APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ESTIMATING BIOMETRIC INFORMATION

• US 20180132718A1
• Filed: 05/30/2017
• Published: 05/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: NAM, JUNG YONG, LEE, JOON HYUNG, CHANG, KI YOUNG, JANG, HYEONG SEOK
• Granted Patent: US 10,390,701 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0008 Temperature signals
• 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 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14546 for measuring analytes not otherwise provided for, e.g. ions, cytochromes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1455 using optical sensors, e.g. spectral photometrical oximeters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1495 Calibrating or testing of in-vivo probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7203 for noise prevention, reduction or removal
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/436 using biological or physiological data of a human being, e.g. blood pressure, facial expression, gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/6911 Photodiode bias control, e.g. for compensating temperature variations

Abstract

An apparatus configured to estimate biometric information includes a sensor configured to measure a light signal reflected from a subject and a temperature of the subject, and a processor configured to perform temperature correction on the light signal reflected from the subject based on the temperature of the subject using a light signal-temperature relationship between the light signal reflected from the subject and the temperature of the subject to thereby obtain a temperature-corrected light signal, and estimate the biometric information of the subject based on the temperature-corrected light signal.

Claims

1. An apparatus configured to estimate biometric information, the apparatus comprising:

a sensor configured to measure a light signal reflected from a subject and a temperature of the subject; and

a processor configured to perform temperature correction on the light signal reflected from the subject based on the temperature of the subject using a light signal-temperature relationship between the light signal reflected from the subject and the temperature of the subject to thereby obtain a temperature-corrected light signal, and estimate the biometric information of the subject based on the temperature-corrected light signal.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to generate the light signal-temperature relationship in advance in a reference state.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the reference state comprises a fasting state of the subject.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a light source configured to emit the light signal to the subject, a light sensor configured to measure the light signal by detecting the light signal reflected from the subject, and a temperature sensor configured to measure the temperature of the subject.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the sensor comprises a plurality of light sensors and a plurality of temperature sensors, each of the temperature sensors being provided in proximity to a corresponding light sensor of the plurality of light sensors.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to generate the light signal-temperature relationship based on light signals measured by each of the plurality of light sensors and temperatures measured by each of the plurality of temperature sensors corresponding to the respective light sensors.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to select a light sensor to be used for estimating the biometric information from among the plurality of light sensors based on intensities of the light signals measured by each of the plurality of light sensors.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to perform temperature corrections on the light signals measured by each of the plurality of light sensors using the temperatures measured by each of the temperature sensors corresponding to the respective light sensors, generate temperature-corrected light signals based on the temperature corrections, and select the light sensor to be used for estimating the biometric information from among the plurality of light sensors based on intensities of the temperature-corrected light signals.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the biometric information comprises at least one of triglyceride, blood sugar, moisture, hemoglobin, cholesterol, alcohol, and fat.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a display configured to display the measured light signal, the measured temperature, or the estimated biometric information.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a communicator configured to transmit the measured light signal, the measured temperature, or the estimated biometric information to an external electronic device.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to make a determination as to whether the measured temperature is abnormal, and according to the determination, request the sensor to re-measure the light signal or the temperature, or correct the light signal-temperature relationship.

13. A method of estimating biometric information, the method comprising:

measuring a light signal reflected from a subject and a temperature of the subject;

performing temperature correction on the light signal reflected from the subject based on the temperature of the subject using a light signal-temperature relationship between the light signal reflected from the subject and the temperature of the subject to thereby obtain a temperature-corrected light signal; and

estimating the biometric information of the subject based on the temperature-corrected light signal.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising generating the light signal-temperature relationship in advance in a reference state.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the reference state comprises a fasting state of the subject.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the biometric information comprises at least one of triglyceride, blood sugar, moisture, hemoglobin, cholesterol, alcohol, and fat.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising displaying the measured light signal, the measured temperature, or the estimated biometric information.

18. An apparatus configured to estimate biometric information, the apparatus comprising:

a sensor configured to measure, at predetermined time intervals, a light signal reflected from a subject and a temperature of the subject in a reference state; and

a processor configured to generate a light signal-temperature relationship between the light signal reflected from the subject and the temperature of the subject, by using the light signal reflected from the subject and the temperature of the subject as learning data to generate the light-signal temperature relationship.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the reference state comprises a fasting state of the subject.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the sensor is configured to measure the light signal reflected from the subject and the temperature of the subject during a predetermined time period and the processor is configured to generate the light signal-temperature relationship based on the light signal reflected from the subject and the temperature of the subject measured during the predetermined time period.