Apparatus and method for measuring biological component

• US 10,687,741 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2017
• Issued: 06/23/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, So Young, Kim, Sang Kyu
• Primary Examiner(s): Winakur, Eric F
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mustansir, Abid A
• Application Number:
  US15/581,189
• Publication Number:
  US 20180116566A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0075 by spectroscopy, i.e. measuring spectra, e.g. Raman spectroscopy, infrared absorption spectroscopy A61B5/0071 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1455 using optical sensors, e.g. spectral photometrical oximeters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/443 Evaluating skin constituents, e.g. elastin, melanin, water
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7246 using correlation, e.g. template matching or determination of similarity

Abstract

An apparatus and method for measuring a biological component are provided. The apparatus may include a spectrum data acquirer configured to acquire spectrum data of a user by emitting light to a skin of the user and detecting the light reflected from the skin, and a processor configured to extract a user characteristic signal from the acquired spectrum data using a background signal and a first unit component spectrum and generate a second unit component spectrum personalized to the user by updating the first unit component spectrum based on the user characteristic signal.

Claims

1. An apparatus for measuring a biological component, the apparatus comprising:

a spectrum data acquirer configured to acquire spectrum data of a user by emitting light to a skin of the user and detecting the light that is reflected from the skin; and

a processor configured to;

extract a user characteristic signal from the acquired spectrum data by subtracting, from the acquired spectrum data, a background signal and a first unit component spectrum, the background signal being spectrum data that is measured at a predetermined time interval in a reference state in which a change does not occur in the biological component, and the first unit component spectrum being a predetermined unit of spectrum of the biological component; and

obtain a second unit component spectrum that is personalized to the user by updating the first unit component spectrum based on the extracted user characteristic signal.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine whether the extracted user characteristic signal is greater than a predetermined threshold; and

based on the extracted user characteristic signal being determined to be greater than the predetermined threshold, determine to update the first unit component spectrum.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to, based on the extracted user characteristic signal being determined to be less than or equal to the predetermined threshold, determine that the first unit component spectrum is the personalized second unit component spectrum.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to:

based on the extracted user characteristic signal being determined to be greater than the predetermined threshold, preprocess the extracted user characteristic signal; and

update the first unit component spectrum based on the preprocessed user characteristic signal.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured to, based on the first unit component spectrum being updated, re-extract the user characteristic signal from the acquired spectrum data by subtracting, from the acquired spectrum data, the background signal and the updated first unit component spectrum;

and

determine whether the re-extracted user characteristic signal is greater than the predetermined threshold.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured to remove noise from the extracted user characteristic signal, using any one or any combination of a cosine value that determines a morphological similarity between the extracted user characteristic signal and the first unit component spectrum, a correlation coefficient that determines linearity, a root means square (RMS) value that determines similarity, a Euclidean distance that determines a difference, and a t-test that determines similarity statistically.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to smooth the first unit component spectrum and the user characteristic signal from which the noise is removed.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to update either one or both of the background signal and the first unit component spectrum at the predetermined interval or upon request from the user.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to measure biological component information that includes either one or both of skin constituents and constituents of blood, based on the obtained second unit component spectrum.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a display configured to display, to the user, information including any one or any combination of the first unit component spectrum, the obtained second unit component spectrum, the background signal, the acquired spectrum data, and a processing result of the processor.

11. A method of measuring a biological component, the method comprising:

acquiring spectrum data of a user by emitting light to a skin of the user and detecting the light that is reflected from the skin;

extracting a user characteristic signal from the acquired spectrum data by subtracting, from the acquired spectrum data, a background signal and a first unit component spectrum, the background signal being spectrum data that is measured at a predetermined time interval in a reference state in which a change does not occur in the biological component, and the first unit component spectrum being a predetermined unit of spectrum of the biological component; and

obtaining a second unit component spectrum that is personalized to the user by updating the first unit component spectrum based on the extracted user characteristic signal.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the obtaining the second unit component spectrum comprises:

determining whether the extracted user characteristic signal is greater than a predetermined threshold; and

based on the extracted user characteristic signal being determined to be greater than the predetermined threshold, determining to update the first unit component spectrum.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the obtaining the second unit component spectrum further comprises, based on the extracted user characteristic signal being determined to be less than or equal to the predetermined threshold, determining that the first unit component spectrum is the personalized second unit component spectrum.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the obtaining the second unit component spectrum further comprises:

based on the extracted user characteristic signal being determined to be greater than the predetermined threshold, preprocessing the extracted user characteristic signal; and

updating the first unit component spectrum based on the preprocessed user characteristic signal.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the obtaining the second unit component spectrum further comprises:

based on the first unit component spectrum being updated, re-extracting the user characteristic signal from the acquired spectrum data by subtracting, from the acquired spectrum data, the background signal and the updated first unit component spectrum in response to the first unit component spectrum being updated; and

determining whether the re-extracted user characteristic signal is greater than the predetermined threshold.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the preprocessing comprises removing noise from the extracted user characteristic signal, using any one or any combination of a cosine value that determines a morphological similarity between the extracted user characteristic signal and the first unit component spectrum, a correlation coefficient that determines linearity, a root means square (RMS) value that determines similarity, a Euclidean distance that determines a difference, and a t-test that determines similarity statistically.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the preprocessing further comprises smoothing the first unit component spectrum and the user characteristic signal from which the noise is removed.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising updating either one or both of the background signal and the first unit component spectrum at the predetermined interval or upon request from the user.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising measuring biological component information that includes either one or both of skin constituents and constituents of blood, based on the obtained second unit component spectrum.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying, to the user, information including any one or any combination of the first unit component spectrum, the obtained second unit component spectrum, the background signal, the acquired spectrum data, and a processing result.