Patent Description:
Generally, body temperature is one of four vital signs and has very important clinical significance. A body temperature sensor may be applied to various applications, such as checking infections in patients, thermal side effects of medications, or time of ovulation in women, and the like. However, due to the size of a body temperature sensor, it may be difficult to measure the body temperature by using a portable device such as a wearable device. A heat flux sensor used in a portable device for body temperature estimation measures the heat flux by using two or more temperature sensors and an insulator for compensating for body heat. In this case, in order to accurately measure the heat flux, it is required to reduce noise generated during an analog-to-digital (ADC) conversion process for reading sensor data. To this end, it is desirable to obtain a large difference between temperatures measured by the temperature sensors. Generally, in order to obtain a large temperature difference, the thickness of the insulator may be increased, but the increased thickness of the insulator may lead to an increase in thickness of the heat flux sensor, thereby causing a problem in that it is difficult to manufacture the portable device in a compact size. <CIT> refers to a deep thermometer using a non-heat flow compensation method. A heat insulating material has a relatively low thermal conductivity in contact with a surface of a body. A temperature sensor is arranged at a center position of the heat insulating material contact surface with a living body, and an air contact facing the contact surface of the heat insulating material. <CIT> refers to a temperature sensor unit and body core thermometer. The temperature sensor unit is used to measure a deep part body temperature Ti as a body core temperature. The temperature sensor unit comprises at a measurement face side facing a body surface first-fourth temperature sensors for measuring the body surface. Among the first and the second temperature sensors, the first thermal resistor is disposed only at the measurement face side of the first temperature sensor. Furthermore, the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensors are disposed proximally such that a temperature Ti at the measurement face side of the first thermal resistor becomes approximately equal to a temperature T2 measured by the second temperature sensor.

The invention is claimed by the independent claims.

Aspects of the invention will be more apparent by describing certain example embodiments, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:.

Any references to singular may include plural unless expressly stated otherwise. In addition, unless explicitly described to the contrary, an expression such as "comprising" or "including" will be understood to imply the inclusion of stated elements but not the exclusion of any other elements. Also, the terms, such as 'unit' or 'module', etc., should be understood as a unit that performs at least one function or operation and that may be embodied as hardware, software, or a combination thereof.

It will be understood that, although in the following reference is provided to measure a heat flux and/or to use a heat flux sensor, all of the embodiments of the present invention as described in this disclosure can be realized without measuring a heat flux and/or without using a heat flux sensor. As an alternative, temperature sensors can be used that are configured to measure voltages when the sensors are in contact with a user. The achieved voltages are further processed e.g. by amplifying a voltage difference and by transferring amplified voltages e.g. the voltage difference from an analog format to a digital format. One or more processors are further used to estimate a body temperature of the user based on digital signals representing the amplified voltage difference.

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. <FIG> is a block diagram illustrating a heat flux sensor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. <FIG> is a diagram illustrating a structure of a heat flux sensor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. <FIG> is a diagram illustrating a circuit structure of a heat flux sensor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, an electronic device <NUM> includes a heat flux sensor <NUM> and a processor <NUM>.

The heat flux sensor <NUM> may include a plurality of sensors and circuit elements for obtaining data for estimating a user's body temperature, and the processor <NUM> may estimate body temperature by using the obtained data. The processor <NUM> may be electrically connected to the heat flux sensor <NUM> and may control the heat flux sensor <NUM> in response to a request for estimating body temperature.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the heat flux sensor <NUM> may include a first temperature sensor <NUM>, a second temperature sensor <NUM>, an amplifier <NUM>, and a signal processor <NUM>. In addition, the first temperature sensor <NUM> and the second temperature sensor <NUM> may be formed in a stacked structure with a thermally conductive material <NUM> disposed therebetween. In this case, the thermally conductive material <NUM> may be a thermally insulating material. Although <FIG> illustrates that the first temperature sensor <NUM>, the second temperature sensor <NUM>, and the signal processor <NUM> are included in the heat flux sensor <NUM>, embodiments are not limited thereto. As an alternative, the first temperature sensor <NUM> and the second temperature sensor <NUM> may be used to directly measure a first and a second voltage, respectively, when in contact with the user, and the signal processor <NUM> may be incorporated into the processor <NUM>.

The first temperature sensor <NUM> may measure a first temperature in the electronic device <NUM>. The second temperature sensor <NUM> may be spaced apart from the first temperature sensor <NUM> and may measure a second temperature in the electronic device <NUM>. For example, the first temperature sensor <NUM> may be disposed at a lower end of the electronic device <NUM> to measure a surface temperature of a contact surface between the electronic device <NUM> and an object. When the heat flux sensor <NUM> is in contact with a user, the first temperature sensor <NUM> may measure a skin temperature of the user. In this case, the object may be a body part (e.g., forehead, chest, earlobe, upper arm, wrist, etc.) where body temperature may be well reflected, but is not limited thereto.

The thermally conductive material <NUM> may be an insulator having a size of <NUM> to <NUM>, and may be a material (e.g., polyurethane foam or air) having a thermal conductivity of <NUM> W/mK or less. However, the size and thermal conductivity of the insulator is not limited thereto. Further, an air-filled structure may also be provided in which air having a very low thermal conductivity is filled between the first temperature sensor <NUM> and the second temperature sensor <NUM>, without using a separate material. The first temperature sensor <NUM> and the second temperature sensor <NUM> may be thermistors. Among temperature sensors for measuring temperature, the thermistor is a contact-type temperature sensor and may come into contact with, for example, the wrist of an object to measure a surface temperature of the wrist. In addition, the first temperature sensor <NUM> and the second temperature sensor <NUM> may be arranged as a thermistor pair with the thermally conductive material <NUM> disposed therebetween.

The amplifier <NUM> may be a circuit element having one or more input terminals and amplifying a voltage difference of an input signal input through the input terminals, and may be for example, a differential amplifier. However, the type of the amplifier <NUM> is not limited thereto. Referring to <FIG>, for example, the amplifier <NUM> may amplify a voltage difference ΔV between a first voltage Vi, measured by the first temperature sensor <NUM>, and a second voltage V<NUM> measured by the second temperature sensor <NUM>, to generate the amplified voltage difference A*ΔV. In this case, the first temperature sensor <NUM> and the second temperature sensor <NUM> may have the same or substantially the same circuit structure so that the voltage difference ΔV may be easily obtained. For example, the first temperature sensor <NUM> and the second temperature sensor <NUM> may be arranged in a Wheatstone bridge configuration around the amplifier <NUM>. However, the arrangement of the first temperature sensor <NUM> and the second temperature sensor <NUM> is not limited thereto.

The signal processor <NUM> may convert the amplified voltage difference into a temperature difference, and may calculate heat flux based on the converted temperature difference to output the heat flux. For example, the signal processor <NUM> may convert the voltage difference into the temperature difference by preprocessing the amplified voltage difference and inputting the voltage difference to a predetermined conversion model.

First, the signal processor <NUM> may perform preprocessing on the amplified voltage difference A*ΔV. For example, the signal processor <NUM> may divide the amplified voltage difference A*ΔV by a predetermined value, thereby alleviating the problem of decreasing resolution during an analog-to-digital (ADC) conversion process. The signal processor <NUM> may include any one or any combination of a digital circuit, an analog circuit, and an ADC converter.

Then, by inputting the amplified and preprocessed voltage difference to a predetermined conversion model, the signal processor <NUM> may convert the voltage difference into the temperature difference. In particular, the signal processor <NUM> may generate the conversion model based on the first temperature and the first voltage or the second temperature and the second voltage, and an external supply voltage.

Referring to <FIG>, for example, assuming that the first temperature sensor <NUM> and the second temperature sensor <NUM> are thermistors having the same circuit, the first temperature T<NUM> measured by the first temperature sensor <NUM> may be represented by the following Equation <NUM>. In this case, for example, a resistance value of a resistor directly connected to the external supply voltage may be a resistance value at the time when the first temperature sensor <NUM> and the second temperature sensor <NUM> are at <NUM> (<NUM>). However, the resistance value is not limited thereto.

Herein, VDD denotes the external supply voltage supplied to the electronic device, and B denotes a characteristic value of a thermistor.

In this case, the following Equation <NUM> may be obtained by differentiating the first temperature T<NUM> of Equation <NUM> with respect to Vi.

If a temperature difference between the first temperature T<NUM> and the second temperature T<NUM> is small, the temperature difference may be approximated as shown in Equation <NUM>, and a final conversion model may be generated according to Equation <NUM>.

Herein, ΔV denotes the voltage difference between the voltage Vi measured by the first temperature sensor <NUM> and the voltage V<NUM> measured by the second temperature sensor <NUM>, and ΔT denotes the temperature difference between the first temperature T<NUM> and the second temperature T<NUM>.

In this case, by substituting the amplified and preprocessed voltage difference ΔVp into the voltage difference ΔV of Equation <NUM>, the voltage difference may be converted into a relatively large temperature difference ΔTp.

In order to accurately measure body temperature, it may be desirable to obtain a large difference between temperatures measured by temperature sensors, to increase heat flux generated by the temperature difference. However, in order to obtain a large temperature difference, a problem occurs in that it is required to increase the volume of a device itself. However, by obtaining a large temperature difference using the amplified voltage difference according to this embodiment of the present disclosure, not only the device may be manufactured in a compact size, but also the accuracy of estimating body temperature may be improved.

In this embodiment, the conversion model is generated based on the first temperature T<NUM> measured by the first temperature sensor <NUM>, but the same method may also be applied to the case where the conversion model is generated based on the second temperature T<NUM> measured by the second temperature sensor <NUM>.

Then, the signal processor <NUM> may calculate the heat flux based on the converted temperature difference and may output the heat flux. For example, the signal processor <NUM> may obtain the converted temperature difference ΔTp by substituting the amplified and preprocessed voltage difference ΔVp into the above Equation <NUM>, and may calculate the heat flux according to the following Equation <NUM> by applying a thermal coefficient of resistivity of the thermally conductive material to the converted temperature difference ΔTp.

Herein, HF denotes the heat flux, and βins denotes a predetermined thermal coefficient of resistivity of the thermally conductive material <NUM>.

Subsequently, the processor <NUM> may estimate a user's body temperature based on the heat flux output by the signal processor <NUM>.

<FIG> is a diagram explaining an example of estimating a user's body temperature.

Referring to <FIG>, a difference between body temperature Tcore of a user and a surface temperature T<NUM> of an object may be represented as heat flux q in the following Equation <NUM>.

Herein, βskin denotes a predetermined skin heat transfer coefficient.

In this case, assuming that heat transfer from the core occurs in a series circuit, the heat flux q is equal to the heat flux HF output by the signal processor <NUM> of the heat flux sensor <NUM>, which may be represented by the following Equation <NUM>.

Equation <NUM> may be rearranged as the following Equation <NUM>.

According to the above Equation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may estimate the body temperature based on the heat flux HF and the first temperature T<NUM> which is the surface temperature of the object.

Referring to <FIG>, the first temperature sensor <NUM> and the second temperature sensor <NUM> are spaced apart from each other with a space therebetween. The space may be fully filled with the thermally conductive material <NUM>, or partially filled with the thermally conductive material <NUM>. When the space between the first temperature sensor <NUM> and the second temperature sensor <NUM> is partially filled with the thermally conductive material <NUM>, and there may be air between the thermally conductive material <NUM> and either one or both of the first temperature sensor <NUM> and the second temperature sensor <NUM>. In such a case, the air and the thermally conductive material <NUM> together may act as an insulator.

The first temperature sensor <NUM>, the second temperature sensor <NUM>, and the thermally conductive material <NUM> may be provided in an area between a contact surface of a main body and a display panel of an electronic device <NUM>. When the electronic device <NUM> is implemented as a smart watch, there may be restrictions on the height of each of the temperature sensors <NUM> and <NUM> and a distance between the temperature sensors <NUM> and <NUM> since the area of the smart watch that can accommodate the temperature sensors <NUM> and <NUM> is small. The distance between the temperature sensors <NUM> and <NUM> may correspond to the thickness of the thermally conductive material <NUM> when the space between the temperature sensors <NUM> and <NUM> is fully filled with the thermally conductive material <NUM>.

For example, the height of the area of the smart watch that can accommodate the temperature sensors <NUM> and <NUM> may be in a range from <NUM> to <NUM>. Given the limited height of the area in the smart watch, the height of the thermally conductive material <NUM> may decrease as the height of the temperature sensors <NUM> and <NUM> increases, while a certain distance between the two temperature sensors <NUM> and <NUM> is required to obtain a minimum temperature difference (e.g., <NUM>) between the two temperature sensors <NUM> and <NUM> and thereby to estimate a body temperature based on the temperature difference. Since the temperature sensors <NUM> and <NUM> may have some error rate (e.g., ± <NUM>), it may be difficult to reliably measure the temperature difference between the two temperature sensors <NUM> and <NUM> when a target temperature difference between the two temperature sensors <NUM> and <NUM> is set to be less than <NUM>. Based on such understanding, a minimum target temperature difference between the two temperature sensors <NUM> and <NUM> may be set to <NUM>, and a heat transfer simulation has been conducted by changing the height of the temperature sensors <NUM> and <NUM> and the height of the thermally conductive material <NUM> (or the distance between the temperature sensors <NUM> and <NUM> when the space between the temperature sensors <NUM> and <NUM> is not fully filed with the thermally conductive material <NUM>) for each of a plurality of area heights H, as shown below in Table <NUM>.

Referring to Table <NUM> above, when a target temperature difference between the two temperature sensors <NUM> and <NUM> is greater than or equal to <NUM>, the height of each of the temperature sensors <NUM> and <NUM> may be set to have a minimum height of <NUM> (i.e., <NUM> or greater, and preferably from <NUM> to <NUM>), and the height of the thermally conductive material <NUM> (or the distance between the temperature sensors <NUM> and <NUM>) may be set to a minimum height of <NUM> or (i.e., <NUM> or greater, and preferably from <NUM> to <NUM>). In a case where the thermally conductive material <NUM> does not exist between the two temperature sensors <NUM> and <NUM> , and/or there is a space (e.g., air) in addition to the thermally conductive material <NUM> between the two temperature sensors <NUM> and <NUM>, the height of the thermally conductive material <NUM> may refer to a distance between the two temperature sensors <NUM> and <NUM>.

The first temperature sensor <NUM> may be disposed as close as possible to the contact surface, and the second temperature sensor <NUM> may be disposed as close as possible to the display panel to provide a relatively accurate temperature estimation.

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, an electronic device <NUM> may include a heat flux sensor <NUM>, a processor <NUM>, a storage <NUM>, an output interface <NUM>, and a communication interface <NUM>. In this case, the output interface <NUM> may include a display device <NUM>. The heat flux sensor <NUM> and the processor <NUM> are the same as the heat flux sensor <NUM> and the processor <NUM> in the embodiment of <FIG>, such that a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The storage <NUM> may store information related to estimating body temperature. For example, the storage <NUM> may store the first temperature, second temperature, amplified voltage difference, converted temperature difference, estimated heat flux, skin heat transfer coefficient, heat transfer coefficient of the thermally conductive material, and processing results of the processor <NUM>, e.g., a user's body temperature and the like.

The storage <NUM> may include at least one storage medium of a flash memory type memory, a hard disk type memory, a multimedia card micro type memory, a card type memory (e.g., an SD memory, an XD memory, etc.), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), a Read Only Memory (ROM), an Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM), a Programmable Read Only Memory (PROM), a magnetic memory, a magnetic disk, and an optical disk, and the like, but is not limited thereto.

The output interface <NUM> may provide the processing results of the processor <NUM> to a user. For example, the output interface <NUM> may display an estimated body temperature value of the processor <NUM> on the display device <NUM>. In this case, if the estimated body temperature value falls outside a (predetermined) normal range, the output interface <NUM> may provide the user with warning information by changing color, line thickness, etc., or displaying an abnormal value along with the normal range, so that the user may easily recognize the abnormal value. In addition, along with or without the visual output displayed on the display device <NUM>, the output interface <NUM> may provide the user with the first temperature, second temperature, body temperature, or body temperature guidance information in a non-visual manner by voice, vibrations, tactile sensation, and the like using an audio output module such as a speaker, or a haptic module and the like.

The display device <NUM> may include a display, a hologram device, or a projector and control circuitry to control the devices. The display device <NUM> may include touch circuitry adapted to detect a touch, and/or sensor circuitry (e.g., pressure sensor, etc.) adapted to measure the intensity of force incurred by the touch.

The audio module may convert a sound into an electrical signal or vice versa. The audio module may output the sound via a speaker and/or a headphone of another electronic device directly or wirelessly connected to the apparatus for estimating body temperature.

The haptic module may convert an electrical signal into a mechanical stimulus (e.g., vibration, motion, etc.) or electrical stimulus which may be recognized by a user by tactile sensation or kinesthetic sensation. The haptic module may include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, and/or an electric stimulator.

The communication interface <NUM> may communicate with an external device to transmit and receive various data related to estimating body temperature. The external device may include an information processing device such as a smartphone, a tablet PC, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, and the like. For example, the communication interface <NUM> may transmit a body temperature estimation result to the external device, such as a user's smartphone and the like, so that the user may manage and monitor the estimation result by using a device having a relatively high performance.

The communication interface <NUM> may communicate with the external device by using various wired or wireless communication techniques, such as Bluetooth communication, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication, Near Field Communication (NFC), WLAN communication, Zigbee communication, Infrared Data Association (IrDA) communication, Wi-Fi Direct (WFD) communication, Ultra-Wideband (UWB) communication, Ant+ communication, WIFI communication, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) communication, third-generation (<NUM>), fourth-generation (<NUM>), fifth-generation (<NUM>), and sixth-generation (<NUM>) communications, and the like. However, this is merely exemplary and is not intended to be limiting.

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating a method of estimating body temperature according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The method of <FIG> is a method of estimating body temperature performed by the electronic devices <NUM> and <NUM> according to the embodiments of <FIG> and <FIG>, which are described in detail above, and thus will be briefly described below in order to avoid redundancy.

Referring to <FIG>, the electronic device first measures a first temperature by using the first temperature sensor in operation <NUM>, and measures a second temperature by using the second temperature sensor spaced apart from the first temperature sensor in operation <NUM>. In this case, the first temperature may be the surface temperature of an object.

Then, the electronic device amplifies a voltage difference between a first voltage, measured by the first temperature sensor, and a second voltage measured by the second temperature sensor in operation <NUM>. In this case, the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor may be arranged in a Wheatstone bridge configuration.

Subsequently, the electronic device converts the voltage difference, amplified by the signal processor, into a temperature difference in operation <NUM>. In this case, the signal processor may convert the voltage difference into the temperature difference by preprocessing the amplified voltage difference and inputting the voltage difference to a predetermined conversion model. In this case, the signal processor may generate the conversion model based on at least either the first temperature and the first voltage or the second temperature and the second voltage, and an external supply voltage.

Next, the signal processor may calculate heat flux based on the converted temperature difference and may output the calculated heat flux in operation <NUM>. In this case, the signal processor may calculate the heat flux by applying a thermal coefficient of resistivity of the thermally conductive material to the converted temperature difference.

Then, the processor estimates body temperature based on the output heat flux and the surface temperature of the object in operation <NUM>. In this case, the processor may output the first temperature, second temperature, body temperature, or body temperature guidance information, and the like through the display of the output interface, to provide the information to a user.

<FIG> are diagrams illustrating examples of structures of an electronic device.

Referring to <FIG>, the electronic device is implemented as a smart watch-type wearable device <NUM> which includes a main body MB and a wrist strap ST.

The main body MB may be formed in various shapes. A battery may be embedded in the main body MB and/or the strap ST to supply power to various components of the wearable device. The strap ST may be connected to both ends of the main body to allow the main body to be worn on a user's wrist, and may be flexible so as to be wrapped around the user's wrist. The strap ST may be composed of a first strap and a second strap which are separated from each other. One end of each of the first strap and the second strap is connected to both sides of the main body MB, and the first strap and the second strap may be connected to each other via a fastening means formed at the other end of the respective straps. In this case, the fastening means may be formed as magnetic connection, Velcro connection, pin connection, and the like, but is not limited thereto. Further, the strap ST is not limited thereto, and may be integrally formed as a non-detachable band.

The main body MB may include a heat flux sensor <NUM>, a processor, an output interface, a storage, and a communication interface. However, depending on the size and shape of a form factor and the like, some of the output interface, the storage, and the communication interface may be omitted.

The heat flux sensor <NUM> may include: a first temperature sensor disposed in the main body and configured to measure a first temperature; a second temperature sensor spaced apart from the first temperature sensor and configured to measure a second temperature; an amplifier configured to amplify a voltage difference between a voltage measured by the first temperature sensor and a voltage measured by the second temperature sensor; and a signal processor configured to convert the amplified voltage difference into a temperature difference, and to calculate heat flux based on the converted temperature difference to output the calculated heat flux. In this case, the signal processor may convert the voltage difference into the temperature difference by preprocessing the amplified voltage difference and inputting the voltage difference to a predetermined conversion model.

The processor mounted in the main body MB may be electrically connected to various components including the heat flux sensor <NUM>. The processor may estimate a user's body temperature based on the heat flux output by the heat flux sensor <NUM>. For example, the processor may estimate the body temperature based on the output heat flux and the first temperature.

A manipulator <NUM> may be formed on a side surface of the main body MB, as illustrated herein. The manipulator <NUM> may receive a user's command and may transmit the received command to the processor. In addition, the manipulator <NUM> may have a power button to turn on/off the wearable device <NUM>.

A display may be provided on a front surface of the main body MB, and may display various application screens including body temperature information, time information, received message information, and the like. For example, the processor may display an estimated body temperature value on the display. In this case, if an estimated body temperature value falls outside a normal range, the processor may provide the user with warning information by changing color, line thickness, etc., or displaying an abnormal value along with the normal range, so that the user may easily recognize the abnormal value. In addition, in response to the user's request, the processor may display and provide not only a current estimated body temperature value, but also continuous estimated body temperature values over time on the display for the user. In addition, the processor may display a body temperature variation, for example, a body temperature change during a day, in a graph on the display, and may also display information on sleep quality according to the body temperature change on the display. The information which may be displayed on the display may include not only the body temperature information, but also the first temperature, second temperature, body temperature guidance information, etc., but is not limited thereto.

Referring to <FIG>, the electronic device may be implemented as an ear-wearable device <NUM>.

The ear-wearable device <NUM> may include a main body and an ear strap. A user may wear the ear-wearable device <NUM> by hanging the ear strap on the user's auricle. The ear strap may be omitted depending on the shape of the ear-wearable device <NUM>. The main body may be inserted into the external auditory meatus. A heat flux sensor <NUM> may be mounted in the main body. The ear-wearable device <NUM> may provide the user with a body temperature estimation result as sound, or may transmit the estimation result to an external device, e.g., a mobile device, a tablet PC, a personal computer, etc., through a communication module provided in the main body.

Referring to <FIG>, the electronic device may be implemented by a combination of an ear-wearable device and a mobile device such as a smartphone. However, this is merely an example, and various combinations of electronic devices may be provided. For example, a processor for estimating body temperature may be mounted in a main body of a mobile device <NUM>. Upon receiving a request for measuring body temperature, the processor of the mobile device <NUM> may control a communication interface to communicate with a communication module mounted in the main body of the wearable device <NUM>, to obtain data, e.g., heat flux and surface temperature of an object, by using the sensor <NUM>. Further, upon receiving data, such as the heat flux, the surface temperature of the object, etc., from the wearable device <NUM>, the processor may estimate body temperature and may output an estimation result and body temperature information to the display of the mobile device <NUM> through an output interface as illustrated herein. For example, in response to a user's request, the processor may display and provide not only a current estimated body temperature value, but also continuous estimated body temperature values over time on the display for the user. In addition, the processor may display a body temperature variation, for example, a body temperature change during a day, in a graph on the display, and may also display information on sleep quality according to the body temperature change on the display.

Referring to <FIG>, the electronic device may be implemented as a mobile device <NUM> such as a smartphone.

The mobile device <NUM> may include a housing and a display panel. The housing may form an outer appearance of the mobile device <NUM>. The housing has a first surface, on which a display panel and a cover glass may be disposed sequentially, and the display panel may be exposed to the outside through the cover glass. A sensor <NUM>, a camera module and/or an infrared sensor, and the like may be disposed on a second surface of the housing.

For example, a plurality of temperature sensors for obtaining data from a user may be disposed on a rear surface of the mobile device <NUM>, and a fingerprint sensor disposed on the front surface of the mobile device <NUM>, a power button or a volume button disposed on a side surface thereof, sensors disposed on other positions of the front and rear surfaces of the mobile device <NUM>, and the like may be provided to estimate a user's body temperature.

In addition, when a user transmits a request for estimating body temperature by executing an application and the like installed in the mobile device <NUM>, the mobile device <NUM> may obtain data by using the sensor <NUM> (e.g., heat flux sensor), and may estimate the body temperature and may provide the estimated value to the user as image and/or sound by using the processor in the mobile device <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the electronic device may be implemented as a combination of a wristwatch-type wearable device and a mobile device such as a smartphone. For example, a memory, a communication interface, and a processor for estimating body temperature may be mounted in a main body of a mobile device <NUM>. Upon receiving a request for measuring body temperature, the processor of the mobile device <NUM> may control the communication interface to communicate with a communication module mounted in a main body of the wearable device <NUM>, to obtain data through the communication interface. Further, upon receiving data, such as heat flux, first temperature, and the like from the wearable device, the processor may estimate body temperature and output an estimation result to the display of the mobile device through an output interface as illustrated herein.

Referring to <FIG>, an electronic device <NUM> may be implemented as a patchtype device.

For example, the electronic device <NUM> may be fixed to a body measurement location (e.g., upper arm, chest, etc.) by a strap, to measure a user's body temperature. In this case, the electronic device <NUM> may provide the user with an estimated body temperature as sound or through a display, or may transmit the estimated body temperature to an external device, e.g., a mobile device, a tablet PC, other medical device, etc., through a communication module provided in the electronic device <NUM>.

Claim 1:
A sensor device (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) comprising:
a first temperature sensor (<NUM>) configured to measure a first voltage (V1) when the sensor
device (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) is in contact with a user;
a second temperature sensor (<NUM>) disposed apart from the first temperature sensor (<NUM>) in a thickness direction of the sensor device (<NUM>), and configured to measure a second voltage (V2)
when the sensor device (<NUM>) is in contact with the user; characterized by:
an amplifier (<NUM>) configured to amplify a voltage difference (ΔV) between the first voltage (V1) and
the second voltage (V2), and output the amplified voltage difference (AxΔV) as a value that represents a body temperature (Tcore) of the user.