EP1715916A1

EP1715916A1 - Electronic muscle stimulator with user-friendly interface

Info

Publication number: EP1715916A1
Application number: EP04806893A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Maurizio Cima
Original assignee: Biac Srl
Current assignee: Biac Srl
Priority date: 2004-01-15
Filing date: 2004-12-24
Publication date: 2006-11-02
Also published as: WO2005068017A8; WO2005068017A1; ITCR20040003A1

Abstract

An electronic muscle stimulator with a user-friendly GUI (Graphical User Interface) is disclosed, wherein the GUI comprises processing means (5), memory means (6) storing a library of stimulation programs, display means (3) and selection means (4), arranged for selection of one program from said library by the following steps: the user chooses a muscle, a muscle group or a portion of the human body, preferably in a graphical mode from an image of the human body; a program list (202) is displayed, containing suitable programs for the selected muscle(s); the user chooses a stimulation program from said list (202).

Description

Electronic muscle stimulator with user-friendly interface

DESCRIPTION The invention relates to the field of electronic muscle stimulators. More in detail, the invention relates to a multi-program muscle stimulator, providing a number of different stimulation programs, and a user-friendly interface for the selection of the program; the invention also relates to the method itself for selecting the desired program. Electrical muscle stimulation, by means of electrodes applied on the skin of the patient, is known and is extensively used for training, rehabilitation, muscle strengthening, functional electrical stimulation (FES), and other purposes. Known muscle stimulators comprise consumer units, for people who simply want to add the muscle stimulation to their own workout activity, and professional devices or systems, intended for medical or therapeutic use only. As a general rule, these devices or systems provide a number of user-selectable stimulation programs. In recent years, the biomedical research has made available specific programs customized for the user (e.g. for men and women) and for each type of treatment (e.g. training, rehabilitation, iontophoresis, ...). Even non-professional units can offer hundreds of different stimulation programs, that are generally stored in a non-volatile memory. Said programs provide different intensity, frequency, pulse width or waveform of the stimulation pulse, as well as a specific total duration of the treatment. Moreover, it should be noted that a precise placement of the electrodes on the body is also important, and some programs may require the use of two or more pair of electrodes at the same time. A great number of programs, however, can make the use difficult: a suitable user interface is then advisable, or there is the risk that the user is disoriented and cannot appreciate the advanced features offered by the device. The user interfaces of known muscle stimulators, substantially based on few buttons, LED indicators and, sometimes, a small alphanumeric display, are totally inadequate for this purpose. Also, the presence of many pairs of electrodes makes the device more versatile but, on the other side, makes it even more difficult to use, as the user must know the exact placement of each pair of electrodes, depending on the program he is selecting. Referring to the instruction manual becomes almost indispensable, but the manual itself is rather complex and confusing, because of the great number of features and programs. The aim of the invention is to overcome the above limitations, by means of a versatile, multi-program muscle stimulator, featuring a great number of user-selectable stimulation programs, but also being very easy to use. The aim of the invention, then, is that a non-expert user, or even a first-time user, can easily find and select the desired muscle stimulation program, following an intuitive guided procedure, without referring to the instruction manual. These aims are achieved by an electronic muscle stimulator, adapted to execute a number of different programs of stimulation, characterised by a graphical user interface comprising processing means, memory means for storing said programs in a program library, display means and selection means, arranged for allowing the user to select one of said programs by means of at least the steps of: - receiving a first input, corresponding to a selection of a muscle, a muscle group or a portion of the human body; - displaying a list of programs taken from said program library, and suitable for the stimulation of the selected muscle, muscle group or portion of the human body; - receiving a second input, corresponding to a selection of a program from said list. According to a first aspect of the invention, the graphical user interface provides an image of the human body, where the muscular apparatus is in evidence, and said selection means act as pointing means on said image (mouse, optical pen, touch screen or equivalent) to choice the muscle or the portion of the body where stimulation is desired. According to a another aspect of the invention, the graphical user interface provides some information on the selected program, such as instructions or suggestions for the user. In particular, said instructions may comprise the number of electrodes to be used, the right placement of positive and negative electrodes, the total time of treatment and suggested settings of other parameters like the intensity of the current. According to a further aspect of the invention, the graphical user interface allows monitoring and setting of some parameters of the selected program. In particular, the interface comprises menu, cursors or equivalent means for the independent adjustment of the current flowing to each pair of electrodes. A preferred embodiment provides the graphical user interface developed on: a first window, showing an image of the human body and allowing the user to select on said image a muscle or portion of the human body; a second window listing the available programs that can be used for the stimulation of the selected muscle(s), where the user can select the desired program from said list; a third window, showing some information on the above selected program and allowing the user to set one or more parameters of the program itself.

This last window may comprise start, pause and stop buttons, a timer showing the elapsed and/or remaining time, some suggestions or hints for a correct use of the device. All the available programs may further be personalized and indexed according to the type of treatment or purpose and to the patient (e.g. male/female). Hence, the interface may also comprise at least a further window for basic settings like sex of the user and type of the treatment, with some options such as TENS, iontophoresis or others, and so on. According to a further feature, advantageous for a portable or small-sized stimulator, the graphic interface comprises an LCD display with a touch-screen device, like those of hand-held computers. The interface may feature vocal messages from a loudspeaker, to suggest the choice of the program, or for confirmation of the user's choice. According to the invention, the method for choosing the program comprises the steps of: choosing a muscle or muscular group or portion of the human body; displaying a program list containing suitable programs for the stimulation of the selected muscle, muscle group or portion of the human body; choosing the desired program from said program list. The advantage of the invention is that the muscle stimulator becomes a really user-friendly device, although a great number of different stimulation programs are available to the user. The user who needs a certain treatment or therapy on a certain muscle, can easily and immediately find the right program, following a procedure that is intuitive even for a first-time user. A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described more in detail, referring to the accompanying drawings by way of non- limitative examples, wherein: Fig. 1 is a schematic view of an electronic muscle stimulator according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the main components of the muscle stimulator of Fig. 1 ; Fig. 3 is an essential flow-chart showing the use of the user- interface of the muscle stimulator of Fig. 1 , and Figs. 4 to 6 show some graphic windows of the user interface, that are opened during the use. Referring to said figures, an electrical muscle stimulator is shown, comprising a base unit 1 to which one or more pairs of electrodes 2 can be connected. The main components of base unit 1 , as it can be seen from Fig. 1 and block diagram of Fig. 2, are the following: processing means, preferably comprising a Central Processing Unit (CPU) 5; at least one non-volatile memory device 6, such as a RAM chip, a removable RAM cartridge or a disk device; an LCD display 3 associated to a touchscreen device 4; power supply means 7, such as a battery or a main power supply, circuits 8 for controlling the electrodes. The touch-screen device 4 may be used, for example, with a touch- pen, like a hand-held computer. Preferably, the stimulator also comprises an audio circuit 9 with a loudspeaker and headphones jack, and interface means for connection of external devices, for example a USB port 10. Other features may include buttons 11 for functional stimulation (FES) or further known interface means 12 for connecting a computer or accessories. A library of stimulation programs is stored in the memory device 6.

Said library may contain a great number of programs, each program being specifically dedicated to a muscle or muscle group, and further customized for a certain user (e.g. for a man or woman), and for a specific type and purpose of treatment. For selecting the desired program, the muscle stimulator is provided with a graphical user interface (GUI) comprising display means and selection means which, in the given example, correspond to the display 3 and the touch-screen 4. Said interface allows to choose the desired program by means of the following steps: the GUI receives from the user an input 20 corresponding to the selection of a muscle, a muscle , group or a portion of the human body; the GUI then displays a visualization 30 of a list of programs adapted to the stimulation of the above selected muscle (or muscle group or portion of the human body); the GUI receives from the user a further input 40, corresponding to the selection of a program from said list. The interface can also provide a visualization 50 of information and instructions relating to the selected program, with text, graphics or images, and manual settings 60, by means of suitable controls (menu, cursors, ...) of some parameters. More in detail, the graphical user interface is developed mainly on three windows 100, 200 and 300, shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6. The window 100 displays an image 101 of the human body, where the muscular apparatus is in evidence. By selection means 4, this window allows to select a specific muscle or portion of the human body: for example, the user can choice the muscle "biceps" or, more generally, the portion of the human body "arm" or "arm-shoulder". The window 100 also provides buttons 103 and 104 for switching between front and back view, and a button 105 for "category" settings. Said button 105 opens a further window for settings about the user (man/woman) and the type or purpose of the treatment (sport training, TENS or iontophoresis). Current settings are showed in a box 102. The selection of the muscle or portion of the human body switches to window 200, showing a zoomed view 201 of the selected portion of the body, and a program list 202 containing the available programs that are adapted for the stimulation of the selected muscle(s). The programs in the program list 202 are taken from the program library stored in the memory device 6 of the stimulator, and preferably relates to the selected muscle(s). For example, if the device is provided with a very great number of programs, only those that are specific and useful for the selected muscle(s) are listed, the user's choice resulting much easier and fail-proof. Some examples of programs are: warm-up, toning, strenghtening, muscle building, relaxation, and so on. The programs may also be listed with the name of the disease they are suitable for. As an example, the user may select the legs and find programs listed as "pathologies of the medial collateral ligament", "tendonitis of the quadriceps", and so on. So the user is totally helped in finding what is actually useful for his needs. After the selection of the program, the user interface switches to the window 300. Said window 300 displays a box 301 , where the use of the electrodes for the above selected program is shown, including their number, position and polarity; a box 302 with further information and suggestions on the selected program; a box 303 showing an elapsed time counter and remaining time counter; further boxes 305, 306 for setting and adjusting the intensity of the treatment; a start button 307, a pause button 308 and a stop/exit button 309. The box 305 provides simultaneous setting for the current (mA) of all channels, by means of a cursor 310 and a menu 311 with some pre-determined settings (e.g. low, medium, high); the box 306 contains manual cursors 312 for single adjustment of the current of each channel. Information in the box 302 may comprise the purpose of the selected program, the related muscle(s), recommended duration and recommended intensity of the current to be used. A button 313 provides zoom-in of the box 301 , for best view of the position and polarity of the electrodes. The position of the electrodes may also be shown in the window 200, instead of zoomed view 201. Further elements may be provided in the windows, for example: a menu bar 400 for selecting some basic functions of the device including the stimulation, on-line help, test of the electrodes, calibration, and others; another bar 401 including buttons for language selection, battery level monitor, exit. The invention is preferably realized with a 6-inches display 3, yielding a 640x480 resolution, but such technical features may vary depending on dimensions, price and class of the stimulator. With a small display, the windows 100, 200 and 300 are visualized one after the other. If a bigger display is available, said windows could be displayed together, or as sub-windows of a single, general window. The inventions reaches the aim of making the use very simple and friendly, even when many programs and many different options are available. As a practical example, it is considered the case of an user that wants to stimulate the brachii biceps. The user turns on the muscle stimulator and makes the preliminary settings, if provided (e.g. "MAN" and "SPORT", see Fig. 4). The GUI then displays the window 100, with the image 101 of the human body. Tipping on the image with a touch-pen, the user selects the portion of the body corresponding to the arm and shoulder, entering the window 200. In said window 200 (see Fig. 5), the GUI displays the zoomed view 201 of the selected portion of the body, and the program list 202 including programs specifically optimized for the stimulation of the selected muscles. After the program selection, the window 300 is displayed (see Fig. 6), showing in the image 301 how many electrodes must be used and how to position the electrode(s) on the arm, together with the right polarity. Said window 300, by the above described boxes and controls, gives further information on the selected program, allows to set the intensity of the current, to start or pause the treatment, to monitor the elapsed time and the remaining time. Vocal confirmations or suggestions during the various steps may be given through the audio circuit 9. The above described interface may also be useful in a professional system for electrical muscle stimulation, for example a system controlled via an external unity or computer, and providing feed-back sensor to monitor the patient during the stimulation.

Claims

1. Electronic muscle stimulator, adapted to execute a number of different programs of stimulation, characterised by a graphical user interface comprising processing means (5), memory means (6) for storing said programs in a program library, display means (3) and selection means (4), arranged for allowing the user to select one of said programs by means of at least the steps of: - receiving a first input, corresponding to a selection (20) of a muscle, a muscle group or a portion of the human body; - displaying (30) a list (202) of programs taken from said program library, and suitable for the stimulation of the selected muscle, muscle group or portion of the human body; - receiving a second input, corresponding to a selection (40) of a program from said list (202).

2. A device according to claim 1, characterised in that said graphical user interface provides an image (101) of the human body, and said selection means (4) act by pointing on said image, for giving said first input of selection (20) of a muscle, muscle group or portion of the human body.

3. A device according to claim 1, characterised in that said graphical user interface provides a display (50) of information concerning the program selected from said list (202).

4. A device according to claim 3, characterised in that said information comprise an image showing the placement and polarity of the electrodes (2) for the stimulation.

5. A device according to claim 1 , characterised in that said graphical user interface provides manual setting controls (60) for parameters of the selected program.

6. A device according to claim 5, characterised in that said parameters comprise the intensity of the current through each pair of electrodes used for the stimulation.

7. A device according to any one of preceding claims, characterised in that said graphical user interface provides: a first window (100) showing an image (101) of the human body and allowing said selection means (4) to select a muscle or a portion of the human body on said image (101); a second window (200) showing said list (202) of programs suitable for the selected muscle or portion of the body, and allowing said selection means (4) to choose a program from said list (202); - a third window (300) comprising boxes (301 , 302, 303, 305, 306) with information or instructions on the selected program, and allowing to set parameters of said selected program.

8. A device according to claim 7, characterised in that said third window (300) provides: a box (301) showing the right placement and polarity of the electrodes; a box (302) showing additional information on the selected program; a box (303) showing information on the time of treatment; a box (305) with commands (310, 311) for simultaneous setting of the intensity of the current for all pairs of electrodes; - a box (306) with commands (312) for the single setting of the current of each pair of electrodes; buttons (307, 308, 309) to start, pause and stop the selected stimulation program.

9. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said display means (3) and selection means (4) are obtained with a touch-screen display.

10. A method for selecting a stimulation program in an electronic muscle stimulator providing a number of different stimulation programs, the method comprising: choosing (20) a muscle, muscle group or a portion of the human body; displaying (30) a program list (202) of programs suited for the stimulation of the selected muscle, muscle group or portion of the body; choosing (40) the desired program from said program list (202).