Biological information measurement apparatus and electronic system having the same

Abstract

A bio-information measuring device is provided for measuring bio-information using an image sensor. The disclosed bio-information measuring device includes a light source comprising a first light-emitting unit that emits light of a first wavelength and a second light-emitting unit that emits light of a second wavelength different from the first wavelength; an image sensor comprising a first pixel area comprising a plurality of pixels that detect light emitted from the first light-emitting unit and reacted in a subject, and a second pixel area comprising a plurality of pixels that detect light emitted from the second light-emitting unit and reacted in a subject; a light source control unit that controls the light source such that the first light-emitting unit emits light during an exposure operation of pixels included in the first pixel area, and the second light-emitting unit emits light during an exposure operation of pixels included in the second pixel area; and a bio-signal processing unit that extracts / analyzes a bio-signal of a subject from data detected by the image sensor, wherein the image sensor includes 10 or more pixel rows, and the pixel row in which pixels included in the first pixel area are arranged and the pixel row in which pixels included in the second pixel area are arranged may be different from each other.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] It is a technology related to measuring biological information, such as blood pressure, using a light source and an image sensor. Background Technology

[0002] With advancements in medicine and the extension of average life expectancy, interest in medical devices is growing. The scope of medical devices is expanding beyond large and medium-sized equipment used in hospitals and testing facilities to include small medical devices and healthcare equipment that individuals can own or carry. Medical devices that measure biometric information can be broadly classified into invasive and non-invasive types. While non-invasive devices offer the advantage of detecting biometric information relatively simply without causing pain to the subject, the accuracy of the measured results is not high, leading to various ongoing studies to overcome this limitation. Prior art literature

[65535] Published Patent Application 10-2019-0007634 (Publication Date: 2019.01.23) The problem to be solved

[0003] A biometric information measuring device comprising an image sensor and a light source operating in synchronization with the image sensor, and an electronic device comprising the same are provided. means of solving the problem

[0004] A bio-information measuring device of one embodiment includes a light source comprising a first light-emitting unit that emits light of a first wavelength and a second light-emitting unit that emits light of a second wavelength different from the first wavelength; an image sensor comprising a first pixel area comprising a plurality of pixels that detect light emitted from the first light-emitting unit and reacted, such as reflection, scattering, or transmission, in a subject, and a second pixel area comprising a plurality of pixels that detect light emitted from the second light-emitting unit and reacted in a subject; a light source control unit that controls the light source such that the first light-emitting unit emits light during an exposure operation of pixels included in the first pixel area and the second light-emitting unit emits light during an exposure operation of pixels included in the second pixel area; and a bio-signal processing unit that extracts / analyzes a bio-signal of a subject from data detected by the image sensor, wherein the image sensor includes 10 or more pixel rows, and the pixel row in which pixels included in the first pixel area are arranged and the pixel row in which pixels included in the second pixel area are arranged may be different from each other.

[0005] A biometric information measurement method according to one embodiment may include the steps of: driving a first light-emitting unit using a pixel control signal or timing signal generated by an image sensor to emit light of a first wavelength; detecting the first wavelength light that has reacted to a subject using a plurality of pixels included in a first pixel area of ​​the image sensor; driving a second light-emitting unit using a pixel control signal or timing signal generated by the image sensor to emit light of a second wavelength; detecting the second wavelength light that has reacted to a subject using a plurality of pixels included in a second pixel area of ​​the image sensor; and measuring biometric information using information detected in the first and second pixel areas.

[0006] An electronic device according to one embodiment includes a biometric information measuring device, a processor for controlling the operation of the biometric information measuring device, and an acoustic output device and / or a display device for outputting information measured by the biometric information measuring device, wherein the biometric information measuring device includes a light source comprising a first light-emitting unit emitting light of a first wavelength and a second light-emitting unit emitting light of a second wavelength different from the first wavelength, an image sensor comprising a first pixel area comprising a plurality of pixels that detect light emitted from the first light-emitting unit and reacted to by a subject, and a second pixel area comprising a plurality of pixels that detect light emitted from the second light-emitting unit and reacted to by a subject, a light source control unit that controls the light source such that the first light-emitting unit emits light during an exposure operation of pixels included in the first pixel area and the second light-emitting unit emits light during an exposure operation of pixels included in the second pixel area, and a biometric signal processing unit that extracts / analyzes a biometric signal of a subject from data detected by the image sensor, wherein the image sensor includes 10 or more pixel rows, and the pixel row in which pixels included in the first pixel area are arranged and the pixel row in which pixels included in the second pixel area are arranged are different from each other. It is possible. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0007] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a bio-information measuring device according to one embodiment. Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the structure of a unit pixel included in the pixel portion of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the pixel part and the light source of Figure 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating pixel control signals provided to the first and second pixel rows of FIG. 3. FIG. 5a is a diagram illustrating a first PPG signal for a first wavelength light, and FIG. 5b is a diagram illustrating a second PPG signal for a second wavelength light. Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating the principle of generating element waveforms included in the unit waveform of a PPG signal. Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating the element waveforms included in the unit waveform of a PPG signal. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a bio-information measuring device that drives a light source using a horizontal synchronization signal. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a biometric information measuring device comprising two or more pixel rows in a single pixel area. FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of a bio-information measuring device including a third light-emitting part. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the pixel section and light source of the bio-information measuring device of FIG. 10. FIG. 12 is a configuration diagram of a bio-information measuring device comprising two or more light-emitting parts that emit light of the same wavelength. FIG. 13a is a drawing for explaining one embodiment of a method for driving the light source of FIG. 12. FIG. 13b is a drawing for explaining another embodiment of the method of driving the light source of FIG. 12. FIG. 14a is a configuration diagram of a biometric information measuring device including a force sensor placed above an image sensor, and FIG. 14b is a configuration diagram of a biometric information measuring device including a force sensor placed below an image sensor. FIGS. 15a and 15b are drawings illustrating PPG signals measured using the image sensor of FIG. 14a, and FIG. 15c is a drawing illustrating force intensity measured using the force sensor of FIG. 14a. FIG. 16 is a drawing illustrating an oscillometric envelope derived using the data shown in FIG. 15a to FIG. 15c. FIG. 17 is a configuration diagram of a bio-information measuring device including an image signal processing unit. FIG. 18 is a block diagram of an electronic device including a biometric information measuring device. FIG. 19 is a view illustrating a watch-type embodiment of an electronic device including a biometric information measuring device. FIG. 20 is a side illustrating a mobile embodiment of an electronic device including a biometric information measuring device. FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating an ear-wearable embodiment of an electronic device including a biometric information measuring device. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0008] Various embodiments are described below with reference to the attached drawings. The terms used to describe the embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the claims to a specific embodiment, and various modifications, equivalents, and / or substitutions other than the specific embodiment may be included within the scope of the claims. In relation to the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar components. A singular expression may include a plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Expressions such as "A or B" or "A and / or B" may include all possible combinations of items listed together. Expressions such as "first," "second," etc. may modify the components regardless of order or importance and are used only to distinguish one component from another and do not limit the components.

[0009] In the description of the embodiments, when it is stated that one part is connected to another part, this includes not only cases where they are directly connected, but also cases where they are connected with other components interposed between them. Furthermore, when it is stated that a part 'includes' a component, this means that, unless specifically stated otherwise, it does not exclude other components but may include additional components. However, the term 'includes' should not be interpreted as necessarily including all the various components or steps described in the specification.

[0010] The embodiments described below relate to the technical field of biometric information measuring devices (e.g., blood pressure measuring devices), and detailed descriptions of matters widely known to those skilled in the art are omitted.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the schematic configuration of a bio-information measuring device according to one embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the structure of a unit pixel included in the pixel portion of FIG. 1.

[0012] Biological information may be biological or medical information obtainable from a subject (OBJ) to be measured, for example, blood pressure, blood glucose, body fat, heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, vascular elasticity, blood flow velocity, or arteriosclerosis. The subject (OBJ) may be a part of the human body where biological information is easy to measure, for example, the inner wrist area adjacent to the radial artery or the upper area through which capillaries or venous blood pass, or a peripheral part of the human body such as fingers or toes with high vascular density.

[0013] Referring to FIG. 1, a bio-information measuring device (1000) may include a light source (100) for irradiating light onto a subject (OBJ), an image sensor (300) for detecting light that has been reacted, such as scattering, reflection, or transmission, from the subject (OBJ), a light source control unit (500) for controlling the light source (100), and a bio-signal processing unit (700) for measuring bio-information from a signal detected by the image sensor (300).

[0014] A light source (100) may irradiate two or more lights with different penetration depths into a subject (OBJ). Referring to FIG. 1, the light source (100) may include a first light-emitting unit (110) that emits light of a first wavelength and a second light-emitting unit (120) that emits light of a second wavelength. The light of the first wavelength may be short-wavelength light with a shallower penetration depth into the subject (OBJ) than the light of the second wavelength, for example, light in a green wavelength band (500 to 565 nm) capable of penetrating to the capillary region. The light of the second wavelength may be long-wavelength light with a deeper penetration depth into the subject (OBJ), for example, light in an infrared band (750 to 2500 nm) capable of penetrating to the arterioles. The first and second light-emitting units (110, 120) may be LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes), LDs (Laser Diodes), phosphors, and / or combinations thereof. For example, both the first and second light-emitting parts (110, 120) may be LED light sources, or the first light-emitting part (110) may be an LED light source and the second light-emitting part (120) may be an LD light source.

[0015] The image sensor (300) is an electronic device that detects light reacted from a test subject (OBJ) and generates an electrical signal, and may include a pixel unit (310), a pixel control unit (320), and a data output unit (330). The image sensor (300) may be a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor (300).

[0016] The pixel unit (310) can accumulate charge in response to light reacted from a test subject (OBJ) according to a driving signal of the pixel control unit (320), generate a pixel signal by detecting a change in potential caused by the accumulated charge, and transmit the generated pixel signal to the data output unit (330). The pixel unit (310) may include a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix, for example, pixels arranged in a 6 × 6 matrix as shown in FIG. 1. Pixels arranged in the same row are called pixel rows, and the pixel unit (310) may include first to sixth pixel rows (311 to 316). A unit pixel may include a photoelectric conversion element and a plurality of transistors for processing photoelectric charges output from the photoelectric conversion element, and an example thereof is as shown in FIG. 2. The photoelectric conversion element may be implemented as a photodiode, phototransistor, photogate, or pinned photodiode. The number of pixel rows included in the pixel section (310) may be 100 to 5000, and the number of pixel columns may be 80 to 2000.

[0017] The pixel section (310) may include super pixels (not shown) arranged across two columns and / or two rows, such that the vertical and / or horizontal lengths are twice as large as other pixels. Additionally, the pixel section (310) may include an optical filter (not shown) that transmits only light of a specific wavelength band to a portion of the area or the entire area.

[0018] Figure 2 shows an example in which a unit pixel included in the pixel portion of Figure 1 has a 4T structure.

[0019] Referring to FIG. 2, each unit pixel (PX) may include a photodiode (PD) and a pixel circuit. The pixel circuit may include a floating diffusion (FD), a transfer transistor (TX), a reset transistor (RX), a driving transistor (DX), and a select transistor (SX).

[0020] Floating Diffusion is a connection point for the transfer transistor (TX), reset transistor (RX), and driving transistor (DX), and may be a part that accumulates charge converted by photoelectricity by a photodiode (PD) and converts it into voltage. The transfer transistor (TX) can be turned on to transfer the charge converted by photoelectricity by the photodiode (PD) to the floating diffusion (FD). The reset transistor (RX) is turned on to make the voltage of the floating diffusion (FD) the power supply voltage (VDD) and remove the charge accumulated in the floating diffusion (FD). The driving transistor (DX) can amplify the signal, i.e., the voltage, generated by the charge accumulated in the floating diffusion (FD). The select transistor (SX) is turned on to output the voltage amplified by the driving transistor (DX), i.e., the pixel signal, to the column line (COL). Among the signals controlling the on / off state of transistors (TX, RX, SX), the signal controlling the transmission transistor (TX) is called the transmission signal (TG), the signal controlling the reset transistor (RX) is called the reset signal (RG), and the signal controlling the select transistor (SX) is called the select signal (SEL).

[0021] Referring again to FIG. 1, the pixel control unit (320) can generate pixel control signals (TG, RG, SEL) or timing signals (Timing Signals) used by the image sensor (300) based on a master clock signal transmitted from a processor (CPU, etc., not shown) and / or a clock signal generated by a separate clock generator (not shown), and provide them outside the image sensor (300).

[0022] The timing signal generated by the pixel control unit (320) may be a pixel clock that serves as a reference for a series of operations performed in the image sensor (300), such as the photoelectric conversion operation of the pixel unit (310) and the analog-to-digital conversion operation of the data output unit (330). Alternatively, the timing signal may be a reference signal that enables distinguishing pixel signals output from the image sensor (300) in units of rows or frames, and may be, for example, a horizontal synchronization signal (H-sync) indicating the completion of sampling of a pixel signal read-out from one pixel row, or a vertical synchronization signal (V-sync) indicating the completion of sampling of a pixel signal for one frame.

[0023] The pixel control signal provided by the pixel control unit (320) may be the transmission signal (TG), reset signal (RG), and selection signal (SEL) described above, and the pixel control unit (320) may drive the pixel unit (310) in a rolling shutter manner that sequentially exposes and reads out pixel rows.

[0024] The pixel control unit (320) can transmit the previously described timing signal and / or pixel control signal (TG, RG, SEL) to an external device, such as a light source control unit (500) and / or a display device (not shown), through an interface (not shown) provided in the image sensor (300), and link it with the image sensor (300).

[0025] The data output unit (330) can receive an analog pixel signal from the pixel unit (310), convert it into a digital signal, store it temporarily, and then amplify it to output it externally. Specifically, the data output unit (330) may include an ADC (analog-to-digital converter), generate a comparison signal corresponding to the difference in magnitude of each signal by comparing the magnitude of the analog pixel signal that has undergone correlation double sampling with the magnitude of a ramp signal, and convert the comparison signal into a digital signal by counting the comparison signal. The data output unit (330) may include a buffer (not shown) that includes a memory (not shown) for storing the digital signal and an amplifier (not shown) for sensing and amplifying the digital signal.

[0026] The light source control unit (500) receives a timing signal or pixel control signal (TG, RG, SEL) generated by the pixel control unit (320) and uses it to synchronize the operation of the light source (100) with the image sensor (300). For example, the light source control unit (500) can control the light source (100) by turning on the first light-emitting unit (110) and turning off the second light-emitting unit (120) during the exposure operation (EXP) of the first pixel row (311) so that the pixels included in the first pixel row (311) can detect light of the first wavelength, and by turning off the first light-emitting unit (110) and turning on the second light-emitting unit (120) during the exposure operation (EXP) of the second pixel row (312) so that the pixels included in the second pixel row (312) can detect light of the second wavelength.

[0027] The biosignal processing unit (700) can measure biosignal information using data output by the image sensor (300). The output data of the image sensor (300) received by the biosignal processing unit (700) is data regarding the intensity of light detected by the pixels of the pixel unit (310), and biosignal information can be analyzed / extracted by analyzing this data. The operation of the biosignal processing unit (700) is explained with reference to FIG. 3 below.

[0028] Below, an example of a method for measuring blood pressure among bio-information using the bio-information measuring device (1000) of FIG. 1 is described with reference to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4.

[0029] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the operation timing of the pixel rows and light-emitting parts of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the timing of providing pixel control signals applied to the first and second pixel rows of FIG. 3.

[0030] Referring to FIG. 3, pixel rows (311 to 316) can sequentially perform an electronic shutter operation (ES), an exposure operation (EXP), and a read-out operation (RO) according to pixel control signals (TX, RX, SEL) of the pixel control unit (320). For example, the first pixel row (311) may perform an electronic shutter operation (ES) in the first interval (t1), an exposure operation (EXP) in the second interval (t2), and a read-out operation (RO) in the third interval (t3), and then perform operations (ES, EXP, RO) for the second pixel row (312) in the fourth interval (t4) to the sixth interval (t6). In FIG. 3, the horizontal axis indicates the order of operations performed in the pixel unit (310), and the interval number or the interval between intervals does not represent the length of time. For example, the second interval (t2) may be longer in time than the first interval (t1) and the third interval (t3).

[0031] Referring to FIG. 4 for a more detailed explanation, first, the pixel control unit (320) can remove residual charge in the photodiode (PD) and floating diffusion (FD) of the pixel (PX) by simultaneously transmitting a reset signal (RG) and a transmission signal (TG) to the pixels included in the first pixel row (311) during the first interval (t1) to reset the first pixel row (311). The operation of removing residual charge in the photodiode (PD) and floating diffusion (FD) in this manner is called an electronic shutter operation (ES). Meanwhile, the pixel control unit (320) can also transmit the reset signal (RG) transmitted to the first pixel row (311) to the light source control unit (500), and the light source control unit (500) can turn on the first light-emitting unit (110). In the second section (t2) of FIG. 3, photons emitted by the first light-emitting unit (110) that are reacted by the subject (OBJ) may be incident on the photodiode (PD) of the first pixel row (311) and converted into photoelectric. In this way, the operation of accumulating charge by photons incident after the electronic shutter operation (ES) is called the exposure operation (EXP). When the first light-emitting unit (110) is turned on / off in response to the rising edge of the reset signal (RG), charge accumulation does not occur when the reset signal (RG) is high; therefore, the actual exposure operation (EXP) is longer than the second section (t2), as it is the period from the falling edge of the reset signal (RG) in the first section (t1) to the rising edge of the reset signal (RG) in the third section (t3). However, since the time during which the exposure operation (EXP) is performed is generally sufficiently long compared to the first section (t1) or the third section (t3), for the convenience of explanation, the second section (t2) can be referred to as the exposure operation (EXP) section as shown in FIG. 3.

[0032] Subsequently, in the third interval (t3), a reset signal (RG) and a selection signal (SEL) are transmitted to the first pixel row (311) to sample the reset voltage, and at the point where the reset signal (RG) ends, a transmission signal (TG) is transmitted to sample the exposure voltage caused by the charge accumulated in the photodiode (PD). The reason for sampling the reset voltage first is that since the voltage of the reset state may differ for each pixel, both the reset voltage and the exposure voltage are sampled to accurately measure only the signal caused by the photon incident during the exposure operation (EXP) interval, and the difference between the two voltages is used as the signal caused by the exposure operation (EXP). The operation of reading the signal caused by the charge accumulated in the exposed photodiode (PD), as in the third interval (t3), and transmitting it to the data output unit is called the read-out operation (RO). At this time, the first light-emitting unit (110) may be turned off on the rising edge of the reset signal (RG) transmitted in the third interval (t3). Subsequently, an electronic shutter operation (ES) of the second pixel row (312) may be performed in the fourth section (t4), and the second light-emitting unit (120) may be turned on by the reset signal (RG) of the fourth section (t4). The fifth section (t5) is a section in which photons emitted from the second light-emitting unit (120) that react with the subject (OBJ) are incident on the second pixel row (312) and converted into photoelectricity. In the sixth section (t6), a read-out operation (RO) of the second pixel row (312) is performed, and the second light-emitting unit (120) may be turned off on the rising edge of the reset signal (RG) for the second pixel row (312) of the sixth section (t6).

[0033] In FIG. 4, only the control signals for the first and second pixel rows (311, 312) are illustrated as examples, but for the third to sixth pixel rows (313, 314, 315, 316), the electronic shutter operation (ES), exposure operation (EXP), and read-out operation (RO) can similarly be performed in the order shown in FIG. 3. As shown in the timing diagram of FIG. 3, when the read-out operation (RO) is completed up to the sixth pixel row (316), which is the last pixel row of the pixel unit (310), it can be seen that the pixel signal for the first frame (F1) has been transmitted to the data output unit (330). When the first frame (F1) is completed, the second frame (F2) can proceed, and the frames can be repeated until a desired amount of pixel signals are output. FIGS. 3 and 4 show only the timing diagram up to the second frame (F2), but subsequently, pixel signals of the third frame or more may be continuously output, for example, pixel signals for 100 to 5000 frames may be output. The output pixel signals may be converted into digital data through the data output unit (330) and transmitted to the biosignal processing unit (700).

[0034] FIG. 3 illustrates an example in which the light source control unit (500) controls the light source using a reset signal (RG) among the pixel control signals, but the light source control unit (500) may control the light source using other pixel control signals or reference signals, for example, the light source may be controlled using a transmission signal (TG) among the pixel control signals, or the light source may be controlled using a horizontal synchronization signal (H-sync) among the reference signals.

[0035] Below, a method for measuring blood pressure is described as an example of analyzing bio-information using the bio-information measuring device of Fig. 1.

[0036] FIG. 5a shows a first PPG signal (PPG1) for light of a first wavelength band obtained from a pixel signal of an image sensor (300), and FIG. 5b shows a second PPG signal (PPG2) for light of a second wavelength band.

[0037] A PPG (Photo-plethysmography) signal is a signal obtained by irradiating a human body with light of a specific wavelength band and detecting the reacted light, and may be a signal representing a pulsating component that occurs according to the heartbeat. The bio-signal processing unit (700) can obtain a PPG signal for the first and second wavelength light using data transmitted from the data output unit (330) of the image sensor (300).

[0038] Referring to FIGS. 5a and 5b, each point constituting the first and second PPG signals (PPG1, PPG2) may correspond to a signal sampled during the read-out operation (RO) of each pixel row (311 to 316) described above. For example, G1 in FIG. 5a may correspond to a pixel signal sampled from the first pixel row (311) in the third interval (t3) of FIG. 3, G2 may correspond to a pixel signal sampled from the third pixel row (313) in the ninth interval (t9), and G6 may correspond to a pixel signal sampled from the fifth pixel row (315) in the third interval (t33). Similarly, IR1 in FIG. 5b may correspond to a pixel signal sampled from the second pixel row (312) in the sixth interval (t6) of FIG. 3, IR2 to a pixel signal sampled from the fourth pixel row (314) in the twelfth interval (t12), and IR6 to a pixel signal sampled from the sixth pixel row (316) in the thirteenth interval (t36). The pixel signal sampled from each pixel row includes unit pixel signals from a plurality of unit pixels included in the pixel row, and the biosignal processing unit (700) can obtain a PPG signal by processing the unit pixel signals in various ways. For example, the unit pixel signals read out from the six unit pixels included in the first pixel row (311) in the third interval (t3) of FIG. 3 may be averaged to obtain the G1 value, or only the signals of two to four unit pixels located in the center among the pixels included in the first pixel row (311) may be averaged to obtain the G1 value. As another example, if the subject (OBJ) is not in contact with the entire pixel portion (310), the biosignal may be measured using only the pixel signals of the pixels that the subject (OBJ) is in contact with.

[0039] When the previously described G1 value, IR1 value, etc. are considered as a single biosignal, the sampling rate of the biosignal measured by the biosignal information measuring device (1000) may be 10 Hz to 5000 Hz, or 15 Hz to 1000 Hz.

[0040] Meanwhile, if the pixel rows that undergo exposure operation when the light-emitting unit (110, 120) is turned on once are defined as a single pixel area, then in the embodiment of FIG. 3, each pixel row can be considered a single pixel area. A single pixel area may include two or more pixel rows, and this will be explained with reference to FIG. 9 below.

[0041] FIG. 6 is a diagram explaining the principle of generating unit waveforms that constitute a PPG signal, and FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a single unit waveform (P) that constitutes a PPG signal divided into multiple element waveforms.

[0042] Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, a unit waveform (P) can be formed by the superposition of a forward wave (P1) originating from the heart and heading toward vascular branches at the extremities of the body, such as iliac arteries, and reflected waves (P2, P3) that are reflected back from the extremities or vascular branches. Specifically, the elemental waveforms (P1, P2, P3) may include a forward wave (P1) caused by the contractile movement of the heart, a first reflected wave (P2) mainly reflected from renal arteries, and a second reflected wave (P3) mainly reflected from iliac arteries. The magnitude of the forward wave (P1) is largely related to the movement of the heart, and the reflected waves (P2, P3) are largely related to the characteristics of the blood vessels. In this way, the unit waveform (P) of the PPG signal is divided into each component waveform (P1, P2, P3), and blood pressure can be measured by analyzing the intensity and duration of each component waveform (P1, P2, P3), the interval between component waveforms (P1, P2, P3), and the ratio of intensity. For example, blood pressure can be measured by analyzing the time interval between the peak points of the forward wave (P1) and the reflected waves (P2, P3) and / or the ratio of maximum intensity. Specifically, the first PPG signal (PPG1) of FIG. 5a and the second PPG signal (PPG2) of FIG. 5b can be analyzed by dividing them into element waveforms (P1, P2, P3) and averaging these values ​​to measure blood pressure, or the accuracy of blood pressure measurement can be improved by using the second PPG signal (PPG2) of FIG. 5b as a reference and using the information derived from the first PPG signal (PPG1) of FIG. 5a to correct the value analyzed from the second PPG signal (PPG2).

[0043] In the embodiment of FIG. 3, a method for measuring blood pressure using green and infrared wavelength light was described as an example, but the bio-information measuring device (1000) of FIG. 1 may use other wavelength light such as blue light, and may be used to measure other bio-information such as blood sugar, body fat, heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, vascular elasticity, blood flow velocity, and arteriosclerosis in addition to blood pressure.

[0044] Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for driving a light source using a horizontal synchronization signal (H-sync).

[0045] The horizontal synchronization signal (H-sync) is a signal provided whenever the sampling of a pixel signal for a single pixel row is completed, and may be a signal provided during the read-out operation (RO) of the pixel row described above. For example, the horizontal synchronization signal (H-sync) may be provided during the read-out operation (RO) in the third interval (t3) where the read-out operation (RO) of the first pixel row (311) is performed, and the fifth interval (t5) where the read-out operation (RO) of the second pixel row (312) is performed. Although there are signals among the timing signals or pixel control signals (TG, RG, SEL) generated or used by the image sensor (300) that are not transmitted outside the image sensor (300), the horizontal synchronization signal (H-Sync) is often transmitted outside through an interface (not shown) provided in the image sensor (300), so a light source control method using the horizontal synchronization signal (H-Sync) may be useful.

[0046] Comparing the embodiment of FIG. 8 with the embodiment of FIG. 3, the embodiment of FIG. 3 is different in that it drives the light source (100) using a reset signal (RG), which is one of the pixel control signals (TG, RG, SEL), whereas the embodiment of FIG. 8 is different in that it drives the light source (100) using a horizontal driving signal (H-Sync), which is one of the timing signals. In addition, the embodiment of FIG. 3 is different in that the electronic shutter operation (ES) for the subsequent pixel row is performed after the read-out operation (RO) of the prior pixel row is performed, whereas the embodiment of FIG. 8 is different in that the read-out operation (RO) of the prior pixel row and the electronic shutter operation (ES) of the subsequent pixel row are performed simultaneously in the same interval. For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 3, the read-out operation (RO) of the first pixel row (311) of the first frame (F1) is performed in the third interval (t3), and the electronic shutter operation (ES) for the second pixel row (312) is performed in the fourth interval (t4), but in the embodiment of FIG. 8, the electronic shutter operation (ES) of the second pixel row (312) can be performed simultaneously in the third interval (t3) where the read-out operation (RO) of the first pixel row (311) of the first frame (F1) is performed.

[0047] The light source control unit (500) of FIG. 8 can control the on / off of the first light-emitting unit (110) and the second light-emitting unit (120) using a horizontal synchronization signal (H-Sync). For example, the first light-emitting unit (110) can be turned on in response to the horizontal synchronization signal of the third interval (t3), and the first light-emitting unit (110) can be turned off and the second light-emitting unit (120) can be turned on in response to the horizontal synchronization signal of the fifth interval (t5). Since both the first and second light-emitting units (110, 120) are in a turned-off state during the exposure operation (EXP) interval of the first pixel row (311) of the first frame (F1) of FIG. 8, the pixel signal of the first pixel row (311) read out in the third interval (t3) may not be used to measure biological information, or it may be used to measure ambient light not produced by the light-emitting unit. Measurement of ambient light not produced by the light-emitting unit can be utilized to remove noise from the signal produced by the light-emitting unit. Additionally, since the operation of the embodiment of FIG. 8 is similar to that described in the embodiment of FIG. 3, redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0048] Figure 9 is a diagram illustrating another example of a method for driving a light source using a horizontal synchronization signal (H-sync).

[0049] Comparing the embodiment of FIG. 9 with the embodiment of FIG. 8, the embodiment of FIG. 8 differs in that each pixel row corresponds to one pixel area, whereas two adjacent pixel rows correspond to one pixel area. As briefly explained above, if the pixel rows that undergo exposure operation when the light-emitting unit (110, 120) is turned on once are defined as a pixel area, then the second and third pixel rows (311, 312) undergo exposure operation (EXP) during the fourth to sixth interval (t4~t6) when the first light-emitting unit (110) of FIG. 9 is turned on, so the second and third pixel rows (311, 312) can correspond to one pixel area. Similarly, since the 5th and 6th pixel rows (315, 316) are exposed (EXP) in the 10th to 12th intervals (t10 to t12) when the 2nd light-emitting unit (120) is turned on, the 5th and 6th pixel rows (315, 316) may correspond to a single pixel area.

[0050] A pixel signal output from a single pixel area can be treated as a single signal during biosignal analysis. For example, the value sampled from the second pixel row (312) in the fifth interval (t5) of the first frame (F1) of FIG. 9 and the value sampled from the third pixel row (313) in the seventh interval (t7) can be averaged and used to measure biosignal information. Meanwhile, pixel signals of pixel rows (311, 314) that undergo exposure operation (EXP) only in the interval where both the first and second light-emitting units (110, 120) are turned off, such as the first pixel row (311) and the fourth pixel row (314) of the first frame (F1) of FIG. 9, may not be used to measure biosignal information. For example, the pixel signal of the first pixel row (311) sampled in the third interval (t3) and the pixel signal of the fourth pixel row (314) sampled in the ninth interval (t9) may not be used to measure biosignal information. In this way, by placing a pixel row that does not sample a bio-signal between the pixel area that samples bio-information by the first light-emitting unit (110) and the pixel area that samples bio-information by the second light-emitting unit (120), noise caused by the delay in the turn-off operation of the light-emitting unit can be reduced. For example, although the first light-emitting unit (110) must be immediately turned off by the horizontal synchronization signal (H-Sync) of the seventh section (t7) of FIG. 9, even if the turn-off timing is delayed and the fourth pixel row (314) remains in a turned-on state until the eighth section (t8) where the exposure operation is performed, the bio-information by the second light-emitting unit (120) is sampled from the tenth section (t10) rather than the eighth section (t8), so noise caused by the delay in the operation of the first light-emitting unit (110) may not occur.

[0051] The light source control unit (500) of FIG. 9 can control the on / off of the first and second light-emitting units (110, 120) using a horizontal synchronization signal (H-Sync). For example, the first light-emitting unit (110) can be turned on in response to the horizontal synchronization signal of the third section (t3), and the first light-emitting unit (110) can be turned off in response to the horizontal synchronization signal of the seventh section (t7). Additionally, the second light-emitting unit (120) can be turned on in response to the horizontal synchronization signal of the ninth section (t9), and the second light-emitting unit (120) can be turned off in response to the horizontal synchronization signal of the thirteenth section (t13).

[0052] In the embodiment of FIG. 9, an example was described in which two pixel rows are included in one pixel area, but the number of pixel rows included in one pixel area may be three or more, and may be 10 to 500 or 10 to 100.

[0053] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a bio-information measuring device in which a light source includes three light-emitting parts, and FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the pixel part and the light source of FIG. 10.

[0054] Comparing the embodiment of FIG. 10 with FIG. 1, the light source (101) of FIG. 10 is different from the light source (100) of FIG. 1 in that it further includes a third light-emitting part (130). The third light-emitting part (130) can emit light of a third wavelength different from the first and second light-emitting parts (110, 130), for example, light of a red wavelength (625 to 740 nm).

[0055] Referring to FIG. 11, the light source control unit (500) of FIG. 10 can sequentially drive the first to third light-emitting units (110, 120, 130), for example, the first light-emitting unit (110) can be turned on in the first and second intervals (t1, t2), the second light-emitting unit (120) can be turned on in the fourth and fifth intervals (t4, t5), and the third light-emitting unit (130) can be turned on in the seventh and eighth intervals (t7, t8). The bio-information measuring device (1001) of FIG. 10 can measure bio-information by analyzing a bio-signal for the third wavelength light.

[0056] FIG. 10 describes a structure in which a light source (101) includes three light-emitting parts (110, 120, 130) that emit three different wavelengths, but the light source may include four or more light-emitting parts that emit four or more wavelengths, for example, four to nine light-emitting parts.

[0057] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a bio-information measuring device comprising two or more light-emitting parts that emit light of the same wavelength, and FIG. 13a and FIG. 13b are drawings for explaining the operation of the pixel part and the light source of FIG. 12.

[0058] Comparing the embodiment of FIG. 12 with FIG. 1, the light source (102) of FIG. 12 is different from the light source (100) of FIG. 1 in that it further includes a first-2 light-emitting unit (112) that emits light of the same first wavelength as the first light-emitting unit (110), and a second-2 light-emitting unit (122) that emits light of the same second wavelength as the second light-emitting unit (120). In FIG. 12, the light source (102) has light-emitting units (110, 120, 112, 122) that emit light arranged on both sides of the image sensor (300), so that the deviation in the amount of light irradiation caused by the distance between the light-emitting units (110, 120, 112, 122) and the pixel can be controlled.

[0059] Referring to FIG. 13a, the light source control unit (500) of FIG. 12 can control the first-2 light-emitting unit (112) to be turned on / off simultaneously with the first light-emitting unit (110), and the second-2 light-emitting unit (122) to be turned on / off simultaneously with the second light-emitting unit (120). For example, the first light-emitting unit (110) and the first-2 light-emitting unit (112) can be turned on simultaneously in the first and second intervals (t1, t2), and the second light-emitting unit (120) and the second-2 light-emitting unit (122) can be turned on simultaneously in the fourth and fifth intervals (t4, t5).

[0060] Referring to FIG. 13b, the light source control unit (500) of FIG. 12 can control the first light-emitting unit (110) and the first-second light-emitting unit (112) to turn on / off alternately, and the second light-emitting unit (120) and the second-second light-emitting unit (122) to turn on / off alternately. For example, only the first light-emitting unit (110) can be turned on during the first and second intervals (t1, t2), and only the first-second light-emitting unit (112) can be turned on during the seventh and eighth intervals (t7, t8).

[0061] Although the light source (102) of FIG. 12 has been described as having two light-emitting parts that emit light of the same wavelength, there may be two or more light sources that emit light of the same wavelength, for example, three to eight.

[0062] FIGS. 14a and FIGS. 14b are schematic diagrams illustrating the structure of a biometric information measuring device including a force sensor.

[0063] Comparing FIGS. 14a and 14b with the embodiment of FIGS. 1, the biometric information measuring device of FIGS. 14a and 14b may further include a force sensor positioned above or below an image sensor.

[0064] The force sensor (800) can be positioned above the image sensor (300) as in FIG. 14a or below the image sensor (300) as in FIG. 14b to measure the intensity of the force applied by the subject (OBJ). The force sensor (800) can be a voltage-resistance force sensor, an ultrasonic force sensor, a load cell sensor, a capacitive force sensor, a pyroelectric force sensor, a strain gauge force sensor, an electrochemical force sensor, an optical force sensor, or a magnetic force sensor.

[0065] The bio-information measuring devices (1003a, 1003b) of FIGS. 14a and 14b can measure bio-information by combining information provided by a force sensor (800) and information provided by an image sensor (300). Below, with reference to FIGS. 15a, 15b and 16, a method for the bio-information measuring device (1003a) of FIG. 14a to measure blood pressure is described.

[0066] FIGS. 15a and 15b are drawings showing PPG signals (PPG1, PPG2) measured by the image sensor (300) when the subject (OBJ) presses the force sensor (800) of FIG. 14a while gradually increasing the intensity, and FIG. 15c is a drawing showing the value of the intensity of the pressing force measured by the force sensor (800).

[0067] FIG. 15a shows the first PPG signal (PPG1) obtained for the first wavelength light, and FIG. 15b shows the second PPG signal (PPG2) obtained for the second wavelength light. Since the first wavelength light, which has a short wavelength, cannot penetrate deeply into the skin of the subject (OBJ), the first PPG signal (PPG1) includes signals reflected back from the capillary region. On the other hand, since the second wavelength light, which has a long wavelength, can penetrate to the arterioles located deeper than the capillaries, the second PPG signal (PPG2) can include signals from both the capillary and arteriole regions. Since information related to blood pressure is contained more in the signals from the arteriole region than in the signals from the capillary region, the signals from the arteriole region can be obtained by removing the signals related to the capillaries from the second PPG signal (PPG2), and the first PPG signal (PPG1) can be used to remove the signals from the capillary region from the second PPG signal (PPG2).

[0068] Figure 15c shows the measured values ​​when the subject (OBJ) presses the force sensor while gradually increasing the intensity, and it can be seen that the pressing force gradually increases over time.

[0069] The biosignal processing unit (700) can normalize the first and second PPG signals (PPG1, PPG2) to obtain their respective second derivative signals, then normalize the second derivative signals again, and obtain a differential derivative signal by subtracting the second derivative signal of the first PPG signal (PPG1) from the second derivative signal of the second PPG signal (PPG2). By using the envelope of the differential derivative signal waveform to extract the peak-to-peak point and plotting it based on the force intensity, an oscillometric envelope (OW) as shown in FIG. 16 can be obtained. However, it is not necessary to limit the use to the second derivative signal, and it is also possible to obtain the oscillometric envelope using the first PPG signal (PPG1) and the second PPG signal (PPG2). The force intensity at the maximum peak point of the oscillometric envelope (OW) can be calculated as the mean blood pressure (MP), and the force intensity at the right point (SP) can be calculated as the systolic blood pressure (SBP) and the force intensity at the left point (DP) can be calculated as the diastolic blood pressure (DBP) based on a preset ratio relative to the maximum peak point.

[0070] FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a bio-information measuring device including an image signal processing unit.

[0071] The image signal processing unit (900) can receive pixel signals from the image sensor (300) and generate image information, and the image information can be utilized in various ways to measure biometric information. For example, the image information can provide information about the area where the subject (OBJ) contacts the image sensor (300), and the pressure exerted by the subject (OBJ) can be calculated from the area where the subject (OBJ) contacts the image sensor (300) and the intensity of the force applied by the subject (OBJ), and the pressure information can be used to measure blood pressure. As another example, from the image information, it can be determined whether the subject (OBJ) has come into contact with or is close enough to the biometric information measuring device to measure biometric information, and the device can be made to wait without performing biometric information measurement until the subject (OBJ) reaches a distance where biometric information can be measured. As another example, when a subject (OBJ) must be placed in a precise location for measuring biometric information, image information can be used to determine the current position of the subject (OBJ) and guide the user on which direction to move the subject (OBJ).

[0072] FIG. 18 is a block diagram of an electronic device including a bio-information device.

[0073] The electronic device (1801) may include a processor (1820), memory (1830), input device (1850), sound output device (1855), display device (1860), audio module (1870), sensor module (1876), interface (1877), haptic module (1879), camera module (1880), power management module (1888), battery (1889), communication module (1890), subscriber identification module (1896), and / or antenna module (1897), and some of these components (such as the display device (1860)) may be omitted or other components may be added. The biometric information measuring device (1000, 1001, 1002, 1003a, 1003b, 1004) described above in FIG. 1, FIG. 10, FIG. 12, FIG. 14a, FIG. 14b, and FIG. 17 may be implemented as an integrated circuit and mounted on a sensor module (1876) of an electronic device (1801), or distributed among different components. For example, an image sensor (300) and / or a light source (100) may be included in the sensor module (1876), and a light source control unit (500), a biometric signal processing unit (700), and / or an image signal processing unit (900) may be included in a processor (1820).

[0074] The processor (1820) can execute software (program (1840), etc.) to control one or more other components (hardware, software components, etc.) of the electronic device (1801) connected to the processor (1820) and can perform various data processing or operations. As part of the data processing or operations, the processor (1820) can load commands and / or data received from other components (sensor module (1876), communication module (1890), etc.) into volatile memory (1832), process the commands and / or data stored in volatile memory (1832), and store the resulting data in non-volatile memory (1834). The processor (1820) can generate a master clock to synchronize the operation of the components and provide it to other components, for example, the pixel control unit (320) of the preceding FIGS. 1, FIG. 10, FIG. 12, FIG. 14a, FIG. 14b, and FIG. 17.

[0075] The processor (1820) may include a main processor (1821) (central processing unit, application processor, etc.) and an auxiliary processor (1823) (graphics processing unit, image signal processor, sensor hub processor, communication processor, etc.) that can operate independently or together with it. The auxiliary processor (1823) may use less power than the main processor (1821) and may perform specialized functions. The auxiliary processor (1823) may control functions and / or states related to some components of the electronic device (1801) (display device (1860), sensor module (1876), communication module (1890), etc.) on behalf of the main processor (1821) while the main processor (1821) is in an inactive state (sleep state), or together with the main processor (1821) while the main processor (1821) is in an active state (application execution state). The auxiliary processor (1823) (image signal processor, communication processor, etc.) may be implemented as part of other functionally related components (camera module (1880), communication module (1890), etc.).

[0076] The processor (1820) can transmit a control signal to the image sensor (300), light source control unit (500), biosignal processing unit (700), and / or image signal processing unit (900) of the previously described biosignal measuring device (1000, 1001, 1002, 1003a, 1003b, 1004) in response to a user request for biosignal measurement. The light source control unit (500), biosignal processing unit (700), and / or image signal processing unit (900) may each be implemented as an independent processor or integrated into the main processor (1821) or auxiliary processor (1823) of the electronic device (1801).

[0077] The memory (1830) can store various data required by components of the electronic device (1801), such as a processor (1820), a sensor module (1876), etc. The data may include, for example, input data and / or output data for software (program (1840), etc.) and related commands. The memory (1830) may include volatile memory (1832) and / or non-volatile memory (1834).

[0078] The program (1840) may be stored as software in memory (1830) and may include an operating system (1842), middleware (1844) and / or applications (1846).

[0079] The input device (1850) can receive commands and / or data to be used for a component (processor (1820), etc.) of the electronic device (1801) from outside the electronic device (1801) (user, etc.). The input device (1850) may include a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, and / or a digital pen (stylus pen, etc.).

[0080] The sound output device (1855) can output a sound signal to the outside of the electronic device (1801). The sound output device (1855) may include a speaker and / or a receiver. The speaker may be used for general purposes, such as multimedia playback or recording playback, and the receiver may be used to receive incoming calls. The receiver may be combined as part of the speaker or implemented as a separate, independent device.

[0081] The display device (1860) can visually provide information to the outside of the electronic device (1801). The display device (1860) may include a display, a holographic device, or a projector and a control circuit for controlling said device. The display device (1860) may include a touch circuitry configured to detect a touch and / or a sensor circuitry configured to measure the intensity of the force generated by the touch (such as a pressure sensor).

[0082] The audio module (1870) can convert sound into an electrical signal or, conversely, convert an electrical signal into sound. The audio module (1870) can acquire sound through an input device (1850) or output sound through a sound output device (1855) and / or a speaker and / or headphones of another electronic device (electronic device (1802), etc.) connected directly or wirelessly to the electronic device (1801).

[0083] The sensor module (1876) can detect the operating state (power, temperature, etc.) of the electronic device (1801) or the external environmental state (user state, etc.) and generate an electrical signal and / or data value corresponding to the detected state. The sensor module (1876) may include a gesture sensor, a gyroscope sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an accelerometer sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an IR (infrared) sensor, a biosensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, and / or an illuminance sensor. The biometric information measuring device (1000, 1001, 1002, 1003a, 1003b, 1004) described above in FIG. 1, FIG. 10, FIG. 12, FIG. 14a, FIG. 14b, and FIG. 17 may be one of the biosensors included in the sensor module (1876).

[0084] The interface (1877) may support one or more specified protocols that can be used for the electronic device (1801) to be connected directly or wirelessly to another electronic device (electronic device (1802), etc.). The interface (1877) may include an HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface), a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface, an SD card interface, and / or an audio interface.

[0085] The connection terminal (1878) may include a connector that allows the electronic device (1801) to be physically connected to another electronic device (electronic device (1802), etc.). The connection terminal (1878) may include an HDMI connector, a USB connector, an SD card connector, and / or an audio connector (headphone connector, etc.).

[0086] The haptic module (1879) can convert electrical signals into mechanical stimulation (vibration, movement, etc.) or electrical stimulation that can be perceived by the user through tactile or kinesthetic senses. The haptic module (1879) may include a motor, a piezoelectric element, and / or an electric stimulation device.

[0087] The camera module (1880) can capture still images and video. The camera module (1880) may include a lens assembly including one or more lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, and / or flashes. The lens assembly included in the camera module (1880) can collect light emitted from a subject that is the subject of the image capture.

[0088] The power management module (1888) can manage the power supplied to the electronic device (1801). The power management module (1888) can be implemented as part of a Power Management Integrated Circuit (PMIC).

[0089] The battery (1889) can supply power to the components of the electronic device (1801). The battery (1889) may include a non-rechargeable primary battery, a rechargeable secondary battery and / or a fuel cell.

[0090] The communication module (1890) can support the establishment of a direct (wired) communication channel and / or a wireless communication channel between an electronic device (1801) and other electronic devices (electronic device (1802), electronic device (1804), server (1808), etc.) within a network environment (1800), and the performance of communication through the established communication channel. The communication module (1890) may include one or more communication processors that operate independently of the processor (1820) (application processor, etc.) and support direct communication and / or wireless communication. The communication module (1890) may include a wireless communication module (1892) (cellular communication module, short-range wireless communication module, GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System, etc.) communication module) and / or a wired communication module (1894) (LAN (Local Area Network) communication module, power line communication module, etc.). Among these communication modules, the corresponding communication module can communicate with other electronic devices through a first network (1898) (a short-range communication network such as Bluetooth, WiFi Direct, or IrDA (Infrared Data Association)) or a second network (1899) (a long-range communication network such as a cellular network, the Internet, or a computer network (LAN, WAN, etc.). These various types of communication modules may be integrated into a single component (single chip, etc.) or implemented as multiple separate components (multiple chips). The wireless communication module (1892) can identify and authenticate an electronic device (1801) within a communication network such as the first network (1898) and / or the second network (1899) using subscriber information (such as an International Mobile Subscriber Identifier (IMSI)) stored in the subscriber identification module (1896).

[0091] The antenna module (1897) can transmit signals and / or power to or from the outside (other electronic devices, etc.). The antenna may include a radiator made of a conductive pattern formed on a substrate (PCB, etc.). The antenna module (1897) may include one or multiple antennas. If multiple antennas are included, the communication module (1890) may select an antenna suitable for a communication method used in a communication network, such as a first network (1898) and / or a second network (1899), from among the multiple antennas. Through the selected antenna, signals and / or power may be transmitted or received between the communication module (1890) and other electronic devices. In addition to the antenna, other components (RFIC, etc.) may be included as part of the antenna module (1897).

[0092] Some of the components can be connected to each other and exchange signals (commands, data, etc.) through communication methods between peripheral devices (bus, GPIO (General Purpose Input and Output), SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface), MIPI (Mobile Industry Processor Interface), etc.).

[0093] Commands or data may be transmitted or received between the electronic device (1801) and an external electronic device (1804) through a server (1808) connected to a second network (1899). The other electronic devices (1802, 1804) may be of the same or different type as the electronic device (1801). All or part of the operations performed on the electronic device (1801) may be performed on one or more of the other electronic devices (1802, 1804, 1808). For example, when the electronic device (1801) needs to perform a function or service, instead of performing the function or service itself, it may request one or more other electronic devices to perform part or all of that function or service. One or more other electronic devices that receive the request may perform additional functions or services related to the request and transmit the results of the execution to the electronic device (1801). To this end, cloud computing, distributed computing, and / or client-server computing technologies may be used.

[0094] FIGS. 19 to 21 are exemplary drawings showing an electronic device equipped with a bio-information measuring device.

[0095] Referring to FIG. 19, the electronic device (1801) of FIG. 18 may be implemented as a watch-type wearable device (1801a) and may include a main body and a wrist strap. A display is provided on the front of the main body, and various application screens including time information, received message information, etc., may be displayed. A biometric information measuring device (1000, 1001, 1002, 1003a, 1003b, 1004) may be disposed on the rear of the main body. The biometric information measuring device may output a light signal to a body area in contact with the rear of the main body, such as the user's wrist, and measure a biometric signal by detecting the reflected light reacted therefrom. The electronic device (1801a) may analyze the biometric signal measured by the biometric information measuring device to measure the user's biometric information, such as blood pressure, vascular age, degree of arteriosclerosis, aortic pressure waveform, and stress index.

[0096] Referring to FIG. 20, the electronic device (1801) of FIG. 18 can be implemented as a mobile device (1801b), such as a smartphone, and may include a housing and a display panel.

[0097] The housing may form the exterior of the electronic device (1801b). The housing may include a first surface, a second surface facing the first surface, and a side that surrounds the space between the first surface and the second surface. A display panel and a cover glass may be arranged sequentially on the first surface of the housing, and the display panel may be exposed to the outside through the cover glass. A biometric information measuring device (1000, 1001, 1002, 1003a, 1003b, 1004), a camera module, and an infrared sensor may be arranged on the second surface of the housing. When a user requests biometric information by running an application, etc., mounted on the electronic device (1801b), the biometric information measuring device may be used to measure the biometric information and provide the measured information to the user as video and / or sound.

[0098] Referring to FIG. 21, the electronic device (1801) of FIG. 18 may also be implemented as an ear wearable device (1081c) and may include a main body and an ear strap.

[0099] The user can wear the electronic device (1801c) of FIG. 21 by hooking an ear strap over the earlobe, and the main body can be inserted into the user's external auditory canal. The main body may be equipped with a biometric information measuring device (1000, 1001, 1002, 1003a, 1003b, 1004), and the biometric information measuring device may output a light signal to a body area in contact with the main body, such as the wall of the user's external auditory canal, and measure biometric signals by detecting reflected light. The electronic device (1801c) of FIG. 21 may provide the biometric information measured by the biometric information measuring device to the user as sound, or transmit it to an external device (mobile, tablet, PC, etc.) through a communication module provided inside the main body.

[0100] A person skilled in the art related to the preceding embodiments will understand that the embodiments may be implemented in modified forms without departing from the essential characteristics of the description above. The description of the embodiments should be considered in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. The scope of the rights is defined in the claims, not in the description above, and all variations within the scope of equivalence thereto should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the rights.

Claims

Claim 1 A light source comprising a first light-emitting unit that emits light of a first wavelength and a second light-emitting unit that emits light of a second wavelength different from the first wavelength; an image sensor comprising a first pixel area comprising a plurality of pixels that detect light emitted from the first light-emitting unit and reacted in a subject, and a second pixel area comprising a plurality of pixels that detect light emitted from the second light-emitting unit and reacted in the subject; and a light source control unit that controls the light source such that the first light-emitting unit emits light during an exposure operation of pixels included in the first pixel area, and the second light-emitting unit emits light during an exposure operation of pixels included in the second pixel area. A biosignal processing unit that extracts / analyzes a biosignal of a subject from data detected by the image sensor; wherein the image sensor includes 10 or more pixel rows, and the pixel row in which pixels included in the first pixel area are arranged and the pixel row in which pixels included in the second pixel area are arranged are different from each other, and the image sensor includes a pixel control unit that generates a pixel control signal and a timing signal for controlling pixels, and the light source control unit controls the on and off of the light source using a horizontal synchronization signal among the timing signals, and the horizontal synchronization signal is provided in the section where the read-out operation of the pixel row is performed. Claim 2 A biometric information measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the first pixel area comprises 10 or more pixel rows. Claim 3 delete Claim 4 delete Claim 5 A bio-information measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the sampling rate of the bio-signal is 15 Hz to 1000 Hz. Claim 6 A bio-information measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the light source further comprises a third light-emitting part that emits light of a third wavelength. Claim 7 A bio-information measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the light source further comprises a first-2 light-emitting part that emits light of a first wavelength and a second-2 light-emitting part that emits light of a second wavelength. Claim 8 A biometric information measuring device according to claim 1, further comprising a force sensor positioned above or below the image sensor. Claim 9 In claim 1, the bio-information is a bio-information measuring device including blood pressure. Claim 10 A bio-information measuring device according to claim 1, further comprising: a third pixel region including a plurality of pixels that detect light emitted from the first light-emitting unit and reacted to the subject; and a fourth pixel region including a plurality of pixels that detect light emitted from the second light-emitting unit and reacted to the subject. Claim 11 In claim 10, the pixels included in the first to fourth pixel regions are each arranged in different pixel rows in a biometric information measuring device. Claim 12 A method for measuring bio-information, comprising: a step of driving a first light-emitting unit using a timing signal generated by an image sensor to emit a first wavelength light; a step of detecting the first wavelength light reacted to by a subject using a plurality of pixels included in a first pixel area of ​​the image sensor; a step of driving a second light-emitting unit using a timing signal generated by the image sensor to emit a second wavelength light; a step of detecting the second wavelength light reacted to by a subject using a plurality of pixels included in a second pixel area of ​​the image sensor; and a step of measuring bio-information using information detected in the first and second pixel areas, wherein the image sensor includes 10 or more pixel rows, and the pixel row in which pixels included in the first pixel area are arranged and the pixel row in which pixels included in the second pixel area are arranged are different from each other, and the timing signal includes a horizontal synchronization signal, and the horizontal synchronization signal is provided in a section where a read-out operation of the pixel row is performed. Claim 13 delete Claim 14 A biometric information measurement method according to claim 12, wherein the exposure operation interval of pixels included in the first pixel area and the exposure operation interval of pixels included in the second pixel area do not overlap with each other. Claim 15 A bio-information measurement method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of measuring the force applied by the subject. Claim 16 A method for measuring bio-information according to claim 12, further comprising: a step of detecting light emitted from the first light-emitting unit and reacted to the subject using a plurality of pixels included in the third pixel area of ​​the image sensor; and a step of detecting light emitted from the second light-emitting unit and reacted to the subject using a plurality of pixels included in the fourth pixel area of ​​the image sensor. Claim 17 In claim 16, a biometric information measurement method in which pixels included in the first to fourth pixel regions are arranged in different pixel rows. Claim 18 In paragraph 12, the above bio-information is a bio-information measurement method including blood pressure. Claim 19 delete Claim 20 delete Claim 21 A biometric information measuring device, a processor for controlling the operation of the biometric information measuring device, and an acoustic output device or a display device for outputting information measured by the biometric information measuring device, wherein the biometric information measuring device comprises: a light source including a first light-emitting unit that emits light of a first wavelength and a second light-emitting unit that emits light of a second wavelength different from the first wavelength; an image sensor including a first pixel area including a plurality of pixels that detect light emitted from the first light-emitting unit and reacted to a subject, and a second pixel area including a plurality of pixels that detect light emitted from the second light-emitting unit and reacted to the subject; and a light source control unit that controls the light source such that the first light-emitting unit emits light during an exposure operation of pixels included in the first pixel area, and the second light-emitting unit emits light during an exposure operation of pixels included in the second pixel area. The electronic device comprises: a biosignal processing unit that extracts / analyzes a biosignal of a subject from data detected by the image sensor; wherein the image sensor includes 10 or more pixel rows, and the pixel row in which pixels included in the first pixel area are arranged and the pixel row in which pixels included in the second pixel area are arranged are different from each other, and the image sensor includes a pixel control unit that generates a pixel control signal and a timing signal for controlling pixels, and the light source control unit controls the on and off of the light source using a horizontal synchronization signal among the timing signals, and the horizontal synchronization signal is provided in the section where the read-out operation of the pixel row is performed. Claim 22 In claim 21, the electronic device wherein the first pixel area comprises 10 or more pixel rows. Claim 23 delete Claim 24 delete Claim 25 An electronic device according to claim 21, wherein the sampling rate of the biosignal is 15 Hz to 1000 Hz. Claim 26 In claim 21, the electronic device further comprising a third light-emitting part that emits light of a third wavelength. Claim 27 In claim 21, the light source further comprises a first-2 light-emitting part that emits light of a first wavelength and a second-2 light-emitting part that emits light of a second wavelength. Claim 28 An electronic device according to claim 21, further comprising a force sensor positioned above or below the image sensor. Claim 29 In paragraph 21, the above biometric information is an electronic device including blood pressure. Claim 30 An electronic device according to claim 21, wherein the image sensor comprises: a third pixel region comprising a plurality of pixels that detect light emitted from the first light-emitting unit and reacted to the subject; and a fourth pixel region comprising a plurality of pixels that detect light emitted from the second light-emitting unit and reacted to the subject. Claim 31 In paragraph 30, the pixels included in the first to fourth pixel regions are each arranged in different pixel rows in an electronic device.

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