Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US5157970?dq=7125605
Timestamp: 2015-05-26 06:55:04
Document Index: 147976745

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 12', 'art 14', 'art 12', 'art 14', 'art 14', 'art 12', 'art 14', 'art 12', 'art 12', 'art 12', 'art 14', 'art 12', 'art 14']

Patent US5157970 - Grasp analysis method - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsA grasp analysis apparatus and method by which the power of grasp exerted by the human hand can be measured, and by which a determination can be made related to the maximum effort of grasp that is made during the measurement. The apparatus includes a housing having opposed walls which can be forced towards...http://www.google.com/patents/US5157970?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US5157970 - Grasp analysis methodAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS5157970 APublication typeGrantApplication numberUS 07/599,775Publication dateOct 27, 1992Filing dateOct 17, 1990Priority dateOct 17, 1990Fee statusLapsedAlso published asUS5329813Publication number07599775, 599775, US 5157970 A, US 5157970A, US-A-5157970, US5157970 A, US5157970AInventorsRoyce C. Lewis, Jr.Original AssigneeLewis Jr Royce CExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (12), Referenced by (15), Classifications (6), Legal Events (3) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetGrasp analysis method
US 5157970 AAbstract
1. Method of evaluating the force of grasp one can exert with a hand when less than the maximum force is actually being exerted, comprising the steps of:grasping a transducer in the hand, and, measuring the force of grasp jointly exerted between the fingers and palm of the hand at a first location near the end of the fingers; at a second location near the palm; and at a third location between said first and second location; comparing the measured force of grasp at said first, second and third location to determine the configuration of a curve plotted from said measured force; providing data related to a bell shaped curve with a high degree of confidence while providing data related to a curve other than a bell shaped curve with a low degree of confidence which is considered a false representation of ones effort. 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the force of grasp is measured between the palm and the fingers by placing the transducer at a location where the force is effected by the following muscular groups:flexor digitorum profundus tendon; flexor digitorum superficial tendon; and the intrinsic musculature. 3. The method of claim 1 and further including the step of placing the transducer within a housing having opposed walls and compressing the opposed walls towards one another when the transducer is grasped between the palm and fingers to provide a signal proportional to the force of the grasp; and,converting the signal into data that is related to said curve. 4. The method of claim 3 and further including the steps of adjusting the housing walls to provide an appropriate size transducer for obtaining a measuring force wherein the following muscular groups effect the force:a group comprising the flexor digitorum profundus tendon; another group comprising the flexor digitorum superficial tendon and the flexor digitorum profundus tendon; a further group comprising the flexor digitorum profundus tendon, flexor digitorum superficial tendon, and the intrinsic musculature; a still further group comprising the flexor digitorum superficial tendon and the intrinsic musculature; and a last group comprising the intrinsic musculature. 5. The method of claim 1, and further including the step of placing the transducer within a housing having opposed walls and forcing said opposed walls towards one another by grasping the walls between the palm and fingers to provide a signal proportional to the force of the grasp; and,converting the signal into data that is related to said curve, said housing walls being adjustable for varying the size of the transducer and thereby obtain a measuring force where the following muscular groups effect the force: flexor digitorum profundus tendon; flexor digitorum superficial tendon and the flexor digitorum profundus tendon; flexor digitorum profundus tendon, flexor digitorum superficial tendon, and the intrinsic musculature. 6. Method of measuring the force of grasp that one exerts with a hand in a manner to determine when less than the maximum force is actually being exerted, comprising the steps of:step (1): measuring the force of grasp jointly exerted between the fingers and palm of the hand at a first location near the end of the fingers; measuring the force of grasp jointly exerted between the fingers and palm of the hand at a second location that is near the palm; and measuring the force of grasp jointly exerted between the fingers and palm of the hand at a third location between said first and second location; step (2): comparing the measured force of grasp at said first, second, and third locations to determine the configuration of a curve plotted from said measured force; step (3): accepting a bell shaped curve as a true representation of ones effort to grasp; and considering a curve other than a bell shaped curve as a false representation of ones effort to grasp. 7. The method of claim 6 wherein the force of grasp is measured at a plurality of different locations that include various ones of the flexor digitorum profundus tendon; flexor digitorum superficial tendon; and the intrinsic musculature.
8. The method of claim 7 and further including the step of placing a transducer within a housing having opposed walls which are compressed towards one another when grasped between the palm and fingers to provide a signal proportional to the force of the grasp;converting the signal into data that is related to said curve. 9. The method of claim 8 and further including the steps of making said housing walls adjustable to provide various different selected widths of the transducer for measuring the force effected at the recited locations.
10. Method of analyzing the power of grasp in the human hand and evaluating the grasp for maximum effort, comprising the steps of:providing an apparatus that includes a palm engaging part and a finger engaging part by which the palm and fingers can engage and move towards one another; connecting said finger engaging part and said palm engaging part together and forcing the hand engaging part and finger engaging part toward one another in proportion to the force exerted thereon between the fingers and the palm; generating a signal which is proportional to the magnitude of the force exerted between said palm engaging part and finger engaging part, and converting said signal into a measurement indicative of the magnitude of the force; changing the effective length of the spaced apart finger engaging part and palm engaging part whereby the length accommodates the fingers and palm to enable the following muscle groups to effect a force: flexor digitorum profundus tendon; flexor digitorum superficial tendon; and the intrinsic musculature; measuring the force of grasp achieved by the groups of muscles and comparing the measured force of grasp, to determine the configuration of a curve plotted from said measured force; providing data related to a bell shaped curve with a high degree of confidence while providing data related to a curve other than a bell shaped curve with a low degree of confidence which is considered a false representation of ones effort. 11. The method of claim 10 wherein the force of grasp is measured between the palm and the fingers at a location where the force is effected by the following different muscular groups:flexor digitorum profundus tendon; flexor digitorum superficial tendon; and the intrinsic musculature; and where the measurement is taken at five different locations, wherein the widest measurement is effected by the flexor digitorum profundus tendon; the next widest measurement is effected by the flexor digitorum profundus tendon together with flexor digitorum superficial tendon; an intermediate measurement is effected by the flexor digitorum profundus tendon together with flexor digitorum superficial tendon and the intrinsic musculature; and a smallest measurement is effected by the flexor digitorum superficial tendon; and the next smallest is effected by the flexor digitorum superficial tendon and the intrinsic musculature. 12. The method of claim 10 wherein the force of grasp is measured between the palm and the fingers at a location where the force is effected by the follow muscular groups:flexor digitorum profundus tendon; flexor digitorum superficial tendon; and the intrinsic musculature; and where the measurement is at five locations wherein the widest is a location that involves the flexor digitorum profundus tendon; the next widest is a location that involves the flexor digitorum profundus tendon together with the flexor digitorum superficial tendon; an intermediate is a location that involves the flexor digitorum profundus tendon together with the flexor digitorum superficial tendon and the intrinsic musculature; a smallest is a location that involves the flexor digitorum superficial tendon; and the next smallest is a location that involves the flexor digitorum superficial tendon and the intrinsic musculature. Description
On the other hand, the complex arrangement of the nerves, ligaments, and bones occassionally do not function properly due to injury or disease and this disfunction often is curable by placing one's injured hand in the care of an expert who has spent a lifetime studying the human hand.
The method of the present invention is carried out by measuring the force of grasp exerted between the fingers and palm of the hand at a first location near the end of the fingers, at another location near the palm, and at another location between the first and second location. The measured force of grasp at the first, second and third locations are compared to determine the configuration a curve plotted from the results of the measured force. The shape of the curve determines if the patient is truly exerting a maximum effort while his grasping force is being measured, or whether the patient is not making his maximum effort and therefore the weakness of the grasp can be attributed to this lack of effort rather than to other causes such as muscular weakness and the like.
FIG. 1 of the drawings disclose a grasp analysis apparatus 10 made in accordance with the present invention. The apparatus 10 includes a palm engaging part 12 spaced from a finger engaging part 14 with the palm and finger engaging parts being adjustably held together by a cylindrical shaft 16. The shaft 16 permits the palm engaging part 12 to be moved towards the finger engaging part 14 in direct proportion to the compressive force applied by the hand thereto.
As best seen in FIG. 4, together with FIGS. 1-3, the cylindrical shaft 16 is reciprocatingly received within the illustrated aperture 17. A plurality of drilled holes 16A are formed laterally through shaft 16. Stop member 18, in the form of a pin, is attached to a medial portion of shaft 16 and bears against the finger engaging part 14. Numeral 19 indicates a cylindrical counterbore, preferably open to ambient, for reciprocatingly receiving one marginal end of shaft 16; while the opposed end of shaft 16 is affixed to a movable wall 20. The wall 20 is mounted for movement within the interior of the palm engaging part 12.
Strain gauge or transducer 21 can take on any number of different forms so long as it generates a signal within conductor 22 which is proportional to the grasp force exerted to move the finger engaging part 14 toward the palm engaging part 12.
In FIG. 10 the legend FDS is intended to illustrate a flexor digitorum superficialis while the legend FDP indicates a flexor digitorum profundus. Numeral 50 indicates the intrinsic musculature which exerts pressure through the knuckle joint of the finger. Accordingly, there are three groups of muscles brought into play for exerting maximum effect on the power of one's grasp, with the FDP being the first group of muscles, the FDS being the second group of muscles, and the flexor digitorum superficialis tendon being the third group of muscles.
The palm engaging part 12 of the grasp analysis apparatus 10 of FIGS. 1-4 includes two members, the movable wall 20 and tranducer 21, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. The transducer 21 is support by the rear wall 24 of the palm engaging part 12. The transducer 21 is activated by the movable wall 20 that moves longitudinally across the chamber as pressure is applied at finger grip 32. The finger engaging part 14 opposite to the palm engaging part 12 comprises a formed member that is contoured as indicated at finger grip 32 to fit the individual fingers so that suitable grasp can be obtained. The cylindrical shaft 16 is adjustably connected thereto which passes out of the housing formed within the finger engaging part 14 and through aperture 17 which freely receives the shaft in a slidable manner. The distance between members 12 and 14 can be easily established by selecting the appropriate hole, of a plurality of holes provided at 16A in shaft 16 through which the stop member 18, in the form of a small pin, is passed. The selected location of this pin respective to shaft 16 will result in a different width between the two members 12 and 14. Thus the appropriate width of the apparatus for each of the five positions along the fingers, as illustrated in the drawings, can be obtained, and the appropriate amount of grip in each of these positions measured by the movable wall 20 compressing and activating the pressure responsive transducer. The results of the measurement obtained with the transducer 21 are then conveyed at conductor 22 into a computer 23 of FIG. 4 which is programmed to create the equivalent of the graph as shown in FIG. 5. Hence the resultant printout 23B in the form of the illustrated curve is the final reading.
The grasp analysis apparatus 10 can be used in a single position in a manner similar to a known or prior art manometer; and, the graph need not be actually drawn so long as data is compiled and presented to achieve the equivalent of stored knowledge, as illustrated by the curve of FIG. 5, for example. However, the grasp analysis apparatus 10 has the capability of creating the grasp analysis curve from which the strength of grasp can be better evaluated in a new and unobvious manner. This capability should be of great advantage to the hand surgeon or the rehabilitationist who must do evaluations of patients with proported impaired hand conditions, and in doing these evaluations one must ascertain whether or not the patient is making maximum effort when his grasp is measured.
The grasp analysis apparatus 10 of the present invention is to be used for the measurement of the power of grasp in the human hand, and at the same time evaluate the amount of effort being utilized by the patient for creating the curve as seen in FIG. 5, thus indicating the magnitude of the force of the grasp that is present in certain locations relative to the width of the grasp. When a very wide object, as seen in FIG. 2, for example, is grasped with the hand, only the flexor tendon that attaches distally (the flexor digitorum profundus tendon) acts and this results in a certain amount of pressure being applied to the pressure transducer 21 in the grasp analysis apparatus 10. This is indicated at P on the curve of FIG. 5. With the next smaller grasp width, the flexor digitorum superficialis tendon comes into play since its function is primarily on the middle phalanx of the finger. This is indicated at PS on the curve of FIG. 5. In position three, the function of the profundus, the superficialis is aided by the action of the intrinsic musculature so that all three muscle groups are exerting maximum effect and jointly represent the magnitude of the power of grasp exerted between the palm and fingers. This is indicated at PSI on the curve of FIG. 5. In the next smaller width, or position four, the profundus can mechanically no longer function on this small a width so that the magnitude of the power of graph is produced only by the superficialis tendon 60 and the intrinsics 50. This is indicated at SI on the curve of FIG. 5. Finally, in the smallest width possible, the superficialis and profundus tendons both have become mechanically ineffective because of the smallness of the width between members 12 and 14, and only the intrinsic musculature which exerts pressure through the proximal or knuckle joint 40 of the finger is functional and the reading at 23B will so indicate. This is indicated at I on the curve of FIG. 5.
In analyzing these five locations on the curve of FIG. 5, it will be seen that a bell shaped curve is achieved by plotting normal activity. This configuration of the curve will be evidenced by the data at P, PS, PSI, SI, and I; no matter what strength musculature motivates the hand; and, in most circumstances will be present when the patient is exerting maximum effort at each of the five recited measuring locations. Should the patient, for one reason or another, fail to exert maximum effort, a more straight configuration of curve will result, or a curve that has a downward slant will occur, so that the Examiner realizes that the patient is not making his maximum effort, and therefore the weakness of grasp can be attributed to this lack of effort, rather than to other causes such as muscular weakness and the like. Stated differently, data that results in a curve other than the bell curve of FIG. 5 is a strong indication that the patient is deliberately faking the extent of his injury. The greater the departure of the curve from the bell shaped curve of FIG. 5 is proportional to the degree of the false effort made by the patient.
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