Wearable mobile terminal

• US 9,795,309 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2015
• Issued: 10/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Shim, Hongjo, Lim, Gukchan, Sohn, Youngho, Kim, Seonghyok, Kim, Hyunwoo
• Primary Examiner(s): DIETRICH, JOSEPH M
• Application Number:
  US14/640,957
• Publication Number:
  US 20150359436A1
• Time in Patent Office: 963 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02427 Details of sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/486 Bio-feedback A61B5/375 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4866 Evaluating metabolism A61B5/083 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/721 using a separate sensor to detect motion or using motion information derived from signals other than the physiological signal to be measured
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7221 Determining signal validity, reliability or quality A61B5/7207 and A61B5/7217 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7246 using correlation, e.g. template matching or determination of similarity
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7278 Artificial waveform generation or derivation, e.g. synthesising signals from measured signals A61B5/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/743 Displaying an image simultaneously with additional graphical information, e.g. symbols, charts, function plots

Abstract

A wearable terminal can include a main body configured to be in contact with a body of a user using one side of the main body, a photo plethysmography including a transmitter combined with one side of the main body and outputs a output signal, and a receiver detecting a reflection signal corresponding to the output signal returned, a cover configured to cover the photo plethysmography and be combined with the main body and a controller configured to measure a heart rate based on a reflection signal measured by the photo plethysmography. The cover is combined with the main body and parts corresponding to the transmitter and the receiver of the photo plethysmography include transparent units through which the output signal and the reflection signal are passing and a barrier unit positioned between the transparent units and shielding the output signal and the reflection signal.

Claims

1. A wearable terminal, comprising:

a main body comprising a side configured to contact a body part of a user;

a photo plethysmography located at the side of the main body and comprising;

a transmitter configured to output a signal; and

a receiver configured to detect a reflection signal that is reflection of the output signal;

a cover of the main body configured to cover the photo plethysmography, the cover comprising;

transparent units aligned with the transmitter and the receiver, the transparent units configured to pass the output signal and the reflection signal; and

a barrier unit positioned between the transparent units and configured to shield the output signal and the reflection signal;

a rubber located between the cover and the photo plethysmography, the rubber including openings that are aligned with the transparent units, and at least one of the openings also aligned with the transmitter and at least one of the openings also aligned with the receiver such that the rubber is configured to block the signal output from the transmitter directly flowing into the receiver; and

a controller configured to measure a heart rate of the user based on the detected reflection signal.

2. The wearable terminal of claim 1, wherein the cover is adhered to the main body via waterproof tape.

3. The wearable terminal of claim 1, wherein the transmitter comprises a green light-emitting diode (LED) configured to output green light as the output signal.

4. A wearable terminal, comprising:

a main body comprising a first side configured to contact a body part of a user when the wearable terminal is worn by the user and a second side that is an opposite side of the first side;

a photo plethysmography located at the first side of the main body and comprising;

a transmitter configured to output a signal, and

a receiver configured to detect a reflection signal that is a reflection of the output signal from a blood cell in a blood vessel of the user;

an acceleration sensor configured to detect movement of the main body when the wearable terminal moves in a first direction toward a direction that the first side faces or in a second direction toward a direction that the second side faces according to movement of the body part, the second direction being an opposite direction of the first direction; and

a controller configured to;

reduce a first size of the detected reflection signal in response to detection, by the acceleration sensor, of the movement of the main body in the first direction;

amplify a second size of the detected reflection signal in response to detection, by the acceleration sensor, of the movement of the main body in the second direction;

calculate reflection signal data based on the first or second direction and a speed of the movement detected by the acceleration sensor by compensating the reflection signal; and

calculate a heart rate of the user based on a number of changes in the reflection signal data per reference time.

5. The wearable terminal of claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to eliminate a change of the reflection signal having an interval in response to detection of the movement of the main body having a prescribed cycle such that the interval corresponds to the prescribed cycle.

6. The wearable terminal of claim 4, wherein the first size of the detected reflection signal is greater than the second size of the detected reflection signal.

7. The wearable terminal of claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to:

calculate the reflection signal data by eliminating a reflection signal that is higher than an abnormal signal cut-off level;

lower the abnormal signal cut-off level in response to detection of the movement of the main body in the second direction; and

raise the abnormal signal cut-off level in response to detection of the movement of the main body in the first direction.

8. The wearable terminal of claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to:

increase a measurement value of the reflection signal in response to detection of the movement of the main body in a direction that is opposite to a moving direction of the blood cell; and

decrease the measurement value of the reflection signal in response to detection of the movement of the main body in a direction that is the same as the moving direction of the blood cell.

9. The wearable terminal of claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to:

cause the acceleration sensor to measure a step count of the user;

calculate calorie consumption corresponding to the measured step count; and

increase the calorie consumption when the calculated heart rate is greater than a reference heart rate; and

decrease the calorie consumption when the calculated heart rate is lower than the reference heart rate.

10. The wearable terminal of claim 9, further comprising a location information module configured to transceive location information of the user and determine a location change, wherein the controller is further configured to:

calculate a moving speed of the user based on the detected location change;

increase the calorie consumption when the moving speed is faster than a reference speed; and

decrease the calorie consumption when the moving speed is slower than the reference speed.

11. The wearable terminal of claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to:

activate the photo plethysmography in response to detection of the movement of the main body that is greater than a reference distance; and

switch the photo plethysmography to an idle state in response to detection of the movement of the main body that is less than the reference distance.

12. The wearable terminal of claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the transmitter to increase strength of emitted light or shorten a cycle of light emission in response to detection of increased movement of the main body.

13. The wearable terminal of claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to notify the user when a signal strength of the detected reflection signal measured by the photo plethysmography is out of a valid range.

14. The wearable terminal of claim 13, further comprising a display located on the second side of the main body, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the display to display a guide screen for guiding the user to change a position of the main body such that the first side of the main body contacts the body part in a correct configuration.

15. The wearable terminal of claim 14, wherein the guide screen comprises:

a signal indicator that increases in size as the measured signal strength increases and decreases in size when the signal strength decreases; and

a reference indicator configured to provide a reference for positioning the main body with respect to the body part such that the measured signal strength is within the valid range when the signal indicator substantially matches the reference indicator.

16. The wearable terminal of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the display to display a confidence level indicator indicating the measured signal strength with respect to the valid range.

17. A method for controlling a wearable terminal comprising a main body, wherein the main body comprises a first side configured to contact a body part of a user when the wearable terminal is worn by the user and a second side that is an opposite side of the first side, the method comprising:

outputting a signal to the part of a user;

receiving a reflection signal that is a reflection of the output signal from a blood cell in a blood vessel of the user;

detecting movement of the main body when the wearable terminal moves in a first direction toward a direction that the first side faces or in a second direction toward a direction that the second side faces according to movement of the body part, the second direction being an opposite direction of the first direction;

reducing a size of the detected reflection signal in response to detection of the movement of the main body in the first direction;

amplifying a size of the detected reflection signal in response to detection of the movement of the main body in the second direction;

calculating reflection signal data based on the first or second direction and a speed of the detected movement by compensating the received reflection signal; and

calculating a heart rate of the user based on a number of changes in the reflection signal data per reference time.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the calculating the heart rate comprises eliminating a change of the reflection signal having an interval in response to the detection of the movement having a prescribed cycle such that the interval corresponds to the prescribed cycle.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

measuring a step count of the user based on the detected movement;

calculating calorie consumption corresponding to the step count;

increasing the calorie consumption when the calculated heart rate is greater than a reference heart rate; and

decreasing the calorie consumption when the calculated heart rate is lower than the reference heart rate.