Apparatus and method for measuring biological signal with multiple unit measurers

• US 9,289,146 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2011
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Kim, Youn-ho, Lee, Jeong-whan, Shin, Kun-soo
• Primary Examiner(s): Flory, Christopher A
• Application Number:
  US13/166,880
• Publication Number:
  US 20120190994A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,734 Days
• Field of Search: 600/509, 600/547
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0443 Modular apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/332 Portable devices specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

A biological signal measuring apparatus is provided. The biological signal measuring apparatus includes a first unit measurer configured to measure a first biological signal of a subject based on an electrical characteristic difference between first electrodes contacting the skin of the subject, and a second unit measurer configured to measure a second biological signal of the subject based on an electrical characteristic difference between second electrodes contacting the skin of the subject at positions different from positions of the first electrodes. A plurality of unit measurers including at least the first unit measurer and the second unit measurer are arranged based on characteristics of contact parts of the first and second electrodes.

Claims

1. A biological signal measuring apparatus comprising:

a first unit measurer configured to measure a first biological signal of a subject based on an electrical characteristic difference between first electrodes contacting the skin of the subject;

a second unit measurer configured to measure a second biological signal of the subject based on an electrical characteristic difference between second electrodes contacting the skin of the subject at positions different from positions of the first electrodes; and

a biological signal generator configured to generate a biological signal by arithmetically summing the measured first and second biological signals based on points on a time axis of a graphical display of the first biological signal or intervals obtained by combining the points, wherein;

the first unit measurer and the second unit measurer are arranged based on characteristics of contact parts of the first and second electrodes,

the first electrodes and the second electrodes are located on a line of induction,

the first and second biological signals are synchronized in time during the summing such that the sum of their potentials is greater than the potential of either the first biological signal or second biological signal,

the points include at least one of a point at which a P wave starts, a point at which the P wave ends, a point at which a Q wave starts, a point at which the Q wave ends, a point at which a R wave starts, a point at which the R wave ends, a point at which a S wave starts, a point at which the S wave ends, a point at which a T wave starts, and a point at which the T wave ends, and

the first and second biological signals are further based on intervals obtained by combining the points among the points on a time axis of a graph of the first biological signal.

2. The biological signal measuring apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the first electrodes contact the skin of the subject within a distance of 2 cm of each other, and

the second electrodes contact the skin of the subject within a distance of 2 cm of each other.

3. The biological signal measuring apparatus of claim 1, wherein the characteristics of the contact parts of the first and second electrodes are determined based on similarity between the electrical characteristic difference between the first electrodes and the electrical characteristic difference between the second electrodes.

4. The biological signal measuring apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a pad that comprises the first and second unit measurers.

5. The biological signal measuring apparatus of claim wherein

the electrical characteristic difference between the first electrodes is a potential difference between the first electrodes, and the electrical characteristic difference between the second electrodes is a potential difference between the second electrodes, and

the biological signal generator generates the biological signal based on the sum of the potential difference between the first electrodes and the potential difference between the second electrodes.

6. A biological signal measuring method comprising:

receiving a first biological signal of a subject from a first unit measurer contacting the skin of the subject;

receiving a second biological signal from a second unit measurer contacting the skin of the subject at a position different from the position of the first unit measurer; and

generating a biological signal by arithmetically summing the measured first biological signal and the second biological signal based on points on a time axis of a graphical display of the first biological signal or intervals obtained by combining the points, wherein

the first and second biological signals are synchronized in time during the summing such that the sum of their potentials is greater than the potential of either the first biological signal or second biological signal,

the points includes at least one of a point at which a P wave starts, a point at which the P wave ends, a point at which a Q wave starts, a point at which the Q wave ends, a point at which a R wave starts, a point at which the R wave ends, a point at which a S wave starts, a point at which the S wave ends, a point at which a T wave starts, and a point at which the T wave ends,

the first and second biological signals are further based on intervals obtained by combining the points among the points on a time axis of a graph of the first biological signal,

the first unit measurer measures the first biological signal of the subject based on an electrical characteristic difference between first electrodes contacting the skin of the subject,

the second unit measurer measures the second biological signal of the subject based on an electrical characteristic difference between second electrodes contacting the skin of the subject at positions different from those of the first electrodes

the first unit measurer and the second unit measurer are arranged based on characteristics of contact parts of the first and second electrodes, and

the first electrodes and the second electrodes are located on a line of induction.

7. The biological signal measuring method of claim 6, wherein

the first electrodes contact the skin of the subject within a distance of 2 cm of each other, and

the second electrodes contact the skin of the subject with a distance of 2 cm of each other.

8. The biological signal measuring method of claim 6, wherein the characteristics of the contact parts of the first and second electrodes are determined based on similarity between the electrical characteristic difference between the first electrodes and the electrical characteristic difference between the second electrodes.

9. The biological signal measuring method of claim 6, wherein a pad comprises the first and second unit measurers.

10. The biological signal measuring method of claim 6, wherein

the electrical characteristic difference between the first electrodes is a potential difference between the first electrodes, and the electrical characteristic difference between the second electrodes is a potential difference between the second electrodes, and

the generating of the biological signal comprises generating the biological signal based on the sum of the potential difference between the first electrodes and the potential difference between the second electrodes.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a computer-readable program for executing the biological signal measuring method of claim 6.