Apparatus and method enhancing muscular movement

• US 20070265140A1
• Filed: 05/07/2007
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Sang-youn, Kim, Kyu-yong, Soh, Byung-seok
• Granted Patent: US 7,966,074 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 482/8
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 1/02 Stretching or bending or torsioning apparatus for exercising
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5007 computer controlled
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/00181 comprising additional means assisting the user to overcome part of the resisting force, i.e. assisted-active exercising
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/14 with form or shape memory materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/60 muscle strain, i.e. measured on the user

Abstract

An apparatus to enhance muscular movement is provided. The apparatus includes at least one muscular movement sensor to sense a result of an attempt to move a muscle, a movement information controller to analyze the sensed muscular movement, and generate muscular movement information based on the analyzed muscular movements, and a muscular movement actuator to enhance the movement of the muscle according to the generated muscular movement information by actively controlling a deformation of the muscle movement actuator over the surface of the muscle.

Claims

1. An apparatus to enhance a muscular movement, the apparatus comprising:

at least one muscular movement sensor to sense a result of an attempt to move a muscle;

a movement information controller to analyze the sensed muscular movement, and generate muscular movement information based on the analyzed muscular movements; and

a muscular movement actuator to enhance the movement of the muscle according to the generated muscular movement information by actively controlling a deformation of the muscle movement actuator over the surface of the muscle.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the muscular movement information comprises an intensity and a direction of the movement of the muscle.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a storage module to store the muscular movement information as a database according to a set of standards,

wherein the movement information controller controls the muscular movement actuator according to the muscular movement information stored in the storage module.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the standards comprise at least one of a gender of a user of the apparatus, an age of a user of the apparatus, a user body part to which the muscle corresponds, and a time when the user uses the apparatus.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the muscular movement actuator comprises:

an electroactive polymer (EAP) configured as one of fibers and a pad;

a pair of electrodes to contact opposite lateral sides of the EAP; and

an electric circuit to apply a voltage to the electrodes.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the EAP is a wet polymer that causes movement of ions inside the wet polymer according to the intensity of the voltage, wherein the voltage varies according to the muscular movement information provided by the movement information controller.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the EAP contracts or relaxes the muscle by increasing or reducing curvature according to a movement of ions.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the EAP is formed as a single wavy layer having a uniform curvature, and the electrodes are formed by connecting one of an anode and a cathode to an upper curvature portion of the EAP and connecting whichever of the anode and the cathode is left unconnected to the upper curvature portion of the EAP to a lower curvature portion of the EAP.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the EAP is formed as a double wavy layer having a uniform curvature, and the electrodes are formed by connecting one of one of an anode and a cathode to the upper and lower curvature portions of the EAP and connecting whichever of the anode and the cathode is connected to none of the upper and lower curvature portions of the EAP to an interface between upper and lower parts of the EAP.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the EAP is formed as a cylinder that extends longer in a longitudinal direction than in a latitudinal direction, and the electrodes are formed by connecting one of an anode and a cathode to an external circumferential surface of the cylinder and connecting whichever of the anode and the cathode is left unconnected to the external circumferential surface of the cylinder to an inner circumferential surface of the cylinder that contacts a central axial member of the cylinder.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is clothing wearable over a surface of the muscle.

12. A muscular movement actuator apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

an electroactive polymer (EAP) formed as clothing wearable over a surface of a muscle;

a plurality of electrodes placed in contact with opposite lateral sides of the EAP; and

an electrical circuit to operatively connect to the electrodes, whereby a voltage applied to the electrical circuit causes a deformation of the EAP to enhance a movement of the muscle.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the electrodes are at least one of conductive and compliant.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the EAP is a wet polymer that causes movement of ions inside the wet polymer according to an intensity of the voltage.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the EAP contracts or relaxes the muscle by increasing or reducing curvature according to a movement of ions.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the EAP is formed as a single wavy layer having a uniform curvature, and the electrodes are formed by connecting one of an anode and a cathode to an upper curvature portion of the EAP and connecting whichever of the anode and the cathode is left unconnected to the upper curvature portion of the EAP to a lower curvature portion of the EAP.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the EAP is formed as a double wavy layer having a uniform curvature, and the electrodes are formed by connecting one of one of an anode and a cathode to the upper and lower curvature portions of the EAP and connecting whichever of the anode and the cathode is connected to none of the upper and lower curvature portions of the EAP to an interface between upper and lower parts of the EAP.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the EAP is formed as a cylinder that extends longer in a longitudinal direction than in a latitudinal direction, and the electrodes are formed by connecting one of an anode and a cathode to an external circumferential surface of the cylinder and connecting whichever of the anode and the cathode is left unconnected to the external circumferential surface of the cylinder to an inner circumferential surface of the cylinder that contacts a central axial member of the cylinder.

19. A method for enhancing a movement of a muscle, the method comprising:

placing a surface of the muscle in contact with fibers comprised of an electroactive polymer (EAP);

sensing the movement of the muscle using a plurality of sensors;

analyzing the sensed muscular movement;

generating muscular movement information based on the analyzed muscular movement; and

enhancing the movement of the muscle, according to the generated muscular movement information using the EAP, by actively controlling a deformation of the EAP over the surface of the muscle.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising storing the muscular movement information as a database according to a set of standards, wherein the enhancing occurs according to the stored muscular movement information.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the muscular movement information comprises an intensity and a direction of the movement of the muscle.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising storing the muscular movement information as a database according to a set of standards,

wherein the muscular movement is enhanced according to the stored muscular movement information.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the standards comprise at least one of a gender of a user of the apparatus, an age of a user of the apparatus, a user body part to which the muscle corresponds, and a time when the user uses the apparatus.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the enhancing comprises contracting or relaxing the muscle by increasing or reducing curvature of the EAP according to a movement of ions with the EAP.

25. At least one medium comprising computer readable code to control at least one processing element to implement the method of claim 19.