Intelligent EMS device and wearable intelligent EMS equipment

Abstract

The present invention discloses an intelligent EMS device and a wearable intelligent EMS device, and relates to the field of intelligent control technology. The present invention sets an H-bridge circuit, a current sensor and a microprocessor. Under the action of an external power supply, the microprocessor generates an adjustable stimulation electrical signal, and stimulates the muscle to be stimulated through the H-bridge circuit and the electrode patch group; after each stimulation, a detection signal is generated, which is transmitted to the muscle to be stimulated through the current sensor and the first electrode patch, and the bioimpedance electrical signal collected by the current sensor is read to adjust the adjustable stimulation electrical signal, so as to achieve effective monitoring of muscle quality until the BIA value reaches the expected value; and each component is a miniaturized circuit, which is easy to carry and easy to put on and take off.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of intelligent control technology, and in particular to an intelligent EMS (Electrical Muscle Stimulation) device and a wearable intelligent EMS device. Background Art

[0002] Interstellar exploration has extraordinary significance for human development. It is a catalyst for the birth of new technologies and the promotion of scientific research. The project is developing an EMS adaptive smart wearable device for astronauts who lose muscle mass in a microgravity environment. Among them, EMS is a technology that uses electric current to simulate the natural stimulation of the nervous system to muscles, which helps to maintain or enhance muscle strength and mass. The EMS adaptive smart wearable device is designed to assist and enhance the growth and recovery of human muscles, as well as improve the efficiency of muscle growth.

[0003] Of course, EMS adaptive smart wearable devices are also suitable for anyone who has experienced muscle loss or needs to strengthen muscles. The project covers the upgrade of muscle stimulation hardware, the development of current programming and other software engineering tasks, and interdisciplinary applications in sports medicine, human-computer interaction and related fields. It has a wide range of applications in the medical industry (such as muscle atrophy, paralysis), sports industry (such as muscle injury, fitness muscle growth), and beauty medical industry (such as adjusting facial muscle aging, sagging and other symptoms).

[0004] However, determining the most effective EMS parameters is critical, and an effective means of monitoring changes in muscle mass is needed. Methods such as dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computed tomography (CT) can accurately measure muscle mass, but their equipment is too bulky for portable use. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a miniaturized intelligent EMS device and a wearable intelligent EMS device, which can adjust the adjustable stimulation electrical signal in real time to achieve effective monitoring of muscle mass and is easy to carry.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following solutions:

[0007] An intelligent muscle electrical stimulation (EMS) device is connected to at least one electrode patch pair, wherein the electrode patch group is attached to the muscle to be stimulated, and the intelligent EMS device comprises:

[0008] An H-bridge circuit is connected to an external power source and the electrode patch respectively;

[0009] A current sensor connected to the first electrode patch in each electrode patch pair, and used for collecting the bioimpedance electrical signal fed back by the muscle to be stimulated through the first electrode patch;

[0010] The microprocessor is respectively connected to the external power supply, the H-bridge circuit and the current sensor; it is used to generate an adjustable stimulation electrical signal under the action of the external power supply, and stimulate the muscle to be stimulated through the H-bridge circuit and the electrode patch group; it generates a detection signal after each stimulation, transmits it to the muscle to be stimulated through the current sensor and the first electrode patch, and reads the bioimpedance electrical signal collected by the current sensor to adjust the adjustable stimulation electrical signal.

[0011] Optionally, the digital-to-analog converter DAC of the microprocessor is connected to the current sensor, and the detection signal generated by the DAC is transmitted to the muscle to be stimulated through the current sensor and the first electrode patch in sequence under the action of an external power supply;

[0012] The ADC interface of the microprocessor is connected to the current sensor, and the microprocessor reads the bioimpedance electrical signal through the ADC interface to obtain muscle state data;

[0013] The microprocessor adjusts the state parameters according to the muscle state data to generate an adjusted adjustable stimulation electrical signal; wherein the state parameters include: at least one of frequency, pulse width, intensity, waveform and duty cycle.

[0014] Optionally, the two pins of the microprocessor are respectively connected to the input ends of a switch of the H-bridge circuit, and the microprocessor opens and closes the switch according to the set time to realize the conduction or disconnection between the microprocessor and the H-bridge circuit. When turned on, the microprocessor controls the H-bridge circuit to generate a waveform signal corresponding to the adjustable stimulation electrical signal, and stimulates the muscle to be stimulated through the electrode group; when turned off, the microprocessor controls the generation of a detection signal.

[0015] Optionally, when the external power supply is at low voltage, the intelligent EMS device further comprises:

[0016] A boost converter is connected to the external power supply and the H-bridge circuit respectively, and is used to boost the external power supply to a set voltage and then input it into the H-bridge circuit; wherein voltages less than the set voltage are all low voltages.

[0017] Optionally, the intelligent EMS device further includes:

[0018] The relay is arranged between the current sensor and the first electrode patch.

[0019] Optionally, a ground terminal GND of the microprocessor is connected to the second electrode patch in each electrode patch pair.

[0020] Optionally, the intelligent EMS device further comprises a wireless connector, and the microprocessor is connected to a remote device via the wireless connector.

[0021] Optionally, the detection signal is an AC signal of 50 kHz; wherein the microprocessor generates an AC signal of 50 kHz through FreeRTOS and an RTC 8M clock divider.

[0022] Optionally, the microprocessor is ESP32-WROOM-32D.

[0023] To achieve the above object, the present invention also provides the following solution:

[0024] A wearable intelligent EMS device comprises the above-mentioned intelligent EMS device and at least one pair of electrode patch groups connected to the intelligent EMS device.

[0025] According to the specific embodiments provided by the present invention, the present invention discloses the following technical effects: the present invention sets an H-bridge circuit, a current sensor and a microprocessor, the microprocessor generates an adjustable stimulation electrical signal, and stimulates the muscle to be stimulated through the H-bridge circuit and the electrode patch group; after each stimulation, a detection signal is generated, which is transmitted to the muscle to be stimulated through the current sensor and the first electrode patch, and the bioimpedance electrical signal collected by the current sensor is read to adjust the adjustable stimulation electrical signal, so as to achieve effective monitoring of muscle quality until the BIA value reaches the expected value; and each component is a miniaturized circuit, which is easy to carry and easy to put on and take off. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative labor.

[0027] Figure 1 It is an electrical model of human tissue;

[0028] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the circuit structure of an intelligent EMS device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 This is an information processing flow chart of the intelligent EMS device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 4 This is a waveform comparison chart in the oscilloscope;

[0031] Figure 5 This is a waveform comparison chart read by Matlab. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0033] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an intelligent EMS device that can adjust adjustable stimulation electrical signals in real time to achieve effective monitoring of muscle mass and is easy to carry.

[0034] BIA (Bioelectrlcal Impedance Analysls) is a method of estimating body components such as total body water (TBW) and fat-free mass (FFM) by measuring the electrical resistance characteristics of body tissues. Bioimpedance (Z, Ω) is defined as the resistance of a conductor to an alternating current applied to it. Bioimpedance is derived from the resistance (R, Ω) generated by the intracellular and extracellular fluids and the reactance (Xc, Ω) associated with the cell membrane capacitance. Figure 1 As shown, RS and RP are the series-parallel resistance components, and CP is the parallel capacitance component.

[0035] Bioimpedance varies with tissue composition as well as the frequency of the applied current. At low frequencies (1-5kHz), the current does not penetrate the cell membrane, so it is assumed that the current passes through the extracellular fluid. At higher frequencies (>50kHz), the current passes through the cell membrane and is associated with the intracellular and extracellular fluid compartments. Single-frequency BIA, usually 50kHz is used. At 50khz current, tissue water V is calculated from bioimpedance th :

[0036]

[0037] Where H represents the height (in cm), R 50 It represents the impedance value resistance at 50kHz (in Ω), and W represents weight (in kg).

[0038] From the above formula, we can see that the lower the impedance value, the higher the water content, which means the higher the muscle content. Through Ohm's law, Z = UI, we can get the impedance value. This means that as long as the measured current value is larger, it means the muscle content is higher and the muscle performance is better.

[0039] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0040] The intelligent muscle electrical stimulation EMS device of the present invention is connected to at least one electrode patch pair (positive and negative electrodes), and the electrode patch group is attached to the muscle to be stimulated. In this embodiment, the number of electrode patch pairs is one pair, but it is not limited to this and can be adjusted and set according to actual needs.

[0041] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the intelligent EMS device of the present invention includes an H-bridge circuit, a current sensor and a microprocessor.

[0042] Wherein, the H-bridge circuit is connected to an external power supply and the electrode patch respectively.

[0043] The current sensor is connected to the first electrode patch in each electrode patch pair, and the current sensor collects the bioimpedance electrical signal fed back by the muscle to be stimulated through the first electrode patch. Preferably, the current sensor is an ACS712 ammeter. The electrode patch pair can be a conductive gel sheet.

[0044] The microprocessor is connected to the external power supply, the H-bridge circuit and the current sensor respectively; the microprocessor is used to generate an adjustable stimulation electrical signal under the action of the external power supply, and stimulate the muscle to be stimulated through the H-bridge circuit and the electrode patch group; generate a detection signal after each stimulation, transmit it to the muscle to be stimulated through the current sensor and the first electrode patch, and read the bioimpedance electrical signal collected by the current sensor to adjust the adjustable stimulation electrical signal, thereby realizing closed-loop regulation.

[0045] As an embodiment, the digital-to-analog converter DAC of the microprocessor is connected to the current sensor, and the detection signal generated by the DAC is transmitted to the muscle to be stimulated through the current sensor and the first electrode patch in sequence under the action of an external power supply. The ADC interface of the microprocessor is connected to the current sensor, and the microprocessor reads the bioimpedance electrical signal through the ADC interface to obtain muscle state data.

[0046] Specifically, after a waveform (such as a sine wave or a trapezoidal wave) is generated by a DAC, the waveform is amplified by an external power source (such as a power supply or a battery) and an amplifier to obtain a working waveform electrical signal.

[0047] The microprocessor adjusts the state parameters according to the muscle state data to generate an adjusted adjustable stimulation electrical signal; wherein the state parameters include: at least one of frequency, pulse width, intensity, waveform and duty cycle.

[0048] Specifically: First, appropriate BIA values ​​are obtained according to the needs of different users, and specific state parameters are adjusted according to the algorithm for different user groups.

[0049] When the BIA value is significantly different from the expected value, the stimulation intensity can be greatly increased by changing various state parameters to quickly improve the BIA.

[0050] When the difference between the BIA value and the expected value is small, the stimulation intensity can be increased slightly by changing various state parameters until the BIA is stable, and the stimulation intensity is maintained to achieve the best stimulation effect.

[0051] In the whole regulation process, PID control method can be adopted.

[0052] Furthermore, a ground terminal GND of the microprocessor is connected to the second electrode patch in each electrode patch pair.

[0053] When the external power supply is low voltage, the intelligent EMS device of the present invention further includes: a boost converter, connected to the external power supply and the H-bridge circuit respectively, for boosting the external power supply to a set voltage and then inputting it into the H-bridge circuit; wherein voltages less than the set voltage are all low voltages. The model of the boost converter is XL6019. The H-bridge circuit is L298N.

[0054] Correspondingly, when the external power supply is a high voltage, the intelligent EMS device of the present invention further includes: a buck converter, which is respectively connected to the external power supply and the H-bridge circuit, and is used to step down the external power supply to a set voltage and then input it into the H-bridge circuit; wherein voltages greater than the set voltage are all high voltages.

[0055] The set voltage is 40 V, and the low voltage is 3.7 to 12 V. In this embodiment, the external power supply is 5 V.

[0056] Furthermore, two pins of the microprocessor are respectively connected to the input end of a switch of the H-bridge circuit, and the microprocessor opens and closes the switch according to the set time to realize the conduction or disconnection between the microprocessor and the H-bridge circuit. When conducting, the microprocessor controls the H-bridge circuit to generate a waveform signal corresponding to the adjustable stimulation electrical signal, and stimulates the muscle to be stimulated through the electrode sheet group; when shutting down, the microprocessor controls the generation of a detection signal. In this embodiment, the microprocessor is ESP32-WROOM-32D.

[0057] like Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, the waveform signal generated by the H-bridge current is analyzed by an oscilloscope, and the oscilloscope is connected to the computer, and the waveform signal generated by the H-bridge current is accurately analyzed using matlab. After calculation verification, the waveform signal is accurate and consistent with the set state parameters.

[0058] To protect the circuit elements, the intelligent EMS device of the present invention further includes: a relay, which is arranged between the current sensor and the first electrode patch, and the relay is used to isolate the electric pulse signal from the current sensor.

[0059] Preferably, the detection signal is an AC signal of 50 kHz; wherein the microprocessor generates an AC signal of 50 kHz through FreeRTOS and RTC 8M clock divider.

[0060] Specifically, ESP32 (ESP32-WROOM-32D) has two 8-bit resolution DACs located at GPIO25 and GPIO26 pins. FreeRTOS and RTC 8M clock divider are used to generate a 50kHz AC signal, which is delivered to the human body through a DAC interface using a first electrode patch, using a relay to isolate the signal of the electrical pulse, and using an ACS712 ammeter to read the electrical signal.

[0061] In addition, the intelligent EMS device of the present invention also includes a wireless connector, and the microprocessor is connected to the remote device through the wireless connector. A web page for remote control and monitoring of the intelligent EMS device is developed, so that users can operate directly on their mobile phones, and the interaction is more user-friendly.

[0062] ESP32 is often used in IoT development. With its wireless communication capabilities, a web page was developed to remotely control and monitor the system. The ESP32 is set as a server and the interface will be opened when logging in to its website using the same WiFi. In this interface, the upper part is the muscle performance test, and the lower part is used to adjust the status parameters. The interface is intuitive and user-friendly, allowing quick operation of the smart EMS device and intuitive viewing of the muscle quality.

[0063] A pilot experiment was conducted on an adult female to verify the effectiveness of the device.

[0064] The selected electrical stimulation parameters are: pulse width: 100 μs, frequency: 50 Hz, stimulation time: 5 s, interval time: 25 s, stimulation intensity: 20 V, and each test lasts 17 minutes.

[0065] The latitude of the biceps brachii and the current value passing through the muscle were measured by a ruler before and after electrical stimulation. The experiment was carried out for a total of one month, and it was found that the dimensions before and after electrical stimulation increased significantly. At the same time, it was found that there was a significant correlation between the dimensions of the biceps and the measured current values. This proves that the electrical stimulation of the intelligent EMS device of the present invention is effective and the measurement method is reliable.

[0066] In addition, the present invention also provides a wearable intelligent EMS device, wherein the intelligent EMS device includes the above-mentioned intelligent EMS device and at least one pair of electrode patch groups connected to the intelligent EMS device.

[0067] The wearable intelligent EMS device of the present invention has the same effect as the above-mentioned intelligent EMS device, which will not be described in detail here.

[0068] In this specification, each embodiment is described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the embodiments can be referred to each other. For the system disclosed in the embodiment, since it corresponds to the method disclosed in the embodiment, the description is relatively simple, and the relevant parts can be referred to the method part.

[0069] The principles and implementation methods of the present invention are described in this article using specific examples. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method and core idea of ​​the present invention. At the same time, for those skilled in the art, according to the idea of ​​the present invention, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope. In summary, the content of this specification should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

Claims

1. An intelligent muscle electrical stimulation (EMS) device connected to at least one electrode patch pair, wherein the electrode patch pair is attached to the muscle to be stimulated, characterized in that: The intelligent EMS device comprises: An H-bridge circuit is connected to an external power source and the electrode patch pair respectively; A current sensor connected to the first electrode patch in each electrode patch pair, and used for collecting the bioimpedance electrical signal fed back by the muscle to be stimulated through the first electrode patch; wherein the current sensor is an ACS712 ammeter; A relay, arranged between the current sensor and the first electrode patch; A microprocessor is connected to the external power supply, the H-bridge circuit and the current sensor respectively; it is used to generate an adjustable stimulation electrical signal under the action of the external power supply, and stimulate the muscle to be stimulated through the H-bridge circuit and the electrode patch; after each stimulation, a detection signal is generated, which is transmitted to the muscle to be stimulated through the current sensor and the first electrode patch, and the bioimpedance electrical signal collected by the current sensor is read to adjust the adjustable stimulation electrical signal; The digital-to-analog converter DAC of the microprocessor is connected to the current sensor, and the detection signal generated by the DAC is transmitted to the muscle to be stimulated through the DAC interface, the current sensor, and the first electrode patch in sequence under the action of an external power supply; The ground terminal GND of the microprocessor is connected to the second electrode patch in each electrode patch pair.

2. The intelligent EMS device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ADC interface of the microprocessor is connected to the current sensor, and the microprocessor reads the bioimpedance electrical signal through the ADC interface to obtain muscle state data; the microprocessor adjusts state parameters according to the muscle state data to generate an adjusted adjustable stimulation electrical signal; wherein the state parameters include: at least one of frequency, pulse width, intensity, waveform and duty cycle.

3. The intelligent EMS device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The two pins of the microprocessor are respectively connected to the input ends of a switch of the H-bridge circuit. The microprocessor opens and closes the switch according to the set time to realize the conduction or disconnection between the microprocessor and the H-bridge circuit. When turned on, the microprocessor controls the H-bridge circuit to generate a waveform signal corresponding to the adjustable stimulation electrical signal, and stimulates the muscle to be stimulated through the electrode group; when turned off, the microprocessor controls the generation of a detection signal.

4. The intelligent EMS device according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the external power supply is at low voltage, the intelligent EMS device further comprises: A boost converter is connected to the external power supply and the H-bridge circuit respectively, and is used to boost the external power supply to a set voltage and then input it into the H-bridge circuit; wherein voltages less than the set voltage are all low voltages. 5 . The intelligent EMS device according to claim 1 , further comprising a wireless connector, wherein the microprocessor is connected to a remote device via the wireless connector.

6. The intelligent EMS device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The detection signal is an AC signal of 50kHz; wherein the microprocessor generates an AC signal of 50kHz through FreeRTOS and RTC 8M clock divider.

7. The intelligent EMS device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the microprocessor is ESP32-WROOM-32D.

8. A wearable intelligent EMS device, characterized in that: The intelligent EMS device comprises the intelligent EMS device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, and at least one pair of electrode patch groups connected to the intelligent EMS device.

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