Physiological detection device

Abstract

A microcirculation detection system, which comprises a heating device, an array sensor and a processing unit. The heating device is used to heat a skin area. The array sensor is used to detect the outgoing light of the skin area and output a plurality of brightness change signals at different time points during the heating period. The processing unit is used to calculate the change of the array energy distribution during the heating period according to the plurality of brightness change signals and judge the microcirculation state accordingly.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of a Chinese invention patent application with the application number 201910477770.8, the application date of June 3, 2019, and the title of "Microcirculation Detection System and Detection Method". Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to a microcirculation detection, and more particularly to a physiological detection device for detecting the change of microcirculation with the increase of skin surface temperature. Background Art

[0003] Currently, portable electronic devices and wearable electronic devices have become indispensable electronic products in life, and their functions have continuously evolved with the change of people's lifestyles.

[0004] At the same time, physical health has become a concern for everyone in modern busy lives. Therefore, physiological detection functions have gradually been applied to portable electronic devices and wearable electronic devices to meet the needs of users. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the present invention provides an array-type physiological detection system and its operation method, which can at least detect and record physiological characteristics of a user in more than three dimensions.

[0006] The present invention provides an array-type physiological detection system and its operation method, which respectively detect physiological characteristics of different detected tissue regions through a plurality of sensing pixels to generate a three-dimensional physiological characteristic distribution.

[0007] The present invention provides a physiological detection device including a light source, a photosensitive array, and a processing unit. The light source is used for emitting light to illuminate the skin area. The photosensitive array is used for detecting the emitted light of the skin area during heating and outputting a plurality of PPG signals, wherein the photosensitive array includes a plurality of pixel regions arranged in an array for respectively outputting brightness change signals as the plurality of PPG signals. The processing unit is used for converting the plurality of PPG signals into an array energy distribution, identifying a circular pattern in the array energy distribution, and calculating the frequency change of the oscillation of the circular pattern during the heating period.

[0008] The present invention also provides a physiological detection device including a light source, a photosensitive array, and a processing unit. The light source is used to emit light for illuminating a skin area. The photosensitive array is used to detect the emitted light of the skin area during heating and output a plurality of PPG signals, where the photosensitive array includes a plurality of pixel areas arranged in an array for respectively outputting brightness change signals as the plurality of PPG signals. The processing unit is used to convert the plurality of PPG signals into an array energy distribution, identify a first circular pattern in the array energy distribution at a first time point and a second circular pattern in the array energy distribution at a second time point, and determine whether the frequency change of the reciprocating frequency of the first circular pattern and the second circular pattern has peaks in a first time interval and a second time interval during the heating period respectively.

[0009] The present invention also provides a detection method for a physiological detection device, the physiological detection device including a light source, a photosensitive array having a plurality of pixel areas, and a processing unit. The detection method includes the following steps: illuminating a skin area with the light source; illuminating the skin area with the light source; detecting the emitted light of the skin area during heating with the photosensitive array and outputting a plurality of PPG signals; converting the plurality of PPG signals into an array energy distribution with the processing unit; and identifying two peaks of the frequency change of the energy oscillation at a predetermined position in the array energy distribution during two predetermined time intervals during the heating period with the processing unit.

[0010] In the array-type physiological detection system and its operation method according to the embodiments of the present invention, a three-dimensional energy change of a three-dimensional energy distribution representing a physiological feature distribution over time can also be established to form a four-dimensional physiological detection system.

[0011] In order to make the above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention more obvious, the following will be described in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In addition, in the present invention, the same components are denoted by the same symbols, which are stated here in advance. Description of the Drawings

[0012] Figure 1 It is a flowchart for the physiological detection system according to the embodiments of the present invention to obtain the vasomotion changes of superficial microcirculation vessels.

[0013] Figure 2A It is a schematic diagram of an image frame obtained by the physiological detection system according to the embodiments of the present invention and its observation window.

[0014] Figure 2B It is a schematic diagram of the brightness changes of a plurality of image frames obtained by the physiological detection system according to the embodiments of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 2CThe spectrogram of the signal of the microcirculation blood vessel dilation and constriction change obtained by the physiological detection system of the embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 2D The schematic diagram of the energy distribution of multiple pixel regions at the current heart rate obtained by the physiological detection system of the embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 3A The schematic diagram of the change of the change amount detected by the physiological detection system of the embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 3B The schematic diagram of the change of the average value detected by the physiological detection system of the embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 4 The schematic diagram of the physiological detection system of the embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 5 The flowchart of the operation method of the physiological detection system of the embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 6A and 6B The schematic diagram of the three-dimensional energy distribution of the 525-nm light detected by the physiological detection of the embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 7A and 7B The schematic diagram of the three-dimensional energy distribution of the 880-nm light detected by the physiological detection of the embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 8 The schematic diagram of the physiological detection device of another embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 9 The block diagram of the physiological detection system of still another embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 10A The block diagram of the microcirculation detection system of the embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 10B The operation schematic diagram of the microcirculation detection system of the embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 11 The heating schematic diagram of the microcirculation detection system of the embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 12 The schematic diagram of the frequency change detected by the microcirculation detection system of the embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 13This is a flowchart of the detection method of the microcirculation detection system according to the embodiments of the present invention. Detailed Embodiments

[0030] The following description includes the embodiments of the present invention to facilitate understanding of how the present invention is applied to actual situations. It should be noted that in the following diagrams, parts unrelated to the technology of the present invention are omitted. At the same time, to highlight the relationship between components, the proportions between components in the diagrams are not necessarily the same as those of the actual components.

[0031] Please refer to Figure 1 as shown, which is a flowchart of the array-type physiological detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention for obtaining the dilation and constriction changes of superficial microcirculation blood vessels. The array-type physiological detection system is used to detect the three-dimensional energy distribution of the dilation and constriction changes of superficial microcirculation blood vessels in body tissues through the skin surface to assist the user in monitoring their own health. In addition, the array-type physiological detection system according to the embodiments of the present invention can be applied to portable electronic devices or wearable electronic devices to implement a portable physiological monitoring device, which is suitable for long-term self-monitoring. For example, the three-dimensional energy changes of the three-dimensional energy distribution over time can be monitored for a long time, that is, the changes of microcirculation information over time. Thereby, the obtained monitoring data can be combined with the detection results of short-term health examinations conducted by medical institutions to obtain highly reliable physiological state information.

[0032] First, the array-type physiological detection system reads multiple superficial microcirculation blood vessel dilation and constriction change signals output from multiple pixel regions, as shown in step 101. For example, photoplethysmogram (PPG) signals. In order to obtain the dilation and constriction change signals of superficial microcirculation blood vessels of multiple pixels, the physiological detection system needs to obtain the dilation and constriction change signals of blood vessels in the dermis to represent microcirculation data. For example, an optical detection method can be used to achieve this. By using light of a specific wavelength, the light can penetrate the epidermis but not pass through the dermis, and then a photosensitive array is used to detect the dilation and constriction change signals of microcirculation blood vessels in the skin area; among them, the photosensitive array includes multiple photosensitive pixels, and each photosensitive pixel can generate a dilation and constriction change signal of microcirculation blood vessels, and various statistical values thereof can be provided for subsequent applications.

[0033] For example, light with a wavelength of 525 nanometers (nm) can be used, and the skin penetration depth is less than 1 millimeter (mm). At different body parts, light with different wavelengths can be used to detect the change state of microcirculation blood vessels active in the dermis. Since the depth of the dermis is approximately between 1 - 3 millimeters, the light wavelength is preferably selected to be unable to penetrate a depth of 3 millimeters, such as 300 - 940 nanometers.

[0034] Next, the physiological detection system establishes a three-dimensional energy distribution based on the microcirculation blood vessel dilation and constriction change signal, as shown in step 102; wherein, the three-dimensional energy distribution refers to the spectral energy distribution. In this step, since the energy of the microcirculation blood vessel dilation and constriction change signal detected by each pixel contains various different frequencies, one of the frequencies can be selected for data analysis. In one embodiment, the current heart rate can be estimated first using the equal microcirculation blood vessel dilation and constriction change signal, and based on this, the amplitude change values of the amplitude signals of each pixel at this heart rate are collected to represent the dilation and constriction changes of the superficial microcirculation blood vessels.

[0035] Since the dilation and constriction changes of the superficial microcirculation blood vessels occur following the heartbeat, the amplitude changes of the pixels are more obvious at the heart rate or its multiple frequencies than at other frequencies, which is beneficial for subsequent analysis.

[0036] Next, the physiological state is judged according to the characteristic parameters of the energy distribution, as shown in step 103. In this step, the physiological state can be estimated according to various characteristics of the energy distribution, such as amplitude change, average value, heart rate, etc. How to judge the physiological characteristics according to the characteristic parameters will be described in the subsequent description.

[0037] Next, a physiological state warning can be provided to the user, as shown in step 104, so that the user can adjust the work and rest and activity content accordingly.

[0038] Figures 2A - 2D This is a schematic diagram of the array-type physiological detection system of the embodiment of the present invention obtaining the dilation and constriction changes of the superficial microcirculation blood vessels. Taking the optical physiological detection system as an example, Figure 2A This is a schematic diagram of the acquired image frame and its window of interest (WOI); wherein, the size and position of the window of interest WOI can be adjusted. Figure 2B This is a schematic diagram of the brightness changes of multiple image frames (for example, shown within 6 seconds) or the windows of interest of the multiple image frames; wherein, the brightness changes reflect the dilation and constriction changes of the microcirculation blood vessels. Figure 2C This is a spectrogram of the superficial microcirculation blood vessel dilation and constriction change signal, which Figure 2B is obtained by converting the brightness change (i.e., the superficial microcirculation blood vessel dilation and constriction change signal) to frequency and shows the current heart rate. Figure 2D This is a schematic diagram of the array-type change formed by the energy values obtained by multiple pixel regions at the current heart rate, that is, the amplitude distribution; wherein, the column height represents the spectral energy relative to the current heart rate. Through Figure 2D it can be understood that the detection results (i.e., energy values) obtained by each pixel region will change, and this change state can represent the change of physiological characteristics (such as the distribution and operation of microvessels in the dermis layer, etc.), which will be described in detail below. It should be noted that, Figure 2DThe amplitude of each pixel is the energy value of one pixel or the average energy value of multiple pixels.

[0039] The present invention illustrates that different microcirculation states can be utilized to estimate the exercise state. For example, different microcirculation states can be divided into four states, namely, pre-exercise state I, post-warm-up state II, in-exercise state III, and post-exercise cooling state IV, which are illustrated as follows:

[0040] Please refer to Figure 3A and 3B , Figure 3A which is a schematic diagram of the change in the change amount detected by the physiological detection system according to the embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3B which is a schematic diagram of the change in the average value detected by the physiological detection system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] When the user is in the pre-exercise state I, the amplitude change (A) of the amplitude signal is not high, but the average value (B) of the amplitude signal is very high.

[0042] When the user is in the post-warm-up state II, the amplitude change (A) of the amplitude signal gradually increases, but the average value (B) of the amplitude signal begins to decrease. When the average value (B) of the amplitude signal is lower than the warm-up average threshold (such as THa1), it represents that the warm-up is completed; or, when the average value (B) of the amplitude signal is lower than the warm-up threshold (such as THa1) and the amplitude change (A) of the amplitude signal is higher than the warm-up change threshold (such as THv1), it represents that the warm-up is completed.

[0043] When the user is in the in-exercise state III, the amplitude change (A) of the amplitude signal remains at a high value, but the average value (B) drops to a relatively low level. When the average value (B) of the amplitude signal is lower than the exercise average threshold (such as THa2), it represents that the user is in the exercise state; or, when the average value (B) of the amplitude signal is lower than the exercise threshold (such as THa2) and the amplitude change (A) of the amplitude signal is higher than the exercise change threshold (such as THv2), it represents that the user is in the exercise state.

[0044] When the user is in the post-exercise cooling state IV, the amplitude change (A) of the amplitude signal gradually decreases, and the average value (B) of the amplitude signal begins to increase. When the average value (B) returns to exceed the cooling average threshold (such as THa3), it represents that the cooling is completed; or, when the average value (B) returns to exceed the cooling average threshold (such as THa3) and the amplitude change (A) of the amplitude signal returns to be lower than the cooling average threshold (such as THv3), it represents that the cooling is completed.

[0045] It must be noted that although Figures 3A - 3BFour microcirculation states, three change thresholds, and three average thresholds are shown, which are for illustration only and not for limiting the description of the present invention. The number and values of the microcirculation states, change thresholds, and average thresholds depend on different applications.

[0046] Please refer to Figure 4 as shown, which is a schematic diagram of an array-type physiological detection system 400 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The array-type physiological detection system 400 is used to detect changes in skin microcirculation and includes a light source 41, a photosensitive array 43, and a processing unit 45.

[0047] The light source 41 can be a coherent light source, an incoherent light source, or a partially coherent light source, such as a light-emitting diode, a laser diode, etc. The light source 41 is used to provide light L to irradiate the skin area, and the light penetrates to the dermis layer of the skin area. It must be noted that the array-type physiological detection system 400 described in the present invention is only used to detect the change state of microcirculation blood vessels in the dermis layer and does not detect other tissue states in the subcutaneous tissue under the dermis layer. Therefore, an appropriate light wavelength needs to be selected to achieve the above-mentioned effect. Therefore, the wavelength of the light source 41 is selected not to penetrate to the subcutaneous tissue of the dermis layer of the skin area, for example, the wavelength of the light source is selected to be between 300 - 940 nanometers.

[0048] In other embodiments, the light source module can have multiple light sources, such as light sources with different wavelengths of 525 nanometers, 880 nanometers, and 606 nanometers, etc., to obtain different results of reflected light and scattered light from the human body. For example, when using a short-wavelength light source of 525 nanometers, the result of the three-dimensional energy distribution will present an arc-like pattern corresponding to the physical pressure applied to the human body. This arc-like pattern can be used to judge whether the system has been properly worn by the user.

[0049] Using a short-wavelength light source in the range of 300 to 940 nanometers can cause more significant absorption changes in the human body, which is speculated to be one of the reasons for causing an arc-like pattern such as Figures 6A - 6B Using a long-wavelength light source in the range of 300 - 940 nanometers can present the detection result of the three-dimensional energy distribution under high-pressure conditions. Therefore, the system can switch to different light sources under different conditions (tight wearing or loose wearing) to obtain a good three-dimensional energy distribution. For example, Figure 7A and Figure 7B are schematic diagrams of the three-dimensional energy distribution when irradiated with long-wavelength light, where no clear arc-like pattern is observed at the size of the photosensitive array used as in Figure 6A and 6B

[0050] The photosensitive array 43 is preferably an active image sensing array, such as a CMOS image sensor, so that the observation window WOI can be selected in real time according to the sampling result (such as Figure 2AThe size and position of the (as shown), for example, determining the observation window WOI according to image quality, brightness distribution, etc., and pixel data outside the observation window WOI in the photosensitive array 43 may not be output by the photosensitive array 43. The photosensitive array 43 includes a plurality of photosensitive pixels, and each of the plurality of photosensitive pixels is used to continuously detect the emitted light passing through the dermis layer of the skin area to output a plurality of brightness signals as PPG signals (i.e., signals of the dilation and constriction changes of superficial microcirculation blood vessels), such as Figure 2B the brightness change signal shown. In some embodiments, the plurality of brightness signals are digital signals, that is, the photosensitive array 43 may include an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for performing analog-to-digital conversion.

[0051] The processing unit 45 is used to convert the plurality of brightness change signals (i.e., PPG signals) relative to the plurality of photosensitive pixels into frequency domain data (as Figure 2C shown), thereby forming a three-dimensional energy distribution of the dilation and constriction changes of microcirculation blood vessels (as Figure 2D shown). The processing unit 45 also calculates the change amount and average value of the plurality of frequency domain data to judge different microcirculation states according to the change of the change amount (for example Figure 3A ) and the change of the average value (for example Figure 3B ). The processing unit 45 may be, for example, a digital signal processor (DSP), a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller (MCU), etc., which are devices that can be used to calculate the data output by the sensing array, and there is no specific limitation.

[0052] The processing unit 45 can complete the above operations by using software, hardware, firmware or a combination thereof. For example, the processing unit 45 may include a frequency domain conversion module 451, a heart rate calculation module 452, a change calculation module 453, an average calculation module 454, a comparison unit 455, and a storage unit 456. It can be understood that Figure 4 different operation functions are described with different components. However, since these components are all located within the processing unit 45, the operations performed by these components are the operations performed by the processing unit 45. In addition, other operation functions, such as filtering, amplification, etc., may also be included in the processing unit 45. The description of other functions that are not directly related is omitted in the description of the present invention.

[0053] For example, each photosensitive pixel of the photosensitive array 43 outputs a brightness signal that changes with time as a PPG signal (as Figure 2B shown), and the processing unit 45 is used to calculate the heart rate according to the plurality of PPG signals.

[0054] In one embodiment, the frequency domain conversion module 451 converts the PPG signal relative to each photosensitive pixel (as Figure 2Bis transformed into the frequency domain to generate frequency domain data (as shown in Figure 2C shown), and the heart rate calculation module 452 calculates an estimated heart rate based on the frequency domain data for each of the plurality of photosensitive pixels, and uses the estimated heart rate with the highest statistic among the plurality of estimated heart rates for the plurality of photosensitive pixels as the heart rate. That is, an estimated heart rate can be calculated for each of the plurality of photosensitive pixels. When the number of photosensitive pixels for which a certain estimated heart rate is calculated is the largest, the estimated heart rate is used as the heart rate. Thereby, errors caused by noise interference can be reduced and the calculation accuracy can be increased.

[0055] In another embodiment, the processing unit 45 calculates the sum of the luminances of the plurality of luminance signals of all or part of the plurality of photosensitive pixels in each image frame (or within the observation window) output by the photosensitive array 43, and calculates the heart rate based on the sums of the luminances of the plurality of image frames. That is, in this embodiment, the processing unit 45 obtains the sum of the luminances for each image frame, and the sums of the luminances of the plurality of image frames can be obtained to change as a PPG signal, as shown in Figure 2B shown. In this embodiment, the heart rate calculation module 452 can directly calculate the heart rate in the time domain (time domain), for example, calculate the reciprocal of the time interval THR in Figure 2B ; or, the frequency domain conversion module 451 first converts the change in the sum of the luminances into the frequency domain to generate frequency domain data, as shown in Figure 2C shown, and then the heart rate calculation module 452 calculates the heart rate based on the frequency domain data, such as the one with the highest spectral energy value in Figure 2C . In other words, in the description of the present invention, Figure 2B can represent the change in luminance output by a single photosensitive pixel or the change in the sum of the luminances output by a plurality of image frames; Figure 2C can represent the frequency domain data of the change in luminance output by a single photosensitive pixel or the frequency domain data of the change in the sum of the luminances output by a plurality of image frames, depending on different applications. In the description of the present invention, the time domain - frequency conversion can be performed by an appropriate frequency domain conversion algorithm, such as the fast Fourier transform, without specific limitations.

[0056] After the heart rate is determined, the change calculation module 453 can generate a spectral energy value at the heart rate for each of the plurality of photosensitive pixels to form a three - dimensional energy distribution or an energy set, as shown in Figure 2DAs shown. The change calculation module 453 calculates the amount of energy change of the three-dimensional energy distribution or energy set as the amplitude change value. For example, it calculates the sum of the differences between the energies of adjacent pixels, the sum of the differences between the energy of each pixel and the average energy, the variance of the energy set, etc. As long as it can calculate the change between the energy components of the three-dimensional energy distribution or energy set, there is no particular limitation. In this embodiment, the change amount is the spectral energy change amount of the heart rate.

[0057] After the heart rate is determined, the average calculation module 454 can generate spectral energy values at the heart rate for each of the plurality of photosensitive pixels to form a three-dimensional energy distribution or energy set, such as Figure 2D As shown. The average calculation module 454 calculates the average value of the three-dimensional energy distribution or energy set as the amplitude average value. In this embodiment, the average value is the spectral energy average value of the heart rate.

[0058] Figure 2D The three-dimensional energy distribution in can be used to calculate and generate a representative position for subsequent judgment. For example, distribution values exceeding a threshold can be used to calculate the centroid position, the center of gravity position, or the center position of the distribution values used. The representative position changes according to the user's physiological state, where the physiological state is related to the user's limb movements or physical and mental changes.

[0059] It must be noted that although the change calculation module 453 and the average calculation module 454 are used to generate the three-dimensional energy distribution or energy set in the above embodiments, the description of the present invention is not limited thereto. The three-dimensional energy distribution or energy set can be calculated by other modules included in the processing unit 45, such as the frequency domain conversion module 451, the heart rate calculation module 452, etc., without specific limitation.

[0060] In some embodiments, in addition to the change of the change amount and the change of the average value, the processing unit 45 can also cooperate with the heart rate to judge different microcirculation states. That is, in the description of the present invention, the processing unit 45 can judge different microcirculation states according to different combinations of the change amount, the average value, and the change of the heart rate, such as the aforementioned pre-exercise state, warm-up completed state, exercise state, and post-exercise cooling state, etc., but not limited thereto.

[0061] The comparison unit 455 can be used to compare the change amount with at least one change threshold (such as Figure 3A THv1 - THv3) to judge different microcirculation states. The comparison unit 455 can be used to compare the average value with at least one average threshold (such asFigure 3B THa1 - THa3) to determine different microcirculation states. The comparison unit 455 can be used to compare the heart rate with at least one heart rate threshold to determine different microcirculation states. The threshold can be stored in the storage unit 456 in advance; wherein, the storage unit 456 can be, for example, a known memory without specific limitations.

[0062] Please refer to Figure 5 As shown, it is a method of operating an array - type physiological detection system according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, which is used to detect changes in skin microcirculation through a plurality of photosensitive pixels. The method of operation includes the following steps: providing light by a light source to irradiate a skin area and penetrate to the dermis layer of the skin area (step S51); continuously detecting, by each photosensitive pixel, the outgoing light passing through the dermis layer of the skin area to respectively output brightness change signals (step S52); converting the brightness change signals relative to each photosensitive pixel into frequency - domain data (step S53); calculating the change amount and / or average value of the plurality of frequency - domain data relative to the plurality of photosensitive pixels (step S54); and determining the microcirculation state according to the change of the change amount and / or the average value (step S55).

[0063] Please also refer to Figures 2A - 2D Figures 3A - 3B and 4 - 5 as shown, the implementation of this method of operation is described as follows.

[0064] Step S51: The light source 41 provides light L to irradiate a skin area and penetrate to the dermis layer of the skin area. As described above, the wavelength of the light L is selected not to penetrate into the subcutaneous tissue, so that the plurality of photosensitive pixels only detect data of microcirculation blood vessels and do not detect data of subcutaneous tissue.

[0065] Step S52: Each photosensitive pixel of the photosensitive array 43 continuously detects the outgoing light passing through the dermis layer of the skin area to respectively output brightness change signals, such as Figure 2B the PPG signal. Therefore, the number of PPG signals output by the photosensitive array 43 is the same as the number of effective pixels.

[0066] Step S53: The processing unit 45 then converts the brightness change signals relative to each photosensitive pixel into frequency - domain data, as Figure 2C shown. Therefore, the number of generated frequency - domain data is also the same as the number of effective pixels.

[0067] Step S54: The processing unit 45 then calculates the variation and / or average value of the multiple frequency-domain data with respect to the multiple photosensitive pixels. As described above, since the characteristics of the multiple frequency-domain data at the heartbeat frequency or its multiple frequencies are relatively obvious. Therefore, before calculating the variation and / or the average value, the processing unit 45 first calculates the heartbeat frequency according to the multiple luminance change signals. As described above, it can be directly calculated in the time domain or calculated in different ways in the frequency domain, and generates a three-dimensional energy distribution or energy set at the heartbeat frequency, as Figure 2D shown. Then, the processing unit 45 can calculate the average value of the spectral energy of the heartbeat frequency and / or the variation of the spectral energy of the heartbeat frequency according to the three-dimensional energy distribution or energy set; wherein, the calculation of the variation has been described above, so it will not be elaborated here.

[0068] Step S55: The processing unit 45 can judge the microcirculation state according to the variation of the variation and / or the average value over time; wherein, the judging method is, for example, comparing the variation with at least one variation threshold and / or comparing the average value with at least one average threshold, for example Figures 3A - 3B shown.

[0069] As described above, in some embodiments, the processing unit 45 can also cooperate with the change of the heartbeat frequency over time to judge the microcirculation state.

[0070] Finally, the processing unit 45 can prompt the user of the judged microcirculation state in different ways, such as through images, sounds, etc., without specific limitations.

[0071] In summary, the description of the present invention does not judge the exercise state based on the percentage of the maximum heart rate and the user's self-awareness, but is achieved based on the changes in the superficial microcirculation blood vessels related to the blood flow distribution; wherein, the data of the changes in the superficial microcirculation blood vessels are presented, for example, by multiple luminance signals output by continuously detecting the outgoing light passing through the dermis layer by multiple photosensitive pixels of a photosensitive array, and the change of the luminance signal can be called a photoplethysmogram (PPG) signal.

[0072] As described in the previous example, when the average value decreases to be less than the warm-up average threshold (e.g., THa1) and / or the change amount increases to be greater than the warm-up change threshold (e.g., THv1), the processing unit 45 determines that it enters the warm-up completed state. When the average value further decreases to be less than the exercise average threshold (e.g., THa2) and / or the change amount further increases to be greater than the exercise change threshold (e.g., THv2), the processing unit 45 determines that it enters the exercise state. When the average value increases from below the exercise average threshold to be greater than the cool-down average threshold (e.g., THa3) and / or decreases from above the exercise change threshold to be less than the cool-down change threshold (e.g., THv3), the processing unit 45 then determines that it enters the post-exercise cool-down state. In addition, the comparison between different states and thresholds depends on different applications.

[0073] In another embodiment, the physiological detection device described in the present invention, such as Figure 4 400, is also used to confirm whether the physiological detection device has good contact with the skin surface so that the physiological detection device operates normally. It is known that the relative movement between the skin surface and the physiological detection device will reduce the image quality. Therefore, it is very important to confirm the contact state.

[0074] For example, referring to Figure 4 , the physiological detection device 400 of this embodiment includes a light source module 41, a photosensitive array 43, and a processing unit 45. In addition, the physiological detection device 400 of this embodiment also includes a display 47 (as shown in Figure 8 ) for displaying the detection results of the physiological detection device, for example, displaying warning information, indication information, etc.

[0075] In this embodiment, the light source module 41 is used to emit light of different wavelengths to the tissue area under the skin to detect different depths of the tissue area. As mentioned before, short wavelengths can be used to confirm whether a good wearing has been formed. For example, the light source module 41 emits light of a first wavelength, for example, between 500 nanometers and 550 nanometers, to the tissue area to be measured.

[0076] The photosensitive array 43 is used to detect the outgoing light of the tissue area and output a plurality of PPG signals, each PPG signal as shown in Figure 2B . As mentioned before, the present invention is configured such that one pixel outputs one PPG signal (as shown in Figure 2B ), or multiple pixels output one average PPG signal (as shown in Figure 2B ), for example, obtained by calculating with a hardware circuit.

[0077] The processing unit 45 is used to convert the plurality of PPG signals into a three-dimensional energy distribution, such as shown in Figure 2D , identify the circular pattern in the three-dimensional energy distribution, and when the circular pattern is confirmed, for exampleFigure 6A and 6B As shown in 6B , the control display 47 displays information indicating that the physiological detection device 400 is ready (i.e., properly worn). The method of generating the three-dimensional energy distribution has been described above.

[0078] In a non-limiting embodiment, the circular pattern includes at least one ring formed by energy values in the three-dimensional energy distribution that are greater than an energy threshold, such as Figure 6A and 6B the lighter-colored peaks in 6B . One or more rings can be seen from Figure 6A and Figure 6B The processing unit 45 can also obtain the rings by other methods, such as calculating the difference in energy values of adjacent pixels and finding the regional extrema in the three-dimensional energy distribution as the rings.

[0079] However, if there is no circular pattern in the three-dimensional energy distribution, it means that the physiological detection device 400 is not worn properly or is not sufficiently tight for physiological detection. Therefore, when the circular pattern cannot be confirmed, the processing unit 45 is also used to control the display 47 to display information for changing the wearing position or tightness state of the physiological detection device 400. The physiological detection device 400 is configured to provide a warning message to the user until the circular pattern is confirmed. After the circular pattern is confirmed, the three-dimensional energy distribution detected by the physiological detection device 400 is regarded as containing valid data.

[0080] As described above, the physiological detection device 400 described in the present invention can detect the superficial microcirculation at different tissue depths. For example, the processing unit 45 is also used to control the light source module 41 to emit emitted light of a second wavelength that is longer than the first wavelength, so that the photosensitive array 43 detects the emitted light from different tissue depths after the circular pattern is confirmed. In a non-limiting embodiment, the second wavelength is between 850 nanometers and 900 nanometers or between 590 nanometers and 620 nanometers, without specific limitation. By changing the light wavelength and analyzing the three-dimensional energy distribution relative to different light wavelengths, more detailed information about the detected tissue region can be obtained. In a non-limiting embodiment, the processing unit 45 is configured to control the display 47 to display information for changing the light wavelength to obtain a suitable three-dimensional energy distribution.

[0081] For example, Figure 7A and Figure 7B are schematic diagrams of the three-dimensional energy distribution relative to the 880-nanometer emitted light emitted by the light source module 41. Here, a photosensitive array of 480×480 pixels is used, and the size of each pixel is 5 microns × 5 microns. It can be seen that Figure 7A and Figure 7BThere is no circular pattern. This is because when using light of a longer wavelength, the emitted light passes through more tissues (including superficial tissues and deeper tissues), so the three-dimensional energy distribution reflects more complex data. The detected three-dimensional energy distribution related to light of a longer wavelength requires more complex processing. Therefore, in one non-limiting embodiment, in order to simplify the processing, the processing unit 45 is not used to identify circular patterns in the three-dimensional energy distribution related to light of the second wavelength. That is, in the description of the present invention, the processing unit 45 is configured to confirm whether the physiological detection device 400 is properly worn according to light of a shorter wavelength, such as the first wavelength, but does not use light of a longer wavelength, such as the second wavelength, to determine the wearing status.

[0082] In addition, the processing unit 45 is further configured to control the display 47 to display information indicating the direction of moving the physiological detection device 400 to obtain meaningful data. Figure 7A and Figure 7B are the three-dimensional energy distributions detected by the photosensitive array 43 when using light of the same wavelength at different time points. This three-dimensional energy distribution repeatedly changes between Figure 7A and Figure 7B over time. It can be seen from the figure that there are always higher energy values that do not change with time in the lower part of the Y-axis (approximately from Y = 0 to 10), which can be regarded as the detection data exceeding the detectable range of the system. Therefore, the processing unit 45 notifies the user through the display 47 to move the physiological detection device 400 in the positive Y-axis direction (for example, Y = 40) to avoid the area where the detected energy value is always high.

[0083] In other embodiments, the processing unit 45 calculates the centroid position, center of gravity position, or the center point of the three-dimensional energy distribution. If the obtained position is not located at the center of the three-dimensional energy distribution, the processing unit 45 controls the display 47 to guide the user to move the physiological detection device 400 so that the position approaches the center of the three-dimensional energy distribution. That is, the processing unit 45 is configured to control the display 47 to display the direction of moving the physiological detection device 400 to a predetermined area, such as an area with more blood vessels.

[0084] In the above embodiments, when the physiological detection device 400 is not properly worn, the physiological detection device 400 notifies the user to change the position or wear it with a different tightness.

[0085] In other embodiments, the physiological detection device 400 first performs self-adjustment, and if the requirements cannot be met through self-adjustment, such as detecting a circular pattern, it notifies the user to adjust the position or tightness as described above. Referring to Figure 8 , which is a schematic diagram of the physiological detection device 400 according to another embodiment of the present invention, which also includes a light source module, a photosensitive array 43, and a processing unit 45. In this embodiment, the physiological detection device 400 also includes a display 47.

[0086] The light source module of this embodiment includes a plurality of light-emitting diodes, such as Figure 8 display light-emitting diodes 411 to 416. The light source module emits emission light of a first wavelength toward the tissue area with different groups of the plurality of light-emitting diodes, wherein the first wavelength is between 500 nanometers and 550 nanometers. For example, the first group of light-emitting diodes includes light-emitting diodes 411 to 413. It should be noted that the number of light-emitting diodes and the size of the photosensitive array are not limited to Figure 8 that shown.

[0087] The photosensitive array 43 is used to detect the outgoing light from the tissue area and output a plurality of PPG signals, such as each signal as Figure 2B shown. It should be noted that the configuration of the photosensitive array 43 and the plurality of light-emitting diodes 411 to 416 is not limited to Figure 8 that shown, as long as the photosensitive array 43 can detect the outgoing light from different directions when different groups of light-emitting diodes are lit.

[0088] The processing unit 45 is used to convert the plurality of PPG signals into a three-dimensional energy distribution, identify a circular pattern in the three-dimensional energy distribution obtained when the first group of light-emitting diodes is lit, and control the second group of light-emitting diodes, such as light-emitting diodes 414 to 416, to emit light when the circular pattern cannot be confirmed in the three-dimensional energy distribution. The circular pattern has been described above, so it will not be elaborated here.

[0089] The difference between this embodiment and the previous embodiment is that when the circular pattern cannot be confirmed in the three-dimensional energy distribution related to the first group of light-emitting diodes, the processing unit 45 changes the illumination of another group of light-emitting diodes on the tissue area, but still uses the first wavelength. In addition to changing the light emission of light-emitting diodes at different positions, the processing unit 45 also selects to change the window of interest (such as Figure 2A the WOI) in the image frame acquired by the photosensitive array 43 to obtain an appropriate three-dimensional energy distribution. If the circular pattern can be detected through self-adjustment, such as lighting different light-emitting diodes or changing the WOI, the processor 45 does not control the display 47 to display information for manual adjustment.

[0090] As described above, if the self-adjustment works, the physiological detection device 400 can be used to detect the superficial microcirculation at different tissue depths. That is, when the circular pattern is confirmed to exist in the three-dimensional energy distribution related to the first group of light-emitting diodes, the processor 45 is also used to control the light source module to emit light with a second wavelength longer than the first wavelength. As described above, the second wavelength is selected to be between 850 nanometers and 900 nanometers, or between 590 nanometers and 620 nanometers, but is not limited thereto.

[0091] In another embodiment, the physiological detection system includes two physiological detection devices, such as an array PPG detector, to monitor the superficial microcirculation of different parts of the human body. For example, refer to Figure 9 , which is a block diagram of a physiological detection system 500 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0092] The physiological detection system 500 includes a first array PPG detector 501, a second array PPG detector 503, a processing unit 505, and a display 507. It should be noted that although Figure 9 shows the processing unit 505 being configured outside the first array PPG detector 501 and the second array PPG detector 503, the present invention is not limited thereto. In a non-limiting embodiment, the processing unit 505 is configured inside the first array PPG detector 501 or the second array PPG detector 503.

[0093] The first array PPG detector 501 and the second array PPG detector 503 include a photosensitive array 43 similar to Figure 4 . In this embodiment, the first array PPG detector 501 is used to generate a plurality of first PPG signals, and the second array PPG detector 503 is used to generate a plurality of second PPG signals. The way the photosensitive array generates a plurality of PPG signals (as shown in Figure 2B ) has been described above.

[0094] For example, the first array PPG detector 501 includes a first light source module and a first photosensitive array. The first light source module is used to emit light of a first wavelength to illuminate a first tissue area. The first photosensitive array is used to detect the outgoing light from the first tissue area and generate a plurality of first PPG signals. The second array PPG detector 503 includes a second light source module and a second photosensitive array. The second light source module is used to emit light of a second wavelength to illuminate a second tissue area. The second photosensitive array is used to detect the outgoing light from the second tissue area and generate a plurality of second PPG signals. For example, the first wavelength is between 500 nanometers and 550 nanometers.

[0095] The display 507 is used to display the detection results of the physiological detection system.

[0096] The processing unit 505 uses a method similar to the above to convert a plurality of first PPG signals and a plurality of second PPG signals into a first three-dimensional energy distribution and a second three-dimensional energy distribution respectively. In this embodiment, the first tissue region is located, for example, on the user's hand and the second tissue region is located, for example, on the user's foot. There is no specific limitation as long as the two array-type PPG detectors are located on different detected skin surfaces. For example, the processing unit 505 compares the first three-dimensional energy distribution with the second three-dimensional energy distribution to determine whether the microcirculation of the hand or foot has deteriorated, such as caused by staying in the same sitting position for a long time. Similarly, before making the comparison, the processing unit 505 confirms whether the first array-type PPG detector 501 and the second array-type PPG detector 503 are worn properly. That is, the processing unit 505 identifies the circular patterns in the first three-dimensional energy distribution and the second three-dimensional energy distribution. When both the first three-dimensional energy distribution and the second three-dimensional energy distribution contain circular patterns respectively, it indicates that the physiological detection system 500 is operating normally.

[0097] After circular patterns are confirmed in both the first three-dimensional energy distribution and the second three-dimensional energy distribution, the physiological detection system 500 can continue to monitor the changes of the first three-dimensional energy distribution and the second three-dimensional energy distribution over time.

[0098] In one embodiment, the processing unit 505 calculates the first average value of the first three-dimensional energy distribution and calculates the second average value of the second three-dimensional energy distribution respectively. The processing unit 505 also calculates the ratio or difference between the first average value and the second average value, and monitors the change of the ratio or difference. When the ratio or difference changes and exceeds the change threshold, it indicates that the microcirculation states of the two monitored body parts are different. At this time, the processor 505 is configured to control the display 507 to display a warning signal to notify the user to move the body.

[0099] In another embodiment, the processing unit 505 compares the first three-dimensional energy distribution and the second three-dimensional energy distribution with an energy threshold, and calculates a first region in the first three-dimensional energy distribution where the energy is greater than the energy threshold and a second region in the second three-dimensional energy distribution where the energy is greater than the energy threshold. The processing unit 505 monitors the change of the ratio or difference between the first region and the second region, and controls the display 507 to display a warning signal when the ratio or difference changes and exceeds the change threshold.

[0100] It must be noted that the physiological detection system of this embodiment may include more than two physiological detection devices to monitor different body parts. And when there is an imbalance or obvious difference between the obtained multiple three-dimensional energy distributions, the processing unit 45 controls the display 47 to give a prompt.

[0101] In other embodiments, the data of the changes in the superficial skin microcirculation vessels can be detected by non-optical means, such as Doppler detection, as long as the resolution requirements are met. For example, the sensing pixel size is preferably between 5×5μm - 10×10μm, and the sensing array size is preferably between 240×240 - 480×480, and it is not limited to the optical detection method. That is, regardless of whether the physiological detection system includes a light source, it includes a sensing array and a processing unit. The sensing array is used to detect the array-type microcirculation data of the skin dermis layer to simultaneously reflect the states of different skin regions; wherein, the sensing array includes a plurality of pixel regions. In the optical detection, the plurality of pixel regions are photosensitive pixels; in other detection methods, the plurality of pixel regions are corresponding sensing pixels. The processing unit is used to judge different microcirculation states according to the change of the array-type microcirculation data over time; wherein, the change includes, for example, the change of the change amount of the microcirculation data and the change of the average value.

[0102] Monitoring other characteristics of microcirculation is also helpful for the early detection of peripheral vascular disease. For example Figure 6A and Figure 6B the round-trip frequency of the ring pattern over time can reflect the frequency of the precapillary sphincter opening and closing the precapillaries per minute. The present invention also proposes a microcirculation detection system and a detection method for detecting the biphasic blood flow response without using the Doppler method. The oscillation frequency of the ring pattern detected by the microcirculation detection system of the present invention over time is different from the heart rate, about 5 - 10 times per minute.

[0103] Please refer to Figure 10A shown, which is a block diagram of the microcirculation detection system 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Similar to Figure 4 the array-type physiological detection system 400, the microcirculation detection system 1000 of this embodiment also includes a light source 1001, a photosensitive array 1003, and a processing unit 1005, wherein the types of the light source 1001, the photosensitive array 1003, and the processing unit 1005 are respectively the same as those of the above light source 41, the photosensitive array 43, and the processing unit 45, so they will not be described in detail here.

[0104] The arrangement mode of the light source 1001 and the photosensitive array 1003 relative to the skin surface can be referred to, for example, Figure 4。The light source 1001 is used for emitting light to illuminate the skin area. Among them, the wavelength of the light is preferably between 500 nanometers and 550 nanometers to facilitate the tissue depth of the capillary before detection. The photosensitive array 1003 is used to detect the outgoing light of the skin area and output a plurality of PPG signals. Among them, each PPG signal can be referred to, for example, Figure 2B 。The photosensitive array 1003 includes a plurality of pixel areas arranged in an array (such as Figure 2A shown) for respectively outputting brightness change signals as one of the plurality of PPG signals. Each of the plurality of pixel areas includes at least one photosensitive pixel. When a pixel area includes a plurality of photosensitive pixels, the photosensitive array 1003 has a circuit to perform an addition operation on the detection signals of the plurality of photosensitive pixels in a pixel area and output a sum of brightness change signals as the PPG signal of the pixel area.

[0105] The processing unit 1005 also converts the plurality of PPG signals into an array energy distribution (such as the three-dimensional energy distribution shown in Figure 2D ) and identifies the circular pattern in the array energy distribution. For example, it identifies the first circular pattern ED1 (or the one shown in Figure 6A ) in the array energy distribution at the first time point and the second circular pattern ED2 (or the one shown in Figure 6B ) in the array energy distribution at the second time point, where the first time point is different from the second time point. As mentioned above, the array energy distribution is the energy value distribution of the spectral energy of the plurality of PPG signals at a predetermined frequency (such as the heart rate or its multiple frequency) relative to the two-dimensional space of the plurality of pixel areas. The circular pattern in the array energy distribution oscillates with time, for example, oscillating repeatedly between ED1 and ED2. When the skin surface temperature of the skin area being detected remains substantially fixed, the oscillation frequency (times / minute) of the circular pattern remains substantially fixed.

[0106] In addition, the microcirculation detection system 1000 of this embodiment further includes a heating device 1002 for heating the skin area and a timer 1006 for timing the heating period of the heating device 1002. The timer 1006 can be selected from known devices and is not particularly limited as long as it can be controlled by the processing unit 1005 to start timing when the heating device 1002 starts heating. The processing unit 1005 can also reset the timer 1006 before each start of timing.

[0107] Please refer to Figure 10BAs shown, it is a schematic diagram of the operation of the microcirculation detection system 1000 according to the illustrative embodiment of the present invention. In a non-limiting embodiment, the heating device 1002 includes, for example, a chamber 1021 and a heater 1022. The chamber 1021 is used to accommodate the skin area to be detected. For example, when the skin area to be detected is on the user's hand, the chamber 1021 has an opening 1023 for the user to insert their hand into the chamber 1021 through the opening 1023. It can be understood that when the chamber 1021 is used to accommodate other body parts (such as the foot), the opening 1023 can be located on different surfaces of the chamber 1021 to facilitate the user to insert the body part for detection.

[0108] The heater 1022 can be, for example, an infrared lamp or an electric heating tube, which is disposed inside the chamber 1021 and is used to heat the gas inside the chamber 1021. The infrared lamp can also heat the skin area to be detected through radiant heat. It can be understood that when the user's hand is inserted into the chamber 1021, the skin area to be detected can be uniformly heated by heating the gas inside the chamber 1021. In other embodiments, contact heating can also be selected to directly heat the skin area to be detected. More specifically, the type of the heater 1022 is not limited as long as it can heat the skin surface temperature.

[0109] At the same time, in order to record the skin surface temperature of the skin area to be detected, the microcirculation detection system 1000 of the present embodiment further includes a temperature sensor 1043 for measuring the skin surface temperature. The advantage of uniformly heating the user's hand is that the skin surface temperature measured by the temperature sensor 1043 on different fingers (such as Figure 10B shown as the fourth finger) can be regarded as the skin surface temperature of the skin area to be detected (such as Figure 10B shown as the second finger placed on the light source 1001 and the photosensitive array 1003). The measured temperature Ts of the temperature sensor 1043 is transmitted to the buffer memory 1051 for recording for access by the processing unit 1005. In addition, the microcirculation detection system 1000 may further include a temperature sensor 1041 for measuring the chamber temperature Tc inside the chamber 1021 and transmitting it to the buffer memory 1051 for recording for access by the processing unit 1005. The buffer memory 1051 can be a volatile memory and can be included inside or outside the processing unit 1005, without specific limitation.

[0110] Referring to Figure 11 shown, it shows the chamber temperature Tc of the microcirculation detection system 1000 of the present embodiment and the heated skin temperature (such as Figure 10BSchematic diagram during heating (shown as the left hand). In some embodiments, another temperature sensor can be selectively used to record the temperature of normal skin temperature (such as the right hand) to confirm whether the skin heating process is normal. Generally, the heating period can be set to 12 to 15 minutes according to different users. From Figure 11 it can be seen that as the chamber temperature Tc rises, the heated skin temperature will be heated to a higher skin surface temperature.

[0111] During the process of using the heating device 1002 to heat the skin area to be detected, the photosensitive array 1003 continuously detects the emitted light of the skin area and outputs a plurality of PPG signals at different time points, and the plurality of PPG signals at each time point are used to form an array energy distribution. The processing unit 1005 then identifies the circular pattern in each array energy distribution at a predetermined frequency (such as frame rate), and calculates the frequency change of the oscillation of the circular pattern during the heating period. In a non-limiting embodiment, the oscillation of the circular pattern is determined by the oscillation of the energy amplitude at a position corresponding to at least one of the plurality of pixel regions in the circular pattern of the array energy distribution.

[0112] In another non-limiting embodiment, the oscillation of the circular pattern is determined by the pattern oscillation of the first circular pattern ED1 and the second circular pattern ED2. For example, the processing unit 1005 first selects and stores the first circular pattern ED1 and the second circular pattern ED2 (such as stored in a frame buffer), where the first circular pattern ED1 and the second circular pattern ED2 are substantially out of phase with each other. During the heating period, the processing unit 1005 compares the circular pattern identified each time with the stored first circular pattern ED1 and second circular pattern ED2 for similarity or correlation to confirm its reciprocating change. When some circular patterns identified during the heating period sequentially belong to the first circular pattern ED1 (such as the similarity or correlation is higher than a threshold) and the second circular pattern ED2, the oscillation frequency can be calculated.

[0113] For example, referring to Figure 12 shown, it is a schematic diagram of the frequency change detected by the microcirculation detection system 1000 according to the illustrative embodiment of the present invention. Figure 12 It shows that the oscillation frequency of the circular pattern appears peaks (i.e., the highest oscillation frequency) at the 2nd minute and the 11th minute after the start of heating, and this phenomenon is generally referred to as the biphasic flow response. In order to detect this biphasic (i.e., two peaks), the processing unit 1005 also determines whether the frequency change (such as the change in the number of reciprocations between ED1 and ED2 per minute) has peaks in the first time interval and the second time interval during the heating period, where the first time interval is selected as the 2nd to 5th minutes during the heating period; the second time interval is selected as the 10th to 15th minutes during the heating period. Figure 12The frequency change of normal-temperature skin is also simultaneously displayed as a control group. During actual operation, the microcirculation detection system 1000 can record only the frequency change of the circular pattern of the heated skin and not the frequency change of the normal-temperature skin (i.e., unheated skin).

[0114] In addition, the microcirculation detection system 1000 of the embodiment of the present invention further includes a prompting device 1008 for prompting the detection result by means of images, sounds, vibrations, light signals, radio waves, etc. For example, when the prompting device 1008 is a display, the display can be used to display circular patterns at different time points (such as Figure 10A the first circular pattern ED1 and the second circular pattern ED2), frequency changes (such as in the form of Figure 12 a bar chart or a line chart), heating time (such as represented by numbers or a line chart), chamber temperature, and skin surface temperature (such as represented by numbers or a line chart), at least one of them. When the processing unit 1005 determines that at least one of the first time interval and the second time interval does not have a peak value, it indicates that the blood flow regulation of the user's microcirculation may be abnormal, and then controls the prompting device 1008 to issue a prompt.

[0115] Please refer to Figure 13 as shown, which is a flowchart of the detection method of the microcirculation detection system of the embodiment of the present invention. This detection method is applicable to, for example, Figure 10A and Figure 10B the microcirculation detection system 1000. The detection method of this embodiment includes: illuminating a skin area with a light source (step S131); heating the skin area with a heating device (step S132); detecting the outgoing light of the skin area with a photosensitive array and outputting a plurality of PPG signals (step S133); converting the plurality of PPG signals into an array energy distribution by a processing unit (step S134); and identifying two peak values of the frequency change of the energy oscillation at a predetermined position in the array energy distribution during two predetermined time intervals during the heating period by the processing unit (step S135).

[0116] First, turn on the light source 1001 to irradiate the skin area and heat the skin area with the heating device 1002 (steps S131 - 132). In a non-limiting embodiment, the light source 1001 can be set to start emitting light when the heating device 1002 is turned on. The light source 1001, the temperature sensor 1043, and the photosensitive array 1003 can be directly disposed inside the chamber 1021, or first configured on the user's body part and then placed inside the chamber 1021.

[0117] In a non-limiting embodiment, the photosensitive array 1003 is configured to start outputting a plurality of PPG signals only when the heating device 1002 starts heating the chamber 1021, wherein the number of PPG signals is determined according to the number of pixel regions (step S133).

[0118] The processing unit 1005 then distributes the spectral energy of the plurality of PPG signals at a predetermined frequency in a two-dimensional space relative to the plurality of pixel regions to form an array energy distribution. For example, Figure 10A ED1 and ED2 in are the array energy distributions at different time points (step S134).

[0119] The processing unit 1005 is configured to select a predetermined position in the array energy distribution, such as a position where the energy oscillation of at least one of the plurality of pixel regions exceeds a threshold value, which may be the centroid position, the center of gravity position, or the center point of a circular pattern, etc. The processing unit 1005 calculates the frequency change of the predetermined position during the heating period, as shown in Figure 12 As shown. As described above, the processing unit 1005 determines two peaks in two predetermined time intervals (the 2nd to 5th minutes and the 10th to 15th minutes) during the heating period (step S135). When there is no peak in the frequency change in at least one predetermined time interval, the processing unit 1005 controls the prompting device 1008 to give a prompt. In addition, the display 1008 can also be used to display the operation results of the processing unit 1005, including the image of the circular pattern, the numbers or graphs of the frequency change, the recorded temperature, and the heating time, etc. The processing unit 1005 can also transmit the operation results to an external device through a communication interface or a network.

[0120] In the detection method described in the present invention, the processing unit 1005 can calculate the frequency change according to the oscillation between two selected circular patterns as described above.

[0121] In this embodiment, it is preferably to start recording the frequency change only after the circular pattern can be recognized. If the processing unit 1005 cannot recognize the circular pattern, the position of the lighting source can be changed, the wearing tightness can be adjusted, etc. as described above to obtain an array energy distribution including the circular pattern, and then the skin area can be heated and detected. The circular pattern described in the present invention is similar to the water ripples formed when a stone is dropped into water.

[0122] The description of the present invention is applicable to the monitoring of transdermal drug delivery systems. A transdermal drug delivery system refers to a drug delivery mechanism in which, after the drug is administered through the skin, it passes through the skin at a certain rate, is absorbed through the microcirculation blood vessels, and then enters the human circulation to produce a drug effect. The advantages are that it can avoid the first-pass effect of the liver and the destruction of the drug by the gastrointestinal tract, and thus can achieve effects such as reducing the number of drug administrations, extending the time interval between drug administrations, and maintaining the effective blood drug concentration in the blood, so as to improve the curative effect.

[0123] The description of the present invention can be used to monitor the absorption response of drugs by microcirculation blood vessels. When the amplitude change of the microcirculation blood vessels increases and the heart rate also increases, it can be determined that the transdermal drug delivery system is continuously in action. When the amplitude change, heart rate, and average amplitude value of the microcirculation blood vessels all return to the previous normal range, it can be known that the transdermal drug delivery system has completed its action, and subsequent treatment courses, such as re-administering the drug, etc., can be carried out. In other words, the array-type physiological detection system described in the present invention can reflect the drug delivery state of the microcirculation through three-dimensional spectral energy, and it can display the drug delivery effect.

[0124] Diseases such as atherosclerosis and peripheral neuropathy are likely to occur in the limbs of diabetic patients. Atherosclerosis can lead to tissue ischemia and necrosis, and peripheral neuropathy can lead to motor weakness and sensory loss. Since the microcirculation blood vessels are innervated by the sympathetic nerves, monitoring the changes in the microcirculation blood vessels can early warn diabetic patients whether the aforementioned diseases occur.

[0125] The description of the present invention can monitor the changes in the microcirculation blood vessels. When the amplitude change and the average amplitude value of the microcirculation blood vessels of diabetic patients show a decrease over time, it can be known that the blood vessels are gradually losing their function. In other words, the array-type physiological detection system described in the present invention can reflect the degenerative state of the microcirculation through three-dimensional spectral energy, and it can display the degree of the lesion.

[0126] The description of the present invention can also observe the microcirculation response of a patient when an external stimulus is applied to the patient. For example, when observing whether a patient has peripheral neuropathy, external cold and heat stimuli are applied. At this time, if the microcirculation shows a decrease in amplitude change and the heart rate does not increase, it means that the peripheral nerves are inactive and lesions may occur. In other words, the array-type physiological detection system described in the present invention can reflect the response state of the microcirculation through three-dimensional spectral energy, and it can display the nerve activity.

[0127] Burn patients are prone to hypovolemic shock, increased fragility and permeability of microcirculation blood vessels, etc. due to the loss of skin protection in the local area. Since such conditions develop rapidly, if the rescue is not timely, multiple organ dysfunction syndrome may occur. The present invention can be used to monitor the peripheral tissue circulation of burn patients, thereby monitoring the course changes of the patients to avoid the occurrence of more dangerous conditions. In other words, the array-type physiological detection system described in the present invention can reflect the operation state of microcirculation through three-dimensional spectral energy, and it can display the course changes.

[0128] Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been clinically proven to effectively improve the tissue microcirculation after radiotherapy, and has significant curative effects on radiation osteonecrosis or soft tissue necrosis. When patients receive hyperbaric oxygen therapy, the present invention can be used to monitor the changes in the treatment effect. When the amplitude change of the microcirculation blood vessels increases and the heart rate also increases, it means that the microcirculation blood vessels are gradually recovering their activity and the treatment is gradually taking effect. In other words, the array-type physiological detection system described in the present invention can reflect the recovery state of microcirculation through three-dimensional spectral energy, and it can display the treatment effect.

[0129] Shock is a progressive process. When the circulatory system loses the ability to support the body's metabolism, resulting in insufficient blood perfusion of body tissues or organs, the oxygen delivered to the body cannot be fully utilized by each part of the tissue, so that abnormal cell metabolism occurs, causing cell damage or death. When a patient begins to develop shock, it will cause the dilation of microcirculation blood vessels. At this time, blood accumulates in the microcirculation. If it cannot be effectively removed, it may lead to a serious shock condition.

[0130] By applying the present invention, it is possible to synchronously observe whether there is an effect when treating a patient for shock relief. If it has been shown that the average value of the amplitude signal of the microcirculation blood vessels is quite high, and the amplitude change of the amplitude signal is not high, and the heart rate continues to maintain at a high frequency, it means that the relief treatment has not taken effect, and vice versa. In other words, the array-type physiological detection system described in the present invention can reflect the recovery state of microcirculation through three-dimensional spectral energy, and it can display the relief effect.

[0131] Typical in a state of excessive exercise are heat exhaustion and heat stroke reactions. When the human body is in such a state, the blood circulation in the skin increases, and at this time, the blood pumped out by the heart also needs to increase accordingly. When there is insufficient blood, the blood in the body is redistributed, reducing the blood circulation in internal organs and increasing the blood circulation in the skin to assist sweating and dissipate the heat in the body. By using the present invention during exercise, when the average value of the amplitude signal of the microcirculation blood vessels is quite high, the amplitude change of the amplitude signal is not high, and at the same time, the heart rate continues to maintain a relatively high frequency, it can appropriately remind the user that they may be in a state of excessive exercise and it is not suitable to continue exercising. In other words, the array-type physiological detection system described in the present invention can reflect the blood distribution state of microcirculation through three-dimensional spectral energy, and it can display the heat dissipation effect.

[0132] Microcirculation has functions such as regulating tissue blood flow, supplying nutrients to cells, and removing metabolic products. The amount of local blood volume can represent relative temperature changes. Through the present invention, the relative changes in the temperature of the microcirculation in the peripheral tissues can be detected. When the average value of the amplitude signal of the microcirculation blood vessels in the local tissue is high, it represents an increase in temperature, and vice versa. In other words, the array-type physiological detection system described in the present invention can reflect the temperature state of microcirculation through three-dimensional spectral energy, and it can display the local blood volume.

[0133] So far, there is still no effective and conveniently portable product for detecting the sympathetic nerves of the peripheral tissues of autistic patients / infants / pets in the microcirculation blood vessels. The walls of the arteries and arterioles in the microcirculation blood vessels are composed of smooth muscle, which is innervated by the sympathetic nerves. It controls the opening and closing of the microcirculation blood vessels, thereby determining the blood supply to the tissues. Through the present invention, the active state of the sympathetic nerves can be indirectly inferred by observing the change trend of the microcirculation blood vessels in the periphery. When the sympathetic nerves are active, the change trend of the microcirculation blood vessels will also tend to be active, and vice versa. In other words, the array-type physiological detection system described in the present invention can reflect the blood supply state of microcirculation through three-dimensional spectral energy, and it can display the active state of the sympathetic nerves.

[0134] The present invention can also be applied to judge heart function or systemic vascular defects or sclerosis. After integrating all the signals of the expansion and contraction changes of the superficial microvessels into a single result, it will have different energies at different frequencies. Generally speaking, the signal representing energy should appear at the multiple frequency of the heart rate, and at the same time, the signal energy will be maintained within a normal range. This range varies from person to person, but for the same user, its change over time should not be too large. Therefore, if the signal representing energy appears in a range other than the multiple frequency of the heart rate, or for example, when the energy of the signal deviates from the normal range over time, it means that the heart or blood vessel function of the user is abnormal and further examination is needed.

[0135] For example, when a signal representing energy appears in a range other than the multiple frequency of the heartbeat frequency, it may indicate a defect in the user's heart function, such as a valve defect. When the energy of the signal exceeds the normal range by a large amount over time, it may indicate that the user has arteriosclerosis, so the heart needs to increase its output power to transport blood throughout the body. In other words, the array-type physiological detection system described in the present invention can reflect the abnormal state of microcirculation through three-dimensional spectral energy, and it can display heart function.

[0136] In the above description, the amplitude change refers to the change in three-dimensional spectral energy, and the average amplitude value refers to the average value of the three-dimensional spectral energy; among them, the distribution of the three-dimensional spectral energy is similar to Figure 2D . In the above description, the number of effective pixels refers to the number of pixels within the observation window WOI. The numerical values given in the embodiments described in the present invention are only for illustration and are not used to limit the present invention.

[0137] Although the description of the present invention has been disclosed through the foregoing examples, it is not used to limit the description of the present invention. Any person with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the description of the present invention belongs can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the description of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the description of the present invention shall be subject to the scope defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A physiological detection device, the physiological detection device comprising: A light source for emitting light to illuminate a skin area; A photosensitive array for detecting the emitted light of the skin area during heating and outputting a plurality of PPG signals, wherein the photosensitive array comprises a plurality of pixel areas arranged in an array for respectively outputting brightness change signals as the plurality of PPG signals; and A processing unit for Converting the plurality of PPG signals into an array energy distribution, Identifying a circular pattern in the array energy distribution, and Calculating the frequency change of the oscillation of the circular pattern during the heating period, Among them, The wavelength of the light source is between 300 nanometers and 940 nanometers.

2. The physiological detection device according to claim 1, further comprising a display for displaying at least one of the circular pattern, the frequency change, the heating temperature, and the skin surface temperature at different time points.

3. The physiological detection device according to claim 1, wherein the heating period is 15 minutes.

4. A physiological detection device, the physiological detection device comprising: A light source for emitting light to illuminate a skin area; A photosensitive array for detecting the emitted light of the skin area during heating and outputting a plurality of PPG signals, wherein the photosensitive array comprises a plurality of pixel areas arranged in an array for respectively outputting brightness change signals as the plurality of PPG signals; and A processing unit for Converting the plurality of PPG signals into an array energy distribution, Identifying a first circular pattern in the array energy distribution at a first time point and a second circular pattern in the array energy distribution at a second time point, and Determine whether the frequency changes of the reciprocating frequencies of the first annular pattern and the second annular pattern respectively have peaks in a first time interval and a second time interval during the heating period, wherein, The wavelength of the light source is between 300 nanometers and 940 nanometers.

5. The physiological detection device according to claim 4, wherein The first time interval is from the 2nd to the 5th minute of the heating period; and The second time interval is from the 10th to the 15th minute of the heating period.

6. The physiological detection device according to claim 4, further comprising a prompting device, and the processing unit is further used for When it is determined that at least one of the first time interval and the second time interval does not have the peak value, controlling the prompting device to issue a prompt.

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