Measuring device for diagnosis of sarcopenia

Abstract

The present invention relates to a measuring device for diagnosing sarcopenia, comprising: a main body having an installation space formed therein for installing devices and detachably connected to a leg portion between the waist and the knee; a body function measuring means disposed in the installation space of the main body and equipped with a state sensing sensor that detects a change in movement corresponding to a sitting-and-standing motion of a subject to be measured; and a control unit equipped with a calculation unit that acquires a measurement value regarding the number of sitting-and-standing motions based on a detection signal different from the change in movement, and provides information regarding the start time of the first measurement value among the measurements and the elapsed time until the end time until the last measurement value is acquired.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a measuring device for diagnosing sarcopenia, and more specifically, to a measuring device for diagnosing sarcopenia with an improved structure that facilitates the measurement of physical functions for diagnosing sarcopenia, has high portability, and allows the patient to easily obtain the information necessary for diagnosing sarcopenia. Background Technology

[0002] Sarcopenia refers to a decrease in skeletal muscle mass resulting from a reduction in the number and cross-sectional area of ​​muscle fibers. Although the definition has varied slightly recently as it is interpreted as a decline in muscle function rather than muscle mass, it generally refers to a condition where a decrease in muscle mass is accompanied by a decline in physical function, represented by muscle weakness or the ability to perform physical activities.

[0003] Aging and a sedentary lifestyle can lead to a decrease in muscle mass and strength. Muscles play a role in our daily lives, performing everyday movements and maintaining physical stability. However, due to aging and inactivity, the size and number of muscle cells decrease, and muscle tissue can be replaced by fat and defective tissue.

[0004] Sarcopenia generally begins around age 40, leading to a decrease in muscle mass and strength, and progresses gradually with age. This sarcopenia causes a decline in body contours due to reduced muscle mass, leads to difficulties in daily life due to decreased strength, and causes physical movement problems by making it difficult to perform activities. Furthermore, sarcopenia impairs overall physical function and weakens bones, which can lead to fractures and cause various difficulties in daily life. Therefore, for the prevention and treatment of sarcopenia, it is required to maintain muscle mass through adequate energy intake and prevent the decline in muscle mass and strength.

[0005] The diagnosis of sarcopenia is performed using various methods, but generally, in suspected patient groups, it is done by measuring calf circumference or through questionnaires. Muscle strength for the diagnosis of sarcopenia is measured by grip strength, and physical function (activity ability) is measured by utilizing the patient's walking speed or sit-to-stand tests.

[0006] Conventional measurement devices for diagnosing sarcopenia are used only in limited settings, such as universities, hospitals, and research institutes; furthermore, they are expensive equipment that is accessible only to a select few. Additionally, conventional devices make it difficult to quickly and easily measure physical information, including muscle mass, strength, and physical function, for sarcopenia diagnosis; they are not portable; and patients themselves cannot obtain the information necessary for diagnosis.

[0007] As prior art, there is Korean Published Patent No. 10-2020-0120076 (October 21, 2020). The problem to be solved

[0008] The present invention has been devised to solve the aforementioned problems, and the objective of the present invention is to provide a measurement device for diagnosing sarcopenia that allows the user to easily and quickly measure physical function (activity ability) for sarcopenia diagnosis, enables easy portability, reduces the financial burden on the patient for physical function measurement, and enables accurate sarcopenia diagnosis for patient-tailored prescriptions.

[0009] The problems solved by the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below. means of solving the problem

[0010] A measuring device for diagnosing sarcopenia according to the present invention for achieving the above objective comprises: a main body having an installation space formed therein for installing devices and detachably connected to a leg portion between the waist and the knee; a body function measuring means disposed in the installation space of the main body and equipped with a state sensing sensor that detects a change in movement corresponding to a sitting-and-standing motion of a subject to measurement; and a control unit equipped with a calculation unit that acquires a measurement value regarding the number of sitting-and-standing motions based on a detection signal different from the change in movement, and provides information regarding the start time of the first measurement value among the measurement values ​​and the elapsed time until the end time until the last measurement value is acquired.

[0011] The above state detection sensor may be composed of a gyroscope sensor that detects the up-and-down movement and the forward-and-backward movement of the leg portion during the process of the subject's sitting and standing motion, and generates a detection signal, thereby enabling the control unit to acquire the measurement values.

[0012] The present invention preferably comprises a binding means for binding the main body to the leg portion.

[0013] The above-mentioned binding means may include: a band portion made of an elastic material and bound to the leg portion in a manner that wraps around the leg portion; and a hook portion provided on the outer surface of the main body and formed in a loop shape to form a fitting space between the outer surface and the band portion.

[0014] The present invention enables the measurement of muscle mass based on the circumference of the calf portion between the ankle and the knee, and preferably comprises a muscle mass measuring means having: a wire wound around a winding drum rotatably installed in the installation space, which unwinds while rotating the winding drum when its end is pulled by a user and is drawn out to the outside through a communication opening of a main body; a binding part provided at a position adjacent to the communication opening and securing the end of the wire to maintain the drawn-out state of the wire; and a rotation sensing sensor that detects the number of rotations of the winding drum according to the unwinding of the wire when the drawn-out wire is wound around the calf portion and maintained in the drawn-out state, and transmits a detection signal to a control unit, thereby enabling the measurement of the drawn-out length of the wire corresponding to the circumference of the calf portion.

[0015] The above main body may be provided with a placement hole in the form of a through hole in one section.

[0016] The present invention preferably comprises a muscle strength measuring means having a pressing bar provided in the placement hole, which comes into contact with the bottom surface of a user's finger inserted into the placement hole by gripping the main body and is pressed by the gripping force, and a load sensing sensor that detects a pressing load according to the magnitude of the pressure when the pressing bar is pressed and transmits a detection signal to a control unit, thereby enabling the generation of muscle strength measuring information corresponding to the gripping force.

[0017] The above muscle strength measuring means may comprise a rotating dial rotatably provided on the main body and having an outer side exposed to the outside, and a adjusting member having a connecting bar that connects the pressing bar and the rotating dial while penetrating the main body, is screw-coupled to a fixing plate coupled to the main body, and causes the position of the pressing bar in the placement hole to change while moving in a straight line when the rotating dial is rotated. Effects of the invention

[0018] A measuring device for diagnosing sarcopenia according to the present invention, having the configuration described above, is configured such that a physical function measuring means equipped with a state detection sensor is installed in the installation space of the main body, and the state detection sensor transmits a detection signal corresponding to a user’s sitting-and-standing motion to a control unit. The control unit calculates measurement values ​​regarding the number of sitting-and-standing motions based on the detection signal and displays information regarding whether physical function is normal based on the elapsed time measured from the first measurement value to the last measurement value, thereby providing this information to the user. This enables the user to easily and quickly perform physical function (activity ability) measurements for sarcopenia diagnosis on their own, allows for easy portability, reduces the financial burden on the patient for physical function measurements, and enables accurate sarcopenia diagnosis for patient-tailored prescriptions.

[0019] The effects of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned effects will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0020] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a measuring device for diagnosing sarcopenia according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 2 to 4 are drawings for explaining an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a drawing for explaining the body function measuring means and binding means employed in one embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 6 and 7 are drawings for explaining a muscle mass measuring means employed in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a drawing for explaining a muscle strength measuring means employed in one embodiment of the present invention. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0021] In order to clarify the understanding of the present invention in the following description, descriptions of known technologies regarding the features of the present invention will be omitted. The following embodiments are detailed descriptions to aid in understanding the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the rights of the present invention. Accordingly, equivalent inventions that perform the same function as the present invention will also fall within the scope of the rights of the present invention.

[0022] Furthermore, in the following description, identical identification symbols denote identical configurations, and unnecessary redundant descriptions and descriptions of known technologies are omitted. Additionally, descriptions of each embodiment of the present invention below that overlap with the description of the technology forming the background of the invention are also omitted.

[0023] Hereinafter, a measuring device for diagnosing sarcopenia according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0024] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a measuring device for diagnosing sarcopenia according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 to 4 are drawings for explaining an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a drawing for explaining a body function measuring means and a binding means employed in an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are drawings for explaining a muscle mass measuring means employed in an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a drawing for explaining a muscle strength measuring means employed in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] As illustrated in these drawings, a measuring device (1) for diagnosing sarcopenia according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a main body (100), a body function measuring means (200), and a control unit (300).

[0026] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the main body (100) forms an installation space for installing a body function measuring means (200) and a control unit (300) inside, and is made in a size that can be held by the user so that the user can easily carry it. The main body (100) is detachably attached to the leg portion between the user's waist and knee, and can be made of various materials such as aluminum or synthetic resin and can have various external shapes. By enabling the installation of the body function measuring means (200) on the main body (100), the user can place the main body on the leg portion and then acquire data for measuring their own body function (activity ability).

[0027] The above main body (100) is equipped with an operating switch (S) that enables ON / OFF operation of the body function measuring means (200) and the muscle mass measuring means and muscle strength measuring means to be described later, and is equipped with a display unit (D) for displaying information obtained from the body function measuring means (200) and the muscle mass measuring means and muscle strength measuring means to the outside. Here, the display unit (D) is a device that receives the information from the control unit (300) and enables the display of characters, shapes, numbers, lights, sounds, etc. to the outside.

[0028] As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the above-described physical function measuring means (200) is configured to include a state detection sensor (210) to detect the repetitive movement of a subject (hereinafter referred to as the 'user') for the diagnosis of sarcopenia, namely, the sitting and standing motion. The state detection sensor (210) of the above-described physical function measuring means (200) is placed in the installation space of the main body (100), and when the movement of the leg portion to which the main body (100) is attached changes due to the user's sitting and standing motion, it detects a change in movement corresponding to that motion and transmits a detection signal to the control unit (300).

[0029] As shown in FIG. 5, the state detection sensor (210) of the above-mentioned physical function measuring means (200) is composed of a sensor capable of detecting the user's repetitive movements, namely sitting down and standing up, and transmits the detection signal to the control unit (300), thereby enabling the control unit to provide information for measuring the user's physical function (activity ability) based on the detection signal. The state detection sensor (210) of the above-mentioned physical function measuring means (200) may be installed in various ways in the installation space of the main body (100).

[0030] As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 5, the above control unit (300) is configured to acquire information for measuring the body function based on a detection signal from a state detection sensor (210) of the body function measuring means (200), and comprises a calculation unit (310), a control unit (320), and a storage unit (330). The calculation unit (310) of the above control unit (300) receives a detection signal from the state detection sensor (210) regarding a change in movement corresponding to a sitting-and-standing motion, and acquires measurement values ​​for the number of operations based on the detection signal. Here, if the motion of sitting down and standing up is performed once, the number of operations is 1, and if the motion of sitting down and standing up is repeated 5 times, the number of operations is 5.

[0031] In addition, the operation unit (310) of the control unit (300) measures the start time of the first measurement value among the measurement values, obtains information regarding the elapsed time until the end time until the last measurement value is obtained, and transmits it to the control unit (320). Here, the first measurement value may be a measurement value for one operation, and the last measurement value may be, for example, a measurement value for five operations.

[0032] In this embodiment, the number of operations does not have a set value according to the program logic but corresponds to a real-time measurement value corresponding to continuous operation; however, the present invention is not limited thereto and can be configured to have a preset reference value to compare the real-time measurement value with the reference value and calculate the number of operations or time based on the comparison result.

[0033] The above calculation unit (310) can generate information regarding whether the physical function is normal by comparing the information regarding the elapsed time with the reference physical function information stored in the storage unit (330), and then transmit it to the control unit (320), and allow it to be stored in the storage unit (330) according to the control signal of the control unit. In addition, the calculation unit (310) of the control unit (300) counts the movement from 1 to N times when the user repeatedly sits down and stands up, and transmits the counting data to the control unit so that it can be displayed on the display unit. Here, the counting of the movement can be calculated by counting the number of measurements from the first measurement value (1st measurement value) to the last measurement value (5th measurement value).

[0034] The control unit (320) of the above control unit (300) receives information regarding elapsed time from the calculation unit (310) and enables the information to be stored in the storage unit (330), and enables the information stored in the storage unit (330) to be transmitted to the calculation unit (310). The control unit (320) enables the display unit (D) to display information regarding elapsed time and information regarding whether physical function is normal, and enables the information to be transmitted to the user's terminal (10) through the communication unit (340).

[0035] A measuring device for diagnosing sarcopenia according to an embodiment of the present invention having such a configuration has a physical function measuring means (200) equipped with a state detection sensor (210) installed in the installation space of a main body (100), and the state detection sensor (210) transmits a detection signal corresponding to a user’s sitting and standing motion to a control unit (300). The control unit (300) calculates measurement values ​​for the number of sitting and standing motions based on the detection signal and displays information regarding whether physical function is normal based on the elapsed time measured from the first measurement value until the last measurement value is obtained, thereby providing this information to the user. This enables the user to easily and quickly perform physical function (activity ability) measurement for sarcopenia diagnosis and allows for easy portability, while reducing the economic burden on the patient for physical function measurement and enabling accurate sarcopenia diagnosis for patient-tailored prescriptions.

[0036] Meanwhile, the state detection sensor (210) of the above-mentioned bio-function measurement means (200) is preferably composed of a gyro sensor as shown in FIG. 5. Since the state detection sensor (210) is composed of a gyro sensor, it detects the up-and-down movement and the forward-and-backward movement of the leg portion during the process of the user performing a sitting and standing motion, and generates a detection signal. That is, the state detection sensor (210) generates a detection signal using a diagonal vector value in three-dimensional space when the leg portion moves, and enables the calculation unit (310) of the control unit (300) to acquire the measurement values ​​more accurately.

[0037] This embodiment may further include a binding means (400). The binding means (400) enables the main body (100), on which the bio-function measuring means (200) is provided, to be bound to the leg portion, and preferably includes a band portion (410) and a hook portion (420). The band portion (410) of the binding means (400) is made of an elastic material and has a belt structure, and is bound to the leg portion in a manner that wraps around the user's leg portion. The band portion (410) may also be made of various materials that do not have elasticity.

[0038] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the hook portion (420) of the above-mentioned binding means (400) is provided on the outer surface of the main body (100) and is formed in a ring shape to form a fitting space between the outer surface and the hook portion (410) into which the band portion (410) is fitted. The hook portion (420) can be made of various materials such as aluminum or synthetic resin and can have a certain elasticity, thereby enabling the user to smoothly bind the main body (100) to the band portion (410).

[0039] In addition, the present embodiment may include a muscle mass measuring means (500) and a muscle strength measuring means (600). The muscle mass measuring means (500) enables muscle mass measurement based on the circumference of the calf portion (J) between the user's ankle and knee, and is equipped with a winding drum (510), a wire (520), a binding part (530), and a rotation detection sensor (540).

[0040] The above muscle mass measuring means (500) enables the acquisition of muscle mass measurement information by measuring the circumference of the lower limb of the user's body for the purpose of measuring muscle mass. In this embodiment, the case in which the circumference of the calf portion (J) of the user's lower limb is measured for the purpose of measuring muscle mass will be described.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 6, the winding drum (510) of the above-mentioned muscle mass measuring means (500) is rotatably provided in the installation space inside the main body (100) and rotates by the power of a motor, allowing the wire (520) to be wound or unwound. For example, when a user pulls while gripping the end of the wire (520), the winding drum (510) rotates in one direction to pull out the wound wire to the outside, and after the wire is wound around the calf part, when a switching signal (switching signal by the operating switch (S2)) is generated by the user, power is applied from a motor driven by a control signal of the control unit (320) to rotate in the other direction, causing the wire to be wound again and the wire to be in close contact with the calf part. The winding drum (510) can be rotated by the driving force of a motor, or it may be equipped with a spring inside and rotated by the elasticity of the spring.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 7, the wire (520) of the above muscle mass measuring means (500) is wound onto the winding drum (510) and, when the end is pulled by a user, is unwound while rotating the winding drum (510), and is drawn out to the outside through the communication opening (101) formed in the main body (100) and wraps around the calf portion. The wire (520) is secured to the binding part (530) so that it remains wrapped around the calf portion, and when the winding drum is rotated in reverse, a portion of it is wound back onto the winding drum (510) and adheres to the calf portion.

[0043] Here, the binding part (530) is provided at a location adjacent to the communication opening (101) and binds the end of the wire (520) to maintain the wire in a drawn-out state. The binding part (530) can be bound to the end of the wire (520) by magnetic force.

[0044] The rotation detection sensor (540) of the above-mentioned muscle mass measuring means (500) detects the number of rotations of the winding drum (510) due to the unwinding of the wire (520) when the drawn-out wire is wound around the calf portion and maintained in the drawn-out state, and transmits a detection signal to the calculation unit (310) of the control unit, thereby enabling the measurement of the drawn-out length of the wire corresponding to the circumference of the calf portion. The rotation detection sensor (540) may be provided on the winding drum (510) side in the installation space of the main body (100) and may be composed of a sensor capable of detecting the number of rotations of the object to be detected in various ways.

[0045] The above rotation detection sensor (540) can detect the number of unidirectional rotations (forward rotations) of the winding drum (510) when the wire (520) is unwound from the winding drum (510), and can also detect the number of unidirectional rotations (reverse rotations) of the winding drum (510) when the wire is wound onto the winding drum. At this time, the calculation unit (310) of the control unit (300) can calculate the wire withdrawal length by subtracting the number of reverse rotations from the number of unidirectional rotations of the winding drum. To this end, the calculation unit (310) may calculate the withdrawal length through a pre-set algorithm.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 8, the above muscle strength measuring means (600) may be formed by a placement hole (102) in the form of a through hole in one section of the main body (100) and installed in the installation space of the main body to enable muscle strength measurement based on the user's grip strength, and may include a pressing bar (610) and a load sensing sensor (620).

[0047] The pressing bar (610) of the above muscle strength measuring means (600) is provided in the placement hole (102), comes into contact with the bottom surface of the user's finger inserted into the placement hole by gripping the main body (100), and is pressed by the user's grip strength. When the pressing bar (610) is pressed by the grip strength, the load sensing sensor (620) can detect the load corresponding to the pressing.

[0048] The load sensing sensor (620) of the above muscle strength measuring means (600) may be composed of various sensors capable of detecting a pressing load and is placed in the installation space of the main body (100). By detecting a pressing load according to the magnitude of the pressure when the pressing bar (610) is pressed and transmitting a detection signal to the control unit (300), it is possible to generate muscle strength measuring information corresponding to the grip strength.

[0049] At this time, the detection signal is transmitted to the control unit (320) of the control unit (300) and to the calculation unit (310) by means of the control signal, thereby enabling the calculation of whether there is an abnormality in muscle strength according to the magnitude of the grip strength. Information regarding the abnormality of muscle strength is transmitted to the display unit (D) and the terminal (10) under the control of the control unit so that the user can easily check it.

[0050] The above muscle strength measuring means (600) preferably comprises an adjustment member (630). The adjustment member (630) allows the position of the pressing bar (610) to be adjusted according to the user's body shape, such as hand size and finger length, and may be equipped with a rotary dial (631) and a connecting bar (632).

[0051] The rotary dial (631) of the adjustment member (630) is rotatably provided in the installation space of the main body (100) adjacent to the placement hole (102), and its outer side is exposed to the outside. When the rotary dial (631) is rotated by a user, it rotates the connecting bar (632) and enables linear movement of the connecting bar. The connecting bar (632) of the adjustment member (630) connects the pressing bar (610) and the rotary dial (631) while penetrating the main body (100), and is screw-coupled to a fixing plate attached to the main body. When the rotary dial (631) rotates, it moves linearly and changes the position of the pressing bar (610) in the placement hole (102), thereby enabling the measurement of muscle strength according to the user's body type.

[0052] Although various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments and the drawings attached to this specification merely clearly illustrate a part of the technical concept included in the present invention. It is obvious that variations and specific embodiments that can be easily deduced by a person skilled in the art within the scope of the technical concept included in the specification and drawings of the present invention are all included within the scope of the rights of the present invention. Explanation of the symbols

[0053] 10: Terminal 100: Main body S: Operation switch D: Display 101: Communication opening 102: Placement hole 200: Means of measuring body function 210: Condition detection sensor 300: Control Unit 310: Calculation Unit 320: Control unit 330: Storage unit 340: Communication unit 400: Binding means 410: Band Club 420: Hook Club 500: Means of measuring muscle weight 510: Winding drum 520: Wire 530: Binding part 540: Rotation detection sensor 600: Muscle strength measuring means 610: Pressure bar 620: Load sensing sensor 630: Adjustment member 631: Rotary dial 632: Connection bar

Claims

Claim 1 A body function measuring means comprising: a main body having an installation space formed internally for the installation of devices and detachably connected to a leg portion between the waist and the knee; a state sensing sensor disposed in the installation space of the main body and detecting a change in movement corresponding to a sitting-and-standing motion of a subject to be measured; and a control unit having a calculation unit that acquires a measurement value regarding the number of sitting-and-standing motions based on a detection signal corresponding to the change in movement, and provides information regarding the start time of the first measurement value among the measurements and the elapsed time until the end time until the last measurement value is acquired; and enabling muscle strength measurement based on a user's grip strength, wherein the main body is provided with a placement hole in the form of a through hole in one section, a pressing bar provided in the placement hole that contacts the bottom surface of a user's finger inserted into the placement hole by gripping the main body and is pressed by the grip strength, and a load sensing sensor that detects a pressing load according to the magnitude of pressure when the pressing bar is pressed and transmits a detection signal to the control unit, thereby enabling the generation of muscle strength measurement information corresponding to the grip strength. A measuring device for diagnosing sarcopenia, further comprising: a muscle strength measuring means provided; wherein the muscle strength measuring means comprises a rotating dial rotatably provided on the main body and having an outer side exposed to the outside, and a adjusting member having a connecting bar that connects the pressing bar and the rotating dial while penetrating the main body, is screw-coupled to a fixing plate coupled to the main body, and causes the position of the pressing bar in the placement hole to change while moving linearly when the rotating dial is rotated; and wherein the main body is provided adjacent to the placement hole, is formed on the opposite side of the pressing bar with the connecting bar in between, and has an installation space for placing the rotating dial formed in the shape of a through hole in a part that is gripped by a user. Claim 2 A measuring device for diagnosing sarcopenia according to claim 1, wherein the state sensing sensor is composed of a gyroscope sensor that detects the up-and-down movement and the forward-and-backward movement of the leg portion during the process of performing the sitting-and-standing motion of the subject to measurement and generates a detection signal, thereby enabling the control unit to acquire the measurement values. Claim 3 A measuring device for diagnosing sarcopenia, characterized in that, in claim 1, it further comprises a binding means for binding the main body to a leg portion; wherein the binding means comprises: a band portion made of an elastic material and bound to the leg portion in a manner that wraps around the leg portion; and a hook portion provided on the outer surface of the main body and formed in a loop shape to form a fitting space between the outer surface and the band portion. Claim 4 A measuring device for diagnosing sarcopenia, characterized in that it further comprises: a muscle mass measuring means that enables muscle mass measurement based on the circumference of the calf portion between the ankle and the knee, wherein the measuring means comprises: a wire that is wound around a winding drum rotatably installed in the installation space, unwinds while rotating the winding drum when the end is pulled by a user, and is drawn out to the outside through a communication opening of the main body; a binding part provided at a position adjacent to the communication opening and securing the end of the wire to maintain the drawn-out state of the wire; and a rotation sensing sensor that detects the number of rotations of the winding drum according to the unwinding of the wire when the drawn-out wire is wound around the calf portion and maintained in the drawn-out state, and transmits a detection signal to a control unit, thereby enabling the measurement of the drawn-out length of the wire corresponding to the circumference of the calf portion. Claim 5 delete Claim 6 delete

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