Method and system for analysing a virtual rehabilitation activity/exercise

Abstract

A method for analysing one of a rehabilitation activity and a performance of a user during a rehabilitation exercise, comprising: receiving one of a rehabilitation activity and executed movements performed by the user during the rehabilitation exercise, the rehabilitation activity defining an interactive environment to be used for generating a simulation that corresponds to the rehabilitation exercise; determining movement rules corresponding to the one of the rehabilitation activity and the rehabilitation exercise; determining a sequence of movement events corresponding to the one of the rehabilitation activity and the rehabilitation exercise, each one of the movement events corresponding to a given state of the property of the virtual user-controlled object in the interactive environment, the given state corresponding to one of a beginning and an end of a movement; and determining a movement sequence of elementary movements using the movement rules and the movement events.

1 . A computer-implemented method for analysing one of a rehabilitation activity and a performance of a user during a virtual rehabilitation exercise, comprising:
 receiving one of a rehabilitation activity and executed movements performed by the user during the virtual rehabilitation exercise, the rehabilitation activity defining an interactive environment to be used for generating a simulation that corresponds to the virtual rehabilitation exercise, the rehabilitation activity comprising at least one virtual user-controlled element and input parameters;   determining movement rules corresponding to the one of the rehabilitation activity and the rehabilitation exercise; each one of the movement rules comprising a correlation between a given group consisting of at least a property of the virtual user-controlled element and a body part, and at least one of a respective elementary movement and a respective task-oriented movement;   determining a sequence of movement events corresponding to the one of the rehabilitation activity and the executed movements, each one of the movement events corresponding to a given state of the property of the virtual user-controlled object in the interactive environment, the given state corresponding to one of a beginning and an end of a movement;   determining a movement sequence comprising at least one of elementary movements and a task-oriented movement using the movement rules and the movement events; and   outputting the movement sequence.   
     
     
         2 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein said receiving comprises receiving the rehabilitation activity. 
     
     
         3 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 2 , wherein said determining movement rules comprises:
 determining a rehabilitation scenario that corresponds to the received rehabilitation activity; and   retrieving from a database the movement rules that correspond to the determined rehabilitation scenario.   
     
     
         4 . The computer-implemented method of  2 , wherein said determining a sequence of movement events comprises determining the movement events from at least one of the input parameters. 
     
     
         5 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 2 , wherein said determining a sequence of movement events comprises retrieving predefined movement events from a storing unit. 
     
     
         6 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 2 , wherein said determining a movement sequence comprising at least one of elementary movements and a task-oriented movement comprises:
 determining movement segments from the movement events;   assigning a respective one of the movement rules to each one of the movement segments; and   assigning at least one of the respective elementary movement and the respective task-oriented movement contained in the assigned movement rule to the each one of the movement segments.   
     
     
         7 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 2 , further comprising determining and outputting at least one clinical objective corresponding to the received rehabilitation activity. 
     
     
         8 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 7 , wherein said determining the at least one clinical objective comprises:
 comparing a given one of the input parameters to a challenge threshold; and   when the given one of the input parameters is greater than the challenge threshold, identifying a movement characteristic related to the given one of the input parameters as being the at least one clinical objective.   
     
     
         9 - 10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein said receiving comprises receiving the executed movements performed by a user during a rehabilitation exercise. 
     
     
         12 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 11 , wherein said determining movement rules comprises retrieving movement rules corresponding to the rehabilitation exercise. 
     
     
         13 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 11 , wherein said determining a sequence of movement events comprises retrieving a sequence of ordered movement events corresponding to the rehabilitation exercise. 
     
     
         14 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 11 , wherein said determining a sequence of movement events comprises receiving unordered movement event triggers corresponding to the rehabilitation exercise, and ordering the unordered movement event triggers, thereby obtaining ordered movement events. 
     
     
         15 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 11 , wherein said determining a movement sequence comprising at least one of elementary movements and a task-oriented movement comprises:
 determining movement segments from the movement events;   assigning a respective one of the movement rules to each one of the movement segments; and   assigning at least one of the respective elementary movement and the respective task-oriented movement contained in the assigned movement rule to the each one of the movement segments.   
     
     
         16 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the given group further comprises a direction of change for the property. 
     
     
         17 . A system for analysing one of a rehabilitation activity and a performance of a user during a virtual rehabilitation exercise during which the user performs executed movements, the rehabilitation activity defining an interactive environment to be used for generating a simulation that corresponds to the virtual rehabilitation exercise, the rehabilitation activity comprising at least one virtual user-controlled element and input parameters, the system comprising:
 a movement rules determining module for determining movement rules corresponding to one of the rehabilitation activity and the virtual rehabilitation exercise; each one of the movement rules comprising a correlation between a given group consisting of a property of the virtual user-controlled element and a body part, and at least one of a respective elementary movement and a respective task-oriented movement;   a movement events determining module for determining a sequence of movement events corresponding to one of the rehabilitation activity and the executed movements, each one of the movement events corresponding to a given state of the property of the virtual user-controlled object in the interactive environment, the given state corresponding to one of a beginning and an end of a movement; and   an elementary movement determining module for determining and outputting a movement sequence comprising at least one of elementary movements and a task-oriented movement using the movement rules and the movement events and outputting the sequence of elementary movements.   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the movement rules determining module is adapted to receive the rehabilitation activity. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , the movement rules determining module is adapted to determine a rehabilitation scenario that corresponds to the received rehabilitation activity, and retrieve from a database the movement rules that correspond to the determined rehabilitation scenario. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the movement rules determining module is adapted to determine the movement events from at least one of the input parameters. 
     
     
         21 . The system of any one of  claim 18 , wherein the movement events determining module is adapted to retrieve predefined movement events from a storing unit. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the elementary movement determining module is adapted to:
 determine movement segments from the movement events;   assign a respective one of the movement rules to each one of the movement segments; and   assign at least one of the respective elementary movement and the respective task-oriented movement contained in the assigned movement rule to the each one of the movement segments.   
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 18 , further comprising a clinical objective module for determining and outputting at least one clinical objective corresponding to the received rehabilitation activity. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein the clinical objective module is adapted to:
 compare a given one of the input parameters to a challenge threshold; and   when the given one of the input parameters is greater than the challenge threshold, identify a movement characteristic related to the given one of the input parameters as being the at least one clinical objective.   
     
     
         25 - 26 . (canceled) 
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the movement rules determining module is adapted to receive the executed movements performed by a user during a rehabilitation exercise. 
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 27 , wherein the movement rules determining module is adapted to retrieve movement rules corresponding to the rehabilitation exercise. 
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 27 , wherein the movement events determining module is adapted to retrieve a sequence of ordered movement events corresponding to the rehabilitation exercise. 
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 27 , wherein the movement events determining module is adapted to receive unordered movement event triggers corresponding to the rehabilitation exercise, and order the unordered movement event triggers in order to obtain ordered movement events. 
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 27 , wherein the elementary movement determining module is adapted to:
 determine movement segments from the movement events;   assign a respective one of the movement rules to each one of the movement segments; and   assign at least one of the respective elementary movement and the respective task-oriented movement contained in the assigned movement rule to the each one of the movement segments.   
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the given group further comprises a direction of change for the property.