KR101892518B1 - Micro current generator - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a micro current generator. The present invention provides the micro current generator, which is normally connected to a battery without adding a special operating switch, and provides a circuit for being able to periodically determine whether the micro current generator touches a physical body portion of a user by applying current only in a single direction with voltage lower than boosted voltage used when compared with a case of applying conventional micro current. In addition, the present invention provides a circuit making a signal generator supply power to remaining circuit elements only in the case that the physical body portion is touched. According to the present invention, the micro current generator not directly connects and supplies power, supplied to a voltage boosting unit, to a battery, but performs buffering by using output terminals of a semiconductor chip, thereby reducing leaked current in a standby state to minimize power consumption, and blocks a noise, caused by impulsive voltage because of a choke coil constituting a voltage boosting unit, from being transferred to the signal generator, thereby enhancing circuit durability.

Description

[0001] MICRO CURRENT GENERATOR [0002]

The present invention relates to a micro-current generator, and more particularly, to a micro-current generator capable of maintaining power consumption at a minimum while maintaining a state of being always connected to a battery power source without using a separate switch.

In recent years, interest in health has increased, and people who are exposed to a lot of stress are increasing their interest in stress relief and health maintenance.

With this trend, the use of microcurrents for therapy and massaging is increasing. The term micro current as used in the present invention means a micro-sized current that can be flowed without damaging or impacting the human body. According to the experiment, it refers to a current of 100 μA or less based on the amount of current flowing to the body.

It is known that when micro current is supplied to a specific part of the body (such as the foot or wrist), ATP enzyme is activated and blood circulation becomes smooth, and massage or therapeutic effect is obtained. In order to utilize the usefulness of such micro current, there has been an attempt to use a micro current generator with shoes, socks, socks, a bag, a girdle and a child. Since the micro current generator generally has to be attached to articles (socks, socks, etc.) to be worn on the body, it must have a small volume, and it is operated with a small capacity battery, so the power consumption should be kept low.

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are circuit diagrams of a conventional micro current generator shown in Patent Document 1. FIG. First, the circuit shown in FIG. 1 will be described. For reference, FIG. 1 corresponds to FIG. 8 of Patent Document 1. The circuit shown in FIG. 1 is driven by a battery, and a separate power switch (S / W1) is used to use the battery power only when it is used to reduce battery power consumption. In order to check the state of the battery, an LED (D1) is employed. In order to reduce power consumption by the LED (D1), a separate operation switch (S / W2) is used. However, these physical switches (S / W1, S / W2) occupy a large volume and use a small-sized switch to reduce the volume. If the switch is too small, it is difficult for the user to turn on / off, There is also a limit. In addition, when the switch is attached, it is inconvenient that the user turns on only when the micro current generator is used and turns off when not used, and sometimes forgetting to turn off the switch when the user does not use the micro current generator. Even when not in use, there is a problem that turning off the switch is forgotten, and when the switch is turned on, the use time is reduced. In the circuit shown in FIG. 1, a distribution voltage is obtained by using a resistor R1 and a resistor R2 in order to use a minute amount of current applied to a user's body, and is fed back to use a power supply by the resistor R1 and the resistor R2 .

Next, the circuit shown in FIG. 2 will be described. The micro current generation circuit shown in FIG. 2 is a circuit that uses a battery at all times without using a switch element to eliminate the problem of increasing the volume when a switch element is used. For reference, FIG. 2 corresponds to FIG. 10 of Patent Document 1. The battery is supplied only when the user's body part is in contact with the battery, and the battery power is not used when not in contact. Therefore, the circuit shown in FIG. 2 is designed to be connected to the battery more than the circuit shown in FIG. 1, so that it is designed to consume much less power.

The fine generator shown in FIG. 2 includes a control unit 310a, a boost unit 320b, and a fine current output unit 330a. Since the positive polarity of the battery 320b is always connected to the input terminal of the choke coil L1 and the positive polarity of the battery is connected to the ground line, the first capacitor C1, the second capacitor C2, Q7, respectively. The conventional circuit shown in FIG. 2 does not use a separate switch, so it periodically checks whether the body part is in contact with the two electrodes P1 and P2, and only when the two electrodes P1 and P2 are in contact with the body part, The current should be generated, and if not, the standby state should be maintained such that power consumption is minimized. However, in the conventional circuit shown in FIG. 2, since the boosting unit 320a is always connected to the dry battery, even if the current supplied from the battery is not supplied to the choke coil L1, the diode D1, The leakage current is continuously generated due to the formation of the closed circuit formed by the first and second electrodes 330a. As a result, the use time of the micro-current generator is reduced.

The conventional circuit shown in Fig. 2 periodically checks whether or not the body part is in contact with the two electrodes P1, P2. More specifically, the control unit U2 periodically boosts the voltage-up unit 320a, and then, through the minute current output unit 330a, the P1 electrode, the body part, the P2 electrode direction (first direction) The body part, and the P1 electrode direction (second direction). After receiving the voltage distributed to the resistors R8 and R9 by the current flow, the method proceeds to determine whether or not the body is in contact with the body. However, such a body detection method has a problem of consuming too much power.

In addition, since the conventional battery shown in FIG. 2 is connected at all times, it is required to provide a function for the user to visually check the state of the battery. In Patent Document 1, as shown in FIG. 2, an operation diode D2 connected in the forward direction is disposed between a + terminal (same as the Vcc terminal) of the battery and a terminal (the 11th pin) of the control unit U2. In this circuit arrangement, since the pin 11 of the control unit U2 must be maintained at a high voltage (High) state in order to keep the operation diode D2 in the off state, there is a problem that unnecessary power is consumed.

The conventional circuit shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 uses a resistor R1 and a resistor R2 in FIG. 1 to check a voltage drop due to a current flowing in a body part in order to keep a minute amount of current supplied to a body part constant, In FIG. 2, the resistor R8 and the resistor R9 have a problem that power consumption is caused by two resistors.

Lastly, in the conventional circuit shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a DC-DC converter using a choke coil is used. However, a voltage (impulse voltage) type in which the choke coil instantaneously rises several times as much as the battery voltage appears. The control chip (U2 in Fig. 2) periodically impacts the control unit (Fig. 1), which causes a decrease in the durability of the circuit.

Patent Document 1: Korean Patent No. 10-0994208 (registered on November 11, 2010) Patent Document 2: Korean Patent No. 10-0995614 (registered on November 15, 2010) Patent Document 3: Korean Patent No. 10-1235789 (Registered on February 23, 2013) Patent Document 4: Korean Patent No. 10-1235783 (Registered on February 23, 2013) Patent Document 5: Korean Patent No. 10-1235786 (registered on February 23, 2013) Patent Document 6: Korean Patent No. 10-1235788 (Registered on February 23, 2013) Patent Document 7: Korean Patent No. 10-1235790 (Registered on February 23, 2013)

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems and it is an object of the present invention to minimize power consumption by minimizing a leakage current in a standby state and to check whether the body is in contact with a body part in a standby state with a minimum power, And it is an object of the present invention to provide a minute current generator having a high durability.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a fine current generator having a small volume which can be conveniently combined with a product which is maintained in a normally connected state without adding a separate switch for turning on / The purpose is to provide.

The object of the present invention is to provide a micro current supply device connected to two separated body parts to supply micro currents of less than 100 mu A to the body part in a first direction or in a second direction opposite to the first direction, A first power pin having a buffer therein and outputting a first voltage to the outside, and a second output pin connected to the first output pin, A third output pin for outputting a first control signal in accordance with a first timing and a second output pin for outputting a second control signal in response to a first timing; And a semiconductor chip including a semiconductor chip including an output pin, a fifth output pin for outputting a second control signal at a second timing, and a first input pin receiving a sensing voltage by a current supplied to a body part A signal generator for inputting Wherein the first output pin is connected to a first output pin of the semiconductor chip and the output terminal is provided with a charge capacitor and the first voltage applied from the first output pin is switched in accordance with the PWM signal applied from the third output pin, A boosting unit that boosts the first voltage to a second voltage or a third voltage higher than the first voltage and a second electrode that is a second electrode of the first electrode and the second electrode that are respectively connected to the two body parts spaced apart from each other, And a controller for supplying the charge charged in the charge capacitor according to the first control signal in the first direction flowing to the first electrode, the body part and the second electrode, and supplying the charge charged in the charge capacitor in accordance with the second control signal, A micro-current supplying unit for supplying the micro-current to the first electrode, the second electrode, the body region, and the first electrode in a second direction, and a second electrode for sensing the sensed voltage by the current flowing through the first electrode, And a detection signal measuring unit for feeding back the input signal to the input pin.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method of supplying a minute current of 100 μA or less to a body part using the micro current supply device, A first step of detecting whether or not a body part is contacted while supplying an electric current in any one direction selected from a first direction and a second direction; A second step of alternately supplying a current to the first electrode and the second electrode in a first direction and a second direction while the voltage is raised by a voltage, and a second step of controlling the second voltage by using a voltage fed back through the sense signal measuring unit The second and third steps are repeatedly performed until the body part is judged not to be in contact with the first electrode and the second electrode by using the voltage fed back in the third step. Wherein the third voltage is higher than the average of the second voltage and the second voltage average is an average voltage of the second voltage applied during the time of supplying the microcurrent. ≪ / RTI >

The micro-current generator according to the present invention has a structure in which the power supplied to the boosting unit is buffered using the output terminal of the semiconductor chip without directly connecting the battery to the battery, thereby reducing the leakage current in the standby state, And the noise caused by the impulse voltage caused by the choke coil constituting the voltage step-up portion is prevented from being transmitted to the signal generating portion, whereby the circuit durability can be improved.

In the present invention, in periodically checking whether a body part is in contact with a micro-current generator in a standby state, the step-up part is stepped up to a maximum voltage, and the first electrode, the body part, Or the second electrode, the body part, and the first electrode (second direction), and power consumption can be minimized.

In addition, when forming a distribution resistor to measure the current flowing through the body part, an equivalent resistance formed by the body part is used as a part of the distribution resistor, thereby reducing the resistance so that the current flowing through the body part is consumed at a lower power .

In addition, since the micro-current generator according to the present invention has a structure that is always connected to a battery, it provides an operation display unit that allows the user to visually confirm whether or not the battery normally supplies power. According to the present invention, in forming the operation display unit, power consumption can be minimized by forming the operation display unit by connecting the operation LEDs in the forward direction between the output terminal of the control unit constituted by the semiconductor chip constituting the signal generation unit and the ground.

Finally, the micro-current generator according to the present invention includes an upper housing and a lower housing, an inner space formed therein, a button cell-shaped battery and a printed circuit board are connected to each other with battery clips, The snap button is partially exposed, the first electrode and the second electrode are formed on the printed circuit board, and the first electrode and the second electrode are formed to be electrically connected to the two snap buttons, respectively, (Socks, socks, etc.) to be worn on the body.

In the case of the conventional micro-current generator implemented with the circuit shown in FIG. 10 of the Patent Document 1 (the present application FIG. 2), the current consumed due to the leakage current in the standby state where the electrode is not in contact with the user's body is measured to be more than 1,000 μA . On the contrary, in the case of the micro-current generator manufactured according to the present invention, the current consumed due to the leakage current in the standby state is less than 20 μA (11 μA minimum actual limit). In the case of a conventional battery, a current naturally consumed when left in air without being used is known to be about 10 을, and the micro-current generator manufactured according to the present invention is not significantly different from a naturally consumed current Able to know.

The micro current generator according to the present invention is used in contact with the body part for 8 hours per day, the amount of minute current supplied when the body part is contacted is in the range of 60 μA to 80 μA, the model name is 'CR 2450' (3V, 600 mAH) It was found that the micro-current generator according to the present invention can be used without replacing the battery for about 365 days.

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are circuit diagrams of a conventional micro current generator shown in Patent Document 1. FIG.
FIG. 3A is an exploded perspective view of a micro current generator according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from above. FIG.
FIG. 3b is an exploded perspective view of the micro-current generator of the embodiment of the present invention viewed in a downward direction. FIG.
3C is a perspective view of a micro current generator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a plan view and a bottom view of a printed circuit board on which a circuit constituent part of a micro current generator is mounted.
FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram of a micro-current driving circuit unit constituting a micro-current generator according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
6 is a specific circuit diagram of a signal generating unit constituting a microcurrent driving circuit unit according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a specific circuit diagram of a boosting section constituting a microcurrent driving circuit section according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
8 is a specific circuit diagram of a microcurrent supply unit and a sense signal measuring unit that constitute a microcurrent driving circuit unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 9 is a timing chart showing the operation of the microcurrent supply unit of Fig. 8; Fig.
10 is a specific circuit diagram of an operation display unit constituting a microcurrent driving circuit unit according to an embodiment of the present invention;
11 is a timing chart for checking whether or not the microcurrent driving circuit portion of the embodiment of the present invention is in contact with the body.
12 is a flow chart illustrating the overall operation flow of a micro current generator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this specification, the terms "comprises" or "having" and the like refer to the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof, But do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

Also, in the present specification, the term " above or above "means to be located above or below the object portion, and does not necessarily mean that the object is located on the upper side with respect to the gravitational direction. It will also be understood that when an element such as a region, plate, or the like is referred to as being "above or above another portion ", this applies not only to the presence or spacing of another portion & And the like.

Also, in this specification, when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" with another element, the element may be directly connected or directly connected to the other element, It should be understood that, unless an opposite description is present, it may be connected or connected via another element in the middle.

Also, in this specification, the terms first, second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3A is an exploded perspective view of the micro-current generator of the embodiment of the present invention viewed from the upper direction, FIG. 3B is an exploded perspective view of the micro-current generator of the embodiment according to the present invention, FIG. 4 is a plan view and a bottom view of a printed circuit board on which a circuit component of the micro-current generator is mounted. FIG.

The micro-current generator 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an upper housing 10, a printed circuit board 20 on which a micro-current driving circuit is mounted, a battery 30 in the form of a button cell, a battery 30 And a lower housing 40 for coupling the printed circuit board 20 and the printed circuit board 20 to each other. The lower housing 40 has a cylindrical shape with an opened upper surface, and the upper housing 10 has a cylindrical shape with a lower surface opened. The combination of the printed circuit board 20 and the battery 30, which are joined by the battery clip 31, is accommodated in the inner accommodating space 43. It is needless to say that a thin film secondary battery having a small volume and a small thickness can be used in addition to the button cell type battery. The thin-film secondary battery may have various shapes such as a rectangular shape and the like in addition to the circular shape.

The upper housing 10 is provided with a first component 11 of the first snap button and a first component 13 of the second snap button partially exposed to the upper and lower portions of the upper housing 10. The snap button is a so-called ticking button, consisting of two parts: a cap and an eyelet. The cap has a cap on one side of the garment and an eyelet on the other side. The micro-current generator 10 according to the present invention is a device for supplying a micro current to a body part in combination with an article such as a sock formed with a wire. Therefore, it is necessary to form a simple and convenient structure because it is necessary to frequently connect and separate with articles such as socks. In the present invention, one of the cap portion and the eyelet portion of the snap button is selected so as to be spaced apart from each other, such as socks, and the minute current generator 10 is provided with the remaining opposite portions of the two snap buttons. The first snap button and the second snap button provided on the article do not necessarily have to be provided with the same component. For example, the article may be provided with a cap portion of a first step button and an eyelet portion of a second snap button, and the micro current generator 10 may be provided with an eyelet portion of a first step button and a cap portion of a second snap button Of course it is. The first component 11 of the first snap button and the first component 13 of the second snap button do not all refer to the same part, And the first component 13 of the second snap button can also be interpreted to refer to the eyelet portion. The present inventors have applied various kinds of snap buttons to an article. For example, a snap button may be mounted on an article, such as a sock, having two spaced-apart electrodes of conductive thread formed thereon, a snap button with an opposing-shaped fitting in the micro-current generator, I tested whether I was authorized or not. However, some kinds of snap buttons can not be brought into close contact with electrodes formed on articles such as hosiery, so that the connection resistance is increased. It is practically difficult to stuck snap buttons on small electrode parts. Therefore, the inventors of the present invention have found that a snap dot type that can be coupled with a snap-fit type rather than a needle-type sewn button is most suitable. The use of a visible dot type snap button allows connection of the snap button and the conductive part while maintaining a low resistance, and it is possible to attach the snap button to the article in a short time.

In the present invention, the upper housing 10 is formed of injection plastic so that some side edges of the snap button are injection (known as insert injection) to fit within the injection plastic. The lower surface of the upper housing 10 is formed such that the lower surface of the first component part 11 of the first snap button and the lower surface of the first component part 13 of the second snap button are exposed. The upper surface of the printed circuit board 20 is provided with a first component portion 11 of the first snap button exposed on the undersurface of the upper housing 10 and a lower surface of the first component portion 13 of the second snap button A P1 electrode P1 and a P2 electrode P2 are formed. The P1 electrode P1 and the first component 11 of the first snap button are electrically connected to each other to serve as a first electrode for supplying a current to the body part and the P2 electrode P2 and the first The constituent section 13 is used as a second electrode electrically connected to supply a current to the body part.

The battery 30 uses a battery in the form of a button cell. In order to improve the contact force, the battery of the button cell type is formed so that the terminal (second polarity) slightly protrudes outwardly. The second connection electrode c2 is formed on the lower surface of the printed circuit board 20 and the negative terminal The second polarity). On the upper surface of the printed circuit board 20, a first electrode connected to the lower surface of the first snap fastener first constituent portion and a second electrode connected to the lower surface of the first constituent portion of the second snap button were formed. The Snap button has a nickel content, so there is no problem in using it as an electric path.

The battery 30 and the printed circuit board 20 are coupled to each other so that the negative terminal of the battery 30 is closely contacted with the second connection electrode c2 provided on the lower surface of the printed circuit board 20 by using the battery clip 31 So as to be accommodated in the accommodation space 43. The battery clip 31 provides an electrical lead function to be connected to the + terminal (first polarity) of the battery and is electrically connected to the first connection electrode c1 formed on the upper surface of the printed circuit board 20.

The circuit elements constituting the microcurrent driving circuit are formed on the upper surface of the printed circuit board 20 on which the first contact electrode c1, the second contact electrode c2, the P1 electrode P1 and the P2 electrode P2 are formed, And mounted in an extra space. Theoretically, the circuit elements constituting the microcurrent driving circuit are formed on the printed circuit board 20 on which the first contact electrode c1, the second contact electrode c2, the P1 electrode P1 and the P2 electrode P2 are formed, It is possible to mount the circuit element on the upper surface and the lower surface of the printed circuit board 20 while mounting the circuit element on the lower surface of the printed circuit board 20. Thereafter, The circuit elements mounted on the lower surface of the substrate 20 fell off. Therefore, in actual products, the circuit elements are mounted on only the upper surface of the printed circuit board 20.

3A to 3C and FIG. 4, only the P1 electrode P1 and the P2 electrode P2 are formed on one surface of the printed circuit board, and the circuit elements constituting the dry battery and the micro-current driving circuit are formed on the printed circuit board It is possible to implement the invention on the other surface of the substrate.

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram of a micro-current driving circuit unit constituting a micro-current generator according to an embodiment of the present invention. The fine current driving circuit part is composed of a signal generating part 21, a boosting part 23, a fine current supplying part 25, a sensing signal measuring part 27 and an operation display part 29, A semiconductor chip, or a circuit element such as a resistor, a capacitor, or the like.

The signal generation unit 21 is a control unit having a timer therein and implemented as one semiconductor chip. The signal generating unit 21 generates a micro current and outputs a voltage-related control signal and a driving voltage (first voltage) required for determining whether the two electrodes P1 and P2 are in contact with the body part, Generates a first control signal according to the first timing and a second control signal according to the second timing and supplies the first control signal and the second control signal to the fine current supplying unit 25 and the sensing signal measuring unit 27, (Fourth voltage), and measures the current value flowing through the body part by using the sensing voltage inputted from the sensing signal measuring part 27. The sensing voltage The first voltage supplied to the voltage up unit 23 and the fourth voltage supplied to the operation display unit 29 may be the same voltage level depending on which circuit element is used to implement the voltage up unit 23 and the operation display unit 29 Or may be at different voltage levels.

Specifically, the signal generator 21 is provided with a + power supply pin electrically connected to the first polarity (+ power supply) of the battery, a power supply pin electrically connected to the second polarity (- power supply) A first output pin which has a buffer in the output buffer 23 and outputs a first voltage to the outside and supplies the first voltage to the boosting unit 23, A third output pin for generating a PWM signal according to a cycle according to an internal operation and supplying the generated PWM signal to the boosting unit 23 and a second control signal for outputting a first control signal according to the first timing, A fifth output pin for outputting a fourth control signal to the measurement unit 27 and a second control signal according to the second timing and supplying the second control signal to the micro current supply unit 25 and the detection signal measurement unit 27, A first input for receiving a voltage sensed at a distribution voltage through a current flowing from the signal measuring unit 27 to the body; It is provided. In Fig. 5, the dotted line and the dashed dotted line indicate the line to which the power supply is applied.

The boosting unit 23 has an input terminal connected to the first output pin to receive a first voltage, and an output terminal to have a charge capacitor. The first voltage applied from the first output pin is connected to the PWM signal applied from the third output pin To boost the charge capacitor to a second voltage (when supplying a minute current) higher than the first voltage or a third voltage (when determining whether to contact the body). Although the voltage step-up unit 23 is implemented by a DC-DC converter using a choke coil in the present invention, it can be realized by various circuits such as a charge pump.

The fine current supply unit 25 has a P1 electrode and a P2 electrode respectively connected to two body parts spaced apart from each other by a second voltage supplied from the voltage-up unit 23 as an operation power source, A body part and a second electrode flowing in a first direction flowing to the P1 electrode, the body part and the second electrode, or the charge charged in the charge capacitor in accordance with a second control signal is supplied to the second electrode, Direction.

In the case of confirming whether or not the contact is discriminated in the standby state, the fine current supplying part 25 uses the third voltage supplied from the step-up part 23 as the operating power source, and the P1 electrode and the P2 electrode which respectively contact the two separated body parts, And supplies the charge charged in the charge capacitor to the P1 electrode, the body part, and the first electrode in the first direction, according to the first control signal. I will explain this again.

The sensing signal measuring unit 27 senses a voltage drop due to the current flowing through the P1 electrode, the body part, and the P2 electrode by using the first control signal and the second signal input from the signal generating unit 21 as a control signal, And feeds back to the first input pin of the generation unit 21. [

The operation display unit 29 is composed of a light emitting diode connected in the forward direction between the second output pin of the signal generating unit 21 and the ground, So that the user can confirm whether or not the battery normally operates.

6 is a specific circuit diagram of a signal generator constituting a microcurrent driving circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention. The signal generator is composed of one semiconductor chip (for example, model name 'HT46R01N' CONTROLLER) and includes a + power source and a - power source pin respectively connected to the + power source and the - power source of the dry battery and the first to fifth output pins And a first input pin.

7 is a specific circuit diagram of a step-up unit constituting a micro-current drive circuit unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. The boosting section is constituted by a choke coil L1, a second switch element Q2, a Schottky diode D1 and a charge capacitor C2. The charging unit is connected to the third output pin of the signal generating unit and the first voltage inputted to the input terminal of the choke coil L1 while the second switching device Q2 repeats on / And charges the charging capacitor C2 with the second voltage Vout or the third voltage (when the contact is determined).

8 is a specific circuit diagram of the fine current supply unit 25 and the sense signal measuring unit 27 constituting the microcurrent driving circuit unit according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a timing chart showing the operation of the microcurrent supply unit of FIG. .

The circuit shown in FIG. 8 includes a plurality of resistors, a third transistor Q3, a fourth transistor Q4, a fifth transistor Q5, a sixth transistor Q6, a seventh switch element Q7, (Q8). ≪ / RTI >

The operation of the fine current supplying unit 25 and the sense signal measuring unit 27 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. 9 (a) shows the voltage waveform of the first control signal with respect to time, FIG. 9 (b) shows the voltage waveform of the second control signal with time, To the P2 electrode. The first control signal and the second control signal applied from the signal generator are applied with a HIGH signal according to a certain period T1 as shown in Figs. 9 (a) and 9 (b) The second control signal is switched to the HIGH state with an interval of? T after switching to the LOW state. It is needless to say that the period T can be controlled to vary according to the signal generating unit.

9 (a) and 9 (b), when the first control signal changes to the HIGH state while the second control signal is LOW, the fifth transistor Q5 and the third transistor Q3 And the eighth switch element Q8 are switched from the off state to the on state. Accordingly, the second voltage Vout, the third transistor Q3, the P1 electrode P1, the body part, the P2 electrode P2, the eighth switch element Q8, and the ninth resistor R9 And the micro current is supplied to the body part. This current flow direction will be referred to as a first direction for convenience of explanation. At this time, the sixth transistor Q6, the fourth transistor Q4, and the seventh switch element Q7 are maintained in the off state.

Thereafter, when the first control signal is switched to the LOW state, the fifth transistor Q5, the third transistor Q3, and the eighth switch element Q8 are also turned off. 9 (b), when the second control signal is switched to the HIGH signal, the sixth transistor Q6, the fourth transistor Q4 and the seventh switching device Q7 are turned off State. Accordingly, the second voltage Vout, the fourth transistor Q4, the P2 electrode P2, the body portion, the P1 electrode P1, the seventh switching element Q7, and the ninth resistor R9 And the micro current is supplied to the body part. This current flow direction is referred to as a second direction and it can be seen that a current flow is formed in a direction opposite to the first direction. At this time, the fifth transistor Q5, the third transistor Q3, and the eighth switch element Q8 maintain the OFF state.

One of the seventh switching element Q7 or the eighth switching element Q8 constituting the sensing signal measuring part 27 is kept in the ON state while the current flows in the body part, The same current as the current flowing in the body part flows. The voltage sensed by the ninth resistor R9 is applied to the first input terminal of the signal generator 21 by the current flow so that the amount of current flowing in the body part can be discriminated. In the circuit shown in Figs. 1 and 2, two resistors (R1 and R2 in Fig. 1, R8 and R9 in Fig. 2) are used to detect the amount of current flowing in the body part. In contrast, in the present invention shown in FIG. 8, only one resistor R9 is used. Since the signal generating unit 21 grasps the PWM signal applied to the step-up unit 23, it can know the voltage value supplied to the fine current supplying unit 25 through the step-up unit 23, The amount of current flowing through the body part can be accurately calculated through the feedback voltage.

The micro-current generator according to the present invention has a structure in which a battery and a micro-current driving circuit are connected at all times without a switch that can be operated by a user. In the case where the user does not use the first electrode and the second electrode (when the first electrode and the second electrode are not in contact with the body part), it is not necessary to supply the microcurrent to the body part. Therefore, (Whether or not the first electrode and the second electrode are in contact with the body part), and then supply the micro current to the body part if it is determined that the user uses the microcurrent. In the standby state, the signal generating unit 21 stops supplying the voltage to the first output pin and the second output pin, and periodically checks whether or not the contact discrimination timing is reached using the internal timer. Therefore, in the standby state, power consumption by the acknowledgment unit 23, the fine current supply unit 25, the detection signal measurement unit 27, and the operation display unit 29 does not occur.

Since the micro-current generator according to the present invention does not have a separate operation switch, it is necessary to indicate whether the battery operates normally or not to inform the user whether the battery is operating or not. In addition, operation control, status transmission, log, and the like can be left using wireless communication such as BLE, Zigbee, and the like to help the user. 10 is a circuit diagram of an operation display unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. The operation display unit includes the light emitting diode D2 in the forward direction between the second output pin of the signal generating unit 21 and the ground. The signal generator 21 periodically outputs the fourth voltage through the second output pin, and the light emitting diode D2 emits light when the fourth voltage is applied. The user can check whether the battery is operating normally by checking whether the light emitting diode D2 periodically emits light. In addition, if the first set voltage value of the battery is stored therein and the battery voltage drops to a level lower than the first set voltage value, a flicker cycle is quickly performed to notify the user that it is time to replace the battery .

11 is a timing chart for checking whether the microcurrent driving circuit unit of the embodiment of the present invention is in contact with the body. 11 (a) shows the voltage waveform of the first control signal with time, FIG. 11 (b) shows the voltage waveform of the second control signal with time, and FIG. 11 And the current flowing from the P1 electrode to the P2 electrode is shown.

Supplies a first voltage to the first output pin and a fourth voltage to the second output pin when a contact determination (wp) time arrives every predetermined period (T2) in the standby state. The fourth voltage supplied to the second output pin is maintained only for a short time to turn on the light emitting diode. In contrast, the first voltage supplied to the first output pin must be supplied for a longer time than the fourth voltage. The signal generator 21 supplies the first voltage to the voltage boosting unit 23 through the first output pin and drives the PWM signal through the third output pin to charge the voltage boosting unit 23 to the third voltage . At this time, the third voltage is set to be higher than the second voltage for boosting the microcurrent in the first direction and the second direction when the microcurrent is periodically supplied to the body part. According to the various experiments of the present inventors, the maximum voltage that can be output from the voltage step-up unit is used as the third voltage. The reason for this is that even if the person is the same person, the skin resistance changes according to the skin condition, and the user does not know what skin resistance is used, And the third voltage is supplied only for a short time as shown in FIG. 11, so that the power consumption is small. Thereafter, a third voltage is supplied from the voltage-up unit 23 to the minute current supply unit 25, and a first control signal is applied to the minute current supply unit 25 as shown in FIG. 11 (a). It can be seen that the second control signal is inactivated as shown in FIG. 11 (b) in order to reduce the power consumption when the contact discrimination is discriminated. The current is supplied in the first direction by the fine current supplying part 25 and the sensing signal measuring part 27 senses the voltage applied to the ninth resistor R9 and outputs it to the signal generating part 21 1 feedback to the input pin. The signal generating unit 21 determines whether or not the body part is in contact with the P1 electrode and the P2 electrode using the feedback voltage. More specifically, when the sense voltage sensed by the ninth resistor R9 is applied to the first input pin of the signal generator 21, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) And digitizes it as a digital value. If a digital value is detected above a certain value, it is determined that the body is in contact. In an embodiment, the microcurrent supply 25 is driven by a 3V battery and implemented using a 12 bit ADC. In this embodiment, the 12-bit ADC digitizes 0V to 3V in 4,096 steps. Therefore, the voltage fed back to the ninth resistor R9 should be designed not to exceed 3V. According to the inventor of the present invention, it is understood that the ninth resistor R9 can be formed up to 10 k ?, even if a 5V battery is used as a driving voltage. That is, the ninth resistor R9 should be formed at 10 k? Or less, and if a resistor having a larger value is used, it can not be discriminated by the ADC.

The current flow in the first direction is formed and the sensing voltage within a specific range is fed back to the signal generating unit 21 only when the body part is in contact with the P1 electrode and the P2 electrode, The signal generating unit 21 can determine whether or not the body part is in contact with the P1 electrode and the P2 electrode.

FIG. 11 shows a method of forming a current flow only in the first direction when checking whether the first electrode and the second electrode are in contact with the body part periodically in the standby state, but the first control signal is inactivated, It is needless to say that it is possible to design the current flow only in the direction. In addition, the voltage level used in the present invention forms a relation of 'first voltage, second voltage, third voltage', the fourth voltage is formed to be smaller than the second voltage, It is of course possible to have a level lower than 1 voltage. The first voltage, the third voltage and the fourth voltage have a fixed specific voltage level, while the second voltage is a voltage for continuously supplying the same minute microcurrent to the body part. Therefore, the voltage . For example, when a minute current is applied to the wet sole, the body part has a low resistance value, so that the step-up part can be boosted to a low second voltage (for example, 10 V). On the other hand, when a micro current is applied to the dry soles, the body part has to have a high resistance value, so it has to be boosted to a high second voltage (for example, 50V). Thus, it can be seen that the second voltage is not fixed to the specified voltage, but the change is expressed by the voltage depending on the state of the body part. Since most of the semiconductor devices used in the present invention are intended for use in pharmacopoeia, the circuit is designed to be applied with a second voltage of 60 V or less, thereby improving the circuit stability. Here, the 'average voltage of the second voltage' should be understood to mean an average voltage obtained by dividing the integral value of the second voltage applied for a predetermined time by the corresponding time.

As described above, the present inventors used the highest voltage that can be outputted from the boosting portion as the third voltage in order to reduce an error that may occur when determining whether or not to make contact. It is needless to say that the cycle T2 for discriminating the contact state in the standby state and the cycle for applying the fourth voltage for operating the operation display unit need not always be the same.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an overall operation flow of a micro-current generator according to an embodiment of the present invention. If the contact determination time Tc is reached periodically (ST20), the controller 20 determines whether the body part is connected (ST30). If it is determined that the contact state is not yet established, the standby state (ST10) is performed again, and if it is determined that the body part is in contact, a step of supplying a microcurrent to the body part is performed (ST40). (ST 50). The micro-current is supplied to the body part (ST 50). The micro-current is used to check whether or not the body part is in contact with the body part (ST 60) ST 10). If it is determined that the body part is in contact, the control signal for controlling the amount of micro current is generated and the process is repeated from ST 40 (ST 70).

While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described and illustrated above using specific terms, such terms are used only for the purpose of clarifying the invention, and it is to be understood that the embodiment It will be obvious that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Such modified embodiments should not be understood individually from the spirit and scope of the present invention, but should be regarded as being within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

10: upper housing 11: first component of first snap button
13: first component 20 of the second snap button 20: printed circuit board
21: Signal Generation Unit 23:
25: fine current supply unit 27: detection signal measuring unit
29: Operation indicator
30: Battery 31: Battery clip
40: lower housing 43: accommodation space
C1: first connection electrode C2: second connection electrode
P1: P1 electrode P2: P2 electrode

Claims (14)

A fine current supplying device connected to two separated body parts and supplying a minute current of 100 μA or less to the body part in a first direction or a second direction opposite to the first direction,
A lower housing provided in a cylindrical shape whose upper surface is opened,
The lower surface is provided in an opened cylindrical shape. An upper housing coupled to the lower housing to form a receiving space therein,
A first component of a first snap button and a second component of a second snap button, the first component of the first snap button being spaced apart from the upper part of the upper housing,
A battery provided in the accommodating space,
And a second electrode connected to a lower surface of the first constituent portion of the second snap button and a first electrode connected to the lower surface of the first constituent portion of the first snap button,
A power supply pin which is electrically connected to the first polarity of the battery at all times; a power pin which is electrically connected to the second polarity of the battery at all times; a first output A second output pin having a buffer therein and outputting a fourth voltage to the outside, a third output pin for outputting a PWM signal in accordance with a period according to an internal calculation, and a second output pin for outputting a first control signal A fifth output pin for outputting a second control signal at a second timing, and a first input pin for receiving a sensing voltage by a current supplied to a body part A signal generation unit including a control unit to be controlled,
The input terminal is connected to the first output pin of the semiconductor chip and the output terminal is connected to the charge capacitor, and the first voltage applied from the first output pin is switched according to the PWM signal applied from the third output pin A boosting unit boosting the charge capacitor to a second voltage or a third voltage higher than the first voltage,
The first electrode and the second electrode being respectively connected to two body parts spaced apart from each other with the second voltage supplied from the charge capacitor as an operation power supply and the first electrode and the second electrode charged to the charge capacitor in accordance with the first control signal, The body portion and the second electrode; and supplying the charge charged in the charge capacitor in accordance with the second control signal to the second electrode, the body region, and the second electrode, A fine current supplying unit for supplying the first current to the first electrode in the second direction;
And a sensing signal measuring unit for sensing the sensing voltage due to a current flowing through the first electrode, the body part, and the second electrode and feeding back to the first input pin,
Wherein the signal generating unit, the voltage raising unit, the fine current supplying unit, and the sense signal measuring unit are mounted on the printed circuit board.
A fine current supplying device connected to two separated body parts and supplying a minute current of 100 μA or less to the body part in a first direction or a second direction opposite to the first direction,
A lower housing provided in a cylindrical shape whose upper surface is opened,
The lower surface is provided in an opened cylindrical shape. An upper housing coupled to the lower housing to form a receiving space therein,
A first component of a first snap button and a second component of a second snap button, the first component of the first snap button being spaced apart from the upper part of the upper housing,
A battery provided in the accommodating space,
And a second electrode connected to a lower surface of the first constituent portion of the second snap button and a second electrode connected to a lower surface of the first constituent portion of the first snap button, And a second connection electrode connected to the second polarity,
And a battery clip that couples the battery and the printed circuit board such that the second polarity of the battery is closely contacted with the second connection electrode and provides a lead function that is electrically connected to the first polarity of the battery,
The battery has a button cell shape,
A power supply pin which is electrically connected to the first polarity of the battery at all times; a power pin which is electrically connected to the second polarity of the battery at all times; a first output A second output pin having a buffer therein and outputting a fourth voltage to the outside, a third output pin for outputting a PWM signal in accordance with a period according to an internal calculation, and a second output pin for outputting a first control signal A fifth output pin for outputting a second control signal at a second timing, and a first input pin for receiving a sensing voltage by a current supplied to a body part A signal generation unit including a control unit to be controlled,
The semiconductor integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein the first output pin is connected to the first output pin of the semiconductor chip and the output capacitor is connected to the charge capacitor. The first voltage applied from the first output pin is switched A boosting unit boosting the charge capacitor to a second voltage or a third voltage higher than the first voltage,
The first electrode and the second electrode being respectively connected to two body parts spaced apart from each other with a second voltage supplied from the charge capacitor as an operation power supply; Wherein the controller is configured to supply the charge in the first direction flowing to the first electrode, the body region, and the second electrode, and charge the charge capacitor in accordance with the second control signal to the second electrode, A fine current supplying unit for supplying the first current to the first electrode in the second direction;
And a sensing signal measuring unit for sensing the sensing voltage due to a current flowing through the first electrode, the body part, and the second electrode and feeding back to the first input pin,
Wherein the signal generating unit, the voltage raising unit, the fine current supplying unit, and the sense signal measuring unit are mounted on the printed circuit board.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The control unit may further include an internal timer,
Wherein the control unit switches the first voltage applied from the first output pin in accordance with the PWM signal applied from the third output pin in every first period using the internal timer so that the charge capacitor of the voltage- Boosting to a high third voltage and providing a current to the body part in only one direction selected from the first direction and the second direction by one signal selected from the first control signal and the second control signal And detecting a physical contact by using a sensing voltage fed back to the first input pin,
Wherein the third voltage is higher than the second voltage.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
And an operation display unit including a light emitting diode connected in a forward direction between the second output pin and the ground.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Wherein the control unit supplies power to the second output pin every second period.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The sensing signal measuring unit includes a ninth resistor having one end connected to the ground, a seventh switch element connected between the other end of the ninth resistor and the first electrode, and a seventh switch element connected between the second electrode and the ninth resistor. And an eighth switch element connected between the terminals,
Wherein the seventh switch element is turned on or off according to the second control signal, and the eighth switch element is turned on or off according to the first control signal.
The method according to claim 6,
And the ninth resistor is 10 k [Omega] or less.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Wherein the printed circuit board is provided in the receiving space between the battery and the upper housing.
A method for supplying a micro current to a body part using a micro current supplying device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The body portion is supplied with a current through the first electrode and the second electrode in a direction selected from the first direction and the second direction while the voltage-up portion is raised to the third voltage, A first step of sensing whether the electrode is in contact with the second electrode,
Wherein when the body part is determined to be in contact with the first electrode, the first electrode and the second electrode are alternately arranged in the first direction and the second direction in a state in which the voltage- A second step of supplying current,
And a third step of adjusting the second voltage using the sensing voltage fed back through the sensing signal measuring unit,
The second step and the third step are repeatedly performed until it is determined that the body part is not in contact with the first electrode and the second electrode using the sensing voltage fed back in the third step / RTI >
10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the control unit supplies power to the second output pin every second period,
And a light emitting diode connected in a forward direction between the second output pin and ground,
The method of claim 1, further comprising a fourth step of supplying power to the light emitting diode at the second period after the first step.
delete A method for supplying a minute current of 100 μA or less to a body part using the micro current supply device of claim 1 or 2,
A current is supplied to the first electrode and the second electrode in any one direction selected from the first direction and the second direction in a state in which the voltage step-up unit is raised to the third voltage, A first step of,
Wherein when the body part is determined to be in contact with the first electrode, the first electrode and the second electrode are alternately turned on in the first direction and the second direction while the voltage-up unit is raised to the second voltage, And a second step of supplying,
And a third step of adjusting the second voltage using a voltage fed back through the sensing signal measuring unit,
The second step and the third step are repeatedly performed until it is determined that the body part is not in contact with the first electrode and the second electrode using the voltage fed back in the third step,
Wherein the third voltage is higher than the average of the second voltage and the second voltage average is an average voltage of the second voltage applied during the time of supplying the microcurrent. .
13. The method of claim 12,
Wherein the control unit supplies power to the second output pin every second period,
And a light emitting diode connected in a forward direction between the second output pin and ground,
The method of claim 1, further comprising a fourth step of supplying power to the light emitting diode at the second period after the first step.
A fine current supplying device connected to two body parts spaced apart to supply a minute current in a first direction or in a second direction opposite to the first direction,
A lower housing provided in a cylindrical shape whose upper surface is opened,
The lower surface is provided in an opened cylindrical shape. An upper housing coupled to the lower housing to form a receiving space therein,
A first component of a first snap button and a second component of a second snap button, the first component of the first snap button being spaced apart from the upper part of the upper housing,
A battery provided in the accommodating space,
A first electrode connected to a lower surface of a first component of a first snap fastener and a lower surface of a first component of a second snap button are connected to the upper surface of the battery, And a second connection electrode connected to the second polarity of the dry cell,
And a battery clip that couples the battery and the printed circuit board to be in close contact with the second polarity of the battery and the second connection electrode and provides an electrical lead function connected to the first polarity of the battery,
And a first connection electrode electrically connected to the battery clip on an upper surface of the printed circuit board,
The printed circuit board
A power supply pin which is electrically connected to the first polarity of the battery at all times; a power pin which is electrically connected to the second polarity of the battery at all times; a first output A second output pin having a buffer therein and outputting a fourth voltage to the outside, a third output pin for outputting a PWM signal according to a period according to an internal calculation, and a first control signal according to the first timing, A fifth output pin for outputting a second control signal according to a second timing and a first input pin for receiving a distribution voltage applied from the outside, A signal generator for generating a signal,
The semiconductor integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein the first output pin is connected to the first output pin of the semiconductor chip and the output capacitor is connected to the charge capacitor. The first voltage applied from the first output pin is switched A boosting unit boosting the charge capacitor to a second voltage higher than the first voltage,
The first electrode and the second electrode being respectively connected to two body parts spaced apart from each other with the second voltage supplied from the charge capacitor as an operation power supply and the first electrode and the second electrode charged to the charge capacitor in accordance with the first control signal, The body portion and the second electrode; and supplying the charge charged in the charge capacitor in accordance with the second control signal to the second electrode, the body region, and the second electrode, And a fine current supplying unit for supplying the fine current in the second direction flowing to the first electrode.

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