KR20210069557A - Method and apparatus for providing resistance to a user of a wearable device - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided are a method and an apparatus for providing resistance to a user. In order to provide the resistance, an angle of a user's joint is measured by using a sensor of a wearable device, a resistance level for the joint is determined based on the angle, a connection ratio of the motor driver circuit of the wearable device corresponding to the resistance level is determined, and a motor is controlled through the motor driver circuit connection ratio.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING RESISTANCE TO A USER OF A WEARABLE DEVICE

The following embodiments relate to a method and an apparatus for providing a resistive force to a user of a wearable device, and more particularly, to a method and an apparatus for providing a resistive force to a user in a state where energy is not provided to a motor of the wearable device.

As we enter an aging society, an increasing number of people complain of discomfort and pain in walking due to muscle weakness or joint abnormalities due to aging. There is growing interest in

According to one aspect, a method for providing resistance, performed by a wearable device, includes measuring a first angle of a first joint of a user using a sensor of the wearable device, and based on the first angle, the first joint Determining a resistance level for , based on the determined resistance level, a time for controlling a motor driver circuit electrically connected to the motor of the wearable device in a closed loop and opening the motor driver circuit ( determining a ratio between control times in an open loop), and controlling the motor through the motor driver circuit based on the determined ratio.

The motor driver circuit may include at least one switch controlled based on the ratio.

The ratio may be represented by pulse width modulation (PWM).

The resistance provided to the user is regulated by the ratio that the motor driver circuit is controlled in a closed loop or an open loop within the repetitive time interval of the PWM, and the ratio of the time that the motor driver circuit is controlled in a closed loop is The higher it is, the higher the resistance may be.

In a state in which the motor driver circuit is controlled in a closed loop, the motor may operate as a generator against an external force by the user.

The resistive force providing method may further include charging a battery of the wearable device based on energy generated by the generator when the motor operates as the generator.

The method of providing resistance force may further include receiving an exercise mode as an operation mode for controlling the wearable device from the user.

When the exercise mode is set, energy by the battery of the wearable device may not be provided to the motor.

The method of providing resistance includes receiving an auxiliary mode as an operation mode for controlling the wearable device from the user, and when the auxiliary mode is received, calculating an auxiliary torque value for the first joint based on the first angle and providing an assisting force to the user by controlling the motor based on the auxiliary torque value.

According to another aspect, a wearable device for providing resistance to a user includes a memory in which a program for providing resistance to a user is recorded, a processor for executing the program, a sensor for measuring a first angle of the user's first joint, a motor driver circuit controlled by the processor, and a motor electrically connected to the motor driver circuit, wherein the program includes: measuring the first angle of the first joint of the user using the sensor; Determining a resistance level for the first joint based on the first angle, based on the determined resistance level, time to control the motor driver circuit in a closed loop (close loop) and open the motor driver circuit Determining the ratio between time controlled by an open loop. and controlling the motor through the motor driver circuit based on the determined ratio.

The motor driver circuit may include at least one switch controlled based on the ratio.

The ratio is represented by pulse width modulation (PWM), and the resistance provided to the user is regulated by the ratio in which the motor driver circuit is controlled in a closed loop or an open loop within a repetitive time interval of the PWM, the motor The higher the percentage of time the driver circuit is controlled in a closed loop, the higher the resistive force may be.

In a state in which the motor driver circuit is controlled in a closed loop, the motor may operate as a generator against an external force by the user.

The program may further perform, when the motor operates as the generator, charging a battery of the wearable device based on energy generated by the generator.

The program further performs the step of receiving an exercise mode as an operation mode for controlling the wearable device from the user, and determining the resistance level for the first joint based on the first angle includes: It may include determining the resistance level for the first joint based on the mode and the first angle.

When the exercise mode is set, energy by the battery of the wearable device may not be provided to the motor.

The program may include: receiving an auxiliary mode as an operation mode for controlling the wearable device from the user; when the auxiliary mode is received, calculating an auxiliary torque for the first joint based on the first angle , and controlling the motor based on the auxiliary torque to provide auxiliary force to the user.

1 is a diagram for describing a wearable device according to an example.
2 is a diagram for explaining a wearable device communicating with an electronic device according to an example.
3 illustrates a walking state according to an example.
4 illustrates a transition between gait states according to an example.
5 shows a trajectory of an ankle joint angle with respect to a walking cycle according to an example.
6 shows a trajectory of an ankle torque for a walking cycle according to an example.
7 to 10 are diagrams for explaining a motor driver circuit of a wearable device according to an example.
11 is a flowchart of a method of providing a resistive force according to an embodiment.
12 illustrates a resistive force profile output to a user terminal according to an example.
13 is a flowchart of a method of providing a resistive force according to another exemplary embodiment.
14 shows an open loop motor driver circuit according to an example.
15 and 16 illustrate a motor driver circuit that is a closed loop in accordance with examples.
17 illustrates a closed loop motor driver circuit according to an example.
18 illustrates a closed loop motor driver circuit including a braking resistor according to an example.
19 illustrates a closed-loop motor driver circuit including a resistor according to another example.
20 illustrates a closed-loop motor driver circuit including a BLDC motor according to an example.
21 is a configuration diagram of a driving unit of a wearable device according to an example.
22 to 24 show a whole body-type wearable device according to another example.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the scope of the patent application is not limited or limited by these examples. Like reference numerals in each figure indicate like elements.

Various modifications may be made to the embodiments described below. It should be understood that the embodiments described below are not intended to limit the embodiments, and include all modifications, equivalents or substitutes thereto.

Terms used in the examples are only used to describe specific examples, and are not intended to limit the examples. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present specification, terms such as “comprise” or “have” are intended to designate that a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification exists, but one or more other features It should be understood that this does not preclude the existence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiment belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related art, and should not be interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal meaning unless explicitly defined in the present application. does not

In addition, in the description with reference to the accompanying drawings, the same components are given the same reference numerals regardless of the reference numerals, and the overlapping description thereof will be omitted. In the description of the embodiment, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known technology may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the embodiment, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

1 illustrates a wearable device according to an example.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the wearable device 100 is mounted on the user to assist the user in gait. For example, the wearable device 100 may be a device that assists a user in walking. Also, the wearable device 100 may be an exercise device that not only assists the user in walking, but also provides an exercise function by providing a resistance to the user. The resistive force provided to the user is not a force that is actively applied to the user, such as a force output by a device such as a motor, but a force that prevents the user's movement (for example, the resistive force acts in the opposite direction to the user's movement direction In other words, the resistance force can be expressed as an exercise load.

Although FIG. 1 shows the wearable device 100 of a hip type, the type of the wearable device is not limited to the hip type, and the wearable device may be a type supporting the entire lower extremity or a type supporting a part of the lower extremity. In addition, the wearable device may be in any one of a form supporting a part of the lower extremities, a form supporting up to the knee, a form supporting up to the ankle, and a form supporting the whole body.

The embodiments described with reference to FIG. 1 may be applied to a heap type, but is not limited thereto, and may be applied to various types of wearable devices.

According to one aspect, the wearable device 100 includes a driving unit 110 , a sensor unit 120 , an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) 130 , a control unit 140 , and a battery 150 .

The driving unit 110 may include a motor 114 and a motor driver circuit 112 for driving the motor 114 . The sensor unit 120 may include at least one sensor 121 . The controller 140 may include a processor 142 , a memory 144 , and an input interface 146 . One sensor 121 , one motor driver circuit 112 , and one motor 114 are illustrated in FIG. 1C , but this is only an example, and another example of a wearable device like the example illustrated in FIG. 1D . Reference numeral 100-1 may include a plurality of sensors 121 and 121-1, a plurality of motor driver circuits 112 and 112-1, and a plurality of motors 114 and 114-1. Also, according to implementation, the wearable device 100 may include a plurality of processors. The number of motor driver circuits, the number of motors, or the number of processors may vary according to a body part on which the wearable device 100 is worn.

The sensor 121 , the motor driver circuit 112 , and the motor 114 to be described later will be described with the sensor 121-1, the motor driver circuit 112-1, and the motor 114-1 shown in FIG. 1D. ) can also be applied.

The driving unit 110 may drive a user's hip joint. For example, the driving unit 110 may be located on the user's right hip and/or left hip portion. The driving unit 110 may be additionally located on the user's knee and ankle portions. The driving unit 110 includes a motor 114 capable of generating rotational torque and a motor driver circuit 112 for driving the motor 114 .

The sensor unit 120 may measure the angle of the user's hip joint while walking. The information on the hip joint angle sensed by the sensor unit 120 may include a right hip joint angle, a left hip joint angle, a difference between both hip joint angles, and a hip joint motion direction. For example, the sensor 121 may be located in the driving unit 110 . Depending on the position of the sensor 121 , the sensor unit 120 may additionally measure the user's knee angle and ankle angle.

According to one aspect, the sensor unit 120 may include a potentiometer. The potentiometer may sense an R-axis joint angle, an L-axis joint angle, an R-axis joint angular velocity, and an L-axis joint angular velocity according to the user's gait motion.

The IMU 130 may measure acceleration information and posture information while walking. For example, the IMU 130 may sense X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis acceleration according to the user's gait motion, and angular velocity on the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis.

The wearable device 100 may detect a point at which the user's foot lands based on the acceleration information measured by the IMU 130 .

A pressure sensor (not shown) may be located on the user's sole to detect a landing time of the user's foot.

In addition to the sensor unit 120 and the IMU 130 described above, the wearable device 100 includes another sensor (eg, an ElectroMyoGram sensor) capable of sensing a change in a user's exercise amount or a biosignal according to a walking motion. ; EMG sensor)) may be included.

According to one aspect, the processor 142 of the controller 140 may control the driving unit 110 to provide a resistance to the user. In this case, the driving unit 110 may provide resistance to the user by using the back-drivability of the motor 114 without outputting a torque to the user. The reverse drivability of the motor may mean the responsiveness of the rotation shaft of the motor to an external force, and the higher the reverse drivability of the motor, the easier it may respond to an external force acting on the rotation shaft of the motor (that is, , the axis of rotation of the motor rotates easily). For example, even when the same external force is applied to the rotation shaft of the motor, the degree of rotation of the rotation shaft of the motor varies according to the degree of reverse drivability.

A method of providing a resistance to a user will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 7 to 21 .

According to another aspect, the processor 142 of the controller 140 may control the driving unit 110 so that the driving unit 110 outputs a torque (or auxiliary torque) for helping the user walk. For example, in the hip type wearable device 100 , the driving unit 110 may be configured to be disposed on the left hip portion and the right hip portion, respectively, and the controller 140 controls the driving unit 110 to generate torque. control signal can be output.

The driving unit 110 may generate torque based on the control signal output by the control unit 140 . The torque value for generating the torque may be externally set or may be set by the controller 140 . For example, in order to indicate the magnitude of the torque value, the controller 140 may use the magnitude of the current for the signal transmitted to the driving part 110 . That is, as the magnitude of the current received by the driving unit 110 increases, the torque value may increase.

The battery 150 supplies power to the components of the wearable device 100 . There may be a circuit (eg, a Power Management Integrated Circuit (PMIC)) that converts the power of the battery 150 to match the operating voltage of the components of the wearable device 100 and provides it to the components of the wearable device 100 . have. Also, depending on the operation mode of the wearable device 100 , the battery 150 may or may not supply power to the motor 114 . In other words, the battery 150 may supply power to the motor 114 in the auxiliary mode and may not supply power to the motor 114 in the exercise mode. Accordingly, the battery 150 consumes less power in the motion resistance mode, so that the use time of the wearable device 100 may be increased.

2 is a diagram for explaining a wearable device communicating with an electronic device according to an example.

In the example shown in FIG. 2 , the wearable device 100 may communicate with the electronic device 200 . The electronic device 200 may include a smartphone, a tablet, a smart watch, glasses, and the like, and is not limited to the described embodiment. The electronic device 200 may be an electronic device of a user of the wearable device 100 . Alternatively, the user may exercise with the trainer while wearing the wearable device 100 . In this case, the electronic device 200 may correspond to an electronic device of the trainer.

According to implementation, the wearable device 100 and the electronic device 200 may communicate via a server (not shown) through a short-range wireless communication method or a cellular mobile communication method.

The electronic device 200 may display a user interface (UI) for controlling the operation of the wearable device 100 on the display 200 - 1 . For example, the UI may include at least one soft key through which the user can control the wearable device 100 .

The user (or trainer) may input a control command for controlling the operation of the wearable device 100 through the UI on the display 200 - 1 of the electronic device 200 , and the electronic device 200 receives the control command may be transmitted to the wearable device 100 . The wearable device 100 may operate according to the received control command, and may transmit a control result to the electronic device 200 . The electronic device 200 may display a control completion message on the display 200 - 1 of the electronic device 200 .

3 illustrates a walking state according to an example.

Gait states (or gait phases) of either leg of the user for gait may be predefined. For example, gait states may include stance and swing. Swing refers to the state in which the legs are off the ground. The gait states of the left leg may be divided into left stance (LSt) and left swing (LSw). The gait states of the right leg may be divided into a right stance (RSt) and a right swing (RSw).

In a finite state machine (FSM), a gait cycle may be previously mapped to a gait state. For example, 0% of the gait cycle may be mapped at the time the support is started, 60% of the gait cycle may be mapped at the time the swing starts, and 100% of the gait cycle may be mapped at the time immediately before the start of the support. can be

According to one aspect, the support and swing may be further subdivided into a plurality of states. For example, support may be subdivided into initial contact, weight bearing, middle stance, terminal stance, and pre swing. The swing may be subdivided into an initial swing, a middle swing, and a terminal swing. Support and swing may be subdivided differently according to embodiments, and are not limited to the described embodiments.

4 illustrates a transition between gait states according to an example.

According to a general gait mechanism, the gait states of each leg include support and swing, and support and swing are alternately performed for gait.

The right gait state 410 for the change 400 of the right leg according to gait includes right support and right swing. Support may include, but is not limited to, the embodiments disclosed and illustrated, including weight bearing, intermediate support, and end support. For the change 400 of the right leg, the left gait state 420 for the change of the left leg (not shown) includes left support and left swing.

When the muscle strength of the user's ankle is weakened by the user's aging or disease, discomfort occurs in walking. For example, when the leg starts swinging, the tip of the foot should be lifted, but if not, the swinging leg may hit the floor. That is, if a foot drop occurs, there is a risk of a fall. In order to prevent this risk, the angle of the ankle should be adjusted according to the progress of the gait phase or the change of the gait phase. A wearable device may be provided to a user who has difficulty in adjusting the angle of the ankle by himself/herself because the muscle strength of the ankle is weakened. The wearable device may be worn near the user's ankle, and may output an auxiliary torque based on a value sensed in relation to the user's gait. The angle of the user's ankle may be adjusted by the auxiliary torque.

Although the above embodiment is an embodiment for assisting the ankle, an embodiment for assisting the hip joint or the knee to assist walking may be similarly described.

5 illustrates a trajectory of an ankle joint angle with respect to a walking cycle according to an example.

When a person walks with a general walking mechanism, the trajectory 500 of the person's ankle joint angle shows a trajectory as shown in FIG. 5 . Even in the same gait state, the ankle joint angle may change depending on the stride length and gait speed, but the trajectory of the ankle joint angle for one gait cycle shows a similar pattern. The trajectory 500 of the ankle joint angle is shown to have an exemplary range of variation in the progress of a particular gait cycle.

In the case of a patient with one leg uncomfortable, the trajectory 500 of the ankle joint angle does not appear for the uncomfortable leg. If the angle of the ankle joint is adjusted so that the ankle joint of the patient's uncomfortable leg has the trajectory 500 of the angle of the ankle joint, the patient's gait mechanism can be improved.

5 shows the trajectory of the angle of the ankle joint, the description of FIG. 5 may be similarly applied to the description of the angle of the hip joint and the knee joint.

6 shows a trajectory of an ankle torque for a walking cycle according to an example.

The description with reference to FIG. 6 may be applied to a case in which the wearable device 100 operates in a mode to assist the user in walking. A description of the case in which the wearable device 100 operates in the exercise mode will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 7 to 21 .

When a person walks with a general walking mechanism, the trajectory 600 of the ankle torque output by the person's ankle joint shows a trajectory as shown in FIG. 6 . Positive ankle torque values increase the ankle joint angle (eg, plantar flexion), and negative values of ankle torque decrease the ankle joint angle (eg, dorsiflexion). .

According to one aspect, the first part 610 of the trajectory 600 of the ankle torque corresponding to the section after the push-off occurs may be an auxiliary torque value for bending the instep for preventing foot dislocation. . The auxiliary torque value for dorsiflexion may be negative.

Since the patient with one leg uncomfortable cannot generate the auxiliary torque by himself/herself, the patient may wear the wearable device on the uncomfortable leg in order to receive the auxiliary torque. The wearable device may adjust the ankle angle by outputting auxiliary torque through the driving device. Auxiliary torque for adjusting the ankle angle must be output at an appropriate timing so that the user does not feel any discomfort. For example, a strong assist torque to increase the ankle angle should be provided at the timing when the uncomfortable leg must perform a push-off. For example, the timing may be determined by directly determining the gait state of the uncomfortable leg. As another example, the timing may be determined by indirectly determining the gait state of the uncomfortable leg based on the gait state of the normal leg.

The structure of the motor driver circuit 112 included in the driving unit 110 for the wearable device 100 to operate in an exercise mode that does not require the battery 150 will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 7 to 10 . .

7 to 10 are diagrams for explaining a motor driver circuit of a wearable device according to an example.

The motor driver circuit 112 shown in FIG. 7 is an H-bridge circuit and includes a plurality of switches 710 to 740 . The motor driver circuit 112 is connected to the motor 114 .

When the first switch 710 and the fourth switch 740 are closed under the control of the processor 142 and the second switch 220 and the third switch 230 are opened, a closed loop including the battery 150 is formed. Thus, power can be supplied from the battery 150 to the motor 114 . The motor 114 rotates in the first direction.

Contrary to the above, even when the second switch 720 and the third switch 730 are closed and the first switch 710 and the fourth switch 740 are opened under the control of the processor 142, the battery 150 is turned on. Since a closed loop including the battery 150 is formed, power may be supplied from the battery 150 to the motor 114 . However, the motor 114 rotates in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

8 shows a case in which the motor driver circuit 112 is controlled to form a closed loop including the battery 150 , and the battery 150 supplies power to the motor 114 . The motor 114 rotates to correspond to the direction of the current. When the operation mode of the wearable device 100 operates in the auxiliary mode, the processor 142 may control the motor driver circuit 112 to form a closed loop including the battery 150 .

Unlike the method of controlling the motor driver circuit 112 to form a closed loop including the battery 150 described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 , the battery 150 is included with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10 . How the motor driver circuit 112 is controlled so as not to do so is described. The control method of the motor driver circuit 112 according to FIGS. 9 and 10 may be used when the operation mode of the wearable device 100 is the exercise mode.

Referring to FIG. 9 , the processor 142 cuts off the electrical connection between the battery 150 and the motor 114 by opening the first switch 710 and the second switch 720 . In the exercise mode, the first switch 710 and the second switch 720 maintain a closed state. In the exercise mode, only the lower driver circuit including the third switch 730 and the fourth switch 740 connected to the motor 114 may be controlled.

The processor 142 may apply the control signal 1 to the third switch 730 to change the control state of the motor driver circuit 112 between the first control state and the second control state, and the fourth switch 740 . A control signal 2 may be applied to Control signals 1 and 2 may have a duty ratio in a PWM form in which a high value and a low value are repeated. The duty ratio may mean a connection ratio. The duty ratio is t _H /T when one period is T and the time for which a high value is maintained within one period is t _H. Although the embodiment in which the processor 142 outputs separate control signals 1 and 2 has been described, this is merely exemplary. As another example, the processor 142 may output one control signal, the output control signal may be branched by a separate circuit, and each branched control signal may be the third switch 730 and the fourth switch. 740 may be applied to each.

When the control signals 1 and 2 have a high value, the + and - terminals of the motor 114 are connected to each other and are in an equipotential state. In other words, in the first control state, the + terminal and the - terminal of the motor 114 are electrically connected to each other and have the same potential (or voltage).

In the first control state, the motor 114 may form a closed loop with the ground without electrical connection with the battery 150 , so that the first control state is a closed loop state of the motor 114 without electrical connection with the battery 150 . can be expressed differently.

When the user moves in the first control state, the motor 114 located in the vicinity of the corresponding joint is rotated by the movement of the user's joint, and an electromotive force (or potential difference) is generated in the motor 114 by this rotation. In the first control state, the terminals of the motor 114 are in an equipotential state, and rotational resistance may be generated in the motor 114 to reduce the generated electromotive force. This rotational resistance may be provided to the user as a resistance force.

When the control signals 1 and 2 are low values, the + and - terminals of the motor 114 are electrically open. Since there is no electrical connection to the motor 114 in the second control state, the second control state may be expressed differently as an open loop state of the motor 114 .

When the user moves in the second control state, the motor 114 is rotated by the user's movement. In the second control state, since the + and - terminals of the motor 114 are electrically open, the above-described electromotive force is not generated in the motor 114 and the resistance force is not output. In other words, the reverse drivability of the motor 114 is increased, and only the friction force due to the gear ratio is perceived as a resistance force by the user.

Since the high and low values of the control signals 1 and 2 are repeated according to the PWM signal, the control state of the motor driver circuit 112 may be repeatedly switched between the first control state and the second control state.

The processor 142 may control the duty ratio of each of the control signals 1 and 2 to adjust the magnitude of the resistive force. When the time for which the high value is maintained in each cycle of the control signals 1 and 2 increases (that is, the time the low value is held decreases), in each cycle of the control signals 1 and 2, the motor 114 enters the second control state. Since the proportion of the operation in the first control state is increased, the strength of the resistance force output to the user is increased. Conversely, if the time the high value is held in each cycle of the control signals 1 and 2 decreases (that is, the time the low value is held increases), in each cycle of the control signals 1 and 2, the motor 114 turns on the first The proportion of operating in the second control state is higher than that in the control state, so that the strength of the resistance output to the user decreases.

The wearable device 100 may output a resistance force without supplying power of the battery 150 to the motor 114 in the exercise mode, thereby consuming less power of the battery 150 and reducing the usage time of the wearable device 100 . can be improved In addition, when the power of the battery 150 is supplied to the motor 114 , the motor 114 may malfunction, but in the exercise mode, the motor 114 malfunctions because the power of the battery 150 is not supplied to the motor 114 . The possibility is blocked, and the safety of the wearable device 100 may be further improved.

10 shows a case in which the motor driver circuit 112 is controlled so as not to include the battery 150 , and the battery 150 is electrically cut off from the motor 114 . The motor 114 generates an electromotive force by an external force depending on the connection state of the motor driver circuit 112 (when the connection state is a closed loop) or does not generate an electromotive force (when the connection state is an open loop) .

11 is a flowchart of a method of providing a resistive force according to an embodiment.

According to one aspect, the following steps 1110 to 1180 are performed by the wearable device 100 described above. Although it has been described that the wearable device 100 shown in FIG. 1 is worn on the user's lower body, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the wearable device may be worn on the user's upper body. As another example, the wearable device may be worn over the user's entire body.

In operation 1110 , the wearable device 100 may receive or receive an operation mode for controlling the wearable device 100 from the user. The operation mode includes an exercise mode and an auxiliary mode, and the received operation mode may be an exercise mode or an auxiliary mode.

According to an aspect, a user may transmit a specific operation mode to the wearable device 100 through a user terminal connected to the wearable device 100 through a wireless network. The wearable device 100 may receive a specific operation mode through a communication module. The wireless network may include a cellular network, a Bluetooth network, a Wi-Fi network, and the like, and is not limited to the described embodiment.

According to another aspect, the user may input an operation mode through the input interface 146 of the wearable device 100 . For example, the input interface 146 may include a physical button for receiving a user's input, a software button formed based on a touch panel, etc., and a display and indicator outputting the state of the wearable device 100 , etc. (indicator) may be included. The indicator may be a Light Emitting Diode (LED), but is not limited to the described embodiment.

A plurality of dynamic modes capable of controlling the wearable device 100 may be previously mounted on the wearable device 700 .

According to an aspect, the wearable device 100 may control the operation of the wearable device 100 through a control algorithm rather than a neural network. The control algorithm may be an algorithm that outputs a control value corresponding to an input from a user, the sensor unit 120 , and an input such as the IMU 130 . For example, the control algorithm may operate based on a control table representing output values for input values.

According to another aspect, the wearable device 100 may control the operation of the wearable device 100 based on a neural network corresponding to each operation mode. The neural network may be an artificial neural network, and the neural network may be trained in advance through machine learning. The neural network may be a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), a Recurrent Neural Network (RNN), a Deep Neural Network (DNN), and combinations thereof, and is not limited to the described embodiment.

The neural network may output a result for the received input. For example, when an angle of a joint is input, the neural network trained for the assist mode may determine a gait state corresponding to the angle and calculate an assist torque value for the joint. As another example, when an angle of a joint is input, the neural network trained for the exercise mode may determine a gait state corresponding to the angle, and may calculate and output a resistance level for the joint. The calculated resistance level may vary depending on the exercise level set by the user. For example, even in a walking state, a higher resistance level may be calculated as a higher exercise level is set.

In step 1120 , the wearable device 100 measures the angle of the user's joint using the sensor 121 . The sensor 121 may be an angle sensor, and may measure an angle of at least one of a hip joint, a knee joint, and an ankle joint. Angles of a plurality of joints may be measured. The angles of a plurality of joints measured at the same time may constitute a joint angle set for a specific time. The joint angle set may be used to determine the extent of the user's gait cycle. For example, the user's leg posture may be determined based on the hip joint angle, the knee joint angle, and the ankle joint angle. Additionally, an angular acceleration calculated based on a change amount of the same joint angle may be included in the joint angle set.

Although the hip joint, the knee joint, and the ankle joint are exemplified, the above description may be applied to joints other than the joints of the lower extremities (eg, the shoulder joint, the elbow joint, and the wrist joint).

Although step 1120 is shown to be performed between steps 1110 and 1130 , step 1120 may always be performed while power is supplied to the sensor 121 . The sensor 121 may generate data (eg, joint angle) at a preset period. That is, the measurement of the joint angle may be continuously and continuously performed.

In operation 1130 , the processor 142 of the wearable device 100 determines whether the operation mode is an exercise mode or an auxiliary mode. When the operation mode is an exercise mode, a resistance force may be provided to the user, and when the operation mode is an auxiliary mode, an assist force may be provided to the user. Steps 1140 - 1160 may be performed to provide a resistive force to the user, and steps 1170 - 1180 may be performed to provide an assistive force to the user.

Although described as determining the operation mode in step 1130, as another example, step 1130 determines whether the operation mode is an auxiliary mode, and if the operation mode is not an auxiliary mode, determines whether the operation mode is an exercise mode can As another example, step 1130 may determine whether the operation mode is the exercise mode, and if the operation mode is not the exercise mode, determine whether the operation mode is the auxiliary mode.

According to one aspect, when the user walks, the exercise mode may be applied to the entire walking state, but may be selectively applied only to a specific walking state. For example, the exercise mode may be applied only to the swing state among the support state and the swing state by the user's selection. The angle of the user's joint may be used to determine the user's current gait state.

In operation 1140 , when the operation mode is the exercise mode, the processor 142 of the wearable device 100 determines a resistance level for the joint based on the measured joint angle. For example, the level of resistance to the input of the joint angle may be determined through the control algorithm. As another example, a resistance level may be output by inputting a joint angle to a specific neural network determined based on an operation mode.

The resistance level may be a degree or a magnitude of resistance that the user feels. For example, if the user desires to provide the same resistance force for the entire walking motion (or running motion), the same resistance level may be determined for the entire walking motion. As another example, if the user wants to provide different resistance only for a specific stage (eg, swing state) of the gait mechanism, the degree of the user's gait cycle is determined based on the joint angle (eg, joint angle set). The determined and the resistance level corresponding to the determined degree of the gait cycle may be determined. As the degree of the walking cycle changes in real time, the determined resistance level may also change in real time.

According to one aspect, the pre-generated resistance force profile may indicate a trajectory of the resistance level for the entire walking cycle. A resistance level corresponding to the degree of the current walking cycle may be determined based on the resistance profile for the entire walking cycle.

The resistance profile can be modified by the user. For example, the user may modify the resistance level of at least a partial section of the resistance profile through the input interface 146 of the wearable device 100 or a user terminal connected to the wearable device 100 . That is, the user may modify the resistance level for at least some sections of the resistance force profile in order to set a desired exercise method. The resistive force profile is described in detail below with reference to FIG. 12 .

The neural network for each operation mode may be pre-trained by the manufacturer of the wearable device 100 (pre-training). In addition, the neural network may be further trained by the user of the wearable device 100 (fine tuning). For example, the user may input feedback on the output of the current neural network to the wearable device 100 , and the processor 142 may further train the neural network to reflect the feedback. For example, a method such as back propagation or reinforcement learning may be used for training the neural network, and it is not limited to the described embodiment.

According to one aspect, the resistance level may be determined based on the position and angle of the user's joint. For example, a target posture for the user's left leg may be preset, and a resistance level may be determined based on a difference between the target posture and the user's current posture. When the current posture has a large difference from the target posture, the resistance level may be determined to be low, and as the current posture is similar to the target posture, the resistance level may be determined to be large. When the current posture is the target posture, the largest resistance level may be provided to the user.

For example, if a posture in which the thigh is lifted by a certain angle or more is set as the target posture, the resistance level increases as the user lifts the thigh, and the user may feel the strongest resistance in the target posture.

A damping control technique with a muscle model applied to determine the resistance level can be used. When the resistance levels determined through the damping control technology are sequentially changed, the user's resistance to the change in the exercise load may be reduced.

According to a commonly known biological model of muscle (a hill type muscle model studied in medical engineering), when a stimulus signal is input to a muscle, the phenomenon in which the input stimulus signal is amplified in proportion to the force generated by the muscle is observed. Visible (positive feedback), and the muscle strength (force) amplified by the stimulus signal has a constant relationship by the length of the muscle and the rate of contraction of the muscle.

When the muscle is contracted the most or when the muscle is stretched the most, it does not have much force, and when the muscle is of an appropriate length, the muscle can have the strongest force. The force generated according to the speed at which the length of the muscle changes is greater as the speed of change increases.

The relationship between the muscle strength exerted by the muscle according to the length of the muscle may be in the form of a normal distribution. The relationship between the muscle strength exerted by the muscle according to the muscle extension rate may be in the form of a sigmoid.

Since the user is familiar with the change in body movement and the magnitude of the force exerted according to the elongation of these muscles, if a resistance level corresponding to the amount of force exerted in response to the change in the body movement can be provided to the user, the user The resistance force (exercise load) provided by the resistance level and the change in the resistance force according to the change in the resistance level may also be felt familiarly.

The wearable device 100 may calculate the user's body movement based on the position and angle of the user's joint. The processor 142 of the wearable device 100 may calculate the user's body movement and the magnitude of the force thereby based on the position and angle of the user's joint in the exercise mode, and set the control level based on the calculated magnitude of the force. can be calculated

In step 1150 , the processor 142 of the wearable device 100 determines between a time of controlling the motor driver circuit 112 in a closed loop and a time of controlling the motor driver circuit 112 in an open loop based on the resistance level. determine the ratio of The ratio between the time that the motor driver circuit 112 is controlled in the closed loop and the time that the motor driver circuit 112 is controlled in the open loop may be referred to as a connection ratio. For example, a connection ratio of the motor driver circuit 112 corresponding to the resistance level may be determined. The connection ratio of the motor driver circuit 112 is controlled so that no energy is provided from the battery 150 to the motor 114, and the motor driver circuit 112 is either closed loop (ie, in the first control state) or open loop ( That is, it means a ratio controlled by the second control state). For example, based on the closed-loop state, the circuit connection ratio of 0.5 may mean that the closed-loop state is 50% and the open-loop state is controlled to 50% within a preset period. The circuit connection ratio can be dynamically adjusted when the resistance level changes.

For example, the connection ratio may be implemented using PWM, but it is not limited to the described embodiment, and various methods for controlling the connection state of the motor driver circuit 112 may be applied. When PWM is used to control the connection ratio, the connection ratio determined in step 1150 may be represented as PWM having a specific duty ratio. A PWM having a specific duty ratio may be preset so that a desired resistance can be provided to the user by the PWM. The motor driver circuit 112 can be controlled in a closed loop (first control state) or open loop (second control state) by PWM having a specific duty ratio. For example, the processor 142 may control the operation of switches in the motor driver circuit 112 using PWM to control the motor driver circuit 112 in a closed loop or an open loop.

When the motor driver circuit 112 is a closed loop, the motor 114 operates as a generator and the reverse drivability of the motor 114 is lowered by dynamic braking. As the reverse drivability decreases, the resistance felt by the user increases. On the other hand, when the motor driver circuit 112 is an open loop, the reverse drivability of the motor 114 is increased, and only the frictional force due to the gear ratio is perceived by the user as a resistive force.

A desired reverse drivability can be achieved by adjusting the ratio of the open-closed state of the motor driver circuit 112 based on the connection ratio. For example, the resistive force provided to the user may be modulated by the rate at which the motor driver circuit 112 is controlled in a closed loop or an open loop within a uniform, repetitive time interval of PWM, the motor driver circuit 112 The higher the percentage of time that is controlled as a closed loop, the higher the resistance can be.

In operation 1160 , the processor 142 of the wearable device 100 controls the motor 114 through the motor driver circuit 112 based on the determined connection ratio. The motor driver circuit 112 may include at least one switch controlled based on a connection ratio, and the motor driver circuit 112 may be controlled in a closed loop or an open loop by the switch. When the operation mode of the wearable device 100 is set to the exercise mode, the energy of the wearable device 100 is not provided to the motor 114 . For example, electric energy charged in the battery 150 of the wearable device 100 is not provided to the motor 114 . Even if electric energy is not provided to the motor 114 , the reverse drivability of the motor 112 is controlled by controlling the motor driver circuit 112 in an open loop or a closed loop, and the resistance force can be adjusted by the controlled reverse drivability. .

If the user does not move, the motor 112 also does not operate as a generator. Since the motor 112 does not operate as a generator, a resistive force is not generated by the user. That is, the resistance force generated based on the reverse drivability of the motor 112 is generated only when the user moves.

When the motor 112 operates as a generator, the battery 150 of the wearable device 100 may be charged based on energy generated by the generator. That is, while the wearable device 100 operates in the exercise mode, the energy of the battery 150 of the wearable device 100 may be consumed considerably less, and may be charged. When the wearable device 100 operates in the exercise mode, the wearable device 100 may be continuously operated even if energy is not supplied from the outside.

The above-described steps 1140 to 1160 describe a case in which the operation mode of the wearable device 100 is set to the exercise mode, and steps 1170 and 1180 below describe the case in which the operation mode is set to the auxiliary mode. Explain.

In operation 1170 , the processor 142 of the wearable device 100 calculates an assist torque value for the joint based on the measured joint angle when the assist mode is received or input. For example, the auxiliary torque value for the input of the joint angle may be determined through the control algorithm. As another example, the auxiliary torque value may be output by inputting the joint angle to the neural network determined based on the operation mode.

According to an aspect, the processor 142 may determine the degree of the user's gait state or gait cycle based on the angle of the joint, and determine an auxiliary torque value corresponding to the determined gait state or degree of the gait cycle. As the number of measured joints increases, a more accurate gait state or degree of a gait cycle may be determined.

The auxiliary torque value may be determined based on a preset torque profile. It is not limited to the embodiment described for the method of calculating the auxiliary torque value.

In operation 1180 , the processor 142 of the wearable device 100 provides the assisting force to the user by controlling the motor 114 based on the assist torque value. The wearable device 100 drives the motor 114 to output the auxiliary torque by using the battery 150 of the wearable device 100, and the auxiliary torque output from the motor 114 provides an auxiliary power to the user. can The auxiliary torque value means a control signal applied to the motor 114 , the auxiliary torque means a rotation torque output by the motor 114 based on the auxiliary torque value, and the auxiliary torque is felt by the user by the auxiliary torque. means power.

In the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 11 , it has been described that the wearable device 100 can provide both the exercise mode and the auxiliary mode to the user. However, according to another embodiment, the wearable device 100 only operates in the exercise mode. can work When the wearable device 100 operates only in the exercise mode, the above-described steps 1110 , 1130 , 1170 , and 1180 may not be performed. Also, the wearable device 100 may not include a battery for supplying power to the motor 114 . When the battery is not included, the wearable device 100 may be lightweight.

12 illustrates a resistive force profile output to a user terminal according to an example.

According to one aspect, the wearable device 100 may be connected to the user terminal 1200 through a wired or wireless network. For example, the wearable device 100 may transmit/receive information related to the wearable device 100 through an application installed in the user terminal 1200 . The information related to the wearable device 100 may include a setting value for the wearable device 100 , an operating state of the wearable device 100 , a device state of the wearable device 100 , and the like. The setting value for the wearable device 100 may include a detailed setting value for the auxiliary mode or exercise mode set by the user. The operation state of the wearable device 100 may include the user's current gait state or progress of a gait cycle. The device state of the wearable device 100 may include the remaining capacity of the battery 150 .

In the wearable device 100 or the user terminal 1200, various resistance force profiles for an exercise mode may be stored in advance. For example, each of the resistance force profiles may be pre-generated to exhibit a different exercise effect.

The user may personalize the resistance profile 1210 by modifying at least a partial section 1220 of the existing resistance profile 1210 to a desired resistance level. For example, the partial section 1220 may correspond to a swing state, and the user may modify the resistance level of the partial section 1220 so that the resistance level is substantially minimized in the swing state. For example, the user may modify the resistance level by touching the partial section 1220 through the touch panel of the user terminal 1200 and dragging the trajectory of the selected partial section 1220 .

13 is a flowchart of a method of providing a resistive force according to another exemplary embodiment.

According to another aspect, the following steps 1310 to 1380 are performed by the wearable device 100 described above.

In operation 1310 , the wearable device 100 receives an operation mode for controlling the wearable device 100 from the user. The description of step 1310 may be replaced with the description of step 1110 described above with reference to FIG. 11 .

In operation 1320 , the wearable device 100 measures the angle of the user's joint using the sensor 121 . The description of step 1320 may be replaced with the description of step 1120 described above with reference to FIG. 11 . Step 1320 may be performed in parallel independently of step 1330 .

In operation 1330 , the wearable device 100 determines whether the operation mode is an exercise mode or an auxiliary mode.

When the wearable device 100 operates based on a plurality of neural networks, the wearable device 100 determines a neural network corresponding to the determined operation mode. Subsequent steps may be performed based on the determined neural network. For example, an exercise mode neural network may be determined for the exercise mode, and an assist mode neural network may be determined for the assist mode. If the operation mode is the exercise mode, steps 1340 to 1360 are performed, and the operation mode is the assist mode. In the case of , steps 1370 to 1380 may be performed.

Although it has been described that the motor mode or the auxiliary mode can operate based on each neural network, it is not limited to the described embodiment. For example, the operation of the wearable device 100 may be controlled through a control algorithm rather than a neural network.

<Exercise mode>

In operation 1340 , the processor 142 of the wearable device 100 determines a resistance level for the joint based on the measured joint angle. The description of step 1340 may be replaced with the description of step 1340 described above with reference to FIG. 11 .

In operation 1350 , the processor 142 of the wearable device 100 determines a connection ratio of the motor driver circuit 112 corresponding to the resistance level. The description of step 1350 may be replaced with the description of step 1350 described above with reference to FIG. 11 .

In operation 1360 , the processor 142 of the wearable device 100 controls the motor 114 through the connection ratio of the motor driver circuit 112 . The description of step 1360 may be replaced with the description of step 1160 described above with reference to FIG. 11 .

<Auxiliary Mode>

In operation 1370 , the processor 142 of the wearable device 100 calculates an auxiliary torque value for the joint based on the measured joint angle. The description of step 1370 may be replaced with the description of step 1170 described above with reference to FIG. 11 .

In operation 1380 , the processor 142 of the wearable device 100 provides the assisting force to the user by controlling the motor 114 based on the assist torque value. The description of step 1380 may be replaced with the description of step 1180 described above with reference to FIG. 8 .

14 illustrates an open loop motor driver circuit according to an example.

According to one aspect, the motor driver circuit 1400 may be an H-bridge circuit. The open/close state of the motor driver circuit 1400 varies according to the connection state of the switches 1410 to 1440 . The switches 1410 to 1440 may be implemented with a Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT), a Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Field-effect Transistor (MOSFET), or the like, and are not limited to the described embodiments.

When the motor driver circuit 1400 is in an open loop state, the dynamic braking of the motor 114 is minimized, and thus, the reverse drivability of the motor 114 is increased. In this case, the reverse drivability may be a friction force generated by the gears connected to the motor 114 .

15 and 16 illustrate a motor driver circuit that is a closed loop in accordance with examples.

According to one aspect, a closed loop of the motor driver circuit 1400 may be formed to include the battery 150 and the motor 114 .

For example, when the switches 1410 and 1440 of the motor driver circuit 1400 are open and the switches 1420 and 1430 are closed, the current provided to the motor 114 flows in the first direction 1510 . can flow to

As another example, when the switches 1410 and 1440 of the motor driver circuit 1400 are closed and the switches 1420 and 1430 are open, the current provided to the motor 114 flows in the second direction 1610 . can flow The second direction 1610 is opposite to the first direction 1510 . The direction of rotation of the shaft of the motor 114 varies according to the direction of the current.

The closed loops may be formed in the case of the auxiliary mode, and the directions 1510 and 1610 of the current may be determined according to the direction of the auxiliary force provided to the user.

17 illustrates a closed loop motor driver circuit according to an example.

According to one aspect, the motor driver circuit 1400 to which the motor 114 is connected, controlled not to use the energy of the battery 150 , may form a closed loop. That is, the illustrated motor driver circuit 1400 is a motor driver circuit 1400 for an exercise mode that does not use the power of the battery 150 , and is a closed loop circuit connected to the motor 114 .

For example, when the switches 1410 and 1430 of the circuit 1400 are in an open state and the switches 1420 and 1440 are closed, a closed loop including the motor 114 may be formed. That is, a closed loop may be formed by the lower driver circuit of the motor driver circuit 1400 . The closed loop may be formed in the case of the motion mode, and dynamic braking of the motor 114 occurs. A user who rotates the motor 114 feels resistance by dynamic braking.

18 illustrates a closed loop motor driver circuit including a braking resistor according to an example.

According to one aspect, the motor driver circuit 1800 includes a battery 150 , switches 1810 to 1840 connected to the motor 114 , and a braking resistor 1850 . Since switches 1820 and 1840 are closed in the illustrated embodiment, a closed loop including motor 114 is formed. In the state in which the closed loop is formed, the resistance felt by the user is maximized.

The degree of resistance may be adjusted by adjusting the ratio of the open loop state and the closed loop state for the motor driver circuit 1800 by the connection ratio. In order to maximize the resistance force, the closed loop state may be continuously maintained, and to minimize the resistance force, the open loop state may be continuously maintained.

In a state in which the motor driver circuit 1800 is controlled in a closed loop, the motor 114 operates as a generator in response to an external force by a user, and the generated energy may be consumed as heat through the braking resistor 1850 . As another example, in the illustrated motor driver circuit 1800, the current as energy generated by the motor 114 is transferred from the + terminal to the - terminal of the battery 150 regardless of the rotation direction of the rotation axis of the motor 144 by the diode. flows in the direction of Accordingly, the generated energy may charge the battery 150 .

19 illustrates a closed-loop motor driver circuit including a resistor according to another example.

The circuit 1900 in which an auxiliary path including at least one resistor 1962 and a switch 1964 is added to the circuit 1400 described above with reference to FIGS. 14 to 17 may increase electrical stability of the closed loop.

In the closed-loop motor driver circuit 1900 including the motor 114 , when the motor 114 rotates by an external force, it operates as a generator to generate electromotive force. Electronic elements in the closed loop may be damaged by the generated electromotive force. If the resistor 1962 is added to the closed loop, the value of the internal resistance of the closed loop itself increases, so that the magnitude of the current generated by the electromotive force can be reduced. As the magnitude of the current decreases, the probability of damage to the electronic elements in the closed loop is also reduced.

20 illustrates a closed-loop motor driver circuit including a BLDC motor according to an example.

The motor driver circuits 1400 , 1800 , and 1900 with reference to FIGS. 14 to 19 were connected to the DC motor, but as another example, the motor driver circuit 2000 may be connected to the BLDC motor 2005 . The BLDC motor 2005 is connected to three terminals in the motor driver circuit 2000 . In general, the BLDC motor generates a larger torque compared to the volume compared to the DC motor, and since it does not use a mechanical brush for current rectification used in the DC motor, friction between the brush and the rotor winding does not occur. Accordingly, there is no friction between the brushes and the rotor windings in the BLDC motor, so the durability is less than that of the DC motor.

For example, when the switches 2010, 2030, and 2050 of the motor driver circuit 2000 are in an open state and the switches 2020, 2040, and 2060 are closed, a closed loop including the BLDC motor 2005 is can be formed. The closed loop may be formed to exclude the battery 150 .

By applying a PWM signal to the switches 2020 , 2040 , and 2060 , the closed loop state and the open loop state of the circuit 2000 may be controlled. The control ratio may vary depending on the resistance level.

The switch 2020 may control the opening and closing of the first terminal u of the BLDC motor 2005, and the switch 2040 may control the opening and closing of the second terminal v of the BLDC motor 2005, The switch 2060 may control opening and closing of the third terminal w of the BLDC motor 2005 . For example, when the same PWM signal is applied to the switches 2020 , 2040 , and 2060 , a closed loop irrespective of the commutation sequence for the BLDC motor 2005 may be formed.

Since the BLDC motor 2005 is connected to three terminals (u, v, w), in order to configure an electrical closed loop between the terminals (u, v, w), Hall sensor information (motor A closed loop may be configured by selectively connecting two of the switches 2020, 2040, and 2060 to match the commutation sequence by determining the angle of the rotation axis), but the inverse of the BLDC motor 2005 in the motion mode In the case of controlling the BLDC motor 2005 for the purpose of controlling only the same sex, by connecting all of the switches 2020, 2040, and 2060, a closed loop that does not need to consider the commutation sequence may be formed. Since it is not necessary to consider the commutation sequence to construct a closed loop, the time required for the calculation of the commutation sequence and concerns about malfunction of the BLDC motor 2005 can be reduced.

As another example, PWM signals may be applied to each of the switches 2020 , 2040 , and 2060 to form a closed loop corresponding to a commutation sequence for a classified state based on the angle of the rotation axis of the BLDC motor 2005 .

21 is a configuration diagram of a driving unit of a wearable device according to an example.

According to one aspect, the driving unit 110 of the aforementioned wearable device 100 may include a clutch 2120 and a plurality of gears 2130 and 2140 in addition to the motor 2110 . The plurality of gears 2130 and 2140 may be differently selected according to a user input or a determined resistance level. The clutch 2120 may control transmission of driving force by selectively connecting the motor 2110 to any one of the plurality of gears 2130 and 2140 .

By setting a different gear ratio according to the purpose of the operation mode of the wearable device 100 , the magnitude of the resistive force provided to the user may be adjusted.

Unlike the hip-type wearable device 100 illustrated with reference to FIG. 1 , the wearable device may be the whole body-type wearable device 1 described above with reference to FIGS. 22 to 24 . The whole-body-type wearable device 1 may be a device that provides walking assistance torque to the user's hip joint, knee joint, and ankle joint, respectively.

<Overview of Whole-Type Walking Assistive Device>

22 to 24 show a whole body-type wearable device according to another example.

22 is a front view of an embodiment of the whole-type wearable device 1 , FIG. 23 is a side view of the whole-type wearable device 1 , and FIG. 24 is a rear view of the whole-type wearable device 1 .

According to one aspect, the whole body-type wearable device 1 may include the above-described driving unit 110 , the sensor unit 120 , the IMU 130 , the control unit 140 , and the battery 150 .

22 to 24 , the whole body-type wearable device 1 has an exoskeleton structure to be worn on the user's left leg and right leg, respectively. The user may perform operations such as extension, flexion, adduction, and abduction while wearing the wearable device 1 . Extending motion is an exercise that straightens a joint, and bending motion is an exercise of bending a joint. A vowel motion is an exercise that brings the legs closer to the central axis of the body. The abduction motion is an exercise in which the leg is extended in a direction away from the central axis of the body.

22 to 24 , the wearable device 1 may include a body part 10 and mechanical parts 20R, 20L, 30R, 30L, 40R, and 40L.

The main body 10 may include a housing 11 . Various parts may be embedded in the housing 11 . As the components embedded in the housing 11 , a central processing unit (CPU), a printed circuit board, and various types of storage devices and power sources may be exemplified. The main body 10 may include the above-described control unit 140 . The controller 140 may include a CPU and a printed circuit board.

The CPU may be a microprocessor. In the microprocessor, an arithmetic logic operator, a register, a program counter, an instruction decoder, and/or a control circuit may be installed in a silicon chip. The CPU may select a control mode suitable for the walking environment and generate a control signal for controlling the operation of the mechanical units 20 , 30 , and 40 according to the selected control mode.

A printed circuit board is a board on which a predetermined circuit is printed, and a CPU and/or various storage devices may be installed on the printed circuit board. The printed circuit board may be fixed to the inner surface of the housing 11 .

The storage device built into the housing 11 may include various types. The storage device may be a magnetic disk storage device that stores data by magnetizing the surface of the magnetic disk, or a semiconductor memory device that stores data using various types of memory semiconductors.

The power source built into the housing 11 may supply power to various parts or mechanical parts 20 , 30 , 40 built in the housing 11 .

The main body 10 may further include a waist support 12 for supporting the user's waist. The waist support 12 may have a curved flat plate shape to support the user's waist.

The main body 10 may further include a fixing part 11a for fixing the housing 11 to the user's hip portion and a fixing part 12a for fixing the waist support 12 to the user's waist. The fixing parts 11a and 12a may be implemented as one of a band having an elastic force, a belt, and a strap.

The main body 10 may include the above-described IMU 130 . For example, the IMU 130 may be installed outside or inside the housing 11 . The IMU 130 may be installed on a printed circuit board provided inside the housing 11 . The IMU 130 may measure acceleration and angular velocity.

The mechanical parts 20 , 30 , and 40 may include a first structural part 20 , a second structural part 30 , and a third structural part 40 as shown in FIGS. 22 to 24 .

The first structures 20R and 20L may assist the user's thighs and hip joints in the gait motion. The first structural parts 20R and 20L may include first driving devices 21R and 21L, first supporting parts 22R and 22L, and first fixing parts 23R and 23L.

The above-described driving unit 110 may include first driving devices 21R and 21L, and the description of the driving device 110 described with reference to FIGS. 19 to 21 will include first driving devices 21R and 21L. may be substituted for the description of

The first driving devices 21R and 21L may be located at the hip joints of the first structural parts 20R and 20L, and may generate rotational forces of various magnitudes in a predetermined direction. The rotational force generated by the first driving devices 21R and 21L may be applied to the first supporting parts 22R and 22L. The first driving devices 21R and 21L may be set to rotate within an operation range of a human hip joint.

The first driving devices 21R and 21L may be driven according to a control signal provided from the main body 10 . The first driving devices 21R and 21L may be implemented as one of a motor, a vacuum pump, and a hydraulic pump, but is not limited thereto.

A joint angle sensor may be installed around the first driving device 21R, 21L. The joint angle sensor may detect an angle at which the first driving devices 21R and 21L are rotated about a rotation axis. The aforementioned sensor unit 120 may include a joint angle sensor.

The first supports 22R, 22L are physically connected to the first driving devices 21R, 21L. The first supports 22R and 22L may be rotated in a predetermined direction according to a rotational force generated by the first driving devices 21R and 21L.

The first support portions 22R and 22L may be implemented in various shapes. For example, the first support parts 22R and 22L may be implemented in a shape in which a plurality of nodes are connected to each other. At this time, a joint may be provided between the node and the node, and the first supporting parts 22R and 22L may be bent within a certain range by the joint. As another example, the first support portions 22R and 22L may be implemented in a bar shape. In this case, the first support parts 22R and 22L may be implemented with a flexible material so as to be bent within a certain range.

The first fixing parts 23R and 23L may be provided on the first supporting parts 22R and 22L. The first fixing portions 23R and 23L serve to fix the first supporting portions 22R and 22L to the user's thighs.

22 to 24 show a case in which the first supporting parts 22R and 22L are fixed to the outside of the user's thighs by the first fixing parts 23R and 23L. When the first supporting parts 22R and 22L are rotated as the first driving devices 21R and 21L are driven, the thighs to which the first supporting parts 22R and 22L are fixed also rotate in the rotation direction of the first supporting parts 22R and 22L. rotate in the same direction as

The first fixing parts 23R and 23L may be implemented as one of a band having an elastic force, a belt, and a string, or may be implemented with a metal material. 19 illustrates a case in which the first fixing parts 23R and 23L are chains.

The second structure parts 30R and 30L may assist the user's lower leg and knee joints in the gait motion. The second structure parts 30R and 30L may include second driving devices 31R and 31L, second support parts 32R and 32L, and second fixing parts 33R and 33L.

The second driving devices 31R and 31L may be positioned at the knee joints of the second structural parts 30R and 30L, and may generate rotational forces of various magnitudes in a predetermined direction. The rotational force generated by the second driving devices 31R and 31L may be applied to the second supporting parts 22R and 22L. The second driving devices 31R and 31L may be set to rotate within a range of motion of the knee joint of the human body.

The above-described driving unit 110 may include second driving devices 31R and 31L. The description related to the hip joint described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 may be similarly applied to the description related to the knee joint.

The second driving devices 31R and 31L may be driven according to a control signal provided from the main body 10 . The second driving devices 31R and 31L may be implemented as one of a motor, a vacuum pump, and a hydraulic pump, but is not limited thereto.

A joint angle sensor may be installed around the second driving device 31R, 31L. The joint angle sensor may detect an angle at which the second driving devices 31R and 31L are rotated about a rotation axis. The aforementioned sensor unit 120 may include a joint angle sensor.

The second support portions 32R and 32L are physically connected to the second drive devices 31R and 31L. The second support parts 32R and 32L may be rotated in a predetermined direction according to the rotational force generated by the second driving devices 31R and 31L.

The second fixing parts 33R and 33L may be provided on the second support parts 32R and 32L. The second fixing portions 33R and 33L serve to fix the second supporting portions 32R and 32L to the user's lower leg. 11 to 13 illustrate a case in which the second supporting parts 32R and 32L are fixed to the outside of the user's lower leg by the second fixing devices 33R and 33L. When the second supporting parts 22R and 22L rotate as the second driving devices 31R and 31L are driven, the thighs to which the second supporting parts 22R and 22L are fixed also rotate in the rotation direction of the second supporting parts 22R and 22L. rotate in the same direction as

The second fixing devices 33R and 33L may be implemented as one of a band having an elastic force, a belt, a string, or a metal material.

The third structures 40R and 40L may assist the user's movement of the ankle joint and related muscles in the gait motion. The third structure 40R, 40L may include a third driving device 41R, 41L, a footrest 42R, 42L and a third securing device 43R, 43L.

The above-described driving unit 110 may include third driving devices 41R and 41L. The description related to the hip joint described with reference to FIG. 1 may be similarly applied to the description related to the ankle joint.

The third driving devices 41R and 41L may be provided at the ankle joints of the third structural parts 40R and 40L, and may be driven according to a control signal provided from the main body 10 . The third driving devices 41R and 41L may also be implemented as motors, like the first driving devices 21R and 21L or the second driving devices 31R and 31L.

The footrests 42R and 42L are provided at positions corresponding to the soles of the user's soles, and are physically connected to the third driving devices 41R and 41L.

The third fixing portions 43R and 43L may be provided on the footrest portions 42R and 42L. The third fixing portions 43R and 43L serve to fix the user's foot to the footrest portions 42R and 42L.

The method according to the embodiment may be implemented in the form of program instructions that can be executed through various computer means and recorded in a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc. alone or in combination. The program instructions recorded on the medium may be specially designed and configured for the embodiment, or may be known and available to those skilled in the art of computer software. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks and magnetic tapes, optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, and magnetic such as floppy disks. - includes magneto-optical media, and hardware devices specially configured to store and execute program instructions, such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. Examples of program instructions include not only machine language codes such as those generated by a compiler, but also high-level language codes that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. The hardware devices described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the embodiments, and vice versa.

As described above, although the embodiments have been described with reference to the limited drawings, those skilled in the art may apply various technical modifications and variations based on the above. For example, the described techniques are performed in a different order than the described method, and/or the described components of the system, structure, apparatus, circuit, etc. are combined or combined in a different form than the described method, or other components Or substituted or substituted by equivalents may achieve an appropriate result.

Therefore, other implementations, other embodiments, and equivalents to the claims are also within the scope of the following claims.

Claims (18)

A method of providing resistance, performed by a wearable device, comprises:
measuring a first angle of a user's first joint using a sensor of the wearable device;
determining a resistance level for the first joint based on the first angle;
Based on the determined resistance level, between a time for controlling a motor driver circuit electrically connected to the motor of the wearable device in a closed loop and a time for controlling the motor driver circuit in an open loop determining the ratio; and
controlling the motor through the motor driver circuit based on the determined ratio
containing,
How to provide resistance.
According to claim 1,
wherein the motor driver circuit comprises at least one switch controlled based on the ratio;
How to provide resistance.
According to claim 1,
The ratio is represented by pulse width modulation (PWM),
How to provide resistance.
4. The method of claim 3,
The resistance provided to the user is regulated by the ratio that the motor driver circuit is controlled in a closed loop or an open loop within a repetitive time interval of the PWM,
The higher the percentage of time that the motor driver circuit is controlled in a closed loop, the higher the resistive force increases.
How to provide resistance.
According to claim 1,
In a state in which the motor driver circuit is controlled in a closed loop, the motor operates as a generator against an external force by the user.
How to provide resistance.
6. The method of claim 5,
charging a battery of the wearable device based on energy generated by the generator when the motor operates as the generator
further comprising,
How to provide resistance.
According to claim 1,
Receiving an exercise mode as an operation mode for controlling the wearable device from the user
further comprising,
How to provide resistance.
8. The method of claim 7,
When the exercise mode is set, the motor is not provided with energy by the battery of the wearable device,
How to provide resistance.
According to claim 1,
receiving an auxiliary mode as an operation mode for controlling the wearable device from the user;
calculating an assist torque value for the first joint based on the first angle when the assist mode is received; and
providing an assisting force to the user by controlling the motor based on the assisting torque value
further comprising,
How to provide resistance.
A computer-readable recording medium containing a program for performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 9.
A wearable device that provides resistance to the user,
a memory in which a program is written to provide resistance to the user;
a processor executing the program;
a sensor for measuring a first angle of the user's first joint;
a motor driver circuit controlled by the processor; and
a motor electrically connected to the motor driver circuit
including,
The program is
measuring the first angle of the first joint of the user using the sensor;
determining a resistance level for the first joint based on the first angle;
determining a ratio between a time for controlling the motor driver circuit in a closed loop and a time for controlling the motor driver circuit in an open loop based on the determined resistance level; and
controlling the motor through the motor driver circuit based on the determined ratio
to do,
wearable devices.
12. The method of claim 11,
wherein the motor driver circuit comprises at least one switch controlled based on the ratio;
wearable devices.
12. The method of claim 11,
The ratio is represented by pulse width modulation (PWM),
The resistance provided to the user is regulated by the ratio that the motor driver circuit is controlled in a closed loop or an open loop within a repetitive time interval of the PWM,
The higher the percentage of time that the motor driver circuit is controlled in a closed loop, the higher the resistive force increases.
wearable devices.
12. The method of claim 11,
In a state in which the motor driver circuit is controlled in a closed loop, the motor operates as a generator against an external force by the user.
wearable devices.
15. The method of claim 14,
The program is
charging a battery of the wearable device based on energy generated by the generator when the motor operates as the generator
to do more,
wearable devices.
12. The method of claim 11,
The program is
Receiving an exercise mode as an operation mode for controlling the wearable device from the user
do more,
Determining the resistance level for the first joint based on the first angle comprises:
determining the resistance level for the first joint based on the motion mode and the first angle
containing,
wearable devices.
17. The method of claim 16,
When the exercise mode is set, the motor is not provided with energy by the battery of the wearable device,
wearable devices.
12. The method of claim 11,
The program is
receiving an auxiliary mode as an operation mode for controlling the wearable device from the user;
calculating an assist torque value for the first joint based on the first angle when the assist mode is received; and
providing an assisting force to the user by controlling the motor based on the assisting torque value
to do more,
wearable devices.

Images