Patent Description:
Recently, with the development of mobile communication technology and process technology, electronic devices have been changed to a form that can freely access to a wired or wireless network while being easily carried, and the functions that can be performed by the electronic device have been diversified. Further, the form of electronic devices has been diversified and, for example, an electronic device may be implemented into a form of a wearable device that a user can directly attach to a portion of the user's body for use. A wearable type electronic device may have, for example, a form of a wrist watch that can be attached to a user's wrist; and, in this case, the electronic device can perform various functions such as call and message transmission and reception, execution of various applications, and reproduction of multimedia contents in addition to a watch function.

Because a wearable type electronic device is directly attached to the user's body for use, the electronic device may be used for obtaining the user's biometric information using several types of biometric sensor. For example, the electronic device may measure the user's heart rate, stress, and blood oxygen saturation level SpO2 using a photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor. In this case, in order to use various output bands, the PPG sensor may obtain biometric information using light of various bands such as green, red, and infra-red (IR), and the electronic device may have at least two light emitting elements and/or light receiving elements.

When biometric information is obtained according to an output band (e.g., green, red, IR), there are merits and demerits in a light emitting element provided in the electronic device. For example, in a green band of a low wavelength, accurate measurement is difficult because of low permeability of the skin. Meanwhile, an IR or red band of a high wavelength has high skin permeability, but it is sensitive to a motion; thus, when a motion of the electronic device is large, accurate measurement is difficult in the IR or red band. Even if a conventional electronic device supports various output ranges of light emitting elements, the conventional electronic device does not consider a use state thereof; thus, it is difficult to measure accurately biological information, and there is a problem of high power consumption by use of a plurality of light emitting elements.

The document <CIT>, describes wearable devices, systems and methods for noninvasive monitoring and analyzing of physiological measurements.

The document <CIT>, describes a wearable electronic apparatus detects movement of a human body wearing the apparatus.

The document <CIT>, describes a wearable electronic device for monitoring physiological measurements and detecting a distance between the device and the user.

An aspect of the disclosure is to provide an electronic device that can measure more accurately biological information in consideration of a use state thereof.

An aspect of the disclosure can provide an electronic device that can measure more accurately biological information in consideration of a use state thereof.

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device <NUM> in a network environment <NUM> according to various embodiments of the disclosure.

The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM)), or be distributed (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) online via an application store (e.g., Play StoreTM), or between two user devices (e.g., smart phones) directly.

<FIG> are diagrams illustrating an outer shape of an electronic device according to various embodiments of the disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, an electronic device <NUM> may be a wrist wearable device (e.g., watch, bracelet type, band type, bangle type). However, the disclosure is not limited thereto and various kinds of electronic devices that can obtain the user's biological information when the user approaches by having an optical sensor module (e.g., a photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor) mounted may correspond to the electronic device <NUM> of the disclosure. For example, the electronic device <NUM> according to various embodiments may be implemented into a smart phone, a head-mounted device (e.g., a virtual reality (VR) device, augmented reality (AR) device, mixed reality (MR) device, glasses type device), body attachment device (e.g., health patch, digital tattoo), clothing type device (e.g., smart clothing, glove, footwear), and band type device (e.g., wrist/arm band, smart ring) having a biometric sensor.

The electronic device <NUM> may include a body and a strap. At a front surface (e.g., a surface exposed to the outside when being worn by the user) of the body, a display <NUM> is provided to display various application screens such as a message and a call as well as time information. The user of the electronic device <NUM> may wear the electronic device <NUM> at a part of the user's body (e.g., wrist) using a strap.

Referring to <FIG> illustrates a rear surface (e.g., a surface that contacts with the user's body when being worn by the user) of the body of the electronic device <NUM>. According to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> includes an optical sensor module <NUM>, and a light emitting element and a light receiving element of the optical sensor module <NUM> may be exposed from the rear surface of the body to the outside to output light to an external object and detect reflected light of the output light.

According to various embodiments, the optical sensor module <NUM> may include a PPG sensor. The PPG sensor may detect, in the light receiving element (e.g., a photodiode), reflected light reflected by an external object (e.g., the user's body) among light output from a light emitting element (e.g., LED) and measure biometric information such as the user's heart rate, stress, and blood oxygen saturation level SpO2 based on reflected light detected by the light receiving element.

According to various embodiments, the optical sensor module <NUM> may include at least one light emitting element and one light receiving element. For example, as shown in <FIG>, the optical sensor module <NUM> may include three light emitting elements and two light receiving elements, but the number and/or a disposition form of the light emitting elements and the light receiving elements are/is not limited to that of <FIG>. According to an embodiment, in the optical sensor module <NUM>, the light emitting elements and the light receiving elements may be disposed in line to detect effectively a motion of the electronic device, and a light receiving element of excellent signal detection may be selected.

The light emitting element may include an LED that can output light of a visible light range (e.g., green, red) and/or an infrared band. For example, the light emitting element may output green light having a wavelength of <NUM> to <NUM>, red light having a wavelength of <NUM>, and/or infra-red (IR) light having a wavelength of <NUM> to <NUM>. When green light is used, the green light may be strong while in motion, but the green light may have low skin permeability; and when red light or IR light is used, the red light or IR light may have high skin permeability, but the red light or IR light may have weak signal strength and be sensitive while in motion.

According to various embodiments, each light emitting element may output light of a fixed wavelength band (e.g., the first light emitting element outputs green light, and the second light emitting element outputs light of an IR band) or each light emitting element may output light of various wavelengths. The light receiving element may include a photodiode that can detect an optical signal to convert and output the optical signal to an electric signal, and each light receiving element may detect reflected light of light output from a corresponding one light emitting element or may detect reflected light of light output from all light emitting elements. A principle of obtaining the user's biometric information using the optical sensor module <NUM> will be described in detail with reference to <FIG>.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may further include a motion sensor <NUM>. The motion sensor <NUM> may be implemented into various types of sensors that can detect a motion of the electronic device <NUM> such as a gyro sensor and an acceleration sensor. The electronic device <NUM> may determine a motion level thereof based on a sensing signal of the motion sensor <NUM> and determine a motion state (e.g., a normal state, sleep state, exercise state) thereof.

According to various embodiments of the disclosure, in order to obtain biometric information in consideration of a use state (e.g., a wearing state and/or a motion state) of the electronic device <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may selectively drive a light emitting element and/or a light receiving element. Therefore, the electronic device <NUM> can provide various differentiated pieces of biometric information to the user and achieve effects such as increased accuracy of a measuring signal, enhancement of current consumption, and removal of inconvenience upon measuring the user's biological information.

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating a principle of an optical sensor module according to various embodiments of the disclosure.

Referring to <FIG> illustrates a principle of detecting, through a light receiving element <NUM>, reflected light reflected by collision with an external object <NUM> (e.g., a user wrist) among light output from a light emitting element <NUM> (e.g., a first light emitting element 312a and a second light emitting element 312b) in a state in which a user wears an electronic device <NUM>. <FIG> illustrates two light emitting elements 312a and 312b and one light receiving element <NUM>; but, as described above, the electronic device <NUM> may include a plurality of light emitting elements <NUM> and/or light receiving elements <NUM>, and the number of the plurality of light emitting elements <NUM> and/or light receiving elements <NUM> is not limited.

The light emitting elements <NUM> may output light of a specific wavelength band (e.g., green, red, IR) according to a control signal of the processor (e.g., the processor <NUM> of <FIG> and a processor <NUM> of <FIG>). Light output from the light emitting element <NUM> may be reflected through a perfused tissue <NUM> and/or a bone <NUM>, and a property of an optical signal received in the light receiving element <NUM> may be changed according to the user's body situation. For example, when blood flowing through a blood vessel of a user's wrist increases, the blood vessel expands; thus, an amount of reflected light detected by the light receiving element <NUM> may decrease. In this way, the electronic device <NUM> may measure biometric information such as the user's heart rate, stress, and blood oxygen saturation level SpO2 according to an attribute of reflected light detected by the light receiving element <NUM>.

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an electronic device according to various embodiments of the disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, an electronic device <NUM> may include an optical sensor module <NUM>, a motion sensor <NUM>, a processor <NUM> (e.g., at least one processor), a memory <NUM> (e.g., a storage), a display <NUM>, and a communication module <NUM> (e.g., a transceiver), and even if at least some of the illustrated elements are omitted or substituted, as needed, various embodiments of the disclosure may be implemented. The electronic device <NUM> may be a wearable device as described with reference to <FIG>, but the disclosure is not limited thereto and may be implemented into a smart phone, head-mounted device (e.g., VR device, AR device, MR device, glasses-type device), body attachment device (e.g., health patch, digital tattoo), clothing type device (e.g., smart clothing, gloves, footwear), and band type device (e.g., wrist/arm band, smart ring) that can obtain the user's biometric information when the user approaches by being mounted in the optical sensor module <NUM>.

The optical sensor module <NUM> may include a light emitting module and a light receiving module, the light emitting module may include a plurality of light emitting elements (e.g., the first light emitting element 312a and the second light emitting element 312b of <FIG>), and the light receiving module may include a plurality of light receiving elements (e.g., a first light receiving element and a second light receiving element). Hereinafter, it is described that a light emitting module includes a first light emitting element and a second light emitting element, but the number of the light emitting elements included in the light emitting module is not limited thereto.

As described with reference to <FIG> above, the light emitting element and the light receiving element may be exposed from a rear surface of the body of the electronic device <NUM> to the outside to contact (or adjacent to) with the user's body when the user wears the electronic device <NUM>. The optical sensor module <NUM> may be electrically connected to the processor <NUM>, an output wavelength and a light emitting element to be driven according to a control signal of the processor <NUM> may be determined, and an optical signal detected by the light receiving element may be converted to an electrical signal to be provided to the processor <NUM>.

According to various embodiments, the first light emitting element of the light emitting module may have a first attribute and the second light emitting element thereof may have a second attribute, wherein the first attribute and the second attribute may be an attribute related to output intensity and/or an output wavelength of the light emitting element. According to various embodiments, at least one of output intensity and an output wavelength of the first light emitting element and the second light emitting element may have different attributes.

The motion sensor <NUM> may be implemented into various type sensors that may detect a motion of the electronic device <NUM>, such as a gyro sensor and an acceleration sensor. The motion sensor <NUM> may be electrically connected to the processor <NUM> to provide a motion signal generated according to motion detection of the electronic device <NUM> to the processor <NUM>.

The memory <NUM> may include a volatile memory <NUM> (e.g., the volatile memory <NUM> of <FIG>) and/or a non-volatile memory <NUM> (e.g., the non-volatile memory <NUM> of <FIG>) and may be electrically connected to the processor <NUM>. The memory <NUM> may store various instructions that may be performed in the processor <NUM>. Such instructions may include a control command such as arithmetic and logic operations, data movement, and an input and output that may be recognized by the control circuit and may be defined on a framework stored at the memory <NUM>. Further, the memory <NUM> may store at least some of the program <NUM> of <FIG>.

According to various embodiments, the processor <NUM> may perform an operation or data processing related to the control and/or communication of each element of the electronic device <NUM> and include at least some of the configurations of/or functions of the processor <NUM> of <FIG>. According to other embodiments, the processor <NUM> may be included in a sensor hub that performs a sensor control and detection of a sensing signal of several sensors (e.g., the optical sensor module <NUM>, the motion sensors <NUM>) provided in the electronic device <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may be electrically connected to internal components of the electronic device <NUM>, such as the optical sensor module <NUM>, the motion sensor <NUM>, the memory <NUM>, the display <NUM>, and the communication module <NUM>.

Operations and data processing functions that the processor <NUM> may implement within the electronic device <NUM> are not limited, and hereinafter various embodiments will be described in which the processor <NUM> determines a use state (e.g., a wearing state and a motion state) of the electronic device <NUM> and controls the optical sensor module <NUM> based on the use state to obtain biometric information. Operations of the processor <NUM> to be described later may be performed by loading the foregoing instructions stored at the memory <NUM>.

The display <NUM> displays an image and may be implemented into a liquid crystal display (LCD), light emitting diode (LED) display, and organic light emitting diode (OLED). The display <NUM> may include at least some of the configurations and/or functions of the display device <NUM> of <FIG> and may be disposed in a form of the display <NUM> of <FIG>. When obtaining biometric information, the processor <NUM> may display visual information generated by the biometric information and a necessary visual notification related to obtaining of the biometric information on the display <NUM>.

The communication module <NUM> transmits and receives data to and from various external electronic devices <NUM> and may include at least some of the configurations and/or functions of the communication module <NUM> of <FIG>.

According to various embodiments, the processor <NUM> may obtain biometric information such as a heart rate, stress, and blood oxygen saturation level SpO2 of an external object (e.g., a user's body) using the optical sensor module <NUM>. For obtaining desired biometric information, the processor <NUM> may detect whether the electronic device <NUM> is being worn and determine a wearing state (e.g., tight or loose) and/or a motion state (e.g., a normal state, sleep state, exercise state). The processor <NUM> may determine a light emitting element and/or a light receiving element to use for obtaining biological information based on the determined wearing state and/or motion state. A specific operation of the processor <NUM> will be described in detail with reference to <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG> illustrates a circuit structure for controlling each of light emitting elements (or modules) 512a and 512b and/or light receiving elements (or modules) 514a, 514b, and 514c of an optical sensor module such as a biometric sensor module <NUM> (e.g., the optical sensor module <NUM> of <FIG>).

As shown in <FIG>, the optical sensor module or biometric sensor module <NUM> may include a plurality of light emitting elements (e.g., a first light emitting element 512a and a second light emitting element 512b) and a plurality of light receiving elements or modules (e.g., a first light receiving element 514a, a second light receiving element 514b, and a third light receiving element 514c). The plurality of light emitting elements 512a and 512b and the plurality of light receiving elements 514a, 514b, and 514c may be disposed in line, as described with reference to <FIG>, but the disclosure is not limited thereto.

A sensor circuit <NUM> is electrically provided between a processor <NUM> and the optical sensor module <NUM> and drives each of the light emitting elements 512a and 512b according to a control signal of the processor <NUM> and provides signals received from each of the light receiving element 514a, 514b, and 514c to the processor <NUM>. The sensor circuit <NUM> may include a light emitting element driving circuit <NUM>, multiplexer (MUX) <NUM>, and analog to digital converter (ADC) <NUM>.

The light emitting element driving circuit <NUM> may drive the first light emitting element 512a and/or the second light emitting element 512b according to a control signal of the processor <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the first light emitting element 512a and the second light emitting element 512b may have different attributes in output intensity and output wavelength; and, in this case, the processor <NUM> may determine at least one of the first light emitting element 512a and the second light emitting element 512b to use for measurement of biological information to output a control signal to the light emitting element driving circuit <NUM>, and the light emitting element driving circuit <NUM> may drive the first light emitting element 512a and/or the second light emitting element 512b based on the received control signal. According to another embodiment, the first light emitting element 512a and the second light emitting element 512b each may have various output intensities and output wavelengths. In this case, the control signal may include information about a light emitting element to be driven and output intensity and an output wavelength of light to output from each light emitting element.

The first light receiving element to the third light receiving element 514a, 514b, and 514c obtain an optical signal (e.g., analog electric signals corresponding to a detected light amount) and output the optical signal to the MUX <NUM>, and the MUX <NUM> adds signals transmitted from each of the light receiving elements 514a, 514b, and 514c to a single channel to output the signals to the ADC <NUM>. According to another embodiment, the MUX <NUM> may output a signal transmitted from each of the light receiving elements 514a, 514b, and 514c to the ADC <NUM> through a separate channel. The ADC <NUM> may convert the received optical signal to a digital signal to output the digital signal to the processor <NUM>.

An electronic device <NUM> according to various embodiments includes a biometric sensor module <NUM> including light emitting modules including a first light emitting element 512a having a first attribute and a second light emitting element 512b having a second attribute and light receiving elements 514a, 514b, and 514c disposed adjacent to the light emitting elements 512a and 512b; and a processor <NUM>, wherein the processor <NUM> is configured to determine a distance between the biometric sensor module <NUM> and an external object based on at least reflected light reflected by collision with the external object among light output from the light emitting elements 512a and 512b, to select at least one of the first light emitting element 512a and the second light emitting element 512b based on at least the distance, and to obtain biometric information about the external object using the selected at least one light emitting element.

According to various embodiments, at least one of output intensity and an output wavelength of the first light emitting element 512a and the second light emitting element 512b may have different attributes.

According to various embodiments, the light receiving elements 514a, 514b, and 514c may include a first light receiving element 514a and a second light receiving element 514b, and the processor <NUM> may be configured to select at least one light receiving element configured to detect the reflected light based on at least the distance.

According to various embodiments, the processor <NUM> may be configured to control at least one of the first light emitting element 512a and the second light emitting element 512b to output light and to control the first light emitting element 512a and the second light emitting element 512b to output light when an intensity of reflected light corresponding to the output light is larger than a designated value.

According to various embodiments, the processor <NUM> may be configured to determine a close contact level between the biometric sensor module <NUM> and the external object to be a first close contact level or a second close contact level based on at least the determined distance between the biometric sensor module <NUM> and the external object and to select at least one light emitting element configured to obtain biological information based on at least the determined close contact level.

According to various embodiments, the processor <NUM> may be configured to drive any one of the first light emitting element 512a and the second light emitting element 512b to obtain the biometric information, when the close contact level is determined to be a first close contact level; and to drive at least one of the first light emitting element 512a and the second light emitting element 512b to obtain the biological information, when the close contact level is determined to be a second close contact level.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may further include a motion sensor <NUM>, wherein the processor <NUM> may be configured to determine a state of the electronic device <NUM> to be one of a first state and a second state using the motion sensor <NUM> and to drive at least one of the first light emitting element 512a and the second light emitting element 512b based on the first state and the second state to obtain biometric information about the external object.

According to various embodiments, when a state of the electronic device <NUM> is a second state, the processor <NUM> may be configured to drive the second light emitting element 512b designated to correspond to the second state.

An electronic device <NUM> according to various embodiments includes a biometric sensor module <NUM> including a plurality of light emitting elements 512a and 512b and a plurality of light receiving elements 514a, 514b, and 514c; and a processor <NUM> electrically connected to the biometric sensor module <NUM>, wherein the processor <NUM> is configured to control the plurality of light emitting elements 512a and 512b to output light, to drive the plurality of light receiving elements 514a, 514b, and 514c to obtain an optical signal detected by the plurality of light receiving element 514a, 514b, and 514c, to determine a distance between each of the light emitting elements 512a and 512b and an external object based on the optical signal, to determine a wearing state of the electronic device <NUM> based on the distance, to determine at least one of the plurality of light emitting elements 512a and 512b to use for obtaining biometric information and an output wavelength of the at least one light emitting element based on the determined wearing state, to determine at least one of the plurality of light receiving elements 514a, 514b, and 514c configured to use for obtaining biological information based on the determined wearing state, and to obtain biometric information about the external object based on an optical signal detected by the determined at least one light receiving element.

According to various embodiments, the processor <NUM> may be configured to obtain motion information of the electronic device <NUM>; to determine a motion state of the electronic device <NUM> based on the obtained motion information; to determine at least one of the plurality of light emitting elements 512a and 512b and an output wavelength of the at least one light emitting element based on the determined motion state; and to determine at least one of the plurality of light receiving elements 514a, 514b, and 514c based on the determined motion state.

According to various embodiments, the processor <NUM> may be configured to determine, if an average value of a distance between each of the light emitting elements 512a and 512b and the external object is smaller than a designated value, the wearing state to be the first state and determine, if an average value of a distance between each of the light emitting elements 512a and 512b and the external object is larger than or equal to a designated value, the wearing state to be the second state and to select at least two of the plurality of light emitting elements 512a and 512b and to determine an output wavelength of the selected at least two light emitting elements to different values, when the wearing state is determined to be the first state, and to select one of the plurality of light emitting elements 512a and 512b when the wearing state is determined to be the second state.

According to various embodiments, the processor <NUM> may be configured to obtain at least one type biometric information corresponding to the wearing state and the motion state.

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating a method of obtaining biometric information of an electronic device according to various embodiments of the disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, the illustrated method may be performed by a processor (e.g., the processor <NUM> of <FIG>, the processor <NUM> of <FIG>) of the electronic device, and hereinafter a description of the foregoing technical characteristics will be omitted.

The processor may determine whether the electronic device is worn by the user at operation <NUM>. The processor may output light through at least one predetermined light emitting element among a plurality of light emitting elements (e.g., the first light emitting element 512a, the second light emitting element 512b of <FIG>) of optical sensor modules (e.g., the optical sensor module <NUM> of <FIG>) and determine whether the electronic device is being worn through an intensity of reflected light detected by a light receiving element (e.g., the first light receiving element 514a, the second light receiving element 514b, and the third light receiving element 514c of <FIG>). A detailed operation of operation <NUM> will be described in detail with reference to <FIG>.

If the electronic device is being worn by the user, the processor may determine a wearing state (or a close contact level) of the electronic device at operation <NUM>. The processor may determine whether the electronic device is appropriately (or tightly) worn or inappropriately (or loosely) worn using two or more light emitting elements or all light emitting elements. A detailed operation of operation <NUM> will be described in detail with reference to <FIG> and <FIG>.

The processor may determine a motion state of the electronic device at operation <NUM>. The processor may classify a wearing state of the electronic device into a normal state, sleep state, and exercise state based on the sensing result of the motion sensor (e.g., the motion sensor <NUM> of <FIG>). It is not necessary to perform operation <NUM> after operation <NUM>, and operation <NUM> may be performed at least partially simultaneously with operation <NUM> or may be performed before operation <NUM>. Operation <NUM> will be described in detail with reference to <FIG>.

The processor may select, at operation <NUM>, a light emitting element and/or a light receiving element to use for obtaining biometric information based on at least the determined wearing state and/or motion state of the electronic device. According to various embodiments, the processor may extract information mapped to the determined wearing state and/or motion state from a table stored at the memory (e.g., the memory <NUM> of <FIG>) and select a light emitting element and/or a light receiving element.

The processor may obtain biometric information (e.g., heart rate, stress, blood oxygen saturation level SpO2) at operation <NUM> using the light emitting element and the light receiving element determined at operation <NUM>.

An embodiment of selecting the light emitting element and the light receiving element of operation <NUM> and an example of biometric information that may be obtained in operation <NUM> will be described in detail with reference to <FIG>.

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating an operation of detecting whether an electronic device is being worn according to various embodiments of the disclosure. The operations of <FIG> correspond to operation <NUM> of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, in a state in which the electronic device is not worn, the processor (e.g., the processor <NUM> of <FIG>) may control to output light using at least one of a predetermined first light emitting element (e.g., 512a of <FIG>) and second light emitting element (e.g., 512b of <FIG>) at operation <NUM>. In a state in which the electronic device is not being worn, the processor may control a light emitting element to periodically output light and control to output light of an infra-red (IR) band that is invisible to the user.

The processor may compare an intensity of reflected light reflected by the user's body (<NUM> of <FIG>) among light output from the light emitting element with a designated value (e.g., a reference value) based on a signal received from the light receiving elements (e.g., 514a, 514b, and 514c of <FIG>) at operation <NUM>.

If the intensity of the reflected light is smaller than or equal to a designated value, the processor may determine at operation <NUM> that the electronic device is not being worn by the user; and the process continues to operation <NUM>, and the processor may control to periodically output light using at least one of a predetermined first light emitting element and second light emitting element.

If an intensity of the reflected light is larger than a designated value, the processor may determine at operation <NUM> that the electronic device is being worn by the user. If the electronic device is being worn by the user, the process may enter operation <NUM> of <FIG> and the processor performs subsequent operations and controls the first light emitting element and the second light emitting element to output light.

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating an operation of determining a wearing state of an electronic device according to various embodiments of the disclosure. <FIG> illustrate a wearing state of the electronic device and are graphs of the optical signal measured in each wearing state according to various embodiments of the disclosure.

Referring to <FIG> correspond to operation <NUM> of <FIG>, and hereinafter a process in which the processor determines a wearing state of the electronic device will be described with reference to <FIG> and <FIG>. The following operations may be performed after it has been determined that the electronic device is being worn by the user through the process of <FIG>.

The processor (e.g., the processor <NUM> of <FIG>) may activate at least two light emitting elements (e.g., the first light emitting element and the second light emitting element) and at least one light receiving element of the optical sensor module (e.g., the optical sensor module <NUM> of <FIG>) at operation <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the processor may activate all light emitting elements and light receiving elements included in the optical sensor module.

The processor may output light using at least two light emitting elements (e.g., the first light emitting element and the second light emitting element) at operation <NUM>.

The processor may receive a detection signal of each light receiving element (e.g., the first light receiving element to the third light receiving element) and determine, at operation <NUM>, a distance between the biometric sensor module and the external object (e.g., the user's body) based on the detection signal.

<FIG> and <FIG> are diagrams illustrating a state in which a user wears an electronic device having a first light receiving element to a third light receiving element.

<FIG> illustrates a state in which the user tightly wears the electronic device <NUM> and illustrates a state (e.g., a first close contact level) in which all light receiving elements <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> come in close contact with a user's body <NUM>. <FIG> illustrates a state in which the user loosely wears the electronic device <NUM>, wherein a third light receiving element <NUM> may come in close contact with a user's body <NUM>, but a first light receiving element <NUM> and a second light receiving element <NUM> may be somewhat separated from the user's body <NUM>.

When the wearing state of the electronic device is a tight state as shown in <FIG>, a value of an optical signal detected by each of the light receiving elements <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> is as shown in <FIG>. With reference to <FIG>, because distances between each of the light receiving elements <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> and the user's body <NUM> are substantially the same, values of the optical signal detected by each of the light receiving elements <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> sequentially have no large difference. According to various embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, when all of a plurality of light receiving elements <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> contacts with the user's body <NUM>, the processor may obtain a biological signal using only one light receiving element or all light receiving elements.

When a wearing state of the electronic device is a loose state as shown in <FIG>, a value of an optical signal detected by each of the light receiving elements <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> is as shown in <FIG>. With reference to <FIG>, because there is a difference in a distance between each of the light receiving elements <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> and the user's body <NUM>, a value of the optical signals detected by each of the light receiving elements <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may show a large difference. According to various embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, when only some (e.g., the third light receiving element <NUM>) of a plurality of light receiving elements contact with the user's body, the processor may obtain a biological signal using only the contact light receiving element (e.g., the third light receiving element <NUM>). According to an embodiment, if the wearing state of the electronic device is a loose state, the processor may, for accurate measurement of biometric information, provide an alarm through the display (e.g., the display <NUM> of <FIG>) for inducing the electronic device to be worn tightly by adjustment of a strap.

The processor may determine a wearing state of the electronic device to be a tight state of <FIG> or a loose state of <FIG> based on a correlation of an optical signal detected by each light receiving element. For example, the processor may determine a distance between the optical sensor module and the user's body based on a change rate of each optical signal value, a distribution value of an optical signal level unit, and a correlation between signals.

The processor may compare the determined distance between the biometric sensor module and the user's body with a designated value (e.g., a reference value) at operation <NUM>.

If the distance is smaller than a designated value, the processor may determine, at operation <NUM>, a wearing state of the electronic device to be a first close contact level (or a tight state or an appropriate wearing state).

If the distance is larger than or equal to a designated value, the processor may determine, at operation <NUM>, a wearing state of the electronic device to be a second close contact level (or a loose state or an inappropriate wearing state).

According to an not-claimed embodiment, the processor may determine a wearing state of the electronic device based on at least a signal obtained from each light receiving element without determining a distance between the biometric sensor module and an external object. For example, if a correlation of the optical signal detected by each light receiving element belongs to a first range, the processor may determine a wearing state of the electronic device to be a first close contact level; and, if a correlation of the optical signal detected by each light receiving element belongs to a second range, the processor may determine a wearing state of the electronic device to be a second close contact level. In this case, the operation <NUM> to the operation <NUM> may be omitted.

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating a motion state determining operation of an electronic device according to various embodiments of the disclosure. Operations of <FIG> may correspond to the operation <NUM> of <FIG> and may be performed at least partially simultaneously with the wearing state determination operation <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the processor (e.g., the processor <NUM> of <FIG>, the processor <NUM> of <FIG>) may obtain motion information from the motion sensor (e.g., the motion sensor <NUM> of <FIG>) at operation <NUM>. The motion sensor may be implemented into a gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, or the like that may detect a motion state of the electronic device.

The processor may compare the obtained motion information (e.g., acceleration of the electronic device) with a designated range (e.g., a reference range) at operation <NUM>.

If a range to which the obtained motion information belongs is a smallest range, there is little motion in the electronic device; thus, the processor may determine, at operation <NUM>, a motion state of the electronic device to be a second motion state corresponding to a sleep state. According to an embodiment, the processor may determine that the user is in a lying state in additional consideration of an advancing direction of the electronic device; and, when a motion of the electronic device belongs to a designated range, the processor may determine a motion state of the electronic device to be a sleep state.

If a range to which the obtained motion information belongs is an intermediate range, the processor may determine, at operation <NUM>, a motion state of the electronic device to be a first motion state corresponding to a normal state in which the user wears the electronic device and generally lives his/her everyday life.

If a range to which the obtained motion information belongs is a largest range, the motion of the electronic device is in a largest state; thus, the processor may determine a motion state of the electronic device to be a third motion state corresponding to an exercise state at operation <NUM>.

<FIG> is a table illustrating a biological information measuring function that may be performed according to a state of an electronic device according to various embodiments of the disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, the processor (e.g., the processor <NUM> of <FIG>, the processor <NUM> of <FIG>) may determine a light emitting element and a light receiving element to use for obtaining biological information and a type of biometric information to obtain based on a wearing state of the electronic device determined using an optical sensor module (e.g., the optical sensor module <NUM> of <FIG>, the optical sensor module <NUM> of <FIG>) and a motion state determined using a motion sensor (e.g., the motion sensor <NUM> of <FIG>). The processor may determine a light emitting element and a light receiving element and a kind of biological information to obtain according to a table stored at the memory (e.g., the memory <NUM> of <FIG>), and <FIG> illustrates an example of the table.

In a state in which the user tightly wears the electronic device, although measurement accuracy of biological information through the optical sensor module increases, there may be deterioration in the user's wearing comfort. However, in a state in which the user loosely wears the electronic device, although the user's wearing comfort increases, the measurement accuracy may deteriorate when biological information is measured because of a motion effect.

According to various embodiments, when a wearing state of the electronic device is a tight state, an exposure possibility of light is low; thus, the processor may output light using a light emitting element (e.g., green, red, IR) of various bands, and because detection efficiency of the light receiving element is good, the processor may activate only one light receiving element. According to various embodiments, when a wearing state of the electronic device is a tight state, the processor may selectively drive, among the light emitting elements, any one light emitting element that can measure predetermined biological information (e.g., stress, blood oxygen saturation level) or biological information (e.g., stress, blood oxygen saturation level) selected by the user.

Further, when a wearing state of the electronic device is a loose state, the processor may output light using only a single light emitting element and activate at least one light receiving element.

With reference to the table of <FIG>, if the wearing state is a loose state and the motion state is a normal state, the processor may use only a light emitting element of a green band among a plurality of light emitting elements. Because a green band, which is a relatively low wavelength band, is strong in a motion state, even when the wearing state is a loose state, accurate measurement of biological information is available.

In this case, by activating only a light receiving element (e.g., the third light receiving element <NUM> of <FIG>) that contacts with the user's body among a plurality of light receiving elements and by deactivating a light receiving element (e.g., the first light receiving element <NUM> and the second light receiving element <NUM> of <FIG>) separated from the user's body or exposed to external noise, measurement efficiency can be improved. Further, in a loose wearing state the processor may measure a heart rate in which a measured value is relatively simple; however, a stress and blood oxygen saturation level SpO2 may not be measured because a distance between the optical sensor module and the user's body is irregularly changed and it is difficult to accurately measure the data.

If the wearing state is a loose state and the motion state is a sleep state, the processor may output light through a light emitting element of an IR band among a plurality of light emitting elements and activate all light receiving elements. In this case, because visible light such as green or red is reflected from skin to be exposed to the outside, in order to avoid sleep disturbance by light, the processor may use only an invisible IR band.

If the wearing state is a loose state and the motion state is an exercise state, the processor may output light using only a light emitting element of a green band that is strong in a motion state in consideration of a user's motion. Further, the processor may activate all light receiving elements to measure effectively a heart rate. According to an embodiment, for measurement accuracy enhancement of biological information, the processor may output guidance through the display for wearing the electronic device more tightly.

If the wearing state is a tight state and the motion state is a normal state, the processor may output light using all light emitting elements. This is to obtain various biological information in addition to a heart rate using light of various bands. According to various embodiments, in this state, the processor may selectively drive any one light emitting element that can obtain predetermined biometric information or biometric information selected by the user. In this state, the processor may measure a stress and a blood oxygen saturation level SpO2 in real time. When a stress is measured in real time, the user's emotional state may be seen; thus, the processor may obtain more accurate biological information. Further, when the wearing state is a tight state, efficiency of the light receiving element is high; thus, the processor may activate only one light receiving element.

If the wearing state is a tight state and the motion state is a sleep state, the processor may output light using all light emitting elements and activate only one light receiving element. According to various embodiments, in this state, the processor may selectively drive any one light emitting element that can obtain predetermined biometric information or biometric information selected by the user. In a sleep state, the processor may determine sleep apnea through measurement of a blood oxygen saturation level. According to an embodiment, because a sleep state is the most stable state in daily life, the sleep state may be defined to a base value for measurement of a stress value at a normal state. In other words, by setting a value measured in a sleep state to a base value and by comparing measured biometric signals with the base value, the processor may measure stress values.

If the wearing state is a tight state and the motion state is an exercise state, the processor may additionally measure a skin moisture level. The processor may monitor in real time a dehydrated state during exercise through the skin moisture level and guide the user to drink water.

Referring to <FIG>, the illustrated method may be performed by the processor of the electronic device of <FIG>, the electronic device includes an optical sensor module including a light emitting module and a light receiving module, and the light emitting module may include a first light emitting element and a second light emitting element having different attributes (e.g., output intensity and an output wavelength).

The processor may determine at operation <NUM> a wearing state (e.g., tight or loose) of the electronic device based on at least reflected light reflected by collision with an external object among light output from the light emitting module. According to various embodiments, the processor may determine a distance between the biometric sensor module and the external object based on at least reflected light and determine a wearing state of the electronic device based on the determined distance. According to other not-claimed embodiments, the processor may determine a wearing state of the electronic device based on at least a signal obtained from each light receiving element without determining a distance between the biometric sensor module and the external object. For example, when a correlation of an optical signal detected by each light receiving element belongs to a first range, the processor may determine a wearing state of the electronic device to a first close contact level; and, when a correlation of an optical signal detected by each light receiving element belongs to a second range, the processor may determine a wearing state of the electronic device to a second close contact level.

The processor may select at operation <NUM> at least one of the first light emitting element and the second light emitting element based on at least the wearing state. According to various embodiments, the processor may select a light emitting element based on a detection result of the motion sensor. An example has been described with reference to <FIG>, in which the processor selects a light emitting element to use based on a motion state and a distance (or a wearing state of the electronic device) between the biometric sensor module and the external object.

The processor may obtain at operation <NUM> biometric information about the external object using the selected at least one light emitting element. An example has been described with reference to <FIG>, in which the processor obtains biometric information according to each use state of the electronic device.

In a method of obtaining biological information of an electronic device <NUM> according to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> includes a biometric sensor module <NUM> including light emitting modules including a first light emitting element 512a having a first attribute and a second light emitting element 512b having a second attribute and light receiving elements 514a, 514b, and 514c disposed adjacent to the light emitting elements 512a and 512b; and the method includes determining a distance between the biometric sensor module <NUM> and an external object based on at least reflected light reflected by collision with the external object among light output from the light emitting elements 512a and 512b, selecting at least one of the first light emitting element 512a and the second light emitting element 512b based on at least the distance, and obtaining biometric information about the external object using the selected at least one light emitting element.

According to various embodiments, the light receiving elements 514a, 514b, and 514c may include a first light receiving element 514a and a second light receiving element 514b, and the method may further include selecting at least one light receiving element configured to detect the reflected light based on at least the distance.

According to various embodiments, the method may further include outputting light using at least one of the first light emitting element 512a and the second light emitting element 512b; and outputting, when intensity of reflected light corresponding to the output light is larger than a designated value, light by the first light emitting element 512a and the second light emitting element 512b.

According to various embodiments, determining a distance between the biometric sensor module <NUM> and an external object may include determining a close contact level between the biometric sensor module <NUM> and the external object to be a first close contact level or a second close contact level based on the determined distance between the biometric sensor module <NUM> and the external object, and selecting at least one of the first light emitting element and the second light emitting element may include selecting at least one light emitting element configured to obtain biological information according to the determined close contact level.

According to various embodiments, selecting at least one of the first light emitting element 512a and the second light emitting element 512b may include at least one of selecting, when the close contact level is determined to be a first close contact level, at least one of the first light emitting element 512a and the second light emitting element 512b; and driving, when the close contact level is determined to be a second close contact level, at least one of the first light emitting element and the second light emitting element to obtain the biometric information.

According to various embodiments, the method may further include determining a state of the electronic device <NUM> to be any one of the first state and the second state using a motion sensor <NUM>, wherein selecting at least one of the first light emitting element and the second light emitting element may include driving at least one of the first light emitting element 512a and the second light emitting element 512b based on the first state or the second state.

According to various embodiments, selecting at least one of the first light emitting element and the second light emitting element may include selecting, when a state of the electronic device <NUM> is a second state, the second light emitting element 512b designated to correspond to the second state.

According to various embodiments of the disclosure, by determining a light emitting element and/or a light receiving element to use for obtaining biometric information according to a use state of an electronic device, accurate biological information corresponding to a situation can be measured.

Claim 1:
An electronic device (<NUM>) comprising:
a biometric sensor module (<NUM>) including:
a light emitting module comprising a first light emitting element (512a) having a first attribute and a second light emitting element (512b) having a second attribute, and
a light receiving module including a plurality of light receiving elements (514a, 514b, 514c) disposed adjacent to the light emitting module;
a motion sensor configured to detect a motion of the electronic device (<NUM>); and
at least one processor (<NUM>) configured to:
determine a wearing state based on a distance between the biometric sensor module and an external object based on at least reflected light reflected by collision with the external object among light output from the first light emitting element and the second light emitting element of the light emitting module,
determine a motion state from one of a normal state, a sleep state, and an exercise state, based on motion information from the motion sensor,
select at least one of the first light emitting element or the second light emitting element based on the wearing state and the motion state, and
obtain biometric information about the external object using the selected light emitting element,
wherein if the distance is smaller than a designated value, the processor determines the wearing state to be a first close contact level corresponding to a tight state, outputs light using the first light emitting element and the second light emitting element of various bands and activates only one light receiving element of the plurality of light receiving elements,
wherein if the distance is larger than or equal to the designated value, the processor determines the wearing state to be a second close contact level corresponding to a loose state, selects one of the first light emitting element and the second light emitting element for outputting light based on the determined motion state, outputs light using the selected one of the first light emitting element of green band for the normal state or the exercise state and the second light emitting element of infra-red, IR, band for the sleep state and activates at least one light receiving element of the plurality of light receiving elements.