Health care apparatus and method

• US 20070016098A1
• Filed: 04/05/2006
• Published: 01/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Shin, Kun-soo, Yeo, Hyung-sok, Han, Wan-taek, Kim, Youn-ho, Kim, Jong-pal, Hwang, Hyun-tai
• Granted Patent: US 8,986,206 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/546
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0462 Apparatus with built-in sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0468 Built-in electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02416 using photoplethysmograph signals, e.g. generated by infrared radiation A61B5/14552 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1123 Discriminating type of movement, e.g. walking or running A61B5/1116, A61B5/112 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/145 Measuring characteristics of blood in vivo, e.g. gas concentration, pH value; Measuring characteristics of body fluids or tissues, e.g. interstitial fluid, cerebral tissuemeasuring of blood pressure or blood flow A61B5/02; non-radiation detecting or locating of foreign bodies in blood A61B5/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/332 Portable devices specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/352 Detecting R peaks, e.g. for synchronising diagnostic apparatus; Estimating R-R interval
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4035 Evaluating the autonomic nervous system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4866 Evaluating metabolism A61B5/083 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4884 inducing physiological or psychological stress, e.g. applications for stress testing
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

A health care apparatus and method are provided. The apparatus includes: a motion sensing unit; a bio-electric potential sensing unit sensing an electric potential signal of the health examinee corresponding to the sensed result; and an analysis unit analyzing the sensed result. By recognizing a current motion of the examinee and sensing an electric potential signal corresponding to the recognized current motion from the examinee, a more reliable health index of the examinee can be calculated. Even when information on the current motion of the health examinee is not given, the current motion can be recognized by the apparatus and method. Furthermore, since the health examinee is notified of the calculated health index in real time, the health examinee can be informed immediately if the physical condition is in an emergency state. As a result, the examinee can respond quickly to the emergency situation.

Claims

1. A health care apparatus comprising:

a motion sensing unit which senses a motion of a person with respect to time;

a bio-electric potential sensing unit which senses an electric potential signal of the person corresponding to the sensed motion; and

an analysis unit which analyzes the sensed electric potential signal to generate an analyzed result.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a health index calculation unit which calculates a desired health index by using the analyzed result, wherein the health index is an index indicating a physical condition of the person.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the motion sensing unit comprises a plurality of sensing devices attached to a body of the person.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the plurality of sensing devices are disposed in an integrated unit or are disposed at separate places connected through a network.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the bio-electric potential sensing unit comprises:

a vital signal sensing unit which senses a vital signal of the person in response to the sensed motion; and

a filtering unit which filters the sensed vital signal in response to the sensed motion and outputting the filtered vital signal as the electric potential signal.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the bio-electric potential sensing unit further comprises:

a matching unit which matches the sensed motion to the vital signal and outputs information on the vital signal,

wherein the vital signal sensing unit senses the vital signal indicated in the information.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the bio-electric potential sensing unit further comprises:

a matching unit which matches the sensed motion to a filtering and outputs information on the filtering,

wherein the filtering unit filters the sensed vital signal according to the information.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electric potential signal is a vital signal having a frequency band corresponding to the sensed motion among vital signals detectable from the person.

9. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a user interface unit which provides a user interface displaying at least one of the analyzed result and the calculated figure of the health index.

10. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a health recognition unit which notifies the person of the physical condition of the person, by performing a function corresponding to the calculated health index.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the health condition recognition unit notifies the person of the physical condition of the person, by using at least one of visual means, tactile means and audible means.

12. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the health index comprises state of heart pulsation, internal cardial work performed, balance state of an autonomic nervous system, or amount of calorie consumption.

13. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the vital signal is an electrocardiogram signal or an electromyogram signal.

14. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a storage unit storing the analyzed result and the calculated health index.

15. A health care method comprising:

sensing a motion of a person with respect to time;

sensing an electric potential signal of the person corresponding to the sensed motion; and

analyzing the sensed electric potential signal to generate an analyzed result.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising calculating a desired health index by using the analyzed result, wherein the health index is an index indicating a physical condition of the person.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the sensing the electric potential signal comprises:

sensing a vital signal of the person in response to the sensed motion; and

filtering the sensed vital signal according to the sensed motion, wherein the filtered vital signal is the electric potential signal.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising outputting at least one of the analyzed result and the calculated figure of the health index.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising notifying the person of the calculated health index, by using at least one of visual means, tactile means and audible means.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising storing the analyzed result and the calculated health index.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the health index comprises state of heart pulsation, internal cardial work performed, balance state of the autonomic nervous system, or amount of calorie consumption.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the vital signal is an electrocardiogram signal or an electromyogram signal.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein the sensing the motion is performed by a plurality of sensing devices attached as an integrated unit to a body of the person.

24. The method of claim 15, wherein the sensing the motion is performed by a plurality of sensing devices that are attached to a body of the person, and prepared at separated places connected through a network.

25. a computer readable recording medium having embodied thereon a computer program for executing a health care method, wherein the method comprises:

sensing a motion of a person with respect to time;

sensing an electric potential signal of the person corresponding to the sensed motion; and

analyzing the sensed electric potential signal.