CLINICAL FORCE SENSING GLOVE

• US 20110302694A1
• Filed: 04/03/2009
• Published: 12/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of Washington
• Original Assignee: University of Washington
• Inventors: Wang, Wei-Chih, Reinhall, Per G., Nuckley, David J., Linders, David
• Granted Patent: US 9,345,424 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 2/160
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0247 Pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0266 Optical strain gauges
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/043 in a linear array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse, heart rate, blood pressure or blood flow; Combined pulse/heart-rate/blood pressure determination; Evaluating a cardiovascular condition not otherwise provided for, e.g. using combinations of techniques provided for in this group with electrocardiography or electroauscultation; Heart catheters for measuring blood pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/103 Detecting, measuring or recording devices for testing the shape, pattern, colour, size or movement of the body or parts thereof, for diagnostic purposes A61B5/08 takes precedence; measuring aids for tailors A41H1/00; measuring instruments specially adapted for dentistry A61C19/04
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4528 Joints A61B5/4533, A61B5/4538 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6806 Gloves
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7207 of noise induced by motion artifacts
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7257 using Fourier transforms

Abstract

A clinical sensing glove system to quantify force, shear, hardness, etc., measured in manual therapies is disclosed. A sensor is disposed in a clinical glove. The sensor undergoes micro-bending, macro-bending, evanescent coupling, a change in resonance, a change in polarization, a change in phase modulation, in response to pressure/force applied. The amount of micro-bending, macro-bending, evanescent coupling, change in resonance, change in polarization, and/or change in phase modulation is proportional to the intensity of the pressure/force. A clinician can quantitatively determine the amount of pressure, force, shear, hardness, rotation, etc., applied.

Claims

1. A sensing apparatus, comprising:

a glove; and

a sensor disposed in the glove, the sensor comprising;

a first flexible applicator;

a second flexible applicator having a groove disposed therein;

an optical fiber disposed in the groove of the second flexible applicator; and

an elastomeric polymer disposed on the optical fiber and between the first flexible applicator and the second flexible applicator;

wherein the optical fiber is adapted and configured to receive an optical signal, and

wherein the optical fiber is further adapted and configured to bend in response to a force applied through the first flexible applicator such that an intensity of the optical signal in the optical fiber is attenuated in response to the applied force.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a light source operationally coupled to the optical fiber, the light source being adapted and configured to emit the optical signal; and

a light detector operationally coupled to the optical fiber, the light detector being adapted and configured to receive the optical signal from the optical fiber.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a control channel including the light source, a second optical fiber, and a second light detector, the second optical fiber having a first end coupled to the light source and a second end coupled to the second light detector, wherein the control channel is adapted and configured to provide a reference intensity of the optical signal to measure against the attenuated intensity of the optical signal in the optical fiber.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

a data acquisition module operationally coupled to the light detector, the data acquisition module being adapted and configured to receive the optical signal from the light detector; and

a display module operationally coupled to the data acquisition module, the display module being adapted and configured to graphically display a representation of the force applied to the optical fiber.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the glove is selected from at least one of a surgical glove and a clinical glove, wherein the sensor is disposed in the glove using an adhesive, and wherein the sensor is disposed in at least one of a finger portion of the glove and a palm portion of the glove.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second flexible applicators are selected from at least one of a polymer, a plastic, a silicone rubber, and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), and wherein the elastomeric polymer comprises polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS).

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second flexible applicators each includes a set of alternating teeth, the sets of alternating teeth being adapted and configured to bend the optical fiber.

8. A method of making a sensing glove, comprising:

forming a force sensor comprising;

forming a first flexible applicator, the first applicator having alternating teeth;

forming a second flexible applicator, the second flexible applicator having alternating teeth and a groove;

disposing an optical fiber in the groove in the second flexible applicator;

disposing a liquid polymer on the second flexible applicator and the optical fiber in the groove of the second flexible applicator;

disposing the first flexible applicator on the liquid polymer disposed on the second flexible applicator;

curing the liquid elastomeric polymer; and

disposing the force sensor in a medical glove.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising disposing the force sensor in at least one of a finger portion of the medical glove and a palm portion of the medical glove.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

disposing a model of a hand in at least one of a liquid latex solution and liquid polymer glove material;

disposing the force sensor on the at least one of the liquid latex solution and the liquid polymer glove material; and

disposing in at least one of the liquid latex solution and the liquid polymer glove material the model of the hand having the force sensor disposed thereon.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

operationally coupling a light source to the optical fiber; and

operationally coupling a light detector to the optical fiber.

12. A method of operating a sensing glove, comprising:

passing an optical signal through a force sensor, the force sensor being disposed in a medical glove, the force sensor comprising;

a first flexible applicator having alternating teeth disposed therein;

a second flexible applicator having alternating teeth and a groove disposed therein;

an optical fiber disposed in the groove of the second flexible material, the optical fiber being adapted and configured to propagate the optical signal therethrough; and

an elastomeric polymer disposed between the first flexible applicator and the second flexible applicator;

applying a force to the first flexible applicator using at least one of a finger disposed in the medical glove and a palm disposed in the medical glove;

micro-bending the optical fiber in response to the force applied to the first flexible applicator;

attenuating the intensity of the optical signal in the optical fiber in response to micro-bending the optical fiber; and

determining an amount of force applied to the first flexible applicator based on the attenuated intensity of the optical signal.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving the optical signal having the attenuated intensity;

comparing the optical signal having the attenuated intensity to an optical signal having a reference intensity; and

graphically displaying a representation of the force applied to the optical fiber using the optical signal having the attenuated intensity and the optical signal having the reference intensity.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising calibrating the force sensing glove

receiving the optical signal having the attenuated intensity;

comparing the optical signal having the attenuated intensity to an optical signal having a reference intensity; and

graphically displaying a representation of the force applied to the optical fiber using the optical signal having the attenuated intensity and the optical signal having the reference intensity.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

a light source operationally coupled to the waveguide, the light source being adapted and configured to emit the optical signal; and

a light detector operationally coupled to the waveguide, the light detector being adapted and configured to receive the optical signal from the waveguide.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

a data acquisition module operationally coupled to the light detector, the data acquisition module being adapted and configured to receive the optical signal from the light detector; and

a display module operationally coupled to the data acquisition module, the display module being adapted and configured to graphically display a representation of the force applied to the waveguide.

17. A sensing apparatus, comprising:

a glove having at least one waveguide disposed in at least one finger portion of the glove, the glove comprising a polymer material, the waveguide comprising the same polymer material as the glove.

18. A sensing apparatus, comprising:

a disposable clinical glove; and

an evanescent coupling sensor disposed in the glove, the evanescent coupling sensor having a first waveguide and a second waveguide, wherein light is evanescently coupled from the first waveguide to the second waveguide in response to bending of the first waveguide.

19. A sensing apparatus, comprising:

a disposable clinical glove; and

a ring resonator sensor disposed in the glove, the ring resonator sensor having a ring resonator, an applicator, and a waveguide, wherein light of a first wavelength is coupled to the waveguide in response to a first deformation of the ring resonator by the applicator and light of a second wavelength is coupled to the waveguide if in response to a second deformation of the ring resonator by the applicator.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the ring resonator sensor further includes a wavelength interrogating system having an integrated electro-optic Fourier transform spectrometer.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the ring resonator sensor includes a wavelength interrogating system having an integrated grating filter and demultiplexing system

22. A sensing apparatus, comprising:

a disposable clinical glove; and

an applicator disposed in the glove;

a fiber optic probe coupled to the applicator, the fiber optic probe to couple a light beam to the applicator; and

a polarimetric sensor coupled to the fiber optic probe, the polarimetric sensor to detect a shift in polarization of a reflected light beam in response to a deformation of the applicator.

23. A sensing apparatus, comprising:

a disposable clinical glove; and

an applicator disposed in the glove;

a fiber optic probe coupled to the applicator, the fiber optic probe to couple a light beam to the applicator; and

a phase modulation sensor coupled to the fiber optic probe, the phase modulation sensor to detect a shift in optical path length of a reflected light beam in response to a deformation of the applicator.

24. A sensing apparatus, comprising:

a disposable clinical glove; and

a macro bend-loss sensor having an applicator coupled to the glove, the macro bend-loss sensor to detect an attenuated light beam in response to deformation of the applicator.

25. A sensing apparatus, comprising:

a disposable clinical glove; and

a grating-based sensor coupled to the glove, the grating based sensor having an applicator, the grating-based sensor to detect a shift in a wavelength of an incident light beam in response to deformation of the applicator.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the grating-based sensor includes a Bragg grating.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the grating-based sensor includes a long period grating.

28. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the grating-based sensor includes an wavelength interrogating system using integrated electro-optic Fourier transform spectrometer.

29. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the grating-based sensor includes a wavelength interrogating system using integrated grating filter and demultiplexing system.

30. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein crisscrossing waveguide grating-based sensors is to detect shear, rotation and/or pressure sensor.

31. The apparatus of claims of 24 to 29, wherein the optical sensors are micro-fabricated.

32. The apparatus of claims of 24 to 29, wherein the waveguide based optical sensors are made from Latex, Polyurethane, silicone rubber, nitrile rubber, PVC rubber, vinyl rubber and Neoprene Rubber materials.

33. The apparatus of claims of 24 to 29, wherein the waveguide based optical sensors are manufactured at the time of the clinical glove is made using stamping, molding, hot embossing, laser engraving, UV lithography, X ray lithography and/or printing.

34. The apparatus of claims of 24 to 29, wherein the optical sensors can be manufactured before and after the time the clinical glove is made using stamping, molding, hot embossing, laser engraving, UV lithography, X ray lithography and printing.

35. A sensing apparatus, comprising:

a disposable clinical glove; and

a MEMS gyroscope or accelerometer sensor coupled to the glove,

where a physician may use it to measure patient'"'"'s arm and leg rotation

36. A sensing apparatus, comprising:

a disposable clinical glove; and

a fiber optic Sagnac interferometer sensor coupled to the glove, where

a physician may use it to measure patient'"'"'s arm and leg rotation

37. The apparatus of claims 1, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, and 26, wherein the optical sensors can be used as a hardness sensor to measure tissue hardness on patients. The optical sensor may be modified to measure different hardness by modifying its waveguide materials, the insert inside the force deformer.