KR20220143485A - Dynamic spinal orthosis - Google Patents

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the present invention, provided is a dynamic spinal assist device, which may include: one or more first sensors disposed on a body of a subject to generate sensing information related to a first point on the spine of the subject; one or more second sensors disposed on the body of the subject to generate sensing information related to a second point located below the first point on the spine; and a control unit calculating the location of the first point from sensing information of the first sensor, calculating the location of the second point from sensing information of the second sensor, and calculating the relative location of the first point and the second point in the sagittal or coronal plane.

Description

DYNAMIC SPINAL ORTHOSIS

The present invention relates to a dynamic spinal assist device, and more particularly, to a dynamic spinal assist device for determining whether a subject's spine maintains a normal balance.

In recent years, cervical vertebrae disease has been rapidly increasing. This is related to the spread of various mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet PCs. If you unconsciously bend your head forward and use a mobile device for a long time, 'turtle neck syndrome' in which the cervical vertebrae, which should be drawn forward with a C-shaped curve, are deformed into a 1 or inverted C-shape may be induced, resulting in stiff neck and shoulders, headache symptoms such as

On the other hand, many patients also have scoliosis, in which the spine does not show normal alignment and is curved. The exact cause of scoliosis is not known, but incorrect posture is presumed to be the main cause.

The best way to prevent these spine-related diseases is to have a good posture. Through correct posture, it is possible to maintain the normal balance of the spine surgically. However, since most of the bad postures that put stress on the spine are taken unconsciously, it is difficult to always maintain the correct posture in life.

Conventionally, spinal orthosis for maintaining the normal balance of the spine has been introduced, but most of them are made for rehabilitation treatment, and there are problems in causing a decrease in the range of motion of a joint, an increase in psychological dependence, and damage to muscles and soft tissues. In addition, a technology that utilizes image analysis using an image capturing device for posture correction has also been developed, but it is difficult to apply to overall daily life because image acquisition through a camera is required, and excessive data throughput and system resources are pointed out as problems.

In such a situation, there is a need to develop an active orthosis that can be applied without unreasonableness in daily life while inducing active posture correction to the user away from the existing passive method for posture correction.

Registered Patent 10-2137445 "Position analysis method and posture analysis system using image processing", 2020.07.20

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is to solve the problems of the prior art described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a dynamic spinal assist device that induces active posture correction away from a passive method for posture correction, but can be applied effortlessly in daily life. will do

According to one aspect of the present invention, one or more first sensors disposed on the body of the person to be measured to generate sensing information related to a first point on the spine of the person to be measured; One or more second sensors disposed on the body of the subject to generate sensing information related to a second point located below the first point on the spine, and the position of the first point from the sensing information of the first sensor Dynamic spine comprising a control unit for calculating , calculating the position of the second point from the sensing information of the second sensor, and calculating the relative position of the first point and the second point on a sagittal or coronal plane auxiliary device.

In this case, the control unit may determine whether a distance between a straight line extending vertically downward from the first point on the sagittal plane or the coronal plane and the second point is within a predetermined standard.

In addition, the first point may be a center of gravity of the subject's skull and any one of the first to seventh cervical vertebrae, and the second point may be any one of the first to fifth lumbar vertebrae and the sacrum of the subject.

In addition, the first point may be the center of gravity of the skull of the person to be measured, and the second point may be the first sacrum of the person to be measured.

In addition, the predetermined criterion may be set to a specific value selected from 2 to 8 cm.

In addition, the first sensor may be respectively inserted into the left and right ears of the subject.

In addition, the first sensor may be coupled to the earphone respectively inserted into the left and right ears of the subject.

In addition, the second sensor may be attached to any one or more of the back, waist, and buttocks of the subject.

Also, the first sensor and the second sensor may transmit sensing information to the controller through short-range wireless communication.

In addition, the first sensor and the second sensor may be formed of an inertial sensor.

In addition, the controller may generate alarm information when a distance between a straight line extending vertically from the first point in a downward direction and the second point on the sagittal plane or coronal plane deviates from a predetermined standard.

In addition, the dynamic spinal assistance apparatus may further include an alarm unit for generating an alarm by receiving the alarm information from the control unit.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a dynamic spinal assist device capable of easily and efficiently determining the posture of a subject through position information of the spine obtained from two or more sensors disposed on the subject's body.

1 is a block diagram of a dynamic spinal assist device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a view showing the arrangement of the first and second sensors of the dynamic spinal assist device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and examples of first and second points on the spine of a subject on a sagittal plane.
3 is a view showing the arrangement of the first sensor and the second sensor of the dynamic spinal assist device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and an example of a first point and a second point on the spine of a subject on a coronal plane.
4 is a view showing an example of determining the posture of the subject on the sagittal plane through the dynamic spinal assist device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a view showing an example of determining the posture of the subject on the coronal plane through the dynamic spinal assist device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail so that those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains can easily implement them. The present invention may be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In order to clearly explain the present invention, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted from the drawings, and the same reference numerals are assigned to the same or similar components throughout the specification.

In this specification, terms such as "comprises" or "have" are intended to describe the existence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, but one or more other features It is to be understood that it does not preclude the possibility of the presence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

In this specification, spatially relative terms "front", "rear", "upper" or "lower" may be used to describe a correlation with the components shown in the drawings. These are relative terms determined based on what is shown in the drawings, and the positional relationship may be conversely interpreted according to the orientation. In addition, when a component is "connected" with another component, it includes not only direct connection to each other but also indirect connection to each other unless otherwise specified.

1 is a block diagram of a dynamic spinal assist device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Also, FIGS. 2 and 3 are diagrams illustrating the arrangement of the first and second sensors of the dynamic spinal assistance device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and examples of first and second points on the spine of the subject. .

In the dynamic spinal assist device according to an embodiment of the present invention, the spine of the subject 100 is in a normal balance based on the position information of the first point 101 and the second point 102 on the spine of the subject 100 . It allows you to determine whether a state is being maintained or not. Accordingly, according to the dynamic spinal assist device according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to easily and efficiently determine the posture of the subject 100 , and furthermore, it is possible to induce active posture correction of the subject 100 . have.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the dynamic spinal assistance apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a first sensor 10 , a second sensor 20 , a controller 30 , and an alarm unit 40 .

The first sensor 10 is disposed on the body of the subject 100 to generate sensing information related to the first point 101 on the spine of the subject 100 . One or more first sensors 10 may be provided.

In this case, the first point 101 may be any one of the center of gravity of the skull and the first to seventh cervical vertebrae. For example, in one embodiment of the present invention, the first point 101 may be the center of gravity of the skull of the subject 100 .

The second sensor 20 is disposed on the body of the subject 100 and generates sensing information related to the second point 102 located below the first point 101 on the spine. One or more second sensors 20 may be provided.

In this case, the second point 102 may be any one of the first to fifth lumbar vertebrae and the sacrum of the subject 100 . For example, the second point 102 may be the first sacrum of the subject 100 . In more detail, the second point 102 may be a posterior upper end (posterior superior pole) of the first sacrum of the subject 100 .

In an embodiment of the present invention, the first sensor 10 and the second sensor 20 may be formed of an inertial sensor. More specifically, the inertial sensor may refer to an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) sensor module including a gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a geomagnetic sensor. The acceleration sensor detects linear acceleration, and the gyro sensor detects rotational speed. In addition, the geomagnetic sensor can measure the Earth's magnetic field used as a reference.

As described above, when the first sensor 10 and the second sensor 20 are made of an inertial sensor, the first sensor 10 and the second sensor 20 are the first sensor 10 through the acceleration, gyro, and geomagnetic sensors. and the moving direction and position of the second sensor 20 may be measured.

The first sensor 10 based on data such as X-rays taken while the first sensor 10 and the second sensor 20 are fixedly arranged at a specific location by attachment to the body of the subject 100, etc. A relative positional relationship between and the first point 101 and a relative positional relationship between the second sensor 20 and the second point 102 may be determined in advance. Accordingly, the position information of the first point 101 and the position information of the second point 102 may be respectively obtained through the sensing information of the first sensor 10 and the sensing information of the second sensor 20 .

2 and 3 , in an embodiment of the present invention, the first sensor 10 is inserted and disposed in the left and right ears of the subject 100, respectively. That is, two first sensors 10 are provided, one is inserted into the left ear of the subject 100 , and the other is inserted into the right ear of the subject 100 .

For example, the first sensor 10 may be coupled to earphones respectively inserted into the left and right ears of the subject 100 . When the first sensor 10 is coupled to the earphone, the first sensor 10 may be easily fixedly disposed on the body of the subject 100 .

In addition, when two or more first sensors 10 are disposed as described above, the position of the first point 101 may be more precisely calculated through sensing information of the plurality of first sensors 10 .

As described above, in one embodiment of the present invention, the first point 101 may be the center of gravity of the skull of the subject 100 . In this case, the position of the center of gravity of the skull may be determined through sensing information of the first sensor 10 on the premise that the relative positional relationship between the first sensor 10 and the center of gravity of the skull is determined in advance.

The second sensor 20 may be attached to any one or more of the back, waist, and buttocks of the subject 100 . 2 and 3 , in an embodiment of the present invention, the second sensor 20 is attached to the rear waist of the subject 100 .

As described above, in an embodiment of the present invention, the second point 102 may be the first posterior sacral pole of the subject. In other words, the position of the posterior superior pole of the first sacrum may be determined based on the sensing information of the second sensor 20 on the premise that the relative positional relationship between the second sensor 20 and the sacrum is previously determined.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the first sensor 10 and the second sensor 20 may transmit their sensing information to the controller 30 through short-range wireless communication. For example, known methods such as Bluetooth, WiFi, and Zigbee may be considered as short-range wireless communication methods.

Of course, the connection between the first sensor 10 and the second sensor 20 and the controller 30 is not limited to a wireless communication method. That is, the first sensor 10 and the second sensor 20 may be connected to the controller 30 by wire.

The controller 30 calculates the position of the first point 101 from the sensing information of the first sensor 10 and calculates the position of the second point 102 from the sensing information of the second sensor 20 . In addition, the control unit 30 calculates the relative positions of the first point 101 and the second point 102 on a sagittal plane or a coronal plane.

In more detail, the controller 30 may determine whether the distance between the straight line extending vertically downward from the first point 101 on the sagittal plane or the coronal plane and the second point 102 is within a predetermined standard. When the distance between the straight line extending vertically from the first point 101 and the second point 102 on the sagittal plane or the coronal plane is within a predetermined standard, the correct posture of the subject 100 is It is determined that , and if it deviates from a predetermined standard, it may be determined that the posture of the subject 100 is not correct.

When the first point 101 is set as the center of gravity of the skull of the subject 100 and the second point 102 is set as the posterior superior pole of the first sacrum of the subject 100, the spine is in a normal balance state In the case of , the distance between the straight line extending vertically downward from the first point 101 on the sagittal or coronal plane and the second point 102 will be less than or equal to a specific value (eg, a distance selected between 2-8 cm). can In this case, the predetermined criterion may be selected as the above specific value. Meanwhile, the predetermined standard may be set differently according to a medical opinion of a doctor, a condition of a patient, etc., and is not limited by the above example.

When the second point 102 is on a straight line extending vertically downward from the first point 101 on the sagittal plane or coronal plane, or is separated by a predetermined standard or less, the The spine can be judged to be in a state of balance.

4 and 5 are diagrams illustrating an example of determining a posture of a subject through a dynamic spinal assist device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 shows the determination of the subject's posture on the sagittal plane, and FIG. 5 shows the determination of the subject's posture on the coronal plane.

4, when the first point 101 is set as the center of gravity of the skull of the subject 100 and the second point 102 is set as the first posterior sacral pole of the subject 100, When the second point 102 exists on a straight line extending vertically downward from the first point 101 on the sagittal plane (the center of FIG. 4 ), the controller 30 determines that the spine of the subject 100 is in a balanced state. It can be judged to be in

On the other hand, when the second point 102 on the sagittal plane is located at a distance of a first distance d1 behind a straight line extending vertically downward from the first point 101 (left side of FIG. 4) or a second point ( When 102) is located a second distance d2 apart in front of a straight line extending vertically downward from the first point 101 (the right side of FIG. 4), the first distance d1 or the second distance d2 is If it is out of the predetermined standard, the controller 30 may determine that the spine of the subject 100 is in an abnormal position. Here, the front and rear are based on the body of the subject 100 .

5, when the first point 101 is set as the center of gravity of the skull of the subject 100 and the second point 102 is set as the first posterior sacral pole of the subject 100, When the second point 102 exists on a straight line extending vertically downward from the first point 101 on the coronal plane, the control unit 30 may determine that the spine of the subject 100 is in a balanced state. have.

On the contrary, when the second point 102 is located on the left side of a straight line extending vertically downward from the first point 101 on the coronal plane, a third distance d3 apart, or the second point 102 is the first point When the fourth distance d4 is located on the right side of the straight line extending vertically downward from 101, if the third distance d3 or the fourth distance d4 is out of a predetermined standard, the control unit 30 is It may be determined that the spine of the subject 100 is in an abnormal position. Here, the left and right sides are based on the body of the subject 100 .

The controller 30 may generate alarm information when the distance between the straight line extending vertically from the first point 101 and the second point 102 on the sagittal plane or the coronal plane deviates from a predetermined standard. The alarm information generated by the control unit 30 may be transmitted to the alarm unit 40 to generate an alarm. Through the alarm, the subject 100 recognizes that his or her posture is incorrect, and can consciously correct the posture.

In more detail, the control unit 30 determines that the distance between the straight line extending vertically from the first point 101 and the second point 102 on the sagittal or coronal plane deviates from a predetermined time or number of times in advance. Alarm information can be created when it exceeds the standard set in . In an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 30 may be implemented in a mobile terminal such as a smart phone or a tablet PC. In this case, the subject 100 can utilize a mobile terminal used by the subject 100 as the control unit 30 instead of a separate device, thereby increasing the convenience of using the dynamic spinal assist device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

However, the present invention is not limited to that the control unit 30 is implemented in a mobile terminal used by the subject 100 in the past. Therefore, the control unit 30 may be provided as a separate device other than the existing mobile terminal.

The alarm unit 40 receives the alarm information from the control unit 30 and generates an alarm. In this case, the alarm may include any one or more of visual information, tactile information, and auditory information. Accordingly, the alarm unit 40 may include any one or more of a display for displaying the visual information, a vibrating unit for transmitting tactile information, and a speaker for reproducing the auditory information.

The alarm unit 40 may be implemented in a single device with the control unit 30 . For example, the alarm unit 40 may be implemented in a mobile terminal such as a smart phone or a tablet PC of the subject 100 like the control unit 30 . Of course, the shape of the alarm unit 40 is not limited thereby, and the alarm unit 40 may be provided as a separate device from the control unit 30 . For example, the alarm unit 40 may be implemented as a vibration module disposed on the earphone used by the subject 100 .

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described, the spirit of the present invention is not limited by the embodiments presented herein, and those skilled in the art who understand the spirit of the present invention can add components, within the scope of the same spirit, Other embodiments may be easily proposed by changes, deletions, additions, etc., but these will also fall within the scope of the present invention.

10: first sensor 20: second sensor
30: control unit 40: alarm unit

Claims (12)

one or more first sensors disposed on the body of the subject to generate sensing information related to a first point on the spine of the subject;
one or more second sensors disposed on the body of the subject to generate sensing information related to a second point located below the first point on the spine; and
calculating the position of the first point from the sensing information of the first sensor, calculating the position of the second point from the sensing information of the second sensor, and calculating the first point and the first point on the sagittal plane or coronal plane Dynamic spinal assist device comprising a control unit for calculating the relative positions of the two points. The method of claim 1,
The control unit determines whether a distance between a straight line extending vertically downward from the first point on the sagittal plane or the coronal plane and the second point is within a predetermined standard. 3. The method of claim 2,
The first point is the center of gravity of the subject's skull and any one of the first to seventh cervical vertebrae, and the second point is any one of the first to fifth lumbar vertebrae and the sacrum of the subject. 4. The method of claim 3,
The first point is the center of gravity of the subject's skull, and the second point is the first sacrum of the subject. 4. The method of claim 3,
The predetermined criterion is a dynamic spinal assist device that is set to a specific value selected from 2 to 8 cm. The method of claim 1,
The first sensor is a dynamic spinal assistance device that is respectively inserted into the left and right ears of the subject. 7. The method of claim 6,
The first sensor is a dynamic spinal assist device coupled to earphones respectively inserted into the left and right ears of the subject. The method of claim 1,
The second sensor is a dynamic spinal assist device that is attached to any one or more of a back, waist, and buttocks of the subject. The method of claim 1,
The first sensor and the second sensor are dynamic spinal assistance apparatus for transmitting sensing information to the control unit through short-range wireless communication. The method of claim 1,
and the first sensor and the second sensor are inertial sensors. The method of claim 1,
The controller is configured to generate alarm information when a distance between a straight line extending vertically downward from the first point on the sagittal plane or the coronal plane and the second point deviates from a predetermined standard. 12. The method of claim 11,
The dynamic spinal assistance device further comprising an alarm unit for generating an alarm by receiving the alarm information from the control unit.

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