KR20150006708A - Apparatus for measuring plantar pressure - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a foot low pressure measuring apparatus, comprising: a floor having a plurality of sensors capable of measuring a pressure load on the sole; A cushioning material provided between the bottom portion and the pressure supporting plate to allow the sensor to pass therethrough and to mitigate an impact, a human body fastening portion coupled to the bottom portion and coupled to the human body, And a signal processor for transmitting data measured by the plurality of sensors. The foot low pressure measuring device can measure the foot pressure at the same time as walking while the wearer wears the shoes.

Description

[0001] APPARATUS FOR MEASURING PLANTAR PRESSURE [0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for measuring a pedestrian's foot pressure, and more particularly, to a device for assisting the walking of a pedestrian by estimating a pedestrian step by measuring a foot pressure.

The wearable muscle strength enhancing robot is an auxiliary device that enables a person to walk as usual while assisting the muscular force when moving a rugged terrain while carrying heavy loads.

In the case of a high-output actuator such as a hydraulic cylinder used for assisting muscular strength, the muscle-strength-enhancing robot is difficult to move the cylinder only by the force of a human when it is in motion. Therefore, Is required.

Among the conventional techniques for estimating the walking step of a pedestrian, a method using a bio-signal such as an electromyogram (electromyogram) differs depending on the signal measured by the wearer, making it difficult to analyze the signal processing method and analyzing the signal. It has a disadvantage that it must be attached.

In another method, there is a gait estimation method using a change in the distribution of the plantar pressure of the wearer according to the gait state. The method of measuring the low pressure of the subject includes a method of measuring a low pressure by placing a sensor part on the ground, And a method of measuring the pressure at the foot by placing a pressure change measurement sensor in the shoe.

Among the above methods, there is a limit in that the method using the sensor unit on the ground can not utilize the apparatus other than the installed area. On the other hand, in the method using the sensor in the shoe, only the wearer having the foot of a certain size can utilize the device, and in some cases, only the contact with the ground can be measured, Especially, when used for a military purpose, a plurality of users must be able to wear one equipment, and the wearing and detachment of the equipment must be easy.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a device capable of measuring a foot pressure even when a user wearing various foot sizes wears shoes.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, a floor having a plurality of sensors capable of measuring the pressure load of the sole; A plurality of pressure supporting plates formed in contact with the plurality of sensors to sense the load when a load is applied to the sensors; A cushioning material provided between the bottom portion and the pressure supporting plate, the cushioning material penetrating the sensor and alleviating an impact; A body fastening portion fastened to the bottom portion and coupled to a human body; And a signal processor connected to the sensor and transmitting data measured by the plurality of sensors.

The plurality of sensors includes a first sensor for measuring a load on the heel, a second sensor for measuring a load on the inside of the ball, a third sensor for measuring a load on the ball outside the ball, and a fourth sensor As shown in FIG.

The bottom portion includes a heel portion in which the first sensor is installed and a toe portion in which the second to fourth sensors are installed, and the heel portion and the forefoot portion may be separately formed.

The heel portion and the forefoot portion are connected by a flexible connecting member. The lower portion is made of a material capable of alleviating an impact upon contact with the ground, and the upper portion is made of a rigid material fixing the plurality of sensors.

Wherein the signal processor is capable of transmitting data by wire or wireless, and the wireless data transmission is performed by a transmitter through which data is transmitted from the first through fourth sensors and a receiver through which the transmitted data is wirelessly transmitted .

According to the embodiment of the present invention, the foot low pressure measuring device can measure the foot pressure at the same time as the foot wearer while the wearer wears the shoes. The foot pressure measuring device can measure the foot pressure, Can measure the load without loss.

1 is a schematic view for explaining an apparatus for measuring a foot pressure according to an embodiment of the present invention,
2 is an exploded perspective view of a foot low pressure measurement apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention,
3 is a perspective view of a foot low pressure measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 4 is a graph for determining a gait step of a subject according to a sensor measurement value change of a foot low pressure measurement apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention,
5 is a block diagram of a sensor module for wired processing of data of a sensor in an embodiment of the present invention,
6 is a block diagram of a sensor module for wirelessly processing data of a sensor in an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a foot low pressure measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the present specification, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components in different embodiments, and the description thereof is replaced with the first explanation. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

3 is a perspective view of a foot low pressure measuring apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3, a foot low pressure measuring apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: A foot low pressure measuring apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted and used. In this case, the foot low pressure measuring apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a body fastening unit 301, which can fasten a shoe (not shown) of the user to the foot low pressure measuring apparatus 100.

In order to measure the foot pressure distribution of pedestrians, a pedestal low pressure measuring apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of sensors installed at a portion of the pedestrian pattern that receives the most pressure according to a gait pattern, And is input to an actuator or the like to help increase the muscle strength of the pedestrian.

In this case, in an embodiment of the present invention, a first sensor 101 for measuring the load on the heel side, a second sensor 102 disposed on the inner side of the ball for measuring the load on the inside of the ball, And a fourth sensor 104 disposed at a portion in contact with the toe and measuring a pressure load of the toe. The third sensor 103 measures the load on the outside of the ball.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view for explaining an apparatus 100 for measuring a foot pressure according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a view for explaining a structure and a sensor arrangement of a foot pressure measuring apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, an apparatus 100 for measuring a foot pressure according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG.

The foot low pressure measuring apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes bottom portions 105 and 106 provided with a plurality of sensors 101, 102, 103 and 104 capable of measuring a pressure load according to the position of the sole, A plurality of pressure support plates 203, 204, 205 for sensing the load when a load is applied to the sensors 101, 102, 103, 104, respectively, , 206). In this case, the number of sensors 101, 102, 103 and 104 may be as much as necessary to measure the foot pressure of the sole. In the embodiment of the present invention, the first sensor 101 for measuring the load of the heel, It is possible to measure the foot pressure by using only the fourth sensor 104 which measures the load of the foot. That is, in an embodiment of the present invention, even if only the load of the heel and the toe is measured, the effect to be achieved by the present invention can be achieved. However, in order to achieve a better effect, And may further include a sensor for measuring. In one embodiment of the present invention, a second sensor 102 for measuring the load inside the ball and a third sensor 103 for measuring the load outside the ball are provided. . However, the present invention is not limited thereto. More than one sensor may be used to measure the load of the heel. In addition, three or more sensors may be used to measure the load of the ball, and two or more sensors May be used.

Further, the load measurement may be performed by the first sensor 101 for measuring the load of the heel and the at least one sensor selected from the second to fourth sensors 102, 103 and 104. For example, a combination of the first sensor 101 and the second sensor 102, a combination of the first sensor 101 and the third sensor 103, a combination of the first sensor 101 and the fourth sensor 104 A combination of the first sensor 101 and the second to third sensors 102 and 103, a combination of the first sensor 101 and the third to fourth sensors 103 and 104, A combination of the second sensor 102 and the fourth sensor 104, or the like.

In the above description, the positions of the second sensor 102 and the third sensor 103 are used to measure the load on the inside and outside of the ball soccer ball. However, the present invention is not limited thereto and may be applied to an area other than the heel and the toe Installed is enough.

The pressure supporting plates 203, 204, 205 and 206 have a larger area than the sensor so that the pressure of the sole can be transmitted to the sensor without being lost, and the number of the pressure supporting plates 203, And it can bend according to the shape of the sole, and helps to measure the pressure distribution of the sole region to be measured regardless of foot type, size and material of the shoe. At this time, the first sensor 101 is connected to the first pressure supporting plate 203, the second sensor 102 is connected to the second pressure supporting plate 204, the third sensor 103 is connected to the third pressure supporting plate 205, And the fourth sensor 104 are disposed at positions corresponding to each other with respect to the fourth pressure supporting plate 206.

The heel portion 106 and the forefoot portion 105 may be divided into a heel portion 106 and a forefoot portion 105. The heel portion 106 and the forefoot portion 105, The heel portion 106 and the forefoot portion 105 are connected to each other by a flexible coupling member 107. [ The bottom portions 105 and 106 are spaced apart from the heel portion 106 and the forefoot portion 105 in order to allow the sole to naturally bend when walking.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, the first sensor 101 is formed on the heel portion 106 and the second to fourth sensors 102, 103, 104 are formed on the forefoot portion 105. However, But is not limited thereto. That is, the heel portion 106 may have two or more sensors as described above. Since the forefoot portion 105 and the heel portion 106 are in direct contact with the ground surface, it is necessary to mitigate the impact. Therefore, the lower ends of the forefoot portion 105 and the heel portion 106 are made of materials And the upper ends of the forefoot portion 105 and the heel portion 106 may be made of a rigid material to fix the sensor. For example, the lower ends of the forefoot portion 105 and the heel portion 106 may be made of a urethane material capable of absorbing shock, similar to an outsole of a shoe.

A sensor support 200 for supporting a plurality of sensors 101, 102, 103 and 104 is formed on the bottoms 105 and 106. That is, the lower part of the bottom part 105, 106 is made of a material capable of alleviating an impact upon contact with the ground, and the upper part is made of a rigid material sensor for fixing the plurality of sensors 101, 102, 103, And a supporting part 200.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of sensors 101, 102, 103 and 104 are formed between the bottoms 105 and 106 and the pressure supporting plates 203, 204, 205 and 206, Cushioning materials 201 and 202 capable of relieving the impact applied to the foot low pressure measuring apparatus 100 are provided. The foot low pressure measuring device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention further includes a body fastening part 301 for fastening to a human body and the human body fastening part 301 is provided on the bottom parts 105 and 106 So that it is bonded to the human body. The human body fastening part 301 performs the same function as a fastening strap in a sandal and is connected to human fastening tools 303 and 304 formed on one side of the bottom parts 105 and 106. In an embodiment of the present invention, the pressure of the shoe is transmitted to a portion other than the measurement sensors 101, 102, 103 and 104, and the pressure transmitted to the sensors 101, 102, 103, The shock absorbing members 201 and 202 are used to prevent the shock absorbing members 201 and 202 from being damaged and to compensate for different shoe sizes and foot load measurement sites for each person. , 206 and the sensors 101, 102, 103, 104, and uses a soft material.

In addition, the foot low pressure measuring apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention may be configured to measure the data measured by the plurality of sensors 101, 102, 103 and 104 in connection with the plurality of sensors 101, 102, 103, And a signal processor 400 for transmitting the signal to a muscle strength enhancing robot (not shown).

The signal processor 400 may further include a signal processor 400 for transmitting data measured by the first through fourth sensors 101 102 103 and 104, The signal processor 400 may be electrically connected directly to the first to fourth sensors 101, 102, 103 and 104 as shown in FIG. 5, A transmitter 500 for transmitting and receiving data between the first to fourth sensors 101, 102, 103 and 104 and the signal processor 400 as shown in FIG. 6; And a receiver 501 for receiving data transmitted from the mobile station 500. The receiver 501 and the signal processor 400 are connected to each other by wire, and the signal processor 400 is a device for processing information.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the foot-low pressure measuring device 100 is linked with a device for increasing the muscle strength of the pedestrian, and the user puts on the device while wearing shoes, It is possible to walk while the wearer and the sole sensor module are fixed, and it is possible to estimate the walking step by detecting the load change due to the walking.

A method of distinguishing a walking step by a foot low pressure measuring apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a method of distinguishing a walking step by a sensor signal 100 according to a load change of the first to fourth sensors 101, 102, 103, The wearer's gait step is judged on the basis of the gait of the wearer. Hereinafter, this will be described in more detail.

4 is a graph for explaining a method of determining a walking step of a wearer according to a sensor measurement value change of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 4, When the pedestrian starts to walk by wearing the measuring device 100, the heel touches the ground first, the football touches the ground, and then the toe finally touches the ground, generating a driving force to move forward.

At this time, a moment when a part of the sole touches the ground is called a stance step (A), and a moment when the sole is completely separated from the ground is called a swing step (B).

In the graph of FIG. 4, the four diagrams represent changes in load sensed by the first to fourth sensors 101, 102, 103 and 104, respectively. In the first step (a) of the stance step, (Heel strike phase) in which the heel is brought into contact with the ground in order to make a transition to the walking phase. In this case, the load change by the first sensor 101 is the most severe stage, The load fluctuation in the second sensor 102 and the third sensor 103 is the greatest stage, and the last stage (c) 2 to the fourth sensor 102, 103, 104 are detected at the greatest level, and the foot is separated from the ground surface (Toe-off phase). In the step (c), when the load on the second sensor 102 and the third sensor 103 decreases, the load due to the propulsion increases in the fourth sensor 104, 4 sensor 104 is most evident.

As described above, the walking step can be estimated by sensing the load by the plurality of sensors 101, 102, 103, and 104. FIG. For example, if it is assumed that the step (c) is required, the force of the pedestrian needs to be increased because it is necessary to move forward, so that the muscular strength of the pedestrian can be increased by an actuator (not shown).

The present invention relates to a device for measuring a foot pressure by wearing a foot pressure measuring device (100) according to an embodiment of the present invention even when the footwear is put on the foot, And the walking state can be utilized as an input value when controlling the state of an actuator such as a muscle strength increasing robot.

Each sensor in the foot low pressure measuring apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention can be placed on the heel, the inside of the ball, the outside of the ball, and the toe according to the walking steps of the person, Through the change, it is possible to distinguish the walking stage of the person.

The above-described foot low-pressure measuring apparatus is not limited to the configuration and method of the above-described embodiments, but the embodiments may be modified such that all or some of the embodiments are selectively combined .

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof.

It is therefore to be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all aspects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the detailed description, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention .

Claims (7)

A bottom having a plurality of sensors capable of measuring the pressure load of the sole;
A plurality of pressure supporting plates formed in contact with the plurality of sensors to sense the load when a load is applied to the sensors;
A cushioning material provided between the bottom portion and the pressure supporting plate, the cushioning material penetrating the sensor and alleviating an impact;
A body fastening portion fastened to the bottom portion and coupled to a human body; And
And a signal processor connected to the sensor and transmitting data measured by the plurality of sensors. The method according to claim 1,
The plurality of sensors include:
A first sensor for measuring a load of the heel,
A second sensor for measuring a load on the inside of the ball, a third sensor for measuring a load on the outside of the ball, and a fourth sensor for measuring a load on the toe. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the bottom portion includes a heel portion in which the first sensor is installed and a toe portion in which the second to fourth sensors are installed, and the heel portion and the forefoot portion are separately formed. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the heel portion and the forefoot portion are connected by a flexible connecting body. 5. The method of claim 4,
The heel portion and the forefoot portion,
Wherein the lower portion is made of a material capable of alleviating an impact upon contact with the ground, and the upper portion is made of a rigid material fixing the plurality of sensors. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the signal processor transmits data by wire or wireless. The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the wireless data transmission is performed by a transmitter to which data is transmitted from the first to fourth sensors and a receiver to which the transmitted data is wirelessly transmitted.

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