Multi-dimensional plantar pressure sensing device and system

Abstract

The present application provides a multi-dimensional pressure sensing device and system for the sole of the foot, belonging to the field of medical device technology. The device includes: an insole body, including a flexible electrode layer and a force-conducting layer arranged on the flexible electrode layer, the flexible electrode layer includes at least one sensing unit, and the force-conducting layer is provided with a hemispherical force-conducting column corresponding to each sensing unit in at least one sensing unit on the side away from the flexible electrode layer, and the hemispherical force-conducting column is used to transmit the multi-dimensional pressure of the sole of the foot to at least one sensing unit, so that at least one sensing unit converts the multi-dimensional pressure of the sole of the foot into at least one group of sensing capacitance signals; an acquisition module, connected to at least one sensing unit, to convert at least one group of sensing capacitance signals into at least one group of detection voltage signals, and obtain the distributed pressure value of the sole of the foot based on at least one group of detection voltage signals. The present application can realize comprehensive monitoring of multi-dimensional pressure of the sole of the foot (including normal force and tangential force).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of medical device technology, and in particular to a multi-dimensional plantar pressure sensing device and system. Background Art

[0002] Real-time monitoring of plantar pressure signals is crucial for evaluating exercise effects, preventing foot diseases, and assisting rehabilitation training. To this end, the prior art proposes setting a pressure monitoring area on the insole to achieve real-time monitoring of plantar pressure.

[0003] However, existing pressure-sensing insoles can only monitor normal force (force perpendicular to the ground) but not tangential force. For athletes, monitoring tangential force is equally important because they need to quickly accelerate and exert force laterally during exercise. Existing technology cannot fully monitor multi-dimensional pressure on the sole of the foot, which limits its application in high-performance sports and rehabilitation training.

[0004] Therefore, developing an insole that can simultaneously monitor normal force and tangential force and provide more comprehensive plantar pressure data is a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present application is to provide a multi-dimensional plantar pressure sensing device and system to solve the above-mentioned problems.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, in a first aspect, the present application proposes a multi-dimensional plantar pressure sensing device, the multi-dimensional plantar pressure sensing device comprising:

[0007] The insole body comprises a flexible electrode layer and a force-conducting layer arranged on the flexible electrode layer, wherein the flexible electrode layer comprises at least one sensing unit, and the force-conducting layer is provided with a hemispherical force-conducting column corresponding to each sensing unit in the at least one sensing unit on a side away from the flexible electrode layer, wherein the hemispherical force-conducting column is used to transmit the multi-dimensional pressure of the sole to the at least one sensing unit, so that the at least one sensing unit converts the multi-dimensional pressure of the sole into at least one set of sensing capacitance signals;

[0008] The acquisition module is connected to the at least one sensing unit to convert the at least one group of sensing capacitance signals into at least one group of detection voltage signals, and obtain the plantar distribution pressure value based on the at least one group of detection voltage signals.

[0009] In some embodiments, the flexible electrode layer includes a first electrode layer arranged in the form of m rows, a second electrode layer arranged in the form of n columns, and a dielectric layer arranged between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer, the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer are crisscrossed to form the at least one sensing unit, each of the sensing units includes at least four capacitor nodes, and the at least four capacitor nodes are formed by crossing at least two rows of electrodes in the first electrode layer and at least two columns of electrodes in the second electrode layer, and m and n are integers greater than 1.

[0010] In some embodiments, the multi-dimensional plantar pressure includes normal force and tangential force, and the hemispherical force-guiding column is used to distribute the normal force and tangential force to the at least four capacitor nodes of the corresponding sensing unit to generate a set of sensing capacitor signals.

[0011] In some embodiments, the first electrode layer is arranged in series laterally and is located on the upper layer of the dielectric layer; the second electrode layer is arranged in series longitudinally and is located on the lower layer of the dielectric layer.

[0012] In some embodiments, the acquisition module is further used to transmit the plantar distribution pressure value to an electronic device, wherein the plantar distribution pressure value includes the pressure distribution of each capacitor node in each sensing unit when the sole of the subject contacts the insole body.

[0013] In some embodiments, the insole body further includes: a buffer pad disposed on the force-conducting layer, wherein the hardness of the buffer pad is lower than the hardness of the hemispherical force-conducting column.

[0014] In some embodiments, the multi-dimensional plantar pressure sensing device further comprises:

[0015] The inertial sensor unit is arranged at the ankle of the measured object and is used to collect the acceleration of the measured object in the horizontal direction.

[0016] In some embodiments, the inertial sensing unit is further used to transmit the horizontal acceleration to an electronic device.

[0017] In the second aspect, the present application also proposes a multi-dimensional plantar pressure sensing system, which includes an electronic device and the multi-dimensional plantar pressure sensing device as described above, the multi-dimensional plantar pressure sensing device and the electronic device are communicatively connected, the electronic device is used to receive the plantar distribution pressure value transmitted by the multi-dimensional plantar pressure sensing device, and calculate the estimated value of the plantar multi-dimensional pressure based on the plantar distribution pressure value and the multi-dimensional pressure calibration data of the multi-dimensional plantar pressure sensing device.

[0018] In some embodiments, the electronic device is used to receive the horizontal acceleration transmitted by the multi-dimensional plantar pressure sensing device, and calibrate the estimated value of the multi-dimensional plantar pressure based on the horizontal acceleration.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this application include:

[0020] First, by providing a hemispherical force-conducting column on the main body of the insole, the multi-dimensional pressure of the sole (including normal force and tangential force) can be more effectively transmitted to the sensing unit, thereby realizing comprehensive monitoring of the multi-dimensional pressure of the sole. Second, by detecting the pressure distribution of the sole through the sensing capacitance signal generated by each sensing unit in the flexible electrode layer, the accuracy and sensitivity of pressure sensing can be improved. Third, by integrating the acquisition module, efficient data processing and real-time monitoring of the pressure value of the sole distribution can be achieved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show certain embodiments of the present application and therefore should not be regarded as limiting the scope of the present application.

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a multi-dimensional plantar pressure sensing device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the distribution of sensing units in a multi-dimensional sole pressure sensing device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a hemispherical force-guiding column in a multi-dimensional sole pressure sensing device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 4 This is an exploded schematic diagram of an insole body in a multi-dimensional sole pressure sensing device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the positions of capacitor nodes in a multi-dimensional plantar pressure sensing device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the circuit structure of the acquisition module in the multi-dimensional plantar pressure sensing device according to one embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the force of a hemispherical force-guiding column in a multi-dimensional sole pressure sensing device according to an embodiment of the present application under a first force direction;

[0029] Figure 8This is a schematic diagram of the force of a hemispherical force-guiding column in a multi-dimensional sole pressure sensing device according to an embodiment of the present application under a second force direction;

[0030] Fig. 9 is a structural schematic diagram of a plantar multi-dimensional pressure calibration device involved in a plantar multi-dimensional pressure sensing device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Fig.10 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device involved in the multi-dimensional plantar pressure sensing system according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0032] Explanation of the accompanying drawings: 100-multi-dimensional pressure sensing device for the sole; 1-insoles; 10-flexible electrode layer; 101-sensing unit; 1011-capacitor node; 102-first electrode layer; 103-second electrode layer; 104-dielectric layer; 11-force guiding layer; 111-hemispherical force guiding column; 12-cushion pad; 2-acquisition module; 21-capacitance-pressure conversion unit; 22-control unit; 3-inertial sensing unit; 4-multi-dimensional pressure calibration device for the sole; 41-frame; 411-support top plate; 412-support bottom plate; 42-through ball screw motor; 43-double-layer horizontal displacement platform; 431-first horizontal displacement assembly; 432-second horizontal displacement assembly; 44-insoles upper splint; 45-insoles lower splint; 46-three-dimensional force sensor; 900-electronic equipment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the present application described and shown in the drawings here can be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0034] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present application provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the present application, but merely represents selected embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0035] It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters denote similar items in the following drawings, and therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, further definition and explanation thereof is not required in subsequent drawings.

[0036] In the description of this application, it should be noted that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc. indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, or the positions or positional relationships in which the product of the application is usually placed when in use. 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 position, be constructed and operated in a specific position, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on this application. In addition, the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. are only used to distinguish the description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0037] In addition, the terms "horizontal", "vertical", "overhanging" and the like do not mean that the components are required to be absolutely horizontal or overhanging, but can be slightly tilted. For example, "horizontal" only means that its direction is more horizontal than "vertical", and does not mean that the structure must be completely horizontal, but can be slightly tilted.

[0038] In the description of this application, it should also be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "set", "install", "connect", and "connect" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0039] As mentioned above, existing pressure detection insoles can only monitor normal force (force perpendicular to the ground) but cannot monitor tangential force. For athletes, monitoring of tangential force is equally important because they need rapid lateral acceleration and force during exercise. Existing technology cannot comprehensively monitor the multi-dimensional pressure of the sole of the foot, which limits its application in high-performance sports and rehabilitation training. Therefore, developing an insole that can simultaneously monitor normal force and tangential force and provide more comprehensive plantar pressure data is a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently. To this end, the present application proposes a multi-dimensional plantar pressure sensing device and system that can realize comprehensive monitoring of multi-dimensional plantar pressure (including normal force and tangential force).

[0040] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, a multi-dimensional plantar pressure sensing device 100 is provided, comprising:

[0041] The insole body 1 comprises a flexible electrode layer 10 and a force-conducting layer 11 disposed on the flexible electrode layer 10, wherein the flexible electrode layer 10 comprises at least one sensing unit 101, and the force-conducting layer 11 is provided with a hemispherical force-conducting column 111 convexly corresponding to each sensing unit 101 in the at least one sensing unit 101 on a side away from the flexible electrode layer 10, wherein the hemispherical force-conducting column 111 is used to transmit the multi-dimensional pressure of the sole to the at least one sensing unit 101, so that the at least one sensing unit 101 converts the multi-dimensional pressure of the sole into at least one set of sensing capacitance signals;

[0042] The acquisition module 2 is connected to the at least one sensing unit 101 to convert the at least one group of sensing capacitance signals into at least one group of detection voltage signals, and obtain the plantar distribution pressure value based on the at least one group of detection voltage signals.

[0043] In this embodiment, the flexible electrode layer 10 is a soft ionized pressure sensing material, which is flexible and bendable, and can adapt to the curvature and changes of the sole of the foot to more accurately measure the pressure distribution of the sole of the foot. The flexible electrode layer 10 includes at least one sensing unit 101, each sensing unit 101 does not interfere with each other, and can accurately and independently detect and measure the multi-dimensional pressure of the sole of the foot applied thereto.

[0044] It should be noted that the substrate of the flexible electrode layer 10 can be a polyimide (PI) film, but the conventional polyimide (PI) film is relatively soft and easily deformed during the measurement process, resulting in a large measurement error. Therefore, in this embodiment, a specially customized thickened polyimide (PI) film is used as the substrate. The thickened PI substrate has good flexibility, higher mechanical strength and stability, can better maintain the shape, and reduce measurement errors.

[0045] In some embodiments, the flexible electrode layer 10 includes a first electrode layer 102 arranged in the form of m rows, a second electrode layer 103 arranged in the form of n columns, and a dielectric layer 104 disposed between the first electrode layer 102 and the second electrode layer 103, and the first electrode layer 102 and the second electrode layer 103 are bonded in the form of edge sealing. The first electrode layer 102 and the second electrode layer 103 are crisscrossed to form at least one sensing unit 101, and each sensing unit 101 includes at least four capacitor nodes 1011, and the at least four capacitor nodes 1011 are formed by crossing at least two rows of electrodes in the first electrode layer 102 and at least two columns of electrodes in the second electrode layer 103, and m and n are integers greater than 1. When the sole of the subject stepped on the insole body 1, the multi-dimensional pressure of the sole of the subject acted on the flexible electrode layer 10, and caused the dielectric layer 104 to deform. The deformation of the dielectric layer 104 may cause the distance between the first electrode layer 102 and the second electrode layer 103 to change, thereby affecting the capacitance value of the capacitor node 1011, thereby converting the multi-dimensional pressure of the sole into a sensing capacitance signal.

[0046] In some embodiments, the transversely arranged electrodes in the first electrode layer 102 are evenly spaced in the form of m rows, and the longitudinally arranged electrodes in the second electrode layer 103 are evenly spaced in the form of n columns, so that the sensing units 101 formed by the crisscrossing of the first electrode layer 102 and the second electrode layer 103 are evenly spaced on the insole body 1. It can be understood that the evenly spaced sensing units 101 can provide more uniform pressure detection results and reduce the error of spatial resolution.

[0047] In some embodiments, the transversely arranged electrodes in the first electrode layer 102 are arranged in the form of m rows with uneven intervals, and the longitudinally arranged electrodes in the second electrode layer 103 are arranged in the form of n columns with uneven intervals, thereby achieving the non-uniform spacing of the sensing units 101 formed by the criss-crossing of the first electrode layer 102 and the second electrode layer 103 on the insole body 1.

[0048] Specifically, different distribution methods can be designed according to the different force-bearing areas on the soles of the subjects. For conventional subjects, the heel area is the main support point for the weight of the human body, and the forefoot area is the force point during walking or running. Therefore, the sensing unit 101 can be designed to have a greater arrangement density in the heel area and the forefoot area than in the arch area. For some subjects with low arches or flat feet, the arch area will be subject to greater pressure when walking or standing. Therefore, the sensing unit 101 can be designed to have a greater arrangement density in the arch area than in the heel area and the forefoot area.

[0049] It is understandable that in the actual detection of plantar pressure, more emphasis may be placed on the pressure detection accuracy of key points on the sole of the subject, and non-uniformly spaced sensing can provide higher detection accuracy in key areas of the sole, thereby further meeting the needs for high-precision detection of plantar pressure in different detection scenarios.

[0050] In some embodiments, the first electrode layers 102 are arranged in series in a transverse direction, and the second electrode layers 103 are arranged in series in a longitudinal direction. This arrangement enables the capacitor nodes 1011 in the sensing unit 101 to achieve high-density data acquisition in a limited space.

[0051] Exemplarily, assuming that 33 sensing units 101 are provided on the insole body 1, and each sensing unit 101 includes 4 capacitor nodes 1011, a total of 33*4=132 data points can be collected. If a single-data-point single-line connection method is adopted, the width of the line and the complexity of the wiring will cause great production difficulties for the multi-dimensional pressure sensing device 100 for the sole of the foot. This problem can be effectively solved by connecting the transversely arranged electrodes in the first electrode layer 102 in transverse series and the longitudinally arranged electrodes in the second electrode layer 103 in longitudinal series. This series connection method not only simplifies the wiring, but also improves the reliability and production efficiency of the multi-dimensional pressure sensing device 100 for the sole of the foot.

[0052] In some embodiments, the first electrode layer 102 is located on the upper layer of the dielectric layer 104, and the second electrode layer 103 is located on the lower layer of the dielectric layer 104. The horizontally arranged electrodes of the first electrode layer 102 can be used as driving ends, and the driving end adopts a single-row driving cycle, that is, only one row of electrodes is activated at a time. The vertically arranged electrodes of the second electrode layer 103 are used as collection ends, and the collection end performs multi-channel collection, that is, the sensing capacitance values ​​of all columns are collected simultaneously.

[0053] Specifically, each row of transversely arranged electrodes at the driving end is activated in sequence. When a row of transversely arranged electrodes is activated, all columns of longitudinally arranged electrodes at the acquisition end will simultaneously detect the capacitance change of the capacitor node 1011 formed by the transversely arranged electrodes in the row and the longitudinally arranged electrodes in each column. After the driving end completes the driving of all rows, that is, it is activated in sequence from the 1st row to the mth row, and the acquisition end completes the acquisition of the sensing capacitance signals of all columns, then the acquisition of one frame of sensing capacitance signals is completed. The one frame of sensing capacitance signals referred to in this embodiment includes each group of sensing capacitance signals measured by each sensing unit 101, that is, it includes the sensing capacitance signals measured by each capacitance node 1011. In this embodiment, on the one hand, by combining a single-row driving cycle with multi-channel acquisition, data acquisition can be completed efficiently, reducing acquisition time and computational complexity. On the other hand, by driving row by row, interference and signal overlap caused by driving multiple rows of electrodes at the same time can be avoided.

[0054] For example, Figure 6 As shown, the m rows of transversely arranged electrodes in the first electrode layer 102 and the n columns of longitudinally arranged electrodes in the second electrode layer 103 are crisscrossed to form m rows and n columns of capacitor nodes 1011, which can be represented by the first row C11-C1n, the second row C21-C2n, ..., the mth row Cm1-Cmn according to the row; and can be represented by the first column C11-Cm1, the second column C12-Cm2, ..., the nth column C1n-Cmn according to the column. Each capacitor node in each row of capacitor nodes has a driving end and a collecting end. In one embodiment, the driving end of each row of capacitor nodes is connected to the excitation voltage S1 when the row selection state of the row is selected, and the reference voltage Vref is input when the row selection state of the row is not selected. The excitation voltage S1 includes a positive excitation voltage and a negative excitation voltage that are alternately input, and the positive excitation voltage and the negative excitation voltage have opposite polarities.

[0055] In one embodiment, the driving end of each row of capacitor nodes can be respectively input with the excitation voltage S1 and the reference voltage Vref through the row selection switch (SW1-SWm) of each row. For example, the driving end of the capacitor nodes C11-C1n in the first row is respectively input with the excitation voltage S1 and the reference voltage Vref through the two paths of the row selection switch SW1; the driving end of the capacitor nodes C21-C2n in the second row is respectively input with the excitation voltage S1 and the reference voltage Vref through the two paths of the row selection switch SW2; and so on, the collection end of the capacitor nodes Cm1-Cmn in the mth row is respectively input with the excitation voltage S1 and the reference voltage Vref through the two paths of the row selection switch SWm.

[0056] In one embodiment, when the row selection state of the row is selected, the driving end of each row capacitor node is connected to the input path of the excitation voltage S1 through the row selection switch (SW1-SWm) of each row, so that the driving end of each row capacitor node 1011 inputs the excitation voltage S1; when the row selection state of the row is non-selected, the driving end is connected to the input path of the reference voltage Vref through the row selection switch (SW1-SWm) of each row, so that the driving end of each row capacitor node 1011 inputs the reference voltage Vref.

[0057] In this embodiment, the force-conducting layer 11 is located above the flexible electrode layer 10 , and a hemispherical force-conducting column 111 corresponding to each sensing unit 101 is protruded on the side away from the flexible electrode layer 10 to ensure that the multi-dimensional pressure on the sole of the foot can be accurately transmitted to each sensing unit 101 .

[0058] It should be understood that the pressure on the sole of the foot caused by movement is multi-dimensional, including normal force and tangential force. Normal force is the pressure perpendicular to the sole of the foot, while tangential force is the pressure parallel to the sole of the foot, which is usually generated when the foot moves or twists. Due to the symmetry of its protruding hemispherical structure, the hemispherical force-guiding column 111 can effectively transmit the tangential force to the sensing unit 101 regardless of the direction from which it comes, thereby realizing comprehensive detection of multi-dimensional pressure on the sole of the foot.

[0059] In some embodiments, Figure 5 As shown, the hemispherical force-guiding column 111 is used to distribute the normal force and the tangential force to at least four capacitor nodes 1011 of the corresponding sensing unit 101 to generate a set of sensing capacitance signals.

[0060] Specifically, Figure 7 As shown in FIG. 1 , when the normal force is applied to the sole of the foot, the top of the hemispherical force-guiding column 111 will first contact the pressure and evenly distribute it to the capacitor node 1011 below. Figure 8 As shown, when normal force and tangential force are applied to the sole of the foot at the same time, the side of the hemispherical force-guiding column 111 will be deformed by the tangential force, and the deformation will shift in the direction of the tangential force, causing the force points to shift in the same direction, which will cause uneven force, and the capacitor node 1011 in the offset direction will bear more pressure.

[0061] In this embodiment, the acquisition module 2 is electrically connected to at least one sensing unit 101, and is responsible for converting the sensing capacitance signal from each capacitance node 1011 in each sensing unit 101 into a detection voltage signal, and then obtaining the sensing capacitance value of the capacitance node 1011 corresponding to the detection voltage signal based on the analog-to-digital conversion calculation of the detection voltage signal, and obtaining the actual pressure value of the capacitance node 1011 based on the pressure calibration function of the capacitance node 1011.

[0062] Specifically, Figure 6 As shown, the acquisition module 2 includes:

[0063] At least one capacitance-voltage conversion unit 21, each capacitance-voltage conversion unit 21 includes an operational amplifier (OA1-OAn) and a reference capacitor (Cr1-Crn), two ends of the reference capacitor (Cr1-Crn) are respectively connected to the inverting input terminal and the output terminal of the operational amplifier (OA1-OAn); the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier (OA1-OAn) inputs the reference voltage Vref, and the output terminal of the operational amplifier (OA1-OAn) outputs the first detection voltage and the second detection voltage corresponding to the positive excitation voltage and the negative excitation voltage respectively; the collection terminal of each column capacitance node is configured to be respectively connected to the inverting input terminal of the corresponding operational amplifier (OA1-OAn) and the reference voltage Vref according to the column selection state;

[0064] The control unit 22 is connected to the output end of the operational amplifier (OA1-OAn), and is used to calculate the sensing capacitance value of the capacitance node of the target row based on the amplitude of the positive excitation voltage and the negative excitation voltage, the first detection voltage and the second detection voltage, and the capacitance value of the reference capacitor (Cr1-Crn), and convert the sensing capacitance value of the capacitance node of the target row into the foot plantar distribution pressure value. The target row here refers to the current selected row in the m-row and n-column capacitance node 1011, at which time the target row is in the selected state, and the driving end of the capacitance node of the target row is alternately input with the positive excitation voltage and the negative excitation voltage.

[0065] In one embodiment, the collection end of each column capacitance node in the m-row and n-column capacitance nodes 1011 is configured as: when the column selection state of the column is selected, it is connected to the inverting input end of the corresponding operational amplifier; when the column selection state of the column is not selected, the reference voltage Vref is input. Specifically, when the row selection state of the target row is selected, that is, the driving end of the capacitance node of the target row inputs the excitation voltage S1, at this time, the column selection state of each column is switched to selected, and the collection end of each column capacitance node is connected to the inverting input end of the corresponding operational amplifier.

[0066] In one embodiment, the collection end of each column of the m-row and n-column capacitor nodes 1011 is configured to be connected to the inverting input terminal of the corresponding operational amplifier (OA1-OAn) and the reference voltage Vref through the column selection switch (SWc1-SWcn) of each column. For example, the collection end of the first column capacitor node C11-Cm1 is connected to the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OA1 and the reference voltage Vref through the two paths of the column selection switch SWc1; the collection end of the second column capacitor node C12-Cm2 is connected to the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OA2 and the reference voltage Vref through the two paths of the column selection switch SWc2; and so on, the collection end of the nth column capacitor node C1n-Cmn is connected to the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OAn and the reference voltage Vref through the two paths of the column selection switch SWcn.

[0067] In one embodiment, the collection end of each column capacitance node in the m-row and n-column capacitance nodes 1011 is configured as follows: when the column selection state of the column is selected, the collection end of each column capacitance node is connected to the input path of the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier through the column selection switch (SWc1-SWcn) of each column, so that the collection end of each column capacitance node is connected to the inverting input terminal of the corresponding operational amplifier; when the column selection state of the column is non-selected, the collection end of each column capacitance node is connected to the input path of the reference voltage Vref through the column selection switch (SWc1-SWcn) of each column, so that the reference voltage Vref is input to the collection end of each column capacitance node.

[0068] In this embodiment, in each capacitance-voltage conversion unit 21, the reference voltage Vref is input to the non-phase input terminal of the operational amplifier (OA1-OAn), and the output terminal of the operational amplifier (OA1-OAn) can output the first detection voltage and the second detection voltage corresponding to the positive excitation voltage and the negative excitation voltage, respectively. The first detection voltage and the second detection voltage can be detected by the control unit 22 connected to the output terminal of the operational amplifier (OA1-OAn), and the control unit 22 can calculate the sensing capacitance value of the capacitance node of the target row in the m-row and n-column capacitance node 1011 based on the amplitude of the positive excitation voltage and the negative excitation voltage, the first detection voltage and the second detection voltage, and the capacitance value of the reference capacitor (Cr1-Crn). The target row here refers to the currently selected row in the m-row and n-column capacitance node 1011. At this time, the target row is in the selected state, and the driving end of the capacitance node of the target row is alternately input with the positive excitation voltage and the negative excitation voltage.

[0069] In some embodiments, the control unit 22 may include analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) channels of a number corresponding to the number of columns n of the m-row and n-column capacitor nodes 1011, and the output terminals of the operational amplifiers (OA1-OAn) corresponding to each column are respectively connected to the corresponding analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) channels. Under the combined effect of the excitation voltage S1 input to the driving terminal of the capacitor node of the target row and the reference voltage Vref input to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier (OA1-OAn) corresponding to each column, the first detection voltage and the second detection voltage output from the output terminal of the operational amplifier (OA1-OAn) are input to the analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) channel corresponding to the control unit 22, and the sensing capacitance value of each capacitor node of the target row is calculated after analog-to-digital conversion.

[0070] It should be noted that the calculation principle of the sensing capacitance value of the capacitor node in this embodiment can be found in the prior patent CN118961004B, the content of which is hereby introduced into this application and will not be elaborated in this application.

[0071] In some embodiments, the flexible electrode layer 10 is provided with a plug connected to each capacitor node 1011 in at least one sensing unit 101, and the plug may be a row of metal contact points for transmitting the sensing capacitance signal. The acquisition module 2 is provided with a socket matching the plug of the flexible electrode layer 10. A spring contact is provided inside the socket, and the spring contact can form a good electrical connection with the metal contact point on the plug.

[0072] In some embodiments, the acquisition module 2 can be fixed to the ankle of the subject by a strap to follow the ankle movement of the subject to be measured, thereby achieving real-time acquisition of multi-dimensional pressure on the sole of the foot.

[0073] In some embodiments, the acquisition module 2 can also transmit the plantar distribution pressure value to the electronic device through a wireless communication module (such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, zigbee, etc.), a wired transmission method (such as a serial port, a USB port, an Ethernet, etc.) or a storage method (such as a TF card, an SD card, a FLASH storage chip, etc.), wherein the plantar distribution pressure value includes the pressure distribution of each capacitor node 1011 in each sensing unit 101 when the sole of the subject contacts the insole body 1.

[0074] In some embodiments, the insole body 1 also includes a cushion pad 12 disposed on the force-conducting layer 11. The force-conducting layer 11, the cushion pad 12, and the flexible electrode layer 10 are fastened together by bonding. The hardness of the cushion pad 12 is lower than the hardness of the hemispherical force-conducting column 111 in order to prevent excessive multi-dimensional pressure on the sole of the foot and improve the comfort of wearing the insole. For example, if the hardness of the hemispherical force-conducting column 111 is 70A, which is suitable for conducting and dispersing pressure, the hardness of the cushion pad 12 can be set to 50A, which is relatively softer than the hemispherical force-conducting column 111 and is suitable for absorbing impact force and providing comfort. The cushion pad 12 in this embodiment can reduce the discomfort of the sole of the subject.

[0075] In some embodiments, a PVC (polyvinyl chloride) mesh cloth may be attached to the outer peripheral surface of the insole body 1. This is a composite material composed of a PVC coating and mesh fibers. It has good mechanical strength and tear resistance. The PVC mesh cloth attached to the outer peripheral surface can not only enhance the overall structural stability of the insole and prevent the insole from being deformed or damaged during use, but also increase the friction between the insole and the insole of the shoe, prevent the insole from sliding in the shoe, and improve the comfort and safety of wearing. In addition, the PVC mesh cloth can provide a variety of colors and patterns to increase the aesthetics of the insole and meet the needs of different test subjects.

[0076] In the multi-dimensional pressure sensing device 100 of the present application, on the first hand, by providing a hemispherical force-conducting column 111 on the insole body 1, the multi-dimensional pressure of the sole (including normal force and tangential force) can be more effectively transmitted to the sensing unit 101, thereby realizing comprehensive monitoring of the multi-dimensional pressure of the sole. On the second hand, the pressure distribution of the sole is detected by the sensing capacitance signal generated by each sensing unit 101 in the flexible electrode layer 10, which can improve the accuracy and sensitivity of pressure sensing. On the third hand, by integrating the acquisition module 2, efficient data processing and real-time monitoring of the pressure value of the sole distribution can be realized.

[0077] In one embodiment, the multi-dimensional plantar pressure sensing device 100 further includes:

[0078] The inertial sensor unit 3 is disposed at the ankle of the subject to be measured, and is used to collect the acceleration of the subject to be measured in the horizontal direction. In some embodiments, the inertial sensor unit 3 can be fixed to the ankle of the subject to be measured together with the collection module 2 through a strap.

[0079] In some embodiments, the direction perpendicular to the ground is used as the Z axis, the horizontal direction is used as the X-axis and Y-axis plane, the tangential force is the force in the X-axis and Y-axis directions, and the acceleration corresponding to the tangential force direction can be measured by the inertial sensor unit 3 in this embodiment.

[0080] In some embodiments, the inertial sensing unit 3 can transmit the measured horizontal acceleration to the electronic device through a wireless communication module (such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, zigbee, etc.), a wired transmission method (such as a serial port, a USB port, an Ethernet, etc.) or a storage method (such as a TF card, an SD card, a FLASH storage chip, etc.).

[0081] The multi-dimensional plantar pressure sensing device 100 in the present application is combined with an inertial sensor unit 3, which can more comprehensively collect the acceleration data of the object under test in the horizontal direction. The acceleration data can be used to correct the tangential force value calculated by the electronic device based only on the plantar distribution pressure value.

[0082] In one embodiment, the present application also provides a multi-dimensional pressure sensing system for the sole of the foot, comprising the multi-dimensional pressure sensing device 100 for the sole of the foot and an electronic device as described in any of the above embodiments, wherein the multi-dimensional pressure sensing device 100 for the sole of the foot and the electronic device are communicatively connected. The electronic device is used to receive the distributed pressure value of the sole of the foot transmitted by the multi-dimensional pressure sensing device 100 for the sole of the foot, and calculate the estimated value of the multi-dimensional pressure of the sole of the foot based on the distributed pressure value of the sole of the foot and the multi-dimensional pressure calibration data of the multi-dimensional pressure sensing device 100 for the sole of the foot.

[0083] In one embodiment, the multi-dimensional pressure calibration data in this embodiment can be based on Fig. 9The multi-dimensional plantar pressure calibration device shown in the figure is calibrated. The multi-dimensional plantar pressure calibration device in this embodiment includes:

[0084] The frame 41 is provided with a supporting top plate 411 and a supporting bottom plate 412;

[0085] A through-type ball screw motor 42 is disposed through the support top plate 411 to move in a vertical direction close to or away from the support bottom plate;

[0086] A double-layer horizontal displacement platform 43 is connected to one end of the through-type ball screw motor 42 toward the support base plate 412 to move in a horizontal direction;

[0087] The upper insole splint 44 is connected to the side of the double-layer horizontal displacement platform 43 facing the support base plate 412, and the upper insole splint 44 is provided with a first plane for applying multi-dimensional calibration pressure to the insole under test on the side facing the support base plate 412;

[0088] A three-dimensional force sensor 46, provided on the supporting base plate 412;

[0089] The lower insole splint 45 is arranged on the side of the three-dimensional force sensor 46 away from the supporting base plate 412. The lower insole splint 45 is provided with a second plane for placing the insole to be tested on the side facing the upper insole splint 44. Under the action of the through-type ball screw motor 42 and the double-layer horizontal displacement platform 43, the upper insole splint 44 applies multi-dimensional calibration pressure in vertical and horizontal directions to the insole to be tested placed on the second plane. The three-dimensional force sensor 46 is used to detect the multi-dimensional calibration pressure applied to the insole to be tested.

[0090] In some embodiments, the double-layer horizontal displacement platform 43 includes a first horizontal displacement component 431 and a second horizontal displacement component 432, the first horizontal displacement component 431 and the second horizontal displacement component 432 are overlapped in the vertical direction, the first horizontal displacement component 431 is used to move along the first horizontal direction, the second horizontal displacement component 432 is used to move along the second horizontal direction, and the first horizontal direction and the second horizontal direction are perpendicular to each other on the same horizontal plane. By simultaneously controlling the first horizontal displacement component 431 and the second horizontal displacement component 432, the upper cleat 44 of the insole can be controlled to apply a tangential force in any horizontal direction to the insole under the action of the first horizontal displacement component 431 and the second horizontal displacement component 432.

[0091] Based on the above multi-dimensional pressure calibration device 4 for the sole of the foot, the operator places the insole to be tested on the second plane of the lower splint 45 of the insole and ensures that its position is stable. The through-type ball screw motor 42 is controlled to gradually apply the normal force in the vertical direction with the normal force step point (for example, 5N). At each step point, the reading of the three-dimensional force sensor 46 is recorded until the required maximum normal force is reached. For each normal force step point, the first horizontal displacement component 431 and the second horizontal displacement component 432 are respectively controlled to apply pressure in different horizontal directions to achieve the application of horizontal resultant force to multiple target horizontal directions on the same horizontal plane. In each target horizontal direction, the horizontal resultant force (for example, 0.5N) is gradually increased according to the tangential force step point until the required maximum horizontal resultant force is reached. The maximum horizontal resultant force refers to the critical value of the horizontal resultant force applied when the upper splint of the insole and the insole to be tested changes from static friction to sliding friction. When the horizontal resultant force in a certain horizontal direction reaches the critical value of the horizontal resultant force, the reading of the three-dimensional force sensor 46 no longer increases with the increase of the horizontal resultant force, but maintains a stable value. At this time, the tangential force calibration in this horizontal direction at the normal force step point can be considered to be completed. Repeat the above calibration process until the pressure calibration of all target horizontal directions is completed.

[0092] It should be noted that during the calibration process, it is necessary to ensure that at each normal force step point and each tangential force step point, the readings of the three-dimensional force sensor are stable before recording the pressure values ​​measured by the capacitive nodes in each sensing unit in the insole under test.

[0093] In this embodiment, the plantar distribution pressure value collected in real time is matched with the calibration data, and the data point closest to the current plantar distribution pressure value is found in the calibration data as the estimated value of the multi-dimensional plantar pressure (normal force and tangential force).

[0094] In some embodiments, the electronic device 900 is further configured to receive the horizontal acceleration transmitted by the plantar multi-dimensional pressure sensing device 100, and calibrate the estimated value of the plantar multi-dimensional pressure based on the horizontal acceleration.

[0095] In this embodiment, the direction perpendicular to the ground is regarded as the z-axis, and the tangential force can be regarded as the force in the xy direction. If there is force, there will be acceleration. The inertial sensor unit 3 can detect the acceleration in the xy direction. .in, is the tangential force that needs to be calculated, which only exists in the xy direction (the z axis is regarded as the normal vector of the ground). .in, represents the horizontal acceleration, and Respectively represent the acceleration components in the xy direction in the horizontal plane. The mass m can be measured by the normal resultant force of the insole body 1, thereby calculating the total tangential force value of a single insole. This value can be used to calibrate the estimated value of the multi-dimensional pressure of the sole. By introducing the acceleration data in the horizontal direction, this embodiment can more accurately calibrate the estimated value of the multi-dimensional pressure of the sole, thereby effectively improving the accuracy and reliability of the multi-dimensional pressure measurement of the sole.

[0096] In this embodiment, the electronic device 900 includes one or more processors; a memory, in which one or more programs are stored, wherein when the one or more programs are executed by one or more processors, the one or more processors execute the steps in the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0097] In one embodiment, Fig.10 As shown, it shows a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device 900 for receiving the plantar distribution pressure value transmitted by the plantar multi-dimensional pressure sensing device 100. The electronic device 900 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 901, which can perform various appropriate actions and processes according to the program stored in the read-only memory (ROM) 902 or the program loaded from the storage part 908 to the random access memory (RAM) 903. In the RAM 903, various programs and data required for the operation of the electronic device 900 are also stored. The CPU 901, the ROM 902, and the RAM 903 are connected to each other through the bus 904. The input / output (I / O) interface 905 is also connected to the bus 904.

[0098] The following components are connected to the I / O interface 905: an input section 906 including a keyboard, a mouse, etc.; an output section 907 including a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), etc., and a speaker, etc.; a storage section 908 including a hard disk, etc.; and a communication section 909 including a network interface card such as a LAN card, a modem, etc. The communication section 909 performs communication processing via a network such as the Internet. A drive 910 is also connected to the I / O interface 905 as needed. A removable medium 911, such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor memory, etc., is installed on the drive 910 as needed, so that a computer program read therefrom is installed into the storage section 908 as needed.

[0099] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit it. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or replace some or all of the technical features therein with equivalents. However, these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

[0100] In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that, although some embodiments herein include certain features included in other embodiments but not other features, the combination of features of different embodiments is meant to be within the scope of the present application and form different embodiments. For example, in the above claims, any one of the claimed embodiments may be used in any combination. The information disclosed in this background technology section is intended only to deepen the understanding of the overall background technology of the present application and should not be regarded as an admission or in any form of implication that the information constitutes prior art known to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A multi-dimensional pressure sensing device for the sole of the foot, characterized in that: The multi-dimensional sole pressure sensing device comprises: A shoe insole body, comprising a flexible electrode layer and a force-conducting layer arranged on the flexible electrode layer, wherein the flexible electrode layer comprises a plurality of sensing units, wherein the force-conducting layer is provided with a plurality of hemispherical force-conducting columns corresponding to each of the plurality of sensing units on a side away from the flexible electrode layer, wherein the plurality of hemispherical force-conducting columns are used to transmit multi-dimensional pressure of the sole of the foot to the plurality of sensing units, so that the plurality of sensing units convert the multi-dimensional pressure of the sole of the foot into a plurality of sets of sensing capacitance signals; wherein the flexible electrode layer comprises a first electrode layer arranged in the form of m rows and a second electrode layer arranged in the form of n columns and a dielectric layer arranged between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer, wherein the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer are crisscrossed to form the plurality of sensing units, wherein each of the sensing units comprises at least four capacitance nodes, wherein the at least four capacitance nodes are formed by crossing at least two rows of electrodes in the first electrode layer and at least two columns of electrodes in the second electrode layer, and m and n are integers greater than 1; The acquisition module is connected to the plurality of sensing units to convert the plurality of sensing capacitance signals into a plurality of detection voltage signals, and obtain the plantar distribution pressure values ​​based on the plurality of detection voltage signals.

2. The multi-dimensional plantar pressure sensing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The multi-dimensional sole pressure includes normal force and tangential force, and the hemispherical force-guiding column is used to distribute the normal force and tangential force to the at least four capacitance nodes of the corresponding sensing unit to generate a set of sensing capacitance signals.

3. The multi-dimensional pressure sensing device for the sole of the foot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first electrode layer is arranged in series in a transverse manner and is located on the upper layer of the dielectric layer; the second electrode layer is arranged in series in a longitudinal manner and is located on the lower layer of the dielectric layer.

4. The multi-dimensional plantar pressure sensing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The acquisition module is also used to transmit the sole distribution pressure value to an electronic device, wherein the sole distribution pressure value includes the pressure distribution of each capacitor node in each sensing unit when the sole of the subject contacts the insole body.

5. The multi-dimensional plantar pressure sensing device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The insole body also includes: a buffer pad arranged on the force-conducting layer, and the hardness of the buffer pad is lower than the hardness of the hemispherical force-conducting column.

6. The multi-dimensional plantar pressure sensing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The multi-dimensional pressure sensing device for the sole of the foot also includes: The inertial sensor unit is arranged at the ankle of the measured object and is used to collect the acceleration of the measured object in the horizontal direction.

7. The multi-dimensional plantar pressure sensing device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The inertial sensing unit is also used to transmit the acceleration in the horizontal direction to the electronic device.

8. A multi-dimensional pressure sensing system for the sole of the foot, characterized in that: The plantar multi-dimensional pressure sensing system includes an electronic device and a plantar multi-dimensional pressure sensing device as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, the plantar multi-dimensional pressure sensing device and the electronic device are communicatively connected, the electronic device is used to receive the plantar distribution pressure value transmitted by the plantar multi-dimensional pressure sensing device, and calculate the estimated value of the plantar multi-dimensional pressure based on the plantar distribution pressure value and the multi-dimensional pressure calibration data of the plantar multi-dimensional pressure sensing device.

9. The multi-dimensional plantar pressure sensing system according to claim 8, characterized in that: The electronic device is used to receive the horizontal acceleration transmitted by the multi-dimensional plantar pressure sensing device, and calibrate the estimated value of the multi-dimensional plantar pressure based on the horizontal acceleration.

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