JP2003210465A - Optical biological information measurement device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a compact optical bio-information measuring device capable of measuring bio-information with high accuracy and high reproducibility. <P>SOLUTION: This optical bio-information measuring device has a light source part for illuminating an organism; a light receiving part for receiving light outgoing from the surface of the organism after propagated inside the organism from the light source part; a forming part for forming the surface of the organism in prescribed shape; and an arithmetic part for computing the bio- information on the organism on the basis of the received quantity of light received by the light receiving part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an optical biological information measuring device capable of optically measuring biological information such as subcutaneous fat thickness, body fat percentage, in vivo glucose concentration, in vivo oxygen concentration and the like. Is.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Of the light incident on the inside of a living body from a light source arranged on the surface of the living body, the light that has been scattered and absorbed inside the living body and propagates while being reflected on the surface of the living body again receives the absorbed substance inside the living body. Methods have been devised to measure the concentration of or the thickness of tissue. FIG. 15 shows a positional relationship among a light source, a light receiving element, and a living body in the subcutaneous fat thickness measuring apparatus described in JP 2000-155091 A, which is an example thereof. A light source 2 and a measurement light receiving element 3 on the living body surface 1.
Are arranged. Assuming that the living body has a three-layer parallel plate structure of skin 4, subcutaneous fat 5 and muscle 6 as shown in FIG. 15, the light 7 received by the measurement light receiving element 3 is different in absorption and scattering characteristics of each living tissue. Therefore, there is a correlation in the thickness of the subcutaneous fat 5. However, the amount of light 7 received by the measurement light-receiving element 3 fluctuates due to the large influence of changes in the blood flow in the skin 4 and subcutaneous blood. Therefore, the light receiving element 8 for correction is arranged in the vicinity of the light source 2 (distance from 1 to 6 mm), and the light receiving element 3 for measurement is determined by the amount of the light 9 received by the light receiving element 8 for correction.
By correcting the light 7 received by, the subcutaneous fat thickness can be measured with high accuracy.

[0003]

However, the tissue of the living body is not strictly a parallel plate as shown in FIG. 16, and
Since the arms and legs have a cylindrical shape as shown in FIG. 17, the measurement accuracy deteriorates due to the local change in thickness.

Since the living tissue is soft and easily deformed, the living body surface 1 is measured at the same person and at the same site for each measurement.
Due to the change in the shape, the amount of received light varies and the measurement reproducibility deteriorates.

When the subcutaneous fat 5 is thick, the light receiving element 3 for measuring the light propagating in a deeper portion inside the living body is used.
In order to receive the light at, it is necessary to separate the light source 2 from the measurement light receiving element 3. Therefore, there is a problem that the size of the measuring device becomes large.

Further, since the distance between the light source 2 and the measuring light receiving element 3 is large, the amount of light received by the measuring light receiving element 3 is small,
The measurement accuracy was poor.

Further, since it is necessary to increase the light receiving sensitivity of the measuring light receiving element 3, the measuring light receiving element 3 must be highly accurate and highly sensitive, and expensive parts are required. Had.

Even if the sensitivity of the measuring light-receiving element 3 is increased, it is necessary to sufficiently shield the living body surface 1 in order to measure incident light such as sunlight from other than the light source 2 on the living body. there were.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems.
An object of the present invention is to provide a small-sized optical biological information measuring device that can measure biological information such as subcutaneous fat thickness and body fat percentage with high reproducibility and high accuracy.

[0010]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an optical biological information measuring device of the present invention comprises a light source section for illuminating a living body, and the living body propagating through the inside of the living body from the light source section. A light receiving unit that receives the light emitted from the surface, a molding unit that shapes the living body surface into a predetermined shape, and a computing unit that calculates the biological information of the living body based on the amount of light received by the light receiving unit. Is characterized by.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An optical biological information measuring device of the present invention comprises a light source section for illuminating a living body, and a light receiving section for receiving the light propagating inside the living body from the light source section and emitted from the surface of the living body. A molding unit configured to mold the surface of the living body into a predetermined shape, and an arithmetic unit that calculates biological information of the living body based on the amount of light received by the light receiving unit.

Here, it is preferable that the surface of the molding portion that contacts the living body surface is flat.

Further, it is preferable that the reflectance of the surface of the molded portion which is in contact with the living body surface is substantially zero.

Further, it is preferable that the surface of the molded portion which is in contact with the living body surface is provided with a protrusion.

Here, the protruding portion may be provided between the light source portion and the light receiving portion. In that case, the protrusion is 3
It is preferably arranged at a position of -30 mm.

The light source portion and / or the light receiving portion may be provided on the protrusion.

Here, the protrusions are 3 to 10 mm in the vertical direction,
It is preferable that the region of the surface of the living body having a lateral direction of 3 to 50 mm be shaped so as to deform the living body in a direction recessed by 2 to 20 mm in the depth direction.

A plurality of light source units and / or light receiving units may be provided.

The optical biological information measuring device of the present invention is
The light source section includes a first light source section provided at a first predetermined position of the molding section and a second light source section provided at a second predetermined position of the projection section, and the light receiving section has the projection. A first light receiving portion provided at a third predetermined position of the molding portion opposite to the first predetermined position and a second light receiving portion provided at a fourth predetermined position of the protruding portion. It is preferable that the light receiving section of

Further, the light receiving section is provided with a second predetermined position and a fourth predetermined position.
It is preferable to provide a third light receiving portion provided at a fifth predetermined position between the third light receiving portion and the predetermined position.

Here, it is preferable that the distance between the first predetermined position and the protrusion is 1 to 20 mm, and the distance between the protrusion and the third predetermined position is 1 to 20 mm.
Further, the distance between the second predetermined position and the fifth predetermined position is 1 to
It is preferable that the distance is 20 mm and the distance between the second predetermined position and the fourth predetermined position is 20 to 50 mm.

A third light receiving portion may be provided at a fifth predetermined position between the first predetermined position and the third predetermined position.

The optical subcutaneous fat thickness measuring apparatus of the present invention is
Further, it is preferable to include a display unit for displaying the biometric information calculated by the arithmetic unit, a communication unit for communicating the biometric information with an external device, and an input unit for inputting measurement conditions.

In the present invention, the biological information includes subcutaneous fat, glucose concentration inside the living body, oxygen concentration inside the living body and the like. Here, when the biological information is the glucose concentration inside the living body, the center wavelength of the light emitted from the light source unit is 45.
The center wavelength of the light emitted from the light source unit is preferably 1000 nm to 2000 nm when the biological information is the oxygen concentration inside the living body.

The optical biological information measuring device of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an optical biological information measuring device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

In the optical biological information measuring device according to the present embodiment, a light source 11 and a light receiving unit 12 are arranged in a molding unit 10 for molding the living body surface 1 flat. Here, although not particularly limited, for example, the size of the molding part 10 is a square shape having a length of 25 mm and a width of 40 mm, and the area of the molding part 10 is preferably 1000 mm ² or more. However, the molding unit 10
Does not have to be rectangular. Any material may be used as the material of the molding part 10 as long as it has strength such that the shape of the molding part 10 does not change when pressed against the living body surface 1.

The molding section 10 is made of a material such as black ABS whose reflectance on the surface in contact with the living body surface 1 is substantially 0 in the wavelength range of the light emitted from the light source section 11.
Substantially 0 here means a reflectance of 2% or less. As another method, the molded portion 10 may be coated or painted with a reflectance of 2% or less.

A light source such as an LED light source, a laser light source or a light bulb is incorporated in the light source section 11. The center wavelength of the light output from the light source unit 11 is 500 nm to 1000 n
m or 1000 nm to 2000 nm. Further, the light source unit 11 may be configured such that the light source is arranged away from the living body surface 1 and the living body surface 1 is guided by an optical fiber or the like.

The light receiving section 12 includes a light receiving sensor such as a photodiode, an avalanche photodiode, a CdS cell or the like. Further, a configuration may be used in which the optical fiber or the like guides light from the living body surface 1 to the light receiving sensor.

The calculation unit 14 determines the light 1 received by the light receiving unit 12.
The subcutaneous fat thickness is calculated according to the amount of received light of 3, and the display unit 15
Displays the subcutaneous fat thickness or the like, which is the biometric information obtained by the calculation unit 14. Further, the communication unit 16 communicates information on the subcutaneous fat thickness, which is the biological information obtained by the calculation unit 14, and control data such as the start of measurement with an external device. In addition, by the input unit 17, the measurement site of the subject, sex, age, height,
It is possible to perform control such as input of measurement conditions such as weight and start of measurement.

Next, the operation of the optical biological information measuring device according to this embodiment will be described below.

The light emitted from the light source unit 11 propagates while being scattered and absorbed by the skin 4, the subcutaneous fat 5, and the muscle 6 inside the living body. Of the light propagated inside the living body, the amount of light 13 received by the light receiver 12 is as follows: skin 4, subcutaneous fat 5, muscle 6
Due to the difference in the light absorption characteristics and the light scattering characteristics, the larger the thickness of the subcutaneous fat 5, the larger the amount of received light. The relationship between the thickness of the subcutaneous fat 5 and the amount of received light is as shown in FIG. By obtaining the graph of the relationship as shown in FIG. 2 in advance and storing it in the calculation unit 14, the calculation unit 14 calculates the subcutaneous fat thickness using the amount of light 13 received by the light receiving unit 12. be able to. In the calculation unit 14, the input unit 17 and the communication unit 1
The body fat percentage of the subject can be calculated from the measurement conditions and the subcutaneous fat thickness input in 6. Also, a plurality of measurement conditions can be stored in advance.

In this operation, by flattening the living body surface 1 by the molding unit 10, it is possible to suppress a change in light propagation due to a local change in the living body surface 1.
In addition, since the force applied to the living body surface 1 is dispersed in that area because the molding portion 10 has a certain area or more, the living body surface 1 is measured for each measurement due to the variation in the force applied to the living body surface 1 by the molding portion 10. It also prevents deformation. Because of these effects, the shape of the living body can be always formed into a constant shape, so that it is possible to suppress variations in the shape of the living body for each measurement, and thus highly accurate measurement is possible. The living body surface 1 does not necessarily have to be flat. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, even if the portion of the molding unit 10 that comes into contact with the living body is formed into a concave shape, the living body shape at the time of measurement is always made constant. Therefore, it is possible to perform measurement with good reproducibility.

Further, since the reflectance of the surface of the molding portion 10 in contact with the living body surface 1 is almost 0, it is possible to prevent the light once emitted from the living body surface 1 to the outside of the living body from entering the inside of the living body again. Therefore, the light 1 received by the light receiving unit 12
Since the component of the light propagating through the shallow portion of the inside of the living body 3 can be reduced, the correlation between the amount of received light and the subcutaneous fat thickness is improved.

By selecting the wavelength of the light source unit 11 as the absorption band of the target substance and the light receiving characteristic of the light receiving unit 12 as the absorption band of the target substance, the inside of the living body can be adjusted according to the amount of light received. It is also possible to measure the oxygen concentration and the glucose concentration inside the living body. In the case of the oxygen concentration in the living body, the wavelength from 450 nm to 800 nm and 80
Use a light source unit 11 having a two-wavelength light source element having a wavelength of 0 nm to 1000 nm, or a wavelength of 450 nm
To 800 nm and 800 nm to 1000
By having the light receiving section 12 provided with two or more light receiving sensors having sensitivity characteristics in two wavelengths in the wavelength band up to nm, it becomes possible to measure the oxygen concentration inside the living body with high accuracy similar to the subcutaneous fat 5. . Further, the glucose concentration inside the living body can be measured with high accuracy by using the light source unit 11 including a light source element having a wavelength of 1000 nm to 2000 nm and the light receiving unit 12 including a light receiving sensor sensitive to a wavelength of 1000 nm to 2000 nm. .

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an optical biological information measuring device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Further, FIG. 5 is a view of the molding unit 10 as viewed from above. 5 mm in length, 50 mm in width, and 5 mm in height between the light source unit 11 and the light receiving unit 12 on the molding unit 10 that molds the living body surface 1 flat.
It has a protruding portion 18.

Here, although not particularly limited, for example, the size of the molding portion 10 is a rectangular shape having a length of 25 mm and a width of 40 mm, and the area of the molding portion 10 is preferably 1000 mm ² or more. However, the molding part 10 does not need to be rectangular.
Further, the vertical, horizontal and height dimensions of the protrusion 18 do not necessarily have to be these values.

The molding portion 10 and the protruding portion 18 are the light source portion 1.
It is formed of a material such as black ABS whose reflectance of the surface in contact with the living body surface 1 is substantially 0 in the wavelength region of the light emitted from 1. Substantially 0 here means a reflectance of 2
% Or less. As another method, the molding unit 10
It may be coated or painted with a reflectance of 2% or less.

The living body surface 1 is deformed because it is pressed by the molding portion 10 and the protruding portion 18. However, since the width of the protrusion 18 is narrow here, as shown in FIG. 4, only the portion of the softest subcutaneous fat 5 in the living tissue immediately below the protrusion 18 is deformed so as to be extruded to the portion without the protrusion 18. Cage,
Only the thickness of the subcutaneous fat 5 locally changes inside the living body.

The light source unit 11, the light receiving unit 12, the arithmetic unit 14, and the display unit 1 of the optical biological information measuring device according to the present embodiment.
5, the communication unit 16 and the input unit 17 have the same configuration and function as the optical biological information measuring device according to the first embodiment.

According to the optical biological information measuring device of this embodiment, the living body surface 1 is flattened by the molding portion 10, and the reflectance of the surface of the molding portion 10 in contact with the living body surface 1 is almost zero. The same effects as those of the optical biological information measuring device according to the first embodiment can be obtained.

Further, in the conventional example, the distance between the light source section 11 and the light receiving section 12 had to be increased in order to obtain information on a deeper area inside the living body, but in this embodiment, the shallow portion near the living body surface 1 is Since the propagated light is blocked by the protrusion 18 from propagating to the light receiving portion 12, the protrusion 1
Compared to the case without 8, the light receiving unit 12 receives a larger amount of the component of the light propagating in the deep part inside the living body. As a result, the light received by the light receiving unit 12 has more information about the thickness of the subcutaneous fat 5 as compared with the case where the protrusion 18 is not provided. Therefore, the light source unit 11 and the light receiving unit 12
It is possible to receive only the light that has propagated to a deeper portion inside the living body without separating the distance. Therefore, the measuring optical system can be downsized. Furthermore, since the area of the living body to be measured is reduced, the influence of local variations in tissue thickness can be reduced and the measurement accuracy is improved.

Further, as in the first embodiment, the wavelength of the light source 11 is selected as the absorption band of the target substance,
By selecting the light receiving characteristic of the light receiving unit 12 as the absorption band of the target substance, it becomes possible to measure the oxygen concentration in the living body and the glucose concentration in the living body by the amount of received light.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an optical biological information measuring device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Further, FIG. 7 is a view of the molding unit 10 as viewed from above. The optical biological information measuring device according to the present embodiment includes the biological surface 1
5 mm in length and 50 in width on the molding part 10 that is molding the
The projection 18 has a height of 5 mm and a height of 5 mm.

Here, although not particularly limited, for example, the size of the molding section 10 is a square shape having a length of 25 mm and a width of 40 mm, and the area of the molding section 10 is preferably 1000 mm ² or more. However, the molding part 10 does not need to be rectangular.
Further, the vertical, horizontal and height dimensions of the protrusion 18 do not necessarily have to be these values. The light source unit 11 and the light receiving unit 12 are arranged on the protrusion 18.

The surface of the living body is deformed because it is pressed by the molding portion 10 and the protruding portion 18. However, since the width of the protrusion 18 is narrow here, only the portion of the softest subcutaneous fat 5 immediately below the protrusion 18 is deformed so as to be extruded to the portion without the protrusion 18, as shown in FIG. Only the thickness of 5 is locally changed.

The molding portion 10 and the protruding portion 18 are formed of a material such as black ABS whose reflectance on the surface in contact with the living body surface 1 is substantially 0 in the wavelength region of the light emitted from the light source portion. Substantially 0 here means a reflectance of 2% or less. As another method, the molded portion 10 may be coated or painted with a reflectance of 2% or less.

The light source unit 11, the light receiving unit 12, the calculation unit 14, and the display unit 1 of the optical biological information measuring device according to the present embodiment.
5, the communication unit 16 and the input unit 17 have the same configuration and function as the optical biological information measuring device according to the first embodiment.

According to the optical biological information measuring device of the present embodiment, the living body surface 1 is flattened by the molding portion 10, and the reflectance of the surface of the molding portion 10 in contact with the living body surface 1 is almost zero. The same effects as those of the optical biological information measuring device according to the first embodiment can be obtained.

Furthermore, since the light source 11 and the light receiving portion are present in the protrusion 18, the thickness of the subcutaneous fat 5 through which light actually propagates is thinner than the actual thickness by the height of the protrusion 18. . As the thickness of the subcutaneous fat 5 to be measured becomes thicker, the distance between the light source unit 11 and the light receiving unit 12 must be increased. Conversely, the thickness of the subcutaneous fat 5 becomes thinner, so that the light source unit 11 becomes thinner.
The distance between the light receiving unit 12 and And
The actual subcutaneous fat thickness can be calculated by adding the thickness corresponding to the height of the protrusion 18 to the measured subcutaneous fat thickness. That is, the distance between the light source unit 11 and the light receiving unit 12 can be made shorter than in the case where the protrusion 18 is not provided. Therefore, the measuring optical system can be downsized. Furthermore, since the area of the living body to be measured is reduced, the influence of local variations in tissue thickness can be reduced and the measurement accuracy is improved.

Further, as in the first embodiment, the wavelength of the light source unit 11 is selected as the absorption band of the target substance,
By selecting the light receiving characteristic of the light receiving unit 12 as the absorption band of the target substance, it becomes possible to measure the oxygen concentration in the living body and the glucose concentration in the living body by the amount of received light.

(Fourth Embodiment) FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an optical biological information measuring device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Further, FIG. 9 is a view of the molding unit 10 as viewed from above. The optical biological information measuring device according to the present embodiment includes the biological surface 1
5 mm in length and 5 m in width on the molding part 10 that is molding the
It has a protrusion 18 and a light receiving portion 12 having a height of 5 mm and a height of 5 mm.

Here, although not particularly limited, for example, the size of the molding portion 10 is a rectangular shape having a length of 25 mm and a width of 40 mm, and the area of the molding portion 10 is preferably 1000 mm ² or more. However, the molding part 10 does not need to be rectangular.
Further, the vertical, horizontal and height dimensions of the protrusion 18 do not necessarily have to be these values. The light source unit 11 is provided on the protrusion 18.
Are arranged.

The living body surface 1 is deformed because it is pressed by the molding portion 10 and the protruding portion 18. However, since the width of the protruding portion 18 is narrow here, only the portion of the subcutaneous fat 5 immediately below the protruding portion 18 is deformed so as to be pushed out to the portion without the protruding portion 18 as shown in FIG. Has changed locally.

The molding portion 10 and the projection portion 18 are made of a material such as black ABS whose reflectance on the surface in contact with the living body surface 1 is substantially 0 in the wavelength region of the light emitted from the light source portion. Substantially 0 here means a reflectance of 2% or less. As another method, the molded portion 10 may be coated or painted with a reflectance of 2% or less.

The light source unit 11, the light receiving unit 12, the arithmetic unit 14, and the display unit 1 of the optical biological information measuring device according to the present embodiment.
5, the communication unit 16 and the input unit 17 have the same configuration and function as the optical biological information measuring device according to the first embodiment.

According to the optical biological information measuring device of the present embodiment, the living body surface 1 is flattened by the molding portion 10, and the reflectance of the surface of the molding portion 10 in contact with the living body surface 1 is almost zero. The same effects as those of the optical biological information measuring device according to the first embodiment can be obtained.

Further, since the light source 11 is present in the protrusion 18, the region inside the living body in which light actually propagates is the protrusion 1.
8 heights deeper. Therefore, as compared with the case where the protrusion 18 is not provided, the light receiving unit 12 receives more of the component of the light propagating in the deeper part inside the living body. As a result, the light received by the light receiving unit 12 has more information about the thickness of the subcutaneous fat 5 as compared with the case where the protrusion 18 is not provided. Therefore, since it is possible to receive only the light propagating in a deeper portion inside the living body without separating the distance between the light source unit 11 and the light receiving unit 12, it is possible to downsize the measurement optical system. Furthermore, since the area of the living body to be measured is reduced, the influence of local variations in tissue thickness can be reduced and the measurement accuracy is improved.

As in the first embodiment, the wavelength of the light source 11 is selected as the absorption band of the target substance,
By selecting the light receiving characteristic of the light receiving unit 12 as the absorption band of the target substance, it becomes possible to measure the oxygen concentration in the living body and the glucose concentration in the living body by the amount of received light.

(Fifth Embodiment) FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an optical biological information measuring device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.
Further, FIG. 11 is a view of the molding unit 10 seen from the upper surface. Here, although not particularly limited, for example, the molding unit 10
It is preferably a rectangular shape having a length of 25 mm and a width of 40 mm, and the area of the molding part 10 is preferably 1000 mm ² or more. However, the molding part 10 does not need to be rectangular. Furthermore, the molding portion 10 that molds the living body surface 1 flat has a length of 5 mm,
It has a protrusion 18 and a light source 11 that are 5 mm wide and 5 mm high. The vertical, horizontal and height dimensions of the protrusion 18 do not necessarily have to be these values. Further, the light receiving unit 12 is arranged on the protrusion 18.

The surface of the living body is deformed because it is pressed by the molding portion 10 and the protruding portion 18. However, since the width of the protruding portion 18 is narrow here, only the portion immediately below the protruding portion 18 of the softest subcutaneous fat 5 is deformed so as to be pushed out to the portion without the protruding portion 18 as shown in FIG. Only the thickness of is changed locally.

The molding portion 10 and the projection portion 18 are made of a material such as black ABS whose reflectance on the surface in contact with the living body surface 1 is substantially 0 in the wavelength region of the light emitted from the light source portion. Substantially 0 here means a reflectance of 2% or less. As another method, the molded portion 10 may be coated or painted with a reflectance of 2% or less.

The light source unit 11, the light receiving unit 12, the arithmetic unit 14, and the display unit 1 of the optical biological information measuring device according to the present embodiment.
5, the communication unit 16 and the input unit 17 have the same configuration and function as the optical biological information measuring device according to the first embodiment.

According to the optical biological information measuring device of the present embodiment, the living body surface 1 is flattened by the molding portion 10, and the reflectance of the surface of the molding portion 10 in contact with the living body surface 1 is almost zero. The same effects as those of the optical biological information measuring device according to the first embodiment can be obtained.

Further, since the light receiving portion 12 is present in the protruding portion 18, the region inside the living body in which light actually propagates is the protruding portion 1.
8 heights deeper. Therefore, as compared with the case where the protrusion 18 is not provided, the light receiving unit 12 receives more of the component of the light propagating in the deeper part inside the living body. As a result, the light received by the light receiving unit 12 has more information about the thickness of the subcutaneous fat 5 as compared with the case where the protrusion 18 is not provided. Therefore, it is possible to receive only the light propagating in a deeper region inside the living body without separating the distance between the light source unit 11 and the light receiving unit 12, so that the measurement optical system can be downsized. Furthermore, since the area of the living body to be measured is reduced, the influence of local variations in tissue thickness can be reduced and the measurement accuracy is improved.

Further, as in the first embodiment, the wavelength of the light source 11 is selected as the absorption band of the target substance,
By selecting the light receiving characteristic of the light receiving unit 12 as the absorption band of the target substance, it becomes possible to measure the oxygen concentration in the living body and the glucose concentration in the living body by the amount of received light.

(Sixth Embodiment) FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a molding unit 10 of an optical biological information measuring device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

The molding portion 10 is substantially flat, and the protrusion portion 18 is arranged at substantially the center thereof. The molding part 10 has a circular shape with a diameter of 60 mm. The size of the protrusion 18 is 5 mm in length, 50 mm in width, and 5 mm in height. Here, the molding portion 10 does not necessarily have to be circular and has an area of 1
It is preferably 000 mm ² or more. In addition, the vertical direction of the protrusion 18,
The lateral and height dimensions do not necessarily have to be this value.

The first light source section 19 is arranged at a position (first predetermined position) at a distance of 15 mm from the center of the projecting section 18 except the projecting section 18, and one end of the projecting section 18 is arranged. The second light source unit 20 is arranged at a position 15 mm (second predetermined position) from the center of the protrusion 18.
On the side opposite to the first light source unit 19, the first light receiving unit 21 is disposed at a position (third predetermined position) at a distance of 15 mm from the center of the protrusion 18, and the second light receiving unit 21 on the protrusion 18 is disposed. The second light receiving unit 22 is arranged at a position (fourth predetermined position) at a distance of 15 mm from the center of the protrusion 18 on the side opposite to the light source, and the second light receiving unit 22 is arranged at the center of the protrusion 18 (fifth predetermined position). 3 light receiving unit 23
Are arranged. Here, the positions of the light source section and the light receiving section need not necessarily be this value.

13 and 14 are block diagrams of the optical biological information measuring device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 13 shows A- when the molding unit 10 is pressed against the living body surface 1.
FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along the line a, and similarly FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along line B-b when the molding portion 10 is pressed against the living body surface 1.

The living body surface 1 is deformed because it is pressed by the molding portion 10 and the protruding portion 18. However, since the width of the protruding portion 18 is narrow here, only the portion of the subcutaneous fat 5 immediately below the protruding portion 18 is deformed so as to be pushed out to the portion without the protruding portion 18 as shown in FIGS. Only the thickness of is changed locally.

In the molding section 10 and the projection section 18, the reflectance of the surface in contact with the living body surface 1 is substantially 0 in the wavelength region of the light emitted from the first light source section 19 and the second light source section 20. It is made of a material such as black ABS. Substantially 0 here means a reflectance of 2% or less. As another method, the molded portion 10 may be coated or painted with a reflectance of 2% or less.

First light source section 19 and second light source section 20
A light source such as an LED light source, a laser light source, or a light bulb is incorporated in the. The center wavelength of the light output from the first light source unit 19 and the second light source unit 20 is from 500 nm to 10 nm.
00 nm or 1000 nm to 2000 nm. Further, the first light source unit 19 and the second light source unit 20 may be arranged apart from the living body surface 1 and guided to the living body surface 1 by an optical fiber or the like.

The first light receiving portion 21, the second light receiving portion 22 and the third light receiving portion 23 are provided with light receiving sensors such as a photodial, an avalanche photodial, and a CdS cell.
Further, each light receiving unit may be configured to guide light from the living body surface 1 to the light receiving sensor by an optical fiber or the like.

The calculation unit 14 calculates the subcutaneous fat thickness according to the amount of light received by the first light receiving unit 21, the second light receiving unit 22, and the third light receiving unit 23, and the display unit 15 The subcutaneous fat thickness, which is the biometric information obtained by the calculation unit 14, is displayed. Further, the communication unit 16 communicates information on the subcutaneous fat thickness, which is the biological information obtained by the calculation unit 14, and control data such as the start of measurement with an external device. In addition, the operation of the optical biological information measuring device according to the present embodiment, which is capable of inputting measurement conditions such as a measurement site of a subject, sex, age, height, weight, and controlling measurement by the input unit 17, and the like. This will be described below.

In FIG. 13, the light emitted from the first light source unit 19 propagates while being scattered and absorbed by the skin 4, the subcutaneous fat 5, and the muscle 6 inside the living body. The same effect as that of the fifth embodiment can be obtained by measuring the amount of the light 24 received by the third light receiving unit 23 of the light propagating inside the living body. Further, by using the received light amount of the light 25 received by the first light receiving unit 21 of the light propagated inside the living body, the first light source unit 19 and the first light source unit 19 can be used as in the second embodiment.
Since it is possible to receive only the light that has propagated to a deeper portion inside the living body without separating the light receiving portion 21 of, the measurement optical system can be downsized. Furthermore, since the area of the living body to be measured is reduced, the influence of local variations in tissue thickness can be reduced and the measurement accuracy is improved. Further, by using the light received by the third light receiving portion 23 provided on the protruding portion 18 and performing the correction in the same manner as in the conventional example, highly accurate measurement can be performed.

In FIG. 14, the light emitted from the second light source section 20 propagates while being scattered or absorbed by the skin 4, the subcutaneous fat 5, and the muscle 6 inside the living body. Of the light propagating inside the living body, the amount of light received by the third light receiving unit 23 and the amount of light 27 received by the second light receiving unit 22 are
Similar to the third embodiment, only the light propagating deeper inside the living body is received without separating the second light source unit 20, the third light receiving unit 23, and the second light receiving unit 22 from each other. Therefore, the measurement optical system can be downsized. Furthermore, since the area of the living body to be measured is reduced, the influence of local variations in tissue thickness can be reduced and the measurement accuracy is improved. Further, by using the light received by the third light receiving portion 23 provided on the protruding portion 18 and performing the correction in the same manner as in the conventional example, highly accurate measurement can be performed.

Further, by averaging the subcutaneous fat thickness obtained by carrying out these two measurements at the calculation unit 14, a more accurate measurement can be performed.

As in the first embodiment, the wavelengths of the first light source unit 19 and the second light source unit 20 are selected as the absorption band of the target substance, and the first light receiving unit 21, Two
By selecting the light receiving characteristics of the light receiving unit 22 and the third light receiving unit 23 as the absorption band of the target substance, it becomes possible to measure the oxygen concentration in the living body and the glucose concentration in the living body according to the amount of received light.

[0081]

As is clear from the above, according to the present invention, biological information such as subcutaneous fat thickness, body fat percentage, in-vivo glucose concentration, and in-vivo oxygen concentration can be measured with high reproducibility and high accuracy. Thus, it becomes possible to provide a compact optical biological information measuring device.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an optical biological information measuring device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a graph showing the relationship between the amount of received light and the subcutaneous fat thickness in the optical biological information measuring device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of an optical biological information measuring device according to an embodiment of the present invention in which a shape of a molding portion is different.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of an optical biological information measuring device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a top view showing a molding part of the optical biological information measuring device.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of an optical biological information measuring device according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a top view showing a molding part of the optical biological information measuring device.

FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of an optical biological information measuring device according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a top view showing a molding part of the optical biological information measuring device.

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of an optical biological information measuring device according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a top view showing a molding part of the optical biological information measuring device.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a molding part of an optical biological information measuring device according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of the same optical biological information measuring device.

FIG. 14 is a configuration diagram showing a different section of the optical biological information measuring device.

FIG. 15 is a structural diagram of a conventional subcutaneous fat thickness measuring device.

FIG. 16 is a conceptual diagram showing problems in the conventional subcutaneous fat thickness measuring device.

FIG. 17 is a conceptual diagram showing another problem in the conventional subcutaneous fat thickness measuring device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 biological surface 2 light sources 3 Light receiving element for measurement 4 skin 5 subcutaneous fat 6 muscles 7 Light received by light receiving element for measurement 8 Light receiving element for correction 9 Light received by the correction light receiving element 10 Molding part 11 Light source section 12 Light receiving part 13 Light received by the light receiver 14 Operation part 15 Display 16 Communication unit 17 Input section 18 Projection 19 First light source unit 20 Second light source unit 21 First light receiving part 22 Second light receiving section 23 Third light receiving part 24,26 Light received by the third light receiving section 25 Light received by the first light receiving section 27 Light received by the second light receiving section

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F term (reference) 2F065 AA30 BB05 CC16 DD02 FF44                       FF46 FF61 GG02 GG04 GG07                       JJ01 JJ18 PP01                 2G059 AA01 AA05 AA06 BB12 BB14                       CC16 DD13 EE01 EE02 GG01                       GG02 GG03 GG10 HH01 HH02                       HH06 JJ17 KK01 KK03 MM10                       PP04 PP06                 4C038 KK01 KK10 KL05 KL07 KM00                       KM01 KY01 KY03 KY04

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A light source section for illuminating a living body, a light receiving section for receiving light propagating inside the living body from the light source section and emitted from the surface of the living body, and a molding section for molding the surface of the living body into a predetermined shape. And an optical biological information measuring device having an arithmetic unit that calculates biological information of the living body based on the amount of light received by the light receiving unit. 2. The optical biological information measuring device according to claim 1, wherein a surface of the molding portion which is in contact with the living body surface has a planar shape. 3. The reflectance of the surface of the molding portion which is in contact with the living body surface is substantially zero, and the reflectance is substantially zero.
The optical biological information measuring device described. 4. The optical biological information measuring device according to claim 1, wherein a projection portion is provided on a surface of the molded portion which is in contact with the living body surface. 5. The optical biological information measuring device according to claim 4, wherein the protrusion is provided between the light source unit and the light receiving unit. 6. The optical biological information measuring device according to claim 5, wherein the protrusion is arranged at a position 3 to 30 mm from the light source. 7. The optical biological information measuring device according to claim 4, wherein the light source unit is provided on the protrusion. 8. The optical biological information measuring device according to claim 4, wherein the light receiving portion is provided on the protrusion. 9. The light source section includes a first light source section provided at a first predetermined position of the molding section and a second light source section provided at a second predetermined position of the protrusion section, and the light receiving section is provided. A first light receiving portion provided at a third predetermined position of the molding portion on the side opposite to the first predetermined position across the projection portion; and a fourth predetermined position of the projection portion. The optical biological information measuring device according to claim 4, further comprising a second light receiving unit provided. 10. The light-receiving unit further comprises a third light-receiving unit provided at a fifth predetermined position between the second predetermined position and the fourth predetermined position. The optical biological information measuring device described. 11. The light-receiving unit further comprises a third light-receiving unit provided at a fifth predetermined position between the first predetermined position and the third predetermined position. The optical biological information measuring device described. 12. A display unit for displaying the biometric information calculated by the arithmetic unit, a communication unit for communicating the biometric information with an external device, and an input unit for inputting measurement conditions. The optical biological information measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 11. 13. The optical biological information measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the biological information is subcutaneous fat, glucose concentration inside the living body, or oxygen concentration inside the living body. 14. The biological information is the glucose concentration in the living body, and the center wavelength of the light emitted from the light source unit is 450 n.
It is m-1000 nm, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.
12. The optical biological information measuring device according to any one of 12. 15. The biological information is the oxygen concentration in the living body, and the center wavelength of the light emitted from the light source unit is 1000 nm.
~ 2000nm, Claims 1 to 1, characterized in that
2. The optical biological information measuring device according to any one of 2 above.