JP2000237170A - Optical living body measuring sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve adhesion of a sensor and a measuring object part of a specimen by narrowing a width of a flexible connecting part joined with a light receiving part and a light emitting part more than a width of the light receiving part and the light emitting part in an optical living body measuring sensor used by being stuck to a fingertip when measuring the content of a specific coloring matter in blood. SOLUTION: A light sensor 3 for inspecting a liver function is composed of a light emitting part 4 having a light emitting element 1, a light receiving part 5 having a light receiving element 2 and a connecting part 6 interposed between these, and the connecting part 6 is formed of mutually separately parallelley arranged two linear bodies. The sensor 3 constituted in this way has a surface where an LED and a PD contact with a measuring object part of a specimen and a plane for sticking a fixing tape 8 by opposing the surface. A hole surrounded by the light emitting part 4, the light receiving part 5 and the two linear bodies exposes an adhesive surface of the fixing tape 8 when sticking the sensor 3 to the measuring object part to become an adhesive part of the sensor 3 and the measuring object part to improve adhesion of the sensor 3.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical biometric sensor to be attached to a fingertip or the like when measuring the content of a specific dye in blood, oxygen saturation, and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional technology of an optical sensor used by being attached to a measured portion of a test object, for example,
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2-20252 (Publication 2).

[0003] Known technique 1 is an ICG for testing liver function.
(Indocyanine green) clearance meter (product name)
An optical sensor that can be used continuously instead of being disposable is disclosed.

As shown in FIG. 4, a light emitting element 1 and a light receiving element 2
Are provided separately on a flexible printed wiring board (hereinafter abbreviated as FPC) 21 having a width W ₆ which is wider than the widths W ₄ and W ₅ of the two elements and is uniform, and the surface thereof is formed of a resin 22 having good flexibility. Coated. This optical sensor is used as follows. First, a predetermined fixing tape 8 (not shown) is placed with the adhesive surface facing up, and the optical sensor is in contact with the portion to be measured on which the light emitting element 1 and the light receiving element 2 act, and the other facing surface Is attached to the fixing tape 8 with the side facing down. Then, in a state where the optical sensor and the fixing tape 8 are integrated, these are wrapped around the fingertip of the specimen, and the optical sensor is attached to the fingertip or the like with the fixing tape 8 and fixed. At this time, one end of the optical sensor is connected to the cable 10, and by connecting the cable 10 to a measuring instrument (not shown), it is possible to measure the content of the specific dye in the blood.

[0005] In addition, the prior art 2 discloses an optical sensor for measuring oxygen saturation, wherein the optical sensor portion and the fixing tape are all disposable.

As shown in FIG. 5, a light emitting element 1 and a light receiving element 2
Are provided on a separate substrate 23. The two substrates 23 are stuck together with an adhesive tape 24, and a double-sided fixing tape 25 is stuck on the surface that comes into contact with the measured portion. Therefore, the adhesive tape 24 and the fixing tape 25 themselves also have a function of covering the two substrates 23, and it is basically impossible to dispose the fixing tape 25 alone. The usage of this sensor is the same as that of the known technique 1, and measurement can be performed by winding the sensor around a fingertip or the like and attaching and fixing the optical sensor.

[0007]

However, these techniques have the following problems. (1) In the prior art 1, since the FPC having a uniform width is covered and protected by the resin, the bonding surface of the fixing tape to which the optical sensor is attached becomes small. Therefore, the adhesion area of the specimen to the measured portion is also small, and the adhesion of the optical sensor is poor.

(2) In the prior art 2, since the optical sensor portion and the fixing tape are all disposable, the amount of waste is increased and the economic efficiency is low.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an optical biometric sensor which improves the adhesion between the optical biometric sensor and the portion to be measured of the test object, and which reduces waste and is economical. It is in.

[0010]

According to the sensor of the present invention, a light receiving portion and a light emitting portion are joined by a flexible connecting portion, and each of the portions has a coating, and one surface is connected to a portion to be measured of the specimen. This is an optical biometric sensor having the contact surface and the other surface on which a fixing tape is attached. The width of the connecting portion is narrower than the width of the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion.

Here, it is preferable that the connecting portion is at least one linear body. If there are multiple linear bodies,
It is preferable that the respective linear bodies are spaced apart and arranged in parallel. By arranging the linear bodies at a distance, a light emitting unit, a light receiving unit, and a hole surrounded by the linear bodies are formed. The shape of the hole is not particularly limited. The total width of such connecting portions is preferably 3 mm or less.

The connecting portion is preferably as thin as possible in terms of strength. This facilitates attachment to the measured section. For the same reason, the covering material of the connecting portion is a material having good flexibility.

Further, it is desirable that the connecting portion incorporates an FPC or a lead wire connected to at least one of the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion. The sensor of the present invention is connected to the measuring device main body via a cable, and needs to input and output electric signals from the light emitting section and the light receiving section to the measuring apparatus main body. The electrical connection for this is made by FPC or lead wire. It should be noted that FPC is more appropriate than lead wire in order to form a thin connection portion.

The coating provided on the light receiving section, the light emitting section and the connecting section may be formed so as not to hinder the optical functions of the light emitting section and the light receiving section. More specifically, the coating is formed so that the light emitting surface of the light emitting unit and the light receiving surface of the light receiving unit are exposed, or at least the coating of the light emitting surface and the light receiving surface is made transparent. Such a coating can be formed by, for example, molding with a resin, covering with a film, or applying a resin. In consideration of the durability of the sensor itself, resin molding is preferable.

As described above, since the width of the connecting portion of the sensor of the present invention is smaller than the width of the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion, the bonding area of the fixing tape for attaching the sensor of the present invention to the portion to be measured increases. Adhesion increases.

Further, since the light emitting portion, the light receiving portion and the connecting portion are covered, the durability is excellent, and only the fixing tape becomes waste.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. Embodiment 1 <Configuration> FIG. 1A is a top view of the sensor of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a front view. The optical biometric sensor 3 includes a light emitting unit 4 having the light emitting element 1 and a light receiving unit 5 having the light receiving element 2, and a connection unit 6 interposed between the above units. The connecting portion 6 is composed of two linear bodies that are spaced apart from each other and arranged in parallel.

The width of one linear body is 1 mm. FIG.
As shown in (B), the connecting portion 6 is concavely curved from the light emitting portion 4 to the light receiving portion 5, and the thinnest portion has a thickness of 1 m.
m. Note that the width and thickness can take appropriate values in terms of strength. Further, the two linear bodies have a built-in FPC or lead wire.

One end of the FPC or the lead wire is electrically connected to the light emitting element 1 or the light receiving element 2, and the other end is electrically connected to the cable 10. With this cable 10, the optical biometric sensor is connected to the measuring device main body.

Here, a light emitting diode is used as the light emitting element 1.
A photodiode (hereinafter abbreviated as PD) is used as the light receiving element 2 (hereinafter abbreviated as LED). One end of the sensor 3 including the LED is a light emitting unit 4, and the other end of the sensor 3 including a PD is a light receiving unit 5.

The sensor 3 has a surface on which the LED and the PD are in contact with the portion to be measured of the test object, and a flat surface opposed thereto and on which the fixing tape 8 is attached. That is, in this sensor, a fixing tape is attached only to the surface facing the contact surface without providing adhesiveness to the contact surface with the measured portion.

The fixing tape 8 is used for attaching and fixing the sensor 3 to a measured portion of the test object. The fixing tape 8 has a width wider than the widest light emitting portion 4 or light receiving portion 5 and is not particularly limited as long as it can withstand continuous use and does not cause rash or the like by an adhesive.

The light receiving section, the light emitting section, and the connecting section have a coating of a resin 7 for integrating the respective sections. In this example, the coating was formed by integral molding of polyurethane.

The hole surrounded by the light emitting section 4, the light receiving section 5, and the two linear bodies exposes the adhesive surface of the fixing tape 8 when the sensor 3 is attached to the measured section, and the sensor 3 and the measured section It becomes an adhesion part with. Therefore, the bonding surface of the fixing tape in the sensor 3 is on both sides of the linear body and the hole.

Although the light emitting section 4 is provided on the side of the sensor 3 connected to the cable 10 and the light receiving section 5 is provided on the distal end side, there is no problem if it is provided in reverse.

An ICG clearance meter is used as the measuring device main body. This device is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-34979, Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-51177, and the like. This is a device for examining liver function, which administers a specific dye that is taken up and excreted by the liver into the blood of a living tissue, and emits light having a wavelength that is absorbed by the dye and light that is not absorbed from the sensor through a sensor. Irradiation. This is a device that converts a response from the living tissue corresponding to the two lights into a signal, and automatically analyzes the signal according to a specific arithmetic expression.

<Usage Procedure and Operation> Such an optical biometric sensor will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing how to use a fixing tape for attaching an optical biometric sensor having a fingertip to a measured part of a test object to a fingertip.

(1) As shown in FIG.
Is placed with the adhesive side up, and the release paper 9 in the sensor mounting area is peeled off as shown in FIG.

(2) The sensor 3 is connected to the LED and PD.
Is attached to the sensor mounting area of the fixing tape 8 with the concave portion of the connecting portion 6 in contact with the fingertip, which is the portion to be measured of the test object, facing upward and the other facing surface facing downward.

(3) The remaining release paper 9 is peeled off as shown in FIG. (4) As shown in FIG. 4D, the PD is placed on the light receiving unit 5 so that the PD is located at the center of the fingertip, in accordance with the finger type drawn on the release paper, and the light receiving unit 5 and the placed fingertip are placed. Attach the surrounding fixing tape 8 to the fingertip.

(5) As shown in FIG. 9E, the LED is wound in two folds around the fingertip so that the LED and the already attached PD face each other, and the sensor 3 is attached with the remaining fixing tape 8 so as not to move. Attach and fix.

At this time, the hole surrounded by the light emitting unit 4, the light receiving unit 5, and the two linear bodies exposes the adhesive surface of the fixing tape 8 when the sensor 3 is attached to the fingertip,
And the fingertip. Therefore, the sensor 3 can be securely attached to a fingertip having a large adhesion area and being difficult to fix.

In this state, the light emitting element 1 emits light having a wavelength that is absorbed by a specific dye, and the light that is not absorbed is emitted from the light receiving element 2 to measure the dye content in blood. I do.

Incidentally, by securely fixing the sensor 3,
It goes without saying that the reliability of the measured values is increased.

(Embodiment 2) The embodiment 1 has a structure in which the connecting portion 6 has two linear bodies. FIG. 2 shows a structure in which there is one linear body. The sensor for optical biological measurement is described in Example 1.
And the basic configuration and functions are common. The difference from the first embodiment is that the light emitting unit 4 and the light receiving unit 5 are a single linear body having a width W ₃ smaller than the width W ₁ of the light emitting unit 4 and the width W ₂ of the light receiving unit 5.
Are connected. Further, the adhesive surface of the fixing tape 8 in this sensor is on both sides of the linear body.

[0036]

As described above, according to the sensor of the present invention, the width of the connecting portion which is separated and interposed between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion is made smaller than the width of the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion. As a result, the adhesive surface of the fixing tape is increased, and the adhesion between the sensor of the present invention and the portion to be measured of the specimen can be improved.

Further, since the surface of the sensor of the present invention is covered and protected by a flexible material different from the fixing tape, it has excellent durability and can be used for a long time.

Therefore, it is possible to perform reliable measurement, to use the device for a long period of time and to use it continuously, and to obtain an effect that the reliability of the measured value is sufficiently ensured.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is a top view of a sensor according to the present invention in which a connecting portion is formed of two linear bodies, and FIG. 1B is a front view thereof.

FIG. 2 is a top view of a sensor in which the connecting portion of the present invention is a single linear body.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of how to use a fixing tape for attaching the sensor of the present invention to a measured portion of a test object.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a sensor of the prior art.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a sensor according to the related art.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Light-emitting element 2 Light-receiving element 3 Sensor 4 Light-emitting part 5 Light-receiving part 6 Connection part 7 Resin 8 Fixing tape 9 Release paper
10 Wire 21 FPC 22 Resin 23 Board 24 Adhesive tape 25
Fixing tape W ₁ Width of light emitting part W ₂ Width of light receiving part W ₃ Width of connection part W ₄ Width of light emitting element W ₅ Width of light receiving element W ₆ FP
C width

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A light-receiving part and a light-emitting part are joined by a flexible connecting part, and each part has a coating, one surface of which is in contact with a part to be measured of the test object, and the other surface of which is a fixing tape. An optical biometric sensor as an attachment surface, wherein the width of the connecting portion is smaller than the width of the light receiving portion and the light emitting portion. 2. The optical biometric sensor according to claim 1, wherein the connecting portion is constituted by a plurality of linear bodies arranged in parallel at a distance. 3. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the connecting portion is a single linear body. 4. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein a flexible printed wiring board connected to at least one of the light receiving unit and the light emitting unit is built in the connection unit. 5. The optical biometric sensor according to claim 1, wherein a lead wire connected to at least one of the light receiving unit and the light emitting unit is built in the connection unit. 6. The optical biometric sensor according to claim 1, wherein the total width of the connecting portion is 3 mm or less.