KR20220112874A - Massage chair and controlling method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a massage chair having four measuring electrodes and a sensor for measuring biometric information to be capable of measuring a user's biometric information and a controlling method thereof. The massage chair of the present invention comprises: a main body driven to provide a massage to a user; a body composition measuring unit disposed in an arm massage unit of the main body to measure the user's impedance; and a sensor unit for measuring the user's physical condition, wherein the body composition measuring unit includes two measuring electrodes disposed in the arm massage unit to be exposed to the outside so as to come into contact with the user's body and the sensor unit includes an optical sensor for detecting reflected light after irradiating light to the user's body and a pressure sensor disposed below the measuring electrode to measure the pressure applied to the measuring electrode by the user. Accordingly, the biometric information of the user can be more accurately measured.

Description

A massage chair and a method for controlling a massage chair {Massage chair and controlling method thereof}

The present invention relates to a massage chair and a method for controlling a massage chair, and more particularly, to a massage chair and a method for controlling a massage chair that can measure a user's biometric information by having four measuring electrodes and a biometric information measuring sensor to be.

Recently, there is a growing interest in massage equipment at home because there is a high demand for relaxing the muscles or relieving fatigue and stress through massage. Massage is one of the medical auxiliary therapies that help blood circulation and relieve fatigue by sweeping, kneading, pressing, pulling, tapping, or moving the body with hands or special devices. A device for performing a massage by means of a mechanical device is called a massage device, and as a representative example of the massage device, a massage chair in which a user can comfortably sit and receive a massage is exemplified.

The conventional massage chair is configured to allow a user to operate a stored driving mode of the massage chair, and there is a limitation in that the user has to diagnose his/her own body condition and select and drive a necessary driving mode.

In order to overcome this limitation, Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0865928 (hereinafter referred to as 'prior art 1') discloses a massage chair capable of sensing body information of a user through a sensing means.

Prior art 1 is provided with two electrode plates that are in contact with the user's body and formed of a conductor, so that the user's body fat can be measured.

However, in the prior art 1, there was a limitation in that the accuracy was significantly lowered by measuring body fat through two electrodes, one at each position corresponding to both hands.

In addition, since the electrode of Prior Art 1 is provided in the form of a simple flat plate, there is a limitation in that the accuracy is lowered as the contact area and method are different depending on the user.

Meanwhile, Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1879209 (hereinafter referred to as 'prior art 2') discloses a massage chair including a remote control that detects a health index by measuring a user's bio-signals in contact with a sensor unit.

Prior Art 2 could measure the user's bio-signals through a sensor unit and a health index detector provided in the remote control, and detect and provide health indexes such as blood pressure, stress level, tension level, and blood vessel age to the user.

However, in the massage chair of Prior Art 2, there is a limitation in that the sensor unit is provided in the portable remote control, so that the error of the bio-signal occurs according to the user's gripping method and the change of the posture.

In addition, there is a limitation in the left and right widths of the portable remote control, so that the width of both hands is narrower than the width of the user's shoulder, and the user's body is measured in a rigid state, so there is a problem that the reliability of biometric information is low.

Furthermore, while the user's arm is fixed while the massage chair is being driven, the remote control cannot be gripped, so there is a limitation in that the massage operation and the measurement of biometric information cannot be performed at the same time.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-0865928 Korean Patent Publication No. 10-1879209

An object of the present invention is to provide a massage chair capable of measuring an impedance through four measuring electrodes to measure a highly reliable body composition and a method for controlling the massage chair.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a massage chair and a method for controlling the massage chair that can provide a massage corresponding to the user's biometric information by measuring the user's biometric information with a plurality of sensors provided in the arm massage unit. do it with

In order to achieve the above object, the massage chair according to the present invention includes a main body driven to provide a massage to the user; a body composition measuring unit provided in the arm massage unit of the main body to measure the impedance of the user; a sensor unit for measuring the user's physical state; and a controller for determining body information measured through the body composition measuring unit and the sensor unit and controlling the body. including, wherein the body composition measuring unit includes: two measuring electrodes respectively disposed on the arm massage unit to be exposed to the outside so as to be in contact with the user's body; It includes, wherein the sensor unit, after irradiating light to the user's body, an optical sensor for detecting the reflected light; and a pressure sensor provided under the measuring electrode to measure the pressure applied by the user to the measuring electrode. may include.

In this case, the sensor unit, the surface of the measuring electrode, at least a portion of the temperature sensor provided so as to be in contact with the user's body; and a thermoelectric element provided between the plurality of measurement electrodes. Further comprising, the control unit, when the user's body temperature is measured outside the reference range by the temperature sensor, the thermoelectric element can be controlled to heat or absorb heat.

In addition, the measuring electrode may include: a current applying electrode provided in each of the pair of arm massage units, to which a current is applied during impedance measurement; Including, the photosensor may be provided on the current applying electrode.

A massage chair according to the present invention includes a user interface unit that provides information about massage to a user; The control unit may further include, wherein, when the pressure measured by the pressure sensor is equal to or greater than the reference pressure, the control unit may control the user interface unit to display a contact strength adjustment notification to the user.

In addition, the controller may measure the electrocardiogram using at least two or more of the measuring electrodes.

In this case, when it is determined that the user is in a stress state according to the measured electrocardiogram, the controller may control the user interface to provide a stress relief service to the user.

Meanwhile, the controller may measure any one of biometric information among a pulse wave, a blood flow velocity, an oxygen saturation level, and a blood pressure through the optical sensor.

In this case, when the measured user's blood flow velocity is low, the controller may drive the main body in a blood circulation improvement mode.

Furthermore, the controller may simultaneously measure the user's skin tension and pain response through the two measuring electrodes and the pressure sensor, respectively.

In addition, the control unit may determine the weight distribution of the user based on the pressure strength of the user detected by the sensor unit, and control the user interface unit to notify the user when the user is biased in the seated position. .

Massage chair according to the present invention is connected to an external Internet network or an internal communication network communication unit for transmitting and receiving data; Further comprising, the control unit may transmit the measured body information of the user by accessing the cloud server through the communication unit.

In this case, the cloud server may be further connected to the IoT home appliance to control the IoT home appliance to properly operate according to the user's biometric information provided by the control unit.

Also, the controller may adjust the massage intensity of the main body according to the calculated user's body fat percentage.

Furthermore, the controller may recognize the user through the calculated user's impedance or the measured user's electrocardiogram.

A method of controlling a massage chair according to the present invention, the method comprising the steps of: the user sitting in the massage chair; contacting the user's finger with the measuring electrode; measuring and calculating the user's biometric information; may include.

In addition, the control method of the massage chair according to the present invention, a pressure correction step of measuring the user's contact strength through a pressure sensor, and notifying to adjust when the measured contact strength exceeds a reference strength range; may further include.

In addition, the control method of the massage chair according to the present invention, a temperature correction step of measuring the skin temperature of the user through a temperature sensor, and controlling the temperature by controlling a thermoelectric element when the measured body temperature is out of a reference range; may further include.

According to the massage chair and the control method of the massage chair according to the embodiment of the present invention, there is an effect that the user's impedance can be measured more accurately by providing four measuring electrodes, a pressure sensor, and a temperature sensor. Accordingly, there is an effect that the user's body composition can be more accurately calculated and provided.

In addition, according to the massage chair and the control method of the massage chair according to the embodiment of the present invention, an optical sensor may be provided to measure and provide a user's cardiovascular state such as pulse wave, oxygen saturation and blood pressure.

In addition, according to the massage chair and the method for controlling the massage chair according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to adjust the intensity of the massage applied based on the calculated user's biometric information, so that it is possible to provide a massage suitable for the user.

Furthermore, according to the massage chair and the method for controlling the massage chair according to the embodiment of the present invention, the user's health status can be managed by storing and managing the user's measured biometric information in the cloud server.

1 is a front perspective view of a massage chair according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a side view viewed from one side of the arm massager of the massage chair according to the embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a plan view looking down from the top of the arm massage unit of the massage chair according to the embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a perspective view of a body composition measuring unit of a massage chair according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is an exploded perspective view in which the configuration of the body composition measuring unit of the massage chair according to the embodiment of the present invention is disassembled.
6 is a plan view of the body composition measuring unit and the biometric information measuring sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from above.
7 is a schematic view of the body composition measuring unit and the biometric information measuring sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from one side.
8 is a schematic block diagram of configurations of a massage chair according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a schematic block diagram in which a massage chair according to an embodiment of the present invention is connected to an external device through a cloud server.
9 is a side view of a measuring electrode according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from one side.
10 to 14 are flowcharts showing a method for controlling a massage chair in a time series according to an embodiment of the present invention.

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

Since the present invention can have various changes and can have various embodiments, specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and will be described in detail in the detailed description. This is not intended to limit the present invention to a specific embodiment, it should be construed to include all modifications, equivalents and substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention.

The terms used in this application are only used to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The singular expression may include the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, may 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 a commonly used dictionary may be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related art, and unless explicitly defined in the present application, it is interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal meaning. it may not be

1 shows a massage chair according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 1, a basic configuration of a massage chair according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The massage chair 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention may directly give mechanical stimulation to the body by tapping, pressing, kneading, pulling, or moving the seated user's body according to the operation mode. The massage chair 100 may massage one or more of the head, back, arms, buttocks, and legs of the seated user. Such a massage chair 100 may be provided indoors, for example, at home.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the massage chair 100 may include a main body 110 driven to provide a massage to the user. To this end, the main body 110 is provided so that the user's body can be seated, and may be composed of an upper end, a seating portion, and a lower end according to a position where the body is seated. That is, it is composed of an upper part in the form of wrapping the user's head, a seating part in a form where the user's upper body can be reclined, and a lower part in the form of wrapping the calf and feet, thereby providing comfort and comfort to the user. In this case, the size and position of each part of the massage chair 100 may be manually or automatically changed to suit the characteristics of the user's body.

The upper portion may include a head massager 101 that supports the user's head and massages the head. The seating unit supports the user's back and massages the back massage part 102, supports the user's arm and massages the arm, and the arm massage part 103 supports the user's buttocks and massages the buttocks. part 104 . The lower portion may include a leg massager 105 for supporting the user's calves and feet and for massaging the calves and feet.

The body composition measuring unit 180 may be disposed in the arm massage unit 103 . In addition, a plurality of biometric information measuring sensors 142 , 143 , 144 , 145 may be further disposed in the arm massage unit 103 . A detailed arrangement structure will be described later with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 .

The massage chair 100 may include a user interface unit 120 . Here, the user interface unit 120 may include a manipulation unit 121 that receives an input from the user and transmits it to the control unit (160 in FIG. 8), and a display unit 122 that displays massage-related information under the control of the control unit 160. can For example, the user interface unit 120 may be configured in the form of a touch screen in which the manipulation unit 121 and the display unit 122 are combined into one.

8 is a schematic block diagram of a massage chair according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, the part overlapping with the description of FIG. 1 will be omitted.

1 and 8 , the massage chair 100 includes a user interface unit 120 , a driving unit 130 , a sensor unit 140 , a memory 150 , a control unit 160 , a communication unit 170 , and body composition measurement. A unit 180 may be included.

The massage chair 100 described herein may further include additional components in addition to the components listed above, and may be implemented in a state where some of the listed components are omitted.

The user interface unit 120 is provided in the main body and is configured to display information related to massage or visual data provided to the user. Furthermore, a multimedia service may be provided to the user. For example, the user interface unit 120 may be disposed in the vicinity of the seating portion of the main body 110 so that the user's access is convenient.

The manipulation unit 121 of the user interface unit 120 may include a plurality of manipulation buttons (not shown) to transmit a signal corresponding to the input button to the control unit 160 . As an example, the manipulation unit 121 may be configured as a sensor, a button, or a switch structure capable of recognizing a user's touch or press manipulation.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the manipulation unit 121 controls a manipulation signal manipulated by the user to confirm or change various information related to the driving of the massage chair 100 displayed on the display unit 122 . can be sent to

In addition, the user may input body information such as the user's height, weight, age, and gender using the manipulation unit 121 . The input body information is transmitted to the controller 160 and may be stored in the memory 150 . The controller 160 may calculate the body fat percentage based on the body information and the impedance measured from the measuring electrode 181 , which will be described later. Specific details on this will be described later with reference to FIG. 4 or less.

The display unit 122 of the user interface unit 120 may display the driving state of the massage chair 100 under the control of the control unit 160 .

The display unit 122 may display a recommended driving mode (massage mode) of the massage chair 100 determined according to the analysis of the control unit 160 .

In addition, the display unit 122 may display the user's body information measured by the sensor unit 140 .

Furthermore, the display unit 122 may display the user's recommended life pattern determined according to the analysis of the control unit 160 based on the user's current physical state measured by the sensor unit 140 during the massage operation.

Meanwhile, the display unit 122 may display the body composition of the user measured by the body composition measuring unit 180 .

Specifically, the body composition calculated by the controller 160 may display the percentage of body fat, the amount of protein, the BMI index, the amount of skeletal muscle, the amount of fat, the percentage of skeletal muscle, the amount of minerals, and the amount of body water.

Meanwhile, the display unit 122 may be configured as a touch screen by forming a layer structure with the touch pad. In this case, the display unit 122 may also be used as the manipulation unit 121 capable of inputting information by a user's touch. To this end, the display unit 122 may be composed of a touch recognition display controller or other various input/output controllers.

As an example, a touch-sensitive display controller may provide an output interface and an input interface between the device and the user. The touch recognition display controller may transmit and receive electrical signals to and from the controller 160 . In addition, the touch-aware display controller displays a visual output to the user, and the visual output may include text, graphics, images, video, and combinations thereof. Such a display unit 122 may be, for example, a predetermined display member such as an organic light emitting display (OLED), a liquid crystal display (LCD), or a light emitting display (LED) capable of recognizing a touch.

Furthermore, the display unit 122 may provide a multimedia service to the user. That is, the visual material is displayed to the user, and it further includes a voice transmission device (not shown), so that the voice data can be transmitted to the user, and the voice and the visual data are simultaneously transmitted, that is, the audiovisual material can be provided to the user. have.

The user interface unit 120 may further include a voice recognition unit 123 .

The voice recognition unit 123 may include a receiving device for receiving the voice uttered by the user. Accordingly, the voice recognition unit 123 may receive the voice uttered by the user and, under the control of the controller 160 , determine whether it corresponds to the user's voice command and what kind of voice command it is.

Also, the voice recognition unit 123 may authenticate the user by analyzing the voice uttered by the user. Specifically, when the massage chair 100 is used for the first time, the user may register his/her own voice. The registered user's voice information is stored in the memory 150 , and later, the controller 160 compares and analyzes the voice received from the voice recognition unit 123 and the stored voice information to authenticate the user.

The user interface unit 120 may include a portable electronic device 124 .

Recently, various portable electronic devices 124 such as mobile phones, tablet PCs, and smart watches have been introduced, and many people own and use such portable electronic devices 124 .

The massage chair 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a communication unit 170 to be connected to an external Internet network or an external device. Accordingly, information can be exchanged by being connected to the portable electronic device 124 such as a mobile phone or a tablet PC.

In an embodiment, the portable electronic device 124 may replace and perform functions of the manipulation unit 121 and the display unit 122 described above.

Specifically, the user may input a desired command to the massage chair 100 by using the portable electronic device 124 instead of the manipulation unit 121 . For example, the user may input a driving command to the massage chair 100 using the portable electronic device 124 . In addition, the user may input body information such as his/her height, weight, age, and gender using the portable electronic device 124 .

Furthermore, the user may check the driving state of the massage chair 100 displayed through the portable electronic device 124 instead of the display unit 122 . In addition, the controller provides the portable electronic device 124 with the recommended driving mode (massage mode) of the massage chair 100, the user's recommended life pattern, and the user's Body composition and biometric information can be displayed.

The driving unit 130 may generate a force for performing a massage under the control of the control unit 160 . The driving unit 130 applies the generated force to the head massage unit 101 for supporting the user's head and massaging the head, the massage unit 102 for supporting the user's back and massaging the back, and the user's arm. and an arm massage part 103 that massages the arm, a hip massage part 104 that supports the user's buttocks and massages the buttocks, and a leg massage part 105 that supports the user's calves and feet and massages the calves and feet. can be passed to one or more of

In this case, the magnitude of the force for performing the massage may be pre-stored in the memory 150 . The control unit 160 may receive feedback on the load measured by the sensor unit 140 for each body part of the user and perform feedback control to adjust the force generated by the driving unit 130 . In addition, the control unit 160 may perform feedback control to adjust the force generated by the driving unit 130 according to the authenticated user.

Furthermore, the control unit 160 may adjust the force generated by the driving unit 130 according to the calculated user's biometric information.

Specifically, when the user's body fat percentage is equal to or greater than the standard body fat percentage stored in the memory 150 , the controller 160 may control the driving unit 130 to generate a force stronger than the pre-stored force. Conversely, when the user's body fat percentage is equal to or less than the standard body fat percentage stored in the memory 150 , the controller 160 may control the driving unit 130 to generate a force weaker than the pre-stored force.

In addition, when the user's blood pressure increases, the controller 160 may control the driving unit 130 to generate a force weaker than a pre-stored force.

In addition, the driving unit 130 generates a force for rotating one or more of the head massage unit 101 , the back massage unit 102 , the arm massage unit 103 , the buttock massage unit 104 , and the leg massage unit 105 . can be delivered. To this end, the driving unit 130 may include one or more motors generating a rotational force and a power transmitting unit transmitting the generated rotational force.

In addition, each of the head massage unit 101 , the back massage unit 102 , the arm massage unit 103 , the buttock massage unit 104 , and the leg massage unit 105 may include an airbag (not shown), and a driving unit 130 adjusts the air pressure of each airbag of the head massage unit 101, the back massage unit 102, the arm massage unit 103, the buttock massage unit 104 and the leg massage unit 105, and massages with various strengths can be performed.

The sensor unit 140 may be provided in the main body 110 and may be configured to measure the user's current body state while the main body 110 is being driven, that is, while a massage is provided to the user.

To this end, the sensor unit 140 may collect data for acquiring information on at least one of the body type, posture, and position of the user seated in the massage chair 100 .

The sensor unit 140 may include one or more sensors disposed on a part in contact with the user. Here, the one or more sensors may include at least one of a displacement sensor, an electrostatic sensor, a pressure sensor, and a piezoelectric sensor, and when the user touches the massage chair 100, data on at least one of the contact surface and contact strength is obtained. can

In particular, the sensor unit 140 may include a seating sensor 141 provided in at least one of the head massage unit 101 , the back massage unit 102 , and the buttock massage unit 104 .

The seating sensor 141 may be provided as a sensor capable of detecting pressure applied by the body weight when the user is seated. In one embodiment, the seating sensor 141 may be provided as a fiber-type pressure sensor.

When the seating sensor 141 senses pressure, it may transmit a signal to the control unit 160 , and the control unit 160 may determine that the user is seated upon receiving the signal.

Furthermore, the seating sensor 141 may sense the strength of the pressure applied to the back massage unit 102 and the buttock massage unit 104 and transmit it to the control unit 160 .

The control unit 160 may determine the weight distribution of the user through the user's pressure strength received from the sitting sensor 141 .

In this case, when the user's weight is biased to one side, the controller 160 may determine that the user has a biased seating position. Also, when the user has biased seating, the controller 160 may control the user interface 120 to notify the user of this. When the user is biased in the seated position, the user's muscle stiffness is changed, and thus an error may occur in the impedance value measured by the body composition measuring unit 180 . Therefore, in order to prevent this, the controller 160 may notify the user to sit in a balanced position before the body composition measuring unit 180 measures the impedance.

Based on the data obtained from the sensor unit 140, the controller 160 receives information such as the user's current body state, the body type including the height and weight, the sitting position, the sitting posture, and the degree of muscle aggregation for each body part. can be obtained

The sensor unit 140 may further include a plurality of biometric information measuring sensors capable of measuring the user's biometric information. The biometric information measuring sensor may include an optical sensor 142 , a temperature sensor 143 , a pressure sensor 144 , and a thermoelectric element 145 . The biometric information measuring sensor may measure the user's electrocardiogram, heart rate variability, skin conductivity, oxygen saturation, blood pressure, body temperature, and the like. A more specific configuration and arrangement of the biometric information measuring sensors will be described later in detail with reference to FIG. 6 or less.

The bio-information measuring sensor functions together with the body composition measuring unit 180 to be described later to measure various kinds of bio-information. The controller 160 may control the biometric information measuring sensor and the body composition measuring unit 180 to partially function according to the type of biometric information to be measured. A specific control method for measuring biometric information will be described later with reference to FIG. 10 or less.

Also, the sensor unit 140 may acquire data for identifying information on the inclination of the massage chair 100 . Here, the information on the inclination of the massage chair 100 includes the inclination information of the head massager 101, the inclination information of the back massager 102, the inclination information of the arm massager 103, and the inclination information of the buttocks massager 104. It may include at least one of inclination information, inclination information of the leg massage unit 105 and inclination information of the entire massage chair 100 .

In addition, the sensor unit 140 may measure the rotation of at least one of the head massage unit 101 , the back massage unit 102 , the arm massage unit 103 , the hip massage unit 104 , and the leg massage unit 105 . It may include one or more sensors that may be The entire massage chair 100 may rotate, and the sensor unit 140 may measure the rotation or inclination of the massage chair 100 . For this, at least one of an inertial sensor, a magnetic sensor, a gravity sensor, a gyroscope sensor, and an acceleration sensor may be selected as one or more sensors included in the sensor unit 140 .

In addition, the body information measured by the sensor unit 140 may be individually stored in the memory 150 according to the user authenticated by the control unit 160 .

Furthermore, the body information measured by the sensor unit 140 may be used by the controller 160 to calculate a body composition based on the impedance value measured by the body composition measuring unit 180 . This will be described later in detail with reference to FIG. 11 .

The memory 150 stores various types of information necessary for the operation of the massage chair 100 , and may include a volatile or nonvolatile recording medium. For example, the memory 150 may include magnetic storage media or flash storage media, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

Memory 150 may include internal memory and/or external memory, and may include volatile memory such as DRAM, SRAM, or SDRAM, one time programmable ROM (OTPROM), PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, mask ROM, flash ROM, NAND Flash memory, or non-volatile memory, such as NOR flash memory, SSD. It may include a flash drive such as a compact flash (CF) card, an SD card, a Micro-SD card, a Mini-SD card, an Xd card, or a memory stick, or a storage device such as an HDD.

The memory 150 may store a plurality of driving modes for driving the main body 110 of the massage chair 100 and a plurality of life patterns to be provided according to the user's current physical state.

In addition, as described above, the user's voice may be stored in the memory 150 , and body information for each user may also be stored.

Specifically, the memory 150 may store body information and voices of one or more users separately for each user. The controller 160 may authenticate the user by comparing the measured impedance or the recognized voice of the seated user with information stored in the memory. In addition, the controller 160 may determine which user is seated by comparing the stored plurality of user information.

Meanwhile, the memory 150 may store music and/or video files playable on the display unit 122 .

Next, the control unit 160 is configured to control the main body 110 , the user interface unit 120 , the driving unit 130 , the sensor unit 140 , the communication unit 170 , and the body composition measuring unit 180 .

The control unit 160 is a kind of central processing unit and can control the operation of the entire body 110 of the massage chair 100 by driving the control software mounted on the memory 150 .

The controller 160 may include all kinds of devices capable of processing data, such as a processor. Here, the 'processor' may refer to a data processing device embedded in hardware, for example, having a physically structured circuit to perform a function expressed as a code or an instruction included in a program. As an example of the data processing device embedded in the hardware as described above, a microprocessor, a central processing unit (CPU), a processor core, a multiprocessor, an application-specific integrated (ASIC) circuit) and a processing device such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA), but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

The controller 160 may control the user interface 120 so that the recommended driving mode is displayed to the user. Specifically, the controller 160 may control the recommended driving mode to be displayed on the display unit 122 or the portable electronic device 124 . Accordingly, the user may intuitively recognize the driving mode displayed on the display unit 122 or the portable electronic device 124 .

As an embodiment, the user may receive the user input displayed on the user interface unit 120 through a user input through the manipulation unit 121 , a user input through the display unit 122 configured as a touch screen, or a user input through the voice recognition unit 123 . You can directly select the recommended driving mode. In this case, when receiving a user input for selecting the recommended driving mode, the controller 160 may control the main body 110 to be driven in the recommended driving mode. Of course, the user may select another driving mode of the massage chair 100 without selecting the recommended driving mode. In this case, the controller 160 may control the main body 110 to drive in the driving mode selected by the user, not in the recommended driving mode.

Alternatively, as another embodiment, the controller 160 may control the main body 110 to directly drive in the determined recommended driving mode without the user's selection.

In any of the above-described embodiments, the user is provided with a recommended driving mode analyzed and determined based on his or her body information, through which the user can be provided with an appropriate intensity and type of massage.

The controller 160 may recommend various driving modes according to the authenticated user. Accordingly, the user may select a recommended driving mode in consideration of the user's physical condition or taste.

The control unit 160 may measure and calculate various biometric information of the user through the sensor unit 140 and the body composition measurement unit 180 . (See FIGS. 10 to 14) At this time, the biometric information measured/calculated by the controller 160 includes body composition, electrocardiogram, heart rate variability, stress index, autonomic nervous system balance, pulse wave (blood flow value), blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and user skin temperature, user's contact strength, skin tension, etc. may be included, and biometric information not listed may be further measured or calculated.

Also, the controller 160 may recommend various driving modes according to the calculated user's biometric information. For example, when the user's body fat mass is higher than the reference value, a driving mode that presses the user with a stronger force may be recommended. You may.

Also, the controller 160 may suggest a plurality of recommended driving modes to the user. Accordingly, the user can select a desired driving mode according to his or her state or mood.

Meanwhile, the plurality of driving modes may be previously stored in the memory 150 as a map table in correspondence with the biometric information. In this case, the recommended driving mode may be mapped differently depending on whether a parameter related to each biometric information exceeds a preset reference value. In addition, in the plurality of driving modes, the massage intensity, the number of massages, and the massage time may be set differently for each body part of the user.

The controller 160 may control the main body 110 with the massage position, the massage intensity, and the massage execution time according to the recommended driving mode or the driving mode selected by the user. At this time, the control unit 160 through the driving unit 140 at least one of the user's head, neck, left shoulder, right shoulder, back, waist, buttocks, left arm, right arm, left thigh, right thigh, left calf, right calf It is possible to control the main body 110 so that the massage for the above is performed.

The control unit 160 may receive the user's current physical state measured by the sensor unit 140 during the massage operation. For example, the load acting on the driving force of the main body 110 for each body part of the user may be measured by the sensor unit 140 . Through this, the controller 160 may acquire the degree of aggregation of the user's muscles for each body part as information. In addition, the height and weight of the user may be measured through the contact surface and the contact pressure measured by the sensor unit 140 .

In addition, the controller 160 may determine the multimedia transmission mode when the user instructs the multimedia transmission through the manipulation unit 121 or the voice recognition unit 123 .

The controller 160 may change the type of multimedia transmitted according to a user's command. In this case, the command may be a manual command through the manipulation unit 121 or a voice command received through the voice recognition unit 123 .

In addition, the controller 160 may control the display unit 122 to increase or decrease the transmission volume, adjust the brightness of the display, and adjust the multimedia playback speed faster or slower. Furthermore, the control unit 160 may supply or stop power to the display unit 122 .

The communication unit 170 may be connected to an external Internet network or an internal communication network to transmit/receive data. Specifically, the communication unit 170 may be configured as a communication module connectable to an external Internet network or internal components. The communication module may be a wired and/or wireless module. In addition, the communication unit 170 is provided with a plurality of communication modules, it can be selectively used according to the usage mode.

The wireless module may include at least one of an IR (Infrared) module for infrared communication, an ultrasonic module for ultrasonic communication, or a short-range communication module such as a Wi-Fi module or a Bluetooth module, which can be wirelessly connected to an external Internet network. have. Alternatively, including a wireless Internet module, it may be configured to transmit/receive data to/from a preset device through various wireless technologies such as wireless LAN (WLAN) and wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi). Using this, the communication unit 170 may be connected to an external Internet network using Wi-Fi communication, and may also be connected to the portable electronic device 124 .

Also, the communication unit 170 may be connected to an external Internet network using a short-range wireless communication protocol, that is, Zigbee communication. Through this, the portable electronic device 124 or other external devices may be connected to transmit/receive information.

When the communication unit 170 is connected to an external Internet network, the user interface 120 may display that the Internet is available. Also, the user interface unit 120 may display a method in which the communication unit 170 is connected to the Internet network. For example, when Wi-Fi is connected, the massage chair 100 may display that Wi-Fi is connected.

Furthermore, the communication unit 170 may be connected to the Internet network to access the cloud server 200 . Through this, data may be exchanged with the Internet of Things (IoT) home appliance 300 . Hereinafter, a more detailed data transmission/reception relationship will be described with reference to FIG. 9 .

The massage chair 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention may further include a body composition measuring unit 180 that measures the user's body information.

The body composition measuring unit 180 may include at least four or more measuring electrodes 181 that come into contact with the user's body and pass a current to measure the impedance. Through this, the body composition of the user can be measured through Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) using four electrodes. The bioelectrical resistance analysis method refers to a method of predicting the body composition by using the electrical conductivity difference according to the biological characteristics of the tissue.

The prior art is equipped with two electrodes to measure the impedance in order to utilize the bioelectrical resistance analysis method. However, when impedance measurement is performed using two electrodes, a reliability problem of the measured impedance may occur. In order to solve this problem, the present invention can measure the impedance by using the four measuring electrodes 181 to measure the impedance with higher reliability, and furthermore, it is possible to calculate the correct body composition.

In addition, the body composition measuring unit 180 may measure the electrocardiogram and heart rate variability using the three-electrode method, and may measure the stress index or the autonomic nervous system balance through this.

Furthermore, the body composition measuring unit 180 may measure skin tension and the user's pain response together with the pressure sensor 144 .

A specific shape and structure of the body composition measuring unit 180 will be described with reference to FIG. 2 or less.

2 is a view from one side of the arm massage unit of the massage chair according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a plan view looking down from the upper side of the arm massage unit of the massage chair according to the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 shows a body composition measuring unit of a massage chair according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the body composition measuring unit of the massage chair according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 and 3 , in the massage chair 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention, each of two measuring electrodes 181 may be provided in the pair of arm massage units 103 .

Referring to FIG. 1 , the arm massage unit 103 may be provided as a pair corresponding to the position of the user's arms. As described above, in the embodiment of the present invention, the body composition measuring unit 180 includes at least four measuring electrodes 181 , and it is preferable that two of them are disposed on each arm in order to improve the accuracy of the impedance measurement value.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the arm massage unit 103 includes an arm holder 1031 on which the user can lean on an arm, and an arm pressing unit 1032 that moves in the direction of gravity from the upper side toward the arm holder 1031 and presses it. and a connection part 1033 connecting the arm holding part 1031 and the arm pressing part 1032 .

The arm mounting unit 1031 and the arm pressing unit 1032 may press the mounted user's arms and drive a massage. The arm pressing unit 1032 may move toward the arm pressing unit 1032 by a certain distance when the driving of the massage is started. Accordingly, the user's arm may be vertically pressed and fixed by the arm holding unit 1031 and the arm pressing unit 1032 .

The body composition measuring unit 180 may be provided in the arm holder 1031 . Specifically, the arm holder 1031 may be provided with an arrangement space that is recessed by a predetermined depth so that the body composition measuring unit 180 can be provided. Accordingly, the body composition measuring unit 180 may be coupled to the arrangement space. Also, the body composition measuring unit 180 may be in contact with a finger or a palm of the user's arm while the user rests his or her arm on the arm resting unit 1031 .

While the user is seated on the massage chair 100 , the user can naturally lean both arms on the arm holder 1031 . That is, in a state in which the user leans both arms on the arm holder 1031 , the user's arms may be maintained in a state in which tension is minimized.

As described above, in the embodiment of the present invention, the massage chair 100 may calculate various body compositions such as body water and body fat through the impedance value measured by the body composition measuring unit 180 after a constant current is applied to the body. .

However, if the user's posture is unstable or inconvenient, a force may be applied to the body part where the impedance is measured and the user may become rigid. At this time, the impedance value measured in the rigid body is unstable outside the normal range, and there is a problem in that it is difficult to calculate the correct body composition.

However, in the embodiment of the present invention, as the body composition measuring unit 180 is disposed on the arm massage unit 103, it is possible to measure the impedance in a state in which the body, more specifically, the muscles of the arm, shoulder, chest and back are not rigid. can Therefore, accurate impedance can be measured, and a more accurate body composition value can be calculated based on this.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the body composition measuring unit 180 may be disposed at a point extending by a predetermined length L from one side of the arm massage unit 103 in the back massage unit 102 direction.

Specifically, the measuring electrode 181 is disposed at a point extending from one side of the arm massage unit 103 in the back massage unit 102 direction to a length of 350 mm or more and 500 mm or less, so that the finger is naturally positioned when the user holds the arm. It can be placed at a point where

More specifically, the measuring electrode 181 may be disposed at a point extending by a length of 400 mm or more and 460 mm or less from one side of the arm massage unit 103 in the back massage unit 102 direction.

According to the Korean Body Size Survey (2015) published by the National Statistical Office of the Republic of Korea, the average horizontal length from the tip of the elbow to the fingertips is 432.0 mm for adult men and women. In consideration of errors such as gender difference, height and weight difference of the measurement target, the measuring electrode 181 is a point extending by a length of 400 mm or more and 460 mm or less from one side of the arm massage unit 103 in the back massage unit 102 direction. When placed on the , the user's finger or palm can contact the measurement electrode in a natural posture. Accordingly, it is possible to minimize an error in the impedance measurement value that may occur due to muscle tension caused by folding the user's armpit or excessively extending the arm forward.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the body composition measuring unit may be disposed perpendicular to the extending direction of the arm massage unit. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be disposed to have a predetermined angle.

In particular, considering that the length of the middle finger of most users is longer than the length of the index finger due to the characteristics of the body, in another embodiment of the present invention, the body composition measuring unit 180 has one side of the hip massage unit 104 in the direction of the connection part ( 1033) direction, so that it is disposed closer to the back massage unit 102 than one side, it may be inclined at a predetermined angle. According to this embodiment, the user can more naturally contact the index finger and middle finger with the measurement electrode 181 .

4 and 5 , the body composition measuring unit 180 may include a measuring electrode 181 , an upper housing 182 , a lower housing 183 , a sealing member 184 , and a buffer board 185 .

As described above, the body composition measuring unit 180 may be provided in pairs to correspond to the pair of arm massage units. For convenience of description, it may be divided into a first electrode module 180a and a second electrode module 180b. Hereinafter, the terms body composition measuring unit 180, first electrode module 180a, and second electrode module 180b may be used interchangeably, and unless otherwise stated, the body composition measuring unit 180 refers to the first electrode module 180a. ) or the second electrode module 180b.

The measuring electrode 181 may contact the user's body and pass a current to measure the impedance.

Impedance is a generic term that impedes the flow of current in an AC circuit, and is divided into resistance (R), a real part, and reactance, an imaginary part. The body can be viewed as an alternating current circuit containing body water through which an electric current can pass. Therefore, by measuring the impedance generated after flowing a minute current to the body, body water can be measured, which is called a bioelectrical impedance method or a bioelectrical resistance analysis method (BIA).

The measuring electrode 181 may be made of a conductor capable of guiding a current to the contacted object. In an embodiment of the present invention, the measuring electrode 181 may guide a current by contacting the finger or palm. The measuring electrode 181 may be formed of a material having high conductivity, such as stainless steel, aluminum, gold, platinum, or chrome plating. In addition, since it is exposed to the outside, a material with little corrosion even in contact with moisture may be selected.

The measuring electrode 181 may be formed in a substantially circular shape having a radius of 10 mm or more and 15 mm or less. The shape of the measuring electrode 181 may be selected from various shapes such as a circle, an ellipse, and a rectangle. In the embodiment of the present invention, the measuring electrode 181 may be formed in a circular shape corresponding to the shape of the fingertip. The radius of the measurement electrode 181 may be designed in consideration of a minimum contact area capable of preventing an impedance measurement error from occurring.

In an embodiment, the measuring electrode 181 may have a radius of 10 mm or more in order to maintain a contact area of 400 mm ² or more. In addition, in consideration of the width between the user's fingers, the radius may be limited to 15 mm or less.

Two measuring electrodes 181 may be provided in each of the first electrode module 180a and the second electrode module 180b. Accordingly, in an embodiment of the present invention, the body composition measuring unit 180 may include a total of four measuring electrodes 181 .

As described above, the prior art has a problem in that the impedance is measured using two electrodes, and an error in the measured impedance value is large. Furthermore, there was a limitation in that the reliability of the body composition values calculated based on the impedance was low.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the body composition measuring unit 180 measures the impedance using four or more measuring electrodes 181 to reduce the measurement error of the impedance value. In addition, it is possible to calculate and provide a more reliable body composition value to the user.

The measuring electrode 181 may include a contact surface 1811 and a current induction unit 1812 .

The contact surface 1811 is a surface that a finger or a palm is in contact with, and may be formed in a circular shape having a predetermined radius in an embodiment of the present invention.

As described above, the contact surface 1811 may be formed of a conductor to induce an electric current in the body. The contact surface 1811 may be formed to have a predetermined curvature such that the central portion is lower than the height of the outer peripheral surface. Accordingly, it is possible to secure a wider contact area with the user's finger.

The contact surface 1811 may be further subjected to a post-processing process such as polishing, sanding, or hairline so that the user does not feel discomfort when touched and can feel more esthetic.

The current induction unit 1812 may be connected to the outer peripheral surface of the contact surface 1811 to induce a current. The current inducing part 1812 may have a thin plate shape and may pass through the open groove 1823 provided in the upper housing 182 .

One side of the current induction unit 1812 may contact the buffer board 185 . Accordingly, one side of the current induction unit 1812 is connected to the contact surface 1811 and the other side is connected to the buffer board 185, so as to guide the current transferred from the user's hand to the buffer board 185. have.

The upper housing 182 and the lower housing 183 may be coupled to each other to form the outer shape of the electrode modules 180a and 180b. An inner space in which the buffer board 185 may be disposed may be formed between the upper housing 182 and the lower housing 183 .

A first coupling part 1821 to which the measurement electrode 181 may be coupled may be formed on an upper side of the upper housing 182 .

The shape of the first coupling part 1821 may be formed to correspond to the shape of the measuring electrode 181 . In one embodiment, corresponding to the measurement electrode 181 formed in a circular shape, it may be recessed by a predetermined depth.

An optical sensor 142 , a temperature sensor 143 , a pressure sensor 144 , and a thermoelectric element 145 may be further coupled to the first coupling unit 1821 . (See FIG. 7 ) In this case, a space in which the sensors 142 , 143 , and 144 and the thermoelectric element 145 can be provided may be formed in the first coupling part 1821 .

A second coupling portion 1822 to which the sealing member 184 is coupled may be formed in the upper housing 182 .

The second coupling part 1822 may be formed in a ring shape to be stepped along the outer circumferential surface of the first coupling part 1821 . Accordingly, the sealing member 184 may be fitted and fixed to the second coupling portion 1822 .

An open groove 1823, which is an open space, is formed in the upper housing 182, so that the current induction unit 1812 can be introduced therein.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the open groove 1823 may be formed on either side of the periphery of the first coupling part 1821 to correspond to the position of the current induction part 1812 .

The coupling protrusion 1824 protruding from the lower side of the upper housing 182 may couple the upper housing 182 to the lower housing 183 . The shape of the coupling protrusion 1824 may be coupled to the groove formed to correspond to the lower housing 183 .

In one embodiment of the present invention, the coupling protrusion 1824 may be provided in a cylindrical shape extending by a predetermined length. In addition, a plurality is provided along the circumference of the upper housing 182, so that they can be more stably coupled.

The lower housing 183 may have a space in which the buffer board 185 can be disposed. In addition, an open space in which the buffer board 185 can be connected to the controller 160 may be provided on one side. Furthermore, a plurality of grooves into which the coupling protrusion 1824 of the upper housing 182 can be fitted may be provided.

The sealing member 184 may serve to fix the measuring electrode 181 to the upper housing 182 .

The shape of the sealing member 184 may be formed to correspond to the shape of the measuring electrode 181 . In order to fix the measuring electrode 181 , it may be formed to extend by a predetermined interval in a radial direction along the outer periphery of the measuring electrode 181 .

In one embodiment of the present invention, it may be provided in a ring shape having a predetermined diameter to correspond to the shape of the measuring electrode 181 formed in a circular shape. Accordingly, the measurement electrode 181 and the upper housing 182 may be fixed by being inserted into the gap.

The sealing member 184 is formed as an inclined surface connecting the outer periphery of the measuring electrode 181 and the perimeter of the second coupling portion 1822 in order to prevent inconvenience such as being scratched or harsh when the user touches it with a finger or palm. can be Furthermore, it may be formed to have a predetermined curvature so that the user can feel comfortable.

The buffer board 185 is configured to transmit the impedance measured from the measurement electrode 181 to the controller 160 .

A buffer is a temporary storage device that can solve problems caused by a difference in transmission speed or a time difference between each device when data is exchanged between the main device and a peripheral device. That is, it is a temporary storage space used for the purpose of exchanging data between two devices with different data processing speed, processing unit, and data usage time.

The buffer board 185 may be formed in a flat plate shape and may be in contact with the current induction unit 1812 . Also, the buffer board 185 may be connected to the controller 160 . Accordingly, impedance data may be transmitted to the controller 160 , that is, the main device.

Also, the buffer board 185 may receive biometric information measured by biometric information measuring sensors to be described later and transmit it to the controller 160 .

The controller 160 may measure the user's electrocardiogram and heart rate variability by using three of the four measuring electrodes 181 (three-electrode method). The electrocardiogram measurement method using the three-electrode method will be described later in detail with reference to FIG. 12 .

The controller 160 may measure the electrocardiogram for a predetermined period of time (t>30sec) and determine that the stress is high when the electrocardiogram changes rapidly. In addition, the stress index can be calculated by measuring the balance of the autonomic nervous system based on the measured heart rate variability. (Analysis of stress status in Koreans by measuring heart rate variability, Korea Food Research Institute, 2007)

When it is determined that the user's stress is high, the controller 160 may control the user interface 120 to provide stress reduction therapy. The stress reduction therapy may be a method of providing a sound source for stress healing and a sound source for meditation. Also, it may be a method of providing olfactory services such as oils and fragrances that provide comfort to users.

6 is a view from above of the body composition measuring unit and the biometric information measuring sensor of the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the body composition measuring unit and the biometric information measuring sensor of the embodiment of the present invention viewed from one side. is showing

A coupling structure in which the body composition measuring unit 180 is provided with a biometric information measuring sensor will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 .

Referring to FIG. 6 , the body composition measuring unit 180 may include a biometric information measuring sensor, that is, an optical sensor 142 , a temperature sensor 143 , a pressure sensor 144 , and a thermoelectric element 145 . In this case, the body composition measuring unit 180 may refer to either the first electrode module 180a or the second electrode module 180b. In other words, the first electrode module 180a or the second electrode module 180b may include an optical sensor 142 , a temperature sensor 143 , a pressure sensor 144 , and a thermoelectric element 145 , respectively. Hereinafter, the first electrode module 180a will be described as an example.

First, the photosensor 142 may be provided on any one of the pair of measuring electrodes 181 of the first electrode module 180a.

The optical sensor 142 includes a light irradiator 1421 (not shown) such as an LED (light emitting diode) that generates light and irradiates it toward the user's body, and a light sensing unit ( 1422 (not shown) may be included.

Biometric information that can be measured using the optical sensor 142 includes heart rate, respiration, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and the like. A method of measuring biometric information using the optical sensor 142 will be described later in detail with reference to FIG. 13 .

The temperature sensor 143 may be disposed on the contact surface 1811 of the measurement electrode 181 and at least a part thereof may be exposed to the outside. Therefore, when the user's hand comes into contact with the measuring electrode 181 , the temperature sensor 143 may come into contact with it.

In addition, the temperature sensor 143 may measure the temperature of the contact surface 1811 formed of a conductor.

The temperature sensor 143 may measure the skin temperature of the contacted user and transmit it to the controller 160 . The controller 160 may determine the difference between the received temperature and the reference temperature. In general, the human body temperature is known to be 36.5 ℃. When the difference between the body temperature and the sensed temperature is equal to or greater than a predetermined temperature, the controller 160 may control the thermoelectric element 145 to adjust the temperature of the measurement electrode 181 to be close to the body temperature.

When the temperature of the measurement electrode 181 is higher or lower than the reference temperature range, an error may occur in the measured impedance value. The embodiment of the present invention has the effect of reducing the occurrence of the error by providing the temperature sensor 143 .

The above-described photosensor 142 and temperature sensor 143 may be disposed on the current applying electrode among the pair of measuring electrodes 181 . The current applying electrode means an electrode provided to apply a current for measuring body composition, and at least one electrode included in the first electrode module 180a or the second electrode module 180b is such a current applying electrode. The photosensor 142 may be disposed in a hole formed inside the contact surface 1811 of the current applying electrode.

The voltage detection electrode provided as a pair with the current application electrode may receive a signal for detecting biometric information. At this time, since the precision and sensitivity of signal reception must be high, it is not preferable to configure the photosensor 142 or the temperature sensor 143 together with the voltage detection electrode. That is, when the photosensor 142 is disposed on the current applying electrode, it is possible to measure all the biometric information to be measured with a single body contact without compromising the sensitivity and accuracy of the measurement. In other words, a contact-type measurement in which the body (finger) is brought into contact with the measurement electrode 181 and the temperature sensor 143 to measure bio-information and a non-contact measurement in which bio-information is measured through the optical sensor 142 are one configuration ( can be implemented simultaneously on one measuring electrode). Accordingly, a non-contact measurement can be performed without a separate operation while the user's hand is in contact with the body composition measuring unit 180, thereby reducing the time used for measurement and improving user convenience. It works.

The pressure sensor 144 may be provided below the measuring electrode 181 to measure the pressure that the user presses on the measuring electrode 181 . Accordingly, when the user presses the measurement electrode 181 , the pressure transmitted from the measurement electrode 181 to the pressure sensor 144 may be measured.

The pressure sensor 144 may transmit the measured pressure to the controller 160 . When the measured pressure exceeds a reference value, the controller 160 may notify the user to adjust the touch intensity. This is because, as described above, when the pressure applied to the measurement electrode 181 is equal to or greater than the reference strength, an error occurs in the impedance measurement value. In order to prevent this, the present invention has the effect of reducing the impedance measurement error of the measuring electrode 181 by providing the pressure sensor 144 .

The pressure sensor 144 may be formed to correspond to the shape of the measuring electrode 181 in order to uniformly measure the pressure applied to the measuring electrode 181 . As an embodiment, referring to FIG. 6 , the measuring electrode 181 may be provided in the form of a circle having a predetermined diameter, corresponding to the shape of the measuring electrode 181 . In this case, the predetermined diameter may be smaller than the diameter of the measuring electrode 181 .

The thermoelectric element 145 has a configuration capable of generating or absorbing heat, and may be disposed between a pair of measuring electrodes 181 .

The thermoelectric element 145 may be disposed adjacent to or in contact with the measurement electrode 181 , and may apply heat to the measurement electrode 181 or absorb heat on the contrary. That is, the thermoelectric element 145 may adjust the temperature of the measurement electrode 181 .

The controller 160 may control the thermoelectric element 145 to adjust the temperature of the measurement electrode 181 . As described above, when the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 143 is higher or lower than the reference temperature range, the thermoelectric element 145 generates heat or absorbs heat to bring the temperature of the measurement electrode 181 into the reference range. can be adjusted

8 is a schematic block diagram of configurations of a massage chair according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a schematic block diagram in which a massage chair according to an embodiment of the present invention is connected to an external device through a cloud server.

8 and 9 , in an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 160 may be connected to the cloud server 200 through the communication unit 170 to transmit/receive data.

The controller 160 may transmit the body composition and biometric information measured by the body composition measuring unit 180 and the biometric information measuring sensor to the cloud server 200 .

The cloud server 200 may organize and store the received body composition and biometric information for each individual.

In addition, the cloud server 200 may record the authenticated user and store the service use frequency, period, and time for each individual.

Furthermore, the cloud server 200 may set a customized service based on data stored for each individual and transmit it to the controller 160 .

The cloud server 200 may be connected to the Internet of Things (IoT) home appliances 300 . The IoT home appliance 300 may include an air conditioner 310 , a TV 320 , and an air purifier 330 .

The cloud server 200 may control the IoT home appliances 300 based on the data received through the massage chair 100 .

For example, the cloud server 200 may control the air conditioner 310 to maintain an optimal temperature suitable for massage when the massage chair 100 is driven. Specifically, the temperature may be adjusted in response to various conditions, such as when the user's sleep is sensed through the massage chair 100 , when the degree of stress is high, and when the detected body temperature is above or below the average.

As another example, the cloud server 200 may control the operation of the TV 320 when the massage chair 100 is driven. Specifically, when the user's stress index sensed by the massage chair 100 is greater than or equal to the standard (waking state), the TV may be turned off, and a desired program may be controlled to be transmitted according to the user.

As another example, the cloud server 200 may control the operation of the air purifier 330 in response to the user's biometric information received from the massage chair 100 . Specifically, when the user's oxygen saturation is low, the air purifier 330 may be controlled to increase the concentration of oxygen. In addition, if it is determined that the user's blood circulation is below the standard, the air purifier 330 may be operated to improve air quality.

10 to 14 show a method for controlling a massage chair according to an embodiment of the present invention in time series. Hereinafter, a method for controlling a massage chair according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 14 .

Referring to FIG. 10 , the method for controlling a massage chair according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a user sitting step (S100), a measurement preparation step (S200), a pressure correction step (S300), a temperature correction step (S400), and a biometric information measurement step (S500), it may include a biometric information display step (S600).

First, in the user seating step S100 , the user sits on the massage chair 100 , and pressure is applied to the seating sensor 141 provided in the back massage unit 102 and the buttock massage unit 104 by weight. When the sitting sensor 141 senses the pressure, it transmits a signal for detecting that the user is seated to the control unit 160 .

The measurement preparation step ( S200 ) may include a user arm mounting step ( S210 ) and a user hand contact step ( S220 ).

In the user arm mounting step (S210), the seated user may mount both arms on a pair of arm massage units 103, respectively. In this case, the control unit 160 may start the massage operation by driving the arm massage unit 103 .

In the user hand contact step S220 , the user may contact the body composition measuring unit 180 with a finger or palm. In an embodiment, the user may contact the index and middle fingers of both hands to the four measurement electrodes 181 , respectively. In addition, the user's hand may contact the biometric information measuring sensor provided in the body composition measuring unit 180 .

When the user's hand comes into contact with the body composition measuring unit 180 and the biometric information measuring sensor, the controller 160 may initiate the pressure correction step S300 and the temperature correction step S400 . At this time, the pressure correction step ( S300 ) and the temperature correction step ( S400 ) may take precedence, and both steps may be performed simultaneously.

The pressure correction step ( S300 ) may include a touch intensity measurement step ( S310 ), a touch intensity determination step ( S320 ), and an intensity adjustment notification step ( S330 ).

In the step of measuring the touch intensity ( S310 ), the pressure at which the user presses the measuring electrode 181 may be measured through the pressure sensor 144 .

In the touch intensity determination step S320 , the controller 160 may determine whether the pressure measured in the touch intensity measurement step S310 falls within a reference pressure range.

The intensity adjustment notification step ( S330 ) may be selectively initiated only when the control unit does not include the pressure measured in the touch intensity determination step ( S320 ) within the reference pressure range. In the intensity adjustment notification step (S330), the control unit 160 may control to display a notification to adjust the contact strength of the user interface unit 120 to be stronger or weaker.

The temperature correction step (S400) may include a skin temperature measurement step (S410), a skin temperature determination step (S420), and a temperature control step (S430).

In the skin temperature measuring step (S410), the skin temperature of the user in contact with the temperature sensor 143 may be measured. In one embodiment, the user's skin may mean the temperature of the fingertip.

In the skin temperature determining step (S420), the controller 160 may determine whether the user's skin temperature measured in the skin temperature measuring step (S410) is within a reference range.

℃로 정의될 수 있다. 상기 온도 범위는 미리 메모리(150)에 저장되어 있을 수 있다. 또한, 측정 전극(181)의 재질과 전도도 등을 고려하여 임피던스 값의 오차가 발생하지 않는 범위로 설정될 수 있다.At this time, the reference range is based on the human body temperature (36.5℃).

It can be defined as °C. The temperature range may be previously stored in the memory 150 . In addition, in consideration of the material and conductivity of the measuring electrode 181 , it may be set in a range in which an error in the impedance value does not occur.

The temperature control step ( S430 ) may be selectively initiated when the user's body temperature is determined outside the reference range in the skin temperature determination step ( S420 ).

In the temperature control step ( S430 ), the controller 160 may control the thermoelectric element 145 to absorb or generate heat. The thermoelectric element 145 may absorb heat or generate heat, so that the temperature of the measurement electrode 181 may be adjusted to be within a reference range.

In the bio-information measurement step S500 , the controller 160 may calculate various bio-information by using the impedance or data measured from the body composition measuring unit 180 and the bio-information measuring sensors.

The biometric information measurement step S500 may include a body composition calculation step S510 , a stress calculation step S520 , a cardiovascular index calculation step S530 , and a skin pain calculation step S540 . The body composition calculation step S510 , the stress calculation step S520 , the cardiovascular index calculation step S530 , and the skin pain calculation step S540 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 11 to 14 , respectively.

In the biometric information display step (S600), the controller 160 may control the user interface unit 120 to display the biometric information calculated in the biometric information measurement step (S500) to the user. In this case, the displayed biometric information may include information such as body composition, body evaluation score, blood pressure, and stress index. In addition, the displayed body composition value may be at least one of body fat percentage, protein amount, BMI index, skeletal muscle mass, fat mass, skeletal muscle percentage, minerals, and body water content, and other body composition values may be further displayed. Furthermore, the user's body evaluation graph using the calculated body fat percentage and BMI index may be displayed.

11 , the body composition calculation step S510 includes an impedance measurement step S511, an impedance validity determination step S512, a re-measurement notification step S513, a storage information check step S514, and a body information input notification step ( S515), user body information input step (S516)

In the impedance measuring step ( S511 ), impedance may be measured through a four-electrode method using four measuring electrodes 181 .

Specifically, two measuring electrodes 181 among the four measuring electrodes 181 are designated as current applying electrodes, and the remaining two measuring electrodes 181 are designated as voltage detecting electrodes, and a current of a predetermined magnitude is designated as a current applying electrode. can be authorized. Current applied through the current applying electrode flows through the user's finger, and the voltage applied to the voltage detecting electrode is measured to detect the user's voltage. The impedance of the user may be calculated using the magnitude of the measured voltage and the magnitude of the applied current.

At this time, if there is a lot of fat in the user's body, a small amount of current flows and the impedance may appear high, and if there is a lot of muscle, a large current flows and the impedance may appear low. may appear low.

Accordingly, body composition such as body fat amount and body water amount can be calculated through the measured impedance.

In the impedance validity determination step S512, it is determined whether the impedance value of the user measured in the impedance measurement step S511 is valid.

As described above, the measured impedance value may be determined to be effective when it is within a predetermined range in consideration of the magnitude and frequency of the current. Accordingly, the controller 160 may determine whether the measured impedance value is valid. If the controller 160 determines that the measured impedance value is valid, the re-measurement notification step S513 may be omitted.

If it is determined that the impedance value measured in the impedance validity determination step S512 is invalid, the re-measurement notification step S513 may be initiated.

In the re-measurement notification step S513 , the controller 160 may notify the user to measure the impedance again.

Specifically, the controller 160 may instruct the user interface 120 to display a re-measurement notification to the user by voice or screen. The user interface 120 may display a re-measurement notification to the user through the display 122 or the portable electronic device 124 .

If the controller 160 determines the cause of the invalid impedance value, the cause may be displayed together with a re-measurement notification. It is known that the cause of the ineffectiveness of the measured impedance value is a case in which a contact area is not sufficiently secured and a case in which excessive contact resistance occurs because the user presses the measuring electrode 181 over a certain strength. Accordingly, the control unit 160 may inform to make wider contact with the measuring electrode 181 together with a re-measurement notification or guide not to apply force to the measuring electrode 181 .

The user who confirms the re-measurement notification through the user interface unit 120 may measure the impedance again. (S511) Specifically, the user may measure by contacting the measuring electrode 181 with a wider finger than when measuring the first impedance, and taking care not to press the measuring electrode 181 to measure the impedance.

In the storing information checking step ( S514 ), the controller 160 may check whether body information such as the user's height, weight, age, and gender is stored in the memory 150 .

Also, when body information for a plurality of users is stored, the controller 160 may determine for which user body information should be selected to calculate a body composition.

Specifically, the controller 160 may select the user's voice recognized by the voice recognition unit 123 or body information of the user recognized/authenticated through the sensor unit 140 .

The body information input notification step S515 and the user body information input step S516 may be selectively initiated when there is no user body information stored in the memory 150 or there is no authenticated user body information.

In the body information input notification step ( S515 ), the controller 160 may notify the user to input his or her body information. If some of the user's body information is stored in the memory 150 , it may be notified to partially input some of the unstored information.

Specifically, the controller 160 may instruct the user interface 120 to display a notification to input body information to the user through voice or screen. The user interface unit 120 may display a body information input notification to the user through the display unit 122 or the portable electronic device 124 .

In the user body information input step (S516), the user may input body information such as height, weight, age, and gender by manipulating the manipulation unit 121 or the portable electronic device 124 . Also, the user may input body information by voice through the voice recognition unit 123 .

When the user's body information is confirmed, the body composition calculation step S517 may be started. In the body composition calculation step S517 , the controller 160 may calculate the user's body composition based on the user's impedance value measured by the measuring electrode 181 and the inputted user's body information. In this case, the controller 160 may correct an error in the body composition value calculated through the body composition statistical data stored in the memory 150 .

In the body composition calculation step (S517), the controller 160 uses the received user's age, height, and weight and the measured impedance values to determine the amount of extracellular body water, intracellular water, lean mass, fat mass, body fat percentage, skeletal muscle mass, inorganic mass, and The amount of protein can be calculated. The bioelectrical resistance analysis method (BIA) used at this time is a well-known fact, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

12, the stress calculation step (S520) includes an electrocardiogram and heart rate variability measurement step (S521), a measurement time check step (S522), a stress index calculation step (S523), and an autonomic nervous system balance calculation step (S524). can do.

In the electrocardiogram and heart rate variability measurement step S521 , the controller 160 may measure the user's ECG and heart rate variability through the three measuring electrodes 181 .

Specifically, the controller 160 may measure the user's electrocardiogram (ECG) through a three-electrode method using three measuring electrodes 181 . The method of measuring the electrocardiogram through the three measuring electrodes 181 is a method of measuring the electrocardiogram by connecting the electrodes to three points of the body. This is because there is no difference between the electrical signal generated from the heart and the electrocardiogram measured at the three points, so the electrocardiogram can be measured through the electrodes, and through the three vectors centered on the heart through the three measuring electrodes 181 How to interpret an electrocardiogram. In this case, two measuring electrodes 181 among the three measuring electrodes 181 may be designated as voltage detecting electrodes for detecting a voltage, and one measuring electrode 181 may be designated as a reference voltage electrode.

In addition, the controller 160 may measure the electrocardiogram by a two-electrode method using two measuring electrodes 181 . The two-electrode method is a method of measuring an electrocardiogram using only two electrodes excluding the reference voltage electrode among the three measuring electrodes 181 of the three-electrode method. Since a method of measuring an electrocardiogram using an electrode in contact with the body is a known technique, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Heart rate variability (HRV) indicates the degree of variability in heartbeat, and a method of calculating heart rate variability using an electrocardiogram is also a well-known technique, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the measuring time checking step S522 , the controller determines whether or not a predetermined time or more has elapsed since the start of the electrocardiogram and heart rate variability measuring step S521 .

At this time, the predetermined time is a time sufficient to statistically calculate the stress index and the autonomic nervous system balance from the measured electrocardiogram and heart rate variability data, and is known in the art to be 30 seconds (sec) or more.

Any one of the stress index calculation step S523 and the autonomic nervous system balance calculation step S524 may be preceded or may be performed simultaneously.

Specifically, in the stress index calculation step S523 and the autonomic nervous system balance calculation step S524 , the controller 160 may calculate the user's stress index and autonomic nervous system balance based on the electrocardiogram and heart rate variability data.

Referring to FIG. 13 , the cardiovascular index calculation step S530 may include a pulse wave measurement step S531 , an oxygen saturation measurement step S532 , a measurement time determination step S533 , and a blood pressure calculation step S534 .

In the pulse wave measuring step S531 and the oxygen saturation measuring step S532 , the controller 160 may measure biometric information using the optical sensor 142 . The principle of the optical sensor 142 measuring biometric information such as pulse wave, blood flow velocity and oxygen saturation will be briefly described as follows.

When the light irradiation unit 1421 irradiates light, the light is incident into the user's skin, partially absorbed and scattered in the tissue, and the reflected light is detected by the light sensing unit 1422 . Since the amount of light absorbed in the tissue varies greatly depending on the blood flow, low light absorption of the light sensor 1422 is induced in the systole, where the blood flow is maximum, and the diastole, where the blood flow is the minimum. In this case, high light absorption of the light sensing unit 1422 is induced. This continuous change in arterial blood flow can be converted into an optical signal waveform. The optical signal detected after interaction with non-pulsating arterial blood, veins, capillaries and other tissues does not change between the systolic and diastolic phases of the cardiac cycle and is maintained at a constant level. will make The DC component has direct current properties because its waveform is not significantly changed by respiration. On the other hand, the optical signal detected after interaction with the arterial blood flow changes according to the change in blood flow occurring between the systolic and diastolic phases of the cardiac cycle, which creates an alternating current (AC) component in the optical signal waveform. Therefore, the AC component fundamental frequency of the PPG waveform depends on the heart rate and provides information about the heart motion.

For example, the height of the AC component in the optical signal waveform is proportional to blood pressure, and information on blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration can be obtained through the difference between the maximum absorption point and the minimum absorption point. In addition, since the concentration of hemoglobin bound to red blood cells changes according to the cardiac cycle, the difference in light absorption between oxy-haemoglobin (HbO2) and deoxy-haemoglobin (Hb) is detected and You can also get information about my oxygen saturation.

In the measurement time determination step S533 , the control unit 160 determines whether or not a predetermined time or more has elapsed since the start of measuring the biometric information through the optical sensor 142 .

This is because the data required to calculate blood pressure through the difference between the maximum absorption point and the minimum absorption point in the optical signal waveform obtained by using the optical sensor 142 as described above is usually required to measure more than 30 seconds (sec). Because.

In the blood pressure calculation step S534 , the controller 160 may calculate the user's blood pressure through the difference between the maximum absorption point and the minimum absorption point in the optical signal waveform obtained using the optical sensor 142 .

Referring to FIG. 14 , the skin pain calculation step S540 may include a skin tension measurement step S541 and a pain response measurement step S542 .

First, a method of measuring a user's skin tension and pain will be briefly described.

Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) can be measured by detecting the electrical conductivity of the skin. When a user undergoes a mental change or is stressed, the sympathetic nervous system stimulates the sweat glands of the skin. In an embodiment of the present invention, the tension level on one side of the user's body may be measured through the two measuring electrodes 181 provided in the first electrode module 180a, and the two measuring electrodes provided in the second electrode module 180b may be measured. The tension level of the opposite body may be measured through the electrode 181 . The measurement of GSR can be measured by applying an electrical signal to two electrodes in contact with the skin for which impedance is to be measured, measuring the voltage across the impedance and the current passing through the impedance, and finally calculating the impedance change. have. It is known that the electric signal at this time is performed by applying a frequency close to direct current. Since the detailed method of measuring the GSR and the method of calculating the skin tone are also known techniques, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Any one of the skin tension measurement step (S541) and the pain response measurement step (S542) may be performed preferentially or may be performed simultaneously. In particular, by using the two measuring electrodes 181 and the pressure sensor 144, respectively, the user's skin tension and pain response can be simultaneously measured. Accordingly, there is an effect that can shorten the time required to measure the skin tone and the pain response.

In the skin tension measurement step (S541) and the pain response measurement step (S542), the control unit 160 sends a predetermined current to the two measurement electrodes 181, and then feels pain or tremors caused by the skin tension can be measured through the pressure sensor 144 .

As described above, according to the massage chair and the control method of the massage chair according to the embodiment of the present invention, there is an effect that the user's impedance can be measured more accurately by providing four measuring electrodes, a pressure sensor, and a temperature sensor. . Accordingly, there is an effect that the user's body composition can be more accurately calculated and provided.

In addition, according to the massage chair and the control method of the massage chair according to the embodiment of the present invention, an optical sensor may be provided to measure and provide a user's cardiovascular state such as pulse wave, oxygen saturation and blood pressure.

In addition, according to the massage chair and the method for controlling the massage chair according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to adjust the intensity of the massage applied based on the calculated user's biometric information, so that it is possible to provide a massage suitable for the user.

Furthermore, according to the massage chair and the method for controlling the massage chair according to the embodiment of the present invention, the user's health status can be managed by storing and managing the user's measured biometric information in the cloud server.

Although the present invention has been described in detail through specific examples, it is intended to describe the present invention in detail, and the present invention is not limited thereto, and the present invention is within the technical spirit of the present invention. It is clear that the transformation or improvement is possible by the person.

All simple modifications and variations of the present invention fall within the scope of the present invention, and the specific scope of protection of the present invention will be made clear by the appended claims.

100: massage chair
110: body
120: user interface unit
130: driving unit
140: sensor unit
142: optical sensor
143: temperature sensor
144: pressure sensor
145: thermoelectric element
150: memory
160: control unit
170: communication department
180: body composition measuring unit
181: measuring electrode

Claims (17)

a body driven to provide massage to the user;
a body composition measuring unit provided in the arm massage unit of the main body to measure the impedance of the user;
a sensor unit for measuring the user's physical state; and
a controller for determining body information measured through the body composition measuring unit and the sensor unit and controlling the body;
including,
The body composition measuring unit,
Measuring electrodes each disposed in the arm massage portion to be exposed to the outside so as to contact the user's body;
includes,
The sensor unit,
After irradiating light to the user's body, an optical sensor for detecting the reflected light; and
a pressure sensor provided under the measuring electrode to measure the pressure applied by the user to the measuring electrode;
Massage chair including.
According to claim 1,
The sensor unit,
a temperature sensor provided on a surface of the measuring electrode, at least a portion of which is provided so as to be in contact with the user's body; and
a thermoelectric element provided between the plurality of measurement electrodes;
further comprising,
The control unit is
When the user's body temperature is measured outside the reference range by the temperature sensor, a massage chair that controls the thermoelectric element to generate heat or absorb heat.
According to claim 1,
The measuring electrode is
a current applying electrode provided in each of the pair of arm massage units, to which a current is applied when measuring impedance;
includes,
The photosensor is massage chair, characterized in that provided in the current applying electrode.
According to claim 1,
a user interface unit for providing information about massage to a user;
further comprising,
The control unit is
When the pressure measured by the pressure sensor is greater than or equal to a reference pressure, a massage chair for controlling the user interface to display a contact strength adjustment notification to the user.
According to claim 1,
a user interface unit for providing information about massage to a user;
further comprising,
The control unit is
A massage chair for measuring an electrocardiogram using at least two or more of the measuring electrodes.
6. The method of claim 5,
The control unit is
When the user is determined to be in a stress state according to the measured electrocardiogram, the massage chair controls the user interface to provide a stress relief service to the user.
According to claim 1,
The control unit is
A massage chair that measures any one of biometric information among pulse wave, blood flow rate, oxygen saturation, and blood pressure through the optical sensor.
8. The method of claim 7,
The control unit is
When the measured user's blood flow velocity is low, the massage chair drives the main body in a blood circulation improvement mode.
According to claim 1,
The control unit is
Massage chair, characterized in that the user's skin tension and pain response can be simultaneously measured through the two measuring electrodes and the pressure sensor, respectively.
According to claim 1,
a user interface unit for providing information about massage to a user;
further comprising,
The control unit is
The massage chair determines the weight distribution of the user based on the pressure strength of the user detected by the sensor unit, and controls the user interface unit to notify the user when the user has a biased seat.
According to claim 1,
a communication unit connected to an external Internet network or an internal communication network to transmit and receive data;
further comprising,
The control unit is
Massage chair, characterized in that for transmitting the measured body information of the user by accessing the cloud server through the communication unit.
12. The method of claim 11,
The cloud server is further connected to IoT home appliances, and controls the IoT home appliance to operate appropriately for the user's biometric information provided by the control unit.
According to claim 1,
The control unit is
A massage chair that adjusts the massage intensity of the main body according to the calculated user's body fat percentage.
According to claim 1,
The control unit is
A massage chair that can recognize the user through the calculated user's impedance or the measured user's electrocardiogram.
In the massage chair having four measuring electrodes and a plurality of sensors to measure the user's biometric information,
the user sitting in a massage chair;
contacting the user's finger with the measuring electrode;
measuring and calculating the user's biometric information;
A control method of a massage chair comprising a.
16. The method of claim 15,
a pressure correction step of measuring the user's contact strength through a pressure sensor, and notifying the user to adjust the measured contact strength when the measured contact strength exceeds a reference strength range;
A control method of a massage chair further comprising a.
16. The method of claim 15,
a temperature correction step of measuring the user's skin temperature through a temperature sensor, and controlling the temperature by controlling a thermoelectric element when the measured body temperature is out of a reference range;
A control method of a massage chair further comprising a.

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