JP2011200465A - Skin moisture measuring device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical skin moisture measuring device whose accuracy in measurement is improved by blocking disturbance light incident into a light receiving part.SOLUTION: The skin moisture measuring device includes an illumination part 22 for emitting light toward a living body, and the light receiving part 23 for receiving the light propagating inside the living body. The skin moisture measuring device also includes a measuring part 20 to be brought into contact with the skin for blocking the disturbance light, and a control part for illuminating the living body with the light from the illumination part while a measuring surface 20a of the measuring part 20 is in contact with the living body.

Description

  The present invention relates to a skin moisture measuring apparatus including an irradiating unit that irradiates light toward the skin surface of a living body and a light receiving unit that receives reflected light reflected inside the living body among the irradiated light.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a skin moisture measuring device that irradiates a living body with near-infrared light, receives transmitted light or reflected light, and calculates the amount of moisture in the living body from the received light information. For example, in the skin moisture measuring device of Patent Document 1, light is applied to the skin surface, and reflected light from the body is received by the light receiving unit. Then, the amount of water is calculated based on the intensity of the received light.

JP 2004-81427 A

For this reason, if external light (disturbance light) enters the light receiving unit during measurement, the measurement accuracy of skin moisture decreases.
This invention is made | formed in view of such a situation, The objective is to provide the skin moisture measuring apparatus which can suppress the fall of the measurement precision resulting from disturbance light.

  The skin moisture measuring device of the present invention includes an irradiation unit that irradiates light toward a living body, and a light receiving unit that receives light propagating through the living body, the measurement unit that contacts the skin and blocks disturbance light, And a control unit that emits light from the irradiation unit when the measurement surface of the measurement unit is in contact with the living body.

  In this skin moisture measuring device, a calculation unit that calculates the skin moisture amount based on the amount of light received by the light receiving unit, and an output that outputs information on the amount of skin moisture based on the skin moisture amount calculated by the calculation unit Part.

  In this skin moisture measuring apparatus, a light emitting element is provided as the irradiation unit, a light receiving element is provided as the light receiving unit, and a light emitting surface of the light emitting element and a light receiving surface of the light receiving element are on the measurement surface of the measuring unit. It is preferable to be provided.

In this skin moisture measuring apparatus, it is preferable that the control unit starts irradiation of light from the irradiation unit when a pressure larger than a predetermined pressure is applied to the measurement unit.
In this skin moisture measuring device, it is preferable that a transmissive member is provided between the irradiation unit and the light receiving unit and the measurement surface in the measurement unit.

  In this skin moisture measuring device, the skin moisture measuring device includes a housing having a space for accommodating the measuring unit therein, and the measuring unit has a measuring surface in contact with a living body. It is preferable that the measurement surface is provided in the casing so that the measurement surface is located in a space in the casing.

In this skin moisture measuring apparatus, it is preferable that the measurement unit includes a hemispherical portion protruding toward the living body, and the surface of the hemispherical portion contacts the skin as the measurement surface.
This skin moisture measuring device preferably includes a plurality of electrodes for measuring skin moisture content based on the electrical conductivity between the electrodes.

  In this skin moisture measuring device, it is preferable to include a fixing part for fixing the skin moisture measuring device to the measurer in a state where the measurement surface of the measuring unit is in contact with the skin.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the skin moisture measuring apparatus which can suppress the fall of the measurement precision resulting from disturbance light can be provided.

The block diagram which shows the structure about the skin moisture measuring apparatus of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. About the skin moisture measuring device of a 1st embodiment of the present invention, (a) is a front view, (b) is a top view, and (c) is a bottom view. The AA sectional view of Drawing 2 (c) of the skin moisture measuring device of the embodiment. The graph which shows the relationship between a filter paper water | moisture content and a light reception level. The bottom view of the skin moisture measuring apparatus of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. Sectional view on the AA line of FIG. 5 of the skin moisture measuring apparatus of the embodiment. The graph which shows the relationship between a filter paper water | moisture content and a light reception amount ratio. Sectional drawing of the skin moisture measuring apparatus of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing of the skin moisture measuring apparatus of the deformation | transformation of the embodiment. Sectional drawing of the skin moisture measuring apparatus of the 4th Embodiment of this invention. Sectional view on the AA line of FIG. 5 of the skin moisture measuring apparatus of the modification. Sectional drawing of the skin moisture measuring apparatus of the 5th Embodiment of this invention. The bottom view of the skin moisture measuring apparatus of the 6th Embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing of the skin moisture measuring apparatus of the 7th Embodiment of this invention. The bottom view of the modification of the skin moisture measuring apparatus of the embodiment. AA sectional drawing of FIG. 15 of the skin moisture measuring apparatus of the modification.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 shows a circuit configuration of the skin moisture measuring apparatus.

  The skin moisture measuring device includes a light emitting element 22 that is an irradiating unit that irradiates light toward a living body, and a light receiving element 23 that is a light receiving unit that receives light propagated through the living body. A measuring unit 20 for blocking is provided.

  The light emitting element 22 is electrically connected to the control unit 31. The light receiving element 23 is electrically connected to the calculation unit 32. The calculation unit 32 is electrically connected to the control unit 31. In addition to the calculation unit 32, the output unit 13, the power switch 14, and the measurement switch 33 are electrically connected to the control unit 31.

Skin moisture measurement by the skin moisture measuring device is performed as follows.
When the measurement switch 33 is turned on with the power switch 14 turned on, the control unit 31 causes the light emitting element 22 to emit light. When the light propagated through the human body is transmitted to the light receiving element 23, the received light amount measurement data is sent to the arithmetic unit. The calculator 32 calculates the skin moisture content based on the input measurement data. The control unit 31 outputs information related to the amount of skin moisture to the output unit 13 based on the calculation result of the calculation unit 32.

With reference to FIG. 2, the detailed structure of the skin moisture measuring apparatus 10 is demonstrated.
As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2C, the measurement unit 20 includes a light shielding member 21 made of a light-shielding ABS resin, and a light emitting element 22 and a light receiving element 23 provided therein. The light shielding member 21 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and its outer surface is in sliding contact with the inner peripheral surface of the housing 11.

  Two concave portions are provided on the bottom surface of the light shielding member 21. A light emitting element 22 with the light emitting surface 22a facing downward and a light receiving element 23 with the light receiving surface 23a facing downward are embedded in each recess. The light emitting element 22 is a light emitting diode that emits infrared light having a central wavelength of 800 nm. The light receiving element 23 is a photodiode capable of detecting the same wavelength. The bottom surface of the light shielding member 21 constitutes a measurement surface 20a that is pressed against the skin during skin moisture measurement. The light emitting surface 22a of the light emitting element 22 and the light receiving surface 23a of the light receiving element 23 are provided on the measurement surface 20a.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, an output unit 13 and a power switch 14 configured with a liquid crystal screen are provided on the upper portion of the outer peripheral surface of the housing 11. Moisture measurement can be performed by pressing the measurement surface 20a against the skin surface with the power switch 14 turned on.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, a partition plate 12 is provided in the upper portion of the measurement unit 20 in the housing 11. A measurement switch 33 and a spring 34 are provided between the measurement unit 20 and the partition plate 12.

  The partition plate 12 is fixed to the housing 11. The upper end of the spring 34 is fixed to the partition plate 12. The lower end of the spring 34 is fixed to the measurement unit 20. When the measurement surface 20 a is pressed against the skin surface, the measurement unit 20 moves in the direction of the partition plate 12 against the elastic force of the spring 34.

The usage pattern of the skin moisture measuring apparatus will be described.
As shown to Fig.3 (a), a measurer makes the measurement surface 20a touch the skin surface which is the surface of the biological body. Next, as shown in FIG. 3B, the casing 11 is pressed against the skin surface. At this time, since the skin surface is in close contact with the measurement surface 20 a, the penetration of disturbance light into the light receiving element 23 is blocked by the light blocking member 21.

  When the measurement surface 20a is pressed against the skin surface and a force greater than the elastic force of the spring 34, which is a predetermined pressure, is applied to the measurement unit 20, the measurement unit 20 moves upward. Thereby, since the spring 34 is compressed, the measurement switch 33 is pressed against the partition plate 12. Thereby, the measurement switch 33 is turned on. The control unit 31 causes the light emitting element 22 to emit light (infrared rays) when the measurement switch 33 is turned on. The light emitting element 22 emits light for a predetermined time.

  The irradiated light is reflected by the epidermis layer 61, the dermis layer 62, the fat layer 63, etc., as indicated by arrows in the figure, and propagates to the light receiving surface 23a. The calculator 32 calculates the amount of skin moisture based on the amount of light received by the light receiving element 23 within a predetermined time. Information relating to the amount of skin moisture is output to the output unit 13 via the control unit 31.

  The inventor confirmed by a model experiment that the skin moisture content can be measured by the skin moisture measuring device 10. In the model experiment, a polyethylene terephthalate film (hereinafter simply referred to as “PET film”) was used instead of the skin layer, a filter paper was used instead of the dermis layer, and a polyethylene block was used instead of the fat layer. The method will be described.

First, the dry weight of the filter paper is measured. Next, the filter paper is moistened with water, and then the wet weight is measured. The water content of the filter paper is calculated from the wet weight and the dry weight.
Next, a skin model in which a polyethylene block, a wet filter paper, and a PET film are sequentially laminated from the lower layer is created. Subsequently, the measurement surface 20a is pressed against the PET film, which is the upper layer of the skin model, and light is emitted from the light emitting surface 22a of the light emitting element 22 for a predetermined time, and the amount of light received by the light receiving element 23 on the light receiving surface 23a is measured. . The skin model was created immediately after the measurement of the wet weight so that the moisture content of the filter paper did not change during the measurement of the wet weight and the measurement of the amount of received light.

FIG. 4 shows the results obtained by repeatedly measuring the above measurement while changing the amount of water contained in the filter paper, and plotting the relationship between the water content of the filter paper and the amount of received light. As can be seen from the fact that the square value of the correlation coefficient (R ² ) is 0.9756 when the least square method is taken, there is a significant positive correlation between the water content of the filter paper and the amount of light received. It is done. Therefore, it can be confirmed that the moisture content can be calculated based on the amount of received light. Note that the positive correlation between the moisture content of the filter paper and the amount of light received is considered to be because the transparency of the filter paper increases as the filter paper contains more moisture.

According to this embodiment, the following effects can be achieved.
(1) The skin moisture measuring device 10 receives light from the light emitting element 22 that is an irradiation unit when the measurement unit 20 that contacts the skin and blocks disturbance light and the measurement surface 20a of the measurement unit 20 is in contact with the living body. The control part 31 which irradiates is included. Therefore, when the measurement surface 20a comes into contact with the living body at the time of measurement, the measurement unit 20 blocks the disturbance light, so that it is possible to suppress a decrease in measurement accuracy due to the disturbance light.

  In addition, the following are contained in interruption | blocking of disturbance light. That is, the state where disturbance light is not incident on the light receiving element 23 in a state where the measurement surface 20a is in contact with the skin surface is included. Further, in the same contact state, although the disturbance light is somewhat incident on the light receiving element 23, compared with the skin moisture measuring apparatus that does not include a structure in which the measurement surface 20a formed by the light shielding member 21 is in contact with the skin surface, A state where disturbance light incident on the light receiving element 23 is small in the contacted state is included.

  (2) The skin moisture measuring device 10 is provided with a light emitting element 22 as an irradiation unit. A light receiving element 23 is provided as a light receiving portion. Further, the light emitting surface 22 a of the light emitting element 22 and the light receiving surface 23 a of the light receiving element 23 are provided on the measurement surface 20 a of the measuring unit 20. Accordingly, the light emitting surface 22a and the light receiving surface 23a can also be brought into contact with the skin.

  (3) The control unit 31 starts irradiation of light from the irradiation unit when a pressure larger than a predetermined pressure is applied to the measurement unit 20. Therefore, the measurer can perform measurement by bringing the measurement surface 20a into contact with the skin.

(Second Embodiment)
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The skin moisture measuring apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment corresponds to a configuration in which a light receiving element is further added to the measurement unit 20 with respect to the configuration of the first embodiment. Hereinafter, a change from the configuration of the first embodiment that occurs with this change will be described. In addition, about the structure which is common in the said 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the measurement unit 20 of the skin moisture measuring device 10 of the present embodiment includes a light emitting element 22, a light receiving element 23, and a light receiving element 24 inside a light shielding member 21. Specifically, a light emitting element 22, a light receiving element 23, and a light receiving element 24 are provided in each of three concave portions formed on the bottom surface of the light shielding member 21. The bottom surface of the light shielding member 21 constitutes a measurement surface 20a that is pressed against the skin during skin moisture measurement. On the measurement surface 20a, a light emitting surface 22a of the light emitting element 22, a light receiving surface 23a of the light receiving element 23, and a light receiving surface 24a of the light receiving element 24 are provided. On the measurement surface 20a, the light receiving element 24 is provided so that the light receiving surface 24a is positioned between the light emitting surface 22a and the light receiving surface 23a.

With reference to FIG. 6, the usage pattern of the skin moisture measuring apparatus 10 is demonstrated.
The measurement of skin moisture by the skin moisture measuring device 10 of the present embodiment can be performed in the same procedure as the measurement of skin moisture by the skin moisture measuring device 10 of the first embodiment. That is, as shown in FIG. 6A, the measurement surface 20a is brought into contact with the skin surface. Next, as shown in FIG.6 (b), the skin moisture measuring apparatus 10 is pressed on the skin surface. At this time, the light emitted from the light emitting element 22 propagates through the living body and enters the light receiving surfaces 23a and 24a of the light receiving elements 23 and 24. The calculation unit 32 calculates the skin moisture amount based on the amount of light received by the light receiving elements 23 and 24 within a predetermined time.

  As the distance between the light emitting surface 22a and the light receiving surfaces 23a and 24a increases, the proportion of the light transmitted to the light receiving surface reflected by the fat layer 63 in the deep part of the skin increases. Therefore, the light propagating to the light receiving surface 24a is less affected by the fat layer 63 than the light reaching the light receiving surface 23a. In other words, the light received by the light receiving element 24 is more strongly influenced by the dermis layer 62 than the light received by the light receiving element 23. Further, since the moisture content of the fat layer 63 hardly changes, it is considered that the amount of light received by the light receiving element 24 is more susceptible to moisture change than the amount of light received by the light receiving element 23. Therefore, by utilizing the relationship between the amount of light received by the light receiving element 23 and the amount of received light by the light receiving element 24, the influence of the fat layer 63 is eliminated, and the amount of moisture in the dermis layer 62, that is, the amount of skin moisture, is measured more accurately. It is considered possible.

  The inventor is the same as in the first embodiment that the skin moisture measuring apparatus 10 can more accurately measure the moisture content in the dermis layer 62, that is, the skin moisture content, by eliminating the influence of the fat layer 63. This was confirmed by conducting a model experiment. Since the experimental method is the same as that in the first embodiment, a specific description is omitted.

The above measurement was repeated by changing the amount of water contained in the filter paper, and the relationship between the water content of the filter paper and the amount of received light was plotted and shown in FIG. In FIG. 7, unlike FIG. 4, the value obtained by dividing the amount of light received by the light receiving element 23 by the amount of light received by the light receiving element 24, that is, the ratio of the amount of received light is shown on the vertical axis. As can be seen from the fact that the square value of the correlation coefficient (R ² ) is 0.9803 when the least square method is taken, there is a significant negative correlation between the water content of the filter paper and the ratio of the amount of received light. Is seen. That is, the increase in the amount of received light due to the increase in the amount of moisture is shown to be even greater in the light receiving element 24 than in the light receiving element 23. Therefore, it was confirmed that the influence of the fat layer 63 can be eliminated by using the light receiving amount of the light receiving element 23 and the light receiving amount of the light receiving element 24.

According to this embodiment, in addition to the effects (1) to (3) of the first embodiment, the following effects can be achieved.
(4) The skin moisture measuring device 10 includes a light receiving element 23 and a light receiving element 24. The distance from the light emitting surface 22a to the light receiving surface 24a of the light receiving element 24 is different from the distance from the light emitting surface 22a to the light receiving surface 23a of the light receiving element 23. Therefore, the amount of light received by the light receiving element 24 and the amount of light received by the light receiving element 23 are different from each other in the influence received from the fat layer 63 that is a deep part of the skin. Therefore, by comparing the respective received light amounts, the skin moisture content can be measured while eliminating the influence of the fat layer 63.

(Third embodiment)
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the following description, the changes from the configuration of the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the components common to the embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

  A transmissive member 40 that transmits light is embedded between the light emitting surface 22a and the measurement surface 20a and between the light receiving surface 23a and the measurement surface 20a. As the transmissive member 40, for example, a substance having a known extinction coefficient and concentration such as transparent polyethylene is used. Here, if the extinction coefficient is ε, the concentration is C, and the distance from the light emitting surface 22a or the light receiving surface 23a to the measuring surface 20a is d, the absorbance A is obtained by “A = εdC”. By adjusting the absorbance A, it is possible to adjust the arrival depth of the light emitted from the light emitting element 22 to a desired depth.

According to this embodiment, in addition to the effects (1) to (3) of the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(5) In the skin moisture measuring apparatus 10, a transmissive member 40 is provided between the light emitting element 22, the light receiving element 23, and the measurement surface 20a. For this reason, the arrival depth of the light irradiated from the light emitting element 22 can be adjusted to a desired depth. For example, the moisture of the dermis layer 62 can be more accurately measured by adjusting the light arrival depth according to the thickness of the dermis layer 62.

(Fourth embodiment)
A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the following description, the changes from the configuration of the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the components common to the embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 10A, the lower end portion 11e of the covered cylindrical casing 11 extends below the measurement surface 20a. In other words, as illustrated, the measurement surface 20a is provided in the housing 11 so that the measurement surface 20a is positioned in a space in the housing 11 when the measurement surface 20a is in contact with the living body. As shown in FIG. 10 (b), the measurer presses the measurement surface 20 a against the skin surface against the elasticity of the spring 34, so that the skin surface is in close contact with the measurement surface 20 a and the case 11. The lower end 11e is in close contact so as to push in the skin. Accordingly, not only is the light shielding member 21 blocked, but also the lower end portion 11e of the housing 11 blocks external light from entering the light receiving element 23.

According to this embodiment, in addition to the effects (1) to (3) of the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(6) In the skin moisture measuring device 10, the measurement surface 20 a is provided in the housing 11 so that the measurement surface 20 a is located in a space in the housing 11 when the measurement surface 20 a is in contact with a living body. For this reason, during measurement, disturbance light is blocked by the housing 11 in addition to being blocked by the measurement unit 20.

(Fifth embodiment)
A fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the following description, the changes from the configuration of the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the components common to the embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 12A, the measurement unit 20 includes a hemispherical portion protruding toward the living body, and the surface of the hemispherical portion contacts the skin as the measurement surface 20a. In addition, the light emitting element 22 and the light receiving element 23 are respectively embedded in two recesses formed deeper than in the first embodiment. Accordingly, a space 25 is formed between the light emitting surface 22a and the measurement surface 20a and between the light receiving surface 23a and the measurement surface 20a.

  As shown in FIG. 12B, at the time of measurement, the measurer presses the measurement surface 20a against the skin surface against the elasticity of the spring 34. At this time, since the skin surface is in close contact with the measurement surface 20 a, the penetration of ambient light into the light receiving element 23 is blocked by the light blocking member 21.

According to this embodiment, in addition to the effects (1) to (3) of the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(7) Since the measurement surface 20a is hemispherical, adhesion to the skin is further improved, and the effect of blocking ambient light by the measurement unit 20 is further improved.

(8) Moreover, since the hemispherical measurement surface 20a which is a smooth shape is pressed against skin, it is suppressed that a measurer feels pain at the time of a measurement.
(Sixth embodiment)
A sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the following description, the changes from the configuration of the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the components common to the embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

  The skin moisture measuring device 10 includes a plurality of electrodes for measuring the skin moisture content based on the electrical conductivity between the electrodes. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 13, four concave portions are provided on the bottom surface of the light shielding member 21. In each recess, a light emitting element 22, a light receiving element 23, and two electrodes 50 for measuring electrical conductivity are respectively embedded. The bottom surface of the light shielding member 21 constitutes a measurement surface 20a that is pressed against the skin during skin moisture measurement. On the measurement surface 20a, a light emitting surface 22a of the light emitting element 22, a light receiving surface 23a of the light receiving element 23, and an electrode surface 50a of the two electrodes 50 are provided.

According to this embodiment, in addition to the effects (1) to (3) of the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(9) Since the skin moisture measuring device 10 includes a plurality of electrodes for measuring the skin moisture content based on the electrical conductivity between the electrodes, optical skin moisture measurement and skin moisture due to electrical conductivity are included. Measurements can be made simultaneously. Therefore, more accurate skin moisture measurement is possible. In general, since current easily passes through the shortest distance between electrodes, moisture measurement based on electrical conductivity is applicable to moisture measurement on the skin surface layer. On the other hand, since the light irradiated from the irradiation part is reflected in the body and reaches the light receiving part, it is suitable for moisture measurement in the skin. By combining both, more accurate moisture measurement can be achieved.

(Seventh embodiment)
A seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the following description, the changes from the configuration of the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the components common to the embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

  The skin moisture measuring device 10 includes a fixing unit for fixing the skin moisture measuring device 10 to a measurer in a state where the measurement surface of the measuring unit is in contact with the skin. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 14A, an adhesive tape 16 that does not transmit light is attached to the lower end portion 11 e of the housing 11. The skin moisture measuring device 10 is also downsized as a whole.

  As shown in FIG. 14B, when measuring skin moisture, the measurer presses the measurement surface 20 a against the skin surface against the elasticity of the spring 34. As a result, since the skin surface is in close contact with the measurement surface 20 a, the entry of disturbance light into the light receiving element 23 is blocked by the light blocking member 21. At this time, the adhesive tape 16 is fixed to the human body by sticking to the skin.

According to this embodiment, in addition to the effects (1) to (3) of the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(10) The skin moisture measuring device 10 in the present embodiment includes an adhesive tape 16 that is a fixing unit for fixing the skin moisture measuring device 10 to a measurer in a state where the measurement surface 20a of the measuring unit is in contact with the skin. Therefore, measurement can be performed without the measurement person holding it by hand, and measurement becomes easy.

  (11) Moreover, since the state where the measurement surface is in close contact with the skin can be maintained for a long time, continuous measurement for a long time and intermittent measurement can be performed. Therefore, for example, it is also easy to measure daily fluctuations and weekly fluctuations in skin moisture.

  The embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be carried out, for example, in the following manner. The following modifications are not applied only to the above-described embodiment, and different modifications can be combined with each other.

  In the third embodiment, two deep recesses are provided on the bottom surface of the light shielding member 21. A light emitting element 22 and a light receiving element 23 are embedded in each recess. Further, although the transmission member 40 is embedded between the light emitting surface 22a of the light emitting element 22 and the measurement surface 20a and between the light receiving surface 23a of the light receiving element 23 and the measurement surface 20a, other configurations may be used. . For example, as shown in FIG. 9A, a single recess that can embed both the light emitting element 22 and the light receiving element 23 may be provided. In this case, by providing one transmission member 40 that covers both the light-emitting element 22 and the light-receiving element 23 from below, a structure in which the transmission member 40 is provided between the irradiation unit and the light-receiving unit and the measurement surface 20a. It becomes possible to do. Even in such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 9B, the reaching depth of the light emitted from the light emitting element 22 can be adjusted to a desired depth. Moreover, since the structure of a recessed part can be simplified, manufacture can become easy.

  -In 4th Embodiment, although the lower end part 11e of the housing | casing 11 is extended below the measurement surface 20a, as shown to Fig.11 (a), the rubber | gum 15 which does not permeate | transmit light is fixed to the lower end part 11e. You may do it. According to this configuration, when the rubber 15 is in close contact during measurement, the casing 11 and the rubber 15 in addition to the measurement unit 20 block ambient light. As shown in FIG. 11B, when the measurement surface 20a is pressed, the rubber 15 contracts, and the measurement switch 33 is turned on when the measurement unit 20 moves upward to start measurement.

  In the fifth embodiment, the space 25 is formed between the light emitting surface 22a and the measurement surface 20a and between the light receiving surface 23a and the measurement surface 20a. For example, the space 25 is used in the third embodiment. Instead of the transmissive member, the space 25 may be filled. The arrival depth of the light emitted from the light emitting element 22 can be adjusted to a desired depth.

  Further, instead of the space 25, a convex lens may be embedded. According to this configuration, light from the light emitting element 22 can be efficiently applied to the dermis layer 62, and the amount of light transmitted to the light receiving element 23 can also be increased. As a result, measurement accuracy can be improved.

  In the seventh embodiment, the adhesive tape 16 is used as the fixing portion. However, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the outer surface of the housing 11 includes the metal member 17 and the metal member 17 has a belt as a fixing portion. 18 may be attached.

  -In each above-mentioned embodiment, although skin moisture measuring device 10 was constituted integrally, the composition separated into a plurality of parts may be sufficient. For example, the output unit 13 may be separated from the main body and communicate with the main body by wire or wireless. According to such a configuration, the output unit 13 can be configured without being restricted by the size of the main body, and thus a large and easy-to-see screen can be used for screen display, for example. Therefore, for example, a past measurement history, a graph showing changes in skin moisture, and the like may be displayed together. Further, if only the minimum configuration is left in the main body, the main body can be further reduced in size. For example, this is particularly effective when fixing the main body to the human body as in the seventh embodiment. Become.

  In each of the above embodiments, the output unit 13 is configured by a liquid crystal screen and displays a numerical value, but may have other configurations. For example, a graph or the like may be displayed instead of a numerical value. Moreover, you may output an audio | voice using a speaker, and you may output the information regarding a moisture value with a lighting number and a color using LED. Moreover, you may output by the vibration which changed intensity | strength and length using a vibration apparatus.

  In each of the above embodiments, the spring 34, the measurement switch 33, and the partition plate 12 are used as a configuration that starts irradiation of light from the irradiation unit when a pressure larger than a predetermined pressure is applied to the measurement unit 20. However, other configurations may be used. For example, a configuration using a pressure sensor may be used.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Skin moisture measuring device, 11 ... Housing, 11e ... Lower end part, 12 ... Partition plate, 13 ... Output part, 14 ... Power switch, 15 ... Rubber, 16 ... Adhesive tape, 17 ... Metal fitting, 18 ... Belt, 20 ... Measurement part, 20a ... Measurement surface, 21 ... Light shielding member, 22 ... Light emitting element (irradiation part), 22a ... Light emission surface, 23 ... Light receiving element (light receiving part), 23a ... Light receiving surface, 24 ... Light receiving element (light receiving part) 24a ... light-receiving surface, 25 ... space, 31 ... control unit, 32 ... calculation unit, 33 ... measurement switch, 34 ... spring, 40 ... transmission member, 50 ... electrode, 50a ... electrode surface, 61 ... skin layer, 62 ... Dermal layer, 63 ... Fat layer.

Claims (9)

An irradiation unit that emits light toward a living body, and a light receiving unit that receives light propagated through the living body, a measurement unit that contacts the skin and blocks disturbance light;
A skin moisture measuring device comprising: a control unit that irradiates light from the irradiation unit when the measurement surface of the measurement unit is in contact with a living body. In the skin moisture measuring device according to claim 1,
A calculation unit that calculates the amount of skin moisture based on the amount of light received by the light receiving unit, and an output unit that outputs information related to the amount of skin moisture based on the amount of skin moisture calculated by the calculation unit. Skin moisture measuring device. In the skin moisture measuring device according to claim 1 or 2,
A light emitting element is provided as the irradiation part, a light receiving element is provided as the light receiving part, and a light emitting surface of the light emitting element and a light receiving surface of the light receiving element are provided on a measurement surface of the measuring part. Moisture measuring device. In the skin moisture measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The said control part starts irradiation of the light from the said irradiation part when the pressure larger than a predetermined pressure is applied to the said measurement part. The skin moisture measuring apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. In the skin moisture measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
In the measurement unit, a permeable member is provided between the irradiation unit and the light receiving unit and the measurement surface. In the skin moisture measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The skin moisture measuring device includes a housing having a space for accommodating the measuring unit therein,
The skin moisture measuring device, wherein the measurement unit is provided in the housing such that the measurement surface is positioned in a space in the housing when the measurement surface is in contact with a living body. In the skin moisture measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The said measurement part contains the hemispherical part protruded toward the biological body, and the surface of the hemispherical part contacts skin as the said measurement surface. The skin moisture measuring apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. In the skin moisture measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
A skin moisture measuring apparatus comprising a plurality of electrodes for measuring skin moisture content based on electrical conductivity between electrodes. In the skin moisture measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
A skin moisture measuring device comprising: a fixing unit for fixing the skin moisture measuring device to a measurer in a state where the measurement surface of the measuring unit is in contact with the skin.

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