KR20180036374A - Upper limb wearable portable local vibratory stimulation device and method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an upper limb wearable and portable local vibratory stimulation device and a stimulation method which apply local vibratory stimulation for activating muscles in an upper limb by being worn in the upper limb, prevent muscles of the upper limb from contracting and from being degraded, assist functions of muscles of the upper limb, and improve muscle functions. To attain the purpose, the present invention comprises: a vibratory stimulation setting unit (10) which is operated by receiving power, and sets a frequency of the vibration, a stimulation strength, and a stimulation method; a display unit (20) which displays the frequency of the vibration, the stimulation strength, and the stimulation method set by the vibratory stimulation setting unit (10); a sensor unit (30) for sensing motions of upper limb segments in order to receive vibratory stimulation; a control unit (40) which receives signals from the sensor unit (30), processes the same, detects states of upper limb segment motions, and generates vibratory stimulation signals to be applied in local portions of upper limb muscles or tendons; a communication unit (50) which is controlled by the control unit (40) to transmit signals of states of motions of upper limb segments sensed by the sensor unit (30) to the outside, and receives signals for communication settings and firmware updating; and a vibration applying unit (60) which corresponds to vibratory stimulation signals transmitted from the control unit (40) and applies vibratory stimulation to upper limb muscles or tendons.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to an upper limb-wearing portable local vibration stimulation device and stimulation method,

The present invention relates to a topical wearable portable local vibration stimulating device and a method of stimulating the same, and more particularly, to a method of stimulating the upper extremity muscles by applying a local vibration stimulus for activating the upper extremity muscles, The present invention relates to an upper limb-type portable local vibration stimulation device and stimulation method for preventing the upper limb muscular function and improving the muscular function.

In the body muscles, the upper limb muscles, ie the arm muscles, are located between the shoulders and the wrist, and can be divided into the upper arm (upper arm) and the forearm (lower arm and lower arm muscles).

In this way, the upper arm of the upper limb mainly acts on the articulated joints to perform the bending, extension, sprain, and backward motion of the lower arm, while some of the upper arm muscles help to bend and vowel the upper arm and prevent dislocation of the shoulder joint , And the forearm acts mainly on the wrist joints, causing bending, spreading, opening and vowing of the hands, acting on the wrist joints to perform the lowering, backing and bending of the lower arm, flexing and spreading the fingers, And the muscles that make up the upper limb perform different roles.

By combining these training programs to improve the function of upper extremity muscles, it is possible to accelerate the improvement of superior upper limb muscles function and to further increase its effect. It also helps the muscular function and restoration of muscular atrophy, degeneration and paralysis due to aging and diseases. Several stimulation methods are presented for the purpose of this.

To this end, there has been a way for third parties to participate in training and rehabilitation, to exercise their own physical power directly or indirectly, or to directly or indirectly control third parties or to stimulate electricity by controlling oneself.

In addition, there is a method of applying vibration as a stimulus. For example, there is a method of indirectly transmitting vibration to rehabilitation and trainee by applying vibration to the rehabilitation and exercise apparatus using a mechanical vibration generating apparatus such as a vibration stimulating apparatus, There are three ways to control vibrations directly by the user or directly controlled by the user, and a method using a bulky whole body vibration device that transmits vibrations directly to the whole body.

However, such conventional methods of using the physical force or applying electric stimulation require the intervention of a third party, so that there are disadvantages that the side effects such as unwanted pain, burn, and shock may be caused due to the characteristics of the stimulus applied .

In addition, stimulation using vibration or a whole body vibration device requires a large space for installing a device for generating vibration, and stimulation is applied to the entire body rather than a stimulation to a local site requiring stimulation, There is a disadvantage in that undesired side effects may be caused by the transmission of vibration exceeding a certain range.

In addition, such a conventional method has an inconvenience in terms of efficiency because it must be controlled by a third party or a user in addition to using physical force or electrical stimulation.

Korean Registered Patent No. 10-0787040 (registered on December 12, 2007)

The main object of the present invention is to prevent the atrophy and degeneration of the upper extremity muscles by applying a local vibration stimulus for activating the upper extremity muscles by wearing the upper extremity, Wearable type portable local vibration stimulation device for enhancing myocardial function.

Another object of the present invention is to prevent the atrophy and degeneration of the upper extremity muscles by providing a local vibration stimulation for activating the upper extremity muscles by being worn on the upper extremities, to assist the function of the upper extremity muscles, Type local oscillation stimulation method.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an upper limb-wearing portable local vibration stimulating apparatus and a stimulation method which can be used by a user himself or herself without any help of a person by simple operation by being formed into a small size portable.

Finally, according to the present invention, since a local oscillatory stimulation is applied to muscles or tendons through a simple switch operation by worn in the upper part of the upper extremity muscles, a wide installation space is not required and undesired side effects such as pain, The present invention provides a top-wearable portable local vibration stimulation device and a stimulation method that can reduce the risk.

To achieve the above object, the upper limb-wearing portable local vibration stimulating apparatus of the present invention includes:

A vibration stimulation setting unit that operates under a power supply and sets a vibration frequency, a stimulation intensity, and a stimulation type vibration stimulation condition;

A display unit for displaying a vibration frequency, a stimulus intensity, and a stimulation method set through the vibration stimulus setting unit;

A sensor unit for sensing a motion of the upper limb segment to receive a vibration stimulus;

A control unit for receiving and processing a signal from the sensor unit, detecting a motion state of the upper segment, and generating a vibration stimulation signal to be applied to a local region such as muscle or tendon region;

A communication unit which is controlled by the control unit to transmit a motion state signal and receive a signal for communication setting and firmware update;

And an excitation unit for applying a vibration stimulus to upper extremity muscles or tendons in response to the vibration stimulation signal transmitted from the control unit.

At this time, a battery or a rechargeable battery may be used as the power source for convenience of carrying, and sometimes the electricity can be used, and the vibration stimulation setting unit is composed of a small-sized switch.

The display unit may include an LED or an LCD.

The sensor unit includes a goniometer, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a geomagnetic instrument, and an inertial measurement unit to detect movement of the upper limb segment.

The communication unit includes an International Standardized Profile (ISP) and a ZigBee, NFC, Beacon, and WPAN for Bluetooth or short-range wireless communication for transmitting a movement state signal of the upper segment sensed by the sensor unit, Can be configured.

The control unit controls the vibration frequency, the stimulation intensity, and the stimulus type signal to assist the atrophy, degeneration, paralysis prevention and function of the upper limb muscles according to the detected and specified upper limb motion state and the condition set by the user Signal.

The controller may include a microcontroller unit (MCU), and may include a band-pass filter for processing a signal according to movement of the upper segment transmitted from the sensor unit.

In order to detect and estimate the motion state of the upper segment from the signal according to the motion of the upper segment, a complementary filter, a Kalman filter, and an extended Kalman filter are used. And an algorithm for detecting and specifying the < / RTI >

In addition, the controller can display the vibration condition set by the user on the display unit, and can control the communication unit to transmit the motion state signal of the upper limb segment to the outside.

The vibrating part is composed of a linear actuator or a piezo actuator and is connected to a vibration stimulating device through a wire. The vibrating part is mounted on a local area such as upper muscle part or tendon part to generate vibration by a vibration stimulating signal generated by the control part, It can stimulate.

In addition, in the stimulation method of the upper limb-wearing portable local vibration stimulating apparatus,

A vibration stimulation condition setting step of setting a vibration frequency, a stimulus intensity, and a stimulation mode desired by a user using a vibration stimulus setting unit when power is supplied by applying power;

A upper segment motion sensing step of sensing a motion of the upper segment through the sensor unit when the vibration stimulation condition is set through the vibration stimulation setting unit;

An upper limb segment motion detecting step of detecting a motion state of a limb segment by receiving a signal corresponding to a motion in a sensor unit through a control unit when the upper limb segment is sensed through the sensor unit;

A vibration stimulus signal generation step of generating a stimulus signal corresponding to a stimulation condition set by a user through the vibration stimulus setting unit when the motion state of the upper limb segment is detected through the segment motion detection step;

And a vibration stimulation step of, when the stimulation signal is generated through the vibration stimulus signal generation step, receiving a signal from the control part and applying a vibration stimulus to a local part of the upper limb segment or the tendon through the stimulation part.

The present invention has the following effects.

First, by applying a local vibration stimulus to activate the muscles in the upper limb, it is possible to prevent atrophy and degeneration of the upper extremity muscles, to assist the function of the upper extremity muscles, and to improve the muscular function.

Second, since it is formed in a small size so as to be portable, there is an advantage that the user can use the device by himself / herself without the help of a person by simple operation.

Third, by applying a local oscillatory stimulation to muscles or tendons by simple switch operation by worn on the upper part of the upper limb segment, a wide installation space is not needed and the risk of causing undesired side effects such as pain, burn, shock is reduced There are advantages to be able to.

Fourth, prevention of atrophy and degeneration of upper limb muscles and detection of movement to support muscular function and improvement of muscular function, as well as time and stimulation intensity of exercise and rehabilitation training performed before and after There is an advantage that the cost can be reduced.

Fifth, there is an advantage that it can greatly help the speed and force expression of the upper limb segment movement such as pulling, pushing, catching, bending, stretching, and rotation of the upper limb segment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an upper limb-wearing portable local vibration stimulation apparatus according to the present invention. FIG.
2 is a flow chart illustrating a top-wear type portable local vibration stimulation method in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of a top-wear type portable local vibration stimulating apparatus according to the present invention.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 and 3, the upper limb-type portable local vibration stimulating apparatus according to the present invention includes a vibration stimulus setting unit 10, a display unit 20, a sensor unit 30, a control unit 40, (50) and a cheek section (60) and is mounted on the local area of the upper segment.

In the vibration stimulating apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration, first, the vibration stimulation setting unit 10 sets a vibration stimulation condition such as a vibration frequency, a vibration intensity, and a stimulation method, and is operated by receiving power.

The vibration frequency, the vibration intensity, and the stimulation method set through the vibration stimulus setting unit 10 are displayed through the display unit 20, and the display unit 20 includes an LED or an LCD.

The sensor unit 30 is for sensing movement of the upper limb segment to receive a vibration stimulus and includes a goniometer, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, an inertial measurement unit And transmits a signal corresponding to the motion of the upper segment to the control unit 40. [

The control unit 40 receives a motion signal of the upper limb segment sensed by the sensor unit 30 and detects a motion state of the upper limb segment and outputs the motion state of the upper limb segment and the vibration stimulus setting unit 10, And vibration stimulation signals such as vibration frequency, vibration intensity, and stimulus signal to be applied to local parts such as muscles and tendons of the upper limbs so as to assist atrophy, degeneration, paralysis prevention and function of the upper extremity muscles according to the set conditions The controller 40 includes a band-pass filter (not shown) to remove noise in the signal due to the motion of the upper segment received from the sensor unit 30, .

The control unit 40 includes a complementary filter, a Kalman filter, an extended Kalman filter, and the like for detecting and estimating a motion state of the upper segment from the noise-removed signal, and using the signal passed through the filters, And an algorithm for detecting and specifying a motion state.

The control unit 40 displays the vibration stimulation condition set by the user through the vibration stimulation setting unit 10 on the display unit 20 and generates a signal corresponding to the set vibration stimulation condition to be transmitted to the stimulation unit 60 do.

And controls the communication unit 50 so that the communication unit 50 can transmit the motion state signal of the upper segment to the outside.

Under the control of the control unit 40, the communication unit 50 transmits the motion status signal of the upper segment sensed by the sensor unit 30 to the outside and transmits the motion status signal of the upper segment to the external standardized profile, Receives signals for ZigBee, NFC, Beacon and WPAN communication setup and signals for firmware update of MCU.

The excitation unit 60 is a small linear actuator or piezo actuator for applying a vibration stimulus to upper segments or tendons in accordance with a vibration stimulus signal transmitted from the control unit 40. The excitation unit 60 is mounted on a local region of the upper muscle or tendon And generates a vibration according to the vibration stimulation signal generated by the control unit to apply a vibration stimulus to a local region of the muscle or tendon.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, in the upper limb-type portable local vibration stimulation method according to the present invention,

A vibration stimulation condition setting step (S1) of setting a vibration frequency, a vibration intensity, and a stimulation mode desired by the user using the vibration stimulus setting unit (10) when power is applied and power is supplied;

An upper limb segment motion sensing step (S2) for sensing the motion of the upper limb segment through the sensor unit (30) when the vibration stimulation condition through the vibration stimulus setting unit (10) is set by the operation;

When the motion of the upper segment is sensed by the operation, the control unit 40 receives a signal corresponding to the motion of the upper segment in the sensor unit 30, A segmented motion detection step (S3);

A vibration stimulus signal generation step (S4) of generating a stimulus signal corresponding to a stimulation condition set by a user through the vibration stimulus setting unit (10) when a motion state of an upper limb segment is detected by the above operation;

And a vibration stimulation step S5 of receiving a signal from the control unit 40 and applying a vibration stimulus to a local region of the upper extremity muscle or tendon through the stimulation unit 60 when the vibration stimulation signal is generated by the operation.

According to the upper limb-wearing portable local vibrum stimulating apparatus and stimulation method of the present invention, a vibration stimulation condition is set using a vibration stimulus setting unit 10 according to a user's desired vibration frequency, vibration intensity, I will.

Then, when the vibration stimulation condition through the vibration stimulus setting unit 10 is set by the above operation, three Goniometer, Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Inertial Measurement Unit, And a sensor unit 30 including a sensor for detecting the movement of the upper limb segment and transmitting a signal corresponding to the motion of the upper limb segment to the control unit 40 through the communication unit 50 do.

When the signal corresponding to the upper segment movement sensed by the sensor unit 30 is transmitted to the controller 40, the controller 40 detects the upper segment movement state.

At this time, a band-pass filter constituting the control unit 40 removes noise in the signal due to the motion of the upper segment received from the sensor unit 30, and outputs a complementary filter, a Kalman filter, The motion state of the upper segment is detected and estimated from the noise canceled signal.

When the motion of the upper segment is detected by the control unit 40, the vibration stimulation condition set by the user is displayed on the display unit 20 through the vibration stimulus setting unit 10, Depending on the displayed vibra- tion stimulus conditions, a vibration stimulus signal such as a vibration frequency, a vibration intensity, and a stimulus signal to be applied to a local region such as a muscle or a tendon region is generated.

When the vibratory stimulation signal is generated by the above operation, the generated stimulation stimulus signal is transmitted to the excitation unit 60 mounted on the muscle or tendon of the upper arm such as the forearm, upper arm, and hand through the control unit 40, The excitation unit 60 applies a vibration stimulus to a local region of a muscle or tendon according to a signal received from the control unit 40. When the user determines whether or not the vibration stimulation is terminated, The procedure is repeated from the upper segment motion detection step to detect the motion of the upper limb segment through the upper limb motion detection step.

On the other hand, the somatosensory receptor responding to vibration in the upper limb is known to experience vibrations of 40 Hz or more and to respond sensitively to vibrations in the range of 100 Hz to 300 Hz. The vibration threshold values in the range of 100Hz ~ 300Hz were measured to find the most sensitive vibration frequency in the range of 100Hz ~ 300Hz.

 As a result, it was sensitive at vibration frequencies in the range of 160Hz to 250Hz, and the most sensitive vibration frequency was 190Hz. Other vibration frequencies showed higher intensity at which they began to feel vibration, and the standard deviation was larger.

The threshold value is the minimum stimulus intensity needed for a creature to respond to changes in the external environment, ie stimulation.

frequency 100 120 140 160 180 190 200 210 220 240 250 260 280 300 vibration
tardy
Threshold
1.066
1.114
1.062
1.018
1.007
1.006
1.014
1.015
1.016
1.030
1.059
1.073
1.112
1.134 Standard
Deviation 0.023 0.081 0.038 0.011 0.002 0.002 0.007 0.005 0.005 0.017 0.058 0.041 0.070 0.080

Therefore, the vibration frequency of 160Hz ~ 250Hz is easy to induce the response of the somatosensory receptor to improve muscle function with less power.

In addition, since the standard deviation is small, the risk of failure to induce somatic sensory receptors is low, and there is an advantage that the vibration with a strength lower than the vibration perception threshold can be reliably introduced.

At the high frequency of 250Hz, the vibrational perception threshold was drastically increased. As the frequency increased, the vibration perception threshold also increased. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the high frequency vibration, and it is desirable to consider 250 Hz which is the most sensitive of the high frequencies and the vibration threshold is rapidly increased.

Based on these results, we set the frequency of local oscillation stimulation for improving muscle function from 160Hz to 250Hz.

1: Vibrating stimulation device 10: Vibration stimulation setting device
20: display unit 30: sensor unit
40: control unit 50:
60:

Claims (10)

A vibration stimulation setting unit (10) which is activated by power supply and sets a frequency and a stimulation intensity of the vibration;
A display unit 20 for displaying a vibration frequency, a stimulation intensity and a stimulation method set through the vibration stimulation setting unit 10;
A sensor unit (30) for sensing the motion of the upper limb segment in order to receive a vibration stimulus;
A controller 40 for receiving and processing a signal from the sensor unit 30, detecting a motion state of the upper segment, and generating a vibration stimulation signal to be applied to a local region of muscle or tendon;
A communication unit 50 that receives the motion status signal of the upper limb segment sensed by the sensor unit 30 under the control of the control unit 40 and can receive a signal for communication setting and firmware update;
And an excitation unit (60) for applying a vibration stimulus to the upper muscle or tendon in response to the vibration stimulus signal transmitted from the control unit (40).
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the power source uses a battery or a rechargeable battery so that the power source is easily portable.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the vibration frequency set through the vibration stimulus setting unit (10) is 160 Hz to 250 Hz.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the intensity of the vibration to be set through the vibration stimulus setting unit (10) is 75% to 110% of the vibration perception threshold value.
The method according to claim 1,
The sensor unit 30 includes a goniometer, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a geomagnetic instrument, and an inertial measurement unit to detect movement of the upper segment. A top-mounted portable local vibration stimulation device.
The method according to claim 1,
The control unit 40 controls the vibration frequency, the vibration intensity, and the stimulus type signal for assisting the atrophy, degeneration, paralysis prevention and function of the upper limb muscles according to the detected and specified upper limb motion state and the condition set by the user Wherein the vibration stimulation signal generating unit generates the same vibration stimulation signal.
7. The method according to claim 1 or 6,
The control unit 40 displays the vibration condition set by the user on the display unit 20 and displays the vibration conditions set by the user on the display unit 20 and displays the ZigBee, NFC, beacon, WPAN And a control unit that controls the communication unit (50) to transmit a motion state signal of the upper limb segment to the outside.
7. The method according to claim 1 or 6,
The control unit 40 includes a microcontroller unit (MCU) and a band-pass filter for removing noise from a signal due to movement of the upper limb segment transmitted from the sensor unit 30, A Kalman filter, and an extended Kalman filter for detecting and estimating the motion state of the upper limb segment from a signal corresponding to the motion of the upper limb segment, and using the signal passed through the filters, Wherein the algorithm includes an algorithm for identifying a subject.
The method according to claim 1,
The excitation unit 60 includes a linear actuator or a piezo actuator. The excitation unit 60 is mounted on a local region of muscle or tendon, generates vibration by a vibration stimulus signal generated by the control unit 40, and applies a vibration stimulus to the upper muscle or tendon Wherein the upper limb is attached to the lower limb.
A vibration stimulation condition setting step (S1) of setting a vibration frequency, a vibration intensity, and a stimulation mode desired by the user using the vibration stimulus setting unit (10) when power is applied and power is supplied;
An upper limb segment motion sensing step (S2) of sensing upper limb segment movement through the sensor unit (30) when a vibration stimulation condition is set through the vibration stimulus setting unit (10);
An upper limb segment motion detecting step (S3) of detecting a motion state of the upper limb segment by receiving a signal corresponding to the motion of the sensor unit through the controller (40) when the upper limb segment is sensed through the sensor unit (30);
A vibration stimulus signal generation step (S4) of generating a stimulus signal corresponding to a stimulation condition set by a user through the vibration stimulus setting unit (10) when a motion state of the upper segment is detected through the upper segment motion detection step;
A vibration stimulation step (S5) of receiving a signal from the control unit (40) and applying a vibration stimulus to a local region of a superior muscle or tendon through an excitation unit (60) when the stimulation signal is generated through the vibration stimulus signal generation step And the upper limb-type portable local vibration stimulation method.

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