Assistive wearable system for relieving muscle fatigue in the neck and shoulders

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025152396-A1
Application number	US-202418432792-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 5, 2024
Priority date	Nov 14, 2023
Publication date	May 15, 2025
Grant date	—

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A assistive wearable system comprising:
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.

2 . The assistive wearable system of claim 1 , wherein the wearable platform includes a wire sheath formed to be 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 wearable platform further includes:
a wire separator that divides and connects the wire to both sides of the headgear; 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 behind a neck of the user and is coupled to the upper body of the user.

4 . The assistive wearable system of claim 1 , wherein the wire tension controller, connected to the headgear 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 a 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.

5 . The assistive wearable system of claim 4 , 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.

6 . The assistive wearable system of claim 4 , wherein the pawl prevents rotation of the ratchet by engaging the ratchet to stop unwinding of the wire due to rotation of the ratchet.

7 . The assistive wearable system of claim 4 , wherein the power unit detects the electrical signal generated from the incremental encoder and provides power to operate the pawl.

8 . 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 a head angle information of the user using tilt inertia according to the head angle of the user.

Assignees

• Korea Inst Sci & Tech
• Seoul Nat Univ R&Db Foundation

Inventors

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

Classifications

• A61F5/01

  Orthopaedic devices, e.g. long-term immobilising or pressure directing devices for treating broken or deformed bones such as splints, casts or braces · CPC title

• A61H1/0218

  Drawing-out devices · CPC title

• A61H1/0296 Primary

  Neck · CPC title

• A61F5/3707 Primary

  for the head (cervical supports A61F5/055; splints A61F5/05883) · CPC title

• Y10S482/907

  Stretching · CPC title