Array type flexible wearable girdle for measuring human muscle magnetic field signals

Abstract

The invention discloses an array type flexible wearable girdle for measuring magnetic field signals of human muscles, and belongs to the field of biomedical engineering.The array type flexible wearable girdle comprises flexible girdle bodies and clamping grooves, the flexible girdle bodies are connected through nylon hook-and-loop fasteners to form a closed loop, and the closed loop is used for carrying the multiple clamping grooves; the clamping groove comprises a base lower interlayer, a base upper interlayer, countersunk heads, nuts, an outer wall and a rotary buckle, and the flexible ring belt penetrates through a middle groove between the base lower interlayer and the base upper interlayer and then is pressed and fixed through the four pairs of nuts and countersunk heads. The outer wall is located on the upper surface of the upper interlayer of the base and is in a hollow cuboid shape, the rotating buckle is of a small long arm-shaped structure capable of rotating freely, a protrusion on the tail side of the arm end is meshed with a recess of the outer wall, and the top baffle is used for limiting the top of the clamping groove. The device can adapt to human body parts with different sizes, has the advantages of high conformality, high flexibility, low cost, light weight, easiness in measurement and the like, and can be widely applied to myomagnetic measurement research.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the field of biomedical engineering, and in particular relates to an array-type flexible wearable ring belt for measuring magnetic field signals of human muscles. Background Art

[0002] Magnetomyography (MMG) is a non-invasive functional imaging technology that obtains weak magnetic field signals generated by human nerve stimulation or skeletal muscle contraction, and performs characteristic analysis to evaluate the physiological function and health status of deep muscles. Compared with traditional electromyography (EMG), magnetomyography has the characteristics of high spatial resolution, high biocompatibility, and high feature recognition. It has been widely used in the evaluation of muscle function and the diagnosis of neuromuscular diseases in cutting-edge basic research.

[0003] Since the myomagnetic signal is extremely weak (pT), superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) can be used for measurement. SQUIDs work in extremely low temperature environments, and fixed sensors cannot flexibly adjust the measurement site. Their low degree of freedom and high maintenance cost limit the extensive research of myomagnetic mapping. The rapid development of SERF atomic magnetometers in recent years has made low-cost, high-sensitivity, and high-degree-of-freedom myomagnetic mapping measurements possible. The wearable characteristics of SERF atomic magnetometers are their outstanding highlights. Combined with SERF atomic magnetometers, they can carry out a variety of deep nerve and muscle detection work and achieve high signal-to-noise ratio myomagnetic imaging. However, how to efficiently and stably arrange sensors in target muscle groups has become a new technical challenge. There are more than 200 muscles distributed in the human body, and the sizes of different parts are significantly different. It is of great significance to build a wearable array mold suitable for all measurement scenarios to freely, efficiently, accurately, and stably carry sensors at target positions. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides an array-type flexible wearable belt for measuring the magnetic field signal of human muscle, which adopts a design scheme of a combination of multiple flexible annular belts and card slots, and can be equipped with any number of sensors and freely adjust their layout. The belt needs to be soft and tension-free, while the length is adjustable and it fits tightly with the target muscle group. Therefore, non-magnetic materials are used for the entire preparation process to meet its low-noise performance in a magnetic shielding environment. The array-type flexible wearable belt of the present invention can adapt to human body parts of different sizes, meeting the requirements of high conformality, high flexibility, low cost and easy measurement.

[0005] To achieve the above purpose, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0006] An array-type flexible wearable ring belt for measuring human muscle magnetic field signals, comprising a flexible ring belt and a sandwich card slot:

[0007] The loop is designed in the shape of a thin belt, which can be connected to form a closed loop through nylon hook and loop tape, so its size can be freely adjusted. A single loop can be equipped with multiple slots depending on its length. The slot consists of a lower interlayer of the base, an upper interlayer of the base, a rotating buckle, an outer wall, a countersunk head, and a nut, which is used to connect the sensor and the loop; the slot between the upper interlayer and the lower interlayer of the base is used to pass through the loop, and is tightened and fixed by 4 pairs of countersunk nuts to prevent the slot from sliding on the loop; the inner part of the outer wall is a rectangular parallelepiped with slender protrusions to ensure that the sensor is tightly inserted; the rotating buckle is a thin and long arm-shaped structure that can rotate freely, and the protrusion at the end of the arm can engage with the depression of the outer wall. The small baffle at the top can limit the top of the slot to prevent the sensor from moving during the measurement process. The sensor is a biomagnetic measurement sensor.

[0008] Furthermore, the card slot is a sandwich design, which makes it easy to disassemble the card slot and adjust the number and position layout of the card slots in the experiment. For muscle group measurement points in different parts, the experimental paradigm can be designed specifically and continuously debugged to obtain a suitable sensor layout.

[0009] Furthermore, the card slot base is hollowed out at the bottom, and the hollow design reserves a gap between the skin and the sensor, which can be used to place sensors of other modalities (such as carbon electrodes, electrical stimulation electrodes, skin electrical sensitive elements, strain gauges, non-magnetic thin film elements, etc.), providing the possibility for multimodal measurement of skeletal muscle contraction signals and electrical stimulation induced signal measurement.

[0010] Furthermore, the ring belt adopts a thin belt design, is soft in texture and has adjustable length, can fit closely to the main muscle group distribution areas of the human body, will not affect limb movement and muscle contraction, and has application range including but not limited to arms, legs, neck, waist, back, etc., and the design is universal.

[0011] Furthermore, when the sensor is in working state, it needs to be preheated and in a high temperature state, and it is not suitable for direct contact with human skin. The bottom of the card slot base uses a hollow design, and a gap is reserved for heat insulation. At the same time, the thickness of the flexible ring belt is small, and the countersunk nut can control the gap distance to ensure a high signal-to-noise ratio of the signal measurement.

[0012] Furthermore, after the card slot design is completed, it can be printed in batches. Low-cost, light-weight, high-temperature-resistant, non-magnetic, high-toughness, and anti-static materials (such as advanced resins) should be selected as much as possible for the 3D printing process to ensure the consistency of the card slot shape, quality, and size.

[0013] Furthermore, during the measurement process, the flexible belts can be arranged in an array. First, the appropriate belt length is selected according to the measurement part. For multiple measurement sites, multiple flexible belts can be used to achieve regional coverage. The specific method is to select appropriate measurement points according to the human anatomical landmark map, and install the card slots according to their number, position, and direction. Then, the sensor is installed to measure the myomagnetic signal. If the conformality of some parts is low, or the measurement axis direction of the sensor is adjusted, multiple belts can be used for cross-fixation.

[0014] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0015] The present invention can adapt to muscle group measurement points in different parts, and can freely arrange any number of card slots and adjust their layout; the ring belt is soft and its length can be adjusted, and it can fit closely with the main muscle group distribution areas of the human body, conforming to ergonomics and suitable for a wide range of people; the preparation materials all use non-magnetic materials, which are suitable for magnetic shielding environments; the proposed sandwich and flexible belt design schemes realize the free, efficient, accurate and stable mounting of sensors, meeting the requirements of light weight, convenience, high flexibility, high conformality and low cost in myomagnetic measurement. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an array-type flexible wearable ring belt for measuring magnetic field signals of human muscles according to the present invention;

[0017] Figure 2 It is a front view schematic diagram of the assembly of the card slot and the flexible ring belt, and a schematic diagram of the hollow design of the interlayer under the card slot base.

[0018] Reference numerals:

[0019] 1. Flexible ring belt; 2. Nylon Velcro; 3. Card slot; 4. Sensor; 3-1. Lower interlayer of base; 3-2. Upper interlayer of base; 3-3. Middle slot; 3-4. Countersunk head; 3-5. Nut; 3-6. Outer wall; 3-7. Protrusion; 3-8. Rotating buckle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The present invention is described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention.

[0021] like Figure 1 As shown, it is a schematic diagram of an array-type flexible wearable ring belt for measuring human muscle magnetic field signals of the present invention, wherein the left figure is a schematic diagram of the overall assembly, and the right figure is an enlarged schematic diagram of the slot structure. In this embodiment, it is applied to human arm muscle measurement, and its components include a flexible ring belt 1 and a sandwich slot 3:

[0022] like Figure 2As shown, it is a front schematic diagram of the assembly of the slot and the flexible ring belt and a schematic diagram of the hollow design of the interlayer under the slot base, wherein the left figure is a schematic diagram of the matching relationship between the flexible ring belt 1 and the slot 3, and the right figure is a schematic diagram of the hollow design of the interlayer 3-1 under the slot base. The flexible ring belt 1 adopts a thin strip design and can be connected by nylon Velcro 2 to form a closed loop, so its size can be freely adjusted. The flexible ring belt 1 can carry multiple slots 3 depending on its length. The card slot 3 is composed of a lower interlayer 3-1 of the base, an upper interlayer 3-2 of the base, a rotating buckle 3-8, an outer wall 3-6, a countersunk head 3-4, and a nut 3-5, and is used to connect the sensor 4 and the flexible ring belt 1; the middle slot 3-3 between the upper interlayer 3-2 of the base and the lower interlayer 3-1 of the base is used to pass through the flexible ring belt 1, and is pressed and fixed by four pairs of nuts 3-5 and countersunk heads 3-4 to prevent the card slot 3 from sliding on the flexible ring belt 1; the outer wall 3-6 constructs an internal rectangular groove shape and has a slender protrusion to ensure that the sensor 4 is tightly inserted; the rotating buckle 3-8 can rotate freely, and the protrusion 3-7 at the end of its arm can engage with the depression on the wall of the outer wall 3-6, and the small baffle at the top can limit the top of the card slot 3 to prevent the sensor 4 from shifting during the measurement process.

[0023] The card slot 3 is a sandwich design, which makes it easy to disassemble the card slot 3 and adjust the number and position layout of the card slot 3 in the experiment. For muscle group measurement points in different parts, the experimental method can be designed specifically and the appropriate sensor 4 layout can be obtained by continuous debugging.

[0024] The lower interlayer 3-1 of the base of the card slot 3 is hollowed out at the bottom. The hollow design reserves a gap between the skin and the sensor 4, which can be used to place sensors of other modalities (such as carbon electrodes, electrical stimulation electrodes, skin electrical sensitive elements, strain gauges, non-magnetic thin film elements, etc.), providing the possibility for multimodal measurement of skeletal muscle contraction signals and measurement of electrical stimulation induced signals.

[0025] The flexible ring belt 1 adopts a thin belt design, is soft in texture and has an adjustable length. It can fit closely to the main muscle group distribution areas of the human body without affecting limb movement and muscle contraction. The application scope includes but is not limited to arms, legs, neck, waist, back, etc., and the design is universal (for the convenience of display, in this embodiment, the flexible ring belt 1 is in a relaxed state and is not tightened to fit the skin).

[0026] When the sensor 4 is in working state, it needs to be preheated and in a high temperature state, and it is not suitable to directly contact the human skin. The bottom of the interlayer 3-1 under the base of the card slot 3 is hollowed out, and a gap is reserved for heat insulation. At the same time, the thickness of the flexible ring belt 1 is small, and the countersunk head 3-4 and the nut 3-5 can control the gap distance to ensure a high signal-to-noise ratio of the signal measurement.

[0027] After the card slot 3 is designed, it can be printed in batches. Low-cost, light-weight, high-temperature-resistant, non-magnetic, high-toughness, and anti-static materials (such as advanced resins) should be selected as much as possible for the 3D printing process to ensure the consistency of the shape, quality, and size of the card slot 3.

[0028] During the measurement process, first select the appropriate length of the flexible belt 1 according to the measurement part. If the conformality of some parts is low, multiple flexible belts 1 can be used for cross-fixation. The flexible belts 1 can be freely combined and laid out to form a multi-channel measurement array to achieve comprehensive coverage of the measurement sites. According to the human anatomical landmark map, select the appropriate measurement points, and install the card slots 3 according to their number, position, and direction, and then install the sensor 4 to measure the myomagnetic signal. For experimental designs that require the magnetic measurement axis to be adjusted to different directions, multiple flexible belts can be cross-fixed by combining the horizontal and vertical arrangements, effectively improving the measurement freedom, and also preventing the displacement of the card slots and sites during human movement.

[0029] The above-described embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present invention, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of the invention. Since the system / device described in the above-described embodiments of the present invention is a system / device adopted for implementing the method of the above-described embodiments of the present invention, based on the method described in the above-described embodiments of the present invention, a person skilled in the art can understand the specific structure and deformation of the system / device, and can make several deformations and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention, all of which belong to the scope of protection of the present invention. All systems / devices adopted by the methods of the above-described embodiments of the present invention belong to the scope to be protected by the present invention.

Claims

1. An array-type flexible wearable ring belt for measuring magnetic field signals of human muscles, characterized in that: It comprises a flexible ring belt (1) and a clamping groove (3), wherein: The flexible ring belt (1) is connected by a nylon hook and loop belt (2) to form a closed loop, and is used to carry a plurality of card slots (3); The card slot (3) comprises a base lower interlayer (3-1), a base upper interlayer (3-2), a countersunk head (3-4), a nut (3-5), an outer wall (3-6), and a rotating buckle (3-8). After the flexible ring belt (1) passes through the middle slot (3-3) between the base lower interlayer (3-1) and the base upper interlayer (3-2), it is pressed and fixed by four pairs of nuts (3-5) and countersunk heads (3-4); the outer wall (3-6) is located on the upper surface of the base upper interlayer (3-2), and the interior is in the shape of a hollow rectangular parallelepiped; the rotating buckle (3-8) is a thin and long arm-shaped structure that can rotate freely, and the protrusion (3-7) at the end of the arm engages with the depression of the outer wall (3-6); the baffle at the top is used to limit the top of the card slot (3) to prevent the sensor (4) from moving during the measurement process.

2. The array-type flexible wearable ring belt for measuring human muscle magnetic field signals according to claim 1, characterized in that: The card slot (3) is of sandwich design.

3. The array-type flexible wearable ring belt for measuring human muscle magnetic field signals according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible ring belt (1) is designed to be thin and soft and its length can be adjusted.

4. The array-type flexible wearable ring belt for measuring human muscle magnetic field signals according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The sensor (4) is a biomagnetic measurement sensor, and the lower interlayer (3-1) of the base of the card slot (3) is hollowed out at the bottom to reserve a gap between the skin and the sensor (4) for placing sensors of other modalities, wherein the sensors of other modalities include any one of carbon electrodes, electrical stimulation electrodes, skin electrical sensitive elements, strain gauges, and non-magnetic thin film elements.

5. The array-type flexible wearable ring belt for measuring human muscle magnetic field signals according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The card slot (3) is manufactured using 3D printing.

6. The array-type flexible wearable ring belt for measuring human muscle magnetic field signals according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that: A plurality of the flexible ring belts (1) can be arranged in an array to form a multi-channel measurement array.

7. The array-type flexible wearable ring belt for measuring human muscle magnetic field signals according to claim 6, characterized in that: The multiple flexible ring belts (1) are cross-fixed by freely combining and arranging them in a transverse and longitudinal direction to form a measurement array.

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