JP2001204694A - Bio-information detector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bio-information detector which can detect the bio- information of a person and estimate the mass of the person without requiring any separate sensor for detecting of estimating the mass of the person in addition to a piezoelectric element. SOLUTION: The bio-information detector is constituted by arranging a sensor S having an output damping time constant having a long damping period on a location where the sensor S comes into contact with the rear face of the femoral region of the person, for example, on the bearing surface of the chair of a massaging device. In addition, the main circuit 1 of the detector is constituted of a mass estimating section 11 which estimates the mass of the person from the output signal of the sensor S and a bio-information extracting section 12 which extracts the bio-information of the person from the output signal of the sensor S.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention comprises a piezoelectric element,
The present invention relates to a biological information detecting device that detects biological information of a human body from the output of the piezoelectric element.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Hitherto, various biological information detecting devices for detecting biological information such as a heart rate (pulse) from a human body using a piezoelectric element have been proposed.

For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-205746 discloses a sensor for detecting a change in pressure on the body surface caused by a living activity, a signal processing circuit for amplifying and filtering a signal from the sensor, and a signal processing circuit. A to A / D convert output
A / D conversion circuit, and a processing circuit for processing the conversion result of the A / D conversion circuit. The processing circuit has storage means for storing the conversion result of the A / D conversion circuit for a fixed number of times, and a signal sequence. When the difference between the local maximum value and the local minimum value is equal to or smaller than the threshold value, a waveform deforming unit that sets all signal potentials to 0 from the time point of the potential 0 immediately before the local maximum value to the time point of the potential 0 immediately after the local minimum value; There is described a biological information processing apparatus including a calculating means for calculating a heart rate and a respiratory rate from a waveform deformed by the above.

[0004]

However, in a conventional device for detecting biological information using a piezoelectric element, although it is possible to detect biological information such as a heart rate, it is not possible to detect or estimate the weight of a person. When such a device is applied to a desired device, it is not possible to operate the desired device according to the weight and the biological information of the person (for example, considering the biological information according to the size of an adult or a child or a person). could not. If a desired device is operated in accordance with the weight and biological information of a person, it is necessary to separately provide a sensor for detecting the weight of the person.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and is capable of detecting and estimating mass of a person without separately providing a sensor for detecting or estimating the mass of the person in addition to the piezoelectric element. It is an object to provide a detection device.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a living body information detecting apparatus including a sensor comprising a piezoelectric element disposed at a place in direct or indirect contact with a human body. In addition to detecting the biological information of the human body from the output of the sensor, the mass of the human body is estimated.

In this configuration, since the biological information of the human body is detected from the output of the sensor composed of the piezoelectric element and the mass of the human body is estimated, the sensor for detecting or estimating the mass of the person in addition to the piezoelectric element is provided. It is possible to detect human biological information and estimate the mass without providing a separate device.

In the biological information detecting apparatus according to the first aspect, an average value of output values obtained from the sensor at different times when the sensor comes into contact with the human body is obtained, and the mass estimation is performed in accordance with the average value. A configuration may be adopted (claim 2).
Also in this configuration, it is possible to detect human biological information and estimate mass without separately providing a sensor for detecting or estimating human mass in addition to the piezoelectric element.

Further, in the biological information detecting device according to the present invention, a difference between respective output values obtained from the sensor at different times when the sensor comes into contact with the human body is obtained, and the mass estimation is performed according to the difference. (Claim 3). Also in this configuration, it is possible to estimate the mass of a person without separately providing a sensor for detecting or estimating the mass of the person in addition to the piezoelectric element.

Further, in the biological information detecting device according to claim 1, a time required for an output level obtained from the sensor to fall to a predetermined level when the sensor comes into contact with the human body is measured, and the mass is measured in accordance with the time. A configuration for performing estimation may be used (claim 4). Also in this configuration, it is possible to detect human biological information and estimate mass without separately providing a sensor for detecting or estimating human mass in addition to the piezoelectric element.

Further, in the biological information detecting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the biological information is used for a massage device, and the piezoelectric element is provided below a thigh of the human body sitting on a seating surface of the massage device. A configuration in which they are arranged may be adopted (claim 5). According to this configuration, it is possible to control the massage device according to the biological information and the mass estimation. Also, by placing the sensor under the thigh of the human body,
Both detection of biological information of the human body and estimation of the mass of the human body become possible.

Further, in the biological information detecting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the biological information may be used for a toilet seat with a washing function, and the sensor may be arranged below the toilet seat. 6). According to this configuration, it is possible to control the toilet seat with a cleaning function according to the biological information and the mass estimation. In addition, by disposing the sensor under the thigh of the human body via the toilet seat, both detection of biological information of the human body and estimation of the mass of the human body become possible.

6. The biological information detecting device according to claim 5, wherein a first band-pass filter that passes a component of a band including a predetermined frequency in a signal from the sensor, and the predetermined frequency in a signal from the sensor. A second band-pass filter that passes a component of a band including a frequency that is an integral multiple of the second band-pass filter, and the biological information is detected by ANDing or ORing both outputs of the first and second band-pass filters. Good (claim 7). According to this configuration, the biological information can be more accurately extracted, and the detection accuracy of the biological information can be improved.

In the biological information detecting apparatus according to the fifth aspect, the biological information may be detected by performing a pattern matching process such as a cross-correlation process on a signal obtained from the sensor. 8). Even with this configuration, biological information can be detected.

The biological information detecting device according to claim 5, further comprising a band-pass filter that passes a component of a band including a predetermined frequency in the signal from the sensor, wherein the human body sitting on the seat of the massage device is provided. The sensors are arranged below the left and right thighs, respectively, and the biological information is obtained by calculating a difference between one output signal of the two sensors via the bandpass filter and the other output signal of the two sensors. A configuration may be adopted in which a body motion component that becomes noise for biological information is removed and detected (claim 9). Even with this configuration, biological information can be detected.

Further, in the biological information detecting device according to the present invention, the vibration frequency and noise from the seat surface side are removed from the signal obtained from the sensor, and the biological information is detected from the signal after the removal. (Claim 10). According to this configuration, it is possible to more accurately remove the known noise than to process the output signal of the sensor containing the noise and obtain the biological information. Accurate detection of biological information becomes possible.

Further, in the biological information detecting device according to claim 5, an operating frequency set by a controller for setting an operating frequency of massage provided in the massage device is obtained, and the sensor is used by using the operating frequency. A disturbance removing unit that removes disturbance due to the operation of the massage device from the output signal of the above, and a band-pass filter that passes a component of a band including a predetermined frequency in the signal after the disturbance is removed. May be configured to detect the biological information from the output of the control information (claim 11). According to this configuration, the known disturbance is first removed compared to obtaining the biological information by processing the output signal of the sensor including the disturbance caused by the massage device operating at the operation frequency set by the controller. Since the disturbance can be more accurately removed, more accurate detection of biological information becomes possible.

In the biological information detecting device according to the fifth aspect, a driving frequency is obtained from a driving motor provided in the massage device, and the driving frequency is obtained from the output signal of the sensor using the driving frequency. A disturbance removing unit that removes a disturbance to be caused, and a band-pass filter that passes a component of a band including a predetermined frequency in the signal after the disturbance is removed, and the biological information is detected from an output of the band-pass filter. Good (claim 12). According to this configuration, removing the known disturbance first removes the disturbance more accurately than obtaining the biological information by processing the output signal of the sensor including the disturbance caused by the drive motor. Therefore, more accurate biological information can be detected.

Further, in the biological information detecting device according to the present invention, the first amplifier for mass estimation and the second amplifier for the biological information may be provided.
3). According to this configuration, the resolution of each measurement value is improved, and more accurate mass estimation and biological information detection can be performed, as compared with the case where mass estimation and biological information detection are performed by one amplifier.

Further, in the biological information detecting device according to the present invention, the sensor may be arranged in a plane below the toilet seat. According to this structure, the biological information can be detected regardless of where the person sits on the toilet seat.

Further, in the biological information detecting device according to the sixth aspect, the plurality of sensors may be individually arranged below the toilet seat (claim 15). According to this configuration,
Biometric information can be detected no matter where a person sits on the toilet seat.

Further, in the biological information detecting device according to claim 6, the sensors may be arranged in a matrix below the toilet seat (claim 16). According to this configuration, biological information can be detected regardless of where a person sits on the toilet seat.

Further, in the biological information detecting device according to the sixth aspect, a structure may be provided which includes a cushioning material covering the sensor. According to this configuration, the durability of the sensor is improved.

[0024]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a biological information detecting apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of a place where the sensor shown in FIG. 1 is installed, and FIG. 3 is a sensor shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is an output waveform diagram of the sensor shown in FIG. 1, and the first embodiment will be described below with reference to these diagrams.

The biological information detecting device shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the sensor S is provided at a place where the sensor S comes into contact with the rear surface of the thigh A1 of the human body A and is disposed on a seat surface of a chair B of a massage device, for example. Consisting of elements.

This piezoelectric element has a characteristic of an output decay time constant having a long decay period. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the sensor S does not have an output response characteristic in which an output is obtained only at the moment when a person sits on the chair B (see the waveform of the sensor Sp including a normal piezoelectric element in FIG. 3). The output level rises at a time t11 when the user sits on the chair B, and thereafter exhibits an output response characteristic that falls over a longer attenuation period according to the output attenuation time constant. Here, since the above-mentioned decay period is correlated with the weight (mass) of the person, it is possible to estimate (roughly) the weight of the person by examining the decay period, that is, the output waveform after the time t12 at which the decay starts. Become. With respect to the sensor Sp of the output decay time constant which becomes the decay period within 0.5 seconds,
In the present embodiment, a sensor S having an output decay time constant having a decay period of 10 seconds or more is used. On the other hand, the output waveform of the sensor S after the person has finished sitting on the chair B indicates a pulse component, as indicated by the position of the arrow C in FIG.

For example, as shown in FIG. 5, a film material S10 in which a large number of small bubbles (bubbles) S12 are included in a polymer material (plastic of special combination) S11 and the whole is permanently charged. , A pair of metal conductors S
13 can be used for the sensor S. As described above, by employing a structure having a large number of bubbles S12, the attenuation period is longer than that of a normal piezoelectric film. The piezoelectric element having the structure shown in FIG. 5 can be regarded as a capacitor as shown in FIG.
Is given by the following equation, and changes according to the thickness d that changes with pressure.

V = Q / C C = εM / d where Q is electric charge, C is capacitance, ε is dielectric constant, and M is area.

Returning to FIG. 1, the main circuit 1 includes a mass estimating unit 1
1 and a biological information extracting unit 12, and the mass estimating unit 11 estimates the mass of the human body A from the output of the sensor S. This mass estimation is performed by one of the following three types of processing. .

In the first process, the average value of the respective output values at different points in time obtained from the sensor S when the sensor S comes into contact with the human body B is determined, and mass estimation is performed according to the average value. To explain in a specific example, a time point near time point t12 and thereafter is set as a first time point, a time point after a predetermined time from the first time point is set as a second time point, and an average value of both output values at the first and second time points is obtained. For example, since this average value changes according to the weight of a person, mass estimation can be performed according to the average value. The average value increases as the mass increases, and the average value decreases as the mass decreases.
Further, the predetermined time is set to be equal to or shorter than the time until the decay period at the time of estimating the target minimum mass.

In the second process, a difference between respective output values obtained at different times from the sensor S when the sensor S comes into contact with the human body B is obtained, and mass estimation is performed according to the difference. To explain in a specific example, a time point near time point t12 and thereafter is set as a first time point, a time point after a predetermined time from the first time point is set as a second time point, and a difference between these output values at the first and second time points is calculated. Since this difference changes according to the weight of the person, mass estimation can be performed according to the difference. In addition,
The difference is greater for larger masses, and smaller for smaller masses.

In the third process, the time required for the output level obtained from the sensor S when it comes into contact with the human body B to fall to a predetermined level is measured, and mass estimation is performed according to this time. Explaining in a specific example, if the time until the output level at a time point near the time point t12 and thereafter falls to a predetermined level is measured, this time will change in accordance with the weight of the person. Mass estimation can be performed. It should be noted that the larger the mass, the longer the time, and the smaller the mass, the shorter the time.

The biological information extracting unit 12 extracts biological information of the human body A from the output of the sensor S as shown in FIG. 4, and in the first embodiment, extracts a pulse component. For example,
As in the prior art, if a bandpass filter of a basic (predetermined) frequency band (for example, a fundamental frequency is 6 Hz and a bandwidth is 1 Hz) is provided in the biological information extracting unit 12, a pulse component can be extracted from an output of the bandpass filter. Can be. Then, by counting the extracted pulse components, the pulse rate can be measured.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described. When a person sits on the chair B, a signal having an output waveform as shown by “S” in FIG. After that, the mass estimating unit 11 estimates the mass of the human body A from the output of the sensor S. Subsequently, after the person has finished sitting on the chair B and stabilized, a pulse component, which is biological information of the human body A, is extracted from the output of the sensor S by the biological information extracting unit 12.

As described above, it is possible to estimate the mass of a person without separately providing a sensor for detecting or estimating the mass of the person in addition to the piezoelectric element. The biological information and the mass estimation obtained by the biological information detecting device can be used, for example, in a massage device to control the intensity and speed of the massage in accordance with the weight and the pulse rate.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a biological information detecting apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The second embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG.

The biological information detecting device shown in FIG.
Is provided in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and a main circuit 2 is provided as a difference from the first embodiment. This main circuit 2
Comprises a mass estimating unit 11 similar to that of the first embodiment and a biological information extracting unit 22 different from that of the first embodiment.

The biological information extracting section 22 extracts biological information of the human body A from the output of the sensor S shown in FIG. 4, and is a BPF that passes a component of a band including a fundamental frequency in a signal from the sensor S. (Band pass filter) 221
And a BPF 222 that passes a component of a band including a frequency that is an integral multiple of the fundamental frequency in the signal from the sensor S.
And a pulse component extraction unit 223 that extracts a pulse (heart rate) component, which is biological information, by taking AND or OR of both outputs of the BPFs 221 and 222. In this way, by combining the BPF 221 of the fundamental frequency and the BPF 222 of the frequency band of the fundamental frequency times an integral multiple, the pulse component can be more accurately extracted.

Next, the operation of the second embodiment will be described. When a person sits on the chair B, a signal having an output waveform such as “S” shown in FIG. After that, the mass estimating unit 11 estimates the mass of the human body A from the output of the sensor S. Subsequently, after the person has finished sitting on the chair B and stabilized, the pulse component, which is the biological information of the human body A, is extracted by the biological information extracting unit 22 from the output of the sensor S.

As described above, the pulse component can be more accurately extracted. As a result, the pulse rate can be accurately measured, and the pulse detection accuracy can be improved.

In the second embodiment, the biological information is 2
Although the configuration is extracted by combining the two BPFs 221 and 222, the configuration is not limited to this, and a configuration that is extracted by pattern matching processing may be used. FIG. 8 shows an example of this configuration. The biological information detecting device shown in FIG.
Except that a biological information extracting unit 22a that extracts biological information by performing pattern matching processing such as cross-correlation processing on the signal obtained from
It is configured similarly to the biological information detecting device of the embodiment. In this configuration, as shown in FIG. 9, a waveform component unique to the pulse component is extracted by a pattern matching process such as a cross-correlation process. Then, by counting the number of extracted pulse components, the pulse rate can be measured.

Alternatively, the biological information may be extracted by canceling unnecessary components. This configuration example is shown in FIG.
Shown in However, for convenience of identification, reference numerals Sa, S
b is used as appropriate. The biological information detection device shown in FIG.
The main circuit 2b includes two sensors S disposed below the left and right thighs of the human body A sitting on the seat surface of the chair B. The main circuit 2b includes a mass estimating unit 11 similar to the second embodiment and a biological information extracting unit 22 different from the second embodiment.
b. And the biological information extraction unit 2
2b is a bandpass filter 22 that passes a component of a band including a fundamental frequency in a signal from the sensor S (Sa).
1 and the sensor S via this bandpass filter 221.
By calculating a difference between the output signal of (Sa) and the output signal of the sensor S (Sb), a pulse component that is biological information is extracted by removing a body motion component that becomes noise with respect to the pulse component. And an extraction unit 223b. With this configuration, the pulse component can be extracted, and the pulse rate can be measured by counting the number of the extracted pulse components.

FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of a biological information detecting device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a configuration diagram of a massage device to which the biological information detecting device shown in FIG. 11 is applied.
Is a waveform diagram showing the movement of the fir ball in FIG. 12, and FIG.
The third embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS.

First, the massage device shown in FIG. 12 has a chair B with a backrest similar to that of the first embodiment, two fir balls B1 provided on the back of the chair B, and a drive for both fir balls B1. And a controller B3 for setting the drive frequency of the drive motor B2.

On the other hand, the biological information detecting device shown in FIG.
The sensor S is provided in the same manner as in the first embodiment.
The main circuit 3 is provided as a difference from the embodiment. The main circuit 3 includes a mass estimating unit 11 similar to the first embodiment,
It is configured by a biometric information extraction unit 32 different from the first embodiment.

The biological information extracting section 32 removes the vibration frequency and noise from the seat side of the chair B from the signal obtained from the sensor S, and extracts the biological information from the signal after the removal. A disturbance removing unit 321 that removes disturbance caused by the massage device from an output signal of the sensor S;
A BPF 221 that passes a component of a band including a fundamental frequency in the signal from the disturbance removing unit 321;
Pulse component extraction unit 3 for extracting a pulse component from the output of
23.

Here, when the massage device operates, the vibration caused by the movement of the fir ball B1 propagates as a disturbance from the seat surface side of the chair B to the sensor S as shown in FIG.
For this reason, in the third embodiment, the disturbance elimination unit 321 is provided to eliminate the disturbance as shown in FIG. 13 from the output signal of the sensor S. The process of removing the disturbance is performed by one of the following three types of processes.

In the first removing process, as shown in the example of FIG. 14, a sensor Sf for detecting the driving frequency of the fir ball B1 is provided, and the driving frequency of the fir ball B1 is detected by the sensor Sf. Is used to remove the component of the drive frequency from the output signal of the sensor S, thereby removing disturbance.

In the second removing process, an operating (driving) frequency is obtained from the controller B3 for adjusting the speed of the fir ball B1, and the operating frequency component is removed from the output signal of the sensor S using this operating frequency. By doing so, disturbance is removed.

In the third removal processing, a drive frequency is obtained from the drive motor B2, and the sensor S
By removing the component of the driving frequency from the output signal of the above, disturbance is removed.

Next, the operation of the third embodiment will be described. When a person sits on the chair B, a signal having an output waveform such as “S” shown in FIG. After that, the mass estimating unit 11 estimates the mass of the human body A from the output of the sensor S. Subsequently, after the person has finished sitting on the chair B and stabilized, a pulse component, which is the biological information of the human body A, is extracted from the output of the sensor S by the biological information extracting unit 32.

As described above, the sensor S including the driving frequency
Compared to processing the output signal of and measuring the pulse rate,
Since the disturbance can be more accurately removed by removing the known frequency component first, the pulse rate can be measured more accurately.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram of a biological information detecting apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 16 is a waveform diagram of an output signal of the sensor shown in FIG. The form will be described.

The biological information detecting device shown in FIG. 15 includes a sensor S, a mass estimating unit 41 for estimating the mass of the human body A and a biological information extracting unit 42 for extracting biological information as in the above embodiments. Is provided.

The main circuit 4 is different from the above embodiments in that dedicated amplifiers 411 and 412 provided for the mass estimating unit 41 and the biological information extracting unit 42, respectively, and a sensor for mass estimation. A switch SW is provided for connecting the output of S to the input of the mass estimating unit 41 and connecting the output of the sensor S to the input of the biological information extracting unit 42 when extracting biological information.

Here, it can be seen from FIG. 16 that the change in the output signal of the sensor S when estimating the mass of TM1 is considerably larger than that when extracting the biological information of TM2.
Therefore, dedicated amplifiers 411 and 412 are provided to increase the resolution at each time. As the amplifier 411, a voltage amplifier having a high input impedance is used so that the output decay time constant of the sensor S becomes long.
On the other hand, a current-voltage conversion amplifier is used for the amplifier 412 in order to easily detect a pressure change.

As described above, the resolution of each measured value is improved as compared with the case where mass estimation and pulse detection are performed by one amplifier.
More accurate mass estimation and pulse detection can be performed.

In each of the above embodiments, a pulse (heart rate) component is extracted as biological information.
The configuration is not limited to this, and a configuration in which, for example, a blood flow or the like is extracted may be used.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, the biological information detecting device is applied to the massage device, but it is needless to say that the biological information detecting device is not limited to the massage device but may be applied to various desired devices. For example, the biological information detecting device can be applied to a toilet seat with a washing function. FIG. 17 shows an example of this application. 17A is a side view, and FIG. 17B is a front view. As shown in FIG. 17, a sensor S is provided on the lower surface of the toilet seat D with a cleaning function, and the output of the sensor S is connected to the same main circuit as the above-described respective embodiments (not shown). It is possible to estimate the mass of a person without separately providing a sensor for detecting or estimating the mass of the person. Further, as shown in FIG. 17A, if the sensor S is protected by covering both sides thereof with a buffer material E, the durability of the sensor S is improved.

In the application example of FIG. 17, the sensor is provided on a part of the lower surface of the toilet seat. However, the present invention is not limited to this structure, and the sensor may be provided on substantially the entire lower surface of the toilet seat.

FIG. 18 shows an example of this structure. As shown in FIG. 18, if the sensor S <b> 1 is configured to cover almost the entire lower surface of the toilet seat D, biological information can be detected regardless of where a person sits on the toilet seat D. However, the sensor S
1 shows the same output characteristics as the sensor S of each of the above embodiments, except that the shape is a surface shape that covers substantially the entire lower surface of the toilet seat D.

FIG. 19 shows another structural example. As shown in FIG. 19, if a plurality of sensors S are provided on substantially the entire lower surface of the toilet seat D and an output signal is obtained from each sensor S, biological information can be obtained regardless of where the person sits on the toilet seat D. It is possible to detect the position where the person is sitting and the pressure distribution roughly.

FIG. 20 shows another example of the structure. As shown in FIG. 20, the electrode S is provided on almost the entire lower surface of the toilet seat D.
If the sensor S2 in which the sensors 20 are arranged in a matrix is provided and the outputs from the respective electrodes are integrated via the amplifier S21, one sensor S2 has a lower output than the structural example of FIG. Can detect biological information regardless of where the user sits on the toilet seat D, and can roughly detect the position of the person sitting and the pressure distribution.

[0064]

As is apparent from the above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sensor comprising a piezoelectric element which is disposed at a place in direct or indirect contact with a human body, and the output of this sensor is provided. From, in addition to detecting the biological information of the human body, since the mass estimation of the human body is performed, detection and mass estimation of human biological information without separately providing a sensor for detecting or estimating human mass in addition to the piezoelectric element is performed. I can do it.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the biological information detecting apparatus according to the first aspect, an average value of output values obtained from the sensor at different times when the sensor comes into contact with the human body is obtained, and the average value is obtained. The mass estimation is performed in accordance with the value. Even in this configuration, it is possible to detect the biological information of the person and estimate the mass without separately providing a sensor for detecting or estimating the mass of the person in addition to the piezoelectric element.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in the biological information detecting apparatus according to the first aspect, a difference between respective output values obtained at different times from the sensor when the sensor comes into contact with the human body is obtained, and the difference is obtained. The mass estimation is performed in response to this, and in this configuration as well, detection of human biological information and mass estimation can be performed without separately providing a sensor for detecting or estimating human mass in addition to the piezoelectric element.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the biological information detecting apparatus according to the first aspect, a time required for the output level obtained from the sensor to fall to a predetermined level upon contact with the human body is measured. The mass estimation is performed in accordance with this time. Even in this configuration, it is possible to detect human biometric information and estimate mass without separately providing a sensor for detecting or estimating human mass in addition to the piezoelectric element.

According to the invention set forth in claim 5, claims 1 to 1 are provided.
4. In the biological information detecting device according to any one of the items 4, the biological information is used for a massage device, and the piezoelectric element is arranged below a thigh of the human body sitting on a seating surface of the massage device. The massage device can be controlled according to the estimation.

According to the invention of claim 6, claims 1 to 1
4. In the biological information detecting device according to any one of 4, the biological information is used for a toilet seat with a washing function, and the sensor is disposed below the toilet seat. It becomes possible to control.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the biological information detecting apparatus according to the fifth aspect, the first band-pass filter that passes a band component including a predetermined frequency in the signal from the sensor, and the sensor And a second bandpass filter that passes a component of a band including a frequency that is an integral multiple of the predetermined frequency out of the signals from the first and second bandpass filters.
By detecting the biological information, the biological information can be extracted more accurately, and the detection accuracy of the biological information can be improved.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, in the biological information detecting device according to the fifth aspect, the biological information is subjected to pattern matching processing such as cross-correlation processing on a signal obtained from the sensor. To detect,
Even with this configuration, biological information can be detected.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the biological information detecting device according to the fifth aspect, the massaging device further includes a band-pass filter that passes a component of a band including a predetermined frequency in a signal from the sensor. The sensors are respectively arranged under the left and right thighs of the human body sitting on the seat surface of the human body, and a difference between one output signal of the two sensors via the bandpass filter and the other output signal of the two sensors is obtained. Then, the biological information is detected by removing a body motion component that is a noise for the biological information, and the biological information can be detected even with this configuration.

According to the tenth aspect, the fifth aspect is provided.
In the biological information detection device described above, from the signal obtained from the sensor, the vibration frequency and noise from the seat side are removed, and the biological information is detected from the signal after the removal, so that more accurate biological information Can be detected.

According to the eleventh aspect, according to the fifth aspect,
In the biological information detecting device according to the above, the operating frequency set from a massage operating frequency setting controller provided in the massage device is obtained, and the operating frequency is used to output the massaging device from the sensor output signal of the sensor. A disturbance removing unit that removes disturbance due to operation, and a band-pass filter that passes a component of a band including a predetermined frequency in the signal after the disturbance is removed, and detects the biological information from an output of the band-pass filter. Therefore, it is possible to more accurately detect biological information.

According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, the fifth aspect is provided.
In the biological information detection device described in the above, a disturbance removal unit that obtains a drive frequency from a drive motor provided in the massage device, and removes disturbance caused by the drive motor from an output signal of the sensor using the drive frequency. And a band pass filter that passes a component of a band including a predetermined frequency in the signal after the disturbance is removed, and the biological information is detected from an output of the band pass filter. Will be possible.

According to the thirteenth aspect, the fifth aspect is provided.
In the biological information detection device described above, since the first amplifier for mass estimation and the second amplifier for biological information are provided, more accurate mass estimation and biological information detection can be performed.

According to the fourteenth aspect, the sixth aspect is provided.
In the living body information detecting device described above, since the sensor is arranged in a plane below the toilet seat, the biological information can be detected regardless of where the person sits on the toilet seat.

According to the invention of claim 15, according to claim 6,
In the living body information detecting device described above, since the plurality of sensors are individually arranged below the toilet seat, biological information can be detected regardless of where a person sits on the toilet seat.

According to the sixteenth aspect, the sixth aspect is provided.
In the biological information detecting device described above, the sensors are arranged in a matrix below the toilet seat, so that biological information can be detected regardless of where a person sits on the toilet seat.

According to the seventeenth aspect, according to the sixth aspect,
In the biological information detecting device described above, the cushioning material that covers the sensor is provided, so that the durability of the sensor is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a biological information detection device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a place where the sensor shown in FIG. 1 is installed.

FIG. 3 is an output response characteristic diagram of the sensor shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is an output waveform diagram of the sensor shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a structural example of a piezoelectric element that can be used for the sensor of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an equivalent circuit of the piezoelectric element of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of a biological information detection device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a main circuit for extracting biological information by a pattern matching process.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram when a pulse component is extracted by pattern matching processing.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a main circuit for canceling unnecessary components and extracting biological information.

FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of a biological information detection device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

12 is a configuration diagram of a massage device to which the biological information detection device shown in FIG. 11 is applied.

FIG. 13 is a waveform diagram showing the movement of the fir ball in FIG.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of a disturbance removing unit shown in FIG. 11;

FIG. 15 is a configuration diagram of a biological information detection device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

16 is a waveform diagram of an output signal of the sensor shown in FIG.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of application of the biological information detection device to a toilet seat with a cleaning function.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example in which a sensor is provided on substantially the entire lower surface of the toilet seat.

FIG. 19 is a view showing another example in which the sensor is provided on substantially the entire lower surface of the toilet seat.

FIG. 20 is a view showing another example in which the sensor is provided on substantially the entire lower surface of the toilet seat.

[Explanation of symbols]

 S, S1, S2 Sensors 1, 2, 2a, 2b, 3 Main circuit 11 Mass estimation unit 12, 22, 22a Biological information extraction unit 221, 222 BPF 223, 223b, 323 Pulse component extraction unit 321 Disturbance removal unit

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G01G 19/50 G01G 19/52 D 19/52 F 23/00 F 23/00 A61B 5/02 320Z F-term (Reference) 4C017 AA10 AB10 AC03 BC08 EE01 FF15 4C094 AA08 AA09 FF20 GG08 GG13 4C100 BA01 BA05 BA10 CA06 CA07 DA05 DA06 EB03

Claims (17)

[Claims] 1. A sensor comprising a piezoelectric element disposed at a place in direct or indirect contact with a human body, wherein biological information of the human body is detected from an output of the sensor.
A biological information detecting device for estimating the mass of the human body. 2. The biological information detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an average value of output values obtained from the sensor at different times when the sensor comes into contact with the human body is obtained, and the mass estimation is performed according to the average value. 3. The biological information detection device according to claim 1, wherein a difference between respective output values obtained from the sensor at different times when the sensor comes into contact with the human body is obtained, and the mass estimation is performed according to the difference. 4. The biological information detection according to claim 1, wherein a time until an output level obtained from the sensor when the sensor comes into contact with the human body falls to a predetermined level is measured, and the mass estimation is performed according to the time. apparatus. 5. The biological information detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the biological information is used for a massage device, and the piezoelectric element is arranged below a thigh of the human body sitting on a seating surface of the massage device. apparatus. 6. The biological information is used for a toilet seat with a washing function, and the sensor is arranged below the toilet seat.
The biological information detecting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 7. A first bandpass filter that passes a component of a band including a predetermined frequency in a signal from the sensor, and a component of a band including an integer multiple of the predetermined frequency in a signal from the sensor. 6. The biological information detecting device according to claim 5, further comprising a second bandpass filter that passes therethrough, and detecting the biological information by taking AND or OR of both outputs of the first and second bandpass filters. 8. A signal obtained from the sensor,
The biological information detecting device according to claim 5, wherein the biological information is detected by performing a pattern matching process such as a cross-correlation process. 9. A band pass filter that passes a component of a band including a predetermined frequency in a signal from the sensor, wherein the sensors are respectively arranged under the left and right thighs of the human body sitting on a seating surface of the massage device, One output signal of the two sensors through the band-pass filter,
6. The biological information detecting device according to claim 5, wherein the biological information is detected by calculating a difference between the output signals of the two sensors and the other output signal, by removing a body movement component that becomes a noise for the biological information. 10. The biological information detecting device according to claim 5, wherein a vibration frequency and noise from the seat side are removed from a signal obtained from the sensor, and the biological information is detected from the signal after the removal. 11. An operating frequency set by a controller for setting an operating frequency of massage provided in the massage device is obtained, and an operation signal of the massage device is derived from an output signal of the sensor using the operating frequency. A disturbance removing unit that removes a disturbance that occurs, a band-pass filter that passes a component of a band including a predetermined frequency in the signal after the disturbance is removed, and the biological information is detected from an output of the band-pass filter. 6. The biological information detecting device according to 5. 12. A disturbance removing unit that obtains a drive frequency from a drive motor provided in the massage device, and removes a disturbance due to the drive motor from an output signal of the sensor using the drive frequency; 6. The biological information detecting device according to claim 5, further comprising: a band-pass filter that passes a component of a band including a predetermined frequency in the signal after disturbance removal, and detecting the biological information from an output of the band-pass filter. 13. The biological information detecting device according to claim 5, further comprising a first amplifier for mass estimation and a second amplifier for biological information. 14. The biological information detecting device according to claim 6, wherein the sensor is arranged in a plane below the toilet seat. 15. The biological information detecting device according to claim 6, wherein a plurality of the sensors are individually arranged below the toilet seat. 16. The biological information detecting device according to claim 6, wherein the sensors are arranged in a matrix below the toilet seat. 17. The biological information detecting device according to claim 6, further comprising a buffer covering the sensor.