KR20100137092A - A method and apparatus of diagnosing osteoporosis using rays - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A method and an apparatus of diagnosing an osteoporosis using rays are provided to estimate the bone density by using DC signal components corresponding to at least two optical signals. CONSTITUTION: At least two lights having different wavelength is projected on the specific region of a body(S100). The light passed through the specific region is converted into an electrical signal(S200). DC signal components corresponding to at least two optical signals having different wavelength is extracted by using the conversion electrical signals(S300). A bone density is extracted by using extracted DC components(S400). The extent of the osteoporosis is diagnosed based on the extracted bone density(S500).

Description

Method and apparatus for measuring osteoporosis using light {A METHOD AND APPARATUS OF DIAGNOSING OSTEOPOROSIS USING RAYS}

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for measuring osteoporosis, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for measuring osteoporosis using light.

With the advent of an aging society, the interest in the health of the elderly is particularly high. Particularly in the elderly, as the age of the bone density gradually decreases, osteoporosis occurs frequently in which a hole is formed in the bone. Osteoporosis can have very serious consequences, such as broken bones and broken bones that are not easily joined by a small impact. Frequent fractures due to osteoporosis are the spine, thighs, wrists, etc. In older people, fractures in these areas can be life threatening. In fact, osteoporosis is increasingly a social problem, with an estimated 2 million people suffering from osteoporosis in Korea alone. Osteoporosis cannot be returned to its normal state once it develops, but it is necessary to periodically diagnose osteoporosis because it can be sufficiently prevented by early detection of a drop in bone density.

Currently, osteoporosis is diagnosed using a bone density measuring device using X-ray or ultrasound, but these bone density measuring devices are expensive and have a problem of being difficult to measure easily at home or easily applied to healthcare equipment because of their large equipment. In order to solve this problem, there is a need to develop a method and apparatus for measuring osteoporosis in a different manner from the conventional method. In the case of the oxygen saturation measuring sensor, which is one of the diagnostic devices using the light which is widely used, for each electric signal corresponding to at least two or more lights having different wavelengths transmitted through a specific part of the body, AC component and The ratio of DC component is calculated | required, and oxygen saturation degree is computed using these ratio. At this time, the DC component of the electrical signals corresponding to the transmitted light having a different wavelength, is an index indicating the absorbance by bone, fat, muscle, skin keratin of a specific body part, absorbance according to the wavelength of the input light Because of the difference, the size of the DC component is also different. In particular, from the physical point of view, light having a short wavelength is difficult to penetrate a relatively dense material such as bone, while light having a long wavelength can penetrate all parts of the body. In addition, it is expected that bone density may be estimated by using DC components of electrical signals corresponding to at least two or more lights having different wavelengths, and thus there is a need for developing a method and apparatus for measuring osteoporosis using light.

The present invention has been proposed to solve the above problems, and estimates the bone density by using the DC components of the electrical signal corresponding to at least two or more lights having different wavelengths irradiated to a specific part of the body, and estimated By comparing bone mineral density with a predetermined osteoporosis judgment reference value, the prognosis of osteoporosis is determined, and light osteoporosis can be used to diagnose the prognosis of osteoporosis at low cost without using an expensive bone density measuring device using conventional X-ray or ultrasound. It aims at providing the measuring method and apparatus.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for measuring osteoporosis using light that can be applied to healthcare equipment to easily diagnose the prognosis of osteoporosis in the home or other places.

Osteoporosis measurement method using light according to the characteristics of the present invention for achieving the above object,

(1) irradiating at least two or more lights having different wavelengths to a specific part of the body;

(2) receiving light transmitted through a specific part of the body and converting the light into an electrical signal;

(3) extracting DC components of electrical signals corresponding to at least two or more lights having different wavelengths using the converted electrical signals;

(4) deriving bone density using the extracted DC components; And

(5) On the basis of the derived bone density, characterized in that it comprises the step of diagnosing the degree and degree of osteoporosis.

Preferably, in step (4), to derive bone density,

Obtaining a difference between a DC component of an electrical signal corresponding to light having a relatively long wavelength and a DC component of an electrical signal corresponding to light having a relatively short wavelength; And estimating bone density using the obtained difference of DC components.

More preferably, in order to estimate the bone density, a T-score or Z-score method may be used.

Preferably, in step (5), it is possible to diagnose whether or not osteoporosis by comparing the derived bone density with a predetermined osteoporosis determination reference value.

Osteoporosis measuring apparatus using light according to another feature of the present invention for achieving the above object,

(1) a light irradiation module for irradiating a specific part of the body with at least two or more lights having different wavelengths;

(2) a light detection module that receives the light transmitted through a specific part of the body and converts the light into an electrical signal;

(3) a signal separation module for separating electrical signals corresponding to at least two or more lights having different wavelengths from the converted electrical signal and extracting a DC component of the separated electrical signals; And

(4) comprising a osteoporosis diagnostic module for estimating bone density using the extracted DC components and diagnosing whether or not osteoporosis based on the estimated bone density.

Preferably, (5) may further include a display module for displaying the diagnosis and degree of osteoporosis.

Preferably, (6) an order of irradiating at least two or more lights having different wavelengths in the light irradiation module, and an electrical signal corresponding to at least two or more lights having different wavelengths in the signal separation module It may further include a timing control module for controlling the order of separating them.

Preferably, the light irradiation module,

At least one light emitting means for irradiating at least two or more lights having different wavelengths; And a light emitting means controller for controlling the light emitting means.

Preferably, the optical detection module,

A photo detector which receives the light transmitted through the specific part of the body and converts the light into a current; And

It may include a current-voltage converter for converting the current generated by the photo detector into a voltage.

Preferably, the signal separation module,

An electrical signal separator configured to separate electrical signal components corresponding to at least two or more lights having different wavelengths from the electrical signal input from the optical detection module; And

It may include a DC component extraction unit for extracting the DC component of the separated electrical signals.

Preferably, the osteoporosis diagnostic module,

A bone density estimator for estimating bone density using a difference between DC components of the obtained electrical signals; And

On the basis of the estimated bone density, it may include an osteoporosis determination unit for determining whether or not osteoporosis.

According to the method and apparatus for measuring osteoporosis using light of the present invention, bone density is estimated by using DC components of an electrical signal corresponding to at least two or more lights having different wavelengths irradiated to a specific part of the body, and estimated bone density By determining the osteoporosis prognosis by comparing with a predetermined osteoporosis judgment reference value, it becomes possible to diagnose the prognosis of osteoporosis at low cost without using an expensive bone density measuring apparatus using a conventional X-ray or ultrasound.

In addition, considering that the oxygen saturation measurement sensor, which is one of the diagnostic devices using light, can measure oxygen saturation and pulse rate of a patient while having a small volume, the osteoporosis measuring device using light also implements a small volume of healthcare. When applied to equipment, it is expected that the prognosis of osteoporosis can be easily diagnosed at home or in other places.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a block diagram of an apparatus for measuring osteoporosis using light according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the osteoporosis measurement apparatus 10 using light includes a light irradiation module 100, a light detection module 200, a signal separation module 300, an oxygen saturation measurement module 400, and osteoporosis. It is configured to include a diagnostic module 500, and may further include a display module 600 and the timing control module 700.

The light irradiation module 100 is a module for irradiating at least two or more lights having different wavelengths to a specific part of the body, and at least one light emitting means for irradiating at least two or more lights having different wavelengths ( 110, and a light emitting means controller 120 for controlling the light emitting means 110. Part of the body where light can be irradiated may include a finger, wrist, ankle, forehead, and the like. In addition, the light emitting unit 110 may be implemented as a light emitting diode, a laser diode, or the like.

The light detection module 200 is a module that receives light transmitted through a specific part of the body and converts it into an electrical signal. The light detector 210 receives light transmitted through a specific part of the body and converts it into a current. And a current-voltage converter 220 for converting a current generated by the photo detector 210 into a voltage.

The signal separation module 300 separates electrical signal components corresponding to at least two or more lights having different wavelengths from the electrical signal input from the optical detection module 200, and separates AC and AC of each of the separated electrical signal components. A module for extracting a DC component, the electrical signal separation unit 310 for separating the electrical signal components corresponding to at least two or more light having a different wavelength from the electrical signal input from the optical detection module 200, separated The AC component extractor 320 extracts the AC component of each of the electrical signals, and the DC component extractor 330 extracts the DC component of each of the separated electrical signals.

Oxygen saturation measurement module 400, by using the AC component and DC components of the electrical signals corresponding to the light having a different wavelength input from the AC component extraction unit 320 and the DC component extraction unit 330, Is a module for calculating the ratio, using a known oxygen saturation measurement algorithm such as Beer-Lambert Law, etc., a ratio calculator 410 for calculating a numerical value representing an approximate oxygen saturation degree, and an oxygen saturation degree for correcting the calculated oxygen saturation degree. The correction lookup table 420 may be configured. The reason why the oxygen saturation correction lookup table 420 is needed will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 2.

Osteoporosis diagnostic module 500, a module for diagnosing and whether osteoporosis by using the DC components of the electrical signals corresponding to at least two or more lights having different wavelengths input from the DC component extraction unit 330, Two light may be selected from at least two lights, and the DC component of the electrical signal corresponding to the light having a relatively long wavelength and the DC component of the electrical signal corresponding to the light having a short wavelength among the two selected lights. Using the difference, the bone density estimation unit 510 may be configured to estimate the bone density, and the osteoporosis determination unit 520 to determine the degree and degree of osteoporosis by comparing the estimated bone density with a predetermined osteoporosis determination reference value.

The display module 600 is a module for displaying a diagnosis and degree of diagnosed osteoporosis so that a user can check it, and may use a liquid crystal display (LCD) or the like. Of course, the display target is not limited to the osteoporosis diagnosis result, and for example, the oxygen saturation degree calculated by the oxygen saturation measurement module 400 may also be displayed.

The timing control module 700 controls the order and conduction time of irradiating at least two or more lights having different wavelengths in the light irradiation module 100, and at least two having different wavelengths in the signal separation module 300. A module that controls the switching order and time for separating electrical signals corresponding to one or more lights.

2 is a diagram comparing the oxygen saturation level (Empirical Calibration) obtained by actually measuring a specific patient and the oxygen saturation level (Beer-Lambert Model) calculated using the Beer-Lambert Law. As shown in FIG. 2, when Beer-Lambert Law is used, R, an index indicating oxygen saturation, is obtained, and an oxygen saturation value for a specific R is predetermined. However, the actual oxygen saturation level is quite different from the oxygen saturation value obtained by Beer-Lambert Law, because the existing oxygen saturation algorithms such as Beer-Lambert Law simplify the various scattering effects caused by red blood cells. This is because the degree of oxygen saturation is calculated. Therefore, we first apply an oxygen saturation measurement algorithm to find a value that can represent an approximate oxygen saturation level, and then use this value as an index of the lookup table. The method of measuring oxygen saturation is generally used by viewing a lookup table in which a corrected oxygen saturation value is stored.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for measuring osteoporosis using light according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 3, osteoporosis measuring method using light according to an embodiment of the present invention, the step of irradiating at least two or more lights having a different wavelength to a specific part of the body (S100), the specific body Receiving the light transmitted through the portion and converting the light into an electrical signal (S200), extracting DC components of the electrical signals corresponding to at least two or more lights having different wavelengths by using the converted electrical signal ( S300), deriving bone density using the extracted DC components (S400), and diagnosing osteoporosis whether or not based on the derived bone density (S500).

In step S100, at least one or more light emitting means are sequentially conducted to irradiate a specific part of the body with at least two or more lights having different wavelengths.

In step S200, the light transmitted through a specific part of the body is received and converted into an electrical signal. The electrical signals corresponding to the lights transmitted through a specific part of the body are changed as the DC component determined by the amount of light absorbed without change over time and the amount of blood passing through the arteries and arteries by the heartbeat. It consists of an AC component that is determined by the amount of light absorbed, and in general, the size of the AC component is very small compared to the size of the DC component.

In operation S300, DC components of electrical signals corresponding to at least two or more lights having different wavelengths are extracted. The DC component is an indicator of absorbance by bones, fats, muscles, and keratin of specific body parts. Since the absorbance varies depending on the wavelength of the input light, the size of the DC component is also changed. In addition, since light having a short wavelength is generally difficult to pass through a dense material such as bone, and light having a long wavelength can transmit all parts, in order to estimate bone density using these physical properties, DC components of electrical signals corresponding to lights having different wavelengths are extracted.

In step S400, bone density is derived using the extracted DC components. To this end, two lights may be selected from at least two lights having different wavelengths, and bone density may be derived by using a difference of DC components of an electrical signal corresponding to the selected two lights. A detailed method of deriving bone density using the DC components extracted in step S300 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 4.

In step S500, based on the derived bone density, it is diagnosed whether or not osteoporosis. By comparing the bone density value derived through the step S400 with a predetermined osteoporosis determination reference value, it is possible to diagnose whether or not osteoporosis.

4 is a detailed flowchart of step S400 of the osteoporosis measuring method using light according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, step S400 is a step of obtaining a difference between a DC component of an electrical signal corresponding to light having a relatively long wavelength and a DC component of an electrical signal corresponding to light having a relatively short wavelength (S410). And estimating bone density using the obtained difference of DC components (S420).

In step S410, the difference between the DC component of the electrical signal corresponding to the light having a relatively long wavelength and the DC component of the electrical signal corresponding to the light having a relatively short wavelength is obtained and used as basic information for estimating bone density. .

In step S420, the bone density is estimated using the difference of the DC components obtained in step S410. Conventional bone density estimation method uses X-ray or ultrasound to take measurements of specific parts of the body and estimates bone density by applying T-score or Z-score. T-scores and Z-scores can be expressed as in Equations 1 and 2 below.

As can be seen from Equation 1, the T-score is an index indicating how the measurement of a particular body part is compared to the measurement of the same body part of a young group, for example, a healthy adult. Also, as can be seen from Equation 2, the Z-score is an index indicating how the measurement of a particular body part is compared to the theoretical normal measurement of the same group for the same body part. Recently, T-score has been widely used in clinical practice to evaluate the risk of fracture. Using a T-score or a Z-score yields an estimate of bone density for the measured value, and compares this value with a pre-determined osteoporosis criteria to determine whether or not osteoporosis is present. For example, in the diagnosis of osteoporosis using a T-score, if the T-score for a particular body part is greater than zero, it means that it is better than the bone density for that particular body part of a healthy adult, and is greater than -1 and greater than zero. If it is small, it is currently judged as normal value, -2.5 or more and -1.0 or less, bone loss, and less than -2.5, osteoporosis.

In the present invention, in order to estimate the bone density using light, the difference of the DC component obtained through step S410 is used as a measured value, and the bone density is estimated by applying a T-score or a Z-score. To this end, the standard deviation and mean value of the measurements of the various groups divided by sex or age for a specific body part, and the reference value for determining osteoporosis can be determined in advance through clinical experiments. By estimating bone density in the same manner as above, and comparing it with a predetermined osteoporosis determination reference value, it is possible to diagnose whether or not osteoporosis.

By using the method and apparatus for measuring osteoporosis using light of the present invention, it is possible to diagnose the prognosis of osteoporosis at a low cost without using an expensive bone density measuring apparatus using a conventional X-ray or ultrasound, and also diagnose using light. Considering the fact that one of the devices, the oxygen saturation measuring sensor can measure the oxygen saturation and the pulse rate of the patient in a small volume, can easily measure the oxygen saturation and the pulse rate of the patient, the osteoporosis measuring device using the light also implements a small volume and applied to the health care equipment. It is expected that the prognosis of osteoporosis can be easily diagnosed at home or elsewhere.

The present invention described above may be variously modified or applied by those skilled in the art, and the scope of the technical idea according to the present invention should be defined by the following claims.

1 is a block diagram of an apparatus for measuring osteoporosis using light according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a view comparing the oxygen saturation level (Empirical Calibration) obtained by actually measuring a specific patient and the oxygen saturation level (Beer-Lambert Model) calculated using the Beer-Lambert Law.

3 is a flow chart of a method for measuring osteoporosis using light according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a detailed flowchart of the step S400 of the osteoporosis measuring method using light according to an embodiment of the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings>

10: osteoporosis measuring apparatus using light

100: light irradiation module 400: oxygen saturation measurement module

110: light emitting means 410: ratio calculator

120: light emitting means control unit 420: lookup table for oxygen saturation correction

200: optical detection module 500: osteoporosis diagnostic module

210: light detector 510: bone density estimation unit

220: current-voltage converter 520: osteoporosis determination unit

300: signal separation module 600: display module

310: electrical signal separation unit 700: timing control module

320: AC component extraction unit

330: DC component extraction unit

Claims (11)

As a method for measuring osteoporosis using light, (1) irradiating at least two or more lights having different wavelengths to a specific part of the body; (2) receiving light transmitted through a specific part of the body and converting the light into an electrical signal; (3) extracting DC components of electrical signals corresponding to at least two or more lights having different wavelengths using the converted electrical signals; (4) deriving bone density using the extracted DC components; And (5) diagnosing the degree and degree of osteoporosis based on the derived bone density Osteoporosis measurement method using light, characterized in that it comprises a. The method of claim 1, In step (4), obtaining a difference between a DC component of an electrical signal corresponding to light having a relatively long wavelength and a DC component of an electrical signal corresponding to light having a relatively short wavelength to derive a bone density; And estimating bone density using the obtained difference of the DC components. The method of claim 2, In order to estimate the bone density, osteoporosis measurement method using light, characterized in that using a T-score or Z-score method. The method of claim 1, In the step (5), the osteoporosis measurement method using light, characterized in that the diagnosis and the degree of osteoporosis by comparing the derived bone density with a predetermined osteoporosis determination reference value. Osteoporosis measuring device using light, (1) a light irradiation module for irradiating a specific part of the body with at least two or more lights having different wavelengths; (2) a light detection module that receives the light transmitted through a specific part of the body and converts the light into an electrical signal; (3) a signal separation module for separating electrical signals corresponding to at least two or more lights having different wavelengths from the converted electrical signal and extracting a DC component of the separated electrical signals; And (4) an osteoporosis diagnostic module for estimating bone density using the extracted DC components and diagnosing whether or not osteoporosis based on the estimated bone density Osteoporosis measurement apparatus using light, characterized in that it comprises a. The method of claim 5, (5) The osteoporosis measuring apparatus using light, characterized in that it further comprises a display module for displaying the diagnosis and the degree of osteoporosis diagnosed. The method of claim 5, (6) an order of irradiating at least two or more lights having the different wavelengths in the light irradiation module, and an order of separating electrical signals corresponding to the at least two or more lights having different wavelengths in the signal separation module Osteoporosis measurement apparatus using light further comprising a timing control module for controlling the. The method of claim 5, wherein the light irradiation module, At least one light emitting means for irradiating at least two or more lights having different wavelengths; And And a light emitting means controller for controlling the light emitting means. The method of claim 5, wherein the optical detection module, A photo detector which receives the light transmitted through the specific part of the body and converts the light into a current; And Osteoporosis measurement apparatus using light, characterized in that it comprises a current-voltage converter for converting the current generated by the photo detector into a voltage. The method of claim 5, wherein the signal separation module, An electrical signal separator for separating electrical signal components corresponding to at least two or more lights having different wavelengths from the electrical signal input from the light detection module; And Osteoporosis measurement apparatus using light, characterized in that it comprises a DC component extraction unit for extracting the DC component of the separated electrical signals. The method of claim 5, wherein the osteoporosis diagnostic module, A bone density estimator for estimating bone density using a difference between DC components of the obtained electrical signals; And Osteoporosis measuring apparatus using light, characterized in that it comprises a osteoporosis determination unit for determining whether or not osteoporosis based on the estimated bone density.

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