Spa system having electrical muscle stimulation function for strength training, treatment and fatigue improvement of senior and vulnerable people

Abstract

A spa system equipped with an electrical muscle stimulation function is disclosed, which provides optimal muscle exercise, treatment, and fatigue improvement effects by applying customized electrical muscle stimulation suitable for users of the elderly and health-vulnerable groups according to the purpose of electrical muscle stimulation, such as muscle strengthening, treatment, and fatigue improvement, and according to the target muscle area and muscle strength state for electrical muscle stimulation. A spa system equipped with an electrical muscle stimulation function according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a main body provided to be worn in a bathtub by a user belonging to the elderly and health-vulnerable groups or provided in the form of a bathtub so as to be in contact with the user's body; a plurality of electrode pads provided on the main body and spaced apart at positions corresponding to various parts of the human body; and a control unit that determines a control signal by selecting one or more operating electrode pads among the plurality of electrode pads according to user muscle strength information. User muscle strength information may include a target muscle area and muscle strength state to receive electrical muscle stimulation. The control unit may determine the intensity and frequency of an electrical signal for electrical muscle stimulation according to the user muscle strength information.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a spa system equipped with an electrical muscle stimulation function, and more specifically, to a spa system that applies customized electrical muscle stimulation to users of the elderly and health-vulnerable groups according to the muscle strength status of the elderly and health-vulnerable groups and the muscle parts requiring muscle exercise and treatment, thereby providing optimal muscle exercise, treatment, and fatigue improvement effects. Background Technology

[0002] Recently, Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS) devices are being used to enhance massage, treatment, and exercise effects by attaching them to specific areas of the body surface. Electrical muscle stimulation devices utilize the muscle contraction caused by electrically stimulating the muscles adjacent to the attachment site, allowing the user to achieve effects such as increased muscle strength, improved blood circulation, fatigue recovery, and massage without any separate exercise or strain on the joints.

[0003] However, compared to younger people or healthy individuals, the elderly and vulnerable groups have limitations in the types and intensity of exercises they can participate in, and their participation rate in exercises using electrical muscle stimulation is low. In particular, among users of the elderly and vulnerable groups, the areas of muscle weakness or muscle areas requiring treatment vary, and if the position of the electrodes for EMS application does not exactly coincide with the muscle areas requiring strengthening and treatment, the effects of strengthening, treatment, and fatigue improvement may be reduced.

[0004] As such, conventional EMS training technology is difficult to apply to users in the elderly or health-vulnerable groups who desire muscle strengthening, treatment, or fatigue improvement in specific body parts. Furthermore, it has limitations in failing to provide optimal exercise, treatment, and fatigue improvement effects suitable for users in the elderly and health-vulnerable groups, depending on the purpose of electrical muscle stimulation (such as muscle strengthening, treatment, and fatigue improvement), the target muscle area for electrical muscle stimulation, and the muscle strength status. Therefore, there is a need to develop safe and accessible customized EMS technology for users in the elderly and health-vulnerable groups.

[0005] In addition, conventional electrical muscle stimulation devices have limitations in that it is difficult to concentrate electrical stimulation on a specific body part desired by the user, as control signals are transmitted to multiple electrode pads through a single channel. Furthermore, since electrical muscle stimulation is limited to the attachment location of the electrode pads, it is difficult to effectively transmit electrical stimulation to other body areas where electrode pads are not attached, and there is a problem in that the location of electrical muscle stimulation cannot be diversified. Meanwhile, a prior art related to this is Korean Registered Patent Publication No. 10-1959232, registered on March 19, 2019. The problem to be solved

[0006] The present invention is intended to provide a spa system equipped with an electrical muscle stimulation function that provides optimal muscle strength exercise, treatment, and fatigue improvement effects by applying customized electrical muscle stimulation suitable for users of the elderly and health-vulnerable groups according to the target muscle area and muscle strength condition for electrical muscle stimulation, for the purpose of electrical muscle stimulation such as muscle strength enhancement, treatment, and fatigue improvement.

[0007] In addition, the present invention is intended to provide a spa system equipped with an electrical muscle stimulation function for the elderly and health-vulnerable groups, which enables electrical muscle stimulation to be applied to specific parts of the human body required by users of the elderly and health-vulnerable groups by transmitting control signals through individual channels to a plurality of electrode channels.

[0008] In addition, the present invention aims to provide a spa system equipped with an electrical muscle stimulation function for the elderly and health-vulnerable groups, which can effectively deliver electrical stimulation to body areas where electrode pads are not attached and can diversify the location of electrical muscle stimulation generation.

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

[0010] A spa system having an electrical muscle stimulation function according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a main body provided in the form of a bathtub so that a user corresponding to the elderly and health-vulnerable groups can wear it in a bathtub or come into contact with the user's body; a plurality of electrode pads provided on the main body and spaced apart at positions corresponding to various parts of the human body; and a control unit that selects one or more operating electrode pads among the plurality of electrode pads according to user muscle strength information and determines a control signal.

[0011] The above user muscle strength information may include the purpose of electrical muscle stimulation, the target muscle area to receive electrical muscle stimulation, and the muscle strength state.

[0012] The control unit can determine the control signal by determining the intensity and frequency of the electrical signal for electrical muscle stimulation according to the user muscle strength information.

[0013] The plurality of electrode pads can selectively operate as the operating electrode pads according to the control signal.

[0014] The above-described operating electrode pad can generate an electrical signal for the electrical muscle stimulation according to the control signal.

[0015] The above control unit can output a plurality of control signals through a plurality of individual channels and control the plurality of electrode pads individually according to the plurality of control signals.

[0016] The above control unit can select the operating electrode pad according to the target location and target intensity of the electrical muscle stimulation to be induced in the user's body.

[0017] The control unit can determine the plurality of control signals differently for each of the plurality of preset setting modes, transmit the control signals to the plurality of electrode pads through the plurality of channels, and independently generate the control signals for each channel corresponding to the plurality of setting modes to adjust the frequency and intensity of the electrical signal.

[0018] The control unit determines the target position and target intensity of the electrical muscle stimulation according to the user muscle strength information, and determines at least one of the stimulation intensity and frequency of the control signal to be applied to the operating electrode pad by attenuating the stimulation intensity or frequency from the target pulse size or target pulse frequency corresponding to the target intensity according to the distance between the target position of the electrical muscle stimulation and the operating electrode pad.

[0019] The control unit determines the target position and target intensity of the electrical muscle stimulation according to the user muscle strength information, selects a plurality of operating electrode pads among the plurality of electrode pads to generate the electrical signal according to the target position and target intensity of the electrical muscle stimulation, and can determine the frequency and intensity of the electrical signal according to the position of the plurality of operating electrode pads, the target position, and the target intensity.

[0020] The control unit can set an electrical muscle stimulation area according to the target location and target intensity of the electrical muscle stimulation, and select the electrode pads among the plurality of electrode pads located within the electrical muscle stimulation area as the operating electrode pads.

[0021] The control unit can extract a plurality of electrode pad combinations for three or more electrode pads located within the electrical muscle stimulation area, analyze the occurrence location and occurrence intensity of electrical muscle stimulation for each of the plurality of electrode pad combinations, and determine the electrode pad combination that exhibits the occurrence location and occurrence intensity that best correspond to the target location and target intensity among the plurality of electrode pad combinations and select it as the operating electrode pad.

[0022] The above control unit can predict the energy of the electrical pulse transmitted to the target location according to the distance between the operating electrode pad and the target location, and the propagation characteristics of the electrical pulse set for each body region according to the characteristics of the human tissue between the operating electrode pad and the target location.

[0023] The propagation characteristics of the above electrical pulse can be predetermined by summing the electrical pulse propagation characteristics defined by tissue types including fat, muscle, and bone, while reflecting the ratios of fat, muscle, and bone in each body region. Effects of the invention

[0024] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a spa system equipped with an electrical muscle stimulation function is provided, which applies customized electrical muscle stimulation suitable for users of the elderly and health-vulnerable groups according to the purpose of electrical muscle stimulation such as muscle strengthening, treatment, and fatigue improvement, and the target muscle area and muscle strength condition for electrical muscle stimulation, thereby providing optimal muscle exercise, treatment, and fatigue improvement effects.

[0025] In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a spa system equipped with an electrical muscle stimulation function for the elderly and health-vulnerable groups is provided, which transmits control signals through individual channels to a plurality of electrode channels to apply electrical muscle stimulation to specific parts of the human body required by users of the elderly and health-vulnerable groups.

[0026] In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a spa system equipped with an electrical muscle stimulation function for the elderly and health-vulnerable groups is provided, which can effectively deliver electrical stimulation to body areas where electrode pads are not attached and can diversify the location of electrical muscle stimulation generation.

[0027] The effects obtainable from the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above. Other unmentioned effects will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0028] FIG. 1 is a drawing showing a spa system equipped with an electrical muscle stimulation function according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the usage state of a spa system equipped with an electrical muscle stimulation function according to an embodiment of FIG. 1. Figure 3 is a top view of a bathtub constituting a spa system equipped with the electrical muscle stimulation function of Figure 1. FIG. 4 is a drawing for illustrating a spa system having an electrical muscle stimulation function according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a spa system having an electrical muscle stimulation function according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an electrical muscle stimulation method according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an electrical muscle stimulation method according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 is a flowchart showing step S40 of Figure 7. FIG. 9 is an illustrative diagram for explaining an electrical muscle stimulation method according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of an electrical muscle stimulation method according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is an illustrative diagram for explaining an electrical muscle stimulation method according to an embodiment of FIG. 10. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0029] Other advantages and features of the present invention and methods for achieving them will become clear by referring to the embodiments described below in detail together with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below but may be implemented in various different forms. These embodiments are provided merely to ensure that the disclosure of the present invention is complete and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the invention, and the present invention is defined only by the scope of the claims.

[0030] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical or scientific terms) have the same meaning as generally accepted by the general art to which this invention pertains. Terms defined by general dictionaries may be interpreted as having the same meaning as they do in the relevant art and / or in the text of this application, and will not be conceptualized or interpreted overly formally, even if they are not explicitly defined expressions.

[0031] Throughout the specification, the same reference numerals refer to the same components. This specification does not describe all elements of the embodiments, and general content in the art to which the disclosed invention belongs or content that overlaps between embodiments is omitted. The term "part" as used in the specification refers to a unit that processes at least one function or operation, and may be implemented, for example, in software, FPGA, or hardware.

[0032] The functions provided by the '~part' may be performed separately by multiple components or integrated with other additional components, and multiple '~parts' may be implemented as a single component. The '~part' of this specification is not necessarily limited to software or hardware, and may be configured to reside in an addressable storage medium or configured to operate one or more processors.

[0033] Terms such as first, second, etc. are used to distinguish one component from another, and the components are not limited by the aforementioned terms. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly indicates an exception. In this specification, the term "and / or" refers to each of the listed components or various combinations thereof.

[0034] The identification codes assigned to each step constituting the method according to the embodiments of the present invention are used merely for convenience of explanation and do not indicate the order of the steps; unless a specific order is clearly indicated in the context, the steps may be performed differently from the specified order. The operating principles and embodiments of the present invention disclosed below will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

[0035] FIG. 1 is a drawing showing a spa system equipped with an electrical muscle stimulation function according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a drawing schematically showing the usage state of a spa system equipped with an electrical muscle stimulation function according to the embodiment of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a drawing showing a view from above of a bathtub constituting the spa system equipped with an electrical muscle stimulation function of FIG. 1.

[0036] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a spa system (100) equipped with an electrical muscle stimulation function according to an embodiment of the present invention is configured to allow users of the elderly and health-vulnerable groups to receive electrical muscle stimulation in a spa form while underwater in a bathtub. The spa system (100) equipped with an electrical muscle stimulation function may include a main body (110) implemented in the form of a bathtub, a plurality of electrode pads (120) distributed and arranged on the main body (110), a control device (130), and a user terminal (140).

[0037] The bathtub can be implemented as various types of items that are installed in various facilities such as homes, accommodations, and businesses, filled with water, and into which a person can enter. The electrode pad (120) can be provided in the area of ​​the inner region of the bathtub-shaped main body (110) that comes into contact with the human body. The electrode pad (120) can stimulate the user's motor nerves by applying electrical stimulation to the human body by outputting an electrical pulse according to a control signal in the form of an electrical signal provided by the control device (130). Through this, the user can intensively strengthen the muscles of specific body parts that require muscle strengthening and treatment / fatigue improvement.

[0038] The electrode pad (120) may be provided in an area that comes into contact with or is adjacent to at least one of the trapezius, back, waist, upper buttocks, lower buttocks, upper thighs, lower thighs, calves, or soles of the feet, for example, when a person lies in a bathtub. The bathtub may have a built-in battery to operate the electrode pad (120) and may be connected to a control device (130) or an external power source via a wire.

[0039] The control unit of the control device (130) may include an oscillator. The oscillator of the control device (130) may generate electrical pulses through the electrode pad (120) based on control data. The control unit of the control device (130) may generate electrical pulses having various sizes and frequencies depending on the target body part, such as muscle strengthening, treatment / fatigue improvement, and the required purpose and use, such as stimulation intensity.

[0040] The oscillation unit may include, for example, a pulse generation unit capable of generating an electrical pulse, a display unit capable of displaying a pulse output mode or pulse output intensity, and a control unit capable of adjusting the pulse output mode or pulse output intensity. The control device (130) may generate control data for controlling the electrical pulse, for example, data for controlling the level of the pulse, such as the magnitude (pulse magnitude) and / or frequency (pulse frequency) of the current or voltage constituting the pulse.

[0041] The oscillator can generate an electrical pulse with controlled magnitude and frequency based on control data generated by the control device (130), and the generated electrical pulse can be output through the electrode pad (120). The control device (130) can generate control data based on the input of a control command to control the level of the electrical pulse, such as the magnitude or frequency of the electrical pulse, received from the user. The control data generated in this way can be used to control the electrical pulse generated by the oscillator.

[0042] The user terminal (140) may be provided as a device such as a smartphone, tablet, or PC. An application capable of controlling a spa system (100) equipped with an electrical muscle stimulation function may be stored in a storage medium within the user terminal (140). A user of the spa system (100) equipped with an electrical muscle stimulation function may input a control command after executing the application installed on the user terminal (140). The user terminal (140) may generate control data based on the input control command and transmit it to a control device (130) via wired / wireless communication. Based on the control data transmitted from the user terminal (140), the electrical pulse generated through the oscillator of the control device (130) can be controlled.

[0043] The control command may be a command to output electrical pulses having different sizes and frequencies for each electrode pad (120) corresponding to a target location (12, 14, 16) of various electrical muscle stimulations. The control command may be, for example, a command to output a first level electrical pulse at the electrode pad (120) corresponding to the thigh location and a second level electrical pulse at the electrode pad (120) corresponding to the waist location.

[0044] The control data may be data that causes an electrical pulse of the same level as the control command to be generated through the oscillator of the control device (130). More specifically, the first control data may be data that causes an electrical pulse of the first level to be output at the electrode pad (120) corresponding to the thigh position and an electrical pulse of the second level to be output at the electrode pad (120) corresponding to the waist position, just like the control command.

[0045] FIG. 4 is a drawing illustrating a spa system having an electrical muscle stimulation function according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 1 to 3 described above illustrate an embodiment in which a user receives electrical muscle stimulation by an electrode pad (120) provided in the bathtub. However, as shown in FIG. 4, a user may receive muscle strengthening, treatment, and fatigue improvement effects based on electrical muscle stimulation in the bathtub by attaching a patch provided with an electrode pad (120) to a body part or wearing a suit or band provided with an electrode pad. In this case, the electrode pad (120) may be provided in the bathtub, but it is also possible for the electrode pad (120) not to be provided in the bathtub.

[0046] To describe the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, a spa system (100) equipped with an electrical muscle stimulation function may include a bathtub and an electrical muscle stimulation device that enables a user to receive electrical muscle stimulation while wearing it in the bathtub. The electrical muscle stimulation device may include a main body (110) provided in a form that a user can wear, a plurality of electrode pads (120) provided on the main body (110), and a control device (130) that controls the plurality of electrode pads (120) to generate an electrical signal for electrical muscle stimulation through at least one operating electrode pad among the plurality of electrode pads (120).

[0047] As illustrated in FIG. 4, the user may receive electrical muscle stimulation from the spa system (100) in a spa-like manner while wearing a suit, band, patch, etc., underwater in a bathtub. The user may be an elderly person or a person with a health vulnerability who has various types of muscle strength conditions, and may receive stimulation for muscle strengthening, treatment, and fatigue improvement in an electrical manner by wearing a suit, band, patch, etc., that constitute the spa system (100) equipped with an electrical muscle stimulation function while immersed in water in a bathtub, or in a spa-like form equipped with multiple electrode pads (120).

[0048] In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the main body (110) is a component that supports the electrode pad (120) and may be provided to be wearable by the user or to be in contact with the user's body. The main body (110) may be provided in the form of a suit, band, patch, etc., that the user can wear. Alternatively, the main body (110) may be provided in the form of a bathtub, such as the embodiment of FIG. 1 to 3 described above, so that the user can receive electrical muscle stimulation in a spa-like manner.

[0049] In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the main body (110) may include an upper suit (112) provided for the user to wear on the upper body, a lower suit (114) provided for the user to wear on the lower body, and one or more bands (126, 128) or belts provided for the user to wrap around body parts such as arms, legs, or abdomen. Alternatively, the main body (110) may be provided in the form of a patch attached to the user's body.

[0050] A plurality of electrode pads (120) may be provided on one or more main bodies (110) and spaced apart at positions corresponding to various parts of the user's body. For example, the electrode pads (120) may include one or more electrode pads (122) provided on an upper suit (112), one or more electrode pads (124) provided on a lower suit (114), and one or more electrode pads (126, 128) provided on one or more bands (116, 118) worn on the arms or legs, etc.

[0051] The electrode pad (120) is composed of a conductive material and can be placed on the inner surface of the main body (110) that comes into contact with the user's body while the user is wearing the main body (110) so as to effectively deliver electrical stimulation to the user's muscles. Each electrode pad (120) can selectively operate as an operating electrode pad according to a control signal transmitted through an individual channel from the control device (130). The electrode pad (120) operating as an operating electrode pad can generate an electrical signal to apply electrical stimulation to the user's muscles for muscle strengthening, treatment, and fatigue improvement according to the control signal received from the control device (130).

[0052] The control device (130) may be provided on the main body (110) or on the outside of the main body (110). The control device (130) may be connected to each electrode pad (120) via wired and / or wireless communication. The control device (130) may include a control unit. The control unit may include at least one processor. The control unit may output multiple control signals to multiple electrode pads (120) through multiple individual channels. The control unit may individually control multiple electrode pads (120) according to multiple control signals transmitted through multiple individual channels.

[0053] For example, the control signal output from the control unit may be an electrical signal. That is, an electrical signal output unit (not shown) may be provided in the control unit, and the control signal may be transmitted from thereto to the electrode pad (120) in the form of an electrical signal through an individual channel and output through the electrode pad (120). In this case, the control signal may be transmitted to the electrode pad (120) in the form of an electrical pulse having a pulse size and a pulse frequency.

[0054] As another example, the control signal output from the control unit may be transmitted to the electrode pad (120) as an electrode control signal rather than an electric pulse. In this case, the control signal output from the control unit may include information on the pulse magnitude and pulse frequency of the electric signal to be output through the electrode pad (120), or information for identifying the electric pulse of the electric signal, and the electrode pad (120) may be equipped with an electric signal output unit that generates and outputs an electric pulse according to the control signal received from the control unit.

[0055] The control unit of the control device (130) can determine the target location and target intensity (multi-channel intensity control, or low-frequency control, etc.) of electrical muscle stimulation to be induced in the human body of the user (elderly and health-vulnerable group) according to the purpose of electrical muscle stimulation such as strengthening muscle strength, treatment, and fatigue improvement of the user (elderly and health-vulnerable group), the target muscle area for electrical muscle stimulation (waist, arm, leg, upper limb, lower limb, back), and muscle strength condition.

[0056] The control device (130) may be provided with an input interface unit that allows the user to select the purpose of electrical muscle stimulation, such as muscle strengthening, treatment, and fatigue improvement, the target muscle area for electrical muscle stimulation, and the muscle strength state (such as a muscle weakness level), etc. (for example, one or more of the electrical muscle stimulation purposes displayed on the display unit, one or more of the various body part items, and a muscle weakness level, or an input means such as a touchpad that allows the user to select and input a body part among the human body characters).

[0057] The control unit of the control device (130) can determine the target position and target intensity of the electrical stimulation corresponding to the user muscle strength information by using a pre-set stimulation determination table that defines the user muscle strength information including the purpose of the user's electrical muscle stimulation, the target muscle part and muscle strength state for the electrical muscle stimulation, and the corresponding relationship between the target position and target intensity of the electrical stimulation.

[0058] As another example, the control unit of the control device (130) may use a supervised artificial intelligence model learned using training data, input user muscle strength information including the purpose of electrical muscle stimulation, the target muscle part for electrical muscle stimulation, and the muscle strength state into the artificial intelligence model, and determine the target location and target intensity of electrical stimulation from the output of the artificial intelligence model.

[0059] Alternatively, the control device (130) may be provided with an input interface (not shown) that allows the user to directly input the target location and target intensity of the electrical muscle stimulation. When the target location and target intensity of the electrical muscle stimulation to be induced in the user's body are determined or input by the control unit and / or input unit of the control device (130), the control unit may select one or more operating electrode pads among a plurality of electrode pads (120) according to the target location and target intensity of the electrical muscle stimulation, and determine a control signal to be applied to the selected operating electrode pad.

[0060] For example, depending on user muscle strength information (purpose of electrical muscle stimulation, target muscle area for electrical muscle stimulation, muscle strength state, etc.), body parts such as the shoulder, chest, neck, arm, wrist, waist, thigh and / or calf may be determined as target locations for electrical muscle stimulation, and target intensity of electrical muscle stimulation for said body part may be determined. As another example, the user may add target locations for electrical muscle stimulation by inputting them in a manner such as touching a location to receive electrical muscle stimulation or to focus on on a human body image displayed on the input unit.

[0061] The control unit of the control device (130) can select one or more operating electrode pads that match the target location and target intensity of the electrical muscle stimulation from among the multiple electrode pads (120). To this end, location information where each electrode pad (120) is positioned when the user is in a bathtub or when the user is wearing the main body (110) can be pre-set in the storage unit of the control device (130).

[0062] The electrode pad (120) can generate an electrical signal according to a control signal transmitted from the control unit of the control device (130) to provide electrical stimulation to the user's muscle corresponding to the target location of the electrical muscle stimulation. The current intensity and / or frequency of the electrical signal generated from the electrode pad (120) can be adjusted according to a control signal transmitted from the control unit through an individual channel.

[0063] The control device (130) can individually (independently) set the level of the electrical signal (current intensity level and / or frequency level) generated by each part through the electrode pad (120). The control device (130) may further include a notification unit (not shown). The notification unit can perform the function of notifying the user of various electrical muscle stimulation information, such as the location and intensity of the electrical stimulation applied to the user. The method by which the notification unit notifies the user of information does not matter, such as by displaying information on a display screen or by outputting sound through a speaker.

[0064] FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a spa system having an electrical muscle stimulation function according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 5, a plurality of electrode pads (120; 120A, 120B, 120C) can selectively operate as operating electrode pads according to a control signal transmitted through individual channels (channel A, channel B, channel C). According to the control signal provided from the control device (130) through individual channels (channel A, channel B, channel C), the operating electrode pad among the plurality of electrode pads (120) can generate an electrical signal for electrical muscle stimulation.

[0065] The control device (130) may include a communication unit (132) for communicating with a user terminal (140) and / or a plurality of electrode pads (120), a control unit (134) for generating a control signal to be provided to a plurality of electrode pads (120) for applying electrical stimulation and outputting it to a plurality of electrode pads (120) through an individual channel, and a storage unit (136) for storing data related to electrical muscle stimulation.

[0066] The control unit (134) can generate wired control signals and / or wireless control signals to control the operation of the spa system (100) equipped with an electrical muscle stimulation function. The communication unit provided in the control device (130) communicates with the user terminal (140) via a wired / wireless communication network and can transmit wired / wireless control signals to the electrode pad (120) provided in the bathtub or suit.

[0067] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an electrical muscle stimulation method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the control unit (134) can select a plurality of operating electrode pads among a plurality of electrode pads (120) to generate an electrical signal according to the target position and target intensity of electrical muscle stimulation determined according to user muscle information such as the purpose of electrical muscle stimulation, the target muscle area for electrical muscle stimulation, and the muscle strength state (S10).

[0068] The control unit (134) can determine multiple control signals differently according to multiple setting modes that are pre-set according to the user's type (gender, age group, body type, etc.) and / or user muscle information (purpose of electrical muscle stimulation, target muscle area for electrical muscle stimulation, muscle strength state, etc.), the body part to induce electrical muscle stimulation, and the type of electrical muscle stimulation (stimulation level by muscle strength enhancement stage, etc.) (S20). The multiple setting modes can be set for various body parts, for example, the chest, shoulders, back, waist, thighs, arms, etc.

[0069] The control unit (134) determines a control signal to be applied to a selected operating electrode pad among a plurality of electrode pads (120) and can transmit the control signal to the operating electrode pad through an individual channel (S30). Accordingly, the frequency and strength of the electrical signal output through the plurality of operating electrode pads can be adjusted by independently generating a control signal for each channel corresponding to a plurality of setting modes.

[0070] FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an electrical muscle stimulation method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 7, the control unit (134) can select one or more operating electrode pads among a plurality of electrode pads according to the target location and target intensity of electrical muscle stimulation to be induced in the user's body (S40). The control unit (134) can determine the frequency and intensity of an electrical signal according to the location of the plurality of operating electrode pads, the target location, and the target intensity determined according to the user's muscle strength information (S50).

[0071] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating step S40 of FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is an illustrative diagram for explaining an electrical muscle stimulation method using a spa system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 5, FIG. 7 to FIG. 9, the control unit (134) can set an electrical muscle stimulation area within a set distance centered on the target position (PT) according to the target position (PT) and target intensity of the electrical muscle stimulation (S42). The electrical muscle stimulation area can be set, for example, as a circle, sphere, square, etc. The control unit (134) can select electrode pads located within the electrical muscle stimulation area among a plurality of electrode pads as operating electrode pads (S44).

[0072] In the example of FIG. 9, the control unit (134) may select two electrode pads located within an electrical muscle stimulation area, which is set according to the target position and target intensity of the electrical muscle stimulation (20), as operating electrode pads (120A, 120B). The control unit (134) may determine a control signal to apply to the operating electrode pads (120A, 120B) to apply electrical muscle stimulation (20) to the target position (PT).

[0073] The control unit (134) can determine the stimulation intensity and frequency of the control signal to be applied to the operating electrode pads (120A, 120B) according to the distance (DA, DB) between the target position (PT) of the electrical muscle stimulation (20) and the operating electrode pads (120A, 120B). For example, the control unit (134) can determine the control signal to be applied to the operating electrode pads (120A, 120B) by attenuating the stimulation intensity and / or frequency in proportion to the distance (DA, DB) between the target position (PT) of the electrical muscle stimulation (20) and the operating electrode pads (120A, 120B).

[0074] For example, the control unit (134) can compare the first distance (DA) between the target position (PT) of the electrical muscle stimulation (20) and the first working electrode pad (120A) with the electrode distance between the first working electrode pad (120A) and the second working electrode pad (120B), and reduce the electrical pulse size generated at the first working electrode pad (120A) from the target pulse size (target intensity) to the first pulse size by reflecting the ratio of the first distance (DA) to the electrode distance.

[0075] Additionally, the control unit (134) can compare the second distance (DB) between the target position (PT) of the electrical muscle stimulation (20) and the second working electrode pad (120B) with the electrode distance between the first working electrode pad (120A) and the second working electrode pad (120B), and reduce the electrical pulse size generated at the second working electrode pad (120B) from the target pulse size (target intensity) to the second pulse size by reflecting the ratio of the second distance (DB) to the electrode distance.

[0076] When an electrical pulse of a first pulse size is output from the first operating electrode pad (120A) and an electrical pulse of a second pulse size is output from the second operating electrode pad (120B), an electrical pulse corresponding to a target intensity (target size) is induced at the target location (PT) of the electrical muscle stimulation (20), and the electrical muscle stimulation effect can be concentrated on a specific body part that the user requires muscle strengthening, treatment, and fatigue improvement.

[0077] As another example, the control unit (134) can compare the first distance (DA) between the target position (PT) of the electrical muscle stimulation (20) and the first working electrode pad (120A) with the electrode distance between the first working electrode pad (120A) and the second working electrode pad (120B), and attenuate the frequency of the electrical pulse generated at the first working electrode pad (120A) from the target pulse frequency (target pulse energy) to the first pulse frequency (first pulse energy) by reflecting the ratio of the first distance (DA) to the electrode distance.

[0078] Additionally, the control unit (134) can compare the second distance (DB) between the target position (PT) of the electrical muscle stimulation (20) and the second operating electrode pad (120B) with the electrode distance between the first operating electrode pad (120A) and the second operating electrode pad (120B), and attenuate the frequency of the electrical pulse generated at the second operating electrode pad (120B) from the target pulse frequency (target pulse energy) to the second pulse frequency (second pulse energy) by reflecting the ratio of the second distance (DB) to the electrode distance.

[0079] When an electrical pulse of a first pulse frequency is output from the first operating electrode pad (120A) and an electrical pulse of a second pulse frequency is output from the second operating electrode pad (120B), an electrical pulse corresponding to a target intensity (target energy) is induced at the target location (PT) of the electrical muscle stimulation (20), and the electrical muscle stimulation effect can be concentrated on a specific body part that the user needs.

[0080] Additionally, the control unit (134) may determine a control signal that induces electrical muscle stimulation corresponding to a target intensity at the target location (PT) by the electrical pulse generated by the operating electrode pads (120A, 120B) by complexly adjusting the pulse size and pulse frequency according to the position of the operating electrode pads (120A, 120B) and the target location (PT) of the electrical muscle stimulation.

[0081] At this time, the control unit (134) can determine the magnitude and frequency of the electrical pulses generated at the operating electrode pads (120A, 120B) so that the electrical pulse energy generated at each of the operating electrode pads (120A, 120B) is attenuated in proportion to the operating electrode pads (120A, 120B) and the target position (PT), and the sum of the electrical pulse energies generated at the operating electrode pads (120A, 120B) and transmitted to the target position (PT) becomes equal to the target pulse energy.

[0082] In an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit (134) can predict the energy of the electrical pulse transmitted to the target location (PT) according to the propagation characteristics of the electrical pulse, taking into account not only the distance between the operating electrode pads (120A, 120B) and the target location (PT) for electrical muscle stimulation, but also the characteristics of the human tissue (fat, muscle ratio, bone, etc.) between the operating electrode pads (120A, 120B) and the target location (PT) for electrical muscle stimulation.

[0083] In this case, the propagation characteristics of human tissues or electrical pulses can be pre-set for each body region. For example, the propagation characteristics of human tissues / electrical pulses for each body region can be determined by summing the electrical pulse propagation characteristics defined for tissue types such as fat, muscle, and bone, while reflecting the ratios of fat, muscle, and bone in each body region. The tissue ratios for each body region can be set differently for the elderly and health-vulnerable groups based on statistical data.

[0084] In the embodiment of FIG. 9, two operating electrode pads (120A, 120B) were described as examples, but control signals may be applied to three or more operating electrode pads through individual channels to induce electrical pulses targeted at a target position (PT). In this case, the propagation of the electrical pulses may be analyzed in three-dimensional directions to determine the control signals applied to three or more operating electrode pads so as to satisfy all targeted electrical muscle stimulation conditions for each direction.

[0085] The operating electrode pads selected from among the electrode pads (120) can be adjusted according to the electrical muscle stimulation area that changes according to user muscle strength information. For example, depending on the muscle weakness state (muscle weakness level) of a specific body part, the number of operating electrode pads can be increased proportionally or decreased inversely proportionally so that the area of ​​stimulation received by the user increases or decreases in consideration of the corresponding muscle weakness state.

[0086] Depending on the user's muscle strength information, whether the area of ​​stimulation increases or decreases can be pre-set for various user types, such as the elderly and those with health vulnerabilities. The control unit (134) may increase the area of ​​stimulation to increase the muscle strengthening, treatment, and fatigue improvement effects of electrical muscle stimulation as the condition of muscle weakness becomes more severe, or conversely, as the condition of muscle weakness becomes greater, it may decrease the area of ​​stimulation or apply low-frequency stimulation (e.g., 1500 Hz or less or 400 Hz or less) to reduce damage and aversion caused by stimulation applied to specific body parts.

[0087] Meanwhile, the control unit (134) may receive user muscle strength information, such as the purpose of electrical muscle stimulation, the target muscle area for electrical muscle stimulation, and the muscle strength state, based on an artificial intelligence model learned from learning data, and determine a control signal (pulse size of the electrical signal, pulse frequency, etc.) to be generated from the electrode pads (120) to apply electrical muscle stimulation to a specific body location of the user.

[0088] Embodiments of the present invention can be utilized to provide electrical muscle stimulation to a user for the purpose of concentrating muscle strengthening, therapeutic, and fatigue improvement effects on body parts where electrode pads are not located. That is, by a control unit determining an operating electrode pad and a control signal based on user muscle strength information, appropriate electrical muscle stimulation can be applied to any input or a determined target area (body part), thereby maximizing the electrical muscle stimulation effect on the corresponding body part requiring muscle strengthening, therapeutic, and fatigue improvement.

[0089] As described above, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the location of electrical stimulation generation is not limited to the location of the electrode pads, and electrical pulses of appropriate size and / or frequency are applied to various body locations between the electrode pads, thereby allowing for customized electrical muscle stimulation to be applied to the user, and accordingly, the effects of muscle strength exercise, treatment, and fatigue improvement for the elderly and health-vulnerable groups can be maximized.

[0090] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of an electrical muscle stimulation method according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is an illustrative diagram for explaining an electrical muscle stimulation method according to the embodiment of FIG. 10. Referring to FIG. 5, FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, a control unit (134) can extract a plurality of electrode pad combinations for three or more electrode pads located within an electrical muscle stimulation area (S60).

[0091] At this time, the control unit (134) may determine that among three or more electrode pads located within the electrical muscle stimulation area, the electrode pads located in areas symmetrically opposite each other on both sides with respect to the target position (PT) of the electrical muscle stimulation (20) are the same electrode pad combination. Alternatively, the control unit (134) may determine that three or more electrode pads, which are part of the total electrode pads located within the electrical muscle stimulation area, are the same electrode pad combination. In this case, at least two electrode pads among the electrode pads included in the same electrode pad combination are located in areas symmetrically opposite each other on both sides with respect to the target position (PT).

[0092] For example, in FIG. 11, the control unit (134) can extract two electrode pad combinations (G1, G2) for four electrode pads (120A, 120B, 120C, 120D) located within an electrical muscle stimulation area set according to the target position (PT) and target intensity of the electrical muscle stimulation (20). The control unit (134) can analyze the occurrence position and occurrence intensity of the electrical muscle stimulation for each of the multiple electrode pad combinations (S70). The control unit (134) can determine the electrode pad combination that exhibits the occurrence position and occurrence intensity that best correspond to the target position and target intensity among the multiple electrode pad combinations (G1, G2) and select it as the operating electrode pad to finally apply the electrical pulse (S80).

[0093] The control unit (134) can, for example, analyze the electrical pulse induced at the target position (PT) for each electrode pad combination (G1, G2) according to the embodiment of FIG. 9 above, and then determine the electrical pulse similarity by comparing the electrical pulse analyzed to be induced at the target position (PT) for each electrode pad combination (G1, G2) with the target electrical pulse. As previously described, the control unit (134) determines the stimulation intensity and frequency of the control signal to be applied to the operating electrode pads (120A, 120B, 120C, 120D) according to the distance (DA, DB, DC, DD) between the target position (PT) of the electrical muscle stimulation (20) and the operating electrode pads (120A, 120B, 120C, 120D), and accordingly compares the occurrence location and occurrence intensity of the electrical stimulation induced at the target position (PT) with the target stimulation location and target stimulation intensity.

[0094] The control unit (134) analyzes the occurrence location and occurrence intensity of electrical muscle stimulation for each of the plurality of electrode pad combinations (G1, G2), determines one electrode pad combination (an electrode pad combination showing the result with the highest similarity to the target pulse) that corresponds most to the target location and target intensity among the plurality of electrode pad combinations, and can select the electrode pads of the corresponding electrode pad combination as operating electrode pads.

[0095] The control unit (134) can select two or more electrode pads located within an electrical muscle stimulation area, which is set according to the target location and target intensity of the electrical muscle stimulation (20), as operating electrode pads. The control unit (134) can determine a control signal to apply to the operating electrode pads to apply electrical muscle stimulation (20) to the target location (PT).

[0096] A spa system having an electrical muscle stimulation function and a method for electrically stimulating muscles using the same, according to the described embodiment of the present invention, may be implemented in the form of a program that can be driven by a processor. Herein, the program may include program instructions, data files, and data structures, etc., either individually or in combination. The program may be designed and created using machine code or high-level language code.

[0097] The program may be specially designed to implement the method described above, or it may be implemented using various functions or definitions that are known and available to a person skilled in the art of computer software. A program for implementing the method described above may be recorded on a recording medium readable by a processor. In this case, the recording medium may be memory.

[0098] The memory can store a program that performs the aforementioned operation and the operation described below, and the memory can execute the stored program. In cases where there are multiple processors and memories, it is possible for them to be integrated on a single chip or to be provided in physically separate locations. The memory may include volatile memory such as SRAM (Static Random Access Memory, S-RAM) and D-RAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) for temporarily storing data.

[0099] In addition, the memory may include non-volatile memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), and EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) for long-term storage of control programs and control data. The processor may include various logic circuits and arithmetic circuits, process data according to a program provided from memory, and generate control signals according to the processing results.

[0100] At least one component may be added or deleted in response to the performance of the components described above. Additionally, it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that the relative positions of the components may be changed in response to the performance or structure of the system.

[0101] As described above, the disclosed embodiments have been explained with reference to the attached drawings. Those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention may be practiced in forms different from the disclosed embodiments without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the invention. The disclosed embodiments are illustrative and should not be interpreted restrictively. Explanation of the symbols

[0102] 100: Spa system equipped with electrical muscle stimulation function 110 : Main body 120 : Electrode pad 130 : Control unit 132 : Communications Department 134 : Control unit 136 : Storage section 140 : User terminal

Claims

Claim 1 A main body provided in the form of a bathtub so that users belonging to the elderly and health-vulnerable groups can wear it in a bathtub or come into contact with the user's body; a plurality of electrode pads provided on the main body and spaced apart at positions corresponding to various parts of the human body; The apparatus includes a control unit that determines a control signal by selecting one or more operating electrode pads among the plurality of electrode pads according to user muscle strength information, wherein the user muscle strength information includes the purpose of electrical muscle stimulation, a target muscle area to receive electrical muscle stimulation, and a muscle strength state, wherein the control unit determines the intensity and frequency of an electrical signal for electrical muscle stimulation according to the user muscle strength information and determines the control signal, wherein the plurality of electrode pads selectively operate as operating electrode pads according to the control signal, wherein the operating electrode pads generate an electrical signal for electrical muscle stimulation according to the control signal, wherein the control unit determines a target location and target intensity of the electrical muscle stimulation according to the user muscle strength information, wherein the control unit selects a plurality of operating electrode pads among the plurality of electrode pads to generate the electrical signal according to the target location and target intensity of the electrical muscle stimulation, and determines the frequency and intensity of the electrical signal according to the location of the plurality of operating electrode pads, the target location, and the target intensity, and wherein the control unit determines the frequency and intensity of the electrical signal by body region according to the distance between the operating electrode pad and the target location and the characteristics of human tissue between the operating electrode pad and the target location. A spa system having an electrical muscle stimulation function, wherein the energy of an electrical pulse transmitted to a target location is predicted according to the propagation characteristics of an electrical pulse set, and the propagation characteristics of the electrical pulse are predetermined by summing the electrical pulse propagation characteristics defined by tissue types including fat, muscle, and bone, by reflecting the ratio of fat, muscle, and bone in each body region. Claim 2 A spa system having an electrical muscle stimulation function according to claim 1, wherein the control unit outputs a plurality of control signals through a plurality of individual channels and individually controls the plurality of electrode pads according to the plurality of control signals, and the control unit selects the operating electrode pad according to the target location and target intensity of electrical muscle stimulation to be induced in the human body of the user. Claim 3 A spa system having an electrical muscle stimulation function according to claim 2, wherein the control unit determines the plurality of control signals differently for each of the plurality of preset setting modes, transmits the control signals to the plurality of electrode pads through the plurality of channels, and independently generates the control signals for each channel corresponding to the plurality of setting modes to adjust the frequency and intensity of the electrical signals. Claim 4 A spa system having an electrical muscle stimulation function according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines a target position and a target intensity of the electrical muscle stimulation according to the user muscle strength information, and determines at least one of the stimulation intensity and frequency of the control signal to be applied to the operating electrode pad by attenuating the stimulation intensity or frequency from the target pulse size or target pulse frequency corresponding to the target intensity according to the distance between the target position of the electrical muscle stimulation and the operating electrode pad. Claim 5 delete Claim 6 A spa system having an electrical muscle stimulation function according to claim 1, wherein the control unit sets an electrical muscle stimulation area according to the target position and target intensity of the electrical muscle stimulation, and selects electrode pads located within the electrical muscle stimulation area among the plurality of electrode pads as the operating electrode pads. Claim 7 A spa system having an electrical muscle stimulation function according to claim 6, wherein the control unit extracts a plurality of electrode pad combinations for three or more electrode pads located within the electrical muscle stimulation area, analyzes the occurrence location and occurrence intensity of electrical muscle stimulation for each of the plurality of electrode pad combinations, determines the electrode pad combination that exhibits the occurrence location and occurrence intensity most corresponding to the target location and the target intensity among the plurality of electrode pad combinations, and selects it as the operating electrode pad. Claim 8 delete

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