KR20200144901A - Wearable system for tremor reduction and method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a wearable system for reducing a tremor and a method thereof. In a wearable system on a user′s body part, the wearable system includes: a position detection module which is located on a part of the user′s body where a tremor occurs and transmits a measured value through a sensor which detects a changed body position according to a tremor symptom; and a stimulation providing module which estimates the user′s tremor symptom based on a measured value received in real time from a position detection module, and provides sensory stimulation through a sensory stimulator in response to the estimated tremor symptom, wherein a stimulation providing module includes a threshold value setting unit which sets a threshold value representing tremor symptoms based on a measurement value received from a position detection module located on the user′s body at a previous time point.

Description

Wearable system and method for reducing progress {WEARABLE SYSTEM FOR TREMOR REDUCTION AND METHOD THEREOF}

A wearable system and a method for reducing progress are provided.

Tremor is a symptom in which a part of the body trembles regardless of one's will. It is caused by involuntarily contracting the agonist and antagonist muscles at the same time. Such progress may be caused by neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis, cerebellum damage, Parkinson's desease, or the like, or may be caused by side effects or inheritance of drugs.

Patients suffering from this progress have a lot of difficulty in performing basic activities in daily life such as writing, drinking water, and eating. In addition, patients with progression have a higher prevalence rate as their age increases, and the number of patients increases. They are constantly constrained in basic activities and experience not only a decrease in quality of life but also a psychological disorder.

Drug therapy or surgical treatment is the most commonly used treatment method to treat this progress. However, since most of the progress is difficult to clearly identify the cause, trial and error drug treatment is performed individually for each patient. Therefore, drug side effects such as withdrawal, sedation, vomiting, diarrhea, skin rash, impotence and depression are caused. There are even patients with progress that do not get positive results from drug treatment, and improvement beyond a certain level is difficult to expect.

In addition, surgical treatment for progression is economically expensive, and side effects such as cerebral hemorrhage, seizures, and cognitive problems are high.

Accordingly, there is a need for an effective treatment method for improving the quality of life of patients with progression, rapid return to daily life, and preventing side effects caused by drug or surgical treatment.

One embodiment of the present invention is to effectively suppress the tremor in daily life by analyzing the tremors of various causes in addition to the general essential tremors and providing stimulation according to each tremor cause.

In addition to the above tasks, it can be used to achieve other tasks not specifically mentioned.

One embodiment of the present invention is a wearable system that can be worn on a part of a user's body, in which a measured value is transmitted through a sensor located on a part of the user's body where tremor occurs and detecting a changed body position according to the tremor symptom. A position detection module, and a stimulation providing module that estimates the user's tremor symptom based on the measured value received in real time from the position detecting module, and provides sensory stimulation through a sensory stimulator in response to the estimated tremor symptom, and provides stimulation. The module includes a threshold value setting unit configured to set a threshold value representing a tremor symptom based on a measurement value received from a position detection module located on the user's body at a previous time point.

The stimulation providing module includes a threshold value setting unit that sets a threshold value representing tremor symptoms based on a measurement value received from a position detection module located on the user's body at a previous time point, and compares the measured value and the threshold value received in real time. It may include a progress estimation unit for estimating the progression symptoms, and a control unit for driving or stopping the driving of the sensory stimulator linked based on the estimation result of the progress estimation unit.

The threshold value setting unit extracts the measured values at the middle point at a preset time from among the measured values measured for a preset time from the user, performs a standard deviation of the data on the average of the extracted measured values, and multiplies the value by m to a threshold value. Can be set to

The progress estimation unit performs counting when the measured value received in real time according to the window size of the sampling memory is greater than the threshold value, and may estimate the progression symptom when the counting is greater than n.

If the measured value received in real time is less than the threshold value, the progress estimating unit may initialize counting and estimate a normal life activity.

The stimulation providing module may select one or more sensory stimulators in response to the tremor symptom and control the driving condition of the selected sensory stimulator to apply a stimulus pattern to a square wave or a first Hertz wave to the sensory stimulator in response to the tremor symptom. .

The stimulus providing module is spaced apart from the location detection module, is located on a part of the user's body, and may receive from the location detection module at a sampling frequency of a predetermined size or more.

One embodiment of the present invention is a method for providing stimulation of a wearable system including a position sensing module and a stimulation providing module that can be worn on a part of a user's body, wherein the stimulation providing module receives data measured from a position sensing module located on the user's body. Setting a threshold value representing tremor symptom as a reference, receiving a real-time measurement value from a position detection module, comparing the measurement value with the threshold value and performing counting if the measurement value is greater than the threshold value, counting If the number is greater than a preset threshold value, the step of estimating the user's progression symptoms, controlling the driving of the linked sensory stimulator, and if the measured value is less than the threshold value, stopping the driving of the linked sensory stimulator, and the counting Including the step of initializing.

In one embodiment of the present invention, in addition to essential tremors, tremors of various causes such as Parkinson's, alcoholism, brain lesions, etc. are analyzed to distinguish the characteristics of tremors and spontaneous movements, and each cause of tremors only occurs when tremors occur. It effectively suppresses the tremor by providing a stimulus corresponding to it.

In addition, one embodiment of the present invention can be used semi-permanently by using a conductive fiber, and is highly practical because it is easy to wear in a lightweight wearable form.

1 is an exemplary diagram showing a network including a wearable system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a configuration diagram showing a wearable system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of providing stimulation of a wearable system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a graph showing a motion pattern using a position detection sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is an exemplary diagram showing a wearable system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those of ordinary skill in the art may easily implement the present invention. The present invention may be implemented in various different forms, and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted in order to clearly describe the present invention, and the same reference numerals are used for the same or similar components throughout the specification. Also, in the case of well-known technologies, detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

Throughout the specification, when a part "includes" a certain component, it means that other components may be further included rather than excluding other components unless otherwise stated.

1 is an exemplary diagram showing a network including a wearable system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing a wearable system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the wearable system includes a location detection module 100 and a stimulus providing module 200, and is connected to a user terminal 300 or a management server 400 through a network to transmit and receive data.

Here, the network may include all types of communication networks that transmit data, such as a wired communication network, a short-range or long-distance wireless communication network, and a network in which they are mixed.

First, the position detection module 100 is for detecting a tremor (shake) irrelevant to the user's intention, and is formed to be attached or worn on a part of the user's body.

For example, the position detection module 100 may be configured in the form of a ring or accessory, or a band or patch, and may be located in a distal area of the body such as a user's finger to accurately detect the user's progress.

As shown in FIG. 2, the position detection module 100 includes one or more sensor units 110 and a transmission unit 120.

The sensor unit 110 may include a gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, etc. as one or more sensors for detecting tremor (shake).

The sensor unit 110 may simultaneously measure the vibration that appears in several joints using a multi-angle gyro sensor in order to detect pathological tremor showing symptoms in several joints, such as a user's finger, wrist, and elbow. As such, the sensor unit 110 may be formed of a plurality of sensors, and may be spaced apart from each other and positioned on the user's body.

In addition, the transmitter 120 may transmit the stimulus providing module 200 through Bluetooth, RF, WiFi, etc., and the sampling frequency is constant in order to prevent a situation in which data distortion may occur due to a delay in the transmission of a large number of data. It can transmit more than hertz. For example, the transmitter 120 may transmit the sampling frequency at least 100hz or more.

In addition, the transmission unit 120 may transmit the measured value of the sensor unit 110 to the stimulation providing module 200 and the management server 400. In this case, the transmitter 120 may transmit an ID of each sensor, a body region of a user, and the like, along with the measured value of the sensor unit 110.

Next, the stimulus providing module 200 may be positioned or spaced apart from the position sensing module 100 to be formed in the form of a tosh or band or patch. In addition, the position of the stimulus providing module 200 may be located on a user's body part to reduce the forward phenomenon at the position of the position detection module 100.

In addition, the stimulation providing module 200 includes a threshold value setting unit 210, a progress estimation unit 220, a control unit 230, a sensory stimulator 240, and a communication unit 250.

First, the threshold value setting unit 210 sets a threshold value representing a tremor symptom based on a measured value received from a location detection module mounted according to a user at a previous point in time.

The threshold value setting unit 210 may set based on a measured value measured in a state where the user is not intentionally moving while wearing the position detection module. In this way, the threshold value setting unit 210 may set a threshold value based on data according to the movement of each user, thereby setting a threshold value corresponding to a vibration pattern and a vibration severity experienced by each individual user.

In addition, the threshold value setting unit 210 includes a time domain (PMS, peak angular rate) and a frequency domain (peak power, total power) analyzing various patterns of tremors such as essential tremor, Parkinsonian tremor, and cerebellar tremor. A threshold value may be generated in consideration of various parameters.

At this time, the threshold value setting unit 210 uses not only a frequency domain parameter but also an analysis index of a time domain in order to distinguish between passive movements due to various pathological tremors and spontaneous movements in daily life. The threshold value can be determined for each pathological tremor pattern by analyzing the pathological tremor pattern of.

Also, the threshold value setting may be newly modified or updated according to a certain period.

Next, the progress estimation unit 220 estimates the progression symptom by comparing the measured value and the threshold value received in real time. The tremor estimating unit 220 may estimate tremor symptoms when the measured value is greater than the threshold value is repeated a certain number of times.

Therefore, even if the measured value is greater than the threshold value, the progress estimating unit 220 may estimate the user's daily behavior if it is not continuously repeated for a predetermined number of times or more.

The control unit 230 drives or stops driving the sensory stimulator 240 that is linked based on the estimation result of the progress estimation unit 220. In addition, the control unit 230 may control not only whether it is driven, but also a driving condition of the estimated sensory stimulator 240 to control a stimulation pattern and a period of stimulation.

For example, the controller 230 may define a separate sub-motor threshold for the sensory stimulator 240 as a stimulation intensity of a size that does not contract the patient's muscles and does not feel pain and discomfort. have.

Next, the sensory stimulator 240 provides sensory stimulation to the antagonistic muscle pair of the joint where the tremor occurs, and can provide sensory stimulation by controlling a specific intensity and time according to a signal from the controller 230. have.

The sensory stimulator 240 includes one or more electrodes, and may be attached and positioned to a pair of antagonist muscles of a specific joint, but is not limited thereto, and the position or number of the sensory stimulator 240 may be changed according to circumstances. For example, when the user's tremor symptom is a symptom of shaking a wrist, the sensory stimulator 240 may attach electrodes to flexor carpi radials (FCR) and extensor carpi radials (ECR).

The communication unit 250 may receive a measurement value from the location detection module 100 or transmit the measurement value and provided stimulation information through communication with the user terminal 300 or the management server 400.

The communication unit 250 determines the measurement value received from the position detection module 100, the control signal of the control unit 230, and the driving condition of the sensory stimulator 240 according to the measurement value received from the position detection module 100 whenever the user's progression symptom is estimated. 300) or the management server 400.

Next, the user terminal 300 is a terminal of a user or an administrator, for example, a personal computer, a handheld computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, a smart device, and a tablet. Etc.

The user terminal 300 may display a record of the user's progress through an application installed in the terminal. In addition, the user terminal 300 may directly control the stimulation providing module 200 depending on the situation.

Next, the management server 400 may collect, store, and manage records on the user's progression symptoms. In addition, when the tremor symptom persists for a predetermined time or more even in the sensory stimulation provided for the user's tremor symptom, or if tremor symptom above the threshold value is detected for a certain period of time, the user terminal 300 is linked to receive separate treatment or doctor's opinion. ) To send a notification message.

The configuration of the user terminal 300 and the management server 400 may be changed and designed according to the situation in the future.

Meanwhile, the location detection module 100 and the stimulus providing module 200 may each be a server, a terminal, or a combination thereof.

The terminal is collectively referred to as a device having computational processing capability by having a memory and a processor, respectively. For example, there are a personal computer, a handheld computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, a smart device, a tablet, and the like.

The server is a memory in which a plurality of modules are stored, and a processor that is connected to the memory and reacts to the plurality of modules and processes service information provided to the terminal or action information that controls the service information, communication It may include means, and a UI (user interface) display means.

Memory is a device that stores information, and is non-volatile such as high-speed random access memory, magnetic disk storage, flash memory device, and other non-volatile solid-state memory devices. It may include various types of memories such as volatile memory.

The communication means transmits and receives service information or action information to and from the terminal in real time.

The UI display means outputs system service information or action information in real time. The UI display means may be an independent device that directly or indirectly outputs or displays the UI, or may be a part of the device.

Hereinafter, a configuration in which the wearable system estimates the user's tremor symptom and provides sensory stimulation according to the estimated tremor symptom will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5.

3 is a flow chart showing a method of providing stimulus by a wearable system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a graph showing a movement pattern using a position sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

First, the wearable system receives a measurement value from a position detection module located on the user's body, sets a threshold value, and initializes the counting number i (S310).

The wearable system may set a threshold value in response to the user shaking in advance at the previous time point.

In detail, the wearable system extracts measurement values of an intermediate viewpoint at a preset time from among measurement values measured during a preset time by a user. In addition, the wearable system may set a value multiplied by m as a threshold value by performing a standard deviation of the data on the average of the extracted measured values. Where m is a natural number. In addition, the wearable system may initialize the value of i to 0 to perform counting.

For example, the wearable system may extract and store measurement values corresponding to 1 second from among measurement values collected for 3 seconds. In addition, the wearable system may set a threshold value by three times the standard deviation of the average of the extracted measured values (mean+3SD).

Meanwhile, the wearable system may analyze a motion pattern over time according to various causes of vibration, and may set a threshold value in consideration of the analyzed motion pattern.

4A and 4B are graphs analyzing movement patterns of young, elderly, and Parkinson patients over time using a gyro sensor.

As shown in FIG. 4, as various parameters such as time domain and frequency domain are calculated and analyzed for different ages or Parkinson's motion patterns, not only frequency domain parameters but also time domain ) Can be used.

In addition, the wearable system analyzes these data to distinguish between a resting state and an active state, and the movement due to tremor is estimated to occupy a higher frequency range compared to the active movement. A threshold value (active movement threshold) can be determined.

As such, the wearable system can set a threshold value that is most suitable for the user's tremor symptom by using the measured values measured at the user's previous point in time.

Next, the wearable system receives a real-time measurement value from the location detection module (S320).

The wearable system receives measurement values according to the window size of the sampling memory.

For example, if the window size of the sampling memory is the amount of data of one second, the wearable system can continue to maintain the amount of data of one second by discarding the latest stored data when new data is received.

In addition, the wearable system compares the received data amount for 1 second and a threshold value generated by using the measured value corresponding to 1 second set in step S310 (S330).

If the measured value is greater than the threshold value, the wearable system performs counting, and compares the counted number with a preset threshold value (S340).

The corresponding counting is a method of adding 1 to the value of i, and can be accumulated and counted if certain conditions are met.

If the number of counting is greater than a preset threshold, the wearable system estimates the user's progression symptoms and controls the driving of the sensory stimulator to be linked (S350).

In this case, the wearable system may store different driving conditions of the sensory stimulator according to the estimated tremor symptom, and may control the driving of the sensory stimulator according to the stored driving conditions.

For example, the wearable system may select one or more sensory stimulators in response to tremor symptoms, and apply a stimulus pattern to a square waveform or a first Hertz waveform to the sensory stimulators in response to tremor symptoms.

Then, the wearable system returns to step S320 described above to receive a real-time measured value. If the measured value has a larger value by comparing the measured value with the threshold value in step S330, counting is performed on the value of i, and Keep driving.

On the other hand, if the measured value has a value less than the threshold value in step S330, and the measured value has a value less than the threshold value, it means that the tremor symptom has been alleviated or decreased. Therefore, the wearable system may stop driving the sensory stimulator and reset the value of i again to return to step S320.

5 is an exemplary diagram showing a wearable system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 5, a wearable system including a position sensing module 100 and a stimulation providing module 200 may be implemented in various forms.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the stimulation providing module 200 and the position sensing module 100 may be connected to each other by a single arm. In addition, as shown in FIG. 5B, the position sensing module 100 may be formed by integrating the position sensing module 100 with the stimulus providing module 200 on the user's wrist. In this structure, the position detection module 100 and the stimulation providing module 200 may perform communication using a wired line instead of wireless communication.

The shape of the wearable system illustrated in FIG. 5 is an example, and is not limited thereto, and the position sensing module 100 and the stimulation providing module 200 may be formed in a structure that can be worn on the user's body. In addition, the wearable system can be used semi-permanently using conductive fibers, and can be formed to be easy to wear in a lightweight wearable form.

A program for executing a method according to an embodiment of the present invention may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium.

The computer-readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, and the like alone or in combination. The media may be specially designed and configured, or may be known and usable to those skilled in computer software. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes, optical recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, magnetic-optical media such as floppy disks, and ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. Hardware devices specially configured to store and execute the same program instructions are included. Here, the medium may be a transmission medium such as an optical or metal wire, a waveguide, etc. including a carrier wave that transmits a signal specifying a program command, a data structure, and the like. Examples of the program instructions include not only machine language codes such as those produced by a compiler, but also high-level language codes that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like.

Although one preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and improvements by those skilled in the art using the basic concept of the present invention defined in the following claims are also provided. It belongs to the scope of the present invention.

100: position detection module 110: sensor unit
120: transmitter 200: stimulation providing module
210: threshold value setting unit 220: progress estimation unit
230: control unit 240: sensory stimulator
250: communication unit 300: user terminal
400: management server

Claims (10)

In a wearable system wearable on a user's body part,
A position detection module that is located on a part of the user's body where tremor occurs and transmits a measured value through a sensor that detects a changed body position according to the tremor symptom, and
Stimulation providing module for estimating the user's tremor symptom based on the measured value received in real time from the location sensing module and providing sensory stimulation through a sensory stimulator in response to the estimated tremor symptom
Including,
The stimulus providing module includes a threshold value setting unit configured to set a threshold value representing a tremor symptom based on a measured value received from the position detecting module located on the user's body at a previous point in time.
In claim 1,
The stimulation providing module,
A progress estimation unit for estimating a progression symptom by comparing the measured value received in real time with the threshold value, and
A control unit for driving or stopping the driving sensory stimulator linked based on the estimation result of the progress estimation unit,
Wearable system for reducing progress further comprising a.
In paragraph 2,
The threshold value setting unit,
Among the measured values measured for a preset time by the user, the measured values at the intermediate point in time are extracted at the preset time, and the standard deviation of the data is performed on the average of the extracted measured values, and the value multiplied by m is set as the threshold value. Wearable system to reduce progress.
In paragraph 2,
The progress estimation unit,
A wearable system for reducing progress in which the measured value received in real time according to the window size of the sampling memory is greater than the threshold value, counting is performed, and when the counting is greater than n, it is estimated as a tremor symptom.
In claim 4,
The progress estimation unit,
If the measured value received in real time is less than the threshold value, the counting is initialized, and the wearable system for reducing progress is estimated as a general life activity.
In claim 1,
The stimulation providing module
In response to the tremor symptom, one or more sensory stimulators are selected, and the driving condition of the selected sensory stimulator is controlled to apply a stimulus pattern to the sensory stimulator with a square waveform or a first Hertz waveform in response to the tremor symptom. For wearable systems.
In claim 1,
The stimulation providing module
It is spaced apart from the location detection module and located on a part of the user's body,
A wearable system for reducing progress received at a sampling frequency of a predetermined size or more from the position detection module.
In the method of providing stimulation of a wearable system comprising a position sensing module and a stimulation providing module wearable on a part of a user's body,
The stimulation providing module setting a threshold value representing a tremor symptom based on data measured from the position sensing module located on the user's body,
Receiving a real-time measurement value from the location detection module,
Comparing the measured value and the threshold value, and if the measured value is greater than the threshold value, performing counting,
If the number of the counting is greater than a preset threshold, estimating the user's tremor symptom, and controlling the driving of the sensory stimulator to be linked, and
When the measured value is less than the threshold value, stopping driving of the sensory stimulator to be linked, and initializing the counting,
A method of providing stimulation of a wearable system for reducing progress comprising a.
In clause 8,
The step of setting the threshold value,
Among the measured values measured for a preset time by the user, the measured values at the intermediate point in time are extracted at the preset time, and the standard deviation of the data is performed on the average of the extracted measured values, and the value multiplied by m is set as the threshold value. A method of providing stimulation of a wearable system to reduce the progress of making.
In clause 8,
The position detection module and the stimulation providing module are matched with each other to transmit and receive signals through wireless communication,
The position detection module is worn on one or more fingers of the user in the form of a ring or an accessory,
The stimulation providing module is spaced apart from the position detection module and is worn on a part of the user's body in the form of a tosh or band or patch.

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