CA2133156A1 - Automatic biometric data system - Google Patents
Automatic biometric data systemInfo
- Publication number
- CA2133156A1 CA2133156A1 CA 2133156 CA2133156A CA2133156A1 CA 2133156 A1 CA2133156 A1 CA 2133156A1 CA 2133156 CA2133156 CA 2133156 CA 2133156 A CA2133156 A CA 2133156A CA 2133156 A1 CA2133156 A1 CA 2133156A1
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- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- subject
- scale
- sound wave
- receptors
- data processing
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
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Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
- A61B5/00—Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons
- A61B5/103—Detecting, measuring or recording devices for testing the shape, pattern, colour, size or movement of the body or parts thereof, for diagnostic purposes
- A61B5/107—Measuring physical dimensions, e.g. size of the entire body or parts thereof
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01G—WEIGHING
- G01G19/00—Weighing apparatus or methods adapted for special purposes not provided for in the preceding groups
- G01G19/44—Weighing apparatus or methods adapted for special purposes not provided for in the preceding groups for weighing persons
- G01G19/50—Weighing apparatus or methods adapted for special purposes not provided for in the preceding groups for weighing persons having additional measuring devices, e.g. for height
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
- G01S15/00—Systems using the reflection or reradiation of acoustic waves, e.g. sonar systems
- G01S15/02—Systems using the reflection or reradiation of acoustic waves, e.g. sonar systems using reflection of acoustic waves
- G01S15/06—Systems determining the position data of a target
- G01S15/46—Indirect determination of position data
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
- G01S15/00—Systems using the reflection or reradiation of acoustic waves, e.g. sonar systems
- G01S15/88—Sonar systems specially adapted for specific applications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
- G01S7/00—Details of systems according to groups G01S13/00, G01S15/00, G01S17/00
- G01S7/52—Details of systems according to groups G01S13/00, G01S15/00, G01S17/00 of systems according to group G01S15/00
- G01S7/52004—Means for monitoring or calibrating
- G01S7/52006—Means for monitoring or calibrating with provision for compensating the effects of temperature
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
- A61B5/00—Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons
- A61B5/103—Detecting, measuring or recording devices for testing the shape, pattern, colour, size or movement of the body or parts thereof, for diagnostic purposes
- A61B5/107—Measuring physical dimensions, e.g. size of the entire body or parts thereof
- A61B5/1072—Measuring physical dimensions, e.g. size of the entire body or parts thereof measuring distances on the body, e.g. measuring length, height or thickness
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Radar, Positioning & Navigation (AREA)
- Remote Sensing (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
- Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
- Pathology (AREA)
- Molecular Biology (AREA)
- Biophysics (AREA)
- Dentistry (AREA)
- Biomedical Technology (AREA)
- Heart & Thoracic Surgery (AREA)
- Medical Informatics (AREA)
- Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery (AREA)
- Surgery (AREA)
- Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
- General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Public Health (AREA)
- Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
- Measurement Of Velocity Or Position Using Acoustic Or Ultrasonic Waves (AREA)
- Measurement Of The Respiration, Hearing Ability, Form, And Blood Characteristics Of Living Organisms (AREA)
Abstract
A measuring apparatus and method for calculating height and weight of human subjects. A scale having a weight sensor is provided to sense the weight of a subject standing thereon. A sonar head is positioned stationary a predetermined distance above the scale sufficient to permit a subject to stand upright on the scale and below the sonar head. The sonar head has a sound wave emitter and a plurality of sound wave receptors. A data processing circuit is connected to the receptors and is activated by an operator and receives output measurement digital signals from the receptors and the scale. Further digital reference signals are received from the receptors without the subject standing on the scale. The data processing circuit is controlled by a software to calculate the weight and height of the subject. The apparatus and method also provides additional data on the subject, such as the body surface area, age and sex.
Description
2l33l56 AUTOMATIC BIOMETRIC DATA SYSTEM
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for calculating height and weight of human subjects using an electronic scale and a sonar head and taking into account sound wave noise created in the measurement area. The apparatus and method are also capable of calculating the body surface area and percentile for the age of the subject.
The automated system and method of the present invention measures the weight and height of human subjects, children and adults. This system makes use of sonic waves to calculate the height of the subject, and it may also calculates automatically the body surface area. The results are given in absolute figures (height, weight, surface area) and in terms of the percentile for a normal population of the same age and sex. The results are printed on stickers which can be easily pasted in the subject's file, and the data are also accumulated by the computer to be loaded later in an institution's main frame computer.
Height and weight measurement of individuals are an important part of clinical evaluation, both in public and private clinics. Most corporations will also request, before hiring an employee, a complete physical examination that include those measurements.
These measurements may take a certain time, and errors can happen when obtaining the data or during transcription of the results on the subject's chart.
In addition, in medicine, many normal parameters are now indexed to the body surface area which is derived from height and weight by using a chart. This is, again, time consuming and involves errors in calculation and transcription. In pediatrics, it is also customary to plot the patient's height and weight on percentile curves for normal subjects. This - z -involves, of course, plotting these parameters on graph and transcribing the results in the patient's file.
BACKGROUND ART
Height and weight have been routinely measured in patients at least since the beginning of this century. Weight measurements at the beginning made use of classical scales with counterweight, and later equipment has been more sophisticated involving tension 10 gauges with digital output, and the weight is usually displayed on a screen using light emitting diodes.
However, measurements of height has not progressed in the same fashion and it is still done in a rather primitive fashion comparing the patient's height to a 15 ruler graduated either in inches or centimeters, although a few developments have been disclosed in patent literature. In babies, a tape measure is used.
A typical example of a patented apparatus for automatically measuring height is described in U.S.
20 Patent No. 4,518,052 where a digital read-out is provided. In one of its aspects, the height and weight measuring machine uses infrared rays that are impinged upon a subject's head at a slanting angle whereby some rays are reflected horizontally to pass through a 25 transparent glass graduated scale in the front of the body. Sensors detect this reflected ray and a measurement of height is obtained, but there is still mechanical manipulation. The weight is provided by a scale on which the person stands. It is also important 30 that the patient assumes a very precise position with respect to a sliding plate disposed in a vertical frame.
Reference is also made to Japanese Specification 5828609 of Matsushita Denki K.K. which describes a 35 system to measure height by transmitting ultrasonic waves to the head part of the human subject, capting ??? the signals of the reflector wave lower than a certain level and measuring the time during which the reflected wave arrives. The circuit measures the time during which the ultrasonic wave propagates back and forth between an emitter and the floor surface on which the subject is standing as well as the head of the subject. One problem with using ultrasonic pulses is that these pulses will bounce off the hair of the patient and provide false signals. There are also false signals provided by environmental objects, and these also result in errors. Accordingly, precise calculations of height are difficult to obtain from the method and apparatus described. Another disadvantage of prior art apparatus is that they are time consuming to use and provide automatic output information on only one parameter of a subject.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
It is therefore a feature of the present invention to provide an automatic apparatus and method for measuring and calculating the height and weight of human subjects which substantially overcome all of the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art.
Another feature of the present invention is to provide an automatic measuring apparatus and method for calculating height and weight of human subjects wherein these measurements can be obtained quickly with increased precision and without transcription errors, and further wherein the data can be accumulated in a computer to be unloaded in a patient's computer chart or other computer systems.
Another feature of the present invention is to provide an automtic measuring apparatus and method for calculating the height and weight of human subjects wherein the height is calculated using sound waves which are calibrated at ambient temperature, and further wherein the measurement signals are treated to separate environmental noise therefrom.
Another feature of the present invention is to provide an automatic measuring apparatus and method for calculating the height and weight, and further capable of providing data on the body surface area and percentile for the age of the subject as well as calculating the subject's age based on relevant parameters entered into the computer by the operator.
According to the above features, from a broad aspect, the present invention provides an automatic measuring apparatus for calculating the height and weight of human subjects. The apparatus comprises an electronic scale having a weight sensor to sense the weight of the subject standing thereon. A sonar head is positioned stationary a predetermined distance above the scale sufficient to permit the subject to stand upright on the scale and below the sonar head. The sonar head has a sound wave emitter and a plurality of sound wave receptors. A data processing means is connected to the receptors. Means is provided to activate the data processing means. The sound wave receptors and a weight sensor provide digital output measurement signals to the data processing means representative of measurements of a subject standing upright on the scale. The sound wave receptors provide further digital reference signals when no subject is standing on the scale. The data processing means has a software to calculate the weight and height of the subject based on said measurement and said reference signals.
According to a further broad aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of automatically measuring and calculating the height and weight of a subject comprising the steps of placing the subject upright on an electronic scale and under a stationary sonar head having a sound wave emitter and a plurality of sound wave receptors. A data processing means is actuated to initiate the sonar head and to 2l33l5fi receive digital output measurement signals from the sound receptors. The data processing means also receives measurement signals from a weight sensor associated with the scale. The sonar head is actuated without the subject standing on the scale to provide further digital reference signals to the data processing means. The digital output measurement signals and further digital reference signals are processed in accordance with a software to calculate the weight and height of the subject.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a simplified schematic view showing the measuring apparatus of the present invention and wherein the height and weight of the subject is being calculated automatically by the apparatus;
FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram showing how the echoes or sound wave signals at the output of each sound receptor is processed to be converted into digital output measurement signals;
FIG. 3A is a plan view showing the construction of the sonar head;
FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the sonar head;
FIG. 4A is an illustration of the echo signal without a subject positioned on the scale;
FIG. 4B is an illustration of the signal with the patient positioned on the scale;
FIG. 4C is an illustration of the resultant signal when the signal of Fig. 4A is subtracted from the signal of Fig. 4B;
FIG. 4D is an illustration of a template which has the same shape as the target's echo;
FIG. 4E is an illustration of the signal correlated with the template;
2l33l~6 FIGS. 5A to 5C are illustrations of the signals showing how the top of the subject's head is detected;
and FIG 6 is a schematic illustration showing how the distance between the emitter and the uppermost portion of the patient's head is calculated using triangulation.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to the drawings and more particularly to Fig. 1, there is shown generally at 10 the automated measuring apparatus of the present invention for calculating the height and weight of a human subject 11 standing on an electronic scale 12 in an upright manner and assisted by a vertical surfave 13. A sonar head 14 is disposed a predetermined distance above a top flat surface 15 of the scale 12 to permit the subject 11 to stand upright therebetween, as herein illustrated. The sonar head emits sound waves in the direction of the subject 11 and also receives echoes or reflected sound waves from the subject as well as from other objects in the room, such as the operator (not shown) and walls, etc. and these are considered to be reflected noise.
A data processing circuit or system 16 is connected to the sonar head 14 and to a weight sensor 17 associated with the electronic scale 12, as well as a thermistor assembly 18 which senses ambient temperature when the subject 11 is standing on the scale. These input connections feed measurement signals to the data processing circuit 16. A control panel 19 and/or keypad 21 is conveniently positioned on the wall member or post 20 or elsewhere to actuate the data processing circuit and to provide other control functions, and to input information into the data processing circuit 16. The processing circuit is provided with a memory 22 controlled by a computer program. The output 23 of the data processing circuit 2l33l56 is connected to a printer 24 or other output devices to provide a print-out or display of information relating to the subject 11 being analyzed.
Referring now additionally to Figs. 2, 3A and 3B, there is shown in Figs. 3A and 3B the construction of the sonar head 14. As herein shown, it consists of a substantially rectangular housing 25 having flat receptive plane 26 at the center of which is mounted a sound emitting device 27 capable of transforming an electric signal into an acoustic signal. A plurality of sound wave receptors, herein microphones 28, are equidistantly spaced about the emitter 27 in the plane 26 and, as herein shown, are positioned on straight axes defining a square configuration. The housing 25, as shown in Fig. 1, is secured with its receptive plane 26 disposed substantially parallel to the upper flat support surface 15 of the scale 12.
Summarizing briefly the operation of the apparatus and method for automatic measurement of a subject's height and weight, the subject is firstly positioned to stand upright on the scale 12 which is a commercially available digital scale. The sonar head 14 is disposed stationary approximately 30 cm above his head 11' and the emitter 27 is actuated through the control panel 19 or keypad 21 to start emitting sound waves in the direction of the subject. An operator then enters basic data into the data processing circuit by means of the panel 19 or keypad 21. This basic data includes the date of birth, sex, age, and a chart number pertaining to the subject 11, and depresses another key on the control panel or keypad. Within a few seconds the data processing circuit feeds information signals to the printer 24 where the height, weight, body surface area, and percentile for the age of the subject, as well as the basic data for identification of the subject is printed. The print-out can be provided on pre-pasted paper which is then 2l33l5~6 immediately pasted on the file of the subject by the operator, who can be a technician or nurse.
Obtaining these data involves firstly the calibration of the instrument after correction of the speed of sound at ambient temperature. The digital output of both the scale and the ultrasonic sensor is integrated through the data processing circuit 16 with the use of a software that calculates the height, weight and the body surface area (by applying the Dubois formula). The percentile for height and weight of the patient is also given using equations derived from data readily available and stored in the memory 22.
When the system is switched on through the control panel 19 or keypad 21, the processor excites the emitter 27 to generate a sound wave. The emitter transforms an electric signal into an acoustic signal.
The sound wave of this acoustic signal travels downwards, hits the subject 11 and other objects in the area thereof, and reflects back to the microphones 28.
The reflected signal is known in the art as an echo, and the echo is transformed into an electric signal by the microphones.
As shown in Fig. 2, the signal is then amplified by the amplifier 30 and directed to a pole 31 of a multi-position switch 32 which is operated by the data processing circuit 16, which is a computer. The software controls the circuit to alternatively select one of the channels 33 connected to a respective one of the microphones, herein eight microphones 28. The signal received in the selected channel is then attenuated by a control amplifier/attenuator 34 having a gain which is proportional to the square of the sound wave flight time. The purpose of this is to compensate for the loss of power of echo which is proportional to the square of the target distance. The resulting scaled signal at the output 35 of the attenuator 34 is 21331~
then fed to an analog/digital converter 36, and the sampled data signal is stored in the memory 22 of the computer.
The data processing circuit 16 processes the output measurement signals from the sound wave receptors or microphones 28, and signal subtraction is used in order to separate the echo from the noise, cross-talk, echo from the room and from the lateral walls, etc. When the subject 11 stands under the sonar head 14, the echo of the patient's head 11', superposed with the noise as shown in Fig. 4B, is memorized when the operator performs the first step measuring the subject. The subject is then asked to step down from the scale 12 and the noise or echo of the surrounding space is memorized, and such is illustrated in Fig. 4A.
The processor then subtracts the data representative of the signal shown in Fig. 4A from the signal of Fig. 4B
to obtain a signal, as shown in Fig. 4C, representative of the subject. In order to locate the echo as shown in the circle 37 in Fig. 4B with precision and to eliminate more noise, the resulting signal 38 is correlated with a template 39, as shown in Fig. 4D.
This template is the same shape as the target's (subject) echo. The template 39 is sampled at a frequency eight times higher than the signal. The resulting correlated signal is then eight times more detailed and free of the ambient room noise. Fig. 4E
is a representation of the signal correlated with the template.
As shown in Figs. 5A to 5C, when a match is encountered on the signal, a lobe appears in the correction signal, as shown in Fig. 5B. If the lobe is higher than the determined threshold, the threshold being represented at 40 in Fig. 5A, this lobe 41 and the top is located with precision. This yields the round-trip flight time of the sound wave. The same 2l33l56 process is repeated for each of the signals in the channels 33.
The data processor 16 also calculates the speed of sound, and this is effectuated by the software which reads the temperature signals from the thermistor assembly 18 to apply a correction factor in the calculation. The software combines the time of flight with the speed of sound to calculate the round-trip distance covered by the sound wave.
As shown in Fig. 6, this calculation also takes into account the triangulation to calculate the exact three-dimensional position of the target, herein the uppermost portion of the subject's head 11' relative to the sonar head assembly or its receiving surface or plane 26. The microphones yield four equations and there are three unknown coordinates. The coordinates X, Y and Z axes are calculated and an equation is used to verify the coherence of the three unknowns. The vertical distance between the plane formed by the microphones and the uppermost part of the subject's head 11' is known from the solution of those equations.
Because the sonar head is fixed, the software knows the calibration distance between the surface 26 of the sonar head or the plane of the microphones and the flat top surface of the scale. The height of the patient can then be calculated by obtaining the difference between the calibration distance and the vertical distance between the plane of the microphones and the uppermost portion of the head 11' of the subject.
The process for measuring the subject's height and weight requires that the subject be positioned on the scale 12 and the operator actuates the processor.
The software communicates with the scale 12 to get the weight of the patient through the sensor 17 which simultaneously excites the emitter 27 and the sonar head 14, and samples and memorizes the reflected signals or digital output measurement signals returned from the uppermost part of the patient's head 11'. The operator then enters other parameters of this subject, such as date of birth and sex. An internal clock (not shown) calculates the subject's age. The subject is then asked to step down from the scale and the software again excites the emitter to produce another sound wave. The echo returned from the room alone is sampled to provide a further digital reference signal. The software then performs the necessary calculation and the results are displayed on a printer or a CRT (not shown), or can be transmitted to a far end central computer.
The software effectuates the following calculation. Firstly the data processor processes the digital signals to improve the quality of the echo returned from the subject's head, and localizes with precision the echo on each channel or each receptor, and calculates the propagation time of the sound wave.
The ambient temperature is obtained from the transducer assembly 18 and the computer calculates the speed of sound. The propagation time is combined with the speed of sound to calculate the round-trip travel distance of the sound wave. The vertical distance between the sonar head 14 and the uppermost part of the subject's head 11' is then calculated by triangulation, as shown in Fig. 6. This distance is compared with the distance between the sonar head and the flat top surface 15 of the scale. From this comparison the height of the subject is calculated. The software then finds the percentile body height and weight of the subject with internal growth tables stored in the memory 22.
It is within the ambit of the present invention to cover any obvious modifications of the preferred embodiment described herein, provided such modifications fall within the scope of the appended claims. It is also conceived that this apparatus may be modifiable to provide, in addition with the parameters herein described, a parameter indicative of the body temperature of the subject, blood pressure, pulse rate, and peripheral oximetry.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for calculating height and weight of human subjects using an electronic scale and a sonar head and taking into account sound wave noise created in the measurement area. The apparatus and method are also capable of calculating the body surface area and percentile for the age of the subject.
The automated system and method of the present invention measures the weight and height of human subjects, children and adults. This system makes use of sonic waves to calculate the height of the subject, and it may also calculates automatically the body surface area. The results are given in absolute figures (height, weight, surface area) and in terms of the percentile for a normal population of the same age and sex. The results are printed on stickers which can be easily pasted in the subject's file, and the data are also accumulated by the computer to be loaded later in an institution's main frame computer.
Height and weight measurement of individuals are an important part of clinical evaluation, both in public and private clinics. Most corporations will also request, before hiring an employee, a complete physical examination that include those measurements.
These measurements may take a certain time, and errors can happen when obtaining the data or during transcription of the results on the subject's chart.
In addition, in medicine, many normal parameters are now indexed to the body surface area which is derived from height and weight by using a chart. This is, again, time consuming and involves errors in calculation and transcription. In pediatrics, it is also customary to plot the patient's height and weight on percentile curves for normal subjects. This - z -involves, of course, plotting these parameters on graph and transcribing the results in the patient's file.
BACKGROUND ART
Height and weight have been routinely measured in patients at least since the beginning of this century. Weight measurements at the beginning made use of classical scales with counterweight, and later equipment has been more sophisticated involving tension 10 gauges with digital output, and the weight is usually displayed on a screen using light emitting diodes.
However, measurements of height has not progressed in the same fashion and it is still done in a rather primitive fashion comparing the patient's height to a 15 ruler graduated either in inches or centimeters, although a few developments have been disclosed in patent literature. In babies, a tape measure is used.
A typical example of a patented apparatus for automatically measuring height is described in U.S.
20 Patent No. 4,518,052 where a digital read-out is provided. In one of its aspects, the height and weight measuring machine uses infrared rays that are impinged upon a subject's head at a slanting angle whereby some rays are reflected horizontally to pass through a 25 transparent glass graduated scale in the front of the body. Sensors detect this reflected ray and a measurement of height is obtained, but there is still mechanical manipulation. The weight is provided by a scale on which the person stands. It is also important 30 that the patient assumes a very precise position with respect to a sliding plate disposed in a vertical frame.
Reference is also made to Japanese Specification 5828609 of Matsushita Denki K.K. which describes a 35 system to measure height by transmitting ultrasonic waves to the head part of the human subject, capting ??? the signals of the reflector wave lower than a certain level and measuring the time during which the reflected wave arrives. The circuit measures the time during which the ultrasonic wave propagates back and forth between an emitter and the floor surface on which the subject is standing as well as the head of the subject. One problem with using ultrasonic pulses is that these pulses will bounce off the hair of the patient and provide false signals. There are also false signals provided by environmental objects, and these also result in errors. Accordingly, precise calculations of height are difficult to obtain from the method and apparatus described. Another disadvantage of prior art apparatus is that they are time consuming to use and provide automatic output information on only one parameter of a subject.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
It is therefore a feature of the present invention to provide an automatic apparatus and method for measuring and calculating the height and weight of human subjects which substantially overcome all of the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art.
Another feature of the present invention is to provide an automatic measuring apparatus and method for calculating height and weight of human subjects wherein these measurements can be obtained quickly with increased precision and without transcription errors, and further wherein the data can be accumulated in a computer to be unloaded in a patient's computer chart or other computer systems.
Another feature of the present invention is to provide an automtic measuring apparatus and method for calculating the height and weight of human subjects wherein the height is calculated using sound waves which are calibrated at ambient temperature, and further wherein the measurement signals are treated to separate environmental noise therefrom.
Another feature of the present invention is to provide an automatic measuring apparatus and method for calculating the height and weight, and further capable of providing data on the body surface area and percentile for the age of the subject as well as calculating the subject's age based on relevant parameters entered into the computer by the operator.
According to the above features, from a broad aspect, the present invention provides an automatic measuring apparatus for calculating the height and weight of human subjects. The apparatus comprises an electronic scale having a weight sensor to sense the weight of the subject standing thereon. A sonar head is positioned stationary a predetermined distance above the scale sufficient to permit the subject to stand upright on the scale and below the sonar head. The sonar head has a sound wave emitter and a plurality of sound wave receptors. A data processing means is connected to the receptors. Means is provided to activate the data processing means. The sound wave receptors and a weight sensor provide digital output measurement signals to the data processing means representative of measurements of a subject standing upright on the scale. The sound wave receptors provide further digital reference signals when no subject is standing on the scale. The data processing means has a software to calculate the weight and height of the subject based on said measurement and said reference signals.
According to a further broad aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of automatically measuring and calculating the height and weight of a subject comprising the steps of placing the subject upright on an electronic scale and under a stationary sonar head having a sound wave emitter and a plurality of sound wave receptors. A data processing means is actuated to initiate the sonar head and to 2l33l5fi receive digital output measurement signals from the sound receptors. The data processing means also receives measurement signals from a weight sensor associated with the scale. The sonar head is actuated without the subject standing on the scale to provide further digital reference signals to the data processing means. The digital output measurement signals and further digital reference signals are processed in accordance with a software to calculate the weight and height of the subject.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a simplified schematic view showing the measuring apparatus of the present invention and wherein the height and weight of the subject is being calculated automatically by the apparatus;
FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram showing how the echoes or sound wave signals at the output of each sound receptor is processed to be converted into digital output measurement signals;
FIG. 3A is a plan view showing the construction of the sonar head;
FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the sonar head;
FIG. 4A is an illustration of the echo signal without a subject positioned on the scale;
FIG. 4B is an illustration of the signal with the patient positioned on the scale;
FIG. 4C is an illustration of the resultant signal when the signal of Fig. 4A is subtracted from the signal of Fig. 4B;
FIG. 4D is an illustration of a template which has the same shape as the target's echo;
FIG. 4E is an illustration of the signal correlated with the template;
2l33l~6 FIGS. 5A to 5C are illustrations of the signals showing how the top of the subject's head is detected;
and FIG 6 is a schematic illustration showing how the distance between the emitter and the uppermost portion of the patient's head is calculated using triangulation.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to the drawings and more particularly to Fig. 1, there is shown generally at 10 the automated measuring apparatus of the present invention for calculating the height and weight of a human subject 11 standing on an electronic scale 12 in an upright manner and assisted by a vertical surfave 13. A sonar head 14 is disposed a predetermined distance above a top flat surface 15 of the scale 12 to permit the subject 11 to stand upright therebetween, as herein illustrated. The sonar head emits sound waves in the direction of the subject 11 and also receives echoes or reflected sound waves from the subject as well as from other objects in the room, such as the operator (not shown) and walls, etc. and these are considered to be reflected noise.
A data processing circuit or system 16 is connected to the sonar head 14 and to a weight sensor 17 associated with the electronic scale 12, as well as a thermistor assembly 18 which senses ambient temperature when the subject 11 is standing on the scale. These input connections feed measurement signals to the data processing circuit 16. A control panel 19 and/or keypad 21 is conveniently positioned on the wall member or post 20 or elsewhere to actuate the data processing circuit and to provide other control functions, and to input information into the data processing circuit 16. The processing circuit is provided with a memory 22 controlled by a computer program. The output 23 of the data processing circuit 2l33l56 is connected to a printer 24 or other output devices to provide a print-out or display of information relating to the subject 11 being analyzed.
Referring now additionally to Figs. 2, 3A and 3B, there is shown in Figs. 3A and 3B the construction of the sonar head 14. As herein shown, it consists of a substantially rectangular housing 25 having flat receptive plane 26 at the center of which is mounted a sound emitting device 27 capable of transforming an electric signal into an acoustic signal. A plurality of sound wave receptors, herein microphones 28, are equidistantly spaced about the emitter 27 in the plane 26 and, as herein shown, are positioned on straight axes defining a square configuration. The housing 25, as shown in Fig. 1, is secured with its receptive plane 26 disposed substantially parallel to the upper flat support surface 15 of the scale 12.
Summarizing briefly the operation of the apparatus and method for automatic measurement of a subject's height and weight, the subject is firstly positioned to stand upright on the scale 12 which is a commercially available digital scale. The sonar head 14 is disposed stationary approximately 30 cm above his head 11' and the emitter 27 is actuated through the control panel 19 or keypad 21 to start emitting sound waves in the direction of the subject. An operator then enters basic data into the data processing circuit by means of the panel 19 or keypad 21. This basic data includes the date of birth, sex, age, and a chart number pertaining to the subject 11, and depresses another key on the control panel or keypad. Within a few seconds the data processing circuit feeds information signals to the printer 24 where the height, weight, body surface area, and percentile for the age of the subject, as well as the basic data for identification of the subject is printed. The print-out can be provided on pre-pasted paper which is then 2l33l5~6 immediately pasted on the file of the subject by the operator, who can be a technician or nurse.
Obtaining these data involves firstly the calibration of the instrument after correction of the speed of sound at ambient temperature. The digital output of both the scale and the ultrasonic sensor is integrated through the data processing circuit 16 with the use of a software that calculates the height, weight and the body surface area (by applying the Dubois formula). The percentile for height and weight of the patient is also given using equations derived from data readily available and stored in the memory 22.
When the system is switched on through the control panel 19 or keypad 21, the processor excites the emitter 27 to generate a sound wave. The emitter transforms an electric signal into an acoustic signal.
The sound wave of this acoustic signal travels downwards, hits the subject 11 and other objects in the area thereof, and reflects back to the microphones 28.
The reflected signal is known in the art as an echo, and the echo is transformed into an electric signal by the microphones.
As shown in Fig. 2, the signal is then amplified by the amplifier 30 and directed to a pole 31 of a multi-position switch 32 which is operated by the data processing circuit 16, which is a computer. The software controls the circuit to alternatively select one of the channels 33 connected to a respective one of the microphones, herein eight microphones 28. The signal received in the selected channel is then attenuated by a control amplifier/attenuator 34 having a gain which is proportional to the square of the sound wave flight time. The purpose of this is to compensate for the loss of power of echo which is proportional to the square of the target distance. The resulting scaled signal at the output 35 of the attenuator 34 is 21331~
then fed to an analog/digital converter 36, and the sampled data signal is stored in the memory 22 of the computer.
The data processing circuit 16 processes the output measurement signals from the sound wave receptors or microphones 28, and signal subtraction is used in order to separate the echo from the noise, cross-talk, echo from the room and from the lateral walls, etc. When the subject 11 stands under the sonar head 14, the echo of the patient's head 11', superposed with the noise as shown in Fig. 4B, is memorized when the operator performs the first step measuring the subject. The subject is then asked to step down from the scale 12 and the noise or echo of the surrounding space is memorized, and such is illustrated in Fig. 4A.
The processor then subtracts the data representative of the signal shown in Fig. 4A from the signal of Fig. 4B
to obtain a signal, as shown in Fig. 4C, representative of the subject. In order to locate the echo as shown in the circle 37 in Fig. 4B with precision and to eliminate more noise, the resulting signal 38 is correlated with a template 39, as shown in Fig. 4D.
This template is the same shape as the target's (subject) echo. The template 39 is sampled at a frequency eight times higher than the signal. The resulting correlated signal is then eight times more detailed and free of the ambient room noise. Fig. 4E
is a representation of the signal correlated with the template.
As shown in Figs. 5A to 5C, when a match is encountered on the signal, a lobe appears in the correction signal, as shown in Fig. 5B. If the lobe is higher than the determined threshold, the threshold being represented at 40 in Fig. 5A, this lobe 41 and the top is located with precision. This yields the round-trip flight time of the sound wave. The same 2l33l56 process is repeated for each of the signals in the channels 33.
The data processor 16 also calculates the speed of sound, and this is effectuated by the software which reads the temperature signals from the thermistor assembly 18 to apply a correction factor in the calculation. The software combines the time of flight with the speed of sound to calculate the round-trip distance covered by the sound wave.
As shown in Fig. 6, this calculation also takes into account the triangulation to calculate the exact three-dimensional position of the target, herein the uppermost portion of the subject's head 11' relative to the sonar head assembly or its receiving surface or plane 26. The microphones yield four equations and there are three unknown coordinates. The coordinates X, Y and Z axes are calculated and an equation is used to verify the coherence of the three unknowns. The vertical distance between the plane formed by the microphones and the uppermost part of the subject's head 11' is known from the solution of those equations.
Because the sonar head is fixed, the software knows the calibration distance between the surface 26 of the sonar head or the plane of the microphones and the flat top surface of the scale. The height of the patient can then be calculated by obtaining the difference between the calibration distance and the vertical distance between the plane of the microphones and the uppermost portion of the head 11' of the subject.
The process for measuring the subject's height and weight requires that the subject be positioned on the scale 12 and the operator actuates the processor.
The software communicates with the scale 12 to get the weight of the patient through the sensor 17 which simultaneously excites the emitter 27 and the sonar head 14, and samples and memorizes the reflected signals or digital output measurement signals returned from the uppermost part of the patient's head 11'. The operator then enters other parameters of this subject, such as date of birth and sex. An internal clock (not shown) calculates the subject's age. The subject is then asked to step down from the scale and the software again excites the emitter to produce another sound wave. The echo returned from the room alone is sampled to provide a further digital reference signal. The software then performs the necessary calculation and the results are displayed on a printer or a CRT (not shown), or can be transmitted to a far end central computer.
The software effectuates the following calculation. Firstly the data processor processes the digital signals to improve the quality of the echo returned from the subject's head, and localizes with precision the echo on each channel or each receptor, and calculates the propagation time of the sound wave.
The ambient temperature is obtained from the transducer assembly 18 and the computer calculates the speed of sound. The propagation time is combined with the speed of sound to calculate the round-trip travel distance of the sound wave. The vertical distance between the sonar head 14 and the uppermost part of the subject's head 11' is then calculated by triangulation, as shown in Fig. 6. This distance is compared with the distance between the sonar head and the flat top surface 15 of the scale. From this comparison the height of the subject is calculated. The software then finds the percentile body height and weight of the subject with internal growth tables stored in the memory 22.
It is within the ambit of the present invention to cover any obvious modifications of the preferred embodiment described herein, provided such modifications fall within the scope of the appended claims. It is also conceived that this apparatus may be modifiable to provide, in addition with the parameters herein described, a parameter indicative of the body temperature of the subject, blood pressure, pulse rate, and peripheral oximetry.
Claims (14)
1. An automatic measuring apparatus for calculating height and weight of human subjects comprising an electronic scale having a weight sensor to sense the weight of a subject standing thereon, a sonar head positioned stationary a predetermined distance above said scale sufficient to permit a subject to stand upright on said scale and below said sonar head, said sonar head having a sound wave emitter and a plurality of sound wave receptors, a data processing means connected to said receptors, means to activate said data processing means, said sound wave receptors and weight sensor providing digital output measurement signals to said data processing means representative of measurements of a subject standing upright on said scale, said sound wave receptors providing further digital reference signals without said subject standing on said scale, said data processing means having a software to calculate the weight and height of said subject based on said measurement and reference signals.
2. A measuring apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein there is further provided a vertically upstanding member disposed adjacent said scale to assist positioning a subject upright on said scale and in alignment with said sonar head.
3. A measuring apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said upstanding member is a wall of a room.
4. A measuring apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said sonar head has a housing having a receptive plane, said sound wave emitter being disposed centrally in said housing in said receptive plane with said sound wave receptors equidistantly spaced about said sound wave emitter in said same plane, means to secure said housing with said receptive surface substantially parallel to an upper flat support surface of said scale, said data processing means also calculating the body surface area of said subject.
5. A measuring apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein there are eight of said receptors positioned about said sound waive emitter on straight axes defining a square configuration.
6. A measuring apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said receptors are each connected to an amplifier, each said amplifiers having their outputs connected to a common A/D converter through a multi-polar switch controlled by said data processing means, and an amplifier/attenuator connected between said switch and said A/ converter to attenuate signals received from a selected one of said outputs, said amplifier/attenuator having a gain proportional to the square of the flight time of said sound wave generated by said emitter to compensate for loss of power of the echo of said sound wave which is proportional to the square of the distance to an uppermost part of said subject.
7. A measuring apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein there is further provided a temperature sensor to provide a calibration temperature signal representative of the ambient temperature with said subject positioned on said scale to obtain a correction signal for calculating the travel time of said sound wave.
8. A measuring apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said software also provides the percentile for height and weight of the subject using known equations which are stored in a memory of said data processing means, said data processing means having a keypad connected to an input of said computer to input parameters of said subject necessary to calculate said percentile, and a printer secured to an output of said computer to provide a print-out of said height, weight, body surface area, percentile and other information pertinent to said subject.
9. A method for automatically measuring and calculating the height and weight of a subject comprising the steps of:
(i) placing said subject upright on an electronic scale and under a stationary sonar head having a sound wave emitter and a plurality of sound wave receptors, (ii) actuating a data processing means to initiate said sonar head to emit a sound wave signal and to receive digital output measurement signals from said sound receptors and a weight sensor associated with said scale, (iii) actuating said sonar head without said subject standing on said scale to provide further digital reference signals from said receptors to feed said data processing means, (iv) processing said digital output measurement signals and further digital reference signals in accordance with a software to calculate the weight and height of said subject.
(i) placing said subject upright on an electronic scale and under a stationary sonar head having a sound wave emitter and a plurality of sound wave receptors, (ii) actuating a data processing means to initiate said sonar head to emit a sound wave signal and to receive digital output measurement signals from said sound receptors and a weight sensor associated with said scale, (iii) actuating said sonar head without said subject standing on said scale to provide further digital reference signals from said receptors to feed said data processing means, (iv) processing said digital output measurement signals and further digital reference signals in accordance with a software to calculate the weight and height of said subject.
10. A method as claimed in claim 9 wherein said sonar head has a receptive plane at the center of which is located said emitter, said sound wave receptors being disposed about said emitter in said plane, said receptive plane being disposed substantially parallel to an upper flat support surface of said scale, said step (iv) comprising the further steps of (a) switching to each said receptors to receive said measurement signals, (b) calculating a vertical distance between said receptive plane and an uppermost surface of said subject by triangulation, (c) comparing the distance between said receptive surface and said upper flat surface of said scale, (d) calculating the subject's height from the results of steps (b) and (c), and (e) locating the percentile body height and weight of the subject with internal growth tables stored in a memory of said data processing means and providing data on the body surface area of said subject.
11. A method as claimed in claim 10 wherein there is further provided after (iii) the step of entering into said data processing means by means of a keypad other parameters of said subject including sex and date of birth, said data processing means calculating said subject's age and after step (e) providing an output display of calculated parameters of said subject.
12. A method as claimed in claim 11 wherein there is further provided the step of sensing the ambient temperature in the area of said subject when standing on said scale and providing a digital temperature signal representative thereof, said step (iv) further comprising calibrating said digital output measurement signals in accordance with said digital temperature signal which is used to calculate the speed of sound.
13. A method as claimed in claim 12 wherein said step (iv) also comprises (a) localizing with precision said digital output measurement signals representative of echoes received by each sound receptor and calculating the propagation time of said sound wave, and (b) combining said propagation time with the speed of sound to calculate the round-trip traveled distance of said sound wave.
14. A method as claimed in claim 9 wherein said digital output measurement signals from said sound receptors are electric signals at the output of said receptors which are (a) amplified, (b) attenuated by a digitally controlled amplifier/attenuator whose gain is proportional to the square of the sound wave flight time, (c) converted in an A/D converter, and (d) stored 4in a memory of said data processing means.
Priority Applications (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2133156 CA2133156A1 (en) | 1994-09-28 | 1994-09-28 | Automatic biometric data system |
| CA002216309A CA2216309A1 (en) | 1994-09-28 | 1994-09-28 | Automatic biometric data system |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2133156 CA2133156A1 (en) | 1994-09-28 | 1994-09-28 | Automatic biometric data system |
Related Child Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002216309A Division CA2216309A1 (en) | 1994-09-28 | 1994-09-28 | Automatic biometric data system |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2133156A1 true CA2133156A1 (en) | 1996-03-29 |
Family
ID=4154417
Family Applications (2)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002216309A Abandoned CA2216309A1 (en) | 1994-09-28 | 1994-09-28 | Automatic biometric data system |
| CA 2133156 Abandoned CA2133156A1 (en) | 1994-09-28 | 1994-09-28 | Automatic biometric data system |
Family Applications Before (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002216309A Abandoned CA2216309A1 (en) | 1994-09-28 | 1994-09-28 | Automatic biometric data system |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (2) | CA2216309A1 (en) |
Cited By (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US7910840B2 (en) | 2007-01-31 | 2011-03-22 | Fook Tin Technologies Ltd. | Apparatus and method for determining growth status of a human subject |
| CN104622437A (en) * | 2015-03-11 | 2015-05-20 | 北京悦琦创通科技有限公司 | Ultrasonic body height measuring equipment |
| CN104764513A (en) * | 2015-03-13 | 2015-07-08 | 东莞捷荣技术股份有限公司 | Height and weight measurement instrument |
| US9363983B2 (en) | 2010-09-29 | 2016-06-14 | John Conan Doyle | System and method for measuring relative leg positions of an ungulate |
| CN109192281A (en) * | 2018-09-26 | 2019-01-11 | 崔语珊 | A kind of children's health monitoring system |
| CN110495867A (en) * | 2019-08-20 | 2019-11-26 | 青岛市市立医院 | A kind of medical physical examination device |
Families Citing this family (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUPP422798A0 (en) * | 1998-06-22 | 1998-07-09 | Doyle, John Conan | Method and device for assessing cattle |
| AU744213B2 (en) * | 1998-06-22 | 2002-02-21 | John Conan Doyle | Method and device for assessing cattle |
| US7128024B2 (en) | 2003-07-15 | 2006-10-31 | Doyle Ii John Conan | System and method for measuring animals |
-
1994
- 1994-09-28 CA CA002216309A patent/CA2216309A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 1994-09-28 CA CA 2133156 patent/CA2133156A1/en not_active Abandoned
Cited By (7)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US7910840B2 (en) | 2007-01-31 | 2011-03-22 | Fook Tin Technologies Ltd. | Apparatus and method for determining growth status of a human subject |
| US9363983B2 (en) | 2010-09-29 | 2016-06-14 | John Conan Doyle | System and method for measuring relative leg positions of an ungulate |
| CN104622437A (en) * | 2015-03-11 | 2015-05-20 | 北京悦琦创通科技有限公司 | Ultrasonic body height measuring equipment |
| CN104764513A (en) * | 2015-03-13 | 2015-07-08 | 东莞捷荣技术股份有限公司 | Height and weight measurement instrument |
| CN104764513B (en) * | 2015-03-13 | 2017-09-22 | 康凯 | A kind of height and weight measuring instrument |
| CN109192281A (en) * | 2018-09-26 | 2019-01-11 | 崔语珊 | A kind of children's health monitoring system |
| CN110495867A (en) * | 2019-08-20 | 2019-11-26 | 青岛市市立医院 | A kind of medical physical examination device |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| CA2216309A1 (en) | 1996-03-29 |
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