WO2008062967A1

WO2008062967A1 - A skin condition measuring apparatus integrated pda

Info

Publication number: WO2008062967A1
Application number: PCT/KR2007/005729
Authority: WO
Inventors: Chang-Hwan Kim
Original assignee: Chang-Hwan Kim
Priority date: 2006-11-22
Filing date: 2007-11-15
Publication date: 2008-05-29
Also published as: KR100781235B1

Abstract

The invention relates a skin condition measuring apparatus integrated personal digital assistant which includes a skin condition measuring module and a terminal module. The skin condition measuring module includes a LED unit that has a plurality of LEDs, a filter unit that selectively passes a light component, a magnifying lens that collects light reflected from a skin, a coupling portion, through which the skin condition measuring module is coupled to a personal digital assistant, and a skin condition measuring apparatus power port that is electrically connected to the LED unit. The terminal module includes a camera unit that is provided with an imaging element, a power supply unit that supplies power to the LED unit, a control unit that controls a display unit, and a terminal power port that is electrically connected to the skin condition measuring apparatus power port.

Description

SKIN CONDITION MEASURING APPARATUS INTEGRATED PDA, AND SKIN CONDITION MEASURING APPARATUS AND

PDA COMPRISING THE SAME

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to a skin condition measuring apparatus integrated personal digital assistant that measures skin conditions, such as the size of pores or the pigment of the skin, to allow a user to select cosmetics suitable for his/her skin condition and to confirm the health condition of his/her skin, and a skin condition measuring apparatus and a personal digital assistant constituting the same. Background Art

[2] In general, people have various skin types and colors. In particular, people who wear make-up need to select and use cosmetics suitable for their skin conditions so as to maintain the healthy and beautiful skin. Accordingly, most of people want to acquire accurate information in respect to their skin conditions.

[3] Even though there is a large market of cosmetic products being sold on the Internet shopping malls and home shopping, people still want to select and use cosmetics suitable for their skin condition. Accordingly, due to people's preference in selecting cosmetics for their skin type, a cosmetic door-to-door salesperson that specializes in skin care and who generally visits a person's home, checks the skin condition using a skin condition measuring apparatus, and recommends cosmetics suitable for the skin condition. As a result, the market for selling cosmetics door-to-door is still a big market, in which the large cosmetics companies are employing many door-to-door salespersons.

[4] FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a known skin condition measuring apparatus.

[5] Referring to FIG. 1, the known skin condition measuring apparatus includes a skin condition measuring module 10 that irradiates light onto a local area of the skin to measure a skin condition, and a computer 20, on which an image measured by the skin condition measuring module 10 is output. The skin condition measuring module 10 includes a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) 11 that provide different illumination states, a magnifying lens 12 that collects light reflected from the skin, an imaging element 13 that converts an image input via the magnifying lens 12 into an electrical signal, and an LED select button 14 that selects which one of the plurality of LEDs 11 is to be turned on. In addition, the skin condition measuring module 10 includes a filter unit 15 that passes a light component with a specific wavelength band among light irradiated by the selected LED 11. [6] A skin image captured by the skin condition measuring module 10 is received by the computer 20 as an electrical signal. The computer 20 displays the received skin image on a monitor (not shown) in real time or stores and maintains skin image data as consumer's skin information.

[7] Connected between the skin condition measuring module 10 and the computer 20 is a power cable 30 that supplies power to the LEDs, and an image signal cable 40 that transmits the electrical signal of the imaging element 13 to a controller (not shown) of the computer 20.

[8] According to the known skin condition measuring apparatus having the above- described configuration, the door-to-door salesperson needs to have a separate portable computer (notebook computer) along with the skin condition measuring module 10 when visiting home, which increases costs and is inconvenient.

[9] The skin condition measurement has three modes, and the three modes are performed with different LEDs, for example, an LED for pores size measurement, a polarizing filter-equipped LED for skin pigmentation measurement, and a UV LED for sebum measurement.

[10] In this case, the LED select button 14 electrically connects the three LEDs to the power supply of the computer 20 such that the LEDs are turned on to correspond to the individual modes.

[11] However, according to this configuration, it is inconvenient for the user because the

LED select button 14 needs to be manually operated for each LED corresponding to each mode. In addition, even if the user operates the LED select button 14, it is difficult to check which LED the power supply of the computer 20 is connected to. For this reason, while the actual measurement mode may be the pores measurement mode, power may be applied to the UV LED, and thus the apparatus may erroneously operate.

Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

[12] The invention has been finalized in order to solve the above-described problems, and it is an object of the invention to provide a skin condition measuring apparatus integrated personal digital assistant while being portable and convenient by allowing a skin condition measuring apparatus to be detachably coupled to a personal digital assistant.

[13] It is another object of the invention to provide a skin condition measuring apparatus integrated personal digital assistant that can reduce costs by using an internal imaging element of a camera provided in a personal digital assistant, instead of an internal imaging element of a skin condition measuring apparatus. [14] It is still another object of the invention to provide a skin condition measuring apparatus integrated personal digital assistant that can exclude a possibility of an erroneous operation by incorporating a program for automatically selecting LEDs according to skin condition measurement modes in a personal digital assistant, as compared with the related art where a user manually operates an LED select button to select a skin condition measurement mode, which may cause an erroneous operation. Technical Solution

[15] According to an aspect of the invention, a skin condition measuring apparatus integrated personal digital assistant includes a skin condition measuring module and a terminal module. The skin condition measuring module includes a light-emitting diode (LED) unit that has a plurality of LEDs to selectively emit light onto a skin according to skin condition measurement modes, a filter unit that selectively passes a light component with a specific wavelength band among light from the LED unit, a magnifying lens that collects light reflected from the skin, a coupling portion, through which the skin condition measuring module is coupled to a personal digital assistant, and a skin condition measuring apparatus power port that is electrically connected to the LED unit. The terminal module includes a camera unit that is provided with an imaging element to convert light passing through the magnifying lens into an electrical signal, a power supply unit that supplies power to the LED unit, a control unit that controls a display unit to display an image of the skin from the signal transmitted from the imaging element, and a terminal power port that is electrically connected to the skin condition measuring apparatus power port.

[16] The skin condition measuring apparatus power port may be formed at a rear surface of the skin condition measuring module and the terminal power port may be formed at a front surface of the camera unit, to which the skin condition measuring module is coupled, such that, when the skin condition measuring module is coupled to the camera unit, the skin condition measuring apparatus power port and the terminal power port are electrically connected with each other.

[17] The control unit may include an LED control unit that is connected to the power supply unit and controls the power supply unit to selectively supply power to the LEDs according to the skin condition measurement modes.

[18] According to another aspect of the invention, a personal digital assistant includes a power supply unit that supplies power to an LED unit in a skin condition measuring module, a camera unit that is provided with an imaging element to convert light irradiated by the LED unit onto a subject and reflected from the subject into an electrical signal, an LED control unit that is connected to the power supply unit and controls the power supply unit to selectively supply power to the LED unit according to skin condition measurement modes, a main control unit that controls a display unit to display an image of a skin from the signal transmitted from the imaging element, and a terminal power port that, when the skin condition measuring module is coupled to a front surface of the camera unit, is electrically connected to a skin condition measuring apparatus power port formed at a rear surface of the skin condition measuring module. [19] According to still another aspect of the invention, a skin condition measuring apparatus includes an LED unit that selectively emits light and irradiates light onto the skin according to skin condition measurement modes, a filter unit that selectively passes a light component with a specific wavelength band among light from the LED unit, a magnifying lens that collects light irradiated by the LED unit and reflected from the skin, and is movable back and forth to adjust a focal distance, and a skin condition measuring apparatus power port that, when the skin condition measuring module is coupled to a camera unit of a terminal module, is connected to a terminal power port formed at a front surface of the camera unit of the terminal module and supplies power to the LED.

Advantageous Effects

[20] According to the skin condition measuring apparatus integrated personal digital assistant of the invention, and the skin condition measuring apparatus and the personal digital assistant constituting the same, since the skin condition measuring apparatus is detachably coupled to the personal digital assistant, it is portable and convenient for use. In addition, since the internal imaging element of the camera in the personal digital assistant is used, instead of an internal imaging element of a skin condition measuring apparatus, costs can be reduced. Furthermore, since a program for automatically selecting LEDs according to the skin condition measurement modes is incorporated in the personal digital assistant, the possibility of an erroneous operation can be excluded, as compared with the related art where a user manually operates an LED select button to select a skin condition measurement mode, which may cause an erroneous operation. Brief Description of the Drawings

[21] FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a known skin condition measuring apparatus.

[22] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing a personal digital assistant having integrated therein a skin condition measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention.

[23] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a control system according to an embodiment of the invention. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention [24] Hereinafter, the configuration and operation according to a preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the same components are represented by the same reference numerals even if they are shown in different drawings.

[25] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing a personal digital assistant having integrated therein a skin condition measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a control system according to an embodiment of the invention.

[26] In the invention, for simplification and portability of a skin condition measuring apparatus, a skin condition measuring module 100 and a portable terminal module 200 are coupled to each other.

[27] The skin condition measuring module 100 includes an LED unit 110 that has a plurality of LEDs, which selectively emit light according to skin condition measurement modes, and a filter unit 120 that passes a light component with a specific wavelength band among light from the LED unit 110.

[28] The LED unit 110 has, for example, twelve LEDs that are arranged at regular intervals around the circumference. The twelve LEDs include four first LEDs 111 that are used for pore size measurement, four second polarizing filter-equipped LEDs 112 that are used for skin pigmentation measurement, and four third LEDs 113 that are composed of as UV LEDs and used for sebum measurement.

[29] The filter unit 120 includes a polarizing filter 121 that is provided in front of a magnifying lens 130, the polarizing filters that are provided in front of the LEDs for skin pigmentation measurement, and UV filters 122 that are provided in front of the UV LEDs.

[30] Light that is emitted from each of the LEDs is irradiated on the skin, and light reflected from the skin is collected by the magnifying lens 130. The magnifying lens 130 is movable back and forth so as to adjust a focal distance. For example, the magnifying lens 130 moves backward (that is, to a terminal module side) for normal photographing, and moves forward to photograph the skin with a magnified scale.

[31] The LEDs are electrically connected to a skin condition measuring apparatus power port 140 that is formed at a predetermined position on a rear surface 100a of the skin condition measuring module 100.

[32] In addition, the rear surface 100a of the skin condition measuring module 100 is detachably coupled to a front surface 200a of a camera unit 210 of the terminal module 200.

[33] The terminal module 200 includes the camera unit 210 that is provided with an imaging element 211 to convert light passing through the magnifying lens 130 into an electrical signal. The camera unit 210 has the same structure as a general camera in a personal digital assistant. In the invention, since the skin condition measuring module 100 has the magnifying lens 130 for the skin condition measurement, a camera lens is removed from the personal digital assistant, and only a space 212 where the camera lens was provided remains in the camera unit 210.

[34] That is, according to the invention, when the skin condition measuring module 100 is coupled to a personal digital assistant, a normal photograph and a photograph of the skin with a magnified scale can be performed by an internal camera in the personal digital assistant. Specifically, the imaging element 211 of the camera in the personal digital assistant is used as it is while only a camera lens is removed therefrom, and the skin condition measuring module 100, from which an internal imaging element is removed, is coupled to the personal digital assistant. This coupling results in reducing the number of parts and accordingly reducing costs.

[35] The terminal module 200 is provided with a control unit 220 that receives the signal from the imaging element 211 and controls a display unit 260 to display an image of the skin, a power supply unit 230 that supplies power to the LED unit 110, and a terminal power port 240 that is electrically connected to the skin condition measuring apparatus power port 140.

[36] The control unit 220 includes a main control unit 221 that controls the entire personal digital assistant and an LED control unit 222 that controls the LED unit 110. The LED control unit 222 executes a program for automatically selecting the LEDs to supply power to the three kinds of LEDs, that is, the first LEDs 111, the second LEDs 112, and the third LEDs 113, according to the skin condition measurement modes. Therefore, it is possible to prevent an erroneous operation and to remove operational inconvenience when a user manually operates an LED select button 14.

[37] Alternatively, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that an LED select button

(not shown) is provided in the skin condition measuring module 100, and a switch that changes a connection state when the LED select button is pushed is provided between the skin condition measuring apparatus power port 140 and the LED unit 110, such that the user can manually operate the skin condition measuring module.

[38] The terminal power port 240 may be provided at any position. However, similar to the general personal digital assistant, if the terminal power port 240 is provided at an upper end portion of the terminal, the terminal power port 240 needs to be connected to the skin condition measuring apparatus power port 140 via a separate cable. In this case, marketability and convenience may be deteriorated.

[39] Accordingly, the terminal power port 240 is provided at the front surface 200a of the camera unit 210, to which the skin condition measuring module 100 is coupled. Th en, when the skin condition measuring module 100 is externally coupled to the camera unit 210, the skin condition measuring apparatus power port 140 and the terminal power port 240 are automatically electrically connected with each other.

[40] The terminal module 200 is provided with a key operating unit 250 and a communication module 270. The communication module 270 can perform wireless communication to store measured data of the skin condition in a separate server.

[41] The operation of the invention will now be described.

[42] If a door-to-door salesperson executes the skin condition measuring program to measure the skin condition of the consumer, a menu for pore size measurement as a first step of skin condition measurement is displayed on the display unit 260. If the menu for pore size measurement is selected, the LED control unit 222 performs switching such that the power supply unit 230 supplies power to the first LEDs 111.

[43] In this state, if the door-to-door salesperson pushes a photographing button, the image of the skin passes through the magnifying lens 130, is then converted into electrical signals by the imaging element 211, and is subsequently received by the main control unit 221. The received data is stored, and then the first step of skin condition measurement ends.

[44] Next, a menu for skin pigmentation measurement as a second step of skin condition measurement is displayed on the display unit 260. If the menu for skin pigmentation measurement is selected, the LED control unit 222 performs switching such that the power supply unit 230 supplies power to the second LEDs 112. Here, photographing and storing are performed in the same manner as the first step.

[45] A third step for sebum measurement is performed in the same manner as described above, except that the third LEDs 113 are turned on by the LED control unit 222.

[46] Separately from the skin condition measurement modes, a normal photographing mode may also be formed.

[47] In this case, the user moves the magnifying lens 130 backward to adjust the focal distance and then pushes the photographing button. In the normal photographing mode, an image of a subject passes through the magnifying lens 130, is then converted into electrical signals by the imaging element 211, and is subsequently received by the main control unit 221.

[48] Meanwhile, when an LED select button is provided, the user operates the LED select button to change a connection state of a switch connected therewith, such that power is selectively supplied to the first LEDs 111, the second LEDs 112, or the third LEDs 113.

[49] In the foregoing embodiment, a case where, unlike the existing skin condition measurement apparatus, the skin condition measuring module 100, from which an imaging element is removed, is coupled to the terminal module 200, from which an internal camera lens is removed, unlike the existing personal digital assistant, has been described. Alternatively, unlike the exiting skin condition measuring module, a skin condition measuring module, from which an imaging element is removed, may be coupled to a terminal module, like an existing personal digital assistant, from which an internal camera lens is provided.

[50] In this case, a magnifying lens for specific magnification needs to be incorporated in the skin condition measuring module to enable close photographing, such as skin condition photographing, in connection with an internal camera lens of the terminal module. For example, the terminal module may include a camera lens of a general personal digital assistant, which has two lenses, and the skin condition measuring module may include a magnifying lens with specific magnification has a group of five lenses, including concave lens and convex lens.

[51] Although the invention has been described in connection with the embodiment, the embodiment is just illustrative, but it is not intended to limit the invention. Therefore, it should be understood that various modifications and changes can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. Industrial Applicability

[52] According to the skin condition measuring apparatus integrated personal digital assistant of the invention, a skin condition measuring apparatus is detachably coupled to a general personal digital assistant that has a camera. Therefore, a skin condition measuring apparatus that is portable and convenient for use can be provided.

Claims

[1] A skin condition measuring apparatus integrated personal digital assistant, comprising: a skin condition measuring module; and a terminal module, wherein the skin condition measuring module includes: a light-emitting diode (LED) unit that has a plurality of LEDs to selectively emit light onto a skin according to skin condition measurement modes; a filter unit that selectively passes a light component with a specific wavelength band among light from the LED unit; a magnifying lens that collects light reflected from the skin; and a skin condition measuring apparatus power port that is electrically connected to the LED unit, and the terminal module includes: a camera unit that is provided with an imaging element to convert light passing through the magnifying lens into an electrical signal; a power supply unit that supplies power to the LED unit; a control unit that controls a display unit to display an image of the skin from the signal transmitted from the imaging element; and a terminal power port that is electrically connected to the skin condition measuring apparatus power port. [2] The skin condition measuring apparatus integrated personal digital assistant according to claim 1, wherein the skin condition measuring apparatus power port is formed at a rear surface of the skin condition measuring module and the terminal power port is formed at a front surface of the camera unit, to which the skin condition measuring module is coupled, such that, when the skin condition measuring module is coupled to the camera unit, the skin condition measuring apparatus power port and the terminal power port are electrically connected with each other. [3] The skin condition measuring apparatus integrated personal digital assistant according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit includes an LED control unit that is connected to the power supply unit and controls the power supply unit to selectively supply power to the LEDs according to the skin condition measurement modes. [4] A personal digital assistant, comprising: a power supply unit that supplies power to an LED unit in a skin condition measuring module; a camera unit that is provided with an imaging element to convert light irradiated by the LED unit onto a subject and reflected from the subject into an electrical signal; an LED control unit that is connected to the power supply unit and controls the power supply unit to selectively supply power to the LED unit according to skin condition measurement modes; a main control unit that controls a display unit to display an image of a skin from the signal transmitted from the imaging element; and a terminal power port that, when the skin condition measuring module is coupled to a front surface of the camera unit, is electrically connected to a skin condition measuring apparatus power port formed at a rear surface of the skin condition measuring module. [5] A skin condition measuring apparatus, comprising: an LED unit that selectively emits light and irradiates light onto a skin according to skin condition measurement modes; a filter unit that selectively passes a light component with a specific wavelength band among light from the LED unit; a magnifying lens that collects light irradiated by the LED unit and reflected from the skin, and is movable back and forth to adjust a focal distance; and a skin condition measuring apparatus power port that, when the skin condition measuring module is coupled to a camera unit of a terminal module, is connected to a terminal power port formed at a front surface of the camera unit of the terminal module and supplies power to the LED.