RU236617U1 - Device for recording bioelectric potentials of muscles and position of upper limbs - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model relates to the field of cyber-physical systems and medical technologies and, in particular, to devices for recording bioelectric signals and the position in space of the upper limbs. A device with non-invasive sensors for recording bioelectric signals of muscles is proposed, allowing freely to perform various actions without restricting the user's movements. The technical result is achieved when using a device for recording bioelectric potentials of muscles and the position of the upper limbs, made in the form of an elastic element of clothing with electromyographic sensors of muscle activity, a battery, a microcontroller attached to it, while the device is made in the form of an elastic sleeve and is additionally equipped with 6DOF sensors and a flash drive. The technical result consists in increasing the accuracy of determining muscle activity during various movements of the upper limbs due to increasing the accuracy of data on the position of the upper limbs in space and more accurate bioelectric signals from the muscles of the upper limbs.

Description

The utility model relates to the field of cyber-physical systems and medical technologies and, in particular, to devices for recording bioelectric signals and the position in space of the upper limbs. A device with non-invasive sensors for recording bioelectric signals of muscles is proposed, allowing free performance of various actions without restricting the user's movements.

A device known from the existing level of technology comprises at least one antenna, a transmitter for generating sets of radio frequency (RF) signals, a receiver for receiving sets of RF signals via the antenna and for separating each received RF signal in each set of RF signals into a first RF signal and a second RF signal, wherein the first RF signal represents an amplitude and the second RF signal represents a phase shift, at least one analog-to-digital converter for converting the first RF signals and the second RF signals in each set into digital signals, a central processor configured to process reference data sets using an artificial neural network for gesture recognition (patent RU 2641269, IPC G06F 7/00, 16.01.2018).

The device does not allow recording data from the muscles of the shoulder and forearm and the position of the limb in space, which does not allow analyzing the actual position of the limbs in space and the corresponding bioelectric signals.

Also known is a device for forming general sensitivity in a virtual environment, consisting of a control unit, communications, communicating with the control software of a computer or smartphone, virtual reality glasses and a glove equipped with vibration, heating and electromechanical elements used to stimulate receptors and simulate contact exteroceptive sensations. In this case, the elements are located in the projection of each of the three phalanges of all fingers, and strain gauges are located fifteen on the palmar and dorsal surfaces of the hand in the projection of the joints of the phalanges of the hand and the wrist joint provide registration of the kinematics of the hand, register changes in the radius of the gesture in one or another joint of the hand from 5 mm. The electroencephalogram recording device ensures recording of changes in the power and duration of the electroencephalogram frequencies in the sensorimotor area, and the optical tracker ensures comparison of the location of the upper limb in the physical world and in virtual reality and ensures assessment of the movement of the upper limb in the shoulder, elbow and wrist joints (Patent RU 2762857, IPC G06F 111/18, A63F 13/285, A61B 5/00, G06F 3/0346, 12/23/2021).

However, the device is stationary, which does not allow registering the position of the upper limbs when the user is outside a specially equipped room. In addition, there is no registration of the position of the shoulder and forearm, which reduces the accuracy of determining the position of the upper limb as a whole, and the use of optical sensors to register the position in space has a number of limitations, for example, when the upper limb is visually blocked by an object in the foreground, it will not allow the position of the upper limb to be accurately determined.

The closest to the claimed technical solution is a device in the form of an item of clothing for recording and correcting muscle activity, including sensors for recording electromyograms, a control unit and muscle stimulators, in which the stimulators are vibration motors, and the control unit is a microcomputer and is configured to implement the function of receiving, processing, analyzing signals and generating control commands using a software module for processing and analyzing signals and a software module for configuring the vibration motor control protocol, interconnected within the microcomputer and using the microcomputer memory for exchanging and storing information, wherein the device additionally includes a vibration motor control module containing a switch and located between the outputs of the control unit and the inputs of the vibration motors, and the inputs/outputs of the control unit are configured to be connected via radio communication to an external device configured to start the operation of the device, in addition, the device includes electromyogram receiving and amplifying units and data generation and transmission units, wherein the data generation and transmission unit includes an analog-to-digital converter, input/output ports, a microprocessor, a built-in antenna, when In this case, the device is made of a material with a base that ensures that the sensors adhere to the user's skin at the locations where they are located in such a way that the sensors perceive signals caused by the user's muscle activity (Patent RU 223369, IPC A61B 5/296, A61H 23/02, A41B 1/00, 15.02.2024).

The device records bioelectric signals from muscles only in the shoulder and chest area; data from muscles in the hand area are not recorded when the hand and finger phalanges move. In addition, there is no registration of the position of the upper limbs in space, which greatly complicates the analysis of bioelectric signals from muscles during certain limb movements.

The task, to which the claimed utility model is directed, consists of registering the most complete and accurate data on the position of the upper limbs in space and bioelectric signals of the muscles of the forearm and shoulder. The collected data can be used to analyze the bioelectric signals and the corresponding position of the upper limb or to train a neural network that will determine the position of the upper limb based on the input bioelectric signals.

The technical result consists in increasing the accuracy of determining muscle activity during various movements of the upper limbs due to increasing the accuracy of data on the position of the upper limbs in space and more accurate bioelectric signals from the muscles of the upper limbs.

The technical result is achieved by using a device for recording the bioelectric potentials of muscles and the position of the upper limbs, made in the form of an elastic element of clothing with electromyographic muscle activity sensors, a battery, a microcontroller attached to it, wherein the device is made in the form of an elastic sleeve, on which 6DOF sensors and a flash drive are additionally attached, wherein pairs of EMG electrodes are located on the bellies of the following muscles: triceps brachii, biceps brachii, brachioradialis, pronator teres, radial flexor carpi, long palmaris, ulnar flexor carpi, long and short radial extensors of the wrist, extensor digitorum, ulnar extensor carpi and extensor minimi, EMG reference electrodes are located on the elbow joint and the inner side of the forearm near the wrist joint, sensors The 6DOFs are located in the following locations: on the upper arm at the base of the biceps, on the back of the forearm near the wrist, on the back of the hand, and on the distal phalanges of each finger.

Electromyographic (EMG) electrodes are located not on the chest muscles, but on the forearm muscles, and due to the location of 6DOF sensors at 8 points on the upper limbs, which record the Euler angles for these points in space, the position of the entire upper limb in space is determined regardless of external conditions. Bioelectric signals are recorded by non-invasive EMG sensors, which eliminates the need for surgical intervention to use the device.

The essence of the utility model is explained by a drawing showing the general appearance of the device.

The device for recording bioelectric potentials of muscles and the position of the upper limbs is made in the form of an elastic sleeve 1, on which 6DOF sensors 2 are fixed for recording Euler angles, EMG electrodes 3 for recording the difference in biopotentials, reference EMG electrodes 4 for recording “zero” values of bioelectric signals, a flash drive 5, a battery 6, EMG sensors 7 and a microcontroller 8.

The battery 6 together with the microcontroller 8, flash drive 5, sensors 2 and 7, and EMG electrodes 3 and 4 are connected by wires located on the outer surface of the elastic sleeve 1.

EMG electrode pairs are placed on the bellies of the following muscles: triceps brachii, biceps brachii, brachioradialis, pronator teres, flexor carpi radialis, palmaris longus, flexor carpi ulnaris, extensor carpi radialis longus and brevis, extensor digitorum, extensor carpi ulnaris, and extensor digiti minimi. EMG reference electrodes 4 are placed on the elbow and the inside of the forearm near the wrist. 6DOF sensors 2 are placed at the following locations: on the upper arm at the base of the biceps brachii, on the dorsum of the forearm near the wrist, on the dorsum of the hand, and on the distal phalanges of each finger.

For ease of use, the device in the form of sleeve 1 can be sewn in (or secured with buttons, zippers, or snaps) into the armhole of a vest, top, vest, or any suitable item of clothing.

The device works as follows.

Sleeve 1 is put on the upper limb and fits it, and the sensors are pressed to the body. When the device is turned on, power is supplied from battery 6, microcontroller 8 initializes EMG sensors 7 and 6DOF sensors 2, which record bioelectric potentials of muscles and fix the position of the upper limb. Electrical signals from a pair of EMG electrodes 3 and a reference EMG electrode 4 are recorded by EMG sensor 7. EMG sensor 7 calculates the difference in signals from a pair of EMG electrodes 3 and corrects the resulting difference using the “zero” value from the reference EMG electrode 4, the final value is the output signal of EMG sensor 7. Signals from 6 DOF sensors 2 and EMG sensors 7 are read by microcontroller 8 at equal intervals and written to flash drive 5.

When the upper limb moves, the resulting bioelectric signals from the muscles will be recorded by EMG sensors; the more tense the muscle is, the stronger the signal will be. Also, when the upper limb moves, 6DOF sensors record the Euler angles of the sensor itself, and since such sensors are located with the Z axis in the direction from the sensor attachment surface, the X axis across the direction of the bones, and the Y axis along the direction of the cells, these angles give the rotation angles of the attachment point itself. The rotation angles of the 6DOF sensors on the fingers allow you to determine the position of the fingers in space, relative to the hand, and the sensors located on the hand, forearm and shoulder allow you to determine the position of the entire upper limb in space relative to the chest.

The use of a device for recording bioelectric signals and the position of the upper limbs allows us to obtain a sufficient amount of data for subsequent study, analysis and training of the neural network.

The device is characterized by its lightness, ease of use and autonomy, which allows it to be used throughout the day.

Thus, the device for recording bioelectric potentials of muscles and the position of the upper limbs, made in the form of an elastic sleeve with electromyographic muscle activity sensors, a battery, a microcontroller, 6DOF sensors and a flash drive attached to it, provides increased accuracy in determining muscle activity during various arm movements due to increased accuracy of data on their position in space and more accurate bioelectric signals from the muscles of the upper limbs.

Claims (1)

A device for recording bioelectric potentials of muscles and the position of the upper limbs, made in the form of an elastic element of clothing with electromyographic muscle activity sensors, a battery, a microcontroller attached to it, characterized in that the device is made in the form of an elastic sleeve, on which 6DOF sensors and a flash drive are additionally attached, wherein pairs of EMG electrodes are located on the bellies of the following muscles: triceps brachii, biceps brachii, brachioradialis, pronator teres, radial flexor carpi, long palmaris, ulnar flexor carpi, long and short radial extensors of the wrist, extensor digitorum, ulnar extensor carpi and extensor minimi, EMG reference electrodes are located on the elbow joint and the inner side of the forearm near the wrist joint, 6DOF sensors are located in the following places: on the shoulder at the base of the biceps muscle, on the back of the forearm near the wrist joint, on the back of the hand and on the distal phalanges of each finger.