Sensor for measuring living body information and earphone having the same

• US 8,055,319 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2008
• Issued: 11/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Cho, Jae-Geol, Jung, Sun-Tae, Han, Dong-Kyoon, Oh, Jung-Taek
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen; Tse
• Assistant Examiner(s): IP, JASON M
• Application Number:
  US12/198,162
• Publication Number:
  US 20090062661A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,169 Days
• Field of Search: 600/310, 600/340, 600/407, 600/473, 600/476, 356/432
• US Class Current: 600/310
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02433 for infrared radiation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6817 Ear canal

Abstract

A sensor for measuring living body information includes a light guide member for guiding a first light; a light extracting member, disposed adjacent to the light guide member, for outputting the first light guided by the light guide member to an exterior of the light guide member through contact with the light guide member; and a light coupling member, disposed adjacent to the light guide member, for coupling a second light to the light guide member through contact with the light guide member.

Claims

1. An earphone comprising:

a speaker for outputting a sound wave;

an optical circuit having a light source, disposed circumferentially around the speaker, configured to generate and output a first light, the first light being output towards a living body to produce a second light reflected from the living body, the optical circuit generating a living body signal that is obtained by detecting and photoelectrically converting the second light into an electric signal, and the optical circuit further having a light guide member for guiding the first and second lights; and

a sensor strip, disposed circumferentially around the optical circuit, configured to output the first light from the optical circuit towards the living body, and outputting the second light reflected from the living body to the optical circuit;

wherein the sensor strip includes at least one light extracting member and at least one light coupling member, each disposed alongside the light guide member, the light extracting member outputting the first light from the light guide member through contact with the light guide member and the light coupling member coupling the second light to the light guide member through contact with the light guide member.

2. The earphone of claim 1, wherein the optical circuit further comprises a printed circuit board, coupled to the light guide member, for providing a driving voltage to the light source and an optical detector.

3. The earphone of claim 1, wherein the light guide member further comprises:

a substrate;

a light output part stacked on the substrate for receiving the first light from the light source; and

a light input part stacked on the substrate and spaced apart from the light output part for outputting the second light to an optical detector.

4. The earphone of claim 1, wherein the optical circuit comprises:

a plurality of light sources for generating the first light;

a plurality of optical detectors for outputting the living body signal obtained by photoelectrically converting the second light; and

a printed circuit board for providing a driving voltage to the light sources and the optical detectors, with the light sources and the optical detectors disposed alternately on a top surface thereof along its circumferential direction.

5. The earphone of claim 1, wherein the at least one light extracting member comprises a plurality of light extracting members, and the at least one light coupling member comprises a plurality of light coupling members, the sensor strip comprising a plurality of light extracting/coupling units distributed around the light guide member, each comprising one of the light extracting members and one of the light coupling members.

6. The earphone of claim 5, wherein the sensor strip further comprises a plurality of spacers separating the light extracting units from one another, the spacers being compressible and having a greater width than the light extracting members and the light coupling members when in an uncompressed state, whereby when the earphone is placed within a user'"'"'s ear, at least one spacer is compressed to cause the contact of the at least one light extracting unit and the at least one light coupling unit with the light guide member.

7. The earphone of claim 6, wherein the sensor strip further comprises:

a plurality of fixing members, situated between the spacers, for fixing in place pairs of light exreacting members and light coupling members; and

a base part to which the light extracting member, the light coupling member, the spacers and the fixing member are attached.

8. The earphone of claim 1, wherein the light guide member guides the first and second lights through total internal reflection between a top surface and a bottom surface of the light guide member, the top surface contacting the sensor strip and the bottom surface contacting the speaker.