Upper-Limb And Prosthesis Force Control Evaluation With Sensor Feedback
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional rehabilitation training methods fail to quantitatively evaluate the force control ability of a patient's upper limb or prosthesis, as they primarily focus on time-based performance measurements, lacking the ability to assess the magnitude and direction of force applied during interactions with objects.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method that measure and compare the direction and magnitude of forces applied by the user or prosthesis against target and reference values, providing quantitative feedback on force control ability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional time-based measurement methods are used to evaluate rehabilitation performance, then the evaluation process is simple and easy to implement, but the measurement precision and ability to assess force control ability is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
A force measurement tool is introduced as an intermediary device between the user and the evaluation system. This tool includes force sensors that objectively measure force magnitude and direction, converting physical force into quantifiable data that the processing unit can analyze, thereby resolving the contradiction between simple evaluation and precise measurement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces subjective time-based mechanical evaluation with an electronic sensing and processing system. Force sensors, processing units, and display devices substitute the conventional mechanical timing method, enabling precise quantitative assessment of force control ability while maintaining system simplicity through automated digital processing.
2Loss of information
If only time-based performance metrics are measured, then the evaluation method remains simple, but the ability to provide specific feedback on force magnitude and direction is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The force measurement tool serves as an intermediary that captures and transmits force magnitude and direction information to the processing unit. This intermediary device prevents information loss by objectively measuring and digitalizing force parameters that would otherwise be impossible to quantify with simple time-based methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The processing unit analyzes the force measurement data and provides feedback through the display device, showing users their force control performance. This feedback mechanism recovers and communicates the force magnitude and direction information, enabling users to understand and improve their force control ability while maintaining relatively simple system architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
The apparatus for evaluating force control ability according to an embodiment includes: a display unit configured to display a target force direction; a measuring unit configured to measure a direction and magnitude of a force applied by a user; and a processing unit configured to evaluate force control ability of the user by comparing the measured force direction with the target force direction and comparing the measured force magnitude with a predetermined reference force magnitude.