Health care apparatus and method

• US 8,986,206 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2006
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Youn-ho, Shin, Kun-soo, Han, Wan-taek, Yeo, Hyung-sok, Hwang, Hyun-tai, Kim, Jong-pal
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomson, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): JIAN, SHIRLEY XUEYING
• Application Number:
  US11/397,716
• Publication Number:
  US 20070016098A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,275 Days
• Field of Search: 600/300, 600/301, 128903-905, 128/920
• US Class Current: 600/301
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0462 Apparatus with built-in sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0468 Built-in electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02416 using photoplethysmograph signals, e.g. generated by infrared radiation A61B5/14552 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1123 Discriminating type of movement, e.g. walking or running A61B5/1116, A61B5/112 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/145 Measuring characteristics of blood in vivo, e.g. gas concentration, pH value; Measuring characteristics of body fluids or tissues, e.g. interstitial fluid, cerebral tissuemeasuring of blood pressure or blood flow A61B5/02; non-radiation detecting or locating of foreign bodies in blood A61B5/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/332 Portable devices specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/352 Detecting R peaks, e.g. for synchronising diagnostic apparatus; Estimating R-R interval
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4035 Evaluating the autonomic nervous system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4866 Evaluating metabolism A61B5/083 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4884 inducing physiological or psychological stress, e.g. applications for stress testing
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

A health care apparatus and method are provided. The apparatus includes: a motion sensing unit; a bio-electric potential sensing unit sensing an electric potential signal of the health examinee corresponding to the sensed result; and an analysis unit analyzing the sensed result. By recognizing a current motion of the examinee and sensing an electric potential signal corresponding to the recognized current motion from the examinee, a more reliable health index of the examinee can be calculated. Even when information on the current motion of the health examinee is not given, the current motion can be recognized by the apparatus and method. Furthermore, since the health examinee is notified of the calculated health index in real time, the health examinee can be informed immediately if the physical condition is in an emergency state. As a result, the examinee can respond quickly to the emergency situation.

Claims

1. A health care apparatus comprising:

a motion sensing unit which senses a motion of a person with respect to time;

a bio-electric potential sensing unit which senses an electric potential signal of the person corresponding to the sensed motion; and

an analysis unit, implemented on a processor, which analyzes the sensed electric potential signal to generate an analyzed result,

wherein the electric potential signal is a vital signal having a frequency band corresponding to the sensed motion among a plurality of vital signals detected from the person,

wherein the bio-electric potential sensing unit comprises;

a vital signal sensing unit, implemented on the processor, comprising a plurality of sensing devices, which senses the plurality of vital signals of the person;

a matching unit, implemented on the processor, which selects the vital signal among the plurality of vital signals based on a result of the sensed motion;

selects a frequency band based on the result of the sensed motion; and

outputs information on the vital signal and the frequency band; and

a filtering unit, implemented on the processor, which filters the sensed plurality of vital signals and generates the electric potential signal having the vital signal indicated in the output information among the plurality of vital signals; and

further filters the electric potential signal having the vital signal, such that the electric potential has the frequency band that matches the sensed motion indicated in the output information,

wherein the matching unit selects a sensing device matching a relative body location corresponding to the sensed motion among the plurality of sensing devices, and the selected sensing device senses one or more preset vital signals.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a health index calculation unit which calculates a desired health index by using the analyzed result, wherein the health index is an index indicating a physical condition of the person.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a user interface unit which displays at least one of the analyzed result and the calculated figure of the health index.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a health condition recognition unit which notifies the person of the physical condition of the person.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the health condition recognition unit notifies the person of the physical condition of the person, by using at least one of visual means, tactile means and audible means.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the health index comprises state of heart pulsation, internal cardial work performed, balance state of an autonomic nervous system, or amount of calorie consumption.

7. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a storage unit which stores the analyzed result and the calculated health index.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the motion sensing unit comprises a plurality of sensing devices attached to a body of the person.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the plurality of sensing devices are disposed in an integrated unit or are disposed at separate places connected through a network.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vital signal is an electrocardiogram signal or an electromyogram signal.

11. The health care apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensed motion of the person comprises a movement of a lower part of the person'"'"'s body and the vital signal is sensed from the lower part of the body corresponding to said movement.

12. The health care apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensed motion of the person comprises any one of walking and running and the vital signal is sensed at a body limb corresponding to the one of walking and running.

23. The health care apparatus of claim 1, wherein the filtering unit performs a first filtering based on a first condition met by the sensed motion and performs a second filtering based on a second condition met by the sense motion.

13. A health care method executed by a processor, the method comprising:

sensing a motion of a person with respect to time;

sensing an electric potential signal of the person corresponding to the sensed motion; and

analyzing the sensed electric potential signal to generate an analyzed result,

wherein the electric potential signal is a vital signal having a frequency band corresponding to the sensed motion among a plurality of vital signals detected from the person,

wherein the sensing the electric potential signal comprises;

sensing the plurality of vital signals of the person using one or more sensing device among a plurality of sensing devices;

selecting the vital signal among the plurality of vital signals based on a result of the sensed motion;

selecting the frequency band based on the result of the sensed motion;

outputting information on the vital signal and the frequency band; and

filtering the sensed plurality of vital signals and generating the electric potential signal having the vital signal indicated in the output information among the plurality of vital signals; and

further filtering the electric potential signal having the vital signal, such that the electric potential has the frequency band that matches the sensed motion indicated in the output information,

wherein, the sensing the electric potential signal further includes selecting a sensing device matching a relative body location corresponding to the sensed motion among the plurality of sensing devices, and sensing one or more preset vital signals.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising calculating a desired health index by using the analyzed result, wherein the health index is an index indicating a physical condition of the person.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising outputting at least one of the analyzed result and the calculated figure of the health index.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising notifying the person of the calculated health index, by using at least one of visual means, tactile means and audible means.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising storing the analyzed result and the calculated health index.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the health index comprises state of heart pulsation, internal cardial work performed, balance state of the autonomic nervous system, or amount of calorie consumption.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the vital signal is an electrocardiogram signal or an electromyogram signal.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the sensing the motion is performed by a plurality of sensing devices attached as an integrated unit to a body of the person.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the sensing the motion is performed by a plurality of sensing devices that are attached to a body of the person, and prepared at separated places connected through a network.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein the sensed motion of the person comprises a movement of a lower part of the person'"'"'s body and the vital signal is sensed from the lower part of the body corresponding to said movement.

24. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium having embodied thereon a computer program for executing a health care method on a processor, wherein the method comprises:

sensing a motion of a person with respect to time;

sensing an electric potential signal of the person corresponding to the sensed motion; and

analyzing the sensed electric potential signal,

wherein the electric potential signal is a vital signal having a frequency band corresponding to the sensed motion among a plurality of vital signals detected from the person,

wherein the sensing the electric potential signal comprises;

sensing the plurality of vital signals of the person using one or more sensing device among a plurality of sensing devices;

selecting the vital signal among the plurality of vital signals based on a result of the sensed motion;

selecting the frequency band based on the result of the sensed motion; and

outputting information on the vital signal and the frequency band; and

filtering the sensed plurality of vital signals and generating the electric potential signal having the vital signal indicated in the output information among the plurality of vital signals; and

further filtering the electric potential signal having the vital signal, such that the electric potential has the frequency band that matches the sensed motion indicated in the output information,

wherein, the sensing the electric potential signal further includes selecting a sensing device matching a relative body location corresponding to the sensed motion among the plurality of sensing devices, and sensing one or more preset vital signals.

25. The non-transitory computer readable recording medium of claim 24, wherein the sensed motion of the person comprises a movement of a lower part of the person'"'"'s body and the vital signal is sensed from the lower part of the body corresponding to said movement.