Method of identifying parameter of characteristic of muscle, and walking assistance apparatuses and method based on the method

Abstract

Disclosed is a method of identifying a parameter of a characteristic of a muscle, and walking assistance apparatuses and method based on the method. The method of identifying a parameter of a characteristic of a muscle includes estimating a first torque of a joint based on an electromyogram (EMG) signal, estimating a second torque of the joint based on motion data, and identifying a parameter of a characteristic of a muscle associated with the joint based on the first torque and the second torque.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A walking assistance method comprising:
 identifying a parameter of a characteristic of a muscle associated with a joint based on a first torque of the joint and a second torque of the joint, the first torque being estimated based on an electromyogram (EMG) signal and the second torque being estimated based on motion data; and   controlling a walking assistance apparatus based on a gait type determined using the parameter.   
     
     
         2 . The walking assistance method of  claim 1 , wherein the controlling comprises:
 diagnosing a gait-related disease corresponding to the characteristic of the muscle based on the identified parameter; and   controlling the walking assistance apparatus based on the gait type corresponding to the gait-related disease.   
     
     
         3 . The walking assistance method of  claim 1 , wherein the controlling comprises:
 controlling the walking assistance apparatus based on the gait type selected from among a plurality of abnormal gait types based on the parameter.   
     
     
         4 . The walking assistance method of  claim 1 , wherein the muscle includes at least one of a soleus muscle, a tibialis anterio muscle, a gastrocnemius muscle, a vastus lateralis muscle, a hamstring muscle, a gluteus maximus muscle, and a hip flexor muscle. 
     
     
         5 . The walking assistance method of  claim 1 , wherein the parameter includes at least one of a muscular strength, an optimal length, a slack length, and a moving velocity of the muscle. 
     
     
         6 . The walking assistance method of  claim 1 , wherein the identifying comprises:
 updating an initial parameter of the muscle based on a difference between the first torque and the second torque to generate an updated parameter; and   extracting the parameter of the muscle by repetitively estimating the first torque using the updated parameter.   
     
     
         7 . The walking assistance method of  claim 1 , wherein the identifying comprises:
 estimating the first torque by applying the EMG signal to muscle dynamics;   estimating the second torque by applying the motion data to body dynamics; and   identifying the parameter of the characteristic of the muscle associated with the joint using the first torque and the second torque.   
     
     
         8 . A walking assistance apparatus, the apparatus comprising:
 a driver configured to output a driving force;   a controller configured to,
 identify a parameter of a characteristic of a muscle associated with a joint based on a first torque of the joint and a second torque of the joint, the first torque being estimated based on an electromyogram (EMG) signal and the second torque being estimated based on motion data, and 
 control the driver based on a gait type determined using the parameter. 
   
     
     
         9 . The walking assistance apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the controller is configured to,
 diagnose a gait-related disease corresponding to the characteristic of the muscle based on the identified parameter, and   control the driver based on the gait type corresponding to the gait-related disease.   
     
     
         10 . The walking assistance apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the controller is configured to control the driver based on the gait type selected from among a plurality of abnormal gait types based on the parameter. 
     
     
         11 . The walking assistance apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the muscle includes at least one of a soleus muscle, a tibialis anterio muscle, a gastrocnemius muscle, a vastus lateralis muscle, a hamstring muscle, a gluteus maximus muscle, and a hip flexor muscle. 
     
     
         12 . The walking assistance apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the parameter includes at least one of a muscular strength, an optimal length, a slack length, and a moving velocity of the muscle.