JP7659239B2 - Grip force measuring device and grip force measuring system - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a grip force measuring device.

A grip force measuring device has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This grip force measuring device can measure the magnitude and ratio of the pressure applied to the grip force measuring device from each finger when a subject holds the device in one hand, and can also detect the timing of each finger's movements. Therefore, the dexterity of the subject's fingers can be evaluated based on the measurement results of such a grip force measuring device.

For example, by having the subject measure using a grip force measuring device on a regular or irregular basis, it can be verified whether the subject's finger dexterity has declined over time. Also, if the subject is undergoing rehabilitation, it can be verified whether the subject's finger dexterity has recovered through rehabilitation. Alternatively, by comparing the subject's measurement results with the average of the measurement results of others, it can be verified whether the subject's finger dexterity is higher than the average of others. By performing such verification, for example, it is possible to grasp the signs of dementia or check the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

JP 2021-056033 A

If the grip force measuring device is tilted when the subject holds it, depending on the degree of tilt, the weight of the grip force measuring device may be placed on some of the fingers, which may affect the measurement results.

However, even when looking at the measurement results of the above-mentioned grip force measuring device, it is not possible to determine after the fact whether the grip force measuring device was tilted when the measurement results were obtained. Therefore, for example, if a measurement result different from previous results is obtained, it is difficult to infer from the measurement results whether the cause is a change in the dexterity of the subject's fingers or the tilt of the grip force measuring device.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, it is desirable to provide a grip force measuring device that can determine the inclination of the grip force measuring device during measurement.

One aspect of the present disclosure is a grip force measuring device comprising a main body, a plurality of pressed parts, a pressure force detection unit, and a tilt detection unit. The plurality of pressed parts are arranged on the outside of the main body, and each pressed part corresponds to one of the five fingers of a subject, and is configured so that when the subject holds the grip force measuring device in one hand, each pressed part can be pressed with the finger corresponding to the pressed part. The pressure force detection unit is configured so as to be capable of detecting the pressure acting on each pressed part when the plurality of pressed parts are pressed. The tilt detection unit is configured so as to be capable of detecting the tilt of the grip force measuring device.

With the grip force measurement device configured in this way, when a subject holds the grip force measurement device in one hand and presses each of the multiple pressed parts with the fingers corresponding to each of the pressed parts, the pressure detection unit detects the pressure acting on each pressed part. At that time, the tilt detection unit detects the tilt of the grip force measurement device.

The inclination of the grip force measurement device detected by the inclination detection unit can be used in the processing performed by the grip force measurement device. Alternatively, the inclination of the grip force measurement device detected by the inclination detection unit can be output from the grip force measurement device as information provided to the user by the grip force measurement device.

When the grip force measuring device executes a process, if the inclination of the grip force measuring device is used in the process, for example, the operating mode of the grip force measuring device can be changed according to the inclination of the grip force measuring device.

To give a more specific example, for example, when the inclination of the grip force measuring device is within a predetermined range, the pressure detection unit is configured to detect the pressure force. On the other hand, when the inclination of the grip force measuring device is not within the predetermined range, an error is output. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the grip force from being measured when the inclination of the grip force measuring device is not within the predetermined range.

For example, when the inclination of the grip force measuring device is within a predetermined range, the detection result of the pressing force is transmitted to an external device other than the grip force measuring device. On the other hand, when the inclination of the grip force measuring device is not within the predetermined range, the detection result of the pressing force is not transmitted to the external device. By adopting such a configuration, when the grip force is measured when the inclination of the grip force measuring device is not within the predetermined range, it is possible to prevent such measurement data from being transmitted unnecessarily to the external device and reduce the load on both the grip force measuring device and the external device.

Furthermore, if the inclination of the grip force measuring device is output from the grip force measuring device and provided to the user, the user can examine and consider the measurement results based on both the inclination of the grip force measuring device and the pressure acting on each pressed portion. To give a more specific example, for example, if the inclination of the grip force measuring device is within a specified range, the user can determine that the measurement results are relatively reliable. On the other hand, if the inclination of the grip force measuring device is not within the specified range, the user can determine that the measurement results are relatively unreliable. In this case, measures can be taken such as redoing the measurement or ignoring the unreliable data.

In addition, in another aspect of the present disclosure, the following configuration may be further provided.
(A) The tilt detection unit may be configured with an acceleration sensor.
(B) A data output unit configured to be able to output pressure data indicating the pressure detected by the pressure detection unit and inclination data indicating the inclination of the grip force measuring device detected by the inclination detection unit in association with each other.

(C) A determination unit configured to determine whether the inclination of the gripping force measurement device detected by the inclination detection unit is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold value may be provided.
(D) The data output unit may be configured to output pressure data and tilt data when the judgment unit determines that the tilt is below a threshold value, and to not output pressure data and tilt data when the judgment unit determines that the tilt is not below the threshold value.

Fig. 1A is a perspective view of the grip force measurement device as seen from the upper right front side and Fig. 1B is a perspective view of the grip force measurement device as seen from the lower left rear side. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the gripping force measuring device. Fig. 3A is an explanatory diagram showing a grip force measurement device with a roll angle φ of -30°, Fig. 3B is an explanatory diagram showing a grip force measurement device with a roll angle φ of 0°, and Fig. 3C is an explanatory diagram showing a grip force measurement device with a roll angle φ of 30°. Fig. 4A is an explanatory diagram showing the grip force measurement device with the pitch angle θ set to -30°, Fig. 4B is an explanatory diagram showing the grip force measurement device with the pitch angle θ set to 0°, and Fig. 4C is an explanatory diagram showing the grip force measurement device with the pitch angle θ set to 30°. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a gripping force measuring device to which a jig is attached. 6A is a graph showing the load ratio on each finger when the grip force measurement device is held with two fingers and the roll angle φ is changed from 0° to 90°. Fig. 6B is a graph showing the load ratio on each finger when the grip force measurement device is held with five fingers and the roll angle φ is changed from 0° to 90°. 7A is a graph showing the load ratio on each finger when the grip force measurement device is held with two fingers and the roll angle φ is changed from 0° to -90°, and Fig. 7B is a graph showing the load ratio on each finger when the grip force measurement device is held with five fingers and the roll angle φ is changed from 0° to -90°. Fig. 8A is a graph showing the load ratio on each finger when the grip force measurement device is held with two fingers and the pitch angle θ is changed from 0° to 90°. Fig. 8B is a graph showing the load ratio on each finger when the grip force measurement device is held with five fingers and the pitch angle θ is changed from 0° to 90°. 9A is a graph showing the load ratio on each finger when the grip force measurement device is held with two fingers and the pitch angle θ is changed from 0° to -90°. Fig. 9B is a graph showing the load ratio on each finger when the grip force measurement device is held with five fingers and the pitch angle θ is changed from 0° to -90°. Fig. 10A is a schematic diagram showing the position and direction of a load applied to the grip force measurement device when the grip force measurement device is held with two fingers and the roll angle φ is set to 0°. Fig. 10A is a schematic diagram showing the position and direction of a load applied to the grip force measurement device when the grip force measurement device is held with two fingers and the roll angle φ is set to φ1°. 13 is a graph showing the difference between the theoretical and actual measured values of the load applied to each finger when the grip force measuring device is gripped with two fingers and the pitch angle θ is changed from 0° to 90°. 11 is a flowchart of a measurement process executed in the gripping force measurement device.

Next, the above-mentioned gripping force measuring device will be described with reference to an exemplary embodiment.
[Configuration of grip force measuring device]
1A and 1B, the grip force measurement device 1 includes a main body 2, five buttons 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, and 3E, a power switch 4, and the like. In this embodiment, the main body 2 is configured to be generally cylindrical. The five buttons 3A to 3E are disposed on the outside of the main body 2. The five buttons 3A to 3E correspond to the five fingers of a subject, and are configured so that when the subject holds the grip force measurement device 1 in one hand, the fingers corresponding to each of the buttons 3A to 3E are placed on each of the buttons 3A to 3E.

In the following explanation, in order to simply explain the orientation of the grip force measurement device 1 and the relative positions of each part, the front, back, left, right, up and down directions shown in Figures 1A and 1B are used. For example, the above-mentioned button 3A is located on the right side of the grip force measurement device 1. The above-mentioned buttons 3B to 3E are located on the left side of the grip force measurement device 1 and are arranged in a line in the vertical direction. The power switch 4 is located on the underside of the grip force measurement device 1.

The axis parallel to the front-to-back direction of the grip force measurement device 1 is defined as the x-axis, the axis parallel to the left-to-right direction of the grip force measurement device 1 as the y-axis, and the axis parallel to the up-to-down direction of the grip force measurement device 1 as the z-axis. With regard to the x-axis, the front is the positive x-axis direction and the rear is the negative x-axis direction. With regard to the y-axis, the right is the positive y-axis direction and the left is the negative y-axis direction. With regard to the z-axis, the upward direction is the positive z-axis direction and the downward direction is the negative z-axis direction.

Furthermore, rotation around the x-axis is defined as roll, rotation around the y-axis as pitch, and rotation angle around the z-axis as yaw. The counterclockwise direction when viewed from the positive x-axis direction is the roll positive direction, and the clockwise direction is the roll negative direction. The counterclockwise direction when viewed from the positive y-axis direction is the pitch positive direction, and the clockwise direction is the pitch negative direction. The counterclockwise direction when viewed from the positive z-axis direction is the yaw positive direction, and the clockwise direction is the yaw negative direction. The rotation angle in the roll direction is called roll angle φ, the rotation angle in the pitch direction is called pitch angle θ, and the rotation angle in the yaw direction is called yaw angle ψ. The grip force measurement device 1 has a reference posture in which the z-axis and the vertical axis (i.e., the direction of gravity) are aligned, and when the grip force measurement device 1 is in the reference posture, the roll angle φ = 0° and the pitch angle θ = 0°.

As shown in FIG. 2, the grip force measuring device 1 includes load cells 5A, 5B, 5C, 5D, and 5E and a control board 6. The control board 6 includes a control and communication unit 7, an acceleration sensor 8, and amplifiers 9A, 9B, 9C, 9D, and 9E.

The load cells 5A-5E each have a strain body and a strain gauge. When the subject presses the buttons 3A-3E, a strain proportional to the magnitude of the pressing force is generated in the strain body of the load cells 5A-5E, and the resistance value of the strain gauge changes according to the strain of the strain body. Because there is a known proportional relationship between the magnitude of the pressing force and the resistance value of the strain gauge, the magnitude of the pressing force can be detected based on the resistance value of the strain gauge.

The control and communication unit 7 includes a microprocessor, a memory, a communication module, etc. The acceleration sensor 8 and amplifiers 9A-9E are connected to the control and communication unit 7. The load cells 5A-5E are connected to the amplifiers 9A-9E. When the load cells 5A-5E detect a pressing force, the analog signals transmitted from the load cells 5A-5E to the amplifiers 9A-9E are amplified by the amplifiers 9A-9E and transmitted to the control and communication unit 7. The acceleration sensor 8 detects the roll angle φ, pitch angle θ, and yaw angle ψ of the grip force measuring device 1, and converts these detected values into digital signals that can be transmitted to the control and communication unit 7.

The control and communication unit 7 converts the analog signals input from the load cells 5A-5E via the amplifiers 9A-9E into digital data. The control and communication unit 7 pairs the pressure forces detected by the load cells 5A-5E with the inclination of the grip force measurement device 1 when the pressure forces were detected (i.e., the rotation angle detected by the acceleration sensor 8), and wirelessly transmits these to an external device (not shown) separate from the grip force measurement device 1.

[Preliminary experiment]
Next, a preliminary experiment performed using the grip force measurement device 1 will be described. First, as a preliminary experiment, the influence of the inclination of the grip force measurement device 1 on the measured value of the pressing force was verified. Specifically, as illustrated in Figs. 3A, 3B, and 3C, the roll angle φ of the grip force measurement device 1 was changed to verify how the measured value of the pressing force output from the grip force measurement device 1 changed. Also, as illustrated in Figs. 4A, 4B, and 4C, the pitch angle θ of the grip force measurement device 1 was changed to verify how the measured value of the pressing force output from the grip force measurement device 1 changed.

Specifically, the roll angle φ was changed in increments of 10° from 0° to 90° in the roll positive direction shown in FIG. 3C (FIG. 3C illustrates a case where the roll angle φ=30°) based on the roll angle φ=0° shown in FIG. 3B, and the pressing force was measured by the gripping force measurement device 1. In addition, the roll angle φ was changed in increments of 10° from 0° to -90° in the roll negative direction shown in FIG. 3A (FIG. 3A illustrates a case where the roll angle φ=-30°) based on the roll angle φ=0° shown in FIG. 3B, and the pressing force was measured by the gripping force measurement device 1.

In addition, with the pitch angle θ = 0° shown in Figure 4B as the base, the pitch angle θ was changed in increments of 10° in the range from 0° to 90° in the positive pitch direction shown in Figure 4C (Figure 4C shows an example of a pitch angle φ = 30°), and the pressing force was measured using the grip force measurement device 1. In addition, the pitch angle θ was changed in increments of 10° in the range from 0° to -90° in the negative pitch direction shown in Figure 4A (Figure 4A shows an example of a pitch angle φ = -30°), and the pressing force was measured using the grip force measurement device 1.

Note that while Figures 3A to 3C and 4A to 4C show the grip force measuring device 1 being held by hand, it is difficult for the subject to accurately change only the roll angle or pitch angle while strictly maintaining the relative positions of the five fingers. Therefore, in the above verification, measurements were taken using a jig 11 as shown in Figure 5.

The jig 11 comprises a frame 12 and five pressers 13A, 13B, 13C, 13D, and 13E attached to the frame 12. The frame 12 is made of a metal material and has a rigidity such that the frame 12 does not substantially deform when a load expected when the jig 11 is used acts on the frame 12. In this embodiment, the pressers 13A to 13E are made of bolts. Each of the pressers 13A to 13E is screwed into a screw hole drilled in the frame 12.

Therefore, by rotating each of the pressers 13A to 13E around the axial direction of the pressers 13A to 13E (the y-axis direction in the figure) as the center of rotation, the relative position of each of the pressers 13A to 13E with respect to the frame 12 can be changed in the positive y-axis direction or the negative y-axis direction. Furthermore, after changing the relative position of each of the pressers 13A to 13E with respect to the frame 12, the changed relative position of each of the pressers 13A to 13E can be maintained as long as the pressers 13A to 13E are not rotated.

During the measurement, the grip force measuring device 1 was set to a roll angle φ = 0° and a pitch angle θ = 0°, and the relative position of each of the depressors 13A-13E to the frame 12 was changed to press each of the depressors 13A-13E against the buttons 3A-3E. Since each of the depressors 13A-13E can maintain their changed relative positions, if the frame 12 of the jig 11 is held and the grip force measuring device 1 is tilted together with the jig 11, the grip force measuring device 1 can be tilted while strictly maintaining the relative positions of the five finger equivalents (i.e., the depressors 13A-13E). During the measurement, the pressing force was measured for both the case where the grip force measuring device 1 was held with two fingers (thumb and index finger) and the case where the grip force measuring device 1 was held with five fingers.

Table 1 shows the measurement results when the gripping force measuring device 1 is held with two fingers and the roll angle φ is changed to the roll positive direction. Table 2 shows the measurement results when the gripping force measuring device 1 is held with five fingers and the roll angle φ is changed to the roll positive direction.

Furthermore, based on the measurement results shown in Tables 1 and 2, the proportion of the load borne by each finger when gripping the grip force measuring device 1 with two or five fingers was calculated. Specifically, since Tables 1 and 2 show the pressing forces applied from two or five fingers, the total value of the pressing forces applied from two or five fingers was set to 100, and the proportion of the pressing force applied from each finger to the total value was calculated. The calculation results are shown in Figures 6A and 6B.

From the calculation results shown in Figures 6A and 6B, it can be seen that when the grip force measurement device 1 is held with two fingers, the proportion of pressing force from the thumb tends to decrease and the proportion of pressing force from the index finger tends to increase as the grip force measurement device 1 is tilted more in the positive roll direction. Even when the grip force measurement device 1 is held with five fingers, it can be seen that the proportion of pressing force from the thumb tends to decrease as the grip force measurement device 1 is tilted more in the positive roll direction. The four fingers other than the thumb include fingers where the proportion of pressing force tends to increase and fingers where the proportion of pressing force tends to decrease, but it can be seen that the proportion of pressing force for all four fingers tends to increase.

Next, Table 3 shows the measurement results when the gripping force measuring device 1 is held with two fingers and the roll angle φ is changed to the roll negative direction. Table 4 shows the measurement results when the gripping force measuring device 1 is held with five fingers and the roll angle φ is changed to the roll negative direction.

Furthermore, based on the measurement results shown in Tables 3 and 4, the proportion of the load borne by each finger when the gripping force measuring device 1 is gripped with two or five fingers was calculated. The specific calculation method is the same as when the roll angle φ is changed to the positive roll direction. The calculation results are shown in Figures 7A and 7B.

From the calculation results shown in Figures 7A and 7B, it can be seen that when the grip force measurement device 1 is held with two fingers, the proportion of pressing force from the thumb tends to increase and the proportion of pressing force from the index finger tends to decrease as the grip force measurement device 1 is tilted more in the negative roll direction. When the grip force measurement device 1 is held with five fingers, the proportion of pressing force from the thumb tends to decrease as the grip force measurement device 1 is tilted more in the negative roll direction up to -70°. The four fingers other than the thumb include fingers whose pressing force proportions tend to increase and fingers whose pressing force proportions tend to decrease, but it can be seen that the proportion of pressing force for all four fingers tends to increase up to -70°.

Next, Table 5 shows the measurement results when the grip force measuring device 1 is held with two fingers and the pitch angle θ is changed to the positive pitch direction. Table 6 shows the measurement results when the grip force measuring device 1 is held with five fingers and the pitch angle θ is changed to the positive pitch direction.

Furthermore, based on the measurement results shown in Tables 5 and 6, the proportion of the load borne by each finger when the gripping force measuring device 1 is gripped with two or five fingers was calculated. The specific calculation method is the same as when the roll angle φ is changed to the positive roll direction. The calculation results are shown in Figures 8A and 8B.

The calculation results shown in Figures 8A and 8B show that when the grip force measurement device 1 is held with two fingers or five fingers, the proportion of the pressure from each finger does not change significantly when the pitch angle θ of the grip force measurement device 1 is changed in the positive pitch direction.

Next, Table 7 shows the measurement results when the grip force measurement device 1 is held with two fingers and the pitch angle θ is changed to the negative pitch direction. Table 8 shows the measurement results when the grip force measurement device 1 is held with five fingers and the pitch angle θ is changed to the negative pitch direction.

Furthermore, based on the measurement results shown in Tables 7 and 8, the proportion of the load borne by each finger when the gripping force measuring device 1 is gripped with two or five fingers was calculated. The specific calculation method is the same as when the roll angle φ is changed to the positive roll direction. The calculation results are shown in Figures 9A and 9B.

The above measurement results show that when the grip force measuring device 1 is held with two fingers or five fingers, the proportion of pressure from each finger does not change significantly when the pitch angle θ of the grip force measuring device 1 is changed in the negative pitch direction.

The above experimental results suggest that a change in the roll angle φ of the grip force measurement device 1 affects the grip force measurement results. It also suggests that a change in the pitch angle θ of the grip force measurement device 1 does not have a significant effect on the grip force measurement results. After investigating the causes of such differences, it was thought that the following factors may be contributing factors.

If the mass of the grip force measurement device 1 is M (g) and the gravitational acceleration is g (m/s ² ), gravity Mg acts on the grip force measurement device 1. As shown in Fig. 10A, when the roll angle φ of the grip force measurement device 1 is φ = 0 (°), even if gravity Mg acts on the grip force measurement device 1, no component force parallel to the y axis due to gravity Mg is generated. Therefore, the pressing force Fa(0) acting on one button 3A and the pressing force Fb(0) acting on one button 3B (or four buttons 3B to 3E) are balanced as Fa(0) = Fb(0).

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10B, when the roll angle φ of the grip force measurement device 1 is φ=φ1 (°) and gravity Mg acts on the grip force measurement device 1, the gravity Mg can be considered as the resultant force of a component force Fm1 (φ1) parallel to the y axis and a component force Fm2 (φ1) parallel to the z axis. That is, in this case, a component force Fm1 (φ1) parallel to the y axis is generated due to gravity Mg. In this case, the pressing force Fa (φ1) acting on one button 3A and the component force Fm1 (φ1) are balanced with the pressing force Fb (φ1) acting on one button 3B (or four buttons 3B to 3E), so Fa (φ1) + Fm1 (φ1) = Fb (φ1).

Therefore, the absolute value of the difference between the pressing force Fa(φ1) and the pressing force Fb(φ1) can be expressed as |Fa(φ1) - Fb(φ1)| = Fm1(φ1). The component force Fm1(φ1) can be expressed as Fm1(φ1) = Mg·sinφ1 using gravity Mg and roll angle φ. Therefore, |Fa(φ1) - Fb(φ1)| = Mg·sinφ1. From the above, it is considered that by using the formula |Fa(φ) - Fb(φ)| = Mg·sinφ, it is possible to calculate what value (theoretical value) the difference between the pressing force Fa(φ) and the pressing force Fb(φ) will be in that case by specifying the mass M and roll angle φ of the grip force measuring device 1.

Therefore, the mass of the gripping force measurement device 1 was set to M = 350 (g), the gravitational acceleration was set to g = 9.8 (m/ ^s2 ), and the roll angle φ was changed from 0° to 90°, and the value (theoretical value) of the difference between the pressing forces Fa(φ) and Fb(φ) was calculated using the above formula. In addition, the gripping force measurement device 1 was actually used to measure the value (actual value) of the difference between the pressing forces Fa(φ) and Fb(φ). These results are shown in Figure 11.

These measurement results show that when the roll angle φ is in the range of 0° to 30°, there is almost no difference between the measured value and the theoretical value. On the other hand, when the roll angle φ is 40° or more, the difference between the measured value and the theoretical value becomes large. This result suggests that the reliability of the measured value is high when the roll angle φ is in the range of 0° to 30°. On the other hand, when the roll angle φ is 40° or more, it suggests that the error between the measured value and the theoretical value becomes large due to some factor, such as a problem with the structure of the device. A similar verification was also performed for the negative roll direction, suggesting that the reliability of the measured value is high when the roll angle φ is in the range of 0° to -30°.

[Measurement processing]
Next, the measurement process executed in the control and communication unit 7 of the grip force measurement device 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 12. This measurement process is repeatedly executed in the control and communication unit 7 when the power switch 4 of the grip force measurement device 1 is turned on. In this measurement process, based on the results of the above-mentioned preliminary experiment, if the absolute value of the roll angle φ is in the range from 0° to 30° (i.e., the roll angle is in the range from -30° to 30°), the measurement result by the grip force measurement device 1 is output. The specific processing procedure will be described below.

When the measurement process starts, the control and communication unit 7 detects the inclination of the device (S10). In S10, the control and communication unit 7 acquires the roll angle φ, pitch angle θ, and yaw angle ψ from the acceleration sensor 8. Next, the control and communication unit 7 determines whether the inclination of the device is within a predetermined inclination range (S20). In S20, the control and communication unit 7 determines whether the roll angle φ acquired from the acceleration sensor 8 is within the valid range, with the absolute value of the roll angle φ being in the range from 0° to 30°.

If the roll angle φ is within the valid range in S20 (S20: YES), the control and communication unit 7 stores the tilt data of the device in a buffer (S30). In S30, the roll angle φ, pitch angle θ, and yaw angle ψ acquired from the acceleration sensor 8 are stored in the buffer as tilt data. The buffer in which the tilt data is stored is secured in a memory provided in the control and communication unit 7.

Next, the control and communication unit 7 detects the pressure (S40). In S40, the pressure values acting on the buttons 3A to 3E are obtained from the load cells 5A to 5E via the amplifiers 9A to 9E. Next, the control and communication unit 7 stores the pressure data in a buffer (S50). In S50, the pressure values obtained from the load cells 5A to 5E are stored in the buffer. The buffer in which these pressure values are stored is secured in a memory provided in the control and communication unit 7.

Then, the control and communication unit 7 links the tilt and pressure data (S60) and transmits the data (S70). In S60, the pressing force data indicating the pressing force detected by the load cells 5A-5E and the tilt data indicating the tilt of the grip force measurement device 1 detected by the acceleration sensor 8 are associated with each other, and these data are stored in the transmission buffer. In S70, the data created in S60 and stored in the transmission buffer is wirelessly transmitted to an external device (not shown) separate from the grip force measurement device 1. After S70, the measurement process ends.

If the roll angle φ is not within the valid range in S20 (S20: NO), the control and communication unit 7 outputs an error (S80). In this embodiment, the control and communication unit 7 turns on the warning light 10 in S80. However, the error output means may be something other than the warning light 10. For example, a warning sound may be output by a buzzer or the like. Alternatively, the error information may be wirelessly transmitted to an external device, and a warning display or warning sound may be output by the external device. Two or more of these error output means may be used. After S80 is completed, the process returns to S10. As a result, while the roll angle φ is not within the valid range, the error output by S80 continues, and if the roll angle φ is then within the valid range, the process proceeds to S30 and subsequent processes.

The buttons 3A to 3E exemplified in the above embodiment correspond to an example of a pressed portion as referred to in this disclosure. The load cells 5A to 5E exemplified in the above embodiment correspond to an example of a pressing force detection portion as referred to in this disclosure. The acceleration sensor 8 exemplified in the above embodiment corresponds to an example of a tilt detection portion as referred to in this disclosure. The control and communication unit 7 that executes S60 and S70 as exemplified in the above embodiment corresponds to an example of a data output portion as referred to in this disclosure. The control and communication unit 7 that executes S20 as exemplified in the above embodiment corresponds to an example of a determination portion as referred to in this disclosure.

[effect]
According to the grip force measurement device 1, when a subject holds the grip force measurement device 1 in one hand and presses each of the buttons 3A to 3E with a finger corresponding to the button, the load cells 5A to 5E detect the pressing force acting on each of the buttons 3A to 3E. At that time, the acceleration sensor 8 detects the inclination of the grip force measurement device 1.

The inclination of the grip force measurement device 1 detected by the acceleration sensor 8 can be used in the processing performed by the grip force measurement device 1. Alternatively, the inclination of the grip force measurement device 1 detected by the acceleration sensor 8 can be output from the grip force measurement device 1 as information provided to the user by the grip force measurement device 1.

When the grip force measurement device 1 executes a process, if the inclination of the grip force measurement device 1 is used in the process, for example, the operating mode of the grip force measurement device 1 can be changed according to the inclination of the grip force measurement device 1.

To give a more specific example, for example, when the inclination of the grip force measurement device 1 is within a predetermined range, the load cells 5A to 5E are configured to detect the pressing force. On the other hand, when the inclination of the grip force measurement device 1 is not within the predetermined range, an error is output. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the grip force measurement from being performed when the inclination of the grip force measurement device 1 is not within the predetermined range.

For example, when the inclination of the grip force measurement device 1 is within a predetermined range, the detection result of the pressing force is transmitted to an external device other than the grip force measurement device 1. On the other hand, when the inclination of the grip force measurement device 1 is not within the predetermined range, the detection result of the pressing force is not transmitted to the external device. By adopting such a configuration, when the grip force is measured when the inclination of the grip force measurement device 1 is not within the predetermined range, it is possible to prevent such measurement data from being transmitted unnecessarily to the external device and reduce the load on both the grip force measurement device 1 and the external device.

In addition, if the inclination of the grip force measurement device 1 is output from the grip force measurement device 1 and provided to the user, the user can examine and consider the measurement results based on both the inclination of the grip force measurement device 1 and the pressure acting on each of the buttons 3A to 3E.

To give a more specific example, for example, if the inclination of the grip force measuring device 1 is within a specified range, the user can determine that the measurement results are relatively reliable. On the other hand, if the inclination of the grip force measuring device 1 is not within the specified range, the user can determine that the measurement results are relatively unreliable. In this case, the user can take action such as redoing the measurement or ignoring the unreliable data.

[Other embodiments]
Although the grip force measuring device has been described above with reference to exemplary embodiments, the above-described embodiments are merely exemplified as one aspect of the present disclosure. In other words, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described exemplary embodiments, and can be embodied in various forms without departing from the technical spirit of the present disclosure.

For example, in the above embodiment, the acceleration sensor 8 is given as an example of the tilt detection unit, but the tilt detection unit may be configured with a tilt sensor other than the acceleration sensor. Examples of tilt sensors other than the acceleration sensor include an electrolyte type (capacitive type) tilt sensor, a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) type tilt sensor, a quartz type tilt sensor, etc.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the case where the roll angle φ is -30°≦φ≦30° is set as the effective range to determine whether the grip force measuring device 1 is being used at an appropriate inclination, but the numerical range that should be the effective range is not limited to the above example. For example, the effective range may be further expanded or further narrowed depending on differences in characteristics caused by differences in the structure and dimensions of the load cells 5A to 5E, so the effective range can be set taking such differences in characteristics into consideration.

In addition, in the present embodiment, since changes in the pitch angle θ did not affect the measurement results, an effective range was set for the roll angle φ, but the setting of the effective range is not limited to the roll angle φ. For example, if the pitch angle θ affects the measurement results due to differences in the structure of the grip force measuring device 1, an effective range may be set for the pitch angle θ.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the pressure data and tilt data are associated and output to the external device, but if the tilt data is not required on the external device side, only the pressure data may be output. Even in this case, the acceleration sensor 8 can detect the tilt of the grip force measuring device 1 and output an error if the tilt is not within the valid range, so the acceleration sensor 8 can be used effectively.

Alternatively, if the pressing force data and the tilt data are associated and output to an external device, the configuration for determining whether the tilt of the grip force measurement device 1 is within the valid range may be omitted. In this case, even if the tilt of the grip force measurement device 1 is not within the valid range, the grip force measurement device 1 will not be able to output an error, but since the tilt data is output to the external device, the external device can determine after the fact whether there is a problem with the tilt of the grip force measurement device 1. In other words, the grip force measurement device 1 may determine in real time whether there is a problem with the tilt of the grip force measurement device 1 and output an error, but if the tilt data is output to the external device, a similar determination can be made by the external device. Therefore, whether or not to employ the judgment unit referred to in the present disclosure is optional.

Furthermore, the tilt detection unit may be a tilt switch configured to switch on/off when the grip force measurement device 1 is tilted to a predetermined degree or more. If the tilt switch switches off when the grip force measurement device 1 is tilted to a predetermined degree or more, this can be used as a trigger to completely stop the operation of the grip force measurement device 1.

Note that multiple functions realized by one component exemplified in the above embodiment may be realized by multiple components. One function realized by one component exemplified in the above embodiment may be realized by multiple components. Multiple functions realized by multiple components exemplified in the above embodiment may be realized by one component. One function realized by multiple components exemplified in the above embodiment may be realized by one component. Part of the configuration exemplified in the above embodiment may be omitted.

1... Grip force measuring device, 2... Main body, 3A-3E... Buttons, 4... Power switch, 5A-5E... Load cell, 6... Control board, 7... Control and communication unit, 8... Acceleration sensor, 9A-9E... Amplifier, 10... Warning light, 11... Jig, 12... Frame, 13A-13E... Presser.

Claims (5)

A gripping force measuring device,
The device includes a main body, a plurality of pressed parts, a pressing force detection part, and a tilt detection part,
the plurality of pressurized parts are arranged on the outside of the main body part, each pressurized part corresponds to one of the five fingers of the subject, and each pressurized part can be pressed by the finger corresponding to the pressurized part when the subject holds the grip force measurement device in one hand;
the pressing force detection unit is configured to detect a pressing force acting on each of the plurality of pressed portions when the plurality of pressed portions are pressed,
The tilt detection unit is configured to detect a tilt of the gripping force measurement device ,
a data output unit configured to be able to output pressing force data indicating the pressing force detected by the pressing force detection unit and tilt data indicating the tilt of the gripping force measurement device detected by the tilt detection unit in association with each other;
Equipped with
a determination unit configured to determine whether or not the inclination of the gripping force measuring device detected by the inclination detection unit is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold value;
Equipped with
Grip force measuring device. The gripping force measuring device according to claim 1,
the data output unit is configured to output the pressure data and the tilt data when the determination unit determines that the tilt is equal to or less than the threshold value, and to not output the pressure data and the tilt data when the determination unit determines that the tilt is not equal to or less than the threshold value.
Grip force measuring device. A gripping force measuring device,
The device includes a main body, a plurality of pressed parts, a pressing force detection part, and a tilt detection part,
the plurality of pressurized parts are arranged on the outside of the main body part, each pressurized part corresponds to one of the five fingers of the subject, and each pressurized part can be pressed by the finger corresponding to the pressurized part when the subject holds the grip force measurement device in one hand;
the pressing force detection unit is configured to detect a pressing force acting on each of the plurality of pressed portions when the plurality of pressed portions are pressed,
The tilt detection unit is configured to detect a tilt of the gripping force measurement device,
a determination unit configured to determine whether or not the inclination of the gripping force measuring device detected by the inclination detection unit is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold value;
Equipped with
a data output unit configured to be able to output pressing force data indicating the pressing force detected by the pressing force detection unit;
Equipped with
the data output unit is configured to output pressure data indicating the pressure detected by the pressure detection unit when the determination unit determines that the inclination is equal to or less than the threshold value, and to not output the pressure data when the determination unit determines that the inclination is not equal to or less than the threshold value.
Grip force measuring device. The gripping force measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The tilt detection unit is configured with an acceleration sensor.
Grip force measuring device. A grip force measurement system including a grip force measurement device and an external device,
The gripping force measuring device is
The device includes a main body, a plurality of pressed parts, a pressing force detection part, and a tilt detection part,
the plurality of pressurized parts are arranged on the outside of the main body part, each pressurized part corresponds to one of the five fingers of the subject, and each pressurized part can be pressed by the finger corresponding to the pressurized part when the subject holds the grip force measurement device in one hand;
the pressing force detection unit is configured to detect a pressing force acting on each of the plurality of pressed portions when the plurality of pressed portions are pressed,
The tilt detection unit is configured to detect a tilt of the gripping force measurement device,
a data output unit configured to be able to output pressing force data indicating the pressing force detected by the pressing force detection unit and tilt data indicating the tilt of the gripping force measurement device detected by the tilt detection unit in association with each other;
It is equipped with
The external device is
a determination unit configured to determine whether or not the inclination of the gripping force measuring device detected by the inclination detection unit is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold value;
Equipped with
Grip force measurement system.

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