Wearable sleeve and gesture recognition method thereof

Abstract

The application discloses a wearable sleeve and a gesture recognition method thereof. The wearable sleeve comprises a sleeve body and a plurality of micro-tube sensors arranged on the sleeve body. Each micro-tube sensor comprises a micro-tube and a pair of wires. Both ends of the micro-tube are sealed and contain a conductive liquid inside. Each pair of wires is drawn from both ends of the micro-tube and electrically connected with the conductive liquid. The micro-tube of each micro-tube sensor covers a respective forearm muscle area. The muscles of the covered single or multiple muscle areas are used to control gesture actions. The application also provides a gesture recognition method based on the wearable sleeve. The sleeve body is worn on the forearm of a subject so that each micro-tube sensor is attached to a respective covered forearm muscle area. The resistance signals conducted by the pair of wires of each micro-tube sensor are collected, and the gestures of the subject are recognized based on the combination of the collected resistance signals. The above scheme can improve the accuracy of gesture recognition.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of flexible electronics technology, and in particular to a wearable sleeve and its gesture recognition method. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, gesture recognition technology has achieved certain research results. Based on different principles, sensors with different structures and functions can be designed and manufactured to recognize different gestures. Gesture recognition technology is mainly divided into two categories: recognition methods based on camera vision technology and recognition methods based on wearable devices.

[0003] Specifically, recognition methods based on camera vision technology often require large imaging devices to capture gesture images. This method lacks concealment and is unsuitable for scenarios requiring encrypted communication. Wearable device-based recognition methods commonly integrate sensors into wearable gloves. For example, sensors are attached to the palm or finger joints during use, monitoring finger movements to determine and recognize gestures. However, because the sensors are directly distributed on the palm or fingers, this method somewhat restricts the complete freedom of hand or finger movement, resulting in lower accuracy in gesture recognition. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem solved by the embodiments of the present invention is how to improve the accuracy of gesture recognition.

[0005] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this invention provides a wearable sleeve, comprising: a sleeve body; and multiple microtube sensors arranged on the sleeve body, each microtube sensor including a microtube and a pair of wires, the two ends of the microtube being sealed and containing a conductive liquid inside, each pair of wires being led out from both ends of the microtube and electrically connected to the conductive liquid; wherein, the microtube of each microtube sensor has its own covered forearm muscle area, and the muscles to which the covered single or multiple muscle areas belong are used to control hand gestures.

[0006] Optionally, the plurality of microtubule sensors include one or more of the following: a first microtubule sensor, a second microtubule sensor, a third microtubule sensor, and a fourth microtubule sensor, wherein the forearm muscle regions covered by the microtubules of each microtubule sensor are as follows: the first microtubule sensor covers the central region of the flexor digitorum superficialis muscle, and is used to monitor the flexion and / or wrist flexion movements of the four fingers other than the thumb by detecting the increase / decrease in the resistance signal of the first microtubule sensor based on the contraction / relaxation of the flexor digitorum superficialis muscle; the second microtubule sensor covers the central region of the flexor pollicis longus muscle, and is used to monitor the flexion and / or wrist flexion movements of the second microtubule sensor based on the increase / decrease in the resistance signal of the second microtubule sensor caused by the contraction / relaxation of the flexor pollicis longus muscle. The microtubular sensor monitors the thumb's flexion movement by detecting changes in its resistance signal; the third microtubular sensor covers the central region of the extensor pollicis muscles and is used to monitor the extension and / or wrist extension movements of the four fingers other than the thumb based on changes in the resistance signal of the third microtubular sensor caused by the contraction / relaxation of the extensor pollicis muscles; the fourth microtubular sensor covers the central region of the extensor pollicis longus muscle and the region adjacent to it that belongs to the abductor pollicis longus muscle, and is used to monitor the thumb's extension and / or abductor pollicis longus movements by detecting changes in the resistance signal of the fourth microtubular sensor caused by the contraction / relaxation of the extensor pollicis longus and abductor pollicis longus muscles.

[0007] Optionally, the plurality of microtube sensors further include one or more of the following: a fifth microtube sensor and a sixth microtube sensor; the fifth microtube sensor covers the flexor digitorum superficialis tendon and the flexor pollicis longus tendon at the wrist, and is used to monitor the flexion and / or wrist flexion movements of the thumb and the other four fingers based on the changes in the resistance signal of the fifth microtube sensor caused by the movement of the flexor digitorum superficialis tendon and the flexor pollicis longus tendon; the sixth microtube sensor covers the extensor digitorum tendon, the extensor pollicis longus tendon, and the abductor pollicis longus tendon at the wrist, and is used to monitor the changes in the resistance signal of the sixth microtube sensor caused by the movement of the extensor digitorum tendon, the extensor pollicis longus tendon, and the abductor pollicis longus tendon, and is used to monitor one or more of the following movements: extension movements of the thumb and the other four fingers, abduction movements of the thumb, and wrist extension movements.

[0008] Optionally, the plurality of microtube sensors further includes a seventh microtube sensor; the seventh microtube sensor covers the central region of the flexor carpi radialis, the muscle region between the origin and center point of the flexor digitorum superficialis, and the muscle region between the origin and center point of the flexor pollicis longus, and is used to monitor one or more of the following actions based on the change in the resistance signal of the seventh microtube sensor caused by the contraction / relaxation of the flexor carpi radialis, flexor digitorum superficialis, and flexor pollicis longus: elbow flexion, forearm abduction, flexion of the thumb and the other four fingers, and wrist flexion.

[0009] Optionally, the extension direction of the microtubes of each microtube sensor is perpendicular to the extension direction of the muscle or tendon it covers.

[0010] Optionally, the shape of the microtubes of each microtube sensor is selected from straight strips or wavy lines, and the straight-line distance between the start and end points of each microtube sensor is the same as the cross-sectional diameter of the covered muscle area.

[0011] Optionally, the wearable sleeve further includes: a data acquisition module electrically connected to the lead-out end of each pair of wires, used to acquire the resistance signal transmitted by each pair of wires; and a gesture recognition module electrically connected to the data acquisition module, used to perform gesture recognition based on the combination of the acquired resistance signals transmitted by each microtube sensor.

[0012] Optionally, the data acquisition module and the gesture recognition module are integrated into a chip.

[0013] This invention also provides a gesture recognition method based on the wearable sleeve described above, comprising: wearing the sleeve body on the forearm of the subject so that each microtube sensor is attached to the forearm muscle area it covers; collecting the resistance signal transmitted by the paired wires of each microtube sensor, and recognizing the subject's gesture based on the combination of the collected resistance signals.

[0014] Optionally, the step of recognizing the subject's gesture based on the combination of collected resistance signals includes: inputting the combination of collected resistance signals into a pre-trained gesture recognition model to obtain the subject's gesture; wherein, the gesture recognition model is obtained by training a preset neural network model using multiple sets of sample resistance signals and sample gestures corresponding to each set of sample resistance signals as training datasets.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution of the embodiments of the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0016] In this embodiment of the invention, a wearable sleeve with high sensitivity and high resolution is provided. By arranging multiple microtube sensors on the wearable sleeve, each microtube sensor can cover the muscle area of ​​the forearm used to control finger and / or wrist movements when the user wears the sleeve. This allows for the detection and recognition of specific hand gestures by monitoring the resistance signal changes of the microtube sensors caused by the contraction / relaxation of the muscles that pull on the fingers. Compared to existing camera-vision-based gesture recognition schemes, this implementation eliminates the need for complex shooting equipment, offering greater convenience and privacy. It is suitable for scenarios requiring encrypted communication or where voice transmission is obstructed, as well as entertainment scenarios and scenarios requiring remote control of large equipment. Furthermore, compared to existing technologies that attach sensors to the palm or finger joints, the microtube sensors in this implementation are attached to the forearm muscles, without restricting the free movement of the palm or fingers, allowing for the acquisition of more accurate signals and improving the accuracy of gesture recognition.

[0017] Furthermore, this embodiment of the invention not only uses different microtube sensors to cover multiple muscle regions controlling different movements to achieve the recognition of various hand gestures, but also, for the same type of movement, uses multiple microtube sensors to jointly cover multiple muscle regions controlling the same movement but in different locations (i.e., using a "multi-point coverage" scheme to jointly monitor the same type of movement). For example, a third microtube sensor (as the main sensor) covers the central region of the finger extensor muscles, and a sixth microtube sensor (as an auxiliary sensor) covers the extensor tendons, extensor pollicis longus tendon, and abductor pollicis longus tendon at the wrist, to jointly monitor the extension and wrist movements of the four fingers other than the thumb. This improves the richness of the acquired signals and the accuracy of hand gesture recognition. Furthermore, compared to covering all muscles with a large number of sensors, this embodiment achieves a balance between cost, complexity, and the accuracy and diversity of recognized hand gestures through appropriate sensor placement in the functional muscle regions of the forearm and an appropriate number of sensors.

[0018] Furthermore, since the perimeter of the muscle cross-section (i.e., the surface perpendicular to the muscle's extension direction) increases during muscle contraction, in this embodiment of the invention, the extension direction of the microtubes of each microtube sensor is perpendicular to the extension direction of the muscle or tendon they cover. This helps to improve the sensitivity and accuracy of monitoring muscle changes and corresponding changes in resistance signals.

[0019] Furthermore, in this embodiment of the invention, a fifth microtube sensor and a sixth microtube sensor are configured to cover the corresponding tendon areas of the wrist. Compared to other tendon areas, the wrist has less muscle content, and tendon movement in this area is more pronounced. Therefore, the monitoring process of the resistance signal generated by tendon movement is less affected by changes in resistance signal caused by muscle contraction. This helps to improve the sensitivity and accuracy of monitoring tendon movement and the corresponding resistance signal. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a single microtube sensor in a wearable sleeve provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figures 2 to 5 This is a schematic diagram of the muscle region covered by multiple microtube sensors according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of the gesture recognition method for wearable sleeves according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram showing the distribution of various microtube sensors on the surface of the forearm in a wearable sleeve. Detailed Implementation

[0024] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features and beneficial effects of the present invention more apparent and understandable, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0025] Reference Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a single microtube sensor in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] The microtube sensor includes a microtube 11 and a pair of wires 13. The two ends 14 of the microtube 11 are sealed and contain a conductive liquid 12. Each pair of wires 13 is led out from the two ends 14 of the microtube 11 and electrically connected to the conductive liquid 12.

[0027] In specific implementations, the microtube 11 can be a flexible microtube made of a polymer, which can be selected from, but is not limited to, silicone rubber, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), biodegradable plastic (Ecoflex), or other types of elastic polymers. The conductive liquid filling the interior of the microtube 11 can be selected from, liquid metal, conductive gel, ionic liquid, and salt solution, etc., wherein the liquid metal can be selected from, but is not limited to, gallium (Ga), gallium (Ga)-indium (In) alloy, gallium (Ga)-indium (In)-tin (Sn) alloy, and gallium, gallium-indium alloy, or gallium-indium-tin alloy doped with one or more transition metals or solid non-metallic elements. The sealing material used at both ends 14 of the microtube 11 can be a two-component epoxy resin sealant.

[0028] As an example, the following steps can be used to create... Figure 1 The microtube sensor shown is as well as a wearable sleeve that includes multiple of the microtube sensors.

[0029] (1) First, fabricate several microtube sensors: Cut flexible microtubes with an outer diameter of 500μm to 6000μm (e.g., 560μm) and an inner diameter of 220μm to 250μm (e.g., 210μm) to the required length, and inject conductive metal (gallium indium eutectic in this example) into the flexible microtubes using a syringe; insert silver-plated copper wires with a diameter of 200μm to 220μm (e.g., 210μm) into both ends of the microtubes as paired wires, ensuring that the wires are in contact with the liquid metal; seal the connection between the flexible microtubes and the wires using a two-component epoxy resin sealant, thereby fabricating the sensor. Figure 1 The microtube sensor shown is an example of a microtube sensor. Because the microtube sensor in this embodiment of the invention has a thin wall, it has high sensitivity and good waterproof performance, maintaining strong operability even in water or humid conditions.

[0030] (2) The microtube sensors are arranged on the sleeve body using hot pressing technology: hot melt adhesive strips are placed on the side of the microtube sensor facing the sleeve and the side facing away from the sleeve, respectively; a heating device (e.g., an iron) is used to bond the hot melt adhesive strips to the microtube sensors, and the bonded microtube sensors are placed on the sleeve in the area corresponding to the muscle area covered by the microtube sensor, so that the microtubes of each microtube sensor have their own forearm muscle area covered; the area where the microtube sensors are placed is heated using a heating device to initially bond the microtube sensors to the sleeve; the high-temperature pressure device is connected to the power supply and the power switch is turned on to ensure that the device starts working; the heating temperature is set to about 100°C using the control panel on the device, the heating time is set to 9s to 12s (e.g., 10s), and the air pressure is adjusted to about 0.4Pa; the part with the bonded microtube sensors is placed on the test bench, and the test is started under the set temperature and pressure to heat and pressurize the location of the microtube sensors, thereby firmly bonding the microtube sensors to the sleeve.

[0031] In practice, the sleeve body can be made of thin, elastic fabric. To avoid friction and wear of the microtube sensors between the arm skin and the microtube sensors during wear, each microtube sensor can be distributed at a corresponding position on the outer surface of the sleeve body. The position of each sensor on the sleeve body corresponds to the forearm muscle area covered by the sensor after the user wears the sleeve.

[0032] In practical applications, a double-layered sandwich sleeve can be used to meet specific needs. For example, the microtubular sensor can be attached to the first layer of the sleeve (the sleeve that directly adheres to the skin of the forearm), and then a second layer of the sleeve can be placed over the first layer where the sensor has been attached. This provides further protection for the microtubular sensor.

[0033] The following combination Figures 2 to 6 This document describes the muscle areas covered by the multiple microtube sensors on the wearable sleeve during actual use of the wearable sleeve according to embodiments of the present invention, as well as the related principles and technical effects.

[0034] In one specific embodiment, the wearable sleeve includes four microtube sensors, referred to as the first microtube sensor (sensor1), the second microtube sensor (sensor2), the third microtube sensor (sensor3), and the fourth microtube sensor (sensor4).

[0035] like Figure 2 As shown, the muscle area covered by sensor1 is the flexor digitorum superficialis (corresponding to...). Figure 2 The central region of the muscle (marked in green) is used to monitor the flexion and / or wrist movements of the four fingers other than the thumb, based on the increase / decrease in the resistance signal of sensor1 caused by the contraction / relaxation of the superficial flexor digitorum muscles.

[0036] Specifically, when the other four fingers flex, the flexor digitorum superficialis muscles contract (i.e., the muscles exert force), resulting in an increase in the cross-sectional area (specifically, the area perpendicular to the direction of muscle extension) (or an increase in muscle circumference, which is particularly significant in the central region of the muscle), thereby stretching sensor1 and increasing its resistance value. Conversely, when the other four fingers return to a relaxed state from a flexed state, the flexor digitorum superficialis muscles relax, resulting in a decrease in cross-sectional area (or a decrease in muscle circumference), thereby restoring the length of sensor1 to its natural state and decreasing its resistance value.

[0037] like Figure 3 As shown, the muscle area covered by sensor2 is the flexor pollicis longus (corresponding to...). Figure 3 The central region of the muscle (marked in green) is used to monitor thumb flexion movements based on changes in the resistance signal of sensor2 caused by the contraction / relaxation of the flexor pollicis longus.

[0038] Specifically, when the thumb flexes, the flexor pollicis longus muscle contracts (i.e., the muscle exerts force), resulting in an increase in cross-sectional area (or muscle circumference), which in turn stretches sensor 2 and increases its resistance. Conversely, when the thumb relaxes from a flexed position, the flexor pollicis longus muscle relaxes, resulting in a decrease in cross-sectional area (or muscle circumference), which in turn restores the length of sensor 2 to its natural state and decreases its resistance.

[0039] like Figure 4 As shown, sensor3 covers the extensor digitorum muscles (corresponding to...) Figure 4 The central region of the muscle (marked in green) is used to monitor the extension movements of the four fingers other than the thumb and / or wrist extension movements of sensor3 based on the changes in the resistance signal caused by the contraction / relaxation of the finger extensor muscles.

[0040] Specifically, when the other four fingers extend, the extensor muscles contract (i.e., the muscles exert force), resulting in an increase in cross-sectional area (or muscle circumference), which in turn stretches sensor 3 and increases its resistance. Conversely, when the other four fingers return to a relaxed state from an extension position, the extensor muscles relax, resulting in a decrease in cross-sectional area (or muscle circumference), which in turn restores the length of sensor 3 to its natural state and decreases its resistance.

[0041] like Figure 5 As shown, sensor 4 covers the central region of the extensor pollicis longus muscle and the region adjacent to it that belongs to the abductor pollicis longus muscle. It is used to monitor the extension and / or abduction movements of the thumb based on the changes in the resistance signal of sensor 4 caused by the contraction / relaxation of the extensor pollicis longus and abductor pollicis longus muscles.

[0042] Specifically, when the thumb extends, the extensor pollicis longus muscle contracts (i.e., the muscle exerts force), resulting in an increase in cross-sectional area (or muscle circumference), which in turn stretches sensor 4 and increases its resistance. Conversely, when the thumb returns to a relaxed state from an extension position, the extensor pollicis longus muscle relaxes, resulting in a decrease in cross-sectional area (or muscle circumference), which in turn restores sensor 4 to its natural length and decreases its resistance.

[0043] Similarly, when the thumb is abducted, the abductor pollicis longus muscle contracts (i.e., the muscle exerts force), resulting in an increase in cross-sectional area (or muscle circumference), which in turn stretches sensor4 and increases its resistance. Conversely, when the thumb returns to a relaxed state from an abducted position, the abductor pollicis longus muscle relaxes, resulting in a decrease in cross-sectional area (or muscle circumference), which in turn restores the length of sensor4 to its natural state and decreases its resistance.

[0044] It should be noted that the inventors of this application have discovered that during the process of extending the thumb, the thumb abduction movement is often accompanied by the movement of the thumb, which requires the coordinated control of the extensor pollicis longus and abductor pollicis longus muscles. Therefore, in practical applications, sensor4 spans the two major muscles of the extensor pollicis longus and abductor pollicis longus muscles. Among them, the main focus is on monitoring the changes of the extensor pollicis longus muscle (corresponding to the thumb extension movement). Therefore, sensor4 mainly covers the central area of ​​the extensor pollicis longus muscle.

[0045] In another specific embodiment, the wearable sleeve may include, in addition to the above four microtube sensors (sensor1 to sensor4), a fifth microtube sensor (sensor5) and / or a sixth microtube sensor (sensor6) to assist in monitoring one or more of the following actions based on sensors1 to sensor4: finger flexion, finger extension, wrist flexion, and wrist extension.

[0046] Continue to refer to Figure 2 Sensor 5 covers the flexor digitorum superficialis tendon and flexor pollicis longus tendon at the wrist, and is used to assist in monitoring the flexion movements of the thumb and the other four fingers and / or wrist flexion movements based on the changes in the resistive signal of sensor 5 caused by the movement of the flexor digitorum superficialis tendon and flexor pollicis longus tendon.

[0047] Specifically, the flexor digitorum superficialis tendons refer to the four tendons extending from the flexor digitorum superficialis muscle, each corresponding to one of the other four fingers. They work in conjunction with the flexor digitorum superficialis muscle to control the flexion movement of the corresponding finger. When one or more of the other four fingers flex, the flexor digitorum superficialis tendons move, causing the tendon portion to protrude, thus compressing sensor 5 and increasing its resistance. Conversely, when one or more of the other four fingers return to a relaxed state, the flexor digitorum superficialis tendons return to their original state, allowing sensor 5 to return to its natural length and decreasing its resistance.

[0048] The flexor pollicis longus tendon is a tendon extending from the flexor pollicis longus muscle, which works in conjunction with the flexor pollicis longus to control the flexion of the thumb. When the thumb flexes, the flexor pollicis longus tendon moves, causing the tendon section to protrude, which in turn compresses sensor 5 and increases its resistance. Conversely, when the thumb returns to a relaxed state, the flexor pollicis longus tendon returns to its original state, allowing sensor 5 to return to its natural length and decreasing its resistance.

[0049] In addition, when the wrist is flexed, the flexor digitorum superficialis tendon and the flexor pollicis longus tendon also move, which correspondingly compresses sensor 5 and increases its resistance. Conversely, when the wrist returns from a flexed position to a relaxed state, the flexor digitorum superficialis tendon and the flexor pollicis longus tendon return to their original state, which in turn allows the length of sensor 5 to return to its natural state and the resistance decreases.

[0050] Continue to refer to Figure 4 Sensor 6 covers the extensor digitorum tendons, extensor pollicis longus tendon, and abductor pollicis longus tendon at the wrist. It is used to assist in monitoring one or more of the following actions based on the changes in the resistance signal of sensor 6 caused by the movement of the extensor digitorum tendons, extensor pollicis longus tendon, and abductor pollicis longus tendon: extension of the thumb and the other four fingers, abduction of the thumb, and wrist extension.

[0051] Specifically, the extensor tendons refer to the four tendons extending from the extensor muscles of the fingers, each corresponding to one of the other four fingers, and working in conjunction with the extensor muscles to control the extension movement of the corresponding finger. When one or more of the other four fingers extend, the extensor tendons move, protruding at the tendon site, which compresses sensor 6 and increases its resistance. Conversely, when one or more of the other four fingers return to a relaxed state, the extensor tendons return to their original state, allowing sensor 6 to return to its natural length and decreasing its resistance.

[0052] The extensor pollicis longus tendon is a tendon extending from the extensor pollicis longus muscle, and the abductor pollicis longus tendon is a tendon extending from the abductor pollicis longus muscle. The extensor pollicis longus tendon and the extensor pollicis longus tendon work together to control thumb extension, while the abductor pollicis longus tendon and the abductor pollicis longus tendon work together to control thumb abduction. When the thumb extends (and / or abducts), the extensor pollicis longus tendon (and / or the abductor pollicis longus tendon) moves, causing pressure on sensor 6 and increasing its resistance. Conversely, when the thumb returns to a relaxed state from extension (and / or abduction), the extensor pollicis longus tendon (and / or the abductor pollicis longus tendon) returns to its original state, allowing sensor 6 to return to its natural length and decreasing its resistance.

[0053] In addition, when the wrist extends, the extensor pollicis longus tendon (and / or abductor pollicis longus tendon) also moves, which correspondingly compresses sensor 6 and increases its resistance. Conversely, when the wrist returns from an extended position to a relaxed state, the extensor pollicis longus tendon (and / or abductor pollicis longus tendon) returns to its original state, which in turn restores the length of sensor 6 to its natural state and decreases its resistance.

[0054] It should be noted that in this embodiment of the invention, sensor5 and sensor6 cover the corresponding tendon area of ​​the wrist. Since there is less muscle in the wrist and tendon movement is more obvious than tendon movement in other parts of the body, the monitoring of the resistance signal caused by tendon movement is less affected by the resistance signal change caused by muscle contraction, thereby improving the sensitivity and accuracy of monitoring tendon movement and the corresponding resistance signal.

[0055] In another specific embodiment, the wearable sleeve may include, in addition to the aforementioned sensors 1 to 4, as well as sensors 5 and 6, a seventh microtube sensor (sensor 7).

[0056] Continue to refer to Figure 2 Sensor 7 covers the central region of the flexor carpi radialis, the muscle region between the origin and center point of the flexor digitorum superficialis, and the muscle region between the origin and center point of the flexor pollicis longus. It is used to monitor elbow flexion and / or forearm abduction movements based on the changes in the resistance signal of sensor 7 caused by the contraction / relaxation of the flexor carpi radialis, flexor digitorum superficialis, and flexor pollicis longus, and to assist in monitoring the flexion movements of the thumb and the other four fingers and / or wrist flexion movements.

[0057] Specifically, when a user flexes their elbow, the flexor carpi radialis contracts (i.e., the muscle exerts force), resulting in an increase in its cross-sectional area (or muscle circumference), which in turn stretches sensor 7 and increases its resistance. Conversely, when transitioning from a flexed to a relaxed state, the flexor carpi radialis relaxes, resulting in a decrease in its cross-sectional area (or muscle circumference), which allows sensor 7 to return to its natural length and decreases its resistance. The mechanism by which the contraction / relaxation of the flexor digitorum superficialis and flexor pollicis longus muscles causes changes in sensor 7 resistance is described in the preceding text and will not be repeated here.

[0058] In this embodiment of the invention, in addition to using sensor1 and sensor2 as the main sensors for monitoring the flexion and wrist movements of the thumb and the other four fingers, and sensor5 as the auxiliary sensor for monitoring the aforementioned finger and wrist movements, sensor7 is added to provide further auxiliary monitoring functions for the flexion and wrist movements of the thumb and the other four fingers. Furthermore, sensor1 and sensor2, as the main sensors, cover the central area of ​​the corresponding muscles; sensor5, as the auxiliary sensor, covers the tendon area at the wrist where the corresponding muscles extend; and sensor7 covers the muscle area between the origin and center point of the flexor digitorum superficialis and the muscle area between the origin and center point of the flexor pollicis longus. For muscles controlling the same type of movement, a "multi-point coverage" scheme is adopted, thereby improving the richness and accuracy of the monitoring signals.

[0059] The wearable sleeve, which includes seven microtube sensors (sensor1 to sesnor7), is used as an example below. Table 1 illustrates a correspondence between each microtube sensor and / or combination of microtube sensors and the monitored action.

[0060] Table 1

[0061]

[0062] Furthermore, as shown in Table 1 above, the combination of sensor1, sensor5, and sensor7 can be used to monitor the flexion and wrist movements of the other four fingers; the combination of sensor2, sensor5, and sensor7 can be used to monitor the flexion of the thumb; the combination of sensor4 and sensor6 can be used to monitor the extension and abduction of the thumb; and the combination of sensor3 and sensor6 can be used to monitor the extension and wrist movements of the other four fingers.

[0063] Therefore, this embodiment of the invention not only achieves the recognition of various hand gestures by using different microtube sensors to cover and control multiple muscle regions with different movements, but also, for the same type of movement, uses multiple microtube sensors to jointly cover and control multiple muscle regions with the same movement but different locations (i.e., using a "multi-point coverage" scheme to jointly monitor the same type of movement). This improves the richness of the acquired signals and the accuracy of hand gesture recognition. Furthermore, compared to covering the entire muscle with a large number of sensors, this embodiment achieves a balance between cost, complexity, and the accuracy and diversity of recognized hand gesture types through appropriate sensor placement in the functional muscle regions of the forearm and an appropriate number of sensors.

[0064] Reference Figure 6 , Figure 6 This is a flowchart of a gesture recognition method for a wearable sleeve according to an embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, the gesture recognition method may include the following steps S61 to S62.

[0065] In step S61, the sleeve body is worn on the subject's forearm so that each microtube sensor fits into its respective covered forearm muscle area.

[0066] In step S62, the resistance signal transmitted from the paired wires of each microtube sensor is acquired, and the subject's gesture is identified based on the combination of the acquired resistance signals.

[0067] Furthermore, the step of recognizing the subject's gesture based on the combination of collected resistance signals includes: inputting the combination of collected resistance signals into a pre-trained gesture recognition model to obtain the subject's gesture; wherein, the gesture recognition model is obtained by training a preset neural network model using multiple sets of sample resistance signals and sample gestures corresponding to each set of sample resistance signals as training datasets.

[0068] Compared to using a large number of sensors to collect signals across the entire muscle to train a neural network model, this implementation scheme, by appropriately setting the coverage area and the number of sensors, only requires covering a small number of sensors at suitable muscle locations to achieve the expected training accuracy and effect of the neural network model, thereby achieving a balance between cost, complexity and gesture recognition accuracy.

[0069] Reference Figure 7 , Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram showing the distribution of microtube sensors on the forearm surface of a wearable sleeve. In this example, the wearable sleeve has seven microtube sensors, each of which is a straight strip. Figure 7 The left side shows the sensor distribution on the front of the forearm. Figure 7 The right side shows the sensor distribution on the back of the forearm.

[0070] Furthermore, the extension direction of the microtubes in each microtube sensor is perpendicular to the extension direction of the muscle or tendon it covers.

[0071] Since the perimeter of the muscle cross-section (i.e., the surface perpendicular to the muscle extension direction) increases when the muscle contracts, in this embodiment of the invention, arranging the sensor in a direction perpendicular to the muscle extension direction helps to improve the sensitivity and accuracy of monitoring muscle changes and corresponding resistance signal changes.

[0072] Furthermore, the straight-line distance between the start and end points of each microtube sensor is the same as the cross-sectional diameter of the covered muscle region. Taking sensor4 as an example, its straight-line distance between the start and end points is the same as the sum of the cross-sectional diameter D1 of the central region of the covered extensor pollicis longus muscle and the cross-sectional diameter D2 of the region adjacent to this central region and belonging to the abductor pollicis longus muscle. That is, the straight-line distance between the start and end points of sensor4 = D1 + D2.

[0073] In a specific implementation, the wearable sleeve of this invention may further include a data acquisition module, which is electrically connected to the lead-out end of each pair of wires and is used to acquire the resistance signal transmitted by each pair of wires; and a gesture recognition module, which is electrically connected to the data acquisition module and is used to perform gesture recognition based on the combination of the resistance signals transmitted by each microtube sensor.

[0074] Furthermore, the data acquisition module and the gesture recognition module can be integrated into a chip, which can be positioned at an appropriate location on the wearable sleeve to improve its ease of use and practicality. Furthermore, the data acquisition module and the gesture recognition module can transmit signals wirelessly (e.g., via WiFi).

[0075] It should be understood that the term "and / or" in this article is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, or B existing alone. Additionally, the character " / " in this article indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.

[0076] In this application's embodiments, "multiple" refers to two or more. The descriptions of "first," "second," etc., appearing in this application's embodiments are merely illustrative and for distinguishing the described objects; they have no order and do not indicate a specific limitation on the number of devices in this application's embodiments, nor do they constitute any limitation on the embodiments of this application.

[0077] While the present invention has been disclosed above, it is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can make various modifications and alterations without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention; therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope defined in the claims.

Claims

1. A wearable sleeve, characterized in that, include: Sleeve body; Multiple microtube sensors are arranged on the sleeve body. Each microtube sensor includes a microtube and a pair of wires. The two ends of the microtube are sealed and the inside contains a conductive liquid. Each pair of wires is led out from both ends of the microtube and electrically connected to the conductive liquid. Each microtube sensor has its own covered forearm muscle area, and the muscles to which the single or multiple covered muscle areas belong are used to control hand gestures.

2. The wearable sleeve according to claim 1, characterized in that, The plurality of microtubule sensors includes one or more of the following: a first microtubule sensor, a second microtubule sensor, a third microtubule sensor, and a fourth microtubule sensor, wherein the forearm muscle areas covered by the microtubules of each microtubule sensor are as follows: The first microtube sensor covers the central region of the flexor digitorum superficialis muscle and is used to monitor the flexion and / or wrist flexion movements of the four fingers other than the thumb based on the increase / decrease in the resistance signal of the first microtube sensor caused by the contraction / relaxation of the flexor digitorum superficialis muscle. The second microtube sensor covers the central region of the flexor pollicis longus muscle and is used to monitor the flexion movement of the thumb based on the change in the resistance signal of the second microtube sensor caused by the contraction / relaxation of the flexor pollicis longus muscle. The third microtube sensor covers the central region of the finger extensor muscles and is used to monitor the finger extension and / or wrist extension movements of the four fingers other than the thumb based on the change in the resistance signal of the third microtube sensor caused by the contraction / relaxation of the finger extensor muscles. The fourth microtube sensor covers the central region of the extensor pollicis longus muscle and the region adjacent to it that belongs to the abductor pollicis longus muscle. It is used to monitor the extension and / or abduction movements of the thumb based on the changes in the resistance signal of the fourth microtube sensor caused by the contraction / relaxation of the extensor pollicis longus and abductor pollicis longus muscles.

3. The wearable sleeve according to claim 2, characterized in that, The plurality of microtube sensors also includes one or more of the following: a fifth microtube sensor, a sixth microtube sensor; The fifth microtube sensor covers the flexor digitorum superficialis tendon and the flexor pollicis longus tendon at the wrist, and is used to monitor the flexion movement of the thumb and the other four fingers and / or the wrist flexion movement based on the change in the resistance signal of the fifth microtube sensor caused by the movement of the flexor digitorum superficialis tendon and the flexor pollicis longus tendon. The sixth microtube sensor covers the extensor digitorum tendons, extensor pollicis longus tendon, and abductor pollicis longus tendon at the wrist. It is used to monitor one or more of the following actions based on the changes in the resistance signal of the sixth microtube sensor caused by the movement of the extensor digitorum tendons, extensor pollicis longus tendon, and abductor pollicis longus tendon: extension of the thumb and the other four fingers, abduction of the thumb, and wrist extension.

4. The wearable sleeve according to claim 3, characterized in that, The plurality of microtube sensors also includes: a seventh microtube sensor; The seventh microtube sensor covers the central region of the flexor carpi radialis, the muscle region between the origin and center point of the flexor digitorum superficialis, and the muscle region between the origin and center point of the flexor pollicis longus. It is used to monitor one or more of the following actions based on the changes in the resistance signal of the seventh microtube sensor caused by the contraction / relaxation of the flexor carpi radialis, flexor digitorum superficialis, and flexor pollicis longus: elbow flexion, forearm abduction, flexion of the thumb and the other four fingers, and wrist flexion.

5. The wearable sleeve according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that, The extension direction of the microtubes in each microtube sensor is perpendicular to the extension direction of the muscle or tendon it covers.

6. The wearable sleeve according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that, The shape of the microtubes in each microtube sensor is selected from straight strips or wavy lines, and the straight-line distance between the start and end points of each microtube sensor is the same as the cross-sectional diameter of the covered muscle area.

7. The wearable sleeve according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wearable sleeve also includes a data acquisition module, which is electrically connected to the lead-out end of each pair of wires and is used to acquire the resistance signal transmitted by each pair of wires. The gesture recognition module is electrically connected to the data acquisition module and is used to perform gesture recognition based on the combination of resistance signals transmitted from each microtube sensor.

8. The wearable sleeve according to claim 7, characterized in that, The data acquisition module and gesture recognition module are integrated into the chip.

9. A gesture recognition method based on the wearable sleeve according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, include: The sleeve body is worn on the subject's forearm so that each microtube sensor fits into its respective covered forearm muscle area; The resistance signal transmitted from the paired wires of each microtube sensor is collected, and the subject's gesture is identified based on the combination of the collected resistance signals.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The recognition of the subject's gestures based on the combination of collected resistance signals includes: The combination of the collected resistance signals is input into a pre-trained gesture recognition model to obtain the subject's gestures; The gesture recognition model is obtained by training a preset neural network model using multiple sets of sample resistance signals and the sample gestures corresponding to each set of sample resistance signals as training datasets.

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