Apparatus for providing skin care information by measuring skin moisture content and method and medium for the same

• US 20080091091A1
• Filed: 09/24/2007
• Published: 04/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KIM, Hong Sig, JANG, Woo Young, SHIN, Kun Soo
• Granted Patent: US 8,388,534 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/306
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0531 Measuring skin impedance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4266 sweat secretion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/442 Evaluating skin mechanical properties, e.g. elasticity, hardness, texture, wrinkle assessment

Abstract

An apparatus for providing skin care information, the apparatus including: an electrode unit supplying a voltage to a user'"'"'s skin and detecting a current signal in the user'"'"'s skin; a measurement control unit measuring the user'"'"'s skin moisture content and sweat gland activity by using the detected current signal; a data calculation unit deriving skin moisture content information by using the skin moisture content and the sweat gland activity, and generating skin care information corresponding to the skin moisture content information; and an information provider providing the user with the generated skin care information is provided.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing skin care information, the apparatus comprising:

an electrode unit to supply a voltage to a user'"'"'s skin and to detect a current signal in the user'"'"'s skin;

a measurement control unit to measure the user'"'"'s skin moisture content and sweat gland activity by using the detected current signal;

a data calculation unit to derive skin moisture content information by using calculation of interrelation between the skin moisture content and the sweat gland activity, and to generate skin care information corresponding to the skin moisture content information; and

an information provider to provide the user with the generated skin care information.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a data storage unit to store the skin care information or the skin moisture content information.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the measurement control unit comprises:

a signal converter to convert the current signal into a voltage signal;

a signal supplier to generate an in-phase signal and an out-of-phase signal with respect to the voltage signal, and supplying the generated in-phase signal and the out-of-phase signal to the voltage signal;

a sweat gland activity measurement unit to measure conductance of the current signal by synchronizing the voltage signal and the in-phase signal, and measuring the sweat gland activity of the user'"'"'s skin from the measured conductance of the current signal; and

a skin moisture content measurement unit to measure susceptance of the current signal by synchronizing the voltage signal and the out-of-phase signal, and measuring the skin moisture content of the user'"'"'s skin from the measured susceptance of the current signal.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data calculation unit determines whether the sweat gland activity is within a range of a predetermined normal sweat gland activity and thereby derives the skin moisture content information.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the range of the normal sweat gland activity is set based on an average of sweat gland activities which are measured with respect to a plurality of physically and mentally stable general users in an environment where a desirable room temperature is maintained.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the data calculation unit derives the measured skin moisture content as the user'"'"'s skin moisture content information when the measured sweat gland activity is within the range of the normal sweat gland activity.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the data calculation unit controls the information provider to provide the user with a measurement environment checklist when the measured sweat gland activity is outside the range of the normal sweat gland activity.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the information provider provides the user with the measurement environment checklist, receives, from the user, measurement environment information corresponding to the measurement environment checklist, reads the measurement environment information, and provides the user with user measurement error information depending upon the read environment information, to induce the user to re-measure the skin moisture content and the sweat gland activity.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the measurement control unit measures a second sweat gland activity in the user skin being applied with a predetermined external stimulus,

the data calculation unit calculates the user'"'"'s stress level with respect to the external stimulus by using the second sweat gland activity, and generates second skin care information by using the stress level and the skin moisture content, and

the information provider provides the user with the second skin care information.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the information provider applies the external stimulus to the user, the external stimulus including light or sound causing the stress.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the data calculation unit calculates the stress level as either a high level or a normal level by using a predetermined stress threshold value, and calculates a level of the skin moisture content as either a low level or a normal level by using a predetermined skin moisture content threshold value.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the data calculation unit generates the second skin care information, including skin trouble warning information caused by the stress, when the stress level is calculated as the high level and the level of the skin moisture content is calculated as the low level.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the data calculation unit generates the second skin care information, including skin trouble warning information caused by the stress, when the stress level is calculated as the high level and the level of the skin moisture content is calculated as the normal level.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the data calculation unit generates the second skin care information, including dehydration information caused by a surrounding environment, when the stress level is calculated as the normal level and the level of the skin moisture content is calculated as the low level.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the data calculation unit generates the second skin care information, including current state maintenance information, when the stress level is calculated as the normal level and the level of the skin moisture content is calculated as the normal level.

16. A method for providing skin care information, the method comprising:

supplying a voltage to a user'"'"'s skin, and detecting a current signal in the user'"'"'s skin;

measuring the user'"'"'s skin moisture content and sweat gland activity by using the current signal;

deriving skin moisture content information by using the skin moisture content and the sweat gland activity;

generating skin care information corresponding to the skin moisture content information; and

providing the user with the generated skin care information.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

storing either the skin care information or the skin moisture content information.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the deriving comprises:

determining whether the measured sweat gland activity is within a range of a predetermined normal sweat gland activity;

deriving the measured skin moisture content as the user'"'"'s skin moisture content information when the measured sweat gland activity is within the range of the normal sweat gland activity;

providing the user with the measurement environment checklist, receiving, from the user, measurement environment information corresponding to the measurement environment checklist, reading the measurement environment information, and providing the user with user measurement error information depending upon the read environment information, to induce the user to re-measure the skin moisture content and the sweat gland activity, when the measured sweat gland activity is outside the range of the normal sweat gland activity.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the range of the normal sweat gland activity is set based on an average of sweat gland activities which are measured with respect to a plurality of physically and mentally stable general users in an environment where a desirable room temperature is maintained.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

measuring a second sweat gland activity in the user skin being applied with a predetermined external stimulus,

calculating the user'"'"'s stress level with respect to the external stimulus by using the second sweat gland activity;

generating second skin care information by using the stress level and the skin moisture content; and

providing the user with the second skin care information.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the measuring of the second sweat gland activity comprises:

applying the external stimulus to the user, the external stimulus including light or sound causing the stress.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the stress level is calculated as either a high level or a normal level based on a predetermined stress threshold value, and a level of the skin moisture content is calculated as either a low level or a normal level based on a predetermined skin moisture content threshold value.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the generating of the second skin care information comprises:

generating the second skin care information, including skin trouble warning information caused by the stress, when the stress level is calculated as the high level and the level of the skin moisture content is calculated as the low level;

generating the second skin care information, including skin trouble warning information caused by the stress, when the stress level is calculated as the high level and the level of the skin moisture content is calculated as the normal level;

generating the second skin care information, including dehydration information caused by a surrounding environment, when the stress level is calculated as the normal level and the level of the skin moisture content is calculated as the low level; and

generating the second skin care information, including current state maintenance information, when the stress level is calculated as the normal level and the level of the skin moisture content is calculated as the normal level.

24. At least one computer readable medium storing computer readable instructions that control at least one processor to implement a method for providing skin care information, the method comprising:

supplying a voltage to a user'"'"'s skin, and detecting a current signal in the user'"'"'s skin;

measuring the user'"'"'s skin moisture content and sweat gland activity by using the current signal;

deriving skin moisture content information by using the skin moisture content and the sweat gland activity;

generating skin care information corresponding to the skin moisture content information; and

providing the user with the generated skin care information.