KR20020088039A - Remote diagnosis equipment as a personal computer peripheral - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A house medical instrument of a PC peripheral device type is provided to enable a user to conveniently use the instrument by designing the instrument as a PC peripheral device in a CD-ROM drive form and to finely display a result by using the powerful resource such as a hard disk. CONSTITUTION: A housing(11) has a same specification as a conventional removable hard disk drive installed to the PC. A sensor holder(17) is inserted into a main body(14) by electrically connecting to the housing with a communication connector(12) and a power connector(13). The communication and the power connector(15,16) of the sensor holder exchange the data and receive the operation power by connecting to the communication and the power connector of the housing. The circuit boards(18) carry out a function such as a sphygmomanometer and an electrocardiograph recorder function by installing in the sensor holder. The sensors(5) connecting to the circuit board measure a biological signal by attaching to a human body.

Description

Remote diagnosis equipment as a personal computer peripheral

The present invention relates to a peripheral type home medical device of a personal computer, wherein the sensor housing that is inserted and detached while being pushed or pulled into a housing of the same standard as a removable hard disk drive is electrically connected to the housing through a connector. It is designed as a computer peripheral device by installing a circuit board and components that perform functions such as a blood pressure monitor or an electrocardiogram recorder in the space and attaching the biosignal measuring sensor to the human body. It is a peripheral home medical device of a personal computer that can guide self-diagnosis with detailed and convenient help and can be manufactured at a significantly reduced cost.

It is well known that in modern times, due to the development of medicine and science, many people often check their health by measuring their own health by developing and distributing the equipment for self-diagnosis at home without visiting the hospital.

In addition, as mentioned above, in order to measure one's own health at home, a home medical diagnosis device and an intelligent home medical diagnosis device are proposed and used.

The home medical diagnostic device is a simple device such as a blood pressure monitor, a blood glucose meter or a body fat meter measuring only a single bio-signal, and the majority of the current research results on this, there are many patent applications. In particular, methods for extracting diagnostic information by detecting, amplifying, and processing a physical quantity of an electric signal or a pressure signal of a living body such as an electrocardiogram, a blood pressure monitor, and a body fat meter have accumulated a lot of technologies due to the development of medicine and engineering for decades. (JJ Carr & JM Brown, 'Introduction to biomedical equipment technology', 1998, 3rd edition, Prenrtice Hall, NY), and many patents thereof. Thus, the principle of each biosignal, the implementation method or the configuration of the devices are well known.

The prior art of the home medical diagnostic device,

1. Body fat is disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 1999-31019 and Korean Patent Publication No. 1999-35955, 2. Blood pressure is disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 1987-003779 and Korean Patent Publication No. 1997-27328, 3. ECG is Korean Patent Publication. Publication No. 1987-14658.

On the other hand, the intelligent home medical diagnosis system has recently been spreading the technology for home medical care system. At home, the general public performs the self-diagnosis by using the home medical equipment, and then transmits the measurement data to a remote medical institution through the Internet, etc. Home telemedicine systems are available for receiving replies. To this end, there is an urgent need for reliable biosignal measuring devices.

In addition, if you observe the systems that have been proposed and used up to now, it is a step forward from the function of measuring one bio-signal and displaying it on a small display device like a conventional blood pressure monitor. It allows users to make measurements, send and receive responses to doctors through a personal computer with an interface, and the user equipment is equipped with user interfaces such as a sophisticated liquid crystal display and a touch screen for easy operation.

When such a device is separated from the single bio-signal measuring device and arbitrarily separated into an intelligent home medical diagnostic device, many patents have been filed by the results of many studies.

The prior art of the intelligent home medical diagnostic equipment,

1. Electrocardiogram telemetry device Korean Patent Publication No. 1987-014658, 2. Home medical telemetry device No. 1997-054411.

However, the medical diagnostic apparatus must be interfaced with a computer in order to function properly. Therefore, the user has to perform a cumbersome procedure of placing it near the computer and transferring data to the computer after the measurement.

In addition, it requires a lot of electronic components such as expensive liquid crystal display and expensive CPU to support it, which makes it difficult to reduce the cost. Therefore, it is too expensive to be a home product, and it is not easy to use because it can smoothly communicate with the Internet by relying on a computer.

Therefore, it is necessary to solve the drawback that the intelligent home medical diagnostic equipment has a large number of electronic components in order to have essential functions such as user interface, signal processing, data storage, internet transmission, etc., and the manufacturing cost is high, which is too expensive for home use. There is a need to have more convenient functions than existing devices.

Accordingly, the present invention performs a function such as a blood pressure monitor or an electrocardiogram recorder in the internal space while allowing the sensor housing to be inserted and removed while being pushed or pulled into the housing of the same standard as the removable hard disk drive to make an electrical connection with the housing through the connector. It is designed to be a computer peripheral device by installing a circuit board and components to attach a sensor for measuring a biosignal to a human body. It is convenient to use, and it is possible to finely display the measurement result by the powerful resources of the computer. Its purpose is to provide a personal computer peripheral home medical device capable of guiding functions and being manufactured at a significantly reduced cost.

Peripheral home-type medical device of the personal computer of the present invention for achieving the above object is to embed a home medical diagnostic device in a personal computer.

The front of a personal computer has space for a CD-ROM drive, a floppy disk drive, or a hard disk drive, and there is usually no space for adding two more drives. If you make it about 2 sizes and mount it on the front of the computer, you can open the CD-ROM drive whenever you need it, and let the sensor housing part protrude and then hold the built-in electrode, When measuring, the measured value is directly output on the monitor of personal computer and displayed.The user analyzes the graph or the result on the screen and if necessary, clicks the button and immediately sends the information to the medical institution through the internet. Enable transmission.

According to the present invention configured as described above, only the analog circuits and mechanical elements necessary for the sensor interface are accurately and simply configured, and the signal processing, storage, graph conversion, and user interface are all performed on a computer. Allow to form in size.

Since the personal computer can be directly supplied with power, there is no need to configure a separate power circuit.

The diagnostic device is installed in the space where the drive of the personal computer is installed and exposed to the front so that it is convenient to use and does not need to form a separate storage space.

You can use the personal computer communication function, so you do not need to add a separate Internet communication function.

The medical diagnostic apparatus of the present invention mounted on the computer is recognized as if a new hard disk is added, so that the user can easily see the measurement result when using the file manager of the computer operating system (OS).

To achieve this design goal, many technical challenges must be overcome.

The most basic is in the form of a diagnostic device mounted on a computer, and uses a form of a removable hard disk drive which is usually mounted on a personal computer.

That is, the housing fixed to the computer body;

A sliding sensor housing which can be pushed into the main body which is electrically connected to the housing by a connector and can be pulled out if necessary;

Consists of connectors for electrically connecting the sensor housing, the main body and the housing.

In addition, only analog circuits and mechanical elements are built into the sensor housing, and the rest of them utilize most of the hardware and software resources of personal computers, so that complex medical diagnostic devices can be compressed and installed in a narrow space.

1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a detailed configuration of the Medi driver according to the present invention.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the Medi driver according to the invention mounted on a personal computer.

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the Medi driver is mounted according to another embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a schematic view showing a state in which an emulation circuit board is installed in a housing according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 6 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the Medi driver in a state in which the diagnostic device according to the present invention is applied to the body fat analyzer.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

1: personal computer 3: Medi driver

5 sensor for measuring bio signals 11 housing

14: main body 17: sensor housing

18: circuit board 41: emulation circuit board

Peripheral home medical devices of the personal computer of the present invention for achieving the above object is a medical diagnostic device for a personal computer and the housing of the same standard as the removable hard disk drive for personal computers;

A sensor accommodating part configured to be inserted into the main body while the electrical connection is made by a connector to the housing, and to be pulled and used;

A connector for making an electrical connection between the sensor housing, the body, and the housing;

Circuit boards and components which perform functions such as a blood pressure monitor or an electrocardiogram recorder installed in a space created in the sensor housing;

It is composed of sensors for measuring bio-signals such as electrodes connected to or connected to the circuit board.

Hereinafter, a configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

There may be various embodiments, such as a blood pressure monitor, a body fat meter, a pulse meter, etc. according to the type of the biosignal, and a part commonly used regardless of the type of the biosignal is a housing mounted on a computer, a main body inserted into the housing, and the main body. Consists of a sensor housing that is built to protrude a part.

1 shows the appearance of the present invention,

Spaces (2) for a plurality of storage drives formed on the front of the personal computer (1) are allocated, and the empty space (2a) so that additionally two or three drives of the space (2) can be installed To form.

When the Medi Drive 3 according to the present invention is installed in the empty space 2a, the user pops out when the user pulls the sensor housing 4 in the form of a drawer. The sensor accommodating part 4 includes a sensor 5 for measuring a biological signal including an electrode for measuring body fat.

Various sensor for measuring the biological signal may be built in the sensor housing 4 of the present invention, but in this embodiment, the case of the body fat measuring electrode is taken as an example. The user holds the electrode with both hands and performs the measurement.

2 illustrates the structure of the medi drive of the present invention in detail.

The Medi drive 3 includes a housing 11 of the same standard as a conventional removable hard disk drive mounted on a personal computer 1;

Sensor housing 17 which is inserted into the main body 14, which is electrically connected by the communication connector 12, 12a and the power connector 13, 13a to the housing 11, and inserted and pulled to be used. )Wow;

The communication connector 15a and the power connector 16a of the sensor accommodating part 17 connected to the communication connector 15 and the power connector 16 of the main body 14 to receive power for data transmission and operation. Wow;

Circuit boards 18 installed inside the sensor housing 17 to perform functions such as a blood pressure monitor or an electrocardiogram recorder and having components inserted therein;

It is composed of sensors 5 for the measurement of bio-signals such as electrodes connected to the circuit board 18 and attached or connected to the human body.

The sensor housing 17 is a part like a CD-ROM drive, or when the user pushes the switch or the user pulls out part of the personal computer 1, and forms a notch so as not to come out completely at the end.

The sensor accommodating part 17 occupies only a part of the internal space even when fully inserted into the housing 11, and the remaining space includes electronic circuits for measuring biological signals and mechanical parts.

3 is a diagram illustrating a process of installing the above Medi-Drive on a computer.

Insert the housing 11 of the medi drive 3 into the space 2a under the space 2 for the CD-ROM drive of the personal computer 1 and fasten with bolts 21 on both sides of the housing,

The communication connector 12 and the power connector 13 exposed from the housing 11 of the medi drive 3 to the rear side should be connected to the personal computer 1.

First, the 4-pin power connector 23 from the power supply 22 of the personal computer 1 is connected to the power connector 13 of the Medi drive 3.

Then, the main board 24 of the personal computer 1 is connected to the communication connector 12 of the medi drive 3 via a cable 26, one side of which is connected to a connector 25 for a hard disk communication port.

The above procedure is the same as when installing a hard disk or CD-ROM drive, and the personal computer 1 and the housing 11 are connected through the communication connector 12, 25 and the power connector 13, 23. The electrical connection completes the mounting process on the computer.

4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration according to another embodiment of the present invention as an example where a MediDrive is hard to use an ATA port for a hard disk of a computer.

When more than one hard disk is installed in the personal computer (1) and the connection through the communication connector (25) is not possible. The interface card 31 is installed on the main board 24 of the personal computer 1, and the interface card 31 is connected to the communication connector 13 and the cable 32 of the medi drive 3.

This eliminates the need for an ATA port for the hard disk, so it can be adapted to more diverse computer environments. Depending on the application, it may be more convenient to use custom I / O cards than using ATA ports. In this case, I / O cards are manufactured separately and connected to the housing. However, since the core of the present invention is a configuration for manufacturing a medical diagnostic device like a convenient input / output device such as a CD-ROM drive on the front of the computer, the technical difference does not occur due to the state using the ATA port or a custom input / output card, and from that point of view, Even when using the communication connection means can be determined to be the same technology.

5 is a detailed view illustrating an internal configuration of a housing of a medi drive.

The back of the Medi-Drive 3 has an emulation circuit board 41 for allowing the personal computer 1 to recognize the information of the Medi-Drive 3 as if it were a hard disk or a CD-ROM drive.

The emulation circuit board 41 includes a communication connector 12 and a power connector 13 for communicating with a computer.

The emulation circuit board 41 is equipped with an LSI chip 42 to perform all timing interface functions for communicating with the personal computer 1.

In addition, the LSI chip 42 has a biosignal measuring sensor 5 of the Medi-Drive 3 that is used in another, for example, while communicating with an electronic circuit commonly used, for example, the personal computer 1. A simple digital logic circuit for reading and outputting the measured value detected through the sensor 5 or inputting a command transmitted from the personal computer 1 to the medi drive 3, and analog digital for converting the measurement signal of the sensor into a digital signal. It is configured to include an isolated DC-DC converter for supplying power to the converter and the biocontact circuit.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of processing a measurement signal when a body fat analyzer is mounted as a sensor for measuring a biological signal.

At least four electrodes are required to measure body fat, and an AC signal source of several tens of KHz and an AC impedance measuring circuit are required.

In the present invention, the AC impedance method was used in the embodiment of the body fat analyzer. Since this technique is a technique established long ago in medical engineering called 'bio impedance analysis method', detailed descriptions are omitted (S. Grimnes & OGMartinsen, 'Bioimpedanceand'). Bioelectricity Basics', Academic Pr; ISBN: 0123032601)

That is, the four handles 51, 51a, 51b, and 51c are divided into two groups for body fat measurement on a circuit board of the main body, and the first handle 52 and the second handle ( Each of the two metal bands 53, 54, 56, 57 formed at 55 is connected to each other.

When the first and second handles 52 and 55 are held by hand, the two metal bands 53 and 54 and 56 and 57 are electrically connected to the palms 58 and 59.

At this time, the power supplied to the internal operating power through the insulated DC-DC converter 61 through the power supply circuit 60 of the housing 11 is supplied through the multiplexer 62 to the electrodes 51, 51a and 51b. And the current value and the voltage value applied to each of the plurality of metal bands 53, 54, 56, and 57 to be input to the AC impedance measuring circuit 63 from the multiplexer 62. The AC impedance of the palms 58 and 59 is measured.

The measured value measured by the AC impedance measuring circuit 63 is converted into a digital value through the analog-to-digital converter 64 and applied to the microprocessor 65 so that recognition of the measured value is made. Via the isolation coupler 66 and via the ATA interface logic 67 to the motherboard 24 of the personal computer 1.

Moisture in the palm skin by measuring the alternating impedance between the electrodes 51, 51a, 51b, 51c through the two metal bands 53, 54, 56, 57 in contact with the palms 58, 59, respectively. After measuring the compensation factor for (sweat, etc.), this time, the two electrode electrodes 51, 51a, 51b, 51c of each palm 58, 59 are shorted with internal contacts, respectively, to form a single electrode. The AC impedance between the handle 52 and the second handle 55 is measured.

This results in measuring the electrical conductivity, which is determined by muscle, body fat, and water in a long path from one hand through the chest and back to the other.

That is, the power supplied from the power supply circuit 60 of the housing 11 via the insulated DC-DC converter 61 is applied to the electrodes 51, 51a, 51b, 51c via the multiplexer 62, and the metal The measured value measured by inputting the current value and the voltage value flowing through the bands 53, 54, 56, 57 into the AC impedance measuring circuit 63 from the multiplexer 62 is passed through the analog-to-digital converter 64. In the meantime, the digital value is converted into a digital value and applied to the microprocessor 65 so as to recognize the measured value. Then, the optical computer is connected to the personal computer 1 via the optical isolation coupler 66 and the ATA interface logic 67. By transmitting to the main board 24 to enable the diagnosis according to the user's measured value.

Knowing age, height and gender data using statistical clinical data for the user's measured values, the standard impedance table can be known and the body fat content is determined and output to the user on a monitor.

The isolated DC-DC converter circuit is a device for the user's electrical safety.

The personal computer 1 equipped with the Medi-Drive 3 is equipped with software for the user, and processes the data from the Medi-Drive 3 with the detailed help and outputs it to the monitor to measure the user through text or graphs. The value can be known and stored on a hard disk or sent to a medical institution via the Internet.

The main board 24 of the personal computer 1 has a built-in diagnostic software so that verification of the measured values can be performed by itself, or a diagnostic program is embedded in a server connected through an internet network to continuously update the user. They need to ensure that they are able to receive continuous and efficient service while also sending measurements to the specialist, if necessary, for diagnosing the user's condition or for closer inspection.

As described above, the peripheral type home medical device of the personal computer of the present invention devises a medical diagnostic device as a computer peripheral device in the form of a CD-ROM drive, which is convenient to use, and results from using a powerful display such as a computer display or a hard disk. In addition to the user's benefits, the display can be fine-grained and the user can guide the self-diagnosis function with convenient help. In addition, the circuit can be used for the rest of the circuit except the sensor interface. do.

Claims (5)

While the Medi drive 3 is fixedly installed in the space of the chassis frame for the auxiliary storage device in front of the personal computer 1, The Medi drive 3 includes a housing 11 of the same standard as a conventional removable hard disk drive mounted on a personal computer 1; Sensor housing 17 which is inserted into the main body 14, which is electrically connected by the communication connector 12, 12a and the power connector 13, 13a to the housing 11, and inserted and pulled to be used. )Wow; The communication connector 15a and the power connector 16a of the sensor accommodating unit 17 connected to the communication connector 15 and the power connector 16 of the main body 14 to receive power for data transmission and operation. Wow; Circuit boards 18 installed inside the sensor housing 17 to perform functions such as a blood pressure monitor or an electrocardiogram recorder and having components inserted therein; Peripheral type home medical equipment of a personal computer, characterized in that consisting of sensors for measuring bio-signals, such as electrodes connected to the circuit board (18) attached to or connected to the human body. The method of claim 1, The measuring sensor 5 inserted into the circuit board 18 of the sensor housing 17 is a personal device capable of measuring various biological signals such as body fat, weight, blood pressure, and electrocardiogram while changing only a sensor and a sensor interface circuit. Home medical device peripheral type of computer. The method of claim 1, The housing 11 is provided with an emulation circuit board 41 having a communication connector 12, a power connector 13, and an LSI chip 42 installed thereon, for communication with a personal computer 1. Simple digital logic circuit for reading and outputting the measured value detected through the sensor (5) or inputting a command transmitted from the personal computer (1) to the medi drive (3), and an analog-digital converter for converting the sensor's measurement signal into a digital signal. And an insulated DC-DC converter for supplying power to a biocontact circuit, such that the personal computer 1 recognizes a hard disk as if it is a hard disk and performs communication while at home. The method of claim 3, wherein The MediDrive 3 is equipped with an interface card on the main board 24 of the personal computer 1 as necessary, and is controlled by the personal computer 1 connected by a cable with the interface card. Peripheral home medical equipment of personal computer which saved ATA port of). The method of claim 1, The personal computer 1 equipped with the Medi-Drive 3 includes software for the user so that the user can know the measured value through text or graph while signal-processing the measured data with the help and outputting it to the monitor. A home-based peripheral device of a personal computer configured to be stored in a hard disk inside a personal computer or transmitted to a server program or a medical institution through the Internet.