Smart elbow brace and use method therefor

Abstract

A smart elbow brace and a use method therefor. A pressure sensor is arranged in an elbow brace body (1), and is mounted by means of a metal piece; two ends of the metal piece are divided into two poles by means of a partition groove, and are respectively sewn inside the elbow brace body (1) by means of electrically conductive sewing threads; and snap fasteners (2) are provided, and the electrically conductive sewing threads and a wire of a peripheral circuit are all wound around the snap fasteners (2), such that a development board (3), a resistor (4) and the pressure sensor are connected to form a loop. Therefore, the smart elbow brace can accurately, efficiently and conveniently measure the pressure borne by an elbow of a human body, thereby providing strong technical support for the prevention and rehabilitation of elbow joint diseases.

Description

Intelligent elbow pad and method of use thereof Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of smart wearable technology, and in particular to a smart elbow protector and a method of using the same. Background Art

[0002] With technological advancements and growing health awareness, smart wearable devices have been widely researched and applied in the fields of medical monitoring and rehabilitation assistance. Specifically, smart elbow pads, targeting the elbow joint, a particularly vulnerable joint, are gaining widespread attention. Unlike traditional elbow pads that simply provide physical support and warmth, smart elbow pads focus on more detailed aspects such as temperature regulation and pressure monitoring.

[0003] Thanks to the rapid development of flexible sensor technology in recent years, previously bulky and scattered sensors have gradually transformed into lightweight, convenient, and integrated ones, making various data collection, monitoring, and control functions more convenient and complete. As a result, a variety of flexible sensors are gradually being incorporated into clothing technology, and various flexible sensor textiles, smart wearable devices, and smart clothing products are becoming more common in our lives.

[0004] Compared with the smart elbow pads that already exist on the market and can adjust the elbow temperature to keep warm, the research on smart elbow pads that can monitor the pressure on the elbow in real time seems to be lagging behind. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an intelligent elbow pad and a method of using the same, so as to solve the problem in the prior art of the lack of a mature intelligent elbow pad for monitoring the pressure on the elbow.

[0006] Based on the above purpose, the present invention provides a smart elbow protector, comprising an elbow protector body and a pressure measurement module, wherein the pressure measurement module comprises a pressure sensor and a peripheral circuit;

[0007] The pressure sensor is installed in the elbow pad body through a metal sheet. A separation groove is provided on the metal sheet to separate the metal sheet into two ends. The pins at both ends of the pressure sensor are respectively connected to the two ends of the metal sheet. The two ends of the metal sheet are respectively sewn into the elbow pad body by conductive sewing thread.

[0008] The elbow pad body is also provided with a snap fastener, and the conductive sewing thread and the wires of the peripheral circuit are wound around the snap fastener, so that the development board and the resistor in the peripheral circuit are connected to the pressure sensor to form a loop.

[0009] Preferably, the peripheral circuit is installed on a breadboard, the power interface of the development board is connected to the positive pole of the breadboard, the input port of the development board is connected to the pin at one end of the pressure sensor, the other end of the pressure sensor is connected to the positive pole of the breadboard, one end of the resistor is connected to the input port of the development board, and the other end is connected to the negative pole of the panel board.

[0010] Preferably, the pressure sensor is installed at the exact center of the elbow pad body.

[0011] Preferably, the pressure sensor includes an FSR402 Short resistive pressure sensor, and the development board includes an Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense development board.

[0012] Preferably, the resistor comprises a 10 kΩ resistor.

[0013] Preferably, the elbow pad body is made of elastic fabric.

[0014] Preferably, the development board is connected to a Bluetooth module, and the Bluetooth module is used to send the pressure measurement result to the wireless terminal.

[0015] The present invention also provides a method for using the above-mentioned smart elbow pad, comprising:

[0016] Wear the smart elbow protector on the elbow joint of the subject, and adjust the position of the pressure sensor to the olecranon of the subject;

[0017] Read the measurement results of the pressure sensor;

[0018] The pressure on the elbow of the subject is calculated based on the pre-set measured pressure and the actual pressure fitting curve and functional relationship.

[0019] Beneficial effects of the present invention: The present invention arranges a pressure sensor in the elbow pad body, and installs the pressure sensor through a metal sheet. The two ends of the metal sheet are divided into two poles by a separation groove, and are sewn into the inside of the elbow pad body by conductive sewing thread respectively. Then, a four-button buckle is provided, and the conductive sewing thread and the wires of the peripheral circuit are all wound on the four-button buckle, so that the development board, the resistor and the pressure sensor are connected to form a loop, so that the pressure on the human elbow can be measured accurately, efficiently and conveniently, providing strong technical support for the prevention and rehabilitation of elbow joint diseases. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the present invention or the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only for the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0021] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a circuit principle of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] FIG3 is a fitting curve diagram of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] The following are marked in the figure:

[0025] 1. Elbow pad body; 2. Snap-on buckle; 3. Development board; 4. Resistors; 5. Breadboard. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments.

[0027] It should be noted that, unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in the present invention should have the usual meanings understood by people with ordinary skills in the field to which the present invention belongs. The "first", "second" and similar words used in the present invention do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. "Include" or "comprise" and similar words mean that the elements or objects appearing before the word include the elements or objects listed after the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. "Connect" or "connected" and similar words are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. "Up", "down", "left", "right" and the like are only used to indicate relative positional relationships. When the absolute position of the object being described changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0028] As shown in FIG1 , an embodiment of the present specification provides a smart elbow protector, comprising an elbow protector body 1 and a pressure measurement module, wherein the pressure measurement module comprises a pressure sensor and a peripheral circuit;

[0029] The pressure sensor is installed in the elbow pad body 1 through a metal sheet. A separation groove is provided on the metal sheet to separate the metal sheet into two ends. The pins at both ends of the pressure sensor are respectively connected to the two ends of the metal sheet. The two ends of the metal sheet are respectively sewn into the elbow pad body 1 by conductive sewing thread.

[0030] The elbow pad body 1 is also provided with a snap fastener 2, and the conductive sewing thread and the wires of the peripheral circuit are wound around the snap fastener 2, so that the development board 3 and the resistor 4 in the peripheral circuit are connected to the pressure sensor to form a loop.

[0031] For example, the peripheral circuit is installed on the breadboard 5, the power interface of the development board 3 is connected to the positive pole of the breadboard 5, the input port of the development board 3 is connected to the pin at one end of the pressure sensor, the other end of the pressure sensor is connected to the positive pole of the breadboard 5, one end of the resistor 4 is connected to the input port of the development board 3, and the other end is connected to the negative pole of the panel board. The circuit is shown in Figure 2, where R represents the resistor, P represents the pressure sensor, S represents the switch of the circuit, and E represents the power supply.

[0032] For example, the pressure sensor uses the FSR402 Short resistive pressure sensor, chosen for its high flexibility, light weight, compact size, high sensing accuracy, and wide applicability. This pressure sensor converts pressure applied to the FSR sensor's thin film into a change in resistance, thereby obtaining pressure information. When no pressure is applied, the theoretical resistance is considered to be positive infinity. Greater pressure results in lower resistance, allowing for use in pressures ranging from 0g to 10kg. Development Board 3 uses the Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense development board, based on Nordic Semiconductor's nRF52840 system-on-chip (SoC) with integrated Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). The nRF52840 is a high-performance, low-power multi-core processor with a 32-bit ARM Cortex-M4F CPU. It can handle complex calculations and sensor data while maintaining low power consumption, making it ideal for applications requiring wireless communication and sensor data processing.

[0033] The pressure sensor acts as a variable resistor. When the pressure sensor is not pressed, its resistance is positive infinity, and current flows through the fixed resistor, resulting in no voltage being divided. According to the Arduino code, the output "Analog Voltage" and "Actual Voltage" should be 0 at this time. When the pressure sensor is pressed, its resistance decreases, theoretically approaching 0, resulting in a 5V voltage being divided. According to the Arduino code, the "Actual Voltage" should be 5V or as close to 5V as possible. Furthermore, the greater the force applied to the pressure sensor, the greater the voltage generated. Experimentation has shown that a 10kΩ resistor is the most suitable choice for resistor 4.

[0034] When choosing the location to place the pressure sensor on the elbow, the olecranon of the ulna may be the best choice. This location can not only accurately measure the pressure of the elbow joint, but also will not be interfered by the pressure of other parts.

[0035] Those skilled in the art should understand that the discussion of any of the above embodiments is merely illustrative and is not intended to imply that the scope of the present invention (including the claims) is limited to these examples. Within the scope of the present invention, the technical features in the above embodiments or different embodiments may be combined, the steps may be implemented in any order, and there are many other variations of the different aspects of the present invention as described above, which are not provided in detail for the sake of simplicity.

[0036] To integrate the pressure sensor into the elbow guard, it must be soldered to a thin metal sheet and then sewn into the elbow guard. First, cut a rectangular, unoxidized copper sheet approximately 3.00cm long and 1.20cm wide. Use a razor blade to gently cut a thin line down the middle to isolate the two ends and prevent electrical conduction and short circuits. Next, place the pins of the pressure sensor on the thin copper sheet at either end of the line and solder them.

[0037] Place the welded pressure sensor and thin copper sheet as a whole at the mark slightly above the patella, and sew them with pure silver-plated conductive sewing thread. Use double-strand thread to prevent the conductive sewing thread from breaking.

[0038] To ensure a smooth passageway throughout the entire smart elbow guard, a metal snap fastener 2 is used for secure attachment. Model 633 snap fasteners are used during the production process. First, use the supplied pliers to drill holes in the elbow guard fabric. Pay attention to the placement of the holes to ensure the entire elbow guard is comfortable to wear once the snap fastener 2 is installed. Next, lay the buckle flat and insert the elbow guard into it, ensuring the buckle and elbow guard are aligned. Next, install the fastener on the other side of the elbow guard, ensuring the fastener and buckle are aligned. Use the supplied tools and hammer to tap firmly until the snap fastener 2 is flat and secure. Finally, check that the snap fastener 2 is secure.

[0039] Note that a little more conductive sewing thread needs to be wrapped around the snap fastener 2 to form a path.

[0040] As an implementation, the smart elbow brace uses a JDY-31 Bluetooth module for data transmission. To maximize the ease of use of the smart elbow brace, the most common Android phone is used as the Bluetooth receiver. Before use, download the corresponding "Bluetooth Serial Port" app on your Android phone to facilitate subsequent debugging.

[0041] The present invention also provides a method for using the smart elbow pad, including the following steps:

[0042] The smart elbow protector is worn on the elbow joint of the subject, and the position of the pressure sensor is adjusted to the olecranon of the subject's ulna; the measurement result of the pressure sensor is read; and the pressure on the subject's elbow is calculated based on the pre-set measured pressure and actual pressure fitting curve and function relationship.

[0043] The fitting curve was derived from experimental simulations, including measurement data. The fitting curve between voltage and pressure was plotted to explore their functional relationship. Weights of varying weights were placed on the pressure sensor. The pressure values ​​under different gravities were calculated using the equation P = F / S and G(F) = m ∗ g. The "actual voltage" value was also read from the Arduino IDE. Multiple data sets were measured, and Origin software was used to plot a fitting curve between the "actual voltage" and "pressure" values ​​and simulate their functional relationship, as shown in Figure 3.

[0044] In actual verification, the pressure measurement values ​​were read by bending the elbow at 0 degrees, 60 degrees, and 90 degrees. The pressure values ​​of the elbow under the three different movements were obtained according to the fitting curve. The results were verified by the AMI 3037-10 airbag contact pressure tester. The results showed that the measurement results of this smart elbow guard were relatively accurate.

[0045] The present invention is intended to cover all such substitutions, modifications and variations that fall within the broad scope of the appended claims. Therefore, any omissions, modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An intelligent elbow guard, comprising an elbow guard body, characterized in that, It further includes a pressure measurement module, and the pressure measurement module includes a pressure sensor and a peripheral circuit; The pressure sensor is installed in the elbow guard body through a metal sheet. A partition groove is provided on the metal sheet to divide the metal sheet into two ends. The two pins at both ends of the pressure sensor are respectively connected to the two ends of the metal sheet, and the two ends of the metal sheet are respectively sewn inside the elbow guard body through conductive sewing threads; A snap fastener is further provided on the elbow guard body. The conductive sewing thread and the wire of the peripheral circuit are both wound around the snap fastener, so that the development board, resistor in the peripheral circuit and the pressure sensor are connected to form a circuit.

2. The intelligent elbow guard according to claim 1, wherein The peripheral circuit is installed on a breadboard. The power interface of the development board is connected to the positive pole of the breadboard. The input port of the development board is connected to one pin of the pressure sensor. The other end of the pressure sensor is connected to the positive pole of the breadboard. One end of the resistor is connected to the input port of the development board, and the other end is connected to the negative pole of the breadboard.

3. The intelligent elbow guard according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pressure sensor is installed at the center position of the elbow guard body.

4. The intelligent elbow guard according to claim 1, wherein, The pressure sensor includes an FSR402 Short type resistive pressure sensor, and the development board includes an Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense type development board.

5. The intelligent elbow guard according to claim 4, wherein The resistor includes a 10kΩ resistor.

6. The intelligent elbow guard according to claim 1, wherein The elbow guard body is made of elastic fabric.

7. The intelligent elbow guard according to claim 1, characterized in that The development board is connected with a Bluetooth module, and the Bluetooth module is used to send the pressure measurement result to a wireless terminal.

8. A method of using an intelligent elbow guard according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, Including: Wear the intelligent elbow guard at the elbow joint of the subject, and adjust the position of the pressure sensor to the olecranon of the subject; Read the measurement result of the pressure sensor; Calculate the pressure received by the subject's elbow according to the pre-set fitting curve and functional relationship between the measured pressure and the actual pressure.

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