KR20170041117A - Apparatus and method for measuring bio-information - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for measuring bio-information are disclosed. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the bio-information measurement apparatus can measure a first bio-signal including pulse wave of arterial blood, and can measure a second bio-signal including pulse wave information of at least one of venous blood and capillaries. The bio-information measurement apparatus can estimate bio-information of a user based on a time delay between the first bio-signal and the second bio-signal.

Description

[0001] APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MEASURING BIO-INFORMATION [0002]

The following description relates to a technique for measuring a user's biometric information.

Pulse Wave Analysis (PWA) and Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV) techniques are typically used to non-invasively extract cardiovascular features of a user without using a cuff. The PWA technique is a technique for extracting the cardiovascular characteristics of a user by analyzing the shape of a pulse wave signal measured at the tip of a finger. The blood ejected from the left ventricle causes reflections at a location with a large branch, such as the renal artery or the infrarenal aorta, which affects the shape of the pulse wave measured at the body end . Therefore, the cardiovascular characteristics of the user can be deduced by analyzing the shape of the pulse wave measured at the body end. The PWV technique is a technique for extracting cardiovascular features by measuring the transit time of a pulse wave. Typically, the PWV technique measures an electrocardiogram (ECG) and a pulse at the terminal end, and estimates a user's cardiovascular characteristics based on the delay time between the electrocardiogram signal and the pulse wave signal.

The biometric device includes: a first sensor unit for measuring a first bio-signal including pulse wave information of an arterial blood; A second sensor unit for measuring a second bio-electrical signal including pulse wave information of at least one of venous blood and capillary blood; And a biometric information estimator for estimating biometric information of a user based on a time delay between the first biometric signal and the second biometric signal.

In the biometric device according to an embodiment, the first bio-electrical signal including pulse wave information of at least one of the radial artery and the ulnar artery in the palm direction of the wrist can be measured.

In the biometric apparatus according to an embodiment, the second sensor unit may measure a second bio-electrical signal including pulse wave information of at least one of a vein and a capillary blood vessel in the direction of the back of the wrist.

In the biometric apparatus according to an embodiment, the first sensor unit may be located on the strap of the wrist wearable device, and the second sensor unit may be located on the rear face of the body of the wrist wearable device.

The first sensor unit may measure the first living body signal using at least one of a light source, a photodetector, a pressure sensor, an impedance sensor, and a piezoelectric element.

In the biometric apparatus according to an embodiment, the second sensor unit may measure the second biometric signal using at least one of a light source-a photodetector, a pressure sensor, an impedance sensor, and a piezoelectric element.

The biometric information estimator may be configured to move at least one of a waveform of the first bio-signal and a waveform of the second bio-signal on a time axis, and the at least one first The time delay can be determined based on the similarity between the waveform of the biological signal and the waveform of the second biological signal.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a biometric device comprising: a first sensor unit for measuring a first bio-signal including pulse wave information of an arterial blood; A second sensor unit for measuring a second bio-electrical signal including pulse wave information of at least one of venous blood and capillary blood; And a signal processor for amplifying the first bio-signal and the second bio-signal and converting the amplified first and second bio-signals into a digital signal.

A biometric method according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: measuring a first bio-signal including pulse wave information of an arterial blood; Measuring a second bio-electrical signal including pulse wave information of at least one of venous blood and capillary blood; And estimating the user's biometric information based on a time delay between the first biometric signal and the second biometric signal.

FIG. 1 is a view for explaining a configuration of a bio-information measuring apparatus according to an embodiment.
2 is a view for explaining a configuration of a biometric information measuring apparatus according to another embodiment.
FIGS. 3 to 5 are views for explaining an example in which the apparatus for measuring bio-information according to an embodiment is implemented as a wearable wearable device.
6 to 8 are diagrams for explaining a process of determining a time delay between a first bio-signal and a second bio-signal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a diagram for explaining a process of determining a time delay between bio-signals according to another embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a diagram for explaining a process of deriving velocity information from time delay information between biometric signals according to an embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a flowchart illustrating a method of measuring biometric information according to an embodiment.

It should be understood that the specific structural and functional descriptions below are merely illustrative of the embodiments and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application described herein. Various modifications and variations may be made thereto by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Reference in the specification to " one embodiment "or" an embodiment " means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in one or more embodiments, Or "an embodiment" are to be construed as referring to the same embodiment.

Although the terms first or second may be used to distinguish the various components, the components should not be construed as being limited by the first or second term. It is also to be understood that the terminology used in the description is by way of example only and is not intended to be limiting. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In this specification, the terms "comprises" or "having" and the like refer to the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof, But do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

Embodiments provide an apparatus and method for estimating a user's biometric information based on bio-signals including pulse-wave information. Here, the pulse wave means a pulse that is generated when the pulse is transmitted to the peripheral nerve, and the pulse is a pulse that the artery swells and relaxes repeatedly due to the flow of blood pushing along the artery every time the heart is beating . Every time the heart contracts, blood is supplied from the heart through the aorta to the whole body, and a pressure change occurs in the aorta. This change in pressure is transmitted to the distal flank of the hand and foot, and this change in pressure is seen as a wave pattern.

Biometric information may include, for example, cardiovascular information such as arterial stiffness, blood pressure, arterial age, heart rate, oxygen saturation, . The degree of vascularization is indicative of the extent to which the blood vessels are hardened and is affected by the elasticity of the blood vessels and the degree of precipitation of the endothelium. Blood pressure refers to the pressure on the blood vessel walls when the blood sent from the heart flows through the blood vessels, and the blood vessel age is the physiological age indicating the degree of aging of the blood vessels. The heart rate represents the number of heart beats per unit time, and the oxygen saturation of blood represents the ratio of the amount of hemoglobin bound to oxygen in the blood to the amount of total hemoglobin.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the following description of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals regardless of the reference numerals, and a duplicate description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a view for explaining a configuration of a bio-information measuring apparatus according to an embodiment. Referring to FIG. 1, a bio-information measuring apparatus 100 measures bio-signals from a user's body and estimates bio-information of the user based on the measured bio-signals. For example, the bio-information measuring apparatus 100 may measure bio-signals on a part of a user's wrist or the like and estimate cardiovascular information of the user based on the bio-signals measured. According to one embodiment, the bio-information measuring apparatus 100 may be implemented in the form of a wearable device that the user wears. While the user wears the wearable device, the bio-information measuring device 100 can continuously estimate the cardiovascular information of the user.

Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the living body information measuring apparatus 100 estimates living body information based on living body signals measured from the wrist will be described as an example. However, the scope of the embodiment is not limited thereto, and the bio-information measuring apparatus 100 may measure bio-signals in various body parts including forearm, leg, ankle or neck, Information can be estimated.

The bio-information measuring apparatus 100 includes a first sensor unit 110, a second sensor unit 120, a bio-information estimator 130, and a controller 160. According to one embodiment, the operation of the biometric information estimator 130 and the controller 160 may be performed by one or more processors.

The first sensor unit 110 measures a first living body signal including pulse wave information of arterial blood. For example, the first sensor unit 110 measures a first bio-signal including one or a plurality of pulse-wave information among a radial artery and an ulnar artery on the palmar side of the wrist can do.

The first sensor unit 110 can measure the first living body signal using a) a light source-photodetector b) a pressure sensor c) a piezoelectric element d) an impedance sensor or the like . a) When the light source-photodetector is used, the first sensor unit 110 may include a light source for emitting light for measuring photoplethysmography (PPG) and a light source for emitting light (reflected light) reflected from the user's body The change in the intensity of the reflected light according to the change in the blood flow volume can be measured using the photodetector for detection. The intensity change of the reflected light may include pulse wave information. The light source can emit an optical signal modulated according to a specific frequency to the human body, and the photodetector can receive the reflected light reflected from the human body and convert the received reflected light into an electrical signal. As the photodetector, for example, a photodiode or a phototransistor may be used.

b) When the pressure sensor is used, the first sensor unit 110 measures the pressure applied to the skin according to the change of the blood flow volume by using a bag filled with a fluid for conveying the pressure, a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) Can be detected. The change in pressure may include pulse wave information. c) When a piezoelectric element is used, the first sensor unit 110 can detect a change in surface displacement or contact force due to a change in the blood flow volume by using a piezoelectric element such as PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride). The change in surface displacement or contact force may include pulse wave information. When a pressure sensor or a piezoelectric element is used to measure the first living body signal, power consumption can be reduced as compared with the case of using a light source-photodetector.

d) When the impedance sensor is used, the first sensor unit 110 can detect the change of the impedance according to the change of the blood flow in the blood vessel by using the impedance sensor. The change in impedance may include pulse wave information. The impedance sensor may be composed of, for example, a pair of external electrodes for flowing a high frequency current to the skin of the user and a pair of internal electrodes for measuring a voltage drop occurring along the skin of the electric current.

The second sensor unit 120 measures a second bio-signal including one or more pulse wave information of venous blood and capillary blood. For example, the second sensor unit 120 may measure a second bio-signal including a pulse wave component of a vein or a capillary on the dorsal side of the wrist. The second sensor unit 120 can measure the second living body signal using a light source-light detector, a pressure sensor, a piezoelectric element, an impedance sensor, or the like as the first sensor unit 110. For a detailed description thereof, the description of the first sensor unit 110 can be referred to.

According to one embodiment, one or both of the first sensor portion 110 and the second sensor portion 120 may comprise a plurality of sensor elements sensing the same kind of signal. For example, the first sensor unit 110 may include a plurality of sensor elements for measuring an optical pulse wave signal at various measurement positions. At this time, the bio-information estimator 130 selects a reference optical pulse wave signal to be used for estimating biometric information among optical pulse wave signals transmitted through a plurality of channels, and estimates biometric information based on the selected reference optical pulse wave signal can do. For example, the bio-information estimator 130 may be configured to measure the optical pulse wave signal having the best signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) among the optical pulse signals measured through the sensor elements Can be selected as the reference optical potential pulse wave signal.

The bio-information estimator 130 determines a time delay between the first bio-signal measured through the first sensor unit 110 and the second bio-signal measured through the second sensor unit 120, And estimates the user's biometric information based on the delay. The bio-information estimator 130 may include a calculation algorithm, a database, a look-up table (LUT), and the like for estimating the user's biometric information based on the time delay. The bio-information estimator 130 may estimate the degree of vasculature of the user, the age of the blood vessel, the blood pressure, the heart rate, the blood oxygen saturation, and the flow of the blood flow based on the determined time delay, for example.

According to one embodiment, the bio-information estimator 130 may perform signal processing such as filtering, amplification, and analog-to-digital conversion on the first bio-signal and the second bio- And determine a time delay based on the signal-processed bio-signals. The bio-information estimator 130 can calculate the time delay between the first bio-signal and the second bio-signal by analyzing the waveform of the first bio-signal and the waveform of the second bio-signal. Here, the time delay means a time taken for the pulse wave at the time when the first living body signal is measured to be reflected in the second living body signal.

According to one embodiment, the bio-information estimator 130 extracts a feature point (e.g., a peak point, a valley point, a tilt maximum point) from the waveform of the first bio-signal and the waveform of the second bio- , Slope minimum point, etc.), and calculate the time delay based on the extracted minutiae points. For example, the bio-information estimator 130 extracts the tilt maximum point from the waveform of the first bio-signal and the minimum tilt point from the waveform of the second bio-signal, and based on the time difference between the extracted maximum tilt point and the tilt minimum point To calculate the time delay.

According to another embodiment, the bio-information estimator 130 calculates the time delay based on the time shift value that moves the waveform of the first bio-signal or the waveform of the second bio-signal on the time axis and maximizes the similarity between the waveforms . This will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

When the time delay between the first bio-signal and the second bio-signal is determined, the bio-information estimator 130 can estimate the bio-information of the user from the time delay using the bio-information estimation model. For example, the bio-information estimator 130 may input time delay information to the bio-information estimation model and obtain cardiovascular information such as blood pressure, atherosclerosis, and blood vessel age from the bio-information estimation model. The bio-information estimator 130 estimates a trend of a pulse-wave velocity with respect to time based on a time delay, and estimates a change in the user's biometric information based on the estimated change.

According to an embodiment, the bio-information measuring apparatus 100 may further include at least one of a user interface unit 140 and a communication interface unit 150. The user interface unit 140 may receive information from a user or output biometric information.

The user interface unit 140 may receive various inputs from the user. For example, the user interface unit 140 may receive user information required to estimate the user's biometric information. The user information includes information on the age, key, weight, sex, etc. of the user. The biometric information estimator 130 may determine the biometric information of the user by additionally using the measured first biometric signal and the second biometric signal as well as user information input from the user.

The user interface unit 140 may include input / output devices such as, for example, an electrostatic or piezoelectric touch screen, a display panel, a touch pad, and a keyboard. The user interface unit 140 may configure a user interface screen to output biometric information under the control of the controller 160. Alternatively, the user interface unit 140 may output biometric information through voice output means such as a speaker.

The communication interface unit 150 may transmit data to an external device (for example, a mobile device, a personal computer, or a network) using wireless communication or wired communication such as Bluetooth, ZigBee, Or data. For example, the communication interface unit 150 may transmit information on the measured bio-signals (e.g., waveform information, minutia information, etc.), time delay information, and estimated biometric information to an external device.

The controller 160 controls the overall operation of the first sensor unit 110, the second sensor unit 120, the bio-information estimator 130, the user interface unit 140, and the communication interface unit 150. For example, the controller 160 may control activation / deactivation of sensor elements included in the first sensor unit 110 and the second sensor unit 120, power supplied to the sensor elements, and the like.

2 is a view for explaining a configuration of a biometric information measuring apparatus according to another embodiment. 2, the biometric information measuring apparatus 200 includes a first sensor unit 110, a second sensor unit 120, a signal processor 210, a communication interface unit 250, and a controller 260 .

The first sensor unit 110 may measure first biometric information including pulse wave information of arterial blood and the second sensor unit 120 may measure a second biometric signal including pulse wave information of at least one of venous blood and capillary blood, Can be measured. The operation of the first sensor unit 110 and the second sensor unit 120 may be described with reference to FIG. 1, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The signal processor 210 may perform signal processing on the first bio-signal and the second bio-signal. The signal processor 210 may include a preprocessor 220, an amplifier 230 and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 240.

The preprocessor 220 converts an electrical signal (for example, a current signal) output from the first sensor unit 110 and the second sensor unit 120 into a voltage signal and filters the voltage signal to generate a noise Or to obtain the required signal area. The amplifier 230 may amplify a signal transmitted from the preprocessor 220 and the ADC 240 may convert a signal amplified by the amplifier 230 into a digital signal.

The communication interface unit 250 transmits biometric signal information converted into a digital signal to an external device using wireless communication or wired communication. The controller 260 controls the overall operation of the first sensor unit 110, the second sensor unit 120, the signal processor 210, and the communication interface unit 250.

FIGS. 3 to 5 are views for explaining an example in which the apparatus for measuring bio-information according to an embodiment is implemented as a wrist wearable device in the form of a clock.

The bio-information measuring device measures an optical pulse wave or a body surface pressure wave including pulse wave information at a plurality of point points on a user's body surface, and measures a time delay between signals measured at different measurement points The biometric information of the user can be estimated based on the biometric information. At this time, in order to ensure a sufficient time resolution, it is preferable that the measurement points are far apart from each other, so that a time difference between the signals measured at each measurement point is sufficient. However, as the distance between the measurement points increases, the size of the measurement system becomes larger or it becomes difficult to obtain the measured signal from the measurement points. Therefore, it is not appropriate to continuously monitor the biometric information from the user wearing the wearable device. The biometric information measuring apparatus can ensure a sufficient time difference between the measured signals at each measurement point and can bring the distance between the measurement points close to each other, thereby improving the user's convenience without deteriorating the performance.

Referring to FIG. 3, the first sensor units 310 and 320 for measuring the first living body signal may be located inside a belt member that is wearably formed on the wrist, such as a strap 330 of a wearable device . The first sensor units 310 and 320 may measure a first bio-signal including pulse wave information of an arterial blood in a palm direction of the user's wrist when the user wears the wearable device. The first sensor units 310 and 320 can measure arterial pulse waves traveling from one or more of the ulnar artery 340 and the radial artery 350 to the body terminal.

According to one embodiment, the first sensor units 310 and 320 may have a structure in which a plurality of sensor elements are arranged in an array, and the degree of matching with blood vessels and the quality of acquired signals Can be improved. In addition, the first sensor portion 310 and the second sensor portion 320 may be connected to the ulnar artery 340 or the radial artery 350 without the need of accurately positioning the first sensor portions 310 and 320 in the region of the ulnar artery 340 or the radial artery 350, One or more sensor elements included in the first sensor units 310 and 320 can measure the pulse wave in the ulnar artery 340 or the radial artery 350 only by positioning the blood vessel near the artery 350, Can be improved.

According to one embodiment, each sensor element may be embodied as a pair of a light source and a photodetector for measuring an optical pulse wave. As the light source, for example, an electric light source such as a light emitting diode (LED) and a laser diode, or a chemical light source such as a phosphor may be used. However, the type of light source is not limited thereto. The light source may emit infrared or red-based visible light to the body surface, for example, to measure optical signals in the ulnar artery 340 or the radial artery 350. The wavelength of the light emitted from the light source can be variously determined based on the depth for penetrating the skin, the power efficiency, and the like.

According to another embodiment, the first sensor units 310 and 320 measure a change in a pulse wave signal according to a change in blood flow of the ulnar artery 340 or the radial artery 350 using a pressure sensor, a piezoelectric element, or an impedance sensor can do.

Referring to FIG. 4, the second sensor units 410 and 420 for measuring the second bio-signals may be located on the rear surface of the body 430 of the wearable device. The second sensor units 410 and 420 can measure the second bio-signals including the venous blood 440 and 450 or the pulse wave information of the capillary blood in the direction of the back of the user's wrist when the wearer's wearable device is worn .

The second sensor units 410 and 420 may have a structure in which a plurality of sensor elements are arranged in an array like the first sensor units 310 and 320 in FIG. A pair of a light source and a photodetector for measuring an optical pulse wave. The light sources of the second sensor units 410 and 420 may emit green light of a shorter wavelength than that of the light emitted from the light sources of the first and second sensor units 310 and 320 of FIG. 3, for example. However, the wavelength of the light emitted from the light sources of the second sensor units 410 and 420 is not limited thereto.

According to another embodiment, the second sensor units 410 and 420 measure the change of the pulse wave signal according to the change of the blood flow volume of the venous blood 440 and 450 or the capillary blood vessel using a pressure sensor, a piezoelectric element or an impedance sensor .

Anatomically, the arteries of the ulnar artery 340 and the radial artery 350 of FIG. 3 pass in the direction of the palm of the wrist, and an arch is formed at the deep part of the palm and extends to the side of each finger. Blood, which is supplied to the hand through the arteries, passes through the capillaries and veins back through the wrist to the heart. As shown in FIG. 4, when a large artery is not positioned in the direction of the back of the wrist, and the wrist ligament covers the back of the wrist, the second sensor units 410 and 420 are positioned in the direction of the back of the wrist The pulse wave component due to venous blood or capillary blood can be reflected more on the measured second living body signal than the pulse wave component due to arterial blood.

Therefore, the time delay between the first bio-signal obtained through the first sensor units 310 and 320 of FIG. 3 and the second bio-signal obtained through the second sensor units 410 and 420 of FIG. 4, There is a high correlation between the progressive arterial pulse wave and the actual time delay between the pulse wave of the venous / capillary vessels going through the hand and then toward the heart. The bio-information measuring device uses a first bio-signal including pulse wave information of arterial blood measured in the palm direction of the wrist and a second bio-signal including pulse wave information of venous blood or capillary blood measured in the direction of the back of the wrist, Biometric information of the wearable device can be easily estimated, and the wearable device can be miniaturized.

Referring to FIG. 5, the wearable device 510 determines a time delay between the first bio-signal measured in the palm direction of the wrist and the second bio-signal measured in the direction of the back of the wrist as shown in FIG. 4, as shown in FIG. And can estimate cardiovascular information such as pulse, blood pressure, and arteriosclerosis based on the determined time delay.

The sensor unit 520 of the wearable device 510 may further include sensors for measuring a bio-signal or an additional signal in addition to the sensors for measuring the first and second bio-signals described with reference to FIGS. For example, the sensor unit 520 may further include a sensor, a temperature sensor, and the like capable of measuring motion information of a user. The wearable device 510 may analyze the waveform of the pulse wave signal measured through the sensor to estimate the user's biometric information, and output the estimated biometric information through the display.

The wearable device 510 may provide the estimated biometric information of the user to the user through the mobile device 530. [ The external device 530 can analyze the biometric information received from the mobile device 530, check the health status of the user, and record the change of the biometric information according to the time.

Although the wearable device 510 provides the biometric information estimated by the wearable device 510 to the wearer in cooperation with the mobile device 530, the wearable device 510 may be a personal computer capable of interlocking with the wearable device 510, The biometric information estimated by the wearable device 510 can be provided to the user through an application installed in another device such as a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, or a smart TV.

Further, the embodiments described above can be implemented not only in the wrist wearable device shown in Figs. 3 to 5 but also in wearable devices of other forms (for example, bands, bracelets, braces, etc.).

6 to 8 are diagrams for explaining a process of determining a time delay between a first bio-signal and a second bio-signal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6 shows waveforms 610 of an optical pulse wave 610 measured in the palm direction of the first sensor unit wrist as the first biological signal and waveform 620 of the optical pulse wave 620 measured in the back direction of the second sensor unit as a second biological signal, FIG. The biometric information measuring apparatus can continuously measure the first biometric signal 610 and the second biometric signal 620. The first biological signal 610 may include pulse wave information according to a change in arterial blood flow and the second biological signal 620 may include pulse wave information according to changes in a vein or a capillary blood flow. As the heart repeats contraction and relaxation, the blood flow amount flowing in the blood vessel changes with time, so that the waveform of the pulse wave as shown in Fig. 6 is detected.

FIG. 7 is a view showing an example in which the bio-information estimator detects the first signal 710 obtained by detaching the first bio-signal 610 of FIG. 6 and performing a low pass filtering process, Shows the waveform of the second signal 720 obtained by deranding the signal 620 and performing a low-pass filtering process. De-rating is signal processing that removes the base component in the frequency domain of the signal. Here, it is assumed that a method of subtracting a trend signal including a low-frequency component of a signal from an original signal is used to derandend the signal. However, the scope of the embodiment is not limited thereto, and a signal waveform such as the first signal 710 and the second signal 720 shown in FIG. 7 can be obtained through a bandpass filtering process or the like .

Referring to FIG. 8, the bio-information estimator may use the feature points extracted from the first bio-signal and the second bio-signal to calculate the time delay between the first bio-signal and the second bio-signal. The bio-information estimator extracts the feature points from the waveforms of the first signal 810 and the second signal 820 corresponding to the first signal 710 and the second signal 720 in FIG. 7, The time delay between the first bio-signal and the second bio-signal can be determined based on the time difference.

For example, the biometric information estimator may calculate a minimum slope minimum point 840 in the waveform of the first signal 810 and a minimum slope minimum point 840 in the waveform of the second signal 820, Can be extracted as feature points. The bio-information estimator calculates the bio-information based on the time difference 850 between the positive tilt maximum point 830 extracted from the first signal 810 and the negative tilt minimum point 840 extracted from the second signal 820, The time delay between the biological signal and the second biological signal can be determined. The bio-information estimator repeatedly performs such a process on the other minutiae points of the first signal 810 and the second signal 820 to determine consecutive time delay information between the first bio-signal and the second bio- .

As another example, the bio-information estimator may extract peak points, valley points, maximum slope points, minimum slope points, or the like in the waveforms of the first signal 810 and the second signal 820 as feature points, The time delay between the first biological signal and the second biological signal may be determined. The method of extracting the feature points from the waveform of the first bio-signal and the waveform of the second bio-signal is not limited to the above description, and the bio-information estimator can determine the time delay using various kinds of feature points.

9 is a diagram for explaining a process of determining a time delay between bio-signals according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The biometric information estimator can use the similarity between signal waveforms without using the feature points as shown in FIG. 8 to determine the time delay between the first bio-signal and the second bio-signal. The time delay between the first bio-signal and the second bio-signal can be determined robustly to the noise by using the similarity between signal waveforms that are not characteristic points of the signal.

9 (a) shows the waveform f (t) of the first bio-electrical signal, (b) shows the waveform f (t + T) of the signal shifted by an arbitrary time T on the time axis, . (c) shows the waveform g (t) of the second living body signal. The bio-information estimator may calculate a value obtained by integrally integrating f (t + T) and g (t), and determine a time delay between the first bio-signal and the second bio-signal based on the calculated integration value.

(T + T) and g (t) are in phase and f (t + T) and g (t) are abnormal out phase, the integral value is low. It can be seen that the higher the correlation between f (t + T) and g (t), the greater the integration value. The biometric information estimator may determine a T value having the first maximum point from the origin among the integration values according to T as a time delay value. Here, the method of calculating the similarity between f (t + T) and g (t) is not limited to the method using the above integral value, and various methods can be used.

10 is a diagram for explaining a process of deriving velocity information from time delay information between biometric signals according to an embodiment of the present invention.

10A is a graph showing a time delay between the first bio-signal and the second bio-signal in succession, and FIG. 10B is a graph showing the reciprocal of the time delay value shown in the graph of FIG. Indicates the result of taking. Any rate information can be derived from the inverse of the time delay value. The biometric information estimator can estimate the biometric information of the user based on the derived speed information. The amount of change of the biometric information with time can be determined from the amount of change of the speed information with time. For example, when the reference value of the average blood pressure of the user is determined, the bio-information estimator may determine the change in the average blood pressure value by reflecting the change in the velocity information derived above to the reference value of the mean blood pressure.

11 is a flowchart illustrating a method of measuring biometric information according to an embodiment. The biometric information measurement method may be performed by a biometric information measurement device including one or more processors.

Referring to FIG. 11, in step 1110, the bio-information measuring apparatus may measure a first bio-signal including pulse wave information of arterial blood. For example, the bio-information measuring device measures pulse wave information of one or more of the radial artery and the ulnar artery in the palm direction of the wrist using a light source-photodetector, a pressure sensor, a piezoelectric element, or an impedance sensor for detecting an optical pulse wave can do.

In step 1120, the bio-information measuring device may measure a second bio-signal including at least one of pulse wave information of venous blood and capillary blood. For example, the bio-information measuring device measures pulse wave information of one or more of veins and capillaries in the direction of the back of the wrist by using a light source-photodetector, a pressure sensor, a piezoelectric element, or an impedance sensor for detecting an optical pulse wave .

In step 1130, the biometric information measuring apparatus may determine a time delay between the first and second biometric signals, and may estimate the biometric information of the user based on the determined time delay. The bio-information measuring apparatus can extract, for example, minutiae points from the waveform of the first bio-signal and the waveform of the second bio-signal, and determine the time delay based on the distance between the minutiae points. Alternatively, the biological information measurement apparatus can determine the time delay based on the time movement value that moves the waveform of the first living body signal or the waveform of the second living body signal on the time axis and maximizes the degree of similarity between the waveforms. When the time delay between the first biological signal and the second biological signal is determined, the biological information measuring apparatus can estimate the biological information such as the blood pressure, the degree of arteriosclerosis, and the age of the blood vessel from the time lag using the biological information estimation model. For example, the biometric information estimation model sets a mean blood pressure value of a user at a normal time as a reference value and applies a change in the velocity derived from a time delay between the first and second biometric signals to a reference value of the set mean blood pressure The change in the average blood pressure value can be determined. The amount of change in the average blood pressure value in the section between the first and second points of time can be determined by applying a predetermined weight to the variation between the velocity at the first point in time and the velocity at the second point in time .

The contents not described in steps 1110 to 1130 may refer to the contents described in connection with Figs. 1 to 10.

The embodiments described above may be implemented in hardware components, software components, and / or a combination of hardware components and software components. For example, the devices, methods, and components described in the embodiments may be implemented within a computer system, such as, for example, a processor, a controller, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a digital signal processor, such as an array, a programmable logic unit (PLU), a microprocessor, or any other device capable of executing and responding to instructions. The processing device may execute an operating system (OS) and one or more software applications running on the operating system. The processing device may also access, store, manipulate, process, and generate data in response to execution of the software. For ease of understanding, the processing apparatus may be described as being used singly, but those skilled in the art will recognize that the processing apparatus may have a plurality of processing elements and / As shown in FIG. For example, the processing unit may comprise a plurality of processors or one processor and one controller. Other processing configurations are also possible, such as a parallel processor.

The software may include a computer program, code, instructions, or a combination of one or more of the foregoing, and may be configured to configure the processing device to operate as desired or to process it collectively or collectively Device can be commanded. The software and / or data may be in the form of any type of machine, component, physical device, virtual equipment, computer storage media, or device , Or may be permanently or temporarily embodied in a transmitted signal wave. The software may be distributed over a networked computer system and stored or executed in a distributed manner. The software and data may be stored on one or more computer readable recording media.

The method according to an embodiment may be implemented in the form of a program command 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, and the like, alone or in combination. Program instructions to be recorded on a computer-readable medium may be those specially designed and constructed for an embodiment or may be available to those skilled in the art of computer software. Examples of computer-readable media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks and magnetic tape; optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs; magnetic media such as floppy disks; Magneto-optical media, and hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. Examples of program instructions include machine language code such as those produced by a compiler, as well as high-level language code 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.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. For example, it is to be understood that the techniques described may be performed in a different order than the described methods, and / or that components of the described systems, structures, devices, circuits, Lt; / RTI > or equivalents, even if it is replaced or replaced. Therefore, other implementations, other embodiments, and equivalents to the claims are also within the scope of the following claims.

Claims (18)

A first sensor unit for measuring a first vital sign including pulse wave information of an arterial blood;
A second sensor unit for measuring a second bio-electrical signal including pulse wave information of at least one of venous blood and capillary blood; And
A biometric information estimator for estimating biometric information of a user based on a time delay between the first biometric signal and the second biometric signal;
And a biometric information measuring device. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first sensor unit comprises:
And measures a first vital sign including pulse wave information of at least one of a radial artery and an ulnar artery on the palmar side of the wrist. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the second sensor unit comprises:
And measures a second living body signal including at least one pulse wave information of a vein and a capillary blood vessel on the dorsal side of the wrist. The method according to claim 1,
The first sensor unit is located in a strap of the wearable wearable device,
And the second sensor unit is located on a rear surface of a body of the wearable wearable device. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first sensor unit comprises:
A first light source for emitting a first light for measuring an optical pulse wave; And
The first light is reflected by the user, and the first light is detected by the first light detector
And a biometric information measuring device. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the second sensor unit comprises:
A second light source for emitting a second light for measuring an optical pulse wave; And
And a second light detector for detecting the second reflected light of which the second light is reflected by the user
Lt; / RTI >
Wherein the second light is shorter in wavelength than the first light. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first sensor unit comprises:
Wherein the first biometric signal is measured using at least one of a pressure sensor, an impedance sensor and a piezoelectric element. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the second sensor unit comprises:
Wherein the second biometric signal is measured using at least one of a pressure sensor, an impedance sensor and a piezoelectric element. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the biometric information estimator comprises:
Estimating a trend of a pulse wave velocity with respect to time based on a time delay between the first biometric signal and the second biometric signal and estimating a change of the user's biometric information based on the estimated change trend , A biometric information measuring device. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the biometric information estimator comprises:
Wherein the time delay is determined based on a feature point extracted from a waveform of the first bio-signal and a feature point extracted from a waveform of the second bio-signal. 11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the biometric information estimator comprises:
And estimates the biometric information on the basis of a time delay between a maximum inclination point of the first biometric signal and a minimum inclination point of the waveform of the second biometric signal. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the biometric information estimator comprises:
Wherein at least one of the waveform of the first biomedical signal and the waveform of the second biomedical signal is shifted on the time axis and based on the waveforms of the at least one first biomedical signal and the second biomedical signal, Thereby determining the time delay. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the biometric information estimator comprises:
And estimates at least one of the blood vessel hardening degree, blood vessel age, blood oxygen saturation, heart rate and blood pressure of the user based on the time delay. A first sensor unit for measuring a first vital sign including pulse wave information of an arterial blood;
A second sensor unit for measuring a second bio-electrical signal including pulse wave information of at least one of venous blood and capillary blood; And
A signal processor for amplifying the first living body signal and the second living body signal and converting the amplified first living body signal and the second living body signal into a digital signal;
And a biometric information measuring device. 15. The method of claim 14,
Wherein the first sensor unit is located inside the strap of the wearable wearable device,
And the second sensor unit is located on a rear surface of the main body of the wearable device. Measuring a first vital sign including pulse wave information of an arterial blood;
Measuring a second bio-electrical signal including pulse wave information of at least one of venous blood and capillary blood; And
Estimating a user's biometric information based on a time delay between the first biometric signal and the second biometric signal
Wherein the biometric information measurement method comprises the steps of: 17. The method of claim 16,
Wherein the measuring of the first living body signal comprises:
And measures a first vital sign including pulse wave information of at least one of a radial artery and an ulnar artery in the palm direction of the wrist. 17. The method of claim 16,
The step of measuring the second bio-
And measures a second vital sign including at least one of pulse vein information and vein information in the direction of the back of the wrist.

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