MOBILE TERMINAL WITH HEALTH CARE FUNCTION AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE MOBILE TERMINAL

• US 20130310656A1
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• Published: 11/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Gukchan Lim, HyungHoon Oh, Jeunguk Ha
• Inventors: Lim, Gukchan, Kim, Seonghyok, Oh, Hyunghoon, Ha, Jeunguk, Lee, Seehyung
• Granted Patent: US 10,172,562 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/301
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0242 adapted to measure environmental factors, e.g. temperature, pollution
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0082 adapted for particular medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0245 by using sensing means generating electric signals, i.e. ECG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14542 for measuring blood gases A61B5/14551 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14551 for measuring blood gases
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6817 Ear canal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6898 Portable consumer electronic devices, e.g. music players, telephones, tablet computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7203 for noise prevention, reduction or removal
• 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 5/7275 Determining trends in physiological measurement data; Predicting development of a medical condition based on physiological measurements, e.g. determining a risk factor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7282 Event detection, e.g. detecting unique waveforms indicative of a medical condition A61B5/4094, A61B5/4818, A61B5/349, A61B5/0823 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/743 Displaying an image simultaneously with additional graphical information, e.g. symbols, charts, function plots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 : Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal with a health care function and a method of controlling the mobile terminal. An embodiment of the present invention relates to a mobile terminal with a health care function. The mobile terminal includes a sensing unit that senses a living body signal from a user and information on user'"'"'s surroundings when performing the health care function, a controller that generates a numerically-valued living body information using the living body signal, sets a reference range of numerical values using the information on the user'"'"'s surroundings and generates alerting information depending on whether or not a numerical value of the living body information falls into the reference range of numerical values, and a display unit that displays the alerting information under the control of the controller.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal with a health care function, comprising:

a sensing unit that includes a living body signal sensing module which senses a living body signal from a user and a surroundings information sensing module which senses information on user'"'"'s surroundings when performing the health care function;

a controller that generates a numerically-valued living body information using the living body signal, sets a reference range of numerical values using the information on the user'"'"'s surroundings and generates alerting information depending on whether or not a numerical value of the living body information falls into the reference range of numerical values; and

a display unit that displays the alerting information under the control of the controller.

2. The mobile terminal with a health care function, according to claim 1, further comprising:

a location information module that obtains information on location of the mobile terminal; and

a database that stores the location information and the living body information, the surroundings information, and the alerting information in association with one another.

3. The mobile terminal with a health care function, according to claim 2,

wherein the controller generates map information representing an expected degree of a hazard on the basis of a district using statistical data relating to the information stored in the database.

4. The mobile terminal with a health care function, according to claim 3,

wherein the controller updates the map information in a case where a change occurs in at least part of the statistical data.

5. The mobile terminal with a health care function, according to claim 1, wherein the living body sensing module further comprises:

a light emitting unit that emits incident light to the user and

a light receiving unit that receives reflection light reflected in the user, and

the mobile terminal further comprising;

a measurement unit that senses the living body signal from the user, using the reflection light and measures a signal to noise ratio (SNR) of the living body signal, and

wherein the controller controls electric current driving the light emitting unit in such a manner that strength of the incident light is adjusted depending on a result of comparing a reference value with the measured signal to noise ratio.

6. The mobile terminal with a health care function, according to claim 5,

wherein when the measured signal to noise ratio is smaller than the reference value as the result of the comparison, the controller increases an amount of the electric current driving the light emitting unit.

7. The mobile terminal with a health care function, according to claim 6,

wherein the controller determines the amount of the electric current driving the light emitting unit, based on information on user'"'"'s personal characteristics.

8. The mobile terminal with a health care function, according to claim 6,

wherein the controller computes a difference in value between the measured signal to noise ratio and the reference value and determines the amount of the electric current driving the light emitting unit, based on the difference in value.

9. The mobile terminal with a health care function, according to claim 5, further comprising:

a detection unit that detects a motion of the main body of the mobile terminal,

wherein the controller determines the amount of the electric current driving the light emitting unit, based on the main body of the mobile terminal.

10. The mobile terminal with a health care function, according to claim 5,

wherein a constituent element making up the living body signal sensing module is positioned in the main body of the mobile terminal or an accessory device that connects to the main body of the mobile terminal.

11. The mobile terminal with a health care function, according to claim 1,

wherein the controller determines an alerting level of the alerting information, based on the degree to which the numerical value of the living body signal is out of the reference range of the numerical values.

12. The mobile terminal with a health care function, according to claim 1,

wherein the sensing unit responses to a change in location of the mobile terminal to sense the living body signal and the surroundings information.

13. The mobile terminal with a health care function, according to claim 1,

wherein the living body signal includes at least one of an electrocardiogram (ECG) signal, and a photoplethysmography (PPG) signal.

14. The mobile terminal with a health care function, according to claim 1,

wherein the living body information includes at least one of the number of heartbeats and oxygen saturation in blood.

15. The mobile terminal with a health care function, according to claim 1,

wherein the surroundings information includes at least one of pressure information, temperature information, and humidity information.

16. A method of controlling a mobile terminal with a health care function, comprising:

sensing a living body signal from a user and information on user'"'"'s surroundings information when performing the health care function;

generating a numerically-valued living body information using the living body signal;

setting a reference range of numerical values using the information on the user'"'"'s surroundings;

generating alerting information depending on whether or not a numerical value of the living body information falls into the reference range of numerical values; and

displaying the alerting information.

17. A method of controlling a mobile terminal with a health care function, according to claim 16, further comprising:

obtaining information on location of the mobile terminal; and

storing the location information and the living body information, the surroundings information, and the alerting information in a database, in association with one another.

18. A method of controlling a mobile terminal with a health care function, according to claim 17, further comprising:

generating map information representing an expected degree of a hazard on the basis of a district using statistical data relating to the information stored in the database.

19. A method of controlling a mobile terminal with a health care function, according to claim 18, further comprising

updating the map information in a case where a change occurs in at least part of the statistical data.

20. A method of controlling a mobile terminal with a health care function, according to claim 16, wherein the sensing of the living body signal from the user further comprises:

emitting incident light generated by a light emitting unit to the user, and

sensing the living body signal from the user, using the reflection light reflected in the user, and

the method further comprising;

measuring a signal to noise ratio (SNR) of the living body signal, and

controlling the electric current driving the light emitting unit in such a manner that strength of the incident light is adjusted depending on a result of comparing a reference value with the measured signal to noise ratio.

21. A method of controlling a mobile terminal with a health care function, according to claim 20,

wherein the controlling of the electric current driving the light emitting unit includes increasing an amount of the electric current driving the light emitting unit, when the measured signal to noise ratio is smaller than the reference value as the result of the comparison.

22. A method of controlling a mobile terminal with a health care function, according to claim 21,

wherein the amount of electric current driving the light emitting unit is determined based on information on user'"'"'s personal characteristics, in the emitting of the incident light to an object, or in the controlling of the electric current driving the light emitting unit.

23. A method of controlling a mobile terminal with a health care function, according to claim 21,

wherein the amount of the electric current driving the light emitting unit is determined based on a difference in value between the measured signal to noise ratio and the reference value, in the controlling of the electric current driving the light emitting unit.

24. A method of controlling a mobile terminal with a health care function, according to claim 21, further comprising:

detecting a motion of the main body of the mobile terminal.

wherein the amount of the electric current driving the light emitting unit is determined based on the motion of the main body of the mobile terminal, in the emitting of the incident light to the object, or in the controlling of the electric current driving the light emitting unit.

25. A method of controlling a mobile terminal with a health care function, according to claim 16,

wherein the living body signal and the surroundings information responds to the change in the location of the mobile terminal, and thus is detected, in the detecting of the living body signal and the surroundings information.