A flexible motion sensor, motion detection device and motion detection method

Abstract

This application discloses a flexible motion sensor, a motion detection device, and a motion detection method. The flexible motion sensor includes a detection tube comprising a flexible section and a signal generation section. One end of the flexible section is closed, and the other end is connected to the signal generation section. A first electrode and a second electrode are both sleeved on the outside of the signal generation section. A charged liquid column moves within the signal generation section, changing the potential of the first or second electrode based on electrostatic induction. This application increases fluid pressure through the bending and compression of the flexible section. The charged liquid column, under pressure, moves between the two electrode plates, changing their potentials through electrostatic induction, thus achieving self-powered detection with the advantage of small size. The charged liquid column, flowing as liquid within the signal generation section, reduces frictional resistance with the detection tube, making its movement more flexible and extending the service life of the flexible motion sensor.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of motion sensor technology, and in particular to a flexible motion sensor, a motion detection device, and a motion detection method. Background Technology

[0002] Motion sensors are used to detect the movement of target objects. Currently, with the increasing demands for human motion detection in medical monitoring and human-computer interaction, motion sensors are also being applied to human motion detection scenarios. Most motion sensors on the market are wearable sensors, which, when worn on the human body, can detect localized movements. By combining the detection data from multiple motion sensors, the specific movements of the human body can be reconstructed. However, traditional motion sensors currently face key problems such as low comfort, short battery life, large size, complex manufacturing processes, and high costs, which significantly impact the user experience. In recent years, flexible self-powered sensing technology based on triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) has opened up a new field of self-powered sensing. This technology avoids the use of electronic components and batteries, and boasts advantages such as simple structure and low production costs, solving the problems of low comfort, short battery life, large size, complex manufacturing processes, and high costs associated with traditional flexible motion sensors.

[0003] However, despite the enormous potential of TENG-based flexible self-powered sensors in the field of flexible sensing, they still face several technical bottlenecks that hinder their widespread application and adoption. The functional materials of TENG-based flexible self-powered sensors suffer from high frictional losses and are susceptible to humid environments, resulting in short device lifespans. On one hand, frictional losses between the functional materials are significant; on the other hand, due to the coupling structure of the motion sensing and signal generation components, external motion excitation directly acts on the functional materials of the flexible self-powered sensor, causing material wear, aging, and even failure, thus affecting the device's lifespan. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this application is to at least solve one of the technical problems existing in the prior art, and to provide a flexible motion sensor that is self-powered and has a longer service life; as well as a motion detection device based on the above-mentioned flexible motion sensor; and a motion detection method based on the above-mentioned flexible motion sensor.

[0005] According to a first aspect of this application, a flexible motion sensor is provided, comprising:

[0006] A detection tube containing fluid, the detection tube comprising a flexible section and a signal generating section, one end of the flexible section being closed, and the other end of the flexible section being connected to the signal generating section;

[0007] The first electrode plate is sleeved on the outside of the signal generation section;

[0008] The second electrode plate is sleeved on the outside of the signal generation section;

[0009] A charged liquid column, wherein the charged liquid column is a liquid and flows within the signal generation section, and the charged liquid column carries a charge of opposite polarity to the signal generation section;

[0010] The first electrode and the second electrode are both electrically connected to external electrical equipment via wires. The detection tube is worn by the user, and the user can bend the flexible segment by bending the joint or squeezing it. The increased pressure in the flexible segment causes the charged liquid column to move, thereby changing the potential difference between the first electrode and the second electrode through electrostatic induction.

[0011] According to a first aspect of this application, the charged liquid column further fills the flexible segment, and when the flexible segment is squeezed, the end of the charged liquid column moves between the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate.

[0012] According to a first aspect of the present application, the flexible segment is further filled with gas, and when the flexible segment is squeezed, the gas transmits the force to the charged liquid column so that it moves between the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate.

[0013] According to the first aspect of the present application, the charged liquid column is further described as an acid-base-salt solution, ultrapure water, ionic liquid, or oil.

[0014] According to the first aspect of the present application, the detection tube is further described as a transparent tube, allowing the user to observe the internal conditions through the tube.

[0015] According to the first aspect of the embodiment of this application, the flexible section of the detection tube is made of silicone tube, rubber tube, synthetic rubber tube or polyvinyl chloride.

[0016] According to the first aspect of the present application, the signal generation section of the detection tube is made of polypropylene, fluorinated ethylene propylene copolymer or polytetrafluoroethylene.

[0017] According to a first aspect of the present application, one end of the flexible segment is sealed by a plug, and the plug is detachably connected to the flexible segment.

[0018] According to a second aspect of this application, a motion detection device is provided, which includes the aforementioned flexible motion sensor.

[0019] According to a third aspect of this application, a motion detection method based on the above-described flexible motion sensor is provided, comprising:

[0020] The detection tube is filled with charged liquid to form the charged liquid column, and the end of the flexible section is sealed.

[0021] Wear the detection tube on the user's body;

[0022] When the user bends the joint to be tested, the flexible section of the testing tube bends or is compressed accordingly.

[0023] The charged liquid column moves between the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate under pressure, and the charge ratio on the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate changes, causing a change in the potential difference between the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate.

[0024] The potential difference between the first electrode and the second electrode generates a current, which flows through a wire to the motion detection device to complete the sensing of human movement.

[0025] The beneficial effects of this application embodiment include at least the following: This application increases fluid pressure by bending and squeezing the flexible segment. After being compressed, the charged liquid column moves between the two electrode plates. By changing the potential of the two electrode plates through electrostatic induction, self-powered detection is achieved, which has the advantage of small size. The charged liquid column flows as a liquid in the signal generation segment, reducing the frictional resistance with the detection tube. On the one hand, this makes the movement of the charged liquid column more flexible, and on the other hand, it can extend the service life of this flexible motion sensor. Attached Figure Description

[0026] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly explained below. Obviously, the described drawings are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. Those skilled in the art can obtain other design schemes and drawings based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0027] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional view of the flexible motion sensor according to the first aspect of this application;

[0028] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the use of the flexible motion sensor according to the first aspect of this application;

[0029] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the working principle of the flexible motion sensor according to the first aspect of this application;

[0030] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the working principle of the gesture recognition function of the motion detection device according to the second aspect embodiment of this application;

[0031] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the working principle of the human-computer interaction function of the motion detection device according to the second aspect embodiment of this application;

[0032] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the working principle of the motion detection device controlling the robotic arm according to the second aspect embodiment of this application;

[0033] Figure 7 This is a voltage change graph of this flexible motion sensor under operating conditions;

[0034] Figure 8 This is a graph showing the voltage changes of this flexible motion sensor under different compression conditions;

[0035] Figure 9 This is a graph showing the voltage changes of this flexible motion sensor under different bending angles.

[0036] Reference numerals: 100-detection tube, 110-flexible segment, 120-signal generation segment, 200-first electrode plate, 300-second electrode plate, 400-charged liquid column. Detailed Implementation

[0037] This section will describe in detail the specific embodiments of this application. Preferred embodiments of this application are shown in the accompanying drawings. The purpose of the drawings is to supplement the textual description with graphics, so that people can intuitively and vividly understand each technical feature and the overall technical solution of this application, but they should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of this application.

[0038] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the orientation descriptions, such as up, down, front, back, left, right, etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0039] In the description of this application, "several" means one or more, "more than" means two or more, "greater than," "less than," and "exceeding" are understood to exclude the stated number, while "above," "below," and "within" are understood to include the stated number. The use of "first" and "second" in the description is merely for distinguishing technical features and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features, or implicitly indicating the order of the indicated technical features.

[0040] In the description of this application, unless otherwise expressly defined, terms such as "setup," "installation," and "connection" should be interpreted broadly, and those skilled in the art can reasonably determine the specific meaning of the above terms in this application in conjunction with the specific content of the technical solution.

[0041] Flexible self-powered sensors based on TENGs have great potential in the field of flexible sensing, but they still face some technical bottlenecks that hinder their widespread application and popularization. The functional materials of TENG-based flexible self-powered sensors suffer from high frictional losses and are susceptible to humid environments, resulting in short device lifespans. On the one hand, frictional losses between functional materials are significant; on the other hand, due to the coupling structure of motion sensing and signal generation components, external motion excitation directly acts on the functional materials of the flexible self-powered sensor, causing material wear, aging, and even failure, thus affecting the device's lifespan.

[0042] In response, this application proposes a flexible motion sensor, motion detection device, and motion detection method. By bending and squeezing the flexible section 110 to increase fluid pressure, the charged liquid column 400 moves between two electrode plates after being compressed. The potential of the two electrode plates is changed through electrostatic induction, thereby achieving self-powered detection, which has the advantage of small size. The charged liquid column 400 flows as liquid in the signal generation section, reducing the frictional resistance with the detection tube 100. On the one hand, this makes the movement of the charged liquid column 400 more flexible, and on the other hand, it can extend the service life of this flexible motion sensor.

[0043] Reference Figure 1 The flexible motion sensor in the first aspect embodiment of this application includes a detection tube 100, a first electrode plate 200, a second electrode plate 300, and an charged liquid column 400. The detection tube 100 is the main structure of this flexible motion sensor. The detection tube 100 includes a flexible section 110 and a signal generating section 120. One end of the flexible section 110 is closed, and the other end of the flexible section 110 is connected to the signal generating section 120.

[0044] The first electrode 200 and the second electrode 300 are both sleeved on the outside of the signal generating section 120, and are separated from each other to prevent the flow of charge. The first electrode 200 and the second electrode 300 are both electrically connected to external electrical equipment via wires.

[0045] A charged liquid column 400 flows within the signal generating section 120, and the charged liquid column 400 and the signal generating section 120 carry charges of opposite polarity. As the charged liquid column 400 moves within the signal generating section 120, the potential on the second electrode 300 of the first electrode 200 changes accordingly based on the principle of electrostatic induction. This change in the potential difference between the first electrode 200 and the second electrode 300 generates a current in the conductor between them. By detecting the magnitude of this current, the degree of bending of the flexible section 110 can be determined, thereby inferring the user's limb movements.

[0046] The working principle of this flexible motion sensor is as follows: (Refer to...) Figure 2The detection tube 100 is worn on the user's body. When the user bends their joints, they can force the flexible segment 110 to bend or squeeze it. The increased pressure in the flexible segment 110 forces the charged liquid column 400 to move, and then the user's range of motion is detected by the change in the potential difference between the first electrode plate 200 and the second electrode plate 300.

[0047] The following example illustrates the charge transfer process between the first electrode plate 200 and the second electrode plate 300. In this example, the charged liquid column 400 is positively charged, and the signal generation segment 120 is negatively charged. (Refer to...) Figure 3 In section (I), when the flexible section 110 is not under pressure, the charged liquid column 400 is located at the first electrode plate 200. At this time, the first electrode plate 200 is negatively charged due to the influence of charge polarity, and the second electrode plate 300 is positively charged. (Refer to...) Figure 3 In section (II), the flexible section 110 is compressed, and the charged liquid column 400 moves towards the second electrode plate 300 under the action of force. At this time, the potential difference between the first electrode plate 200 and the second electrode plate 300 changes, and some electrons of the first electrode plate 200 flow to the second electrode plate 300 through the wire. The change in charge can be detected by detecting the current value.

[0048] Reference Figure 3 In section (III), when the flexible section 110 is fully compressed, the charged liquid column 400 is located at the second electrode plate 300. At this time, the second electrode plate 300 is negatively charged due to the influence of charge polarity, while the first electrode plate 200 is positively charged. (Refer to...) Figure 3 In section (Ⅳ), after the pressure is released in the flexible section 110, the charged liquid column 400 moves back to the first electrode plate 200. At this time, the potential difference between the first electrode plate 200 and the second electrode plate 300 changes. Some electrons in the second electrode plate 300 flow to the first electrode plate 200 through the wire. The change in charge can be detected by detecting the current value.

[0049] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the charged liquid column 400 fills the flexible segment 110. When the flexible segment 110 is compressed, the end of the charged liquid column 400 moves between the first electrode plate 200 and the second electrode plate 300, thereby also causing a change in the potential difference between the first electrode plate 200 and the second electrode plate 300.

[0050] In this embodiment, the flexible segment 110 is filled with gas, which transmits the force to the charged liquid column 400 so that it moves between the first electrode plate 200 and the second electrode plate 300.

[0051] Furthermore, the charged liquid column 400 is specifically an acid-base-salt solution, ultrapure water, ionic liquid, or oil, which can promote charge movement.

[0052] Furthermore, the detection tube 100 is a transparent tube, allowing the user to observe the inside of the tube through it.

[0053] Furthermore, the flexible section 110 of the detection tube 100 is made of silicone tube, rubber tube, synthetic rubber (TPE) tube or polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

[0054] Furthermore, the signal generation section 120 of the detection tube 100 is made of polypropylene (PP), fluorinated ethylene propylene copolymer (FEP), or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).

[0055] Furthermore, one end of the flexible section 110 is sealed by a plug, which is detachably connected to the flexible section 110, thereby allowing the fluid inside the detection tube 100 to be discharged outward, facilitating the replacement of the fluid or the maintenance of the detection tube 100 in the future.

[0056] A motion detection device according to a second aspect of this application includes the aforementioned flexible motion sensor.

[0057] Regarding the specific structure of the motion detection device, this application proposes three possible examples. However, it should be noted that the invention is not limited to these examples, and those skilled in the art can make various equivalent modifications or substitutions without departing from the spirit of this application.

[0058] Reference Figure 4 The motion detection device, shaped like a glove, includes multiple flexible motion sensors. Each flexible motion sensor is connected to an external circuit via wires. After data acquisition by an ADC and processing by a processor, the data is transmitted to a computer PC for machine learning analysis of the user's specific hand movements.

[0059] Reference Figure 5 Based on the results of machine learning, the user's hand movements can be converted into scene interactions in Unity, thus making this motion detection device an input device for a computer PC.

[0060] Or, refer to Figure 6 Based on the results of machine learning, the user's hand movement data can be sent to the lower-level processor via serial communication, thereby controlling the robotic arm's movements in real-world scenarios.

[0061] A motion detection method based on a flexible motion sensor, according to a third aspect embodiment of this application, includes the following steps:

[0062] S100. Charged liquid is filled into the detection tube 100 to form a charged liquid column 400, and the end of the flexible section 110 is sealed.

[0063] S200. Wear the detection tube 100 on the user;

[0064] S300. When the user bends the joint to be tested, the flexible segment 110 of the detection tube 100 bends or is squeezed accordingly.

[0065] S400. The charged liquid column 400 is pressed and moves between the first electrode plate 200 and the second electrode plate 300, causing a change in the charge ratio on the first electrode plate 200 and the second electrode plate 300, resulting in a change in the potential difference between the first electrode plate 200 and the second electrode plate 300.

[0066] S500. The potential difference between the first electrode plate 200 and the second electrode plate 300 generates current, which flows through the wire to the motion detection device to complete the sensing of human body movements.

[0067] Figure 7 This demonstrates that the maximum voltage output of this flexible motion sensor in a single operation is 16V, and the output is stable. Figure 8 This demonstrates the linearity of the voltage output of this flexible motion sensor as the degree of compression changes; Figure 9 The experiment demonstrates the voltage output of this flexible motion sensor when worn on the hand and bent at different angles. The measurement results show that this flexible motion sensor can be effectively used as a wearable motion sensor for the human body.

[0068] The above is a detailed description of the preferred embodiments of this application. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described. Those skilled in the art can make various equivalent modifications or substitutions without departing from the spirit of this application. All such equivalent modifications or substitutions are included within the scope defined by the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A flexible motion sensor, characterized in that, include: A detection tube (100) includes a flexible section (110) and a signal generating section (120). One end of the flexible section (110) is closed, and the other end of the flexible section (110) is connected to the signal generating section (120). The first electrode plate (200) is sleeved on the outside of the signal generating section (120); The second electrode plate (300) is sleeved on the outside of the signal generating section (120); A charged liquid column (400) is a liquid and flows within the signal generation section (120), the charged liquid column (400) and the signal generation section (120) carrying charges of opposite polarity; The first electrode (200) and the second electrode (300) are both electrically connected to external electrical equipment via wires; the detection tube (100) is worn by the user, and the user can bend the flexible segment (110) or squeeze it by bending the joint. The increased pressure in the flexible segment (110) causes the charged liquid column (400) to move, thereby changing the potential difference between the first electrode (200) and the second electrode (300) through electrostatic induction.

2. The flexible motion sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The charged liquid column (400) fills the flexible segment (110), and when the flexible segment (110) is squeezed, the end of the charged liquid column (400) moves between the first electrode plate (200) and the second electrode plate (300).

3. The flexible motion sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible segment (110) is filled with gas. When the flexible segment (110) is squeezed, the gas transmits the force to the charged liquid column (400) so that it moves between the first electrode plate (200) and the second electrode plate (300).

4. The flexible motion sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The charged liquid column (400) is specifically an acid-base-salt solution, ultrapure water, ionic liquid, or oil.

5. The flexible motion sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The detection tube (100) is a transparent tube, allowing the user to observe the inside of the tube through it.

6. The flexible motion sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible section (110) of the detection tube (100) is made of silicone tube, rubber tube, synthetic rubber tube or polyvinyl chloride.

7. The flexible motion sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The signal generation section (120) of the detection tube (100) is made of polypropylene, fluorinated ethylene propylene copolymer or polytetrafluoroethylene.

8. The flexible motion sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that: One end of the flexible segment (110) is sealed by a plug, and the plug is detachably connected to the flexible segment (110).

9. A motion detection device, characterized in that: Includes the flexible motion sensor described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A motion detection method based on any one of the flexible motion sensors described in claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, include: The detection tube (100) is filled with charged liquid to form the charged liquid column (400), and the end of the flexible segment (110) is sealed. The detection tube (100) is worn by the user; When the user bends the joint to be tested, the flexible segment (110) of the testing tube (100) bends or is squeezed accordingly. The charged liquid column (400) is pressed and moves between the first electrode plate (200) and the second electrode plate (300), causing a change in the charge ratio on the first electrode plate (200) and the second electrode plate (300), which in turn causes a change in the potential difference between the first electrode plate (200) and the second electrode plate (300). The potential difference between the first electrode (200) and the second electrode (300) generates a current, which flows through the wire to the motion detection device to complete the sensing of human motion.

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