Method of measuring the heart rate and respiratory rate of a human being

• US 10,172,543 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2017
• Issued: 01/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ding Yuan Yen, Nelson Yen
• Original Assignee: Ding Yuan Yen, Nelson Yen
• Inventors: Yen, Ding Yuan, Fang, Hsaio Wei, Lai, Te Min
• Primary Examiner(s): Alavi, Amir
• Application Number:
  US15/438,124
• Publication Number:
  US 20170245786A1
• Time in Patent Office: 686 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2576/00 Medical imaging apparatus involving image processing or analysis A61B1/00009, A61B6/52 and A61B8/52 take precedence; image processing per se G06T; details of algorithms for analysing medical images G06T7/0012
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0077 Devices for viewing the surface of the body, e.g. camera, magnifying lens
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02416 using photoplethysmograph signals, e.g. generated by infrared radiation A61B5/14552 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02444 Details of sensor A61B5/02427 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1032 Determining colour for diagnostic purposes measuring colour in general G01J3/46
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1128 using image analysis A61B5/1127 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/113 occurring during breathing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10024 Color image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30004 Biomedical image processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30076 Plethysmography
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30201 Face
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0016 involving temporal comparison
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/248 involving reference images or patches
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/40 for processing medical images, e.g. editing

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for measuring the human heartbeat rate, comprising the steps of: 1) obtaining a video of the measured subject; 2) parsing the video into a series of image frames; 3) arranging the multiple generated image frames in sequential order; 4) detecting the position of the region of the face in each image; 5) obtaining the facial fluctuation frequency of the measured object according to the change of the position of the face region in the image frame system.

Claims

1. A method of measuring the human heartbeat rate, comprising the steps of:

a). using a high definition camera to continuously photograph the position of the face area of a human being, to obtain a series of video images;

b). parsing the video images into a series of image frames;

c). arranging the image frames in sequential order;

d). detecting the position of the region of the face in each image;

e). according to the change of the position of the face area in the image frames, the facial color fluctuation frequency of the human being, which corresponds to the heartbeat of the human being.

2. The method for measuring the heartbeat rate of a human being according to claim 1, wherein the DC component in the facial color fluctuation signal is filtered and removed to obtain a periodic wave-like facial color fluctuation signal, or the facial color fluctuation frequency of the human being.

3. The method of measuring the heart rate of a human being, comprising the steps of:

a). using a high-definition camera to continuously photograph in the position of the face area of a human being, to obtain a series of video images;

b). parsing the video images into a series of image frames;

c). arranging the image frames in sequential order;

d). detecting the area of the face in each image;

e). analyzing the color distribution in the face area of each image;

f). the change of the face color distribution of each image and the change of frequency of each image corresponds to the heartbeat of the human being.

4. The method for measuring the heart rate of a human being according to claim 3, in which the face color is red.

5. The color distribution of the face area of each frame of claim 4, is counted and the red component of each image is extracted and calculated, resulting in the heart rate.

6. The facial color change between the image frequency of red in claim 4, is calculated, resulting in the heart rate.

7. The high-definition camera of claim 3 has a rate of 30 frames per second and gets a series of video images of 30 frames per second.

8. A method of measuring the frequency of breathing in a human body, comprising the steps of:

a). using a high-definition camera to continuously photograph in the position of the face area of a human being, to obtain a series of video images;

b). parsing the video images into a series of image frames;

c). arranging the image frames in sequential order;

d). detecting the area of the face in each image;

e). according to the location of the face in each image, determine the location of the thoracic position and detect the chest region, below the upper edge of the face near the location of the chest;

f). according to the change of the position of the thoracic region in the image frames, the respiratory rate of the human being is obtained, by the number of changes in the chest region per minute.

9. The method for measuring the breathing frequency of a human body according to claim 8, in which a region located 1.5 to 2.0 face lengths below the upper edge of the face is defined as the position of the chest region.