KR101654914B1 - Respiration measuring device and method for measuring respiration using thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The respiration measuring apparatus comprises: a pad attachable to the user's body; three or more sensors provided on the pad for measuring a signal generated according to the movement of the user's body by respiration of the user; And a determination unit that measures the respiration rate of the user using the signals measured by at least two sensors.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a respiration measuring apparatus and a respiration measuring method using the same,

The present invention relates to a breath measurement apparatus and a breath measurement method using the same.

Biological signals such as respiration rate are one of the most easily diagnosed conditions of human health condition and abnormality. The vital sign is continuously checked by attaching a bio-signal measuring device (for example, a respirator) to an intensive care person, an emergency patient, an undergoing operation, or a health-care vulnerable person.

For example, an oxygen mask is attached to an operation patient to continuously check the patient's breathing state during operation. The oxygen mask may give a fear to the patient, and a large number of connection lines connecting the oxygen mask and the breathing state monitoring device And thus it is inconvenient that it is difficult to carry out other procedures or operations.

In addition, it is often necessary to check the breathing state of people living in the hospital as well as patients admitted to the hospital or operating the hospital. For example, it is necessary to measure respiration patterns and breathing patterns of sleeping patients or elderly children living in other spaces with unstable respiration patterns. In recent years, it is necessary to measure the actual respiratory rate or respiratory rate in order to diagnose the condition of the person in addition to the diagnosis of the sleep apnea, which is a temporary respiratory disease during sleep.

However, conventionally, it has been difficult to acquire data by accurately measuring the respiration rate and respiration amount of the user without the respiratory measurement device provided in the hospital, and to accurately transmit the acquired data to a doctor or the like in the hospital. In particular, the conventional method of measuring the respiration rate by attaching a simple sensor to the body and measuring the respiration rate using the primary signal obtained from the sensor is much inferior to the method of measuring respiration rate through the hospital equipment . The background technology of the present application is disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2006-0005092 (published on Jan. 17, 2006).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a respiration measuring apparatus and a respiration measuring method which can more simply and accurately measure a user's respiration rate.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a breath measuring apparatus and a breath measuring method capable of remotely checking a user's health state in real time by transmitting respiration data of a user in daily life outside a hospital to a system such as a hospital.

The present invention also provides a respiration measuring device and a respiration measuring method capable of monitoring the breathing state of a patient in parallel with surgery and various treatments by measuring the user's respiration rate without attaching equipment such as an oxygen mask to the user .

It is to be understood, however, that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described technical problems, and other technical problems may exist.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a respiration measuring apparatus including: a pad attachable to a user's body; a pad provided on the pad, for sensing a movement of the user's body by respiration of the user; And a determination unit for measuring the number of breaths of the user by using signals measured by at least two or more sensors among the three or more sensors.

According to an example of this embodiment, the sensor includes a first sensor and a second sensor, and the determination unit compares the first signal measured by the first sensor and the second signal measured by the second sensor And counts the number of times that the peak value of the first signal and the second signal appear at the same time and counts the number of breaths.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the respiration measurement apparatus further includes a conversion unit for converting the first signal and the second signal into the frequency domain, and the determination unit determines the frequency of the first signal and the frequency of the second signal, The number of times the peak value of the first signal and the peak value of the second signal appear at the same time when the frequency of the first signal coincides with the frequency of the second signal, You can count.

According to an example of this embodiment, the sensor includes a third sensor, and the determination unit compares the first signal with a third signal measured by the third sensor, and at the same time, Wherein the determining unit counts the number of times the peak value of the third signal appears and the number of times the peak value of the first signal and the second signal appear at the same time and the peak value of the first signal and the third signal, A small number of times of occurrence can be counted by the breath count.

According to an example of this embodiment, the sensor includes a first sensor and a second sensor, and the determination unit compares the first signal measured by the first sensor and the second signal measured by the second sensor And counts the number of times when the difference between the peak value of the first signal at the same time and the peak value of the second signal at or above the threshold value is smaller than a preset value and counts the number of breaths.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the respiration measurement apparatus further includes a conversion unit for converting the first signal and the second signal into the frequency domain, and the determination unit determines the frequency of the first signal and the frequency of the second signal, And when the frequency of the first signal and the frequency of the second signal coincide with each other, determine whether or not the peak value of the first signal at the same time is equal to or higher than the peak value of the first signal, The number of times when the difference between the values is smaller than the predetermined value can be counted by the breath count.

According to one example of this embodiment, the sensor includes a first sensor, a second sensor, and a third sensor, and the determination unit determines whether the first signal measured by the first sensor and the second signal measured by the second sensor 2 signal and the third signal measured by the third sensor, counts the number of times that the first signal, the peak value of the second signal and the third signal appear at the same time, and counts the number of times .

According to an example of this embodiment, the sensor includes a first sensor and a second sensor, and the determination unit compares the first signal measured by the first sensor and the second signal measured by the second sensor And the determination unit counts the number of times the peak value of the first signal and the second signal appear within a predetermined time difference, and counts the number of times by the number of breaths.

According to an example of this embodiment, the three or more sensors may include a piezoelectric sensor.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the three or more sensors may be fabricated by a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) technique.

According to an example of this embodiment, the three or more sensors may include an acceleration sensor.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the breath measurement apparatus further comprises a memory storing data relating to a relationship between a signal measured by the three or more sensors and the actual respiration rate of the user, The number of breaths of the user can be measured based on a signal measured by at least two sensors among the sensors and data stored in the memory.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the respiration measuring apparatus may further include an amplifying unit amplifying a magnitude of a signal measured by the three or more sensors.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the respiration measuring apparatus may further include an output unit for outputting signals measured by the three or more sensors and the measured respiration rate.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the respiration measuring apparatus may further include a transmitting unit for transmitting a signal measured by the three or more sensors and the measured respiration rate to an external monitoring apparatus interlocked with the respiration measuring apparatus.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the respiration measuring apparatus further includes a voice signal measuring unit for measuring a voice signal generated during respiration of the user, and the judging unit may measure the voice signal from at least two of the three or more sensors The number of breaths of the user can be measured based on the speech signal and the speech signal.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for measuring respiration comprising the steps of: measuring signals generated by a user's body movement by respiration of three or more sensors installed on a pad attachable to a user; Comparing the first signal measured by the first sensor and the second signal measured by the second sensor, and comparing the peak value of the first signal with the peak value of the second signal at the same time Counting the number of times per unit time appearing, and measuring the number of breaths per unit time.

The above-described task solution is merely exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. In addition to the exemplary embodiments described above, there may be additional embodiments described in the drawings and the detailed description of the invention.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for acquiring a signal from a plurality of sensors installed on a pad attachable to a body of a user and generating a signal according to a change of a user's body by respiration of the user, It is possible to measure the breathing number of the user in real time in parallel with other operations or procedures without imposing any restriction on the user's activity and without inconvenience to the user.

According to the above-mentioned problem solving means of the present invention, the number of breaths of a user can be accurately measured by simultaneously measuring a plurality of signals generated from a plurality of sensors and measuring the breathing number of the user.

1 is a view showing a breathing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a block diagram of a breathing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a signal obtained from a sensor of a breathing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a view showing another example of a signal obtained from the sensor of the breathing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a view showing another example of a signal obtained from a sensor of the breathing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a view showing another example of a signal obtained from a sensor of a breathing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a signal obtained from a sensor and a voice signal measuring unit of the breathing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart exemplarily showing a breath measurement method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the present invention. It should be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. In the drawings, the same reference numbers are used throughout the specification to refer to the same or like parts.

Throughout this specification, when a part is referred to as being "connected" to another part, it is not limited to a case where it is "directly connected" but also includes the case where it is "electrically connected" do.

Throughout this specification, when a member is " on " another member, it includes not only when the member is in contact with the other member, but also when there is another member between the two members.

Throughout this specification, when an element is referred to as "including " an element, it is understood that the element may include other elements as well, without departing from the other elements unless specifically stated otherwise.

The terms "about "," substantially ", etc. used to the extent that they are used throughout the specification are intended to be taken to mean the approximation of the manufacturing and material tolerances inherent in the stated sense, Accurate or absolute numbers are used to help prevent unauthorized exploitation by unauthorized intruders of the referenced disclosure. The word " step (or step) "or" step "used to the extent that it is used throughout the specification does not mean" step for.

1 is a view showing a breathing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1, a respiration measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of pads 10 that can be attached to a body of a user 100, and a plurality of pads 10 installed in the pads 10, The first sensor 12, the second sensor 14, the third sensor 16, and the voice signal measuring unit 18 that are in contact with each other. In addition, the respiration measuring device may include a plurality of bands 20 connecting the plurality of pads 10. The band 20 can be made of a stretchable material and is free from deformation such as elongation and shrinkage.

The plurality of pads 10 may be attached to different positions of the body of the user 100, respectively. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, when the user 100 is breathing, the body 100 of the user 100, which is a position where the movement of the body of the user 100 can be easily captured, The pad 10 can be provided. At this time, it is advantageous for accurate breath measurement to not provide a pad on the left chest area of the user 100 where body movement due to heart beat may occur. This is because when the sensor is operated by the movement of the body by the heartbeat, the signal is measured, it may be difficult to distinguish it from the signal due to the movement of the body by the breathing. 1, the pad 10 provided with the voice signal measuring unit 18 is installed on the neck of a user for measuring voice signals generated by the user's body during breathing .

However, the mounting position of the pad 10 shown in FIG. 1 is merely exemplary, and the pad 10 may be installed on another body part of the user 100 to improve the accuracy of breath measurement. Although three pads 10 and three sensors of the first sensor 12, the second sensor 14 and the third sensor 16 are shown in FIG. 1 as being installed in the body of the user 100 The number of the pads 10, and the number of sensors is not limited thereto, and three or more sensors may be installed, for example, five sensors.

The first sensor 12, the second sensor 14 and the third sensor 16 generate a signal according to the movement of the body of the user 100 by the respiration of the user 100, can do. For example, the first sensor 12, the second sensor 14, and the third sensor 16 may include a piezoelectric sensor. The piezoelectric sensor uses a piezoelectric element in which an electrical reaction occurs by varying the magnitude of a voltage according to an applied pressure when a predetermined pressure is applied. The piezo-electric sensor contacts the body of the user 100 to move the diaphragm, abdomen, Which converts the respiration signal into an electrical signal and outputs the electrical signal. As another example, the first sensor 12, the second sensor 14, and the third sensor 16 may include an acceleration sensor. The acceleration sensor is an element capable of measuring acceleration in a direction and a direction in accordance with a change in a predetermined pressure or an external force. In the present embodiment, the acceleration of the body in one direction by the respiration of the user 100 is measured An outputting device can be used. The first sensor 12, the second sensor 14, and the third sensor 16 can be miniaturized using MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems). Therefore, it is possible to reduce the weight of the breathing measuring apparatus, and minimize the foreign body sensation that can be given to the user 100 by being attached to the body of the user 100.

In addition, the voice signal measuring unit 18 can convert and measure the sound generated by the breathing of the user 100 during breathing and the exhalation into a voice signal. For example, while the user 100 continues breathing normally, the respiratory sound signal having a substantially constant amplitude may be repeated at regular intervals. For example, the voice signal measuring unit 18 may include a microphone.

In addition, the respiration measuring apparatus of the present invention may further comprise a signal processor (not shown) for measuring a signal measured by at least two of the three or more sensors (e.g., the first sensor 12, the second sensor 14 and the third sensor 16) The number of breaths of the user 100 can be measured. For example, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the respiration measuring device measures the waveform of the first signal measured by the first sensor 12 and the waveform of the second signal measured by the second sensor 14, . The respiration measuring apparatus counts the number of times that the waveform of the first signal and the peak value of the waveform of the second signal appear at the same time as the comparison result and outputs the counted number to the breathing The number can be counted. At this time, the respiration measuring apparatus counts the number of times the waveform of the first signal and the peak value of the waveform of the second signal are simultaneously recorded for a predetermined time (for example, one minute) Can be measured by breathing water. The magnitude of the waveform of the first signal and the magnitude of the peak value of the waveform of the second signal may not be the same depending on the position, performance, etc. of the sensor.

In addition, the respiration measuring apparatus of the present invention may be configured to measure the waveform of the first signal measured by the first sensor 12 and the waveform of the second signal measured by the second sensor 14, And compares the waveform of the third signal measured by the third sensor 16 with the waveform of the third signal. Wherein the respiration measuring device counts the number of times the waveform of the first signal, the waveform of the second signal, and the peak value of the waveform of the third signal appear at the same time as the comparison result, and outputs the counted number to the user 100) breaths.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the respiration measuring apparatus converts the signals measured by the three or more sensors into the frequency domain, and determines whether the frequencies of the waveforms measured by the three or more sensors coincide with each other . For example, when the frequency of the waveform of the first signal measured by the first sensor 12 and the frequency of the waveform of the second signal measured by the second sensor 14 match, The number of times the waveform of the first signal and the peak value of the waveform of the second signal appear at the same time may be counted and counted by the respiration number of the user 100. A signal generated by the movement of the body by the breathing of the user 100 and a signal generated by a movement other than respiration or an external force may be different in frequency. Therefore, the signals measured by each sensor are converted into the frequency domain, the frequencies of the signals are compared, and the signals are used as the data for determining the respiration rate only when the frequencies are the same. If the frequencies are different, The accuracy of breathing measurement can be improved.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the respiration measuring apparatus may further comprise a waveform measuring unit configured to measure a waveform of the first signal measured by the first sensor (12) and a waveform of the second signal measured by the second sensor Compare. The respiration measuring apparatus counts the number of times the waveform of the first signal and the peak value of the waveform of the second signal appear at the same time as the comparison result. The respiration measuring device also compares the waveform of the first signal measured by the first sensor 12 with the waveform of the third signal measured by the third sensor 16. [ The respiration measuring apparatus counts the number of times the waveform of the first signal and the peak value of the waveform of the third signal appear at the same time as the comparison result. The respiration measuring apparatus measures the number of times the waveform of the first signal and the peak value of the waveform of the second signal appear at the same time counted and the number of times the waveform of the first signal and the third signal The accuracy of breath measurement can be improved by counting the small number of times the peak value of the waveform of the user 100 appears, by the respiration rate of the user 100. As another example, the respiration measuring apparatus may measure the waveform of the second signal and the waveform of the third signal at the same time as the number of times that the waveform of the first signal and the peak value of the waveform of the third signal appear at the same time The number of times the peak value is displayed can be compared and a small number can be measured as the respiration rate of the user 100. As another example, the breath measuring apparatus may measure the waveform of the second signal and the waveform of the third signal at the same time as the number of times the waveform of the first signal and the peak value of the waveform of the second signal appear at the same time The minimum number of times of the waveform of the first signal and the peak value of the waveform of the third signal appearing at the same time as the number of times the peak value is displayed can be measured by the respiration rate of the user 100.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, for example, the respiration measuring apparatus may measure a first signal measured by the first sensor 12 and a second signal measured by the second sensor 14 Compare. When the difference between the peak value equal to or higher than the predetermined threshold value and the peak value equal to or higher than the threshold value in the waveform of the second signal among the waveforms of the first signal recorded at the same time as the comparison result is smaller than a predetermined value The number of breaths of the user 100 can be counted. The predetermined value may be set in consideration of an attachment position of each sensor and the like. Since the attachment position of the first sensor 12 and the second sensor 14 is different and the degree of change or movement of the first sensor 12 and the second sensor 14 differs according to the body part of the user during respiration of the user 100, The peak of the waveform of the second signal may be the same as the peak of the waveform of the second signal and the peak of the waveform of the second signal may be different from the peak of the waveform of the second signal . Therefore, when a peak value is recorded at the same time in the waveform of the first signal and the waveform of the second signal, and the difference in magnitude of the peak value of each signal is smaller than a preset value, The respiration measuring apparatus can measure the number of times the peak value of the first signal and the peak value of the second signal appear at the same time as the respiratory rate of the user 100. [ If a peak value is recorded at the same time in the waveform of the first signal and the waveform of the second signal but the difference in magnitude of the peak value of each signal is larger than a predetermined value, It is considered to be a signal generation by the change of the body by the body, and it is not used as the data of judgment of respiratory rate. In addition, the peak value having a size smaller than the threshold value is too small to determine the number of breaths. The threshold value may be set to, for example, 60% of the peak value of a normal breathing waveform in consideration of a waveform that can be measured at normal breathing, but is not limited thereto. As described above, the accuracy of the breathing determination of the user 100 can be improved by taking into consideration not only the timing at which the peak value occurs in the plurality of sensors but also the difference in the size.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the respiration measuring device may convert the signals measured by the three or more sensors into the frequency domain. Also, for example, the breathing apparatus may determine whether the frequency of the first signal matches the frequency of the second signal. Wherein the respiration measuring device is configured to determine that the peak value of the first signal at the same time or more than the peak value of the first signal and the threshold value of the second signal at the same time, The number of times when the difference of the peak values is smaller than the preset value can be counted by the breath count of the user 100. [ In this way, by considering the frequency of each waveform as well as the difference between the timing at which the peak value occurs in the plurality of sensors and the magnitude of the peak value, it is possible to determine whether the signal generated by the user's breath, Can be judged separately.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the breathing apparatus may compare the first signal measured by the first sensor 12 with the second signal measured by the second sensor 14. [ The respiration measuring apparatus may count the number of times the peak value of the first signal and the second signal appear within a predetermined time interval and measure the number of respirations of the user 100. For example, since the attachment positions of the first sensor 12 and the second sensor 14 are different from each other and the degree of change or movement of the user 100 varies depending on the body part of the user during respiration of the user 100, A slight time difference may occur at the time when the peak value is recorded in the waveform of the first signal and the waveform of the second signal. Therefore, in consideration of the time difference, the number of times the peak value of the first signal and the second signal appear within a predetermined time difference may be counted and counted by the breath count of the user 100. The time difference of the predetermined range may be set to, for example, about 0.1 second in consideration of the performance of the sensor and the like, but is not limited thereto.

In addition, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the breath measurement apparatus may store respiration data related to a relationship between a signal measured by three or more sensors and actual breaths or breaths of the user 100 or a general person. For example, the respiration data may be obtained by multiplying the actual respiration rate or the respiration rate of a general multi-person measured through the actual breath measurement apparatus using the actual breath measurement apparatus (for example, spirometer) May be data previously recorded by matching waveforms or breath counts measured using the respiration measuring apparatus of the present invention. For example, the respiration data may be obtained by using the actual breathing apparatus and the respiration measuring apparatus of the present invention simultaneously, and comparing the actual actual breathing amount or the respiration amount measured by the actual breathing measuring apparatus with the individual measured by the respiration measuring apparatus of the present invention May be personal respiratory data that are pre-recorded by matching waveforms or breath counts.

Further, the respiration measuring apparatus may measure respiration rate of the user 100 based on the signals measured by at least two or more sensors among the three or more sensors 12, 14, 16 and the respiration data. For example, the respiration measuring apparatus may measure the respiration data stored in advance using data of the magnitude of the waveform measured by the first sensor 12 and the second sensor 14, the number of times of the peak value, The user can search for and determine the number of respirations or breaths matched.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the respiration measuring apparatus may measure a sound signal measured by the sound signal measuring unit 18 and a signal measured by at least two or more sensors among the three or more sensors 12, 14, The breathing number of the user 100 can be measured. For example, the respiration measuring apparatus may count the number of times the peak value of the signal waveform of the first sensor 12, the peak value of the signal waveform of the second sensor 14, and the peak value of the voice signal are simultaneously recorded, And can be measured by the respiration rate of the user 100.

In addition, the respiration measuring apparatus of the present invention can transmit a signal measured by the three or more sensors 12, 14, 16 and a measured respiration rate to an external monitoring apparatus 22 interlocked with the respiration measuring apparatus. For example, the breathing apparatus may be wired to the external monitoring device 22 or may transmit data to the external monitoring device 22 using wireless communication.

As described above, the respiration measuring apparatus of the present invention does not use only a signal obtained from a single sensor but simultaneously considers a plurality of signals obtained from two or more sensors and performs size comparison, frequency comparison, time difference The accuracy of the user's breathing rate is very high.

It has been described that the respiration measuring apparatus measures the respiration number of the user 100 using the first signal measured from the first sensor 12 and the second signal measured from the second sensor 14 (E.g., the first sensor 12 and the second sensor 14, the second sensor 14, etc.) of a plurality of sensors to improve the accuracy of the respiration rate measurement, The third sensor 16, the first sensor 12, and the third sensor 16) according to the performance of each sensor, the attachment position of the sensor, or the like.

Further, based on the change pattern and the magnitude value of the acceleration having a constant periodicity measured from each acceleration sensor, as well as the electrical signal measured by the piezoelectric sensor, the respiration rate of the user 100 in the same manner as in the above- Can be measured.

2 is a block diagram of a breathing apparatus 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2, the breathing apparatus 200 includes a pad (not shown), a first sensor 202, a second sensor 204, a third sensor 206, a voice signal measurement unit 208, a memory The controller 210 may include a transmitter 210, a converter 212, an amplification unit 214, a determination unit 216, an output unit 218, and a transmission unit 220. However, the respiration measuring apparatus 200 shown in FIG. 2 is only one embodiment of the present invention, and can be modified into various forms based on the components shown in FIG. 2. In the description of the present invention, Those skilled in the art will understand the present invention. For example, the components and functions provided within the components may be combined into a smaller number of components or further separated into additional components.

The first sensor 202, the second sensor 204 and the third sensor 206 are installed in a pad (not shown) and can generate and measure a signal according to the movement of the user's body by the user's breathing . For example, the first sensor 202, the second sensor 204, and the third sensor 206 may include a piezoelectric sensor or an acceleration sensor fabricated by a MEMS technique.

The voice signal measuring unit 208 can convert the voice generated by the inhalation and exhalation during breathing of the user into a voice signal and measure the voice signal. For example, the voice signal measurement unit 208 may include a microphone.

The memory 210 may store respiration data related to the relationship between the signals measured by the first sensor 202, the second sensor 204, and the third sensor 206 and the actual breathing number of the user. For example, the respiration data may be obtained by using the actual breathing number measured by the actual breathing measurement apparatus using the actual breathing measurement apparatus and the breathing measurement apparatus 200 at the same time as the actual breathing number measured by the breathing measurement apparatus 200 It may be a generalized average respiration data which is recorded in advance by matching the measured waveforms (including information on the size value, the frequency, etc.) or the respiration rate. For example, the respiration data may be obtained by measuring the actual number of individual breaths measured through the actual breathing measurement apparatus using the actual breathing measurement apparatus and the breathing measurement apparatus 200 at the same time, Personalized waveforms or individual breathing data recorded in advance by matching the breathing numbers.

The conversion unit 212 converts the signals measured by the first sensor 202, the second sensor 204 and the third sensor 206 into the frequency domain and detects the frequency of the waveform measured by each sensor have. The converting unit 212 may convert a time domain signal measured by each sensor into a frequency domain using a conventional general algorithm for converting a time domain signal into a frequency domain.

The amplifying unit 214 amplifies the signal measured by the first sensor 202, the second sensor 204 and the third sensor 206 and the magnitude of the voice signal measured by the voice signal measuring unit 208 have. Since the signals and voice signals measured by the first sensor 202, the second sensor 204, and the third sensor 206 are minute, it is necessary to amplify the size thereof in order to measure the respiration rate. Since the amplification unit 214 includes a general signal amplification circuit, a detailed description will be omitted.

The determination unit 216 may measure the number of breaths of the user using signals measured by at least two sensors among the first sensor 202, the second sensor 204, and the third sensor 206. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the determination unit 216 compares the waveform of the first signal measured by the first sensor 202 with the waveform of the second signal measured by the second sensor 204. As a result of the comparison, the number of times that the waveform of the first signal and the peak value of the waveform of the second signal appear simultaneously are counted, and the counted number can be counted by the breath count of the user.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the determination unit 216 determines the waveform of the first signal measured by the first sensor 202 and the waveform of the second signal measured by the second sensor 204, And the waveform of the third signal measured by the third sensor 206 are compared. As a result of comparison, the determination unit 216 counts the number of times that the waveform of the first signal, the waveform of the second signal, and the peak value of the waveform of the third signal appear at the same time and outputs the counted number to the user Can be counted as respiratory rate.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the determination unit 216 determines whether or not frequencies of the first signal, the second signal, and the third signal converted into the frequency domain by the conversion unit 212 coincide with each other . For example, when the waveform of the first signal and the frequency of the waveform of the second signal coincide with each other, the determination unit 216 determines that the waveform of the first signal and the peak value of the waveform of the second signal appear at the same time The number of times can be counted and counted by the number of breaths of the user.

In addition, according to another embodiment of the present invention, the determination unit 216 counts the number of times that the waveform of the first signal and the peak value of the waveform of the second signal appear at the same time. Also, the determination unit 216 compares the waveform of the first signal with the waveform of the third signal measured by the third sensor 206, and determines the waveform of the first signal and the peak of the waveform of the third signal Count the number of times the values appear simultaneously. The determination unit 216 determines the number of times the peak value of the waveform of the first signal and the peak of the waveform of the second signal appear at the same time counted, A small number of times the peak value of the waveform of the signal appears can be counted by the user's breathing number.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the determination unit 216 determines the difference between the peak value of the waveform of the first signal that is recorded at the same time and the peak value of the waveform of the second signal, Is smaller than a preset value, and counts the number of breaths of the user.

In addition, according to another embodiment of the present invention, the determination unit 216 may determine whether the frequencies of the first signal and the second signal converted into the frequency domain by the conversion unit 212 coincide with each other. If the frequency of the first signal and the frequency of the second signal coincide with each other, the determination unit 216 determines that the peak value of the first signal at the same time and the threshold value of the second signal The number of times when the difference of the peak values is smaller than the preset value can be counted by the user's breathing number.

In addition, according to another embodiment of the present invention, the determination unit 216 may count the number of times the peak value of the first signal and the second signal appear within a predetermined time difference, and may measure the number of breaths of the user .

In addition, according to another embodiment of the present invention, the determination unit 216 may determine that the signal measured by at least two of the first sensor 202, the second sensor 204, and the third sensor 206, Based on the breath data stored in the memory 210, the breathing number of the user can be measured. For example, the determination unit 216 may use the data of the magnitude, frequency, frequency, etc. of the waveform measured by the first sensor 202 and the second sensor 204, It is possible to retrieve and judge the number of respirations matched in the data.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the judging unit 216 judges whether the voice signal measured by the voice signal measuring unit 208 and the first sensor 202, the second sensor 204 and the third sensor The number of breaths of the user can be measured simultaneously by taking into consideration the signals measured by at least two sensors among the plurality of sensors. For example, the determination unit 216 determines the number of times that the peak value of the signal waveform of the first sensor 202, the peak value of the signal waveform of the second sensor 204, and the peak value of the voice signal are simultaneously recorded And can be measured by the respiration number of the user.

The output unit 218 may output the signals measured by the first sensor 202, the second sensor 204 and the third sensor 206 and the respiration rate measured by the determination unit 216. The output unit 218 can output data related to the signal and the respiration rate by using voice, image, or the like. For example, the output unit 218 may be a general display device such as a touch screen, a liquid crystal display (LCD), or a light emitting diode (LED).

The transmitting unit 220 transmits the signals measured by the first sensor 202, the second sensor 204 and the third sensor 206 and the respiration rate measured by the determining unit 216 to the respiration measuring device 200 ) To an external monitoring device linked to the external monitoring device. For example, the transmitting unit 220 may transmit data related to the signal and the breath count to an external monitoring apparatus using wired or wireless communication. One example of wireless communication is Wi-Fi, Internet, LAN (Local Area Network), Wireless LAN (Local Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), PAN (Personal Area Network) LTE, and the like.

3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a signal obtained from a sensor of a breathing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. For example, the breathing apparatus compares the waveform of the first signal S1 measured by the first sensor with the waveform of the second signal S2 measured by the second sensor. For example, the waveform of the first signal S1 and the waveform of the second signal S2 may have a WAVE form having a periodicity according to respiration, but the present invention is not limited thereto. When the user breathes, an upward peak value is recorded in the waveform of the first signal S1 and the waveform of the second signal S2, and when the user exhales, the waveform of the first signal S1, 2 < / RTI > signal S2 can be recorded.

As a result of the comparison of the waveforms, the respiration measuring apparatus counts the number of times the waveform of the first signal S1 and the peak value of the waveform of the second signal S2 appear at the same time and outputs the counted number to the user Can be counted as respiratory rate. For example, as shown in Fig. 3, the first signal S1 and the second signal S2 have peak values simultaneously recorded at four timings of T1, T2, T3, and T4. Therefore, the breathing apparatus can measure the user's respiration number four times.

4 is a view showing another example of a signal obtained from the sensor of the breathing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. For example, the breath measuring apparatus may be configured to measure the waveform of the first signal S1 measured by the first sensor, the waveform of the second signal S2 measured by the second sensor, and the waveform of the third signal S2 measured by the third sensor, (S3) can be compared. The respiration measuring apparatus counts the number of times the waveform of the first signal (S1), the waveform of the second signal (S2) and the peak value of the waveform of the third signal (S3) appear at the same time as the comparison result , The counted number of times may be counted by the number of breaths of the user. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the first signal S1, the second signal S2, and the third signal S3 have peak values recorded simultaneously at four timings of T1, T2, T3, and T4 . Therefore, the breathing apparatus can measure the user's respiration number four times.

5 is a view showing another example of a signal obtained from a sensor of the breathing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. For example, the breathing apparatus compares the waveform of the first signal S1 measured by the first sensor with the waveform of the second signal S2 measured by the second sensor. The respiration measuring apparatus compares a peak value P1 of a threshold value R or more and a peak value R or more of the threshold value R in the waveform of the second signal S2 in a waveform of the first signal S1, The number of times when the difference P2 between the peak value P1 and the peak value P2 is 50 or 52 is smaller than a predetermined value is counted and counted by the breathing number of the user. 5, among the waveforms of the first signal S1 and the second signal S2, the peak value P1 and the peak value of the second signal S2 are equal to or higher than the threshold value R. For example, If the difference P2 between the peak value P1 and the peak value P2 at that timing is less than a predetermined value at the same time in the two timings of T1 and T2, The measuring device can measure the user's respiratory rate twice.

6 is a view showing another example of a signal obtained from a sensor of a breathing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. For example, the breathing apparatus compares the waveform of the first signal S1 measured by the first sensor with the waveform of the second signal S2 measured by the second sensor. The respiration measuring apparatus may count the number of times the peak value of the first signal S1 and the second signal S2 appears within a predetermined time interval, and measure the number of respirations by the user. For example, as shown in Fig. 6, the peak value of the waveform of the first signal S1 was recorded at the timing of T1, and the peak value of the waveform of the second signal S2 was recorded at the timing of T2. If the time difference 60 between T1 and T2 is less than a preset value, the respiration measuring apparatus determines that the peak value of the waveform of the first signal S1 and the peak value of the waveform of the second signal S2 It can be judged that it is caused by breathing. When the peak value of the waveform of the signal S1 is recorded at the timing of T3 and the peak value of the waveform of the second signal S2 is recorded at the timing of T4 and the time difference 62 between T3 and T4 is preset Value, the breathing apparatus can count the number of breaths of the user. When the peak value of the waveform of the signal S1 is recorded at the timing of T5 and the peak value of the waveform of the second signal S2 is recorded at the timing of T6 but the time difference 64 between T5 and T6 is preset If the value is greater than the value, the breathing apparatus may not count on the user's respiratory rate.

7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a signal obtained from a sensor and a voice signal measuring unit of the breathing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. For example, the breath measuring apparatus compares the waveform of the first signal S1 measured by the first sensor, the waveform of the second signal S2 measured by the second sensor, and the waveform of the voice signal S4 do. The respiration measuring apparatus also measures the number of times when the peak value of the first signal S1, the peak value of the second signal S2 and the peak value of the voice signal S4 are simultaneously recorded or the number of times of the peak of the first signal S1 And the peak value of the second signal S2 are recorded, the number of times the waveform of the voice signal S4 is suddenly changed can be counted and measured by the breath count of the user. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the first signal S1 and the second signal S2 are simultaneously recorded with peak values at the three timings T1, T2, and T3, and at this time, The waveforms of FIG. Therefore, the breathing apparatus can measure the breathing number of the user three times.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart exemplarily showing a breath measurement method according to an embodiment of the present invention. The breath measurement method shown in FIG. 8 can be performed by the breath measurement apparatus described above with reference to the drawings. Therefore, even if omitted in the following description, the description of the respiration measuring apparatus through Figs. 1 to 7 also applies to Fig.

The breath measuring apparatus can measure signals generated according to a user's body motion by respiration by three or more sensors installed on a pad attachable to a user's body (S810). For example, the three or more sensors may include a piezoelectric sensor.

Next, the respiration measuring apparatus can compare the signals measured by the three or more sensors (S820). For example, the breathing apparatus may compare the waveform of the first signal measured by the first sensor with the waveform of the second signal measured by the second sensor.

Next, the breath measuring apparatus can measure the breathing number of the user based on the comparison result of the signals measured by the three or more sensors (S830). For example, the breath measuring apparatus may count the number of times per unit time that the peak value of the first signal and the second signal appear at the same time, and measure the number of breaths.

Next, the respiration measuring device transmits the measured respiration number to the external output device linked to the respiration measuring device by using the network, and outputs it to the user or the medical staff to provide information about the respiratory rate (S840) .

In the above description, steps S810 to S840 may be further divided into further steps or combined into fewer steps, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Also, some of the steps may be omitted as necessary, and the order between the steps may be changed.

The breath measurement method described above can also be implemented in the form of a recording medium including instructions executable by a computer such as a program module executed by a computer. Computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. In addition, the computer-readable medium can include both computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media includes both volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Communication media typically includes any information delivery media, including computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave, or other transport mechanism.

It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the foregoing description of the embodiments is for illustrative purposes and that those skilled in the art can easily modify the invention without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. It is therefore to be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all aspects and not restrictive. For example, each component described as a single entity may be distributed and implemented, and components described as being distributed may also be implemented in a combined form.

The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the detailed description, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents should be construed as being included within the scope of the present invention.

10: pad 12: first sensor
14: second sensor 16: third sensor
18: audio signal measuring unit 20: band
22: external monitoring device 202: first sensor
204: second sensor 206: third sensor
208: audio signal measuring unit 210: memory
212: conversion section 214: amplification section
216: Judgment section 218: Output section
220:

Claims (17)

A breath measuring apparatus comprising:
A pad attachable to the user's body;
At least three sensors installed on the pad and measuring a signal generated according to the movement of the user's body by the respiration of the user; And
A determination unit for measuring a respiration rate of the user using signals measured by at least two or more sensors among the three or more sensors;
Lt; / RTI >
Wherein the sensor comprises a first sensor and a second sensor,
Wherein the determination unit compares the first signal measured by the first sensor and the second signal measured by the second sensor,
Wherein the determination unit counts the number of times the peak value of the first signal and the second signal appear within a predetermined time difference, and counts the number of times by the number of breaths. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the sensor comprises a first sensor and a second sensor,
Wherein the determination unit compares a first signal measured by the first sensor with a second signal measured by the second sensor and detects a peak value of the first signal and the second signal at the same time Counts the number of breaths and counts the breaths. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the respiration measuring apparatus further includes a conversion unit for converting the first signal and the second signal into the frequency domain,
Wherein the determining unit determines whether or not the frequency of the first signal and the frequency of the second signal coincide with each other, and when the frequency of the first signal matches the frequency of the second signal, And the number of times the peak value of the second signal appears is counted by the number of breaths. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the sensor comprises a third sensor,
Wherein the determination unit compares the first signal with a third signal measured by the third sensor and counts the number of times the peak value of the first signal and the third signal appear at the same time,
Wherein the determination unit counts a smaller number of times of the first peak value of the first signal and the second signal and the peak value of the first signal and the third signal at the same time, Breathing measuring device. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the sensor comprises a first sensor and a second sensor,
Wherein the determination unit compares the first signal measured by the first sensor with the second signal measured by the second sensor and compares the peak value of the first signal with the peak value equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value of the first signal, And counts the number of cases in which the difference in peak value equal to or higher than the threshold value is smaller than a preset value, and counts the number of breaths. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the respiration measuring apparatus further includes a conversion unit for converting the first signal and the second signal into the frequency domain,
Wherein the determination unit determines whether or not the frequency of the first signal and the frequency of the second signal coincide with each other, and when the frequency of the first signal matches the frequency of the second signal, Of the second signal and the peak value of the second signal equal to or higher than the predetermined value is smaller than the preset value. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the sensor comprises a first sensor, a second sensor and a third sensor,
Wherein the determination unit compares the first signal measured by the first sensor, the second signal measured by the second sensor and the third signal measured by the third sensor, And counts the number of times the peak value of the second signal and the third signal appears, and counts the number of breaths. delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the three or more sensors include a piezoelectric sensor. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the three or more sensors are fabricated by MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) technique. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the three or more sensors include an acceleration sensor. The method according to claim 1,
The respiration measuring device
Further comprising a memory for storing data relating to a relationship between a signal measured by the three or more sensors and an actual respiration rate of the user,
Wherein the determination unit measures the breathing number of the user based on a signal measured by at least two or more sensors among the three or more sensors and data stored in the memory. The method according to claim 1,
The respiration measuring device
And an amplification unit amplifying a magnitude of a signal measured by the three or more sensors. The method according to claim 1,
The respiration measuring device
And an output unit for outputting the measured signal and the measured respiration number from the three or more sensors. The method according to claim 1,
The respiration measuring device
And a transmitting unit for transmitting a signal measured by the three or more sensors and the measured respiration rate to an external monitoring device operatively associated with the respiration measurement device. The method according to claim 1,
The respiration measuring device
Further comprising a voice signal measuring unit for measuring a voice signal generated during breathing of the user,
Wherein the determination unit measures the breathing number of the user based on the signal measured by at least two sensors among the three or more sensors and the voice signal. In a breath measurement method,
Measuring three or more sensors installed on a pad attachable to a user's body to generate a signal according to the movement of the user's body caused by respiration of the user;
Comparing a first signal measured by a first one of the three or more sensors with a second signal measured by a second sensor; And
Counting the number of times per unit time at which a peak value of the first signal and the second signal appears at the same time and measuring the number of breaths;
/ RTI >

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