KR102204194B1 - Portable device for measuring skin and method of measuring skin - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a skin analysis apparatus and a skin analysis method, and more particularly, a cylindrical or polygonal side barrier wall having a predetermined height having a predetermined height and having an upper and lower portion open, and an upper portion of the side barrier wall. A body portion including an upper barrier wall for blocking an upper opening connected to a peripheral portion, and a cap portion detachably coupled to a lower peripheral portion of the side barrier wall; And an electrical signal sensing unit positioned inside the body to detect the conductivity of the skin, a force sensing unit for analyzing the hardness of the skin, and a humidity sensing unit for analyzing moisture emanating from the skin. It relates to a skin analysis apparatus and a skin analysis method using the same, characterized in that it is provided inside a hollow probe having an upper and lower side of the upper surface and the lower side of which is closed and the lower surface is open.

Description

Portable device for measuring skin and method of measuring skin

The present invention relates to a skin analysis device and a skin analysis method, and more particularly, to a portable skin analysis device and a skin analysis method capable of measuring skin conductivity, skin hardness, and skin moisture loss at one time.

Human skin is a tissue that is easily exposed to various stresses, dangers, and pathogens. It is mainly composed of epidermis and dermis, and includes sweat glands, sebaceous glands, and hair follicles. It contains several of the same byproducts.

Such skin has several functions that can protect the human body. In other words, it acts as a protective film to block external stimuli such as heat or chemicals, and also plays a function of preventing dehydration by engaging in thermo-regulation. In addition, it is very important to maintain healthy skin, as it acts as the first line of defense to block the invasion of bacteria and viruses.

Meanwhile, as an index for quantitatively evaluating the condition of the skin, skin hardness (or elasticity), transdermal moisture loss, skin electrical impedance, or electrical conductivity are known. Skin hardness is an index that is measured to predict the degree of aging or skin diseases that cause changes in the elasticity of the skin, such as sclerosis, and the transepidermal water loss (TEWL) refers to moisture evaporating from the skin. It is known as a representative indicator of barrier function.

However, the apparatus for measuring skin physical quantity known so far has a problem in that the structure is very complex or cannot be simultaneously measured, and thus requires a lot of analysis time and cumbersome measurement.

A skin analysis device is disclosed in Patent No. 2017-0117031, which is the first application of the present inventor, and according to the document, it is possible to measure skin hardness, transdermal moisture loss, and skin conductivity at the same time, but since a separate actuator for measuring skin hardness is required. There is a problem that the structure is complex and the power consumption is large.

Korean Patent Application No. 2017-0117031

The present invention has been conceived to solve the problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a skin analysis apparatus and analysis method having a simple structure while simultaneously measuring skin hardness, skin moisture loss, and skin conductivity.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a skin analysis device that can be easily held and measured by hand so as to facilitate skin analysis.

The skin measurement apparatus of the present invention for solving the above problem includes a cylindrical or polygonal side barrier wall 120 having a predetermined height having a predetermined height, and the side barrier wall 120 having an upper and lower opening. A body portion 100 including an upper blocking wall 110 for blocking an upper opening connected to the upper periphery of the side blocking wall 120, and a cap portion 130 detachably coupled to the lower periphery of the side blocking wall 120; And an electrical signal sensing unit 210 located inside the body 100 to detect the conductivity of the skin, a force sensing unit 220 for analyzing the hardness of the skin, and a humidity for analyzing moisture emanating from the skin. Including a sensing unit 200 including any two or more of the sensing unit 230, the humidity sensing unit 230 has an upper surface 241 and a side surface 242 is closed and the lower surface is open. It is characterized in that it is provided inside the hollow probe unit 240.

In addition, in the skin measurement device according to the present invention, the electric signal sensing unit 210 is provided at a lower end of the side surface 242 of the hollow probe unit 240.

In addition, in the skin measurement device according to the present invention, the force sensing unit 220 is located between the upper blocking wall 110 and the hollow probe unit 240 of the body unit 100, and the force sensing unit 220 and the hollow probe The elastic body 221 is provided between the parts 240.

In addition, in the skin measurement device according to the present invention, the elastic body 221 is located between the upper blocking wall 110 and the hollow probe portion 240 of the body portion 100, and the elastic body 221 and the hollow probe portion 240 It characterized in that the force sensing unit 220 is provided between.

In addition, in the skin measurement device according to the present invention, the elastic body 221 is characterized in that it is any one of a spring, rubber, and memory foam.

In addition, in the skin measurement device according to the present invention, an opening 131 is provided in the center of the cap part 130.

In addition, in the skin measurement apparatus according to the present invention, the inner diameter of the opening 131 is smaller than the outer diameter of the hollow probe 240.

In addition, in the skin measurement apparatus according to the present invention, the sensing unit 200 located inside the body 100 includes an electrical signal sensing unit 210 for detecting the conductivity of the skin, and a force sensing unit for analyzing the hardness of the skin ( 220), and a humidity detection unit 230 for analyzing moisture emanating from the skin.

In addition, the skin measuring device of the present invention has a cylindrical or polygonal side barrier wall 120 having a predetermined height and has a predetermined height, and is connected to the upper periphery of the side barrier wall 120 and seals the upper opening. A body portion 100 including an upper blocking wall 110 and a cap portion 130 detachably coupled to a lower periphery of the side blocking wall 120 and having an opening 131 formed at the center thereof; The upper surface 241 and the side surface 242 located inside the body part 100 are closed and the lower surface is open, the hollow probe part 240 of the upper optical lower narrow structure; And a force sensing unit 220 positioned between the upper blocking wall 110 of the body unit 100 and the hollow probe unit 240, between the force sensing unit 220 and the hollow probe unit 240 It is characterized in that the elastic body 221 is located.

In addition, in the skin measurement apparatus according to the present invention, the hollow probe part 240 is a pen type protruding outside the body part 100 by a predetermined portion.

In addition, a method of analyzing skin using a skin analysis device according to the present invention includes the steps of contacting the skin with the cap 130 of the body 100; And it characterized in that it comprises the step of measuring any two or more of skin conductivity, skin hardness, and skin humidity.

In addition, a method of analyzing skin using a skin analysis device according to the present invention includes the steps of contacting the skin with the cap 130 of the body 100; And it characterized in that it comprises the step of measuring the skin hardness.

According to the skin analysis device and analysis method according to the present invention, a force sensing unit, a humidity sensing unit, and a conductivity sensor unit are provided inside one body part to simultaneously measure the hardness of the skin, the moisture loss of the skin, and the skin conductivity. It has the advantage of being able to.

In addition, since the skin analysis device of the present invention measures skin hardness using elastic force, there is an advantage in that energy required for driving can be minimized.

In addition, since the skin analysis device of the present invention is made of a pen type, it is very easy to grip when used.

1 is a block diagram of a pen-type skin analysis device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a perspective view of the skin analysis device of FIG. 1.
3 is a cross-sectional view taken along AA′ of the skin analysis device shown in FIG. 2.
4 is a cross-sectional view of a skin analysis device according to a first modified embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a cross-sectional view of a skin analysis device according to a second modified embodiment of the present invention.
6 is an enlarged view of the probe pin
7 is a schematic diagram showing the skin analysis device of the present invention in a pen type.
8 is a diagram illustrating a state before and after the skin analysis device of the present invention is in contact with the skin.
9 is a flowchart illustrating a skin analysis method using the skin analysis device of the present invention.

In the present application, terms such as "include", "have" or "have" are intended to designate the presence of features, numbers, steps, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, but one or more other It is to be understood that the presence or addition of features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof, does not preclude in advance the possibility of being excluded.

When a component is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another component, it is understood that it may be directly connected or connected to the other component, but other components may exist in the middle. Should be. On the other hand, when a component is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there is no other component in the middle. Other expressions describing the relationship between components, such as "between" and "just between" or "adjacent to" and "directly adjacent to" should be interpreted as well.

In addition, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in a commonly used dictionary should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning of the related technology, and should not be interpreted as an ideal or excessively formal meaning unless explicitly defined in this application. Does not.

Hereinafter, a pen-type skin analysis device according to the present invention and a skin analysis method using the same will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals are used for the same elements in the drawings, and duplicate descriptions for the same elements are omitted.

1 is a block diagram of a pen-type skin analysis apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the skin analysis apparatus of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A′ of the skin analysis apparatus shown in FIG. 2.

Referring to Figures 1 to 3, the pen-type skin analysis device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a body part 100, a sensing part 200, a control part 300, a display part 400, and a storage part ( 500).

The sensing unit 200 for performing a function of determining the skin condition by contacting the skin of the human body includes an electric signal sensing unit 210 for measuring the conductivity of the skin, and a force sensing unit 220 for measuring the hardness of the skin. And one or more, more preferably two or more, and most preferably all of the humidity sensing units 230 for measuring moisture emanating from the skin are included.

Specifically, the electric signal detection unit 210 applied to the present invention includes two electrodes 211 spaced apart a predetermined distance for contacting the skin, and when the two electrodes contact the skin surface, the skin moisture It detects the change in electric resistance or electric impedance.

The force sensing unit 220 makes the hollow probe unit 240 in close contact with the skin with an external force, and at this time, determines the hardness of the skin from the force transmitted through the elastic body 221. For example, if the skin is hard, the hollow probe part 240 enters the body part 100 deeply and the elastic body is compressed a lot, so that the force increases. On the contrary, if the skin is not relatively hard, the hollow probe does not go deep and the elastic body Since it is compressed only a little, the force sensed by the force sensing unit is relatively small.

The humidity sensing unit 230 measures the amount of moisture emitted from the skin by continuously measuring the humidity inside the hollow probe unit 240 when the hollow probe unit 240 is in close contact with the skin surface.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the electric signal sensing unit 210, the force sensing unit 220, and the humidity sensing unit 230 may be located inside the body unit 100. That is, the body part 100 accommodating the sensing part 200 made up of the electric signal sensing part 210, the force sensing part 220, and the humidity sensing part 230 has an upper and lower part open and a predetermined height A side blocking wall 120 having a, a top blocking wall 110 connected to the upper peripheral portion of the side blocking wall 120 and sealing an upper opening, and a cap portion connected to the lower peripheral portion of the side blocking wall 120 It is configured to include 130.

A cable through hole 121 may be further provided at a predetermined position of the side barrier wall 120, and signals obtained from the electric signal sensing unit 210, the force sensing unit 220, and the humidity sensing unit 230 are transmitted to the controller 300. A cable 140 for transmission to) passes through the cable through hole 121.

Of course, it is obvious that the separate cable 140 and the cable through hole 121 of the side barrier wall 120 may be omitted if the signal of each detection unit is transmitted to the controller 300 in a wireless manner.

The cap portion 130 is detachably coupled to the side blocking wall 120, and may be coupled by a male and female screw fastening method as an example, but is not limited thereto. An opening 131 is provided in the center of the cap part 130, and more specifically, the inner diameter of the opening 131 is preferably smaller than the outer diameter of the hollow probe part 240, which will be described later.

On the other hand, it is preferable that the cross-section of the body portion 100 has a cylindrical shape or a polygonal shape.

Subsequently, inside the body part 100, the upper surface 241 and the side surface 242 are closed, while the lower surface is open and the hollow probe part 240 of the upper surface lower narrow structure gradually decreases in the downward direction. ) Is further equipped.

The electrical signal sensing unit 210 is provided at the lower end of the side surface 242 of the hollow probe unit 240 so that when the hollow probe unit 240 moves vertically, it comes into contact with the measurement site of the skin. The humidity sensing unit 230 measures the humidity inside the hollow probe unit 240, that is, humidity due to moisture emitted from the skin. The humidity detection unit 230 may include a humidity detection sensor 231 and a support 232 supporting the same, and the humidity detection sensor 231 is a top surface 241 and a side surface 242 of the hollow probe unit 240. It is located inside a space that is closed by ). In addition, the support 232 supporting the humidity sensor 231 penetrates the side surface 242 and protrudes for a predetermined length into a space portion inside the body portion 100 and outside the hollow probe portion 240. Of course, it is obvious that the opening on the side through which the support 232 passes must be sealed to prevent the inflow and outflow of moisture.

The force sensing unit 220 is fixed between the upper blocking wall 110 and the hollow probe unit 240 of the body 100, and more specifically, one side is fixed to the upper blocking wall 110 and the other side is a hollow probe unit ( 240) It is located on the upper surface 241. In addition, between the force sensing unit 220 and the hollow probe unit 240, the elastic body 221, in more detail, one side is in contact with the force sensing unit 220 and the other side is outside the upper surface 241 of the hollow probe unit 240 The connected elastic body 221 is located.

Here, the elastic body 221 is not particularly limited as long as it contracts when the hollow probe part 240 is pressed against the skin and expands again when the force is removed, but may be a spring, rubber, or memory foam, for example, It is spring.

Meanwhile, the cap unit 130 functions as a stopper so that the hollow probe unit 240 connected to the elastic body 221 does not protrude more than necessary outside the body unit 100. That is, if the inner diameter of the opening 131 of the cap 130 is smaller than the outer diameter of the hollow probe 240, even if the elastic body 221 is provided above the hollow probe 240, only a predetermined portion will protrude.

The hollow probe part 240 may be formed of a cylinder, a rectangular column, etc. having the same inner diameter at the top and the bottom, but it is more preferable that the side surface 242 is made of an upper and lower narrow structure gradually narrowing toward the bottom. This is because it is more accurate to target a narrow area in measuring skin hardness, and furthermore, a stopper function is possible only by adjusting the inner diameter of the opening 131 of the cap portion 130.

4 is a cross-sectional view of a skin analysis device according to a first modified embodiment of the present invention. In the skin analysis apparatus of the type according to the first modified embodiment of FIG. 4, except for the positions of the elastic body 221 and the force sensing unit 220, the skin analysis apparatus described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 is substantially the same as or similar. Accordingly, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions of the same components will be omitted.

In the skin analysis apparatus according to the first modified embodiment, the elastic body 221 is located between the upper blocking wall 110 and the hollow probe portion 240 of the body portion 100, and the elastic body 221 and the hollow probe portion ( Between 240) a force sensing unit 220 may be provided.

5 is a cross-sectional view of a skin analysis device according to a second modified embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a probe pin. In the skin analysis apparatus according to the first modified embodiment of FIG. 5, except for the electric signal detection unit 210, the skin analysis apparatus described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 is substantially the same as or similar to the skin analysis apparatus. Accordingly, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions of the same components will be omitted.

In the skin analysis device according to the second modified embodiment of the present invention, the electrical signal detection unit 210 is provided on the side surface 242 of the hollow probe unit 240, and is a probe pin that can be stretched depending on whether it is in contact with the skin. It may be (212).

Specifically, as shown in Figure 6, the probe pin 212 is an elongated cylindrical sleeve 212a, one side is fixed to the sleeve 212a and the other side is free elastic member 212b, and one side is the elastic member 212b. ), and the other side may be configured to include a contact pin 212c having a predetermined length protruding outside the sleeve 212a.

Here, it is preferable that one side of the contact pin 212c in direct contact with the skin has a conical shape similar to a top, because it can easily contact the skin at various angles.

Meanwhile, in FIG. 5, the probe pin 212 is shown to be coupled to the outside of the side surface 242 of the hollow probe unit 240, but is not limited thereto, and as an example, the inside or the side surface 242 of the side surface 242 It may be inserted into and fixed.

Here, since the probe pin itself has elasticity, there is an advantage of maintaining a constant contact force with the skin. That is, in the case of employing a non-elastic probe, if the probe protrudes too much, it may cause pain when it comes into contact with the skin.If the probe protrudes too little, the umbilical cord cannot be measured or the measured value changes significantly, making accurate measurement. Since there is a problem that cannot be achieved, a probe pin including an elastic member 212b as in the present invention is preferable.

7 is a schematic diagram showing the skin analysis device of the present invention in a pen type. A display unit 400 and a storage unit 500, etc., are located behind the body part 100 described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4, that is, an outer part opposite to the direction in which the side surface 242 of the hollow probe part 240 protrudes. While the built-in control unit 300 is fixed, the cable 140 protruding to the outside through the cable through hole 121 of the side barrier wall 120 extends into the control unit 300.

Hereinafter, a method of analyzing skin using the skin analysis apparatus according to the exemplary and modified exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described. 8 is a view for explaining a state before and after contacting the skin with the skin analysis device of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating a skin analysis method using the skin analysis device of the present invention.

In the skin analysis method according to the present invention for simultaneously measuring skin conductivity, skin hardness, and skin humidity, the hollow probe part 240 protruding out of the body part 100 is brought into contact with the skin of the area to be measured, The cap 130 and the skin are pressed until they are in close contact with each other. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, a predetermined portion of the side surface 242 of the hollow probe unit 240 is outside the body 100 due to the elasticity of the elastic body 221 before the electrical signal sensing unit 210 and the skin come into contact. It is in a protruding state, and the elastic body 221 is compressed when pressed against the skin.

At this time, the sensor 211 or the probe pin 212 mounted on the lower end of the side surface 242 of the hollow probe part 240 contacts the skin to measure the electrical conductivity, and the elastic body 221 behind the hollow probe part 240 Is contracted and the force is transmitted to the force sensing unit 220. At the same time, the humidity sensor 230 inside the hollow probe unit 240 measures the rate of moisture loss generated from the skin.

The results obtained through the above process are transmitted to the control unit 300 through the cable 140 and then displayed on the display unit 400, and these values may be separately stored in the storage unit 500.

Specific parts of the present invention have been described in detail above. For those of ordinary skill in the art, these specific descriptions are only preferred embodiments, and the scope of the present invention is not limited thereby, It is obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications are possible within the scope and scope of the technical idea, and it is natural that such modifications and modifications fall within the appended claims.

100: body
110: upper barrier wall
120: side barrier
121: cable through hole
130: cap portion
131: opening
140: cable
200: detection unit
210: electric signal detection unit
211: electrode
212: probe pin
212a: sleeve 212b: elastic member
212c: contact pin
220: force detection unit
221: elastic body
230: humidity detection unit
231: humidity detection sensor 232: support
240: hollow probe
241: upper surface
242: side
300: control unit
400: display
500: storage

Claims (12)

A cylindrical or polygonal side blocking wall 120 having an upper and lower opening and having a predetermined height, an upper blocking wall 110 for blocking an upper opening connected to the upper periphery of the side blocking wall 120, And a body portion 100 including a cap portion 130 detachably coupled to a lower periphery portion of the side barrier wall 120; And
An electrical signal sensing unit 210 located inside the body 100 to detect an electrical signal of the skin, a force sensing unit 220 for analyzing the hardness of the skin, and a humidity sensing for analyzing moisture emanating from the skin The portion 230, and the upper surface 241 and the side surface 242 is closed and includes a sensing unit 200 consisting of a hollow probe unit 240 of the upper surface lower narrow structure is open,
An opening 131 having an inner diameter smaller than the lower outer diameter of the hollow probe portion 240 is provided in the center of the cap portion 130,
The electrical signal detection unit 210 is provided at the lower end of the side surface 242 of the hollow probe unit 240,
The force sensing unit 220 is located between the inner side of the upper blocking wall 110 of the body unit 100 and the hollow probe unit 240, but one side is fixed to the outside of the upper surface 241 of the hollow probe unit 240 The other side is connected to the inner side of the upper blocking wall 110 of the body 100 by an elastic body 221, or one side is fixed to the inner side of the upper blocking wall 110 of the body 100 and the other side is attached to the elastic body 221 Skin analysis device, characterized in that connected to the outside of the upper surface 241 of the hollow probe part 240.
delete delete delete The method of claim 1,
The elastic body 221 is a skin analysis device, characterized in that any one of a spring, rubber, and memory foam.
delete delete delete delete The method of claim 1,
The hollow probe portion 240 is a skin analysis device, characterized in that the pen type protruding a predetermined portion out of the body portion (100).
In the method for analyzing skin using the skin analysis device according to claim 1,
Contacting the skin with the cap portion 130 of the body portion 100; And
Skin analysis method comprising the step of measuring any two or more of skin conductivity, skin hardness, and skin humidity.
delete

Images