KR20240112428A - Apparatus for measuring walking health - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a walking health measuring device.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, an upper limb detection sensor for detecting movement of the upper limb of a pedestrian; Lower limb detection sensor for detecting movement of the lower limbs of pedestrians; A gait detection controller that determines the pedestrian's walking health status based on the gait signal measured from the upper limb detection sensor and the lower limb detection sensor; And a walking health measuring device including a transmission communication device that transmits walking detection data on the walking health status to the outside may be provided.

Description

Walking health measuring device {APPARATUS FOR MEASURING WALKING HEALTH}

The present invention relates to a walking health measuring device.

In general, physical health begins with spinal health, and spinal health begins with proper walking. Not only patients with walking disabilities, but also the general public use various equipment to measure and manage their walking health for health management.

There are known methods for detecting walking to measure walking health, such as measuring the walking condition by attaching a walking detection device to the lower extremities, or detecting the stride length and walking speed by detecting the impact of walking. Additionally, a method of measuring walking patterns by mounting an inertial sensor inside the shoes is also used. If an inertial sensor is installed inside the shoe, it is easy to measure the pedestrian's walking pattern, and the gait measurement results can be transmitted to a mobile phone, etc., making walking health management convenient.

However, the conventional technology for measuring walking health by installing an inertial sensor inside a shoe has the disadvantage of not considering the movement of the pedestrian's upper extremities, so it is insufficient to determine the correct walking condition for the pedestrian. In addition, the conventional technology for analyzing the walking health level does not take into account the movement of the pedestrian's upper limbs, but only measures the movement of the lower limbs and determines the walking condition according to walking time and walking speed, making it difficult to determine the correct walking level. In addition, the walking signal measured by the walking level measuring device is transmitted to a remote server through wireless communication and the walking health level is analyzed by a walking analysis program running on the server, so it takes some time to check the walking health level in real time. There was a problem that it needed time. In addition, power consumption occurs in the process of measuring gait level and transmitting detection signals wirelessly, resulting in the inconvenience of having to charge the power of the shoes after each gait measurement.

Republic of Korea Patent No. 10-2005-0097181 (published on October 7, 2005)

Embodiments of the present invention were invented against the above background, and are intended to provide a walking health measurement device that can measure the pedestrian's walking health level by detecting the movement of the upper and lower limbs of the pedestrian.

In addition, embodiments of the present invention were invented against the above background, and are a walking device that can charge the battery and measure the pedestrian's walking health status using a piezoelectric signal output from a piezoelectric sensor due to the change in foot pressure that occurs while walking. We want to provide a health measuring device.

According to embodiments of the present invention, an upper limb detection sensor for detecting movement of the upper limb of a pedestrian; Lower limb detection sensor for detecting movement of the lower limbs of pedestrians; A gait detection controller that determines the pedestrian's walking health status based on the gait signal measured from the upper limb detection sensor and the lower limb detection sensor; and a transmission communicator for externally transmitting gait detection data on the gait health condition, wherein the gait detection controller compares the upper limb movement and the lower limb movement, and determines the upper limb movement linked to the lower limb movement to a preset normal pattern. When within the range, a walking health measuring device may be provided that determines that the pedestrian's walking is normal walking.

In addition, a walking health measuring device may be provided that further includes a piezoelectric sensor that provides a piezoelectric signal for the amount of change in foot pressure of the pedestrian.

In addition, the piezoelectric sensor generates electrical energy using the amount of change in the pedestrian's foot pressure while walking, and charges the generated electrical energy to a battery for operating the walking detection controller. A walking health measuring device may be provided.

In addition, based on the piezoelectric signal received from the piezoelectric sensor, the gait detection controller detects the upper limbs so that gait measurement for the pedestrian begins when the ground reaction force generated when the pedestrian walks reaches two peak values during a preset time. A sensor and a walking health measuring device that operates the lower limb detection sensor may be provided.

In addition, a walking health measuring device may be provided in which the lower limb detection sensor is disposed on the left and right insoles of shoes worn by a pedestrian, respectively.

In addition, the walking detection controller determines that the pedestrian is in a uniform walking state when the walking signal received from each of the lower limb detection sensors disposed on the left and right insoles of the shoe has a deviation within a preset certain range. Health measuring devices may be provided.

In addition, the upper limb detection sensor and the lower limb detection sensor include an inertial sensor capable of measuring movement acceleration for linear movement of the pedestrian, rotational angular velocity for rotational movement of the pedestrian, and geomagnetism. A gait health measuring device may be provided.

Additionally, the upper extremity detection sensor may be provided as a walking health measuring device that is placed on the pedestrian's waist.

According to embodiments of the present invention, an inertial sensor is placed in the waist area of a pedestrian and inside a shoe, and the inertial sensor measures movement in the straight and rotational directions that occurs in the process of rising from the ground, moving, and landing on the ground. This has the effect of effectively detecting the pedestrian's walking state.

In addition, according to embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to determine a normal walking state by detecting the amount of impact from the change in foot pressure that occurs at the start of walking through sensors attached to the pedestrian, and at the same time, electrical energy output from the piezoelectric sensor By using it as the power of the controller, it has the effect of being able to determine whether the pedestrian is walking correctly while eliminating frequent charging due to existing battery power consumption.

Figure 1 is a configuration diagram showing a walking health measuring device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a configuration diagram showing a walking signal transmission unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a state diagram showing the installation state of a pedestrian's walking health measurement device constructed according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a graph showing movement angles of a pedestrian's hips, knees, and ankles, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 is a graph showing walking signals detected on the left and right sides of the shoe when the pedestrian is in a healthy walking state, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 6 is a graph showing walking signals detected on the left and right sides of a shoe when a pedestrian is walking in an unhealthy state, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 7 is a diagram showing the amount of change in ground reaction force with respect to foot pressure as a pedestrian walks, for measuring the level of walking health according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 8 is a graph showing the timing of detecting a measurement start signal from ground reaction force according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the operating state of the walking health measuring device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the configuration and operation according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. The following description is one of several aspects of the invention that may be claimed for patent, and the following description may form part of a detailed description of the invention.

However, when describing the present invention, detailed descriptions of known configurations or functions may be omitted to make the present invention clear.

Since the present invention can make various changes and include various embodiments, specific embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in the detailed description. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, and should be understood to include all changes, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention.

Terms including ordinal numbers, such as first, second, etc., may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one component from another.

When a component is said to be 'connected' or 'connected' to another component, it is understood that it may be directly connected or connected to the other component, but that other components may exist in between. It should be.

The terms used in the present invention are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

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

Referring to Figures 1 to 4, the walking health measuring device 10 according to the present invention detects the walking state of the pedestrian based on the movement occurring during the pedestrian's moving process and the landing process when the pedestrian lands on the ground. This can be done, and the power consumption of the battery can be resolved by using the electrical energy output from the change in foot pressure. This walking health measuring device 10 may include a walking signal transmission unit 100 and a walking signal receiving unit 200.

The walking signal transmission unit 100 is attached to a pedestrian and can transmit the pedestrian's walking signal to the walking signal receiving unit. The walking signal transmission unit 100 may include an upper limb detection sensor 110, a lower limb detection sensor 120, a piezoelectric sensor 130, a walking detection controller 140, and a transmission communication unit 150. In this embodiment, the forward and backward direction (straight direction) in which the pedestrian moves relative to the pedestrian can be understood as the

The upper limb detection sensor 110 can detect the movement of the pedestrian's upper limbs. The upper limb detection sensor 110 may be worn on the pedestrian's waist. The upper limb detection sensor 110 may be an inertial sensor capable of detecting the movement of the pedestrian's upper limbs in the linear and rotational directions that occurs when the pedestrian moves upward from the ground or lands on the ground. As an example, the inertial sensor may include an acceleration sensor capable of measuring movement acceleration for linear movement of the upper limb, and a gyro sensor capable of measuring rotational angular velocity for rotational movement of the upper limb. A detection signal for the movement of the pedestrian's upper limbs detected through the upper limb detection sensor 110 may be transmitted to the gait detection controller 140.

The lower limb detection sensor 120 can detect movement of the pedestrian's lower limbs. The lower extremity detection sensor 120 may be disposed on the left and right sides of the shoes worn by the pedestrian, respectively. The lower extremity detection sensor 120 may be an inertial sensor that can detect the movement of the pedestrian's lower extremities in the linear and rotational directions that occurs when the pedestrian moves upward from the ground or lands on the ground. As an example, the inertial sensor includes an acceleration sensor capable of measuring the moving acceleration for the linear movement of the lower extremities, a gyro sensor capable of measuring the rotational angular velocity for the rotational movement of the lower extremities, and a sensor for detecting geomagnetism. It may include a terrestrial magnetism sensor. The inertial sensor can be used to determine correct walking from the movement of the pedestrian's left and right feet by detecting the movement of the pedestrian's feet through an acceleration sensor, gyro sensor, and geomagnetic sensor.

In this embodiment, the lower limb detection sensor 120 has been described as being disposed on the left and right sides of the shoes, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the lower limb detection sensor 120 may be disposed on various body parts of the pedestrian in addition to the shoes. As an example, the lower limb detection sensor 120 may be placed on the pedestrian's hips, knees, and ankles. The movements of each body part during walking can generally be determined by the movement angles of the hips, knees, ankles, etc., according to the theory of gait mechanics. With the inertial sensors of the lower limb detection sensor 120 attached to the pedestrian's hips, knees, ankles, etc., if the walking signal detected by the lower limb detection sensor 120 is detected within the area indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 4, it is judged as normal walking. It can be.

In this embodiment, the pedestrian's upper limb movement may be detected through the upper limb detection sensor 110, and the pedestrian's lower limb movement may be detected through the lower limb detection sensor 120. In this embodiment, the pedestrian's gait can be analyzed through the upper limb detection sensor 110 and the lower limb detection sensor 120, so compared to the case where the pedestrian's lower limb movement is detected only through the lower limb detection sensor 120, the gait Errors in gait analysis that may occur in the process of detecting the level can be reduced. To detect the walking level, correct walking can be determined by analyzing the walking movements of the pedestrian's left and right feet, but only by considering the upper limb movements linked to the lower limb movements can a better walking condition of the pedestrian be identified.

As an example, through analysis of the walking signal detected by the upper limb detection sensor 110 and the lower limb detection sensor 120, when the upper limb movement linked to the lower limb movement is within a preset normal pattern range, the pedestrian's walking is considered to be a normal walking. can be judged. In general, human health comes from spinal health, and spinal health begins with correct walking, so the movement of a pedestrian walking with the back straight, the movement of walking with the pedestrian bending the waist, and the movement of walking with excessive movement of the waist, etc. It may affect the walking condition of pedestrians. Therefore, for a pedestrian's healthy gait, upper extremity movements linked to lower extremity movements must be detected within a certain pattern. Even if the lower extremity movement is correct, if the upper extremity movement is excessive or insufficient, this cannot be judged to be correct walking movement.

The piezoelectric sensor 130 is a sensor using an element with a piezoelectric effect and can convert vibration into electrical energy. As an example, the piezoelectric sensor 130 can generate electrical energy using the amount of change in the pedestrian's foot pressure while walking, and charge the generated electrical energy into a battery for operating the walking detection controller 140.

The piezoelectric sensor 130 can detect a change in the pedestrian's foot pressure while walking and provide a piezoelectric signal for the detected change in the pedestrian's foot pressure. The piezoelectric sensor 130 may be placed on the insole 300 of the shoe. The piezoelectric sensor 130 may be disposed at the rear end of the insole 300 corresponding to the pedestrian's heel. The piezoelectric sensor 130 can detect the ground reaction force that occurs when a pedestrian lands on the ground. The piezoelectric sensor 130 can transmit a piezoelectric signal about the amount of change in foot pressure to the gait detection controller 140.

The gait detection controller 140 may operate the upper limb detection sensor 110 and the lower limb detection sensor 120 based on the piezoelectric signal received from the piezoelectric sensor 130. For example, when the ground reaction force generated when a pedestrian walks reaches two peak values during a preset time, the walking detection controller 140 determines that the pedestrian is walking, and activates the detection sensor and the lower extremity detection sensor, You can start measuring gait for pedestrians. In normal walking, in the process of landing, the heel of the foot touches the ground first, then the entire sole lands on the ground, and then the heel of the foot leaves the ground, and at the same time, load is applied only to the forefoot, and the forefoot also touches the ground. You go through the process of breaking away from it. In this process, the maximum pressure is generated when the heel of the foot touches the ground. When the foot lands across the air, the maximum pressure is generated because the body pressure is placed on the heel of the foot, and then the second pressure occurs when the forefoot leaves the ground. As a large pressure is generated, two peaks of ground reaction force, so-called camelback shapes, appear in succession.

Therefore, when two peak values of ground reaction force are detected during a preset time (set time Δt), the walking detection controller 140 can determine that the pedestrian is walking. Additionally, if one ground reaction force peak value occurs during a preset time (set time Δt), the walking detection controller 140 may determine that it is external noise or that the pedestrian has stopped walking. Two ground reaction force peak values appear during a preset time (set time Δt), but if the ground reaction force size is significantly smaller than the preset ground reaction force standard size, the walking detection controller 140 may determine that the pedestrian is not walking. there is.

The walking detection controller 140 can determine the pedestrian's walking health status based on the walking signal. The walking detection controller 140 can detect the absolute position of the pedestrian using an absolute coordinate system. The walking detection controller 140 can apply the walking signal measured from the gyro sensor to the pedestrian's absolute position in the absolute coordinate system. The walking detection controller 140 can apply the walking signal measured from the acceleration sensor to the pedestrian's absolute position in the absolute coordinate system.

The walking detection controller 140 can determine whether the pedestrian maintains a normal walking state. As an example, the gait detection controller 140, based on the gait signal provided through the upper limb detection sensor 110 and the lower limb detection sensor 120, when the upper limb movement linked to the lower limb movement is within a preset normal pattern range. , the pedestrian's walking can be judged to be normal walking. For a pedestrian's normal gait, upper extremity movements linked to lower extremity movements must be detected within a certain pattern. Even if the gait movement of the lower extremities is correct, if the upper extremity movement is excessive or under-moving, this cannot be judged to be a normal gait.

The walking detection controller 140 can determine whether the pedestrian is walking uniformly on the left and right sides of the pedestrian even if the pedestrian is not walking normally. As an example, the walking detection controller 140 determines whether the pedestrian's walking is uniform through the size of the deviation between the left and right measurement values of the pedestrian transmitted from the upper limb detection sensor 110 or the lower limb detection sensor 120. can do. For example, the walking detection controller 140 compares the walking signals received from the lower limb detection sensors 120 attached to the left and right sides of the shoes, and if there is a deviation within a preset certain range, the pedestrian is considered to be in a uniform walking state. You can judge. Since general gait analysis equipment adopts a method of analyzing measurement signals on a remote server and then supplying the results to pedestrians, it may cost a lot of money to build the equipment, but the gait detection controller 140 according to the present invention is It is possible to quickly and effectively determine whether a pedestrian's gait is uniform through the size of the deviation between the left and right measurement values.

The walking detection controller 140 can receive power from a battery. The battery can be charged by connecting to an external power source, or can be charged by receiving power from the piezoelectric sensor 130. When the battery receives power from the piezoelectric sensor 130, the walking detection controller 140 can continuously receive power from the battery, so the operating time of the walking detection controller 140 is extended while the pedestrian is walking. can be implemented.

Referring to Figures 5 and 6, the walking detection controller 140 may display walking signals received from lower extremity detection sensors attached to the left and right sides of the shoes in red and blue in Figures 5 and 6. The walking detection controller 140 can divide the walking signals received from the lower extremity detection sensors attached to the left and right sides of the shoes into X, Y, and Z directions and display them in a graph. Even if dozens of walking signals are overlapped, the red and blue graphs can be displayed in a consistent pattern.

When the walking signals detected from the left and right sides of the shoes are displayed overlapping each other, that is, when the walking signals received from the lower extremity detection sensors attached to the left and right sides of the shoes have a deviation within a preset certain range, a red graph and a blue graph are displayed. If the consistency is higher than the preset standard consistency (see FIG. 5), the walking detection controller 140 may determine that the pedestrian is walking in a healthy state. The clearer the graph outline, the healthier the pedestrian may be.

When the walking signals detected from the left and right sides of the shoes are displayed without overlapping each other, that is, when the walking signals received from the lower extremity detection sensors attached to the left and right sides of the shoes have a deviation outside the preset certain range, a red graph and If the consistency of the blue graph is lower than the preset standard consistency (see FIG. 6), the graph may appear as an incorrect pedestrian's walking pattern. In particular, when the tremor of the graph line of the red graph occurs frequently, the walking detection controller 140 may determine that the pedestrian is walking in an unhealthy state.

In this way, the walking detection controller 140 compares the walking signals received from the lower limb detection sensors 120 attached to the left and right sides of the shoes, and if there is a deviation within a preset certain range, it is determined that the pedestrian is in a uniform walking state. You can.

Additionally, the walking detection controller 140 can detect the movement state of the waist region through the upper limb detection sensor. For example, the walking detection controller 140 determines whether the pedestrian walks with the waist straight or bent, or with the waist fixed, through the walking signal received from the upper limb detection sensor 110. Alternatively, it can be used to determine whether a pedestrian is walking while moving.

Referring to FIG. 7, the walking detection controller 140 can determine whether the pedestrian is walking normally through the piezoelectric signal received from the piezoelectric sensor 130. For example, while progressing from the sole of the foot (402: foot flat) through the middle stance (403) to the heel off (404), there are two peak values (406, 407) in the ground reaction force. When appears, the walking detection controller 140 can determine that the pedestrian's walking is normal walking. The walking detection data calculated by the walking detection controller 140 may be transmitted to the walking signal receiving unit 200 through the transmission and communication unit 150.

The transmitting communicator 150 may transmit walking detection data on walking health status to the walking signal receiving unit 200 to the outside. The transmission communicator 150 may include a transmission antenna 151 that can wirelessly transmit walking detection data to the walking signal receiving unit 200.

The walking signal receiving unit 200 may include a receiving communicator 210 and a display 220. The receiving communicator 210 may include a receiving antenna 211 that can wirelessly receive walking detection data transmitted through the transmitting communicator 150. The display 220 can convert the walking detection data received through the receiving communicator 210 into a screen signal. Pedestrians can monitor their own walking detection data through the display 220.

In this embodiment, the walking signal receiving unit 200 has been described as a separate device including the receiving communicator 210 and the display 220, but it is not limited thereto, and the walking signal receiving unit 200 includes the receiving communicator 210. ) and may be various types of electronic products that can provide the functions of the display 220. As an example, the walking signal receiving unit 200 may be a display panel, a mobile phone, etc. that can monitor walking detection data from the outside.

Hereinafter, the operation and effects of the walking health measuring device having the above-described configuration will be described.

Referring to Figures 8 and 9, the walking detection controller 140 may detect an effective signal generated in the impact detection step based on the piezoelectric signal detected by the piezoelectric sensor 130. When two peak values are measured through the piezoelectric sensor 130 for a preset time (set time Δt), the walking detection controller 140 determines that the pedestrian has started walking, and the upper limb detection sensor 110 and the lower limb detection sensor By operating (120), walking detection can be started. On the other hand, if one peak value is measured for a preset time (set time Δt), the walking detection controller 140 may recognize it as an external shock and not turn on the measuring device.

For example, comparing the ground reaction force and the impact detection signal in FIG. 8, in the case of the ground reaction force in which an external impact appears only once during the Δt period, only one pulse is generated in the impact detection signal, so no effective impact detection signal is generated. In the case of a ground reaction force in which an external impact appears twice during the Δt period, two pulses are generated from the impact detection signal, so an impact detection effective signal is generated and recognized as a measurement start signal, and the upper limb detection sensor 110 and the lower limb detection sensor The operation of (120) can begin.

When the upper limb detection sensor 110 and the lower limb detection sensor 120 are activated, the acceleration, rotational angular velocity, and walking signal in absolute coordinates detected by the upper limb detection sensor 110 and the lower limb detection sensor 120 are transmitted to the walking detection controller ( 140), and the gait detection controller 140 can determine the health level of the gait.

In this way, the walking health measuring device 10 according to the present invention attaches the upper limb detection sensor 110 and the lower limb detection sensor 120 to the shoe insole 300 and the waist region, respectively, to measure the ground during the pedestrian's walking process. Reaction force can be detected, and walking health status can be measured by detecting the movement of the pedestrian's lower extremities. In addition, the walking health measuring device 10 according to the present invention can determine the normal walking state of a pedestrian by separately wearing the upper limb detection sensor 110 on the waist region for detecting upper limb movement.

As described above, the specific description of the present invention has been made by way of examples with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, since the above-described embodiments are only explained by referring to preferred examples of the present invention, the present invention is limited to the above examples. It should not be understood, and the scope of rights of the present invention should be understood in terms of the claims and equivalent concepts described later.

10: Walking health measuring device
100: Walking signal transmission unit
110: upper limb detection sensor 120: lower limb detection sensor
130: Piezoelectric sensor 140: Walking detection controller
150: Transmission communication device 151: Transmission antenna
200: Walking signal reception unit
210: Receiving communicator 211: Receiving antenna
220:Display

Claims (8)

Upper limb detection sensor for detecting the movement of the pedestrian's upper limbs;
Lower limb detection sensor for detecting movement of the lower limbs of pedestrians;
A gait detection controller that determines the pedestrian's walking health status based on the gait signal measured from the upper limb detection sensor and the lower limb detection sensor; and
It includes a transmission communicator that transmits gait detection data about the gait health condition to the outside,
The walking detection controller
Comparing the upper extremity movement and the lower extremity movement, and determining that the pedestrian's gait is a normal gait when the upper extremity movement linked to the lower extremity movement is within a preset normal pattern range,
Walking health measuring device. According to claim 1,
Further comprising a piezoelectric sensor that provides a piezoelectric signal for the change in foot pressure of the pedestrian,
Walking health measurement device. According to claim 2,
The piezoelectric sensor is
Generating electrical energy using the amount of change in the pedestrian's foot pressure when walking, and charging the generated electrical energy into a battery to operate the walking detection controller.
Walking health measuring device. According to claim 2,
The walking detection controller
Based on the piezoelectric signal provided from the piezoelectric sensor, when the ground reaction force generated when the pedestrian walks reaches two peak values during a preset time, the upper limb detection sensor and the lower limb detection sensor are activated to start measuring the pedestrian's walking. operating,
Walking health measurement device. According to claim 1,
The lower limb detection sensor is
Placed on the left and right insoles of shoes worn by pedestrians,
Walking health measuring device. According to claim 5,
The walking detection controller
If the walking signal received from each of the lower limb detection sensors disposed on the left and right insoles of the shoe has a deviation within a preset certain range, it is determined that the pedestrian is in a uniform walking state,
Walking health measurement device. According to claim 1,
The upper limb detection sensor and the lower limb detection sensor,
Including an inertial sensor capable of measuring the moving acceleration for the pedestrian's linear movement, the rotational angular velocity for the pedestrian's rotational movement, and geomagnetism,
Walking health measuring device. According to claim 7,
The upper limb detection sensor is
Placed on the pedestrian's waist,
Walking health measuring device.