JP2004358258A - Portable measuring device equipped with optical device for measuring physiological numerical quantity and data transmitting and/or receiving means - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To propose a portable measuring device of the kind which enables cost reduction and miniaturization of the portable measuring device to solve a conventional technique. <P>SOLUTION: The portable measuring device is equipped with optical devices for measuring a physiological numerical quantity and data transmitting and/or receiving means. The portable measuring device contains optical devices (4; 5) for measuring the physiological numerical quantity in particular a pulse, and data transmitting and/or receiving means. The optical device contains at least one of light sources (41; 51; 61) for exposing a part of the organ tissue (10) to light radiation, and at least one of light receivers (42; 52, 53, 54; 62, 64, 66) for detecting the intensity of light radiation after spreading in the organ tissue. The optical device also constitutes data transmitting and/or receiving means, and is arranged so that at least one light source and/or at least one light receiver respectively transmit the data to an external unit, or receive the data from the external unit. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention generally relates to a portable instrument including an optical device for measuring physiological quantities, in particular pulse, and means for transmitting and / or receiving data. The optical device includes at least one light source for exposing a portion of the organ tissue to light radiation and at least one light receiver for detecting the intensity of the light radiation after propagating into the organ tissue.

  Such portable measuring instruments are already known. These portable devices are used in particular for detecting the pulse and / or the blood oxygen level of a patient by optical means. They are wrist-worn, with a wrist-like appearance, from clamps for placement at body parts (typically at the fingertips, earlobes, or any other end of the body where blood is well distributed). It is found in various forms up to the device.

  Within the scope of applications for measuring pulse, optical devices are used to properly illuminate a portion of organ tissue (typically skin), and the intensity of light radiation generated by the optical device is It includes one or several light receivers for detection after propagation in organ tissue. Changes in blood flow pulsations induce changes in absorbing the light radiation generated by the optical device, and the frequency of the change in that absorption basically corresponds to the heart rate frequency. Detecting the intensity of the light radiation after propagating in the organ tissue and, accordingly, performing appropriate processing of one or more measurement signals, allows the pulse to be extracted and displayed. The optical devices commonly used for these types of applications are relatively simple, and typically include one or several pseudo-point light sources. They are typically LEDs (light emitting diodes) that emit light within a predetermined wavelength range, associated with one or several light receivers (typically photodiodes).

  In addition to the ability to measure a desired physiological quantity, portable instruments equipped with optical devices of the type described above are also usually equipped with means for transmitting and / or receiving data. Specifically, a transmission means is typically provided for downloading data measured during an activity period, for example, during a physical activity or a physical examination and stored in a portable instrument to an external terminal. is there. Further, the receiving means may be used to load the portable instrument with configuration data, for example limits on physiological measured quantities, such as minimum and maximum pulse values, during which the user wishes to maintain the pulse. Can be provided. The data transmitted from or received by the portable instrument may or may not be related to a physiological measured quantity.

  The transmission and / or reception of data can generally be performed by a direct cable connection or preferably by wireless communication means, which can be for example acoustic, optical, inductive or radio frequency.

  U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,674,743, EP 0842635 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,776,056 disclose optical data communication with an optical device of the type described above for measuring physiological quantities. Various portable instruments provided with means are disclosed. However, these documents disclose solutions using separate optical devices.

  As mentioned, other known solutions rely on acoustic, inductive or radio frequency communication means. By way of example, EP 0940119, U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,736, U.S. Pat. No. 5,622,180, or WO 99/41647 and EP 1101439. The specification can be cited.

All of the above prior art solutions, including solutions using optical communication means, affect the cost of manufacturing portable instruments and require certain additional requirements that necessarily require mounting space. Have the disadvantage of Therefore, these solutions are not optimal in terms of compactness and manufacturing costs.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,743 European Patent No. 0842635 U.S. Patent No. 5,776,056 European Patent No. 0940119 U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,736 US Patent No. 5,622,180 International Publication No. 99/41647 European Patent No. 1101439 European Patent No. 1297784

  Accordingly, one general object of the present invention is to propose a portable instrument of the kind described above which allows for a reduction in the cost and size of the portable instrument relative to the prior art solutions.

  Accordingly, the invention relates to a portable instrument whose features are described in claim 1.

  Advantageous embodiments of the invention form the subject of the dependent claims.

  Thus, according to the proposed solution, the invention proposes to use an optical device, which is normally used as a means for measuring physiological quantities, as a means for transmitting and / or receiving data. More specifically, the data is transmitted to the external unit using at least one light source of the optical device and / or the data transmitted from the external unit is transmitted using at least one light receiver of the optical device. Receive.

  A portable instrument, wherein during operation the optical device can switch between a measuring phase in which it operates as a means for measuring a physiological quantity and a communication phase in which it operates as a means for transmitting and / or receiving data; Further comprises memory means for storing data relating to the change of said physiological quantity over time during the measuring phase before transmitting to the external unit during the communicating phase.

  According to a particular embodiment, means are also proposed for automatically operating the measurement function or the data transmission / reception function of the optical device.

  The proposed solution therefore has the advantage of optimally using the existing components in the portable instrument, thus reducing the manufacturing costs and favoring a better use of the available space in the instrument.

  Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent when reading the following detailed description of various embodiments of the invention, which are provided by way of non-limiting example only and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

  The various embodiments presented herein are provided only as non-limiting examples. In particular, it should be emphasized that the presented embodiment can be advantageously implemented in a wrist-worn instrument, but is not so limited. Other portable applications are entirely conceivable.

  FIGS. 1 and 2 show, by way of purely non-limiting examples only, two exemplary embodiments of a portable instrument for measuring physiological quantities, both taking the form of a wristwatch. Thus, in this example, both include a case 1 forming a central portion and a band 2 attached to this case 1 in a conventional manner. The display device 3 is also arranged on the front of the instrument, but this display device 3 is visible only in the example of FIG. The difference between these two examples of FIGS. 1 and 2 is essentially that the optical devices used to measure the desired physiological quantity (eg, the pulse or blood oxygen levels already mentioned) (collectively, respectively) (Indicated by reference numeral 4 or 5).

  In the example of FIG. 1, the optical device 4 is arranged on the front surface of the portable instrument close to the display device 3. In this figure, the optical device 4 includes a single light source 41 cooperating with a single light receiver 42. As already mentioned, the light source 41 is typically a light emitting diode (LED) that emits in a predetermined wavelength range (eg, infrared or any other suitable wavelength range), and the light receiver 42 includes a photodiode. , A phototransistor, or any suitable optical receiver that responds adaptively to the wavelength range of the light source 41.

  According to the example of FIG. 1, it will be seen that the measurement of the desired physiological quantity is performed, for example, by placing a finger on the front of the portable instrument towards the optical device 4.

  In the example of FIG. 2, the optical device designated as 5 is located on the bottom of the instrument. Unlike the example of FIG. 1, the optical device basically includes a light source 51 located in the central area of the bottom of the portable instrument, and three light receivers 52, 53 symmetrically located around the central light source 51. 54. The use of several receivers arranged around one or several light sources is generally preferred over the solution of FIG. 1 for the purpose of ensuring basically more appropriate measurement reliability. . For this last point, at least two detection channels are used to obtain more information about the optical system for measuring the pulse, but a portable instrument implementation similar to the embodiment of FIG. Reference can be made to EP 1 297 784, which shows exemplary embodiments.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-section of the portable instrument of FIG. 2 taken along the length of the band when the band is worn on the wrist (indicated generally by reference numeral 10 in the figure). Unlike the example of FIG. 1, in this figure the portable instrument and its optical device 5 are always in contact with the user's organ tissue when wearing the instrument. The light radiation generated by the light source 51 is arranged to penetrate organ tissue sufficiently deeply and to be modulated by blood flow prevailing in the illuminated organ tissue. After reflection, the light receivers 52-54 of the optical device detect the modulated light radiation.

  FIG. 4 shows a block diagram illustrating the main components of a portable instrument according to one embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated, the portable instrument includes a light source 61 (eg, a light emitting diode (LED) or any other suitable device) coupled to a control circuit 71, the operation of which is controlled by a microprocessor or microcontroller. And the like are controlled by a central processing unit 70. The central unit 70 also comprises a display device 73 (analog and / or digital), a memory means 74 (RAM (random access storage), ROM (read only memory), EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read only memory). , FLASH (flash memory), or the like), as well as a clock system 75 and its peripheral components that ensure proper clocking of the operation of the central unit 70. This clock system 75 also performs the usual clock function of a clock.

  The central processing unit 70 is also coupled to a circuit 72 dedicated to the detection and measurement of the desired physiological quantity (in particular, the pulse), the functions of which can be integrated into the functions of the central processing unit. The function of this circuit, already mentioned briefly, is basically to derive information about physiological quantities from the optical signals detected by the associated light receiver or receivers. In this case, the first light receiver 62 is coupled to the detection circuit 72 via the amplifying means and, if necessary, the filtering means 63. Information about the desired physiological quantity is transmitted to the central unit 72, especially for display on the device 73 and / or preferably for storage in the memory means 74 for subsequent examination.

  Since the method of measuring physiological quantities does not directly concern the subject of the present invention, this problem will not be elaborated on here. Furthermore, various solutions exist for performing this measurement. One particularly effective solution for measuring the pulse is described in sufficient detail in the aforementioned European patent document No. 1297784, which is incorporated herein by reference.

  In the example of the embodiment of FIG. 4, the portable instrument is further provided with a modulation means 81 coupled between the control circuit 71 of the light source and the central unit 70 so that data can be transmitted and / or received by the optical device. And demodulation means 82 coupled between the amplifying means 63 associated with the light receiver 62 and the central unit 70 on the other hand.

  It will be appreciated that the purpose of the modulating means 81 is to control the control circuit 71 to generate a modulated optical signal by the associated light source 61. Similarly, it will be appreciated that the purpose of the demodulation means 82 is, conversely, to decode the modulated optical signal captured by the associated light receiver 62. Any type of modulation is available for data transmission and reception. It is a conventional amplification modulation, phase modulation, frequency modulation or code modulation or the like. Furthermore, separate modulation could be employed for transmitting and receiving data to clearly identify whether the data is incoming radiation or transmitted radiation. In any case, the optical signal is modulated based on the data to be transmitted.

  It is noted in FIG. 4 that the portable instrument includes multiple light sources and / or multiple light receivers. In particular, as represented by the dashed line in FIG. 4, the second light receiver 64 and its associated amplifying means 65 are coupled to the detector 72, but the amplifying means need not necessarily be coupled to the demodulation means 82. Similarly, the third light receiver 66 and its associated amplification means 67 are coupled to the demodulation means 82 but not to the detector 72. In that case, this third light receiver does not participate in the detection of the desired physiological quantity, but only in the data reception.

  Generally, within the scope of the present invention, at least one light source or one light receiver of an optical device commonly used for the measurement of the desired physiological quantity, respectively, also transmits or receives data. Note that it is sufficient if used. Indeed, by using only one light source or receiver to perform both functions, one can expect substantial benefits in terms of reduced manufacturing costs and simplified structure. It is recommended to use a specific receiver dedicated solely to measuring physiological quantities and an additional receiver to receive the data, but sensitivity constraints make it necessary Note also that

  Within the scope of the present invention, it is also advantageous to provide the meter with detection means for automatically and selectively activating the physiological quantity measuring or data transmitting / receiving functions of the optical device.

  Thus, as a first example, a portable instrument would include a first detection means that automatically activates a physiological quantity measurement function of the optical device when the optical device is in contact with organ tissue. One advantageous solution can consist in determining whether the optical device is in contact with organ tissue based on the intensity of the light radiation detected by the at least one light receiver.

  Thus, as a second example, the portable instrument may also include second detection means for automatically activating the data transmission and / or reception functions of the optical device when data is transmitted to the portable instrument. One advantageous solution is to detect whether data has been transmitted to the portable instrument, also based on the intensity of the light radiation detected by the at least one light receiver.

  Therefore, referring again to FIG. 4, it is advantageous to provide the portable instrument with means 90 for detecting the intensity level of the light radiation captured by one or several light receivers. In practice, when the portable instrument is operating in the measurement mode, it is also possible to distinguish optical signals transmitted by the external unit from one or more optical signals typically captured by the same receiver. Yes, the intensity of the optical signal generated by the external unit is adjustable to have a higher intensity level than the average level of the optical signal when measuring the physiological quantity.

  FIG. 5 schematically illustrates this possibility by way of example by way of a progressive diagram with the addition of a line representing the measurement of the optical pulse and a line representing the modulated signal transmitted by the external unit. By way of example, the strengths of these signals are each selected to be substantially different. By providing the detection threshold value Vth as illustrated, the two types of signals can be distinguished in this way, and the portable instrument can be switched to an appropriate mode.

  Starting from such a principle, selective driving of the detector 72 or the demodulator 82 can be performed by means 90. The demodulator 82 can also be used to decode the predetermined optical control signal transmitted by the external unit and detect its presence. Thus, transmitting the first optical control signal encoded according to the known sequence of the portable instrument by the external unit and foretelling the portable instrument that data (eg, configuration data) is to be transmitted thereto. it can. Similarly, a second optical control signal encoded according to the known code sequence of the portable instrument may be transmitted to an external unit to provide the portable instrument with data (eg, physiological information stored in memory means 74). Data on the evolution of the measured quantity over time).

  If discrimination between optical signals based solely on the strength of the captured signal is not sufficient, the signal may be based on distinct modulation characteristics of the optical signal transmitted by the external unit, for example, based on a frequency analysis of the received signal. Means 90 could alternatively be arranged to distinguish. It will be appreciated that other equivalent means are also envisioned.

  Finally, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and / or improvements can be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. It turns out that it is. In particular, the invention is not limited to use only in the form of a watch, but applies to any other portable application, whether or not worn on the wrist.

1 is a perspective view showing a display side of a portable meter for measuring a physiological quantity according to a first embodiment example, which has a shape similar to a wristwatch and includes an optical device disposed on a front surface of the portable meter. . FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the bottom side of a portable meter for measuring physiological quantities according to a second embodiment, also taking the same shape as a wristwatch and including an optical device arranged in the bottom of the meter. FIG. 3 shows a cross section of the instrument taken along the length of the band when the instrument of FIG. 2 is worn on the arm to perform a physiological quantity measurement. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating various components of a portable meter according to one example embodiment. How is it envisaged to distinguish the optical signal transmitted by the external unit from the optical signal captured when measuring the physiological quantity in order to selectively operate the appropriate mode of operation of the portable instrument FIG.

Explanation of reference numerals

  61 light source, 62, 64, 64 light receiver, 63, 65, 67 amplifying means, 70 central processing unit, 71 control circuit, 72 detection circuit, 73 display device, 74 memory means, 75 clock system, 81 modulation means, 82 demodulation Means, 90 detecting means

Claims (9)

A portable instrument comprising an optical device (4,5) for measuring a physiological quantity, in particular a pulse, and means for transmitting and / or receiving data, said optical device (4; 5; 61) being an organ. At least one light source (41; 51) for exposing a portion of the tissue (10) to light radiation and at least one light receiver for detecting the intensity of the light radiation after propagation into the organ tissue (42; 52, 53, 54; 62, 64, 66);
Said optical device (4; 5) also comprises said means for transmitting and / or receiving data, said at least one light source (41; 51; 61) and / or said at least one light receiver (42; 52, 53, 54; 62, 64, 66) are each adapted to transmit data to an external unit or receive data from said external unit. Said optical device (4; 5) is switched between a measuring phase in which it operates as a means for measuring said physiological quantity and a communication phase in which it operates as a data transmitting and / or receiving means;
The portable instrument further includes a memory means (74) for storing data relating to a change in the physiological quantity over time during the measuring step before transmitting the data to the external unit during the communicating step. The portable instrument according to claim 1, wherein:   When wearing the portable instrument, the optical device (4; 5) is arranged to be in constant contact with the organ tissue (10) in order to act as a means for measuring the physiological quantity. The portable instrument of claim 1, wherein the optical device is arranged to operate as a data transmitting and / or receiving means when the portable instrument is not worn.   A first detection means (90) for automatically activating a physiological quantity measuring function of said optical device when said optical device (4; 5) is in contact with said organ tissue. Item 4. A portable instrument according to any one of Items 1 to 3.   The first detection means (90) determining whether the optical device is in contact with the organ tissue based on the intensity of the light radiation detected by at least one light receiver of the optical device. The portable instrument according to claim 4, wherein:   Claims characterized by including second detection means (90) for automatically detecting the data transmission and / or reception function of the optical device (4; 5) when transmitting data to the portable instrument. Portable meter according to any one of the above items.   The second detecting means (90) detects whether data is being transmitted to the portable instrument based on the intensity of the light radiation detected by at least one light receiver of the optical device. The portable instrument according to claim 6, characterized in that:   The portable instrument according to claim 6, wherein the data transmission function and the data reception function of the optical device are selected based on a predetermined optical control signal transmitted by the external unit.   In a portable instrument comprising an optical device for measuring a physiological quantity, in particular a pulse, the optical device comprises at least one light source (41; 51;) for exposing a part of the organ tissue (10) to light radiation. 61) and at least one light receiver (42; 52, 53; 53) for detecting the intensity of the light radiation using the optical device as a data transmitting and / or receiving means after propagation into the organ tissue. 54; 62, 64, 66).

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