KR101554308B1 - Sensor attachable bio signal transmitter - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a living body signal transmitter capable of detaching and attaching a sensor, and a living body signal transmitter according to the present invention includes: a body for transmitting a signal wirelessly; A wrist strap coupled to both sides of the body to support the body on the wrist of a user; And a detachable sensor unit for measuring the user's biological signal and delivering the user's biological signal to the main body and detachably coupled to the main body at the inside of the wearer's string, It is possible to determine an emergency situation and transmit a radio signal indicating an emergency situation. Accordingly, when the biosignal transmitter is worn on the wrist, the sensor of the detachable sensor portion located on the inner side of the worn-in line can be completely brought into close contact with the wrist by fastening the wrist strap, so that the living body signal can be measured more accurately. In addition, it is possible to replace the detachable sensor part, so that other kinds of sensors can be applied.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a sensor attachable bio signal transmitter,

The present invention relates to a bio-signal transmitter, and more particularly, to a bio-signal transmitter which periodically measures a pulse or a body temperature by being worn on the wrist so that a signal can be wirelessly transmitted when an emergency occurs, To a living body signal transmitter capable of detaching and attaching a sensor.

Suddenly, a person living alone or with a chronic illness can be at risk for health conditions. Therefore, it is necessary to have a guardian who can always check his or her health condition, but in reality, it is impossible for a guardian to follow him around the clock.

To this end, a device capable of measuring a biological signal (pulse, blood pressure, body temperature, electrocardiogram, etc.) is worn on the body of the user (the elderly or patient alone), and when it is judged that the bio- So that the user can request help. Such devices can be made in clothing or wristwatch.

An example of a biosignal transmitter fabricated in the form of a double wristwatch is shown in FIG. The conventional bio-signal transmitter 1 shown in Fig. 1 (a) comprises a main body 2, a wearing line 3 and a sensor 4, and the sensor 4 is arranged inside the wearing line 3 Respectively. 1 (b), which shows the wearing state of the conventional vital sign transmitter 1, when the main body 2 is positioned above the wrist 400 and the wearing line 3 is tightened, A sensor 4 provided at the lower part of the wrist 400 is positioned at the lower part of the wrist 400 to measure a living body signal (e.g., pulse).

However, in the conventional bio-signal transmitter 1, since the sensor 4 is provided directly on the wearer's wrist 3, measurement of the bio-signal is not smooth. When the wearer's wrist 400 is approximately elliptical and the wearer's string 3 having elasticity surrounds the wearer's wrist 400, the wearer's string 3 will have a portion floating around the wrist 400 due to its inherent restoring force. 1 (b), the wrist 3 is tightly attached to the wrist 400 on the right and left sides of the wrist 400 having a sharp curve), but the wrist 400 is relatively gentle In the lower part, the wearing line 3 is separated from the lower part of the wrist 400 by a restoring force which is intended to be spread in its original form. Therefore, it is difficult to maintain the state in which the sensor 4 is in close contact with the wrist 400, so an inaccurate measurement can be made.

Furthermore, in the conventional vital sign transmitter 1, since the sensor 4 is attached to the wearable string 3 itself, it is difficult to apply the sensor of the other kind.

On the other hand, the built-in battery must be charged for continuous use of the bio-signal transmitter. Usually, charging is performed while the user is sleeping. When the user's health condition becomes critical at the time when the user does not wear the bio-signal transmitter, there is no way to know when the health condition of the user becomes critical.

Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem [8] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a sensor that can accurately measure a living body signal, The present invention has been made in view of the above problems.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a biosignal transmitter capable of detaching and attaching a sensor capable of preventing a dangerous situation that may occur during a non-use time by allowing a signal to be transmitted after a predetermined time, if the user is not wearing it for charging. have.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a bio-signal transmitter capable of detachably attaching and detaching a sensor, comprising: a body for transmitting a signal wirelessly; A wrist strap coupled to both sides of the body to support the body on the wrist of a user; And a detachable sensor unit for measuring the user's biological signal and delivering the user's biological signal to the main body and detachably coupled to the main body at the inside of the wearer's string, And transmits a radio signal indicating an emergency situation.

Here, the detachable sensor unit may include a sensor for measuring the user's biological signal; A connection terminal for coupling the sensor to the main body and transmitting the bio-signal measured by the sensor to the main body side; And an extension for connecting the connection terminal and the sensor. When the wrist is worn on the user's wrist, the wrist strap can press the sensor of the detachable sensor portion and the sensor can be brought into close contact with the wrist of the user.

The main body further includes: a memory for storing reference information; A communication processor for transmitting a radio signal indicating an emergency; And a controller for determining whether the bio-signal measured by the detachable sensor unit is out of reference information stored in the memory, and controlling the wireless signal to be transmitted to the communication processor through the communication processor.

The main body of the main body further includes a capacitance sensor for measuring whether or not the user touches the body, and the control unit of the main body determines whether there is no physical contact with the user for a predetermined time or longer through the capacitance sensor And controls to transmit a radio signal indicating the emergency.

The biological signal measured by the detachable sensor unit may include a pulse or a body temperature.

The present invention has the following effects.

First, since the sensor is not located on the wearable line but is provided separately on the inner side of the wearable line with a separate connection terminal and a predetermined distance from the main body by the extended portion, the sensor of the removable- Thereby being brought into close contact with the wrist. Therefore, it is possible to measure an accurate bio-signal.

Second, because the sensor can be attached to or detached from the main body, sensors for measuring different bio-signals can be easily changed and applied. In other words, since a sensor is provided on a wearable line in the past, when measuring other living body signals, it is necessary to replace the whole wearable line or change all of the transmitters including the main body. However, in the present invention, since only the detachable sensor unit needs to be replaced, the possibility of application is increased.

Third, when the user puts off the transmitter for charging, if the wearer does not wear it again after a predetermined time, a signal can be sent, so that even a dangerous situation that may occur during the non-wearing time can be prepared.

1 is a view for explaining a conventional bio-signal transmitter;
2 is a perspective view illustrating a bio-signal transmitter capable of detaching and attaching a sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the bio-signal transmitter shown in FIG. 2 viewed from another angle; FIG.
4 is a view for explaining a wearing state of the bio-signal transmitter shown in Fig.
5 is a block diagram for explaining the functional configuration of the bio-signal transmitter shown in Fig.
FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are flowcharts for explaining the operation of the bio-signal transmitter shown in FIG. 2;

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, some configurations which are not related to the gist of the present invention may be omitted or compressed, but the configurations omitted are not necessarily required for the present invention, and they may be combined by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. .

2 is a perspective view for explaining a living body signal transmitter 100 (hereinafter referred to as a living body signal transmitter 100) capable of attaching and detaching a sensor 131 according to an embodiment of the present invention, (100) as viewed from the bottom. 2 and 3, the bio-signal transmitter 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a main body 110, a wrist strap 120, and a removable sensor unit 130, Similar to the clock shape.

The main body 110 receives the bio-signal measured from the detachable sensor unit 130, and transmits a radio signal indicating that the bio-signal is out of the reference information. A display 119, a key input unit 112, a capacitance sensor 110a, a charging terminal 114 and a socket 113 (see FIG. 3) are provided on the outer surface of the main body 110, The function operation will be described later.

The main body 110 has a case 111 for protecting an internal circuit structure and a wear string 120 is coupled to both sides of the case 111. The biosignal transmitter 100 can be supported on the user's wrist 400 by tightening both ends of the wearer string 120.

Referring to a bottom perspective view of the bio-signal transmitter 100 shown in FIG. 3, a charging terminal 114 and a socket 113 are respectively provided below a portion where the wrist straps 120 of the main body 110 are coupled.

The charging terminal 114 is used to charge a power supply unit 115 (battery) provided in the main body 110 and can be manufactured using a USB port.

The receptacle 113 is an electrical connection port to which the detachable sensor unit 130 is coupled and transmits the biometric signal measured by the detachable sensor unit 130 to the main body 110 side.

That is, the detachable sensor unit 130 includes an extension portion 132 having a predetermined length along the wearer string 120, and a sensor 131 and a connection terminal 133 provided on both sides of the extension portion 132.

When the living body signal transmitter 100 is worn on the wrist 400, the body 110 is positioned on the upper part of the wrist 400 and the sensor 131 of the detachable sensor part 130 is positioned on the lower part of the wrist 400 . The extended portion 132 is a medium for connecting the sensor 131 located at the lower portion of the wrist 400 from the main body 110 located at the upper portion of the wrist 400.

Therefore, when the connection terminal 133 of the detachable sensor unit 130 is connected to the socket 113 of the main body 110 and both ends of the wearer string 120 are connected, the ring shape is as shown in FIG. 4A. Therefore, when the bio-signal transmitter 100 is worn on the wrist 400, the main body 110 is positioned above the wrist 400 and the lower portion (where the artery is located) of the wrist 400, The sensor 131 of the detachable sensor unit 130 is positioned. At this time, since the sensor 131 is pressed by the tightening of the wearable string 120, the sensor 131 is completely brought into close contact with the lower portion of the wrist 400.

The wrists (400) are elliptical in shape, so that both sides are severely curved and the upper and lower portions are relatively gentle. Therefore, the wearer string 120 is brought into close contact with the wrist 400 due to the bending of both sides of the wrist 400, but the wearer string 120 does not come into close contact with the lower portion of the wrist 400. Therefore, in the conventional bio-signal transmitter 1 shown in FIG. 1, since the sensor 4 is provided on the wrist 3, the sensor 4 may be separated from the wrist 400, so that the measurement of the living body signal may be inaccurate .

4, since the sensor 131 connected to the main body 110 by the connection terminal 133 and the extending portion 132 is located in the inside of the wearing string 120, The sensor 131 is always kept in close contact with the lower portion of the wrist 400 because the wrist strap 120 pushes the sensor 131 toward the wrist 400. [ Therefore, the measurement of the bio-signal can be more accurate.

The sensor 131 provided in the detachable sensor unit 130 may be a PPG (photoplethysmograph) sensor, that is, a sensor for measuring a pulse using light. Of course, the sensor 131 provided in the detachable sensor unit 130 may be a sensor for measuring a pulse using a pressure change, or a sensor for measuring a biological signal such as a body temperature, a blood pressure, or an electrocardiogram.

Here, in the bio-signal transmitter 100 according to the present embodiment, the detachable sensor unit 130 can be inserted into or detached from the main body 110 through the connection terminal 133. Therefore, if only the removable sensor unit 130 having different kinds of sensors 131 is replaced with the body 110, other types of living body signals can be measured. 1, since the sensor 4 is provided on the wearer's wrist 3, in order to measure different types of the living body signals, the living body signal transmitter 1 itself is replaced Or the entire wearing line 3 had to be replaced. However, since only the detachable sensor unit 130 needs to be replaced in the present invention, the range of application is very wide.

Hereinafter, the functional configuration of the bio-signal transmitter 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, the bio-signal transmitter 100 includes a main body 110, a wrist strap 120 and a detachable sensor unit 130. The main body 110 is connected to the detachable sensor unit 130 through a socket 113 The measured biological signal is received. The main body 110 has a case 111 for protecting internal circuit configurations and includes a capacitance sensor 110a, a key input unit 112, a display 119, a charging terminal 114, And a socket 113. A memory 117, a communication processing unit 116, a power supply unit 115 and a control unit 118 are implemented as circuits inside the case 111. [

The electrostatic capacitance sensor 110a is disposed on the bottom surface (see FIG. 3) of the case 111 and is provided to sense a minute current from the human body and judge whether or not to wear the electrostatic capacitance sensor 110a.

The key input unit 112 is provided for inputting a user command, and the display 119 is provided for outputting the bio-signal, time, menu, etc. measured by the sensor 131.

The charging terminal 114 is used to charge the power supply 115 by connecting a charging cable to the charging terminal 114 to charge the power supply necessary for the operation of the main body 110.

The connection terminal 133 of the detachable sensor unit 130 is inserted into the socket 113 and the biometric signal measured by the sensor 131 is transmitted to the control unit 118 via the connection terminal 133 and the socket 113 . To this end, a cable for transmitting a signal is built in the extension part 132.

The memory 117 stores various programs for the functional operation of the bio-signal transmitter 100 and reference information as a criterion of an emergency situation.

The communication processing unit 116 is provided for transmitting and receiving wireless signals between the smartphone 200 or the relay terminal 300 and the main body 110.

The control unit 118 collectively controls various functions of the bio-signal transmitter 100. Particularly, the control unit 118 compares the bio-signal measured by the sensor 131 with the reference information designated in the memory 117 to determine whether it is an emergency situation. If the emergency situation is detected, And transmits a wireless signal indicating that it is in an emergency state to the smartphone 200 or the relay terminal 300 side.

The functional configuration of the main body 110 described above will be further clarified by the description of the operation process described with reference to Figs. 6 to 7. Fig.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a process of determining an emergency situation through a bio-signal measured by the sensor 131 and transmitting a radio signal.

First, the sensor 131 of the detachable sensor unit 130 periodically measures a biological signal (e.g., a pulse) and transmits the measured biological signal to the main body 110 (S605). When the control unit 118 of the main body 110 receives the biometric signal measured by the sensor 131, the control unit 118 compares the reference information stored in the memory 117 with the measured biometric signal, (S610).

If the bio-signal measured by the sensor 131 is within the reference information previously stored in the memory 117, the process of measuring and judging the bio-signal <S605.S610> is performed again.

On the other hand, if the bio-signal measured by the sensor 131 exceeds or does not exceed the reference information previously stored in the memory 117, the control unit 118, in association with the communication processing unit 116, To the smartphone 200 or the relay terminal 300 (S620).

The communication processor 116 may transmit a radio signal to the smartphone 200 using the Bluetooth signal and the smartphone 200 may receive a radio signal from the bio-signal transmitter 100, To request the structure. To this end, the smartphone 200 may be provided with a dedicated application for transmitting / receiving signals with the bio-signal transmitter 100 and automatically requesting the structure.

The communication processing unit 116 may transmit a radio signal to the relay terminal 300 using the RF signal and request a structure to a destination (119 rescue units or a separate central server) designated in advance in the relay terminal 300 . The relay terminal 300 is installed in the residential area where the elderly living alone or the patient lives.

If the elderly living alone or the patient wears the bio-signal transmitter 100, even if the health state deteriorates and the structure can not be requested by itself, the elderly person or the patient can automatically request the structure.

On the other hand, since the bio-signal transmitter 100 periodically measures bio-signals, charging for power supply must be performed from time to time. In order to charge the battery, the charging cable must be connected to the charging terminal 114, so that the charging cable is not used. That is, most of the users are charged with the bio-signal transmitter 100 at the time of bedtime, and suddenly the health state may deteriorate in the non-use state for such charging. The bio-signal transmitter 100 according to the present invention has a function to cope with emergency situations that may occur in such a non-use state, and this process is shown in FIG.

When the user wears the bio-signal transmitter 100, it can be recognized that the capacitance sensor 110a of the main body 110 is in close contact with the user's skin. If the bio-signal transmitter 100 is released for charging, the electrostatic capacity sensor 110a is separated from the skin, so that the controller 118 of the main body 110 can determine whether the bio-signal transmitter 100 is in the non-insertion state (S705).

If it is determined that the electrostatic capacity sensor 110a is worn through the electrostatic capacity sensor 110a, the control unit 118 starts counting and determines whether it has exceeded the designated time (S715). In other words, since the bio-signal transmitter 100 is used to always monitor the health status of the elderly person or the patient, the time for non-use will be the time for releasing for charging. Therefore, the time required for charging can be grasped sufficiently according to the capacity of the power supply unit 115 (battery) mounted on the main body 110. Therefore, the non-application time designated in advance can be the time required for charging (for example, 3 hours). Of course, the user may release the bio-signal transmitter 100 for sleep while charging. Therefore, the non-sticking time specified in advance may be an average sleeping time (for example, 8 hours).

If the control unit 118 determines that the predetermined time has exceeded the predetermined time as a result of the determination of the no-use time, the control unit 118 transmits a wireless signal to the smart phone 200 or the relay To the terminal 300 (S725) to request the structure.

Of course, the radio signal transmission shown in FIG. 6 and the radio signal transmission shown in FIG. 7 are different cases. In other words, the radio signal transmission shown in FIG. 6 is a case in which a structure is requested immediately after recognizing that the health state is deteriorated as a result of measuring a living body signal, and the radio signal transmission shown in FIG. 7 is not a result of measuring a living body signal It is a signal that the emergency situation may have occurred due to non-use.

Therefore, the bio-signal transmitter 100 can transmit a radio signal including different information according to each case. That is, in the case of the procedure shown in FIG. 6, the rescue team can be immediately dispatched by transmitting the radio signal including the measured bio-signal information. In the case of the process shown in FIG. 7, And transmits the radio signal to include the information. In the latter case, the rescue team does not need to be dispatched immediately, but may call the user to check the health status first.

In other words, the conventional bio-signal transmitter 1 can not take any action when the user's health state deteriorates in a non-use state. However, according to the present invention, when the non-use state is excessively long, .

Meanwhile, a program or reference information necessary for the functional operation of the main body 110 may be mounted in advance in the manufacturing process. Alternatively, a separate data cable may be connected to the socket 113 for connecting the detachable sensor unit 130, You can also download and upgrade information. Or may be installed via the smart phone 200 or may be installed by receiving information from a remote central server through the relay terminal 300. [ In addition, the reference information and the like can be inputted and set through the key input unit 112. [ Therefore, different reference information may be set for each user having different physical conditions.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, And additions should be considered as falling within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

100: a biological signal transmitter
110:
110a: Capacitive sensor
111: Case
112:
113: Socket
114: Charging terminal
115: Power supply
116:
117: Memory
118:
119: Display
120: Wear line
130: Detachable sensor unit
131: Sensor
132: extension part
133: connection terminal
200: Smartphone
300: relay terminal
400: Cuff

Claims (5)

A main body for transmitting a signal wirelessly;
A wrist strap coupled to both sides of the body to support the body on the wrist of a user; And
And a detachable sensor unit detachably coupled to the main body at the inner side of the wearer's wrist to transmit the measured vital sign of the user to the main body,
Wherein the main body judges an emergency situation through the bio-signal of the user measured by the detachable sensor unit and transmits a radio signal indicating an emergency situation,
Wherein the detachable sensor unit comprises:
A sensor for measuring a bio-signal of the user;
A connection terminal for coupling the sensor to the main body and transmitting the bio-signal measured by the sensor to the main body side; And
And an extension for connecting the connection terminal and the sensor,
When the main body is positioned on the upper part of the wrist of the user and the wearer string is tightened, the detachable sensor part provided separately from the wearer string is pressed in accordance with the tightening of the wearer's string, And the living body signal can be measured while maintaining the state of being in close contact with the lower part.
delete The method according to claim 1,
The main body includes:
A memory for storing reference information;
A communication processor for transmitting a radio signal indicating an emergency; And
And a controller for determining whether the bio-signal measured by the detachable sensor unit is out of the reference information stored in the memory and controlling the radio signal to be transmitted to the communication processor through the communication processor, This is a viable signal transmitter.
The method of claim 3,
The main body includes:
And a capacitance sensor for measuring whether or not the user touches the body,
Wherein the control unit of the main body controls to transmit a radio signal notifying the emergency through the communication processing unit if it is determined that there is no physical contact of the user for a predetermined time or longer through the capacitance sensor Biological signal transmitter.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the biometric signal measured by the detachable sensor unit includes pulse or body temperature.

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