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KR-20260064758-A - A Method for Evaluating the Performance of Walking Aids

KR20260064758AKR 20260064758 AKR20260064758 AKR 20260064758AKR-20260064758-A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for evaluating the walking improvement performance of a walking aid device by a computing device, comprising the steps of: acquiring electromyographic signals corresponding to the wearing and non-wearing of the walking aid device from an electromyographic sensor attached to the lower limb of a subject to evaluation; acquiring inertial signals corresponding to the wearing and non-wearing of the walking aid device from an inertial sensor mounted on the subject to evaluation; calculating a rate of increase or decrease in muscle activity using a first electromyographic signal when the walking aid device is worn and a second electromyographic signal when the walking aid device is not worn; calculating one or more walking indicators using a first inertial signal when the walking aid device is worn and a second inertial signal when the walking aid device is not worn; and evaluating the walking improvement performance of the walking aid device by a preset method using the rate of increase or decrease in muscle activity and the one or more walking indicators.

Inventors

  • 최경희
  • 고정배
  • 홍재수

Assignees

  • 한국생산기술연구원

Dates

Publication Date
20260508
Application Date
20241025

Claims (12)

  1. As a method for evaluating the gait improvement performance of a walking assistance device by a computing device, A step of acquiring electromyogram signals corresponding to the wearing and non-wearing of the walking aid device, respectively, from an electromyogram sensor attached to the lower limb of the subject being evaluated; A step of acquiring inertial signals corresponding to the wearing and non-wearing of the walking aid device, respectively, from an inertial sensor mounted on the evaluation target; A step of calculating the rate of increase or decrease in muscle activity using a first electromyogram signal when wearing a walking aid and a second electromyogram signal when not wearing a walking aid; A step of calculating one or more walking indicators using a first inertial signal when wearing a walking aid and a second inertial signal when not wearing a walking aid; and A step of evaluating the walking improvement performance of the walking aid device by a preset method using the above muscle activity increase/decrease rate and the above one or more walking indicators; comprising Method for evaluating the gait improvement performance of a walking aid.
  2. In paragraph 1, The above electromyography sensor is attached to the rectus femoris, gastrocnemius, and tibialis anterior muscles, and The above muscle activity increase/decrease rate is, MVC (Maximum Voluntary Contraction) obtained from the first electromyogram signal when wearing a walking aid / MVC obtained from the second electromyogram signal when not wearing a walking aid, Method for evaluating the gait improvement performance of a walking aid.
  3. In paragraph 2, The step of evaluating the walking improvement performance of the walking aid using the above-mentioned muscle activity increase/decrease rate is: It is evaluated that walking performance is improved as the above-mentioned rate of increase or decrease in muscle activity decreases lower, and A step further comprising evaluating that walking performance is reduced as the above-mentioned rate of increase or decrease in muscle activity increases or decreases is higher, Method for evaluating the gait improvement performance of a walking aid.
  4. In paragraph 3, The step of evaluating the walking improvement performance of the walking aid using the above-mentioned muscle activity increase/decrease rate is: When the above rate of increase or decrease in muscle activity is denoted as x, If 0.4 < x < 0.8, walking performance is evaluated as improved, and If 0.8 ≤ x < 1.2, it is evaluated as having no gait improvement performance, and A method further comprising a step of evaluating walking performance as degraded if 1.2 ≤ x, Method for evaluating the gait improvement performance of a walking aid.
  5. In paragraph 1, The above one or more walking indicators include the rate of increase or decrease in walking speed, and The above walking speed increase/decrease rate is, Calculated from a first walking speed obtained from a first inertial signal when wearing a walking aid / a second walking speed obtained from a second inertial signal when not wearing a walking aid, Method for evaluating the gait improvement performance of a walking aid.
  6. In paragraph 5, The step of evaluating the walking improvement performance of the walking aid using one or more of the above walking indicators is: The lower the above walking speed increase/decrease rate, the more it is evaluated as having degraded walking performance, and A step further comprising evaluating that walking performance is improved as the above walking speed increase/decrease rate increases/decrease rate increases/decrease, Method for evaluating the gait improvement performance of a walking aid.
  7. In paragraph 1, The above one or more gait indicators include gait symmetry, which is the acceleration symmetry ratio of the left lower limb and the right lower limb, and The above gait symmetry is, Calculated from the first gait symmetry obtained from the first inertial signal when wearing a walking aid / the second gait symmetry obtained from the second inertial signal when not wearing a walking aid, Method for evaluating the gait improvement performance of a walking aid.
  8. In Paragraph 7, The step of evaluating the walking improvement performance of the walking aid using one or more of the above walking indicators is: It is evaluated that the lower the gait symmetry mentioned above, the more it degrades gait performance, and A method further comprising a step of evaluating that walking performance is improved as the above-mentioned walking symmetry increases, Method for evaluating the gait improvement performance of a walking aid.
  9. In paragraph 6 or 8, The step of evaluating the walking improvement performance of the walking aid using one or more of the above walking indicators is: When the above walking speed increase/decrease rate and the above walking symmetry are denoted as x, If 0.4 < x < 0.8, it is evaluated as having degraded walking performance, and If 0.8 ≤ x < 1.2, it is evaluated as having no gait improvement performance, and A step that further includes evaluating walking performance as improved if 1.2 ≤ x, Method for evaluating the gait improvement performance of a walking aid.
  10. In paragraph 1, The above one or more gait indicators include stance phase ratios, and The above basis ratio is, Calculated as the stance phase ratio obtained from the first inertial signal when wearing a walking aid / the stance phase ratio during normal walking, Method for evaluating the gait improvement performance of a walking aid.
  11. In Paragraph 9, The stance phase ratio during normal walking mentioned above is 0.6, and The step of evaluating the walking improvement performance of the walking aid using one or more of the above walking indicators is: When the above stance ratio is denoted as x, If x < 0.9, it is evaluated as having degraded walking performance, and If 0.9 ≤ x < 1.1, it is evaluated as having no gait improvement performance, and A step that further includes evaluating walking performance as improved if 1.1 ≤ x, Method for evaluating the gait improvement performance of a walking aid.
  12. A computer program stored on a computer-readable recording medium to perform a method for evaluating the walking improvement performance of a walking aid device according to any one of paragraphs 1 through 8, paragraph 10, and paragraph 11.

Description

A Method for Evaluating the Performance of Walking Aids The present invention relates to a method for evaluating the performance of a walking aid. As of 2024, the elderly population aged 65 or older in Korea totaled 9.9 million, accounting for approximately 19.2% of the total population, and it is projected that the country will enter a super-aged society in 2025, where the elderly population exceeds 20%. As the elderly population continues to increase, human rights issues concerning the elderly, such as the neglect of those living alone and deaths due to loneliness, are occurring frequently, and the need for various support measures is being raised in preparation for the upcoming super-aged society. While the decline in physical and mental functions due to aging is a natural phenomenon, gait disorders are one of the greatest challenges experienced in old age, negatively impacting the quality of life of the elderly. Furthermore, gait disorders are strong predictors of falls and social isolation, making them a topic of great interest to universities, research institutions, and companies for early diagnosis and management. With technological advancements, wearable walking assistance devices incorporating artificial intelligence and robotics are being actively developed worldwide, and these devices are expected to make a positive contribution to improving the gait of the elderly. However, there is currently a lack of standardized evaluation methods and indicators to quantify the extent to which these devices improve gait. FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a configuration used to perform a walking improvement performance evaluation of a walking aid device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for evaluating the walking improvement performance of a walking aid device according to one embodiment of the present invention. In some cases, to avoid obscuring the concept of the present invention, known structures and devices may be omitted or illustrated in the form of a block diagram focusing on the core functions of each structure and device. Throughout the specification, when a part is described as "comprising" or "including" a component, this means that, unless specifically stated otherwise, it does not exclude other components but may include additional components. Furthermore, terms such as "...part," "...unit," and "module" as used in the specification refer to a unit that processes at least one function or operation, and this may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. Additionally, "one (a or an)," "one," "the," and similar related terms may be used in the context describing the invention (particularly in the context of the following claims) to include both singular and plural forms, unless otherwise indicated in the specification or clearly contradicted by the context. In describing the embodiments of the present invention, specific descriptions of known functions or configurations will be omitted if it is determined that such detailed descriptions could unnecessarily obscure the essence of the invention. Furthermore, the terms described below are defined in consideration of their functions in the embodiments of the present invention, and these definitions may vary depending on the intentions or practices of the user or operator. Therefore, such definitions should be based on the content throughout this specification. Hereinafter, the term "walking aid" refers collectively to any device that assists walking and is equipped to a user who has difficulty walking normally due to weakened lower limb muscle strength caused by aging or disability, thereby providing effects such as improved walking efficiency, fall prevention, gait correction, and reduced joint load. For example, a device that assists walking by placing a joint actuator near the user's joint and providing an assistive force in the form of an assistive torque to the user's thigh according to the user's walking motion may be included herein. The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. With reference to FIG. 1, the components used in the walking improvement performance evaluation method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. The computing device (10) is configured to perform the walking improvement evaluation method used in the present invention. The computing device (10) may include a communication unit, an input unit, a processor, a control unit, a memory, and an output unit. That is, the computing device (10) may have communication/input/computation/output functions, for example, and may be implemented as various electronic devices such as a server, a desktop, a PC, a laptop PC, a tablet PC, etc. In one embodiment, the communication unit is configured for communication with an external device, and data transmission and reception with the external devic