US-12622800-B2 - Assistive wearable system for relieving muscle fatigue in the neck and shoulders

US12622800B2US 12622800 B2US12622800 B2US 12622800B2US-12622800-B2

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to relates to a assistive wearable system for relieving muscle fatigue in the neck and shoulders, the assistive wearable system includes a head gear mounted to cover a head of a user, a wearable platform mounted on an upper body of the user, and a wire tension controller that maintains tension of a wire by being seated on the wearable platform and fixing to operate a semi-active ratchet mechanism structure as a brake to detect a moment a movement of the wire stops as connected to the head gear by the wire, and stop unwinding of the wire, wherein the ratchet mechanism rotates the ratchet based on the unwinding and pulling of the wire.

Inventors

Seung-Won Kim
Hang Man Cho
Jung-Hwan Moon
Jae-Ryeong CHOI
Kyu-Jin Cho

Assignees

KOREA INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITY R&DB FOUNDATION

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20240205
Priority Date: 20231114

Claims (7)

1 . An assistive wearable system comprising: a head gear mounted to cover a head of a user; a wearable platform configured to be mounted on an upper body of the user; and a wire tension controller seated on the wearable platform and connected to the head gear by a wire to detect a moment when a movement of the wire stops and to operate a semi-active ratchet mechanism structure as a brake to stop unwinding of the wire, wherein the semi-active ratchet mechanism structure rotates a ratchet based on the unwinding and pulling of the wire, wherein the wearable platform further includes: a wire separator that divides and connects the wire to both sides of the head gear; and a neck brace that is joined to the wire separator through a protruding joint and is attached to an upper part of the wearable platform to support the wire separator and the wire configured to be behind a neck of the user and is configured to be coupled to the upper body of the user.
2 . The assistive wearable system of claim 1 , wherein the wearable platform includes a wire sheath located at a rear of the wearable platform and spaced apart from the wire tension controller to prevent rotational torque caused by twisting or lifting left and right according to a movement of the user and to maintain the tension of the wire.
3 . The assistive wearable system of claim 1 , wherein the wire tension controller, connected to the head gear by the wire, includes: an incremental encoder that detects an amount of rotation of a wire winding frame in the wire tension controller according to the movement of the wire; a pawl for fixing the ratchet in the wire tension controller and a rotation of the ratchet to maintain the tension of the wire; a ball plunger for holding the pawl in different locations according to the fixation and release of the pawl based on rotation of the ratchet; and a power unit that operates the pawl based on an electrical signal from the incremental encoder based on the movement of the wire.
4 . The assistive wearable system of claim 3 , wherein the incremental encoder generates the electrical signal that operates to cause the pawl to fix the rotation of the ratchet when the amount of rotation of the wire winding frame connected to the wire is not detected due to no movement of the wire for a predetermined period of time.
5 . The assistive wearable system of claim 3 , wherein the pawl prevents rotation of the ratchet by engaging the ratchet to stop unwinding of the wire due to rotation of the ratchet.
6 . The assistive wearable system of claim 3 , wherein the power unit detects the electrical signal generated from the incremental encoder and provides power to operate the pawl.
7 . The assistive wearable system of claim 1 , wherein the head gear, connected to the wire tension controller by the wire, further includes: an inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor capable of measuring head angle information of the user using tilt inertia according to the head angle of the user.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION The present application claims the benefit under 35 USC 119(a) of Korean Application No. 10-2023-0156983 filed on Nov. 14, 2023, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present disclosure relates to an assistive wearable system for relieving muscle fatigue in the neck and shoulders, and more specifically, to an assistive wearable system driven by a ratchet mechanism that operates with simple movements of the user. Description of the Related Art People who maintain a certain posture for a long time or work in a bent posture may cause neck pain, dizziness, etc. These discomforts can contribute to musculoskeletal issues such as a turtle neck or cervical disc problems, leading to pain in the shoulder or trapezius muscle due to the stiffening of the cervical spine. However, there are therapeutic braces available on the market to alleviate pain resulting from these symptoms, such as pneumatic braces that lift the neck, massagers, braces for patients with cervical disc herniation, and correctors, etc. Nevertheless, these devices must be worn only during the treatment period and cannot be used in daily life. In addition, wearable systems designed to alleviate user muscle fatigue or wearable aids that enable users to perform computer work and daily activities freely in a bent position while wearing them are not widely available. In other words, to achieve an assistive wearable system that can be worn during work to prevent neck and shoulder pain, there is a need for a wearable system that distributes the weight of muscle fatigue during maintenance. This enables the wearer to move comfortably and freely at work, thereby maintaining a specific posture without the assistive wearable system becoming an obstacle. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The embodiments of the present specification aim to address the technical challenge of minimizing the continuous energy consumption of the motor embedded in a wearable system that operates in place of the muscles used to maintain the user's lowered head posture. This is done to enable continuous and long-term operation of the device. The objective is also to equip the device with a mechanism that detects the user's movements, allowing the user to easily fix their head at the desired angle without using limbs. A configuration of an assistive wearable system for relieving muscle fatigue in the neck and shoulders, as disclosed herein to achieve the above purpose, comprises a head gear mounted to cover a user's head; a wearable platform mounted on an upper body of the user; and a wire tension controller that maintains the tension of a wire. The wire tension controller is seated on the wearable platform and is fixed to operate a semi-active ratchet mechanism structure as a brake. This detects the moment when the movement of the wire, connected to the headgear by the wire, stops and prevents unwinding of the wire. The ratchet mechanism rotates the ratchet based on the unwinding and pulling of the wire. In addition, the wearable platform may include a wire sheath formed to be located at the rear of the wearable platform and spaced apart from the wire tension controller. This prevents rotational torque caused by twisting or lifting left and right according to the movement of the user and maintains the tension of the wire. Furthermore, the wearable platform may further include a wire separator that divides and connects the wire to both sides of the headgear; and a neck brace joined to the wire separator through a protruding joint. The neck brace is attached to the upper part of the wearable platform to support the wire separator and the wire behind the user's neck and is coupled to the upper body of the user. In addition, the wire tension controller, connected to the headgear by the wire, may include an incremental encoder that detects the amount of rotation of a wire winding frame in the wire tension controller according to the movement of the wire; a pawl for fixing a ratchet in the wire tension controller and the rotation of the ratchet to maintain the tension of the wire; a ball plunger for holding the pawl in different locations according to the fixation and release of the pawl based on rotation of the ratchet; and a power unit that operates the pawl based on an electrical signal from the incremental encoder based on the movement of the wire. In addition, the incremental encoder may generate the electrical signal that operates to cause the pawl to fix the rotation of the ratchet when the amount of rotation of the wire winding frame connected to the wire is not detected due to no movement of the wire for a predetermined period of time. In addition, the pawl may prevent rotation of the ratchet by engaging the ratchet to stop unwinding of the wire due to rotation of the ratchet. In addition, the power unit may dete