Patent Application
20130041426
The field of application of the present invention is training/medical devices to be used by astronauts during space flights of different duration or to be used for rehabilitation of patients suffering from muscle deficiency and/or decreased work capacity.
Different constructions of garments for astronauts solving the human problems of lightening and adaptation to weightlessness are known from the prior art: for example, RU2254272, U.S. Pat. No. 4,051,848, RU2007146197.
But none of these constructions are completely satisfactory.
Compensative garments to be used in space flights are known e.g. from E. Vizleb “Functions of vascular system”, in the book “Human physiology”, 1996, V. 2, Ch. 20, p. 498-565.
But they do not provide sufficiently quick adaptation to and prolonged protection from decompensations on the astronauts body deriving from weightlessness.
A method of prophylaxis of weightlessness negative influence on human body is currently in use which includes application of negative pressure on the lower part of the body and dosed tractions of lower extremities by means of electrostimulated impulses.
The disadvantage of this method is the fact that stimulation is performed as a procedure with the only condition of keeping a tension below than the threshold of pain. Therefore, this solution suggests to fine-adjust the myostimulation application.
It has been found by the Applicant that it is advantageous to provide separate electromyostimulation of lower extremities and back muscles.
The main object of the present invention is to develop a training/medical device designed to effectively electromyostimulate muscles of a human body.
This object is reached by the device having the technical features set out in the appended claims.
A first idea behind the present invention is to realize the device in the form of a garment to be worn by a person.
A second idea behind the present invention is to use low-frequencies, typically in the range from 1 Hz to 150 Hz.
A third idea behind the present invention is to provide separate stimulations of muscles, in particular of back and lower extremities muscles and/or right and left muscles and/or a single muscle or group of muscles.
A fourth idea behind the present invention is to use two electromyostimulators, i.e. electrical myostimulation signals generating devices.
A fifth idea behind the present invention is to provide a garment with integral system of fixation of the or each generating devices to the body of the person.
A sixth idea behind the present invention is to provide a garment with integral electrical contacts for applying the electrical myostimulation signals to the body of the person.
Advantageously, all these ideas are implemented in a device according to the present invention; other ideas and technical features are not to be excluded.
The person who wears the garment according to the present invention will be subject to electromyostimulation treatments; each treatment consists in the cyclic application to the body of the person of a electromyostimulation signals for a certain amount of time; the signals may vary during the treatment (for example, at first signals will be applied to the lower right limb muscles and then to the lower left limb muscles); one or more treatments may occur during e.g. a single hour or day or week or month; in general the treatments for a person will decided by a doctor.
The present invention can be better understood together with its technical features and advantages from the following detailed description to be considered together with the appended drawings, wherein:
The following description is not to be considered restrictively especially because it refers only to a specific (even if advantageous) embodiment of the present invention.
The training/medical low-frequency electromyostimulating device, in the form of a garment, according to the present invention, comprises at leas one but preferably two electrical myostimulation signals generating devices—in the following, each of them will be referred to also as “electromyostimulator” or “EMS-LF”; electromyostimulators can work in parallel, i.e. simultaneously, and they are placed into holding elements of a fixation system of the garment so that they can be located on the right and on the left of a human body (typically and advantageously, one on the right and one on the left); electromyostimulators are directly connected to cables of the garment that lead to electrodes of the garment so that electromyostimulation signals can start from the electromyostimulators go through the cables and end to the electrodes placed on and in contact with some muscles or groups of muscles; generated electromyostimulation signals are synchronized; typically, the two electromyostimulators are connected for such synchronization after switch-on; typically, the main electromyostimulator is placed on the right of the body; there is the possibility to adjust at least the amplitude of the electromyostimulation signal; additionally and advantageously, there is the possibility of transferring and storing from one or any or both of the electromyostimulators into a PC [Personal Computer] various information through e.g. a serial communication interface, such as a RS-232 interface; the information to be transferred may by selected by the user, for example the astronaut or the patient or, more typically, the doctor, a may correspond e.g. to values of parameters (for example the amplitude) of the electromyostimulation signals of a treatment of a person, and/or to the date and time of treatment of a person, and/or to the personal details of a treated person.
The garment according to the present invention is advantageously provided with autonomous power source from supply batteries that may be placed inside the electromyostimulators; in this way, the treatment may be carried out in any place and at any time. Additionally and further advantageously, an intelligent charger is provided for charging these batteries.
As it is provided that the maximum treatment/activity-period duration is 6 hours, the garment is a structurally designed accordingly; for example, the electromyostimulators switch-off automatically after 6 hours of operation, the batteries of the electromyostimulators are chosen so to last for 6 hours (or more), the storage capacity of data inside the electromyostimulators is chosen so to be able to store information corresponding to 6 hours (or more) of treatment/activity-period (thereafter, all information may be transferred to a PC so that the freed storage capacity will be available for further storage).
The garment according to the present invention allows to perform separate stimulation of back muscles and lower extremities muscles, of right muscles and left muscles; advantageously, it has been provided for separate stimulation of single muscles or groups of muscles; in this way, the treatment may be customized to the needs of any single person. The garment according to the present invention is advantageously provided with a moistening device for moistening the electromyostimulation electrodes; in this way, the electric contact between the electrodes and the body is always very good even if a long time passes between two consecutive treatments and/or if the person under treatment is not within a treatment environment (such as a clinic) but may be in any place of a house or of an office.
A very important aspect of the present invention is that the electromyostimulation system takes the form of a garment so that it can be carried by the patient; the treatments may be repeated even outside of a clinic and at any time of the day or night according to the best treatment strategy avoiding any other limitation; to this regard, the fixation system to the body, electrodes in the form of tissue, the long-duration batteries, the moistening device for electrodes play a very important role.
Another important aspect of the present invention is the starting of the treatments; this can be automatic, i.e. triggered by the stimulator by means of its internal circuitry and/or of external detectors, or triggered by the user or a combination of the two things. As it is clear, the treatment, i.e. the generation of the signals during the treatment period, is under the full control of the stimulator.
In the following a detailed description of a specific example of a garment and its components, including low-frequency electromyostimulators or EMS-LFs, is provided; reference will be specifically made to
The block diagram of
The time for starting the EMS-LF is not more than one minute.
Duration of EMS-LF maximal continuous operation (i.e. proving stimulation signals) is not less 6 hours.
EMS-LF meets the requirements of the (Russian) State Standard P 50267.0-92 (IEC 601-1), and of (Russian) State Standard P 50267.10-93 (IEC 601-2-10) for electro-safety and belongs to:
Maximum values of the overall dimensions and mass of the EMS-LF elements are:
Electromyostimulation signals come through the cables placed in the garment to the electrodes placed on and in contact with the muscles or groups of muscles.
There is also a cable in the garment which connects the two EMS-LFs with each other and provides synchronization of combined operation of both EMS-LFs after switching-on.
EMS-LFs are placed into holding elements of the fixation system of the garment and they are directly connected to cables of the garment (that lead to electrodes of the garment) in strict accordance with markings on the garment/EMS-LF connectors. Each EMS-LF has six channels of electromyostimulation with the following characteristics:
Stimulators of other garments (alternative to this one) might have different characteristics or more widely adjustable characteristics; for example, possible and advantageous values of the stimulation are from 0.5 sec to 2 sec, possible and advantageous values of the pause are from 0.5 sec to 5 sec, possible and advantageous values of duration of pulse are from 0.2 ms to 2.0 ms, possible and advantageous values of frequency of pulses are from 10 Hz to 50 Hz.
The possibility of adjusting the amplitude of electromyostimulation signals separately for each channel is provided in the EMS-LF; during adjusting one channel, other channels of electromyostimulation are switched-off.
The EMS-LF provides the storage of information for one 6-hours treatment/activity-period. The EMS-LF has onboard graphical liquid-crystal display (LCD) with a resolution of 128×64 pixels; information displayed on the LCD contains:
All captions on the display are made in two languages, namely Russian (manufacturer language) and English (user language).
Power supply of the EMS-LF is from an autonomous power source: storage battery (SB) NiMH, with nominal voltage of 10.8 V and capacity of 1.7 Ah.
Construction of the EMS-LF excludes the possibility of getting inside any aperture and also of accidental touch to internal elements.
Overall sizes of the EMS-LF are not more than 212×111×45 mm.
Mass of the EMS-LF with SB is 1.25±0.1 kg.
EMS-LF consists of printed circuit boards (i.e. sub-units or sub-systems):
The switching device is intended for the forming of input signals to the controller carrying information about the EMS-LF operation, selection of the electromyostimulation channel number, increasing or decreasing of the amplitude of the electromyostimulation signal. The controller is intended for the control of the operation of all EMS-LFs and provides:
The power amplifier is controlled by the controller and is intended for the forming of electromyostimulation signals, adjusting of their amplitude and providing of galvanic decoupling of output electromyostimulation channel circuits.
The power amplifier consists of two channels for signal amplification with two isolation transformers.
The EMS-LF includes a charger (CH) intended for simultaneous charge of two SBs. Power voltage at the CH comes from an external power source with a voltage of 28 V.
CH is “intelligent” and does not require human control during charging: charging stops automatically so protection from overcharge of the SBs is guaranteed. During operation of the CH, a LED indication of all its functions is provided.
The training-medical low-frequency electromyostimulation garment could be additionally provided a moistening device for moistening of the electromyostimulation electrodes.
The EMS-LF contains different treatment programs than can be selected by the user (for example the astronaut or the patient or the doctor); the following programs are provided in this example:
For program 3, two EMS-LF are used.
As it is clear more complex programs may be provided or programmed by a doctor or a technician.
The following information is recorded in the FLASH memory of the EMS-LF during electromyostimulation:
The EMS-F provides the storage of this information (one 6-hours treatment/activity-period).
To transfer information into a PC, the EMS-LF should be switched on and a software (STIMUL-01) should be installed in the PC according to its installing instructions contained in an appropriate guide.
The STIMUL-01 software is started according to the instructions of the guide, both the EMS-LFs are to be connected to the PC in turn according to the instructions of the guide. At this time, information stored in the FLASH memory of the EMS-LF is transferred to the PC and stored into its hard disk for further use; thereafter, the FLASH memory of the EMS-LF is cleaned.
The EMS-LF is intended for the forming of electromyostimulation signals and also for recording of information, storage into FLASH memory and transfer to PC of the information about performed electromyostimulation treatments.
The use of EMS-LF for its intended purpose:
EMS-LF has the following modes of use:
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009148497 | Dec 2009 | RU | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2010/070788 | 12/28/2010 | WO | 00 | 9/18/2012 |
