METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MEASURING BIOIMPEDANCE

• US 20160015290A1
• Filed: 12/05/2014
• Published: 01/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KIM, JongPal, KO, Hyoung Ho, LEE, TakHyung
• Granted Patent: US 10,022,064 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/053 Measuring electrical impedance or conductance of a portion of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6804 Garments; Clothes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7225 Details of analog processing, e.g. isolation amplifier, gain or sensitivity adjustment, filtering, baseline or drift compensation A61B5/30, A61B5/316 take precedence; transformers for specific applications H01F38/00; amplifiers H03F

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for measuring a bioimpedance are disclosed. The apparatus includes a first electrical signal generator configured to generate a first electrical signal to measure a bioimpedance of an object. The apparatus also includes a compensation signal generator configured to generate a compensation signal to compensate a biosignal measured based on the first electrical signal, and an amplifier configured to amplify the compensated biosignal.

Claims

1. An apparatus to measure a bioimpedance, the apparatus comprising:

a first electrical signal generator configured to generate a first electrical signal to measure a bioimpedance of an object;

a compensation signal generator configured to generate a compensation signal to compensate a biosignal measured based on the first electrical signal; and

an amplifier configured to amplify the compensated biosignal.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the compensation signal comprises a phase opposite to a phase of the biosignal, and

an amplitude of the compensated biosignal is smaller than an amplitude of the biosignal before the compensation.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the biosignal is generated based on the first electrical signal and the bioimpedance.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the compensation signal generator comprises a second electrical signal generator configured to generate a second electrical signal comprising a phase identical to or opposite to a phase of the first electrical signal.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the compensation signal generator is configured to output the compensation signal generated in response to the second electrical signal flowing from electrodes into the object.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein a distance between two electrodes applying the second electrical signal into the object is shorter than a distance between two electrodes measuring the biosignal.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the compensation signal generator further comprises an impedance element configured to generate the compensation signal based on the second electrical signal.

8. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the compensation signal generator is configured to adjust an amplitude of the second electrical signal based on an amplitude of the compensation signal.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a connection adjustor configured to adjust connections between electrodes electrically connected to the object, the first electrical signal generator, and the amplifier; and

a controller configured to output a control signal to control a connection between switches included in the connection adjustor.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the connection adjustor adjusts, based on the control signal, connections among terminals connected to the electrodes, terminals connected to the first electrical signal generator, and terminals connected to the amplifier.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a first capacitor between an electrode, at which the biosignal is measured, and a node, at which the biosignal and the compensation signal are combined; and

a second capacitor between a node, at which the compensation signal is output, and the node, at which the biosignal and the compensation signal are combined.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

electrodes configured to conduct the first electrical signal or the biosignal to the object, and

wherein at least one of the electrodes interfaces with the object in electrical regions.

13. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the compensation signal generator generates the compensation signal in response to the second electrical signal flowing through the object to compensate a biosignal generated based on the first electrical signal flowing through the object and based on an interface impedance between the object and electrodes.

14. An apparatus to measure a bioimpedance, the apparatus comprising:

an electrical signal generator configured to generate an electrical signal to measure a bioimpedance of an object;

an amplifier configured to amplify a biosignal measured based on the electrical signal; and

a connection adjustor configured to adjust connections between electrodes electrically connected to the object, the electrical signal generator, and the amplifier.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the connection adjustor is configured to determine, among the electrodes, an electrode to which the electrical signal generated is transmitted based on a control signal.

16. A method of measuring a bioimpedance, the method comprising:

generating a first electrical signal to measure a bioimpedance of an object;

generating a compensation signal to compensate for a biosignal generated based on the first electrical signal and the bioimpedance; and

amplifying the compensated biosignal.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the compensated biosignal comprises an amplitude smaller than an amplitude of the biosignal prior to compensation.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the outputting of the compensation signal comprises:

generating a second electrical signal comprising a phase identical or opposite to a phase of the first electrical signal; and

measuring a biosignal generated in response to the second electrical signal flowing into the object and thereby flowing in the object, and outputting the measured biosignal as the compensation signal.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein a distance between two electrodes applying the second electrical signal to the object is shorter than a distance between two electrodes measuring the biosignal.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the outputting of the compensation signal comprises:

generating a second electrical signal comprising a phase identical or opposite to a phase of the first electrical signal; and

outputting, as the compensation signal, an electrical signal generated in response to the second electrical signal flowing through an impedance element, and

wherein the biosignal is combined with the compensation signal to decrease an amplitude of the biosignal.