Tactile spatial position recognition system and method using current guidance

Abstract

The present invention belongs to the field of tactile perception, and is a tactile space position recognition system and method using current guidance. The system includes a tactile feedback device and a control module. The tactile feedback device is provided with a stimulation electrode area including several partitions; each partition is provided with several main stimulation electrodes, and a slave stimulation electrode is provided at the junction of each partition and its adjacent partition; after the main stimulation electrode is touched, a micro-current is generated on the skin to feedback the surface roughness information to be simulated in the application scenario; the control module is used to receive the feedback surface roughness information to be simulated, and when the roughness is greater than a preset threshold, the associated slave stimulation electrode is determined to apply a micro-current, so that the slave stimulation electrode guides the orientation of the partition where the touched main stimulation electrode is located. The present invention guides the orientation of the main stimulation electrode by setting slave stimulation electrodes on both sides of the stimulation partition where the main stimulation electrode is located, so as to improve the tactile space position recognition ability of the perceiver.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of tactile perception, and in particular relates to a tactile space position recognition system and method using current guidance. Background Art

[0002] There are a large number of tactile receptors distributed on the skin of the fingers, which are responsible for sensing various tactile stimuli received by the fingers. The overall process of tactile perception produced by the human body through microcurrent stimulation is basically the same as the tactile perception in the natural state (i.e. external environmental stimulation).

[0003] At present, there are many studies on virtual tactile models that apply micro-current stimulation to fingers by setting electrode arrays. For example, the invention patent with publication number CN102805900A published on December 5, 2012 discloses an electrical stimulation system for generating human electrotactile sensation, including an electrical stimulation pulse output device and a plurality of electrode arrays. The electrical stimulation pulse output device receives command input from a controller to generate corresponding electrical stimulation pulses, and includes a command receiver, a controller and an electrical stimulator. The electrical stimulator outputs stimulation pulses to corresponding electrodes in the electrode array according to the characteristics of the received stimulation pulses. The electrode array contacts the skin of the fingertips and outputs electrical stimulation pulses, which stimulate the mechanical receptors in the skin to generate nerve impulses, thereby generating tactile sensation.

[0004] The aforementioned CN102805900A invention patent sets an electrode array for stimulation on the fingertips, which arranges multiple electrodes in a dot matrix on the fingertips. However, the area of ​​the fingertips is relatively small and the positions of the electrodes are relatively close. When the roughness of the surface to be simulated is large, it is difficult to distinguish which position of the electrode is stimulated due to the influence of the roughness. Errors will occur in the recognition of the spatial position of the electrode, especially the more electrode dot matrixes there are, the more likely it is that errors will occur in the recognition, and thus errors will also occur in the recognition of the orientation of the tactile feedback. Therefore, it is necessary to make improvements. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to solve the technical problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a tactile space position recognition system and method using current guidance. The present invention arranges slave stimulation electrodes on both sides of the stimulation partition where the main stimulation electrode is located. When the roughness of the surface to be simulated by the tactile feedback device is large, the slave stimulation electrodes generate microcurrents to guide the orientation of the main stimulation electrodes, so that the perceiver can more accurately judge the position of the main stimulation electrode to which the microcurrent is applied on the fingertips, thereby improving the perceiver's tactile space position recognition ability.

[0006] In the embodiment of the present invention, the recognition system adopts the following technical solution: a tactile spatial position recognition system using current guidance, including a tactile feedback device and a control module connected;

[0007] A stimulation electrode area is provided on the tactile feedback device; a plurality of rays extending from the center point of the stimulation electrode area to the periphery of the stimulation electrode area divide the stimulation electrode area into a plurality of subareas; a plurality of main stimulation electrodes are provided in each subarea, and a secondary stimulation electrode is provided at the junction of each subarea and its adjacent subarea; when the main stimulation electrode is touched, a microcurrent is generated on the skin, which is used to feedback the surface roughness information to be simulated in the application scenario;

[0008] The control module is used to receive the roughness information of the surface to be simulated fed back by the tactile feedback device, and determine the partition where the touched main stimulation electrode is located according to the roughness information of the surface to be simulated; when the fed back roughness of the surface to be simulated is greater than a preset threshold, the control module determines the associated slave stimulation electrode, and applies a microcurrent to the associated slave stimulation electrode, so that the slave stimulation electrode guides the orientation of the partition where the touched main stimulation electrode is located.

[0009] Preferably, the control module determines the associated slave stimulation electrodes in the following manner:

[0010] The point with the largest roughness fed back by the tactile feedback device is determined as the extreme point of the roughness, and the area corresponding to the roughness value of n times the extreme point is expanded outwards as the extreme area, 0<n<1;

[0011] The slave stimulation electrode corresponding to the master stimulation electrode partition where the extreme value area is located is determined as the associated slave stimulation electrode.

[0012] In an embodiment of the present invention, the identification method is based on the above identification system and includes the following steps:

[0013] S1, calculating the average roughness of the surface to be simulated; feeding back the roughness of the surface to be simulated through the stimulation electrode area of ​​the tactile feedback device, and inputting the fed-back roughness into the control module;

[0014] S2, the control module determines the difference between the roughness feedback from the tactile feedback device and the average roughness of the surface to be simulated. If the difference is less than a preset threshold, it is determined that the roughness feedback from the tactile feedback device is small, and the associated slave stimulation electrode is not activated; if the difference is greater than the preset threshold, it is determined that the roughness feedback from the tactile feedback device is large, and step S3 is executed;

[0015] S3, determining the extreme point and extreme region of the roughness feedback by the tactile feedback device; wherein the extreme point is the point where the roughness feedback by the tactile feedback device is the largest; the extreme region is the region corresponding to the roughness value n times the extreme point as the center, and 0<n<1;

[0016] S4. Apply a microcurrent to the slave stimulation electrode corresponding to the partition of the master stimulation electrode where the extreme value area is located, and send out a positioning stimulation signal.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the technical effects achieved by the present invention include:

[0018] 1. The present invention arranges slave stimulation electrodes on both sides of the stimulation zone where the main stimulation electrode is located. When the roughness of the surface to be simulated by the tactile feedback device is large, the slave stimulation electrodes generate microcurrent to guide the orientation of the main stimulation electrode, so that the perceiver can more accurately judge the position of the main stimulation electrode to which the microcurrent is applied to the fingertips, thereby improving the perceiver's ability to recognize the tactile spatial position.

[0019] 2. The present invention obtains the roughness of the surface to be simulated. When the roughness is large, a positioning stimulation signal is sent from the stimulation electrode for guidance, so that the perceiver can more accurately judge the position of the tactile feedback electrode that applies microcurrent to the fingertips, thereby improving the perceiver's tactile spatial position recognition ability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a tactile space position recognition system using current guidance in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of the tactile feedback device in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of another structure of the main stimulation electrode in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of another structure of the main stimulation electrode in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Among them: a tactile feedback device 1, a stimulation electrode area 2, a central point 21, a main stimulation electrode 3, an intermediate stimulation electrode 31, a circular inhibition electrode 32, and a slave stimulation electrode 4. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, and examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and cannot be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0026] Example 1

[0027] This embodiment provides a tactile spatial position recognition system using current guidance, such as Figure 1 As shown, it includes a tactile feedback device and a control module connected to each other.

[0028] like Figure 2As shown, the tactile feedback device 1 has an independent stimulation electrode area 2. The stimulation electrode area 2 is provided with a plurality of main stimulation electrodes 3 for tactile feedback that can generate microcurrent to the skin, and a plurality of slave stimulation electrodes 4 that can generate microcurrent to the skin for identifying the tactile feedback position. Among them, the tactile feedback device 1 can be a tactile feedback mouse, a tactile feedback substrate, a tactile feedback glove, or a tactile feedback surgical instrument in the prior art. The stimulation electrode area can be set on the surface of the tactile feedback device, specifically, the fingertip area corresponding to the finger.

[0029] That is to say, a stimulation electrode area is provided on the tactile feedback device; a plurality of rays extending from the center point of the stimulation electrode area to the periphery of the stimulation electrode area divides the stimulation electrode area into a plurality of partitions. A plurality of main stimulation electrodes are provided in each partition, and a slave stimulation electrode is provided at the junction of each partition and its adjacent partition. In fact, the slave stimulation electrode is located on the ray. In this embodiment, the slave stimulation electrode is provided between two adjacent partitions. When the main stimulation electrode of the tactile feedback device is touched, a microcurrent is generated to the skin, which is used to feedback the surface roughness information to be simulated in the application scenario. In this embodiment, the control module controls the input current of the main stimulation electrode, so as to realize the feedback of the surface roughness to be simulated corresponding to the partition where the main stimulation electrode is located in the application scenario.

[0030] The control module is used to receive the roughness information of the surface to be simulated fed back by the tactile feedback device, and determine the partition where the touched main stimulation electrode is located according to the roughness information of the surface to be simulated; when the fed back roughness of the surface to be simulated is greater than a preset threshold, the control module determines the associated slave stimulation electrode, applies a microcurrent to the associated slave stimulation electrode, so that the slave stimulation electrode guides the orientation of the partition where the touched main stimulation electrode is located, so that the perceiver can accurately judge the position information of the partition where the touched main stimulation electrode is located.

[0031] Among them, the control module determines the associated slave stimulation electrode in the following way: the point with the largest roughness fed back by the tactile feedback device is determined as the extreme point of the roughness, with the extreme point as the center and the area corresponding to the roughness value n times the extreme point as the extreme area, 0<n<1; the slave stimulation electrode corresponding to the main stimulation electrode partition where the extreme area is located is determined as the associated slave stimulation electrode.

[0032] Preferably, a plurality of secondary stimulation electrodes 4 extend outward from the center point 21 of the stimulation electrode zone 2 and are radially and uniformly arranged between two adjacent zones. The secondary stimulation electrodes 4 may further preferably be elongated strip-shaped structures. Figure 2 As shown in the figure, eight slave stimulation electrodes are evenly distributed in radial direction; a plurality of master stimulation electrodes 3 distributed in a dot matrix are arranged between two adjacent slave stimulation electrodes 4.

[0033] In this embodiment, the perceiver touches the stimulation electrode area 2 of the surface to be simulated by the tactile feedback device 1, and the main stimulation electrode 3 works to generate microcurrent; by setting the slave stimulation electrode 4 at the junction of the partition where the main stimulation electrode 3 is located and its adjacent partition, when the roughness of the surface to be simulated by the tactile feedback device 1 is greater than a preset threshold, the control module applies microcurrent to the slave stimulation electrodes 4 on both sides of the partition where the main stimulation electrode 3 is located, and guides the orientation of the main stimulation electrode 3 that generates microcurrent, so that the perceiver can more accurately judge the position of the partition where the main stimulation electrode that applies microcurrent to the fingertips is located, so as to improve the perceiver's tactile spatial position recognition ability.

[0034] For example, when the tactile feedback device 1 is a tactile feedback mouse, in a virtual game scene or a real game, go to a house, a square or a mountain, obtain the application scene information, and then generate a micro-current feedback on the surface of the tactile feedback mouse (this surface is the surface to be simulated) through the main stimulation electrode 3. According to the roughness of the surface to be simulated, the position of the main stimulation electrode 3 is guided by the secondary stimulation electrode 4 to improve the tactile spatial position recognition ability of the perceiver. For another example, when the tactile feedback device 1 is a surgical instrument, during surgery, the main stimulation electrode 3 generates a micro-current to respond to the tactile sensation on the surface of the patient's organ.

[0035] In another preferred embodiment, each slave stimulation electrode 4 includes a plurality of segmented sub-electrodes that can work independently and are arranged along its length direction. The stimulation current intensity and frequency of each segmented sub-electrode can be controlled separately, so that the control module can adjust the parameters of each segmented sub-electrode, such as current intensity and frequency, according to actual conditions to meet different stimulation requirements.

[0036] like Figure 2 As shown, in one embodiment, the main stimulation electrode 3 may be an existing conventional stimulation electrode, and its shape may be circular or rectangular.

[0037] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, in another preferred embodiment, the main stimulation electrode 3 includes an intermediate stimulation electrode 31 located in the middle for applying stimulation current, and a circular inhibition electrode 32 arranged outside the intermediate stimulation electrode 31 for inhibiting the diffusion of stimulation current. The circular inhibition electrode can inhibit the current from spreading outward, and can prevent the current stimulation generated by the tactile feedback electrode at one position from extending to other positions, reduce interference, and improve the recognition accuracy of the virtual tactile space position.

[0038] Among them, the middle stimulation electrode 31 is circular or rectangular; the amplitude of the inhibitory current generated by the circular inhibitory electrode 32 is 1 / 4 of the stimulation current of the middle stimulation electrode 31, and is opposite in phase to the stimulation current of the middle stimulation electrode, ensuring that the inhibitory current will not activate the tactile receptors and suppress the spread of the stimulation current to the greatest extent.

[0039] In this embodiment, the stimulation current and the inhibitory current are applied to the middle stimulation electrode 31 and the annular inhibitory electrode 32 at the same time; or the inhibitory current is applied to the annular inhibitory electrode 32 200 us after the stimulation current is applied to the middle stimulation electrode 31.

[0040] Example 2

[0041] Based on the same inventive concept as that of Embodiment 1, this embodiment provides a method for identifying a tactile spatial position using current guidance, comprising the following steps:

[0042] S1. Feedback the roughness of the surface to be simulated through the stimulation electrode area 2 of the tactile feedback device 1, and input the fed-back roughness into a control module.

[0043] In this step, the average roughness of the surface to be simulated is first calculated, specifically: the surface to be simulated is scanned by a laser sensor to obtain three-dimensional point cloud data; the surface to be simulated is meshed to obtain the depth values ​​of the grid points and the central point of the grid as concave-convex information; the difference between the depths of multiple grid points and the central point of the grid is obtained, and the absolute value of the multiple differences is taken and then the average value is taken as the average roughness of the surface to be simulated. Since the depth values ​​of the obtained grid points and the central point of the grid are used as concave-convex information, the concave-convex information is more accurate; and the difference between the depths of multiple sampling points and the central point in the grid is taken, and the average is calculated after the absolute value is taken, and the average roughness of the surface to be simulated is obtained, which can accurately, quickly and accurately calculate the average roughness of the surface to be simulated.

[0044] In this step, the input current of the main stimulation electrode is controlled by the control module to achieve tactile feedback of the surface roughness to be simulated corresponding to the partition where the main stimulation electrode is located, and the feedback roughness is input into the control module.

[0045] S2. The control module determines the difference between the roughness feedback from the tactile feedback device and the average roughness of the surface to be simulated. If the difference is less than a preset threshold, it is judged that the roughness feedback from the tactile feedback device is small, and the impact on the virtual tactile space position of the perceiver is small, and the associated slave stimulation electrode 4 is not started; if the difference is greater than the preset threshold, it is judged that the roughness feedback from the tactile feedback device is large, which will affect the recognition accuracy of the virtual tactile space position of the perceiver and the accuracy of positioning, and then step S3 is executed.

[0046] S3. Determine the extreme point and extreme region of the roughness fed back by the tactile feedback device; wherein the extreme point is the point where the roughness fed back by the tactile feedback device is the largest; the extreme region is centered on the extreme point and expanded outward to an area corresponding to n times the roughness value of the extreme point, 0<n<1.

[0047] Preferably, it is more appropriate to expand outward to 0.8 times the extreme point roughness value, so as to facilitate and quickly determine the specific information of the extreme area.

[0048] S4. Apply a microcurrent to the slave stimulation electrode corresponding to the partition of the master stimulation electrode where the extreme value area is located, and send out a positioning stimulation signal.

[0049] The extended extreme value region may span across multiple different main stimulation electrode partitions. When the extreme value region spans across multiple different main stimulation electrode partitions, the control module applies microcurrent to the slave stimulation electrodes of all spanned partitions.

[0050] A specific method for sending a positioning stimulation signal from the stimulation electrode 4 is: a microcurrent is applied to the slave stimulation electrode corresponding to the sub-region of the main stimulation electrode where the extreme value area is located by the control module, so that the slave stimulation electrode sends a positioning stimulation signal. A more preferred method is: the control module applies a microcurrent to each segmented sub-electrode in sequence along the length direction of the slave stimulation electrode starting from the center point of the stimulation electrode area, and the microcurrent applied to each segmented sub-electrode is from weak to strong. Therefore, the perceiver can obtain a positioning stimulation signal sent from the center point 21 of the stimulation electrode area 2 along the length direction of the slave stimulation electrode 4, and the positioning stimulation signal is transmitted in sequence in the segmented sub-electrodes of the slave stimulation electrode 4, and the frequency and voltage gradually increase. Since the stimulation signal gradually increases from weak to strong, it is beneficial for the perceiver to feel the stimulation microcurrent, and further improves the perceiver's tactile spatial position recognition ability.

[0051] Preferably, the maximum voltage of the segmented sub-electrode farthest from the central point 21 of the slave stimulation electrode 4 is less than half of the voltage corresponding to the extreme point (i.e., the maximum voltage of the main stimulation electrode 3). The maximum voltage of the slave stimulation electrode is limited to avoid excessive voltage of the slave stimulation electrode and ensure the safety of the subject.

[0052] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and that the scope of the present invention is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A tactile spatial position recognition system using current guidance, characterized in that: including a connected tactile feedback device and a control module; A stimulation electrode area is provided on the tactile feedback device; a plurality of rays extending from the center point of the stimulation electrode area to the periphery of the stimulation electrode area divide the stimulation electrode area into a plurality of subareas; a plurality of main stimulation electrodes are provided in each subarea, and a secondary stimulation electrode is provided at the junction of each subarea and its adjacent subarea; when the main stimulation electrode is touched, a microcurrent is generated on the skin, which is used to feedback the surface roughness information to be simulated in the application scenario; The control module is used to receive the roughness information of the surface to be simulated fed back by the tactile feedback device, and determine the partition where the touched main stimulation electrode is located according to the roughness information of the surface to be simulated; when the fed back roughness of the surface to be simulated is greater than a preset threshold, the control module determines the associated slave stimulation electrode, and applies a microcurrent to the associated slave stimulation electrode, so that the slave stimulation electrode guides the orientation of the partition where the touched main stimulation electrode is located; The control module determines the associated slave stimulation electrode in the following manner: The point with the largest roughness fed back by the tactile feedback device is determined as the extreme point of the roughness, and the area corresponding to the roughness value of n times the extreme point is expanded outwards as the extreme area, 0<n<1; Determine the slave stimulation electrode corresponding to the master stimulation electrode partition where the extreme value area is located as the associated slave stimulation electrode; The input current of the main stimulation electrode is controlled by the control module to realize the tactile feedback of the roughness of the simulated surface corresponding to the partition where the main stimulation electrode is located, and the feedback roughness is input into the control module; A plurality of secondary stimulation electrodes extend outward from the center point of the stimulation electrode zone and are radially and evenly arranged between two adjacent subareas.

2. The tactile space position recognition system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The secondary stimulation electrode is a strip-shaped structure.

3. The tactile space position recognition system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The slave stimulation electrode comprises a plurality of independently working segmented sub-electrodes arranged along the length direction thereof; the stimulation current intensity and frequency of each segmented sub-electrode are individually controlled by the control module.

4. The tactile space position recognition system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The main stimulation electrodes of each partition are distributed in a dot matrix; each main stimulation electrode includes a middle stimulation electrode located in the middle for applying stimulation current, and a circular inhibition electrode arranged outside the middle stimulation electrode for inhibiting the diffusion of stimulation current.

5. The tactile space position recognition system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The amplitude of the inhibitory current generated by the annular inhibitory electrode is 1 / 4 of the stimulation current of the middle stimulation electrode, and its phase is opposite to that of the stimulation current of the middle stimulation electrode.

6. A method for identifying tactile spatial position using current guidance, characterized in that: The method is implemented based on the tactile space position recognition system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising the following steps: S1, calculating the average roughness of the surface to be simulated; feeding back the roughness of the surface to be simulated through the stimulation electrode area of ​​the tactile feedback device, and inputting the fed-back roughness into the control module; S2, the control module determines the difference between the roughness feedback from the tactile feedback device and the average roughness of the surface to be simulated. If the difference is less than a preset threshold, it is determined that the roughness feedback from the tactile feedback device is small, and the associated slave stimulation electrode is not activated; if the difference is greater than the preset threshold, it is determined that the roughness feedback from the tactile feedback device is large, and step S3 is executed; S3, determining the extreme point and extreme region of the roughness feedback by the tactile feedback device; wherein the extreme point is the point where the roughness feedback by the tactile feedback device is the largest; the extreme region is the region corresponding to the roughness value n times the extreme point as the center, and 0<n<1; S4. Apply a microcurrent to the slave stimulation electrode corresponding to the partition of the master stimulation electrode where the extreme value area is located, and send out a positioning stimulation signal.

7. The tactile space position recognition method according to claim 6, characterized in that: In step S3, the area corresponding to the roughness value of 0.8 times the extreme point is expanded outward as the extreme value area; When the extreme value area spans across multiple different main stimulation electrode partitions, the control module in step S4 applies microcurrent to the slave stimulation electrodes of all the spanned partitions; The secondary stimulation electrode includes a plurality of independently working segmented sub-electrodes arranged along its length direction; the control module applies a microcurrent to each segmented sub-electrode in sequence along the length direction of the secondary stimulation electrode starting from the center point of the stimulation electrode area, and the microcurrent applied to each segmented sub-electrode increases from weak to strong.

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