure reproducing means driven by the control signal to apply physical force to the skin of the human body, a first temperature reproducing means for generating heat by transferring heat, and a second temperature reproducing means for absorbing heat by transferring heat; Tactile system comprising a. The method of claim 1, The pressure reproducing means has a space therein and a cylindrical body having an opening at one end thereof; An electromagnet embedded in the body and having a magnetic field formed by a current; And And a pressing part connected to the one end by an elastic means having elastic force and facing the electromagnet but positioned inside the body. And the pressing unit is a magnet capable of pressing the skin of the human body through the opening. The method of claim 1, The first temperature reproducing means includes a lower substrate having a heat generating contact portion having one side bent in a vertical direction downward; An upper substrate positioned at a predetermined interval on the lower substrate and having an edge portion in a step shape; A semiconductor layer in which N-type and P-type semiconductors are arranged alternately; An electrode layer disposed between the lower substrate and the upper substrate and electrically connecting the N-type and P-type semiconductors in series; And And an encapsulant for sealing an edge portion between the lower substrate and the upper substrate. The haptic system is characterized in that the heating contact portion is in contact with the skin of the human body to generate heat to transfer the heated temperature. The method of claim 1, The second temperature reproducing means includes a lower substrate; An upper substrate positioned on the lower substrate at a predetermined interval and having an endothermic contact portion having an edge portion formed in a step shape and having one side bent in an upper vertical direction; A semiconductor layer in which N-type and P-type semiconductors are arranged alternately; An electrode layer disposed between the lower substrate and the upper substrate and electrically connecting the N-type and P-type semiconductors in series; And And an encapsulant for sealing an edge portion between the lower substrate and the upper substrate. The endothermic contact portion is in contact with the skin of the human body is tactile system characterized in that the endothermic to deliver a cooled temperature. In the device for the disabled of the arm structure comprising a human hand shape, A tactile sensor positioned at a palm side and having a pressure sensor generating an electrical signal by an external pressure stimulus and a temperature sensor generating an electrical signal by a thermal stimulus; A control unit positioned at a wrist and processing the electrical signal to generate a control signal; And Located at the end of the arm structure and driven by the control signal to the skin of the arm end of the handicapped, the pressure reproducing means for exerting physical force and the first temperature reproducing means for generating heat to transfer the temperature and the second endothermic transfer temperature Apparatus for the disabled having a tactile system comprising a; tactile reproduction unit having a temperature reproducing means. The method of claim 5, The pressure reproducing means has a space therein and a cylindrical body having an opening at one end thereof; An electromagnet embedded in the body and having a magnetic field formed by a current; And And a pressing part connected to the one end by an elastic means having elastic force and facing the electromagnet but positioned inside the body. The pressing unit is a device for the disabled having a tactile system, characterized in that the magnet that can press the skin of the human body through the opening. The method of claim 5, The first temperature reproducing means includes a lower substrate having a heat generating contact portion having one side bent in a vertical direction downward; An upper substrate positioned at a predetermined interval on the lower substrate and having an edge portion in a step shape; A semiconductor layer in which N-type and P-type semiconductors are arranged alternately; An electrode layer disposed between the lower substrate and the upper substrate and electrically connecting the N-type and P-type semiconductors in series; And And an encapsulant for sealing an edge portion between the lower substrate and the upper substrate. The exothermic contact portion is a device for the disabled having a tactile system, characterized in that the heat to contact with the skin of the human body to transmit the heated temperature. The method of claim 5, The second temperature reproducing means includes a lower substrate; An upper substrate positioned on the lower substrate at a predetermined interval and having an endothermic contact portion having an edge portion formed in a step shape and having one side bent in an upper vertical direction; A semiconductor layer in which N-type and P-type semiconductors are arranged alternately; An electrode layer disposed between the lower substrate and the upper substrate and electrically connecting the N-type and P-type semiconductors in series; And And an encapsulant for sealing an edge portion between the lower substrate and the upper substrate. The endothermic contact portion is in contact with the skin of the human body is heat-absorbed by the device for the disabled having a tactile system, characterized in that for transmitting a cooled temperature.

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