A system for evaluating acupuncture techniques and force.

Abstract

This invention discloses an acupuncture manipulation and force measurement and evaluation system, comprising three main modules: a measuring device, a data acquisition module, and a data evaluation module. The measuring device includes a force / torque measuring structure and a manipulation measuring structure. The force / torque measuring structure consists of a two-dimensional force sensor, acupuncture needles, and a support. The manipulation measuring structure is based on a Phantom force feedback device. The data acquisition module hardware includes an amplifier circuit, an A / D converter, and an STM32 microcontroller. This invention utilizes the force / torque measuring structure and the Phantom force feedback device structure for data acquisition: the acquired signals are amplified and then analyzed and evaluated, erroneous data is eliminated, and finally reliable data is obtained. This invention can measure and store feedback force, torque, depth, angle, insertion / lifting speed, and twisting speed data during acupuncture in real time, and performs data integrity, accuracy, and consistency evaluations to improve data reliability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of measurement and evaluation technology, specifically relating to an acupuncture technique and force measurement and evaluation system. Background Technology

[0002] Acupuncture, as an important component of contemporary medicine worldwide, has a wide range of clinical applications, encompassing meridian diagnosis, acupuncture anesthesia, acupuncture health maintenance, and acupuncture treatment. Clinically proven, acupuncture can treat not only common, functional, and chronic diseases, but also certain intractable, organic, and acute illnesses. While the acupuncture process may seem simple, traditionally, training a mature acupuncturist, from mastering a vast theoretical system to accumulating practical experience, requires a considerable amount of time. Therefore, preserving the techniques of an excellent acupuncturist is crucial, serving as a reference for future practitioners.

[0003] On the other hand, current teaching methods mainly involve using paper pads and cotton balls for finger strength and technique practice, and some acupuncture training is conducted on simulated human models. These methods are somewhat outdated, limited by materials, and some potentially fatal acupoints are unsuitable for human practice, leading to insufficient training experience. With the development of virtual reality technology, virtual acupuncture training has become possible. This requires modeling acupuncture techniques and force feedback information for different acupoints and applying them to a virtual acupuncture system to help students master acupuncture techniques more efficiently.

[0004] However, research on acupuncture data is almost nonexistent, so it is crucial to establish a measurement and evaluation system that can effectively record acupuncture techniques and forces. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the aforementioned issues, this invention discloses an acupuncture technique and force measurement and evaluation system that can measure and store feedback force, torque, depth, angle, insertion and lifting speed, and twisting speed data during acupuncture in real time, and perform data integrity, accuracy, and consistency evaluation to improve data reliability.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0007] An acupuncture manipulation and force measurement and evaluation system comprises three main modules: a measuring device, data acquisition, and data evaluation.

[0008] The measuring device includes a force / torque measuring structure and a manipulation measuring structure. The force / torque measuring structure consists of a needle handle, a two-dimensional force sensor, an acupuncture needle, a support housing, a needle clamp, and fasteners, and is used to measure the feedback force / torque during acupuncture, including insertion, lifting, and twisting. The manipulation measuring structure is based on a Phantom force feedback device and is used to measure the depth of insertion into the tissue, the angle (the angle between the needle and the skin surface ≤ 90°), the insertion / lifting speed, and the twisting speed during acupuncture.

[0009] The data acquisition module hardware includes an amplifier circuit, an A / D converter, and an STM32 microcontroller. The amplifier circuit is used to amplify the weak analog signal output by the sensor, the A / D converter is used to convert the amplified analog signal into a digital signal, and the STM32 microcontroller is used to acquire the digital signal and send it to the host computer.

[0010] The data evaluation module includes analyzing and evaluating the completeness, accuracy, and consistency of measurement data, eliminating erroneous data, and improving data reliability.

[0011] The force / torque information is measured using a two-dimensional sensor with an appropriate range based on the magnitude of the acupuncture feedback force. In this paper, the force range is 5N and the torque range is 40Nmm to ensure a certain measurement accuracy. A support body is designed and 3D printed using nylon material, which is easy to process, lightweight, and can reduce the influence of gravity on data errors. The handheld part is a real acupuncture needle handle to ensure the best feel.

[0012] The technique measurement is based on a phantom force feedback device, using the OpenHaptics developer toolkit to obtain phantom end pose information; the force / torque measurement structure is installed at the end of the phantom, with the needle body direction aligned with the end handle direction; the depth of needle insertion, lifting and inserting speed, twisting speed and angle can be calculated from the real-time acquired pose information.

[0013] The acupuncture technique data acquisition process includes the following steps:

[0014] Step S1: Use chai 3d to obtain the three-dimensional position of the needle tip in real time, with the start flag at position 0;

[0015] Step S2: When the force and torque data received by chai 3d is empty, the start flag is 0; otherwise, it is set to 1.

[0016] Step S3: Record the point at marker position 1 as the skin surface insertion point, and calculate the depth, angle, insertion speed, and twisting speed.

[0017] The force and torque data acquisition process includes the following steps:

[0018] Step S1: The force and torque analog signals output by the two-dimensional force sensor are amplified by an amplifier circuit;

[0019] Step S2: Perform two-channel A / D conversion on the amplified force and torque signals;

[0020] Step S3: Transmit the digital signal after A / D conversion to the STM32 microcontroller via SPI serial communication and calculate the true value;

[0021] Step S4: Compare the real-time detected value with the initial state (the state where the needle is not in contact with the skin and there is almost no force). If the values ​​are the same, the send_flag flag is set to 0. When the acupuncture needle comes into contact with the skin, the force data will change significantly. At this time, the send_flag flag is set to 1.

[0022] Step S5: The STM32 and Chai 3D transmit force and torque data via serial communication. When send_flag is 0, no data is sent; when send_flag is 1, data is sent to Chai 3D.

[0023] The data evaluation is conducted from the following aspects:

[0024] (1) Integrity:

[0025] In terms of data completeness: acupuncture techniques such as lifting, thrusting, and twisting can be judged by measuring the position information of the needle tip. The magnitude of force and torque is related to the depth, angle, and speed of needle insertion. These measured information dimensions cover the main factors affecting acupuncture feedback force.

[0026] In terms of data record integrity: each saved data is compiled into a data frame, consisting of a frame number and values ​​(force, torque, depth, angle, lifting and inserting speed, twisting speed). The system detects whether the recorded data element attributes are missing, whether the number of data in each data frame is missing, whether the frame number is missing, and the difference between missing frame numbers.

[0027] (2) Accuracy:

[0028] Check if the test data contains any extremely abnormal values, such as an angle exceeding 90°, a depth exceeding the needle length, excessive speed, or excessive force.

[0029] (3) Consistency:

[0030] By applying the same technique to the same acupoint on different people, we can determine whether the positional data and force changes over time are consistent; whether the force data increases with the depth of insertion and the speed; and whether the torque increases with the speed of twisting.

[0031] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:

[0032] The acupuncture technique and force measurement and evaluation system described in this invention can measure and store feedback force, torque, depth, angle, lifting and insertion speed and twisting speed data during acupuncture in real time, and perform data integrity, accuracy and consistency evaluation to improve the reliability of the data. Attached Figure Description

[0033] Figure 1 This is a front view of the force / torque measuring structure of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 2 This is a side view of the force / torque measuring structure of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the phantom structure;

[0036] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the force / torque measurement structure and the phantom end, showing both the overall and partial components.

[0037] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the force / torque measurement structure and the phantom end assembly;

[0038] Figure 6 This is a data acquisition flowchart. Detailed Implementation

[0039] The present invention will be further illustrated below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the following specific embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

[0040] The acupuncture manipulation and force measurement and evaluation system of the present invention includes the following steps in its usage:

[0041] (1) The force / torque measurement structure is set at the end of the phantom force feedback device structure (i.e., the manual measurement structure);

[0042] (2) Data acquisition of acupuncture manipulation techniques and force / torque data using force / torque measurement structure and phantom force feedback device structure:

[0043] (3) Amplify the acquired signal and upload it to the host computer;

[0044] (4) The host computer analyzes and evaluates the integrity, accuracy and consistency of the measurement data, eliminates erroneous data, and finally obtains reliable data.

[0045] The force / torque measurement structure described in step (1), such as Figure 1 , Figure 2As shown, the device includes a needle handle 1, a support housing 2, a fastener 3, an acupuncture needle 4, a two-dimensional sensor 5, and a needle clamping component 6. The acupuncture needle 4 passes vertically through the needle clamping component 6 inside the center of the support housing 2, with the needle handle 1 protruding from the upper end of the support housing 2. Considering the actual acupuncture needle insertion technique (using the thumb, index finger, and middle finger to firmly pinch the needle handle to bend it, while the ring finger supports the needle body to prevent bending), a real handle 1 is used instead of a printed part to make the feel more realistic. The two-dimensional sensor 5 is connected inside the support housing 2. The lower end of the needle clamping component 6 is provided with a fastener 3 for clamping the needle handle of the acupuncture needle 4. The fastener 3 consists of two symmetrical semi-fan-shaped structures, fixed to the outside of the needle clamping component 6. The needle body can be tightened by screws to apply pressure to clamp the acupuncture needle 4.

[0046] The schematic diagram of the phantom force feedback device structure described in step (1) is as follows: Figure 3 As shown, it includes a base 14, a rotating disk 15, a first connecting rod 16, a parallelogram connecting rod 17, a second connecting rod 18, an end joint 19, an end connecting rod 7, and a connecting rod 8. The rotating disk 15 is rotatable relative to the base 14, the parallelogram connecting rod 17 is rotatable relative to the first connecting rod 16, the second connecting rod 18 is rotatable relative to the second connecting rod 17, and the end connecting rod 7 is rotatable relative to the second connecting rod 18, providing position input for six degrees of freedom. Figure 3 (The phantom is marked out), which allows the end structure to reach any point in the workspace. The OpenHaptics developer toolkit is used to obtain the phantom end pose information; the handle 8 has one rotational degree of freedom relative to the structure 7.

[0047] Figure 4 , Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the force / torque measurement structure and the phantom end, showing the overall and partial components. Pulley 9 is fixed to the phantom end handle 8, and pulley 10 is fixed to the support housing 2. A belt 11 is fitted over and tensioned onto pulleys 9 and 10, ensuring synchronized movement of the handle 8 and the needle handle when the needle handle is twisted. One end of the connector 12 is fixed to structure 7, and the other end is fixed to the outer diameter of bearing 13. The inner diameter of bearing 13 is fixed to needle body clamping component 6. Rotating the needle handle 1 causes pulley 10 to displace belt 11 through friction. Belt 11, in turn, drives pulley 9 to rotate through friction, causing handle 8 to rotate synchronously. The twisting speed is measured by the encoder integrated into the phantom end. By measuring the position of the end structure in real time, the depth, angle, and insertion / removal speed can be calculated.

[0048] Figure 6 This is a data acquisition flowchart. The acupuncture technique data acquisition process includes the following steps:

[0049] Step S1: Use chai 3d to obtain the three-dimensional position of the needle tip in real time, with the start flag at position 0;

[0050] Step S2: When the force and torque data received by chai 3d is empty, the start flag is 0; otherwise, it is set to 1.

[0051] Step S3: Record the point at marker position 1 as the skin surface insertion point, and calculate the depth, angle, insertion speed, and twisting speed.

[0052] The force and torque data acquisition process includes the following steps:

[0053] Step S1: The force and torque analog signals output by the two-dimensional force sensor are amplified by an amplifier circuit;

[0054] Step S2: Perform two-channel A / D conversion on the amplified force and torque signals;

[0055] Step S3: Transmit the digital signal after A / D conversion to the STM32 microcontroller via SPI serial communication and calculate the true value;

[0056] Step S4: Compare the real-time detected value with the initial state (the state where the needle is not in contact with the skin and there is almost no force). If the values ​​are the same, the send_flag flag is set to 0. When the acupuncture needle comes into contact with the skin, the force data will change significantly. At this time, the send_flag flag is set to 1.

[0057] Step S5: The STM32 and Chai 3D transmit force and torque data via serial communication. When send_flag is 0, no data is sent; when send_flag is 1, data is sent to Chai 3D.

[0058] It should be noted that the above content merely illustrates the technical concept of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of the present invention, and all such improvements and modifications fall within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An acupuncture manipulation and force measurement and evaluation system, characterized in that, It includes three main modules: measuring device, data acquisition, and data evaluation. The measuring device includes a force / torque measuring structure and a manipulation measuring structure, which are used to measure the feedback force / torque during lifting, thrusting, and twisting. The manipulation measuring structure is based on a phantom force feedback device and is used to measure the depth, angle, lifting and thrusting speed, and twisting speed of the needle insertion into the tissue during acupuncture. The force / torque measuring structure includes a needle handle (1), a support housing (2), a fastener (3), a filiform needle (4), a two-dimensional sensor (5), and a needle clamp (6). The filiform needle (4) passes vertically through the needle clamp (6) inside the center of the support housing (2). The needle handle (1) is exposed at the upper end of the support housing (2). The two-dimensional sensor (5) is connected inside the support housing (2). The lower end of the needle clamp (6) is provided with a fastener (3) for clamping the filiform needle (4). The fastener (3) is two symmetrical semi-fan-shaped structures, which are fixed to the outside of the needle clamp (6). The manual measurement structure is based on a phantom force feedback device and includes a base (14), a rotating disk (15), a first link (16), a parallelogram link (17), a second link (18), an end joint (19), an end link (7), and an end handle (8) to provide position input for six degrees of freedom; The data acquisition module hardware includes an amplifier circuit, an A / D converter, and an STM32 microcontroller. The amplifier circuit is used to amplify the weak analog signal output by the sensor, the A / D converter is used to convert the amplified analog signal into a digital signal, and the STM32 microcontroller is used to acquire the digital signal and send it to the host computer. Data evaluation includes analyzing and assessing the completeness, accuracy, and consistency of measurement data, eliminating erroneous data, and improving data reliability.

2. The acupuncture manipulation and force measurement and evaluation system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The force / torque measuring structure is installed at the end of the phantom force feedback device. Pulley 1 (9) is fixed on the phantom end handle (8), and pulley 2 (10) is fixed on the support housing (2). The belt (11) is looped on pulley 1 (9) and pulley 2 (10) and tensioned to ensure that the end handle (8) and the needle handle move synchronously when the needle handle is twisted. One end of the connector (12) is fixed on the end connecting rod (7), and the other end is fixed on the outer diameter of the bearing (13). The inner diameter of the bearing (13) is fixed on the needle body clamp (6), and the direction of the needle body is consistent with the direction of the end handle (8). The depth, angle, lifting and inserting speed and twisting speed of the needle are calculated from the position and posture information obtained in real time.

3. The acupuncture manipulation and force measurement and evaluation system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The two-dimensional sensor (5) has a force range of 5N and a torque range of 40Nmm; the support shell (2), needle holder (6) and fastener (3) are 3D printed from nylon material.

4. The method of using the acupuncture manipulation and force measurement and evaluation system according to claim 1, characterized in that: Includes the following steps: (1) Set the force / torque measuring structure at the end of the manual measurement structure; (2) Data acquisition of acupuncture manipulation techniques and force / torque data using force / torque measurement structure and phantom force feedback device structure: (3) Amplify the acquired signal and upload it to the host computer; (4) The host computer analyzes and evaluates the integrity, accuracy and consistency of the measurement data, eliminates erroneous data, and finally obtains reliable data.

5. The method of using the acupuncture manipulation and force measurement and evaluation system according to claim 4, characterized in that, Step (2) of the acupuncture technique data acquisition process includes the following steps: Step S1: Use chai 3d to obtain the three-dimensional position of the needle tip in real time, with the start flag at position 0; Step S2: When the force and torque data received by chai 3d is empty, the start flag is 0; otherwise, it is set to 1. Step S3: Record the point at marker position 1 as the skin surface insertion point, and calculate the depth, angle, insertion speed and twisting speed.

6. The method of using the acupuncture manipulation and force measurement and evaluation system according to claim 4, characterized in that, Step (2) of the force / torque data acquisition process includes the following steps: Step S1: The force and torque analog signals output by the two-dimensional force sensor are amplified by an amplifier circuit; Step S2: Perform two-channel A / D conversion on the amplified force and torque signals; Step S3: Transmit the digital signal after A / D conversion to the STM32 microcontroller via SPI serial communication and calculate the true value; Step S4: Compare the real-time detected value with the initial state value. If the values ​​are the same, set the send_flag flag to 0. When the acupuncture needle touches the skin, the force data will change significantly. At this time, set the send_flag flag to 1. Step S5: The STM32 and Chai 3D transmit force and torque data via serial communication. When send_flag is 0, no data is sent; when send_flag is 1, data is sent to Chai 3D.

7. The method of using the acupuncture manipulation and force measurement and evaluation system according to claim 4, characterized in that, The assessment described in step (4) includes the following aspects: (1) Integrity: In terms of data completeness: the acupuncture techniques of lifting, inserting, and twisting are judged by measuring the position information of the needle tip. The magnitude of force and torque is related to the depth, angle, and speed of needle insertion. These measured information dimensions cover the main factors affecting the acupuncture feedback force. In terms of data record integrity: each saved data is compiled into a data frame, consisting of a frame number and a value. The system checks whether the recorded data element attributes are missing, whether the number of data in each data frame is missing, whether the frame number is missing, and the difference between missing frame numbers. (2) Accuracy: Check the data for any extremely abnormal values, and remove any abnormal values ​​found. (3) Consistency: By applying the same technique to different people at the same acupoint, we can determine whether the positional data and force changes over time are consistent; whether the force data increases with the depth of insertion and the speed; and whether the torque increases with the speed of twisting.

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