JP2010183970A - Biological information measuring device - Google Patents

Abstract

A living body information measuring apparatus according to the present invention receives living body information by receiving light reflected on the living body and reflected from the living body. A biological information measuring device 100 for measuring, a light emitting unit 9 that irradiates light to the living body, and a light that is irradiated from the light emitting unit 9 to the living body 1 and reflected from the living body 1, and according to the received light And a light receiving unit 10 that outputs a biological information signal. The light emitting unit 9 and the light receiving unit 10 are attached to the living body 1 as a measurement target by the belt 4. The light emitting unit 9 and the light receiving unit 10 are supported by an elastic member 5 located on the side of the belt 4 facing the living body 1. The elastic member 5 supports the light emitting unit 9 and the light receiving unit 10 so as to face the living body 1. Thereby, the light emitting unit 9 and the light receiving unit 10 can be brought into close contact with the living body 1.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a biological information measuring apparatus that optically measures biological information by receiving light that is irradiated on a living body and reflected from the living body.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a biological information measuring device that optically measures biological information by irradiating light to a living body and receiving light reflected from the living body is known. In such a biological information measuring device, biological information cannot be correctly measured unless the sensors (light emitters and light receivers) are correctly installed on the living body to be measured. Therefore, a technique for mounting the biological information measuring device has been developed so that the sensor is correctly fixed to the living body.

  For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 describe devices that use a sensor (a light emitter and a light receiver) that are fixed and used in close contact with a living body. In the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, a main housing that measures biological information by processing a biological information signal detected by a light receiver, and a sub-housing that supports a sensor unit having a light emitter and a light receiver are provided on the wrist. The sub-housings are arranged adjacent to each other in the outer peripheral direction, and are connected to each other so as to rotate about the main housing. Thereby, the position of the sub housing with respect to the living body is moved by appropriately rotating the main housing as an axis, and the adhesion of the sensor unit supported by the sub housing to the living body is enhanced.

  Moreover, in the apparatus described in Patent Document 2, an elastic material is provided at a position facing the sensor unit or in the vicinity of the inside of a band for attaching the sensor knit provided on the main housing to the living body. Thereby, even if the position of the living body with respect to the apparatus is shifted, this is allowed by appropriately changing the pressure with which the elastic material is pressed against the living body, and the adhesion of the sensor unit to the living body is maintained.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-276000 (released on October 9, 2001) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-276001 (released on October 9, 2001)

  However, the surface shape of the living body in contact with the sensor unit changes in accordance with the movement of the living body, and in order to measure biological information more accurately even when the surface shape of the living body changes in this way, Even the conventional apparatus described above was not sufficient. Therefore, it has been desired to develop a biological information measuring apparatus that can further improve the adhesion of the sensor unit to various shapes of the biological surface.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a biological information measuring device capable of further improving the adhesion of the sensor unit to various shapes of the biological surface. .

  In order to solve the above problems, a biological information measuring apparatus according to the present invention is a biological information measuring apparatus that measures biological information by receiving light that is irradiated on a living body and reflected from the living body. A light emitting unit that emits light; a light receiving unit that receives light reflected on the living body from the light emitting unit, and that outputs a biological information signal according to the received light; and the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit And an elastic member that is located on the side of the mounting means facing the living body and supports the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion so as to face the living body.

  According to said structure, a light emission part and a light-receiving part closely_contact | adhere to a biological body, when the attachment means to which the elastic member was attached is attached to the biological body 1. FIG. Since the elastic member is deformed in accordance with the movement of the living body and the tightening degree of the attaching means, the adhesion of the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit to the living body can be enhanced. That is, even when the surface shape of the living body changes variously due to movement of the living body, the elastic member is deformed in accordance with the change, so that the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit supported by the elastic member are always attached to the living body. It can be adhered. In addition, the elastic member is deformed according to the shape of the surface of the living body, so that the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit supported by the elastic member 5 can always be in close contact with the living body.

  In the biological information measuring apparatus according to the present invention, the elastic member may support the light emitting unit held by the first housing and the light receiving unit held by the second housing. preferable.

  According to said structure, the elastic member is supporting the light emission part and the light-receiving part which were each hold | maintained at the different subhousing. As described above, since the light emitting unit 9 and the light receiving unit 10 are held in different sub-housings, the positional freedom of the light emitting unit 9 and the light receiving unit 10 is improved, and the change in the surface shape of the living body 1 can be dealt with better. Thus, the adhesion of the light emitting unit 9 and the light receiving unit 10 to the living body 1 can be further enhanced.

  When a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit, which are sensors for measuring biological information, are fixed to the same housing as in a conventional biological information measuring device, the relative positional relationship between the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit is always constant. End up. Since the shape of the living body surface to be measured is various, when the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit are fixed to the same housing in this manner, the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit can be brought into close contact with the living body surface without any gap at the same time. It is very difficult. Therefore, there arises a problem that measurement errors due to external light cannot be prevented. In order to solve this problem, it is necessary to tighten the belt as the attachment means as a result, and the feeling of pressure on the living body is increased, and a good wearing feeling cannot be obtained.

  According to the biological information measuring device of the present invention, it is possible to attach both the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit to the measurement site of the living body with high adhesion force at any surface shape. Measurement errors due to external light can be prevented. Moreover, since it is not necessary to attach strongly to a living body strongly by an attachment means, a favorable mounting feeling can be implement | achieved.

  Furthermore, in the biological information measuring device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the elastic member is provided so as to be movable along a surface of the attachment means facing the living body. Thereby, it is possible to adjust the relative position with respect to the biological body of the light emission part and the light-receiving part currently supported by the elastic member.

  In the conventional biological information measuring apparatus, the measuring unit having the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit for measuring the biological information cannot be moved with respect to the attachment means, and various biological information is measured in the same manner as the shape of the biological surface. The measurement unit could not be adjusted to the optimal position. In addition, when the measurement unit is mounted so as to be in an optimal position for measurement, the main housing having the biological information calculation processing unit cannot be adjusted to the optimal position from the viewpoint of operability. As a result, there is a concern that the biological information measuring device may be mounted at an extremely unstable position.

  According to the biological information measuring apparatus according to the present invention, for example, when the main housing is provided, the position of the main housing is determined from the viewpoint of operability, and the positions of the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit are measured accurately. It is possible to determine the position and adjust the position independently.

  In the biological information measuring apparatus according to the present invention, the elastic member includes a fixing portion for fixing the elastic member to the mounting means, and the mounting means includes a hole portion that fits into the fixing portion. It is preferable. As a result, the elastic member can be moved and fixed in advance to a position that is optimal for measurement that differs depending on the living body being measured, so that the positions of the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit are maintained in an optimal state when mounted on the living body. It is possible to achieve a stable and good wearing feeling.

  Furthermore, in the biological information measuring apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that the light receiving unit supports a plurality of light receiving bodies that receive light reflected from the living body irradiated from the light emitting unit. Thereby, the area | region which can receive light of a light-receiving part can be expanded, and the area | region which can measure biometric information can be expanded. As a result, the position adjustment of the elastic member can be minimized.

  Further, in the biological information measuring apparatus according to the present invention, the elastic member includes the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit such that the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit protrude toward the living body side of the living body side surface of the elastic member. It is preferable to support this. As a result, it is possible to increase the adhesion of the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit to the living body when the biological information measuring device is attached to the living body, and at the same time, it is possible to disperse the pressure applied to the living body. Can be improved.

  Since the present invention includes an elastic member that is positioned on the side of the attachment means facing the living body and supports the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit so as to face the living body, the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit for the living body to be measured It is possible to improve the adhesiveness and realize accurate measurement.

It is a perspective view showing one form of use of a living body information measuring device concerning the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows one Embodiment of the biological information measuring device which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows one Embodiment of the biological information measuring device which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows one Embodiment of the biological information measuring device which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows one Embodiment of the biological information measuring device which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows one Embodiment of the biological information measuring device which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows one Embodiment of use of the biological information measuring device which concerns on this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing one form of use of the biological information measuring apparatus 100 according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the biological information measuring apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the light emitting part 9 and the light receiving part 10 in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, in the present embodiment, the biological information measuring device 100 is a wristwatch type that is used by being attached to the wrist of the living body 1. The biological information measuring device 100 includes a belt (attachment means) 4, an elastic member 5, a light emitting unit 9, and a light receiving unit 10. In the present embodiment, a configuration in which the biological information measuring apparatus 100 includes the main housing 2 will be described.

  The main housing 2 includes a main board 24 (FIG. 6) having arithmetic processing means for measuring biological information of the living body 1 based on a biological information signal output according to the light received by the light receiving unit 10, and measuring biological information. The display part 3 which displays a result is provided. The main housing 2 may include an operation button for performing an operation such as start or end of measurement. The main housing 2 is placed on the back side of the hand of the living body 1 when the living body information measuring device 100 is attached to the living body 1 in order to confirm the measurement result on the display unit 3 or to facilitate the operation of the operation buttons. It is provided to be located. Moreover, you may display other information, such as a measurement date, on the display part 3. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the belt 4 is attached so as to wrap around the wrist of the living body 1, thereby attaching the main housing 2 and the elastic member 5 to the living body 1 to be measured. The elastic member 5 is positioned on the side of the belt 4 facing the living body 1, that is, when the belt 4 is attached to the living body 1, the belt is positioned between the living body 1 and the belt 4. 4 is attached.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the elastic member 5 supports the light emitting unit 9 and the light receiving unit 10. The light emitting unit 9 and the light receiving unit 10 are supported by the elastic member 5 so as to face the living body 1 when the belt 4 is attached to the living body 1. The light emitting unit 9 and the light receiving unit 10 are in close contact with the living body 1 when the belt 4 to which the elastic member 5 is attached is wrapped around the living body 1. The elastic member 5 is deformed according to the movement of the living body 1 and the tightening condition of the belt 4, and can improve the adhesion of the light emitting unit 9 and the light receiving unit 10 to the living body 1. That is, even when the surface shape of the living body 1 changes variously due to the movement of the living body 1, the elastic member 5 is deformed in accordance with the change, and thus the light emitting unit 9 and the light receiving unit supported by the elastic member 5 The unit 10 can always be in close contact with the living body 1. In addition, the elastic member 5 is deformed according to the shape of the surface of the living body 1, so that the light emitting unit 9 and the light receiving unit 10 supported by the elastic member 5 are always in close contact with the living body 1. be able to.

  In the present embodiment, the elastic member 5 is attached so as to be movable on the belt 4 along the surface of the belt 4 facing the living body 1. That is, the elastic member 5 is attached to the belt 4 so as to be movable on the belt 4 along the circumferential direction of the wrist surface of the living body 1 (the direction of the arrow 21 in FIG. 6). The elastic member 5 is attached so as to be movable on the belt 4 along the surface of the belt 4 facing the living body 1, so that the light emitting unit 9 and the light receiving unit 10 supported by the elastic member 5 The relative position with respect to the housing 2 can be adjusted. Details of the elastic member 5 will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the biological information measuring apparatus 100 according to this embodiment, the light emitting unit 9 is held by a first sub-housing (first housing) 7 and the light receiving unit 10 is a second sub-housing (first housing). 2 housing) 8. That is, the elastic member 5 supports the light emitting unit 9 and the light receiving unit 10 respectively held in different sub-housings. As described above, since the light emitting unit 9 and the light receiving unit 10 are held in different sub-housings, the positional freedom of the light emitting unit 9 and the light receiving unit 10 is improved, and the change in the surface shape of the living body 1 can be dealt with better. Thus, the adhesion of the light emitting unit 9 and the light receiving unit 10 to the living body 1 can be further enhanced.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the light emitting unit 9 includes an LED (light emitting diode) 11 as a light emitter that irradiates light to the living body 1, and the LED 11 is electrically connected to the circuit board 22 (FIG. 6). . In addition, the light receiving unit 10 includes a photodiode 12 as a light receiving body that receives light irradiated from the light emitting unit 9 to the living body 1 and reflected from the living body 1, and the photodiode 12 is electrically connected to the circuit board 23 (FIG. 6). Connected. In the light emitting unit 9 and the light receiving unit 10, the living body 1 side of the LED 11 and the photodiode 12 is covered with a light transmitting body that transmits light, and the surface of the living body 1 and the LED 11 and the photodiode 12 are in direct contact with each other. Protected not to.

  The circuit board 22 and the circuit board 23 are electrically connected via the flat cable 15 (FIG. 6), and the circuit board 22 is electrically connected to the main board 24 of the main housing 2 via the flat cable 6. It is connected. The main board 24 is provided with arithmetic processing means (not shown) including an IC component such as a CPU.

  As shown in FIG. 1, when the biological information measuring device 100 is attached to the wrist of the living body 1, the light emitted from the LED 11 of the light emitting unit 9 is irradiated on the wrist surface of the living body 1, and a part of the irradiation light is a tissue of the wrist. And absorbed in blood vessels. The remaining light that has not been absorbed is reflected and received by the photodiode 12 of the light receiving unit 10. The light receiving unit 10 outputs an electrical signal corresponding to the intensity of light received by the photodiode 12 to the data processing circuit of the main board 24. In the biological information measuring apparatus 100 according to the present invention, conventionally known ones can be suitably used as the main substrate 24, the light emitting unit 9, and the light receiving unit 10 including the display unit 3 and the arithmetic processing unit in the main housing 2. . Also, a conventionally known method can be adopted as the arithmetic processing method by the arithmetic processing means of the main board 24.

  In the present embodiment, the biological information measuring apparatus 100 includes one LED 11 in the light emitting unit 9 and six photodiodes 12 in the light receiving unit 10. The number of LEDs 11 and photodiodes 12 is not limited to this, but when the biological information measuring apparatus 100 includes a plurality of photodiodes 12, the light receiving area of the photodiodes 12 is expanded, and the biological information measurable area is expanded. can do. Therefore, the range of position adjustment of the elastic member 5 that supports the light emitting unit 9 and the light receiving unit 10 can be minimized.

  The elastic member 5 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 is a perspective view of the biological information measuring apparatus 100 according to the present invention as viewed from the opposite side of the main housing 2, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which the belt 4 in FIG. 4 is omitted. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the biological information measuring apparatus 100 according to the present invention.

  The elastic member 5 is an object having elastic force and flexibility by being made of a material having a certain elastic force and flexibility. The elastic member 5 is preferably made of silicon rubber, urethane rubber or the like, but may be made of other materials as long as it has the same elastic force and flexibility as these materials.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the elastic member 5 is provided at a position facing the main housing 2 on the side facing the living body 1 inside the belt 4. In the present embodiment, the elastic member 5 includes a strip-shaped base portion 25 having substantially the same width as the belt 4 as shown in FIG. The base portion 25 supports the first sub housing 7 that holds the light emitting portion 9 and the second sub housing 8 that holds the light receiving portion 10, and is attached to the belt 4 along the surface of the belt 4 facing the living body 1. It has been. The elastic member 5 further includes two projecting portions 26 projecting to the opposite side of the base body portion 25 facing the living body 1. The projecting portions 26 are vertically long in the width direction of the base body portion 25 and are belts. 4 has a slit 14 penetrating in the circumferential direction.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the elastic member 5 is attached to the belt 4 by inserting one end of the belt 4 into each slit 14 in the two protruding portions 26 of the elastic member 5. Thereby, the position of the elastic member 5 can be adjusted by sliding the elastic member 5 on the belt 4 through the slit 14 in which the belt 4 is inserted.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, in the biological information measuring apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the belt 4 includes a plurality of holes 13, and the elastic member 5 is fitted into any of the holes 13. The convex part 19 is provided. The convex portion 19 is provided so as to protrude inside the slit 14 of the elastic member 5, and after the belt 4 is inserted into the slit 14, the convex portion 19 is fitted into the hole portion 13 of the belt 4. Thereby, the elastic member 5 can be fixed to an arbitrary position with respect to the belt 4. When the belt 4 is inserted into the slit 14, the belt 4 is deformed while the slit 14 is deformed so that the convex portion 19 that protrudes inside the slit 14 does not hinder insertion. insert. The height of the convex portion 19 may be, for example, approximately the same as the thickness of the belt (about 1 mm), and its tip is chamfered in order to improve the mounting operability to the belt 4. Also good.

  As shown in FIG. 6, one end of the belt 4 is fixed to the main housing 2 by a shaft 16, and the other end inserted into the slit 14 of the elastic member 5 is rotatably supported by the main housing 2. The roller 17 can be attached to the living body 1 with an arbitrary length by a hook-and-loop fastener 18. Thereby, the belt 4 can adjust the tightening degree when it wraps around the living body 1 according to the shape of the living body 1.

  When measuring the pulse wave of the living body 1 and the like, the position of the artery 20 varies depending on the person to be measured, and therefore the optimum position for measurement also varies depending on the person to be measured. In other words, the positions of the light emitting unit 9 and the light receiving unit 10 that are measuring units with respect to the belt 4 inevitably vary depending on the person to be measured. Therefore, when the main housing 2 and the measurement unit are integrally formed, or when the positions of the main housing 2 and the measurement unit cannot be adjusted, the main housing 2 is moved to a position suitable for measurement. Since it is not always installed near the center of the wrist on the back side of the hand, the wearing state may become extremely unstable.

  According to the biological information measuring apparatus 100, as shown in FIG. 5, the main housing 2 and the elastic member 5 that supports the light emitting unit 9 and the light receiving unit 10 are provided independently of each other. The position with respect to the belt 4 can be adjusted. Therefore, the person to be measured can confirm the position optimal for the measurement in advance, and adjust and fix the position of the elastic member 5 that supports the light emitting unit 9 and the light receiving unit 10 as the measuring unit. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a good wearing feeling by fixing the elastic member 5 so that the main housing 2 is located near the center on the back side of the hand at the time of wearing.

  The biological information measuring apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment supports the light emitting unit 9 and the light receiving unit 10 so as to protrude to the living body 1 side of the surface of the elastic member 5 on the living body 1 side when attached to the living body 1. Has been. Thereby, while disperse | distributing the pressure with respect to the biological body 1 of the biological information measuring device 100, the adhesiveness with respect to the biological body 1 of the light emission part 9 and the light-receiving part 10 can be improved. In addition, the force with which the belt 4 clamps the living body 1 can be reduced, and the wearing feeling of the living body 1 can be further improved.

  Here, how the elastic member 5 of the biological information measuring device 100 changes when the position of the living body 1 changes will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state before (upper figure) and after (lower figure) the position of the living body 1 with respect to the living body information measuring device 100 is changed by twisting the wrist of the living body 1.

  As shown in the upper diagram of FIG. 7, in a state before the position of the living body 1 changes, the living body information measuring device 100 appropriately selects the optimum measurement position by the user, and the main housing is located on the back side of the wrist. The tightening condition of the belt 4 and the position of the elastic member 5 are moved so that the elastic member 5 that supports the light emitting unit 9 and the light receiving unit 10 is positioned at a position facing the artery 20 on the palm side. Thus, when the biological information measuring device 100 is attached to the living body 1, the light emitting unit 9 and the light receiving unit 10 are pressed against the living body 1 in the direction of the arrow by the elastic force of the elastic member 5. ing.

  After the biological information measuring device 100 is attached to the living body 1 in this way, when the position of the living body 1 is changed to the living body position 1 ′ by, for example, twisting the wrist, as shown in the lower diagram of FIG. Since the member 5 is deformed, it is possible to maintain the light emitting unit 9 and the light receiving unit 10 in close contact with the living body 1 without reattaching the belt 4 or moving the position of the elastic member 5 again.

  As described above, the biological information measuring apparatus 100 according to the present invention is located on the side of the belt 4 facing the living body 1 and supports the light emitting unit 9 and the light receiving unit 10 so as to face the living body 1. Therefore, the light emitting unit 9 and the light receiving unit 10 can be in close contact with the living body 1. Moreover, according to the biological information measuring apparatus 100 according to the present invention, the light emitting unit 9 and the light receiving unit 10 can be brought into close contact with the living body 1 without excessively tightening the living body 1 with the belt 4, so that the wearing is excellent. Accurate measurement can be realized while maintaining the feeling.

  In addition, the elastic member 5 that supports the light emitting unit 9 and the light receiving unit 10 can be moved along the circumferential direction of the living body 1, that is, along the surface of the belt 4 that faces the living body 1. Since the fixing means for fixing to the belt 4 is also provided, it is possible to adjust the light emitting unit 9 and the light receiving unit 10 in advance so as to be in optimum positions for measurement. As a result, the main housing 2 is positioned near the center of the wrist (back side of the hand), and the light emitting unit 9 and the light receiving unit 10 can be adjusted and mounted so as to be in a desired measurement position. A stable wearing state can be realized.

  Since the present invention provides a biological information measuring device with high adhesion to a living body, it can be used for various biological measuring devices such as a pulse measuring device.

1 Living body 2 Main housing 4 Belt (attachment means)
5 Elastic member 7 First sub-housing (first housing)
8 Second sub-housing (second housing)
9 Light emitting part 10 Light receiving part 11 LED
12 Photodiode (photoreceptor)
13 Hole part 14 Slit 19 Convex part (fixed part)
25 Base part 26 Projection part

Claims (6)

A living body information measuring device for measuring living body information by receiving light reflected on and reflected from a living body, a light emitting unit for irradiating light on the living body;
A light receiving unit that receives light reflected on the living body from the light emitting unit and reflected from the living body, and outputs a biological information signal corresponding to the received light;
Mounting means for attaching the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit to a living body;
A biological information measuring apparatus, comprising: an elastic member that is positioned on a side facing the living body of the attachment means and supports the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit so as to face the living body.   The biological information measurement according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member supports the light emitting unit held by the first housing and the light receiving unit held by the second housing. apparatus.   The biological information measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member is provided so as to be movable along a surface of the attachment means facing the living body. The elastic member includes a fixing portion for fixing the elastic member to the attachment means,
The biological information measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the attachment means includes a hole that fits into the fixing portion.   The living body according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the light receiving section supports a plurality of light receiving bodies that receive light reflected from the living body and irradiated from the light emitting section. Information measuring device.   The elastic member supports the light emitting part and the light receiving part so that the light emitting part and the light receiving part protrude toward the living body side of the living body side surface of the elastic member. The biological information measuring device according to any one of?

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