KR20210153909A - Smart body alignment apparatus for body balance and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus capable of confirming whether a subject has a scoliosis or a twisted pelvis without taking an X-ray or the like. More specifically, the present invention relates to a smart body alignment apparatus that includes at least one marker part attached to the body of a subject, a marker sensing part for detecting the marker part; and a control part for determining the body balance of the subject based on a result sensed by the marker sensing part.

Description

SMART BODY ALIGNMENT APPARATUS FOR BODY BALANCE AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

The present invention relates to a device for balancing the body, and more particularly, to a device for assisting in balancing the body by warning of an imbalance in the body through a sensor marker part attached to the spine and/or the scapula.

The normal spine of the human body is a straight line when viewed from the front, and when viewed from the side, the cervical and lumbar vertebrae curve forward (forecurve), and the thoracic and anterior vertebrae curve backward (kyphosis).

Since modern people spend a lot of time sitting, there is a greater possibility that the spine is bent due to bad posture or habits. In particular, adolescents in the growing phase are more affected by their posture because they are more flexible than the bones of adults who have stopped growing. When the spine is bent into a C-shape or an S-shape and the body tilts or turns left and right, it is called scoliosis.

Such scoliosis is difficult to judge by yourself because there are no subjective symptoms in the early stages. As scoliosis progresses, the muscles, ligaments, and nerves around the spine are under pressure, so it can be judged as symptoms such as back pain, stiff shoulders, and headaches. Compression may cause cardiorespiratory dysfunction.

In addition, some patients complain of severe pain even during sleep, and when the disc gap decreases in middle age, they become easily fatigued due to the imbalance of the skeleton and bones, and they cannot stay in the same position for a long time and feel a headache and shoulder pain together. Neurologically, it also causes an imbalance of hormones and digestive functions, and in the case of adolescent patients, it can lead to allergies, concentration problems, and growth disorders.

In particular, the pelvis is directly connected to the pelvis by the bone structure called the sacrum, and a distortion of the spine causes the pelvis to also be distorted. When a person with a twisted pelvis sits on a chair, a force is applied to the lower back in one direction, which makes scoliosis worse.

Therefore, there is a need for research on a device or method that can properly determine whether the spine or pelvis is tilted in scoliosis.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention aims to solve the above and other problems. Another object is to provide a device capable of sensing whether the spine is tilted in a specific direction or the pelvis is twisted.

The technical problems to be achieved in the present invention are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs from the description below. will be able

According to one aspect of the present invention to achieve the above or other objects, at least one marker unit attached to the body of the measurement target; a marker sensing unit for detecting the marker unit; and a control unit for determining the body balance of the subject to be measured based on a result sensed through the marker sensing unit, including a smart body alignment assistance device.

The at least one marker unit may be attached to the rear of the subject to be measured.

The at least one marker unit may be attached to correspond to a skeletal position of the measurement target.

The at least one marker unit may be attached to the skin of the subject to be measured in the form of a sticker.

The at least one marker unit may further include a gyro sensor.

The at least one marker unit further comprises a wireless communication unit,

A result detected by the gyro sensor may be transmitted to the controller.

The determination may include whether the spine or the pelvis of the measurement subject is inclined or twisted.

The effect of the smart body alignment assisting device according to the present invention will be described as follows.

According to at least one of the embodiments of the present invention, there is an advantage that it is possible to simply check whether the body is imbalanced without direct imaging of the inside of the body, such as X-ray imaging.

Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific embodiments such as preferred embodiments of the present invention are given by way of example only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention may be clearly understood by those skilled in the art.

1 is a diagram illustrating a block diagram of a smart body alignment assistance apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating operations of the marker sensing unit 140 and the marker 101 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a perspective view of a marker 101 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a diagram illustrating a skeletal structure of a human back, and FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a skeletal structure of a pelvis of the human body.
5 and 7 are views showing a position to which the marker 101 is attached according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart of a method for controlling a smart body alignment assistance device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a diagram illustrating a spine monitoring marker 901 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the embodiments disclosed in the present specification will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the same or similar components are assigned the same reference numbers regardless of reference numerals, and redundant description thereof will be omitted. The suffixes "module" and "part" for components used in the following description are given or mixed in consideration of only the ease of writing the specification, and do not have distinct meanings or roles by themselves. In addition, in describing the embodiments disclosed in the present specification, if it is determined that detailed descriptions of related known technologies may obscure the gist of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, the accompanying drawings are only for easy understanding of the embodiments disclosed in the present specification, and the technical idea disclosed herein is not limited by the accompanying drawings, and all changes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention , should be understood to include equivalents or substitutes.

Terms including an ordinal number such as 1st, 2nd, etc. may be used to describe various elements, but the elements are not limited by the terms. The above terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

When an element is referred to as being “connected” or “connected” to another element, it is understood that it may be directly connected or connected to the other element, but other elements may exist in between. it should be On the other hand, when it is said that a certain element is "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that the other element does not exist in the middle.

The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In the present application, terms such as “comprises” or “have” are intended to designate that a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification exists, but one or more other features It should be understood that this does not preclude the existence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

1 is a diagram showing a block diagram of a smart body alignment assistance apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The smart body alignment assistance device 100 includes a wireless communication unit 110 , a marker marker sensing unit 140 , an output unit 150 , a memory 170 , a control unit 180 , and at least one marker 101-1, 101 -2, ...) and a power supply unit 190 .

And the at least one marker (101-1, 101-2, ...), like the power supply unit 190', the wireless communication unit 110', the control unit 180' and the transmitter 140 in their own configuration. ) may be included.

In the smart body alignment assistance device 100, the remaining components except for the at least one marker (101-1, 101-2, ...) are combined with at least one marker (101-1, 101-2, ...) In order to distinguish, in the following detailed description, it is referred to as a scan unit 102 . That is, the smart body alignment assistance apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a scan unit 102 and at least one marker 101-1, 101-2, ...). The components commonly distinguished by the smart body alignment assistance device 100 and the at least one marker 101-1, 101-2, ... are distinguished by attaching an apostrophe to the same identification number. And, when the at least one marker (101-1, 101-2, ...) is collectively referred to as a marker (101).

For example, the wireless communication unit provided in the scan unit 102 is indicated by 110, and the wireless communication unit provided in the marker 101 is indicated by 110'.

The components shown in FIG. 1 are not essential for implementing the smart body alignment assisting device 100, so the smart body alignment assisting device 100 described herein has more than the components listed above, or It can have fewer components.

More specifically, the wireless communication unit 110 among the components may include one or more modules that enable wireless communication between the scan unit 102 and the at least one marker 101 . In addition, the wireless communication units 110 and 110 ′ may include one or more modules for connecting the smart body alignment assistance device 100 to one or more networks.

2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating operations of the marker sensing unit 140 and the marker 101 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a perspective view of a marker 101 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The marker sensing unit 140 detects the marker 101 and transmits the detected result to the control unit 180 . In this case, the detection of the marker 101 may include the detection of the position and the degree of inclination of at least one marker ( ). In particular, the tilt may include tilt information for 3 axes. The marker sensing unit 140 irradiates the signal 201 (eg, microwave or IR signal, etc.) to detect the marker 101, and detects a signal reflected from the marker 101. .

However, various methods for detecting the marker 101 may be used, and it will not be limited to the method (optical method) for detecting the reflected signal as described above.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the at least one marker ( ) may be attached to the rear of the subject 200 to be measured in the form of a sticker. More specifically, the marker 101 may be attached to the skin of the subject 200 to be measured, and in particular, may be attached to correspond to the position of the skeleton of the subject to be measured ( ).

The marker 101 may include an adhesive part 301 and a housing 302 to be attached to the skin, and components in the block diagram of FIG. 1 may be mounted inside the housing 302 .

The skeletal structure of the human body and the position of the marker 101 to be attached will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7 .

4 is a diagram illustrating a skeletal structure of a human back, and FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a skeletal structure of a pelvis of the human body. 5 and 7 are views showing a position to which the marker 101 is attached according to an embodiment of the present invention.

If the spine is turned left or right, the skeleton of the back will also become out of balance. Therefore, in the present invention, it is proposed to check whether the spine is tilted by comparing the positions of the left and right shoulder blades. To this end, in the present invention, it is proposed to accurately attach the marker 101 to the position of the scapula and detect the attached marker 101 .

Referring to the structure of the scapula shown in FIG. 4 , there is a region of the spine 401 protruding backward. This spine 401 can be easily checked by pressing around the scapula with a hand even for an ordinary person without the help of a medical professional. In particular, the spine 401 has a shape elongated in a specific direction, and the marker 101 is also elongated in a specific direction (for example, a bar shape), and can be attached to correspond to the direction in which the spine 401 is extended. will be.

Looking at the pelvic structure of Figure 6, there is a sacrum 601 for connecting the left and right pelvis and the spine. Since the sacrum is provided with a bone structure (601, median sacral crest) protruding long in the vertical direction, the position of the bone can be easily specified by similarly pressing by hand.

And in the case of the left and right pelvic bones, since there is a pelvic bone structure (602, Posterior-superior iliac spine) that protrudes to the rear as well, it will be possible to specify the exact position of the skeleton after pressing the area with your hand. .

As shown in FIG. 7 , the marker 101 may be attached to the upper and lower iliac spines 602 and the median sacral ridge 601 of the left and right pelvis.

Returning to the block diagram of FIG. 1 again, the output unit 150 may form a layer structure with the touch sensor or be integrally formed to implement a touch screen.

In addition, the memory 170 stores data supporting various functions of the smart body alignment assistance apparatus 100 . The memory 170 may store a plurality of applications (application programs or applications) driven in the smart body alignment assisting device 100 , data for the operation of the smart body alignment assisting device 100 , and commands. .

In addition to the operation related to the application program, the controller 180 generally controls the overall operation of the smart body alignment assistant device 100 . The controller 180 may provide or process appropriate information or functions to the user by processing signals, data, information, etc. input or output through the above-described components or by driving an application program stored in the memory 170 .

Also, the controller 180 may control at least some of the components discussed with reference to FIG. 1 in order to drive an application program stored in the memory 170 . Furthermore, in order to drive the application program, the controller 180 may operate at least two or more of the components included in the smart body alignment assistance apparatus 100 in combination with each other.

The power supply unit 190 receives external power and internal power under the control of the control unit 180 to supply power to each component included in the smart body alignment assistant device 100 .

At least some of the respective components may operate cooperatively to implement the operation, control, or control method of the smart body alignment assistance apparatus 100 according to various embodiments to be described below. In addition, the operation, control, or control method of the smart body alignment assisting apparatus 100 may be implemented on the smart body alignment assisting apparatus 100 by driving at least one application program stored in the memory 170 .

The sensing unit 160 ′ provided in the marker 101 may include one or more sensors for sensing information about the surrounding environment surrounding the marker 101 . For example, the sensing unit 160 ′ may include at least one of an acceleration sensor, a gravity sensor (G-sensor), a gyroscope sensor, and a motion sensor.

For example, when the control unit 180 ′ of the marker 101 detects the degree of inclination of the marker 101 through the sensing unit 160 ′, the scan unit 120 transmits a result detected through the wireless communication unit 110 ′. ) can be transmitted to the wireless communication unit 110 of the. The transmitted sensing result may be utilized by the controller 180 to determine the balance of the spine of the measurement target 200 .

On the other hand, although the inclination may be detected through the sensing unit 160 ′, the marker sensing unit 140 may determine the inclination of the marker 101 by itself. That is, the marker 101 is provided in a long shape (eg, a bar shape) in a specific direction as shown in FIG. 3 , and the marker 101 is based on the shape of the marker 101 sensed by the marker sensing unit 140 . You can also check the inclination of .

8 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart of a method for controlling a smart body alignment assistance device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In step S801 , the controller 180 detects the marker 101 . At this time, at least one of a relative position, an absolute position, and an inclination of the marker 101 may be detected.

The controller 180 may determine ( S802 ) whether the spine of the measurement target 200 is in balance based on the measured position of the marker 101 .

In particular, the controller 180 according to an embodiment of the present invention determines whether the spine is balanced based on the positions and inclinations of the five markers 101 . According to this embodiment, the five markers 101, the first and second markers 101-1 and 101-2 are on the spine 401 of the left and right scapula, respectively, and the third and fourth markers ( 101-3, 101-4) may be attached to the left and right pelvic spines 602, respectively, and finally, the fifth marker 101-5 may be attached to the spines 601 of the sacrum. In particular, the fifth marker 101-5 may be attached in the vertical direction according to the direction of the spine 601 of the sacrum.

That is, the controller 180 may check whether the balance of the left and right shoulder blades and the balance of the spine are correct according to whether the left and right balances (position and inclination) of the first and second markers 101-1 and 101-2 are correct. .

In addition, the control unit 180 may check whether the balance of the left and right pelvis and the balance of the spine are correct according to whether the left and right balances (positions and inclinations) of the third and fourth markers 101-3 and 101-4 are correct. .

Finally, depending on whether the fifth marker 101 - 5 is inclined, it may be confirmed whether the spine is inclined.

In addition, the control unit 180 may output a warning on the result determined in step S802 through the output unit 151 (S803).

On the other hand, in another embodiment of the present invention, it is proposed to determine the balance state or movement of the spine through the spine marker attached to correspond to the actual position of the spine.

9 is a diagram illustrating a spine monitoring marker 901 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

In the drawing, the first to fifth spinal monitoring markers (901-1 to 901-5, hereinafter referred to as spinal markers) will be collectively referred to as a spinal marker 901.

Although the spine marker 901 may be slightly different from the marker 101 in shape or length, the structure and function of the spine marker 901 are substantially the same as those of the above-described marker 101, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted. In a preferred embodiment, the spine marker 901 may be formed to be slightly shorter (total length about 5 cm) than the marker 101 .

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first and second spinal markers 901-1 and 901-2 are in the cervical vertebrae, the third and fourth vertebral markers 901-3 and 901-4 are in the thoracic vertebrae and the fifth vertebrae. Spinal markers 901 - 5 may be located in the lumbar spine. In this case, the spine marker 901 may be attached (arranged) to coincide with the longitudinal direction of the spine (side by side).

In particular, similarly to the attachment of the marker 101 , the spine marker 901 may also be attached to match the exact position of the spine and the direction of the spine after being pressed by hand.

The position and the degree of inclination of the spine marker 901 attached as described above are scanned by the scan unit 102 , so that the balance state or movement of the spine of the subject 200 to be measured can be easily grasped.

Although the embodiments of the smart body alignment assisting device and the smart body alignment assisting device using the same have been described above according to the present invention, this will be described as at least one embodiment, thereby limiting the technical spirit of the present invention and its configuration and operation It is not intended to be, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited / limited by the drawings or the description with reference to the drawings. In addition, the concept and embodiment of the present invention presented in the present invention can be used by those of ordinary skill in the art as a basis for modifying or designing other structures in order to perform the same purpose of the present invention. , an equivalent structure modified or changed by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs is bound by the technical scope of the present invention described in the claims, and does not depart from the spirit or scope of the invention described in the claims Various changes, substitutions and changes are possible within the limits.

Claims (7)

at least one marker unit attached to the body of the subject to be measured;
a marker sensing unit for detecting the marker unit; and
A control unit for determining the body balance of the subject to be measured based on a result sensed through the marker sensing unit;
Smart body alignment aid.
The method of claim 1,
The at least one marker part, characterized in that attached to the rear of the measurement target,
Smart body alignment aid.
The method of claim 1,
The at least one marker part, characterized in that attached to correspond to the position of the skeleton of the measurement subject,
Smart body alignment aid.
4. The method of claim 3,
The at least one marker part, characterized in that it is attached to the skin of the measurement target in the form of a sticker,
Smart body alignment aid.
5. The method of claim 4,
The at least one marker unit, characterized in that it further comprises a gyro sensor,
Smart body alignment aid.
6. The method of claim 5,
The at least one marker unit further includes a wireless communication unit,
Characterized in controlling the wireless communication unit to deliver the result detected by the gyro sensor to the control unit,
Smart body alignment aid.
The method of claim 1,
The determination is characterized in that it includes whether the spine or pelvis of the measurement subject is tilted or twisted,
Smart body alignment aid.

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