Electronic apparatus and control method

• US 9,808,197 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2015
• Issued: 11/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Client Solutions CO., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsuno, Takaya, Sudo, Takashi, Kanishima, Yasuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Winakur, Eric
• Assistant Examiner(s): Liu, Chu Chuan (JJ)
• Application Number:
  US14/633,994
• Publication Number:
  US 20160058374A1
• Time in Patent Office: 984 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02427 Details of sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14552 Details of sensors specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7285 for synchronising or triggering a physiological measurement or image acquisition with a physiological event or waveform, e.g. an ECG signal A61B6/5205, A61B6/541, A61B8/5207, A61B8/543 take precedence

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a wearable electronic apparatus detects movement of a human body wearing the apparatus. The apparatus causes a first number of light emitters to emit light when a magnitude of the detected movement is less than a first value. The first number of light emitters is among a plurality of light emitters which emit light having different wavelengths, in which the light are received by a light receiver to obtain physiological information. The apparatus causes a second number greater than the first number of light emitters among the plurality of light emitters to emit light when the magnitude of the detected movement is greater than or equal to the first value.

Claims

1. A wearable electronic apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of light emitters including a first LED, a second LED, a third LED and a fourth LED, the first LED emitting red light, the second LED emitting infrared light, the third LED and the fourth LED emitting light different from the light emitted by the first LED and the second LED, and having wavelengths different from each other;

a light receiver to receive reflected light or transmitted light emitted from the light emitters, the reflected light from a human body wearing the apparatus, the transmitted light passing through the human body;

a sensor to detect movement of the human body wearing the apparatus; and

a CPU configured to execute various programs including a physiological information acquisition program,

wherein the CPU is configured to;

two light emitters including the first LED which emits red light and the second LED which emits infrared light to emit light when the magnitude of the movement detected by the sensor is less than a threshold value, and acquire physiological information of the human body based on an output signal from the light receiver which receives the reflected light or the transmitted light; and

;

cause four light emitters including the first LED which emits red light, the second LED which emits infrared light, and the third LED and the fourth LED which emit light different from the light emitted by the first LED and the second LED, and having wavelengths different from each other to emit light when the magnitude of the movement detected by the sensor is greater than or equal to the threshold value, and acquire the physiological information of the human body based on an output signal from the light receiver which receives the reflected light or the transmitted light.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first LED, the second LED, the third LED and the fourth LED are arranged such that paths of the light emitted from the plurality of light emitters to the light receiver are equidistant.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first LED, the second LED, the third LED and the fourth LED are arranged on a circumference of the light receiver.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the third LED emits light having a wavelength which deoxyhemoglobin [Hb] absorbs more strongly than oxyhemoglobin [HbO₂], and

the fourth LED emits light having a wavelength which oxyhemoglobin [HbO₂] absorbs more strongly than deoxyhemoglobin [Hb].

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the light receiver is configured to output the output signal in accordance with a synchronous signal indicative of light-emission timing of the plurality of light emitters.

6. A method of controlling a wearable electronic apparatus, the method comprising:

detecting, by a sensor, movement of a human body wearing the apparatus;

causing two light emitters including a first LED which emits red light and a second LED which emits infrared light to emit light when the magnitude of the movement detected by the sensor is less than a threshold value, and acquiring physiological information of the human body based on an output signal from a light receiver which receives reflected light or transmitted light; and

causing four light emitters including the first LED which emits red light, the second LED which emits infrared light, and the third LED and the fourth LED which emit light different from the light emitted by the first LED and the second LED, and having wavelengths different from each other to emit light when the magnitude of the movement detected by the sensor is greater than or equal to the threshold value, and acquiring the physiological information of the human body based on an output signal from the light receiver which receives the reflected light or the transmitted light.