Apparatus for measuring skin moisture content and it's operation method

• US 7,753,846 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2007
• Issued: 07/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Kim, Hong Sig, Park, Jeong Je, Jang, Woo Young, Park, Jae Chan
• Primary Examiner(s): Marmor, II; Charles A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Natnithithadha; Navin
• Application Number:
  US11/892,428
• Publication Number:
  US 20080051643A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,056 Days
• Field of Search: 600/306, 600/300, 600345-366, 600/372, 600/382, 600/384, 600/307, 600/547
• US Class Current: 600/307
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0531 Measuring skin impedance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/442 Evaluating skin mechanical properties, e.g. elasticity, hardness, texture, wrinkle assessment

Abstract

An apparatus for measuring skin moisture content, the apparatus including: an electrode unit comprising a reference (R) electrode, a current (C) electrode, and a measuring (M) electrode; an operational amplifier including an inverting input terminal that is supplied to a first voltage and connects with the R electrode, and an output terminal that connects with the C electrode; a switch controlling a connection between the output terminal and the C electrode; and a comparison control unit comparing the first voltage with a voltage at the output terminal, and controlling the switch to connect the output terminal and the C electrode when the voltage at the output terminal is less than or equal to a value that is acquired by multiplying the first voltage and a predetermined constant.

Claims

1. An apparatus of measuring skin moisture content, the apparatus comprising:

an electrode unit comprising a reference (R) electrode, a current (C) electrode, and a measuring (M) electrode;

an operational amplifier comprising an inverting input terminal that is supplied with a first voltage and connects with the R electrode, and an output terminal that connects with the C electrode;

a switch to control a connection between the output terminal and the C electrode; and

a comparison control unit to compare the first voltage and a voltage at the output terminal, and controlling the switch to connect the output terminal and the C electrode when the voltage at the output terminal is less than or equal to a value that is acquired by multiplying the first voltage and a predetermined constant,

wherein the comparison control unit controls the switch to release the connection between the output terminal and the C electrode when the voltage at the output terminal is greater than the value that is acquired by multiplying the first voltage and the predetermined constant.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the comparison control unit compares the first voltage that is supplied to a non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier, with the voltage at the output terminal, when the first voltage is supplied to the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the M electrode detects a current signal generated by an impedance in a user'"'"'s skin stratum corneum when the output terminal and the C electrode are connected with each other.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising:

a measurement control module to measure the user'"'"'s skin moisture content using the current signal detected by the M electrode and a predetermined phase signal.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the measurement control unit comprises:

a signal supplier;

a lock-in amplifier to measure susceptance of the current signal; and

signal converter the current signal to a voltage signal,

wherein the signal supplier to supply an out-phase signal to the lock-in amplifier.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the out-phase signal is a cosign wave having a phase difference of 90 to the voltage signal.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the lock-in amplifier synchronizes the out-put phase signal and the voltage signal.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the comparison control unit controls the switch to release the connection between the output terminal and the C electrode after a predetermined time, the predetermined time corresponding to a time when the measurement control module measures the skin moisture content.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the predetermined constant corresponds to a gain value of the operational amplifier.

10. A method of measuring skin moisture content using a skin moisture content measurement apparatus comprising an R electrode, a C electrode, an M electrode, an operational amplifier, and a control unit, the method comprising:

controlling, by the skin moisture content measurement apparatus, a switch to release a connection between an output terminal of the operational amplifier and the C electrode;

supplying, by the skin moisture content measurement apparatus, a first voltage to an inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier;

comparing, by the skin moisture content measurement apparatus, a value, acquired by multiplying the first voltage and a predetermined constant, with a voltage at the output terminal of the operational amplifier; and

controlling, by the skin moisture content measurement apparatus, the switch to connect the output terminal and the C electrode when the voltage at the output terminal is less than or equal to the value that is acquired by multiplying the first voltage and the predetermined constant,

controlling, by the skin moisture content measurement apparatus, the switch to release the connection between the output terminal and the C electrode when the voltage at the output terminal is greater than the value that is acquired by multiplying the first voltage and the predetermined constant.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

detecting, by the skin moisture content measurement apparatus, using the M electrode, a current signal generated by impedance in a user'"'"'s skin stratum corneum when the output terminal and the C electrode are connected to each other;

measuring, by the skin moisture content measurement apparatus, the user'"'"'s skin moisture content during a predetermined time using the current signal and a predetermined phase signal; and

controlling, by the skin moisture content measurement apparatus, the switch to release the connection between the output terminal and the C electrode after the predetermined time.

12. A computer-readable executable program product tangibly embodied on a computer readable recording medium having a computer-executable program, the computer-executable program executes the following:

measuring skin moisture content using a skin moisture content measurement apparatus comprising an R electrode, a C electrode, an M electrode, an operational amplifier, and a control unit, wherein the measuring skin moisture content comprising;

controlling, by the skin moisture content measurement apparatus, a switch to release a connection between an output terminal of the operational amplifier and the C electrode;

supplying, by the skin moisture content measurement apparatus, a first voltage to an inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier;

comparing, by the skin moisture content measurement apparatus, a value, acquired by multiplying the first voltage and a predetermined constant, with a voltage at the output terminal of the operational amplifier;

controlling, by the skin moisture content measurement apparatus, the switch to connect the output terminal and the C electrode when the voltage at the output terminal is less than or equal to the value that is acquired by multiplying the first voltage and the predetermined constant; and

controlling, by the skin moisture content measurement apparatus, the switch to release the connection between the output terminal and the C electrode when the voltage at the output terminal is greater than the value that is acquired by multiplying the first voltage and the predetermined constant.

13. A computer-readable executable program product of claim 12, wherein the measuring skin moisture content further comprising:

detecting, by the skin moisture content measurement apparatus, using the M electrode, a current signal generated by impedance in a user'"'"'s skin stratum corneum when the output terminal and the C electrode are connected to each other;

measuring, by the skin moisture content measurement apparatus, the user'"'"'s skin moisture content during a predetermined time using the current signal and a predetermined phase signal; and

controlling, by the skin moisture content measurement apparatus, the switch to release the connection between the output terminal and the C electrode after the predetermined time.