Smart knee brace and use method therefor

Abstract

A smart knee brace and a use method therefor. A pressure sensor is arranged in a knee 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 knee 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 knee brace can accurately, efficiently and conveniently measure the pressure borne by a knee of a human body, thereby providing strong technical support for the prevention and rehabilitation of knee joint diseases.

Description

Intelligent knee pad and use method thereof Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of smart wearable technology, and in particular to a smart kneepad 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 knee braces, specifically for the knee, a particularly vulnerable joint, are gaining widespread attention. Unlike traditional knee braces, which merely provide physical support and warmth, smart knee braces 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 knee pads that already exist on the market and can adjust the temperature of the knee to keep warm, the research on smart knee pads that can monitor the pressure on the knee 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 knee brace and a method of using the same, so as to solve the problem in the prior art of the lack of a mature intelligent knee brace for monitoring the pressure on the knee.

[0006] Based on the above purpose, the present invention provides an intelligent kneepad, comprising a kneepad 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 kneepad 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 inside of the kneepad body by conductive sewing thread.

[0008] The kneepad 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, the resistor and the pressure sensor in the peripheral circuit are connected 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 knee 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 knee pad body comprises an elastic knee pad.

[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 kneepad, comprising:

[0016] Wear the smart knee brace on the subject's knee and adjust the pressure sensor to the center of the subject's knee joint;

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

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

[0019] Beneficial effects of the present invention: The present invention arranges a pressure sensor in the kneepad 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 kneepad 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 knee can be measured accurately, efficiently and conveniently, providing strong technical support for the prevention and rehabilitation of knee 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. Kneepad 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 kneepad, comprising a kneepad 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 kneepad 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 sewn into the inside of the kneepad body 1 by conductive sewing thread.

[0030] The kneepad 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 where to place the pressure sensor on the knee, the center of the knee joint, slightly above the patella, is the best choice. This location can not only accurately measure the pressure of the knee joint, but also will not be interfered by pressure from other parts of the body.

[0035] It should be understood by those skilled in the art 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 elastic knee brace, the pressure sensor must be soldered to the metal sheet and then sewn into the elastic knee brace. First, cut a rectangular, unoxidized copper sheet approximately 3.00cm long and 1.20cm wide. Use a 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 smart kneepad, a metal snap fastener 2 is used for secure attachment. Model 633 snap fasteners are used during the production process. First, use the supplied tweezers to drill holes in the kneepad fabric. Pay attention to the placement of the holes to ensure the kneepad is comfortable to wear once the snap fastener 2 is installed. Next, lay the buckle flat and insert the kneepad into it, ensuring the buckle and kneepad are aligned. Next, install the joint surface on the other side of the kneepad, ensuring the joint surface matches the buckle surface. 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 knee brace uses a JDY-31 Bluetooth module for data transmission. To maximize the ease of use of the smart knee brace, the most common Android phone is selected 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 kneepad, including the following steps:

[0042] The smart knee brace is worn on the subject's knee, and the position of the pressure sensor is adjusted to the center of the subject's knee joint; the measurement results of the pressure sensor are read; and the pressure on the subject's knee 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 using three movements: standing upright, half-squatting, and deep squatting. The pressure values ​​on the knee under the three different movements were obtained based on the fitting curve. The results were verified using the AMI 3037-10 airbag contact pressure tester. The results showed that the measurement results of this smart knee brace 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 knee guard, comprising a knee 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 knee pad 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 knee pad body through conductive sewing threads; A snap fastener is further provided on the knee pad body, and both the conductive sewing thread and the wire of the peripheral circuit are 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 knee pad according to claim 1, characterized in that, 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 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 breadboard.

3. The intelligent knee pad according to claim 1, wherein The pressure sensor is installed at the center position of the knee pad body.

4. The intelligent knee pad according to claim 1, characterized in that, 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 knee pad according to claim 4, characterized in that The resistor includes a 10 kΩ resistor.

6. The intelligent knee pad according to claim 1, characterized in that, The knee pad body includes an elastic knee pad.

7. The intelligent knee pad 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 for using an intelligent knee guard according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, Including: Wear the intelligent knee pad on the knee of the subject, and adjust the position of the pressure sensor to the center position of the knee joint of the subject; Read the measurement result of the pressure sensor; Calculate the pressure received by the subject's knee according to the pre-set fitting curve and functional relationship between the measured pressure and the actual pressure.

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