JP2007330550A - Subcutaneous fat thickness meter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a subcutaneous fat thickness meter preventing light from the outside from adversely affecting the measurement of a subcutaneous fat thickness by a light emitting part and a light receiving part and accurately measuring the subcutaneous fat thickness. <P>SOLUTION: On the back surface of a flat apparatus main body 3, a subcutaneous fat thickness measurement part 12 having the light emitting part 15 and the light receiving part 16 for measuring the subcutaneous fat thickness of a part 20 to be measured of a subject is provided. On the surface of the apparatus main body 3, a display part 10 for displaying a measured result is provided. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a subcutaneous fat thickness meter that measures the subcutaneous fat thickness of a site to be measured such as the abdomen, thigh, and upper arm.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, a subcutaneous fat thickness meter as shown in Patent Document 1 or the like is known, and this is a sebum thickness measuring unit for measuring the subcutaneous fat thickness of a measurement site of a subject on a side end surface of a flat apparatus body. And a display unit for displaying the measurement result is provided on the surface of the apparatus main body. This Patent Document 1 also describes that an optical device is employed as a means for measuring subcutaneous fat thickness.

However, the side end face of the flat apparatus main body as shown in Patent Document 1 has a smaller area than the surface provided with the display unit, and the side end face of the apparatus main body having such a small area includes a light emitting part and a light receiving part. When an optical sebum thickness measurement unit is provided, the sebum thickness measurement unit cannot be sufficiently brought into contact with the measurement site of the subject, resulting in a gap, which is a disturbance separately from the light emitted from the light emitting unit. There is a problem that light from the outside enters the light receiving unit and the measurement site, and this external light adversely affects the measurement of subcutaneous fat thickness by the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit, so that accurate measurement cannot be performed.
JP 2003-159227 A

  The present invention has been invented in view of the above-described conventional problems, and can prevent external light from adversely affecting the measurement of subcutaneous fat thickness by the light-emitting part and the light-receiving part. It is an object of the present invention to provide a subcutaneous fat thickness gauge that can be measured.

  In order to solve the above problems, a subcutaneous fat thickness meter according to the present invention includes a light emitting unit 15 and a light receiving unit 16 for measuring the subcutaneous fat thickness of a measurement site 20 of a subject on the back surface of a flat apparatus body 3. A sebum thickness measuring unit 12 is provided, and a display unit 10 for displaying a measurement result is provided on the surface of the apparatus body 3. Thus, in the flat apparatus main body 3, the light emission part 15 for measuring the subcutaneous fat thickness of the to-be-measured site | part 20 of a test subject on the back surface of the apparatus main body 3 of the same large area as the surface of the apparatus main body 3 which provided the display part 10 is provided. Since the sebum thickness measuring unit 12 including the light receiving unit 16 is provided, the area of the sebum thickness measuring unit 12 to be brought into contact with the measured site 20 of the subject (the contact surface portion 13 in the embodiment) can be increased, thereby emitting light. Apart from the light emitted from the unit 15, it is possible to prevent light from the outside from entering the light receiving unit 16 and the measurement site 20.

  A second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first aspect, the apparatus main body 3 is provided with a measurement electrode 9 for measuring the bioimpedance by contacting the body of the subject. The measurement electrode 9 can measure the bioimpedance of the subject, and the measurement result regarding the body composition based on the bioimpedance and the subcutaneous fat thickness can be obtained.

  Further, a third aspect of the present invention is the apparatus according to the first or second aspect, wherein the apparatus main body 3 includes a gripping portion 8 that is a portion to be gripped by a subject, and the gripping portion 8 is against the main body portion 22 constituting the main body of the apparatus main body 3. It is characterized by being movably provided. In this way, by providing the grip portion 8 so as to be movable with respect to the main body portion 22, the grip portion 8 can be moved with respect to the main body portion 22 to be easily held.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, the sebum thickness measuring unit 12 is provided so as to be movable with respect to the main body 22 constituting the main body of the apparatus main body 3. Thus, by providing the sebum thickness measuring unit 12 so as to be movable with respect to the main body 22, the sebum thickness measuring unit 12 can be arranged at a position where it can be easily applied to the site to be measured 20.

  A fifth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the display unit 10 is provided so as to be movable with respect to the main body 22 constituting the main body of the apparatus main body 3. Thus, by providing the display unit 10 so as to be movable with respect to the main body unit 22, the display unit 10 can be arranged at a position that is easy for the subject to view at the time of measurement.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the method according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, a contact surface portion 13 for contacting the measurement site 20 is formed on the back surface of the apparatus main body 3, and a protrusion is formed at the center of the contact surface portion 13. 30, and the light emitting portion 15 and the light receiving portion 16 are provided on the protrusion 30 so as to be exposed from the protrusion end surface of the protrusion 30. In this way, the protrusion 30 is provided at the center of the contact surface portion 13, and the light emitting portion 15 and the light receiving portion 16 are provided on the protrusion 30, thereby pressing the protrusion 30 together with the contact surface portion 13 against the measurement site 20 of the subject. In this case, the projecting portion 30 can be caused to bite into the measurement site 20 with a small force, and the light from the light emitting unit 15 leaks to the outside by the projecting portion 30 or from the outside that causes noise to the light receiving unit 16. It is possible to prevent light from entering, and the accuracy of measurement of subcutaneous fat thickness is improved.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the method according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, a contact surface portion 13 for contacting the measurement site 20 is formed on the back surface of the apparatus body 3, and the light emitting portion 15 and the light receiving portion are formed on the contact surface portion 13. The portion 16 is provided, and an annular protrusion 32 is provided over the entire peripheral edge of the contact surface portion 13. Thus, by providing the protrusion 32 on the peripheral edge of the contact surface portion 13, even when the contact surface portion 13 is pressed in a slightly inclined state with respect to the surface of the measured portion 20, the outer peripheral portion of the measured portion 20. Can be pressed over the entire circumference by the protrusion 32, whereby the measurement site 20 can be pressed with a uniform thickness, and the accuracy of measuring the subcutaneous fat thickness is improved.

  In the present invention, of the widest front and back surfaces of the flat apparatus main body, it is possible to provide a display portion having a large area on the front surface and an easy-to-see display area. A large sebum thickness measuring unit can be provided, which can prevent light from the outside from entering the light receiving unit and the part to be measured that make up the optical sebum thickness measuring unit. It can be measured.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. A subcutaneous fat thickness meter 1 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is composed of a device body 3 and a weight scale 2 for measuring the weight of a subject placed on the apparatus body 3 to form a body composition meter, The apparatus body 3 is smaller than the separate weight scale 2. The weight scale 2 and the apparatus main body 3 are connected by a cable 4 as a communication means for performing communication between the weight scale 2 and the apparatus main body 3, and communication of measurement data and operation input between the weight scale 2 and the apparatus main body 3 is performed. This is done via cable 4. Note that a cord reel or curl cord provided with an automatic winding mechanism may be used instead of the cable 4 so as not to bother when storing.

  The weight scale 2 is mainly formed of a mounting plate 5 on which a subject puts his / her foot and a back plate 11 having legs at four corners, and is formed into a generally flat rectangular plate shape as a whole. The mounting plate 5 and the back plate 11 are connected by a connecting material via one or a plurality of load sensors, and the weight sensor and the control unit described later constitute weight measuring means. On the upper surface of the mounting plate 5, current application electrodes 6a are provided on both sides of the front part as measurement electrodes 6 on the weight scale 2 side, and voltage measurement electrodes 6b are provided on both sides of the rear part. The foot side portion of the sole is placed on the corresponding current application electrode 6a and the heel side portion is placed on the placement plate 5 in a state of being placed on the corresponding voltage measurement electrode 6b. Further, a storage step 7 for storing the apparatus main body 3 is provided in the left and right direction at the front end portion of the placing plate 5 of the scale 2, and the apparatus main body 3 can be stored in the storage step 7. It is like that. The apparatus body 3 is detachable from the scale 2 by fitting or the like.

  The apparatus main body 3 is formed in a flat rectangular plate shape, specifically a rectangular plate shape as a whole, and one end of the cable 4 is connected to the side end surface on the long side. The apparatus main body 3 has gripping portions 8 at both ends in the longitudinal direction, and the subject can hold the apparatus main body 3 with both hands by gripping the gripping portions 8 on both sides. Each gripping part 8 is provided with a current application electrode 9a on one side of one long side of the apparatus body 3 as a measurement electrode 9 on the apparatus body 3 side and a voltage measurement electrode 9b on the opposite side. The measurement electrode 9 provided on the apparatus main body 3, the measurement electrode 6 provided on the scale 2 and the control unit constitute an impedance measurement means for measuring the bioimpedance of the subject.

  Of both surfaces in the thickness direction of the flat apparatus main body 3 (that is, two surfaces having the largest area in the apparatus main body 3), one surface provided with the display unit 10 described later is the front surface, and the opposite surface is the back surface. However, as shown in FIG. 2, a sebum thickness measuring unit 12 that measures the subcutaneous fat thickness of the measurement site 20 of the subject is provided in the center of the back side of the apparatus body 3. The control unit constitutes a sebum thickness measuring means.

  As the sebum thickness measuring means, an optical type is adopted. The sebum thickness measuring unit 12 constituting the sebum thickness measuring means is a light comprising infrared rays or visible rays on the contact surface portion 13 consisting of the central portion of the back surface portion of the apparatus main body 3 and the measurement site 20 of the subject in contact with the contact surface portion 13. Are provided, and a light receiving unit 16 that receives the light irradiated from the light emitting unit 15 and reflected by being reflected by the measurement site 20. The light receiving unit 16 is located in the vicinity of the light emitting unit 15. Specifically, one light emitting unit 15 and a plurality of (two in the illustrated example) light receiving units 16 are provided on the contact surface unit 13 that comes into contact with the measurement site 20 of the subject. Each light receiving portion 16 is arranged at a position about 15 to 45 mm away from the light emitting portion 15 so that the measurement of the distance of the portion 16 at a subcutaneous fat thickness of about 0 to 60 mm is possible, and the light emitting portion 15 has a wavelength of 850 nm. LEDs that emit near infrared rays are used. The reason for providing a plurality of light receiving sections 16 is to perform highly accurate measurement by correcting differences in skin pigments. The contact surface portion 13 may be black with low reflectance. In this case, the contact surface portion 13 can be hardly affected by external light when measuring the subcutaneous fat thickness. Further, the contact surface portion 13 may be a flat surface, or may be an arcuate curved surface that is curved according to the measurement site 20 of the subject.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a display unit 10 for displaying measurement results, input values, and the like is provided at the center of the surface side of the apparatus main body 3. An operation unit 21 is provided in a portion between the gripping units 8 to perform operation of the device, input of body data of a subject such as height, age, and sex, display switching, and the like.

  A control unit having an arithmetic device and a storage device is built in the scale 2. The storage device includes measurement data measured by the load sensor of the weight scale 2 and the measurement electrodes 6 and 9 of the weight scale 2 and the apparatus main body 3, a plurality of arithmetic expressions derived in advance by a statistical method for each age and sex, and an arithmetic device This stores the calculated value calculated in step. The arithmetic device calculates a measurement result related to the body composition based on the measurement data and the arithmetic expression.

  When the measurement result regarding the body composition including the subcutaneous fat thickness of the subject is obtained using the subcutaneous fat thickness meter 1, for example, the measurement is performed as follows.

  First, a power switch (not shown) is turned on, and body data such as the gender, age, and height of the subject is input by the operation unit 21 constituting the input device. When the input is completed, the measurement preparation is completed, and the subject is placed on the placement plate 5 of the weight scale 2 placed on the floor with the soles of the measuring electrodes 6 in contact with each other and holding the apparatus body 3 on both sides. The apparatus main body 3 is held in a state where the unit 8 is held with both hands (that is, a state where the hand is in contact with each measurement electrode 9). As a result, the load sensor detects the load. Further, a predetermined alternating current is passed between the current application electrodes 6a and 9a provided in the apparatus main body 3 and the weight scale 2, and the voltage generated between the specific voltage measurement electrodes 6b and 9b at this time is measured. Then, the measurement values (output values) of these load sensors and measurement electrodes 6 and 9 are input to the arithmetic unit, and the weight and bioimpedance are obtained. Here, as the impedance value detected by the measurement electrodes 6 and 9, the impedance value between both hands of the subject obtained by using the measurement electrode 9 of the apparatus main body 3 or the measurement electrode 6 of the scale 2 is used. The impedance value between both feet of the subject obtained in this way, the impedance value between the limbs obtained by using the measurement electrode 9 of the apparatus main body 3 and the voltage measurement electrode 6b of the scale 2 are mentioned.

  Next, the subject measures the subcutaneous fat thickness of the site to be measured 20 such as the abdomen, the upper arm, and the thigh by the subcutaneous fat thickness measuring means. The measurement by the sebum thickness measuring means is performed from the light emitting unit 15 in a state where the gripping unit 8 is gripped and the contact surface unit 13 of the apparatus main body 3 is in contact with the measurement site 20 of the subject as shown in the explanatory diagram of FIG. The light receiving unit 16 detects light reception information while irradiating light, and the control unit obtains the subcutaneous fat thickness of the measurement site 20 from this measurement data.

  3, 17, 18, and 19 indicate the epidermis, subcutaneous fat layer, and muscle layer of the site to be measured 20, and the light emitted from the light emitting unit 15 is scattered by the subcutaneous fat as shown in FIG. Absorbed in. Therefore, the light emitted from the light emitting portion 15 is less diffused toward the surface of the skin when the subcutaneous fat thickness is thin, that is, the light returning to the surface of the skin is less and spreads less. For this reason, the amount of light reaching the light emitting unit 15 is reduced. On the contrary, when the subcutaneous fat thickness is thick, the scattering of light emitted from the light emitting portion 15 increases, and the light returning to the surface of the skin also increases and spreads greatly. For this reason, the amount of light reaching the light emitting unit 15 increases. That is, the sebum thickness measuring means can measure the subcutaneous fat thickness using reflection of light emitted from the light emitting unit 15. If the subject's measurement site 20 is different, for example, the abdomen has skin, subcutaneous fat, muscle, visceral fat, and viscera from the outside, and the thigh has skin, subcutaneous fat, muscle, and bone from the outside. The internal structure is different. Therefore, it is preferable to be able to change the arithmetic expression for calculating the subcutaneous fat thickness for each measurement site 20.

  Here, in the present invention, in the flat apparatus main body 3, the subcutaneous fat thickness of the measurement site 20 of the subject is measured on the back surface of the apparatus main body 3 which is the same as the surface of the apparatus main body 3 provided with the display unit 10. Since the sebum thickness measuring unit 12 including the light emitting unit 15 and the light receiving unit 16 is provided, the area of the contact surface portion 13 that is a part to be brought into contact with the measurement target part 20 of the subject in the sebum thickness measuring part 12 can be increased, thereby emitting light. In addition to the light emitted from the unit 15, it is possible to prevent external light that becomes a disturbance from entering the light receiving unit 16.

  And when measurement by the above-mentioned sebum thickness measuring means is completed, the control unit selects an arithmetic expression to be calculated from a plurality of arithmetic expressions according to the input age and sex, and inputs the weight, impedance value measured by the arithmetic device Substitute the height data into the calculation formula to calculate BMI, body fat percentage, body fat mass, visceral fat percentage, subcutaneous fat percentage, muscle mass, and these measurement results and direct measurement results of the weight and subcutaneous fat thickness Is displayed on the display unit 10, and the power switch is turned off after the measurement. Note that the visceral fat rate, subcutaneous fat rate, muscle mass, and the like as measurement results may be corrected based on the measured subcutaneous fat thickness.

  Moreover, you may provide the holding | grip part 8, the sebum thickness measurement part 12, and the display part 10 in the apparatus main body 3 mentioned above so that a movement is possible.

  FIG. 4 shows an example in which the apparatus main body 3 is composed of a main body portion 22 and a gripping portion 8 constituting the main body, and the gripping portion 8 is provided so as to be movable with respect to the main body portion 22. In this example, a sebum thickness measuring unit 12, a display unit 10, and an operation unit 21 are integrally provided in a main body 22 provided with a cable 4 as a communication means, and one end (main body) of each gripping unit 8 on both sides of the main body 22. One end portion in the short side direction of the main body portion 22 is rotatably connected to the main body portion 22, whereby each gripping portion 8 can be changed to an arbitrary rotation angle (orientation) around an axis parallel to the long side of the main body portion 22. I am doing so.

  In this way, by providing the gripping portion 8 so as to be movable with respect to the main body portion 22, for example, as shown in FIG. In addition, when measuring the abdomen as shown in FIG. 4, both the gripping parts 8 are rotated so as to be substantially perpendicular to the main body part 22 so that the apparatus main body 3 can be easily held with both hands, and the upper arm part is measured. In this case, only one gripping portion 8 can be rotated substantially perpendicularly with respect to the apparatus main body 3 so that the apparatus main body 3 can be easily held with one hand. Can be easily brought into contact with the measurement site 20 facing each other, and the display unit 10 can be arranged at a position that is easily visible to the subject.

  FIG. 5 shows an example in which the apparatus main body 3 is composed of a main body portion 22 and a sebum thickness measuring unit 12 constituting the main body, and the sebum thickness measuring unit 12 is provided so as to be movable with respect to the main body portion 22. In this example, the gripper 8, the display unit 10, and the operation unit 21 are integrally provided on the main body 22 provided with the cable 4 as a communication means, and the measurement unit recess 23 is formed in the center of the back surface of the main body 22. One end of the sebum thickness measuring unit 12 that can be stored in the recess 23 for the measuring unit is rotatably connected to one end of the main body 22 on the long side, thereby the sebum thickness measuring unit 12 is mainly used. It can be changed to an arbitrary rotation angle (orientation) around an axis parallel to the long side of the portion 22.

  By providing the sebum thickness measuring unit 12 movably with respect to the main body 22 in this way, for example, the state shown in FIG. In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, the sebum thickness measuring unit 12 is provided with the light receiving unit 16 and the light emitting unit 15 on one side by rotating the sebum thickness measuring unit 12 so as to be substantially perpendicular to the main body 22 at the time of measurement. Can be made to be easy to apply to the measurement site 20. When the sebum thickness measuring unit 12 is parallel to the main body 22, one side of the sebum thickness measuring unit 12 constitutes a part of the surface of the apparatus main body 3.

  Further, FIG. 6 shows an example in which the apparatus main body 3 is constituted by a main part 22 and a display part 10 constituting the main body, and the display part 10 is provided so as to be movable with respect to the main part 22. In this example, the gripping portion 8 and the sebum thickness measuring portion 12 are integrally provided in the main body portion 22 provided with the communication means (cable 4), and the display portion concave portion 24 is formed in the center of the back surface of the main body portion 22, and the operation portion. The display unit 10 provided integrally with the display unit 21 can be stored in the recess 24 for display unit, and one end of the display unit 10 is rotatably connected to the end of the main body 22 on the long side, thereby displaying The part 10 can be changed to an arbitrary rotation angle (orientation) around an axis parallel to the long side of the main part 22.

  By providing the display unit 10 so as to be movable with respect to the main unit 22 in this way, for example, the display unit 10 can be brought into a compact state as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the display unit 10 can be rotated so as to be substantially perpendicular to the main body 22 at the time of measurement so that the display unit 10 can be easily viewed by the subject.

  4 to 6 are not limited to those that rotate with respect to the main body 22, such as those that slide relative to the main body 22, It may be one that slides and rotates with respect to the main part 22, that is, the gripping part 8, the sebum thickness measuring part 12, and the display part 10 only need to be movable with respect to the main part 22. 4 to 6, only one of the gripping part 8, the sebum thickness measuring part 12, and the display part 10 can be moved with respect to the unit main body 22. Of these, two or three parts are moved to the unit main body. 22 may be movable.

  In any of the above embodiments, as shown in FIG. 7, a projecting portion 30 that protrudes toward the outer surface is provided at the center of the substantially flat contact surface portion 13, and the light emitting portion 15 and the light receiving portion 16 are provided on the projecting portion 30. It is preferable that the protrusion 30 be provided so as to be exposed from the protruding end surface.

  In the example of FIG. 7, a linear protrusion 30 that is long in the radial direction of the contact surface 13 (specifically, the short side direction of the apparatus main body 3) is provided at the center of the circular contact surface 13. A plurality of holes 31 penetrating in the thickness direction are formed, and the light emitting part 15 and the light receiving part 16 provided in the substrate 25 are accommodated in each hole 31 so that the light emitting part 15 and the light receiving part 16 can be irradiated or received from the outer surface side. Is exposed. Accordingly, the light emitted from the light emitting unit 15 is emitted from each hole 31 and received by the light receiving unit 16 disposed in each hole 31. In the example of FIG. 7, an annular protrusion 32 that protrudes to the outer surface side is provided over the entire circumference of the peripheral edge portion of the circular contact surface portion 13. Note that the protruding lengths of the protrusion 30 and the protrusion 32 are substantially the same, and both protrude approximately 5 mm from the other flat contact surface portion 13. One of the plurality of light receiving portions 16 is located at the center of the contact surface portion 13.

  Thus, when the protrusion 30 is provided and the light emitting unit 15 and the light receiving unit 16 are disposed so as to be exposed from the protrusion 30, the protrusion 30 is pressed against the measurement site 20 of the subject together with the contact surface portion 13. Can project the protrusion 30 into the measurement site 20 with a small force, and the light from the light emitting part 15 leaks to the outside by the protrusion 30 or the light from the outside that becomes noise enters the light receiving part 16. And the accuracy of the measurement of subcutaneous fat thickness is improved.

  In addition to the protrusion 30 as described above, the protrusion 32 is provided on the peripheral portion of the contact surface portion 13, so that the contact surface portion 13 is pressed in a slightly inclined state with respect to the surface of the measurement site 20. In addition, the outer peripheral portion of the measurement site 20 can be pressed over the entire circumference by the protrusion 32, whereby the measurement site 20 can be pressed to a uniform thickness, and the accuracy of measurement of the subcutaneous fat thickness is improved. Note that the protrusion 32 shown in FIG. 7 is not provided, and only the protrusion 30 may protrude from the contact surface portion 13 as shown in FIG.

  Further, in any of the above-described embodiments, a measurement limiting unit that enables measurement of the subcutaneous fat thickness by the sebum thickness measuring unit 12 is provided only when a predetermined pressure is applied to the contact surface portion 13 of the sebum thickness measuring unit 12. Is preferred.

  FIG. 8 shows an example in which measurement limiting means is provided. In this example, the sebum thickness measuring unit 12 is provided to be movable in the thickness direction of the apparatus main body 3 with respect to the main body 22 constituting the main body of the apparatus main body 3. The sebum thickness measuring unit 12 includes a substrate 25 whose outer surface is covered with the contact surface portion 13, and the light emitting portion 15 and the light receiving portion 16 provided on the substrate 25 are exposed through the contact surface portion 13. A switch 26 is provided on the substrate 25, and a switch contact portion 27 is provided at a location corresponding to the switch 26 of the main body 22. The unit body 22 and the substrate 25 of the sebum thickness measuring unit 12 are connected by a spring 28. The spring 28 supports the sebum thickness measuring unit 12 so that the switch contact unit 27 does not contact the switch 26 when no external force is applied to the sebum thickness measuring unit 12, and the sebum thickness measuring unit 12 against the spring 28. The switch contact portion 27 is set to come into contact with the switch 26 by pushing the contact surface portion 13 into the main body portion 22 side with a force equal to or higher than a certain pressure. Then, the subcutaneous fat thickness is measured by the light emitting unit 15 and the light receiving unit 16 in a state where the switch contact unit 27 is in contact with the switch 26, and when the switch contact unit 27 is not in contact with the switch 26, the light emitting unit 15 and the light receiving unit 16 are used. It is set not to measure subcutaneous fat thickness. That is, in the example of FIG. 8, the sebum thickness measuring unit 12, the switch 26, the switch contact unit 27, the spring 28, and the like that are provided so as to be movable with respect to the main body 22 constitute a measurement limiting unit.

  By providing the measurement restricting means in this way, the subcutaneous fat thickness can be measured by the sebum thickness measuring unit 12 only when a predetermined pressure is applied to the contact surface portion 13 of the sebum thickness measuring unit 12. The subcutaneous fat thickness at the measurement site 20 can be accurately measured. That is, when the contact surface portion 13 of the sebum thickness measuring unit 12 is pressed against the measurement site 20, the fat layer is compressed and the fat layer is thinned as the pressure increases, and this thickness is substantially converged at a certain value. However, if the pressure value at the time when the thickness of the subcutaneous fat converges is set to a predetermined value, and the measurement is performed only when the contact surface portion 13 is pressed only at a pressure equal to or higher than the predetermined value, the measurement value is stable. In addition, reproducibility is also improved, and this enables accurate measurement. The measurement limiting means is not limited to the above, and may be a measurement limiting means using a pressure sensor that measures the pressure applied to the contact surface portion 13. In FIG. 8, the protrusions 30 and the protrusions 32 are provided as in the embodiment of FIG. 7, but the protrusions 30 and the protrusions 32 may not be provided. Further, as described above, there may be provided a notification means composed of a lamp, a buzzer or the like for notifying that measurement is possible when a predetermined pressure is applied to the contact surface portion 13 of the sebum thickness measuring portion 12. The measurement of the subcutaneous fat thickness may be started automatically without operating the operation unit 21.

  In any of the above embodiments, the communication means is the wired cable 4. However, the communication means is a wireless communication means that communicates wirelessly as long as measurement signals as measurement data of the weight scale 2 and the apparatus body 3 can be exchanged. There may be no need to provide a cable 4 or the like that gets in the way of measurement. Although the control unit is provided in the weight scale 2, it may be provided in the apparatus main body 3. In this case, the control unit is preferably provided in the main body 22.

  Further, the subcutaneous fat thickness meter 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 9 is provided with the apparatus main body 3 and the weight scale 2, but the subcutaneous fat thickness meter 1 is not provided with the weight scale 2 as shown in FIG. You may comprise with the apparatus main body 3. FIG. That is, in this case, the control unit is built in the apparatus main body 3, and the impedance measuring means is constituted by the measurement electrode 9 provided in the apparatus main body 3 and the control unit. Further, when the subcutaneous fat thickness meter 1 is constituted only by the apparatus main body 3, for example, the body part can be input as the body data in addition to the body data by the operation unit 21, and the same measurement result as the above embodiment can be obtained. The design may be appropriately modified such that only the subcutaneous fat thickness or impedance value is obtained as a measurement result.

It is a perspective view of a subcutaneous fat thickness meter which shows an example of an embodiment of the invention. It is the perspective view which looked at the apparatus main body same as the above from the back side. It is explanatory drawing of an optical-type sebum thickness measuring means. It is the perspective view which looked at the apparatus main body of the subcutaneous fat thickness gauge of other examples from the back side. Furthermore, it is the perspective view which looked at the apparatus main body of the subcutaneous fat thickness gauge of another example from the back surface side. Furthermore, it is the perspective view which looked at the apparatus main body of the subcutaneous fat thickness gauge of another example from the surface side. It is a perspective view of the contact part vicinity of an apparatus main body same as the above. Furthermore, it is sectional drawing of the contact part vicinity of the apparatus main body of the subcutaneous fat thickness gauge of another example. Furthermore, it is a perspective view of the contact part vicinity of the apparatus main body of the subcutaneous fat thickness gauge of another example. Furthermore, the subcutaneous fat thickness meter of another example is shown, (a) is the perspective view seen from the surface side, (b) is the perspective view seen from the back surface side.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Subcutaneous fat thickness meter 3 Apparatus main body 8 Gripping part 9 Measuring electrode 10 Display part 12 Sebum thickness measuring part 15 Light emitting part 16 Light receiving part 20 Measurement site 22 Main part

Claims (7)

  A sebum thickness measuring unit having a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit for measuring the subcutaneous fat thickness of the measurement site of the subject is provided on the back surface of the flat device main body, and a display unit for displaying the measurement result on the surface of the device main body. A subcutaneous fat thickness gauge characterized by being provided.   The subcutaneous fat thickness meter according to claim 1, wherein a measuring electrode for measuring bioimpedance by contacting the body of the subject to the body of the apparatus is provided.   3. The apparatus main body includes a grip part that is a part to be gripped by a subject, and the grip part is provided so as to be movable with respect to a main part constituting the main body of the apparatus main body. Subcutaneous fat thickness meter as described in 1.   The subcutaneous fat thickness meter according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sebum thickness measuring section is provided so as to be movable with respect to the main body constituting the main body of the apparatus main body.   The subcutaneous fat thickness meter according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the display unit is provided so as to be movable with respect to the main body constituting the main body of the apparatus main body.   A contact surface portion for contacting the measurement site is formed on the back surface of the apparatus main body, a protrusion is provided at the center of the contact surface portion, and the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion are exposed from the protrusion end surface of the protrusion. The subcutaneous fat thickness meter according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the subcutaneous fat thickness meter is provided as described above.   A contact surface portion for contacting the measurement site is formed on the back surface of the apparatus main body, a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion are provided on the contact surface portion, and an annular protrusion is provided over the entire periphery of the contact surface portion. The subcutaneous fat thickness meter according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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