Apparatus and method for controlling smart wear

• US 9,987,187 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2014
• Issued: 06/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Park, Hyung-Il, Choi, Byoung-Gun, Kang, Sung-Weon, Hyoung, Chang-Hee, Lim, In-Gi, Kang, Tae-Wook, Hwang, Jung-Hwan, Kim, Kyung-Soo, Kim, Jung-Bum, Kim, Sung-Eun, Park, Kyung-Hwan, Kang, Tae-Young
• Primary Examiner(s): Utama, Robert J
• Application Number:
  US14/162,294
• Publication Number:
  US 20140303529A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,594 Days
• Field of Search: 434258
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2505/09 Rehabilitation or training
• 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: A61B 5/6804 Garments; Clothes
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 1/0218 Drawing-out devices suspension devices for supporting the patient in upright walking or standing position A61H3/008; orthopedic devices for non-surgical treatment A61F5/01; stretching fractured limbs A61F5/04
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/1207 with electric or magnetic drive
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/165 Wearable interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5007 computer controlled
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5069 Angle sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5071 Pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5079 Velocity sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5084 Acceleration sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5092 Optical sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 3/00 Appliances for aiding patients or disabled persons to walk about apparatus for helping babies to walk A47D13/04; orthopaedic devices for correcting deformities of, or supporting, limbs A61F5/0102; exercising apparatus for the feet or toes A63B23/10; stairways or ramps E04F11/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2218/00 Aspects of pattern recognition specially adapted for signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/23 Recognition of whole body movements, e.g. for sport training

Abstract

Disclosed herein are an apparatus and method for controlling smart wear. The apparatus for controlling smart wear includes a motion capture unit, an error information unit, a motion estimation unit, and an actuation unit. The motion capture unit captures a motion of a user using sensors included in the smart wear. Then error information unit generates user error information using reference motion information and the results of the motion capture. The motion estimation unit estimates a subsequent motion of the user using the user error information. The actuation unit controls the smart wear of the user in real time using the estimated subsequent motion and the user error information.

Claims

1. A method of controlling smart wear, comprising:

selecting standard motion information corresponding to a final target model of rehabilitation training or posture correction;

defining setup conditions which include locations and a number of sensors and actuators included within the smart wear;

converting the standard motion information in accordance with the setup conditions of the smart wear, wherein said conversion comprises selecting additional information to be added to the standard motion information in accordance with the setup conditions, said angular speed values, and a sampling cycle corresponding to the final target model;

generating optimized motion information by applying user information of a user to the converted standard motion information, the user information comprises physical information selected from the group of gender, age and height of the user, and competence level information corresponding to the standard motion information;

capturing, motion of the user using sensors included in the smart wear;

comparing the optimized motion information and results of the motion capture to obtain a difference between the results of the motion capture and the optimized motion information;

generating user error information corresponding to the difference between the results of the motion capture and the optimized motion information;

estimating a subsequent motion of the user using the user error information; and

controlling the smart wear of the user in real time using the estimated subsequent motion and the user error information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling the smart wear of the user in real time comprises:

generating a motion control signal capable of controlling an error in the motion of the user using the estimated subsequent motion and the user error information; and

controlling the smart wear by feeding back the error in the motion of the user in real time using the motion control signal.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein controlling the smart wear of the user in real time comprises controlling the at least one actuator.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the converting the standard motion information in accordance with setup conditions of the smart wear further comprises:

selecting the additional information to be added to the standard motion information; and

adding the selected additional information to the standard motion information and then outputting the standard motion information with the additional information added, or outputting the standard motion information without the additional information.

4. An apparatus for controlling smart wear, comprising:

a standard information unit that selects standard motion information corresponding to a final target model of rehabilitation training or posture correction;

an information conversion unit that receives the standard motion information from the standard information unit to define setup conditions which include locations and a number of sensors and actuators included within the smart wear and converts the standard motion information in accordance with the setup conditions of the smart wear, wherein said conversion comprises selecting additional information to be added to the standard motion information in accordance with the setup conditions, said additional information comprising at least one of joint, angles, sensor coordinate values, angular speed values, and a sampling cycle corresponding to the final target model;

an optimized information generation unit that receives the converted standard motion information from the information conversion unit to generate optimized motion information by applying user information of a user to the converted standard motion information, the user information comprises physical information selected from the group of gender, age and height of the user, and competence level information corresponding to the standard motion information;

a motion capture unit that captures a motion of the user using sensors included in the smart wear;

an error information unit that receives the optimized motion information from the optimized information generation unit and results of the motion capture from the motion capture unit to compare the optimized motion information and the results of the motion capture to obtain a difference between the results of the motion capture and the optimized motion information and generates user error information corresponding to the difference between the results of the motion capture and the optimized motion information;

a motion estimation unit that receives the user error information from the error information unit to estimate a subsequent motion of the user using the user error information; and

an actuation unit that receives the estimated subsequent motion from the motion estimation unit and the user error information from the error information unit to generate a motion control signal capable, of controlling the smart wear of the user in real time using the estimated subsequent motion and the user error information.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the information conversion unit comprises:

a setup condition unit that defines the setup conditions;

a selection unit that receives the setup conditions from the setup condition unit to select the additional information to be added to the standard motion information; and

an output unit that receives the selected additional information from the selection unit to add the selected additional information to the standard motion information and then outputs the standard motion information with the additional information added, or outputs the standard motion information without the additional information.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the sensors correspond to at least one of optical sensors, acceleration sensors, gyro sensors, terrestrial magnetism sensors, and pressure sensors.