WO2022050457A1 - Head-adaptive near-infrared spectrometer - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a near-infrared spectrometer including: multiple near-infrared spectrum modules configured to be able to be dividedly arranged in a near-infrared measurement area on a head; a frame which is provided with a module detachment/attachment part allowing the near-infrared spectrum modules to be detached therefrom or attached thereto, and has a head-receiving space formed therein to allow the frame to be worn on the head of a person to be measured; and a buffer part provided between the frame and the head of a person to be measured, wherein the near-infrared spectrum modules include multiple sensor modules exposed to the side of the head-receiving space, and 3-dimensional positions of the ends of the sensor modules are adjustable according to the size and shape of a head. In the head-adaptive near-infrared spectrometer according to the present invention, the position of a sensor part can be manually adjusted corresponding to the size and shape of a head, and thus a user can perform accurate and stable arrangement of a near-infrared spectrum sensor.

Description

Head Adaptive Near Infrared Spectroscopy

The research related to this patent was conducted with the support of the Brain Science Foundation Technology Development Project (task name: development of research and diagnostic equipment for structural and functional disorder analysis in brain development, project identification number: 2015M3C7A1029034) under the supervision of the National Research Foundation of Korea. will be.

The present invention relates to a head-adaptive near-infrared spectrometer, and more particularly, to a near-infrared spectrometer that can be worn regardless of differences in head size and shape.

In recent years, research on near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is being actively conducted as a method of acquiring biometric information. Near-infrared spectroscopy is a method that can image human tissue using light harmless to the human body, and unlike other methods, it can minimize the cost burden.

However, in the research of measuring blood flow changes using near-infrared spectroscopy according to the prior art, there is a problem in that it takes a lot of effort and time to attract a stable state of a subject.

An object of the present invention is to provide a near-infrared spectrometer capable of optimally disposing a sensor regardless of a head shape and shape in order to solve problems in the conventional near-infrared spectroscopy.

As a means of solving the above problems, a plurality of near-infrared spectroscopic modules configured to be divided and arranged in the near-infrared measurement region of the head, and a module detachable unit from which the near-infrared spectroscopic module can be detached are provided, so as to be worn on the head of the subject. It includes a frame having a head accommodating space on the inside and a buffer provided between the frame and the head of the subject, and the near-infrared spectroscopy module includes a plurality of sensor modules exposed to the head accommodating space, and a sensor according to the size and shape of the head. A near-infrared spectrometer may be provided in which the end of the module is configured such that the three-dimensional position can be adjusted.

Meanwhile, at least one of each of the near-infrared spectroscopy modules includes a protection unit provided on the outside and a sensor module buffer unit provided on the inside, and the sensor module may be disposed through the sensor module buffer unit.

In addition, the sensor module buffer unit is provided with a sensor position adjusting plate composed of a curvature corresponding to the portion of the head to be in close contact with, the sensor position adjusting plate is formed toward the head receiving space, and a plurality of sensor module receiving holes formed to be spaced apart from each other are formed. and the sensor module may be provided through the sensor module accommodating hole.

On the other hand, the sensor module, one side is configured to be fixed to the sensor module buffer, the housing having a hollow formed therein, and inserted into the hollow of the housing, may further include a sensor unit configured to measure blood flow.

On the other hand, the sensor unit is configured to be movable in a straight line inside the hollow of the housing, and the sensor module can be configured so that the length of the sensor unit can be adjusted in advance and retreat inside the housing according to the magnitude of the external force that one end of the sensor unit receives from the head. there is.

Meanwhile, the sensor module may include an elastic part provided in the hollow of the housing, and one side of the elastic part may be configured to support the other end of the sensor unit.

On the other hand, when an external force from the head acts on the sensor unit, the sensor position adjustment plate may be deformed by the external force transmitted through the housing so that the position of the sensor unit can be manually adjusted.

Meanwhile, the near-infrared spectroscopy module may further include a connector provided on one side of the protection unit, electrically connected to a plurality of sensor units, and configured to be electrically connected to the outside.

In addition, the plurality of near-infrared spectroscopy modules may be configured to be fitted to the module detachable unit.

Furthermore, the near-infrared spectroscopy module includes a frontal near-infrared spectroscopy module configured to be in close contact with the frontal lobe, an occipital near-infrared spectroscopic module configured to be in close contact with the occipital lobe, a pair of temporal near-infrared spectroscopy modules and parietal lobes configured to be in close contact with the temporal lobe It may be configured to include a parietal lobe spectroscopy module configured to be in close contact with the .

On the other hand, the buffer unit may further include a first buffer unit provided on the head receiving space side of the module detachable unit, and a second buffer unit configured to be fitted to the head receiving space side of the first buffer unit.

On the other hand, the second buffer unit may be configured to have a plurality of different thicknesses, and any one may be selected according to the size of the head of the subject to be fitted on the first buffer unit.

On the other hand, both ends are provided on both sides of the frame, and may further include a chin strap configured to maintain adhesion when the subject wears the near-infrared spectrometer.

In the head-adaptive near-infrared spectrometer according to the present invention, the position of the sensor unit can be manually adjusted in response to the size and shape of the head, so that it is possible to accurately and stably arrange the near-infrared spectrometer.

1 is a perspective view of a head adaptive near-infrared spectrometer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the near-infrared spectrometer shown in FIG. 1 .

3 is a perspective view of a near-infrared spectroscopy module.

4 is an exploded perspective view of the near-infrared spectroscopy module shown in FIG. 3 .

5 is an exploded perspective view of the sensor module;

6A and 6B are operational state diagrams of the sensor module.

7A, 7B and 7C are operational state diagrams illustrating the concept of adjusting the insertion depth of the sensor in the near-infrared spectroscopy module.

8 is another operational state diagram illustrating a state in which the insertion length of the sensor module is changed in response to the asymmetric head shape in the near-infrared spectroscopy module.

9a and 9b is another operational state diagram of the near-infrared spectroscopy module.

10a, 10b and 10c are views showing a modified example of the second buffer unit.

11 is a front view of a state in which the head adaptive near-infrared spectrometer is worn.

12 is a front view of a state in which a person different from FIG. 11 wears the head adaptive near-infrared spectrometer.

Hereinafter, the head adaptive near-infrared spectrometer according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. And in the description of the embodiments below, the name of each component may be referred to as another name in the art. However, if they have functional similarity and identity, even if a modified embodiment is employed, it can be viewed as an equivalent configuration. In addition, the code added to each component is described for convenience of description. However, the content shown in the drawings in which these symbols are indicated does not limit each component to the scope within the drawings. Similarly, even if an embodiment in which the configuration in the drawings is partially modified is employed, if there is functional similarity and identity, it can be regarded as an equivalent configuration. In addition, in view of the level of a general skilled in the art, if it is recognized as a component to be included of course, a description thereof will be omitted.

1 is a perspective view of a head adaptive near-infrared spectrometer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the head adaptive near-infrared spectrometer 1 according to an embodiment according to the present invention is configured in the form of a helmet as a whole to wrap the head. The head-adaptive near-infrared spectrometer 1 is configured to perform near-infrared spectroscopy for each part of the brain in a state in which the subject to be measured wears it on the head.

The head adaptive near-infrared spectrometer 1 divides a region to be measured into a plurality of regions, and the near-infrared spectroscopy module 200 corresponding to each divided region is disposed to perform near-infrared spectroscopy. As an example, a measurement region may be divided into a frontal lobe, an occipital lobe, a temporal lobe, and a parietal lobe, and a near-infrared spectroscopy module may be disposed at a position corresponding to each to perform measurement. When the measurement area is divided into a plurality of parts, the module can be configured to have a shape more suitable for the external curved surface of the head that is different depending on the measurement location. Accordingly, the frontal lobe spectroscopy module 201, the occipital lobe spectroscopy module 202, and the parietal lobe near-infrared spectroscopy module 204 may be configured to have a relatively small curvature and be configured to be in close contact with each region.

In addition, the frontal, occipital, and parietal near-infrared spectroscopy modules 201,2 02, 204 can be placed in close contact with each measurement area in the front-rear direction of the head, and have a rather long shape in the left-right direction, so that the left and right brain measurement areas can be configured to measure simultaneously. On the other hand, the temporal lobe spectroscopy module 203 is configured to have a rather small size, may be configured as a pair on the left and right sides, respectively, and may be configured to have a relatively large curvature.

In addition, the head adaptive near-infrared spectrometer 1 may be provided with a chin strap 130 on the chin when worn so that it can be stably fixed to the subject's head during use.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the head adaptive near-infrared spectrometer 1 according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5 .

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the near-infrared spectrometer 1 shown in FIG. 1 .

Referring to FIG. 2 , the head adaptive near-infrared spectrometer 1 according to the present invention may be configured to include a frame 100 , a near-infrared spectroscopy module 200 , a first ringworm part and a second buffer part.

The frame 100 is configured in a shape that can wrap the head of the person to be measured, and may be configured to have a head accommodating space inside. The frame 100 may be provided with a plurality of module detachable units 110 so that the plurality of near-infrared spectroscopy modules 200 can be coupled to the head side at the wear position of the subject. The module detachment unit 110 may be configured to correspond to the shape and size of each near-infrared spectroscopy module 200 . The module detachment unit 110 has an opening according to the arrangement area of the sensor unit 330 so that a plurality of sensor units 330 to be described later can access the scalp of the subject when the near-infrared spectroscopy module 200 is coupled. can Each module detachable unit 110 may be configured such that each near-infrared spectroscopy module 200 can be detached by fitting. However, since such a fitting structure can be applied to a widely used configuration, a further detailed description will be omitted.

The frame 100 may be made of a material somewhat higher in rigidity than the first buffer 400 and the second buffer 500 to be described later so that the near-infrared spectroscopy module 200 can stably maintain the coupled state.

The first buffer unit 400 is configured to minimize discomfort when the subject wears the head adaptive near-infrared spectrometer 1 . The first buffer unit 400 is provided for a minimum buffer action, is configured to correspond to the shape of the frame 100 , and similarly to the frame 100 , the near-infrared spectroscopy module 200 is coupled on the frame 100 . A plurality of openings may be formed at the locations.

The second buffer unit 500 is configured to additionally provide adhesion in response to the size of the head, and is configured to act as a buffer to minimize discomfort during adhesion.

On the other hand, the above-described first buffer unit 400 and the second buffer unit 500 may be configured to be deformable to some extent depending on the shape and size of the head, each of which is made of an elastic material.

3 is a perspective view of the near-infrared spectroscopy module 200 , FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the near-infrared spectroscopy module 200 shown in FIG. 3 , and FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the sensor module 300 .

In the present invention, as described with reference to FIG. 1 , the plurality of near-infrared spectroscopy modules 200 may have slightly different sizes and shapes depending on the region to be measured. The frontal lobe spectroscopy module will be described as an example.

3 and 4 , the near-infrared spectroscopy module 200 is configured to include a plurality of sensor modules 300 exposed toward the head receiving space, and can be configured to have a curvature corresponding to the shape of the head. .

The near-infrared spectroscopy module 200 may include a protection unit 210 , a sensor module buffer unit 220 , a substrate 240 , a sensor module 300 , and a connector 230 .

The protection unit 210 is configured to support the overall shape at the outermost portion of the near-infrared spectroscopy module 200 , and coupling units may be provided at a plurality of points to be connected to the module detachable unit of the frame 100 . The coupling part may be configured as a male-female groove that can be fitted with the frame 100, for example. However, the coupling part can be applied by being modified in various configurations that can be fitted.

The sensor module buffer 220 may be configured to be provided on the inside of the protection unit 210 , that is, on the side of the head receiving space 120 . The sensor module buffer 220 may have a curved inner side corresponding to the shape of the head, and a sensor position adjusting plate 221 formed in a curved shape on the side of the head receiving space 120 may be provided.

The sensor module buffer 220 is an extension formed with a predetermined length toward the protection unit 210 along the circumference of the sensor position control plate 221 so that a space can be provided between the sensor position control plate 221 and the protection unit 210 . A portion 223 may be provided. When the sensor module buffer unit 220 and the protection unit 210 are connected, the sensor module 300 and the substrate 240 to be described later may be disposed in the inner space.

The sensor position adjustment plate 221 may have a plurality of sensor modules 300 accommodating holes 222 formed in a direction toward the head accommodating space 120 . The plurality of sensor modules 300 accommodating holes 222 are determined in advance according to positions where the sensor modules 300 are to be arranged, and may be formed in a predetermined arrangement with a predetermined distance from each other.

The board 240 is configured to be electrically connected between a connector 230 and a plurality of sensor modules 300 to be described later, and may be provided in a plate shape.

The connector 230 is electrically connected to the board 240 , and the near-infrared spectroscopy module 200 is configured to be electrically connected to the outside. However, since these connectors 230 may have various shapes and configurations, further detailed descriptions will be omitted.

The sensor module 300 is configured to contact the scalp to measure brain blood flow according to near-infrared spectroscopy. For this purpose, each sensor module 300 may be inserted and disposed in the sensor module 300 receiving hole 222 .

The sensor unit 330 is configured to be in close contact with the scalp to measure cerebral blood flow non-invasively using near-infrared spectroscopy. The sensor unit 330 may be configured to include a light sensor (not shown) and a light source (not shown) exposed at the end. Near-infrared spectroscopy is a method that can non-invasively measure changes in concentration and optical coefficients of absorbing substances such as oxidized hemoglobin, reduced hemoglobin, and myoglobin in human tissues. The light used for measurement is near-infrared rays in the 700-2800 nm, particularly 700-900 nm band, and since these near-infrared rays have relatively small scattering and absorption in the human tissue compared to other bands, the light can reach a depth. Therefore, information can be obtained to a depth of several centimeters in the human body non-invasively by using such near-infrared rays.

Absorbent substances existing in the human body can be divided into oxygen-dependent substances and non-dependent substances. In particular, it is very important to quantitatively and qualitatively analyze the change in the concentration of oxygen-dependent substances because it is closely related to the metabolic activity in the human body. In near-infrared spectroscopy, Oxy hemoglobin concentration (Oxy) and Deoxy hemoglobin concentration (Deoxy) are calculated using an algorithm for deriving a meaningful analysis result based on the detected optical signal, for example, the Modified Beer-Lambert Law. Metabolism can be identified.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the sensor module 300 may include a housing 310 coupled in a longitudinal direction, a sensor unit 330 , a sensor unit support part 340 , and an elastic part 360 .

The housing 310 has a cylindrical shape as a whole, and the hollow 320 may be formed so that the elastic part 360 , the sensor unit 330 , and the sensor unit support part 340 can be inserted therein. At least one fixing part 350 may be provided on both sides of the housing 310 so that the housing 310 can be fixed to the sensor position adjustment plate 221 .

The sensor unit 330 may be configured to perform near-infrared spectroscopy. The sensor unit support 340 may be configured such that the sensor unit 330 can be inserted toward the center, and the end of the sensor unit 330 can be exposed toward the end. The sensor unit support 340 has a convex curved end so that, when the end is in close contact with the scalp, the airtightness of the end of the sensor unit 330 may be maintained. The sensor unit support 340 may be provided with a limiter 370 extending in a radial direction so as not to be separated from the housing 310 .

The elastic part 360 is provided between the housing 310 and the limiter 370 to provide a restoring force so that the sensor module 300 can be maintained at the longest length when no external force is applied.

Hereinafter, the operation of the head adaptive near-infrared spectrometer 1 according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 6A to 9B .

6A and 6B are operational state diagrams of the sensor module 300 .

Referring to FIG. 6A , each sensor module 300 corresponds to the magnitude of the force when an external force is applied, particularly when a compressive force is applied to the end side to which the sensor unit 330 is exposed. can be adjusted. Here, the compressive force is a force acting in contact with the user's scalp, and thus the external force generated when the head adaptive infrared spectrometer is worn varies according to the head size of the near-infrared spectrometer 1 . As a result, when a person to be measured wears the near-infrared spectrometer 1 , the length of each retraction of the sensor unit 330 may be determined according to an external force applied in close contact with the scalp for each part.

Referring to FIG. 6B , when the user takes off the near-infrared spectrometer 1 , the sensor unit support 340 and the sensor unit 330 move forward again to be able to return to their original positions.

7A, 7B, and 7C are operational state diagrams illustrating the concept of adjusting the insertion depth of a sensor in the near-infrared spectroscopy module 200 .

7A, 7B and 7C, when the subject having different head sizes wears the near-infrared spectrometer 1 according to the present invention, the exposure length of each sensor module 300, that is, the sensor unit 330 is It is shown that the length of the housing 310 inserted into the interior is adjusted while maintaining the close contact. Therefore, the near-infrared spectrometer 1 according to the present invention can provide a constant adhesion between the sensor unit 330 and the scalp regardless of the head size even when one near-infrared spectrometer 1 is used.

8 is another operational state diagram in which the insertion length of the sensor module is changed in response to the asymmetric head shape in the near-infrared spectroscopy module 200 .

Referring to FIG. 8 , in the head adaptive near-infrared spectrometer 1 according to the present invention, even when the subject's head is asymmetrical, the appearance and retraction length of each sensor unit 330 can be adjusted in response to the shape of the head. . In this case, the part of the head that is in close contact with the left part in FIG. 8 is slightly convex, and when the part of the head that is in close contact with the right part in FIG. 8 forms a relatively gentle curved surface, each of the plurality of sensors is inserted according to the adhesion force The length is adjusted differently.

9A and 9B are another operational state diagram of the near-infrared spectroscopy module 200 .

Referring to FIG. 9A , the sensor module buffer 220 is made of an elastic member, so that the posture of the sensor module 300 can be changed in response to a case where the direction of the external force is different from the direction of the sensor unit 330 . . That is, when an external force is generated in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the sensor unit 330 , the position and posture of the end of the sensor module 300 are three-dimensionally converted as the sensor module buffer 220 is deformed according to the external force. This allows the end of the sensor unit 330 to be in close contact with the scalp.

Referring to FIG. 9B , it is shown that the sensor module 300 is deformed in the left and right directions when an external force is applied. At this time, when the external force acts on the end side of the sensor module 300 , the force is transmitted to the sensor position adjusting plate 221 by the fixing part 350 of the housing 310 , and as the sensor position adjusting plate 221 is deformed, the sensor module The angle of 300 can be switched.

10a, 10b and 10c are views showing a modified example of the second buffer unit.

Referring to FIGS. 10A to 10C , the thicknesses of each of the second buffer units 500 are different. The thickness of the second buffer unit 500 may be formed in various thicknesses so that the buffer action and the fixing function can be strengthened in response to the head sizes of different subjects on the frame 100 of a fixed size. At this time, any one of the second buffering units may be selected according to the size of the head of the person to be measured and fitted inside the first buffering unit 400 , that is, on the side of the head receiving space 120 , and coupled thereto.

11 is a front view of a state in which the head adaptive NIR spectrometer 1 is worn, and FIG. 12 is a front view of a state in which a person different from FIG. 11 is wearing the head adaptive NIR spectrometer 1 .

As shown, even if the size of the head of the person to be measured is different, the second buffer unit 500 is selected to prepare the head adaptive near-infrared spectrometer 1, and the near-infrared spectroscopy can be performed by wearing it by the person to be measured. In addition, at this time, the length of the sensor module 300 is adjusted according to the distance between the scalp and the sensor position adjusting plate 221 , and the end of the sensor can be brought into close contact with the scalp.

As described above, in the head adaptive near-infrared spectrometer according to the present invention, the position of the sensor unit can be manually adjusted in response to the size and shape of the head, thereby enabling accurate and stable arrangement of the near-infrared spectrometer.

Claims (13)

a plurality of near-infrared spectroscopy modules configured to be divided and arranged in the near-infrared measuring region of the head; a frame provided with a module detachable part from which the near-infrared spectroscopy module can be detached and having a head accommodation space formed therein so as to be worn on the subject's head; and It includes a buffer provided between the frame and the head of the subject, The near-infrared spectroscopy module includes a plurality of sensor modules exposed toward the head receiving space, A near-infrared spectrometer configured to adjust the three-dimensional position of the end of the sensor module according to the size and shape of the head. According to claim 1, At least one of the respective near-infrared spectroscopy modules, a protection unit provided on the outside; and It includes a sensor module buffer provided on the inside, The sensor module is a near-infrared spectrometer, characterized in that disposed through the sensor module buffer. 3. The method of claim 2, The sensor module buffer unit, A sensor position adjustment plate is provided with a curvature corresponding to the part of the head to be in close contact with, The sensor position adjustment plate is formed toward the head receiving space, and a plurality of sensor module receiving holes formed to be spaced apart from each other are formed, The sensor module is a near-infrared spectrometer, characterized in that provided through the sensor module receiving hole. 4. The method of claim 3, The sensor module is a housing having one side configured to be fixed to the sensor module buffer and having a hollow inside; and The near-infrared spectrometer further comprising a sensor unit inserted into the hollow of the housing and configured to measure blood flow. 5. The method of claim 4, The sensor unit is configured to be linearly movable inside the hollow of the housing, The sensor module is a near-infrared spectrometer, characterized in that the sensor unit is configured such that the forward/backward length of the sensor unit can be adjusted inside the housing according to the magnitude of the external force received from the head by one end of the sensor unit. 6. The method of claim 5, The sensor module includes an elastic part provided in the hollow of the housing, One side of the elastic part is a near-infrared spectrometer configured to support the other end of the sensor unit. 7. The method of claim 6, The sensor position control plate, When an external force acts on the sensor unit from the head, the near-infrared spectrometer is configured to be deformed by the external force transmitted through the housing so that the position of the sensor unit can be manually adjusted. 7. The method of claim 6, The near-infrared spectroscopy module, It is provided on one side of the protection part, It is electrically connected to the plurality of sensor units, Near-infrared spectrometer, characterized in that it further comprises a connector configured to be electrically connected to the outside. 9. The method of claim 8, The plurality of near-infrared spectroscopy modules, Near-infrared spectrometer, characterized in that it is configured to be fitted to the module detachable part. 10. The method of claim 9, The near-infrared spectroscopy module, a frontal near-infrared spectroscopy module configured to be in close contact with the frontal lobe; an occipital near-infrared spectroscopy module configured to be in close contact with the occipital lobe; a temporal lobe near-infrared spectroscopy module configured as a pair to be in close contact with the temporal lobe; and A near-infrared spectrometer configured to include a parietal lobe spectroscopy module configured to be in close contact with the parietal lobe. 4. The method of claim 3, The buffer unit, a first buffer unit provided on the side of the head receiving space of the module detachable unit; Near-infrared spectrometer, characterized in that it further comprises a second buffer configured to be fitted to the side of the head receiving space of the first buffer. 12. The method of claim 11, Each of the second buffer parts is composed of a plurality of different thicknesses, Near-infrared spectrometer, characterized in that one is selected according to the size of the head of the subject and configured to be fitted on the first buffer unit. 4. The method of claim 3, Both ends are provided on both sides of the frame, The near-infrared spectrometer further comprising a chin strap configured to maintain adhesion when the subject wears the near-infrared spectrometer.

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