MEASUREMENT CIRCUIT FOR HEART RATE VARIABILITY

• US 20100274144A1
• Filed: 03/18/2010
• Published: 10/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Chung-Yuan Christian University
• Original Assignee: Chung-Yuan Christian University
• Inventors: CHANG, CHAO-FENG, HU, WEI-CHIH
• Application Number:
  US12/726,587
• Publication Number:
  US 20100274144A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/500
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02405 Determining heart rate variability
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02416 using photoplethysmograph signals, e.g. generated by infrared radiation A61B5/14552 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0245 by using sensing means generating electric signals, i.e. ECG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6815 Ear
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6816 Ear lobe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7207 of noise induced by motion artifacts

Abstract

The present invention relates to a measurement circuit for heart rate variability, which uses a measurement circuit for photoplethysmographic (PPG) signal to measure an ear and produces a first measured signal, a measurement circuit for electrocardiographic (ECG) signal to measure a second measured signal, an audio processing unit to produces a sound signal, a control and processing unit for controlling the audio processing unit to play the sound signal, for receiving the first measured signal to produce a corresponding first waveform diagram, and for receiving the second measured signal to produce a corresponding second waveform diagram. Thereby, nervousness and impatience of a person under test can be eliminated, and hence the real heart rate variability of the person under test can be measured.

Claims

1. A measurement circuit for heart rate variability, comprising:

a measurement circuit for photoplethysmographic (PPG) signal, measuring an ear, and producing a first measured signal;

a measurement circuit for electrocardiographic (ECG) signal, measuring the physiological status of a person under test, and producing a second measured signal;

an audio processing unit, producing a sound signal, and transmitting the sound signal to the ear; and

a control and processing unit, controlling the audio processing unit, playing the sound signal, receiving the first measured signal and producing a corresponding first waveform diagram, and receiving the second measured signal and producing a corresponding second waveform diagram.

2. The measurement circuit for heart rate variability of claim 1, and further comprising an earpiece, placed in the ear, and holding the measurement circuit for PPG signal.

3. The measurement circuit for heart rate variability of claim 2, wherein the earpiece has a speaker for playing the sound signal.

4. The measurement circuit for heart rate variability of claim 3, wherein the measurement circuit for PPG signal comprises:

a measurement unit for PPG signal; and

a processing unit for PPG signal.

5. The measurement circuit for heart rate variability of claim 4, wherein the measurement unit for PPG signal comprises:

a light source, set on one side of the earpiece, and illuminating the skin of the ear and producing reflection light; and

a photodetector, set on the earpiece and on the same side of the light source, receiving the reflection light, and transmitting the reflection light to the processing unit for PPG signal.

6. The measurement circuit for heart rate variability of claim 4, wherein the earpiece comprises:

an embedded part, placed into the ear, and holding the speaker; and

a holding part, set on one side of the embedded part, and holding the light source and the photodetector.

7. The measurement circuit for heart rate variability of claim 5, wherein the light source includes red light.

8. The measurement circuit for heart rate variability of claim 7, wherein the wavelength of the red light is 640 nm.

9. The measurement circuit for heart rate variability of claim 5, wherein the light source is a red-light LED.

10. The measurement circuit for heart rate variability of claim 5, wherein the photodetector includes a light-receiving transistor.

11. The measurement circuit for heart rate variability of claim 5, wherein the light source passes through the epidermis of the ear to the derma, and the derma reflects the light and produces the reflection light.

12. The measurement circuit for heart rate variability of claim 4, wherein the processing unit for PPG signal further comprises:

a first filter, filtering the reflection light, and producing a first filter signal;

a first amplification circuit, amplifying the first filter signal;

a second filter, filtering the amplified first filter signal, and producing a second filter signal;

a second amplification circuit, amplifying the second filter signal; and

a subtraction circuit, adjusting the amplified second filter signal amplified by the second amplification circuit, and producing the first measured signal.

13. The measurement circuit for heart rate variability of claim 1, wherein the measurement circuit for ECG signal comprises:

a first amplification circuit, amplifying the physiological status signal of the person under test, and producing a first amplification signal;

a filter module, filtering the first amplification signal, and producing a filter signal;

a second amplification circuit, amplifying the filter signal, and producing a second amplification signal; and

a subtraction circuit, adjusting the direct-current (DC) level of the second amplification signal, and producing the second measured signal.

14. The measurement circuit for heart rate variability of claim 13, wherein the filter module includes:

a high-pass filter, filtering out the low-frequency signals of the first amplification signal;

a low-pass filter, filtering out the high-frequency signals of the first amplification signal filtered by the high-pass filter;

a band-rejection filter, filtering out a band of the first amplification signal filtered by the low-pass filter, and producing the filter signal.

15. The measurement circuit for heart rate variability of claim 1, and further comprising an analog-to-digital converter, converting an analog signal of the first measured signal to a digital signal of the first measured signal, and transmitting the digital signal to the control and processing unit.

16. The measurement circuit for heart rate variability of claim 1, and further comprising an analog-to-digital converter, converting an analog signal of the second measured signal to a digital signal of the second measured signal, and transmitting the digital signal to the control and processing unit.

17. The measurement circuit for heart rate variability of claim 1, and further comprising a first storage unit, coupled to the control and processing unit, and storing the first measured signal and the second measured signal.

18. The measurement circuit for heart rate variability of claim 17, wherein the first storage unit includes a Compact Flash (CF) card.

19. The measurement circuit for heart rate variability of claim 1, and further comprising one or more second storage units, storing multimedia data, and the audio processing unit reading and converting the multimedia data and playing the sound signal.

20. The measurement circuit for heart rate variability of claim 1, and further comprising a liquid crystal display (LCD), coupled to the control and processing unit, and the control and processing unit transmitting the first waveform diagram and the second waveform diagram to the LCD for displaying.

21. The measurement circuit for heart rate variability of claim 20, wherein the LCD is a thin-film transistor liquid-crystal display (TFT-LCD).

22. The measurement circuit for heart rate variability of claim 1, and further comprising a USB transmission module, the control and processing unit transmitting the first measured signal and the second measured signal to the USB transmission module for further transmitting to a computer.

23. The measurement circuit for heart rate variability of claim 1, wherein the audio processing unit and the control and processing unit are integrated into a chip.