KR-20260063760-A - APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING WEARABLE SUIT

Abstract

A wearable suit control device and method are disclosed. A wearable suit control device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes: a data input unit that receives a driving signal for driving a suit dynamics model predefined in a physical interaction simulation environment; an auxiliary force control strategy generation unit that generates a control signal for the suit dynamics model to assist the human body movement of a human body dynamics model in the physical interaction simulation environment through the suit tension time accumulation value and the actuator input time accumulation value; a performance evaluation unit that evaluates performance by collecting tension calculated based on the human body-suit interaction physical force occurring between the suit dynamics model and the human body dynamics model and comparing it with the driving signal of the suit dynamics model; and a device learning unit that performs dynamic analysis on the suit dynamics model and performs learning for performance improvement.

Inventors

• 구영준
• 김범호
• 이성호
• 이정우
• 정영준
• 조일연

Assignees

• 한국전자통신연구원

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20241031

Claims (1)

1. A data input unit that receives a driving signal to drive a predefined suit dynamics model in a physical interaction simulation environment; An auxiliary force control strategy generation unit that generates a control signal for the suit dynamics model to assist the human body movement of the human body dynamics model in the physical interaction simulation environment through the suit tension time accumulation value and the actuator input time accumulation value; A performance evaluation unit that collects tension calculated based on the physical force of human-suit interaction occurring between the suit dynamics model and the human body dynamics model, compares it with the driving signal of the suit dynamics model, and evaluates performance; and A device learning unit that performs dynamic analysis on the above-mentioned suit dynamic model and performs learning for performance improvement; A wearable suit control device characterized by including

Description

Apparatus and Method for Controlling Wearable Suit The present invention relates to a wearable suit control and evaluation technology using simulation. Currently, to assist movements using wearable devices that support the human body, efforts are focused on designing control units and tuning control unit parameters in accordance with assistance control strategies. In this context, the magnitude of the assistive force and the timing of assistance are critical to maximizing the effectiveness of human assistance provided by wearable devices. To calculate the appropriate assistive force and timing, control units are typically used that predict walking phases by measuring joint angles and determine the assistive force based on this. In this case, manual tuning of control unit parameters is commonly employed when the assisted movement or user changes. However, this method allows for effective assistance only for predefined movements and requires parameter tuning tailored to each individual user. Exoskeleton robots and soft suits are representative examples of such wearable devices. While exoskeleton robots provide powerful assistive forces, they are heavy and can restrict the wearer's natural movements. On the other hand, soft suits are lightweight and offer the advantage of allowing the wearer greater freedom of movement. Soft suits utilize flexible materials and cables to assist the wearer's movements, but the design of control devices remains a significant challenge. In particular, due to the nature of soft suits, actuators exhibit strong non-linear characteristics, and situations frequently arise where resistance is provided instead of assistive force depending on changes in the wearer's behavior. To address these issues, a control device is required that is independent of the gait phase and can provide appropriate assistive force by adapting to real-time motion and situational changes. Meanwhile, Korean Registered Patent No. 10-2544549, “Simulation method for designing a wearable device that assists the human body and apparatus for performing the same,” discloses an apparatus and method for performing a simulation for designing a wearable device that assists the human body and generating a motor neural network that controls a human musculoskeletal dynamics model corresponding to the human body. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a simulation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the process of driving a suit dynamics model of a wearable suit control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the learning process of a wearable suit control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a wearable suit control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an operation flowchart illustrating a wearable suit control method according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a drawing showing a computer system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Hereinafter, repetitive descriptions and detailed descriptions of known functions and configurations that may unnecessarily obscure the essence of the invention are omitted. Embodiments of the present invention are provided to more fully explain the invention to those with average knowledge in the art. Accordingly, the shapes and sizes of elements in the drawings may be exaggerated for clearer explanation. Throughout the specification, when a part is described as "including" a certain component, this means that, unless specifically stated otherwise, it does not exclude other components but may include additional components. Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a simulation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the simulation system according to the present invention may include a physical interaction simulation environment (100), a human body motion control device (200), a wearable suit control device (300), and a wearable suit evaluation model (400). The physical interaction simulation environment (100) is an environment for simulating a physical environment including the interaction between a human body and a dynamic model of a wearable suit. The human body motion control device (200) is a neural network-based control device for generating motion using a human body dynamics model in a physical interaction simulation environment (100). The wearable suit control device (300) is a neural network-based control device that drives a suit dynamics model (102) in a physical interaction simulation environment (100) to generate tension and apply auxiliary force to a human body model. The wearable suit ev