This disclosure generally relates to a physiological detection device and, more particularly, to a physiological detection device using multiple light sources of different wavelengths and multiple light sensors to eliminate motion artifacts and a wearable device using the same.
The physiological signal, e.g., including photoplethysmography (PPG) and oxygen saturation SPO2, detected by an optical device has been applied to various applications such as identifying a heart rate or an identity of a user. Meanwhile, because the optical device being used has a small size and low power consumption, it can be easily applied to wearable devices.
However, the wearable device will have a relative movement with respect to a detected skin surface when a user has a motion such that motion artifacts are generated in optical detection signals. The motion artifacts form noises to degrade the detection accuracy.
Presently, to eliminate the motion artifact, an accelerometer or a Gyro is further arranged on the wearable device at the same time to provide information associated with the user's motion. By comparing the motion information with the optical detection signals, it is possible to remove motion induced signals from the optical detection signals. However, under continuous motions or low temperatures, the motion artifact cannot be effectively removed by adopting the accelerometer or the Gyro such that the detection accuracy is not significantly improved.
Accordingly, the present disclosure further provides a physiological detection device that reduces motion artifacts in an optical phase, and an electronic device using the same.
The present disclosure provides an optical physiological detection device that adopts multiple light sources of different wavelengths and multiple light sensors. The multiple light sources include at least two wavelengths that respectively have a high responsivity and a low responsivity to motions so as to reduce interference from motion artifacts directly in an analog stage.
The present disclosure further provides an optical physiological detection device that is adapted to a wearable device or a portable device in which no additional accelerometer or Gyro is required so as to reduce the system complexity and cost.
The present disclosure provides a physiological detection device including a first light source, a second light source, a first light sensor, a second light sensor and a processor. The first light source is configured to emit light toward a skin surface via an optical element. The second light source is configured to emit light toward the skin surface. The first light sensor is configured to receive a first intensity light associated with the first light source and a second intensity light associated with the second light source from the skin surface to generate a first detection data. The second light sensor is configured to receive a third intensity light associated with the first light source and the second intensity light associated with the second light source from the skin surface to generate a second detection data, wherein the optical element causes the third intensity light to be lower than the first intensity light. The processor is configured to adjust a first emission intensity of the first light source and fix a second emission intensity of the second light source.
The present disclosure further provides a physiological detection device including a first light source, a second light source, a first light sensor, a second light sensor and a processor. The first light source is configured to emit light toward a skin surface. The second light source is configured to emit light toward the skin surface. The first light sensor is configured to receive outgoing light from the skin surface to generate a first detection data. The second light sensor is configured to receive outgoing light from the skin surface to generate a second detection data. The first light source, the second light source, the first light sensor and the second light sensor are arranged to cause the first light sensor and the second light sensor to receive different intensity of the outgoing light associated with the first light source, and cause the first light sensor and the second light sensor to receive identical intensity of the outgoing light associated with the second light source.
The present disclosure further provides an operating method of a wearable device. The wearable device is attached to a skin surface and includes an infrared light source, a green light source, a first light sensor, a second light sensor and a processor. The operating method includes the steps of: lighting the infrared light source and the green light source; detecting, using the first light sensor, a first intensity light of the infrared light source and a second intensity light of the green light source to generate a first detection data; detecting, using the second light sensor, a third intensity light of the infrared light source and the second intensity light of the green light source to generate a second detection data, wherein the third intensity light is lower than the first intensity light; and adjusting, using the processor, an emission intensity of the infrared light source according to an intensity difference between the first detection data and the second detection data as well as an intensity variation of the first detection data.
Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
sensors of a physiological detection device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.
changes with light source intensity adjustment of a physiological detection device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.
It should be noted that, wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.
One objective of the present disclosure is to provide a physiological detection device including multiple light sources of different optical wavelengths and multiple light sensors. The multiple optical wavelengths include at least infrared light and green light, but not limited to. The physiological detection device is used to detect physiological signals, e.g., including PPG signals and SPO2, via a skin surface. The PPG signals may be used to detect a heart rate, a breath rate and a blood pressure of a user, which is known to the art and not a main objective of the present disclosure, and thus details thereof are not described herein. The objective of the present disclosure is to alleviate motion artifacts in physiological signals by using an optical technique.
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In one aspect, the first light source LED1 preferably emits light of an optical wavelength more sensitive to detecting a motion artifact, e.g., red light source and/or infrared light source. The second light source LED2 preferably emits light of an optical wavelength more sensitive to detecting a PPG signal but less sensitive to detecting the motion artifact, e.g., green light source. In the present disclosure, the first light source LED1 and the second light source LED2 preferably emit light simultaneously such that the first light sensor PD1 and the second light sensor PD2 detect light energy associated with both the first light source LED1 and the second light source LED2. As shown in
It should be mentioned that although the present disclosure is illustrated by a reflective physiological detection device, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In other aspects, the physiological detection device is a transmissive physiological detection device, which may be referred to U.S. application Ser. No. 17/462,622, entitled “HEART RATE DETECTING DEVICE CAPABLE OF ALLEVIATING MOTION INTERFERENCE” filed on Aug. 31, 2021, assigned to the same assignee of the present application, and the full disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
In one aspect, the optical element 11 is, for example, a view control film (VCF) for controlling light penetrates therethrough to have different light intensity in different angles (e.g., incident angle or emergent angle), but not limited to. In another aspect, the optical element 11 may be a customized lens. In a further aspect, by arranging a light guiding structure of the first light source LED1, the same effect can be realized as arranging the optical element 11. That is, the optical element 11 is a device separately manufactured from the first light source LED1, or a structure integrated with the first light source LED1 without particular limitations.
The first light source LED1 emits light with a first emission intensity toward a skin surface S0 via the optical element 11. The second light source LED2 emits light with a second emission intensity toward the skin surface S0. Since a main purpose of arranging the first light source LED1 is to detect motion artifacts, in one aspect the first emission intensity is preferably smaller than 10% of the second emission intensity. In one aspect, the second light source LED2 emits light via another optical element (e.g., a lens), but said another optical element does not distribute different light energy to different views/angles. In another aspect, according to a different spatial arrangement (e.g., examples given below), another view control film (e.g., VCF2) is arranged in a light path of emission light of the second light source LED2 to cause the first light source PD1 and the second light source LED2 to receive substantially identical light intensity through the VCF2.
The first light sensor PD1 receives a first intensity light of outgoing light (e.g., shown as L1
The second light sensor PD2 receives a third intensity light of outgoing light (e.g., shown as L3
In the present disclosure, the optical element 11 causes the third intensity light to be lower than the first intensity light. In one aspect, the first intensity light is more than two times of the third intensity light, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto as long as the first intensity light is clearly larger than the third intensity light.
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The processor 15 is, for example, a micro controller unit (MCU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA), which performs operations and controls thereof using software, hardware and/or firmware. For example, the processor 15 is electrically coupled to the first light source LED1, the second light source LED2, the first light sensor PD1 and the second light sensor PD2 to control light emission of the light sources and to receive detection data (e.g., gray level values) of the light sensors. In one aspect, the processor 15 adjusts emission intensity of one of the first light source LED1 and the second light source LED2, e.g., adjusting the first emission intensity of the first light source LED1 and fixing the second emission intensity of the second light source LED2, but not limited thereto.
For example, the processor 15 determines an adjustment of the first emission intensity according to an absolute value of an intensity difference |Da1−Da2| between the first detection data Da1 and the second detection data Da2. As mentioned above, since the second emission intensity of the second light source LED2 (mainly contribute to PPG signals) is fixed in one example mentioned therein, information associated with the PPG signal is substantially cancelled by calculating the intensity difference. The magnitude of the intensity difference (i.e. |Da1−Da2|) reflects a value of noises (i.e. motion artifacts). In one aspect, when the absolute intensity difference |Da1−Da2| is larger, a larger adjustment is selected.
For example, the processor 15 further determines an adjusting direction of the first emission intensity according to an intensity variation of the first detection data Da1. As mentioned above, since the second emission intensity of the second light source LED2 is fixed, the intensity variation of the first detection data Da1 is considered to be caused by a change of noises (i.e. motion artifacts).
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In
After the adjustment, the processor 15 obtains |Da1−Da2|=2Δ between times t1 and t2, and the intensity variation (obtained by calculating a difference between first detection data at t2 and t1) of the first detection data Da1 is increasing (
In the present disclosure, an Adjust Step corresponding to the calculated |Da1−Da2| is preset before shipment.
After the adjustment, the processor 15 obtains |Da1−Da2|=1Δ between times t2 and t3, and the intensity variation (obtained by calculating a difference between first detection data at t3 and t2) of the first detection data Da1 is substantially unchanged, and thus the processor 15 stops adjusting the first emission intensity of the first light source LED1.
In one aspect, when the intensity variation of the first detection data Da1 is substantially not changed between t2 and t3, the first emission intensity of the first light source LED1 is not adjusted even when |Da1−Da2|>1Δ. In another aspect, when|Da1−Da2|=1Δ, the first emission intensity of the first light source LED1 is not adjusted even when the intensity variation of the first detection data Da1 is still changing (i.e. increasing or decreasing). In other words, the first emission intensity of the first light source LED1 is adjusted only when the first detection data Da1 has an intensity variation and |Da1−Da2|>1Δ.
More specifically, when the intensity variation of the first detection data Da1 is larger than or equal to a positive threshold (e.g., slope larger than or equal to a predetermined threshold), the processor 15 decreases the first emission intensity of the first light source LED1 by the adjustment, which is determined according to |Da1−Da2|; when the intensity variation of the first detection data Da1 is smaller than or equal to a negative threshold (e.g., slope smaller than or equal to a predetermined threshold), the processor 15 increases the first emission intensity of the first light source LED1 by the adjustment, which is determined according to |Da1−Da2|; whereas, when the intensity variation of the first detection data Da1 is between the positive threshold and the negative threshold or not changing, the processor 15 stops adjusting the first emission intensity of the first light source LED1, indicating converged.
For example, the physiological detection device 100 further includes a memory for previously recording adjustments of the first emission intensity (e.g., the Adjust Step mentioned above) corresponding to different values of |Da1−Da2| for being accessed by the processor 15.
It should be mentioned that values and variations in
In another aspect, the processor 15 multiplies Da2 by a multiple RA to cause RA×Da2=Da1 when there is no motion, i.e. |Da1−RA×Da2|=0. In this case, when a motion occurs, |Da1−RA×Da2| becomes larger than 0. This can also be shown by subtracting 1Δ from longitudinal values in
In the above embodiments, the optical element 11 is arranged to cause light intensity of the outgoing light L1 and L3 to be different, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In the present disclosure, the first light sensor PD1 and the second light sensor PD2 are arranged to receive different intensity of the outgoing light L1 and L3 associated with the first light source LED1 and to receive identical intensity of the outgoing light L2 and L4 associated with the second light source LED2 by the spatial arrangement of the first light source LED1, the second light source LED2, the first light sensor PD1 and the second light sensor PD2.
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Or, an optical element 11 is still adopted to fine tune emission light distribution to insure a predetermined intensity ratio of L1 and L3 is received by the first light sensor PD1 and the second light sensor PD2 to compensate the assembly error of the first light sensor PD1, the second light sensor PD2, the first light source LED1 and the second light source LED2.
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Or, an optical element 11 is still adopted to fine tune emission light distribution to insure a predetermined intensity ratio of L1 and L3 is received by the first light sensor PD1 and the second light sensor PD2 to compensate the assembly error of the first light sensor PD1, the second light sensor PD2, the first light source LED1 and the second light source LED2.
The spatial arrangement of the first light source LED1, the second light source LED2, the first light sensor PD1 and the second light sensor PD2 is not limited to those shown in in
After the intensity variation of the first detection data Da1 is converged (i.e. substantially no change) by regulating the first emission intensity of the first light source LED1, the interference from motion artifacts are considered to be cancelled. For example,
It should be mentioned that the motion mentioned above is not limited to the skin surface S0 itself but also includes movements of tissues (e.g., muscles) under the skin surface S0.
In another aspect, the processor 15 generates the PPG signal further according to a weighted combination of the first detection data Da1 and the second detection data Da2.
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Details of this operating method have been illustrated above, e.g., referring to
It should be mentioned that the values mentioned herein are only intended to illustrate but not to limit the present disclosure.
It should be mentioned that the infrared light and green light mentioned herein do not indicate a single optical wavelength but indicate an optical wavelength range.
It should be mentioned that although the above embodiments are illustrated by using light emitting diodes (LED) and photodiodes (PD) respectively as the light sources and light sensors, the present is not limited thereto. In another aspect, the light sources are LEDs and/or laser diodes, and the light sensors are PDs and/or single photon avalanche diodes (SPAD) without particular limitations.
As mentioned above, the conventional wearable devices adopt an additional accelerometer or a Gyro to detect motions of a user, but the denoising effect is not satisfactory in exercising or under low temperatures. Accordingly, the present disclosure further provides a full-optical physiological detection device (e.g., referring to
Although the disclosure has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is not used to limit the disclosure. It is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as hereinafter claimed.