Automatic device for optimized muscular stimulation

Abstract

The invention relates to an automatic device for optimized muscular stimulation, the stimulation providing periodical contractions with constant frequency of one or more muscles of a user, the device comprising a central electronic unit ( 1 ), connected to a memory unit ( 2 ), to one or more muscular electrical activity detectors ( 4 ), each one applied on a corresponding muscle of the user to be subjected to stimulation, and to muscular stimulation means ( 5 ) actuated by the central unit ( 1 ), the central unit ( 1 ) managing and controlling the automatic device, processing the data coming from the detectors ( 4 ) in such a way to determine, within a range included between a lower limit frequency and an upper limit frequency, an optimum frequency of the periodical contractions in correspondence of which the sum of the amplitude of the signals provided by the detectors ( 4 ) from the corresponding muscles of the user as a response to the stimulation is the maximum one, the central unit ( 1 ) setting the muscular stimulation means ( 5 ) in such a way to produce periodical contractions of the muscle to be stimulated at the determined optimum frequency.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A device for optimized muscular stimulation, the stimulation providing periodical contractions with constant frequency of one or more muscles of a user, the device comprising: 
 a central electronic unit;    a memory unit connected with the central electronic unit;    a muscular electrical activity detector for application to a muscle of the user to be subjected to stimulation, for producint a muscular activity signal; and    muscular stimulation means actuated by the central unit,    the central electronic unit configured to receive the muscular activity signal from the detector in and to determine, within a range included between a lower limit frequency and an upper limit frequency, an optimum frequency of the periodical contractions in correspondence of which the amplitude of the signal provided by the detector is a maximum amplitude, the central unit further configured to control the muscular stimulation means to produce periodical contractions of the muscle to be stimulated at the determined optimum frequency.    
     
     
         2 . The device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the lower limit frequency is 1 Hz.  
     
     
         3 . The device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the upper limit frequency is 1000 Hz.  
     
     
         4 . The device according to  claim 1  wherein the muscular stimulation means are mechanical means.  
     
     
         5 . The device according to  claim 4 , wherein: 
 the mechanical means comprises a support structure on which a board is placed upon which the user is positioned, comprising a metallic plate and a motor connected with the plate and having an eccentric mass.    
     
     
         6 . The device according to  claim 4 , characterized in that mechanical means comprises a tilting board.  
     
     
         7 . The device according to claims  1 , characterized in that the muscular stimulation means are electrical means.  
     
     
         8 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the detector comprises a medical electrode, amplified in situ, an isolation amplifier and a signal converter providing at the outlet a digital signal read by the central unit.  
     
     
         9 . The device according to  claim 1  wherein the central unit is configured to execute a method of determining said optimum frequency comprising the phases of: 
 repetition for N times of a data acquisition phase during which the central unit actuates the stimulation means in such a way to produce periodical contractions of the muscle with a constant frequency for a Δt, with a progressively growing frequency, between the lower limit frequency and the upper limit frequency,  
 processing, for each repetition, the amplitude of the signal coming from the detector and memorizing the same within the memory unit along with the value of the corresponding frequency; and  
 determining the maximum amplitude of signal produced by the detector, wherein the central unit determines, among the memorized data, the frequency corresponding to the maximum value, to identify the optimum frequency.  
 
     
     
         10 . The device according to  claim 9 , characterized in that N is equal to eight.  
     
     
         11 . The device according to  claim 9 , wherein Δt is at least 5 seconds.  
     
     
         12 . The device according to  claim 9 , characterized in that Δt is at least 10 seconds.  
     
     
         13 . The device according to  claim 9 , wherein consecutive repetition frequencies have a constant difference.  
     
     
         14 . The device according to one of the claims from  9 , wherein consecutive repetition frequencies have a variable difference, increasing as a function of the absolute value of the frequency of the preceding repetition.  
     
     
         15 . The device according to one of the  claim 1  wherein in that the central unit performs a determination method of the optimum frequency, comprising the steps of: 
 iterating for M times of cycles of a number N i  of repetitions, wherein i is the i-th repetition, of data acquisition phases during which the central unit actuates the stimulation means in such a way to produce periodical contractions of the muscles with a constant frequency for a Δt, with a progressively growing frequency, between a lower limit frequency and an upper limit frequency, frequencies of consecutive repetitions having each other a constant difference Δƒ i ,  
 receiving the amplitude of the signal coming from the detector and memorizing it within the memory unit along with the value of the corresponding frequency,  
 determining for each iteration i the maximum of the amplitude of the signal detected and identifying a corresponding optimum frequency for each iteration i,  
 determining the range between a lower frequency and an upper frequency comprising the optimum frequency identified during the preceding iteration, wherein for each iteration i, a constant difference Δƒ i  is applied between the consecutive repetition frequencies being lower than the difference Δƒ i−1  of the preceding iteration (Δƒ i <Δƒ i−1 ); and  
 determining an optimum frequency at the end of the M-th iteration, wherein the best frequency individuated at the M-th iteration is memorized as the optimum frequency.  
 
     
     
         16 . The device according to  claim 15 , characterized in that M is equal to two.  
     
     
         17 . The device according to  claim 15 , characterized in that Δt is equal to 5 seconds.  
     
     
         18 . The device according to  claim 16  or  17 , characterized in that Δt is equal to 10 seconds.  
     
     
         19 . The device according to  claim 15 , characterized in that for the first iteration, the first lower frequency coincides with the lower limit frequency and/or the second upper frequency, with the upper limit frequency.  
     
     
         20 . The device according to  claim 15 , characterized in that for each iteration i following to the first one, the range between the first lower frequency and the second upper frequency comprises the optimum frequency individuated at the preceding iteration as an intermediate frequency.  
     
     
         21 . The device according to  claim 1 , comprising an input/output interface.  
     
     
         22 . The device according to  claim 21 , wherein the interface comprises a display.  
     
     
         23 . The device according to  claim 22 , wherein the central unit is configured to provide the detector signal to the display, and to provide the identified optimum frequency to the display.  
     
     
         24 . The device according to  claim 21 , wherein the interface provides means for selecting the periodical contractions of the muscle.  
     
     
         25 . The device according to  21 , wherein the interface comprises means for reading a removable memory medium.