KR100323838B1 - Apparatus and Method for Analyzing Body Composition Based on Bioelectrical Impedance - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus for analyzing human body components according to the present invention includes electrodes (1, 2, 3, and 4) integrally formed on the handle (29) in contact with a palm and a finger of a subject; Electrodes 5, 6, 7, and 8 for contacting the right forefoot, right hind paw, left forefoot, and left hind paw, respectively; A handle height adjustment member 14 connected with the handle 29 and configured to allow the handle 29 to vertically reciprocate along a linear track; When the height measuring rod 10 mounted on the vertical member 25 installed perpendicular to the ground automatically comes down along the linear trajectory and contacts the head of the subject, the falling distance of the height measuring rod 10 is electronically determined. Linear sensor 26 for measuring the height of the subject to be recognized as; A load sensor 11 for measuring the weight of the subject; An impedance measuring circuit 19 for generating sinusoidal currents of high frequency and low frequency and measuring voltage difference between electrodes; An electronic switch 18 provided between the electrodes 1 to 8 and the impedance measuring circuit 19 to change the current and voltage measurement paths between the electrodes so as to measure impedance for each body part; A microprocessor 22 for storing measurement data, calculating a human body component using the measured signal, outputting the result to the display screen 9, and controlling the electronic switch 18; And a display screen 9 and a printer 11 for outputting the human body component results.

Description

Apparatus and Method for Analyzing Body Composition Based on Bioelectrical Impedance

Field of invention

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for conveniently measuring human body components using bioelectrical impedance analysis. More specifically, the present invention can automatically enter the height and weight by using the height measuring device and the weight measuring device installed in the device, by omitting the process of inputting data on the sex and age of the subject, The present invention relates to an automatic human body component measuring apparatus and a measuring method capable of easily completing a measurement in an upright position.

Background of the Invention

The human body consists of water, protein, bones and fats, and each sum makes up weight. Quantitative measurement of these individual components is called human component analysis. Recently, as the interest in obesity has increased and the need for measuring body fat mass has increased, development of a body fat analyzer has been activated. Body fat is a major indicator of obesity, which is the cause of adult disease and is closely related to beauty. In particular, the amount of water, which is an important component of the body and closely related to the muscle mass that generates energy, the muscle mass in the body is an indicator of the nutritional status of the individual has a wide range of medical applications. In particular, patients with nutritional status, such as cancer patients and dialysis patients, can diagnose the rate of disease progression or the therapeutic effect by periodically measuring the amount of muscle in their bodies, and the growth or development of children Nutritional status can also be diagnosed. Therefore, grasping the components of the body composition is the most basic screening of the human body, the need is increasing.

As a method of analyzing body composition, a method using bioelectrical impedance analysis, which is inexpensive and harmless to the human body, is widely used. The bioelectrical impedance method sends a weak alternating current into the human body to measure the electrical resistance or electrical impedance of the human body, and measures or inputs the height and weight of the subject and inputs the age and gender of the subject through a keyboard input. It is a method of calculating the amount of body fluid, muscle mass, and fat mass using these measurements and the inputted information.

Looking at an example of a conventional method of measuring human body components using impedance, as shown in Figure 1, the electrode is attached to the right hand and feet of the human body, the sex, age, weight, and height of the subject are input through the keyboard, and the measurement is performed. Upon initiation, the device measures the impedance of the human body, stores it in the microprocessor, calculates the human body component of the subject, and displays the result on a display screen or output through a printer. In such a measuring method, the process of attaching the electrode to the human body of the subject and the process of inputting the sex, age, weight, and height of the subject by using the keyboard are inconvenient for the general person to easily operate the device.

Looking at another conventional method for measuring human body components, it is intended to make an electrical connection with the human body using a touch electrode made as shown in FIG. This method has the advantage of simplifying the measurement by simultaneously measuring the height and weight in the impedance measurement posture. However, the measurement process for inputting age and gender is not different compared with FIG. 1 and requires a separate device for height measurement. Referring to the measurement process according to FIG. 2, impedance measurement, weight, height measurement, calculation of results, and output are all made electronically and automatically.However, information input of the subject is performed by manual keyboard input. It caused a lot of inconvenience for the general public without knowledge.

The present inventors have already invented a human body component analyzing apparatus using the bioelectrical impedance method disclosed in Korean Patent Nos. 123,408 and 161,602, and US Pat. No. 5,720,296. In the measuring device according to the patent, the subject inputs height, sex and age through a keyboard. However, this manual keyboard input was inconvenient for the general public without knowledge of use.

In addition, the present inventors can measure the human body components without inputting the age and gender information of the subject using a keyboard in the Republic of Korea Patent Application No. 99-31019, and by using the hand bar to measure their height already known The human body component analyzer which inputs was invented. However, when the device does not know the correct height, it is inconvenient to input its own hand after measuring its height by a separate height measuring device.

Therefore, the inventors of the present invention do not enter the gender and age through the keyboard, and similar to the method of measuring the weight on the scale, if you hold the handle formed integrally with the electrode with both hands, the weight in the load sensor installed on the lower pole of the power pole By measuring and measuring height in an automatic kidney measurement sensor, we have developed a human body component analyzer that can automatically process all measurements and measure impedance by body part.

An object of the present invention is to provide a human body component measuring apparatus and measuring method using a bioelectrical impedance method that can measure human body components without inputting age and gender information of the subject.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a simplified human body component analysis device and measuring method for automatically inputting the measured height using a height measuring sensor, instead of inputting the height of the subject through a keyboard.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for analyzing human components, which are simplified to complete all the measurements in one measurement position.

1 is a schematic diagram showing one principle of a human body component measuring apparatus using a conventional bioelectrical impedance.

2 is a schematic perspective view showing one embodiment of a conventional measuring device equipped with a keyboard and a height measuring device for measuring human body components using bioelectrical impedance.

3 is a diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention to which a linear sensor for automatically measuring height is attached without a keyboard, which measures a human body component using bioelectrical impedance.

4 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention in which a height measuring sensor for measuring a human body component using bioelectrical impedance and a height measuring sensor automatically using ultrasonic waves is attached.

5 is a view showing the contact position of the measuring region and the electrode of the human body component measuring apparatus according to the present invention.

6 is an electric circuit configuration diagram schematically showing the configuration of the measuring apparatus of the present invention.

Description of the main symbols in the drawings

1: right palm electrode 2: right thumb electrode

3: left palm electrode 4: left thumb electrode

5: right forefoot electrode 6: right forefoot electrode

7: left forefoot electrode 8: left forefoot electrode

9: display screen 10: height measurement bar

11 printer 12 interface terminal

13 electronic circuit portion 14 handle height adjustment member

15: ultrasonic height measurement sensor 16: wheel

17: load sensor 18: electronic switch for measurement of each part

19: impedance measuring circuit 20: impedance measuring amplifier

21: A / D converter 22: microprocessor

23: Amplifier for load measurement 24: Amplifier for linear sensor

25 vertical member 26 linear sensor

27: fixing member 28: top plate

29: handle

Human body component analysis apparatus using the body impedance is a device for measuring the amount of fat, muscle mass, body water, etc. of the body components constituting the body weight using the bioelectrical impedance method. The device requires data such as (1) body impedance, (2) body weight, (3) height, (4) gender, and (5) age.

The human body component analyzer according to the present invention automatically measures weight and height using an electronic measuring sensor, does not require personal information of gender and age, and all measurements are performed through an electronic switch measuring impedance of each body part. Fully automatic, characterized in that made in one measuring position without the help of others.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

3 is a diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention to which a linear sensor for automatically measuring height is attached without a keyboard, which measures a human body component using bioelectrical impedance.

When the subject grasps the handle 29 with both hands, the right palm contacts the electrode 1, the right thumb contacts the electrode 2, the left palm contacts the electrode 3, and the left thumb contacts the electrode ( And 4) in contact with it. The handle 29 is connected to the handle height adjusting member 14, the handle 29, the height adjusting member 14 is configured to perform a vertical reciprocating movement along a linear track, the subject to the handle to fit the height Both hands can be brought into contact with the hand electrode while moving (29) up and down.

Under the power poles 5-8, there is a load sensor 17 to measure the weight of the subject. When the subject is raised, the right forefoot contacts the electrode 5, and the right rear foot is the electrode 6 ), The left forefoot is in contact with the electrode 7, and the left forefoot is in contact with the electrode 8. The weight measured by the load sensor 17 installed under the power pole is stored in the microprocessor 22 via the load measuring amplifier 23 and the A / D converter 21.

In the above embodiment, when the elongation measuring rod 10 installed in the vertical member 25 installed perpendicular to the ground comes down automatically along the linear trajectory and stops movement when it comes in contact with the head of the subject, the linear sensor 26 Recognizes the falling distance of the height measuring bar 10 electronically to measure the height of the subject. The extension measured by the linear sensor 26 is amplified by the linear sensor amplifier 24 and converted into a digital signal via the A / D converter 21 and stored in the microprocessor 22. Functions and components of the linear sensor 26 can be readily accomplished by one of ordinary skill in the art.

4 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention in which an ultrasonic height measuring sensor for measuring a human body component using bioelectrical impedance and a height measuring sensor for automatically measuring height using ultrasonic waves is attached.

In the above embodiment, the ultrasonic elongation measuring sensor 15 includes an ultrasonic transmitter for emitting ultrasonic waves and an ultrasonic receiver for receiving ultrasonic waves reflected from the head of the subject. The ultrasonic elongation measuring sensor 15 is fixed by the fixing member 27 so as to be horizontal, and measures the time from the transmission to the reception and multiplies the speed of the sound wave by the time to measure the head of the ultrasonic elongation measuring sensor and the subject. The height of the subject can be measured by electronically recognizing the distance to. Therefore, unlike the embodiment disclosed in FIG. 3, the height measuring rod 10 does not come into contact with the head of the subject, thereby making it more comfortable to measure.

This embodiment is the same as the configuration and principle of operation of the embodiment disclosed in FIG. 3, except that there is no point using the ultrasonic elongation sensor 15 to measure elongation and there is no handle height adjusting member 14.

The function and components of the ultrasonic elongation measuring sensor 15 can be easily achieved by those skilled in the art.

5 is a view showing the contact position of the measuring region and the electrode of the human body component measuring apparatus according to the present invention.

The impedance from the wrist of the right arm to the right shoulder joint is Z _ra , the impedance from the wrist of the left arm to the left shoulder joint is Z _la , and from the ankle of the right leg to the right ?? Impedance from joint to Z _rl , from left ankle to left ?? The impedance to the joint is Z _ll , and the upper body impedance is Z _t .

Impedance from palm to wrist, impedance from thumb to wrist, impedance from front to ankle, and impedance from back to ankle are shown but do not affect impedance measurements.

6 is an electric circuit configuration diagram schematically showing the configuration of the measuring apparatus of the present invention.

The electric circuit is composed of electrodes 1 to 8, an impedance measurement circuit 19, an electronic switch 18, amplifiers 20, 23 and 24, an A / D converter 21, and a microprocessor 22.

The electronic switch 18 transforms the measurement paths of current and voltage between the electrodes, and the amplifiers 20, 23, and 24 amplify signals such as impedance measurement and sensors, and the A / D converter 21 Converts the amplified analog signal into a digital signal. The microprocessor 22 stores data, calculates a human body component using the measured signal, and outputs the result to the display screen 9.

The electrodes 1 to 8 are in contact with both hands and both feet, which are terminal portions of the human body, with the palms 1 and 3 and the thumb 2 and 4 in the hand, the forefoot 5 and 7 and the foot in the foot 6 and 8 Contact at). In addition, in order to measure the impedance of each part, the electronic switch 18 sequentially manipulates the current and voltage measurement paths on / off in a predetermined order between the impedance measuring circuit 19 and the electrodes, and to automate them. It is controlled by the microprocessor 22.

In the following description, a method of measuring impedance for each part of the human body is connected to the electronic switch 18 under the control of the microprocessor 22 so that a low frequency sinusoidal alternating current flows between the right palm electrode 1 and the right forefoot electrode 5. The voltage between the right thumb electrode 2 and the left thumb electrode 4 is measured. The impedance Z _ra at low frequency is obtained from the flow rate and the measured voltage ratio. In the same way, the high-frequency current is used to find the impedance Z _ra at high frequencies.

In the example of the present invention, the palm electrode and the forefoot electrode form the current electrode, and the thumb electrode and the forefoot electrode are used as voltage electrodes, but the reverse electrode can be used.

In the measurement, R _a , R _b , R _c , and R _d do not affect the impedance of each part of the human body.

The impedance values Z _ra , Z _la , Z _t , Z _rl , and Z _ll measured by the impedance measuring circuit 19 are stored in the microprocessor 22.

The kidney of the person to be measured is stored in the microprocessor 22 after amplifying the output of the kidney measured by the linear sensor 26 or the ultrasonic extension measuring sensor 15 and converting the digital signal into a digital signal.

The weight of the subject is measured by a load sensor 17 located below the power poles 5 to 8 of the human body component analyzer. The load exerted on the load sensor 17 when the subject is raised is the sum of the weight, the weight of the upper plate 28, and the weight of the apparatus attached thereto. Therefore, the weight is obtained by subtracting the initial weight from the total added load. The measured weight is stored in the microprocessor 22 through the load measuring amplifier 23 and the A / D converter 21.

Analyze total body water (TBW), lean body mass (FFM), body fat (FAT), and body composition from the impedance, height, and weight stored in the microprocessor 22, and display the analyzed data It can be displayed on the screen 9 or output to the printer 11.

In addition, an external interface terminal 12 may be mounted to add additional operation and storage functions using an external computer and a program.

The human body component is calculated from the function of the measured site-specific impedance, height and weight as follows.

The amount of water contained in each part of the human body is proportional to Ht ² / Z, where Z is the impedance value of the corresponding part and Ht is the height of the subject.

The amount of water contained in the whole body (TBW) is the sum of the amount of water for each part, and is represented by the following formula (I).

TBW = C ₁ ( Ht ² / Z _ra + Ht ² / Z _la ) + C ₂ Ht ² / Z _t + C ₃ (Ht ² / Z _ra + Ht ² / Z _la ) (Ⅰ)

Where C ₁ , C ₂ , and C ₃ are constants that best satisfy equation (I) and are determined by regression analysis. Equation (I) is embedded in the microprocessor 22 as a program.

Since body fat has very low moisture content among the constituents of the human body, the amount of water present in the body fat is ignored, and since the component other than fat (FFM) contains about 73% water, the component other than fat (FFM) is represented by the following formula. It is represented by (II).

FFM = TBW / 0.73 (II)

The amount of body fat (FAT) is expressed by the following formula (III) by subtracting the component (FFM) other than fat, and the percentage body fat (Percent Body Fat:% BF) is represented by the following formula (IV).

FAT = Wt-FFM (Ⅲ)

% BF = (Wt-FFM) × 100 / Wt (Ⅳ)

Segmental water (SW) for each part can also be obtained, for the right arm:

SW _ra = f (Ht, Wt, Z _hra , Z _lra ) (Ⅴ)

Where SW _ra is the amount of water in the right arm, Z _hra is the impedance of the right arm measured at high frequencies, and Z _lra is the impedance of the right arm measured at low frequencies. Similarly, measurements can be made on the left arm, torso, right leg, and left leg.

SW _la = f (Ht, Wt, Z _hla , Z _lla ) (Ⅵ)

SW _t = f (Ht, Wt, Z _ht , Z _lt ) (Ⅶ)

SW _rl = f (Ht, Wt, Z _hrl , Z _lrl ) (Ⅷ)

SW _ll = f (Ht, Wt, Z _hll , Z _lll ) (Ⅸ)

When the operation is completed in the microprocessor 22, the analysis result is displayed on the display screen 9 or output to the printer 11.

The human body component analyzing apparatus according to the present invention can measure human body components without inputting age and gender information of a subject using a keyboard, and even when the subject does not know his or her height, the kidney is easily heightened through a height measuring sensor. This measurement and automatically input has the effect of completing all the measurements in one measurement position.

Simple modifications of the present invention, in particular, the shape of the electrode, the modification of the elongation measurement method, and the modification of the current and voltage paths for measuring the impedance of each part are apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Limited by the scope of

Claims (8)

Electrodes 1, 2, 3, and 4 integrally formed on the handle 29 to contact the palms and fingers of the subject; Electrodes 5, 6, 7, and 8 for contacting the right forefoot, right hind paw, left forefoot, and left hind paw, respectively; A handle height adjustment member 14 connected with the handle 29 and configured to allow the handle 29 to vertically reciprocate along a linear track; When the height measuring rod 10 mounted on the vertical member 25 installed perpendicular to the ground automatically comes down along the linear trajectory and contacts the head of the subject, the falling distance of the height measuring rod 10 is electronically determined. Linear sensor 26 for measuring the height of the subject to be recognized as; A load sensor 11 for measuring the weight of the subject; An impedance measuring circuit 19 for generating sinusoidal currents of high frequency and low frequency and measuring voltage difference between electrodes; An electronic switch 18 provided between the electrodes 1 to 8 and the impedance measuring circuit 19 to change the current and voltage measurement paths between the electrodes so as to measure impedance for each body part; A microprocessor 22 for storing measurement data, calculating a human body component using the measured signal, outputting the result to the display screen 9, and controlling the electronic switch 18; And A display screen 9 and a printer 11 for outputting a human body component result; It is composed of a device that can analyze the human body components using bioelectrical impedance without a keyboard device for inputting the sex and age of the subject in the measurement process. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein an external interface terminal (12) is added to perform an additional operation and storage function using an external computer and a program. The electrode (1) and the electrode (2), the electrode (3) and the electrode (4), the electrode (5) and the electrode (6), and the electrode (7) and the electrode (8), respectively. Human component analysis device using bioelectrical impedance, characterized in that used independently as a current electrode or a voltage electrode. The human body using the bioelectrical impedance according to claim 3, wherein the electrodes 2, 4, 6, and 8 are connected to voltage electrodes when the electrodes 1, 3, 5, and 7 are current electrodes. Component Analysis Device. The human body using bioelectrical impedance according to claim 3, wherein when the electrodes 1, 3, 5, and 7 are voltage electrodes, the electrodes 2, 4, 6, and 8 are connected to current electrodes. Component Analysis Device. Electrodes 1, 2, 3, and 4 integrally formed on the handle 29 to contact the palms and fingers of the subject; Electrodes 5, 6, 7, and 8 for contacting the right forefoot, right hind paw, left forefoot, and left hind paw, respectively; It consists of an ultrasonic transmitter for emitting an ultrasonic wave and an ultrasonic receiver for receiving ultrasonic waves reflected from the head to measure the time from transmission to reception, and multiplying the time by the speed of sound waves to determine the distance to the head of the subject. An ultrasonic elongation measuring sensor 15 for measuring the height of the subject by electronic recognition; A load sensor 17 for measuring the weight of the subject; An impedance measuring circuit 19 for generating sinusoidal currents of high frequency and low frequency and measuring voltage difference between electrodes; An electronic switch 18 installed between the electrode and the impedance measuring circuit 19 to change the current and voltage measurement path between the electrodes so as to measure impedance for each human body part; A microprocessor 22 for storing the measurement data, calculating the human body component using the measured signal, outputting the result to the display screen 9, and controlling the electronic switch 18; And A display screen 9 and a printer 11 for outputting a human body component result; Comprising the step of inputting the height measured directly by the ultrasonic height measurement sensor 15 in the measurement process, and the bioelectrical impedance of omitting the step of inputting the sex and age of the subject through the keyboard Device that can analyze human body components. The subject is placed in the upright position with both feet shoulder-width contacted with the power generating poles 5, 6, 7 and 8; The measurement posture is completed by holding the handle 29 having integrally formed the hand electrodes 1, 2, 3, and 4 with both hands and making contact with the hand electrodes 1, 2, 3, and 4; The height measuring rod 10 automatically descends along the linear trajectory and stops movement when in contact with the head of the subject; The linear sensor 26 electronically recognizes the falling distance of the height measuring bar 10 and measures the height of the subject; Weight is measured by a load sensor (17) located below the power poles (5-8); Amplifying the measured electrical signal through a signal processing unit and converting the measured electrical signal into a digital signal, and inputting the same to the microprocessor 22; And The microprocessor 22 controls the electronic switch 18 on / off so that the impedance measuring circuit 19 sequentially measures the impedance for each part of the body of the subject, and the amount of fluid from the stored impedance, height, and weight. (TBW), lean body mass (FFM), body fat mass (FAT), and body composition for each part, and output through the display screen 9 and the printer 11; It comprises a step, comprising the step of measuring the height directly by the linear sensor 26 in the measurement process, the method for analyzing the human component, characterized in that the gender and age of the subject is not input by the keyboard . The subject is placed in the upright position with both feet shoulder-width contacted with the power generating poles 5, 6, 7 and 8; The measurement posture is completed by holding the handle 29 having integrally formed the hand electrodes 1, 2, 3, and 4 with both hands and making contact with the hand electrodes 1, 2, 3, and 4; The ultrasonic elongation measuring sensor 15 emits ultrasonic waves from the ultrasonic transmitter, receives sound waves reflected from the ultrasonic receiver by hitting the head, measures the time from the transmission to the reception, and multiplies the speed of the sound waves by the time, and calculates the above. The height of the subject is measured from the distance between the ultrasonic height measuring sensor 15 and the head of the subject; Weight is measured by a load sensor (17) located below the power poles (5-8); Amplifying the measured electrical signal through a signal processing unit, converting the measured electrical signal into a digital signal, and inputting the same to the microprocessor 22; And The microprocessor 22 controls the electronic switch 18 on / off so that the impedance measuring circuit 19 sequentially measures the impedance for each part of the body of the subject, and the amount of fluid from the stored impedance, height, and weight. (TBW), lean body mass (FFM), body fat mass (FAT), and body composition for each part, and output through the display screen 9 and the printer 11; Comprising a step, and directly measuring the height by the ultrasonic height measuring sensor 15 in the measurement process, and analyzing the human component, characterized in that the gender and age of the subject is not input by the keyboard Way.