METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MEASURING BIOLOGICAL SIGNAL

• US 20110237904A1
• Filed: 02/22/2011
• Published: 09/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KIM, Jong-pal
• Granted Patent: US 8,860,504 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/25 Bioelectric electrodes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7207 of noise induced by motion artifacts

Abstract

An apparatus for measuring a biological signal of a body, the apparatus including; at least three interfaces which obtain signals from the body, a signal application unit which applies a signal having a frequency which is higher than one of a frequency of interest of the biological signal to one of a first interface from among the at least three interfaces, and one of a plurality of internal elements of the apparatus, a feedback signal generation unit which generates a feedback signal from component signals generated due to the applied signal, wherein the feedback signal generation unit generates the feedback signal using a signal obtained from at least one of a second interface and a third interface from among the at least three interfaces and an input control unit which receives the generated feedback signal and controls a signal input from at least one of the second interface and third interface to an amplifier.

Claims

1. An apparatus for measuring a biological signal of a body, the apparatus comprising:

at least three interfaces which obtain signals from the body;

a signal application unit which applies a signal having a frequency which is higher than a frequency of interest of the biological signal to one of a first interface from among the at least three interfaces, and one of a plurality of internal elements of the apparatus;

a feedback signal generation unit which generates a feedback signal from component signals generated due to the applied signal, wherein the feedback signal generation unit generates the feedback signal using a signal obtained from at least one of a second interface and a third interface from among the at least three interfaces; and

an input control unit which receives the generated feedback signal and controls a signal input from at least one of the second interface and third interface to an amplifier.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the feedback signal generation unit generates the feedback signal which reduces the component signals generated due to the signal applied by the signal application unit.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the feedback signal generation unit comprises:

a filter which passes a frequency band of the signal obtained from at least one of the second interface and third interface and generates a filtered signal using the signal applied by the signal application unit; and

a calculation unit which performs a calculation to generate the feedback signal which reduces the component signals generated due to the signal applied by the signal application unit, with respect to the filtered signal.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the feedback signal generation unit comprises a demodulator which demodulates the signal obtained from at least one of the second interface and the third interface using the signal applied by the signal application unit.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the demodulator performs demodulation using an in-phase signal and an out-of-phase signal with respect to the signal applied by the signal application unit.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the feedback signal generation unit comprises:

a filter which passes a frequency band of the demodulated signal which is lower than the frequency of the signal applied by the signal application unit and which generates a filtered signal; and

a calculation unit which generates the feedback signal, with respect to the filtered signal.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the feedback signal generation unit comprises a calculation unit which calculates characteristic variations of a first electrical path from the first interface to the amplifier through the second interface, and a second electrical path from the first interface to the amplifier through the third interface.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the feedback signal generation unit generates the feedback signal such that a ratio of a second internal impedance in the apparatus on the first electrical path with respect to an impedance on the first electrical path is substantially equal to a ratio of a third internal impedance in the apparatus on the second electrical path with respect to an impedance on the second electrical path.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the input control unit controls the signal input to the amplifier by at least one of adjusting an impedance of an internal element of the apparatus using a variable impedance element, and applying an additional signal to the internal element of the apparatus.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a modulator which modulates the signal obtained from at least one of the second interface and the third interface and generates a modulated signal using a signal having a frequency higher than the frequency of the signal applied by the signal application unit;

an amplifier which receives and amplifies the modulated signal and generates an amplified signal; and

a demodulator which demodulates the amplified signal using a signal used by the modulator.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein, when a signal passed through the modulator is input to the feedback signal generation unit, the feedback signal generation unit comprises a demodulator which demodulates the signal passed through the modulator using the signal used by the modulator.

12. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the demodulator comprises an analog-digital converter.

13. A method of measuring a biological signal of a body using an apparatus for measuring the biological signal, the method comprising:

obtaining signals from the body using at least three interfaces;

applying a signal having a frequency higher than a frequency of interest of the biological signal to at least one of a first interface from among the at least three interfaces and one of a plurality of internal elements of the apparatus;

generating a feedback signal from component signals generated due to the applied signal using a signal obtained from at least one of a second interface and a third interface from among the at least three interfaces;

receiving the generated feedback signal, controlling a signal input from at least one of the second interface and the third interface and sending the controlled signal to an amplifier; and

outputting a measured biological signal of the body using the controlled signal.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the generating of the feedback signal comprises generating the feedback signal which reduces the component signals generated due to the applied signal.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the generating of the feedback signal comprises:

passing a frequency band of the signal obtained from at least one of the second interface and the third interface using the applied signal to generate a filtered signal; and

performing a calculation to generate the feedback signal which reduces the component signals generated due to the applied signal, with respect to the filtered signal.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the generating of the feedback signal comprises demodulating the signal obtained from at least one of the second interface and the third interface using the applied signal.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the generating of the feedback signal comprises:

passing a frequency band of the demodulated signal, which is lower than the frequency of the applied signal, to generate a filtered signal; and

performing a calculation to generate the feedback signal, with respect to the filtered signal.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the controlling of the signal comprises adjusting an impedance of an internal element of the apparatus by at least one of using a variable impedance element, and applying an additional signal to the internal element of the apparatus.

19. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium having recorded thereon a computer program for executing the method of claim 13.

20. An apparatus for measuring a biological signal of a body, the apparatus comprising:

at least three interfaces which obtain signals from the body;

a signal application unit which applies a carrier signal to at least one of a first interface from among the at least three interfaces, and one of a plurality of internal elements of the apparatus; and

a feedback signal generation unit which generates a feedback signal from component signals generated due to the applied carrier signal, using a signal obtained from at least one of a second interface and a third interface from among the at least three interfaces,

wherein the carrier signal is synthesized based on a signal having a frequency higher than a frequency of interest of the biological signal, and the feedback signal received from the feedback signal generation unit, and is output from the signal application unit.