KR102193558B1 - Method, system and non-transitory computer-readable recording medium for measuring bio signal - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an aspect of the present invention, as a method for measuring a bio-signal, a first bio-signal is obtained from a first sensing device that is in contact with a first body part of a subject, and a second body part of the subject is contacted. Obtaining a second bio-signal from a second sensing device that is configured to be, quantizing the obtained first bio-signal and the second bio-signal, and between the quantized first bio-signal and the quantized second bio-signal Synchronizing the quantized first bio-signal and the quantized second bio-signal based on a time point having a highest correlation, wherein the first sensing device and the second sensing device are Physically separate methods are provided.

Description

Method, system and non-transitory computer-readable recording medium for measuring vital signs {METHOD, SYSTEM AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER-READABLE RECORDING MEDIUM FOR MEASURING BIO SIGNAL}

The present invention relates to a method, a system and a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium for measuring a physiological signal.

Due to the recent rapid development of science and technology, the quality of life for the whole of mankind is improving, and many changes have occurred in the medical environment. In the past, medical images, such as X-rays, CTs, and fMRIs, were taken in hospitals and waited several hours or days to read the images.

However, the image storage and transmission system (PACS, Picture Archive Communication System) has been introduced since recent 10 years ago, after taking medical images, images are transmitted to the monitor screen of radiologists and can be read immediately. In addition, ubiquitous healthcare-related medical devices that can check their blood sugar and blood pressure anytime, anywhere without going to the hospital have been widely distributed, and blood sugar patients and hypertensive patients use them in their homes or offices. In particular, in the case of hypertension, which is a major cause of the invention of various diseases and the prevalence is increasing, a system that continuously measures blood pressure and notifies it in real time is required, and various types of studies have been attempted.

In recent years, as wearable devices that measure biological signals (ECG signals, etc.) by forming contact with various body parts (chest, wrist, ankle, etc.) of the subject are widely spread, it is possible to easily measure biological signals during daily life. It became possible to analyze.

However, since a plurality of biosignals measured from a plurality of dissimilar devices respectively disposed on a plurality of different body parts of the subject are not synchronized with each other, in order to utilize the plurality of biosignals together, It is necessary to precede the process of synchronizing the biological signals of

Accordingly, the present inventors propose a technique for synchronizing bio-signals measured by a plurality of different devices that are in contact with different body parts of a subject.

An object of the present invention is to solve all of the above-described problems.

In addition, the present invention obtains a first bio-signal from a first sensing device in contact with a first body part of the subject, and a second bio-signal from a second sensing device in contact with a second body part of the subject, , The obtained first biosignal and the second biosignal are quantized, and the correlation between the quantized first biosignal and the quantized second biosignal is highest based on the time point By synchronizing the above quantized first bio-signal and the quantized second bio-signal, a method, system and non-transitory computer-reading capable of synchronizing and analyzing bio-signals measured by different plurality of sensing devices Another object is to provide a possible recording medium.

A typical configuration of the present invention for achieving the above object is as follows.

According to an aspect of the present invention, as a method for measuring a bio-signal, a first bio-signal is obtained from a first sensing device that is in contact with a first body part of a subject, and a second body part of the subject is contacted. Obtaining a second bio-signal from a second sensing device that is configured to be, quantizing the obtained first bio-signal and the second bio-signal, and between the quantized first bio-signal and the quantized second bio-signal Synchronizing the quantized first bio-signal and the quantized second bio-signal based on a time point having a highest correlation, wherein the first sensing device and the second sensing device are Physically separate methods are provided.

According to another aspect of the present invention, as a system for measuring a biological signal, a first biological signal is obtained from a first sensing device that is in contact with a first body part of the subject, and the second body part of the subject is contacted. A bio-signal acquisition unit that obtains a second bio-signal from a second sensing device that quantizes the obtained first bio-signal and the second bio-signal, and quantizes the quantized first bio-signal and the quantized second bio-signal A biosignal processing unit for synchronizing the quantized first biosignal and the quantized second biosignal based on a time point in which a correlation is highest, and the first sensing device and the second sensing Devices are provided with a system that is physically separated from each other.

In addition to this, another method, a system for implementing the present invention, and a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium for recording a computer program for executing the method are further provided.

According to the present invention, since it is possible to synchronize and analyze bio-signals measured by a plurality of different sensing devices respectively disposed on different body parts of a subject, various bio-signals measured in various body parts can be analyzed in a complex manner. The effect of being able to derive more accurate and various biometric information is achieved accordingly.

1 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of an entire system according to the present invention.
2 is a diagram illustrating an internal configuration of a biosignal measuring system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a diagram illustrating a process of synchronizing a plurality of ECG signals each obtained from a plurality of different sensing devices according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a diagram illustrating a process of finding a synchronization point for a first ECG signal and a second ECG signal using a sliding window algorithm according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 and 6 are diagrams illustrating a process of generating biometric information using a plurality of ECG signals each obtained from a plurality of different sensing devices according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a diagram conceptually showing the configuration of a system for monitoring a bio-signal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 and 9 are diagrams illustrating an apparatus for measuring a biological signal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a biological signal measuring apparatus including a PPG sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
11 and 12 are views exemplarily illustrating a watch-type sensing device equipped with a bio-signal measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
13 is a diagram illustrating an example of an earphone type sensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
14 to 16 are views exemplarily showing the state of a necklace-type sensing device equipped with a biological signal measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
17 and 18 are views exemplarily illustrating a finger rest type sensing device equipped with a bio-signal measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
19 and 20 are views exemplarily illustrating a vehicle steering wheel type sensing device equipped with a biological signal measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The detailed description of the present invention to be described later refers to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate specific embodiments in which the present invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in detail sufficient to enable a person skilled in the art to practice the present invention. It is to be understood that the various embodiments of the present invention are different from each other, but need not be mutually exclusive. For example, specific shapes, structures, and characteristics described herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention in relation to one embodiment. In addition, it is to be understood that the location or arrangement of individual components within each disclosed embodiment may be changed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the detailed description to be described below is not intended to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention, if properly described, is limited only by the appended claims, along with all scopes equivalent to those claimed by the claims. Like reference numerals in the drawings refer to the same or similar functions over several aspects.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in order to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to easily implement the present invention.

Composition of the whole system

Hereinafter, a detailed description will be given of a preferred embodiment of the biosignal measuring system according to the present invention.

1 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of an entire system according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the entire system according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a communication network 100, a biosignal measuring system 200, and a sensing device 300.

First, the communication network 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be configured regardless of a communication mode such as wired communication or wireless communication, a local area network (LAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN, Metropolitan Area Network). ), and a wide area network (WAN). Preferably, the communication network 100 referred to in the present specification includes a known short-range wireless communication network such as WiFi (Wi-Fi), WiFi Direct (Wi-Fi Direct), LTE Direct (LTE Direct), and Bluetooth. I can. However, the communication network 100 is not necessarily limited thereto, and may include a known wired/wireless data communication network, a known telephone network, or a known wired/wireless television communication network in at least part thereof.

For example, the communication network 100 is a wireless data communication network, such as WiFi (WiFi) communication, WiFi Direct (WiFi-Direct) communication, Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication, Bluetooth communication (low-power Bluetooth (BLE; Bluetooth Low) Energy), infrared communication, ultrasonic communication, and the like may be implemented in at least part of a conventional communication method. For another example, the communication network 100 is an optical communication network, and may implement a conventional communication method such as LiFi (Light Fidelity) in at least a portion thereof.

Next, the bio-signal measurement system 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention acquires a first bio-signal from a first sensing device in contact with a first body part of the subject, and obtains a second body part of the subject. Obtaining a second bio-signal from a second sensing device in contact with, quantizing the obtained first bio-signal and second bio-signal, and quantizing the quantized first bio-signal and the quantized second bio-signal By synchronizing the above quantized first bio-signal and the quantized second bio-signal based on the time point where the correlation is highest, the bio-signals measured by a plurality of different devices are synchronized Can be analyzed.

The function of the bio-signal measurement system 200 will be described in more detail below. On the other hand, although the biosignal measurement system 200 has been described above, this description is exemplary, and at least some of the functions or components required for the biosignal measurement system 200 are required in the device 300 It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that it may be realized or included within the device 300.

Finally, the sensing device 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a digital device including a function to communicate after being connected to the biosignal measurement system 200, and includes a memory means and a microprocessor. Any digital device with computing power can be adopted as the sensing device 300 according to the present invention. The device 300 is a wearable device such as a smart glass, a smart watch, a smart band, a smart ring, a smart necklace, etc., or a somewhat traditional device such as a smart phone, a smart pad, a desktop computer, a notebook computer, a workstation, a PDA, a web pad, a mobile phone, etc. It can be a device.

In particular, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the sensing device 300 may include a sensing means (for example, a contact electrode, an image capturing device, etc.) for obtaining a predetermined bio-signal from the human body. It may include a display means for providing various information on the measurement to the user.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the sensing device 300 may further include an application program for performing a function according to the present invention. Such an application may exist in the form of a program module within the device 300. The characteristics of such a program module may be generally similar to the biosignal acquisition unit 210, the biosignal processing unit 220, the communication unit 230, and the control unit 240 of the biosignal measurement system 200 to be described later. Here, at least a part of the application may be replaced with a hardware device or a firmware device capable of performing a function substantially the same as or equivalent to the application, if necessary.

As will be described later, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the sensing device 300 includes a biosignal measuring device that performs a function of measuring a biosignal according to the present invention, and physically or electrically with the biosignal measuring device. It may be composed of a counterpart object that can be connected or combined.

Configuration of the biosignal measurement system

Hereinafter, the internal configuration of the biosignal measurement system 200 that performs an important function for the implementation of the present invention and functions of each component will be described.

2 is a diagram illustrating an internal configuration of a biosignal measuring system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, a biosignal measurement system 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a biosignal acquisition unit 210, a biosignal processing unit 220, a communication unit 230, and a control unit 240. I can. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the biosignal acquisition unit 210, the biosignal processing unit 220, the communication unit 230, and the control unit 240 are programs in which at least some of them communicate with an external system (not shown). It can be modules. These program modules may be included in the biosignal measurement system 200 in the form of an operating system, an application program module, and other program modules, and may be physically stored on various known storage devices. In addition, these program modules may be stored in a remote storage device capable of communicating with the biosignal measurement system 200. Meanwhile, these program modules include routines, subroutines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or execute specific abstract data types according to the present invention, but are not limited thereto.

First, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the bio-signal acquisition unit 210 acquires a first bio-signal from a first sensing device that is in contact with a first body portion of the subject, and obtains a second body portion of the subject. A function of acquiring a second bio-signal from a second sensing device that is in contact with may be performed.

Here, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the first sensing device and the second sensing device may be different types of sensing devices that are physically separated from each other.

Specifically, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the first sensing device may be detachably attached to the first body part of the subject, so that the first sensing device intermittently contacts the first body part. Bio-signals can be measured. Meanwhile, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the second sensing device is always attached to the second body part of the subject, so that while the electrode of the second sensing device is in contact with the second body part ( Although not necessarily physically attached, the second bio-signal can be measured at all times (eg, every preset period) while the state in which the bio-signal can be obtained is maintained.

For example, the first sensing device may be a watch-type sensing device that can be detachably attached to the wrist or ankle of the subject, and the second sensing device is the skin of the subject (eg, skin on the chest, etc.). ) May be a patch-type sensing device that is constantly attached to ).

Meanwhile, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the first biosignal or the second biosignal may be obtained through a wireless communication network. For example, the first biosignal or the second biosignal is via a known short-range wireless communication network such as Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, LTE Direct, and Bluetooth. Can be transmitted. Further, as will be described later, according to an embodiment of the present invention, wireless transmission of the first biosignal and the second biosignal may be performed after quantization of the corresponding biosignal is performed.

Next, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the biosignal processing unit 220 quantizes the obtained first biosignal and the second biosignal, and quantizes the quantized first biosignal and the quantized above. A function of synchronizing the first bio-signal and the second bio-signal may be performed based on a time point (ie, a synchronization point) having the highest correlation between the second bio-signals.

Specifically, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the biosignal processing unit 220 uses a sliding window algorithm to select the quantized first biosignal and the quantized second biosignal. A correlation between the quantized first biosignal and the quantized second biosignal may be calculated while one biosignal is moved with respect to the other biosignal.

For example, it may be assumed that the first bio-signal and the second bio-signal obtained by the bio-signal processing unit 210 according to an embodiment of the present invention are a first ECG signal and a second ECG signal, respectively.

In this case, the biosignal processing unit 220 according to an embodiment of the present invention detects a first RR interval and a second RR interval from the quantized first ECG signal and the quantized second biosignal, respectively. And, by using a sliding window algorithm, one of the first partial ECG signal corresponding to the first RR interval and the second partial ECG signal corresponding to the second RR interval is moved with respect to the other A correlation between the 1 ECG signal and the quantized second ECG signal above may be calculated.

3 is a diagram illustrating a process of synchronizing a plurality of ECG signals each obtained from a plurality of different sensing devices according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a diagram illustrating a process of finding a synchronization point for a first ECG signal and a second ECG signal using a sliding window algorithm according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 and 4, a first partial ECG signal (ie, watch type RR data) corresponding to the RR interval of the first ECG signal acquired from the watch type sensing device and the second ECG acquired from the patch type sensing device By comparing the second partial ECG signal (ie, patch-type RR data) corresponding to the RR interval of the signal, it may be assumed that the correlation between the RR data of these two ECG signals is calculated. Subsequently, in the embodiments of FIGS. 3 and 4, n/2 patch-type RR data and n/2 watch-type RR data may be compared using a sliding window algorithm. Here, n may represent the number of R-R intervals during a preset time period (eg, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, etc.). Subsequently, in the embodiments of FIGS. 3 and 4, n patch-type RR data and n/2 watch-type RR data may be compared, and n/2 or more or n/2 or less RR data may be used. May be.

In the embodiments of FIGS. 3 and 4, when a sliding window algorithm is used, a first partial ECG signal corresponding to a first RR interval and a patch-type sensing device among first ECG signals obtained from a first sensing device that is a watch-type sensing device A maximum hit count index in which the second partial ECG signal corresponding to the second RR interval has the highest correlation among the second ECG signals obtained from the second sensing device may be determined. According to an embodiment of the present invention, once the maximum hit count index is determined, the first ECG signal and the second ECG signal are synchronized by shifting the patch-type RR data or the watch-type RR data to a synchronization point of the two ECG signals. I can.

Subsequently, referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the biosignal processing unit 220 according to an embodiment of the present invention examines a synchronization point by using a raw signal of the two ECG signals. You can verify whether is valid.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, when the watch-type RR data and the patch-type RR data are synchronized, the RR data included in or following the maximum hit count index may be analyzed to evaluate the cardiovascular function of the subject.

In the above embodiments, an embodiment of synchronizing two ECG signals has been mainly described, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to the above embodiment, and different types of living organisms within the scope capable of achieving the object of the present invention. It should be noted that any number of embodiments for synchronizing signals can be conceived.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the biosignal measurement system 200 may obtain an ECG signal and a PPG signal from the first sensing device and the second sensing device, respectively, and at the RR interval detected from the above ECG signal. The correlation between the above ECG signal and the above PPG signal can be calculated by comparing the corresponding signal with the signal corresponding to the RR interval detected from the above PPG signal, and the calculated correlation above is the most. It is possible to synchronize the above ECG signal and the above PPG signal based on the high viewpoint.

Meanwhile, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the biometric information measurement system 200 generates by using only one biosignal by referring to the synchronized first biosignal and the synchronized second biosignal. It can further perform a function of generating various difficult biometric information.

For example, the biometric information measurement system 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an electrocardiogram (ECG), a photoplethysmogram, an oxygen saturation (SpO ₂ ), a heart rate, a body temperature, and a blood pressure. Information on at least one of blood pressure), electromyogram, sweat gland activity, volume of perspiration, and respiration rate may be generated as biometric information.

5 and 6 are diagrams illustrating a process of generating biometric information using a plurality of ECG signals each obtained from a plurality of different sensing devices according to an embodiment of the present invention.

First, referring to FIG. 5, the biosignal measurement system 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention may obtain a first biosignal from a first sensing device worn on a left wrist of a subject (S511). , A second biosignal may be obtained from a second sensing device worn on the right wrist of the subject (S512). Next, the biosignal measurement system 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention may quantize the first biosignal and the second biosignal according to the method described above (S521 and S522). Next, the biosignal measurement system 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention can synchronize the quantized first biosignal and the second biosignal (S530), and synchronize the first biosignal And it is possible to generate desired biometric information by referring to the second biosignal (S540).

Next, referring to FIG. 6, since it is necessary to maintain the shape of an analog signal in order to effectively utilize many kinds of bio signals including ECG signals, the bio signal measurement system 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention , The process of converting the quantized first biosignal and the second biosignal to the form of an analog signal (ie, DAC conversion) may be further performed (S640). An analog biosignal required for generating desired biometric information may be restored by further performing processing such as amplification or bandpass filtering on the first biosignal and the second biosignal (S650 to S670).

Meanwhile, the communication unit 230 according to an embodiment of the present invention may perform a function of enabling data transmission/reception from/to the biosignal acquisition unit 210 and the biosignal processing unit 220.

Finally, the controller 240 according to an embodiment of the present invention may perform a function of controlling the flow of data between the biosignal acquisition unit 210, the biosignal processing unit 220, and the communication unit 230. That is, the control unit 240 according to the present invention controls the data flow from/to the outside of the biosignal measurement system 200 or between the components of the biosignal measurement system 200, thereby controlling the biosignal acquisition unit ( 210), the biosignal processing unit 220 and the communication unit 230 may be controlled to perform their own functions, respectively.

7 is a diagram conceptually showing the configuration of a system for monitoring a bio-signal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, a biosignal monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention transmits a biosignal in association with a plurality of sensing devices configured in various forms (eg, a watch type, a patch type, etc.) and a sensing device. It may include a transmitter capable of generating useful biometric information by performing an operation using an artificial intelligence-based algorithm using biometric signals transmitted from the transmitter and a digital device that transmits the generated biometric information to an external server.

Subsequently, referring to FIG. 7, the biosignal monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention may itself perform a function as a server. More specifically, the biosignal monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention determines whether the biometric information derived according to the measured biosignal falls within a preset warning generation range, and the health of the subject according to the determination result. It can be implemented to be aware of the risk. For example, the biosignal monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention indicates an abnormal cardiovascular disease in which ECG-related biometric information derived according to the measured biometric signal is out of a preset range, the health risk of the subject Can be notified to external servers such as hospitals and emergency rescue organizations. In the above embodiments, the digital device according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a storage module, a memory, a processor, and the like, and may include a GPS module capable of receiving GPS information. It is transmitted to an external server along with the biometric information, so that it can be effectively used to cope with an emergency situation. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the digital device as described above may be a concept corresponding to an apparatus for measuring biometric information to be described later.

Subsequently, referring to FIG. 7, the biometric information monitoring system according to another embodiment of the present invention may transmit biometric information derived according to the measured biometric signal to an external server, whereby the external server The information can be used to make it possible to recognize the health risk of the subject. According to another embodiment of the present invention, the determination of health risk in an external server may be made directly from at least one piece of biometric information or through multi-party tests on various biometric information.

In addition, according to another embodiment of the present invention, in order to accurately analyze the health status of the subject, the multi-party test as described above is not automatically performed by a single digital device, but rather a research equipped with a vast amount of data and specialized personnel. It can be done by an institution. In this case, the biometric information monitoring system according to another embodiment of the present invention may transmit the biometric information to an external server such as a hospital without automatically determining whether the biometric information corresponds to a preset warning generation section.

Further, the biometric information monitoring system according to another embodiment of the present invention preliminarily determines whether or not the biometric information corresponds to an alert generation section having a wider range, and the biometric information is an alert generation section having a wider range above. The biometric information may be transmitted to an external server such as a hospital only when it is determined that it corresponds to. By doing so, it is possible to reduce the network load required to transmit all biometric information to the external server and the computational load required to process the biometric information in real time by the external server.

Subsequently, referring to FIG. 7, an external server that receives biometric information from a biometric information monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention can accumulate and maintain a number of biometric information in a storage area corresponding to a specific user ID. In addition, health risk factor analysis may be performed by a specific program, real-time biometric information may be compared with accumulated data, or analyzed by an experienced medical professional. When the health risk of the subject is recognized according to the above method, the biometric information monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention may receive a warning signal from an external server and receive the warning signal in various ways (for example, , It can be visually displayed on a display of a digital device or by generating a warning sound through a sensing device).

Configuration of a vital signal measuring device

8 and 9 are diagrams illustrating an apparatus for measuring a biological signal according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 shows a front view of the physiological signal measuring device, and FIG. 9 shows a rear view of the physiological signal measuring device.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, the biosignal measuring apparatus 800 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a protrusion 850 formed to protrude outward from the rear surface, and by this protrusion 850 The biosignal measuring apparatus 800 may be mounted on a predetermined counterpart object. In addition, referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, the biosignal measuring apparatus 800 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include an electrical contact terminal 860 to be electrically connected to a counterpart object. When the signal measuring device 800 is mounted on a counterpart object, the corresponding biosignal measuring device 800 and the counterpart object can be electrically connected.

Subsequently, referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, the biosignal measurement apparatus 800 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes at least one biometric sensor (eg, ECG sensor, PPG sensor, etc.) or a biometric sensor module. More specifically, in the biosignal measuring apparatus 800 according to an embodiment of the present invention, a first electrode A and a first electrode A are formed on the rear surface 820 of the main body to measure a biosignal. It may include a second electrode B that is formed on a surface that is not formed (the front surface 810 or the side surface 830 of the body) to measure a biosignal. For example, the first electrode (A) and the second electrode (B) may serve as an ECG sensor capable of measuring an ECG signal, and in this case, the subject is a first body part (for example, For example, a finger or a fingertip) is brought into contact with the first electrode (A), while a second body part (for example, a finger or fingertip different from the first body part) is attached to the second electrode (B). When in contact, a biosignal regarding the ECG from the body of the subject may be measured through the first electrode A and the second electrode B.

Meanwhile, referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, a display screen 870 disposed in front of the main body of the biosignal measuring apparatus 800 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be included, and the display screen 870 A second electrode may be disposed thereon. In this case, when the subject contacts his or her first body part with the first electrode (A) while touching his second body part with the display screen 870, the first electrode (A) and the display screen ( Bio-signals related to the ECG from the body of the subject may be measured through the second electrode disposed on the 870.

In FIGS. 8 and 9, an embodiment in which two electrodes included in the biosignal measurement apparatus are mainly described, but the configuration of the biosignal measurement apparatus according to the present invention is not necessarily limited to the above embodiment, It should be noted that it can be changed as much as possible within the scope of achieving the purpose. According to another embodiment of the present invention, three or more physically separated electrodes may be disposed in various shapes on at least one of the front, rear, and side surfaces of the biosignal measuring device.

Meanwhile, the biosignal measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention may include at least one PPG sensor (ie, an optical sensor) and a PPG sensor module, thereby measuring a biosignal related to PPG or SpO ₂ . have. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the PPG sensor and the PPG sensor module include a light emitting unit that generates red light (about 660 nm) to near-infrared light (about 940 nm) with respect to a fingertip or a toe of a subject. For example, it may include an LED) and a light receiving unit (for example, a photodiode or a phototransistor) for detecting light reflected from a fingertip or a toe of a subject. Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the position where the PPG sensor is disposed is not particularly limited, but may be formed at the same position as the position where the electrode of the ECG sensor is formed, and in this case, the subject is By contacting the body part near the electrode of the ECG sensor, it is possible to measure the biosignal of the ECG and the biosignal of the PPG together.

Meanwhile, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a PPG sensor that measures a biosignal related to PPG or Sp0 ₂ may be implemented using a display screen formed on the front surface of the biosignal measurement device.

10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a biological signal measuring apparatus including a PPG sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 10, in the biosignal measurement apparatus 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention, a measurement area E for measuring a biosignal related to PPG or Sp0 ₂ is included in the display area 1070. It can be formed as According to an embodiment of the present invention, in the above measurement area (E), red light may be irradiated to measure a biological signal related to PPG, and red light and near-infrared light to measure a biological signal related to PPG and SpO ₂ This can be investigated. To this end, in the measurement area E of the bio-signal measuring apparatus 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention, near-infrared (IR) subpixels for generating near-infrared light and visible light for generating red light ( A pixel structure including RGB) subpixels may be formed, and a light receiving unit capable of detecting near-infrared light and red light reflected from a body part of the subject may be further formed. According to the biosignal measurement apparatus 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 10, PPG and SpO through a measurement area implemented on a display screen are not required to separately provide a separate structure for an optical sensor. _It is possible to measure the bio-signals for ₂ .

According to the biosignal measuring apparatuses 800 and 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, various biosignals measured by an ECG sensor or a PPG sensor are processed using a predetermined processing module or a storage module. By processing and analyzing it, useful biometric information such as blood pressure can be estimated in real time.

On the other hand, with respect to a method of measuring or analyzing a biosignal and a method of estimating biometric information such as blood pressure, Korean Patent Application No. 2013-116158, Korean Patent Application No. 2012-54770, and US Patent Application No. 15/393,881 Reference may be made to the disclosure, and the disclosure should be viewed as being incorporated herein in its entirety.

An embodiment of the sensing device

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the sensing device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 11 to 20. Regarding the sensing device referred to in this specification, U.S. Patent Application Nos. 14/779,851, 14/779,857, 14/779,890, 14/864,262, 14/864,387, 14/864,413, Reference may be made to the disclosures of Nos. 15/215,127, 15/215,178, 15/291,686, 15/393,727 and 15/393,881, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein in their entirety. Must see.

[Watch type sensing device]

11 and 12 are views exemplarily illustrating a watch-type sensing device equipped with a bio-signal measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, the watch-type sensing device 1100 may include a band portion 1110 surrounding a wrist of a subject and a mounting portion 1120 on which the bio-signal measuring apparatus 1101 is mounted. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the mounting unit 1120 may have a shape corresponding to the external shape of the biosignal measuring device 1101, and may be formed to hold the biosignal measuring device 1101. For example, the mounting portion 1120 may include a base portion 1122 and a wall portion 1124 formed in a direction perpendicular to the base portion 1122, and the base portion 1122 And the internal space formed by the wall portion 1124 may accommodate the biosignal measuring device 1101. However, it should be noted that the shape of the mounting portion according to the present invention is not necessarily limited to the bar shown in FIG. 11, and can be changed as much as possible within a range capable of achieving the object of the present invention.

Subsequently, referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, the biosignal measuring apparatus 1101 mounted on the watch-type sensing device 1100 is electrically connected to the watch-type sensing device 1100 through a predetermined electrical contact terminal 1160. Through this electrical connection, the biosignal measuring device 1101 can recognize the type of the counterpart (i.e., the watch type sensing device 1100) connected to itself, and a function corresponding to the recognized type. Can be activated.

Subsequently, referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, the wrist portion of the subject wearing the watch-type sensing device 1100 is the rear surface of the biosignal measuring apparatus 1101 (specifically, a first electrode formed on the rear surface). Since it is in contact with, when the subject is wearing the watch-type sensing device 1100 and the user's finger is in contact with the second electrode formed in another part of the biosignal measuring device 1101, the subject’s body and Two different contact points are created between the bio-signal measuring device 1101, and a bio-signal related to the ECG can be measured through the contact points at the two points. In addition, referring to FIG. 12, a subject wearing the watch-type sensing device 1100 holds the tip of his/her finger at the PPG sensor portion of the biosignal measuring apparatus 1101 (for example, the biosignal measuring apparatus 1101). Proximity to the measurement area formed on the display screen, etc.), it is possible to measure a biosignal related to PPG or SpO ₂ . As described above, when the biosignal measuring device 1101 is mounted on the watch-type sensing device 1100, both the biosignal for ECG and the biosignal for PPG can be measured, so that the biosignal measuring device 1101 In response to being mounted on the watch-type sensing device 1100, a function of measuring a biological signal related to ECG, a function of measuring a biological signal related to PPG or SpO ₂ , and a blood pressure based on the measured biological signal in real time It can be implemented to activate all functions that are estimated to be.

In general, since the value of the measured biosignal may vary depending on where the body part where the biosignal is measured, in order to increase the accuracy of the biosignal and biometric information, It is necessary to correct the value of the biosignal. According to an embodiment of the present invention, in response to being mounted on the watch-type sensing device 1100, the biosignal measuring apparatus 1101 may recognize that a body portion to be measured biosignal is a wrist portion, and the electrode The value of the biosignal measured through the back can be corrected in a manner that matches the wrist area.

Subsequently, referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, information on a biosignal or biometric information measured or estimated by the biosignal measuring apparatus 1101 may be displayed on the display screen. For example, information on the systolic blood pressure F1, the diastolic blood pressure F2, and the heart rate F3 may be displayed on the display screen.

On the other hand, with respect to the watch-type sensing device, reference may be made to the disclosures of Korean Patent Application No. 2013-116158, Korean Patent Application No. 2012-54770, and US Patent Application No. 15/393,881, the disclosure content of which is herein It should be viewed as merged as a whole.

[Earphone type sensing device]

13 is a diagram illustrating an example of an earphone type sensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 13, the earphone-type sensing device 1300 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first electrode 1301 disposed around an audio output unit 1303 of a left earphone and an audio output unit of the right earphone ( 1303) may include a second electrode 1302 disposed around. According to an embodiment of the present invention, when the subject wears both the left earphone and the right earphone, both the first electrode 1301 and the second electrode 1302 come into contact with the subject’s skin. Two different contact points are created between the body and the earphone-type sensing device 1300, and biosignals related to the ECG can be measured through the contact points at the two points.

However, it should be noted that the configuration of the earphone-type sensing device according to the present invention is not necessarily limited to that shown in FIG. 13, and can be changed as much as possible within the range capable of achieving the object of the present invention. According to another embodiment of the present invention, the first electrode and the second electrode may be disposed around a cover surrounding the audio output units of the left earphone and the right earphone, respectively.

Meanwhile, with respect to the earphone-type sensing device, reference may be made to the disclosure of US Patent Application No. 15/393,727, and the disclosure should be considered to be incorporated herein as a whole. In addition, the disclosure of the ECG signal collection technology of Korean Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 10-2010-0001360 should be viewed as being incorporated in the present specification as a whole.

[Necklace type sensing device]

14 to 16 are views exemplarily showing the state of a necklace-type sensing device equipped with a biological signal measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 14 to 16, the necklace type sensing device 1400 may include a necklace string 1410 that spans around the neck of a subject and a mounting unit 1420 in which the biosignal measuring device 1401 is mounted. . According to an embodiment of the present invention, the mounting unit 1420 may have a shape corresponding to the external shape of the biosignal measuring device 1401, and may be formed to hold the biosignal measuring device 1401. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the configuration of the mounting portion 1420 of the necklace-type sensing device 1400 may be generally similar to the configuration of the mounting portion 1120 of the watch-type sensing device 1100.

Specifically, referring to FIGS. 14 and 15, when the subject contacts the first electrode of the necklace-type sensing device 1400 with one finger and the second electrode with the other finger, the body of the subject and the biological signal are measured. Two different contact points are created between the device 1401, and biosignals related to the ECG can be measured through the contact points at the two points. In addition, referring to FIGS. 14 and 15, the subject wearing the necklace-type sensing device 1400 attaches the tip of his/her finger to the PPG sensor part of the biosignal measuring device 1401 (for example, the biosignal measuring device (1401) By approaching the measurement area formed on the display screen, etc.), a biosignal related to PPG or SpO ₂ can be measured. As described above, when the biological signal measuring device 1401 is mounted on the necklace-type sensing device 1400, both the biological signal related to the ECG and the biological signal related to the PPG can be measured, so that the biological signal measuring device 1401 In response to being mounted on the necklace-type sensing device 1400, a function of measuring a biological signal related to ECG, a function of measuring a biological signal related to PPG or SpO ₂ , and a blood pressure estimation based on the measured biological signal above in real time It can be implemented to activate the function to do.

In general, since the value of the measured bio-signal may vary depending on where the body part where the bio-signal is measured, in order to increase the accuracy of the bio-signal and the bio-information, Accordingly, it is necessary to correct the value of the biosignal. According to an embodiment of the present invention, in response to being mounted on the necklace-type sensing device 1400, the biosignal measuring apparatus 1401 may recognize that all body parts subject to biosignal measurement are finger portions, The value of the biosignal measured through an electrode or the like may be corrected in a manner that matches the finger portion.

Next, referring to FIG. 16, the necklace-type sensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a plurality of auxiliary electrodes that can be used to measure a biosignal related to an ECG. Specifically, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the first auxiliary electrode 1410a and the second auxiliary electrode 1410b may be formed on the necklace string 1410, and the first auxiliary electrode 1410a and the second auxiliary electrode 1410a Biosignals related to ECG may be measured through the auxiliary electrode 1410b. For example, when both the first auxiliary electrode 1410a and the second auxiliary electrode 1410b are in contact with the body of the subject, or any one of the first auxiliary electrode 1410a and the second auxiliary electrode 1410b is When one of the two electrodes of the bio-signal measuring apparatus 1401 is in contact with the subject's body, a bio-signal related to the ECG may be measured through the two contact points. Here, according to an embodiment of the present invention, since the necklace string 1410 is generally in contact with the neck of the subject, and the biosignal measuring device 1401 is in contact with the finger of the subject, the first The biosignal from the auxiliary electrode 1410a and the second auxiliary electrode 1410b may be assumed to be generated while the first auxiliary electrode 1410a and the second auxiliary electrode 1410b are in contact with the neck of the subject. , It may be assumed that the biosignals from the two electrodes of the biosignal measurement apparatus 1401 are generated while the two electrodes of the biosignal measurement apparatus 1401 are in contact with the subject's finger. Accordingly, the biosignal measuring apparatus 1401 according to an embodiment of the present invention may appropriately correct the biosignal value according to the above assumption in order to increase the accuracy of the biosignal and biometric information.

Subsequently, referring to FIGS. 14 to 16, information on a biosignal or biometric information measured or estimated by the biosignal measuring apparatus 1401 may be displayed on the display screen. For example, information on the systolic blood pressure F1, the diastolic blood pressure F2, and the heart rate F3 may be displayed on the display screen.

Meanwhile, with respect to the necklace-type sensing device, reference may be made to the disclosure of US Patent Application No. 15/393,881, and the disclosure should be considered to be incorporated in the present specification as a whole.

[Finger-rest type sensing device]

17 and 18 are views exemplarily illustrating a finger rest type sensing device equipped with a bio-signal measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 17 and 18, the finger rest type sensing device 1700 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may measure oxygen saturation in the body of a subject using an optical sensor. Therefore, when it is recognized that the biosignal measuring apparatus 1701 is mounted on the fingerrest type sensing device 1700 through the electrical contact terminal 1760, a function required for measuring the oxygen saturation level (for example, the function of the PPG sensor) Etc.).

Referring to FIG. 18, information F4 about oxygen saturation may be displayed on a display screen of a biosignal measuring apparatus 1701 mounted in a fingerrest type sensing device 1700 according to an embodiment of the present invention. .

Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the finger rest type sensing device 1700 may further include a plurality of electrodes (not shown) capable of measuring a bio signal related to an ECG, and in this case, a bio signal measurement When it is recognized that at least some of the plurality of electrodes of the finger rest-type sensing device 1700 are in contact with the body of the subject through the electrical contact terminal 1760, the device 1701 is required to measure a bio-signal related to the ECG. You can activate a function (eg, the function of an ECG sensor).

Meanwhile, with respect to the necklace-type sensing device, reference may be made to the disclosure of US Patent Application No. 15/393,881, and the disclosure should be considered to be incorporated in the present specification as a whole.

[Vehicle steering wheel type sensing device]

19 and 20 are views exemplarily illustrating a vehicle steering wheel type sensing device equipped with a biological signal measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 19 and 20, the vehicle steering wheel type sensing device 1900 includes a steering wheel 1910 that a subject can manipulate by hand and a mounting unit 1920 on which a biosignal measuring device 1901 is mounted. I can. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the mounting unit 1920 may be formed in a shape corresponding to the external shape of the biosignal measuring device 1901, and may be formed to hold the biosignal measuring device 1901. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the configuration of the mounting unit 1920 of the vehicle steering wheel type sensing device 1900 may be generally similar to the configuration of the mounting unit 1120 of the watch type sensing device 1100.

Subsequently, referring to FIGS. 19 and 20, the vehicle steering wheel type sensing device 1900 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first switching electrode 1910a that may be used to measure a biosignal related to ECG, and A second switching electrode 1910b may be included. Specifically, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the first switching electrode 1910a may be formed on the upper left side of the steering wheel 1910, and the second switching electrode 1910b is the upper right side of the steering wheel 1910. In this way, when the subject naturally holds the steering wheel 1910 with both hands, the fingers of both hands of the subject may contact the first switching electrode 1910a and the second switching electrode 1910b, respectively. In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the PPG sensor for measuring a biosignal related to PPG or SpO ₂ may be formed on at least one of the first switching electrode 1910a and the second switching electrode 1910b. The biosignal related to the ECG may be measured through the first auxiliary electrode 1410a and the second auxiliary electrode 1410b.

As described above, when the bio-signal measuring device 1901 is mounted on the vehicle steering wheel-type sensing device 1900, both the bio-signal of ECG and the bio-signal of PPG can be measured, so that the bio-signal measuring device 1901 When it is recognized that it is mounted on the vehicle steering wheel-type sensing device 1900 through the electrical contact terminal 1960, a function of measuring a biosignal related to ECG, a function of measuring a biosignal related to PPG or SpO ₂ and the above measured It may be implemented to activate a function of estimating blood pressure in real time based on a biological signal.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, since the steering wheel 1910 is generally in contact with the finger portion of the subject, the biosignals from the first and second switching electrodes 1910a and 1910b are It may be assumed that the first switching electrode 1910a and the second switching electrode 1910b are in contact with the subject's finger. Accordingly, the biosignal measuring apparatus 1901 according to an embodiment of the present invention may appropriately correct the biosignal value according to the above assumption in order to increase the accuracy of the biosignal and biometric information.

Subsequently, referring to FIGS. 19 and 20, information on a biosignal or biometric information measured or estimated by the biosignal measuring apparatus 1901 may be displayed on the display screen. For example, information about systolic blood pressure F1, diastolic blood pressure F2, heart rate F3, and oxygen saturation F4 may be displayed on the display screen.

Meanwhile, for the vehicle steering wheel type sensing device, reference may be made to the disclosure of US Patent Application No. 15/393,881, and the disclosure should be considered to be incorporated herein as a whole.

In the above, various embodiments of the sensing device according to the present invention have been described, but the configuration of the sensing device according to the present invention is not necessarily limited to the above description, and within the range that can achieve the object of the present invention. It should be noted that it is subject to change. According to another embodiment of the present invention, a treadmill-type sensing device including a sensor in its handle, a scale-type sensing device that measures a physiological signal from the footrest, and a physiological signal from a finger or palm A keyboard-type sensing device, an armchair-type sensing device that measures biological signals from both arms, a bicycle-type sensing device that includes a sensor on its handlebar, and an armor-type sensing device that measures biological signals from a finger can be further conceived. have.

The embodiments according to the present invention described above may be implemented in the form of program instructions that can be executed through various computer components and recorded in a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc. alone or in combination. The program instructions recorded in the non-transitory computer-readable recording medium may be specially designed and configured for the present invention or may be known and usable to those skilled in the computer software field. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks and magnetic tapes, optical recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, and magnetic-optical media such as floptical disks ( magneto-optical media), and hardware devices specially configured to store and execute program instructions such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. Examples of the program instructions include not only machine language codes such as those produced by a compiler, but also high-level language codes that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. The hardware device may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform processing according to the present invention, and vice versa.

In the above, the present invention has been described by specific matters such as specific elements and limited embodiments and drawings, but this is provided only to help a more general understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. , Anyone with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can make various modifications and variations from these descriptions.

Therefore, the spirit of the present invention is limited to the above-described embodiments and should not be defined, and all modifications that are equally or equivalent to the claims as well as the claims to be described later fall within the scope of the spirit of the present invention. I would say.

100: communication network
200: biosignal measurement system
210: biosignal acquisition unit
220: biosignal processing unit
230: communication department
240: control unit
300: sensing device

Claims (10)

As a method for measuring a vital signal,
Acquiring a first bio-signal from a first sensing device in contact with a first body part of the subject, and obtaining a second bio-signal from a second sensing device in contact with a second body part of the subject,
Quantizing the obtained first biosignal and second biosignal, and
Synchronizing the quantized first bio-signal and the quantized second bio-signal based on a time point in which a correlation between the quantized first bio-signal and the quantized second bio-signal is highest Including,
The first sensing device and the second sensing device are physically separated from each other,
The first bio-signal and the second bio-signal are each an ECG signal or a PPG signal,
In the synchronization step, a first RR interval and a second RR interval are respectively detected from the quantized first biosignal and the quantized second biosignal, using a sliding window algorithm. The first partial biosignal and the second portion while moving one of the first partial biosignal corresponding to the first RR interval and the second partial biosignal corresponding to the second RR interval with respect to the other signal A correlation between the biosignals is calculated, and a maximum hit count index showing the highest correlation between the first partial biosignal and the second partial biosignal is determined, and the quantized second 1 for synchronizing the biosignal and the quantized second biosignal
Way. The method of claim 1,
The first bio-signal is intermittently measured when the electrode of the first sensing device contacts the first body part, and the second bio-signal is constantly measured.
Way. The method of claim 1,
The first sensing device is a watch-type device that can be detachably attached to the wrist or ankle of the subject, and the second sensing device is a patch type that is constantly attached to the skin of the subject. Device Inn
Way. delete delete The method of claim 1,
After the synchronization step is performed, further comprising converting the quantized first biosignal and the quantized second biosignal into an analog signal
Way. The method of claim 1,
Generating biometric information by referring to the synchronized first bio-signal and the synchronized second bio-signal
Way. The method of claim 7,
The biometric information includes electrocardiogram (ECG), photoplethysmogram, oxygen saturation (SpO ₂ ), heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure, electromyogram, sweat gland activity, and sweat gland activity. volume of perspiration) and respiration rate (respiration rate)
Way. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a computer program for executing the method according to claim 1. As a system for measuring a vital signal,
A biosignal acquisition unit acquiring a first biosignal from a first sensing device in contact with a first body part of a subject and a second biosignal from a second sensing device in contact with a second body part of the subject , And
The obtained first bio-signal and the second bio-signal are quantized, and the quantized second bio-signal is quantized based on a time point at which a correlation between the quantized first bio-signal and the quantized second bio-signal is highest. 1 bio-signal and a bio-signal processor for synchronizing the quantized second bio-signal,
The first sensing device and the second sensing device are physically separated from each other,
The first bio-signal and the second bio-signal are each an ECG signal or a PPG signal,
The biosignal processing unit may detect a first RR interval and a second RR interval from the quantized first biosignal and the quantized second biosignal, respectively, and use a sliding window algorithm. Thus, one of the first partial bio-signal corresponding to the first RR interval and the second partial bio-signal corresponding to the second RR interval is moved with respect to the other signal, while the first partial bio-signal and the second partial bio-signal are moved. A correlation between partial biosignals is calculated, and a maximum hit count index showing the highest correlation between the first partial biosignal and the second partial biosignal is determined, and the quantized Synchronizing the first biosignal and the quantized second biosignal
system.

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