KR20230130565A - Earable device with built-in fringing field-based healthcare function - Google Patents

Abstract

Introducing an earable device with built-in fringing field-based healthcare functions. An earable device according to an embodiment includes a case, a sensor pattern formed on the surface of the case, and a fringing field formed by the sensor pattern according to the applied voltage. It may include a sensing circuit that detects the wearer's biometric information using , and may be worn on the wearer's ears.

Description

Earable device with built-in fringing field-based healthcare function {EARABLE DEVICE WITH BUILT-IN FRINGING FIELD-BASED HEALTHCARE FUNCTION}

Embodiments relate to an earable device incorporating a fringing field-based healthcare function.

An earable device may refer to a wearable device worn on the ear. Existing earable devices were mostly used simply to transmit sound. However, due to the gradual expansion of the smart healthcare market, products equipped with health functions in various wearable devices are being developed and distributed.

[Prior art document number]

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2018-0041458

A method and system for detecting the wearer's biometric information when wearing an earable device using the fringing field of a sensor formed on the surface of the case of the earable device is provided.

It provides a method and system to check the user's health status by analyzing the detected biometric information and providing various healthcare information.

case; A sensor pattern formed on the case surface; And a sensing circuit included in the case, applies a voltage to the sensor pattern, and detects the wearer's biometric information using a fringing field formed by the sensor pattern according to the applied voltage, and the wearer Provides an earable device characterized in that it is worn on the ear.

According to one side, the detection circuit includes an oscillator that generates a resonance frequency, and detects the wearer's biometric information by detecting a change in the resonance frequency according to a change in the target analyte present in the fringing field. It can be characterized.

According to another aspect, the oscillator may include an inductor-capacitor (LC) oscillator or a resistor-capacitor (RC) oscillator.

According to another aspect, the earable device includes a control unit that controls the operation of the sensing circuit; a communication unit that transmits biometric information detected by the sensing circuit to an external device; And it may further include a power supply unit that provides power to the sensing circuit, the control unit, and the communication unit.

According to another aspect, the communication unit receives healthcare information as auditory information generated by analyzing the biometric information from the external device, and the earable device receives healthcare information as auditory information. It may further include an output unit that outputs.

A method of detecting biometric information performed by an earable device worn on a wearer's ear, comprising: forming a fringing field by applying a voltage to a sensor pattern formed on a case surface of the earable device; and detecting the wearer's biometric information using the fringing field.

According to one side, the step of detecting the biometric information includes generating a resonance frequency through an oscillator included in the earable device; and measuring the biometric information based on a change in the resonance frequency according to a change in the target analyte present in the fringing field.

According to another aspect, the biometric information detection method may further include transmitting the detected biometric information to an external device.

According to another aspect, the biometric information detection method includes receiving healthcare information as auditory information generated by analyzing the biometric information from the external device; And it may further include outputting healthcare information as the auditory information.

A computer program stored on a computer-readable recording medium is provided in conjunction with a computer device to execute the method on the computer device.

Provided is a computer-readable recording medium on which a program for executing the above method on a computer device is recorded.

When wearing an earable device, the wearer's biometric information can be detected using the fringing field of the sensor formed on the surface of the case of the earable device.

By analyzing the detected biometric information and providing various healthcare information, the user's health status can be checked.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a network environment according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a computer device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of a general view of a healthcare information provision system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of an earable device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of a sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of creating a fringing field according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of a circuit of an RC oscillator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of a circuit of an LC oscillator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 9 is a graph showing blood sugar levels measured continuously for each frequency and time slot output from the sensor, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. However, various changes may be made to the embodiments, so the scope of the claims of the patent application is not limited or limited by these embodiments. It is to be understood that all changes, equivalents, and substitutes for the embodiments are encompassed by the scope of the claims.

The terms used in the examples are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as limiting. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this specification, terms such as “comprise” or “have” are intended to designate the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, but are not intended to indicate the presence of one or more other features. It should be understood that this does not exclude in advance the possibility of the existence or addition of elements, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as generally understood by a person of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the embodiments belong. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related technology, and unless clearly defined in the present application, should not be interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal sense. No.

In addition, when describing with reference to the accompanying drawings, identical components will be assigned the same reference numerals regardless of the reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions thereof will be omitted. In describing the embodiments, if it is determined that detailed descriptions of related known technologies may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the embodiments, the detailed descriptions are omitted.

Additionally, in describing the components of the embodiment, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used. These terms are only used to distinguish the component from other components, and the nature, sequence, or order of the component is not limited by the term. When a component is described as being "connected," "coupled," or "connected" to another component, that component may be directly connected or connected to that other component, but there is no need for another component between each component. It should be understood that may be “connected,” “combined,” or “connected.”

Components included in one embodiment and components including common functions will be described using the same names in other embodiments. Unless stated to the contrary, the description given in one embodiment may be applied to other embodiments, and detailed description will be omitted to the extent of overlap.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a network environment according to an embodiment of the present invention. The network environment in FIG. 1 shows an example including a plurality of electronic devices 110, 120, 130, and 140, a plurality of servers 150 and 160, and a network 170. Figure 1 is an example for explaining the invention, and the number of electronic devices or servers is not limited as in Figure 1.

The plurality of electronic devices 110, 120, 130, and 140 may be fixed terminals or mobile terminals implemented with a computer system. Examples of the plurality of electronic devices 110, 120, 130, and 140 include smart phones, mobile phones, navigation devices, computers, laptops, digital broadcasting terminals, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), and Portable Multimedia Players (PMPs). ), tablet PCs, game consoles, wearable devices, IoT (internet of things) devices, VR (virtual reality) devices, AR (augmented reality) devices, etc. For example, in FIG. 1, the shape of a smartphone is shown as an example of the electronic device 110. However, in embodiments of the present invention, the electronic device 110 actually communicates with other devices through the network 170 using a wireless or wired communication method. It may refer to one of various physical computer systems capable of communicating with electronic devices 120, 130, 140 and/or servers 150, 160.

The communication method is not limited, and may include not only a communication method utilizing communication networks that the network 170 may include (e.g., mobile communication network, wired Internet, wireless Internet, broadcasting network, satellite network, etc.), but also short-range wireless communication between devices. You can. For example, the network 170 may include a personal area network (PAN), a local area network (LAN), a campus area network (CAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a wide area network (WAN), and a broadband network (BBN). , may include one or more arbitrary networks such as the Internet. Additionally, the network 170 may include any one or more of network topologies including a bus network, star network, ring network, mesh network, star-bus network, tree or hierarchical network, etc. Not limited.

Each of the servers 150 and 160 is a computer device or a plurality of computers that communicate with a plurality of electronic devices 110, 120, 130, 140 and a network 170 to provide commands, codes, files, content, services, etc. It can be implemented with devices. For example, the server 150 may be a system that provides a first service to a plurality of electronic devices 110, 120, 130, and 140 connected through the network 170, and the server 160 also provides a network ( It may be a system that provides a second service to a plurality of electronic devices 110, 120, 130, and 140 connected through 170). As a more specific example, the server 150 uses an application as a computer program installed and running on a plurality of electronic devices 110, 120, 130, and 140 to provide the service targeted by the application as a first service to the plurality of electronic devices. It can be provided as (110, 120, 130, 140). As another example, the server 160 may provide a service for distributing files for installing and running the above-described application to a plurality of electronic devices 110, 120, 130, and 140 as a second service.

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a computer device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Each of the plurality of electronic devices 110, 120, 130, and 140 described above or each of the servers 150 and 160 may be implemented by the computer device 200 shown in FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, this computer device 200 may include a memory 210, a processor 220, a communication interface 230, and an input/output interface 240. The memory 210 is a computer-readable recording medium and may include a non-permanent mass storage device such as random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), and a disk drive. Here, non-perishable large-capacity recording devices such as ROM and disk drives may be included in the computer device 200 as a separate permanent storage device that is distinct from the memory 210. Additionally, an operating system and at least one program code may be stored in the memory 210. These software components may be loaded into the memory 210 from a computer-readable recording medium separate from the memory 210. Such separate computer-readable recording media may include computer-readable recording media such as floppy drives, disks, tapes, DVD/CD-ROM drives, and memory cards. In another embodiment, software components may be loaded into the memory 210 through the communication interface 230 rather than a computer-readable recording medium. For example, software components may be loaded into memory 210 of computer device 200 based on computer programs installed by files received over network 170.

The processor 220 may be configured to process instructions of a computer program by performing basic arithmetic, logic, and input/output operations. Commands may be provided to the processor 220 by the memory 210 or the communication interface 230. For example, processor 220 may be configured to execute received instructions according to program code stored in a recording device such as memory 210.

The communication interface 230 may provide a function for the computer device 200 to communicate with other devices (eg, the storage devices described above) through the network 170. For example, a request, command, data, file, etc. generated by the processor 220 of the computer device 200 according to a program code stored in a recording device such as memory 210 is transmitted to the network ( 170) and can be transmitted to other devices. Conversely, signals, commands, data, files, etc. from other devices may be received by the computer device 200 through the communication interface 230 of the computer device 200 via the network 170. Signals, commands, data, etc. received through the communication interface 230 may be transmitted to the processor 220 or memory 210, and files, etc. may be stored in a storage medium (as described above) that the computer device 200 may further include. It can be stored as a permanent storage device).

The input/output interface 240 may be a means for interfacing with the input/output device 250. For example, input devices may include devices such as a microphone, keyboard, or mouse, and output devices may include devices such as displays and speakers. As another example, the input/output interface 240 may be a means for interfacing with a device that integrates input and output functions, such as a touch screen. The input/output device 250 may be configured as a single device with the computer device 200.

Additionally, in other embodiments, computer device 200 may include fewer or more components than those of FIG. 2 . However, there is no need to clearly show most prior art components. For example, the computer device 200 may be implemented to include at least some of the input/output devices 250 described above, or may further include other components such as a transceiver, a database, etc.

Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of a general view of a healthcare information provision system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The healthcare information providing system 300 according to this embodiment may include an earable device 310, a user terminal 320, and a server 330. Here, the user terminal 320 and the server 330 may each be implemented based on the computer device 200 described above.

The earable device 310 is a wearable device that can be worn on the user's ears, and may be a device such as an earset, earphone, or headset. At this time, the earable device 310 according to embodiments of the present invention may include a sensor pattern for forming a fringing field. The fringing field can be formed by a voltage applied to the sensor pattern, and the earable device 310 uses an oscillator included in the earable device 310 according to changes in the target analyte present in the fringing field area. By detecting and measuring changes in the generated resonance frequency, biometric information about the user can be obtained. The method of acquiring biometric information based on the fringing field will be described in more detail later.

The earable device 310 can transmit the collected biometric information to the linked user terminal 320. In this case, the user terminal 320 may generate and provide healthcare information for the user by analyzing the biometric information transmitted under the control of an application installed and run on the user terminal 320. Depending on the embodiment, the user terminal 320 may communicate with the server 330 under the control of the application, and may also generate and provide healthcare information using functions and/or services provided by the server 330. .

In another embodiment, the earable device 310 may also be implemented based on the computer device 200 previously described with reference to FIG. 2 . In this case, the earable device 310 may generate healthcare information for the user by analyzing biometric information through the processor 220 that the earable device 310 may include. In this case, the earable device 310 can convert the generated healthcare information into audio information and output it through a speaker included in the earable device 310. As another example, the earable device 310 may transmit the generated healthcare information to the user terminal 320 so that the user terminal 320 displays the generated healthcare information through a display.

The server 330 receives and analyzes biometric information from the user terminal 320 to generate and provide healthcare information, or analyzes biometric information in conjunction with an application running on the user terminal 320 to generate healthcare information. The functions for this purpose can be provided to the user terminal 320 through an application.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of an earable device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Due to the nature of the earable device 420, which is miniaturized so that it can be worn on the user's ear 410, there are spatial restrictions on the earable device 420, so the sensor pattern 421 is attached to the case of the earable device 420. It may be formed on a surface 422 (the outer surface and/or the inner surface of the case). For example, the sensor pattern 421 can be implemented on the case surface 422 of the earable device 420 by applying the printing method of the LDS (Laser Direct Structure) industry, thereby minimizing spatial constraints. In addition, the sensor pattern 421 formed on the case surface 422 of the earable device 420 adheres closely to the inside of the ear 410 when the earable device 420 is worn, thereby increasing the intensity of the fringing field. can be expected, through which more accurate biometric information can be obtained.

The target analyte is a material associated with a living body and may also be referred to as a biological material or analyte. For reference, the following mainly describes blood sugar as the target analyte, but is not limited to this. Meanwhile, biometric information is information related to the subject's biological components and may include, for example, the concentration and value of the analyte. If the analyte is blood sugar, the biometric information may include blood sugar levels.

The dielectric constant sensor can measure biometric parameters (hereinafter referred to as 'parameters') associated with the target analyte described above and determine biometric information from the measured parameters. In this specification, the parameter may represent a circuit network parameter used to analyze a dielectric constant sensor, and for convenience of explanation, the scattering parameter is mainly described below as an example, but is not limited thereto. For example, admittance parameters, impedance parameters, hybrid parameters, and transmission parameters may be used as parameters. For scattering parameters, transmission coefficient and reflection coefficient can be used. For reference, the resonance frequency calculated from the above-described scattering parameters may be related to the concentration of the target analyte, and the biosensor can predict blood sugar by detecting changes in the transmission coefficient and/or reflection coefficient.

A dielectric constant sensor may include a resonator assembly (eg, an antenna). Hereinafter, an example in which the resonator assembly is an antenna will mainly be described. The resonant frequency of the antenna can be expressed as a capacitance component and an inductance component as shown in Equation 1 below.

[Equation 1]

In Equation 1 above, f may represent the resonance frequency of the antenna included in the dielectric constant sensor using electromagnetic waves, L may represent the inductance of the antenna, and C may represent the capacitance of the antenna. The capacitance C of the antenna may be proportional to the relative dielectric constant ε _r as shown in Equation 2 below.

[Equation 2]

The relative dielectric constant ε _r of the antenna may be affected by the concentration of the target analyte in the surrounding area. For example, when an electromagnetic wave passes through a material with a random dielectric constant, changes in amplitude and phase may occur in the transmitted electromagnetic wave due to radio wave reflection and scattering. Since the degree of reflection and/or scattering of electromagnetic waves varies depending on the concentration of the target analyte present around the dielectric constant sensor, the relative dielectric constant ε _r may also vary. This can be interpreted as a biocapacitance being formed between the dielectric constant sensor and the target analyte due to a fringing field caused by electromagnetic waves radiated by the dielectric constant sensor including the antenna. Since the relative dielectric constant ε _r of the antenna changes according to the change in the concentration of the target analyte, the resonant frequency of the antenna also changes. In other words, the concentration of the target analyte may correspond to the resonance frequency.

According to one embodiment, a dielectric constant sensor radiates electromagnetic waves while sweeping frequencies and measures scattering parameters according to the radiated electromagnetic waves. The dielectric constant sensor determines the resonance frequency from the measured scattering parameters and can estimate the blood sugar level corresponding to the determined resonance frequency. In this way, the dielectric constant sensor can estimate biometric information by determining the degree of frequency shift of the resonance frequency.

Similarly, the sensor included in the earable device 420 detects changes in the fringing field due to changes in the analyte inside the fringing field, which is formed by applying a voltage to the sensor pattern 421, through a sensor connected to the sensor pattern 421. By detecting and measuring changes in the resonance frequency generated through the oscillator, biometric information about the user can be obtained.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of a sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention. 5 shows a sensor 510 that may be included in an earable device (for example, the earable device 310 of FIG. 3 or the earable device 420 of FIG. 4), as shown in FIG. 5, and a sensor pattern 520. ) and an oscillator 530. In the case of the sensor 510, it may be implemented in a form that includes a capacitor included in the oscillator 530. In FIG. 5, the sensor pattern 520 may correspond to such a capacitor and may serve to form a fringing field depending on the applied voltage. The oscillator 530 may include an inductor-capacitor (LC) oscillator or a resistor-capacitor (RC) oscillator.

MUT (Material Under Test, 540) is a material with a dielectric constant. In the fringing field formed by the sensor pattern 520, the oscillator (530) changes according to the change in the fringing field due to the change in dielectric constant of the MUT (540). ) can change the resonant frequency generated. The sensor 510 can measure the change in dielectric constant according to the change in the resonance frequency, and as a result, it is possible to obtain biometric information according to the change in dielectric constant.

Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of creating a fringing field according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 shows an example in which a fringing field is formed as an oscillation signal is applied to metallic sensor traces 620 as the sensor pattern 520 previously described with reference to FIG. 5 on the substrate 610. At this time, FIG. 6 shows a strong field region, a moderate field region, and a weak field region as fringing fields. That is, as the distance from the metallic sensor trace 620 increases, the intensity of the fringing field becomes weaker.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a circuit of an RC oscillator according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a circuit of an LC oscillator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Oscillators can be classified according to the frequency selection filter used in the feedback network, and the RC oscillator is a type of feedback oscillator whose filter consists of a network of a resistor (R) and a capacitor (C). At this time, the capacitor used in the oscillator may be a fringing field capacitor that generates a fringing field. For example, an inter digited electrode type capacitor may be used.

Oscillators can be used to generate low frequencies, mainly in the sub-MHz frequency range, and RC oscillators consisting of an RC network can be used to generate the required phase shift in the response signal. RC networks can be used to achieve positive feedback, generating oscillating sinusoidal voltages, and this kind of oscillator has excellent frequency strength, low noise and jitter. When power is supplied to the circuit, the noise voltage begins to oscillate, and the RC network phase-shifts the output signal by 180° and feeds it back to the input, causing continuous oscillation in the circuit.

The LC oscillator is composed of an inductor (L) and a capacitor (C) to form a tank circuit. This type of oscillator is suitable for high-frequency oscillations, but at low frequencies the required inductance is difficult to achieve in a small form factor. Therefore, the oscillator used in the sensor according to the embodiments of the present invention may refer to an RC oscillator, but the use of an LC oscillator is not excluded.

Figure 9 is a graph showing blood sugar levels measured continuously for each frequency and time slot output from the sensor, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The graph shows the sensor output frequency and the corresponding blood glucose level. The sensor can provide a continuous frequency output for immediate blood sugar levels. If necessary, tracking, prediction, and averaging filters can be used to remove high-frequency noise and fluctuations. This can be implemented in both hardware and software algorithms.

As such, according to embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to provide a smart healthcare earable device with healthcare functions that have recently been increasing in popularity. When a user wears an earable device, the earable device can detect the user's biometric information using a fringing field formed through a sensor pattern formed on the surface of the case of the earable device. In addition, the user's health status can be checked by analyzing biometric information detected by the earable device or user terminal and providing various healthcare information.

A fringing field-based sensor can detect the time-dependent change in resonance frequency as biometric information through an RC oscillator and/or LC oscillator, and as a result of analyzing such biometric information, various healthcare information of the user is normally provided to the user terminal. By providing it through a display device, the user's health status can be checked, and through this, directions for improving eating habits and exercise can also be suggested.

In addition, by checking the user's health status when using the earable device, if the healthcare information is outside the various pre-set healthcare ranges, it provides a warning to the user through a notification function and/or provides healthcare information to the attending physician or a nearby hospital. It can prevent the risk of user disease.

In addition, it is believed that by linking various healthcare information with hospitals, it will be possible for the doctor in charge to monitor the user's health status in real time and use it as the user's basic health information through telemedicine.

Figure 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of an earable device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The earable device 1000 according to this embodiment can be worn on the wearer's ear, and includes a sensor pattern 1010, a detection circuit 1020, a control unit 1030, a communication unit 1040, a power unit 1050, and an output unit ( 1060).

The sensor pattern 1010 may be formed on the case surface of the earable device 1000 and may form a fringing field depending on the voltage applied through the sensing circuit.

The sensing circuit 1020 is included in the case and can apply a voltage to the sensor pattern 1010, and can detect the wearer's biometric information using the fringing field formed by the sensor pattern 1010 according to the applied voltage. You can. At this time, the sensing circuit 1020 may include an oscillator that generates a resonant frequency. The oscillator may include an LC oscillator or an RC oscillator as previously described. In this case, the sensing circuit 1020 can detect the wearer's biometric information by detecting a change in the resonance frequency according to a change in the target analyte present in the fringing field.

The control unit 1030 can control the operation of the detection circuit 1020. In fact, the control unit 1030 can control the operations of not only the sensing circuit 1020, but also the communication unit 1040, the power unit 1050, and the output unit 1060.

The communication unit 1040 may transmit biometric information detected by the detection circuit 1020 to the external device 1060. The external device 1070 may correspond to the user terminal 320 described above. This external device 1070 can generate healthcare information about the wearer by receiving and analyzing transmitted biometric information. At this time, the external device 1070 may generate healthcare information by analyzing biometric information through the server 330 described above with reference to FIG. 3. Additionally, the external device 1070 can provide healthcare information to the wearer. For example, the external device 1070 may display healthcare information generated as visual information through a display. As another example, the external device 1070 may output healthcare information generated from auditory information through a speaker. At this time, healthcare information generated as auditory information may be transmitted to the earable device 1000 and output through the output unit 1060 included in the earable device 1000. For example, the communication unit 1040 of the earable device 1000 may receive healthcare information as auditory information generated by analyzing biometric information from the external device 1070. In this case, the output unit 1060 can output healthcare information as auditory information. Here, the output unit 1060 may include a speaker. As already described, the external device 1070 may provide notifications to the wearer through healthcare information or transmit healthcare information to the wearer's guardian or medical staff. The notification provided to the wearer may be made through the output unit 1060 of the earable device 1000 when the wearer is wearing the earable device 1000. Meanwhile, transmission of healthcare information to guardians or medical staff may be accomplished through the server 330.

The power unit 1050 may provide power to the detection circuit 1020, the control unit 1030, the communication unit 1040, and the output unit 1060. Previously, the power source of the voltage applied by the detection circuit 1020 to the sensor pattern 1010 may be the power supply unit 1050.

The output unit 1060 may basically be a speaker that exists for existing functions of the earable device 1000 (functions for listening to music, making calls, etc.), but may also include a motor for vibration depending on the embodiment. In this case, the output unit 1060 may provide notifications related to healthcare information to the wearer through vibration.

Figure 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a biometric information detection method according to an embodiment of the present invention. The biometric information detection method according to this embodiment can be performed by the earable device 1000 worn on the wearer's ears. In one embodiment, the control unit 1030 of the earable device 1000 may include at least one processor and memory. At this time, the operation of the earable device 1000 is performed by the processor of the control unit 1030 according to the code of the computer program stored in the memory of the control unit 1030, including the detection circuit 1020 and the communication unit ( 1040) and the power unit 1050 can be interpreted as being implemented by being controlled.

In step 1110, the earable device 1000 may form a fringing field by applying a voltage to the sensor pattern 1010 formed on the surface of the case of the earable device. As already explained, due to the nature of the earable device 1000, which is miniaturized so that it can be worn on the wearer's ear, there are spatial restrictions on the earable device 1000, so the sensor pattern 1010 is used in the case of the earable device 1000. It may be formed on a surface (outer surface and/or inner surface of the case). For example, the sensor pattern 1010 is implemented on the surface of the case of the earable device 1000 by applying the printing method of LDS Industries, thereby minimizing spatial constraints. In addition, the sensor pattern 1010 formed on the case surface of the earable device 1000 has the effect of increasing the intensity of the fringing field as it comes into close contact with the inside of the wearer's ear when the wearer wears the earable device 1000. can be expected, and through this, more accurate biometric information can be obtained.

In step 1120, the earable device 1000 may detect the wearer's biometric information using the fringing field. In one embodiment, step 1120 may include steps 1121 and 1122 as shown in FIG. 11 .

In step 1121, the earable device 1000 may generate a resonance frequency through an oscillator included in the earable device 1000. This oscillator may be included in the sensing circuit 1020 and may include an LC oscillator or an RC oscillator. The earable device 1000 can generate a resonant frequency through this oscillator.

In step 1122, the earable device 1000 may measure biometric information based on a change in resonance frequency according to a change in the target analyte present in the fringing field. Previously, it was explained in detail that biometric information can be estimated by determining the degree of frequency shift of the resonance frequency.

In step 1130, the earable device 1000 may transmit the detected biometric information to the external device 1070. The external device 1070 may generate healthcare information by receiving and analyzing biometric information transmitted by the earable device 1000. As described above, the generation of healthcare information may be performed by the server 330 described with reference to FIG. 3 or may be generated by an external device 1070 through a function provided by the server 330.

Subsequent steps 1140 and 1150 may be omitted depending on the embodiment.

In step 1140, the earable device 1000 may receive healthcare information as auditory information generated by analyzing biometric information from the external device 1070. As described above, healthcare information may be generated as visual information and displayed through the display of the external device 1070. Alternatively, healthcare information as auditory information may be output through a speaker included in the external device 1070.

In step 1150, the earable device 1000 may output healthcare information as auditory information. As described above, the earable device 1000 can output healthcare information as auditory information through the output unit 1060 that includes a speaker.

As such, according to embodiments of the present invention, when wearing an earable device, the wearer's biometric information can be detected using the fringing field of the sensor formed on the surface of the case of the earable device. In addition, the user's health status can be checked by analyzing the detected biometric information and providing various healthcare information.

The device described above may be implemented with hardware components or a combination of hardware components and software components. For example, the devices and components described in the embodiments include a processor, a controller, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a digital signal processor, a microcomputer, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and a programmable logic unit (PLU). It may be implemented using one or more general-purpose or special-purpose computers, such as a logic unit, microprocessor, or any other device capable of executing and responding to instructions. The processing device may execute an operating system (OS) and one or more software applications running on the operating system. Additionally, a processing device may access, store, manipulate, process, and generate data in response to the execution of software. For ease of understanding, a single processing device may be described as being used; however, those skilled in the art will understand that a processing device includes multiple processing elements and/or multiple types of processing elements. It can be seen that it may include. For example, a processing device may include a plurality of processors or one processor and one controller. Additionally, other processing configurations, such as parallel processors, are possible.

Software may include a computer program, code, instructions, or a combination of one or more of these, which may configure a processing unit to operate as desired, or may be processed independently or collectively. You can command the device. The software and/or data may be embodied in any type of machine, component, physical device, computer storage medium or device for the purpose of being interpreted by or providing instructions or data to the processing device. there is. Software may be distributed over networked computer systems and stored or executed in a distributed manner. Software and data may be stored on one or more computer-readable recording media.

The method according to the embodiment may be implemented in the form of program instructions that can be executed through various computer means and recorded on a computer-readable medium. At this time, the medium may continuously store a computer-executable program, or temporarily store it for execution or download. In addition, the medium may be a variety of recording or storage means in the form of a single or several pieces of hardware combined. It is not limited to a medium directly connected to a computer system and may be distributed over a network. Examples of media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes, optical recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, magneto-optical media such as floptical disks, And there may be something configured to store program instructions, including ROM, RAM, flash memory, etc. Additionally, examples of other media include recording or storage media managed by app stores that distribute applications, sites or servers that supply or distribute various other software, etc.

As described above, although the embodiments have been described with limited examples and drawings, various modifications and variations can be made by those skilled in the art from the above description. For example, the described techniques are performed in a different order than the described method, and/or components of the described system, structure, device, circuit, etc. are combined or combined in a different form than the described method, or other components are used. Alternatively, appropriate results may be achieved even if substituted or substituted by an equivalent.

Therefore, other implementations, other embodiments, and equivalents of the claims also fall within the scope of the claims described below.

Claims (10)

case;
A sensor pattern formed on the case surface; and
A sensing circuit included in the case, applies a voltage to the sensor pattern, and detects the wearer's biometric information using a fringing field formed by the sensor pattern according to the applied voltage.
Including,
An earable device characterized in that it is worn on the wearer's ears. According to paragraph 1,
The detection circuit includes an oscillator that generates a resonance frequency, and detects the wearer's biometric information by detecting a change in the resonance frequency according to a change in the target analyte present in the fringing field. Rubble device. According to paragraph 2,
The oscillator is an earable device characterized in that it includes an LC (Inductor-Capacitor) oscillator or an RC (Resistor-Capacitor) oscillator. According to paragraph 1,
a control unit that controls the operation of the sensing circuit;
a communication unit that transmits biometric information detected by the sensing circuit to an external device; and
A power supply unit that provides power to the sensing circuit, the control unit, and the communication unit.
An earable device further comprising: According to paragraph 4,
The communication unit receives healthcare information as auditory information generated by analyzing the biometric information from the external device,
An output unit that outputs healthcare information as the auditory information
An earable device further comprising: In the method of detecting biometric information performed by an earable device worn on the wearer's ear,
forming a fringing field by applying voltage to a sensor pattern formed on the case surface of the earable device; and
Detecting the wearer's biometric information using the fringing field
A biometric information detection method comprising: According to clause 6,
The step of detecting the biometric information is,
Generating a resonant frequency through an oscillator included in the earable device; and
Measuring the biometric information based on a change in the resonance frequency according to a change in the target analyte present in the fringing field.
A biometric information detection method comprising: According to clause 6,
Transmitting the detected biometric information to an external device
A biometric information detection method further comprising: According to clause 8,
Receiving healthcare information as auditory information generated by analyzing the biometric information in the external device from the external device; and
Step of outputting healthcare information as the auditory information
A biometric information detection method further comprising: A computer-readable recording medium recording a program for executing the method of any one of claims 6 to 9 on a computer device.

Images