Device for measuring muscle relaxation and monitoring equipment

A monitoring equipment, comprising:

• an angular velocity sensor that senses a motion of a measurement site in response to a stimulus current and outputs corresponding angular velocity information of the measurement site to a control unit;
• and
• an acceleration sensor that senses acceleration information of the measurement site and outputs the acceleration information to the control unit;
• wherein the control unit is connected to the angular velocity sensor and the acceleration sensor, and wherein the control unit comprises:
• a main processor that:
• generates instructions for a stimulus signal source to generate the stimulus current that will be applied to the measurement site,
• receives feedback of the stimulus current being generated by the stimulus signal source,
• generates instructions for the stimulus signal source to modify intensity and/or pulse width of the stimulus current being applied to the measurement site so that the modified stimulus current falls within a pre-defined range according to a specific body impedance range based on the received feedback, and
• processes the angular velocity information from the angular velocity sensor and the acceleration information from the acceleration sensor to determine a measurement result of muscle relaxation,
• wherein, the stimulus signal source is configured to apply the stimulus current to the measurement site based on the generated instructions from the main processor through an output terminal, and
• wherein the main processor is further configured to:
• acquire the acceleration information output by the acceleration sensor, wherein the acceleration information includes components, in an X-axis of an X-Y plane parallel to a direction of gravity, of an acceleration generated by a resistance that resists movement of a moving mass of the acceleration sensor;
• acquire an initial angle between a gravity direction corresponding to an initial status of the moving mass and the X-axis;
• acquire the angular velocity information output by the angular velocity sensor and calculate an angle variation during moving based on the angular velocity information;
• calculate a resultant acceleration of the moving mass based on the initial angle, the angle variation, a gravity acceleration, and the acceleration information;
• and
• calculate the measurement result of muscle relaxation based on the resultant acceleration.

A method for measuring muscle relaxation, comprising:

• applying a stimulus current to a measurement site via a stimulus signal source based on generated instructions from a main processor through an output terminal;
• receiving, at a control unit, a feedback of the stimulus current being generated by the stimulus signal source;
• modifying, via the control unit, an intensity and/or pulse width of the stimulus current being generated applied to the measurement site so that the modified stimulus current falls within a pre-defined range according to a specific body impedance range based on the received feedback;
• sensing, via an angular velocity sensor, motion of the measurement site based on the applied stimulus current;
• outputting, via a response signal detection unit, corresponding angular velocity information of the measurement site based on the sensed motion and acceleration information;
• processing, via the control unit, the angular velocity information and the acceleration information to obtain a measurement result, wherein the measurement result corresponds to a degree of muscle relaxation;
• and
• displaying the measurement result on a display unit,
• wherein processing, via the control unit, the angular velocity information and the acceleration information to obtain the measurement result comprises:
• acquiring the acceleration information output by the acceleration sensor, wherein the acceleration information includes components, in an X-axis of an X-Y plane parallel to a direction of gravity, of an acceleration generated by a resistance that resists movement of a moving mass of the acceleration sensor;
• acquiring an initial angle between a gravity direction corresponding to an initial status of the moving mass and the X-axis;
• acquiring the angular velocity information output by the angular velocity sensor and calculating an angle variation during moving based on the angular velocity information;
• calculating a resultant acceleration of the moving mass based on the initial angle, the angle variation, a gravity acceleration, and the acceleration information;
• and
• calculating the measurement result of muscle relaxation based on the resultant acceleration.