KR102430239B1 - Wearable device for caring hypertension and method for opertating wearable device for caring hypertension - Google Patents

Abstract

Operation of a wearable device for blood pressure management and a wearable device for blood pressure management that can control blood pressure and stress in real time by applying electrical stimulation to the area around 'internal blood' and 'new blood' including the median nerve of the patient's wrist A method is disclosed.
A method of operating a wearable device for managing blood pressure according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: checking a blood pressure state of the patient according to a blood pressure value measured from the patient; Recognizing a first stimulation pattern corresponding to this section from a memory unit, and controlling an electrode module attached to an acupoint on the patient's skin according to the first stimulation pattern to electrically stimulate blood pressure lowering It includes the step of carrying out.

Description

A wearable device for blood pressure management and a method of operating a wearable device for blood pressure management

The present invention relates to a wearable device for managing blood pressure, and more particularly, to a non-invasive wearable device capable of lowering blood pressure and controlling stress through active electrical stimulation based on real-time monitoring.

Hypertension (BP) is one of the most common and serious diseases, and it is estimated that over 1 billion people worldwide have high blood pressure.

Because hypertension can lead to fatal diseases such as heart attack, kidney failure, and stroke, it must be managed. Because high blood pressure is administered for a very long time after the onset of hypertension, depending on the type of blood pressure medicine, headache, hot flashes, hyperlipidemia, It has been reported that there are side effects such as hypokalemia or problems such as tolerance.

Accordingly, recently, in addition to the method of taking blood pressure medications, healthcare devices that can improve hypertension have been developed. However, the existing devices only perform electrical stimulation corresponding to the level selected by the patient and monitor the patient's condition in real time. There is a limit to providing an appropriate electrical stimulation by observing it.

Accordingly, there is an urgent need to develop a non-invasive wearable device that can actively manage a patient's blood pressure and is convenient to use.

An embodiment of the present invention aims to manufacture and provide a wearable device capable of maximizing a blood pressure lowering effect by performing patient-specific electrical stimulation, and enabling more active blood pressure measurement/management through real-time monitoring and feedback stimulation.

The embodiment of the present invention detects the patient's stress index and conducts electrical stimulation to minimize various side effects such as headache, hot flashes, hyperlipidemia, and hypokalemia due to long-term taking of blood pressure medication, and also to control the dosage of blood pressure medication. intended to contribute.

A method of operating a wearable device for managing blood pressure according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: checking a blood pressure state of the patient according to a blood pressure value measured from the patient; Recognizing a first stimulation pattern corresponding to this section from the memory unit, and controlling an electrode module attached to an acupoint on the patient's skin according to the first stimulation pattern to electrically stimulate blood pressure lowering It may include the step of carrying out.

A wearable device for managing blood pressure according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a check unit for checking a blood pressure state of the patient according to a blood pressure value measured from a patient; Electrical stimulation for lowering blood pressure by controlling an electrode module attached to an acupoint on the patient's skin according to an identification unit that identifies a first stimulation pattern corresponding to the section to which it belongs from the memory unit, and the first stimulation pattern It may include a control unit that implements.

A wearable device for managing blood pressure according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a band unit configured to wrap a patient's wrist, a sensor unit connected to the band unit to measure a blood pressure value from the patient's wrist, and the measured blood pressure value Percutaneous median nerve stimulation according to the measured blood pressure value through a display unit external to the band unit displaying (TMNS) may include a control unit.

A wearable device for managing blood pressure according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a monitoring unit that monitors blood pressure and a stress index using an R-R interval by attaching a band-type or detachable device to the wrist, and the stress index and blood pressure are normal If it is out of range, it may include an electrical stimulation unit that stabilizes stress and blood pressure by applying electrical stimulation around 'Shinminhyeol' or 'Internal blood pressure'.

According to the present invention, by real-time monitoring of the blood pressure of a hypertensive patient and the stress resulting from the side effects of taking the blood pressure medication, electrical stimulation is applied to the acupoints of the patient's wrist (e.g., 'Shinminhyeol' and 'Internal blood pressure'). , it is possible to manufacture and provide a detachable, non-invasive wearable device that can actively control blood pressure and stress.

According to the present invention, the blood pressure lowering effect can be maximized by manufacturing it in the form of wrapping the patient's wrist and performing electrical stimulation through an electrode attached to the acupoint close to the median nerve inside the wrist.

According to the present invention, it is possible to design a wearable device for blood pressure management that can perform electrical stimulation optimized for blood pressure drop in consideration of the relationship between the electrode spacing ('4 cm') and the frequency of supply power ('10 Hz'). have.

1 is a diagram illustrating a network including a wearable device for managing blood pressure according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of a wearable device for blood pressure management according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a process of real-time blood pressure monitoring and blood pressure management in a wearable device for blood pressure management according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a diagram illustrating a blood pressure drop in response to electrical stimulation of 'internal blood pressure' in the wearable device for blood pressure management according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a wearable device for managing blood pressure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, since various changes may be made to the embodiments, the scope of the patent application is not limited or limited by these embodiments. It should be understood that all modifications, equivalents and substitutes for the embodiments are included in the scope of the rights.

Terms used in the examples are used for the purpose of description only, and should not be construed as limiting. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present specification, terms such as “comprise” or “have” are intended to designate that a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification exists, but one or more other features It is to be understood that this does not preclude the possibility of the presence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiment belongs. Terms such as those defined in a commonly used dictionary should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related art, and should not be interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal meaning unless explicitly defined in the present application. does not

In addition, in the description with reference to the accompanying drawings, the same components are assigned the same reference numerals regardless of the reference numerals, and the overlapping description thereof will be omitted. In the description of the embodiment, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known technology may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the embodiment, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

1 is a diagram illustrating a network including a wearable device for managing blood pressure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the wearable device 110 for managing blood pressure according to the present invention is connected to an operation server 120 and a doctor's terminal 130 through a network 100 .

The wearable device 110 for managing blood pressure is configured in the form of a wrist band to wrap the patient's wrist, measures various biometric information including the patient's blood pressure value, and displays the measured biometric information on the screen, so that the patient's blood pressure / It is possible to monitor in real time whether stress control is required.

When it is necessary to control the patient's blood pressure/stress by real-time monitoring, the wearable device 110 for blood pressure management is set through an electrode attached around 'internal blood' (PC6) or 'new blood'. Transdermal median nerve stimulation (TMNS) can be performed by supplying power of a frequency so that an electrical signal generated from the electrode unit reaches the median nerve.

Here, 'internal blood' (PC6)' or 'shinsunhyeol' is one of the acupuncture points or moxibustion procedures to control blood pressure/stress in the field of oriental medicine. Since it is located on the skin, when it is stimulated, the effect of improving blood pressure/stress can be obtained.

The wearable device 110 for managing blood pressure may determine whether the patient's blood pressure is lowered according to the blood pressure value re-measured by performing transdermal median nerve stimulation (TMNS) for a predetermined time, and notify the patient with a sound effect or the like.

At this time, the wearable device 110 for managing blood pressure periodically transmits, through the network 100, at least one stimulation pattern among the intensity, time, and number of repetitions of the electrical stimulation applied to the patient, and history information including whether the blood pressure has dropped or not. By transmitting to the operation server 120, the operation server 120 may reflect the collected history information of the patients to update the information on the stimulation pattern. The wearable device 110 for managing blood pressure may receive information about the updated stimulation pattern received from the operation server 120 and update itself.

In addition, the wearable device for blood pressure management 110 is a terminal 130 of the patient's primary care physician designated by the patient wearing the wearable device 110 for blood pressure management, and includes real-time measured biometric information (blood pressure value/stress index) and By transmitting the blood pressure/stress management history information, the patient information can be easily shared with the medical staff, so that the patient's current status can be identified and used when prescribing.

2 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of a wearable device for blood pressure management according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the wearable device 200 for managing blood pressure according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a check unit 210 , an identification unit 220 , a control unit 230 , and a memory unit 240 . can In addition, according to an embodiment, the wearable device 200 for managing blood pressure may be configured by adding an adjustment unit 250 , a sensor module 260 , a display module 270 , an electrode module 280 , and a communication module 290 , respectively. .

The check unit 210 checks the blood pressure state of the patient according to the blood pressure value measured from the patient wearing the wearable device 200 for managing blood pressure of the present invention on the wrist.

For example, the check unit 210 may check not only the patient's blood pressure value, but also biometric information including the pulse rate, heart rate variability, body temperature, and stress index, through the sensor module 260 integrated into the wearable device 200 for blood pressure management. It is possible to accurately check the patient's blood pressure status according to the biometric information measured in real time.

The check unit 210 may display and notify the measured biometric information and blood pressure state on the display module 270 provided outside the wearable device 200 for blood pressure management.

Here, the stress index may be a numerical representation of stress caused by at least one side effect of headache, hot flashes, hyperlipidemia, and hypokalemia, which may occur as a patient takes a blood pressure medication for a long period of time.

The identification unit 220 identifies, from the memory unit 240 , a first stimulation pattern corresponding to a section to which the blood pressure value belongs, when it is confirmed that the patient is in a high blood pressure state.

For example, the check unit 210 checks the normal blood pressure if the blood pressure value belongs to the normal section, and if the blood pressure value is out of the set normal section, checks the patient as a hypotensive state, and the blood pressure value exceeds the normal section Beyond the year, the patient can be identified as hypertensive.

Also, when the patient is identified as having hypertension, the identification unit 220 identifies a section to which the patient's blood pressure value belongs when the blood pressure range exceeding the normal section is divided into a plurality of sections according to the severity of hypertension, and the corresponding section can identify the stimulation pattern (intensity and time, number of repetitions, etc.) of the electrical stimulation to be performed on the patient.

According to an embodiment, the wearable device 200 for managing blood pressure may further include an adjustment unit 250 .

The adjustment unit 250 considers the side effects of the patient's taking the blood pressure medication, the patient's underlying disease, and patient information on at least one of the patient's age range and personal preference, the intensity, time, and number of repetitions included in the first stimulation pattern. Adjust at least one of

For example, the adjustment unit 250 is the patient's medical history, family history, genetic history, etc., or if there are side effects such as headache, hot flushes, hyperlipidemia, hypokalemia, etc. caused by taking blood pressure medication for a long time, the blood pressure of general high blood pressure patients. In order to prevent the electrical stimulation for lowering blood pressure from adversely affecting the patient's health, by adjusting at least one of the intensity, time, and number of repetitions of the first stimulation pattern defined in the interval (severity) to which the value belongs, by a certain value. You can take action in advance.

In addition, in consideration of the age of the patient, if the patient is 'the elderly', the adjustment unit 250 sets at least one of the intensity, time, and number of repetitions of the first stimulation pattern so that electrical stimulation for lowering blood pressure does not feel burdensome. Adjustment to decrease statically may be performed, and if the patient is a 'young adult', adjustment to increase at least one of the intensity, time, and number of repetitions of the first stimulation pattern may be performed by a constant value.

In addition, if the stimulation pattern evaluated well by the patient in the past has been recorded, the adjustment unit 250 sets at least one of the intensity, time, and number of repetitions that the first stimulation pattern standard specifies in consideration of the patient's personal preference, It can also be adjusted to be the same as the intensity, duration, and number of repetitions of past stimulation patterns.

Accordingly, according to the present invention, the step of adjusting in consideration of the patient's health condition, age group, and preference without applying the stimulation pattern (strength and time of electrical stimulation, number of repetitions) according to the section (severity) to which the blood pressure value belongs as it is. By roughing it, it is possible to perform patient-specific electrical stimulation.

The controller 230 controls the electrode module 280 attached to the acupoint on the patient's skin according to the first stimulation pattern to perform electrical stimulation for lowering blood pressure.

For example, the electrode module 280 may be attached to 'internal blood vessel (PC6)' or 'new blood vessel', which is an acupoint close to the median nerve inside the wrist, among acupoints near the patient's wrist.

Accordingly, the control unit 230 performs transdermal median nerve stimulation (TMNS) so that the electrical stimulation (electrical signal) generated from the electrode module 280 is transmitted to the median nerve inside the patient's wrist. can

In this case, the electrode module 280 may include a reference electrode and an active electrode disposed to be spaced apart from the reference electrode by a predetermined distance (eg, '4 cm').

Accordingly, the controller 230 supplies power of a frequency (eg, '10 Hz') set in consideration of the inter-electrode spacing (about '4 cm') to the electrode module 280, thereby providing a reference electrode inside the electrode module 280. By means of the hyperactive electrode, it is possible to generate an electrical stimulation optimized for the patient's blood pressure drop.

The confirmation unit 210 re-measures the patient's blood pressure value through the sensor module 260 (eg, 'blood pressure sensor') during the time (eg, '30 seconds') during which the electrical stimulation is performed, and is re-measured. It can be checked whether the blood pressure value belongs to the normal range.

If the re-measured blood pressure value does not belong to the normal section, the adjusting unit 250 may adjust to the second stimulation pattern by increasing at least one of the intensity, time, and number of repetitions included in the first stimulation pattern by a predetermined value. The control unit 230 may increase the intensity of the electrical stimulation or increase the time or the number of repetitions according to the adjusted second stimulation pattern to be performed again.

As described above, according to the present invention, even while the electrical stimulation is being performed, by continuously monitoring whether the electrical stimulation has an effect on the patient's blood pressure lowering and changing the strength, time, and number of repetitions of the electrical stimulation, the measurement is performed before the electrical stimulation is performed. It is possible to increase the effect of lowering blood pressure compared to when the electric stimulation is fixed according to the blood pressure value, and to give feedback stimulation by changing it according to the changing state of the patient.

When the re-measured blood pressure value falls within the normal section while the electrical stimulation according to the second stimulation pattern is being performed, the control unit 230 may terminate the electrical stimulation while generating a sound effect informing of a drop in blood pressure.

When the electrical stimulation is finished, the control unit 230 generates the blood pressure management history information including the second stimulation pattern and the acupoint ('internal blood' or 'new blood') where the electrical stimulation was performed, and the memory unit ( 240) can be recorded.

Accordingly, when electrical stimulation for lowering blood pressure is performed on the patient next time, the identification unit 220 identifies, from the history information in the memory unit 240 , a second stimulation pattern having a blood pressure lowering effect on the patient. be able to do

After the electrical stimulation for a predetermined time period (eg, '30 seconds') is terminated, the check unit 210 determines whether the blood pressure drops according to the section to which the blood pressure value re-measured from the patient belongs, and the control unit 230 History information including whether blood pressure is lowered according to the first stimulation pattern (whether there is a blood pressure lowering effect) may be recorded in the memory unit 240 .

For example, even if the re-measured blood pressure value is not lowered to the normal section, the check unit 210 may determine that the blood pressure lowering effect of the patient is effective if the blood pressure value is lower than the blood pressure value before the electrical stimulation. and belongs to a section equal to or higher than the blood pressure value before the electrical stimulation, it can be determined that there is no effect in lowering the blood pressure of the patient. The control unit 230 records the blood pressure management history, including the presence or absence of such a blood pressure lowering effect, so that when electrical stimulation is subsequently performed on the patient, a stimulation pattern that has no blood pressure lowering effect on the patient can be easily excluded, and Electrical stimulation centered on the stimulation pattern that had a blood pressure lowering effect on the patient can be performed.

The control unit 230 is an operation server connected through the communication module 290, and periodically transmits the patient's history information, receives information about the stimulation pattern updated according to the history information from the operation server, and receives the memory unit ( 240) can be updated.

Here, the operation server updates and distributes the algorithm necessary for the operation of the wearable device 200 for blood pressure management according to the blood pressure management history information periodically collected from the wearable device 200 for blood pressure management of the present invention. can

Prior to the implementation of the present invention, in the memory unit 240 in the manufacturing process of the wearable device 200 for managing blood pressure of the present invention, the stimulation pattern of the electrical stimulation standardized in the section (severity) to which the patient's blood pressure value belongs, that is, the electrical stimulation Algorithms used to identify the strength and time, number of repetitions, etc. of

The operation server updates the algorithm to manage blood pressure based on a stimulation pattern having a blood pressure lowering effect or a stimulation pattern well-rated by the patient among the history information of blood pressure management of a patient collected by the wearable device 200 for blood pressure management It may be distributed to the wearable device 200 for blood pressure management, or a stimulation pattern modified according to an updated algorithm may be distributed to the wearable device 200 for blood pressure management.

According to an embodiment, the wearable device 200 for managing blood pressure may perform electrical stimulation for stress relief as well as blood pressure management based on biometric information.

In general, in the case of patients taking blood pressure medications for a long time, it has been reported that side effects from taking at least one blood pressure medication among headache, hot flashes, hyperlipidemia, and hypokalemia occur. A number of uncontrolled patients have been identified. Therefore, in addition to blood pressure management of hypertensive patients, it is necessary to perform electrical stimulation for stress control.

For example, when a side effect according to taking at least one blood pressure medication among headache, hot flushes, hyperlipidemia, and hypokalemia is input by a patient wearing the wearable device 200 for blood pressure management, the identification unit 220 is a memory unit ( 240), the second stimulation pattern corresponding to the input side effect is identified, and the controller 230 may further perform electrical stimulation for alleviating the input side effect according to the second stimulation pattern.

To this end, the operation server empirically acquires the second stimulation pattern, which has the effect of reducing the side effects, through the feedback of a plurality of patients who have performed electrical stimulation in the past, and stores an algorithm for designating an appropriate second stimulation pattern for each side effect in the memory unit. It can be built into the 240, and can then be updated based on the collected history information.

As another embodiment, the wearable device for managing blood pressure of the present invention may include a band unit, a sensor unit, a display unit, an electrode unit, and a control unit.

The band unit is configured to wrap the patient's wrist. For example, the band unit may be implemented as a wrist band. The sensor unit is connected to the band unit to measure a blood pressure value from the wrist of the patient. The display unit functions to display the blood pressure value measured outside the band unit. The electrode unit is attached to the acupoint (eg, 'internal blood' or 'new blood') on the patient's skin associated with the median nerve. The control unit performs transdermal median nerve stimulation (TMNS) according to the measured blood pressure value through the electrode unit.

In another embodiment, the wearable device for managing blood pressure of the present invention may include a monitoring unit and an electrical stimulation unit.

The monitoring unit, by attaching a band-type or detachable type device to the wrist, functions to monitor the patient's blood pressure and the stress index using the R-R interval.

The electrical stimulation unit functions to stabilize stress and blood pressure by performing electrical stimulation around 'new blood pressure' and 'internal blood pressure' when the stress index and blood pressure are out of the normal range.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to manufacture and provide a wearable device capable of maximizing the blood pressure lowering effect by performing patient-customized electrical stimulation, and enabling more active blood pressure measurement/management through real-time monitoring and feedback stimulation.

In addition, according to the present invention, electrical stimulation for stress relief is further performed, thereby minimizing various side effects such as headache, hot flashes, hyperlipidemia, and hypokalemia due to long-term blood pressure medication, and at the same time contributing to blood pressure control.

In addition, according to the present invention, the transdermal median nerve stimulation (TMNS) is manufactured in a form that wraps around the patient's wrist, and through an electrode attached to an acupuncture point ('internal blood vessel' or 'shinsunhyeol') close to the median nerve inside the wrist. By doing this, the blood pressure lowering effect can be maximized.

In addition, according to the present invention, a wearable device for blood pressure management that can perform electrical stimulation optimized to lower blood pressure in consideration of the relationship between the electrode spacing ('4 cm') and the frequency of the power supply ('10 Hz') can be designed. can

3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a process of real-time blood pressure monitoring and blood pressure management in a wearable device for blood pressure management according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3A , the wearable device 310 for managing blood pressure is worn to wrap the wrist of the high blood pressure patient 300 , and measures biometric information in real time ( 311 ).

As the biometric information, in addition to the blood pressure value, the pulse rate, heart rate variability, body temperature, and stress index may be exemplified. The stress index may indicate stress due to at least one side effect of a headache, hot flashes, hyperlipidemia, and hypokalemia, which may occur as the hypertensive patient 300 takes a blood pressure medication for a long time.

The wearable device 310 for managing blood pressure may identify a stimulation pattern corresponding to the measured blood pressure value, and control an electrode attached to an acupoint near the wrist of the hypertensive patient 300 to perform electrical stimulation (312). ).

Referring to Figure 3 (b), the electrode may be attached to the 'internal blood' or 'new blood' 320, which is an acupoint located just above the median nerve inside the patient's wrist, and the electrode When power of a frequency set to is supplied, an electrical signal generated from the electrode is transmitted to the median nerve inside the wrist, so that electrical stimulation can be performed.

The wearable device 310 for managing blood pressure can effectively improve blood flow in the hypertensive patient 300 by the above-described transdermal median nerve stimulation (TMNS), thereby lowering blood pressure and controlling stress caused by taking a blood pressure medication.

The wearable device for blood pressure management uses the Wrist BP monitor unit to monitor the patient's bio-information (blood pressure value/stress index) in real time, Electrical stimulation can be applied to lower blood pressure and relieve stress.

The wrist BP monitor unit includes a sensor module that measures at least one of a patient's blood pressure value, pulse rate, heart rate variability, body temperature, and stress index, and a display module that displays and informs the measured biometric information. may be included.

The transdermal median nerve stimulation (TMNS) unit supplies power to a reference electrode and an active electrode on an electrode pad when blood pressure management/stress management is required according to the biometric information, Transdermal median nerve stimulation (TMNS), which transmits the generated electrical signal to the median nerve inside the patient's wrist, can be performed.

At this time, the reference electrode and the active electrode are spaced apart at a certain interval (eg, '4 cm') and placed on the electrode pad, and are optimized for blood pressure management and stress management by supplying power at a set frequency (eg, '10 Hz'). Electrical signals (electrical stimulation) can be generated.

4 is a diagram illustrating a blood pressure drop in response to electrical stimulation of 'internal blood pressure' in the wearable device for blood pressure management according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4 , the wearable device for blood pressure management uses a frequency (eg, '10Hz') set by a plurality of electrodes attached to 'internal blood vessels' (PC6) close to the median nerve among acupoints near the patient's wrist. Transdermal median nerve stimulation (TMNS) can be performed by supplying power so that electrical signals generated from the plurality of electrodes are sufficiently transmitted to the median nerve inside the wrist.

The plurality of electrodes are spaced apart at regular intervals (eg, '4 cm') as shown, and the wearable device for blood pressure management transmits power of a frequency (eg, '10 Hz') corresponding to the interval to the plurality of electrodes. By supplying the electrodes, it is possible to generate electrical stimulation (TMNS) optimized for blood pressure management and stress control.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a wearable device for managing blood pressure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The operating method of the wearable device for blood pressure management according to the present embodiment may be performed by the aforementioned wearable device for blood pressure management 200 .

Referring to FIG. 5 , in step 510 , the wearable device 200 for managing blood pressure measures a blood pressure value from a patient.

The wearable device 200 for blood pressure management measures, through an integrated sensor module, not only the patient's blood pressure value, but also biometric information including pulse rate, heart rate variability, body temperature and stress index, and uses the measured biometric information for blood pressure management. It may be displayed and notified on a display module provided outside of the wearable device 200 .

Here, the stress index may be a numerical representation of stress caused by at least one side effect of a headache, hot flashes, hyperlipidemia, and hypokalemia, which may occur as a patient takes a blood pressure medication for a long period of time.

In steps 520 and 530 , the wearable device 200 for managing blood pressure determines whether the blood pressure state of the patient according to the measured blood pressure value is the hypertension state.

The wearable device 200 for managing blood pressure may accurately check the blood pressure state of the patient according to the biometric information measured in real time.

For example, the wearable device 200 for managing blood pressure determines the normal blood pressure when the blood pressure value is in the normal section, and identifies the hypotensive state when the blood pressure value is out of the set normal section, and the blood pressure value is in the normal section. Excessive deviation can be identified as high blood pressure.

When the hypertension state is confirmed, in steps 540 and 550 , the wearable device 200 for managing blood pressure identifies a stimulation pattern corresponding to a section to which the blood pressure value belongs, and controls the electrode module according to the identified stimulation pattern to lower blood pressure. Conduct electrical stimulation for

For example, the wearable device for blood pressure management 200 identifies a section to which the patient's blood pressure value belongs when the blood pressure range exceeding the normal section is divided into a plurality of sections according to the severity of hypertension, and is performed on the patient in the section It is possible to identify the stimulation pattern (intensity and time, number of repetitions, etc.) of the electrical stimulation to be performed.

The wearable device 200 for blood pressure management controls an electrode module attached to 'internal blood vessel blood' (PC6), which is an acupuncture point close to the median nerve inside the patient's wrist, and generates electrical stimulation ( Transdermal median nerve stimulation (TMNS) can be performed so that the electrical signal) is transmitted to the median nerve inside the patient's wrist.

At this time, the wearable device 200 for managing blood pressure considers the interval (about '4 cm') between the reference electrode and the active electrode included in the electrode module, and may supply power at a set frequency (eg, '10 Hz') to the electrode module. In addition, in consideration of the frequency (eg, '10 Hz') of power that can be supplied to the electrode module, the distance between the reference electrode and the active electrode may be approximately '4 cm'. Accordingly, according to the present invention, in consideration of the relationship between the inter-electrode spacing ('4 cm') and the frequency ('10 Hz') of the supplied power, it is possible to perform electrical stimulation optimized to lower blood pressure.

In operation 560, the wearable device 200 for managing blood pressure adjusts the intensity, time, and repetition number of the stimulation pattern based on the blood pressure value re-measured as the electrical stimulation is performed.

For example, when the re-measured blood pressure value does not belong to a normal section, the wearable device 200 for managing blood pressure increases at least one of the intensity, time, and number of repetitions included in the first stimulation pattern by a predetermined value to the second stimulation pattern. Accordingly, it can be performed again by increasing the intensity of the electrical stimulation or increasing the time or the number of repetitions.

As described above, according to the present invention, by continuously monitoring whether the electrical stimulation has an effect on the patient's blood pressure lowering and changing the intensity, time, and number of repetitions of the electrical stimulation, the blood pressure lowering effect can be increased, and the patient's changing state can be improved. It can give a changed feedback stimulus accordingly.

The method according to the embodiment may be implemented in the form of program instructions that can be executed through various computer means and recorded in a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc. alone or in combination. The program instructions recorded on the medium may be specially designed and configured for the embodiment, or may be known and available to those skilled in the art of computer software. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks and magnetic tapes, optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, and magnetic such as floppy disks. - includes magneto-optical media, and hardware devices specially configured to store and execute program instructions, such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. Examples of program instructions include not only machine language codes such as those generated by a compiler, but also high-level language codes that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. The hardware devices described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the embodiments, and vice versa.

Software may comprise a computer program, code, instructions, or a combination of one or more of these, which configures a processing device to operate as desired or is independently or collectively processed You can command the device. The software and/or data may be any kind of machine, component, physical device, virtual equipment, computer storage medium or device, to be interpreted by or to provide instructions or data to the processing device. , or may be permanently or temporarily embody in a transmitted signal wave. The software may be distributed over networked computer systems and stored or executed in a distributed manner. Software and data may be stored in one or more computer-readable recording media.

As described above, although the embodiments have been described with reference to the limited drawings, those skilled in the art may apply various technical modifications and variations based on the above. For example, the described techniques are performed in an order different from the described method, and/or the described components of the system, structure, apparatus, circuit, etc. are combined or combined in a different form than the described method, or other components Or substituted or substituted by equivalents may achieve an appropriate result.

Therefore, other implementations, other embodiments, and equivalents to the claims are also within the scope of the following claims.

200: wearable device for blood pressure management
210: confirmation unit
220: identification unit
230: control unit
240: memory unit
250: adjustment unit
260: sensor module
270: display module
280: electrode module
290: communication module

Claims (18)

checking the blood pressure state of the patient according to the blood pressure value measured from the patient;
identifying, from a memory unit, a first stimulation pattern corresponding to a section to which the blood pressure value belongs when it is confirmed that the patient is in a hypertensive state;
performing electrical stimulation for lowering blood pressure by controlling an electrode module attached to an acupoint on the patient's skin according to the first stimulation pattern;
re-measuring the blood pressure value from the patient through a sensor module while the electrical stimulation is performed; and
If the re-measured blood pressure value does not fall within the normal range,
adjusting to a second stimulation pattern by increasing at least one of the intensity, time, and number of repetitions included in the first stimulation pattern by a constant value;
A method of operating a wearable device for blood pressure management comprising a. According to claim 1,
At least one of intensity, time, and number of repetitions included in the first stimulation pattern, in consideration of the side effects of the patient's taking the blood pressure medication, the patient's underlying disease, and patient information on at least one of the patient's age group and preference step to adjust
A method of operating a wearable device for blood pressure management further comprising a. According to claim 1,
When a side effect of taking at least one blood pressure drug among headache, hot flashes, hyperlipidemia, and hypokalemia is input by the patient,
identifying, from the memory unit, a third stimulation pattern corresponding to the input side effect; and
Further performing electrical stimulation for alleviation of the input side effect according to the third stimulation pattern
A method of operating a wearable device for blood pressure management further comprising a. According to claim 1,
When the electrode module is attached to 'internal blood' or 'new blood' among acupoints near the patient's wrist,
The step of performing the electrical stimulation,
performing transdermal median nerve stimulation (TMNS) so that the electrical stimulation generated from the electrode module is transmitted to the median nerve inside the wrist of the patient
A method of operating a wearable device for blood pressure management comprising a. According to claim 1,
The electrode module includes a reference electrode and an active electrode disposed to be spaced apart from the reference electrode by a predetermined distance,
supplying power of a frequency set in consideration of the inter-electrode spacing to the electrode module so as to generate an electrical stimulation optimized for the patient's blood pressure drop from the electrode module
A method of operating a wearable device for blood pressure management further comprising a. delete According to claim 1,
When the re-measured blood pressure value falls within the normal section while the electrical stimulation according to the second stimulation pattern is performed,
terminating the electrical stimulation while generating a sound effect indicating a drop in blood pressure;
when the electrical stimulation is finished, generating history information including the second stimulation pattern and acupuncture points where the electrical stimulation was performed, and recording it in the memory unit; and
When electrical stimulation for lowering blood pressure is performed on the patient next time,
identifying the second stimulation pattern from the history information in the memory unit
A method of operating a wearable device for blood pressure management further comprising a. According to claim 1,
determining whether the blood pressure drops according to a section to which the blood pressure value re-measured from the patient belongs after the electrical stimulation for a predetermined time is terminated;
recording history information including whether the blood pressure has dropped in the memory unit; and
Receiving information about a stimulation pattern updated according to the history information from an operation server that periodically collects the history information of the patient, and updating the memory unit
A method of operating a wearable device for blood pressure management further comprising a. a check unit configured to check the blood pressure state of the patient according to the blood pressure value measured from the patient;
an identification unit that identifies, from a memory unit, a first stimulation pattern corresponding to a section to which the blood pressure value belongs, when the patient is identified as having hypertension;
a control unit for controlling an electrode module attached to an acupoint on the patient's skin according to the first stimulation pattern to perform electrical stimulation for lowering blood pressure; and
When the blood pressure value re-measured from the patient through the sensor module while the electrical stimulation is performed does not belong to the normal section,
Adjustment unit for adjusting to the second stimulation pattern by increasing at least one of the intensity, time, and number of repetitions included in the first stimulation pattern by a predetermined value
A wearable device for blood pressure management comprising a. 10. The method of claim 9,
The adjustment unit,
At least one of intensity, time, and number of repetitions included in the first stimulation pattern, in consideration of the side effects of the patient's taking the blood pressure medication, the patient's underlying disease, and patient information on at least one of the patient's age group and preference to adjust
A wearable device for blood pressure management. 10. The method of claim 9,
When a side effect of taking at least one blood pressure drug among headache, hot flashes, hyperlipidemia, and hypokalemia is input by the patient,
The identification unit,
Identifies a third stimulation pattern corresponding to the input side effect from the memory unit,
The control unit is
According to the third stimulation pattern, further performing electrical stimulation for alleviation of the input side effects
A wearable device for blood pressure management. 10. The method of claim 9,
When the electrode module is attached to 'internal blood' or 'new blood' among acupoints near the patient's wrist,
The control unit is
Transdermal median nerve stimulation (TMNS) so that the electrical stimulation generated from the electrode module is transmitted to the median nerve inside the wrist of the patient
A wearable device for blood pressure management. 10. The method of claim 9,
The electrode module includes a reference electrode and an active electrode disposed to be spaced apart from the reference electrode by a predetermined distance,
The control unit is
In order to generate electrical stimulation optimized for the patient's blood pressure drop from the electrode module, power of a frequency set in consideration of the interval between electrodes is supplied to the electrode module
A wearable device for blood pressure management. delete 10. The method of claim 9,
When the re-measured blood pressure value belongs to the normal section while the electrical stimulation according to the second stimulation pattern is performed,
The control unit is
Ending the electrical stimulation while generating a sound effect notifying a drop in blood pressure,
When the electrical stimulation is finished, the second stimulation pattern and the history information including the acupoints where the electrical stimulation was performed is generated and recorded in the memory unit,
When electrical stimulation for lowering blood pressure is performed on the patient next time,
The identification unit,
identifying the second stimulation pattern from the history information in the memory unit
A wearable device for blood pressure management. 10. The method of claim 9,
The control unit is
After the electrical stimulation for a predetermined time is terminated, it is determined whether the blood pressure is lowered according to a section to which the blood pressure value re-measured from the patient belongs,
Recording history information, including whether the blood pressure has dropped, in the memory unit,
Receiving information about a stimulation pattern updated according to the history information from an operation server that periodically collects the history information of the patient, and updating the memory unit
A wearable device for blood pressure management. a band portion configured to wrap the patient's wrist;
a sensor unit connected to the band unit to measure a blood pressure value from the patient's wrist;
a display unit outside the band unit for displaying the measured blood pressure value;
an electrode part attached to the acupoint on the patient's skin associated with the median nerve; and
A control unit for performing transdermal median nerve stimulation (TMNS) according to the measured blood pressure value through the electrode unit
including,
When it is confirmed that the patient is in a hypertensive state according to the measured blood pressure value,
The control unit is
The first stimulation pattern corresponding to the section to which the measured blood pressure value belongs is identified from the memory unit, and the electrode unit is controlled according to the first stimulation pattern to perform the transdermal median nerve stimulation (TMNS) for lowering blood pressure. do,
When the blood pressure value re-measured from the patient through the sensor unit does not belong to the normal section while the transdermal median nerve stimulation (TMNS) is being performed,
Adjusting to the second stimulation pattern by increasing at least one of the intensity, time, and number of repetitions included in the first stimulation pattern by a certain value
A wearable device for blood pressure management. delete

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