Pet vital information measuring device

Abstract

To provide a pet biological information measuring device which allows a pet to naturally move to a target area and maintain a posture without moving. [Solution] The pet bioinformation measuring device according to the present invention is characterized by comprising a body part on which a plate part for a pet to climb is formed, a guidance means installed on one side of the plate part for guiding the pet to stand in a predefined target area and maintain the posture for a certain period of time, a plurality of electrodes installed on the plate part, and a processor part for measuring the pet's bioinformation based on output signals from the electrodes. According to the present invention, it is possible to accurately measure the pet's bioinformation, and it is possible to check the pet's health condition, thereby achieving the effect of allowing the pet to live a healthy life.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a pet biometric information measuring device, and more particularly to a biometric information measuring device capable of guiding a pet to maintain a fixed posture for a certain period of time while positioned in a target area, thereby measuring accurate biometric information. [Background technology]

[0002] As the number of animal lovers who keep pets increases, the demand for devices and tools for managing the health of pets is also increasing. For example, body composition measuring devices are used in pet health management devices. Devices that measure the body composition of pets and calculate data on the amount or ratio of body fat, muscle, body water, bone, etc. based on the bioimpedance are being researched. The most common form of pet biomeasurement device is one that obtains body composition data by contacting impedance measurement electrodes to the soles of each of the four paws to measure the impedance of the animal's trunk.

[0003] However, unlike humans, when measuring the body composition of animals such as dogs and cats, it is difficult to accurately measure the body composition of animals because animals tend to move. Therefore, in order to accurately measure the body composition of animals such as dogs and cats, a method for restricting the movement of the animal is required. Furthermore, prior to restricting the movement of the animal, it is very difficult to induce the pet to climb onto the measuring device when measuring the body composition of the pet, so a method for guiding the pet to the measurement position is even more important.

[0004] Thus, as shown in Fig. 1, an apparatus for measuring the body composition of an animal such as a dog or cat by restricting the movement of the animal is shown. As shown in Fig. 1, an animal body composition analyzer (100) includes an electrode body (110) and a movement-preventing partition (121) on the side opposite the other electrode body, which prevents the movement of the animal's legs. When the four legs of the animal contact each of the electrode bodies (110) while the electrode bodies that the animal's legs contact are installed at a specific height from the ground so that the animal hesitates to move, the animal may move its legs hesitantly and escape from the electrode body (110). Therefore, by forming a movement-preventing partition (121) on the side opposite the electrode body (110) and the other electrode body, which prevents the animal's legs from escaping from the electrode body (110) even if the animal moves its legs, the animal's body composition can be analyzed simply and accurately.

[0005] However, the above-mentioned prior art cannot completely restrict the movement of the animal, and the test is performed while the animal is frightened, so the test results are inaccurate. When measuring biological information such as the amount of water in the body, bone density, protein, muscle mass, fat, visceral fat, and basal metabolic rate of pets such as dogs and cats, impedance changes when muscle movement occurs, which causes measurement errors, and requires the animal to maintain a certain posture for a certain period of time.

[0006] Therefore, in order to accurately measure a pet's biological information, a means is required to guide the pet to a measurement position and to guide the pet to maintain a fixed posture at normal temperature at the measurement position for a certain period of time or more. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve the problems described above, and an object of the present invention is to enable a pet to maintain a fixed posture after naturally moving to a target area, thereby enabling accurate measurement of biological information. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the pet bioinformation measuring device according to the present invention is characterized by comprising: a main body having a plate portion on which a pet can stand; a guidance means installed on one side of the plate portion for guiding the pet to stand in a predefined target area and maintain the posture for a certain period of time; a plurality of electrodes installed on the plate portion; and a processor unit for measuring the pet's bioinformation based on output signals from the electrodes.

[0009] The guiding means is characterized in that it is formed in the shape of a closed curve around the pet.

[0010] The guiding means outputs a stimulating signal to guide the pet to maintain the posture for a certain period of time. The stimulating signal includes at least one of a light emitting signal, a sound source output signal, a scent output signal, wind, and food discharge. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention as described above, accurate measurement of pet's biological information is possible, and the pet's health condition can be checked, thereby providing the pet with the effect of helping the pet live a healthy life. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a conventional animal body composition analyzer. [Diagram 2] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic structure of a pet biological information measuring device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 illustrates an example in which the guiding means is expressed by a color painted on the plate portion. [Figure 4] This is an example in which the guide means is three-dimensionally formed on the plate portion. [Diagram 5] This is an example in which the guiding means is embodied as a light-emitting display means. [Figure 6] 13 is a diagram showing a state in which biological information is measured when a cat is positioned on a guiding means. [Figure 7]FIG. 1 is a configuration block diagram for explaining the driving and control operations of a pet biological information measuring device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 1 illustrates an example of a guidance means having a size-variable structure. [Figure 9] 13 is a diagram showing a state in which biological information is measured while a cat is lying down inside a large-shaped guidance means. [Figure 10] 13 is a diagram showing a schematic structure of a pet biological information measuring device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 13 is a diagram showing a schematic structure of a pet biological information measuring device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a guiding means according to a second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] The embodiments of the present invention and the configurations illustrated in the drawings are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not fully express the technical ideas of the present invention, so the scope of the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited by the embodiments and drawings described herein. In other words, since the embodiments can be modified in various ways and can have various forms, the scope of the present invention should be understood to include equivalents that can realize the technical ideas. In addition, the objectives or effects presented in the present invention do not mean that a specific embodiment should include all of them or should include only such effects, so the scope of the present invention should not be understood to be limited thereby.

[0014] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains. Terms commonly used and defined in dictionaries should be interpreted to be consistent with the meaning they have in the context of the relevant art, and should not be interpreted as having an ideal or overly formal meaning not expressly defined in the present invention.

[0015] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. EXAMPLES

[0016] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the general structure of a pet biological information measuring device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is an example in which the guiding means is expressed by a color painted on the plate portion, FIG. 4 is an example in which the guiding means is formed three-dimensionally on the plate portion, FIG. 5 is an example in which the guiding means is embodied as a light-emitting display means, and FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which biological information is measured when a cat is positioned on the guiding means of FIG. 5.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2, the pet biological information measuring device according to the first embodiment of the present invention has a plate section (20) on the upper surface of a main body section (10) on which a pet can stand, and an electrode section (30) for measuring the pet's biological information, a guiding means (40) formed in the shape of a closed curve surrounding the electrode section (30) for guiding the pet into the inside of the closed curve, and a feeding device (50) are installed on the plate section (20).

[0018] The electrode unit (30) has four electrodes arranged at a distance from each other so that a current can be applied to the soles of each foot of the quadruped animal. The shape and arrangement of the electrodes can be manufactured in various shapes and sizes depending on the type or size of the target pet, and it is preferable to form each electrode at the position where the four feet are located when the pet is sitting. In the case of biometric information (body composition) of the pet's torso, a current is caused to flow from the right front foot to the right hind foot, and the voltage is measured from the left front foot to the left hind foot, and the resistance value of the overlapping part in the middle is measured, thereby measuring the biometric information (body composition) of the pet's torso. The biometric information measured here can be various information such as the amount or ratio of weight, body fat, lean body mass, muscle, body water, or bone, and an appropriate biometric measuring means can be used accordingly.

[0019] The guiding means 40 utilizes the tendency of pets to feel a sense of stability when they are inside a closed curve, and is a closed curve shape large enough for a pet to sit inside. In the present invention, a closed curve means a shape of a figure that can be visually recognized as a closed curve shape by a pet, and is a concept including various shapes of figures that show a closed curve shape as a whole, such as a dotted closed curve, a solid closed curve, and a partially disconnected closed curve. In addition, a closed curve can have various shapes of figures such as a circle, an ellipse, a rectangle, a triangle, a pentagon, etc., and in this embodiment, a case where a circle is the most common shape is exemplified, and in the following description, a case where all closed curve shapes are circles is exemplified.

[0020] The guiding means 40 may be formed in various shapes so that the pet can recognize the circle placed on the plate part 20. As an example, the guiding means 40 shown in Fig. 3 may be formed as a circle with a thick solid line different from the background color of the plate part 20. Alternatively, the guiding means 40 may be formed in the shape of a loop structure protruding from the top so that the pet can more easily recognize the shape of the circle, as shown in Fig. 4.

[0021] As another embodiment, as shown in Fig. 5, the guiding means (40) may be installed in a form in which light-emitting display means such as LEDs are formed in a circle and the light-emitting display means blinks, or in a form in which a circular image is irradiated by a projector, etc. In the following description, the most effective guiding means (40) is illustrated by an example in which a number of LED light sources that can variably express the position and size of a circle are installed in a circular shape.

[0022] When a number of LED light sources are installed in a circular shape, the LED light sources may be formed in a number of concentric circles, and the diameter of the guiding means 40 may be varied. In this case, the size of the guiding means 40 may be initially large enough for the pet to easily recognize the guiding means 40, and may be reduced in size after a certain period of time has passed or when the pet's proximity is detected through a proximity sensor, etc. This is to ensure that the pet is positioned within the smallest possible circle so that the soles of the pet's four paws are accurately positioned on the electrodes.

[0023] Meanwhile, as another embodiment of the guiding means 40, a touch input device such as a touch screen may be provided on the surface of the plate part 20 so that when a user draws a specific closed curve shape on the touch input device with a finger, the drawn closed curve shape may be displayed through the light emitting display means. As another method, a user terminal may be connected to the main body 10 through a communication means so that when a user inputs a specific closed curve shape through the user terminal, the closed curve shape may be displayed through the light emitting display means.

[0024] It is somewhat more difficult to guide a dog to a desired location using a closed curve shape compared to a cat. In contrast, it is difficult to train a cat, but it is much easier to train a dog compared to a cat. Using this point, the user can train a specific situation in which a specific closed curve shape is displayed on the surface of the plate portion (20), and guide the trained dog to a target area of ​​the closed curve shape guidance means. For example, it is possible to guide the dog to the guidance means by training the dog to "be inside a circle" to eat a treat, "be inside a square" to eat food, and "be inside a triangle" to eat a special treat, etc.

[0025] The feeding device (50) is installed on one side of the main body (10) and provides food such as feed to pets, and is preferably embodied so that the feeding opening is opened when the pet is located inside the circle that is the guiding means. This is because it is easy for the pet to maintain a sitting position for a certain period of time while the feeding opening is opened and the pet is trying to eat the food when the feeding opening is opened while the pet is located inside the circle. The feeding opening can be opened in various ways such as by opening the cover (51) of the feeding device (50) or by opening and closing the feeding opening in the form of a slide or hinge.

[0026] Fig. 6 shows a state in which the cover (51) is opened while the pet is positioned inside the guiding means (40) and the pet maintains its posture to eat food. Fig. 7 is a block diagram for explaining the driving and control operations of the pet position guiding device according to the present invention.

[0027] 7, the plate part (20) may further include a temperature control part (50) and a fingerprint sensor (70) in addition to the electrode part (30) and the induction means (40). The temperature control part (50) is for controlling the temperature of the plate part (20) and may include a cooling device, a heating device, or both a cooling device and a heating device. If the user operates the temperature control part (60) according to the season, the pet can stay longer in the target area (internal space of the induction means) defined by the induction means (40). For this reason, it is preferable that the temperature control part (50) is formed at a position corresponding to the induction means (40).

[0028] The fingerprint sensor (70) is formed on one side of the plate part (20) corresponding to the guiding means (40) to detect the fingerprint of the pet and can be used as a means for identifying the individual information of the pet. If a user has multiple pets, it is difficult to know which pet's biometric information the measured biometric information belongs to. For this reason, in the present invention, a fingerprint sensor is installed in the guiding means (10) to identify the pet. Also, a display part (90) for displaying the operating state of the device and the measured biometric information, and an operation part (80) for operating the device can be provided on the main body (10).

[0029] The main body (10) is provided with a processor (100) for controlling the operation of the device, and the processor (100) performs various control operations and calculation operations, such as blinking operation of the induction means (40), fingerprint analysis and individual identification of pets detected by the fingerprint sensor (70), temperature adjustment of the plate part (20) according to the user's operation, application of electricity to the electrode part (30), measurement of biological information, and drive control of the display part (90).

[0030] FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a guide means having a size-variable structure, and FIG. 9 illustrates a state in which biological information is measured when a cat lies down inside a large guide means. As shown in FIG. 40 In the case where the guiding means ( 40 ) is formed. 40 The size of the circle can be selected according to the size of the pet, or the size of the circle can be set differently depending on the type of biometric information to be measured.

[0031] For example, when general biological information such as weight and body composition is to be measured, the biological information of the desired pet can be measured with the inducing means (40) of the size shown in FIG. 5 being displayed. On the other hand, when measuring the life pattern of the pet such as the amount of sleep or rest, a larger circle can be displayed as shown in FIG. 8. Pets often maintain a sitting posture in a small circle and a comfortable lying posture in a large circle. Therefore, when measuring the life pattern of the pet, the large circle can be lit on the plate part (20) and the temperature control part (60) can be used to adjust the temperature to the pet's preference, so that the pet can be guided to lie down comfortably inside the inducing means (40) as shown in FIG. In this way, the combination of the inducing means (40) and the temperature control part (60) can provide a space for the pet to rest comfortably as well as measure the biological information of the pet. EXAMPLES

[0032] Figures 10 and 11 are diagrams showing a schematic structure of a pet biological information measuring device according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 12 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a guiding means of the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figures 10 and 11, the pet biological information measuring device according to the second embodiment of the present invention has a plate part (20) on the upper surface of a main body part (10) on which a pet stands, and an electrode part (30) for measuring the pet's biological information, a guiding means (40) for guiding the pet to maintain a certain posture for a certain period of time, and a feeding device (50) are installed on the plate part (20).

[0033] A number of electrode units 30 are arranged in a lattice pattern in a block form so that a current can be applied to the soles of the paws of a quadruped animal. This is designed to solve the problem that it is difficult to position a pet's paw on a specific area of ​​the plate unit 20 in order to measure biological information. In more detail, the temperature control unit 60 detects the electrode among the multiple electrode units 30 where the pet's paw is located, and measures impedance through the detected electrode to easily measure biological information of the pet.

[0034] The shape and arrangement of the electrodes can be manufactured in various shapes and sizes depending on the type or size of the target pet. For example, in the case of a medium to large dog, as shown in FIG. 10, the electrode unit (30) is formed in a shape having four large lattices to detect the two front paws and measure biological information, and in the case of a small dog, as shown in FIG. 11, a greater number of blocked lattice-shaped electrodes can be formed to detect all four paws of the pet.

[0035] The guiding means in the second embodiment is installed on one side of the feeding device (50) and outputs a stimulus signal, and various means for generating the stimulus signal can be used alone or in combination. The stimulus signal is a means for guiding the pet to wait in a fixed position in front of the food box (52) in anticipation of food being released through the food dispensing opening (51a) soon. It is possible to give a pet a sense of expectation for the release of food through training, and most pets can learn that food will be provided within a certain time after the generation of a stimulus signal through one or several training sessions. In particular, when a small amount of food is released as a stimulus signal, it is possible to induce the pet to wait in a fixed position in front of the food box (52) through an instinctive reaction without a separate training process.

[0036] As an example, A feeding stimulus signal output unit for outputting a feeding stimulus signal (41) and Light-emitting display unit that outputs light (42) and Sound source output section that outputs a specific sound source (43) and Fragrance emitting section that emits a specific fragrance (44) and Air injection section that injects air to generate wind (45) and the like, and the stimulation signal may be a light emitting signal, a sound source signal, a fragrance output signal, a wind jet, an opening and closing operation of the food delivery port, etc.

[0037] The feeding device (50) is installed on one side of the main body (10) and provides food such as feed to the pet, and when a stimulation signal is generated and the food dispensing opening (51a) is opened or closed, a small amount of food is dispensed. In the second embodiment of the present invention, the signals outputted from the guiding means can be used as both a position guiding signal for guiding the pet to a measurement position and a posture maintaining guiding signal for maintaining a posture at the measurement position. For example, the pet's attention can be attracted and guided to a target area by providing signals such as a light emission signal, a sound source output signal, a scent output signal, wind blowing, and dispensing a small amount of food.

[0038] In the following, an example will be described in which a small amount of food is discharged using the output signal of the induction means. The processor unit (100) controls the feeding device (50) to discharge a small amount of food, and when the small amount of food is discharged, the pet climbs onto the plate unit (20) to eat the food discharged in the food box (52). The processor unit (100) detects the impedance change of the electrode unit (30) to identify the electrodes where the soles of the pet's feet are located, and determines these electrodes as measurement electrodes for measuring biological information.

[0039] The processor unit (100) repeats the control operation so that a small amount of food is discharged after a certain time has passed, gradually lengthening the time for which the food is discharged. Through this, the pet maintains a fixed posture while hoping that food will be continuously provided. The processor unit (100) repeats the food discharge a certain number of times and repeatedly measures biological information while the pet waits, and stops discharging the food when the set number of measurements is completed. [Industrial Applicability]

[0040] The present invention is a pet biological information measuring device that can measure biological information of a pet simply and accurately, and is an invention that is extremely useful industrially. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 10 Main body 20 Plate section 30 Electrode section 40 Guidance means 41 Feeding stimulus signal output unit 42 Illuminating display unit 43 Acoustic Dispersion Section 44 Fragrance dissipation section 45 Air injection part 50 Feeding Device 51 Cover 51a Food distribution outlet 52 Feeder 60 Temperature control section 70 Fingerprint Sensor 80 Control section 90 Display section 100 Processor Unit

Claims

1. a main body portion on which a plate portion on which a pet can climb is formed; a guidance means installed on one side of the plate portion for guiding the pet to stand in a predefined target area and maintain the position for a certain period of time; A plurality of electrode portions disposed on the plate portion; and a processor unit for measuring biological information of the pet based on an output signal from the electrode unit; The guiding means is formed in a shape that is recognized by the pet as a closed curve shape, The closed curve shape is realized by a light-emitting display means and is formed to a size that allows the pet to be placed inside the closed curve shape. The pet vital information measuring device is characterized in that the plurality of electrode portions are provided inside the closed curve shape.

2. 2. The pet biological information measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting display means is capable of varying the position and size of the light emitting display, or of varying the position and size simultaneously.

3. The pet biological information measuring device according to claim 1, wherein a temperature control unit is provided on one side of the body unit to control the temperature of the plate unit.

4. 2. The pet biometric information measuring device according to claim 1, further comprising a fingerprint sensor formed on one side of the plate portion corresponding to the guiding means for detecting a fingerprint of the pet, and personal information of the pet is identified based on fingerprint information detected by the fingerprint sensor.

5. 2. The pet biological information measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the inducing means outputs a stimulation signal for inducing the pet to maintain the posture for a certain period of time.

6. 6. The pet biological information measuring device according to claim 5, wherein the stimulation signal includes at least one of a light emission signal, a sound source output signal, a scent output signal, wind, and food discharge.

7. The pet biological information measuring device of claim 6, wherein the processor unit controls the stimulation signal to be output when it recognizes the electrode where the pet's paw is located, and measures the pet's biological information at a set time point after the stimulation signal is output.

8. 6. The pet biological information measuring device according to claim 5, wherein the processor unit outputs the stimulation signal a plurality of times and controls an output time interval of the stimulation signal.

9. 9. The pet biological information measuring device according to claim 8, wherein the processor unit controls the stimulation signal to be output a plurality of times, and controls the time interval of the stimulation signal to be increased.

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