JP2013031597A - Biological information measuring device, and method for measuring biological information - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a portable biological information measuring instrument that realizes an operation of bringing a sensor unit into close contact with a living body with an appropriate force with a simple structure and has few malfunctions.
A sensor unit that measures biological information by bringing a sensor surface into close contact with a predetermined part of a living body, a control unit that controls the sensor unit, and an inner part that integrally holds the sensor unit and the control unit. A cylinder, an outer cylinder supporting the inner cylinder so as to be movable in a direction including a component perpendicular to the sensor surface, and provided between the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder and perpendicular to the sensor surface. An elastic member that presses the sensor surface against the living body side by elastically deforming in a direction including various components.
[Selection] Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to a biological information measuring device and a biological information measuring method.

  A wristwatch type pulse wave measuring device is known as a portable biological information measuring device for measuring biological information such as a pulse wave. Such a pulse wave measuring instrument can measure a pulse wave using a measuring device main body attached to the wrist and a small sensor unit connected to the measuring device main body by an electric cable. When measuring a pulse wave, a small sensor unit is brought into close contact with the finger while applying a cuff pressure to the finger using a supporter that expands and contracts, and the pulse wave is optically detected from the finger (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2008-142162 A

  According to the measuring device (pulse wave measuring device) described in Patent Document 1, it is possible to continuously measure biological information (pulse wave) during daily life and during exercise. However, in the measuring device described in Patent Document 1, there is a problem such as a sense of incongruity caused by wearing the sensor unit on the finger, or a cable connecting the sensor unit or the sensor unit itself becoming an obstacle when working with a hand. was there.

  On the other hand, a portable measuring device of a type in which a sensor unit is provided on the back cover side of the wristwatch type measuring instrument body and a pulse wave is detected from the skin contact surface of the wrist using a highly sensitive sensor has been developed. In such a measuring apparatus, in order to perform detection with high accuracy, the sensor surface is moved and moved in the wrist direction so that the sensor surface is brought into close contact with the skin of the wrist. In such a portable measuring device, there is a problem that the movable structure of the sensor unit is complicated, and that the malfunction of the sensor unit accompanying the movement of the sensor unit or a malfunction tends to occur during the movement.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a portable biological information measuring instrument that realizes an operation of bringing a sensor unit into close contact with a living body with an appropriate force with a simple structure and has few malfunctions.

  A main invention for achieving the above object is to provide a sensor unit that measures biological information by bringing a sensor surface into close contact with a predetermined part of a living body, a control unit that controls the sensor unit, the sensor unit, and the control unit. An inner cylinder that integrally holds the outer cylinder, an outer cylinder that movably supports the inner cylinder in a direction that includes a component perpendicular to the sensor surface, and the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder. And an elastic member that presses the sensor surface against the living body side by elastically deforming in a direction including a component perpendicular to the sensor surface.

  Other features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

It is the schematic showing the state at the time of mounting | wearing of the pulse wave measuring device in this embodiment. It is an exploded view for demonstrating the structure of a pulse wave measuring device. It is a perspective view showing the state which looked at the pulse-wave measuring device from the back side (sensor surface side). It is a figure explaining the connection of the outer cylinder 11 and the inner cylinder 15. FIG. It is a figure explaining the pressure concerning a living body (wrist) at the time of pulse wave measuring instrument wearing in the case of a comparative example. It is a figure explaining the pressure concerning a living body (wrist) at the time of pulse wave measuring instrument wearing in the case of a present Example. It is a figure explaining the assembly method of the main-body part 10 in a modification.

At least the following matters will become clear from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.
A sensor unit that measures biological information by bringing a sensor surface into close contact with a predetermined part of the living body, a control unit that controls the sensor unit, an inner cylinder that integrally holds the sensor unit and the control unit, and An outer cylinder that supports the inner cylinder so as to be movable in a direction including a component perpendicular to the sensor surface, and is provided between the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder and includes a component perpendicular to the sensor surface. A biological information measuring device comprising: an elastic member that presses the sensor surface against the living body side by being elastically deformed in a direction.
According to such a biological information measuring device, the operation of bringing the sensor unit into close contact with the living body with an appropriate force can be realized with a simple structure, and the biological information can be measured with fewer malfunctions.

In this biological information measuring apparatus, the outer cylinder has a guide wall formed along a direction perpendicular to the sensor surface, and an outer peripheral portion of the inner cylinder is guided by the guide wall. Preferably, the inner cylinder moves in a direction perpendicular to the sensor surface.
According to such a biological information measuring device, the moving direction of the inner trunk is limited to a direction perpendicular to the sensor surface by the guide wall. Therefore, the sensor surface can be brought into close contact with the wrist vertically even when the wrist moves vigorously.

In this biological information measuring apparatus, it is preferable that the amount of movement of the inner cylinder in a direction perpendicular to the sensor surface is limited by the outer cylinder and a stop plate attached to the outer cylinder.
According to such a biological information measuring device, it is possible to prevent the inner cylinder from falling off from the outer cylinder.

In this biological information measuring apparatus, it is preferable that an indicator indicating the amount of movement of the inner body is displayed on the outer body.
According to such a biological information measuring device, since the amount of movement of the inner trunk when worn on a living body is represented by the display amount of the indicator, it is possible to easily visually confirm an appropriate wearing state guideline. it can.

The biological information measuring apparatus includes a band connected to the outer trunk, and the biological information is a pulse wave of a wrist, and is supported on the outer trunk and the outer trunk by winding the band around the wrist. It is desirable to measure the pulse wave of the wrist by attaching the inner trunk to the wrist.
According to such a biological information measuring device, even when it is attached to a portion with a large movement such as a wrist, by adjusting the tightening force by the band and pressing the sensor surface against the wrist with an appropriate pressure, Accurate pulse waves can be measured.

  In addition, an inner body integrally holds a sensor unit that measures biological information by bringing a sensor surface into close contact with a predetermined part of a living body and a control unit that controls the sensor unit, and an outer body includes the sensor The inner cylinder is movably supported in a direction including a component perpendicular to the surface, and an elastic member provided between the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder is a component perpendicular to the sensor surface. The living body information measuring method has the following: pressing the sensor surface against the living body side by elastically deforming in a direction including.

=== Embodiment ===
As a form of the biological information measuring device for carrying out the invention, a wristwatch type pulse wave measuring device 1 will be described as an example.

<About the configuration of pulse wave measuring instrument>
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state when the pulse wave measuring instrument is mounted in the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exploded view for explaining the structure of the pulse wave measuring instrument. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the pulse wave measuring instrument is viewed from the back side (side on which the sensor surface 31 is provided).

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the pulse wave measuring instrument 1 of the present embodiment includes a main body 10, a module 30, a mounting part 40, and a coil spring 55. The pulse wave measuring instrument 1 is formed in a wristwatch shape, and measures a pulse wave as biological information from a blood vessel of the wrist by wearing it on a wrist (living body). Here, the “pulse wave” represents a blood vessel change (volume change) caused by blood flowing in a blood vessel in a certain part of a living body as a waveform.

  In order to describe the pulse wave measuring instrument 1, in this specification, the X, Y, and Z axes are set as shown in FIG. That is, when a wristwatch-type pulse wave measuring device is worn on the wrist, a direction perpendicular to the wrist measurement site (a direction perpendicular to a sensor surface 31 provided in a sensor unit described later) is taken as the Z axis. Note that, as indicated by the arrow direction of the Z axis in FIG. 1, the side where the main body 10 is in contact with the wrist is defined as the positive direction of the Z axis (hereinafter also referred to as the Z axis direction). Then, the X axis is set in a direction parallel to the arm (wrist) on a plane perpendicular to the Z axis, and the Y axis is set in a direction orthogonal to the X axis. The pulse wave measuring instrument 1 is attached (fixed) to the wrist so that the sensor surface 31 (described later) faces in the Z-axis direction by winding a pair of bands (mounting portion 40) extending in the Y-axis direction around the wrist. The

  The main body 10 includes an outer body 11, a stop plate 12, a set screw 13, an inner body 15, a back cover 16, and a back cover packing 17. Note that the overall shape of the main body 10 may not be a substantially cylindrical shape as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, but may be a rectangular parallelepiped shape or the like.

  The outer cylinder 11 is a support part that supports the inner cylinder 15 so as to be slidable in the Z-axis direction, and corresponds to a casing that constitutes the outermost shell of the main body part 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the outer cylinder 11 has an opening that matches the outer peripheral shape of the upper surface side of the inner cylinder 15 (the opposite side in the Z-axis direction in FIG. 2), and the upper surface portion of the inner cylinder 15 is the opening. It fits into the part. A guide wall is formed on the inner side surface of the lower portion of the opening along a direction (Z-axis direction) perpendicular to the sensor surface 31 (described later). By guiding the outer peripheral portion of the inner cylinder 15 by the guide wall, the inner cylinder 15 slides in the Z-axis direction. In addition, there is a predetermined gap between the guide wall of the outer cylinder 11 and the outer peripheral portion of the inner cylinder 15, and when the outer cylinder 11 and the inner cylinder 15 are combined, a “clearance fit” state is obtained.

  When assembling the main body 10, after the inner cylinder 15 is inserted from the lower surface side (the side in the Z-axis direction in the figure and contacting the wrist) along the guide wall of the outer cylinder 11, A stop plate 12 is attached from the lower surface side using a set screw 13 (see FIGS. 2 and 3). The inner cylinder 15 is sandwiched between the outer cylinder 11 and the stop plate 12 so that the amount of movement in the Z-axis direction is limited. That is, the stopper plate 12 has a function as a stopper for preventing the inner cylinder 15 from falling out of the outer cylinder 11 in the Z-axis direction.

  In order to prevent interference with an operation button (protrusion) provided on the outer peripheral portion of the inner cylinder 15, a side portion of the outer cylinder 11 has a notch that matches the shape of the operation button. A mounting portion 40 (band 41) is connected to the Y-axis direction side portion of the outer trunk 11.

  The inner cylinder 15 is a movable part that can move integrally with the module 30 along the guide wall of the outer cylinder 11 while housing and holding the module 30 described later. A hollow portion is provided inside the inner trunk 15, and after housing the module 30 in the hollow portion, the back cover 16 is fixed from the lower surface side (the side in the Z-axis direction of FIG. 2 that contacts the wrist). . Further, when the back cover 16 is fixed to the inner body 15, the back cover packing 17 is sandwiched between the inner body 15 and the back cover 16. The back cover packing 17 is a seal member that suppresses the inflow of moisture such as sweat from the gap between the inner cylinder 15 and the back cover 16 and improves the sealing performance of the module 30 accommodated in the inner cylinder 15. Thus, the module 30 is protected from the external environment. The back cover 16 has an opening as a sensor housing hole (see FIG. 2). The sensor housing hole is a hole for fixing and holding the sensor unit provided in the module 30 and allowing light emitted from the sensor unit to pass therethrough. Details of the sensor unit will be described later.

  The upper surface side of the inner cylinder 15 (the side opposite to the Z axis and not in contact with the wrist) is formed of a transparent material such as resin so that information displayed on the display panel described later can be viewed from the upper surface side. However, the display panel is protected. The upper surface may be made of glass.

  A coil spring holding hole for holding a coil spring 55 to be described later is provided around the inner body 15. In FIG. 2, a total of four coil spring holding holes are provided in each of two locations in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. The coil spring holding holes are provided according to the number of coil springs 55 to be installed. In addition, various operation buttons are provided on the side of the inner body 15 for use in switching data display, setting for performing pulse wave measurement, and the like.

  The module 30 is a unit in which a sensor unit for measuring a pulse wave, a sensor control unit (not shown) for controlling the sensor unit, a display panel, and the like are combined into one unit. By making various devices such as a sensor unit and a sensor control unit into an integrated configuration, the entire module 30 can be moved integrally even when the inner cylinder 15 slides relative to the outer cylinder 11. If the sensor unit and the sensor control unit are separate units, and the sensor control unit is fixed and only the sensor unit is to be moved, the connector or wiring board that connects the sensor unit and the sensor control unit is moved. Need arises. In this case, there is a possibility that problems such as disconnection of the connector may occur in the connection portion. However, by integrating various devices as a unit as in the present embodiment, the above-described problem is less likely to occur even when the sensor unit is moved, so that stable pulse wave measurement can be realized.

  The sensor unit is a detection unit for measuring biological information (in this embodiment, a pulse wave of a blood vessel on a wrist). The sensor part is provided with a sensor light source, photodiode, sensor circuit board (all not shown), etc. inside a metal frame, and transparent at the end (end in the Z-axis direction) on the side in contact with the wrist A flat sensor surface 31 made of resin or glass is provided (see FIG. 3). In the present embodiment, the sensor portion has a cylindrical pipe shape, and the sensor surface 31 is a circular flat plate. The sensor surface 31 is welded to a cylindrical frame of the back cover 16 made of resin or attached using a waterproof sealing material so that sweat or the like does not flow into the sensor portion.

  The back cover 16 may be a metal material. In the case where the back cover 16 is made of metal, it is desirable to use a metal material such as titanium that is less likely to irritate the skin because there is a high possibility of contact with the user's wrist during pulse wave measurement.

  The sensor unit is fixed to the module 30 so as to be fitted into a sensor accommodation hole provided in the back cover 16, and is attached so that the sensor surface 31 is perpendicular to the Z-axis direction. Further, the sensor unit may be fixed to the back cover 16, and the back cover 16 may be attached to the inner body 15 so that the sensor unit is held by the inner body 15. Even in this case, since the module 30 and the sensor unit held by the inner cylinder 15 are moved integrally, the above-described problem hardly occurs, and stable pulse wave measurement can be performed.

  In this embodiment, an LED is used as the sensor light source. When measuring a pulse wave, light is first applied to the skin surface of the wrist from an LED provided inside the sensor unit. The irradiated light passes through the sensor surface 31 and reaches the wrist, is reflected by the blood flow inside the wrist, passes through the sensor surface 31 again, and is detected by the photodiode as the light receiving unit. Since the detected reflected light changes depending on the amount of blood flowing through the measurement site (wrist), the pulse wave at the wrist can be measured by converting the change amount into an electrical signal. By appropriately adjusting the wavelength region of the irradiated light and the wavelength region of the light receiving unit, highly accurate pulse wave detection can be performed. In addition, it is also possible to use light sources other than LED as a sensor light source.

  As described above, in the pulse wave measuring instrument of the present embodiment, the pulse wave is measured by detecting the reflected light. Therefore, when irradiating the light from the light source and detecting the reflected light from the blood, It is important to minimize the impact. This is because if external light is incident from the sensor surface 31 during pulse wave measurement, accurate detection cannot be performed. Therefore, when measuring biological information, the sensor surface 31 needs to be in close contact with a measurement site (a wrist in the present embodiment).

  In addition, if the position of the sensor deviates during pulse wave measurement, accurate measurement may not be possible. Therefore, it is desirable that the sensor surface 31 is pressed against the measurement site (wrist) with an appropriate pressure and the position does not move.

  The sensor control unit includes a circuit for detecting the pulse by driving the sensor unit, a circuit for driving the display panel, and the like (all not shown).

  The display panel is a data display unit that displays various information such as measured pulse wave data and current time. The data displayed on the display panel is a surface that is visible through the transparent glass (resin) surface on the upper surface side of the inner trunk 15 when the pulse wave measuring instrument 1 is worn on the wrist (see FIG. 2). The display information can be visually confirmed by the user. In addition, it is possible to transmit data measured by the pulse measuring instrument 1 to an external information processing apparatus (computer or the like) using wireless communication or the like. In such a case, a display panel is not necessarily provided. It does not have to be done.

  The mounting unit 40 is used when the pulse wave measuring instrument 1 is mounted on a living body, and the module 30 (sensor unit) supported by the main body unit 10 is placed at the position of the body to be measured (the wrist in this embodiment). Install. The mounting unit 40 includes a pair of bands 41 as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, and the body unit 10 is mounted on the wrist by being wrapped around the wrist and tightened, and the position of the sensor unit is measured during pulse wave measurement. Do not slip. A connection protrusion 42 for connecting the band 41 to the outer body 11 of the main body 10 is provided at the end of the band 41.

  If the force for tightening the band 41 is too strong, the blood flow of the wrist is obstructed and accurate pulse wave data cannot be acquired. On the other hand, in order to perform accurate pulse wave measurement, it is necessary to perform measurement while applying a predetermined pressure (cuff pressure) to the blood flow (blood vessel). Therefore, tightening with the band 41 needs to be performed with an appropriate force.

<Connection between the outer cylinder 11 and the inner cylinder 15>
Next, details of the connection between the outer cylinder 11 and the inner cylinder 15 in the main body 10 will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the connection between the outer cylinder 11 and the inner cylinder 15. The figure shows the state of the YZ cross section of the main body 10.

  An elastic force is applied between the outer body 11 and the inner body 15 of the main body 10 so as to press the inner body 15 in the Z-axis direction (wrist direction) when measuring the pulse wave using the pulse wave measuring instrument 1. An elastic member is provided to act. In the present embodiment, a coil spring 55 is used as the elastic member. One end of the coil spring 55 is inserted into coil spring holding holes (see FIG. 2) provided at four locations around the upper surface side of the inner cylinder 15, and the other end is a stepped shape provided on the back side of the opening of the outer cylinder 11. It is provided to cover the part. In a state where no load is applied to the inner body 15 (a state where the pulse wave measuring instrument 1 is not worn on the wrist), the coil spring 55 pushes the inner body 15 in the Z-axis direction as shown in FIG. Is held in a state. Note that a stepped portion is provided on the outer peripheral side surface of the inner cylinder 15, and the stepped portion is caught by the stopper plate 12, thereby restricting the movement of the inner cylinder 15 in the Z-axis direction. This prevents the inner cylinder 15 from falling off the outer cylinder 11.

  In the pulse wave measuring instrument 1 of the present embodiment, the outer peripheral portion of the inner cylinder 15 slides along the Z axis while being guided by the guide wall of the outer cylinder 11. The coil spring 55 is elastically deformed in the Z-axis direction as the inner cylinder 15 slides along the Z-axis. That is, when the inner cylinder 15 is pushed in the direction opposite to the Z-axis (the direction opposite to the wrist side), the coil spring 55 is compressed, and the inner cylinder 15 is moved in the Z-axis direction (wrist) by the repulsive force to return to the original shape. To push back to the side). As a result, a force for pressing the sensor surface 31 toward the wrist is generated.

  The number of coil springs 55 to be installed and the elastic coefficient of the coil springs 55 are determined so that the sensor surface can be pressed against the wrist with an appropriate force in a state where the pulse wave measuring device is attached to the wrist.

  The coil spring 55 is installed so that a repulsive force can be applied to the inner cylinder 15 in the Z-axis direction. That is, it is only necessary to elastically deform in a direction including a component perpendicular to the sensor surface 31 (Z-axis direction component). In FIG. 4, the coil spring 55 may be installed obliquely with respect to the Z-axis direction. . In addition, a member other than the coil spring 55 can be used as the elastic member. For example, an elastomer that elastically deforms in a direction including the Z-axis direction component may be used.

=== Points to note when measuring pulse waves ===
When actually measuring a pulse wave using the pulse wave measuring instrument 1, as shown in FIG. 1, the measurement is performed with the wrist (biological body) worn like a wristwatch. The points to keep in mind during this measurement will be described.

<Comparative example>
First, as a comparative example, an example in which the inner cylinder 15 is not movable with respect to the outer cylinder 11 in the main body 10 will be described. That is, a pulse wave measuring device in which the module 30 (sensor unit) is not slidable in the Z-axis direction with respect to the main body unit 10 will be described.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the pressure applied to the living body (wrist) when the pulse wave measuring device is mounted in the comparative example. The figure shows a cross section on the YZ plane when the pulse wave measuring instrument is worn on the wrist. In the comparative example, the main body 10 is not divided into an inner cylinder and an outer cylinder, and is configured as an integrated body as shown in FIG. 5, and includes a sensor 30 inside that is sandwiched between the main body 10 and the back cover 16. Is fixed.

  As described above, in order to accurately measure the pulse wave of the wrist, the sensor surface 31 of the sensor unit is pressed against the wrist with an appropriate force so that the position of the sensor does not shift during measurement. Part) must be securely attached. Therefore, in the pulse wave measuring instrument as in the comparative example, the main body 10 (sensor part) is attached to the measurement site (wrist) by tightening the band 41 as much as possible. However, when the tightening pressure by the band 41 wound around the wrist is large, the arteriole (blood vessel) that is the pulse wave measurement target inside the wrist is pressed from all directions by the force shown by the white arrow in FIG. Blood flow may be hindered. On the other hand, if the band 41 is tightened too loosely, the main body portion 10 is not securely attached to the wrist, so that the position of the sensor portion may be shifted or external light may enter from the sensor surface. Therefore, in the case of the pulse wave measuring device configured as in the comparative example, it is difficult to measure accurate pulse wave data.

<Example>
The case of the present embodiment in which the inner cylinder 15 is movable will be described with respect to the above-described comparative example.
FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the pressure applied to the living body (wrist) when the pulse wave measuring instrument is mounted in the present embodiment. The figure shows a cross section on the YZ plane, the left half of the figure shows the state before mounting the pulse wave measuring device, and the right half of the figure shows the state after mounting the pulse wave measuring device.

  In this embodiment, the inner cylinder 15 is slidable in the Z-axis direction with respect to the outer cylinder 11. As described above, when mounting the pulse wave measuring instrument on the wrist, it is necessary to tighten the mounting portion 40 (band 41). However, in the case of the present embodiment, the inner trunk 15 (sensor portion) at the time of mounting. Slides in the direction opposite to the Z-axis (the direction opposite to the wrist), so that the pressure for tightening the wrist is relieved. At this time, the coil spring 55 provided between the outer cylinder 11 and the inner cylinder 15 is compressed, and a force in the Z-axis direction (wrist direction) acts on the inner cylinder 15 by the repulsive force. As a result, a force in the Z-axis direction also acts on the module 30 held in the inner body 15, and the sensor surface 31 is pressed against the wrist side. More specifically, the coil spring 55 is not compressed when the inner cylinder 15 is not moved when not mounted in the left side view. On the other hand, when the pulse wave measuring device is attached to the wrist in the right side figure, the inner cylinder 15 is slid so as to be pushed into the outer cylinder 11 and the coil spring 55 is compressed, and the repulsive force is applied to the wrist appropriately. Pressure is applied.

  That is, in the present embodiment, when the band 41 is tightened, the inner cylinder 15 is slid in the direction opposite to the Z axis, so that wrist tightening is eased. At the same time, due to the repulsive force of the compressed coil spring 55, the sensor surface 31 is pressed against the wrist side with an appropriate force and is brought into close contact. As a result, the pressure in the Z-axis direction (wrist direction) as shown by the white arrow in FIG. 5 acts on the wrist, and the sensor surface 31 is firmly held without unnecessarily compressing the arteriole and obstructing blood flow. And can be in close contact with the wrist.

  In addition, in a pulse wave measuring device of a type (for example, a wrist watch type pulse wave measuring device) that is attached to a portion such as a wrist that is moving rapidly, it is required to press the sensor surface 31 against the wrist following the movement of the wrist. That is, even when the wrist rotates, it is necessary that the sensor surface is always pressed in a direction perpendicular to the sensor surface 31.

  In this respect, in this embodiment, as described with reference to FIG. 4, the inner cylinder 15 is guided in a direction perpendicular to the sensor surface 31 (Z-axis direction) by being guided by a guide wall provided on the inner side surface of the outer cylinder 11. Moving. That is, the inner cylinder 15 (sensor surface 31) can always be moved in the Z-axis direction by restricting the movement direction by the guide wall. Thereby, the sensor surface 31 can be brought into close contact with the wrist during pulse wave measurement regardless of how the wrist moves. In addition, since the entire periphery of the inner body 15 is guided by the guide wall, it can be said that the slide movable structure is simple and has a strong and stable configuration.

  Since the entire module 30 including the sensor unit is protected from the external environment by the inner cylinder 15 and the outer cylinder 11, the tolerance to the usage environment of the pulse wave measuring instrument is high. For example, when measuring biological information, the sensor unit and the control unit must be protected from moisture and dirt such as sweat discharged from the living body. On the other hand, in the module structure of this embodiment, since most parts other than the sensor surface 31 are accommodated in the inner cylinder 15, they are not easily affected by dirt or the like. In addition, since the module 30 is double protected by the inner cylinder 15 and the outer cylinder 11, resistance to external impacts is increased.

  Therefore, it can be said that the pulse wave measuring instrument 1 according to the present embodiment is suitable for being attached to a living body (particularly, a part such as a wrist where movement is intense).

<Effect of this embodiment>
According to the pulse wave measuring instrument of the present embodiment, since it is not necessary to tighten the band unnecessarily strongly when wearing on the wrist, the blood flow of the wrist is hardly inhibited during pulse wave measurement. In other words, even if the band is not tightened strongly, the inner cylinder 15 moves in a direction perpendicular to the sensor surface with respect to the outer cylinder 11, so that the sensor member can be operated with an appropriate force by the repulsive force of the elastic member (coil spring 55). Keep the face in close contact with the wrist. With such a portable pulse wave measuring device having a simple structure, it becomes possible to perform highly accurate pulse wave measurement.

  A sensor unit that measures pulse waves, a sensor control unit that controls the sensor unit, a connector that connects them, and the like are unitized to form a single unit. Since the sensor unit and the sensor control unit move together when the inner body 15 moves, it is possible to make it difficult to cause a malfunction or the like during pulse wave measurement. For example, when the sensor control unit is fixed and only the sensor unit moves, the connection connector and the like are also moved by the operation of the sensor unit, which may cause unexpected interference and aging degradation. However, in this embodiment, even if the inner cylinder 15 moves, the internal module itself does not fluctuate, so that problems and failures due to the operation of the inner cylinder are less likely to occur, and malfunctions of the pulse wave measuring instrument are also less likely to occur.

  In the present embodiment, the inner cylinder 15 moves in a direction perpendicular to the sensor surface 31 while being guided by a guide wall provided on the outer cylinder 11. Since the movement direction is limited by the guide wall, the sensor surface 31 can be brought into close contact with the wrist without being affected by the movement of the wrist.

<Modification>
As an example of the present embodiment, the following modifications may be made.
In FIG. 7, the figure explaining the assembly method of the main-body part 10 in a modification is shown. In the above-described embodiment, when assembling the main body 10, the inner plate 15 is inserted from the lower surface side (Z-axis direction side) of the outer drum 11, and then the stopper plate 12 is fixed from the lower surface side of the outer drum 11. . On the other hand, in the modified example, a stepped portion is provided on the lower side of the outer body 11 in place of the stop plate 12. A decorative edge 14 is provided on the upper portion of the outer body 11.

  When assembling the main body 10, the inner cylinder 15 is inserted along the guide wall from the upper side of the outer cylinder 11 before attaching the decorative edge 14. After inserting the inner cylinder 15, the coil spring 55 is installed, the decorative edge 14 is attached from the upper side of the outer cylinder 11, and the decorative edge is fixed to the outer cylinder 11 using the fixing screw 18. The coil spring 55 generates a repulsive force by expanding and contracting between the inner cylinder 15 and the decorative edge 14, and presses the inner cylinder 15 to the wrist side (Z-axis direction). At this time, the amount of movement of the inner cylinder 15 in the Z-axis direction is limited by the decorative edge 14 and the stepped portion provided at the lower portion of the guide wall of the outer cylinder 11. That is, the decorative edge 14 has a function as a stop plate (stopper) that prevents the inner cylinder 15 from being removed from the upper surface side (Z-axis opposite direction side) of the outer cylinder 11.

  In this modification, the main body 10 can be assembled from the upper surface side, so that assembly and maintenance are facilitated. Moreover, since the set screw is not provided on the side that comes into contact with the wrist, problems such as the occurrence of rust in the screw portion due to sweat can be suppressed.

  As another modification, an indicator indicating the amount of movement of the inner cylinder 15 may be displayed around the opening of the outer cylinder 11.

  For example, an indicator is provided by coloring along the inside of the opening in FIG. In this case, when the inner cylinder 15 is not moved when the pulse wave measuring instrument is mounted, the colored portion (indicator) of the outer cylinder 11 is visually recognized. On the other hand, when the inner cylinder 15 moves so as to be pushed upward (opposite to the Z axis), the colored portion (indicator) displayed inside the outer cylinder 11 is hidden by the inner cylinder 15. If the display amount of the indicator in the proper wearing state of the pulse wave measuring device (the amount that the indicator is hidden) is determined in advance, the amount of movement of the inner body 15 can be confirmed, which can be used as a guide for the proper wearing state. .

  Further, color coding may be performed according to the movement amount of the inner cylinder 15. For example, when the amount of movement of the inner cylinder 15 is appropriate, it is colored so that a blue display can be visually recognized, and when the amount of movement is insufficient, it is colored so that a red display can be visually recognized. That is, according to the elastic force of the coil spring 55, the range in which the pressure for bringing the sensor unit into close contact with the wrist is appropriate is clearly indicated by the indicator. The user wearing the pulse wave measuring device confirms the display of the indicator and adjusts the tightening force of the band 41 so that the indicator falls within the range displayed in blue. Further, as an indicator, a scale may be directly displayed instead of displaying in color.

  By checking visually, it is possible to perform measurement by bringing the sensor surface into close contact with the wrist with an appropriate force without the pressing force of the sensor surface being too strong or too weak.

=== Other Embodiments ===
Although the pulse wave measuring device has been described as one embodiment, the above-described embodiment is for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from the gist thereof, and it is needless to say that the present invention includes equivalents thereof. In particular, the embodiments described below are also included in the present invention.

<About biological information measuring device>
In the above-described embodiment, the device for measuring pulse waves has been described as the biological information measurement device, but the biological information to be measured is not limited to pulse waves. For example, the present invention can be applied to a type of measuring apparatus that measures biological information by attaching a sensor to a measurement site, such as blood pressure measurement.

<About pulse wave measuring instrument>
The pulse wave measuring instrument described in the above-described embodiment is a wristwatch type measuring instrument that is mounted on the wrist and measures a pulse wave, but is not limited to a wristwatch type measuring instrument. For example, the present invention can also be applied to a pulse wave measuring instrument other than a wristwatch type, such as a measuring instrument attached to the upper arm instead of the wrist, or a measuring instrument attached to the trunk using a belt.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pulse wave measuring device 10 Main part, 11 Outer trunk, 12 Stop plate, 13 Set screw, 14 Decoration edge,
15 inner cylinder, 16 back cover, 17 back cover packing, 18 fixing screw,
30 modules, 31 sensor surfaces,
40 mounting portion, 41 band, 42 connection projection 55 coil spring

Claims (6)

A sensor unit for measuring biological information by bringing the sensor surface into close contact with a predetermined part of the living body;
A control unit for controlling the sensor unit;
An inner cylinder that integrally holds the sensor unit and the control unit;
An outer cylinder that movably supports the inner cylinder in a direction including a component perpendicular to the sensor surface;
An elastic member provided between the outer body and the inner body and elastically deforming in a direction including a component perpendicular to the sensor surface to press the sensor surface against the living body side;
A biological information measuring device comprising: The biological information measuring apparatus according to claim 1,
The outer cylinder has a guide wall formed along a direction perpendicular to the sensor surface,
The biological information measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inner cylinder moves in a direction perpendicular to the sensor surface by guiding an outer peripheral portion of the inner cylinder to the guide wall. The biological information measuring device according to claim 1 or 2,
The biological information measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inner cylinder is limited in an amount of movement in a direction perpendicular to the sensor surface by the outer cylinder and a stopper plate attached to the outer cylinder. The biological information measuring apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The biological information measuring device according to claim 1, wherein an indicator indicating the amount of movement of the inner body is displayed on the outer body. The biological information measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A band connected to the outer body;
The biological information is a pulse wave of a wrist;
By wrapping the band around the wrist and attaching the outer torso and the inner torso supported by the outer torso to the wrist,
A biological information measuring device for measuring a pulse wave of the wrist. An inner body integrally holding a sensor unit that measures biological information by bringing a sensor surface into close contact with a predetermined part of the living body and a control unit that controls the sensor unit;
An outer cylinder movably supports the inner cylinder in a direction including a component perpendicular to the sensor surface;
An elastic member provided between the outer body and the inner body is elastically deformed in a direction including a component perpendicular to the sensor surface to press the sensor surface against the living body;
A biological information measuring method comprising:

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