Blood flow measurement device and blood flow measurement method

Abstract

A blood flow measurement device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure can irradiate light to a first position of a subject and a second position located in a first direction of the first position, obtain intensities of reflected light at the first position and the second position, and determine a first value, which is a difference in the intensities of the respective reflected light. The method includes irradiating light to a third position of the object, the third position being located in a second direction opposite to the first direction of the second position, obtaining an intensity of the reflected light at the third position, determining a second value which is a difference in the intensity of the reflected light at each of the second position and the third position, and determining a second value which is a difference in the intensity of the reflected light at each of the second position and the third position. A blood flow direction in the subject is determined on the basis of the first value and the second value. There may also be various additional embodiments.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various embodiments disclosed herein relate to a blood flow measurement device and a blood flow measurement method using the same. Background Art

[0002] The method of measuring blood flow using ultrasound may be a method of irradiating the surface of a subject with ultrasound and receiving the reflected ultrasound to obtain blood flow-related information in a non-invasive manner.

[0003] A method of measuring blood flow using a light source (eg, laser) may be a method of administering a contrast agent (eg, ICG (indocyanine green)) that causes a fluorescent reaction to a subject, obtaining a fluorescent image of blood vessels in the subject, and obtaining information related to blood flow. Summary of the invention

[0004] Technical issues

[0005] In the method of measuring blood flow using ultrasound, a probe that outputs ultrasound needs to be brought into contact with the surface of an object, and accurate information related to blood flow can only be measured when the probe is brought into contact with the surface of the object at a specific angle.

[0006] In the method of measuring blood flow using a light source, the presence or absence of blood flow can be visually determined using an image obtained by a fluorescence reaction. The method of measuring blood flow using a fluorescence image is a qualitative method that requires visual confirmation. In order to confirm the direction of blood flow in a specific blood vessel, it is necessary to be able to visually observe and confirm the direction of the fluorescence reaction at a specified time (e.g., the time it takes for a contrast agent to diffuse in a specific blood vessel after administration).

[0007] In the method of measuring blood flow using a light source, since a contrast agent needs to be administered to the blood vessels of the subject, side effects due to the administration of the contrast agent may occur. In order to minimize the side effects of the contrast agent, the number of blood flow measurements is limited.

[0008] Solutions to the problem

[0009] The blood flow measurement device of various embodiments disclosed herein may include: a light output device that outputs light of a preset wavelength band; a light receiving sensor that receives light output from the light output device and reflected by an object; and a processor. The processor may control the light output device in a manner of irradiating light to a first position of the object and a second position located in a first direction of the first position, obtain the intensity of the reflected light at the first position and the second position from the light receiving sensor that receives the reflected light reflected at the first position and the second position, determine a first value that is a difference in the intensity of the reflected light at the first position and the second position, control the light output device in a manner of irradiating light to a third position of the object, the third position being located in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction of the second position, then obtain the intensity of the reflected light at the third position from the light receiving sensor that receives the reflected light reflected at the third position, determine a second value that is a difference in the intensity of the reflected light at the second position and the third position, and determine the blood flow direction in the object based on the first value and the second value.

[0010] The blood flow measurement device of various embodiments disclosed herein may include: a light output device that outputs light of a preset wavelength band; a light receiving sensor that receives light output from the light output device and reflected by an object; and a processor. The processor may control the light output device in a manner of irradiating light twice to a first position of the object, obtain twice the intensity of the reflected light at the first position from the light receiving sensor that receives the reflected light reflected at the first position twice, determine the difference between the values ​​obtained twice as a first value, and calculate the blood flow velocity in the object based on the first value and pre-stored conversion information.

[0011] The blood flow measurement method of various embodiments disclosed herein utilizes a blood flow measurement device including a light output device that outputs light of a preset wavelength band, a light receiving sensor that receives light output from the light output device and reflected by an object, and a processor. The method may include: an action of irradiating light to a first position of the object and a second position located in a first direction of the first position by means of the light output device; an action of obtaining the intensity of reflected light at each of the first position and the second position from the light receiving sensor by means of the processor; an action of determining a first value as the difference in intensity of reflected light at each of the first position and the second position by means of the processor; an action of irradiating light to a third position of the object by means of the light output device, wherein the third position is located in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction of the second position; an action of obtaining the intensity of reflected light reflected at the third position from the light receiving sensor by means of the processor; an action of determining a second value as the difference in intensity of reflected light at each of the second position and the third position by means of the processor; and an action of determining the blood flow direction in the object based on the first value and the second value by means of the processor.

[0012] Various embodiments disclosed herein utilize a blood flow measurement device including a light output device that outputs light in a preset wavelength band, a light receiving sensor that receives light output from the light output device and reflected by an object body, and a processor. The method may include: an action of irradiating light twice to a first position of the object body with the aid of the light output device; an action of obtaining the intensity of the reflected light at the first position from the light receiving sensor twice with the aid of the processor; an action of determining the difference between the values ​​obtained twice as a first value with the aid of the processor; and an action of calculating the blood flow velocity in the object body based on the first value and pre-stored transformation information with the aid of the processor.

[0013] Effects of the Invention

[0014] The blood flow measurement devices of various embodiments of the present disclosure utilize a light source to measure blood flow, and thus blood flow-related information can be obtained without directly contacting the surface of the subject's body.

[0015] The blood flow measurement device of various embodiments of the present disclosure can measure the intensity of reflected light output from a light source and reflected by an object to obtain blood flow related information.

[0016] The blood flow measurement device of various embodiments of the present disclosure does not use contrast agents, but utilizes the measurement value of the reflected light intensity, thereby preventing the occurrence of side effects caused by the use of contrast agents and is not restricted by the number of measurements and the measurement time. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a blood flow measurement device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating a blood flow measurement method according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating a blood flow measurement method according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 4 1 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the blood flow measurement device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figures 5a to 5c is a graph illustrating the frequency of blood flow velocity values ​​calculated by measuring difference values ​​of reflected light intensities according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 6 It is an operation flow chart of the blood flow measurement device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 7 It is an operation flow chart of the blood flow measurement device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 8 It is an operation flow chart of the blood flow measurement device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0025] Fig. 9 It is an operation flow chart of the blood flow measurement device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0026] Fig.10 is a diagram illustrating a blood flow measurement method according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The various embodiments described herein are provided for the purpose of clearly illustrating the technical concept of the present disclosure, and are not intended to be limited to specific implementation forms. The technical concept of the present disclosure includes various modifications, equivalents, alternatives, and embodiments of selectively combining all or part of the various embodiments described herein. In addition, the scope of rights of the technical concept of the present disclosure is not limited by the various embodiments or specific descriptions thereof suggested below.

[0028] The terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, may have the meaning generally understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs, unless otherwise defined.

[0029] As used herein, expressions such as "include", "may include", "have", "may have", "have", "may have", etc., mean that the features that become the object (e.g., function, action or component, etc.) exist, and do not exclude the existence of other additional features. That is, such expressions should be understood as open-ended terms that include the possibility of including other embodiments.

[0030] The singular expressions used herein may include the plural meaning unless otherwise indicated in the context, and the same applies to the singular expressions described in the claims.

[0031] In association with the accompanying drawings, similar figure numerals may be used for similar or related components. The singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of the items, as long as the relevant context does not explicitly indicate otherwise. In this document, statements such as "A or B", "at least one of A and B", "at least one of A or B", "A, B or C", "at least one of A, B and C" and "at least one of A, B or C" may respectively include any one of the items listed together with the related statements in the statement or all possible combinations of them. Terms such as "1st", "2nd" or "first" or "second" may be used simply to distinguish related components from other related components, without limiting the related components in other aspects (e.g., importance or order).

[0032] The expression of "unit" used in this article can be a general concept including software or hardware components such as FPGA (field-programmable gate array), ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) and optical components. However, "unit" is not limited to hardware and software. "Unit" can be constructed in a way of being stored in an addressable storage medium or in a way of running one or more processors. In one embodiment, "unit" can include components such as software components, object-pointing software components, class components and task components, processors, functions, attributes, programs, subroutines, fragments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuits, data, databases, data structures, worksheets, arrays and variables.

[0033] The expression "based on to" used in this article is used to record one or more factors that affect the determination, judgment, behavior or action described in the sentence or article containing the relevant expression, and the expression does not exclude additional factors that affect the relevant determination, judgment, behavior or action.

[0034] As used in this document, the expression "connected to" or "linked to" a certain component (for example, the first component) may mean that not only is the certain component directly connected to or linked to the other component, but the certain component may also be connected or linked via another new component (for example, the third component) as a medium.

[0035] The expression "configured to" used herein may have the meanings of "set in a manner of ...", "having a ... capability", "changed in a manner of ...", "formed in a manner of ...", "capable of ...", etc., depending on the context. The expression is not limited to the meaning of "specially designed in hardware". For example, a processor configured to perform a specific action may refer to a generic-purpose processor that can perform its specific action by running software.

[0036] The following describes various embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings and the descriptions of the accompanying drawings, the same or substantially equivalent components may be given the same reference numerals. In addition, in the description of the following various embodiments, repeated descriptions of the same or corresponding components may be omitted, but this does not mean that the relevant components are not included in the embodiment.

[0037] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a blood flow measurement device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0038] If reference Figure 1 The blood flow measurement device 100 of various embodiments may include a processor 110, a light output device 120, a light receiving sensor 130, a speaker 140, a display screen 150, or a memory 160. Figure 1 Part of the structure shown is also not an obstacle in embodying the various embodiments disclosed herein.

[0039] According to various embodiments, the processor 110 may be a component capable of executing control and / or communication-related operations or data processing of each component (e.g., the light output device 120) of the blood flow measurement device 100. The processor 110 may be operatively connected to the components of the blood flow measurement device 100, for example. The processor 110 may load commands or data received from other components of the blood flow measurement device 100 into the memory 160, process the commands or data stored in the memory 160, and store the result data.

[0040] According to various embodiments, the light output device 120 can output light of a preset wavelength band and irradiate the object. For example, the light output device 120 can irradiate light to a specific position of the object for measuring blood flow. For example, the light output device 120 can move the area on the object where the light is irradiated in a specific direction. For example, the light output device 120 can irradiate light at a first position of the object, and after a preset time, irradiate light at a second position.

[0041] The light output device 120 according to various embodiments may include a light source 121 , a mirror 123 , a driving part 125 , or a lens 127 .

[0042] According to various embodiments, the light source 121 may output light of a preset wavelength band. The preset wavelength band may be, for example, a wavelength of an infrared wavelength band. The preset wavelength band is not limited to a wavelength of an infrared wavelength band, and may also include a wavelength band visible to the human eye (e.g., visible light). The light source 121 may be, for example, a laser.

[0043] According to various embodiments, the mirror 123 may change the path of light so that the light output from the light source 121 may illuminate a target area of ​​the object. For example, the mirror 123 may rotate with an arbitrary axis as a reference.

[0044] The driving unit 125 according to various embodiments may adjust the angle of the mirror 123 based on the control of the processor 110. The driving unit 125 may rotate the angle of the mirror 123 in a specific direction, for example, to move the position where light is irradiated on the object.

[0045] The lens 127 according to various embodiments may be a lens 127 that collimates incident light so that it passes through the lens 127 and travels in parallel. The lens 127 may be, for example, an f-theta lens 127 that corrects a focus formed in an arc shape so that it is formed on one plane. The f-theta lens 127 may be, for example, a lens 127 that refracts and diffracts the irradiated light to correct the path of the light and the size of the cross-sectional area of ​​the light.

[0046] The light receiving sensor 130 according to various embodiments may receive light output from the light output device 120 and reflected by an object, and generate an electrical signal indicating the intensity of the received light. Such an electrical signal may be transmitted to the processor 110 .

[0047] The speaker 140 according to various embodiments may output various audio sounds based on the control of the processor 110. The display screen 150 according to various embodiments may display various pictures based on the control of the processor 110.

[0048] The memory 160 according to various embodiments may store instructions regarding actions of the processor 110 .

[0049] exist Figure 1 The light receiving sensor 130 is shown as being independent of the light output device 120, but this is only one embodiment. In other embodiments, the light receiving sensor 130 may be included in the light output device 120. In addition, at least one of the mirror 123, the driving unit 125, and the lens 127 of the light output device 120 may be configured independently of the light output device 120.

[0050] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating a blood flow measurement method according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, Figure 2 It may be a diagram showing a state where light is irradiated onto blood vessels included in a target area of ​​a subject.

[0051] If reference Figure 2 According to various embodiments, the processor 110 may control the light output device 120 to irradiate light to a specific position in a target area of ​​the object. The target area of ​​the object may be, for example, an area of ​​a predetermined size (e.g., 50 mm*50 mm) including a blood vessel 210 whose blood flow is to be measured. The processor 110 may set the target area based on user input, for example.

[0052] According to various embodiments, light of a preset wavelength band irradiated to a specific position of the object body may react with a specific substance contained in the blood and be reflected. According to various embodiments, the processor 110 may obtain the intensity of the reflected light in the relevant specific position from the light receiving sensor 130 that receives the reflected light reflected by the specific position. The processor 110 may, for example, irradiate light having a preset wavelength band to the specific position of the object body through the light output device 120. If the light output from the light output device 120 is reflected by the object body and received by the light receiving sensor 130, the light receiving sensor 130 may generate a signal indicating the intensity of the received light. The processor 110 may receive the relevant signal from the light receiving sensor 130 and determine the intensity of the reflected light reflected at the specific position. For example, when irradiating a laser of an infrared wavelength band, the irradiated light may react with the red blood cells 220 in the blood and be reflected. The light receiving sensor 130 may receive the light reflected by the red blood cells 220 and generate an electrical signal indicating the intensity of the received light. The processor 110 may receive the relevant signal from the light receiving sensor 130 and determine the intensity of the reflected light.

[0053] According to various embodiments, the intensity of the reflected light measured varies according to the area occupied by the specific substance that reacts with the light within the cross-sectional area 230 of the irradiated light. For example, the larger the area occupied by the red blood cells 220 within the cross-sectional area 230 of the irradiated infrared light, the greater the intensity of the reflected light measured. For example, the smaller the area occupied by the red blood cells 220 within the cross-sectional area 230 of the irradiated infrared light, the smaller the intensity of the reflected light.

[0054] like Figure 2 As shown, a specific substance (e.g., red blood cell 220) contained in a blood vessel 210 of a subject can move from position 1 to position 3 via position 2 according to the direction of blood flow. When the red blood cell 220 is at position 1, the area of ​​the red blood cell 220 contained in the cross-sectional area 230 of the irradiated light is relatively small, and thus the intensity of the reflected light to be measured is relatively small. When the red blood cell 220 is at position 2, the area of ​​the red blood cell 220 contained in the cross-sectional area 230 of the irradiated light is relatively large, and thus the intensity of the reflected light to be measured is relatively large.

[0055] According to various embodiments, the processor 110 can calculate the blood flow velocity by measuring the change in the intensity of the reflected light at a specific position of the object. For example, the processor 110 can irradiate light to a specific position (or a predetermined position) of the object through the light output device 120. The light receiving sensor 130 can measure the intensity of the reflected light reflected at the specific position twice at a preset time interval. For example, the light receiving sensor 130 can receive the reflected light reflected at the specific position and generate an electrical signal representing the intensity of the received light. The processor 110 can receive a related signal from the light receiving sensor 130 to determine the intensity of the reflected light. The processor 110 can calculate the difference between the measured values ​​of the two measurements. The processor 110 can calculate the blood flow velocity based on the calculated difference value and the pre-stored transformation information.

[0056] For example, when the red blood cells are present at position 1, the intensity of the reflected light measured by the processor 110 through the light receiving sensor 130 may be assumed to be 5. After a preset time has passed, when the red blood cells move to position 2, for example, the intensity of the reflected light measured by the processor 110 through the light receiving sensor 130 may be 5.7. The processor 110 may calculate the difference in the intensity of the reflected light measured twice as 0.7.

[0057] For example, when the red blood cells are present at position 2, the intensity of the reflected light measured by the processor 110 through the light receiving sensor 130 may be assumed to be 5.7. After a preset time has passed, when the red blood cells move to position 3, for example, the intensity of the reflected light measured by the processor 110 through the light receiving sensor 130 may be 5. The processor 110 may calculate the difference in the intensity of the reflected light measured twice as 0.7.

[0058] According to various embodiments, the blood flow measurement device 100 may output a sound corresponding to the measured blood flow velocity. The processor 110 may obtain a Doppler frequency corresponding to the calculated blood flow velocity based on pre-stored transformation information. According to various embodiments, the processor 110 may output a sound corresponding to the obtained Doppler frequency through the speaker 140. The obtained Doppler frequency may be, for example, a frequency in the audible range. According to various embodiments, the processor 110 may display the calculated blood flow velocity and the obtained Doppler frequency through the display screen 150.

[0059] The pre-stored transformation information may include, for example, information related to the correlation between the obtained change in the intensity of the reflected light, the blood flow velocity, and the Doppler frequency. The pre-stored transformation information may be, for example, a worksheet obtained through experiments. The pre-stored transformation information may be stored in various forms including worksheets and functions.

[0060] Table 1 below is an example of a worksheet obtained through experiments.

[0061]

Table 1

[0062] Doppler frequency (Hz) Measure the change in light intensity Blood flow velocity (cm / s) 400 0.05 20 2,000 0.24 100 3,000 0.36 150 5,800 0.7 290

[0063] The variation of the light intensity measured in Table 1 may be a digital value indicating the light intensity. The values ​​recorded in Table 1 are exemplary, and the blood flow measurement device 100 may store the experimental data measured for each blood vessel in the memory 160 in the form of a worksheet.

[0064] For example, when the change in the intensity of the reflected light measured at a preset time interval is 0.7, the processor 110 may determine the blood flow velocity of the blood vessels of the subject body to be 290 cm / s. In the above case, the processor 110 may determine the Doppler frequency corresponding to the blood flow velocity of 290 cm / s to be 5,800 Hz based on the pre-stored transformation information. The processor 110 may output a sound corresponding to the frequency of 5,800 Hz through a speaker.

[0065] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating a blood flow measurement method according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0066] If reference Figure 3According to various embodiments, the light output device 120 may change the position where the light is irradiated under the control of the processor 110. For example, the light output device 120 may move the position where the light is irradiated to a specific direction. For example, the light output device 120 may move the position where the light is irradiated to the direction A which is the direction from the first position 310 to the second position 320. For example, the light output device 120 may move the position where the light is irradiated to the direction B which is the direction from the first position 310 to the third position 330.

[0067] According to various embodiments, in response to a situation where the position where the light is irradiated moves in a specific direction, the amount of change in the intensity of the reflected light caused by the movement can be determined. For example, when the position where the light is irradiated moves from the first position 310 to the second position 320, the processor 110 can control the light output device 120 to irradiate the light at the first position 310 and the second position 320. The light receiving sensor 130 can receive the reflected light reflected at the first position 310 and the second position 320, respectively, and generate an electrical signal representing the intensity of the received light. The processor 110 can receive the relevant electrical signal from the light receiving sensor 130 to determine the intensity of the reflected light at the first position and the second position. The processor 110 can determine the difference in the intensity of the reflected light at the first position 310 and the second position 320 as the amount of change in the intensity of the reflected light.

[0068] According to various embodiments, the processor 110 may obtain the intensity of the reflected light twice from the light receiving sensor 130 at a preset time interval. For example, the processor 110 may obtain the intensity of the reflected light twice from the light receiving sensor 130 at a preset time interval (e.g., 10 microseconds), and calculate the difference between the values ​​obtained twice. For example, when the position where the light is irradiated moves from the first position 310 to the second position 320, the processor 110 may control the light output device 120 in a manner that the light is irradiated at the first position 310 and irradiated at the second position 320 after a preset time.

[0069] According to various embodiments, the blood flow measurement device 100 can measure the change in reflected light intensity during a preset time period respectively when the position where the light is irradiated is moved in two different directions. For example, in response to the position where the light is irradiated moving in a first direction, the processor 110 can determine a first value as the change in reflected light intensity during a preset time period. For example, in response to the position where the light is irradiated moving in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction, a second value as the change in reflected light intensity during a preset time period can be determined.

[0070] According to various embodiments, the processor 110 may determine the direction of blood flow based on the two change values. For example, the processor 110 may determine the direction of blood flow based on the first value and the second value. For example, the change in reflected light intensity measured when the moving direction of the position where the light is irradiated is the same as the blood flow direction is relatively small compared to the change in reflected light intensity measured when the moving direction of the position where the light is irradiated is opposite to the blood flow direction. For example, the change in the area occupied by red blood cells in the cross-sectional area of ​​the irradiated infrared light when the position where the infrared light is irradiated moves in the same direction as the blood flow direction is relatively small compared to the change in the area occupied by red blood cells in the cross-sectional area of ​​the irradiated light when the position where the infrared light is irradiated moves in the opposite direction to the blood flow direction. Therefore, the change in reflected light intensity measured when the position where the infrared light is irradiated moves in the same direction as the blood flow direction is relatively small compared to the change in reflected light intensity measured when the position where the infrared light is irradiated moves in the opposite direction to the blood flow direction.

[0071] According to various embodiments, the processor 110 may determine the smaller value of the first value and the second value, and determine the direction in which the position where the light is irradiated moves when the relatively smaller value is measured as the blood flow direction. For example, when the second value is smaller than the first value, the B direction, which is the direction in which the position where the light is irradiated moves when the second value is measured, may be determined as the blood flow direction.

[0072] The blood flow measurement device 100 according to various embodiments can measure the intensity change of the reflected light while moving the position where the light is irradiated in two opposite directions, and compare the measured values ​​to determine the blood flow direction.

[0073] According to various embodiments, the blood flow measurement device 100 may also measure the amount of change in the reflected light intensity during a preset time period at a given position, and measure the amount of change in the reflected light intensity during a preset time period when the position where the light is irradiated is moved in a specific direction. For example, in response to a situation where the position where the light is irradiated has not moved, the processor 110 may determine a first value as the amount of change in the reflected light intensity during a preset time period. For example, in response to a situation where the position where the light is irradiated moves in a first direction, a second value as the amount of change in the reflected light intensity during a preset time period may be determined. According to various embodiments, the processor 110 may determine the blood flow direction based on the two change values.

[0074] Figure 4 1 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the blood flow measurement device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0075] If reference Figure 4According to various embodiments, the light output by the light source 121 is reflected by the mirror 123 and incident on the lens 127. The light passing through the lens 127 can be irradiated to a specific position of the object. According to various embodiments, the mirror 123 can be driven by a driving unit (not shown in the figure) (for example: Figure 1 The driving unit 125) rotates with an arbitrary axis as a reference.

[0076] The processor 110 according to various embodiments may control the light source 121 to irradiate light while moving in a specific direction within a target area of ​​the object. The processor 110 rotates the mirror 123 through the driving unit 125 to move the position where the light output from the light source 121 is irradiated in a specific direction.

[0077] For example, when the position where light is irradiated is to be moved in direction A, the processor 110 can rotate the mirror 123 in direction A' through the driving unit 125. When the light source 121 outputs light while the mirror 123 rotates in direction A', the position where the output light is irradiated can be moved in direction A.

[0078] For example, when the position where light is irradiated is to be moved to direction B, the processor 110 may rotate the mirror 123 to direction B' via the driving unit 125. When the light source 121 outputs light while the mirror 123 rotates to direction B', the position where the output light is irradiated may be moved to direction B.

[0079] For example, it can be assumed that the blood flow direction is substantially the same as the B direction. The amount of change in the reflected light intensity measured when the light-irradiated area is moved in the B direction is relatively small compared to the amount of change in the reflected light intensity measured when the light-irradiated area is moved in the A direction. In the above case, the processor 110 can determine the blood flow direction as the B direction.

[0080] Figures 5a to 5c 2 is a graph illustrating the frequency of a blood flow velocity value calculated by measuring the amount of change in reflected light intensity according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 5a This is a graph showing the frequency of calculating the blood flow velocity a plurality of times during the irradiation of light to a predetermined position and showing the calculated blood flow velocity values. Figure 5b This is a graph showing the frequency of calculating the blood flow velocity a plurality of times while the position irradiated with light is moved in the direction opposite to the blood flow direction and displayed based on the calculated blood flow velocity values. Figure 5c This is a graph showing the frequency of calculating the blood flow velocity a plurality of times while the position irradiated with light is moved in the same direction as the blood flow direction and displayed based on the calculated blood flow velocity values. Figures 5a to 5c The x-axis represents the blood flow velocity (m / sec) calculated based on the change in the reflected light intensity, and the y-axis represents the frequency.

[0081] Figures 5a to 5c Assume that the blood flow measurement device 100 measures the blood flow velocity of a blood vessel in which the actual blood flow velocity is 0.31 m / sec. Figures 5a to 5c The values ​​described in are merely exemplary values ​​for aiding understanding.

[0082] If reference Figure 5a According to various embodiments, the processor 110 can measure the intensity of reflected light twice during irradiation of light to a predetermined position of the object, determine the difference between the measured values ​​as the change in the intensity of reflected light, and calculate the blood flow velocity corresponding to the determined change in the intensity of reflected light based on pre-stored transformation information. The operation of calculating the blood flow velocity can be repeated multiple times to obtain Figure 5a The processor 110 may determine, for example, the value 510 at which the frequency measurement has the highest value as the blood flow velocity. It can be confirmed that the blood flow velocity value measured during the irradiation of light to a predetermined position is determined to be 0.32 m / sec, which is similar to 0.31 m / sec, which is the actual blood flow velocity value.

[0083] If reference Figure 5b According to various embodiments, the processor 110 can measure the intensity of the reflected light twice at a preset time interval while the position where the light is irradiated is moved in the opposite direction of the blood flow direction, determine the difference between the measured values ​​as the change in the intensity of the reflected light, and calculate the blood flow velocity corresponding to the determined change in the intensity of the reflected light based on the pre-stored transformation information. The action of calculating the blood flow velocity can be repeated multiple times to obtain Figure 5b The processor 110 can determine the value 520 with the highest frequency measurement as the blood flow velocity, for example. It can be confirmed that the blood flow velocity value measured while the position irradiated with light is moved in the opposite direction of the blood flow direction is determined to be 0.44 m / sec, which is greater than 0.31 m / sec, which is the actual blood flow velocity value.

[0084] If reference Figure 5c According to various embodiments, the processor 110 can measure the intensity of the reflected light twice while moving the area irradiated with light in the same direction as the blood flow direction, and determine the difference between the measured values ​​as the change in the intensity of the reflected light, and calculate the blood flow velocity corresponding to the determined change in the intensity of the reflected light based on the pre-stored transformation information. The action of calculating the blood flow velocity can be repeated multiple times to obtain Figure 5c The processor 110 can determine the value 530 with the highest frequency measurement as the blood flow velocity, for example. It can be confirmed that the blood flow velocity value measured while the position irradiated with light is moved in the same direction as the blood flow direction is determined to be 0.19 m / sec, which is smaller than 0.31 m / sec, which is the actual blood flow velocity value.

[0085] Figure 6 is an operation flow chart of a blood flow measurement device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0086] Referring to the action flow chart 600, the processor 110 according to various embodiments may control the light output device 120 in action 610 to irradiate light to a first position and a second position of the object. The second position may be, for example, a position in a first direction from the first position. For example, the processor 110 rotates the mirror 123 in a corresponding direction through the driving unit 125, so that the position where the light is irradiated may be moved from the first position to the first direction. For example, the processor 110 may irradiate light at a first position through the light output device 120 and irradiate light at a second position after a preset time has passed.

[0087] In action 620, the processor 110 according to various embodiments may obtain the intensity of the reflected light at the first position and the second position from the light receiving sensor 130 that receives the reflected light reflected at the first position and the second position, respectively. For example, the light receiving sensor 130 may measure the intensity of the reflected light when the light is irradiated at the second position of the object and transmit the measured value to the processor 110.

[0088] In act 630 , the processor 110 according to various embodiments may determine a first value that is a difference in intensity of reflected light at each of the first position and the second position.

[0089] In action 640, the processor 110 according to various embodiments may control the light output device 120 in a manner of irradiating light to a third position located at the second position in the opposite direction of the first direction from the second direction. For example, the processor 110 rotates the mirror 123 in a corresponding direction through the driving unit 125 during the period of outputting light through the light source 121 of the light output device 120, so that the position where the light is irradiated may be moved from the second position to the second direction. For example, the processor 110 may irradiate light at the second position through the light output device 120, and irradiate light at the third position after a preset time has passed.

[0090] In action 650, the processor 110 according to various embodiments may obtain the intensity of the reflected light at the third position from the light receiving sensor 130 that receives the reflected light reflected at the third position. For example, the light receiving sensor 130 may measure the intensity of the reflected light when the light is irradiated at the second position of the object, and after a preset time, when the light is irradiated at the third position of the object, measure the intensity of the reflected light and transmit the measured intensity of the reflected light to the processor 110.

[0091] In act 660 , the processor 110 according to various embodiments may determine a second value that is a difference in intensity of the reflected light at each of the second position and the third position.

[0092] In action 670, the processor 110 according to various embodiments may determine the direction of blood flow in the object body based on the first value and the second value. For example, the processor 110 may determine the first direction as the direction of blood flow in the object body when the first value is less than the second value. For example, the processor 110 may determine the second direction as the direction of blood flow in the object body when the first value is greater than the second value.

[0093] Figure 7 is an operation flow chart of a blood flow measurement device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0094] Referring to the action flow chart 700, according to various embodiments, in action 710, the processor 110 may control the light output device 120 in a manner of irradiating light to a first position and a second position of the object. The second position may be, for example, a position in a first direction from the first position. For example, the processor 110 rotates the mirror 123 in a corresponding direction through the driving unit 125, so that the position where the light is irradiated may be moved from the first position to the first direction. For example, the processor 110 may irradiate light at the first position through the light output device 120 and irradiate light at the second position after a preset time has passed.

[0095] In action 720, the processor 110 according to various embodiments may obtain the intensity of the reflected light at the first position and the second position from the light receiving sensor 130 that receives the reflected light reflected at the first position and the second position, respectively. For example, the light receiving sensor 130 may measure the intensity of the reflected light when the light is irradiated at the first position of the object and transmit the measured intensity of the reflected light to the processor 110, and after a preset time, the light receiving sensor 130 may measure the intensity of the reflected light when the light is irradiated at the second position of the object and transmit the measured intensity of the reflected light to the processor 110.

[0096] According to various embodiments, in Act 730 , the processor 110 may determine a first value that is a difference in intensity of reflected light at the first position and the second position, respectively.

[0097] According to various embodiments, in action 740, the processor 110 may control the light output device 120 in such a manner that light is irradiated to a third position and a fourth position of the object. The fourth position may be, for example, a position existing in the second direction at the third position. The second direction may be, for example, the opposite direction of the first direction. For example, during the period when the light source 121 of the light output device 120 outputs light, the processor 110 rotates the mirror 123 in a corresponding direction through the driving unit 125, so that the position where the light is irradiated may be moved from the third position to the second direction. For example, the processor 110 may irradiate light at the third position through the light output device 120, and irradiate light at the fourth position after a preset time has passed.

[0098] In action 750, the processor 110 according to various embodiments may obtain the intensity of the reflected light at the third position and the fourth position from the light receiving sensor 130 that receives the reflected light reflected at the third position and the fourth position, respectively. For example, the light receiving sensor 130 may measure the intensity of the reflected light when the light is irradiated at the third position of the object and transmit the measured intensity of the reflected light to the processor 110, and after a preset time, when the light is irradiated at the fourth position of the object, measure the intensity of the reflected light and transmit the measured intensity of the reflected light to the processor 110.

[0099] According to various embodiments, in Act 760 , the processor 110 may determine a third value that is a difference in intensity of reflected light at each of the third position and the fourth position.

[0100] In action 770, the processor 110 according to various embodiments may determine the direction of blood flow in the object body based on the first value and the third value. For example, when the first value is less than the third value, the processor 110 may determine the first direction as the direction of blood flow in the object body. For example, when the first value is greater than the third value, the processor 110 may determine the second direction as the direction of blood flow in the object body.

[0101] Figure 8 is an operation flow chart of a blood flow measurement device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0102] Referring to the action flow chart 800, in action 810, the processor 110 according to various embodiments may control the light output device 120 in a manner of irradiating light to a first position of the object. The processor 110 according to various embodiments may control the light output device 120 in a manner of irradiating light to the first position twice. For example, the processor 110 may control the light output device 120 in a manner of irradiating light to the first position twice at a preset time interval.

[0103] In action 820, the light receiving sensor 130 according to various embodiments may measure the intensity of the reflected light reflected at the first position twice. For example, the light receiving sensor 130 may receive the reflected light reflected at the first position twice at a preset time interval, generate an electrical signal representing the intensity of the received light, and transmit it to the processor 110. The processor 110 may obtain the intensity of the reflected light at the first position from the light receiving sensor 130 twice at a preset time interval.

[0104] In action 830 , the processor 110 according to various embodiments may determine a difference between the two obtained values ​​as a first value.

[0105] In action 840, the processor 110 according to various embodiments may calculate the blood flow velocity based on the determined difference value and pre-stored transformation information. The pre-stored transformation information may include, for example, information related to the correlation between the obtained difference value of reflected light intensity, blood flow velocity, and Doppler frequency.

[0106] Fig. 9 is an operation flow chart of a blood flow measurement device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0107] Referring to the action flow chart 900, in action 910, the processor 110 according to various embodiments may control the light output device 120 to irradiate light to the first position of the object twice. For example, the processor 110 may control the light output device 120 to irradiate light to the first position twice at a preset time interval.

[0108] In action 920, the light receiving sensor 130 according to various embodiments may measure the intensity of the reflected light reflected at the first position twice. For example, the light receiving sensor 130 may receive the reflected light reflected at the first position twice at a preset time interval, generate an electrical signal indicating the intensity of the received light, and transmit it to the processor 110. The processor 110 may obtain the intensity of the reflected light at the first position from the light receiving sensor 130 twice at a preset time interval.

[0109] In action 930 , the processor 110 according to various embodiments may determine a difference between the two obtained values ​​as a first value.

[0110] In action 940, the processor 110 according to various embodiments may control the light output device 120 in a manner of irradiating light to a second position located in a first direction from the first position. The processor 110 may irradiate light twice at the first position through the light output device 120, and irradiate light at the second position after a preset time has passed. For example, the processor 110 may control the light output device 120 in a manner of irradiating light for the second time at the first position and irradiating light at the second position after a preset time has passed.

[0111] In act 950 , the processor 110 according to various embodiments may obtain the intensity of the reflected light at the second position from the light receiving sensor 130 that receives the reflected light reflected at the second position.

[0112] In act 960 , the processor 110 according to various embodiments may determine a second value that is a difference between the reflected light intensity obtained a second time at the first position and the reflected light intensity obtained at the second position.

[0113] In act 970 , the processor 110 according to various embodiments may determine the direction of blood flow in the subject based on the first value and the second value.

[0114] Fig.10 is a diagram illustrating a blood flow measurement method according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0115] If reference Fig.10 According to various embodiments, the processor 110 may move in a circular manner at a position where the light is irradiated within a target area of ​​the object during irradiation of light through the light output device 120 .

[0116] The processor 110 according to various embodiments may obtain the intensity of the reflected light reflected by the object from the light receiving sensor 130 while the position where the light is irradiated moves in a circular manner, and determine the amount of change in the intensity of the reflected light at least twice. For example, the processor 110 may obtain the intensity of the reflected light from the light receiving sensor 130 at least 4 times at a preset time interval in response to the position where the light is irradiated drawing a circle and moving. The processor 110 may determine the amount of change in the intensity of the reflected light at least twice based on the intensities of the reflected light obtained at least 4 times.

[0117] According to various embodiments, the processor 110 may determine the blood flow direction based on at least two determined changes in the reflected light intensity. For example, the processor 110 may determine the minimum value of the at least two determined changes in the reflected light intensity. For example, the processor 110 may confirm the position where the change with the minimum value is measured. For example, the processor 110 may determine a position vector based on the confirmed position, and the direction represented by the determined position vector may be determined as the blood flow direction.

Claims

1. A blood flow measurement device, wherein: include: A light output device, the light output device outputs light of a preset wavelength band; a light receiving sensor that receives light output from the light output device and reflected by an object; speaker; and processor; The processor controls the light output device so as to irradiate light to a specific position of the object. obtaining the intensity of the reflected light at the specific position from a light receiving sensor that receives the reflected light reflected at the specific position, calculating the blood flow velocity in the subject based on the intensity of the reflected light obtained and the pre-stored conversion information, Based on the pre-stored transformation information, obtaining a Doppler frequency corresponding to the calculated blood flow velocity, A sound corresponding to the obtained Doppler frequency is outputted through the speaker.

2. The blood flow measurement device according to claim 1, wherein: Also includes a display screen, The processor displays the calculated blood flow velocity and the obtained Doppler frequency through the display screen.

3. The blood flow measurement device according to claim 1, wherein: The pre-stored transformation information includes information related to the correlation between the intensity of the reflected light, the blood flow velocity and the Doppler frequency.

4. The blood flow measurement device according to claim 3, wherein: The blood flow velocity and the Doppler frequency are in direct proportion.

5. The blood flow measurement device according to claim 1, wherein: The pre-stored transformation information is information in the form of a worksheet or a function.

6. The blood flow measurement device according to claim 1, wherein: The obtained Doppler frequency is a frequency in the audible range.

7. A blood flow measurement method, the blood flow measurement method using a blood flow measurement device including a light output device that outputs light of a preset wavelength band, a light receiving sensor that receives light output from the light output device and reflected by a subject, a speaker, and a processor, the method comprising: an action of irradiating light to a specific position of the object by means of the light output device; an act of obtaining, by means of the processor, from the light receiving sensor, an intensity of the reflected light at the specific position; an action of calculating the blood flow velocity in the subject body based on the intensity of the reflected light obtained and the pre-stored conversion information by means of the processor; an action of obtaining a Doppler frequency corresponding to the calculated blood flow velocity based on the pre-stored conversion information; and An operation of outputting a sound corresponding to the obtained Doppler frequency through the speaker.

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