KR102273380B1 - Wearable Device and System for Measuring Body Component - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a wearable textile device for body composition measurement and a body composition measuring device. The wearable textile device includes: a plurality of fiber-based electrodes formed on a portion of a garment; and a conductive connecting member extending from the fiber-based electrodes to electrically connect the fiber-based electrodes and an external device. Therefore, the wearable textile device prevents the deterioration of measurement reliability.

Description

A wearable textile device and a body composition measuring device for measuring body composition {Wearable Device and System for Measuring Body Component}

The present invention relates to a wearable fiber device and a body composition measuring device for measuring body composition, and more particularly, to a body composition measuring device comprising a fiber-based electrode having a loop structure capable of generating a magnetic induction phenomenon, and a top and a bottom including a conductive connecting member It relates to a wearable textile device and a body composition measuring device for

Numerical values such as water, protein, fat, and skeleton in the human body are the basis of information in acquiring physical information, and these numerical values are processed according to purpose and expanded into body composition information including muscle mass information and body fat mass information. Since such body composition information is interpreted as life-related health status, the necessity of acquiring it will be considerable.

In general, as a type of apparatus for measuring and analyzing body composition information, there are fixed body composition measuring devices. This body composition measuring device attaches load measuring sensors to the positions of both feet of the subject, measures the load applied to each foot, measures the posture balance, and measures the impedance of each body part through the hand electrode and the foot electrode of the subject. Body composition information is being measured by measuring.

However, the general body composition measuring devices use an externally exposed metallic electrode to measure the body composition. These metallic electrodes are vulnerable to external contamination and may malfunction when corrosion occurs due to contact with moisture, and there is a risk of electric shock. , there is a sense of physical and psychological burden, such as being a viral transmission route due to multiple use.

In addition, a general body composition measuring device requires a complex calculation unit because the resistance of the human body model changes according to a change in the wire area according to race, age, height, and weight, and thus a fixed body composition measuring device provided at a specific time and a specific space is intentionally accessed. Therefore, there is considerable inconvenience in the use of measuring body composition information.

In addition, there is a problem in that measurement reliability is deteriorated due to the acquisition of non-uniform body composition information because the measured value of body composition information varies according to the state of the body at the time of measurement.

The present invention has been devised to solve the problems of the prior art, and one problem of the present invention is the risk of malfunction, the risk of electric shock, which are the representative core problems of the prior art, and the virus (eg, Corona 19 virus) according to the use of a large number of ) to solve physical and psychological burdens, such as those that may become transmission routes.

One object of the present invention is to solve the problem of the prior art requiring a complicated calculation unit.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve a problem in the prior art accompanied by the inconvenience of having to measure body composition information by intentionally accessing a fixed body composition measuring device provided at a specific time and a specific space.

One object of the present invention is to solve the problem of the prior art in which measurement reliability is lowered.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One object of the present invention is to solve the problems of the prior art by calculating and analyzing body composition information from measured values measured while wearing a wearable textile device having a non-contact electrode.

The present invention as a solution to the above problems,

A wearable textile device comprising:

a plurality of fiber-based electrodes formed on a portion of the garment; and

In order to electrically connect the fiber-based electrode and an external device, it includes a conductive connecting member extending from the fiber-based electrode,

The fiber-based electrode,

In the case of a top, it is formed on the sleeve and waist, and in the case of a bottom, it is formed on the ankle to form a channel in conjunction with the top, and provides a wearable textile device that forms a loop structure to generate a magnetic induction phenomenon.

The fiber-based electrode,

It is preferable to form by weaving a part of the non-conductive fiber yarn used at the time of weaving of the said garment using a conductive fiber yarn.

The end of the conductive connecting member may be closed in the form of any one or a combination of two or more of a button hole, a snap fastener, a conductive Velcro, and a hook so as to be connected to the device for measuring body composition.

The present invention also provides a body composition measuring device,

A plurality of fiber-based electrodes formed on a portion of a garment, and a conductive connection member extending from the fiber-based electrode, wherein the fiber-based electrode is formed on a sleeve and a waist in the case of a top, and interlocks with the top in the case of a bottom a wearable textile device that is formed on the ankle to form a channel and forms a loop structure to generate a magnetic induction phenomenon; and

A plurality of channels electrically connected to the wearable fiber device and having a fiber-based electrode at both ends through which current flows during body composition measurement among the plurality of fiber-based electrodes as one channel are allocated at a preset frequency for each channel. Body composition measuring means for applying a corresponding current, comparing a voltage measurement result formed by electromagnetic induction with reference data stored in the storage unit, and generating the sum of the water content and body fat amount for each channel matching the voltage measurement result as a body composition measurement result It provides a body composition measuring device comprising a.

The body composition measuring means,

Any one of the fiber-based electrodes at both ends forming the channel is assigned as a transceiver electrode, and the remaining fiber-based electrodes are set to operate as receiver electrodes, and before body composition measurement, at a preset frequency applied to the transceiver electrode. Preferably, it is configured to confirm the stability of the channel by detecting whether a corresponding current reaches the receiver electrode.

and a subject terminal for receiving the body composition measurement result generated by the body composition measurement means;

The subject terminal is

and to access a body composition measurement application or a body composition measurement site provided by the body composition measurement means,

It is preferable that the subject equipped with the subject terminal wears the wearable textile device, and the body composition measuring means is electrically connected to the wearable textile device.

According to the present invention, by calculating and analyzing body composition information from measured values measured while wearing a wearable textile device having a non-contact electrode, the problems of the prior art, such as the risk of malfunction and electric shock, and the The wearable textile device of the present invention actively solves physical and psychological burdens, such as being a virus transmission route, through the wearable textile device of the present invention.

In addition, by calculating and analyzing body composition information from measured values measured while wearing a wearable textile device having a non-contact electrode, the problem of requiring a complex calculation unit is solved.

In addition, by calculating and analyzing body composition information from measured values measured while wearing a wearable textile device equipped with a non-contact electrode, the analysis result can be obtained at a desired time regardless of time and place, thereby maximizing the convenience of the subject.

In addition, measurement reliability can be improved by calculating and analyzing body composition information from measured values measured while wearing a wearable textile device having a non-contact electrode.

1 is a conceptual diagram schematically illustrating an apparatus for measuring body composition according to an exemplary embodiment.
2 and 3 are exemplary views schematically illustrating a wearable textile device according to the present embodiment.
4 is a diagram schematically illustrating a method for measuring bioelectrical impedance in the body composition measuring means according to the present embodiment.
5 is a diagram schematically illustrating a channel required for measuring bioelectrical impedance in the body composition measuring means according to the present embodiment.
6 is a diagram illustrating measurement of body composition of a subject wearing the wearable textile device according to the present embodiment.
7 is a diagram schematically illustrating a bioelectrical impedance measurement model and a relationship between impedance and frequency in the body composition measuring means according to the present embodiment.
8 is a diagram schematically illustrating magnetic induction in the body composition measuring means according to the present embodiment.
9 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of the body composition measuring means according to the present embodiment.

Hereinafter, a wearable fiber device and a body composition measuring device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings to provide specific content for carrying out the present invention.

1 is a conceptual diagram schematically illustrating an apparatus for measuring body composition according to an exemplary embodiment. Referring to FIG. 1 , a body composition measuring apparatus 1 includes a wearable textile device 100 , a body composition measuring means 200 , a terminal 300 , and a network 400 .

The wearable textile device 100 includes clothes worn by the subject to measure body composition. The clothes included in the wearable textile device 100 may be either an integral type in which the upper and lower garments are combined, or a separate type in which the upper and lower garments are separated.

The wearable textile device 100 includes a plurality of textile-based electrodes formed on a portion of a garment. The plurality of fiber-based electrodes includes sleeve electrodes 111 and 112 formed on the sleeve portion of the upper portion 110 and the waist electrode 113 formed on the waist portion. Then, in the case of the lower part 120, it includes ankle electrodes 121 and 122 formed in the ankle region so as to form a channel in conjunction with the upper part 110. The wearable textile device 100 forms a loop structure so that a magnetic induction phenomenon occurs.

The wearable fiber device 100 includes a conductive connecting member (130 in FIG. 3) extending from the fiber-based electrodes 111, 112, 113, 121, 122 to electrically connect the fiber-based electrodes 111, 112, 113, 121, 122 and the body composition measuring means 200. Hereinafter, a detailed description of the wearable textile device 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 .

The body composition measuring means 200 is electrically connected to the wearable textile device 100, and among the fiber-based electrodes 111, 112, 113, 121 and 122, a plurality of channels are allocated using the fiber-based electrodes at both ends through which current flows when measuring body composition as one channel. do. Here, the body composition measuring means 200 may allocate upper and lower extremities, and left and right separated channels, and use any one of the fiber-based electrodes 111, 112, 113, 121, and 122 at both ends forming the channel as a transceiver electrode (not shown). ) and set the remaining fiber-based electrodes to act as receiver electrodes (not shown).

The body composition measuring means 200 receives a voltage measurement result formed by electromagnetic induction from the receiver electrode by applying a current corresponding to a preset frequency to the transceiver electrode for each channel. Here, the body composition measuring means 200 checks the measurement stability by checking whether the voltage measurement result received from the receiver electrode is noise and the measurement time. When it is determined that the body composition measuring means 200 is in a stable state, the measurement value (voltage measurement result) of the corresponding channel is stored in the storage unit ( 230 of FIG. 9 ), and a measurement completion flag for the corresponding channel is set. When the measurement of all channels is completed, the body composition measuring means 200 compares the measured value stored in the storage 230 with reference data stored in the storage 230 .

The body composition measuring means 200 extracts the amount of water and the amount of body fat matching the measured values from the storage unit 230 , and generates a result of summing the amount of water and the amount of body fat as a result of measuring the body composition.

In the present embodiment, the body composition measuring means 200 checks whether the fiber-based electrodes 111 , 112 , 113 , 121 and 122 formed in the wearable textile device 100 in the idle state sufficiently exert an electromagnetic induction effect on the human body before the body composition measurement To do this, it is detected whether a current corresponding to a preset frequency applied to the transceiver electrode reaches the receiver electrode. The body composition measuring means 200 compares the attenuation and noise of the detected voltage received from the receiver electrode with the applied preset frequency to check the stability of the channel, and at the same time to check whether the state shows a stable movement that can be measured for an appropriate time or longer do. When the body composition measuring means 200 is stable, it allocates a channel and starts measuring the body composition. Hereinafter, a detailed description of the body composition measuring means 200 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 9 .

The subject terminal 300 receives the body composition measurement result generated by the body composition measuring means 200 . The subject terminal 300 is configured to access a body composition measurement application and/or a body composition measurement site provided by the body composition measurement means 200 , and may receive a body composition measurement service from the body composition measurement means 200 . In order to receive the body composition measurement service, the subject equipped with the subject terminal 300 may be wearing the wearable textile device 100 , and the body composition measuring means 200 may be electrically connected to the wearable textile device.

The subject terminal 300 may include a communication terminal capable of performing a function of a computing device (not shown), and may include a desktop computer 301 operated by a user, a smart phone 302, a tablet PC, a laptop computer ( 303), smart TV, mobile phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), laptop, media player, micro server, global positioning system (GPS) device, e-book terminal, digital broadcasting terminal, navigation, kiosk, mp3 player, digital camera, home appliance devices and other mobile or non-mobile computing devices. Also, the subject terminal 300 may be a wearable terminal such as a watch, glasses, a hair band, and a ring having a communication function and a data processing function. The examinee terminal 300 is not limited to the above description, and a terminal capable of web browsing may be borrowed without limitation.

The network 400 serves to connect the body composition measuring means 200 and the subject terminal 300 . The network 400 is, for example, wired networks such as local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), metropolitan area networks (MANs), integrated service digital networks (ISDNs), wireless LANs, CDMA, Bluetooth, and satellite communication. It may cover a wireless network such as, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. In addition, the network 400 transmits and receives information using short-distance communication and/or long-distance communication. Here, the short-range communication may include Bluetooth (bluetooth), radio frequency identification (RFID), infrared data association (IrDA), ultra-wideband (UWB), ZigBee, and wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) technologies, Telecommunication includes code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) technologies do.

Network 400 includes connections of network elements such as hubs, bridges, routers, and switches. Network 400 includes one or more connected networks, such as a multi-network environment, including a public network such as the Internet and a private network such as a secure enterprise private network. Access to network 400 may be provided via one or more wired or wireless access networks. Furthermore, the network 400 supports an Internet of Things (IoT) network and/or 5G communication that exchanges and processes information between distributed components such as things.

2 and 3 are exemplary views schematically illustrating a wearable textile device according to the present embodiment. In the following description, the part overlapping with the description of FIG. 1 will be omitted.

The fiber-based electrodes 111 , 112 , 113 , 121 , and 122 of the wearable textile device 100 may be formed by weaving some of the non-conductive fiber yarns used when weaving clothes using conductive fiber yarns.

In forming the fiber-based electrodes 111, 112, 113, 121, 122 in the wearable fiber device 100, the endothelial or double weaving of the fiber-based electrodes 111, 112, 113, 121, 122 woven to measure the impedance of each channel of the body in a non-contact manner is to be finished with a non-conductive general yarn. can

In addition, the fiber-based electrodes 111 , 112 , 113 , 121 , and 122 form a loop in a winding structure to generate a magnetic induction effect. The conductive connecting member 130 for applying a frequency to the formed electrode is a conductive fiber so that it can be connected to the end of the winding loop and the body composition measuring means 200 in the weaving step for forming the fiber-based electrodes 111,112,113,121,122. .

In order to provide connectivity with the body composition measuring means 200, the wearable textile device 100 has a button hole and a tick button so that the end of the corresponding connecting member 130 can be connected to the input/output port of the body composition measuring means 200. It is provided in the form of any one or a combination of two or more of (snap fastener), conductive Velcro and hook.

Some of the fiber-based electrodes formed during body composition measurement act as transmitter electrodes and a current having a measurement frequency for measuring bioelectrical impedance is applied, and electromagnetic induction occurs in the fiber-based electrode by the applied current. In order to form a channel corresponding to the transmitter electrode, a diagonal or symmetrical electrode for forming a channel is set to operate as a receiver electrode. By measuring the voltage induced to the receiver electrode according to the magnetic induction caused by oscillation at the frequency of various bands from the transmitter electrode and indexing for each frequency, the amount of body fat and water in the body measured in the range limited by the distance between the windings is measured, By indexing, storing, and processing the model, the wearable textile device 100 frequently measures and feeds back the body composition of the subject in a non-contact manner.

Referring to FIG. 2 , FIG. 2A shows a subject wearing the wearable fiber device 100 , FIG. 2B shows an example of forming a fiber-based electrode on the wearable fiber device 100 , and FIG. 2C shows the wearable fiber device 100 . The textile fabric woven in the textile device 100 is shown. As shown in FIG. 2B , during weaving, the wearable textile device 100 may be woven using conductive fiber yarns for some of the fiber yarns woven during a general weaving process. A section in which the conductive fiber yarn is woven may be arbitrarily adjusted to be woven at regular intervals, and each section may be woven in the same direction from one fabric. One woven yarn can serve as one conductor, but in order to improve the conductive resistance and durability due to washing and abrasion during actual use, a certain number of yarns are grouped and operated as one conductor. As shown in FIG. 2C , the final woven fabric has sections woven with conductive fibers at regular intervals, and a conduction process is performed in each section using conductive fiber yarns during sewing.

Referring to FIG. 3, FIG. 3A shows an example of manufacturing the wearable textile device 100 by forming an electrode on a general fiber, and FIG. 3B shows a wearable textile device that generates an electrode by applying a stitching method to the general fiber ( 100), and FIG. 3C shows a subject wearing the wearable textile device 100 in which electrodes are generated by applying a stitch method. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B , the wearable textile device 100 is manufactured by applying a stitching method to form an electrode on an existing woven fiber. The wearable fiber device 100 is manufactured by processing the conductive fiber using a stitching method in a predetermined section where the electrode is to be formed. The process is performed so that stitching can be performed in one direction to form a magnetic induction loop during the process. Each fiber yarn can be stitched to have up-and-down directivity at a certain angle based on the stitched direction, thereby realizing the magnetic induction effect and low resistance and high durability in the section serving as a conductor.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 3C , the wearable textile device 100 processed using a woven fabric must have elasticity properties, and the elasticity promotes the produced electrodes to be in close contact with the human body. In order to apply the 5-cylinder model, which is the most evolved model among the models used in bio-electrical impedance analysis (BIA) when measuring body composition, the top of the wearable textile device 100 is made of conductive fibers in the wrist, waist, and shoulder regions. The grouping stitching process can be applied so that it can become an electrode, and the grouping stitching process is applied so that the conductive fibers in the waist and ankle regions can become electrodes so that both legs can be measured with individual cylinders. In addition, each channel may be connected to a separate signal processing device with a wire.

In addition, the electrode generated in the wearable textile device 100 is processed (cutting, cutting, stitching, etc.) so that a winding (loop) can be formed so that an allowable level of current can be applied to each channel at an intended frequency. In addition, when each electrode is applied to a cylindrical shape, a single loop can be formed when the expanded shape of the channel processed below is rolled up. In addition, when an alternating current flows through the formed loop, electromagnetic induction occurs, and a minute current of a corresponding frequency may flow by the electromagnetic phenomenon induced in the human body. A change in voltage generated according to the flow of the current is measured using the ADC (227 in FIG. 9 ) at the voltage measuring electrode on the receiving side (body composition measuring means 200).

4 is a diagram schematically illustrating a method of measuring bioelectrical impedance in the body composition measuring means according to the present embodiment. In the following description, parts overlapping with those of FIGS. 1 to 3 will be omitted.

Bio-electrical impedance analysis (BIA) may be a method of predicting a body composition using a difference in electrical conductivity according to biological characteristics of tissues. Electrical conductivity is proportional to the amount of water and electrolyte. Also, the electrical conductivity decreases as the shape of the cell approaches a circle. On the other hand, since adipose tissue is composed of circular cells, and the moisture in the adipose tissue is relatively small compared to other tissues such as muscle, it can be seen that the electrical conductivity decreases as the amount of fat increases. In general, when the current is low frequency (~1 kHz), the low frequency current can only flow through the extracellular fluid of the human body. However, when the current is high-frequency (~1 mHz), the high-frequency current can flow through the extracellular and intracellular fluids of the human body.

This bioelectrical impedance measurement method is classified into a single frequency impedance measurement method (single frequency BIA) and a multi-frequency impedance measurement method (multi-frequency BIA).

In the single frequency impedance measurement method, a current of 50 kHz is usually used, and the impedance measured at this time mainly reflects extra cellular water (ECW). Since the multi-frequency impedance measurement method uses a current having a range of frequencies (eg, 0,1,5,50,100,200,500kHz), theoretically, extracellular fluid, intracellular fluid (ICF), and total water content are measured.

Impedance (Z) is the square root of the sum of the squares of resistance (R) and reactance (Xc) (Z ² =R ² +Xc ² ) may mean a degree to which the current flow is slowed by a capacitor such as a cell membrane.

As shown in FIG. 4 , in the tube-shaped conductor, the impedance is proportional to the length of the conductor, and may be inversely proportional to the cross-sectional area (A), and is expressed as Equation (1).

[Equation 1]

In Equation 1, Z may represent impedance, ρ may represent specific resistivity, L may represent the length of a conductor, and A may represent a cross-sectional area of the conductor.

The bioelectrical impedance measurement method assumes the human body as five isotropic cylindrical conductors composed of limbs and torso, and the volume is proportional to the square of the height (L) divided by the impedance (Z). Equation 2 is used to calculate the amount of body water and body fat.

[Equation 2]

However, in reality, the human body is not a homogeneous tubular conductor whose impedance is precisely proportional to the height, and the degree of reducing the current flow at a given temperature (ρ) is also not constant, so in addition to impedance and height, other predictive variables such as age, gender, race, etc. Develop and apply an estimation model corrected with Therefore, in order to measure body fat mass using impedance, it can be used in a group having the same characteristics as the target group used at the time of development of the estimation model. Various factors can affect the accuracy of the bioelectrical impedance measurement method, and the measured value may be affected by food or water intake, sweating or urination status, menstrual cycle, and daily fluctuations in water content. In addition, since temperature is inversely proportional to impedance, a significantly smaller amount of body fat may be measured in a warm environment. Therefore, in order to increase the accuracy of the examination, especially to accurately reflect the change in body fat during follow-up examination, standardization of various factors that may affect the measurement environment and water content is required. The bioelectrical impedance measurement method is non-invasive, relatively simple in operation, relatively cheap in examination cost, good in portability of equipment, and high in reproducibility, so it can be widely used in clinical practice.

A living tissue may be composed of an electrolyte inside and outside the cell membrane, which is considered an electrically insulator. In addition, each has a frequency characteristic as a unique electrical property due to various differences such as cell arrangement and bone tissue. Accordingly, a frequency band from 1 kHz to 1 MHz can be widely used, and among them, when determining the characteristics of skeletal muscle, 50 kHz, which is a frequency that penetrates the cell membrane considered as an electrical insulator, can be used. When measuring with a signal of 50 kHz, the reflected sensitivity ratio between the amount of extracellular fluid and the amount of intracellular fluid may be approximately 8:2. In the case of a signal with a lower frequency of 1 to 20 kHz, since the current flowing into the intracellular fluid is small, it can be used for measuring the extracellular fluid, and a signal of 5 kHz can be used. In addition, a frequency band around 100 kHz or 200 kHz is suitable for estimating intracellular fluid and extracellular fluid. In addition, for the measurement, the constant current applied to the human body for each frequency is between 500 μA and 800 μA.

In the field application of the theoretical background for these measurements, the body part is not in the form of a perfect cylinder with a constant cross-sectional area, and the specific resistance of the tissue may not be constant. In addition, even if the attachment position between the measurement electrodes is deviated by only 1 cm, a wide measurement deviation occurs, with an error of the measurement value ranging from approximately 2% to 16%. As a method to reduce the error for the user, it is designed to keep the electrodes at a constant distance, and the length and area of the human body in contact between the electrodes are kept constant or the area is reflected to correct the deviation error during measurement.

5 is a diagram schematically illustrating a channel required for measuring bioelectrical impedance in the body composition measuring means according to the present embodiment. In the following description, descriptions of parts overlapping with those of FIGS. 1 to 4 will be omitted.

Electrodes for measuring bioimpedance are largely classified into two types: a bipolar method and a tetrapolar method. In the bipolar method, current draw and voltage measurement can be performed at one electrode, and in the tetrapolar method, current draw and voltage measurement are performed at each electrode. The bipolar method may be affected by the contact impedance of the electrode and the impedance according to the frequency when measuring the impedance. The tetrapolar method is a method for indirectly measuring impedance and is called a method for removing impedance and contact resistance of electrodes. Here, if the output impedance of the current source and the input impedance of the voltage meter are significantly larger than the impedance of the electrode and the contact resistance between the electrode and the skin, the impedance of the electrode and the contact resistance of the electrode are ignored.

In the present embodiment, the wearable textile device 100 having an electrode capable of non-contact magnetic induction may be operated according to a partial impedance analysis method. In addition, the term "channel" refers to a channel for each part of the human body used in partial impedance. That is, the channel may represent between electrodes at both ends through which a current generated when body composition is to be measured flows. Therefore, one electrode is not used only to form one specific channel, but can be used to form several channels according to the position and direction of the terminal electrode.

6 is a diagram illustrating measurement of body composition of a subject wearing the wearable textile device according to the present embodiment. In the following description, descriptions of parts overlapping with those of FIGS. 1 to 5 will be omitted.

In the present embodiment, the body composition measuring means 200 may allocate all of the systems used as current flow paths between electrodes used to measure the resistance of the resistor for each part corresponding to a specific part of the body as channels. It is based on the formula of V=IR to find the resistance based on the voltage generated by the flow of current. Therefore, all paths through which the current I can flow are allocated to channels so that the voltage V can be measured for a specific part of the human body (five parts in this embodiment).

As shown in FIG. 6A , in general, the resistance of the right arm, the left arm, the trunk, the right leg, and the left leg is measured. As shown in FIG. 6B , in one embodiment, the body composition measuring means 200 passes a current between the _{electrodes E 1} and E5 and measures a voltage between _{E 2 and E4 in order to measure the resistance of the right arm.} The current flows in the path _{of R 1} - R _RA - R _T - R _RL - R ₃ and the voltage is measured in the loop formed by _{R 2} - R _RA - R _LA - R _{2 .} The path through which the current flows and the loop in which the voltage is measured _{are overlapped at R RA} to measure the resistance of the right arm. In this way, the body composition measuring means 200 calculates the resistance by measuring the voltage for each of the five body parts.

7 is a diagram schematically illustrating a bioelectrical impedance measurement model and a relationship between impedance and frequency in the body composition measuring means according to the present embodiment. In the following description, descriptions of parts overlapping with those of FIGS. 1 to 6 will be omitted.

The bioelectrical impedance measurement model is a technique widely used as a model to study the electrical properties of living tissue. As shown in FIG. 7a, _{the resistance RE E} (resistance of the extracellular fluid) is _{parallel with the R I} resistance (resistance of the intracellular fluid). is connected, and current can flow from capacitor C (capacitance of cell membrane) to R _I .

In the low frequency band, current cannot flow through the capacitor C, but can only flow around the cell. When the frequency is 0, the resistance (R ₀₎ may be as of the extracellular fluid resistance (R _E), which is expressed as Equation (3).

[Equation 3]

In the high frequency band, the current may be conducted with an external capacitance (Capacitance), and the current may be conducted through the cell wall. The infinity resistance R _∞ is _{expressed as in Equation 4 using R E} (resistance of extracellular fluid) and R _I (resistance of intracellular fluid).

[Equation 4]

In the bioelectrical impedance measurement model of FIG. 7A , the resonant frequency f _c has a kHz band, where the effect of the capacitor C corresponds to the maximum value of a circle arc, and is expressed as Equation 5.

[Equation 5]

When R _∞ and R _E are measured as RO, R _I can be calculated as in Equation (6).

[Equation 6]

In Equation 6, the intracellular fluid small by the human body volume _{represents a high R I} value, and the impedance (Z) may be expressed by the complex formula of Equation 7 .

[Equation 7]

는 원의 중심 위치에 영향을 미치고,

값은 수평축의 중심에 위치한다.

가 1보다 적을 때 원의 중심은 수평축의 아래에 위치한다. 인체의 측정에서

는 일반적으로

의 범위를 보일 수 있다. 또한, 수학식 7로부터 도 7b에 도시된 바와 같이 임피던스와 주파수는 반비례함을 알 수 있다.in Equation 7

affects the position of the center of the circle,

The value is centered on the horizontal axis.

When is less than 1, the center of the circle is located below the horizontal axis. in the measurement of the human body

is usually

range can be seen. Also, it can be seen from Equation 7 that impedance and frequency are inversely proportional as shown in FIG. 7B.

8 is a diagram schematically illustrating magnetic induction in the apparatus for measuring body composition according to the present embodiment. In the following description, descriptions of parts overlapping with those of FIGS. 1 to 7 will be omitted.

In order for inductive power transmission to be established, at least two or more coils must exist, there must be two mutual induction actions, and a power supply method that consists of a power transmission device and a power reception device that supply wireless power through the air gap. can mean

Mutual induction may mean that an induced electromotive force is generated in the other coil by a current flowing in one coil to transfer energy. In FIG. 8 , L1 and L2 may represent primary and secondary magnetic inductances, respectively, and M may represent mutual inductances. Equation (8) can be expressed that the induction action occurs twice in the two coils.

[Equation 8]

As if one power of the power P ₁ and 2 of the primary side P _2, and the temporal average of a product of the induced voltage and current is not zero, the power transfer occurs can be referred to as the inductive power transfer to the transmission of this power . Since these systems are linear and reversible, the primary and secondary sides can perform their functions interchangeably.

For electrodeless power transmission using the magnetic induction method, it may be necessary to design a coil unit capable of effectively transmitting and receiving a frequency to be induced. The coil unit may include a circular coil and a capacitor. In order to design a circular coil-shaped antenna by determining the number of turns and radius of the coil, and to calculate the induction coefficient of this coil so that the circular coil antenna resonates at the frequency to be induced, a capacitor is connected in series with the circular coil to Some can be designed. In order to find out the resonance characteristics of the coil part, the induction coefficient of the coil according to the structure can be calculated using Equation 9.

[Equation 9]

In Equation 9, d may represent the diameter of the coil, l may represent the length of the coil, and n may represent the number of turns of the coil. Based on the induction coefficient calculated using this method, the capacitance value required to resonate at the frequency to be induced can be obtained through Equation (10).

[Equation 10]

In general, in a wireless power transmitter, a power receiving module includes a receiving coil unit for effectively receiving transmit power at a frequency to be induced, a voltage measuring unit measuring a voltage from the received RF power, and removing high-frequency noise from the measured voltage. LPF for selectively passing only frequencies of a desired transmission frequency band, an amplifier for amplifying the filtered frequency and an ADC for converting to a digital level, and a comparator for calculating the loss rate of the voltage for each frequency thereafter can do.

Specifically, the receiving coil unit is determined to have a winding and a radius that can accommodate multiple frequencies, and adaptive inductance compensation for compensating for the inductance of the coil in order to adapt to the inefficiency for each frequency due to an unchangeable shape. may include wealth.

The configuration of the wireless power transmission device may be applied to the body composition measuring means 200 to be used for body composition measurement.

9 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of the body composition measuring means according to the present embodiment. In the following description, descriptions of parts overlapping with those of FIGS. 1 to 8 will be omitted. Referring to FIG. 9 , the body composition measuring unit 200 may include a communication unit 210 , a signal processing unit 220 , a storage unit 230 , and a control unit 240 . In the present embodiment, a “part” may be a hardware part such as a processor or circuit, and/or a software part executed by a hardware component such as a processor.

The communication unit 210 may provide a communication interface necessary for providing a transmission/reception signal between the body composition measuring means 200 and the subject terminal 300 in the form of packet data in cooperation with the network 400 . Furthermore, the communication unit 210 may serve to receive a predetermined information request signal from the subject terminal 300 , and transmit the information processed by the body composition measuring means 200 to the subject terminal 300 . can Here, the communication network is a medium that serves to connect the body composition measuring means 200 and the subject terminal 300, and after the subject terminal 300 accesses the body composition measuring means 200, information can be transmitted and received. It may include a path that provides an access path so that it can be accessed. In addition, the communication unit 210 may be a device including hardware and software necessary for transmitting and receiving signals such as control signals or data signals through wired/wireless connection with other network devices.

The signal processing unit 220 applies a current corresponding to a preset frequency for each channel of the wearable fiber device 100 to measure the body composition of a subject wearing the wearable fiber device 100 , and the wearable fiber device 100 generates electromagnetic waves. A voltage measurement result formed by induction can be received. Specifically, the signal processing unit 220 may apply a current to the magnetic induction transmission winding 140 of the wearable fiber device 100 and receive a voltage measurement result through the magnetic induction reception winding 150 . In this embodiment, the magnetic induction transmitting winding 140 and the magnetic induction receiving winding 150 may be a single channel, and are embedded in the wearable fiber device 100 in the form of a winding to generate or resonate magnetic induction. can

In this embodiment, the signal processing unit 220 includes a frequency generation unit 221 , a DC offset applying unit 222 , a constant current generation unit 223 , a multiplexer 224 , an amplifying unit 225 , and a current-voltage converting unit 226 . ) and ADC 227 .

The frequency generator 221 may generate multiple frequencies used for multi-frequency bioimpedance measurement.

The DC offset applying unit 222 utilizes a magnetic induction method and applies a DC offset to allow the current to reach the winding (current receiving electrode) that is not close to the long-distance winding (current receiving electrode) through a high resistance (human body) to improve the performance. can be raised

The constant current generator 223 serves as a charge pump to generate a magnetic field having a strong frequency of a voltage component applied up to a DC offset to the magnetic induction transmission winding (electrode) 140 , and at the same time, an excessive current In order to avoid adverse effects flowing to the human body, it can be possible to maintain a safe constant current for the human body.

The multiplexer 224 does not actually consist of one multiplexer, but one 2:1 multiplexer may be used for one electrode. The multiplexer 224 may also be viewed as a switch. For example, one winding may be used as an electrode for applying or receiving current to measure the impedance of one channel, and the winding of two channels may be an electrode for measuring voltage. may be used, and this role may be changed according to a change of the channel. The multiplexer 224 may serve to change the connection path according to the change of the channel.

The amplifying unit 225 may amplify the voltage measured through the winding because it is very low.

The current-voltage converter 226 generates a flow of current through the winding and the flow of current is generated by a potential difference, so it can be converted into a voltage. Although not shown, in order to measure the voltage of the channel, in addition to the magnetic induction receiving winding for voltage measurement, it is also connected to the receiving winding located in the GND of the channel to be measured, so that the potential difference can be measured.

The ADC 227 may convert the converted voltage into a digital value and transmit it to the controller 240 .

The storage unit 230 stores LUT for frequency generation, storage of measurement data, reference data according to age/age/race/gender, etc., and may be utilized by the control unit 240 when necessary. The reference data stored in the storage unit 230 is a so-called look-up table, which is a table of information specific to body characteristics according to factors such as height, weight, age, gender, and race of various subjects, the age and It may include the amount of water and the amount of body fat corresponding to the measured impedance according to body factors. However, since it is difficult to construct a lookup table corresponding to all the measured values by making the lookup table resolution dense, the range is limited by comparing it with the lookup table after measurement, and then estimation calculations such as a kind of interpolation may be performed. .

The storage unit 230 also performs a function of temporarily or permanently storing data processed by the control unit 240 . Here, the storage unit 230 may include magnetic storage media or flash storage media, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. The storage unit 230 may include internal memory and/or external memory, volatile memory such as DRAM, SRAM, or SDRAM, one time programmable ROM (OTPROM), PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, mask ROM, flash ROM, etc. , NAND flash memory, or non-volatile memory, such as NOR flash memory, SSD. It may include a flash drive such as a compact flash (CF) card, an SD card, a Micro-SD card, a Mini-SD card, an Xd card, or a memory stick, or a storage device such as an HDD.

The control unit 240 may control the entire operation of the body composition measuring means 200 as a kind of central processing unit. The control unit 240 controls the input and output of the transmission/reception windings 140 and 150, generates a body composition measurement result according to comparison of the received voltage measurement result with the reference data of the storage unit 230, and uses the measured voltage to control the resistance value of the current applying channel. It can perform functions such as calculations.

Specifically, the controller 240 is electrically connected to the wearable textile device 100 , allocates the magnetic induction transmission/reception windings 140 and 150 as channels, and applies a current corresponding to a preset frequency to the magnetic induction transmission winding 140 . Thus, the voltage measurement result formed by electromagnetic induction can be received through the magnetic induction receiving winding 150 . Here, the magnetic induction transmission winding 140 may be the above-described transceiver electrode, and the magnetic induction reception winding 150 may be the above-described receiver electrode. The control unit 240 may check the measurement stability by checking whether the voltage measurement result received from the magnetic induction winding 150 is noise and the measurement time.

When it is determined that the controller 240 is in a stable state, the controller 240 compares the measurement value (voltage measurement result) of the corresponding channel received from the ADC 227 with the reference data in the storage 230 , and determines the amount of water and body fat matching the measured values. extracted, and a result of summing the amount of water and the amount of body fat may be generated as a result of measuring body composition.

In this embodiment, the control unit 240 determines whether the magnetic induction transmission/reception windings 140 and 150 formed in the wearable textile device 100 in the idle state sufficiently exert the electromagnetic induction effect on the human body before measuring the body composition. To this end, it may be detected whether a current corresponding to a preset frequency applied to the magnetic induction transmission winding 140 reaches the magnetic induction reception winding 150 . The control unit 240 compares the attenuation and noise of the detected voltage received from the magnetic induction receiving winding 150 with the applied preset frequency to check the stability of the channel and at the same time to show a stable movement that can be measured for more than an appropriate time status can be checked. When stable, the controller 240 may allocate a channel and start measuring body composition.

The controller 240 may include any type of device capable of processing data, such as a processor. Here, the 'processor' may refer to a data processing device embedded in hardware having a physically structured circuit to perform a function expressed by, for example, a code or an instruction included in a program. As an example of the data processing device embedded in the hardware as described above, a microprocessor, a central processing unit (CPU), a processor core, a multiprocessor, an ASIC (application- A specific integrated circuit) and a processing device such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) may be included, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

In the above, specific contents for carrying out the present invention have been provided by explaining the wearable fiber device and the body composition measuring device using the same according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but various types of wearable fibers within the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention are provided. It can be embodied as a device and a body composition measurement system using the same.

100: wearable textile device
200: body composition measuring means
300: terminal of the subject
400: network

Claims (6)

A wearable textile device comprising:
a plurality of fiber-based electrodes formed on a portion of the garment; and
In order to electrically connect the fiber-based electrode and an external device, it includes a conductive connecting member extending from the fiber-based electrode,
The fiber-based electrode,
In the case of a top, it is formed on a sleeve and a waist, and in the case of a bottom, it is formed on an ankle to form a channel in conjunction with the top, and a loop structure is formed so that a magnetic induction phenomenon occurs.
The method of claim 1,
The fiber-based electrode,
A wearable textile device formed by weaving some of the non-conductive fiber yarns used in weaving the clothes using the conductive fiber yarn.
The method of claim 1,
A wearable textile device that is closed in the form of any one or a combination of two or more of a button hole, a snap fastener, a conductive Velcro, and a hook so that the end of the conductive connecting member is connected to the device for measuring body composition.
A body composition measuring device comprising:
A plurality of fiber-based electrodes formed on a portion of a garment, and a conductive connection member extending from the fiber-based electrode, wherein the fiber-based electrode is formed on a sleeve and a waist in the case of a top, and interlocks with the top in the case of a bottom a wearable textile device that is formed on the ankle to form a channel and forms a loop structure to generate a magnetic induction phenomenon; and
A plurality of channels electrically connected to the wearable fiber device and having a fiber-based electrode at both ends through which current flows during body composition measurement among the plurality of fiber-based electrodes as one channel are allocated at a preset frequency for each channel. Body composition measuring means for applying a corresponding current, comparing a voltage measurement result formed by electromagnetic induction with reference data stored in the storage unit, and generating the sum of the water content and body fat amount for each channel matching the voltage measurement result as a body composition measurement result A body composition measuring device comprising a.
5. The method of claim 4,
The body composition measuring means,
Any one of the fiber-based electrodes at both ends forming the channel is assigned as a transceiver electrode, the other fiber-based electrodes are set to operate as receiver electrodes, and before body composition measurement, at a preset frequency applied to the transceiver electrode and detecting whether a corresponding current reaches the receiver electrode to confirm stability of the channel.
5. The method of claim 4,
and a subject terminal for receiving the body composition measurement result generated by the body composition measurement means;
The subject terminal is
and to access a body composition measurement application or a body composition measurement site provided by the body composition measurement means,
The body composition measuring device is in a state in which the subject having the subject terminal wears the wearable fiber device, and the body composition measuring means is electrically connected to the wearable fiber device.

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