Balance rehabilitation equipment

Abstract

A balance rehabilitation apparatus is presented, comprising: a platform having a pair of conveyor belts disposed on a top surface thereof; a pair of drive motors configured to control the running direction and speed of one of the pair of conveyor belts, respectively; a camera configured to acquire an image of a user located on the platform; and the controller is configured to receive the images acquired by the camera and control the pair of driving motors based on the acquired images so as to respectively control the running direction and speed of the pair of conveying belts. The balance rehabilitation equipment can provide balance rehabilitation training of static balance, posture balance and dynamic balance for users with abnormal balance capacity, and has the advantages of low cost and high safety.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The utility model relates to the field of balance rehabilitation. Specifically, it relates to a balance rehabilitation device. BACKGROUND

[0002] Balance is the basic motor ability of a person and is the basis for a person to carry out activities. Generally, the balance ability of a person can be divided into static balance (for example, maintaining standing), postural balance (for example, maintaining a sitting, squatting, or the like posture), and dynamic balance (mainly referring to the ability to walk). If the balance ability of a person is abnormal, the ability to carry out activities of daily living (ADL) will be reduced, and the risk of falling will be increased, so a person with abnormal balance ability can have to be in bed for a long time, and long-term bed rest can cause health hazards.

[0003] Several machines for assisting balance or balance rehabilitation have appeared. Existing such machines include simple assisting devices such as balance bars, balance pads, and balance balls, which generally do not have the function of sensing the state of a person in real time and giving real-time guidance accordingly; pressure sensors and rehabilitation machines based on mechanical control, which can play a certain assisting rehabilitation function for static balance and postural balance, but are not suitable for dynamic balance; exoskeletons, which need to be worn to make up for the insufficient balance ability of the human body itself, but are generally very expensive and have certain safety risks.

[0004] Therefore, there is a need for a balance rehabilitation device that should overcome the above problems. SUMMARY

[0005] The utility model provides a kind of balance rehabilitation device, it includes:

[0006] Platform, a pair of conveyors are provided on the top surface of the platform;

[0007] A pair of drive motors are configured to control the running direction and speed of one of the pair of conveyors respectively;

[0008] Camera configured to acquire the image of user located on the platform;And

[0009] Controller is configured to receive the image acquired by camera and control the pair of drive motors based on the acquired image to control the running direction and speed of the pair of conveyors respectively.

[0010] Balance rehabilitation device can further include display vertically arranged at one end of platform.

[0011] Balance rehabilitation device can further include enclosing member that can be opened and closed and is vertically arranged around the periphery of platform.

[0012] Optionally, the camera is arranged to face the user positioned on the platform at a predetermined horizontal tilt angle relative to the extension direction of the pair of conveyor belts. Optionally, the predetermined horizontal tilt angle is in the range of 35 degrees to 65 degrees.

[0013] Optionally, the camera is arranged to be pivotable parallel to the top surface of the platform.

[0014] Optionally, the camera is arranged to be translatable parallel to the top surface of the platform.

[0015] Optionally, the camera is detachably mounted to the side of the display.

[0016] Alternatively, the camera is detachably mounted to the enclosure.

[0017] Optionally, the balance rehabilitation device can further comprise sensors configured to sense the running direction and speed of each of the pair of conveyor belts. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a balance rehabilitation device according to the present utility model;

[0019] Figure 2 shows a block diagram of a balance rehabilitation device according to the present utility model; and

[0020] Figure 3 shows a flow chart of implementing the operation of a balance rehabilitation device according to the present utility model. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a balance rehabilitation device according to the present utility model, Figure 2 shows a block diagram of a balance rehabilitation device according to the present utility model. In which, Figure 2 only the components associated with the controller are shown, and in which the two blocks connected by solid lines represent that there is a mechanical or communication connection between the components represented by the two blocks. Refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the balance rehabilitation device 10 according to the present utility model mainly comprises:

[0022] a platform 100, on the top surface of the platform 100, a pair of conveyor belts 110, 120 are arranged;

[0023] a pair of drive motors 210, 220 configured to control the running direction and speed of each of the pair of conveyor belts 110, 120, respectively;

[0024] a camera 300 configured to collect images of the user positioned on the platform 100; and

[0025] The controller 400 is configured to receive the image captured by the camera 300 and control the pair of driving motors 210 and 220 based on the captured image to control the running direction and speed of the pair of conveyor belts 110 and 120 respectively.

[0026] Figure 1 It is also shown that the balance rehabilitation device 10 further includes a display 500 vertically arranged at one end of the platform 100 and an enclosure 600 vertically arranged around the periphery of the platform 100 that can be opened and closed. Figure 1 As shown, the balance rehabilitation device 10 may further include a cell phone holder 700 attached to the enclosure 600 .

[0027] The various components of the balance rehabilitation device 10 will be described in detail below.

[0028] First, a pair of conveyor belts 110, 120 are provided on the top surface of the platform 100. The conveyor belts 110, 120 can be substantially located in the center of the platform 100, and the user's feet are respectively stepped on one of the conveyor belts during use. Figure 1 As shown in FIG, the user's left foot steps on the first conveyor belt 110 and the right foot steps on the second conveyor belt 120.

[0029] The running direction (front and back direction or forward and reverse direction relative to the user) and speed of the pair of conveyor belts 110 and 120 can be controlled by a pair of drive motors 210 and 220 ( Figure 1 (not shown) control. The pair of drive motors 210 and 220 may be linear motors and may include motor drivers. Specifically, the first drive motor 210 is configured to control the running direction and speed of the first conveyor belt 110, while the second drive motor 220 is configured to control the running direction and speed of the second conveyor belt 120. The two are performed independently, that is, the running directions and speeds of the first conveyor belt 110 and the second conveyor belt 120 can be controlled to be different from each other. This is to adapt to the different positions and speeds of the feet respectively stepping on the first conveyor belt 110 and the second conveyor belt 120, resulting in different requirements for maintaining balance.

[0030] The camera 300 is configured to capture an image of a user located on the platform 100 and transmit the captured image to the controller 400 . Figure 1 The camera 300 is schematically shown to be mounted on the enclosure 600 , but its specific arrangement position and fixing method can be adjusted according to actual needs.

[0031] Since the user's two feet are respectively stepped on two independently controlled conveyors, and the two conveyors are respectively controlled in running direction and speed, at least the positions and speeds of the two feet relative to the corresponding conveyors need to be acquired in order to accurately control the running direction and speed of the corresponding conveyors. That is, the camera 300 needs to at least capture the images of the user's two feet. And, in order to monitor whether the user maintains balance, the camera 300 also needs to capture as many body parts of the user as possible, for example, the head, shoulders, waist, hands, elbows, knee joints, etc. of the user can be captured. For this purpose, the camera 300 should be arranged at a certain height and shoot towards the user, for example, in the vertical direction, the camera 300 is arranged within a range of about 1 meter, for example, 0.85 meters to 1.15 meters, away from the platform 100. In order to distinguish the front and back position relationship of the user's two feet from the images captured by the camera 300, it is preferred that the camera 300 is arranged to face the user on the platform 100 at a predetermined horizontal inclination angle relative to the extension direction of the pair of conveyors 110, 120, rather than being arranged directly in front of the user. For this purpose, the camera 300 can be attached to the side of the display 500 or to the enclosure 600 to shoot the user from the side at a predetermined horizontal inclination angle relative to the extension direction of the pair of conveyors 110, 120. The predetermined horizontal inclination angle is, for example, within a range of 35 degrees to 65 degrees inclined in the horizontal plane relative to the extension direction of the pair of conveyors 110, 120. By setting the horizontal inclination angle within the above range, it is ensured that the front and back position relationship of the user's two feet can be distinguished from the images captured by the camera 300, while different parts of the left and right halves of the user's body can be captured.

[0032] It should be noted that the height and horizontal inclination angle of the arrangement of the camera 300 mentioned above can be adjusted according to needs, for example, corresponding adjustment depending on users of different heights and body shapes. For this purpose, the installation of the camera 300 can be detachable, for example, detachably mounted to the side of the display 500 or the enclosure 600.

[0033] Furthermore, in order to enable the camera 300 to capture as many body parts of the user's body as possible, it is preferred that the camera 300 is arranged to be pivotable horizontally, e.g. parallel to the top surface of the platform 100, instead of always taking the user at a fixed angle. Specifically, the camera 300 can be fixed to a fixture (not shown in the figures), e.g. a fixed plate, which is pivotably attached, e.g. by a hinge, to a side of the display 500 or the enclosure 600. In this way, by pivoting the camera 300 parallel to the top surface of the platform 100, it can capture different body parts of the user from different angles, thereby avoiding the problem of not being able to capture certain body parts of the user caused by taking the user at a fixed angle. The camera 300 can also be arranged to be pivotable in the vertical direction, i.e. deflectable up and down, to face body parts of the user that need special attention, such as the feet, etc. However, it is preferred that the camera 300 is arranged to be pivotable only horizontally, because in this way the full body of the user can always be captured during the pivoting of the camera 300 to capture as many body parts as possible.

[0034] In addition, in order to enable the camera 300 to capture as many body parts of the user's body as possible, the camera 300 can also be arranged to be translatable parallel to the top surface of the platform 100. By making the camera 300 translatable parallel to the top surface of the platform 100, it can take "scanning" pictures of the user to capture as many body parts of the user as possible. For example, the camera 300 can be arranged on a track parallel to the top surface of the platform 100, such that the camera 300 is translatable along the track. The track can be laid, for example, on the top of the enclosure 600, e.g. the railing.

[0035] The controller 400 can be arranged at the platform 100 or the display 500, which is configured to receive the images captured by the camera 300 and control the pair of drive motors 210, 220 based on the captured images to control the running direction and speed of the pair of conveyor belts 110, 120, respectively.

[0036] Specifically, the controller 400 can extract the key body parts of the user, such as the feet and optionally also the head, shoulders, waist, hands, elbows, knees, etc., from the images captured by the camera 300. The controller 400 can generate a control signal containing the target running direction and target speed of both the first conveyor belt 110 and the second conveyor belt 120, respectively, based on the changes in the positions of one or more of these body parts captured by the camera 300 continuously over a certain period of time and the respective speeds relative to the two conveyor belts, and send the control signal to the first drive motor 210 and the second drive motor 220 to control the first conveyor belt 110 and the second conveyor belt 120, respectively, to reach the target running direction and target speed, respectively.

[0037] The controller 400 can also be configured to estimate the center of gravity of the user based on the user's body parts extracted from the images captured by the camera 300, calculate the relative distance of the center of gravity with respect to the center of the first conveyor belt 110 and the second conveyor belt 120 and the relative speed with respect to the center of the first conveyor belt 110 and the second conveyor belt 120 respectively, and generate the target running direction and target speed of each of the first conveyor belt 110 and the second conveyor belt 120 based on the relative distance and the relative speed, and control the first drive motor 210 and the second drive motor 220 to control the first conveyor belt 110 and the second conveyor belt 120 respectively to reach the target running direction and the target speed.

[0038] With reference to Figure 2 The balance rehabilitation device 10 according to the present application can further include a sensor 700 configured to sense the running direction and speed of each of the pair of conveyor belts 110, 120. The sensor 700 can be arranged on the surface of the platform 100, for example. One sensor can be provided for each of the first conveyor belt 110 and the second conveyor belt 120, or one sensor can be provided to sense the running direction and speed of each of the first conveyor belt 110 and the second conveyor belt 120. The sensor 700 can send the sensed running direction and speed of each of the pair of conveyor belts 110, 120 to the controller 400, the controller 400 compares the change in position and speed of one or more of the user's body parts continuously captured by the camera 300 over a period of time with the running direction and speed of each of the pair of conveyor belts 110, 120, derives the relative speed of the body part with each of the pair of conveyor belts 110, 120, and generates a control signal containing the target running direction and target speed of each of the first conveyor belt 110 and the second conveyor belt 120 based on the relative speed, and sends the control signal to the first drive motor 210 and the second drive motor 220 to control the first conveyor belt 110 and the second conveyor belt 120 respectively to reach the target running direction and the target speed.

[0039] The display 500 can include a display screen and a mount to mount the display screen to the platform 100. The display 500, in particular the display screen, can display the running direction and speed of each of the first conveyor belt 110 and the second conveyor belt 120. The user can also interact with the display 500, for example, can input instructions on the display 500 to start and stop the first drive motor 210 and the second drive motor 220.

[0040] In addition, the display 500 can have a mode switching module (e.g. in the form of a menu) through which a user can switch the operation mode of the balance rehabilitation device 10. The operation modes of the balance rehabilitation device 10 can include: a static mode in which the first driving motor 210 and the second driving motor 220 are stopped and the first conveyor belt 110 and the second conveyor belt 120 are in a static state; a fixed operation mode in which the first conveyor belt 110 and the second conveyor belt 120 are in a fixed operation direction and speed, at which time the balance rehabilitation device 10 can function as a regular treadmill, wherein the fixed operation direction and speed can be set by a user, e.g. by inputting instructions on the display 500; and an adaptive operation mode in which the controller 400 receives images captured by the camera 300 and controls the pair of driving motors 210, 220 based on the captured images to control the operation direction and speed of the pair of conveyor belts 110, 120, respectively, i.e. in which the operation direction and speed of the first conveyor belt 110 and the second conveyor belt 120 are each in a change, such that the operation direction and speed of the first conveyor belt 110 and the second conveyor belt 120 can be adapted to the position and speed of the user and adjusted accordingly.

[0041] The enclosure 600 is arranged vertically around the periphery of the platform 100 and can be connected to both ends of the display 500, thereby forming a space on the platform 100 that encloses the user therein. Figure 1 The enclosure 600 is shown in the form of a railing, but is not limited thereto and can be in the form of a board or other form, as long as it can be held by the user to maintain balance. The enclosure 600 can also function to provide protection for the user. Since the balance ability of the user can be abnormal, the user can be prevented from falling out of the platform 100 by means of the enclosure 600. Figure 1 The enclosure 600 is also shown to include a door 610 (shown in a closed state) that can be opened and closed for the user to enter and exit. Figure 1 The enclosure 600 is also shown to include a door 610 (shown in a closed state) that can be opened and closed for the user to enter and exit.

[0042] The balance rehabilitation device 10 according to the present application can be used for balance rehabilitation training and can be applicable to static balance, posture balance and dynamic balance. Specifically, when the balance rehabilitation device 10 is in a static mode, it can be used for rehabilitation training of static balance and posture balance, at which time the first conveyor belt 110 and the second conveyor belt 120 are both in a static state, the user can maintain a standing, squatting or other posture on the platform 100 and can hold or support the enclosure 600 with his hands, thereby performing rehabilitation training of static balance and posture balance under the premise of safety.

[0043] When the balance rehabilitation device 10 is in the adaptive operation mode, the user walks with his / her feet on the first conveyor belt 110 and the second conveyor belt 120 respectively, and the controller 400 receives the images captured by the camera 300 and controls the first driving motor 210 and the second driving motor 220 based on the captured images to control the running direction and speed of the first conveyor belt 110 and the second conveyor belt 120 respectively, so that the running direction and speed of the first conveyor belt 110 and the second conveyor belt 120 can be automatically adjusted to adapt to the positions and speeds of the user's feet, so as to achieve the rehabilitation training for dynamic balance. Since the running direction and speed of the first conveyor belt 110 and the second conveyor belt 120 are automatically adjusted to adapt to the positions and speeds of the user's feet, the risk of the user falling down when walking is greatly reduced.

[0044] In addition, as mentioned above, when the balance rehabilitation device 10 is in the fixed operation mode, the first conveyor belt 110 and the second conveyor belt 120 are always in the fixed running direction and speed, at this time the balance rehabilitation device 10 can play the role of a conventional treadmill.

[0045] Figure 3 An operation flowchart of the balance rehabilitation device according to the present application is shown, which corresponds to one control cycle, the controller 400 can be configured to perform the control cycle once every 5 ms, for example, to generate one control signal sent to the first driving motor 210 and the second driving motor 220, and thereby control the running direction and speed of the first conveyor belt 110 and the second conveyor belt 120 in real time.

[0046] Referring to Figure 3 At the beginning of each control cycle, first of all, the controller 400 determines whether there is an emergency stop at present. For example, it can be determined whether the controller 400 receives an instruction of the user requesting an emergency stop (for example, the user requests to switch the balance rehabilitation device 10 to the stationary mode on the display 500) or receives a signal that the first conveyor belt 110 and / or the second conveyor belt 120 and the first driving motor 210 and / or the second driving motor 220 controlling them respectively have a fault. If the determination result of this step is yes, the speeds of the first conveyor belt 110 and the second conveyor belt 120 are controlled to be 0, i.e. both of them stop running.

[0047] If the determination result of the above step is no, then the controller 400 determines whether the balance rehabilitation device 10 is in the fixed operation mode at present, which can be realized by determining whether the controller 400 receives a signal of the user selecting the fixed operation mode from the display 500. If the determination result of this step is yes, the first conveyor belt 110 and the second conveyor belt 120 are controlled to run at the fixed running direction and speed set by the user, i.e. the balance rehabilitation device 10 can play the role of a conventional treadmill.

[0048] If the result of the above step is no, the controller 400 can determine that the current balance rehabilitation device 10 is in the adaptive running mode, at this time, the running direction and speed of the first conveyor belt 110 and the second conveyor belt 120 can be adaptively adjusted. As described above, the controller 400 can extract the body parts of the user from the images collected by the camera 300, generate a control signal containing the target running direction and target speed of both the first conveyor belt 110 and the second conveyor belt 120 based on the position changes of one or more of the body parts and the position changes of the center of gravity of the user relative to the speeds of the two conveyor belts respectively and the speeds of the two conveyor belts respectively, and send the control signal to the first drive motor 210 and the second drive motor 220 to control the first conveyor belt 110 and the second conveyor belt 120 to achieve the target running direction and the target speed respectively.

[0049] In summary, the balance rehabilitation device 10 of the utility model can provide static balance, posture balance and dynamic balance rehabilitation training for users with abnormal balance ability, and can also play the role of a regular treadmill for users with normal balance ability. Moreover, the balance rehabilitation device 10 of the utility model has the advantages of low cost and high safety.

[0050] The above describes in detail the feasible but non-limiting embodiments of the balance rehabilitation device according to the utility model with the help of the drawings. For ordinary skilled persons in the art, modifications and supplements to the technology and structure and recombination of features in each embodiment should be considered as included in the scope of the utility model without deviating from the scope and substance of the disclosure set forth in the following claims. Therefore, these modifications and supplements that can be conceived under the teaching of the utility model should be considered as part of the disclosure. The scope of the disclosure is limited by the following claims, and includes equivalent technology known at the application date of the disclosure and equivalent technology not yet foreseen.

Claims

1. A balance rehabilitation device (10), characterized in that The balance rehabilitation device (10) comprises: A platform (100), a pair of conveyor belts (110, 120) being provided on a top surface of the platform (100); a pair of drive motors (210, 220) configured to respectively control the running direction and speed of one of the pair of conveyor belts (110, 120); a camera (300) configured to capture an image of a user located on the platform (100); and A controller (400) is configured to receive images captured by the camera (300) and control the pair of drive motors (210, 220) based on the images to respectively control the running direction and speed of the pair of conveyor belts (110, 120).

2. The balance rehabilitation device (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that The balance rehabilitation device (10) further includes a display (500) vertically arranged at one end of the platform (100).

3. The balance rehabilitation device (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that The balance rehabilitation device (10) further includes an enclosure (600) vertically arranged around the periphery of the platform (100) and capable of being opened and closed.

4. The balance rehabilitation device (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The camera (300) is arranged to face a user located on the platform (100) at a predetermined horizontal tilt angle relative to the extending direction of the pair of conveyor belts (110, 120).

5. The balance rehabilitation device (10) according to claim 4, characterized in that: The predetermined horizontal tilt angle is in the range of 35 degrees to 65 degrees.

6. The balance rehabilitation device (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The camera (300) is arranged to be pivotable parallel to the top surface of the platform (100).

7. The balance rehabilitation device (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The camera (300) is arranged to be translatable parallel to the top surface of the platform (100).

8. The balance rehabilitation device (10) according to claim 2, characterized in that The camera (300) is detachably mounted to a side of the display (500).

9. The balance rehabilitation device (10) according to claim 3, characterized in that The camera (300) is detachably mounted to the enclosure (600).

10. The balance rehabilitation device (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The balance rehabilitation device (10) further includes a sensor (700) configured to sense the running direction and speed of each of the pair of conveyor belts (110, 120).

Images