TWI822535B - Physiological information sensing device and method - Google Patents

Abstract

A physiological information sensing device includes: a signal generator, an emitting antenna, a first receiving antenna, a second receiving antenna, a signal processing circuit and a computing element. The signal processing circuit includes a mixer, a first band pass filter and a second band pass filter. The signal generator generates a microwave signal. The emitting antenna emits the microwave signal. The first receiving antenna receives a first reflected signal, and the second receiving antenna receives a second reflected signal. The mixer mixes the first reflected signal and the second reflected signal, and performs demodulation with the microwave signal to generate a demodulated signal. The first band pass filter filters the demodulated signal based on a first frequency domain to generate a first filtered signal, and the first second pass filter filters the demodulated signal based on a second frequency domain to generate a second filtered signal. The computing element outputs a heart rate and a respiration rate according to the first filtered signal and the second filtered signal.

Description

Physiological information sensing device and method

The invention relates to a physiological information sensing device and method.

At present, the world is paying more and more attention to pets, and owners have higher requirements for the breeding environment of pets and the health of pets themselves. For example, more and more pet owners are having their pets undergo regular health checkups to ensure that they have no illnesses that are invisible to the naked eye. However, the cost of pet health examinations is high, and owners can only have their pets undergo health examinations every half a year or more every year, making it impossible for owners to immediately confirm whether there are any abnormalities in their pets' physical conditions.

In view of the above, the present invention provides a physiological information sensing device and method.

A physiological information sensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a signal generator, a transmitting antenna, a first receiving antenna, a signal processing circuit and a computing element. The signal processing circuit includes: a mixer, a first band-pass filter and a second band-pass filter. The signal generator is used to generate microwave signals. The transmitting antenna is connected to the signal generator and used for transmitting microwave signals. The first receiving antenna is used for receiving the first reflected signal corresponding to the microwave signal. The second receiving antenna is used for receiving the second reflected signal corresponding to the microwave signal. The mixer is connected to the signal generator, the first receiving antenna and the second receiving antenna, and is used to integrate the first reflected signal and the second reflected signal and demodulate the microwave signal to generate a demodulated signal. The first bandpass filter is connected to the mixer, Used to filter the demodulated signal based on the first frequency domain to generate a first filtered signal. The second bandpass filter is connected to the mixer and is used for filtering the demodulated signal based on the second frequency domain to generate a second filtered signal. The computing element is connected to the first band-pass filter and the second band-pass filter, and is used to output the heartbeat rate and respiratory rate according to the first filtered signal and the second filtered signal.

The physiological information sensing method according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: using a signal generator to generate a microwave signal; using a transmitting antenna to transmit the microwave signal; using a first receiving antenna to receive a first reflected signal corresponding to the microwave signal, and using a second receiving antenna Receive the second reflected signal corresponding to the microwave signal; use the signal processing circuit to integrate the first reflected signal and the second reflected signal and use the microwave signal to demodulate the signal to generate a demodulated signal; use the signal processing circuit to solve the problem based on the first frequency domain The modulated signal is filtered to generate a first filtered signal, and the demodulated signal is filtered based on the second frequency domain to generate a second filtered signal; and the computing element is used to output the heart rate and the second filtered signal according to the first filtered signal and the second filtered signal. Respiration rate.

In summary, the physiological information sensing device and method according to one or more embodiments of the present invention can instantly output the heart rate and breathing rate of the animal, allowing owners to grasp the health information of their pets at any time. In addition, the physiological information sensing device and method according to one or more embodiments of the present invention can be applied in a non-invasive and continuous manner, wherein the physiological information sensing device can be implemented as a portable wearable device and does not require shaving. It can be applied after removing animal hair, which improves the convenience of use.

The above description of the present disclosure and the following description of the embodiments are used to demonstrate and explain the spirit and principles of the present invention, and to provide further explanation of the patent application scope of the present invention.

1,2,3,4,5: Physiological information sensing device

10,20,30,40,50: Signal generator

11,21,31,41,51: Transmitting antenna

12,22,32,42,52: first receiving antenna

13,23,33,43,53: Second receiving antenna

14,24,34,44,54: Signal processing circuit

15,25,35,45,55: computing element

56:Wireless transmission module

Ca, Cb: conductive part

111,121,131: Main part

111a: First main body

111b: Second main body

112,122,132:Pectinate part

122A, 132A: First comb group

122B, 132B: Second comb group

140,244,340,440,544:Mixer

141a, 245a, 343a, 441a, 547a: first bandpass filter

141b, 245b, 343b, 441b, 547b: second bandpass filter

241a,541a: first switch

241b,541b: second switch

242,542:Power amplifier

243a, 543a: The first low noise amplifier

243b, 543b: second low noise amplifier

341,545: Pre-stage filter

342,546: Preamplifier

442a, 548a: first power amplifier

442b, 548b: Second power amplifier

S101,S103,S105,S107,S109,S111,S201,S203,S205,S207,S209,S211,S213,S215,S217,S219,S301,S303,S305,S307,S309,S311,S313,S315,S4 01, S403,S405,S407,S409,S411,S413,S415,S501,S503,S505,S507,S509,S511,S513,S515,S517,S519,S521,S523,S601,S603,S605,S607,S609,S6 11, S613, S615, S617, S619, S621, S623, S625, S627, S629, S631: Steps

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a physiological information sensing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

2A and 2B are schematic diagrams of a transmitting antenna, a first receiving antenna and a second receiving antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a physiological information sensing method according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic waveform diagram of the reflected signal, the first filtered signal and the second filtered signal.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a physiological information sensing device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a physiological information sensing method according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a physiological information sensing device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart of a physiological information sensing method according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a physiological information sensing device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 10 is a flow chart of a physiological information sensing method according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a physiological information sensing device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 12 is a flowchart of calculating respiration rate according to one or more embodiments of the present invention.

Figure 13 is a flowchart of calculating heart rate according to one or more embodiments of the present invention.

Figure 14 shows the experimental results of sensing the heartbeat rates of dogs and cats using the physiological information sensing device and method of the present invention.

Figure 15 shows another experimental result of using the physiological information sensing device and method of the present invention to sense the blood pressure values of dogs and cats.

The detailed features and advantages of the present invention are described in detail below in the implementation mode. The content is sufficient to enable anyone skilled in the relevant art to understand the technical content of the present invention and implement it according to the content disclosed in this specification, the patent scope and the drawings. , anyone familiar with the relevant art can easily understand the relevant objectives and advantages of the present invention. The following examples further illustrate the aspects of the present invention in detail, but do not limit the scope of the present invention in any way.

The physiological information sensing device described below according to one or more embodiments of the present invention can be installed on a wearable device of an animal (such as a pet, livestock and poultry, etc.), such as a collar, a worn harness, etc. The physiological information sensing device It can also be installed on animals' sleeping mats, clothing, etc. The physiological information sensing device is preferably located on the animal's neck or chest for measuring the animal's heartbeat rate and breathing rate.

Please refer to FIG. 1 , which is a block diagram of a physiological information sensing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The physiological information sensing device 1 includes a signal generator 10 , a transmitting antenna 11 , a first receiving antenna 12 , a second receiving antenna 13 , a signal processing circuit 14 and a computing element 15 . The signal generator 10, the signal processing circuit 14 and the computing element 15 may be jointly connected to one power source, or may have independent power sources.

The signal generator 10 may be a radio frequency (RF) signal generator for generating short pulse microwave signals, such as radio waves of 100 MHz to 900 MHz. The transmitting antenna 11 is electrically connected to the signal generator 10 and is used to transmit the microwave signal generated by the signal generator 10. The frequency of the transmitted microwave signal may not be greater than 1 GHz, but this invention is not limited thereto. The first receiving antenna 12 is used for receiving the first reflected signal, and the second receiving antenna 13 is used for receiving the second reflected signal.

The signal processing circuit 14 is electrically connected to the signal generator 10 , the transmitting antenna 11 , the first receiving antenna 12 and the second receiving antenna 13 . Furthermore, the signal processing circuit 14 includes a mixer 140, a first band-pass filter 141a and a second band-pass filter 141b. The mixer 140 is electrically connected to the output terminal of the signal generator 10 , the input terminal of the first receiving antenna 12 and the input terminal of the second receiving antenna 13 . The first bandpass filter 141a is electrically connected to the output end of the mixer 140, and the second bandpass filter 141b is electrically connected to the output end of the mixer 140.

The computing element 15 is electrically connected to the output terminal of the first band-pass filter 141a and the output terminal of the second band-pass filter 141b. The computing element 15 can be used to control the operation of each element of the physiological information sensing device 1 . The computing element 15 may include one or more processors, such as a central processing unit, a graphics processor, a microcontroller, a programmable logic controller, or other processors with signal processing functions. The detailed operation method of the physiological information sensing device 1 is explained below with reference to FIG. 3 .

Please refer to FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B which are schematic diagrams of a transmitting antenna, a first receiving antenna and a second receiving antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention. The transmitting antenna 11, the first receiving antenna 12 and the second receiving antenna 13 can all be comb-shaped electrodes, and are preferably flexible antennas. String. The transmitting antenna 11, the first receiving antenna 12 and the second receiving antenna 13 are preferably monopole antennas, and the length of the antennas may be approximately one quarter of the resonant wavelength. The transmitting antenna 11, the first receiving antenna 12 and the second receiving antenna 13 can be designed in different sizes to be applied to animal types of different sizes. For example, when the animal is a dog, the length of each of the transmitting antenna 11, the first receiving antenna 12 and the second receiving antenna 13 can be 50 centimeters and the width can be 30 centimeters, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Furthermore, the transmitting antenna 11 includes a conductive portion Ca, a main body portion 111 and a plurality of comb-shaped portions 112 , the first receiving antenna 12 includes a main body portion 121 and a plurality of comb-shaped portions 122 , and the second receiving antenna 13 includes a main body portion 131 and a plurality of comb-shaped parts 132, in which the first receiving antenna 12 and the second receiving antenna 13 may share one conductive part Cb.

The main body portion 111 of the transmitting antenna 11 is opposite to the main body portion 121 of the first receiving antenna 12 , the main body portion 111 of the transmitting antenna 11 is opposite to the main body portion 131 of the second receiving antenna 13 , and the main body portion 111 of the transmitting antenna 11 can be parallel. In the main body part 121 of the first receiving antenna 12 and the main body part 131 of the second receiving antenna 13 .

The first receiving antenna 12 and the second receiving antenna 13 are symmetrical. The first receiving antenna 12 and the second receiving antenna 13 are symmetrical based on the connection between the conductive part Ca and the conductive part Cb. In addition, the main body part 111 of the transmitting antenna 11 includes a first main body part 111a and a second main body part 111b, and the first main body part 111a and the second main body part 111b are symmetrical. The first main body part 111a and the second main body part 111b are symmetrical based on the connection line between the conductive part Ca and the conductive part Cb.

The extension direction of the comb-shaped portions 112 of the transmitting antenna 11 is perpendicular to the main body portion 111 , the extending direction of the comb-shaped portions 122 of the first receiving antenna 12 is perpendicular to the main body portion 121 , and the comb-shaped portions of the second receiving antenna 13 The extension direction of the shape portion 132 is perpendicular to the main body portion. 131. The extending direction of the comb-shaped portions 112 is parallel to the extending direction of the comb-shaped portions 122 , and the extending direction of the comb-shaped portions 112 is parallel to the extending direction of the comb-shaped portions 132 .

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2B , the comb-shaped portions 122 of the first receiving antenna 12 include a first comb-shaped group 122A and a second comb-shaped group 122B, and one of the comb-shaped portions 112 of the transmitting antenna 11 Located between the first comb group 122A and the second comb group 122B. Furthermore, the first comb group 122A includes a plurality of comb portions 122, and the second comb group 122B includes another plurality of comb portions 122, and there is a gap between the first comb group 122A and the second comb group 122B. There is one or more comb portions 112 .

Similarly, the comb-shaped portions 132 of the second receiving antenna 13 include a first comb group 132A and a second comb group 132B, and one of the comb-shaped portions 112 of the transmitting antenna 11 is located on the first comb group. between the comb group 132A and the second comb group 132B. Furthermore, the first comb group 132A includes a plurality of comb portions 132, and the second comb group 132B includes another plurality of comb portions 132, and there is a gap between the first comb group 132A and the second comb group 132B. There is one or more comb portions 112 .

The structures of the transmitting antenna 11, the first receiving antenna 12 and the second receiving antenna 13 shown in Figure 2A and Figure 2B can be applied to the transmitting antenna 11, the first receiving antenna 12 and the second receiving antenna 13 of Figure 1, and can also be applied to The transmitting antenna, the first receiving antenna and the second receiving antenna of one or more embodiments are described below. The transmitting antenna 11, the first receiving antenna 12 and the second receiving antenna 13 of the above structure can occupy a smaller area, and due to the comb-shaped structure of the transmitting antenna 11, the first receiving antenna 12 and the second receiving antenna 13, the induced current is reduced. As the path length increases, the radiation efficiency of the transmitting antenna 11 , the first receiving antenna 12 and the second receiving antenna 13 can also be increased.

Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 together. FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a physiological information sensing method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 3, the physiological information sensing method includes: step S101: using a signal generator to generate a microwave signal; step S103: using a transmitting antenna to transmit a microwave signal; step S105: using a first receiving antenna to receive the first reflection of the corresponding microwave signal signal, and use the second receiving antenna to receive the second reflected signal corresponding to the microwave signal; Step S107: Use the signal processing circuit to integrate the first reflected signal and the second reflected signal and demodulate the microwave signal to generate a demodulated signal; Step S109: Use the signal processing circuit to filter the demodulated signal based on the first frequency domain to generate a first filtered signal, and filter the demodulated signal based on the second frequency domain to generate a second filtered signal; and step S111: The computing element is used to output the heartbeat rate and respiratory rate according to the first filtered signal and the second filtered signal.

In step S101, the signal generator 10 may continuously generate microwave signals, and the signal generator 10 may output the microwave signals to the transmitting antenna 11 and the mixer 140 in turn. For example, the signal generator 10 outputs a first microwave signal to the transmitting antenna 11 at a first time point, outputs a second microwave signal to the mixer 140 at a second time point, and outputs a third microwave signal at a third time point. The signal goes to the transmitting antenna 11, and so on. In other words, the signal generator 10 can continuously generate microwave signals at fixed or non-fixed time intervals.

In step S103, the transmitting antenna 11 receives the microwave signal from the signal generator 10, and outputs the microwave signal to the heart or arteries of the animal.

In step S105, the first receiving antenna 12 receives a first reflected signal, wherein the first reflected signal corresponds to the microwave signal emitted by the transmitting antenna 11; and the second receiving antenna 13 receives a second reflected signal, wherein the second reflected signal corresponds to the transmitted microwave signal. Microwave signal emitted by antenna 11. Taking the physiological information sensing device 1 installed in a collar as an example, the first reaction is The first reflected signal is a signal reflected back from the carotid artery received on one side of the animal's neck, and the second reflected signal may be a signal reflected back from the carotid artery received on the other side of the animal's neck. The first reflection signal and the second reflection signal reflect the attenuation of the microwave signal.

In step S107, the mixer 140 of the signal processing circuit 14 integrates the first reflection signal and the second reflection signal and performs demodulation and transformation on the microwave signal to generate a demodulation and transformation signal, wherein the microwave signal used for demodulation and transformation is received from the signal Generator 10 (for example, the second microwave signal at the aforementioned second time point).

In step S109, the first band-pass filter 141a of the signal processing circuit 14 filters the demodulation signal generated by the mixer 140 based on the first frequency domain to generate a first filtered signal, and the second band-pass filter 141b is based on the first frequency domain. The demodulated signal is filtered in the second frequency domain to generate a second filtered signal. The first frequency domain and the second frequency domain are different from each other and preferably do not overlap. The first frequency domain may correspond to the respiratory rate range, the second frequency domain may correspond to the heartbeat rate range, and different animals may have different first frequency domains and second frequency domains.

Please refer to Figure 4, which is a schematic waveform diagram of the reflected signal, the first filtered signal and the second filtered signal, and uses a dog as the experimental subject. The wave pattern (a) is the first reflection signal or the second reflection signal; the wave pattern (b) is the first filtered signal, corresponding to the respiratory rate range; and the wave pattern (b) is the second filtered signal, corresponding to Heart rate range. As shown in FIG. 4 , the waveform of the first filtered signal output by the first bandpass filter 141a is regular and consistent with the waveform of the respiratory rate generated by the conventional method. Similarly, the waveform of the second filtered signal output by the second bandpass filter 141b is regular and consistent with the waveform of the heartbeat rate generated by conventional methods.

Furthermore, for creatures with higher heartbeat rates, the upper limits of the first frequency domain and the second frequency domain can also be higher. The first frequency domain of cats can be 0.4Hz to 1.5Hz, and the second frequency domain It can be 1.5Hz to 6Hz; the first frequency domain of a dog can be 0.4Hz to 1.2Hz, and the second frequency domain can be 1Hz to 5Hz; the first frequency domain of a human can be 0.1Hz to 0.6Hz, and the second frequency domain can be is 0.8Hz to 4Hz. The above frequency domain values are only examples and are not limited by the present invention.

Please return to FIG. 3 again. In step S111, the computing element 15 calculates and outputs the heartbeat rate based on the first filtered signal, and calculates and outputs the respiratory rate based on the second filtered signal.

Through the physiological information sensing devices and methods of the above embodiments, the heartbeat rate and breathing rate of the animal can be output in real time, so that the owner can grasp the health information of the pet at any time.

Please refer to Figures 5 and 6. Figure 5 is a block diagram of a physiological information sensing device according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 6 is a physiological information sensing method according to a second embodiment of the present invention. flow chart. The physiological information sensing device 2 shown in FIG. 5 includes a signal generator 20, a transmitting antenna 21, a first receiving antenna 22, a second receiving antenna 23, a signal processing circuit 24 and a computing element 25. The signal processing circuit 24 includes a first switch 241a, a second switch 241b, a power amplifier 242, a first low noise amplifier 243a, a second low noise amplifier 243b, a mixer 244, and a first bandpass filter. 245a and the second bandpass filter 245b. The signal generator 20, transmitting antenna 21, first receiving antenna 22, second receiving antenna 23 and computing element 25 of the physiological information sensing device 2 are respectively the same as the signal generator 10 and transmitting antenna of the physiological information sensing device 1 of Fig. 1 11. The first receiving antenna 12, the second receiving antenna 13 and the computing element 15 are the same; the mixer 244, the first band pass filter 245a and the second band pass filter 245b of the signal processing circuit 24 are respectively the same as the signal processing in Figure 1 The mixer 140, the first bandpass filter 141a, and the second bandpass filter 141b of the circuit 14 are the same.

The first switch 241a is connected between the signal generator 20 and the power amplifier 242, and between the signal generator 20 and the first low-noise amplifier 243a, for controlling and outputting the microwave signal to the power amplifier 242 or the first low-noise amplifier 243a. Low noise amplifier 243a. The second switch 241b is connected between the power amplifier 242 and the second low-noise amplifier 243b, between the first receiving antenna 22 and the second low-noise amplifier 243b, and between the second receiving antenna 23 and the second low-noise amplifier 243b. between. The second switch 241b is used to control and transmit the amplified microwave signal to the transmitting antenna 21, or transmit the amplified first reflection signal and the second reflection signal to the mixer 244. The first low-noise amplifier 243a is connected to the mixer 244 and connected to the signal generator 20 through the first switch 241a. The second low-noise amplifier 243b is connected to the mixer 244.

As shown in Figure 6, the physiological information sensing method according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes: step S201: using a signal generator to generate a microwave signal; step S203: amplifying the microwave signal through a power amplifier, and outputting the amplified microwave signal to the transmitting antenna; step S205: transmit the microwave signal with the transmitting antenna; step S207: receive the first reflected signal corresponding to the microwave signal with the first receiving antenna, and receive the second reflected signal corresponding to the microwave signal with the second receiving antenna; step S209 : Amplify the microwave signal through the first low-noise amplifier, and transmit the amplified microwave signal to the mixer; Step S211: Receive the first reflection signal and the second reflection signal through the second low-noise amplifier; and Step S213: Use the second low-noise amplifier to amplify the first reflection signal and the second reflection signal, and transmit the amplified first reflection signal and the second reflection signal to the mixer; Step S215: Integrate the first reflection signal with a signal processing circuit and the second reflected signal and demodulate it with the microwave signal to generate a demodulated signal; Step S217: Use a signal processing circuit to filter the demodulated signal based on the first frequency domain to generate a first Filter the signal, and filter the demodulated signal based on the second frequency domain to generate a second filtered signal; and step S219: Use the computing element to output the heart rate and respiration rate according to the first filtered signal and the second filtered signal. Steps S201, S205, S207, S215, S217 and S219 shown in Figure 6 are respectively the same as steps S101, S103, S105, S107, S109 and S111 of Figure 3, so they will not be described again here.

In step S203, the first switch 241a brings the signal generator 20 and the power amplifier 242 into a conductive state, so that the power amplifier 242 amplifies the microwave signal from the signal generator 20 and outputs the amplified microwave signal to the transmitting antenna 21 .

In step S209, the first switch 241a brings the signal generator 20 and the first low-noise amplifier 243a into a conductive state, so that the first low-noise amplifier 243a amplifies the microwave signal from the signal generator 20, and the amplified output The final microwave signal is sent to the mixer 244.

In step S211, the second switch 241b brings the first receiving antenna 22 and the second low-noise amplifier 243b into a conductive state to receive the first reflected signal, and makes the second receiving antenna 23 and the second low-noise amplifier 243b conduct. to receive the second reflected signal, but the present invention does not limit the order in which the second switch 241b makes the first receiving antenna 22 or the second receiving antenna 23 and the second low-noise amplifier 243b conductive.

In step S213, the second low-noise amplifier 243b amplifies the first reflection signal and the second reflection signal, and transmits the amplified first reflection signal and the second reflection signal to the mixer 244.

The computing element 25 can control the switching of the first switch 241a to transmit the microwave signal to the power amplifier 242 and the first noise amplifier 243a respectively. Similarly, the operand The component 25 can control the switching of the second switch 241b to transmit the microwave signal to the transmitting antenna 21 and transmit the reflected signal from the first receiving antenna 22/second receiving antenna 23 to the second noise amplifier 243b. It should be noted that the present invention does not limit the execution time point of step S209, as long as step S209 is executed after step S201 and before step S215.

Please refer to Figures 7 and 8. Figure 7 is a block diagram of a physiological information sensing device according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 8 is a physiological information sensing method according to a third embodiment of the present invention. flow chart. The physiological information sensing device 3 shown in FIG. 7 includes a signal generator 30, a transmitting antenna 31, a first receiving antenna 32, a second receiving antenna 33, a signal processing circuit 34 and a computing element 35. The signal processing circuit 34 includes a mixer 340, a front-stage filter 341 (or passive filter), a preamplifier 342, a first band-pass filter 343a and a second band-pass filter 343b. The front-stage filter 341 is electrically connected to the output end of the mixer 340 , and the preamplifier 342 is electrically connected to the output end of the front-stage filter 341 . The input terminal of the first bandpass filter 343a is electrically connected to the output terminal of the preamplifier 342, and the input terminal of the second bandpass filter 343b is electrically connected to the output terminal of the preamplifier 342.

The signal generator 30, transmitting antenna 31, first receiving antenna 32, second receiving antenna 33 and computing element 35 of the physiological information sensing device 3 are respectively the same as the signal generator 10 and transmitting antenna of the physiological information sensing device 1 of Fig. 1 11. The first receiving antenna 12, the second receiving antenna 13 and the computing element 15 are the same; the mixer 340, the first bandpass filter 343a and the second bandpass filter 343b of the signal processing circuit 34 are respectively the same as the signal processing in Figure 1 The mixer 140, the first bandpass filter 141a, and the second bandpass filter 141b of the circuit 14 are the same.

As shown in Figure 8, the physiological information sensing method according to the third embodiment of the present invention includes: step S301: using a signal generator to generate a microwave signal; step S303: using a transmitting antenna to transmit the microwave signal; step S305: using the first receiving antenna Receive the first reflected signal corresponding to the microwave signal, and use the second receiving antenna to receive the second reflected signal corresponding to the microwave signal; Step S307: Use the signal processing circuit to integrate the first reflected signal and the second reflected signal and demodulate the microwave signal. to generate a demodulated signal; Step S309: Use a signal processing circuit to perform low-pass filtering on the demodulated signal; Step S311: Use a signal processing circuit to amplify the filtered demodulated signal to output a demodulated signal; Step S313: Use a signal processing circuit to filter the demodulated signal based on the first frequency domain to generate a first filtered signal, and filter the demodulated signal based on the second frequency domain to generate a second filtered signal; and step S315: use a computing element The heartbeat rate and respiratory rate are output according to the first filtered signal and the second filtered signal. Steps S301, S303, S305, S307, S313 and S315 shown in Figure 8 are respectively the same as steps S101, S103, S105, S107, S109 and S111 of Figure 3, so they will not be described again.

In step S309, the front-stage filter 341 of the signal processing circuit 34 performs low-pass filtering on the demodulated signal generated by the mixer 340. In step S311, the preamplifier 342 of the signal processing circuit 34 amplifies the demodulated signal filtered by the pre-filter 341, and outputs the amplified demodulated signal to the first bandpass filter 343a and the second bandpass filter 343a. Bandpass filter 343b.

Please refer to Figures 9 and 10. Figure 9 is a block diagram of a physiological information sensing device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 10 is a physiological information sensing method according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. flow chart. The physiological information sensing device 4 shown in Figure 9 includes a signal generator 40, a transmitting antenna 41, a first receiving antenna 42, a second receiving antenna 43, Signal processing circuit 44 and computing element 45. The signal processing circuit 44 includes a mixer 440, a first bandpass filter 441a, a second bandpass filter 441b, a first post-stage amplifier 442a and a second post-stage amplifier 442b. The signal generator 40, transmitting antenna 41, first receiving antenna 42, second receiving antenna 43 and computing element 45 of the physiological information sensing device 4 are respectively the same as the signal generator 10 and transmitting antenna of the physiological information sensing device 1 of Fig. 1 11. The first receiving antenna 12, the second receiving antenna 13 and the computing element 15 are the same; the mixer 440, the first bandpass filter 441a and the second bandpass filter 441b of the signal processing circuit 44 are respectively the same as the signal processing in Figure 1 The mixer 140, the first bandpass filter 141a, and the second bandpass filter 141b of the circuit 14 are the same.

The first post-stage amplifier 442a is electrically connected to the output terminal of the first band-pass filter 441a and the computing element 45, and the second post-stage amplifier 442b is electrically connected to the output terminal of the second band-pass filter 441b and the computing element 45. .

As shown in Figure 10, the physiological information sensing method according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention includes: step S401: using a signal generator to generate a microwave signal; step S403: using a transmitting antenna to transmit the microwave signal; step S405: using the first receiving antenna Receive the first reflected signal corresponding to the microwave signal, and use the second receiving antenna to receive the second reflected signal corresponding to the microwave signal; Step S407: Integrate the first reflected signal and the second reflected signal with a signal processing circuit and demodulate the microwave signal to generate a demodulated signal; Step S409: Use a signal processing circuit to filter the demodulated signal based on the first frequency domain to generate a first filtered signal, and filter the demodulated signal based on the second frequency domain to generate a third Two filtered signals; Step S411: Use the signal processing circuit to amplify the first filtered signal, and output the amplified first filtered signal to the computing element; Step S413: Use the signal processing circuit to amplify the second filtered signal, and output the amplified second filtered signal. Filtered information signal to the arithmetic element; and step S415: use the arithmetic element to output the heartbeat rate and respiration rate according to the first filtered signal and the second filtered signal. Steps S401, S403, S405, S407, S409 and S415 shown in Figure 10 are respectively the same as steps S101, S103, S105, S107, S109 and S111 of Figure 3, so they will not be described again.

In step S411, the first post-stage amplifier 442a of the signal processing circuit 44 amplifies the first filtered signal output by the first band-pass filter 441a; and in step S413, the second post-stage amplifier 442b of the signal processing circuit 44 amplifies the second band-pass signal. The second filtered signal output by the filter 441b. Next, in step S415, the computing element calculates and outputs the heartbeat rate and respiratory rate based on the amplified first filtered signal output by the first post-stage amplifier 442a and the amplified second filtered signal output by the second post-stage amplifier 442b. .

Please refer to FIG. 11 , which is a block diagram of a physiological information sensing device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. The physiological information sensing device 5 includes a signal generator 50 , a transmitting antenna 51 , a first receiving antenna 52 , a second receiving antenna 53 , a signal processing circuit 54 , a computing element 55 and a wireless transmission module 56 . The signal generator 50, the transmitting antenna 51, the first receiving antenna 52, the second receiving antenna 53 and the computing element 55 are the same as the signal generator, transmitting antenna, first receiving antenna and second receiving antenna of the first to fourth embodiments. The receiving antenna and computing components are the same. The mixer 544, the first bandpass filter 547a and the second bandpass filter 547b of the signal processing circuit 54 are the same as the mixer, the first bandpass filter and the second bandpass of the first to fourth embodiments. The filters are the same. The wireless transmission module 56 can be a Bluetooth component, a radio frequency identification tag component, a Wifi component, or other components that can be used for data transmission.

The signal processing circuit 54 includes a first switch 541a, a second switch 541b, a power amplifier 542, a first low-noise amplifier 543a, a second low-noise amplifier 543b, Mixer 544, pre-filter 545, pre-amplifier 546, first band-pass filter 547a, second band-pass filter 547b, first post-stage amplifier 548a and second post-stage amplifier 548b. The first switch 541a, the second switch 541b, the power amplifier 542, the first low noise amplifier 543a and the second low noise amplifier 543b can be the same as those in the second embodiment; the front filter 545 and the preamplifier 546 can be the same as those in the second embodiment. The same as in the third embodiment; the first post-stage amplifier 548a and the second post-stage amplifier 548b can be the same as those in the fourth embodiment.

The operation mode of the physiological information sensing device 5 is described below. The signal generator 50 generates the microwave signal SG1. When the first switch 541a is in a conductive state between the signal generator 50 and the power amplifier 542, the microwave signal SG1 passes through the first switch 541a as the microwave signal SG2 input to the power amplifier 542. The power amplifier 542 amplifies the microwave signal SG2 to output the amplified microwave signal SG3. When the second switch 541b is in a conductive state between the power amplifier 542 and the transmitting antenna 51, the microwave signal SG3 passes through the second switch 541b as the microwave signal SG4 transmitted to the transmitting antenna 51, and the microwave signal SG4 is transmitted by the transmitting antenna 51.

The first receiving antenna 52 receives the first reflected signal SG5 corresponding to the microwave signal SG4, and the second receiving antenna 53 receives the second reflected signal SG6 corresponding to the microwave signal SG4. When the second switch 541b is in a conductive state between the first receiving antenna 52 and the second low-noise amplifier 543b, the first reflected signal SG5 is used as the reflected signal SG7 that is input to the second low-noise amplifier 543b; and when the third When the second switch 541b is in a conductive state between the second receiving antenna 53 and the second low-noise amplifier 543b, the second reflected signal SG6 is input to the second low-noise amplifier 543b as the reflected signal SG7. In other words, the reflected signal SG7 may include the first reflected signal SG5 and the second reflected signal SG6. Second low noise amplifier 543b amplifies the reflection signal SG7, and inputs the amplified reflection signal SG8 to the mixer 544.

On the other hand, when the first switch 541a is in a conductive state between the signal generator 50 and the first low-noise amplifier 543a, the microwave signal SG1 passes through the first switch 541a as the microwave signal input to the first low-noise amplifier 543a. SG9. The first low-noise amplifier 543a amplifies the microwave signal SG9 to output the amplified microwave signal SG10 to the mixer 544. It should be noted that the microwave signal SG2 and the microwave signal SG9 are preferably signals with exactly the same frequency, phase, amplitude, etc. The difference is that the time point when the signal generator 50 generates one of the microwave signal SG2 and the microwave signal SG9 is later than The point in time that gives rise to the other.

After receiving the reflected signal SG8 and the microwave signal SG10, the mixer 544 integrates the reflected signal SG8 (ie, the first reflected signal SG5 and the second reflected signal SG6), and demodulates the microwave signal SG10 and the integrated reflected signal SG8. The demodulated signal SG11 is generated.

Next, the front-stage filter 545 performs front-stage (passive) filtering on the demodulated variable signal SG11 to generate a filtered demodulated variable signal SG12. The preamplifier 546 amplifies the demodulated signal SG12 to generate amplified demodulated signals SG13 and SG14, which are respectively input to the first band-pass filter 547a and the second band-pass filter 547b. The first band-pass filter 547a performs band-pass filtering on the demodulated signal SG13 based on the first frequency domain to generate a first filtered signal SG14 and input it to the first post-stage amplifier 548a. The first post-stage amplifier 548a amplifies the first filtered signal SG14 to generate an amplified first filtered signal SG15 and outputs it to the computing element 55 . Similarly, the second band-pass filter 547b performs band-pass filtering on the demodulated signal SG16 based on the second frequency domain to generate a second filtered signal SG17 and input it to the second post-stage amplifier 548b. The second post-stage amplifier 548b amplifies the second filtered signal SG17 to generate an amplified second filtered signal SG18 and outputs it to the computing element 55 . Then, the computing element 55 calculates the heartbeat rate and respiration rate according to the first filtered signal SG15 and the second filtered signal SG17, and can output the heartbeat rate and respiration rate to the remote monitoring device (for example, the user) through the wireless transmission module 56 electronic device).

Please refer to FIG. 12. FIG. 12 is a flowchart of calculating the respiration rate according to one or more embodiments of the present invention, and can be executed by the physiological information sensing device of the first to fifth embodiments. For convenience of explanation, the physiological information sensing device 1 in FIG. 1 will be used for description below. As shown in Figure 12, the method of calculating the respiration rate includes: step S501: segment data; step S503: determine whether to collect 16 pieces of data; if the determination result of step S503 is "No", execute step S501; if the determination result of step S503 is "Yes", execute step S505: start to calculate the respiratory rate; step S507: find the value of the low peak (peak); step S509: determine whether it is the value of the peak; if the judgment result of step S509 is "no", execute step S511: Add 1 to the signal count value; if the determination result in step S509 is "yes", perform step S513: find the amplitude of the low peak value and the peak value; step S515: determine whether the amplitude is greater than the threshold; if the If the judgment result is "No", perform step S505; if the judgment result of step S515 is "Yes", perform step S517: Dynamically adjust the length of the window; Step S519: Convert the signal count value to the respiration rate; Step S521: Calculate the respiration rate ; And step S523: reset the signal count value to zero.

Specifically, in step S501, the first bandpass filter 141a filters the demodulation signal based on the first frequency domain to generate a first filtered signal. In step S503, the computing element 15 determines whether signals corresponding to 16 peaks in the first filtered signal are collected, and The signal with 16 peaks is regarded as the first frequency domain signal within a window. Through step S503, the calculation process can be accelerated and an average effect can be provided at the same time to avoid excessive changes in the calculation process. In step S507, the computing element 15 finds the position of the low peak from the first frequency domain signal, for example, the lowest peak. In step S509, the computing element 15 finds the position of the peak from the first frequency domain signal, for example, the highest peak. In step S511, the computing element 15 increments the signal count value by 1, where the initial value of the signal count value may be zero. In step S513, the computing element 15 finds the peak values of the low peak and the high peak from the low peak and high peak obtained in steps S507 and S509. Through steps S507, S509 and S513, the computing element 15 can confirm that the first frequency domain signal is a real measurement signal, thereby avoiding the use of background noise to perform subsequent calculation steps. In step S515, the computing element 15 determines whether the amplitude difference between the peak value of the low peak and the peak value of the high peak is greater than the threshold. In step S517, the computing element 15 adjusts the length of the dynamic window. In step S519, the computing element 15 calculates the amplitude difference between the peak value of the low peak and the peak value of the high peak, divides the amplitude difference by the sampling rate, and multiplies the amplitude difference by the time length to calculate the respiration rate.

其中BR為呼吸率；Tpeak1為高峰的峰值；Tpeak2為低峰的峰值；Sampling Rate為生理資訊感測裝置1的取樣率；60為所述時間長度，其單位為秒。 The way to calculate the respiratory rate can be achieved through the following formula (1):

BR is the respiration rate; Tpeak 1 is the peak value of the high peak; Tpeak 2 is the peak value of the low peak; Sampling Rate is the sampling rate of the physiological information sensing device 1; 60 is the length of time, and its unit is seconds.

Please refer to FIG. 13. FIG. 13 is a flow chart of calculating the heart rate according to one or more embodiments of the present invention, and can be executed by the computing elements of the first to fifth embodiments. As shown in Figure 13, the method of calculating the heart rate includes: step S601: segment data; step S603: determine whether to collect 16 pieces of data; if the determination result in step S603 is "no", Execute step S601; if the judgment result of step S603 is "yes", execute step S605: filter and normalize; step S607: store row bank; step S609: convert into frequency domain through Fourier transform; step S611: Find the index of the maximum energy; Step S613: Find the index of the second maximum energy; Step S615: Determine that the maximum energy is much greater than the second maximum energy; If the judgment result of step S615 is "No", perform step S617: No calculation This signal; if the judgment result in step S615 is "Yes", execute step S619: calculate the weight according to the index position; step S621: use the filtered amplitude to determine whether it is stable; if the judgment result in step S621 is "no", execute step S623 : This calculation result has the lowest weight; if the judgment result of step S621 is "Yes", execute step S625: Use the result of fast Fourier transform to judge whether it is stable; if the judgment result of step S625 is "no", execute step S627: This time The calculation result has the next lowest weight; if the judgment result in step S625 is "yes", execute step S629: this calculation result has the highest weight; step S631: calculate the heartbeat rate.

The method of calculating the heartbeat rate can be achieved through the following formula (2): HR = F_index ×60 Formula (2) where HR is the heartbeat rate; F_index is the mean peak index in the frequency domain of the second filtered signal; 60 is the The length of time specified in seconds.

Please refer to Figure 14. Figure 14 shows experimental results of sensing the heartbeat rates of dogs and cats using the physiological information sensing device and method of the present invention. Figure 14 shows the experimental results of 5 dogs and 12 cats. The heartbeat rate obtained through the physiological information sensing device and method of one or more embodiments above is compared with the heartbeat rate obtained in a conventional manner. Figure 14 The average accuracy of the results is 98.57% (plus or minus 1.86%). In other words, with an error rate (100% Judging from the corresponding accuracy (minus the corresponding accuracy), the highest error rate does not exceed 6%, the mean error rate (mean) is approximately 1.425%, and the standard deviation is approximately 1.865%.

Please refer to Figure 15. Figure 15 is another experimental result of sensing the blood pressure values of dogs and cats using the physiological information sensing device and method of the present invention. Figure 15 shows the experimental results of 5 dogs and 12 cats. The blood pressure values obtained through the physiological information sensing device and method of one or more embodiments are compared with the blood pressure values obtained in a conventional manner. Figure 15 The mean accuracy of the results reached 98.35% (plus or minus 2.03%). In other words, in terms of error rate (100% minus the corresponding accuracy rate), the highest error rate does not exceed 6%, the mean error rate (mean) is about 1.647%, and the standard deviation is about 2.029%.

In summary, the physiological information sensing device and method according to one or more embodiments of the present invention can instantly output the heart rate and breathing rate of the animal, allowing owners to grasp the health information of their pets at any time. In addition, the physiological information sensing device and method according to one or more embodiments of the present invention can be applied in a non-invasive and continuous manner, wherein the physiological information sensing device can be implemented as a portable wearable device and does not require shaving. It can be applied after removing animal hair, which improves the convenience of use. The physiological information sensing device according to one or more embodiments of the present invention can occupy a smaller area, and because the comb-shaped structure of the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna increases the path length of the induced current, the radiation efficiency of the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna also increases. It can be increased accordingly.

Although the present invention is disclosed in the foregoing embodiments, they are not intended to limit the present invention. All changes and modifications made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention shall fall within the scope of patent protection of the present invention. Regarding the protection scope defined by the present invention, please refer to the attached patent application scope.

1: Physiological information sensing device

10: Signal generator

11: Transmitting antenna

12:First receiving antenna

13:Second receiving antenna

14:Signal processing circuit

15:Operation element

140:Mixer

141a: First bandpass filter

141b: Second bandpass filter

Claims (15)

A physiological information sensing device, including: A signal generator, used to generate a microwave signal; a transmitting antenna, connected to the signal generator, used to transmit the microwave signal: a first receiving antenna, used to receive a first reflected signal corresponding to the microwave signal; a second receiving antenna for receiving a second reflected signal corresponding to the microwave signal; a signal processing circuit including: a mixer connected to the signal generator, the first receiving antenna and the second receiving antenna, For integrating the first reflection signal and the second reflection signal and performing demodulation transformation on the microwave signal to generate a demodulation transformation signal; a first bandpass filter connected to the mixer for performing demodulation transformation based on a first A frequency domain is used to filter the demodulated signal to generate a first filtered signal; and a second bandpass filter is connected to the mixer for filtering the demodulated signal based on a second frequency domain. to generate a second filtered signal; and an arithmetic element connected to the first bandpass filter and the second bandpass filter, the arithmetic element being used to output a filtered signal according to the first filtered signal and the second filtered signal. Heart rate and respiratory rate. The physiological information sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting antenna, the first receiving antenna and the second receiving antenna each include a main body part and a plurality of comb-shaped parts, wherein the main body part of the transmitting antenna and The main body part of the first receiving antenna is disposed oppositely, the main body part of the transmitting antenna is disposed oppositely to the main body part of the second receiving antenna, and the first receiving antenna and the second receiving antenna are symmetrical. The physiological information sensing device according to claim 2, wherein the comb-shaped parts of the first receiving antenna include a first comb-shaped group and a second comb-shaped group, and among the comb-shaped parts of the transmitting antenna One of them is located between the first comb group and the second comb group. The physiological information sensing device according to claim 2, wherein the comb-shaped parts of the second receiving antenna include a first comb-shaped group and a second comb-shaped group, and among the comb-shaped parts of the transmitting antenna One of them is located between the first comb group and the second comb group. The physiological information sensing device according to claim 2, wherein the main body part of the transmitting antenna includes a first main body part and a second main body part, and the first main body part is symmetrical to the second main body part. The physiological information sensing device according to claim 2, wherein the extension direction of the comb-shaped parts of the transmitting antenna is parallel to the extending direction of the comb-shaped parts of the first receiving antenna, and the extending directions of the comb-shaped parts of the transmitting antenna The extending direction of the comb-shaped portion is parallel to the extending direction of the comb-shaped portions of the second receiving antenna. The physiological information sensing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the signal processing circuit further includes: A power amplifier, connected between the signal generator and the transmitting antenna, used to amplify the microwave signal and output the amplified microwave signal to the transmitting antenna; a first low-noise amplifier, connected to the signal a generator for amplifying the microwave signal and transmitting the amplified microwave signal to the mixer; a second low-noise amplifier connected to the mixer for amplifying the first reflected signal and the third two reflection signals, and transmit the amplified first reflection signal and the second reflection signal to the mixer; a first switch, connected between the signal generator and the power amplifier, and connected to the signal Between the generator and the first low-noise amplifier, it is used to control and output the microwave signal to the power amplifier or the first low-noise amplifier; and a second switch connected between the power amplifier and the transmitting antenna between the first receiving antenna and the second low-noise amplifier, and between the second receiving antenna and the second low-noise amplifier, the second switch is used to control the amplified The microwave signal is transmitted to the transmitting antenna, or the amplified first reflection signal and the second reflection signal are transmitted to the mixer. The physiological information sensing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the signal processing circuit further includes: A front-stage filter, connected to the output end of the mixer, the front-stage filter is used to perform low-pass filtering on the demodulated signal and output the filtered demodulated signal; and a preamplifier, connected In the pre-filter, the first band-pass filter and the second band-pass filter, the preamplifier is used to amplify the filtered demodulated signal to output the demodulated signal to the first band-pass filter. pass filter and the second bandpass filter. The physiological information sensing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the signal processing circuit further includes: a first post-stage amplifier connected between the first bandpass filter and the computing element for amplifying the first filtered signal and outputting the amplified first filtered signal to the computing element; and a first post-amplifier A second rear-stage amplifier is connected between the second bandpass filter and the computing element, and is used to amplify the second filtered signal, and output the amplified second filtered signal to the computing element. The physiological information sensing device as described in claim 1 further includes: A wireless transmission module is connected to the computing element and used to output the heartbeat rate and the respiration rate. A physiological information sensing method, including: A signal generator is used to generate a microwave signal; a transmitting antenna is used to transmit the microwave signal; a first receiving antenna is used to receive a first reflected signal corresponding to the microwave signal, and a second receiving antenna is used to receive a first reflected signal corresponding to the microwave signal. A second reflection signal; using a signal processing circuit to integrate the first reflection signal and the second reflection signal and demodulating the microwave signal to generate a demodulation signal; using the signal processing circuit based on a first frequency The demodulated signal is filtered based on the frequency domain to generate a first filtered signal, and the demodulated signal is filtered based on a second frequency domain to generate a second filtered signal; and an arithmetic element is used according to the first filtered signal. The signal and the second filtered signal output a heart rate and a breathing rate. The physiological information sensing method described in claim 11 further includes using the signal processing circuit to perform: amplify the microwave signal through a power amplifier, and output the amplified microwave signal to the transmitting antenna; amplify the microwave signal through a first low-noise amplifier, and transmit the amplified microwave signal to the signal processing a mixer of the circuit; receiving the first reflected signal and the second reflected signal through a second low-noise amplifier; and amplifying the first reflected signal and the second reflected signal with the second low-noise amplifier, and The amplified first reflection signal and the second reflection signal are sent to the mixer. The physiological information sensing method described in claim 11 further includes using the signal processing circuit to perform: performing low-pass filtering on the demodulated signal; and amplifying the filtered demodulated signal to output the demodulated signal. The physiological information sensing method described in claim 11 further includes using the signal processing circuit to perform: Amplify the first filtered signal, and output the amplified first filtered signal to the computing element; and amplify the second filtered signal, and output the amplified second filtered signal to the computing element. The physiological information sensing method described in claim 11 further includes: using a wireless transmission module to output the heartbeat rate and the respiration rate.

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