KR20180070987A - Apparatus and method of measuring bio signal by using rf impulse signal - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for operating a bio-signal measuring device. According to an embodiment of the present invention, a bio-signal measuring device comprises a transmitting unit, a receiving unit, and a signal processing unit. The transmitting unit transmits a first wireless impulse signal. The receiving unit receives a second wireless impulse signal which corresponds to the transmitted first wireless impulse signal and to which a feature of a body is applied depending on body penetration of the first wireless impulse signal. The signal processing unit measures a bio-signal based on the received second wireless impulse signal. The receiving unit selects M impulse signals for peak detection among the received second wireless impulse signals; detects a peak for the selected impulse signals; and generates the bio-signal by using the detected peak.

Description

[0001] APPARATUS AND METHOD OF MEASURING BIO SIGNAL BY USING RF IMPULSE SIGNAL [0002]

TECHNICAL FIELD [0002] The present invention relates to a technical idea of an operation method of a bio-signal measuring apparatus, and a bio-signal having a high signal-to-noise ratio is generated by applying M _opt to a received impulse signal.

Smart cars are evolving toward understanding drivers and providing convenience.

In this technology related to smart cars, understanding and communicating with drivers is becoming an important issue. In this flow, it is important to monitor the status of the driver in real time in the smart car. In particular, acquiring biometric information in real time, such as driver's heartbeat and respiration, is one of the important issues.

Non-contact bio-signal measurement research has been actively conducted at home and abroad. Especially, as shown in the figure, researches for measuring respiration and heart rate by using Doppler radar using reflected waves and studies for finding respiration signals using impulses have been actively conducted.

A study using Doppler radar is a method of measuring a living body signal by using a phenomenon in which a continuous wave (CW) is radiated toward the human body and a signal returned to the human body shows Doppler shift due to breathing and heartbeat.

The continuous wave is used to detect the movement of the chest along the breathing and heartbeat to measure the biological signal. The apparatus for discriminating the biological signal using the conventional Doppler radar has a too low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) There is a problem that the signal can not be discriminated. In addition, only the acquisition of bio-signals is possible in the case of a person who has not moved the Doppler radar reported in the previous study. In addition, when a vehicle is made of metal and a continuous wave is used, a multipath signal that a signal is returned to the vehicle body is very serious. Therefore, the non-contact bio-signal measuring apparatus of the Doppler radar system is unusable for use in a vehicle.

In addition, since the Doppler radar system uses a continuous wave, it is difficult to distinguish between an object and a received signal when a plurality of objects are present. Therefore, it is difficult to simultaneously detect two or more living body signals. The distinction is difficult.

Particularly, in the case of heartbeats among the biological signals, there is a problem that the displacement of the rib cage is so weak that it is almost impossible to read, and in the case of respiration signals,

Another non-contact bio-signal measurement method is to measure a bio-signal using an impulse.

The impulse has a characteristic that the signal exists only for a very short time of less than ns and there is no signal for the rest of the time. Because of this characteristic, even if there are two or more persons, it is possible to easily separate the returning signals on the time axis, and therefore, it is possible to simultaneously detect the vital signals of various persons unlike the Doppler radar using continuous waves. Nonetheless, the technique using impulses has a very low signal-to-noise ratio due to the noise folding effect. In the case of the technique using the impulse, the signal-to-noise ratio is reduced by more than 30 dB compared with the direct sampling method. Therefore, it is impossible to use the biological signal measurement method in which a minute change must be read.

Korean Patent No. 10-1546846 (entitled " bio-signal measurement device and user monitoring system including the same " Korean Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-0036175 (entitled " Multi-band noise canceling apparatus and method)

According to one embodiment, an object of the present invention is to measure a living body signal, for example, heartbeat and respiration in a non-contact manner using a radio impulse signal transmitted through the body.

According to one embodiment, an object of the present invention is to improve the problem of low signal-to-noise ratio in the measurement of biological signals.

According to one embodiment, the use of a radio impulse signal is intended to reduce crosstalk by bio-signals collected from the passenger.

The apparatus for measuring bio-signals according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a transmitter for transmitting a first radio impulse signal, a characteristic corresponding to the transmitted first radio impulse signal, the characteristic of the body being reflected as the first radio impulse signal is transmitted through the body Receiving a second wireless impulse signal. And a signal processing unit for measuring a biological signal based on the received second radio impulse signal, wherein the receiving unit selects M impulse signals for peak detection from among the received second radio impulse signals, A peak for a selected impulse signal is detected, and the bio-signal is generated using the detected peak.

The M for peak detection according to an exemplary embodiment may be calculated by a predetermined experiment value in consideration of a signal-to-noise ratio.

The signal processing unit according to an exemplary embodiment may detect an envelope for the selected impulse and detect a peak for the detected envelope.

The receiver may use the wireless impulse signal to extend the second wireless impulse signal in a dead time interval before another wireless impulse signal is generated.

The receiver according to an exemplary embodiment may further include an amplifier for amplifying the received second wireless impulse signal, a sampler for sampling the amplified second wireless impulse signal, and a controller for receiving the sampled second wireless impulse signal at a time axis And a digital converter for digitally converting the extended second wireless impulse signal.

The dead time according to an exemplary embodiment is a period after a current impulse occurs on a time axis until a subsequent impulse occurs.

The signal processing unit according to an embodiment calculates at least one of a heartbeat signal and a breathing signal for the driver based on the received second wireless impulse signal to measure the bio-signal.

The processor includes a sampling unit for sampling a received radio impulse signal at a high speed, a digital demodulator for digitally expanding the fast sampled radio impulse signal in a dead time interval before another radio impulse signal is generated, And a quantization unit for performing low-speed quantization on the extended digital code.

The processor according to an embodiment further includes an amplifier for amplifying a received radio impulse signal, and the sampling unit samples the amplified radio impulse signal at a high speed.

The processor according to an embodiment is characterized in that the dead time is a period after a current impulse occurs on a time axis until a subsequent impulse occurs.

A method of operating a bio-signal measurement apparatus according to an embodiment includes transmitting a first radio impulse signal, transmitting a first radio impulse signal corresponding to the transmitted first radio impulse signal, Receiving a second wireless impulse signal that reflects the characteristics of the first wireless impulse signal, and measuring the biometric signal based on the received second wireless impulse signal.

The receiving according to one embodiment includes extending the second wireless impulse signal in a dead time interval before another wireless impulse signal is generated.

The receiving according to one embodiment further comprises amplifying the received second radio impulse signal, sampling the amplified second radio impulse signal, and transmitting the sampled second radio impulse signal to the dead- To a time base, and digitally converting the extended second radio impulse signal.

The step of measuring the bio-signal may include measuring at least one of a heartbeat signal and a respiration signal for the driver based on the received second wireless impulse signal to measure the bio-signal.

According to the present invention, a biological signal such as heartbeat and respiration can be measured in a non-contact manner by using a wireless impulse signal transmitted through the body.

According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the problem of low signal-to-noise ratio in the measurement of biological signals.

According to the present invention, by using the radio impulse signal, it is possible to reduce the crosstalk caused by the bio-signals collected from the passenger.

According to the present invention, it is possible to monitor, in real time, a change in respiration or heart rate of the driver.

According to the present invention, it is easy to grasp whether a driver is sleeping or drunk driving, and when an important change occurs in driver's health, it can be quickly transported to a hospital in conjunction with an autonomous driving technique.

According to the present invention, it is possible to expand the sensor not only to the driver in the vehicle but also to a sensor capable of verifying the biological signals of all the passengers.

According to the present invention, since there is no additional contact device, simple emergency telemedicine can be performed even in a moving vehicle by confirming the vital signs of all passengers in the vehicle.

According to the present invention, it is possible for a passenger to confirm the vital sign of the driver to prevent the driver from drowsing in advance.

According to the present invention, sudden death of passengers can be prevented by sensing the vital signs of all passengers in the vehicle, and heart attack and dyspnea can be confirmed in advance.

1 is a view for explaining an embodiment to which a bio-signal measuring apparatus according to an embodiment is applied.
2 is a view for explaining a biological signal measuring apparatus according to an embodiment in more detail.
3A to 3C are diagrams for explaining an embodiment for tracking peaks of selected radio impulse signals considering the set optimal M (M _opt ).
4 is a view for explaining a dead time according to an embodiment.
5 is a view for explaining a biological signal measurement apparatus according to another embodiment in more detail.
6 is a diagram illustrating a circuit diagram of a proposed impulse generator according to an embodiment.
7 is a view for explaining a specific circuit diagram of a receiver according to an embodiment.
8 is a view for explaining timings for generating a sampling range on the receiving side according to an embodiment.
9 is a view for explaining a structure of a sampling and expansion block according to an embodiment.
10 is a view for explaining the heartbeat and respiration measuring method according to an embodiment in more detail.

It is to be understood that the specific structural or functional descriptions of embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein are presented for the purpose of describing embodiments only in accordance with the concepts of the present invention, May be embodied in various forms and are not limited to the embodiments described herein.

Embodiments in accordance with the concepts of the present invention are capable of various modifications and may take various forms, so that the embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail herein. However, it is not intended to limit the embodiments according to the concepts of the present invention to the specific disclosure forms, but includes changes, equivalents, or alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

The terms first, second, or the like may be used to describe various elements, but the elements should not be limited by the terms. The terms may be named for the purpose of distinguishing one element from another, for example without departing from the scope of the right according to the concept of the present invention, the first element being referred to as the second element, Similarly, the second component may also be referred to as the first component.

It is to be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another element, it may be directly connected or connected to the other element, . On the other hand, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that there are no other elements in between. Expressions that describe the relationship between components, for example, "between" and "immediately" or "directly adjacent to" should be interpreted as well.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this specification, the terms "comprises ", or" having ", and the like, are used to specify one or more of the features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, But do not preclude the presence or addition of steps, operations, elements, 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 this invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries are to be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning of the context in the relevant art and, unless explicitly defined herein, are to be interpreted as ideal or overly formal Do not.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the scope of the patent application is not limited or limited by these embodiments. Like reference symbols in the drawings denote like elements.

1 is a view for explaining an embodiment 100 to which a bio-signal measuring apparatus according to an embodiment is applied.

According to the embodiment (100), a smart car transmits a wireless impulse signal, transmits the impulse signal to the chest, and measures the bio-signal using the received signal. For example, the wireless impulse signal may be transmitted from a transmitter (Tx, 110) located on the handle side to a receiver (Rx, 120) located in the driver's seat direction. At this time, the type of the wireless impulse signal transmitted by the driver's heartbeat or respiration can be changed. The receiver 120 collects the changed wireless impulse signal and transmits the impulse signal to the living body such as the driver's heartbeat or respiration through high-speed sampling and quantization The signal can be measured.

For example, the transmitter 110 integrated in the vehicle handle may receive an external clock (CLK _in ) and generate an impulse in a digital logic manner using a voltage controlled delay line.

The impulse from the transmitter 110 can be detected by the human body when the impulse is transmitted through the human body. The receiver 120 amplifies the returning impulse to an amplifier having a large gain. The proposed time- extension) method, and then converted into a digital code using an analog to digital converter (ADC). According to the embodiment (100), the wireless impulse signal is digitized to have a high signal-to-noise ratio and a sampling rate, so that breathing and heartbeat can be effectively detected.

Generally, the volume of the heart changes with heartbeat, and thus the thickness of the thorax changes finely. Since the reflected wave comes back from the chest, it changes the heartbeat through the change in the thickness of the chest wall (mr). However, since the penetrating wave passes directly through the heart, the cardiac motion (me-mc) Can be determined.

According to the embodiment (100), the living body information such as heartbeat and respiration can be measured by using a signal obtained by transmitting a radio impulse signal through a chest wall, and a Doppler radar system using a conventional continuous wave Problems such as a low signal-to-noise ratio which is a problem in the signal measuring device of the present invention, cross talk between the passenger's bio-signal and multi-path noise can be solved.

Since the transmitted impulse signal is transmitted through the human body and the impulse signal is greatly attenuated while the impulse signal is transmitted to the human body, the receiver 120 receives the impulse of high speed and very low power. The receiver 120 may amplify the received signal by an amplifier having a sufficient gain and perform accurate sampling in order to minimize the influence of noise applied to the received signal to obtain a biological signal.

Since this is followed by conversion to a digital signal using an analog to digital converter (ADC) with low power and low speed, this method can be used to effectively convert a high-speed wireless impulse signal to a digital signal while maintaining a high signal- can do.

In the case of using a radio impulse signal of a transmission wave form as in the present invention, since the heartbeat is measured using a waveform transmitted directly through the body, for example, a heart, a bio-signal of the driver and a biometric signal of a passenger or a multi- path). That is, since the transmission and reception distances are constant in the case of transmission waves, the present invention is less affected by the signal-to-noise ratio due to the motion of the measurement object.

As a result, the present invention greatly improves the problem of low signal-to-noise ratio, a problem of confusion between a passenger's bio-signal and a multi-path noise problem, which is a problem in a Doppler radar type signal measuring apparatus using a conventional continuous wave can do.

2 is a view for explaining the biological signal measurement apparatus 200 according to an embodiment in more detail.

The biological signal measurement apparatus 200 according to an embodiment uses a wireless impulse signal, samples a signal using a high-speed sampler when a signal exists, and time-expands the signal with a slow signal at a dead time, It is possible to distinguish the received signal and increase the reliability of the sensing result through a high signal-to-noise ratio.

To this end, the biological signal measurement apparatus 200 according to an embodiment includes a transmitter 210, a receiver 220, a sampler 221, an extension processor 222, a timing block 223, and a signal processor 230 .

The transmitter 210 according to an exemplary embodiment may transmit a first wireless impulse signal.

The first wireless impulse signal used herein can be interpreted as a signal transmitted from the transmitter before passing through the body and the second wireless impulse signal can be interpreted according to the characteristics of the body after the first wireless impulse signal passes through the body It can be interpreted as a modified form of the signal.

The first radio impulse signal is a wireless radio impulse signal transmitted in a predetermined period. The signal is measured in a short interval in which a signal is transmitted. Then, in a relatively long interval before the next radio impulse signal is transmitted, Do not. At this time, a section in which the size of the signal is not measured until the next radio impulse signal is transmitted after the signal size is measured can be interpreted as a dead time section.

Next, the receiving unit 220 according to an exemplary embodiment may receive a second wireless impulse signal corresponding to the transmitted first wireless impulse signal, the second wireless impulse signal reflecting the characteristics of the body as the first wireless impulse signal is transmitted through the body have.

The signal processing unit 230 according to an exemplary embodiment may measure the biological signal based on the received second wireless impulse signal.

More specifically, among the received second radio impulse signals, the signal processing unit 230 selects only M impulse signals for peak detection, detects peaks with respect to the selected impulse signals, Lt; / RTI >

The operation of the signal processing unit 230 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 3A to 3C.

3A to 3C are diagrams for explaining an embodiment for tracking peaks of selected radio impulse signals considering the set optimal M (M _opt ).

3A, the transmitted first radio impulse signal may be transformed into a second radio impulse signal that reflects body characteristics such as heartbeat and respiration as it passes through the body. At this time, the second wireless impulse signal is expressed in the form of a sinusoidal function 310 having a different peak value 311 as indicated by reference numeral 310. The sinusoidal function 310 can be expressed as Equation (1) below.

[Equation 1]

In Equation (1), w is the angular velocity, t is the time, and n (t) can be interpreted as white Gaussian noise.

The sine function 310 may comprise second wireless impulse signals comprised of a plurality of impulse signals.

If a second wireless impulse signal exists at t, as in Equation (2), the peak value of the second wireless impulse signals can be expressed as Equation (3).

&Quot; (2) "

&Quot; (3) "

The signal processing unit 230 according to the present invention can detect peaks for the second wireless impulse signals and track the detected peaks to generate the bio-signals 320. [

The signal processing unit 230 may average M impulse signals among the second wireless impulse signals. For example, the signal processing unit 230 may track the peaks by selecting M impulse signals rather than tracking the peaks of all the impulse signals included in the second radio impulse signals. That is, the signal processing unit 230 may average several pulses based on M to determine whether to measure the signal.

Therefore, the optimal M (M _opt ) can be interpreted as representing M when the signal-to-noise ratio above the reference is satisfied.

The bio-signal including the bio-signal 320 and before the optimal M is applied can be expressed as in Equation (4).

&Quot; (4) "

In Equation (4), M is the number of impulse signals extracted for the average in the second wireless impulse signal, w and w _prf are angular velocities, and k is a natural number such as 1, 2, 3, .

However, if there are a large number of second wireless impulse signals compared to the heartbeat, the noise signals in the second wireless impulse signal may also cause noise in the bio-signals of Equation (4) to be distorted.

Accordingly, the signal processing unit 230 according to the present invention can select only M second radio impulse signals from among the second radio impulse signals and generate a biomedical signal by tracking the peaks of the selected second radio impulse signals . For this, the signal processing unit 230 may select the second radio impulse signals by the number of M _opt .

Too small or too large M will distort the biosignal, so setting the appropriate M _opt is important.

Referring to Figure 3b, 4M _opt And a biometric signal 340 generated by tracking the second radio impulse signals 330 selected by the number and the peak value 331 of the second radio impulse signals 330. [

As shown in FIG. 3B, when the number of 4M _opts is applied to generate the living body signal 340, the living body signal can be expressed in a distorted state.

3C, the second radio impulse signals 350 selected by the number of M _opt and the peak value 351 of the second radio impulse signals 350 are traced to generate the bio-signals 360 ).

For example, the signal processing unit 230 may detect the envelope of the selected impulse and detect the peak of the detected envelope to generate the bio-signal 360.

M _opt can be set by an experimental value, and the signal-to-noise ratio is improved without distortion of the bio-signal 360, and can be expressed as [Equation 5].

&Quot; (5) "

In Equation (5), M _opt is the number of impulse signals extracted for the average in the second wireless impulse signal, w and w _prf are angular velocities, and k is a natural number such as 1, 2, 3, Can be interpreted.

Referring to FIG. 2 again, the receiving unit 220 according to an exemplary embodiment may expand the second wireless impulse signal in a dead time interval before another wireless impulse signal is generated, thereby improving the computation efficiency in the signal processing unit 230, The noise ratio can be increased.

The signal processor 230 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention can measure a bio-signal for a measurement subject by applying a pre-stored bio-signal measurement algorithm to the received second wireless impulse signal.

For example, the signal processor 230 may collect heartbeat signals and respiration signals for a measurement subject, and use the collected information to provide information on the health status, mood, and the like to the measurement subject.

In order to minimize the influence of the noise on the received signal and acquire a living body signal, the received signal must be amplified by an amplifier having a sufficient gain and then accurately sampled. The sampler 221 according to an exemplary embodiment can perform accurate sampling at a high speed in a period in which a radio impulse signal is sensed. In addition, the sampler 221 samples a signal using a high-speed sampler when a signal is present in the wireless impulse signal period, and stores the signal stored in the capacitor in the capacitor at the dead time after the extension processor 222 stores the signal in the capacitor, Perform time-extension. The extension processor 222 according to an embodiment may extend the sampled second wireless impulse signal to a time axis in the dead time interval.

This is a signal with the same information, but can be converted to a slow signal.

It can then be converted to a digital signal using an analog to digital converter (ADC) with low power and low speed.

In this way, the high-speed second radio impulse signal can be efficiently converted into a digital signal while maintaining a high signal-to-noise ratio.

The timing block 223 according to an exemplary embodiment may provide timing for sampling and time extension to increase conversion efficiency to a digital signal.

The signal processing unit 230 according to an exemplary embodiment may measure at least one of a heartbeat signal and a respiration signal for the driver based on the received second wireless impulse signal to measure a living body signal.

4 is an embodiment 400 illustrating the dead time according to one embodiment.

In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the dead time corresponds to 998 ns. That is, the dead time can be interpreted as a period corresponding to 998 ns after the current impulse occurs on the time axis until the next impulse occurs.

The duration of the dead time is much longer than the pulse width of 2 ns within the period of the wireless impulse signal. That is, the wireless impulse signal is characterized by a short time radiation and the remaining time with no signal. The wireless impulse signal in FIG. 4 is emitted within a short pulse repetition time (pulse width, 2 ns) And the remainder mostly do not have a signal.

Therefore, in the bio-signal measuring apparatus according to the embodiment, a signal is sampled using a high-speed sampler in a period in which a signal exists, and then the sampled signal is stored in a capacitor, and time-extension can be performed with a slow signal at a dead time have. This allows signals with the same information to be converted to slower signals, thus improving the signal-to-noise ratio.

5 is a diagram for explaining the biological signal measurement apparatus 500 according to another embodiment in more detail.

The biological signal measurement apparatus 500 according to another embodiment includes a sampling unit 510, a time extension processing unit 520, and a quantization unit 530. First, the sampling unit 510 according to an exemplary embodiment may sample the received wireless impulse signal at a high speed.

Next, the time extension processing unit 520 according to an exemplary embodiment may digitally extend the fast-sampled radio impulse signal as indicated by reference numeral 550 in a dead time period until another radio impulse signal is generated have.

The quantization unit 530 according to one embodiment can perform low-speed quantization on the extended digital code.

Meanwhile, the biological signal measurement apparatus 500 according to an exemplary embodiment may further include an amplifier for amplifying the received wireless impulse signal. Also, the sampling unit 510 can sample the amplified radio impulse signal at a high speed.

6 is a diagram illustrating a circuit diagram 600 of a proposed impulse generator in accordance with one embodiment.

The circuit diagram 600 according to one embodiment receives an external clock CLK _in and uses a delay line, PMOS, and NMOS to increase or decrease the voltage of the output terminal TX _out to V _DD and G _ND , Lt; / RTI > On the other hand, the delay (T _D ) of the inverter determines the frequency and bandwidth of the generated impulse and can be designed to be adjustable.

The frequency and bandwidth can be designed based on the resolution and signal-to-noise ratio performance found in real-vehicle verification, and the transmitter can be controlled from the outside using a serial to parallel interface (SPI) Can be designed.

7 is a diagram illustrating a specific circuit diagram 700 of a receiver according to one embodiment.

In a specific circuit diagram 700 of a receiver according to an embodiment, a radio impulse signal transmitted through a human body of a driver can be received through an impulse receiver integrated in a vehicle seat. The radio impulse signal received at the receiver is amplified through a low noise amplifier (LNA). In addition, the amplified signal can be applied to a sampling unit and a direct-sampling unit of a time extension scheme through a sampling windowing path and a high-speed sampling path. At this time, the sampling unit determines an approximate position of the received impulse using a time-to-digital converter (TDC), and outputs the digital-to-digital converter using Convertor, DTC) may convert the reference clock (Clk _ref) by sampling the reference clock (Clk _ref _sampling).

The direct-sampling unit of the time extension scheme according to an embodiment can recover a high-speed radio impulse signal through a low-speed analog-to-digital converter using a time extension scheme. At this time, the sampling / extension unit may operate based on the sampling reference clock generated through the sampling unit. The digital signal processing unit can discriminate the driver's biological signal using the restored impulse through the time-extension direct-sampling unit.

The sampling unit according to an exemplary embodiment may generate a sampling start point necessary for fast sampling. Because the impulse signal is not known when it comes in, it is necessary to start sampling the impulse signal when it arrives. This allows high-speed sampling only while the impulse is present. On the other hand, the signals amplified by the low noise amplifier and the second amplifier can be converted into an envelope signal through an envelope detector.

8 is a diagram illustrating a timing 800 for generating a sampling range at the receiving end according to one embodiment.

Fig. 8 can be interpreted as a timing chart showing the signal flow of the sampling section. The envelope signal converted by the envelope generator is converted into a digital signal by an analog-to-digital converter and then sent to an external digital signal processor. In the digital signal processor, a sampling window Lt; / RTI >

In the present invention, sampling can be started in the time extension processing unit in accordance with the generated sampling window. In the time extension processing unit, sampling is possible only with a low-speed digital converter.

Time extension sampling technique can use the dead time among the characteristics of impulse communication to bring about a big gain in terms of power, cost and size compared to the conventional impulse communication.

The wireless impulse signal has a very short pulse width and has a long dead time. For example, if the pulse repetition period is 1 us, the signal is present for 2 ns and does not exist for the remaining 998 ns. Therefore, if the signal is increased to 99.8% of the dead time and converted to a low-speed signal, the signal can be quantized by a low-speed digital converter. Therefore, the wireless impulse signal can be recovered without using a high-speed digital converter.

For example, if a 4 GHz wireless impulse signal is received, it can be converted to a 10 MHz signal by multiplying this signal by 400 times. Therefore, the received digital impulse signal can be sufficiently recovered by a digital converter of 20 MS / s or more, which is not more than 8 GS / s, so that a large gain in power, cost, and size can be obtained. Also, as the gain is increased, a signal-to-noise ratio of 40 dB higher than the sub-sampling method can be obtained.

9 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a sampling and expansion block according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 9, the sampler block and the extension block include N samplers, extension switches, and capacitors between the two, as indicated by reference numeral 910.

The N samplers sample the received RF input at a high speed and store the value in the capacitor, and the extension switch increases the value stored in the capacitor in units of ns.

In the embodiment 900, sampling and extension are performed in order from the path 1 (Path 1) to N (Path N), and a signal obtained by sampling and extension processing can be converted into a digital code through an analog-to-digital converter.

In addition, a fast radio impulse signal is extended to a slow signal by this principle, so that a receiving radio impulse signal can be accurately restored even with a low power and a very small size by using a low speed analog digital converter.

That is, the sampled wireless impulse signals can be extended on the time axis, such as S1 to EN, according to the gradually increasing clock timing.

10 is a view for explaining the heartbeat and respiration measuring method according to an embodiment in more detail.

The heartbeat and respiration measurement method according to an embodiment transmits a first wireless impulse signal (step 1010) and receives a second wireless impulse signal corresponding to the first wireless impulse signal (step 1020). At this time, the heartbeat and respiration measurement method can be amplified for the received signal.

That is, the heartbeat and respiration measurement method can receive a second wireless impulse signal corresponding to the transmitted first wireless impulse signal and reflecting the characteristics of the body as the first wireless impulse signal passes through the body. In particular, the heart rate and respiration measurement method can extend the second wireless impulse signal in a dead time interval before another wireless impulse signal is generated.

Next, the heartbeat and respiration measurement method according to an exemplary embodiment may measure a bio-signal based on the received second wireless impulse signal (step 1030). For example, in the step of measuring a bio-signal, at least one of a heartbeat signal and a respiration signal for the driver may be calculated based on the received second wireless impulse signal to measure a living body signal.

As a result, when the present invention is used, changes in respiration or heart rate of the driver can be monitored in real time, so that it is easy for the driver to grasp whether the driver is sleepy driving or drunk driving. Further, And can be quickly transported to the hospital. Further, the present invention can be extended to a sensor capable of verifying the vital signs of not only the driver but also all passengers in the vehicle, and since there is no additional contact device, the vital signs of all passengers in the vehicle are checked, Simple emergency telemedicine is possible. Further, by using the present invention, it is possible for the passenger to confirm the vital sign of the driver and to prevent the driver from drowsing in advance. In addition, by detecting the vital signs of all passengers in the vehicle, sudden death of the passenger can be prevented, and heart attack and dyspnea can be confirmed in advance.

The apparatus described above may be implemented as a hardware component, a software component, and / or a combination of hardware components and software components. For example, the apparatus 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, a microcomputer, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) , 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. The program instructions to be recorded on the medium may be those specially designed and configured for the embodiments 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.

200: biological signal measurement device 210:
220: Receiver 221: Sampler
222: extension processor 223: timing block
230: Signal processor

Claims (13)

A transmitter for transmitting a first radio impulse signal;
A receiver for receiving a second wireless impulse signal corresponding to the transmitted first wireless impulse signal, the second wireless impulse signal reflecting the characteristics of the body as the first wireless impulse signal is transmitted through the body; And
A signal processing unit for measuring a living body signal based on the received second radio impulse signal,
Lt; / RTI >
The signal processing unit,
A second radio impulse signal generator for generating a first radio impulse signal by selecting M impulse signals for peak detection from among the received second radio impulse signals and detecting a peak for the selected impulse signal, Device. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the M for peak detection is calculated by a predetermined experiment value in consideration of a signal-to-noise ratio. The method according to claim 1,
The signal processing unit,
Detects an envelope for the selected impulse, and detects a peak for the detected envelope. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the receiving unit extends the second radio impulse signal in a dead time interval before another radio impulse signal is generated. The method according to claim 1,
The receiver may further comprise:
An amplifier for amplifying the received second wireless impulse signal;
A sampler for sampling the amplified second wireless impulse signal;
An extension processor for expanding the sampled second wireless impulse signal to a time axis in the dead time interval; And
A digital converter for digitally converting the extended second radio impulse signal,
And a radio-frequency impulse signal. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the dead time is a period after a current impulse occurs on a time axis until a subsequent impulse occurs. The method according to claim 1,
The signal processing unit,
And a wireless impulse signal for calculating at least one of a heartbeat signal and a respiration signal for the driver based on the received second wireless impulse signal to measure the living body signal. A sampling unit for sampling the received wireless impulse signal at a high speed;
A time extension processor for digitally expanding the fast sampled radio impulse signal in a dead time interval until another radio impulse signal is generated; And
A quantization unit for performing low-speed quantization on the extended digital code,
≪ / RTI > 9. The method of claim 8,
An amplifier that amplifies the received wireless impulse signal
Further comprising:
Wherein the sampling unit samples the amplified radio impulse signal at a high speed. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the dead time is a period after a current impulse occurs on a time axis until a subsequent impulse occurs. A method of operating a bio-signal measuring apparatus using a radio impulse signal,
Transmitting a first wireless impulse signal;
Receiving a second wireless impulse signal corresponding to the transmitted first wireless impulse signal, the second wireless impulse signal reflecting the characteristics of the body as the first wireless impulse signal is transmitted through the body; And
Measuring a biometric signal based on the received second wireless impulse signal
Lt; / RTI >
Wherein the receiving comprises: extending the second wireless impulse signal in a dead time interval before another wireless impulse signal is generated,
And outputting the impulse signal to the bio-signal measuring device. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the receiving comprises:
Amplifying the received second wireless impulse signal;
Sampling the amplified second wireless impulse signal;
Expanding the sampled second wireless impulse signal to a time base in the dead time interval; And
Digitally converting the extended second wireless impulse signal
The method comprising the steps of: receiving a radio impulse signal; 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the step of measuring the bio-
Calculating at least one of a heartbeat signal and a respiration signal for the driver based on the received second wireless impulse signal to measure the living body signal
The method comprising the steps of: receiving a radio impulse signal;

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