KR102251207B1 - Apparatus for measuring bio-signal - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a bio-signal measuring device, wherein the bio-signal measuring device is inserted and mounted in the wearer's ear, and is connected to the ear-mounting portion and the ear-mounting portion having a body temperature sensor, a pulse wave sensor, and a first electrode for an electrocardiogram. And a body mounting portion having a second electrode for an electrocardiogram.

Description

Bio-signal measuring device{APPARATUS FOR MEASURING BIO-SIGNAL}

The present invention relates to a bio-signal measuring apparatus, and more particularly, to a wearable type bio-signal measuring apparatus that is inserted and mounted in a user's ear.

Recently, as interest in health has increased, health care products capable of measuring vital signs are in the spotlight.

In particular, patients with diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc., need to constantly monitor their body condition in daily life as well as visiting a hospital to receive medical treatment.

In particular, special care patients, such as critically ill patients, patients for surgery, or patients recovering after surgery, must monitor the patient's condition by measuring vital signs from time to time. However, in order to measure a physiological signal, various types of physiological signals are measured by attaching a sensor that is mainly made of a patch to a corresponding body part of the patient and is connected by wire to a separate monitoring device.

In addition, in order to monitor the state of the vital signal measured in the patient, the corresponding medical staff, such as a doctor or nurse, must visually check the state of the corresponding monitoring device while the biological signal is being measured.

Accordingly, there is a problem that the efficiency of the task of periodically monitoring the patient's vital signs decreases and causes discomfort to the patient.

Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2009-0008786 (Publication date: January 22, 2009, inventor: Hwang Jinsang et al. 2)

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to improve convenience and activity when using a bio-signal measuring device.

The biosignal measuring apparatus of the present invention for solving the above problem is inserted into the wearer's ear and mounted, and is connected to the ear mounting unit and the ear mounting unit including a body temperature sensing unit, a pulse wave sensing unit, and a first electrode for an electrocardiogram, and the It includes a body mounting portion having a first electrode for electrocardiogram.

The bio-signal measuring apparatus according to the feature may further include a control unit located at one of the ear mounting unit and the body mounting unit, and a communication unit located at one of the ear mounting unit and the body mounting unit, wherein the control unit is the body temperature sensing unit The body temperature detection signal output from, the pulse wave detection signal output from the pulse wave detection unit, and the ECG signal output from the first and second electrodes for ECG may be read, respectively, and transmitted to the monitoring device through the communication unit.

The control unit may read the pulse wave detection signal output from the pulse wave detection unit and the ECG signal output from the first and second electrodes for electrocardiogram at each predetermined time and transmit the reading to the monitoring device through the communication unit.

Whenever biometric information request information is received from the monitoring device through the communication unit, the control unit reads a pulse wave detection signal output from the pulse wave detection unit and an electrocardiogram signal output from the first and second electrodes for ECG, respectively, It can be transmitted to the monitoring device through the communication unit.

The biosignal measuring apparatus according to the feature may further include a status notification unit connected to the control unit, wherein the control unit includes the first electrode according to signals input from the first electrode for electrocardiogram and the second electrode for electrocardiogram. And determining the mounting state between the second electrode and a corresponding body part of the wearer, and if there is an electrode having an abnormal mounting state, the state notification unit is operated to notify the wearer that an electrode having an abnormal mounting state exists. .

The status notification unit may include at least one of a speaker and a vibration generation unit, and the control unit may notify the wearer that an electrode having an abnormal mounting state exists by operating at least one of the speaker and the vibration generation unit.

The bio-signal measuring apparatus according to the feature may further include a storage unit connected to the control unit and storing a warning message, and the control unit notifies the wearer that an electrode having an abnormal mounting state exists using a speaker. , Among the first electrode for electrocardiogram and the second electrode for electrocardiogram, an electrode having an abnormal mounting state may be determined, and a warning message corresponding to the determined electrode type may be read from the storage unit and output to the speaker. .

The control unit determines an electrode having an abnormal mounting state among the first electrode for an electrocardiogram and the second electrode for an electrocardiogram, and reads a warning message corresponding to the determined type and degree of adhesion from the storage unit to the speaker Can be printed as

The bio-signal measuring device according to the feature may further include an emergency switch connected to the control unit, and the control unit is the monitoring device through the communication unit for generating an emergency signal when it is determined that the emergency switch is operated. Can be transferred to.

When it is determined that the emergency switch is operated, the control unit includes a body temperature detection signal output from the body temperature detection unit, a pulse wave detection signal output from the pulse wave detection unit, and an electrocardiogram signal output from the first and second electrodes for ECG. Each can be read and transmitted to the monitoring device through the communication unit.

The biosignal measuring apparatus according to the feature may further include a microphone connected to the control unit, and the control unit, when it is determined that the emergency switch is operated, operates the microphone to input an audio signal through the microphone. Is transmitted to the monitoring device through the communication unit, and when a voice signal is transmitted from the monitoring device through the communication unit, the speaker outputs a voice corresponding to the transmitted voice signal.

According to this feature, since the number of wires connected to the wearer's body for measuring a physiological signal is greatly reduced, the wearer's activity and convenience are improved.

In addition, since the biosignal is measured at predetermined time intervals and transmitted to the monitoring device, the measurement of the biosignal is periodically performed at a predetermined time without accurate time management by the wearer or the manager. Therefore, it is possible to periodically monitor the physical condition of the wearer without the inconvenience of the wearer and the manager, and the work efficiency of the manager is greatly improved.

Moreover, when the wearer's physical condition is an emergency, the wearer or guardian notifies the manager of the emergency situation by using the emergency switch, so that rapid emergency measures are performed to prevent the occurrence of a life-threatening accident.

1 is a schematic block diagram of a biosignal measuring system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of the biosignal measuring apparatus shown in FIG. 1.
3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a biosignal measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a routine for checking the mounting state of the biosignal measuring apparatus shown in FIG. 3.
5A and 5B are operation flowcharts of the routine for measuring a biosignal shown in FIG. 3, respectively.
6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation when an emergency switch is operated in the biosignal measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In describing the present invention, when it is determined that adding a detailed description of a technology or configuration already known in the relevant field may obscure the subject matter of the present invention, some of these will be omitted from the detailed description. In addition, terms used in the present specification are terms used to properly express embodiments of the present invention, which may vary according to related people or customs in the field. Therefore, definitions of these terms should be made based on the contents throughout the present specification.

The terminology used herein is for reference only to specific embodiments and is not intended to limit the present invention. Singular forms as used herein also include plural forms unless the phrases clearly indicate the opposite. The meaning of'comprising' as used in the specification specifies a specific characteristic, region, integer, step, action, element and/or component, and other specific characteristic, region, integer, step, action, element, component and/or group It does not exclude the existence or addition of

Hereinafter, a biosignal measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, a biosignal measuring system including a biosignal measuring apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the biosignal measurement system of this example includes a biosignal measurement device 100 and a monitoring device 200 that communicates with the biosignal measurement device 100.

The bio-signal measuring device 100 is mainly inserted into the ear of the wearer and connected to the ear-mounting portion 110 and the ear-mounting portion 110 for measuring a bio-signal, and having a second electrode 21 for measuring an electrocardiogram. It has a body mounting portion 120.

The ear mounting unit 110 may measure at least one of the wearer's body temperature, heart rate, and coral saturation, and a biological signal for an electrocardiogram (ECG).

In addition, the ear-mounting unit 110 transmits the measured bio-signal to the monitoring device 200 through communication with the monitoring device 200, and may make contact with a manager such as a doctor or a nurse.

For this operation, as shown in FIG. 2, the ear mounting unit 110 includes an emergency switch 111, a body temperature sensing unit 112, a pulse wave sensing unit 113, and a first electrode for detecting an electrocardiogram (hereinafter, now 1 The electrode is connected to the'first electrode for electrocardiogram') 114, the emergency switch 111, the body temperature detecting unit 112, the pulse wave detecting unit 113, and the first electrode 114 for detecting the electrocardiogram. A controller 12, a speaker 131 and a microphone 133 connected to the controller 12, a vibration generator 132 connected to the controller 12, and a communication unit 134 connected to the controller 12 , A storage unit 135 connected to the control unit 12 and a power supply unit 14 supplying power necessary for the operation of the biosignal measuring apparatus 100.

The emergency switch 111 is turned on by an operation of a wearer or a guardian for measuring a bio-signal so that the wearer can contact a manager such as a medical staff as in an emergency situation.

When it is determined that the emergency switch 111 is operated according to the state of the signal output from the emergency switch 111, the control unit 12 sets the state of the microphone 133 to the operating state, and a call operation with the manager is made. Can be lost.

The body temperature sensing unit 112 is for measuring the body temperature of the wearer, and may measure body temperature using infrared rays.

The pulse wave (PPG, photo-plethysmography) detection unit 113 emits light of a predetermined color (eg, green and red), respectively, and a light emitting unit (eg, a light emitting diode (LED)) that is reflected by the skin. It is equipped with a light-receiving unit (for example, a photodiode) that receives light, and outputs signals according to the state of arteries and veins so that the heart rate and oxygen saturation can be determined.

The first electrode 114 is for measuring ECG together with the second electrode 21 provided on the body mounting part 120, and when the ear mounting part 110 is inserted into the wearer's ear, it is easy to measure the ECG. It is placed in contact with the body part.

The control unit 12 is a part that controls the operation of the ear-mounting unit 110, and transmits the bio-signals measured by the detection units 112 and 113 and the electrode 114 to the monitoring device 200 through the communication unit 134. And controls the operating states of the speaker 131, the vibration generator 132, and the microphone 133.

The control unit 12 may include a timer 121.

The speaker 131 is the voice data transmitted from the monitoring device 200 or stored in the storage unit 135 under the control of the controller 12 to output the voice data as a corresponding voice. Desired content, such as at least one of the mounting state, the timing of measuring the bio-signal, and the manager's instructions, is output in an audio format.

The vibration generator 132 generates vibration by operating under the control of the controller 12 and may include a motor.

Through the vibration generator 132, it is possible to inform the wearer of the mounting state of the biological signal measuring apparatus 100 or the timing of measuring the biological signal.

In this example, the speaker 131 and the vibration generator 132 constitute a status notification unit.

The microphone 133 operates under the control of the controller 12 and is for a voice call with the manager, and the controller 12 transmits voice data input through the microphone 133 to the monitoring device 200 through the communication unit 134. ).

The microphone 133 of this example is preferably positioned to be exposed to the outside of the ear for efficient voice input.

As already described, the communication unit 134 is for wireless communication with the monitoring device 200 and may include a short-range communication module.

In this case, as a short-range communication technology, Bluetooth, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), infrared data association (IrDA), Ultra Wideband (UWB), or ZigBee may be used.

The storage unit 135 is a part that stores data required for the operation of the biosignal measuring apparatus 100 or data generated during operation, and may be formed of a memory or the like.

However, if necessary, the storage unit 135 may be omitted.

The power supply unit 14 is for supplying power required for the operation of the biosignal measuring device 100, and the second electrode 21 provided in the body mounting unit 120 as well as the ear mounting unit 110 is used for operation. Will be supplied.

The body mounting part 120 is for electrocardiogram measurement as already described, and a second electrode for electrocardiogram detection attached near the wearer's heart (hereinafter, this second electrode is referred to as a'second electrode for electrocardiogram') ( 21).

Therefore, only wiring for connection of the electrode 21 exists between the body mounting part 120 and the ear mounting part 110.

In this example, the second electrode 21 is connected to the control unit 12 located on the ear mounting unit 110 through a wire, but is not limited thereto and may be connected to the control unit 12 through wireless.

Accordingly, the signal measured by the second electrode 21 is transmitted to the control unit 12 and transmitted to the monitoring device 200 as an ECG-related signal together with the signal measured by the first electrode 114.

In addition, since the sensing units 112, 113, and 114 for measuring the bio-signal are located on the ear-mounting unit 110 inserted into the ear, a component mounted on the body of the wearer for measuring the bio-signal is the electrode 21 Only exists.

Therefore, since the ear mounting unit 110 simply needs to be worn in the ear to be worn for measuring biometric signals, the wearer's activity and convenience are improved because it does not interfere with the wearer's activity.

Returning to FIG. 1 again, the monitoring device 200 receives the measured bio-signal through wireless communication with the bio-signal measuring device 100, and uses the transmitted bio-signal to select among the wearer's body temperature, heart rate, and oxygen saturation. At least one biometric information such as at least one of an electrocardiogram, a pulse, a heart rate variability (HRV), and a stress index is measured and notified by the manager.

Accordingly, the monitoring device 200 includes a communication unit for communication with the biosignal measuring device 100, a control unit for controlling an operation, and an information output unit for outputting biometric information determined according to the control of the control unit. And a user input device that performs an input operation.

Next, the operation of the biosignal measuring system of this example having such a structure will be described.

When the operation of the bio-signal measurement system starts, the bio-signal measurement device 100 starts the operation to measure the wearer's bio-signal, and transmits the measured bio-signal to the monitoring device 200.

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 12 of the biosignal measuring device 100 first checks whether the biosignal measuring device 100 mounted on the wearer's ear and body is correctly mounted. The measurement device mounting check operation is performed (S10).

To this end, as shown in FIG. 4, when the operation state of the control unit 12 becomes the biosignal measuring device mounting confirmation state (S10), the control unit 12 first, the first and second electrodes 114 and 21 Each of the signals applied from is read to determine the magnitude of the corresponding signal (S11 and S12), and a contact resistance with the body part in contact with the first and second electrodes 114 and 21 is determined.

Next, the control unit 12 determines whether there is an electrode having an abnormal mounting state by using the determined magnitude of the contact resistance (S13).

For example, if the determined contact resistance is greater than or equal to the set value, the controller 12 determines that the corresponding electrodes 114 and 21 are not adhered to the corresponding body part or that the adhesive state is not a state for measuring a normal signal. do.

Therefore, if there is an electrode whose mounting state with the body part is abnormal according to the determined signal level (S13), the controller 12 determines an abnormal mounting state among the first and second electrodes 114 and 21. The electrode to be held is determined (S14).

When there is an electrode having an abnormal mounting state, in order to normalize the mounting state of the electrode (at least one of 114 and 21) that is abnormally attached to the body part or located away from the body part, the controller 12 is By operating the notification unit, the wearer notifies the abnormal mounting state of the corresponding electrode (S15).

When the speaker 131 is used, the controller 12 may read a warning message stored in the storage unit 135 according to the type of electrode maintaining an abnormally mounted state and output it through the speaker 131.

For example, a warning message such as'Please check the mounting state of the electrode in the ear and the body electrode' may be displayed. Here, the ear electrode refers to the first electrode 114 and the body electrode refers to the second electrode 21.

In this case, the control unit 12 may have different types of warning messages output according to the type of the corresponding electrode that maintains the abnormally mounted state and the degree of installation.

For example, it may be'The first electrode is away from the body' or'Please attach the second electrode firmly'.

In addition, alternatively, if there is an electrode that maintains an abnormally mounted state, the control unit 12 operates the vibration generator 132 for a predetermined time and intensity to notify the wearer that an electrode that maintains the abnormally mounted state exists. I can.

If necessary, the controller 12 may operate both the speaker 131 and the vibration generator 132 in a corresponding state to notify the wearer that there is an electrode that maintains an abnormally mounted state.

Accordingly, the biosignal measuring apparatus 100 for measuring the wearer's biosignal is accurately mounted on a corresponding body part to perform a stable biosignal measurement operation.

By this operation, when the bio-signal measuring apparatus 100 is stably mounted on a corresponding body part of the wearer, the control unit 12 performs a measuring operation of the bio-signal (S20).

Accordingly, the control unit 12 determines whether the time measured through the operation of the timer 121 has passed the set time, as shown in FIG. 5A (S21).

When the determined time elapses (S21), the control unit 12 operates the body temperature detection unit 112 and the pulse wave detection unit 113, and detects a body temperature detection signal and a pulse wave output from the body temperature detection unit 112 The biosignal of the wearer is measured by reading a pulse wave detection signal output from the unit 113 and a biosignal such as an electrocardiogram signal output from the first and second electrodes 114 and 21 (S22).

Then, the control unit 12 transmits the measured bio-signal to the monitoring device 200 through the communication unit 134.

Accordingly, the control unit of the monitoring device 200 receives the biometric signal transmitted through the communication unit, determines the body temperature using the body temperature detection signal output from the body temperature detection unit 112, and uses the pulse wave detection signal to determine the heart rate and oxygen. At least one of the saturation is determined, and biometric information such as at least one of an electrocardiogram, a pulse, a heart rate variability (HRV), and a stress index is measured using an electrocardiogram signal.

Then, the control unit of the monitoring device 200 outputs the measured biometric information as at least one of a graph and a number through the information output unit so that the manager can check the current physical condition of the wearer.

In the case of FIG. 5A, the biosignal measuring apparatus 100 measures the wearer's body signal at predetermined time intervals using the timer 121 and transmits it to the monitoring apparatus 200.

However, as shown in FIG. 5B, in an alternative example, the biosignal measuring apparatus 100 may perform a measuring operation of the biosignal according to the request of the monitoring apparatus 200.

That is, as shown in FIG. 5B, when a biometric information request signal is transmitted from the monitoring device 200 through the communication unit 134 (S25), the control unit 12 of the biosignal measurement device 100 is the body temperature detection unit 112 ), the pulse wave detection unit 113 and the first and second electrodes 114 and 21, and outputs a driving signal to convert the corresponding devices 112, 112, 141, and 21 into an operable state (S26).

Next, the control unit 12 performs the bio-signal measuring device mounting confirmation operation (S27) through the same operation as shown in FIG. 4, so that the bio-signal measuring device 100 can be normally mounted on the corresponding body part of the wearer. To be there.

When the biosignal measurement device 100 is normally mounted on the body part, the control unit 12 of the biosignal measurement device 100 reads the signals applied from the detection units 112 and 113 and the electrodes 114 and 21. Thus, the bio-signal is measured (S28), and the bio-signal measured through the communication unit 134 is transmitted to the monitoring device 200 (S29).

In this case, the monitoring device 200 may generate and transmit a biometric information request signal to the biosignal measuring device 100 at a predetermined time interval and according to at least one of a manager's request.

In this way, the bio-signal is measured by the bio-signal measuring device 100 at a time point desired by the administrator, and the measured bio-signal is transmitted to the monitoring device 200. Therefore, since the measurement operation of the bio-signal is performed at a desired time without accurate time management of the wearer or the manager, the physical condition of the wearer is periodically monitored without the inconvenience of the wearer and the manager.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 12 of the biosignal measurement apparatus 100 of the present example controls the operation of the biosignal measurement apparatus 100 according to the operation state of the emergency switch 111.

Therefore, as shown in Fig. 6, the control unit 12 reads the signal output from the emergency switch 111 and determines whether the emergency switch 111 has been operated (S31, S32).

When it is determined that the emergency switch 111 is operated by the user according to the state of the signal output from the emergency switch 111 (S32), the control unit 12 converts the state of the microphone 133 to the operation state and Operates 133 (S33), and transmits an emergency signal to the monitoring device 200 through the communication unit 134 (S34).

Accordingly, when an emergency signal is transmitted from the bio-signal measuring device 100, the control unit of the monitoring device 200 determines the wearer's body condition as an abnormal state so that a location tracking or necessary emergency measures can be quickly taken.

In addition, when the wearer's voice data is input through the microphone 133, the controller 12 transmits the input voice data to the monitoring device 200, and when the voice data is transmitted from the monitoring device 200, the control unit 12 corresponds to the speaker 131. By outputting a voice, voice communication between the manager and the wearer can be made (S35).

In an alternative example, when it is determined that the emergency switch 111 is in an operating state, the control unit 12 of the biosignal measuring apparatus 100 performs the biosignal measurement operation as shown in FIG. The signal may be transmitted to the monitoring device 200. In this case, since the manager quickly grasps the physical condition of the wearer in which an emergency situation occurs by using the transmitted biometric signal, emergency measures suitable for the wearer are quickly and accurately performed, thereby preventing the occurrence of a life-threatening accident.

In the bio-signal measuring apparatus 100 of this example, the control unit 12, the power supply unit 14, the communication unit 134, and the storage unit 135 are located in the ear-mounting unit 110 that is attached to the ear, so these (12, 14) At least one of 134 and 135 may be located on the body mounting part 120.

In this case, the electrical connection between the component located in the ear mounting part 100 and the component located in the body mounting part 120 is made by at least one of a wired connection through a wire and a wireless connection of the communication part.

In the above, embodiments of the biosignal determination apparatus of the present invention have been described. The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and variations are possible from the perspective of those of ordinary skill in the field to which the present invention pertains. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should be defined by the claims of the present specification as well as those equivalents to the claims.

100: biological signal measuring device 200: monitoring device
10: ear mounting portion 20: body mounting portion
111: emergency switch 112: body temperature detection unit
113: pulse wave detection unit 114, 21: electrode
12: control unit 131: speaker
132: vibration generator 133: microphone
134: communication department

Claims (11)

Inserted and mounted in the wearer's ear, body temperature sensing unit, pulse wave sensing unit, electrocardiogram first electrode, emergency switch, communication unit, and the body temperature sensing unit, the pulse wave sensing unit, the electrocardiogram first electrode, the emergency switch and An ear mounting unit having a control unit connected to the communication unit;
Is connected to the ear mount, A body mounting portion having a second electrode for an electrocardiogram connected to the control unit;
A status notification unit connected to the control unit and including a speaker; And
A storage unit that is connected to the control unit and stores a warning message corresponding to the type of electrode having an abnormal mounting state and the degree of adhesion
Including,
The control unit,
When it is determined that the emergency switch is operated, an emergency signal is generated, a body temperature detection signal output from the body temperature detection unit, a pulse wave detection signal output from the pulse wave detection unit, the first electrode for ECG, and the ECG agent 2 By reading the ECG signals output from the electrodes, respectively, the emergency signal, the body temperature detection signal, the pulse wave detection signal, and the ECG signal are directly transmitted to a monitoring device through the communication unit,
To determine an electrode having an abnormal mounting state among the first electrode for electrocardiogram and the second electrode for electrocardiogram, read a corresponding warning message from the storage unit according to the determined type of electrode, and output it to the speaker.
Bio-signal measuring device. delete The method of claim 1,
The control unit reads the pulse wave detection signal output from the pulse wave detection unit and the ECG signal output from the ECG first electrode and the ECG second electrode at a predetermined time, and additionally transmits the reading to the monitoring device through the communication unit. A bio-signal measuring device. The method of claim 1,
Whenever biometric information request information is received from the monitoring device through the communication unit, the control unit receives a pulse wave detection signal output from the pulse wave detection unit and an electrocardiogram signal output from the first electrode for electrocardiogram and the second electrode for electrocardiogram. A biosignal measuring device that reads each and additionally transmits it to a monitoring device through the communication unit. delete delete delete delete delete delete The method of claim 1,
Microphone connected to the control unit
Including more,
When it is determined that the emergency switch is operated, the control unit operates the microphone to transmit a voice signal input through the microphone to the monitoring device through the communication unit, and the voice signal from the monitoring device is transmitted through the communication unit. When transmitted, the speaker outputs a voice corresponding to the transmitted voice signal.

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