Biosignal processing apparatus and biosignal processing method

• US 10,335,087 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2015
• Issued: 07/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Joonhyung, Kim, Sangkyu, Cho, Seongho
• Primary Examiner(s): McCrosky, David J.
• Application Number:
  US14/669,200
• Publication Number:
  US 20160058381A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,559 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/053 Measuring electrical impedance or conductance of a portion of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6843 Monitoring or controlling sensor contact pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7221 Determining signal validity, reliability or quality A61B5/7207 and A61B5/7217 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7405 using sound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence

Abstract

Provided are a biosignal processing apparatus and a biosignal processing method. The biosignal processing apparatus includes: a first measurement module configured to detect a biosignal of a subject in a non-invasive manner in response to the biosignal processing apparatus being in contact with the subject; a second measurement module configured to measure a contact state with respect to the subject; and a controller configured to determine whether the contact state is equal to or greater than a reference value.

Claims

1. A biosignal processing apparatus comprising:

a biosignal measurement module that comprises a prism and a spectroscope and is configured to detect a biosignal of a subject in a non-invasive manner while the prism is in contact with the subject;

a touch sensor configured to bend to cover a three-dimensional shape of the subject, measure a change in an amount of charges carried in the touch sensor, and determine a contact area between the prism and the subject based on the change in the amount of the charges carried in the touch sensor, a contact surface of the touch sensor and a contact surface of the prism being disposed on a same plane with respect to the subject while the contact areas of the touch sensor is being measured; and

a controller configured to control the biosignal measurement module to start measuring the biosignal in response to determining that the contact area between the prism and the subject being equal to or greater than a reference value,

wherein the touch sensor is disposed to surround the prism, and boundaries of the contact surface of the prism are entirely in contact with boundaries of the contact surface of the touch sensor.

2. The biosignal processing apparatus of claim 1, the controller is further configured to generate an indicator indicating information about a contact state of the biosignal measurement module in response to determining that the contact area being less than the reference value.

3. The biosignal processing apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a display configured to display the indicator.

4. The biosignal processing apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a speaker that outputs the indicator as an audible sound.

5. The biosignal processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the prism is an attenuated total reflection (ATR) prism that is contactable with the subject and attenuates a light beam incident thereon.

6. The biosignal processing apparatus of claim 5, wherein the biosignal measurement module comprises:

a light source that radiates a light beam to the subject through the ATR prism; and

a detector that detects a light beam reflected or scattered from the subject through the ATR prism.

7. The biosignal processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the biosignal measurement module comprises one or more electrode pairs that are contactable with the subject.

8. The biosignal processing apparatus of claim 7, wherein the contact surface of the touch sensor with respect to the subject is disposed on a same plane as a contact surface of the electrode pairs with respect to the subject.

9. The biosignal processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the biosignal measurement module comprises:

one or more electrode pairs;

a current supplier that supplies a current to the one or more electrode pairs; and

a detector that detects a change in the current, which is caused by the subject, from the electrode pairs.

10. A biosignal processing method of a biosignal processing apparatus including a prism and an touch sensor, the method comprising:

measuring a change in an amount of charges carried in the touch sensor while a contact surface of the touch sensor and a contact surface of the prism are disposed on a same plane with respect to a subject;

determining a contact area between the prism and the subject based on the change in the amount of the charges; and

measuring a biosignal of the subject in a non-invasive manner in response to the determined contact area between the prism and the subject being equal to or greater than a reference value,

wherein the measuring the change in the amount of the charges comprises measuring the change in the amount of the charges while the touch sensor is bend to cover a three-dimensional shape of the subject, and boundaries of the contact surface of the prism are entirely in contact with boundaries of the contact surface of the touch sensor.

11. The biosignal processing method of claim 10, further comprising:

outputting an indicator indicating information about a contact state of the biosignal processing apparatus in response to determining that the contact area being less than the reference value.

12. The biosignal processing method of claim 11, wherein the outputting the indicator comprises at least one selected from:

displaying the indicator in a form of a text or an image; and

outputting the indicator as an audible sound.

13. The biosignal processing method of claim 10, wherein the contact area of the prism is a contact area of an attenuated total reflection (ATR) prism that attenuates a light beam incident thereon.