Trajectory of Walking Function in Late-Stage Older Individuals Managed with a Regular Exercise Program: A 5-Year Longitudinal Tracking with an IoT Gait Analysis System Using Accelerometers

Purpose: This study focused on maintaining and improving the walking function of late-stage older individuals while longitudinally tracking the effects of regular exercise programs in a day-care service specialized for preventive care over 5 years, using detailed gait function measurements with an accelerometer-based system. Methods: Seventy individuals (17 male and 53 female) of a daycare service in Tokyo participated in a weekly exercise program, meeting 1 - 2 times. The average age of the participants at the start of the program was 81.4 years. Gait function, including gait speed, stride length, root mean square (RMS) of acceleration, gait cycle time and its standard deviation, and left-right difference in stance time, was evaluated every 6 months. Results: Gait speed and stride length improved considerably within six months of starting the exercise program, confirming an initial improvement in gait function. This suggests that regular exercise programs can maintain or improve gait function even age groups that predictably have a gradual decline in gait ability due to enhanced age. In the long term, many indicators tended to approach baseline values. However, the exercise program seemingly counteracts age-related changes in gait function and maintains a certain level of function. Conclusions: While a decline in gait ability with aging is inevitable, establishing appropriate exercise habits in late-stage older individuals may contribute to long-term maintenance of gait function.

Association of accelerometer-measured sleep duration and different intensities of physical activity with incident type 2 diabetes in a population-based cohort study

Purpose:The aim of the current study was to investigate the association of accelerometer-measured sleep duration and different intensities of physical activity(PA)with the risk of incident type 2 diabetes in a population-based prospective cohort study.Methods:Altogether,88,000 participants(mean age=62.2±7.9 years,mean±SD)were included from the UK Biobank.Sleep duration(short:<6 h/day;normal:6-8 h/day;long:>8 h/day)and PA of different intensities were measured using a wrist-won accelerometer over a 7-day period between 2013 and 2015.PA was classified according to the median or World Health Organization-recommendation:total volume of PA(high,low),moderate-to-vigorous PA(MVPA)(recommended,not recommended),and light-intensity PA(high,low).Incidence of type 2diabetes was ascertained using hospital records or death registries.Results:During a median follow-up of 7.0 years,1615 incident type 2 diabetes cases were documented.Compared with normal sleep duration,short(hazard ratio(HR)=1.21,95%confidence interval(95%CI):1.03-1.41)but not long sleep duration(HR=1.01,95%CI:0.89-1.15)was associated with excessive type 2 diabetes risk.This increased risk among short sleepers seems to be protected against by PA.Compared with normal sleepers with high or recommended PA,short sleepers with low volume of PA(HR=1.81,95%CI:1.46-2.25),not recommended(below the World Health Organization-recommended level of)MVPA(HR=1.92,95%CI:1.55-2.36),or low light-intensity PA(HR=1.49,95%CI:1.13-1.90)had a higher risk of type 2 diabetes,while short sleepers with a high volume of PA(HR=1.14,95%CI:0.88-1.49),recommended MVPA(HR=1.02,95%CI:0.71-1.48),or high light-intensity PA(HR=1.14,95%CI:0.92-1.41)did not.Conclusion:Accelerometer-measured short but not long sleep duration was associated with a higher risk of incident type 2 diabetes.A higher level of PA,regardless of intensity,potentially ameliorates this excessive risk.

Design and simulation of an accelerometer based on NV center spin–strain coupling

The nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center quantum systems have emerged as versatile tools in the field of precision measurement because of their high sensitivity in spin state detection and miniaturization potential as solid-state platforms.In this paper,an acceleration sensing scheme based on NV spin–strain coupling is proposed,which can effectively eliminate the influence of the stray noise field introduced by traditional mechanical schemes.Through the finite element simulation,it is found that the measurement bandwidth of this ensemble NV spin system ranges from 3 kHz to hundreds of kHz with structure√optimization.The required power is at the sub-μW level,corresponding to a noise-limited sensitivity of 6.7×10^(-5) /√Hz.Compared with other types of accelerometers,this micro-sized diamond sensor proposed here has low power consumption,exquisite sensitivity,and integration potential.This research opens a fresh perspective to realize an accelerometer with appealing comprehensive performance applied in biomechanics and inertial measurement fields.

Effect of annealing temperature on the microstructure and optoelectrical properties of ZnO thin films and their application in self-powered accelerometers

This paper reports a piezoelectric nanogenerator(NG) with a thickness of approximately 80 μm for miniaturized self-powered acceleration sensors. To deposit the piezoelectric zinc oxide(ZnO) thin film, a magnetron sputtering machine was used. Polymethyl methacrylate(PMMA) and aluminum-doped zinc oxide(AZO) were used as the insulating layer and the top electrode of the NG, respectively. The experimental results show that the ZnO thin films annealed at 150℃ exhibited the highest crystallinity among the prepared films and an optical band gap of 3.24 eV. The NG fabricated with an AZO/PMMA/ZnO/stainless steel configuration exhibited a higher output voltage than the device with an AZO/ZnO/PMMA/stainless steel configuration. In addition, the annealing temperature affected the open-circuit voltage of the NGs;the output voltage reached 3.81 V when the annealing temperature was 150℃. The open-circuit voltage of the prepared self-powered accelerometer increased linearly with acceleration. In addition, the small NG-based accelerometer, which exhibited excellent fatigue resistance, can be used for acceleration measurements of small and lightweight devices.

Design and application of single-antenna GPS/accelerometers attitude determination system

In view of the problem that the current single-antenna GPS attitude determination system can only determine the body attitude when the sideslip angle is zero and the multiantenna GPS/SINS integrated navigation system is of large volume, high cost, and complex structure, this approach is presented to determine the attitude based on vector space with single-antenna GPS and accelerometers in the micro inertial measurement unit （MIMU）. It can provide real-time and accurate attitude information. Subsequently, the single-antenna GPS/SINS integrated navigation system is designed based on the combination of position, velocity, and attitude. Finally the semi- physical simulations of single-antenna GPS attitude determination system and single-antenna GPS/SINS integrated navigation system are carried out. The simulation results, based on measured data, show that the single-antenna GPS/SINS system can provide more accurate navigation information compared to the GPS/SINS system, based on the combination of position and velocity. Furthermore, the single-antenna GPS/SINS system is characteristic of lower cost and simpler structure. It provides the basis for the application of a single-antenna GPS/SINS integrated navigation system in a micro aerial vehicle （MAV）.

Review of micromachined optical accelerometers:from mg to sub-μg

Micro-Opto-Electro-Mechanical Systems(MOEMS)accelerometer is a new type of accelerometer which combines the merits of optical measurement and Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems(MEMS)to enable high precision,small volume and anti-electromagnetic disturbance measurement of acceleration.In recent years,with the in-depth research and development of MOEMS accelerometers,the community is flourishing with the possible applications in seismic monitoring,inertial navigation,aerospace and other industrial and military fields.There have been a variety of schemes of MOEMS accelerometers,whereas the performances differ greatly due to different measurement principles and corresponding application requirements.This paper aims to address the pressing issue of the current lack of systematic review of MOEMS accelerometers.According to the optical measurement principle,we divide the MOEMS accelerometers into three categories:the geometric optics based,the wave optics based,and the new optomechanical accelerometers.Regarding the most widely studied category,the wave optics based accelerometers are further divided into four sub-categories,which is based on grating interferometric cavity,Fiber Bragg Grating(FBG),Fabry-Perot cavity,and photonic crystal,respectively.Following a brief introduction to the measurement principles,the typical performances,advantages and disadvantages as well as the potential application scenarios of all kinds of MOEMS accelerometers are discussed on the basis of typical demonstrations.This paper also presents the status and development tendency of MOEMS accelerometers to meet the ever-increasing demand for high-precision acceleration measurement.

Understanding Tremor in Rapid Upper Limb Movements Using 3D Accelerometers Data

Tremor is a manifestation of a variety of human neurodegenerative diseases, notably Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Essential Tremor (ET), both affecting millions worldwide. PD is primarily caused by a progressive loss of dopamine neurons in the nigrostriatal system that leads to widespread motor symptoms such as bradykinesia, rigidity, tremor and postural instability. ET typically involves a tremor of the arms, hands or fingers. No definitive test or biomarker is yet available for PD or ET, so the rate of misdiagnosis is relatively high. As tremor is a very common feature at the onset of both diseases, it is crucial to be able to characterize it. This is made possible using acce?lerometers to quantify the tremor amplitude and frequency. In this work we aim to find tasks involving upper limb movements that are suitable to modulate both types of tremor. Four tasks were tested, differing on whether the arms moved together or alternatingly and whether loads were added. Significant differences in tremor measures were found when patients were asked to perform simultaneous rapid arms movements with loads placed on their wrists. These results may allow the design of an efficient fMRI protocol for identifying the cortical circuits responsible for the modulation of tremor.

Summary of Research Status and Application of MEMS Accelerometers

The rapid development of MEMS technology has made MEMS accelerometers mature and the application range has been expanded. Many kinds of MEMS accelerometers are researched. According to the working principle of MEMS accelerometer, it can be divided into: piezoresistive, piezoelectric, capacitive, tunnel, resonant, electromagnetic, thermocouple, optical, inductive, etc. Due to its outstanding features in terms of size, quality, power consumption and reliability, MEMS sensors are used in military applications and where high environmental resistance is required. MEMS accelerometers are developing rapidly and have good application prospects. In order to make MEMS accelerometers more widely understood, the advantages of MEMS accelerometers are expounded. The research status of MEMS accelerometers is introduced, and MEMS are analyzed. The application of accelerometers in real-world environments, and the development trend of MEMS accelerometers in the future. More scholars will invest in MEMS accelerometer research, pursuing high performance, low power consumption, high precision, multi-function, and interaction. Strong MEMS accelerometers will be ubiquitous in the future.

Suitable triggering algorithms for detecting strong ground motions using MEMS accelerometers

With the recent development of digital Micro Electro Mechanical System （MEMS） sensors, the cost of monitoring and detecting seismic events in real time can be greatly reduced. Ability of MEMS accelerograph to record a seismic event depends upon the efficiency of triggering algorithm, apart from the sensor＇s sensitivity. There are several classic triggering algorithms developed to detect seismic events, ranging from basic amplitude threshold to more sophisticated pattern recognition. Algorithms based on STA/LTA are reported to be computationally efficient for real time monitoring. In this paper, we analyzed several STA/LTA algorithms to check their efficiency and suitability using data obtained from the Quake Catcher Network （network of MEMS accelerometer stations）. We found that most of the STA/LTA algorithms are suitable for use with MEMS accelerometer data to accurately detect seismic events. However, the efficiency of any particular algorithm is found to be dependent on the parameter set used （i.e., window width of STA, LTA and threshold level）.

Measurement of six degree-of-freedom ground motion by using eight accelerometers

A new integrated measuring system with eight force-balance accelerometers is proposed to obtain a direct measurement of six degree-of freedom （DOF） ground motions, including three rotational and three actual translational acceleration components without gyroscopes. In the proposed measuring system, the relationship between the output from eight force-balance accelerometer and the six DOF motion of the measuring system under an earthquake are described by differential equations. These equations are derived from the positions and directions of the eight force-balance accelerometers in the measuring system. The third-order Runge-Kutta algorithm is used to guarantee the accuracy of the numerical calculation. All the algorithms used to compute the six DOF components of the ground motion are implemented in a real-time in Digital Signal Processor （DSP）. The distortion of the measured results caused by position and direction errors of the accelerometers in the measuring system are reduced by multiplying a compensation coefficient C to the output and subtracting static zero drift from the measured results, respectively.

Rigid Bridges Health Dynamic Monitoring Using 100 Hz GPS Single-Frequency and Accelerometers

This article presents the modal frequency recordings of a rigid bridge, monitored by the GPS receivers (Global Positioning System) with a data recording rate of 100 Hz and accelerometers. The GPS data processing was performed through the double-difference phase, using the adjusted interferometry technique (i.e. phase residue method—PRM&reg). In the method, the double-difference phase of the carrier L1 is realized by using two satellites only, one was positioned at the zenith of the structure and the other satellite was positioned near the horizon. The results of the parametric adjustment of the PRM observations were finalized through software Interferometry, mathematical algorithm were applied and compared with the accelerometer. The comparison served to validate the use of GPS as a fast and reliable instrument for the preliminary monitoring of the dynamic behavior of the bridge, road artworks which are common in several countries, especially in the Brazilian road network. The data time series from the GPS and accelerometers were processed using the Wavelet. The detection of frequencies means that the combination of 100 Hz GPS receivers and the PRM allows detecting vibrations up to 5 mm. It presented significant results which were never obtained by the Fourier Transform.

A Survey of Error Analysis and Calibration Methods for MEMS Triaxial Accelerometers

MEMS accelerometers are widely used in various fields due to their small size and low cost,and have good application prospects.However,the low accuracy limits its range of applications.To ensure data accuracy and safety we need to calibrate MEMS accelerometers.Many authors have improved accelerometer accuracy by calculating calibration parameters,and a large number of published calibration methods have been confusing.In this context,this paper introduces these techniques and methods,analyzes and summarizes the main error models and calibration procedures,and provides useful suggestions.Finally,the content of the accelerometer calibration method needs to be overcome.

An iterative calibration method for nonlinear coefficients of marine triaxial accelerometers

Single-axis rotation technique is often used in the marine laser inertial navigation system so as to modulate the constant biases of non-axial gyroscopes and accelerometers to attain better navigation performance.However,two significant accelerometer nonlinear errors need to be attacked to improve the modulation effect.Firstly,the asymmetry scale factor inaccuracy enlarges the errors of frequent zero-cross oscillating specific force measured by non-axial accelerometers.Secondly,the traditional linear model of accelerometers can hardly measure the continued or intermittent acceleration accurately.These two nonlinear errors degrade the high-precision specific force measurement and the calibration of nonlinear coefficients because triaxial accelerometers is urgent for the marine navigation.Based on the digital signal sampling property,the square coefficients and cross-coupling coefficients of accelerometers are considered.Meanwhile,the asymmetry scale factors are considered in the I-F conversion unit.Thus,a nonlinear model of specific force measurement is established compared to the linear model.Based on the three-axis turntable,the triaxial gyroscopes are utilized to measure the specific force observation for triaxial accelerometers.Considering the nonlinear combination,the standard calibration parameters and asymmetry factors are separately estimated by a two-step iterative identification procedure.Besides,an efficient specific force calculation model is approximately derived to reduce the real-time computation cost.Simulation results illustrate the sufficient estimation accuracy of nonlinear coefficients.The experiments demonstrate that the nonlinear model shows much higher accuracy than the linear model in both the gravimetry and sway navigation validations.

Vector fiber Bragg gratings accelerometer based on silicone compliant cylinder for low frequency vibration monitoring

Vector accelerometer has attracted much attention for its great application potential in underground seismic signal measurement. We propose and demonstrate a novel vector accelerometer based on the three fiber Bragg gratings(FBGs)embedded in a silicone rubber compliant cylinder at 120° distributed uniformly. The accelerometer is capable of detecting the orientation of vibration with a range of 0°–360° and the acceleration through monitoring the central wavelength shifts of three FBGs simultaneously. The experimental results show that the natural frequency of the accelerometer is about 85 Hz, and the sensitivity is 84.21 pm/g in the flat range of 20 Hz–60 Hz. Through experimental calibration, the designed accelerometer can accurately obtain vibration vector information, including vibration orientation and acceleration. In addition, the range of resonant frequency and sensitivity can be expanded by adjusting the hardness of the silicone rubber materials. Due to the characteristics of small size and orientation recognition, the accelerometer can be applied to low-frequency vibration acceleration vector measurement in narrow spaces.

一种摆式谐振加速度计的微杠杆结构设计与分析

为提升摆式谐振式加速度计性能,设计了一种将质量块与微杠杆结构一体化的摆式微杠杆结构,实现惯性力的敏感与放大,提升结构的鲁棒性。首先建立了微杠杆结构力学模型,并进行了关键参数计算。其次,根据微杠杆结构放大倍数影响机理,分析了质量块、支撑梁及微杠杆结构尺寸参数对放大倍数的影响;理论分析与有限元仿真结果均表明,支点梁与输出梁的宽度应作为该类微杠杆的关键优化参数。最后,根据上述结论对现有结构尺寸进行优化,优化后的微杠杆放大倍数为15.68,系统放大倍数为12.88,标度因数为70.52 Hz/g,较优化前分别提升了36.94%、36.87%和36.88%,验证了优化方法的有效性。

内蒙古地区强震动台站背景噪声与数据质量分析

计算了内蒙古地区193个强震动台站2022年连续观测数据的加速度功率谱密度,通过绘制不同时空、不同加速度计、不同频段的功率谱密度和功率谱概率密度函数图及背景噪声速度均方根值分布图,评估了该区强震动台站的背景噪声变化特征,对出现的功率谱密度异常进行了具体分析,并针对强震动台站数据异常检测及处理提出了相应的建议。研究结果显示:不同加速度计、不同时空强震动台站的背景噪声功率谱密度昼夜差异主要体现在1 Hz以上频段,且不同区域的昼夜差异变化较大;QA-2g型、JS-A2型和TDA-33M型三种加速度计在2 s频点的背景噪声功率谱密度随区域和三分向变化较小;从强震动台站2 s频点背景噪声的监控能得到可靠的观测数据异常,数据异常主要由加速度计零点漂移大、加速度计故障、脉冲干扰、系统参数有误造成,建议优化站点观测环境,进一步规范仪器安装、调试及JOPENS系统的参数配置和审核。

基于MEMS加速度计与磁力计的位移计设计

基坑水平位移监测是基坑安全的重要检测项目之一。针对现有的阵列式位移计在基坑水平位移监测中容易产生扭转误差的问题,设计了一种基于MEMS加速度计与磁力计的位移计,能够同时满足基坑水平位移与沉降位移监测的需求。介绍了位移计自动化实时监测系统组成。对位移计的结构以及监测节的硬件电路进行了设计,并制作完成了位移计样机。阐述了位移计通过对加速度计与磁力计的数据进行融合,计算位移坐标的测量原理和扭转误差校正的方法。最后通过模拟监测节间发生扭转时位移计水平位移监测的实验,以及位移计沉降位移监测试验。实验结果表明,该位移计能够精确测量水平与沉降位移,并能够有效校正位移计竖直安装时监测节扭转带来的扭转误差。

基于ReliefF-RBF的路面不平度识别算法研究

路面不平度对道路车辆行驶安全性及车辆动力学响应具有重要影响。通过将路面不平度识别与先进悬架控制结合,有望能进一步提升乘员舒适性和车辆的操纵稳定性。现有基于数据驱动的路面分类方法难以高效处理时变参数与车速,现有基于模型的路面识别算法需要已知精确车辆模型,在实际应用中面临车辆物理参数难以获得的问题。提出一种融合模型和数据驱动的路面分类算法,采用基于模型的方法反算等效路面轮廓,结合数据预处理方法,对车辆响应和反算等效路面轮廓数据进行滤波;对等效路面轮廓和响应信息进行时域频域特征计算,采用ReliefF算法进行关键特征提取,构建基于径向基函数神经网络的路面分类器,进行路面分级识别;通过仿真试验和实车试验验证了不同车辆参数和车速下所提出的算法鲁棒性。

基于BP神经网络的个性化跌倒检测研究

为了提高跌倒检测的准确性,提出一种基于加速度和克托莱指数的跌倒检测算法。在可穿戴设备获取人体运动数据的同时,根据用户的身高与体重计算克托莱指数,构建共有1080条数据的特征数据集。通过BP神经网络对数据集进行分类,并对跌倒行为进行识别。测试结果表明,算法的识别准确率为98.8%、敏感度为97.9%、特异性为99.4%、检测时间为0.27 s。相较于仅以加速度特征值作为检测数据的跌倒检测算法,所提算法的识别准确率提高了4.9个百分点,敏感度提高了2.9个百分点,特异性提高了6.5个百分点。由此说明算法具备较高的检测精度和实时性,适用于低成本、高性能的可穿戴设备在老年人群体中的普及推广。

基于FPGA的多通道加速度计频率信号采集系统设计

文章设计了一种基于现场可编程门阵列(Field Programmable Gate Array,FPGA)的多通道加速度计频率信号采集系统,以FPGA芯片Artix7 XC7A35T为核心,利用FPGA实现高精度、多通道频率测量功能,通过FT232H芯片将采集数据传输至计算机存储。测试结果表明:该系统可以实现多达12通道的频率测量,测量精度能够达至0.01μs,可以实现10~100 kHz范围内的频率测量,精度可达1×10^(-4) Hz,在整个频率范围内测量精度一致。通过与Keysight 53230A高精度测频仪器数据对比,结果证明系统能够达到等精度测量的目的。