KR102241685B1 - diagnosis apparatus and system of skin disease - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention includes a probe including a first lead electrode in contact with a suspicious lesion, a source electrode in contact with a normal skin, and a second lead electrode; A voltage unit configured to apply a voltage to the first lead electrode, the source electrode, and the second lead electrode; A current sensing unit sensing a first current flowing through the source electrode and the first lead electrode and a second current flowing through the source electrode and the second lead electrode; And an analysis unit that determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the suspicious lesion using a voltage applied from the voltage unit and a first current and a second current sensed by a current sensing unit. , According to the present invention, it is possible to diagnose whether there is an abnormality in the suspicious part of the lesion with a safe, simple, and high accuracy non-invasive method.

Description

Skin disease diagnosis apparatus and system TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a device and a system capable of diagnosing skin diseases, particularly skin cancer.

Skin cancer, for example, malignant melanoma, is one of the skin cancers that is rapidly increasing in incidence worldwide.If the tumor is more than 4 mm thick, the tumor with the least prognosis is the worst among skin cancers with a 5-year survival rate of only 24%. to be. Unlike the past, which mainly affects white people in the West, the incidence rate is increasing in almost all races in recent years, so it is one of the diseases that cannot be overlooked in Korea.

In general, skin cancer can be prevented by monitoring lesions that are slow to progress and are likely to metastasize to cancer periodically. Nevertheless, it is costly, time consuming, and inconvenient for a basic healthy patient to undergo periodic examinations.

Skin cancer diagnosis methods can be largely divided into invasive and non-invasive methods. In this case, in the case of an invasive method, the condition is generally determined by a biopsy of the area suspected of being affected. The biopsy has a problem in that it is painful and expensive because the tissue is removed by surgery, and it takes a considerable amount of time to know the result. On the other hand, the non-invasive method can be said to be preferable because it can be more convenient, less pain, and less risk of infection, compared to the invasive method, which generally includes sample collection. Therefore, there is a great interest in non-invasive diagnostic technology.

In this regard, U.S. Patent Application No. 9,017,258 discloses an example of an apparatus for diagnosing skin cancer. Specifically, the diagnostic device measures the electrical impedance of a lesion using an electrically conductive probe having a plurality of spikes, and determines whether it is skin cancer by comparing it with previously stored data. However, it is inaccurate in that it is compared with the previously stored data because the biological impedance may be different for each individual or depending on the situation, and it cannot be seen as a completely non-invasive method in that it is a microinvasive method in which spikes penetrate the epidermis. In addition, there is an inconvenience of having to go to a hospital that has the diagnosis device and undergo a diagnosis.

Accordingly, there is a need for a non-invasive skin disease diagnosis device and a diagnosis system that can improve the accuracy of skin disease determination, safely confirm whether the affected area is skin cancer, and further diagnose abnormalities of the lesion anywhere.

U.S. Patent Application No. 9,017,258

The present invention has been conceived to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a device and system capable of improving the accuracy of determination as to whether it is a skin disease, in particular, skin cancer, and safely and conveniently diagnosing skin diseases. have.

In order to achieve the above object, the apparatus for diagnosing skin diseases according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a probe including a first lead electrode in contact with a suspicious portion of a lesion, a source electrode in contact with a normal skin, and a second lead electrode. ; A voltage unit configured to apply a voltage to the first lead electrode, the source electrode, and the second lead electrode; A current sensing unit sensing a first current flowing through the source electrode and the first lead electrode and a second current flowing through the source electrode and the second lead electrode; And an analysis unit that determines whether there is an abnormality in the suspicious lesion by using the voltage applied by the voltage unit and the first current and the second current sensed by the current sensing unit.

Here, the analysis unit may determine whether or not there is an abnormality in the suspicious lesion by measuring impedances of the suspicious lesion and normal skin from the voltage applied by the voltage unit, the first current and the second current.

Here, if the impedance of the suspicious lesion is less than a preset reference than the impedance of the normal skin, it may be determined as skin cancer.

Here, the frequency of the voltage applied by the voltage unit is two or more, and the analysis unit may synthesize and analyze each of the first and second currents corresponding to the two or more frequencies.

Here, the apparatus for diagnosing skin diseases may further include a liquid member applied to a portion where the probe and the skin come into contact with each other.

Here, the liquid member may include chemical substances or physical particles that remove or damage the stratum corneum to a depth of micrometers.

Here, the first lead electrode, the source electrode, and the second lead electrode may be replaceable.

Meanwhile, a system for diagnosing skin diseases according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a probe including a first lead electrode in contact with a suspicious portion of a lesion, a source electrode in contact with a normal skin, and a second lead electrode; A voltage unit configured to apply a voltage to the first lead electrode, the source electrode, and the second lead electrode; A current sensing unit sensing a first current flowing through the source electrode and the first lead electrode and a second current flowing through the source electrode and the second lead electrode; And a first communication unit configured to transmit measurement data including a voltage applied by the voltage unit, a first current, and a second current to the outside; A photo-taking unit that photographs the suspicious part of the lesion and provides photo data; A second communication unit which transmits the photo data obtained from the photo taking unit and the measurement data received from the skin disease diagnosis device to an analysis server, and receives result data obtained by synthesizing the photo data and the measurement data from the analysis server; And a second display unit for outputting the result data received from the analysis server as a visual signal; And an analysis server for synthesizing and analyzing photo data and measurement data received from the terminal, and transmitting the analyzed result data to the terminal.

Here, the terminal receives measurement data from the skin disease diagnosis apparatus, transmits the measurement data and photo data obtained from the terminal to an analysis server, and an application for receiving result data from the analysis server may be installed. .

Meanwhile, a method for diagnosing skin diseases according to an embodiment of the present invention includes attaching a probe to a skin surface such that a first lead electrode is in contact with a suspicious portion of a lesion, and a source electrode and a second lead electrode are in contact with the normal skin; Applying a voltage to the first lead electrode, the source electrode, and the second lead electrode; Sensing a first current flowing through the source electrode and the first lead electrode and a second current flowing through the source electrode and the second lead electrode; Measuring impedances of the suspicious lesion and normal skin using the voltage applied by the voltage unit and the first and second currents sensed by the current sensing unit; And determining whether there is an abnormality in the suspicious lesion by comparing the impedance of the suspicious lesion with the impedance of the normal skin.

According to the apparatus for diagnosing skin diseases of the present invention, it is possible to safely diagnose whether there is an abnormality in the suspicious part of the lesion by an accurate, simple, and non-invasive method.

In addition, according to the skin disease diagnosis system of the present invention, the accuracy and reliability of diagnosis can be improved by comprehensively analyzing photographic data as well as measurement data on the suspicious lesion to determine the abnormality of the suspicious lesion. Without effective skin disease diagnosis can be made.

1 is a block diagram of a skin disease diagnosis apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a front view of the probe 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a conceptual diagram showing how the probe 110 is attached to the skin.
4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a current passing through the skin when the probe 110 is attached to the skin surface and a voltage is applied.
5 is an example of a bioimpedance model of an epidermal layer and a dermal layer.
6 is an example of a circuit diagram configured with a living body impedance model of the skin.
7 is a graph showing the synthetic impedance of the skin according to the frequency change.
8 is a block diagram of a skin disease diagnosis system 1000 according to another embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a block diagram showing a specific configuration of the skin disease diagnosis system 1000.
10 is a flow chart showing a method for diagnosing skin diseases according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Detailed descriptions of known functions and configurations that may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention will be omitted.

1 is a block diagram of a skin disease diagnosis apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view of a probe 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a It is a conceptual diagram showing how it is attached to the skin.

Referring to FIG. 1, the apparatus 100 for diagnosing skin diseases according to the present invention may include a probe 110, a voltage unit 120, a current sensing unit 130, and an analysis unit 140. In this case, the skin disease diagnosis apparatus 100 may include a central control unit (not shown, hereinafter the same) that controls the overall configuration of the skin disease diagnosis apparatus 100. For example, the control unit supplies power to the voltage unit 120, the voltage applied from the voltage unit 120 and the current sensed by the current sensing unit 130 are converted into digital data through the ADC, and the analysis unit 140 It can perform functions such as transmission to, and since this can be implemented in a known configuration, detailed information will be omitted.

The probe 110 includes a first lead electrode 111, a source electrode 112, and a second lead electrode 113, and the first lead electrode 111 is in contact with the suspicious portion of the lesion, and the source electrode 112 And the second lead electrode 113 may contact normal skin.

The voltage unit 120 sequentially applies a voltage to the first lead electrode 111 or the second lead electrode 113 based on the source electrode 112, or the first lead electrode ( A voltage may be applied to the 111) and the second lead electrode 113 at the same time.

The current sensing unit 130 is connected to the first lead electrode 111 and the second lead electrode 113 or is connected to the source electrode 112, and the source electrode 112 is connected to the source electrode 112 by the voltage applied from the voltage unit 120. ) And a current flowing between the first lead electrode 111 (hereinafter, referred to as a first current) and a current flowing between the source electrode 112 and the second lead electrode 113 (hereinafter, referred to as a second current). .

The analysis unit 140 uses the voltage applied from the voltage unit 120 converted into digital data through the central control unit and the first current and the second current sensed by the current sensing unit 130 to cause abnormalities in the suspicious lesion. It can be determined whether there is.

Specifically, the configuration and function of the present invention will be described as follows.

2 is a front view of the probe 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a surface to which the probe 110 is attached to the skin. The first lead electrode 111, the source electrode 112, and the second lead electrode 113 are separated by a predetermined distance, and preferably, the distance between the first lead electrode 111 and the source electrode 112 is the source electrode ( It may be disposed to be equal to the distance between 112 and the second lead electrode 113. This is to measure the impedance of the skin under the same conditions by making the distance through which the first current and the second current pass through the skin equal.

In addition, the first lead electrode 111, the source electrode 112, and the second lead electrode 113 are arranged in a straight line, and the source electrode 112 is the first lead electrode 111 and the second lead electrode 113 ) Can be placed between. When each electrode is arranged in a straight line, it is advantageous to approach the probe 110 to a narrow area such as a finger.

In addition, the probe 110 may further include a probe body 117 on which each electrode is disposed, and the probe body 117 may be made of a transparent material. Through this, the user can bring the probe 110 into contact with the skin so that the probe 110 is accurately positioned at a desired site.

Further, the first lead electrode 111, the source electrode 112, and the second lead electrode 113 may be provided on the probe 110 so as to be replaceable. For example, an electrode is placed on a cap 115 that can be detachably attached to the probe 110, and after measurement is performed on the patient, the cap 115 including the electrode is removed and discarded, and a new cap ( 115) may be attached to the probe 110. Accordingly, the examination may be possible in a hygienic state.

On the other hand, the present invention can particularly determine whether the suspicious area of the lesion is skin cancer, wherein the skin cancer means, for example, basal cell carcinoma, malignant melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and the like.

When a spot or a foreign object that does not exist in the skin occurs, it can be safely and conveniently diagnosed using the skin disease diagnosis apparatus 100 according to the present invention in order to determine whether this is a spot or a skin cancer.

When a suspicious portion of skin cancer, that is, a suspicious portion of the skin occurs, the probe 110 is brought into contact with the skin surface by including the suspicious portion of the lesion as shown in FIG. 3. At this time, the first lead electrode 111 is brought into contact with the suspicious portion of the lesion, and the source electrode 112 and the second lead electrode 113 are brought into contact with the normal skin.

At this time, the surface of each electrode in contact with the skin surface may be a circular or polymorphic plate having a certain area, and each electrode only contacts the skin surface and does not penetrate the skin.

When each electrode of the probe 110 contacts the skin surface, the voltage unit 120 applies a voltage to the first lead electrode 111 and the second lead electrode 113 based on the source electrode 112 to generate a voltage. Generates a car. 4 is a cross-sectional conceptual diagram showing a current passing through the skin when a voltage is applied by attaching the probe 110 to the skin surface. The voltage unit 120 includes a source electrode 112, a first lead electrode 111, and a first lead electrode 111. 2 It may be connected to the lead electrode 113. At this time, the applied voltage may be a sinusoidal AC voltage.

Skin, as an organic material, conducts electric current with a living body impedance, and accordingly, an electric circuit composed of each electrode and the skin may be formed. Accordingly, the source electrode 112, the skin including the suspicious lesion, and the first lead electrode 111 can form a first electric circuit through which the first current flows, and the source electrode 112, the normal skin And a second lead electrode 113 to form a second electric circuit through which the second current flows.

The skin can be divided into an epidermis including a stratum corneum, a dermis including blood vessels as a lower part of the epidermis, and a subcutaneous layer. 5 is an example of a bioimpedance model of the epidermis and the dermis of the skin, the epidermis _{may be composed of a resistance R 1} and a capacitance C, and the dermis may be composed of a resistance R ₂ .

In general, the resistance R ₁ of the epidermis has a bio impedance of about 1 kΩ to 1 MΩ, and the capacitance C has a bio impedance of about 1 pF to 1 nF. The epidermis contains the stratum corneum and contains less water, so it has a higher bio-impedance than the dermis and has a large variation. In contrast, the resistance R ₂ of the dermis generally has a biological impedance of about 1 to 10 kΩ level, and has a relatively small and stable impedance compared to that of the epidermis.

6 is a circuit diagram consisting of a bioimpedance model of the skin, showing a first electric circuit between the source electrode 112 and the first lead electrode 111, and a source electrode at the first terminal P _{1 of the first electric circuit} 112 may be connected and the first lead electrode 111 may be _{connected to the second terminal P 2.} Similarly, a second electric circuit is formed between the source electrode 112 and the second lead electrode 113, and the source electrode 112 is connected to the first terminal _{P 1 of the second electric circuit, and the second terminal (} The second lead electrode 113 may be connected to P _{2 ).} Here, the current sensing unit 130 may be connected to the first lead electrode 111 and the second lead electrode 113, or may be connected to the source electrode 112. The driving mechanisms of the first electric circuit and the second electric circuit are the same, and will be described below based on the first electric circuit for convenience.

A voltage is applied by the voltage unit 120 to generate a voltage difference between the source electrode 112 and the first lead electrode 111, so that a first current flows through the first electric circuit, and the first current is a current sensing unit. It is sensed by (130). Similarly, a second current flows through the second electric circuit, and the second current is sensed by the current sensing unit 130.

The first and second currents sensed by the current sensing unit 130 are converted into digital data by the central control unit and transmitted to the analysis unit 140.

The analysis unit 140 may determine whether there is an abnormality in the suspicious side by using the voltage applied from the voltage unit 120 and the data of the first current and the second current. For example, if there is no abnormality in the suspicious area of the lesion, the suspicious area of the lesion is normal skin, so the magnitudes of the first current and the second current are the same, or there is little difference.However, if there is an abnormality in the suspicious area of the lesion, the normal skin and the skin tissue are different. Therefore, there may be a significant difference between the magnitudes of the first current and the second current. Therefore, if the magnitudes of the first current and the second current are the same or the difference is insignificant, it is determined that there is no abnormality in the suspicious lesion, and if there is a significant difference, it can be determined that there is an abnormality in the suspicious lesion.

In addition, the analysis unit 140 may measure the impedance of the suspicious lesion and normal skin by using the voltage applied from the voltage unit 120 and the first current and the second current data. In general, the impedance can be obtained by applying a voltage of a known magnitude and measuring the current at a desired site by Ohm's law (V=IZ). In the present invention, since the magnitude of the voltage (V) applied from the voltage unit 120 is known and the magnitudes of the first current (i') and the second current (i) are known by the current sensing unit 130, Ohm's Law Can measure the impedance of the skin.

The analysis unit 140 may determine whether there is an abnormality in the suspicious lesion by comparing the measured impedance (I') of the suspicious lesion and the impedance (I) of the normal skin. The impedance of the suspicious lesion (I') is the impedance of the skin including the suspicious lesion, and can be obtained by dividing the magnitude of the voltage V applied from the voltage unit 120 by the magnitude of the first current i'. , Impedance (I) of the normal skin is the impedance of the normal skin without the suspicious part of the lesion, and can be obtained by dividing the magnitude of the voltage V applied from the voltage unit 120 by the magnitude of the second current i.

At this time, the analysis unit 140 determines that there is no abnormality in the suspicious lesion if the impedance (I') of the suspicious lesion and the impedance (I) of the normal skin are the same or the difference is insignificant. If there is a significant difference, the analysis unit 140 determines that there is no abnormality in the suspicious lesion. It can be determined that there is an abnormality in the deep part.

In particular, when the suspicious lesion is skin cancer, the impedance (I') of the suspicious lesion may be smaller than the impedance (I) of the normal skin, and when it appears below a preset criterion, the analysis unit 140 may determine this as skin cancer. I can. Here, the preset criterion may be determined as an absolute value difference between the impedance of the deep lesion and the normal skin, or a difference in the ratio between the impedance of the deep lesion and the normal skin.

Skin cancer is a new tissue, and due to the nature of the tissue, the cell density is small and there are many electrolytes, so the bioimpedance is small, so electric current flows better than normal tissues. Therefore, when the suspicious lesion is skin cancer, the magnitude of the first current i'flowing through the first circuit increases, so that the impedance I'of the suspicious lesion determined by the analysis unit 140 becomes the impedance of the normal skin (I ) May appear significantly smaller than that. At this time, the analysis unit may determine that the suspicious portion of the lesion is skin cancer.

On the other hand, when the suspected lesion is a general point other than skin cancer, the impedance is the same as the impedance of normal skin or the difference thereof is only insignificant, so that the analysis unit 140 can determine that it is not skin cancer.

The skin cancer diagnosis apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may increase the accuracy of skin cancer determination by measuring the first current and the second current at voltages having two or more frequencies. For example, the frequency of the sine wave AC voltage applied from the voltage unit 120 is set to 0 Hz, 1 KHz, 10 KHz, and 100 KHz to allow the sine wave AC to flow through the first and second circuits, and the current sensing unit 130 ) Senses the first and second currents of each corresponding frequency, and the analysis unit 140 synthesizes and analyzes the first and second currents sensed at each corresponding frequency, thereby increasing the accuracy of skin cancer determination.

This makes it possible to detect the biological impedance at a specific frequency where the difference in the biological impedance between cancer tissues and normal tissues is prominent, and by applying a voltage having one frequency, the impedance of the suspicious lesion (I') and the impedance of the normal skin Compared to the case of comparing (I), the accuracy of judgment can be improved.

Meanwhile, as described above, the epidermis has a higher biological impedance than the dermis, and in particular, the stratum corneum at the outermost side of the epidermis generally has a higher impedance than other tissues, and the impedance varies greatly depending on the moisture content. Therefore, even if the bioimpedance of the epidermis and dermis under the stratum corneum is changed into cancer tissue due to skin cancer, the change in the synthetic impedance of the epidermis and the dermis is insufficient. There may be situations in which it is difficult to determine whether it is.

Therefore, in order to lower the impedance of the epidermis, particularly the stratum corneum at the outermost part of the epidermis, the present invention may further include a liquid member applied to the skin surface in contact with the probe. The liquid member is, for example, a gel or mineral oil, and refers to a material that enhances electrical conductivity. When the liquid member is sufficiently applied on the skin surface, the moisture content and electrical conductivity of the stratum corneum are increased, so that current can flow well.

In this case, the liquid member may include chemical substances or physical particles that remove or damage the stratum corneum to a depth of micrometers. The liquid member removes or damages the stratum corneum locally so that the high biological impedance of the stratum corneum can be sufficiently lowered. Accordingly, since the bio-impedance level of the epidermis including the stratum corneum is lowered and the synthetic impedance between the epidermis and the dermis is reduced, changes in the bio-impedance of the epidermis and the dermis under the stratum corneum can be sensitively measured.

Figure 7 is a graph showing the synthetic impedance of the skin according to the frequency change, Figure 7 (a) is a case where a liquid member (eg, gel) is not applied to the skin surface, and Figure 7 (b) is a liquid member It shows the case where is applied. As shown, when the liquid member is applied to the skin surface, it can be seen that the synthetic biological impedance of the epidermis and the dermis decreases.

Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 5 as described above, the epidermis may be substituted with _{R 1} and C and the dermis _{may be substituted with R 2 according to the skin's biological impedance model.} In this case, when determining skin cancer using only the impedance of the dermis, the skin cancer may be determined using data obtained by applying a voltage having a frequency of _{1/2πR 2 C or higher.} Here, the resistance R ₂ and the capacitance C are general dermal resistances. As described above, R ₂ has an impedance of about 1 to 10 KΩ level, and C has an impedance of about 1 pF to 1 nF.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the frequency is very low, current does not flow through the capacitance C of the epidermal layer, so that the combined impedance of the epidermis and the dermis becomes R ₁ + R ₂ . _{When the impedance of R 1} and C becomes the same by increasing the frequency _{, that is, the moment when R 1} =1/wC becomes the critical point, the magnitude of the composite impedance decreases, and when the impedances of R ₂ and C become the same, that is, R _The moment when 2 =1/wC is the critical point, it can be seen that _{the magnitude of the synthesized impedance converges to R 2.} Therefore, when the frequency of the voltage applied from the voltage unit 120 is equal to or higher than _{1/2πR 2 C, only the resistance R 2} acts as an impedance. Therefore, _{when a sinusoidal voltage having a frequency equal to or higher than 1/2πR 2} C is used, the impedance of the dermis It is possible to determine whether it is skin cancer using only Durs.

Meanwhile, the apparatus 100 for diagnosing skin diseases according to the present invention may further include a first display unit 150. The first display unit 150 is connected to the analysis unit 140 and outputs a determination result of the analysis unit 140 as a visual signal, thereby providing convenience to a user. At this time, the determination result is based on the determination result of the analysis unit 140, outputting characters and/or symbols that mean "no problem" or "no problem", or the ratio of the impedance of the suspicious lesion to the impedance of the normal skin. It can also be used to output the probability of skin cancer.

As described above, using the skin disease diagnosis apparatus 100 according to the present invention, it is possible to safely diagnose whether there is an abnormality in the suspicious lesion in a non-invasive method, and because the expert skill of the measurer is not required, measurement can be performed easily. It has the advantage that accurate judgment is possible in that it compares the suspicious part of the lesion with the normal skin of an individual.

Hereinafter, a skin disease diagnosis system 1000 using the skin disease diagnosis apparatus 500 according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described.

8 is a schematic diagram of a skin disease diagnosis system 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the skin disease diagnosis system 1000 includes a skin disease diagnosis apparatus 500, a terminal 600, and an analysis server 700 It can be configured.

9 is a detailed illustration of the configuration of the skin disease diagnosis system 1000, wherein the skin disease diagnosis apparatus 500 includes a probe 510, a voltage unit 520, a current sensing unit 530, and a voltage unit ( The first communication unit 540 may further include a first communication unit 540 for transmitting measurement data including voltage data, first current, and second current data applied by 520 to the outside. At this time, the probe 510, the voltage unit 520, and the current sensing unit 530 may be the same as the probe 110, the voltage unit 120, and the current sensing unit 130 of the skin disease diagnosis apparatus 100 described above. The first communication unit 540 is connected to the voltage unit 520 and the current sensing unit 530 to measure data, that is, a voltage and current sensing unit applied from the voltage unit 520 to each voltage of the probe 510 Data of the current sensed by 530 may be transmitted to the terminal 600.

The terminal 600 may be configured to include a second communication unit 610, a photo taking unit 620, and a second display unit 630, and a terminal control unit that controls the entire terminal 600 (not shown, hereinafter the same ) Can be included. The terminal 600 may be a known smart phone, a smart pad, a desktop, a notebook computer, a tablet PC, etc., and the skin disease diagnosis device 500 and the wired or wired device through the second communication unit 610 of the terminal 600 It can be connected by wireless communication. Specifically, the terminal 600 is connected to the skin disease diagnosis apparatus 500 through the second communication unit 610 through wired communication by a Mini-USB cable or a Micro-USB cable, or WiFi, Bluetooth, 3G or 4G. It can be connected by wireless communication.

The photographing unit 620 of the terminal 600 may be configured to include a known camera capable of photographing a suspicious lesion, and may provide photo data by photographing a suspicious lesion, and the second communication unit 610 It is connected to and may transmit the photograph data of the suspicious lesion to the second communication unit 610.

The second communication unit 610 of the terminal 600 includes measurement data received from the skin disease diagnosis apparatus 500 using various communication networks such as a wired/wireless telephone network or the Internet, and obtained from the photo taking unit 620 of the terminal 600. Photo data may be transmitted to the analysis server 700, and measurement data and result data of analysis of the photo data may be received from the analysis server 700.

At this time, the terminal 600 receives the measurement data from the skin disease diagnosis apparatus 500, and analyzes the measurement data received from the skin disease diagnosis apparatus 500 and the photo data obtained from the photo taking unit 620. ), and an application for receiving result data from the analysis server 700 may be installed, receiving measurement data from the diagnostic device 500 through execution of the application, and analyzing the measurement data and photo data Communication for transmitting to the 700 or receiving result data from the analysis server 700 may be performed.

The analysis server 700 may include a measurement data analysis algorithm for analyzing measurement data, a photo data analysis algorithm for analyzing photo data, and a comprehensive analysis algorithm for determining whether skin cancer is a skin cancer. In particular, measurement data, photo data and / Or may further include a database for comprehensive analysis.

The measurement data analysis algorithm in the analysis server 700 may be the same as the analysis performed by the analysis unit 140 of the skin disease diagnosis apparatus 100 described above, and the photo data analysis uses a photo data analysis algorithm using a database. The photo data analysis algorithm uses known photo analysis methods such as ABCD Rule (Asymmetry, Border irregularity, Color variegation, Diameter of the skin lesion), ABCD Rule of dermatoscopy, 7-point checklist, and Menzies scoring method. It can be configured using.

The analysis server 700 may synthesize and analyze the measurement data and photo data analysis results through a comprehensive analysis algorithm, and transmit the result data to the communication unit of the terminal 600, and the terminal 600 The result data may be output as a visual signal through the second display unit 630. At this time, the diagnosis result is based on the result data of the analysis server 700, outputting characters and/or symbols that mean “no problem” or “no problem”, or the ratio of the impedance of the core of the lesion and the impedance of the normal skin. It can also be used to output the probability of skin cancer.

As described above, according to the skin disease diagnosis system 1000 according to the present invention, the accuracy and reliability of diagnosis can be improved by comprehensively analyzing measurement data and photo data to determine an abnormality in the suspicious lesion. Even without a direct visit to a hospital, information on skin diseases can be conveniently known, so effective skin disease diagnosis without time and space constraints can be made.

10 is a flow chart showing a method for diagnosing a skin disease according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the method for diagnosing a skin disease according to the present invention may use the skin disease diagnosis apparatus 100 or the skin disease diagnosis system 1000 described above. .

First, the probes 110 and 510 are placed on the skin surface so that the first lead electrodes 111 and 511 are in contact with the suspicious portion of the lesion, and the source electrodes 112 and 512 and the second lead electrodes 113 and 513 are in contact with the normal skin. Attach (S100).

Thereafter, a voltage is sequentially applied to the first lead electrodes 111 and 511 or the second lead electrodes 113 and 513 based on the source electrodes 112 and 512, or a voltage is applied based on the source electrodes 112 and 512. A voltage is simultaneously applied to the first lead electrodes 111 and 511 and the second lead electrodes 113 and 513 (S200).

Thereafter, the first current flowing between the source electrodes 112 and 512 and the first lead electrodes 111 and 511 and the second current flowing between the source electrodes 112 and 512 and the second lead electrodes 113 and 513 are It senses (S300).

Thereafter, the impedance of the suspicious lesion and the impedance of the normal skin are measured using the voltage applied to each electrode, the first current, and the second current (S400).

Thereafter, it is determined whether there is an abnormality in the suspicious lesion by comparing the impedance of the suspicious lesion and the impedance of the normal skin (S500).

A detailed method of determining whether there is an abnormality in the suspicious lesion may be the same as the determination method of determining whether there is an abnormality in the suspicious lesion in the analysis unit 140 or the analysis server 700 described above.

As described above, although the present invention has been described by the limited embodiments and drawings, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains, various modifications and It is obvious that transformation is possible. Therefore, the technical idea of the present invention should be grasped only by the scope of the claims, and all equivalent or equivalent modifications thereof will be said to belong to the scope of the technical idea of the present invention.

100: skin disease diagnosis device 110: probe
111: first lead electrode 112: source electrode
113: second lead electrode 115: cap
117: probe body 120: voltage part
130: current sensing unit 140: analysis unit
150: first display unit 500: skin disease diagnosis device
510: probe 520: voltage part
530: current sensing unit 540: first communication unit
600: terminal 610: second communication unit
620: photography unit 630: second display unit
700: analysis server 1000: skin disease diagnosis system

Claims (10)

A probe including a first lead electrode in contact with a lesion suspicious portion, a source electrode in contact with a normal skin, and a second lead electrode;
A voltage unit for applying a voltage to the first lead electrode, the source electrode, and the second lead electrode;
A current sensing unit sensing a first current flowing through the source electrode and the first lead electrode and a second current flowing through the source electrode and the second lead electrode; And
Including; an analysis unit that determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the suspicious lesion by using the voltage applied by the voltage unit and the first current and the second current sensed by the current sensing unit,
The first lead electrode, the source electrode, and the second lead electrode of the probe are formed of a plate that contacts the skin surface and does not penetrate the skin,
The first lead electrode, the source electrode, and the second lead electrode are disposed on a straight line, the source electrode is disposed between the first lead electrode and the second lead electrode,
The distance between the first lead electrode and the source electrode is the same as the distance between the source electrode and the second lead electrode,
The probe further comprises a probe body on which the first lead electrode, the source electrode, and the second lead electrode are disposed, wherein the probe body is made of a transparent material.
The method of claim 1,
The analysis unit determines whether there is an abnormality in the suspicious lesion by measuring impedances of the suspicious lesion and the normal skin from the voltage applied by the voltage unit, the first current and the second current. Diagnostic device.
The method of claim 2,
The apparatus for diagnosing skin diseases, characterized in that, when the impedance of the suspicious lesion is less than a preset reference than the impedance of the normal skin, it is determined as skin cancer.
The method of claim 1,
The frequency of the voltage applied by the voltage unit is 2 or more,
The analysis unit, skin disease diagnosis apparatus, characterized in that for analyzing by synthesizing each of the first current and the second current corresponding to the two or more frequencies.
The method of claim 1,
The skin disease diagnosis apparatus further comprises a liquid member applied to a portion in which the probe and the skin contact each other.
The method of claim 5,
The liquid member is a skin disease diagnosis apparatus comprising a chemical substance or physical particles that remove or damage the stratum corneum to a depth of micrometers.
The method of claim 1,
The first lead electrode, the source electrode, and the second lead electrode is a skin disease diagnosis apparatus, characterized in that the replaceable.
A probe including a first lead electrode in contact with a lesion suspicious portion, a source electrode in contact with a normal skin, and a second lead electrode; A voltage unit configured to apply a voltage to the first lead electrode, the source electrode, and the second lead electrode; A current sensing unit sensing a first current flowing through the source electrode and the first lead electrode and a second current flowing through the source electrode and the second lead electrode; And a first communication unit for externally transmitting measurement data including a voltage, a first current, and a second current applied by the voltage unit, wherein the first lead electrode, the source electrode, and the second lead electrode of the probe are Consists of a plate contacting the skin surface but not penetrating the skin, the first lead electrode, the source electrode, and the second lead electrode are arranged in a straight line, and the source electrode is the first lead electrode and the second lead electrode Is disposed between the first lead electrode and the source electrode, the distance between the source electrode and the second lead electrode is equal to the distance between the source electrode and the second lead electrode, and the probe includes the first lead electrode, the source electrode, and the second lead electrode. Further comprising a probe body disposed, wherein the probe body is made of a transparent material, a skin disease diagnosis device;
A photo-taking unit that photographs the suspicious part of the lesion and provides photo data; A second communication unit which transmits the photo data obtained from the photo taking unit and the measurement data received from the skin disease diagnosis device to an analysis server, and receives result data obtained by synthesizing the photo data and the measurement data from the analysis server; And a second display unit for outputting the result data received from the analysis server as a visual signal; And
Skin disease diagnosis system comprising; an analysis server for synthesizing and analyzing the photo data and measurement data received from the terminal, and transmitting the analyzed result data to the terminal.
The method of claim 8,
Wherein the terminal receives measurement data from the skin disease diagnosis apparatus, transmits the measurement data and photo data obtained from the terminal to an analysis server, and an application for receiving result data from the analysis server is installed. Skin disease diagnosis system.
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