Touch panel apparatus for sensing a biosignal and method of acquiring information about respiration of user using the same

• US 10,342,494 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2016
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Sunkwon, Kang, Jaemin, Kwon, Yongjoo
• Primary Examiner(s): Mallari, Patricia
• Assistant Examiner(s): Portillo, Jairo H
• Application Number:
  US15/078,034
• Publication Number:
  US 20170055910A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,203 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0809 by impedance pneumography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/091 Measuring volume of inspired or expired gases, e.g. to determine lung capacity
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/113 occurring during breathing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6898 Portable consumer electronic devices, e.g. music players, telephones, tablet computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7203 for noise prevention, reduction or removal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7246 using correlation, e.g. template matching or determination of similarity
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/725 using specific filters therefor, e.g. Kalman or adaptive filters A61B5/316 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7475 User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer

Abstract

A touch panel apparatus for sensing a biosignal and a method of acquiring information about respiration of a user by the touch panel apparatus are provided. The touch panel apparatus includes a touch panel configured to sense a biosignal of a user based on a touch input through the touch panel; a detector configured to detect a respiratory signal from the biosignal; and a processor configured to acquire information about respiration of the user based on characteristics of the detected respiratory signal.

Claims

1. A touch panel apparatus comprising:

a touch panel configured to perform mode switching between a manipulation mode and a measurement mode based on a mode switching request,

wherein in the measurement mode,

the touch panel is configured to sense a capacitance sensing signal that indicates a change in capacitance of the touch panel when a user touches the touch panel;

a detector configured to detect a respiratory signal from the sensed capacitance sensing signal; and

a processor configured to acquire information about respiration of the user based on characteristics of the detected respiratory signal.

2. The touch panel apparatus of claim 1, wherein the touch panel comprises a pair of electrode layers and is further configured to sense the capacitance sensing signal that indicates the change in capacitance between the pair of electrode layers.

3. The touch panel apparatus of claim 1, wherein the touch panel comprises a pair of electrode layers,

wherein the pair of electrode layers comprises a first electrode layer partitioned into a plurality of regions corresponding to an actuator and a sensor, a second electrode layer configured to block noise from entering the first electrode layer, and

wherein the touch panel is further configured to sense the capacitance sensing signal that indicates the change in capacitance between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer.

4. The touch panel apparatus of claim 1, wherein the detector comprises:

a band pass filter configured to receive the capacitance sensing signal from the touch panel and pass a signal in a respiratory frequency band among the capacitance sensing signal; and

at least one noise removal filter configured to remove noise from the signal in the respiratory frequency band, and supply to the processor the signal from which the noise is removed.

5. The touch panel apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to detect peaks of the respiratory signal, measure a time interval between adjacent peaks among the detected peaks, and determine a respiration rate of the user based on the measured time interval.

6. The touch panel apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to detect peaks of the respiratory signal, measure a slope between a minimum peak and a maximum peak upon an inhalation for each respiratory cycle among the detected peaks, and determine respiratory intensity of the user based on the measured slope.

7. The touch panel apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to detect peaks of the respiratory signal, measure an area of sections that corresponds to an inhalation and an exhalation for each respiratory cycle and is defined by at least three of the detected peaks, and determine a respiratory volume of the user based on the measured area.

8. The touch panel apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor compares the capacitance sensing signal before exercise of the user and the capacitance sensing signal after the exercise of the user to determine an exercise load applied to the user during the exercise or a recovery speed at which a respiration rate after the exercise returns to a respiration rate before the exercise.

9. The touch panel apparatus of claim 1, wherein the touch panel apparatus further comprises a feedback unit configured to inversely amplify a respiration-removed signal that is obtained by removing the respiratory signal from the capacitance sensing signal, and output the inversely amplified respiration-removed signal,

wherein the touch panel receives the respiration-removed signal as a negative feedback to adjust the capacitance sensing signal.

10. The touch panel apparatus of claim 1, wherein the touch panel apparatus is interoperable with a user terminal and configured to transmit information about the respiratory signal to the user terminal.

11. The touch panel apparatus of claim 1,

wherein in the manipulation mode,

the processor is further configured to manipulate a screen of the touch panel based on a touch input signal.

12. A method of acquiring information about respiration of a user by a touch panel apparatus, the method comprising:

performing mode switching between a manipulation mode and a measurement mode based on a mode switching request;

wherein in the manipulation mode, the method further comprises;

sensing a capacitance sensing signal that indicates a change in capacitance of a touch panel when the user touches the touch panel apparatus;

detecting a respiratory signal from the sensed capacitance sensing signal; and

acquiring information about respiration of the user based on characteristics of the detected respiratory signal.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the sensing the capacitance sensing signal comprises sensing the change in capacitance between a pair of electrode layers included in the touch panel apparatus.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the sensing the capacitance sensing signal comprises sensing the change in capacitance between a first layer and a second layer included in the touch panel apparatus, and

wherein the first electrode layer is partitioned into a plurality of regions and configured to operate as an actuator and a sensor, and the second electrode layer configured to operate as a shield that blocks noise from entering the first electrode layer.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving the capacitance sensing signal from the touch panel;

passing a signal in a respiratory frequency band among the capacitance sensing signal;

blocking a signal out of the respiratory frequency band among the capacitance sensing signal; and

removing noise from the signal in the respiratory frequency band.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the signal in the respirator frequency band is a respirator sign, and

wherein the sensing the capacitance sensing signal comprises receiving a respiration-removed signal, which is obtained by removing the respiratory signal from the capacitance sensing signal, as a negative feedback to adjust the capacitance sensing signal.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

measuring a time interval between two adjacent peaks of capacitance sensing signal; and

determining a respiratory rate of the user based on the measured time interval.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the acquiring the information comprises:

detecting peaks of the respiratory signal;

measuring a slope between a minimum peak and a maximum peak upon an inhalation for each respiratory cycle among the detected peaks; and

generating respiratory intensity of the user based on the measured slope.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the acquiring the information comprises:

detecting peaks of the respiratory signal;

measuring an area of sections that corresponds to an inhalation and an exhalation for each respiratory cycle and is defined by at least three of the detected peaks; and

determining a respiratory volume of the user based on the measured area.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising comparing the capacitance sensing signal before exercise of the user and the capacitance sensing signal after exercise of the user to determine an exercise load applied to the user during the exercise or a recovery speed at which a respiration rate after the exercise returns to a respiration rate before the exercise.

21. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a program that is executable by a computer to perform the method of claim 12.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein in the manipulation mode, the method further comprises:

manipulating a screen of the touch panel based on a touch input signal.

23. A touch panel apparatus comprising:

a touch panel configured to perform mode switching between a manipulation mode and a measurement mode based on a mode switching request,

wherein in the measurement mode,

the touch panel is configured to sense a capacitance sensing signal that indicates a change in capacitance of the touch panel when a user touches the touch panel;

a detector configured to detect a number of maximum peaks of the capacitance sensing signal within a predetermined time period; and

a processor configured to determine a respiration rate of the user based on the detected number of maximum peaks of the capacitance sensing signal within the predetermined time period.

24. The touch panel apparatus of claim 23, wherein the touch panel apparatus is configured to store information of an age of the user, and

wherein the processor is further configured to determine a health state of the user based on the determined respiration rate and the information of the age.