Energy management device for battery, operation method thereof and wearable device comprising same

Abstract

Disclosed are an energy management device for a battery, an operation method thereof, and a wearable device comprising same. The energy management device comprises: a motor for generating torque on the basis of electric energy supplied from a battery or generating regenerative current by using back electromotive force; an energy management circuit for controlling the supply of electric energy from the battery to the motor and controlling the charging of the battery by the regenerative current generated by the motor; and one or more processors for controlling the energy management circuit. The energy management circuit comprises: a rechargeable battery; a battery charging circuit for charging the battery on the basis of the regenerative current; and an electric energy consumption circuit for consuming electric energy corresponding to at least a portion of the regenerative current generated by the motor.

Description

Energy management device for a battery, method of operation thereof, and wearable device including the same

[0001] Certain embodiments relate to an energy management device for a battery, a method of operating the same, and a wearable device including the same.

[0002] In general, a walking assistance device is a device or apparatus that helps patients who are unable to walk independently due to various diseases or accidents to perform walking exercises for rehabilitation and / or to assist people in exercising. Recently, as the aging society deepens, the number of people who have difficulty walking normally or complain of discomfort when walking due to leg joint problems is increasing, and interest in walking assistance devices is also increasing. Walking assistance devices can be worn on the user's body to assist the necessary muscle strength and / or guide the user's walking so that the user can walk with a normal walking pattern, thereby assisting exercise and / or walking. These walking assistance devices can also perform functions that assist the user with various leg exercises (e.g., power walking, jogging, stair climbing, lunges, stretching).

[0003] The solution to this problem is provided to introduce, in a simplified form, some concepts that are further explained in the detailed description below. It is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed composition, nor is it intended to assist in determining the scope of the claimed composition.

[0004] An energy management device according to an exemplary aspect may include a motor that generates torque based on electrical energy supplied from a battery or generates a regenerative current by counter electromotive force, an energy management circuit that controls the supply of electrical energy from the battery to the motor and controls charging of the battery by the regenerative current generated from the motor, and one or more processors that control the energy management circuit. The energy management circuit may include the rechargeable battery, a battery charging circuit that charges the battery based on the regenerative current, and an electrical energy consumption circuit that consumes electrical energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current generated from the motor. The one or more processors may activate the battery charging circuit so that the battery is charged by the regenerative current when the charge amount of the battery is lower than or equal to a reference charge value and a voltage value of a node through which the regenerative current flows into the energy management circuit is greater than a first reference voltage value, and may activate the electrical energy consumption circuit so that electrical energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current is consumed.

[0005] An operating method of an energy management device including a motor, a battery, a battery charging circuit, and an electric energy consumption circuit according to an exemplary aspect may include: measuring a charge amount of the battery; activating the battery charging circuit so that the battery is charged by the regenerative current when the measured charge amount of the battery is less than or equal to a reference charge value and a voltage value of the battery is less than or equal to a voltage value of a node through which a regenerative current generated from the motor flows into the battery charging circuit; and activating the electric energy consumption circuit so that electric energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current is consumed when the voltage value of the node is greater than a first reference voltage value.

[0006] A wearable device according to an exemplary aspect may include a motor that generates torque based on electric energy supplied from a battery or generates a regenerative current based on leg movements of a user wearing the wearable device, a torque transmission frame for transmitting the generated torque to the user's leg, a thigh fastening part for fixing the torque transmission frame to the user's leg, an energy management circuit that controls the supply of electric energy from the battery to the motor and controls charging of the battery by the regenerative current generated from the motor, and one or more processors that control the energy management circuit. The energy management circuit may include the rechargeable battery, a battery charging circuit that charges the battery based on the regenerative current, and an electric energy consumption circuit that consumes electric energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current generated from the motor. The one or more processors may activate the battery charging circuit so that the battery is charged by the regenerative current, and activate the electric energy consumption circuit so that electric energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current is consumed, when the charge amount of the battery is less than or equal to a reference charge value and the voltage value of the node through which the regenerative current flows into the energy management circuit is greater than a first reference voltage value.

[0007] These and / or other aspects, features and advantages will become apparent and more readily understood from the following description of exemplary embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a drawing for explaining an overview of a wearable device worn on a user's body according to various embodiments.

[0009] FIG. 2 is a drawing for explaining an exercise assistance system according to various embodiments.

[0010] FIG. 3 illustrates a rear schematic diagram of a wearable device according to various embodiments.

[0011] FIG. 4 illustrates a left side view of a wearable device worn on a user's body according to various embodiments.

[0012] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating configurations of an electronic system of a wearable device according to various embodiments.

[0013] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating interaction between a wearable device and an electronic device according to various embodiments.

[0014] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating configurations of an energy management device according to various embodiments.

[0015] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an implementation circuit for an energy management device according to various embodiments.

[0016] FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining energy management by an energy management device according to various embodiments.

[0017] FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the operations of an operating method of an energy management device according to various embodiments.

[0018] FIGS. 11A, 11B, and 11C are drawings for explaining the operation of an implementation circuit for an energy management device according to various embodiments.

[0019] FIGS. 12A, 12B, and 12C are drawings illustrating the operation of another implementation circuit for an energy management device according to various embodiments.

[0020] Specific structural or functional descriptions of the embodiments are disclosed for illustrative purposes only and may be modified and implemented in various forms. Therefore, the actual implementation is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and the scope of this specification includes modifications, equivalents, or alternatives within the technical concepts described in the embodiments.

[0021] Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this specification, the terms "comprises" or "has" should be understood to indicate the presence of a described feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof, but not to exclude the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0022] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted to have a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant technology, and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined herein.

[0023] Hereinafter, specific embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. In the description with reference to the attached drawings, identical components are assigned the same reference numerals regardless of the drawing numbers, and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0024]

[0025] FIG. 1 is a drawing for explaining an overview of a wearable device worn on a user's body according to various embodiments.

[0026] Referring to FIG. 1, in one embodiment, a wearable device (100) may be a device worn on a user's (110) body to assist the user's (110) walking, exercising, and / or working. The wearable device (100) may also be used to measure the user's (110) physical ability (e.g., walking ability, exercise ability, exercise posture). In a specific embodiment, the term 'wearable device' may be replaced with 'wearable robot', 'walking assistance device', or 'exercise assistance device'. The user (110) may be a person who wears the wearable device (100) and walks, exercises, or works.

[0027] A wearable device (100) may be worn on a user's (110) body (e.g., lower body (legs, ankles, knees, etc.) and / or upper body (torso, arms, wrists, etc.)) to apply external forces, such as assistance force and / or resistance force, to the body movements of the user (110). Assistance force refers to a force applied in the same direction as the body movement direction of the user (110), and represents a force that assists the body movements of the user (110). Resistance force refers to a force applied in the opposite direction to the body movement direction of the user (110), and represents a force that hinders the body movements of the user (110). The term 'resistance force' may also be referred to as 'exercise load'.

[0028] In one embodiment, the wearable device (100) may operate in a walking assistance mode to assist the walking of a user (110). In the walking assistance mode, the wearable device (100) may assist the walking of the user (110) by applying an assistive force generated from a driving module (including a motor) of the wearable device (100) to the body of the user (110). The wearable device (100) may enable the user (110) to walk independently or to walk for a long time by assisting the force required for walking of the user (110), thereby expanding the walking ability of the user (110). The wearable device (100) may also help improve the walking of a user with abnormal walking habits or walking posture.

[0029] In one embodiment, the wearable device (100) may operate in an exercise assistance mode to enhance the exercise effect of the user (110) or to provide various exercise experiences to the user (110). The exercise assistance mode may include a resistance mode and an assistance mode. The resistance mode of the exercise assistance mode refers to a mode that impedes the body movement of the user (110) or provides resistance to the body movement of the user (110) by applying a resistance force generated from a driving module to the body of the user (110). If the wearable device (100) is a hip-type wearable device worn on the waist (or pelvis) and legs (e.g., thighs) of the user (110), the wearable device (100) may provide an exercise load to the leg movement of the user (110) while being worn on the legs in the resistance mode, thereby further enhancing the exercise effect on the legs of the user (110). The assist mode of the exercise assistance mode refers to a mode in which an assistive force is applied to the body of the user (110) to assist the body movement of the user (110). In the assist mode, an assistive force, which is a force in the same direction as the body movement, is provided to the user (110). For example, when a disabled person or an elderly person wears a wearable device (100) and exercises, the wearable device (100) may provide an assistive force to assist the body movement. In the assistive mode, the wearable device (100) may provide a force in the same direction as the leg movement direction of the user (110), and the user (110) may perform an exercise with less force through the force provided from the wearable device (100). In an exercise program performed using the wearable device (100), the resistance mode and the assistive mode may be operated in combination. For example, the wearable device (100) may provide an assistive force and a resistance force in combination for each exercise section or time section, such as providing an assistive force in some exercise sections and a resistance force in other exercise sections.

[0030] In the exercise assistance mode, various exercise programs can be operated according to the exercise purpose and / or the physical ability of the user (110). The exercise program is exercise content performed by the user (110) using the wearable device (100), and may include, for example, aerobic exercise, strength training, postural balancing exercise, or any combination thereof. The type of exercise program is not limited thereto and may vary. Depending on the exercise program performed by the wearable device (100), the resistance mode and the assistance mode may be appropriately operated in an alternating manner, and a target exercise speed suitable for the physical condition (e.g., heart rate) of the user (110) while performing the exercise may be guided to the user.

[0031] In one embodiment, the wearable device (100) may operate in a physical ability measurement mode for measuring the physical ability of a user (110). The wearable device (100) may measure movement information of the user (110) using a sensor (e.g., an angle sensor, an inertial measurement unit (IMU)) provided in the wearable device (100) while the user (110) walks and / or exercises, and may evaluate the physical ability of the user (110) based on the measured movement information. For example, the gait index (e.g., number of steps, total walking distance, stride) or the exercise ability index (e.g., muscle strength, exercise endurance, postural balance) of the user (110) may be estimated through the movement information of the user (110) measured by the wearable device (100).

[0032] In a specific embodiment, for convenience of explanation, a hip-type wearable device (100) as illustrated in FIG. 1 is used as an example, but the scope of the embodiment is not limited thereto. As described above, the wearable device (100) may also be worn on other body parts (e.g., upper arms, lower arms, hands, calves, or feet) other than the waist and thighs. The shape and configuration of the wearable device (100) may vary depending on the body part on which it is worn.

[0033] The wearable device (100) includes a support frame (e.g., a waist support frame (20) of FIGS. 3 and 4) for supporting the body of the user (110) when the wearable device (100) is worn on the body of the user (110), a drive module (e.g., a first drive module (45) and a second drive module (35) of FIG. 3) for generating a torque applied to the legs of the user (110), a torque transmission frame (e.g., a first torque transmission frame (55) and a second torque transmission frame (50) of FIG. 3) for transmitting the torque generated by the drive module to the legs of the user (110), a sensor circuit including one or more sensors for obtaining sensor data including movement information on the body movement of the user (110) (e.g., leg movement, upper body movement), a control circuit (e.g., a control circuit (510) of FIG. 5) for controlling the operation of the wearable device (100), and a circuit for supplying power to each component of the wearable device (100). It may include a battery (e.g., battery (565) of FIG. 5).

[0034] In one embodiment, the wearable device (100) may include an angle sensor and an inertial sensor. The angle sensor may measure a rotation angle of a torque transmission frame of the wearable device (100) corresponding to a hip joint angle of the user (110). The angle sensor may include, for example, an encoder and / or a hall sensor. In one embodiment, the angle sensor may be positioned near a motor included in a driving module that is directly or indirectly connected to the torque transmission frame. The inertial sensor may include an acceleration sensor and / or an angular velocity sensor, and may measure changes in acceleration and / or angular velocity according to the movement of the user (110). The inertial sensor may measure, for example, a movement value of a lumbar support frame (e.g., lumbar support frame (20) of FIG. 3) or a base body (e.g., base body (80) of FIG. 3) of the wearable device (100). The movement value of the waist support frame or base body measured by the inertial sensor may correspond to the waist movement value (or upper body movement value) of the user (110).

[0035] In one embodiment, an inertial sensor, a control circuit, peripheral circuits (e.g., an audio output circuit, a communication circuit, a haptic circuit), and a battery may be disposed within a base body of a wearable device (100) (e.g., the base body (80) of FIG. 3). The base body may be positioned at the waist area of ​​a user (110) while the user (110) is wearing the wearable device (100). The base body may be formed or attached to the outside of a waist support frame of the wearable device (100). The base body may support the lumbar region of the user (110).

[0036]

[0037] FIG. 2 is a drawing for explaining an exercise assistance system according to various embodiments.

[0038] Referring to FIG. 2, the exercise assistance system (200) may include a wearable device (100), an electronic device (210), another wearable device (220), and a server (230). In the exercise assistance system (200), at least one of the devices other than the wearable device (100) (e.g., the electronic device (210), another wearable device (220), or the server (230)) may be omitted, or one or more other devices (e.g., a dedicated controller device for the wearable device (100)) may be added.

[0039] In one embodiment, the wearable device (100) may be worn on the user's body in a walking assistance mode to assist the user's movements. For example, the wearable device (100) may be worn on the user's leg to generate an assistive force to assist the user's leg movements, thereby assisting the user's walking.

[0040] In one embodiment, the wearable device (100) may generate and apply to the user's body a resistance force to hinder the user's body movement and / or an assistive force to assist the user's body movement in order to enhance the user's exercise effect in the exercise assistance mode. In the exercise assistance mode, the user may select an exercise program (e.g., aerobic exercise such as power walking and outdoor walking, strength training such as squats, split lunges, dumbbell squats, and lunge and knee ups, stretching, postural balancing exercise, or any combination thereof) and / or an exercise intensity to be applied to the exercise program via the electronic device (210). The wearable device (100) may control a driving module of the wearable device (100) according to the exercise program and / or exercise intensity selected by the user. For example, the wearable device (100) can adjust the strength of the resistance and / or assist force generated by the drive module according to the exercise intensity selected by the user. The wearable device (100) can control the drive module to generate a resistance force corresponding to the exercise intensity selected by the user. As the exercise intensity increases, the magnitude of the resistance force applied to the user can also increase.

[0041] The wearable device (100) can transmit sensor data measured through an angle sensor and / or an inertial sensor and device information (e.g., charging status information, operation mode information, setting information) of the wearable device (100) to an electronic device (210) and / or a server (230), and can receive a control signal for controlling the operation of the wearable device (100) from the electronic device (210) and / or the server (230).

[0042] The electronic device (210) can communicate with the wearable device (100) via wireless communication (e.g., Bluetooth communication) or wired communication, and can remotely control the wearable device (100) or provide the user with status information regarding the status of the wearable device (100) (e.g., booting status, charging status, exercise program operation status, error status). The electronic device (210) can recommend an exercise program using the wearable device (100) to the user and analyze the exercise performed by the user. The electronic device (210) can receive sensor data acquired by a sensor of the wearable device (100) from the wearable device (100), and can estimate the user's current exercise status, exercise result, exercise posture, and / or physical ability based on the received sensor data. The electronic device (210) can provide the user with the estimated current exercise status, exercise result, exercise posture, and / or physical ability of the user through a graphical user interface (GUI).

[0043] In one embodiment, a user may execute a program (e.g., an application) on an electronic device (210) to control a wearable device (100), and the user may adjust the operation or setting values ​​(e.g., the torque intensity output from the motor of the drive module, the volume of audio output from an audio output circuit (e.g., the audio output circuit (550) of FIG. 5), the brightness of a lighting module (e.g., the lighting module (85) of FIG. 3)) of the wearable device (100) through the program. The program executed on the electronic device (210) may provide a graphical user interface for interaction with the user. The electronic device (210) may be a variety of devices. For example, the electronic device (210) may include, but is not limited to, a portable communication device (e.g., a smartphone), a computer device, a portable multimedia device, or a home appliance device (e.g., a television, an audio device, a projector device).

[0044] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (210) may be connected to the server (230) using short-range wireless communication or cellular communication. The server (230) may receive user profile information of a user using the wearable device (100) from the electronic device (210), and store and manage the received user profile information. The user profile information may include, for example, information on at least one of name, age, gender, height, weight, medical history, or body mass index (BMI). The server (230) may receive exercise history information regarding exercise performed by the user from the electronic device (210), and store and manage the received exercise history information. The server (230) may provide the electronic device (210) with various exercise programs or physical ability measurement programs that may be provided to the user. In one embodiment, the server (230) may be connected to the wearable device (100). The server (230) can receive sensor data measured by the wearable device (100) from the wearable device (100) and transmit control signals and / or exercise program-related data for controlling the operation of the wearable device (100) to the wearable device (100). In one embodiment, the server (230) can be a cloud server.

[0045] According to one embodiment, the wearable device (100) and / or the electronic device (210) may be directly or indirectly connected to another wearable device (220). The user's exercise result information, physical ability information, and / or exercise motion evaluation information determined by the electronic device (210) may be transmitted to the other wearable device (220) and provided to the user through the other wearable device (220). Status information of the wearable device (100) may also be transmitted to the other wearable device (220) and provided to the user through the other wearable device (220). In one embodiment, the wearable device (100), the electronic device (210), and the other wearable device (220) may be connected to each other through wireless communication (e.g., Bluetooth communication, Wi-Fi communication). Other wearable devices (220) may be, for example, wireless earphones (222), a smartwatch (or a wearable device in the form of a watch) (224), or smartglasses (a wearable device in the form of glasses or goggles) (226), but are not limited to the aforementioned devices.

[0046] In one embodiment, the wireless earphones (222) may be wirelessly connected to the electronic device (210) and / or the wearable device (100) to output guide voices, music, and / or sound effects related to an exercise program. The wireless earphones (222) may provide the user with information related to the exercise program (e.g., an introduction to the exercise program, remaining exercise time) or may inquire about the user's selection through the guide voices. The wireless earphones (222) may include a microphone, and the microphone may receive a user's voice input. The voice input received through the microphone may be transmitted to the electronic device (210), and voice recognition may be performed on the voice input in the electronic device (210).

[0047] In one embodiment, the smartwatch (224) may include a biosensor (e.g., a heart rate sensor, an electromyography sensor) that measures a biosignal including heart rate information of the user, and may transmit the biosignal measured through the biosensor to the electronic device (210) and / or the wearable device (100). The electronic device (210) may estimate the user's heart rate information (e.g., current heart rate, maximum heart rate, average heart rate) and / or electromyography information based on the biosignal received from the smartwatch (224), and may provide the estimated heart rate information and / or electromyography information to the user.

[0048] In one embodiment, the smartwatch (224) may include an inertial sensor for measuring user movement information and / or a position sensor for measuring user location information, and may transmit the user movement information and / or location information to the electronic device (210) and / or the wearable device (100). The smartwatch (224) may include a communication circuit (e.g., a short-range communication circuit) for communicating with another device (e.g., the electronic device (210), the wearable device (100)). In one embodiment, the smartwatch (224) may provide an exercise program related interface through a display. The exercise program related interface may be implemented through a separate application installed on the smartwatch (224). The user may also control the wearable device (100) through the smartwatch (224).

[0049] In one embodiment, the smart glasses (226) can provide information to the user through a glass-shaped display. For example, the smart glasses (226) can output information such as the current exercise speed, target exercise speed, current exercise volume achieved, exercise time, and / or biometric information through the display in exercise mode. Additionally, the smart glasses (226) can output a screen to guide the user on their exercise route.

[0050]

[0051] FIG. 3 illustrates a rear schematic diagram of a wearable device according to various embodiments. FIG. 4 illustrates a left side view of a wearable device worn on a user's body according to various embodiments.

[0052] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, a wearable device (100) according to one embodiment may include a base body (80), a waist support frame (20), a driving module (35, 45), a torque transmission frame (50, 55), a thigh fastening part (1, 2), and a waist fastening part (60). In one embodiment, at least one of these components may be omitted, or one or more other components may be added to the wearable device (100).

[0053] The base body (80) can be positioned on the user's lower back while the user is wearing the wearable device (100). The base body (80) can be mounted on the user's lower back to provide a cushioning feeling to the user's lower back and support the user's lower back. The base body (80) can be hung over the user's buttocks (hip area) to prevent the wearable device (100) from falling downward due to gravity or to reduce the possibility of the wearable device (100) falling off while the user is wearing the wearable device. The base body (80) can distribute a portion of the weight of the wearable device (100) to the user's lower back while the user is wearing the wearable device (100). The base body (80) can be directly or indirectly connected to the lower back support frame (20). Lower back support frame connection elements (not shown) that can be directly or indirectly connected to the lower back support frame (20) can be provided at both ends of the base body (80).

[0054] In one embodiment, at least one of a processor (e.g., a processor (512) of FIG. 5), a battery (e.g., a battery (565) of FIG. 5), a power management integrated circuit (PMIC), an electrical energy consumption circuit (e.g., an electrical energy consumption circuit (595) of FIG. 5), a memory (e.g., a memory (514) of FIG. 5), an inertial sensor (e.g., an inertial sensor (522) of FIG. 5), a communication circuit (e.g., a communication circuit (516) of FIG. 5), an audio output circuit (e.g., an audio output circuit (550) of FIG. 5), or a haptic circuit (e.g., a haptic circuit (560) of FIG. 5)) may be located inside the base body (80). The base body (80) may protect the components located inside.

[0055] In one embodiment, a display (not shown) may be provided on the outer surface of the base body (80). The display may provide a screen for various visual information related to the wearable device (100) (e.g., status information of the wearable device (100)) and a user interface.

[0056] The lumbar support frame (20) can support the user's body (e.g., waist) when the wearable device (100) is worn on the user's body. The lumbar support frame (20) can extend from both ends of the base body (80). The user's lumbar region can be accommodated on the inside of the lumbar support frame (20). The lumbar support frame (20) can include at least one rigid body beam. Each beam can have a curved shape having a predetermined curvature so as to surround the user's lumbar region. A lumbar fastening portion (60) can be directly or indirectly connected to an end of the lumbar support frame (20). A driving module (35, 45) can be directly or indirectly connected to the lumbar support frame (20).

[0057] In one embodiment, the wearable device (100) may include a sensor circuit including one or more sensors. The sensor circuit may include one or more sensors that acquire sensor data including movement information of the user and / or movement information of components of the wearable device (100). For example, the one or more sensors may include, but are not limited to, an inertial sensor (e.g., an inertial sensor (522) of FIG. 5) for measuring a movement value of the user's upper body or a movement value of the lumbar support frame (20)) and / or an angle sensor (e.g., an angle sensor of FIG. 1, a first angle sensor (524) and a second angle sensor (524-1) of FIG. 5) for measuring a hip joint angle of the user or an angle of a torque transmission frame (e.g., a first torque transmission frame (55), a second torque transmission frame (50)). The angular velocity of the hip joint of the user or the angular velocity of the torque transmission frame may be determined by differentiating the hip joint angle of the user or the angle of the torque transmission frame measured by the angle sensor.

[0058] In one embodiment, the one or more sensors may further include at least one of a position sensor, a torque sensor, a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, a biosignal sensor (e.g., a heart rate sensor, an electrocardiogram sensor), a distance sensor, or a proximity sensor.

[0059] The waist fastening member (60) can be directly or indirectly connected to the waist support frame (20) and can secure the waist support frame (20) to the user's waist. The waist fastening member (60) can include, for example, a pair of belts.

[0060] The first driving module (45) and the second driving module (35) can generate an external force (or torque) applied to the user's body based on a control signal generated by the processor. For example, the first driving module (45) and the second driving module (35) can generate an assistive force or a resistance force applied to the user's leg. In one embodiment, the first driving module (45) can be positioned corresponding to the user's right hip joint position, and the second driving module (35) can be positioned corresponding to the user's left hip joint position. The first driving module (45) can generate a torque to move (or rotate) the first torque transmission frame (55) in the forward or backward direction of the wearable device (100). The second driving module (35) can generate a torque to move (or rotate) the second torque transmission frame (50) in the forward or backward direction of the wearable device (100). The forward direction may be a direction corresponding to the user's front direction or flexion motion of the legs, and the backward direction may be a direction corresponding to the user's back direction or extension motion of the legs.

[0061] The first driving module (45) may include a first actuator and a first joint member, and the second driving module (35) may include a second actuator and a second joint member. The first actuator may provide power transmitted to the first joint member, and the second actuator may provide power transmitted to the second joint member. The first actuator and the second actuator may each include a motor that receives power from a battery and generates power (or torque). When the motor is supplied with power and driven, the motor may generate a force (assisting force) to assist the user's body movement or a force (resisting force) to impede the body movement. In one embodiment, the processor may control the intensity and direction of the force generated by the motor by controlling the voltage and / or current supplied to the motor.

[0062] In one embodiment, the first joint member and the second joint member can receive power from the first actuator and the second actuator, respectively, and apply an external force to the user's body based on the received power. In one embodiment, the first joint member and the second joint member can be disposed at positions corresponding to the user's joints, respectively. One side of the first joint member can be directly or indirectly connected to the first actuator, and the other side can be directly or indirectly connected to the first torque transmission frame (55). The first joint member can be rotated by the power received from the first actuator. An encoder or a hall sensor that can act as an angle sensor for measuring a rotation angle of the first joint member or the first torque transmission frame (55) (corresponding to the user's joint angle) can be disposed on one side of the first joint member. One side of the second joint member can be connected to the second actuator, and the other side can be connected to the second torque transmission frame (50). The second joint member can be rotated by power transmitted from the second actuator. An encoder or hall sensor that can function as an angle sensor for measuring the rotation angle of the second joint member or the second torque transmission frame (50) can also be arranged on one side of the second joint member.

[0063] In one embodiment, the first actuator may be disposed laterally of the first joint member, and the second actuator may be disposed laterally of the second joint member. The rotational axis of the first actuator and the rotational axis of the first joint member may be disposed to be spaced apart from each other, and the rotational axis of the second actuator and the rotational axis of the second joint member may also be disposed to be spaced apart from each other. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the actuator and the joint member may share a rotational axis. In one embodiment, each actuator may be disposed to be spaced apart from the joint member. In this case, each of the first drive module (45) and the second drive module (35) may further include a power transmission module (not shown) that transmits power from the actuator to the joint member. The power transmission module may be a rotating body such as a gear, or a longitudinal member such as a wire, a cable, a string, a spring, a belt, or a chain. However, the scope of the embodiment is not limited by the positional relationship between the actuator and joint member and the power transmission structure described above.

[0064] In one embodiment, the first torque transmission frame (55) and the second torque transmission frame (50) can transmit the torque generated by the first driving module (45) and the second driving module (35) to the user's body (e.g., the leg) when the wearable device (100) is worn on the user's leg. The transmitted torque can act as an external force applied to the movement of the user's leg. One end of each of the first torque transmission frame (55) and the second torque transmission frame (50) can be directly or indirectly connected to a joint member and rotated. The other end of each of the first torque transmission frame (55) and the second torque transmission frame (50) is directly or indirectly connected to the first thigh fastening portion (2) and the second thigh fastening portion (1), so that the first torque transmission frame (55) and the second torque transmission frame (50) can support the user's thigh while transmitting the torque generated by the first driving module (45) and the second driving module (35) to the user's thigh. For example, the first torque transmission frame (55) and the second torque transmission frame (50) can push or pull the user's thigh. The first torque transmission frame (55) and the second torque transmission frame (50) can extend along the length of the user's thigh and can be bent to wrap at least a portion of the user's thigh circumference. The first torque transmission frame (55) can be a torque transmission frame for transmitting torque to the user's right leg, and the second torque transmission frame (50) can be a torque transmission frame for transmitting torque to the user's left leg.

[0065] The first thigh fastening part (2) and the second thigh fastening part (1) are directly or indirectly connected to the first torque transmission frame (55) and the second torque transmission frame (50), respectively, and can fasten the wearable device (100) to the user's leg (particularly, the thigh). The first thigh fastening part (2) may be a thigh fastening part for fastening the wearable device (100) to the user's right thigh, and the second thigh fastening part (1) may be a thigh fastening part for fastening the wearable device (100) to the user's left thigh.

[0066] In one embodiment, the first thigh fastening unit (2) may include a first cover, a first fastening frame, and a first strap, and the second thigh fastening unit (1) may include a second cover, a second fastening frame, and a second strap. The first cover and the second cover may apply torque generated from the first driving module (45) and the second driving module (35) to the user's thigh, respectively. The first cover and the second cover may be disposed on one side of the user's thigh, respectively, to push or pull the user's thigh. The first cover and the second cover may be disposed along the circumferential direction of the user's thigh. The first cover and the second cover may extend in both directions with respect to the other end of the first torque transmission frame (55) and the second torque transmission frame (50), respectively, and may include a curved surface corresponding to the user's thigh. One end of each of the first cover and the second cover may be directly or indirectly connected to the first fastening frame and the second fastening frame, respectively. The other end of each of the first cover and the second cover can be directly or indirectly connected to the first strap and the second strap.

[0067] The first fastening frame and the second fastening frame may be arranged to, for example, surround at least a portion of the user's thigh, thereby preventing the user's thigh from being detached from the wearable device (100) or reducing the possibility of detachment. The first fastening frame may have a fastening structure connecting the first cover and the first strap, and the second fastening frame may have a fastening structure connecting the second cover and the second strap.

[0068] The first strap may encircle the user's right thigh, the remaining portion not covered by the first cover and the first fastening frame, and the second strap may encircle the user's left thigh, the remaining portion not covered by the second cover and the second fastening frame. The first strap and the second strap may comprise, for example, an elastic material (e.g., a band).

[0069]

[0070] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating configurations of an electronic system of a wearable device according to various embodiments.

[0071] Referring to FIG. 5, the electronic system of the wearable device (100) may include a control circuit (510), a communication circuit (516), one or more sensors (e.g., an inertial sensor (522), a first angle sensor (524), a second angle sensor (524-1)), a drive module (530, 530-1), an input circuit (540), an audio output circuit (550), a haptic circuit (560), and an energy management circuit (575). At least one of the described components (e.g., the input circuit (540), the audio output circuit (550), the haptic circuit (560)) may be omitted from the electronic system, or one or more other components (e.g., a display circuit) may be added.

[0072] The drive module (530) may include a motor (534) and a motor driver circuit (532) for driving the motor (534), and the drive module (530-1) may include a motor (534-1) and a motor driver circuit (532-1) for driving the motor (534-1). In the embodiment of FIG. 5, two drive modules are illustrated, but this is merely an example. In a specific embodiment, there may be one or three or more drive modules. The drive module (530) including the motor driver circuit (532) and the motor (534) may correspond to the first drive module (45) of FIG. 3, and the drive module (530-1) including the motor driver circuit (532-1) and the motor (534-1) may correspond to the second drive module (35) of FIG. 3.

[0073] One or more sensors may include sensors that acquire sensor data (or sensed values). One or more sensors may transmit acquired sensor data to a control circuit (510). The one or more sensors may include, for example, an inertial sensor (522), a first angle sensor (524), and / or a second angle sensor (524-1). Each of these sensors may be present in multiples, and some may be omitted.

[0074] The inertial sensor (522) can measure the movement value of the user's body. The inertial sensor (522) can sense the acceleration, angular velocity, and rotation angle (e.g., roll, pitch, yaw) of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis according to the user's movement. The inertial sensor (522) can measure, for example, the movement value of the user's upper body. The movement value of the user's upper body can correspond to the movement value of the waist support frame (e.g., the waist support frame (20) of FIGS. 3 and 4) of the wearable device (100). In one embodiment, the inertial sensor (522) can be located on a printed circuit board present inside the base body (80) of the wearable device (100), and can measure a signal indicating the degree of inclination of the wearable device (100) and / or the acceleration of the wearable device (100).

[0075] In one embodiment, the first angle sensor (524) and the second angle sensor (524-1) can measure the hip joint angle according to the movement of the user's leg. The first angle sensor (524) can sense the hip joint angle of the user's right leg, and the second angle sensor (524-1) can sense the hip joint angle of the user's left leg. Each of the first angle sensor (524) and the second angle sensor (524-1) can include, for example, an encoder and / or a hall sensor. The hip joint angle of the right leg sensed by the first angle sensor (524) may correspond to a movement value (e.g., angle) of the first torque transmission frame of the wearable device (e.g., the first torque transmission frame (55) of FIG. 3), and the hip joint angle of the left leg sensed by the second angle sensor (524-1) may correspond to a movement value (e.g., angle) of the second torque transmission frame of the wearable device (e.g., the second torque transmission frame (50) of FIG. 3).

[0076] In one embodiment, the first angle sensor (524) and the second angle sensor (524-1) may sense the knee joint angle or the ankle joint angle according to the user's leg movement.

[0077] In one embodiment, the processor (512) can determine the angular velocity of the first torque transfer frame by differentiating the angular change over time of the first torque transfer frame sensed by the first angle sensor (524), and can determine the angular velocity of the second torque transfer frame by differentiating the angular change over time of the second torque transfer frame sensed by the second angle sensor (524-1).

[0078] In one embodiment, the one or more sensors may further include a torque sensor for sensing a torque value, a position sensor for obtaining a position value of the wearable device (100), a proximity sensor for detecting the proximity of an object, a biosignal sensor for detecting a biosignal of a user, a distance sensor for measuring a distance to an object, a pressure sensor for measuring a pressure value, and / or a temperature sensor for measuring an ambient temperature.

[0079] The input circuit (540) can receive commands or data to be used in a component of the wearable device (100) (e.g., a processor (512)) from an external source (e.g., a user) of the wearable device (100). The input circuit (540) can include, for example, keys (e.g., buttons) and / or a touch screen.

[0080] The audio output circuit (550) can output audio signals to the outside of the wearable device (100). The audio output circuit (550) can include a speaker that outputs a guide audio signal (e.g., a driving start sound, an operation error notification sound), music content, and / or a guide voice.

[0081] The drive module (530, 530-1) can generate an external force applied to the user's leg under the control of the control circuit (510). The drive module (530, 530-1) is located at a location corresponding to the user's hip joint position and can generate a torque applied to the user's leg based on a control signal generated by the control circuit (510). The control circuit (510) can transmit the control signal to the motor driver circuit (532, 532-1), and the motor driver circuit (532, 532-1) can control the operation of the motor (534, 534-1) by generating a current signal (or voltage signal) corresponding to the control signal and supplying it to the motor (534, 534-1). Depending on the control signal, the current signal may not be supplied to the motor (534, 534-1). The motor (534, 534-1) can generate an assistive force that assists the user's leg movement or a resistive force that impedes the leg movement when a current signal is supplied to the motor (534, 534-1) and the motor is driven.

[0082] The control circuit (510) controls the overall operation of the wearable device (100) and can generate control signals for controlling each component of the wearable device (100). The control circuit (510) may include a processor (512) and a memory (514).

[0083] The processor (512) may, for example, execute software to control at least one other component (e.g., a hardware or software component) of the wearable device directly or indirectly connected to the processor (512), and may perform various data processing or calculations. According to one embodiment, as at least a part of the data processing or calculation, the processor (512) may store instructions or data received from another component (e.g., a communication circuit (516)) in the memory (514), process the instructions or data stored in the memory (514), and store the result data after the processing in the memory (514). The processor (512) may include one or more processors, and the operations of the wearable device (100) described in the present disclosure may be performed by one processor or by a combination of multiple processors.

[0084] According to one embodiment, the processor (512) may include at least one of a main processor (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU) or an application processor) and / or an auxiliary processor (e.g., a graphics processing unit, a neural processing unit (NPU), an image signal processor, a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor) that can operate independently or in conjunction therewith. The processor (512) may also be implemented as a system on chip (SoC) or an integrated circuit (IC) that performs processing. The auxiliary processor may be implemented separately from the main processor or as a part thereof.

[0085] Each "processor" in this disclosure may include a processing circuit or may include multiple processors. For example, as used in this disclosure, including in the claims, the term "processor" may encompass various processing circuits including at least one processor, wherein one or more processors may be configured to perform various functions described herein, individually and / or collectively, in a distributed manner. When "processor," "at least one processor," and "one or more processors" are described herein as being configured to perform multiple functions, these terms include, but are not limited to, situations where one processor performs some of the recited functions and another processor performs other of the recited functions, and situations where a single processor may perform all of the recited functions. Furthermore, the one or more processors may include a combination of processors that perform various recited / disclosed functions, for example, in a distributed manner. One or more processors may execute instructions to achieve or perform various functions.

[0086] The memory (514) may store data used by at least one component (e.g., the processor (512)) of the wearable device (100). The data may include, for example, software, input data or output data for commands related thereto, and sensor data. The memory (514) may include at least one instruction executable by the processor (512). The memory (514) may include one or more memories, and instructions for controlling the processor (512) to perform operations of the wearable device (100) described in the present disclosure may be stored in one memory or may be stored in multiple memories. The memory (514) may include volatile memory or non-volatile memory.

[0087] The communication circuit (516) may support the establishment of a direct (e.g., wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel between the control circuit (510) and other components of the wearable device (100) or an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (210) of FIG. 2 or another wearable device (220)), and the performance of communication through the established communication channel. The communication circuit (516) may, for example, transmit sensor data acquired by a sensor to an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (210) of FIG. 2) and receive a control signal from the external electronic device. In one embodiment, the communication circuit (516) may include one or more communication processors that operate independently from the processor (512) and support direct (e.g., wired) communication or wireless communication. In one embodiment, the communication circuit (516) may include a wireless communication circuit (e.g., a cellular communication circuit, a short-range wireless communication circuit, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) communication circuit) and / or a wired communication circuit. The wireless communication circuitry may communicate with other components of the wearable device (100) and / or external devices via, for example, Bluetooth, WiFi (wireless fidelity), IrDA (infrared data association), a legacy cellular network, a 5G network, a next-generation communication network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN).

[0088] The haptic circuit (560) can provide haptic feedback to a user under the control of the processor (512). The haptic circuit (560) can include one or more haptic actuators. The haptic actuators can include, for example, a piezo actuator, a bander type actuator, and / or a vibration motor-based actuator. The haptic actuators can be one or more. In one embodiment, the haptic actuator can be located in at least one of a base body (e.g., the base body (80) of FIG. 3), a torque transmission frame (e.g., the first torque transmission frame (75) of FIG. 3, the second torque transmission frame (70)), and a thigh fastening part (e.g., the first thigh fastening part (2) of FIG. 3, the second thigh fastening part (1)) of the wearable device (100).

[0089] In one embodiment, the electronic system may include an energy management circuit (575). The energy management circuit (575) may be a circuit that monitors the state of the battery (565) (e.g., battery charge level, voltage, current, temperature) and controls the supply of power from the battery (565) and the charging of the battery (565). The energy management circuit (575) may be controlled by one or more processors (512). The battery (565) may be a secondary battery (e.g., a lithium ion (Li-ion) battery) that can be used by charging or discharging electrical energy.

[0090] The energy management circuit (575) may include a battery (565), a battery charging circuit (585), and an electric energy consumption circuit (595) for supplying power to each component of the wearable device (100). The battery charging circuit (585) may be a circuit that controls charging of the battery (565) based on a regenerative current generated by a counter electromotive force from the motor (534, 534-1). The battery charging circuit (585) may supply the regenerative current to the battery (565) or block the supply of the regenerative current to the battery (565) under the control of the processor (512). When the battery (565) is charged based on the regenerative current, the battery charging circuit (585) may charge the battery (565) with a high constant current (CC (constant current) charging mode) when the remaining battery capacity of the battery (565) is low (e.g., less than 70%), and may charge the battery (565) with a constant voltage (CV (constant voltage) charging mode) when the remaining battery capacity of the battery is high (e.g., 70% to 80%). The battery (565) may be determined to be fully charged when the remaining battery capacity of the battery (565) is approximately 80%, but is not limited thereto, and the conditions for determining the full charge may vary. The electric energy consumption circuit (595) may be a circuit for consuming electric energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current generated from the motor (534, 534-1) or converting it into another form of energy (e.g., thermal energy, light energy, kinetic energy, sound energy, magnetic energy). The conversion of electrical energy into another form of energy may involve the consumption of electrical energy. By consuming at least a portion of the regenerative current as electrical energy by the electrical energy consumption circuit (595), the likelihood of overcharging the battery (565) can be reduced, and the likelihood of damage to the battery (565) or circuit components due to overvoltage at the node from which the regenerative current is output can be reduced.In one embodiment, the electrical energy consumption circuit (850) may be located within the base body of the wearable device (100) (e.g., the base body (80) of FIG. 3).

[0091] In one embodiment, the energy management circuit (575) may further include a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) (not shown) that controls power supply from the battery (565). The PMIC may convert power from the battery (565) to an operating voltage of each component of the wearable device (100) and supply the converted power to each component. The PMIC may charge the battery (565) using power supplied from an external power source. The PMIC may measure the state of the battery (e.g., state of charge, state of health, voltage, current, overcharge, overdischarge, overheating, short circuit, swelling). The operation of the PMIC may be controlled by the processor (512).

[0092] When a user wears a wearable device (100) and walks or exercises, the motor (534, 534-1) operates according to the user's leg movement pattern, and the rotational direction of the rotational axis of the motor (534, 534-1) may change periodically. When the wearable device (100) operates in a mode that generates assistive force (e.g., walking assistance mode, assistive mode of exercise assistance mode), the motor (534, 534-1) may consume energy stored in the battery (565) to rotate the rotational axis in the direction of the user's leg movement. When the wearable device (100) operates in a mode that generates resistance (e.g., resistance mode of exercise assistance mode), the rotational axis of the motor (534, 534-1) may rotate due to the user's leg movement, causing a counter electromotive force to be induced in the motor (534, 534-1), and a regenerative current may be generated by the counter electromotive force. Alternatively, when the rotation axis of the motor (534, 534-1) is controlled to be fixed and the rotation axis is rotated by the movement of the user's legs, or when the rotation axis of the motor (534, 534-1) is controlled to rotate in the first rotation direction and the rotation axis is rotated in the second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction by the movement of the user's legs, a regenerative current may be generated from the motor (534, 534-1). In this way, the motor (534, 534-1) may also operate as a generator that produces electric energy.

[0093] In one embodiment, the processor (512) can control the electrical energy generated in the wearable device (100) by considering the state of charge of the battery (565). In the case of a wearable device (100) that is worn on the user's body and moves with the user, the ability of the battery to supply power for a long time is important, and the use of a heavy battery is limited. The processor (512) can increase the usage time of the wearable device (100) by charging the battery (565) with electrical energy by the regenerative current generated from the motor (534, 534-1) through the battery charging circuit (585). If the regenerative current of the motor continues to be generated even after the battery is fully charged or has reached an appropriate charge capacity, the voltage of the node from which the regenerative current is output may increase, which may damage the battery (e.g., battery cell) or peripheral circuit components. The processor (512) monitors the charging state of the battery (565), and when it is determined that the charging of the battery (565) has reached an appropriate state, it controls the battery charging circuit (585) to block the regenerative current from being transmitted to the battery (565), and controls at least a portion of the electric energy generated by the regenerative current to be consumed in the electric energy consumption circuit (595) or converted into another form of energy. In the electric energy consumption circuit (595), the electric energy may be converted into, for example, thermal energy, light energy, kinetic energy, or sound energy.

[0094] A wearable device (100) according to one embodiment may include a motor (534, 534-1) that generates torque based on electric energy supplied from a battery (565) or generates a regenerative current based on leg movements of a user wearing the wearable device (100), a torque transmission frame (e.g., a first torque transmission frame (55), a second torque transmission frame (50) of FIG. 3) for transmitting the generated torque to the user's leg, a thigh fastening part (e.g., a first thigh fastening part (2), a second thigh fastening part (1) of FIG. 3) for fixing the torque transmission frame to the user's leg, an energy management circuit (575) that controls the supply of electric energy from the battery (565) to the motor (534, 534-1) and controls charging of the battery (565) by the regenerative current generated from the motor (534, 534-1), and one or more processors (512) that control the energy management circuit (575).

[0095] In one embodiment, the energy management circuit (575) may include a rechargeable battery (565), a battery charging circuit (585) that charges the battery (565) based on a regenerative current generated from the motor (534, 534-1), and an electrical energy consumption circuit (595) that consumes electrical energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current generated from the motor (534, 534-1).

[0096] In one embodiment, one or more processors (512) may activate the battery charging circuit (585) so that the battery (565) is charged by the regenerative current, and activate the electrical energy consumption circuit (595) so that electrical energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current is consumed, when the charge of the battery (565) is less than or equal to a reference charge value and the voltage value of a node (e.g., node (870) of FIG. 8) from which the regenerative current flows into the energy management circuit (575) (or the battery charging circuit (585)) is greater than a first reference voltage value.

[0097] In one embodiment, one or more processors (512) may block the flow of regenerative current into the battery (565) and activate the electrical energy consumption circuit (595) so that electrical energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current is consumed when the charge of the battery (565) is greater than a reference charge value and the voltage value of the node from which the regenerative current flows into the energy management circuit (575) is greater than a first reference voltage value.

[0098] In one embodiment, one or more processors (512) may monitor a voltage value of a node from which regenerative current flows into the energy management circuit (575) after the electrical energy consumption circuit (595) is activated. The one or more processors (512) may block the flow of regenerative current into the electrical energy consumption circuit (595) if, during the monitoring, the voltage value of the node falls below a second reference voltage value that is less than a first reference voltage value.

[0099] In one embodiment, one or more processors (512) can block the inflow of regenerative current into the battery (565) and the inflow of regenerative current into the electrical energy consumption circuit (595) when the charge of the battery (565) is greater than a reference charge value and the voltage value of the node from which the regenerative current flows into the energy management circuit (575) is less than or equal to a first reference voltage value.

[0100] Each of the energy management circuit (575), the battery charging circuit (585), and the electric energy consumption circuit (595) may correspond to the energy management circuit (720), the battery charging circuit (724), and the electric energy consumption circuit (726) described below with reference to FIG. 7. The contents described below for each of the energy management circuit (720), the battery charging circuit (724), and the electric energy consumption circuit (726) may be directly applied to the energy management circuit (575), the battery charging circuit (585), and the electric energy consumption circuit (595).

[0101]

[0102] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating interaction between a wearable device and an electronic device according to various embodiments.

[0103] Referring to FIG. 6, a wearable device (100) can communicate with an electronic device (210). For example, the electronic device (210) may be a user terminal of a user using the wearable device (100). According to one embodiment, the wearable device (100) and the electronic device (210) may be connected to each other via short-range wireless communication (e.g., Bluetooth communication, Wi-Fi communication).

[0104] In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) may execute an application for checking the status of the wearable device (100) or controlling or operating the wearable device (100). By executing the application, a screen of a user interface (UI) for controlling the operation of the wearable device (100) or determining the operation mode of the wearable device (100) may be displayed on the display (212) of the electronic device (210). The UI may be, for example, a graphical user interface (GUI).

[0105] In one embodiment, a user may input a command (e.g., a command to execute a walking assistance mode or an exercise assistance mode) for controlling the operation of the wearable device (100) or change the settings of the wearable device (100) through a GUI screen on a display (212) of the electronic device (210). In addition, the user may set an exercise goal and change a torque parameter to be applied to the wearable device (100) through the GUI screen. The torque parameter may include, for example, a first parameter that controls the intensity of a torque generated by a motor of the wearable device (100) (e.g., motor (534) or motor (534-1) of FIG. 5) and / or a second parameter that controls the timing of application of the torque. In various embodiments of the present disclosure, the term 'torque parameter' may be replaced with the term 'parameter', 'robot parameter', or 'control parameter'.

[0106] The electronic device (210) can generate a control command (or control signal) corresponding to a motion control command or setting change command input by a user, and transmit the generated control command to the wearable device (100). In one embodiment, the control command may include a torque parameter set by the user. The wearable device (100) can operate according to the received control command, and transmit a control result according to the control command and / or sensor data measured by a sensor module of the wearable device (100) to the electronic device (210). The electronic device (210) can analyze the control result and / or sensor data to provide the user with result information (e.g., current exercise status information, exercise result information, exercise posture evaluation information, physical ability evaluation information) through a GUI screen.

[0107]

[0108] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating configurations of an energy management device according to various embodiments.

[0109] Referring to FIG. 7, the energy management device (700) may be a device that monitors the status of a battery (722) and controls the supply of power from the battery (722) and the charging of the battery (565). The energy management device (700) may include a motor (710), an energy management circuit (720), and a processor (730).

[0110] The energy management device (700) may exist independently as a separate device or may be included and operated in another device. For example, the energy management device (700) may be included and operated in the wearable device (100) described in the present disclosure. When the energy management device (700) is included in the wearable device (100), each of the motor (710), the processor (730), the energy management circuit (720), the battery (722), the battery charging circuit (724), and the electric energy consumption circuit (726) may correspond to the motor (534, 534-1), the processor (512), the energy management circuit (575), the battery (565), the battery charging circuit (585), and the electric energy consumption circuit (595) of FIG. 5.

[0111] The motor (710) can generate torque based on the electric energy supplied from the battery (722) or generate a regenerative current by counter electromotive force. The motor (710) can convert the electric energy stored in the battery (722) into rotational kinetic energy or convert the kinetic energy transmitted from the outside into electric energy. When the rotation shaft of the motor (710) rotates due to an external force, counter electromotive force is generated, and a regenerative current by the counter electromotive force can be generated from the motor (710). The motor (710) can be, for example, a brushless DC (BLDC) motor or a permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM). Although not shown in the drawing, the motor (710) can be connected to a motor driver circuit (e.g., the motor driver circuit (532) and the motor driver circuit (532-1) of FIG. 5) that controls the operation of the motor (710). The motor driver circuit is a circuit that drives the motor (710), and can convert the direct current (DC) voltage supplied from the battery (722) into an alternating current (AC) voltage and supply it to the motor (710).

[0112] The energy management circuit (720) can control the supply of electrical energy from the battery (722) to the motor (710) and control the charging of the battery (722) by the regenerative current generated from the motor (710). The energy management circuit (720) can include a rechargeable battery (722), a battery charging circuit (724) that charges the battery (722) based on the regenerative current, and an electrical energy consumption circuit (726) that consumes electrical energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current generated from the motor (710).

[0113] The processor (730) may, for example, execute software to control at least one other component (e.g., hardware or software component) of the wearable device directly or indirectly connected to the processor (512), and may perform various data processing or calculations. The processor (730) may include at least one of a main processor (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU) or an application processor) and / or an auxiliary processor (e.g., a graphics processing unit, a neural network processing unit (NPU), an image signal processor, a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor) that can operate independently or together therewith. The processor (730) may also be implemented as a system on a chip (SoC) or an integrated circuit (IC) that performs processing.

[0114] The processor (730) may control the energy management circuit (720) and / or the motor (710). For example, the processor (730) may control the regenerative current generated from the motor (710) to flow into each component of the energy management circuit (720), and may control the power of the battery (722) to be delivered to the motor (710) to drive the motor (710). The processor (730) may control the current supplied to the motor (710), the rotational speed of the motor (710), and / or the position of the motor (710). The processor (730) may include one or more processors, and the operations of the energy management device (700) described in the present disclosure may be performed by one processor or by a combination of multiple processors.

[0115] In one embodiment, the battery charging circuit (724) may include a first switch (e.g., switch 848 of FIG. 8) for controlling whether a regenerative current flows into the battery charging circuit (724), and the electrical energy consumption circuit (726) may include a second switch (e.g., switch 854 of FIG. 8) for controlling whether a regenerative current flows into the electrical energy consumption circuit (726), and each of the first switch and the second switch may be controlled by the processor (730). The first switch and the second switch may be, for example, a semiconductor switch such as a transistor, a mechanical switch, or an electronic switch such as a software-controllable switch. The processor (730) may allow or block the regenerative current generated from the motor (710) from flowing into the battery (722) by controlling the first switch. The processor (730) can allow or block the regenerative current generated from the motor (710) from flowing into the electrical energy consumption circuit (726) by controlling the second switch.

[0116] The electrical energy consumption circuit (726) may include a device for consuming electrical energy by the regenerative current or transforming it into another form of energy. For example, the electrical energy consumption circuit (726) may include a light-emitting device (e.g., a light emitting diode (LED), a luminous capacitor, a light bulb) that consumes electrical energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current to generate light energy when the electrical energy consumption circuit (726) is activated. Activation of the electrical energy consumption circuit (726) may indicate that a second switch included in the electrical energy consumption circuit (726) is turned on so that the regenerative current generated from the motor (710) is supplied to the electrical energy consumption circuit (726). As another example, the electrical energy consumption circuit (726) may include a heat-generating device (e.g., a resistor (852) of FIG. 8) that consumes electrical energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current to generate heat energy when the electrical energy consumption circuit (726) is activated. As another example, the electrical energy consumption circuit (726) may include a power generation device (e.g., a haptic device that generates vibrations, a fan device that generates wind) that consumes electrical energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current when the electrical energy consumption circuit (726) is activated to generate mechanical energy. The components that the electrical energy consumption circuit (726) may include are not limited to these examples, and the electrical energy consumption circuit (726) may include various components. For example, the electrical energy consumption circuit (726) may also include an acoustic component (e.g., a speaker).

[0117] In one embodiment, the processor (730) may activate the battery charging circuit (724) so ​​that the battery (722) is charged by the regenerative current when the charge amount of the battery (722) is less than or equal to a reference charge value and the voltage value of the node (e.g., node (870) of FIG. 8) through which the regenerative current generated from the motor (710) flows into the energy management circuit (720) is greater than a first reference voltage value, and may activate the electric energy consumption circuit (726) so that the electric energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current is consumed. The activation of the battery charging circuit (724) may indicate that a first switch included in the battery charging circuit (724) is turned on so that the regenerative current generated from the motor (710) is supplied to the battery charging circuit (724). The charging of the battery (722) by the regenerative current may be performed when the voltage value of the battery (722) is less than or equal to the voltage value of the node. As described above, activation of the electric energy consumption circuit (726) may indicate that the second switch included in the electric energy consumption circuit (726) is turned on, and the regenerative current generated from the motor (710) is supplied to the electric energy consumption circuit (726).

[0118] The processor (730) may control the battery charging circuit (724) so ​​that the regenerative current generated from the motor (710) is transferred to the battery (722) through the battery charging circuit (724) when the charge amount of the battery (722) is less than or equal to a reference charge value (e.g., 80%). If the voltage value of the node through which the regenerative current flows into the energy management circuit (720) is greater than a set first reference voltage value, the processor (730) may control the electric energy consumption circuit (726) so that at least a portion of the regenerative current is consumed by the electric energy consumption circuit (726). For example, when the electric energy consumption circuit (726) includes a heating element, the processor (730) may control the regenerative current to be supplied to the heating element so that the electric energy by the regenerative current is consumed by the heating element. The fact that the voltage value of the above node is greater than the set first reference voltage value may indicate that the electrical energy of the regenerative current generated from the motor (710) is excessive compared to the electrical energy used to charge the battery (722). In such a case, the processor (730) may reduce the possibility of damage to the battery (722) and / or circuit components due to the excessive regenerative current by simultaneously controlling the excessive electrical energy to be consumed by the electrical energy consumption circuit (726) while charging the battery (722) based on the regenerative current.

[0119] In one embodiment, the processor (730) may block the inflow of regenerative current into the battery (722) and activate the electrical energy consumption circuit (726) so that electrical energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current is consumed when the charge amount of the battery (722) is greater than a reference charge value and the voltage value of the node is greater than a first reference voltage value. When the charge amount of the battery (722) is greater than a reference charge value (e.g., 80%), the processor (730) may block the inflow of regenerative current into the battery (722) by turning off the first switch to prevent the battery (722) from being overcharged. Blocking the inflow of regenerative current into the battery (722) may correspond to deactivation of the battery charging circuit (724). When the voltage value of the node is greater than a set first reference voltage value, the processor (730) may control at least a portion of the regenerative current to flow into the electrical energy consumption circuit (726).

[0120] In one embodiment, the processor (730) may block the inflow of regenerative current into the battery (722) and the inflow of regenerative current into the electric energy consumption circuit (726) when the charge of the battery (722) is greater than the reference charge value and the voltage value of the node is less than or equal to the first reference voltage value. When the charge of the battery (722) is greater than the reference charge value (e.g., 80%), the processor (730) may block the inflow of regenerative current into the battery (722) to prevent the battery (722) from being overcharged. The processor (730) may monitor the voltage value of the node and activate the electric energy consumption circuit (726) when the voltage value of the node becomes greater than the first reference voltage value. The electric energy consumption circuit (726) may be activated whenever the voltage value of the node becomes greater than the first reference voltage value to consume at least a portion of the regenerative current. The voltage value of the node can be maintained below a first reference voltage value through the electric energy consumption circuit (726). The processor (730) can monitor the voltage value of the node after the electric energy consumption circuit (726) is activated. If the voltage value of the node becomes below a second reference voltage value that is lower than the first reference voltage value during monitoring, the processor (730) can block the inflow of regenerative current into the electric energy consumption circuit (726).

[0121] In one embodiment, the processor (730) may block the inflow of regenerative current into the battery (722) and the inflow of regenerative current into the electric energy consumption circuit (726) when the charge amount of the battery (722) is less than or equal to a reference charge value, the voltage value of the battery (722) is greater than the voltage value of the node, and the voltage value of the node is less than or equal to a first reference voltage value. When the charge amount of the battery (722) is less than or equal to the reference charge value but the voltage value of the battery (722) is greater than the voltage value of the node, charging of the battery (722) by the regenerative current is impossible due to the property of current flowing from a side with a higher voltage value to a side with a lower voltage value, and therefore the processor (730) may block the inflow of regenerative current into the battery (722) by turning off the first switch included in the battery charging circuit (724). If the voltage value of the above node is lower than or equal to the first reference voltage value, there is no need to activate the electric energy consumption circuit (726) because the accumulation of electric energy due to the regenerative current is not excessive. Accordingly, the processor (730) can block the inflow of the regenerative current into the electric energy consumption circuit (726).

[0122] In one embodiment, the processor (730) may activate the battery charging circuit (724) so ​​that the battery (722) is charged by the regenerative current and block the regenerative current from flowing into the electric energy consumption circuit (726) when the charge amount of the battery (722) is less than or equal to the reference charge value, the voltage value of the battery (722) is less than or equal to the voltage value of the node, and the voltage value of the node is less than or equal to the first reference voltage value. When the charge amount of the battery (722) is less than or equal to the reference charge value but the voltage value of the battery (722) is less than or equal to the voltage value of the node, the processor (730) may control the regenerative current to flow into the battery (722) by turning on a first switch included in the battery charging circuit (724) to charge the battery (722) based on the regenerative current. If the voltage value of the above node is lower than or equal to the first reference voltage value, the processor (730) can deactivate the electric energy consumption circuit (726) because the accumulation of electric energy due to the regenerative current is not excessive.

[0123] In one embodiment, when the battery charging circuit (724) is activated and the battery (722) is charged by the regenerative current, fast charging or slow charging may be performed depending on the state of charge of the battery (722). The battery (722) may be charged by a portion of the regenerative current, in which case the voltage value of the node may increase by the electric energy of the remaining regenerative current. Whenever the voltage value of the node becomes greater than a first reference voltage value during charging of the battery (722), the processor (730) may activate the electric energy consumption circuit (726) to reduce the possibility that the voltage value of the node becomes greater than the first reference voltage value. When charging of the battery (722) is complete (e.g., when the charge amount of the battery (722) reaches 80%), the battery enters a full charge mode, and charging of the battery (722) by the regenerative current may no longer occur.

[0124] As described above, the energy management device (700) can increase the power supply time of the battery (722) by charging the battery (722) using the regenerative current generated from the motor (710). The energy management device (700) checks whether the battery (722) is fully charged, and if the battery (722) is not fully charged, supplies the regenerative current to the battery (722), and if the battery (722) is fully charged, causes the electric energy consumption circuit (726) to consume the electric energy by the regenerative current, thereby reducing the possibility that a voltage higher than the operating voltage will be generated within the circuit by the regenerative current. Through this, the energy management device (700) can reduce the possibility that the battery (722) and circuit elements will be damaged by excessive regenerative current, and the possibility that the temperature in the circuit will become excessively high.

[0125]

[0126] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an implementation circuit for an energy management device according to various embodiments.

[0127] Referring to FIG. 8, an implementation circuit of an energy management device (e.g., energy management device (700) of FIG. 7) may include an energy management circuit (800), a motor (820), and a motor driver circuit (830).

[0128] The energy management circuit (800) may include a battery (810), a battery charging circuit (840), and an electrical energy consumption circuit (850). The energy management circuit (800), the battery charging circuit (840), and the electrical energy consumption circuit (850) may correspond to the energy management circuit (720), the battery charging circuit (724), and the electrical energy consumption circuit (726) of FIG. 7, respectively.

[0129] The battery (810) may include a combination of battery cells and may be managed by a battery management system (BMS). The battery (810) may be a rechargeable secondary battery.

[0130] The battery charging circuit (840) can charge the battery (810) based on the regenerative current (860) generated by the counter electromotive force of the motor (820). The battery charging circuit (840) can be activated or deactivated by a control signal generated by a processor (e.g., the processor (730) of FIG. 7). The battery charging circuit (840) can protect the battery (810) by stopping charging of the battery (810) by the regenerative current (860) when the battery (810) reaches a charging threshold or is fully charged.

[0131] The battery charging circuit (840) may include, for example, a DC-DC converter circuit. When the battery charging circuit (840) is implemented as a DC-DC converter circuit as illustrated, the battery charging circuit (840) may include diodes (842, 844), an inductor (846), and a first switch (848). The diodes (842, 844) may allow current to flow in only one direction. The diode (842) may prevent counter electromotive force from flowing into the battery (810). The inductor (846) may store electrical energy or control changes in current. The first switch (848) may control whether the battery charging circuit (840) is activated or deactivated. The first switch (848) may be implemented as a semiconductor switch, such as a transistor (e.g., a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET), an insulated gate cation transistor (IGBT)).

[0132] The electrical energy consumption circuit (850) can consume electrical energy by at least a portion of the regenerative current (860) or convert the electrical energy into another form of energy. By consuming the electrical energy by the regenerative current (860), the electrical energy consumption circuit (850) can reduce the possibility that the voltage value of the node (870) through which the regenerative current (860) flows into the energy management circuit (800) (or flows toward the battery (810)) becomes greater than the first reference voltage value. The electrical energy consumption circuit (850) can include a device for consuming electrical energy, such as a second switch (854) and the illustrated resistor (852). The second switch (854) can control whether the electrical energy consumption circuit (850) is activated or deactivated. The second switch (854) can be implemented as a semiconductor switch, such as a transistor.

[0133] The motor (820) can convert electric energy supplied by the battery (810) into rotational kinetic energy or convert kinetic energy of the rotational shaft of the motor (820) into electric energy. Based on the kinetic energy of the rotational shaft of the motor (820), a counter electromotive force is induced, and a regenerative current (860) can be generated by the counter electromotive force. The motor (820) can be, for example, a BLDC motor or a PMSM.

[0134] The motor driver circuit (830) is a circuit that controls the operation of the motor (820) and may include a controller (832) and an inverter (834). The controller (832) may control the motor (820). The controller (832) may be, for example, a microcontroller unit (MCU) including a processor and a memory. The controller (832) may control the current supplied to the motor (820), the speed of the motor (820), and / or the position of the motor (820). The inverter (834) may convert the direct current voltage supplied from the battery (810) into an alternating current voltage and supply the alternating current voltage to the motor (820).

[0135]

[0136] FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining energy management by an energy management device according to various embodiments.

[0137] Referring to FIG. 9, a signal waveform (910) represents a change in the voltage value of a node (e.g., node (870) of FIG. 8) through which regenerative current flows into an energy management circuit when regenerative current is generated from a motor (e.g., motor (820) of FIG. 8) over time. In a section (912) in which the voltage value of the node is lower than or equal to a first reference voltage value Vth, the regenerative current may be supplied to the battery and the battery may be charged, depending on the state of charge of the battery, or (if the battery is fully charged) the supply of regenerative current to the battery may be cut off. When electric energy due to the regenerative current is accumulated in the node and the voltage value of the node becomes higher than the first reference voltage value Vth, the battery charging circuit (e.g., battery charging circuit (840) of FIG. 8) is deactivated, so that charging of the battery is stopped, and an electric energy consumption circuit (e.g., electric energy consumption circuit (850) of FIG. 8) is activated, so that electric energy due to the regenerative current may be consumed in the electric energy consumption circuit. In this case, the voltage value of the node can be adjusted to be lower than the first reference voltage Vth. For example, in the time period from time t1 to time t2, the battery charging circuit is deactivated, so that charging of the battery is stopped, and the electric energy consumption circuit is activated, so that the electric energy by the regenerative current generated in the time period can be consumed by the electric energy consumption circuit. If the electric energy consumption circuit does not exist, the electric energy by the regenerative current may accumulate even after the battery is fully charged, so that the voltage value of the node and / or the voltage value of the battery may become higher than the first reference voltage value Vth, as in section (914). In this case, there is a possibility that the battery and / or the circuit components may be damaged by the high voltage value, and a possibility that a fire may occur. The voltage value of the node can be adjusted by the electric energy consumption circuit as in the signal waveform (920).When the battery charge level falls below the reference charge value, the battery charging circuit is activated and the battery can be charged based on the regenerative current generated from the motor.

[0138]

[0139] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operations of an operating method of an energy management device according to various embodiments. In one embodiment, at least one of the operations in Figure 10 may be performed simultaneously or in parallel with another operation, and the order of the operations may be changed. Furthermore, at least one of the operations may be omitted, and another operation may be additionally performed.

[0140] Referring to FIG. 10, in operation (1010), an energy management device (e.g., energy management device (700) of FIG. 7) may measure the charge amount of a battery (e.g., battery (722) of FIG. 7). The energy management device may measure the charge state (e.g., charge amount), current / voltage, and life state of the battery. At this time, both the battery charging circuit (e.g., battery charging circuit (724) of FIG. 7) and the electric energy consumption circuit (e.g., electric energy consumption circuit (726) of FIG. 7) of the energy management device may be in a deactivated state. When the energy management device is included in the wearable device (100) and operates, the following operations may be performed starting from operation (1010) when the exercise mode of the wearable device (100) is started. If the exercise mode of the wearable device (100) is terminated during the performance of the corresponding actions (e.g., if an exercise mode termination command is received through user input or if it is determined that the user is not exercising based on sensor data), the performance of the energy management method may be terminated.

[0141] In operation (1015), the energy management device may determine whether the measured battery charge is less than or equal to a reference charge value (e.g., 80%).

[0142] In operation (1020), the energy management device can determine whether the voltage value of the battery is less than or equal to the voltage value of the node through which the regenerative current generated from the motor (e.g., the motor (710) of FIG. 7) flows into the energy management circuit (e.g., the energy management circuit (720) of FIG. 7).

[0143] If the measured charge of the battery is less than or equal to the reference charge value and the voltage value of the battery is less than or equal to the voltage value of the node through which the regenerative current generated from the motor flows into the battery charging circuit (or the energy management circuit) (yes in operation (1015) and yes in operation (1020)), the energy management device may activate the battery charging circuit so that the battery is charged by the regenerative current in operation (1030).

[0144] If the voltage value of the battery is greater than the voltage value of the node (if 'No' in operation (1020)), the energy management device may disable the battery charging circuit in operation (1025) to block the inflow of regenerative current into the battery. Thereafter, the energy management device may restart from operation (1010).

[0145] In operation (1035), the energy management device can determine whether the voltage value of the node is greater than a first reference voltage value.

[0146] In one embodiment, if the charge of the battery is less than or equal to a reference charge value, the voltage value of the battery is less than or equal to a voltage value of the node, and the voltage value of the node is less than or equal to a first reference voltage value (yes in operation (1015), yes in operation (1020), and no in operation (1035)), the energy management device may activate the battery charging circuit so that the battery is charged by the regenerative current, as in operation (1030). Furthermore, in this case, the energy management device may block the inflow of the regenerative current into the electrical energy consumption circuit. The energy management device may maintain the initial inactivation state of the electrical energy consumption circuit.

[0147] If the voltage value of the above node is greater than the first reference voltage value (e.g., 'Yes' in operation (1035)), then in operation (1040) the energy management device may activate the electrical energy consumption circuit so that electrical energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current is consumed.

[0148] In one embodiment, if the charge of the battery is greater than the reference charge value and the voltage value of the node is greater than the first reference voltage value (if 'No' in operation (1015) and 'Yes' in operation (1035)), the electrical energy consumption circuit may be activated so that electrical energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current is consumed, as in operation (1040). Furthermore, in this case, the energy management device may block the inflow of the regenerative current into the battery. The energy management device may maintain the initial inactivation state of the battery charging circuit.

[0149] While the electrical energy consumption circuit is activated, the energy management device may monitor the voltage value of the node. After the electrical energy consumption circuit is activated (e.g., after the electrical energy consumption circuit is activated and a set time has elapsed), in operation (1045), the energy management device may again determine whether the voltage value of the node is greater than the first reference voltage value.

[0150] If the voltage value of the node remains higher than the first reference voltage value even though the electric energy consumption circuit is activated and consumes electric energy by the regenerative current (if 'Yes' in operation (1045)), the energy management device may activate a protection mode in operation (1050). If the protection mode is activated, the energy management device may, for example, open a circuit connected to the motor so that no back electromotive force is applied to the motor, thereby creating a state in which there is no electrical connection to the motor. If the energy management device is included in the wearable device (100) and operates, the exercise mode of the wearable device (100) may be terminated when the protection mode is activated.

[0151] When the voltage value of the node becomes lower than or equal to a first reference voltage value due to the electrical energy consumption circuit being activated and consuming electrical energy by the regenerative current (if 'NO' in operation (1045)), in operation (1055) the energy management device can determine whether the voltage value of the node is lower than or equal to a second reference voltage value that is lower than the first reference voltage value. The first reference voltage value may correspond to an upper limit of an allowable voltage range for the voltage value of the node, and the second reference voltage value may correspond to a lower limit of the allowable voltage range for the voltage value of the node.

[0152] After the electrical energy consumption circuit is activated, if the voltage value of the node becomes lower than or equal to the second reference voltage value (if 'Yes' in operation (1055)), the energy management device may block the inflow of regenerative current into the electrical energy consumption circuit in operation (1060). The energy management device may deactivate the electrical energy consumption circuit, and thereafter, the energy management device may restart from operation (1010).

[0153] After the electric energy consumption circuit is activated, if the voltage value of the node is greater than the second reference voltage value (if 'No' in operation (1055)), the energy management device can maintain the electric energy consumption circuit in an activated state (a state in which regenerative current flows into the electric energy consumption circuit) and restart from operation (1010).

[0154] In one embodiment, if the charge of the battery is greater than the reference charge value and the voltage value of the node is less than or equal to the first reference voltage value (if 'No' in operation (1015) and 'No' in operation (1035)), the energy management device can block the inflow of regenerative current into the battery and the inflow of regenerative current into the electrical energy consumption circuit.

[0155]

[0156] FIGS. 11A, 11B, and 11C are diagrams illustrating the operation of an implementation circuit for an energy management device according to various embodiments. The implementation circuit illustrated in FIGS. 11A, 11B, and 11C is identical to the implementation circuit illustrated in FIG. 8. The illustrated implementation circuit is a circuit based on a DC-DC buck converter.

[0157] Fig. 11a illustrates the current flow in a state where electric energy stored in a battery (810) is supplied to the motor (820) to drive the motor (820). As illustrated, the first switch (848) is turned off, and the DC current output from the battery (810) can be transmitted to the inverter (834) via the diode (842) and the node (870). The inverter (834) can convert the DC current into AC current and supply it to the motor (820). The electric energy stored in the battery (810) can be consumed by driving the motor (820).

[0158] In one embodiment, when the illustrated implementation circuit is included in and operates in a wearable device (100), a current flow as illustrated in FIG. 11A may appear in the assist mode of the walking assistance mode or the exercise assistance mode of the wearable device (100). At this time, a torque may be generated from the motor (820) to provide assistive force to the user's legs.

[0159] Fig. 11b illustrates a current flow in a state where a regenerative current is generated from a motor (820) and the battery (810) is charged with electric energy by the regenerative current. When the charge amount of the battery (810) is lower than or equal to a reference charge value and the voltage value of the battery (810) is lower than or equal to a voltage value of a node (870) through which the regenerative current flows into the energy management circuit, the battery charging circuit (840) may be activated as illustrated in Fig. 11b. Similar to the operation of a DC-DC buck converter, the illustrated implementation circuit may be controlled so that a state (1120) in which the first switch (848) of the battery charging circuit (840) is on (corresponding to the first switch (848) being closed) and a state (1130) in which the first switch (848) is off (corresponding to the first switch (848) being open) alternately and repeatedly appear. In state (1120), electric energy generated by the regenerative current from the motor (820) is accumulated in the inductor (846), and the electric energy from the motor (820) can be transferred to the battery charging circuit (840). At this time, the diode (844) (corresponding to a freewheeling diode) can be blocked. Thereafter, when the first switch (848) is turned off, as in state (1130), the electric energy accumulated in the inductor (846) can be transferred to the battery (810) through the diode (844).

[0160] In one embodiment, when the illustrated implementation circuit is included in and operates in a wearable device (100), when a regenerative current is generated from the motor (820) by the user's leg movement in the resistance mode of the exercise assistance mode of the wearable device (100), a current flow as illustrated in FIG. 11b may appear for charging the battery (810).

[0161] Fig. 11c illustrates a current flow when a regenerative current is generated from a motor (820), the battery (810) is charged with electric energy by the regenerative current, and the electric energy is consumed through an electric energy consumption circuit (850). When the charge amount of the battery (810) is lower than a reference charge value and the voltage value of the node (870) is higher than a first reference voltage value, both the battery charging circuit (840) and the electric energy consumption circuit (850) may be activated, as illustrated in Fig. 11c. Similar to Fig. 11b, the illustrated implementation circuit may be controlled so that a state (1140) in which the first switch (848) of the battery charging circuit (840) is on and a state (1150) in which the first switch (848) is off alternately and repeatedly appear. In state (1140) and state (1150), the second switch (854) included in the electric energy consumption circuit (850) remains on, and at least a portion of the regenerative current generated from the motor (820) can be transmitted to the electric energy consumption circuit (850). The electric energy of the transmitted regenerative current can be converted into thermal energy (consumption of electric energy) by the resistor (852) included in the electric energy consumption circuit (850).

[0162]

[0163] FIGS. 12A, 12B, and 12C are diagrams for explaining the operation of another implementation circuit for an energy management device according to various embodiments. The implementation circuit illustrated in FIGS. 12A, 12B, and 12C is an implementation circuit based on a full bridge DC-DC converter having four switches (1232, 1234, 1236, 1238), unlike the implementation circuit illustrated in FIG. 8. The energy management circuit (1200) may include a battery (810), a battery charging circuit (1210), and a low energy consumption circuit (1240). The battery charging circuit (1210) may include a diode (1222), an inductor (1224) and four switches (1232, 1234, 1236, 1238), and the electrical energy consumption circuit (1240) may include a resistor (852) and a second switch (854).

[0164] Fig. 12a illustrates the current flow in a state where the electric energy stored in the battery (810) is supplied to the motor (820) to drive the motor (820). As illustrated, the switches (1232, 1234, 1236, 1238) are turned off, and the DC current output from the battery (810) can be transmitted to the inverter (834) via the diode (1222) and the node (1250). The inverter (834) can convert the DC current into AC current and supply it to the motor (820). The electric energy stored in the battery (810) can be consumed by driving the motor (820).

[0165] Fig. 12b illustrates a current flow in a state where a regenerative current is generated from a motor (820) and the battery (810) is charged with electric energy by the regenerative current. When the charge amount of the battery (810) is lower than or equal to a reference charge value and the voltage value of the battery (810) is lower than or equal to a voltage value of a node (1250) through which the regenerative current flows into the energy management circuit, the battery charging circuit (1210) may be activated as illustrated in Fig. 12b. The illustrated implementation circuit may be controlled so that a state (1260) in which the switches (1232, 1238) of the battery charging circuit (1210) are on and the switches (1234, 1236) are off and a state (1270) in which the switches (1232, 1234, 1236) are on and the switch (1238) is off alternately and repeatedly appear. In state (1260), electric energy generated by the regenerative current from the motor (820) is accumulated in the inductor (1224), and the electric energy from the motor (820) can be transferred to the battery charging circuit (1210). Thereafter, as in state (1270), when the switches (1232, 1234, 1236) are turned on and the switch (1238) is turned off, the electric energy accumulated in the inductor (1224) can be transferred to the battery (810).

[0166] Fig. 12c illustrates the current flow when a regenerative current is generated from a motor (820), the battery (810) is charged with electric energy by the regenerative current, and the electric energy is consumed through the electric energy consumption circuit (1240). When the charge amount of the battery (810) is lower than a reference charge value and the voltage value of the node (1250) is higher than a first reference voltage value, both the battery charging circuit (1210) and the electric energy consumption circuit (1240) can be activated, as illustrated in Fig. 12c. As in FIG. 12B, the illustrated implementation circuit can be controlled so that a state (1280) in which the switches (1232, 1238) of the battery charging circuit (1210) are on and the switches (1234, 1236) are off and a state (1290) in which the switches (1232, 1234, 1236) are on and the switch (1238) is off alternately and repeatedly appear. In the state (1280) and the state (1290), the second switch (854) included in the electric energy consumption circuit (1240) maintains the on state, and at least a portion of the regenerative current generated from the motor (820) can be transferred to the electric energy consumption circuit (1240). The electric energy of the transferred regenerative current can be converted into thermal energy by the resistor (852) included in the electric energy consumption circuit (1240).

[0167]

[0168] One or more embodiments of the present disclosure may include the following examples:

[0169] Example 1: An energy management device (700) according to one embodiment may include a motor (710) that generates torque or generates regenerative current by counter electromotive force based on electric energy supplied from a battery (722), an energy management circuit (720) that controls the supply of electric energy from the battery (722) to the motor (710) and controls charging of the battery (722) by the regenerative current generated from the motor (710), and one or more processors (730) that control the energy management circuit (720). The energy management circuit (720) may include the rechargeable battery (722), a battery charging circuit (724) that charges the battery (722) based on the regenerative current, and an electric energy consumption circuit (726) that consumes electric energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current generated from the motor (710). The one or more processors (730) may activate the battery charging circuit (724) so ​​that the battery (722) is charged by the regenerative current when the charge amount of the battery (722) is less than or equal to a reference charge value and the voltage value of the node through which the regenerative current flows into the energy management circuit (720) is greater than a first reference voltage value, and may activate the electric energy consumption circuit (726) so that electric energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current is consumed.

[0170] Example 2: In Example 1, the one or more processors (730) may block the inflow of the regenerative current into the battery (722) when the charge amount of the battery (722) is greater than the reference charge value and the voltage value of the node is greater than the first reference voltage value, and may activate the electric energy consumption circuit (726) so that electric energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current is consumed.

[0171] Example 3: In Example 1 or Example 2, the one or more processors (730) may monitor the voltage value of the node after the electric energy consumption circuit (726) is activated, and, if the voltage value of the node becomes lower than a second reference voltage value that is lower than the first reference voltage value during the monitoring, block the inflow of the regenerative current into the electric energy consumption circuit (726).

[0172] Example 4: In any one of Examples 1 to 3, the one or more processors (730) may block the inflow of the regenerative current into the battery (722) and the inflow of the regenerative current into the electric energy consumption circuit (726) when the charge amount of the battery (722) is greater than the reference charge value and the voltage value of the node is lower than or equal to the first reference voltage value.

[0173] Example 5: In any one of Examples 1 to 4, the one or more processors (730) may activate the battery charging circuit (724) so ​​that the battery (722) is charged by the regenerative current and block the inflow of the regenerative current into the electric energy consumption circuit (726) when the charge amount of the battery (722) is less than or equal to the reference charge value, the voltage value of the battery (722) is less than or equal to the voltage value of the node, and the voltage value of the node is less than or equal to the first reference voltage value.

[0174] Example 6: In any one of Examples 1 to 5, the one or more processors (730) may block the inflow of the regenerative current into the battery (722) and the inflow of the regenerative current into the electric energy consumption circuit (726) when the charge amount of the battery (722) is less than or equal to the reference charge value, the voltage value of the battery (722) is greater than the voltage value of the node, and the voltage value of the node is less than or equal to the first reference voltage value.

[0175] Example 7: In any one of Examples 1 to 6, the electrical energy consumption circuit (726) may include a light-emitting element that generates light energy by consuming electrical energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current when the electrical energy consumption circuit (726) is activated.

[0176] Example 8: In any one of Examples 1 to 7, the electrical energy consumption circuit (726) may include a heat generating element that generates thermal energy by consuming electrical energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current when the electrical energy consumption circuit (726) is activated.

[0177] Example 9: In any one of Examples 1 to 8, the electrical energy consumption circuit (726) may include a power generation device that generates mechanical energy by consuming electrical energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current when the electrical energy consumption circuit (726) is activated.

[0178] Example 10: In any one of Examples 1 to 9, the battery charging circuit (724) includes a first switch (848) for controlling whether the regenerative current flows into the battery charging circuit (724), the electric energy consuming circuit (726) includes a second switch (854) for controlling whether the regenerative current flows into the electric energy consuming circuit (726), and each of the first switch (848) and the second switch (854) can be controlled by the one or more processors (730).

[0179] Example 11: A wearable device (100) according to one embodiment may include a motor (534; 534-1) that generates torque based on electric energy supplied from a battery (565) or generates a regenerative current based on leg movements of a user wearing the wearable device (100), a torque transmission frame (50; 55) for transmitting the generated torque to the user's leg, a thigh fastening part (1; 2) for fixing the torque transmission frame (50; 55) to the user's leg, an energy management circuit (575) that controls the supply of electric energy from the battery (565) to the motor (534; 534-1) and controls charging of the battery (565) by the regenerative current generated from the motor (534; 534-1), and one or more processors (512) that control the energy management circuit (575). The energy management circuit (575) may include a rechargeable battery (565), a battery charging circuit (585) for charging the battery (565) based on the regenerative current, and an electric energy consumption circuit (595) for consuming electric energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current generated from the motor (534; 534-1). The one or more processors (512) may activate the battery charging circuit (585) so that the battery (565) is charged by the regenerative current when the charge amount of the battery (565) is lower than or equal to a reference charge value and a voltage value of a node through which the regenerative current flows into the energy management circuit (575) is higher than a first reference voltage value, and may activate the electric energy consumption circuit (595) so that electric energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current is consumed.

[0180] Example 12: In Example 11, the one or more processors (512) may block the inflow of the regenerative current into the battery (565) when the charge amount of the battery (565) is greater than the reference charge value and the voltage value of the node is greater than the first reference voltage value, and may activate the electric energy consumption circuit (595) so that electric energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current is consumed.

[0181] Example 13: In Example 11 or Example 12, the one or more processors (512) may monitor the voltage value of the node after the electric energy consumption circuit (595) is activated, and, if the voltage value of the node becomes lower than a second reference voltage value that is lower than the first reference voltage value during the monitoring, block the inflow of the regenerative current into the electric energy consumption circuit (595).

[0182] Example 14: In any one of Examples 11 to 13, the one or more processors (512) may block the inflow of the regenerative current into the battery (565) and the inflow of the regenerative current into the electric energy consumption circuit (595) when the charge amount of the battery (565) is greater than the reference charge value and the voltage value of the node is lower than or equal to the first reference voltage value.

[0183] Example 15: An operating method of an energy management device (700) including a battery (722), a motor, a battery charging circuit (724), and an electric energy consumption circuit (726) according to one embodiment may include: measuring a charge amount of the battery (722); activating the battery charging circuit (724) so ​​that the battery (722) is charged by the regenerative current when the measured charge amount of the battery (722) is less than or equal to a reference charge value and a voltage value of the battery (722) is less than or equal to a voltage value of a node through which a regenerative current generated from the motor (710) flows into the battery charging circuit (724); and activating the electric energy consumption circuit (726) so that electric energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current is consumed when the voltage value of the node is greater than a first reference voltage value.

[0184] Example 16: In Example 15, the operating method may further include an operation of activating the electric energy consumption circuit (726) so that electric energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current is consumed, and blocking the inflow of the regenerative current into the battery (722), when the charge amount of the battery (722) is greater than the reference charge value and the voltage value of the node is greater than the first reference voltage value.

[0185] Example 17: In Example 15 or Example 16, the operating method may further include an operation of blocking the inflow of the regenerative current into the electric energy consumption circuit (726) when the voltage value of the node becomes lower than or equal to a second reference voltage value that is lower than the first reference voltage value after the electric energy consumption circuit (726) is activated.

[0186] Example 18: In any one of Examples 15 to 17, the operating method may further include an operation of blocking the inflow of the regenerative current into the battery (722) and the inflow of the regenerative current into the electric energy consumption circuit (726) when the charge amount of the battery (722) is greater than the reference charge value and the voltage value of the node is lower than or equal to the first reference voltage value.

[0187] Example 19: In any one of Examples 15 to 18, the operating method may further include an operation of activating the battery charging circuit (724) so ​​that the battery (722) is charged by the regenerative current and blocking the inflow of the regenerative current into the electric energy consumption circuit (726) when the charge amount of the battery (722) is less than or equal to the reference charge value, the voltage value of the battery (722) is less than or equal to the voltage value of the node, and the voltage value of the node is less than or equal to the first reference voltage value.

[0188] Example 20: A computer-readable recording medium according to one embodiment can store a program that performs the method of any one of Examples 15 to 19.

[0189]

[0190] The various embodiments of the present disclosure and the terminology used therein are not intended to limit the technical features described in the present disclosure to specific embodiments, but should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, or substitutes of the embodiments. In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar or related components. The singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of the items, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In the present disclosure, each of the phrases "A or B," "at least one of A and B," "at least one of A or B," "A, B, or C," "at least one of A, B, and C," and "at least one of A, B, or C" can include any one of the items listed together in the corresponding phrase among the phrases, or all possible combinations thereof. Terms such as "first," "second," or "first" or "second" may be used merely to distinguish one component from another, and do not limit the components in any other respect (e.g., importance or order). When a component (e.g., a first component) is referred to as "coupled" or "connected" to another (e.g., a second component), with or without the terms "functionally" or "communicatively," it means that the component can be connected to the other component directly (e.g., wired), wirelessly, or through at least a third component(s).

[0191] The term "module" used in various embodiments of the present disclosure may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with terms such as logic, logic block, component, or circuit. A module may be an integral component, or a minimum unit or part of such a component that performs one or more functions. For example, according to one embodiment, a module may be implemented in the form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Accordingly, each "module" in this specification may include a circuit.

[0192] Software may include a computer program, code, instructions, or a combination of one or more of these, and may configure a processing device to perform a desired operation or, independently or collectively, command the processing device. The software and / or data may be permanently or temporarily embodied in any type of machine, component, physical device, virtual equipment, or computer storage medium or device for interpretation by the processing device or for providing instructions or data to the processing device. The software may be distributed across networked computer systems and stored or executed in a distributed manner. The software and data may be stored on a computer-readable recording medium. Various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented as software comprising one or more instructions stored on a storage medium that can be read by a machine. For example, a processor of the device may recall at least one of the one or more instructions stored from the storage medium and execute it. This enables the device to operate to perform at least one function in accordance with the recalled at least one instruction. The one or more instructions may include code generated by a compiler or code executable by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, 'non-transitory' only means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not contain signals (e.g., electromagnetic waves), and this term does not distinguish between cases where data is stored semi-permanently and cases where it is stored temporarily in the storage medium.

[0193] According to one embodiment, the method according to the embodiments may be provided as a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded between sellers and buyers as a product. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a device-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)) or may be provided through an application store (e.g., Play Store). TM ) or directly between two user devices (e.g., smart phones), online distribution (e.g., downloading or uploading). In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product may be at least temporarily stored or temporarily created in a machine-readable storage medium, such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or an intermediary server.

[0194] According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., a module or a program) of the above-described components may include one or more entities, and some of the entities may be separated and placed in other components. According to various embodiments, one or more components or operations of the aforementioned components may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality of components (e.g., a module or a program) may be integrated into a single component. In such a case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each of the plurality of components identically or similarly to those performed by the corresponding component among the plurality of components prior to the integration. According to various embodiments, the operations performed by a module, program, or other component may be executed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be executed in a different order, omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

[0195] While this disclosure has been illustrated and described with reference to various embodiments, it is to be understood that the various embodiments are illustrative and not limiting. It will be further understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present disclosure, including the appended claims and their equivalents. Furthermore, it will be understood that any embodiment(s) described herein may be used in conjunction with any other embodiment(s) described herein.

Claims

1. A motor (710) that generates torque based on electric energy supplied from a battery (722) or generates regenerative current by counter electromotive force; An energy management circuit (720) that controls the supply of electric energy from the battery (722) to the motor (710) and controls charging of the battery (722) by the regenerative current generated from the motor (710); and One or more processors (730) controlling the energy management circuit (720) Including, The above energy management circuit (720) The above rechargeable battery (722); A battery charging circuit (724) that charges the battery (722) based on the regenerative current; and An electrical energy consumption circuit (726) that consumes electrical energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current generated from the above motor (710). Including, The above one or more processors (730) When the charge amount of the battery (722) is less than or equal to a reference charge value and the voltage value of the node through which the regenerative current flows into the energy management circuit (720) is greater than a first reference voltage value, the battery charging circuit (724) is activated so that the battery (722) is charged by the regenerative current, and the electric energy consumption circuit (726) is activated so that electric energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current is consumed. Energy management device (700).

2. In paragraph 1, The above one or more processors (730) When the charge amount of the battery (722) is greater than the reference charge value and the voltage value of the node is greater than the first reference voltage value, the inflow of the regenerative current into the battery (722) is blocked and the electric energy consumption circuit (726) is activated so that electric energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current is consumed. Energy management device (700).

3. In paragraph 1 or 2, The above one or more processors (730) After the above electric energy consumption circuit (726) is activated, the voltage value of the node is monitored, If the voltage value of the node during the monitoring becomes lower than a second reference voltage value that is lower than the first reference voltage value, the inflow of the regenerative current into the electric energy consumption circuit (726) is blocked. Energy management device (700).

4. In any one of paragraphs 1 to 3, The above one or more processors (730) When the charge amount of the battery (722) is greater than the reference charge value and the voltage value of the node is lower than the first reference voltage value, the inflow of the regenerative current into the battery (722) and the inflow of the regenerative current into the electric energy consumption circuit (726) are blocked. Energy management device (700).

5. In any one of paragraphs 1 to 4, The above one or more processors (730) When the charge amount of the battery (722) is less than or equal to the reference charge value, the voltage value of the battery (722) is less than or equal to the voltage value of the node, and the voltage value of the node is less than or equal to the first reference voltage value, the battery charging circuit (724) is activated so that the battery (722) is charged by the regenerative current, and the inflow of the regenerative current into the electric energy consumption circuit (726) is blocked. Energy management device (700).

6. In any one of paragraphs 1 to 5, The above one or more processors (730) When the charge amount of the battery (722) is less than or equal to the reference charge value, the voltage value of the battery (722) is greater than the voltage value of the node, and the voltage value of the node is less than or equal to the first reference voltage value, the inflow of the regenerative current into the battery (722) and the inflow of the regenerative current into the electric energy consumption circuit (726) are blocked. Energy management device (700).

7. In any one of paragraphs 1 to 6, The above electric energy consumption circuit (726) When the above electric energy consumption circuit (726) is activated, a light emitting element is included that consumes electric energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current to generate light energy. Energy management device (700).

8. In any one of paragraphs 1 to 7, The above electric energy consumption circuit (726) When the above electric energy consumption circuit (726) is activated, it includes a heating element that consumes electric energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current to generate thermal energy. Energy management device (700).

9. In any one of paragraphs 1 to 8, The above electric energy consumption circuit (726) When the above electric energy consumption circuit (726) is activated, a power generation device is included that consumes electric energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current to generate mechanical energy. Energy management device (700).

10. In any one of paragraphs 1 to 9, The above battery charging circuit (724) Includes a first switch (848) for controlling whether the regenerative current flows into the battery charging circuit (724), The above electric energy consumption circuit (726) Includes a second switch (854) for controlling whether the regenerative current flows into the electric energy consumption circuit (726), Each of the first switch (848) and the second switch (854) is controlled by one or more processors (730). Energy management device (700).

11. In a wearable device (100), A motor (534; 534-1) that generates torque based on electric energy supplied from a battery (565) or generates regenerative current based on leg movements of a user wearing the wearable device (100); A torque transmission frame (50; 55) for transmitting the generated torque to the user's legs; A thigh fastening member (1; 2) for fixing the torque transmission frame (50; 55) to the user's leg; An energy management circuit (575) that controls the supply of electric energy from the battery (565) to the motor (534; 534-1) and controls charging of the battery (565) by the regenerative current generated from the motor (534; 534-1); and One or more processors (512) controlling the energy management circuit (575) Including, The above energy management circuit (575) The above rechargeable battery (565); A battery charging circuit (585) that charges the battery (565) based on the regenerative current; and An electrical energy consumption circuit (595) that consumes electrical energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current generated from the above motor (534; 534-1). Including, The above one or more processors (512) When the charge amount of the battery (565) is less than or equal to a reference charge value and the voltage value of the node through which the regenerative current flows into the energy management circuit (575) is greater than a first reference voltage value, the battery charging circuit (585) is activated so that the battery (565) is charged by the regenerative current, and the electric energy consumption circuit (595) is activated so that electric energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current is consumed. Wearable device (100).

12. In paragraph 11, The above one or more processors (512) When the charge amount of the battery (565) is greater than the reference charge value and the voltage value of the node is greater than the first reference voltage value, the inflow of the regenerative current into the battery (565) is blocked and the electric energy consumption circuit (595) is activated so that electric energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current is consumed. Wearable device (100).

13. In paragraph 11 or 12, The above one or more processors (512) After the above electric energy consumption circuit (595) is activated, the voltage value of the node is monitored, If the voltage value of the node during the monitoring becomes lower than a second reference voltage value that is lower than the first reference voltage value, the inflow of the regenerative current into the electric energy consumption circuit (595) is blocked. Wearable device (100).

14. In any one of paragraphs 11 to 13, The above one or more processors (512) When the charge amount of the battery (565) is greater than the reference charge value and the voltage value of the node is lower than the first reference voltage value, the inflow of the regenerative current into the battery (565) and the inflow of the regenerative current into the electric energy consumption circuit (595) are blocked. Wearable device (100).

15. In a method of operating an energy management device (700) including a battery (722), a motor, a battery charging circuit (724), and an electric energy consumption circuit (726), An operation of measuring the charge amount of the above battery (722); When the measured charge amount of the battery (722) is less than or equal to the reference charge value and the voltage value of the battery (722) is less than or equal to the voltage value of the node where the regenerative current generated from the motor (710) flows into the battery charging circuit (724), an operation of activating the battery charging circuit (724) so ​​that the battery (722) is charged by the regenerative current; and An operation of activating the electric energy consumption circuit (726) so that electric energy for at least a portion of the regenerative current is consumed when the voltage value of the node is greater than the first reference voltage value. A method of operation including:

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