KR20210020196A - Remote Skin Diagnosis System Using Wireless Communication Network - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a remote skin diagnosis system. According to the present invention, a user uses a device connected to an external skin care institution by a wireless communication network, and thus the user can remotely yet easily acquire professional skin care information from the skin care institution. The present invention includes an external communication interface (5) capable of communicating with an external public network through a wireless terminal (11), a diagnostic probe (7) including an ultraviolet lamp (15) performing ultraviolet irradiation in proximity to a skin (13) and a color sensor (17) detecting the ultraviolet reflected light reflected from the skin (13), an extended memory (9) temporarily storing the RGB value detected by the diagnostic probe (7), and a microprocessor (3) controlling the operation of the interface (5), the diagnostic probe (7), and the extended memory (9). According to the present invention, precise skin care result diagnosis is performed using the remote skin care institution connected by the wireless communication network, the diagnosis result can be wirelessly reconfirmed, and thus economical, convenient, and continuous skin care is possible.

Description

Remote Skin Diagnosis System Using Wireless Communication Network

The present invention provides an external communication interface 5 capable of communicating with an external public network through a wireless terminal 11, an ultraviolet lamp 15 for irradiating ultraviolet rays in proximity to the skin 13, and ultraviolet rays reflected from the skin 13 A diagnostic probe 7 comprising a color sensor 17 for detecting reflected light, an extended memory 9 temporarily storing RGB values sensed by the diagnostic probe 7, and the interface 5 and the diagnostic probe ( It is characterized by consisting of a microprocessor (3) for operating and controlling the 7) and the extended memory (9), respectively.

The present invention relates to a remote skin diagnostic device, and more particularly, by irradiating an ultraviolet lamp to a specific area of the skin and detecting the reflected light with a color sensor to determine the condition of the skin, and to externally use the determined information It relates to a remote skin diagnostic device that allows users to manage their own skin more accurately and easily by sending it to the skin management bureau for precise analysis and then providing information on appropriate countermeasures or treatment methods to the user.

Skin, whose importance is overlooked among the human body, is about 16 m2 for women and 18 m2 for men based on a person with an average physique, and it is an important organ that occupies about 16% of the body weight by weight. It has various functions and functions.

The skin is cut vertically and in cross section, it is composed of three layers consisting of the outermost layer of the epidermis, the middle layer of the dermis, and the lowest layer of the subcutaneous fat tissue, and other skin short organs such as hair, sweat glands, fat glands, nails, and tactile organs Have.

Among them, the epidermis is a very thin organ and does not have blood vessels, and the thickness of the epidermis is usually 007~112mm, and the thickness of the skin is not determined by the dermis, but by the thickness of the epidermis. The epidermis differs depending on the thickness of the skin, but consists of five distinct cell layers depending on the shape of the keratinocytes being deformed, and from the outermost side, it consists of a stratum corneum, a transparent layer, a granule layer, a play layer, and a base layer. In addition, dead keratinocytes fall off the epidermis and a 28-day cycle keratinization occurs when new cells are created.

Here, the stratum corneum is on the most surface of the skin and forms a hard, dry thin skin, consisting of 50% of a protein called keratin or keratin, 20% fat, 23% water-soluble substances, and 7% moisture. Water-soluble substances, moisture, etc. form a skin protective film surrounding the epidermis by mixing with sebum and sweat secreted from the skin. The surface of healthy skin has a pH of about 55, which is also called an acidic fat film. This acidic fat film prevents the evaporation of a lot of moisture from the epidermis, inhibits the growth of bacteria, bacteria, fungi, etc., and protects the skin from dust, pollutants or harmful substances in the air.

The transparent layer is the layer just below the stratum corneum, colorless, nucleated cells without vitality, and a clear and transparent layer. It is present on all skin, but it is not easy to identify with thin skin and is clearly observed on the palms and soles of the feet. It consists of 3-4 cell layers and consists of flat eosinophilic cells. The transparent layer has acid-oriented properties and can be said to be a layer that forms an acidic film on the skin.

The granule layer contains granules called keratin hyalin, which is a precursor of keratin. Cells in the granular layer do not have cell nuclei, so cell division does not occur, and the cell shape is quite wide. The granular layer also plays an important role in skin care to prevent dermatitis or dry skin by preventing the passage of foreign substances from the outside (especially against the penetration of water) and moisture evaporation from the inside of the skin.

The play layer is the thickest layer in the epidermis, and the cells in the play layer have cell nuclei to create cells. It is also known as the Malpigi layer when the play and the base layer are combined, and the second layer is known as an important layer for the initiation and progression of the keratinization process. Lymphatic vessels circulate between the polar cells, which is related to skin fatigue and beauty.

Finally, the basal layer is located at the lowest layer of the epidermis and is in close contact with the dermis and forms a wavy boundary with the dermis. Basal cells in the basal layer are living cells, where vigorous cell division occurs, so most of the epidermal cells are generated.

In the basal layer, there are keratinocytes and pigment cells. The keratinocytes in the base layer are keratinized to form the stratum corneum, then fall off the surface of the skin, actively dividing and continue to serve to send new cells to the upper layer, creating melanin pigments that determine the color of the skin.

The dermis is a thick layer that is about 10 to 40 times that of the epidermis and is connected to the epidermis in a wavy shape, and this wavy dermal papillary part contains capillaries and nerve fibers. The main constituents of the dermis are collagen fibers, elastin fibers, and point polysaccharides filling the space. Collagen fibers and Alastin fibers are interwoven in a net shape to maintain the elasticity and elasticity of the skin.

The subcutaneous fat tissue is located in the deepest part of the skin, and it is woven with loose fibrous protein, and a number of honeycomb-shaped fat cells are located between them. The subcutaneous fat tissue has a deep relationship with female hormones to give softness to the female body line. Also, since it is a nonconductor of heat, it prevents the heat in the body from being influenced by the external temperature, and it accumulates as fat tissue under the skin to damage bones or muscles. It acts as a cushion to protect against external pressure. In addition, when nutrition is insufficient, it becomes a source of nutrition, and when there is too much subcutaneous fat, blood vessels or lymphatic vessels in the subcutaneous fat layer increase, making blood circulation difficult.

Other skin shortcomings include the body temperature control and excretion of waste products, the sweat glands that serve as moisture supply to the skin surface, the sebaceous glands that produce sebum, and our body from physical stimulation such as sunlight, cold, and heat. There are protective fur, nails and toenails that protect fingers and toes.

Therefore, the skin does not simply cover the body, it has the following functions and protects our body. However, since such skin functions are not independent of the skin, it is related to the internal functions of the body, it is important to grasp it and take care of the skin. In particular, the stratum corneum of the skin forms a kind of barrier that prevents the absorption of moisture from the outside of the body, while it plays a role in preventing evaporation or leakage of moisture in the body, that is, tissue fluid.

The skin secretes sweat and sebum as the first secretion and excretion function among many functions. The skin has oil glands that secrete oil to the skin surface, and most of the sweat evaporates from the skin surface to help regulate body temperature, and some of it forms an oil film with oil to protect the skin. This oil spreads to the stratum corneum and acts as a waterproofing agent, and at the same time, it has some antifungal and antibacterial properties, thereby playing a role of defense to some extent.

The skin is also a breathing function, decomposing sugars into carbon dioxide and water through combustion reactions in the skin tissue, and breathing outside air. Skin breathing is as small as 1% of lung breathing, but it is so important that it cannot be lived if the entire skin is covered with non-breathable material. Younger skin breathes well, but the amount of skin breathing decreases with age.

Another function of the skin is absorption. Absorption function is achieved by most of the hair pores rather than the epidermis, and it is easier to absorb fat-soluble substances than water-soluble substances, and it is affected by the type of substance, the condition of the skin, and the environment. Most cosmetics are made using this absorption function.

Due to the nutrient storage function, the skin stores excess nutrients as fat under the skin when fat content is excessive, and releases it when consumption increases. Therefore, the amount of subcutaneous fat changes frequently depending on the nutritional status of the living body. In addition, the epidermis or dermis contains moisture to make the skin look healthy and moist.

However, as described above, skin having various characteristics in terms of structure and function has been a subject of interest regardless of age or sex. In particular, women wear makeup almost every day, so not only is there great interest in skin, In severe cases, too much attention is paid to stress, which makes the skin condition worse.

However, despite this interest, the use of specialized skin salons for skin care requires an economical and time-consuming margin, so most of the general public have regrets that they cannot properly manage their own skin.

In addition, even when professional skin care services are provided, most of the existing skin diagnostic devices and beauty devices are

It can be used only in a specific space such as a dragon management center, and it is designed to receive the help of an expert, so there is a problem that it cannot be limited in time and space.

However, due to the spread of the Internet, information related to skin care is provided in various forms through some health sites, but most of these are composed of a question-and-answer format, so the user himself or herself checks the condition or symptoms of the skin and organizes it in question form. There is also a problem in that it is difficult to accurately diagnose the entire skin because it is necessary to involve the subjectivity of the user.

Therefore, the present invention was devised to solve the problems of the conventional skin diagnosis device as described above, and thus, the user's skin condition is directly checked, and the checked result is precisely analyzed by a professional skin care institution using a wireless Internet environment. ,According to the analyzed results, by prescribing the necessary countermeasures or treatment methods to the user online, various restrictions on the time and cost required for offline skin management are resolved, enabling the user to perform more accurate and systematic skin management. There is a purpose.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a diagnosis consisting of an external communication interface capable of communicating with an external public network through a wireless terminal, an ultraviolet lamp that irradiates ultraviolet rays in proximity to the skin, and a color sensor that detects the reflected ultraviolet rays reflected from the skin. A remote skin diagnostic apparatus comprising a probe, an extended memory temporarily storing RGB values sensed by the diagnostic probe, and a microprocessor that operates and controls an interface, a diagnostic probe, and an extended memory, respectively.

1 is a block diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of a skin diagnostic system to which a skin diagnostic device according to the present invention is applied.
2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of FIG. 1 in detail.
3 is a block diagram schematically showing a skin diagnostic device to which a near-field terminal is applied.
4 is a block diagram schematically showing a skin diagnostic device to which a wired network is applied.
* Explanation of symbols for major parts of the drawing *
1,100,200: skin tester 3: microprocessor
5: external communication interface 7: diagnostic probe
9: extended memory 10: central control unit
11: wireless terminal 13: skin
15: ultraviolet lamp 17: color sensor
19: key input unit 21: image display unit
23: voice display unit 37: temperature sensor

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a diagnosis consisting of an external communication interface capable of communicating with an external public network through a wireless terminal, an ultraviolet lamp that irradiates ultraviolet rays in proximity to the skin, and a color sensor that detects the reflected ultraviolet rays reflected from the skin. A remote skin diagnostic apparatus comprising a probe, an extended memory temporarily storing RGB values sensed by the diagnostic probe, and a microprocessor that operates and controls an interface, a diagnostic probe, and an extended memory, respectively.

Hereinafter, a remote skin diagnosis apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown by reference number 1 in FIG. 1, the skin diagnosis device of the present invention is directly used for the key input unit 19, the output units 21 and 23, and the central control unit 10 and the human skin 13 constituting the main body. It is composed of a diagnostic probe 7 which is an auxiliary part to be used. Here, the central control unit 10 is again equipped with an external communication interface 5, an extended memory 9, and a microprocessor 3. The microprocessor 3 includes an interface 5, an extended memory 9, and a key. The input unit 19, the output units 21 and 23, and the diagnosis probe 7 are operated and controlled, and the extended memory 9 is a diagnosis probe 7 or various diagnosis and examination information transmitted from an external skin care center. Is intended to be temporarily stored. In addition, the external communication interface 5 has a communication standard implemented as follows to enable communication with a public network provided from outside through a wireless terminal 11 such as a PCS, a cellular phone, or a wireless LAN card shown in the upper part of FIG. .

Each communication standard used and implemented in the present invention is RS232, PCMCIA, DICOM, and Bluetooth, whose implementation methods are already common, and a specialized semiconductor company produces and markets a dedicated chip necessary to implement each communication standard. Here, the description or characteristics of RS232 is not considered necessary. However, for the PCMCIA communication standard used in computers, DICOM, the communication standard used in remote medical devices, and Bluetooth, the communication standard for short-range communication that is being developed recently. I would like to briefly mention it.

First, PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) is an international standards association established in 1989 to improve the interoperability between mobile computers by creating standards for IC cards. The PC card standards established here are based on the PCMCIA standards 201 and 21 established in 1994 and the PC card standard standards added in 1995. These standards are related to the input/output interface, and there are too many contents to be introduced. A brief overview of the features is as follows. The Card Information Structure (CIS) can be automatically configured by the host and is defined as a metaformat standard. Cardbus also uses 32-bit bus mastering and operates at a maximum of 33MHz. In addition, operating programs (O/S) or application programs can be executed directly from the card, thus saving the host's main memory.

I did not try to occupy it. Designed to operate at low voltage (35V), it is a plug-and-play method that can be detached during operation, and zoom video that can transmit video signals directly from the card to the graphic controller without a buffer in the middle when transmitting video signals. (zoomed video) standard.

Another communication standard, Bluetooth, is a short-range wireless communication technology that allows access regardless of the type of existing communication devices, home appliances, office devices, etc., and SIG (SIG) formed by Ericsson, Nokia, IBM, Toshiba, and Intel in 1998. Special Interest Group). The general specification is in the standard, but the amount is so large that only simple features are described here. The transmission speed is 1Mbps (bit per sec), the communication radius is within 10m to 100m, the transmission band is 2402-2480MHz, and the communication method is a frequency hopping spread band (FHSS) method to prevent interference between bands, and the transmission speed is 1600 hops/s. to be. In addition, the modulation method uses GFSK (Gaussian Frequency Shfit Keying), supports 3 channels of voice, and allows point-to-point and point-to-multi access.

In addition, DICOM, an international medical imaging protocol, has been developed at the request of medical imaging equipment manufacturers and users. In 1992, at the RSNA (Radiological Society of North America) conference, a message protocol using a network for interworking equipment was first established. After that, ACR (America College of Radiology) and NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association) formed each WG (Working Group), which was demonstrated at RSNA in 1993 and DICOM version 30 was established. Its characteristic is solved by the protocol stack layer required for the interface to the network supporting TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) or OSI (Open System Interconnection). In addition, an object-oriented information model is used for information transmitted between systems.

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 2, when a PCS, cellular phone, or wireless LAN card 11 is used as a communication means with an external skin care center, the communication standard of PCMCIA or RS-232 standard is used as the external communication interface 5 Interface 5 is used.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, when a short-range wireless communication terminal 139 is used as a communication means instead of a PCS or cellular phone in a limited space equipped with a Bluetooth network system, the external communication interface in the central control unit 10 As an interface 141 having a communication standard of the Bluetooth standard can be used, and when a wired network 243 for remote diagnosis is used as shown in FIG. 4 as a communication means, an interface having the communication standard of the DICOM standard as an external communication interface 245 can be used.

The central control unit 10 configured as above is connected to the key input unit 19, the image display unit 21, and the audio display unit 23, which are output units, as shown in Fig. 2 so that the diagnosis of the skin can be performed more precisely and conveniently. The dual key input unit 19 is a device that sets the function of the diagnostic device 1 by key input and is connected to the microprocessor 3 through a display drive circuit. The image display unit 21 for displaying image information transmitted from the microprocessor 3 is connected to the microprocessor 3 through a driving circuit, and the data or device 1 input by the user through the key input unit 19 In the form of images, information related to the operation status of the skin, information such as diagnosis results transmitted from an external skin care institution, or the skin surface temperature value measured by the temperature sensor 37 of the diagnosis probe 7 are displayed. The audio display unit 23 that outputs data transmitted from the microprocessor 3 in the form of sound, in particular, contains information such as diagnosis results transmitted from an external skin care institution, including an amplifier and an ADP.

It is intended to be displayed or output as a voice through a type of voice memory.

The diagnostic probe 7 used as an auxiliary means for directly checking the skin condition is largely composed of an ultraviolet lamp 15 and a color sensor 17, as shown in FIG. 2, and the temperature sensor 37 is It is additionally attached.

Here, the ultraviolet lamp 15 is configured to irradiate a certain amount of ultraviolet rays to a certain area of the skin 13 that needs diagnosis. To this end, the microprocessor 3 is provided through the power control unit 25 and the ballast 27 Therefore, the power control unit 25 functions to amplify the output power according to the operation command of the microprocessor 3, and the ballast 27 constantly and stably controls the power generated by the power control unit 25. It serves to maintain.

The amorphous color sensor 17 is configured to detect the UV reflected light that is irradiated from the UV lamp 15 and reflected from the surface of the skin 13, and the RGB of reflected light having various colors sensed by the color sensor 17 The value is amplified through the amplifier 29 and converted into a digital value by the A/D converter 31 and then input to the microprocessor 3. The temperature sensor 37, which is configured to measure the temperature of the UV irradiation area, is a means for determining whether the skin of the UV irradiation area maintains a standard temperature suitable for detecting reflected light, for example, 25°C. When the temperature is out of the temperature, a deviation occurs in the detection of reflected light, so that the RGB value input from the color sensor 17 is corrected according to the temperature difference. To this end, the temperature value measured by the temperature sensor 37 is amplified through the amplifier 33, converted into a digital value through the A/D converter 35, and input to the microprocessor 3.

Now, the operation of the skin diagnosis device 1 according to the present invention will be described as follows.

When the user operates the diagnostic unit 1 after setting the function using the key input unit 19, the microprocessor 3 amplifies the power through the power control unit 25 according to the built-in program, and As the ballast circuit 27 is operated, the ultraviolet lamp 15 is turned on. Then, when the user brings the diagnostic probe 7 to a location away from the skin 13 by a certain distance, the ultraviolet lamp 15 irradiates a certain amount of ultraviolet rays to a specific area of the skin 13. At this time, ultraviolet rays are reflected in various different colors depending on the condition of the skin, and the reflected light is detected as an RGB value by the color sensor 17 and amplified while passing through the amplifier 29 and the A/D converter 31, After conversion, it is input to the microprocessor (3). At the same time, the skin temperature value of the irradiated area is also amplified.

It is amplified and converted while passing through 33 and the A/D converter 35, and is input to the microprocessor 3.

The microprocessor 3 determines and checks the degree and condition of skin moisture, oil, pigmentation, aging, dead skin cells, etc. based on the RGB values and temperature values inputted by its own program. Then, the determined information and data are transmitted to an external skin care organization using the wireless terminal 11 connected through the PCMCIA or RS-232 interface 5. The transmitted information and data values are used as data to determine the skin condition by being precisely analyzed by a skin care institution's diagnostic program or a skin expert, and information about the final diagnosis result, skin care method, and recommended cosmetics, etc. is transmitted to the user. do. The transmitted information is received by the diagnostic device 1 through the wireless terminal 11, and the received data is input and processed into the microprocessor 3 through the interface 5, and the image display unit 21 or the audio display unit 23 Through this, it is displayed to the user in the form of an audio or video, and the user can finally check his or her skin condition and management method.

1,100,200: skin tester 3: microprocessor
5: external communication interface 7: diagnostic probe
9: extended memory 10: central control unit
11: wireless terminal 13: skin
15: ultraviolet lamp 17: color sensor
19: key input unit 21: image display unit
23: voice display unit 37: temperature sensor

Claims (4)

An external communication interface (5) capable of communicating with an external public network through the wireless terminal (11), an ultraviolet lamp (15) that irradiates ultraviolet rays in proximity to the skin (13), and the ultraviolet rays reflected from the skin (13) are detected. A diagnostic probe (7) comprising a color sensor (17), an extended memory (9) for temporarily storing RGB values sensed by the diagnostic probe (7), the interface (5) and a diagnostic probe (7) A remote skin diagnostic device comprising a microprocessor (3) for operating and controlling the expansion memory (9), respectively. The remote skin diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a key input unit (19) connected to the microprocessor (3) to input a key for function setting. The remote skin diagnostic device according to claim 1, comprising an image display unit (21) for displaying image information transmitted from the microprocessor (3). The remote skin diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a voice display unit (23) for outputting sound information transmitted from the microprocessor (3).

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