TWI393551B - Measuring method and dynamometer using the same - Google Patents

Description

Measuring method and application of the muscle force meter thereof

The present invention relates to a measuring method and a muscle force meter using the same, and particularly relates to a measuring method for determining a contact state of a limb during measurement and a muscle force meter using the same.

The dynamometer measures the muscle strength of the user's limbs to provide a basis for reference to patients with impaired or impaired muscle strength. In general, the dynamometer is in contact with the subject's limbs and exerts force on the dynamometer to obtain the muscle strength of the limb. However, the measurement process of the muscle strength of the limb is dynamic, and the limb system is an irregular surface, so that the state in which the limb is in contact with the muscle strength meter cannot be surely grasped. As a result, the muscle strength measured by the dynamometer may be inaccurate and cannot be used by the user. Therefore, how to provide a muscle strength meter that can increase the accuracy of measurement is one of the subjects of the related industry.

The invention mainly provides a measuring method and a muscle force meter applying the same, which can determine the contact state of the limb during measurement for reference by the user.

According to the present invention, a measuring method is proposed for determining the state of a limb touching a sensing surface of a muscle force meter. The measurement method includes the following steps. A capacitance value is generated according to the area when the limb contacts the sensing surface during a measurement period. Next, it is determined whether the capacitance value is greater than a first instantaneous threshold. Then, when the capacitance value is greater than the first instantaneous threshold, it is determined that the limb is in a transient contact state during the measurement period. When the capacitance value is not greater than the first instantaneous threshold, it is determined that the limb is in a transient non-contact state during the measurement period.

According to the present invention, a muscle strength meter is further provided, comprising a casing, a load cell, a sensing plate, a timer, a measuring circuit and a processor. The load cell is disposed in the housing. The sensing plate is spaced apart from the load cell and has a sensing surface. The timer is used to provide a measurement period. The measuring circuit is electrically coupled to the load cell and the sensing plate for generating a capacitance value according to an area when a limb contacts the sensing surface during the measuring period. The processor is electrically coupled to the measuring circuit for determining whether the capacitance value is greater than a first instantaneous threshold. When the capacitance value is greater than the first instantaneous threshold, the processor determines that the limb is in a transient contact state during the measurement period. When the capacitance value is not greater than the first instantaneous threshold, the processor determines that the limb is in an instantaneous non-contact state during the measurement period.

In order to make the above-mentioned contents of the present invention more comprehensible, the preferred embodiments are described below, and the detailed description is as follows:

Hereinafter, several sets of embodiments will be described, and the measurement method of the present invention and the muscle force meter using the same will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that such drawings and text are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

First embodiment

Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2A to FIG. 2C. FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a measuring method according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2A is a view corresponding to a limb contact muscle according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2B shows the relationship between the capacitance value converted from the frequency in Figure 2A and time, and Figure 2C shows the measurement method in Figure 1. And the relationship between the state determined by the capacitance value in Fig. 2B and time.

In the present embodiment, the measurement method determines the state in which the limb contacts the sensing surface of the muscle force meter during the measurement period Tn, and the magnitude of the capacitance value is determined by the frequency corresponding thereto as an example. It should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the manner in which the capacitance value is obtained is not limited to the examples herein. The measurement method includes the following steps.

In step S101, a plurality of capacitance values are generated according to the area of the limb in the measurement period Ti~Tn contacting the sensing surface. In general, the muscle strength meter itself has a parasitic capacitance value before the limb is in contact with the sensing surface of the muscle force meter. Therefore, the capacitance value generated in step S101 is the sum of the capacitance value between the sensing surface via the limb and the ground plane, and the parasitic capacitance value. In this embodiment, for example, the magnitude of the capacitance value is obtained by taking the frequency and the frequency is inversely proportional to the capacitance value. When the frequency obtained is larger, the capacitance value corresponding to the frequency is smaller. The smaller the frequency obtained, the larger the capacitance value corresponding to the frequency. Here, it is assumed that the plurality of capacitance values generated in step S101 correspond to the frequencies fi to fn in FIG. 2A. By measuring the frequency fi~fn, the corresponding capacitance value Ci~Cn can be obtained, as shown in Fig. 2B.

Next, in step S103, it is determined whether the capacitance value Cn corresponding to the measurement period Tn is greater than the first instantaneous threshold value V1. Preferably, the first instantaneous threshold value V1 is a difference between a capacitance value moving average minus a first preset instantaneous threshold value. The moving value of the capacitance value is an average value of the capacitance values Ci~Cn-1 corresponding to the measurement periods Ti~Tn-1 of the measurement period Tn before the determination. As a result, the influence of external interference on the judgment result can be reduced by the application of the moving average of the capacitance value.

When the capacitance value Cn is not greater than the first instantaneous threshold value V1, step S105a is subsequently performed to determine that the limb is in the instantaneous non-contact state S1 during the measurement period Tn. When the capacitance value Cn is greater than the first instantaneous threshold value V1, step S105b is subsequently performed to determine that the limb is in the transient contact state S2 during the measurement period Tn. In the present embodiment, the capacitance value Cn is greater than the first instantaneous threshold value V1. Therefore, the limb is in the instantaneous contact state S2 during the measurement period Tn, as shown in FIG. 2C.

In order to further understand the situation when the limb is in the transient contact state S2, the instantaneous contact state S2 of the present embodiment may include the transient poor contact state S21 and the instantaneous good contact state S22. When it is determined that the limb is in the instantaneous contact state S2 in the measurement period S2 (step S105b), step S107 is next performed to determine whether the capacitance value Cn is greater than the second instantaneous threshold value V2. Preferably, the second instantaneous threshold value V2 is a difference between the capacitance value moving average (the average value of the capacitance values Ci~Cn-1) minus the second preset instantaneous threshold value.

When the capacitance value Cn is not greater than the second instantaneous threshold value V2, step S109a is performed to determine that the limb is in the transient poor contact state S21 during the measurement period Tn. When the capacitance value Cn is greater than the second instantaneous threshold value V2, step S109b is performed to determine that the limb is in the instantaneous good contact state S22 during the measurement period Tn.

In the present embodiment, since the capacitance value Cn is greater than the second instantaneous threshold value V2, the limb is in the instantaneous good contact state S22 in the measurement period Tn, as shown in FIG. 2C. In this way, the user can know the reliability of the muscle strength measurement performed by the limb during the measurement period Tn by the result of the judgment.

Second embodiment

Please refer to FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B . FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram of a muscle strength meter according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3B is a block diagram of the muscle strength meter of FIG. 3A . In the present embodiment, the user performs the muscle strength measurement using the muscle strength meter 300 in FIGS. 3A and 3B.

The muscle strength meter 300 includes a housing 310, a load cell 320, a sensing plate 330, a timer 340, a measuring circuit 350, and a processor 360. The load cell 320 is disposed within the housing 310. The sensing plate 330 is spaced apart from the load cell 320 by a distance d and has a sensing surface 330s. The timer 340 is used to provide several measurement periods. In the present embodiment, the timer 340 is, for example, interrupted every other measurement period when the user starts to measure the muscle strength using the muscle strength meter 300 to provide a measurement period. The measurement circuit 350 is electrically coupled to the load cell 320 and the sensing plate 330. The processor 360 is electrically coupled to the measurement circuit 350.

The sensing plate 330 of the present embodiment includes, for example, a metal plate 331 and an insulating pad 332. The insulating pad 332 is disposed on the metal plate 331 and exposed outside the casing 310. The insulating pad 332 is for contacting the limb such that the limb system contacts the sensing surface 330s via the insulating pad 332. In addition, preferably, the muscle strength meter 300 may further include an insulator 380 disposed between the sensing plate 330 and the load cell 320, that is, at the spacing d, to increase the capacitance value to increase the accuracy in the measurement.

The muscle strength meter 300 of the present embodiment determines the state of the limb contact sensing surface 330s by applying the measuring method in FIG. Referring to FIG. 4, a flow chart of a measurement method according to a second embodiment of the present invention is shown.

In step S401, the processor 360 determines whether the timer 340 is interrupted. When the processor 360 determines that the timer 340 is interrupted, step S403 is performed. When the processor 360 determines that the timer 340 is not interrupted, step S401 is repeatedly executed.

In the present embodiment, step S403 includes steps S101 to S109b in FIG. 1. Step S101 is performed by the measurement circuit 350 to generate a corresponding capacitance value, for example, by taking a frequency. In addition, steps 103-109b are performed by the processor 360 to determine that the limb is in the instantaneous non-contact state S1, the transient bad contact state S21, or the instantaneous good contact state S22 during the measurement period.

Next, in step S405, the processor 360 determines whether the muscle strength measurement is completed. When the muscle strength measurement is completed, step S407 is performed. When the muscle strength measurement is not completed, step S401 is repeatedly performed.

In general, the time to measure muscle strength through muscle strength is about 3 to 4 seconds. During the period in which the muscle strength is measured, steps S401 to S405 are repeated until the muscle strength measurement is completed. Here, the 3 to 4 seconds of performing the muscle strength measurement includes the measurement period Ti~Tn+2 in the 5A diagram as an example. In this way, in step S403, the measurement circuit 350 generates a plurality of capacitance values Ci~Cn+2 by taking the frequency fi~fn+2 corresponding to the measurement period Ti~Tn+2 (as shown in FIG. 5B). As shown in FIG. 5C, the processor 360 determines the state of the limb in the measurement period Ti~Tn+2 contact sensing surface 330s.

Next, in step S407, the processor 360 determines the overall contact state. Please refer to FIG. 6 , which is a flow chart showing the steps of determining the overall contact state in FIG. 4 . Step S407 includes steps S601 to S607b.

In step S601, the processor 360 determines whether the number of times the limb is in the instantaneous non-contact state S1 during the measurement period Ti~Tn+2 is greater than the first overall preset threshold. When the number of times is greater than the first overall preset threshold, step S603a is performed to determine by the processor 360 that the limbs are in an overall non-contact state for the measurement periods Ti~Tn+2. When the number of times is not greater than the first overall preset threshold, step S603b is performed to determine by the processor 360 that the limbs are in the overall contact state for the measurement periods Ti~Tn+2.

Preferably, in order to further understand the situation when the limb is in the overall contact state, the overall contact state of the embodiment may include an overall measurement success state and an overall measurement failure state. When the limbs are in the overall contact state (S603b) during the measurement period Ti~Tn+2, step S605 is performed to determine the instantaneous non-contact state S1 and the transient contact state S21 by the processor 360. Whether the total number of times is greater than the second overall preset threshold.

When the total number of times is greater than the second overall preset threshold, step S607a is performed to determine by the processor 360 that the limbs are in the overall measurement failure state for the measurement periods Ti~Tn+2. When the total number of times is not greater than the second overall preset threshold, the processor 360 performs step S607b to determine that the limbs are in the overall measurement success state for the measurement periods Ti~Tn+2.

Through the above steps, the state in which the limb contacts the sensing surface 330s of the muscle strength meter 300 during the measurement period Ti~Tn+2 is known. Further, the muscle strength meter 300 (as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B) may further include a display 390 for displaying the state of the limb contact sensing surface 330s determined by the processor 360 for reference by the user.

The measuring method and the muscle force meter disclosed in the above embodiments of the present invention continuously monitor the contact state of the sensing surface of the limb and the muscle strength meter for the user to confirm the accuracy of the muscle force measurement. Sex. In addition, the measurement method of the present embodiment and the contact state provided by the muscle force meter used thereof can be further used as the strength compensation basis for the muscle strength measurement to improve the accuracy of the measured muscle strength.

In conclusion, the present invention has been disclosed in the above preferred embodiments, and is not intended to limit the present invention. A person skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

300. . . Muscle force meter

310. . . case

320. . . Load cell

330. . . Sensing board

330s. . . Sensing surface

331. . . Metal plate

332. . . Insulation pad

340. . . Timer

350. . . Measuring circuit

360. . . processor

380. . . Insulator

390. . . monitor

Ci~Cn+2. . . Capacitance value

S1. . . Instantaneous non-contact state

S2. . . Instantaneous contact state

S21. . . Instantaneous bad contact state

S22. . . Instantaneous good contact

S101~S109b, S401~S407, S601~S607b. . . Process step

Ti~Tn+2. . . Measurement period

V1. . . First instantaneous threshold

V2. . . Second instantaneous threshold

d. . . spacing

Fi~fn+2. . . frequency

FIG. 1 is a flow chart showing a measurement method according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2A is a graph showing the relationship between frequency and time corresponding to the limb contact muscle strength meter according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2B is a graph showing the relationship between the capacitance value converted from the frequency in Fig. 2A and time.

Fig. 2C is a diagram showing the relationship between the state determined by the measurement method in Fig. 1 and the capacitance value in Fig. 2B and time.

3A is a schematic view of a muscle strength meter in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3B is a block diagram showing the muscle force meter in Fig. 3A.

4 is a flow chart showing a measurement method according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5A is a graph showing the relationship between frequency and time corresponding to a limb contact muscle force meter according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5B is a graph showing the relationship between the capacitance value converted from the frequency in Fig. 5A and time.

Fig. 5C is a graph showing the relationship between the state determined by the measurement method in Fig. 4 and the capacitance value in Fig. 5B and time.

Figure 6 is a flow chart showing the steps of determining the overall contact state in Figure 4.

S101~S109b. . . Process step

Claims (14)

A measuring method for determining a state of a limb touching a sensing surface of a muscle force meter, the measuring method comprising: generating a capacitance value according to an area when the limb contacts the sensing surface during a measuring period Determining whether the capacitance value is greater than a first instantaneous threshold; when the capacitance value is greater than the first instantaneous threshold, determining that the limb is in a momentary contact state during the measurement period; and when the capacitance value is not When the first instantaneous threshold is greater than the first instantaneous threshold, the limb is determined to be in an instantaneous non-contact state during the measurement period; wherein the instantaneous contact state includes a transient bad contact state and an instantaneous good contact state, when determining the limb When the measuring period is in the instantaneous contact state, the measuring method further comprises: determining whether the capacitance value is greater than a second instantaneous threshold; and when the capacitance value is greater than the second instantaneous threshold, determining the limb The measuring period is in the instantaneous good contact state; and when the capacitance value is not greater than the second instantaneous threshold, determining that the limb is in the transient poor contact state during the measuring period. The measuring method of claim 1, wherein in the step of generating, a plurality of capacitance values are generated according to an area of the limb when the sensing surface contacts the sensing surface, and the determining is performed. In the step, the first instantaneous threshold value is a capacitance value moving average minus a first preset instantaneous threshold value, and the capacitance value moving average is earlier than the measurement period in which the measurement period is determined. The average of the capacitance values corresponding to the measurement period. The measuring method of claim 1, wherein the second instantaneous threshold value is a difference between the moving value of the capacitance value minus a second predetermined instantaneous threshold value. The measuring method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining is performed repeatedly to determine that the state in which the limb contacts the sensing surface during the measuring period comprises a plurality of instantaneous non-contact states. The measuring method further includes: determining whether the number of times the limb is in the instantaneous non-contact state during the measuring period is greater than a first overall preset threshold; when the number of times is greater than the first overall preset threshold Determining that the limb is in an overall non-contact state during the measurement period; and when the number of times is not greater than the first overall preset threshold, determining that the limb is in an overall contact state during the measurement period. The measurement method of claim 4, wherein the overall contact state comprises an overall measurement success state and an overall measurement failure state, and the step of determining determines that the limb contacts the measurement period. The state of the sensing surface further includes a plurality of transient bad contact states. When it is determined that the limb is in the overall contact state during the measuring period, the measuring method further comprises: determining that the limb is in the instantaneous non-contact state Whether the state and the total number of transient bad contact states are greater than a second overall preset threshold; when the total number of times is greater than the second overall preset threshold, determining that the limb is in the total during the measurement period Measuring the failure state; and when the total number of times is not greater than the second overall preset threshold, determining that the limb is in the overall measurement success state during the measurement period. A muscle strength meter comprising: a housing; a load cell disposed in the housing; a sensing plate spaced apart from the load cell and having a sensing surface; a timer for providing an amount a measuring circuit electrically coupled to the load cell and the sensing plate for generating a capacitance value according to an area of a limb contacting the sensing surface during the measuring period; and a processor Electrically coupled to the measuring circuit for determining whether the capacitance value is greater than a first instantaneous threshold. When the capacitance value is greater than the first instantaneous threshold, the processor determines the limb to be in the amount The measuring period is in a momentary contact state. When the capacitance value is not greater than the first instantaneous threshold, the processor determines that the limb is in an instantaneous non-contact state during the measuring period; wherein the instantaneous contact state includes an instant The processor is further configured to determine whether the capacitance value is greater than a second instantaneous threshold when the processor determines that the limb is in the instantaneous contact state during the measurement period. When the capacitance value is greater than The second instantaneous threshold, the processor determines that the limb is in the instantaneous good contact state during the measurement period, and when the capacitance value is not greater than the second instantaneous threshold, the processor determines the limb to be measured The time period is in this transient bad contact state. The muscle strength meter of claim 6, wherein the timer provides a plurality of measurement periods, and the measurement circuit is configured to be based on the limb And a plurality of capacitance values are generated when the measurement period is in contact with the sensing plate, and the first instantaneous threshold value is a capacitance value moving average minus a first preset instantaneous threshold value, the capacitance The value moving average is an average value of the capacitance values corresponding to the measurement periods earlier than the measurement period in which the determination is made. The muscle strength meter of claim 6, wherein the second instantaneous threshold value is a difference between the moving value of the capacitance value minus a second predetermined instantaneous threshold value. The muscle strength meter of claim 6, wherein the processor determines that the state in which the limb contacts the sensing surface during the measurement period comprises a plurality of instantaneous non-contact states, and the processor further uses Determining whether the number of times the limb is in the instantaneous non-contact state during the measurement period is greater than a first overall preset threshold, and when the number of times is greater than the first overall preset threshold, the processor determines the limb The measurement period is in an overall non-contact state. When the number of times is not greater than the first overall preset threshold, the processor determines that the limb is in an overall contact state during the measurement periods. The muscle strength meter of claim 9, wherein the overall contact state comprises an overall measurement success state and an overall measurement failure state, and the processor determines that the limb contacts the measurement period. The state of the sensing surface further includes a plurality of transient bad contact states. When the processor determines that the limb is in the overall contact state during the measurement period, the processor is further configured to determine that the limb is in the transient non-state Whether the total number of contact states and the instantaneous bad contact states is greater than a second overall preset threshold, and when the total number of times is greater than the second overall preset threshold, the processor determines the limbs in the measurement periods The system is in the overall measurement failure a state, when the total number of times is not greater than the second overall preset threshold, the processor determines that the limb is in the overall measurement success state during the measurement periods. The muscle strength meter of claim 6, further comprising: an insulator disposed between the sensing plate and the load cell. The muscle strength meter of claim 6, wherein the sensing plate comprises a metal plate having the sensing surface. The muscle strength meter of claim 6, wherein the sensing plate comprises: a metal plate having the sensing surface; and an insulating pad disposed on the metal plate and exposed outside the casing The insulating mat is adapted to contact the limb such that the limb system contacts the sensing surface via the insulating mat. The muscle strength meter of claim 6, further comprising: a display for displaying a state of the limb that the processor determines to contact the sensing surface.