JP2010005336A - Weight/body composition meter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a weight/body composition meter capable of enhancing the accuracy in detection by reducing the influence of bending of a housing. <P>SOLUTION: The weight/body composition meter comprises the housing with a loaded surface on which a subject is placed on the upper surface, supported by a plurality of leg parts on the lower surface; electrodes mounted on the loaded surface for measuring the body impedance of the subject; load sensors attached to the leg parts for measuring the weight of the subject; and an electronic circuit board 19 housed inside the housing and connected to the electrodes and the load sensors via lead wires. The electronic circuit board 19 has an amplification circuit for amplifying input signals from the electrodes and load sensors and outputting the amplified signals to a control circuit. The electronic circuit board 19 is mounted inside the housing in such a way that the board surface is extended approximately in the same direction as the direction of bending of the housing inner wall surface when the loaded surface receives loads. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a body weight / body composition meter.

  The body composition meter is composed of an electrode for measuring the body impedance of the subject, a load sensor for measuring the body weight of the subject, the electrodes and the load on a housing having a load surface on which the subject is placed. Various electronic components such as an electronic circuit board on which an electronic circuit for processing a signal detected by the sensor is formed are attached.

  With reference to FIG. 6, the structure of the conventional body composition monitor will be described. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing a main body housing of a weight / body composition meter according to a conventional example.

  The main body housing 100 includes a front housing 101 and a ground housing 102. The front housing 101 has electrodes (not shown) for measuring the body impedance of the subject attached to the load surface 101a. The ground housing 102 is made of sheet metal, and strain gauges (not shown) as load sensors are attached to leg portions 102a provided at the four corners. Further, an electronic circuit board 103 connected to the upper surface of the ground housing 102 on the inner side of the main body housing 100 via a strain gauge and a lead wire (not shown) is attached.

  The main body housing 100 has a structure with sufficient rigidity so as not to be greatly deformed even when the subject is placed. However, it is difficult to completely prevent the main body housing 100 from being deformed, and a slight amount of deflection occurs on a surface parallel to the floor surface. In particular, when the ground housing 102 made of a single sheet metal parallel to the floor surface receives a load, the leg portion is deformed so that the vicinity of the center of the leg portion is bent downward with respect to the end portion provided with the 102a.

  Both ends of the electronic circuit board 103 are fixed to the upper surface of the ground housing 102 so that the extending direction of the board is parallel to the ground housing 102. Accordingly, when the deformation is generated in the ground housing 102 by placing the subject, stress is applied to the electronic circuit board 103.

  Various electronic components are mounted on the electronic circuit board 103. An operational amplifier (amplifying circuit) that amplifies an input signal from an electrode or a strain gauge and outputs the amplified signal to a control circuit is strongly affected by deformation of the board. It is easy to cause fluctuations in the output. The amount of variation varies depending on the size of the board, mounting conditions, and how stress is applied, but when stress is applied from the outside of the semiconductor, the specific resistance of the semiconductor changes due to the piezo effect. Also, stress is applied to the mounted IC chip, and the characteristics of the differential amplifier circuit used in the input section of the operational amplifier will fluctuate.

  On the other hand, it is conceivable to use an operational amplifier that has a strong characteristic against the influence of deflection, but since the deflection of the housing cannot be completely eliminated, the influence can be reduced, but the influence is completely eliminated. It is difficult.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a body composition analyzer capable of reducing the influence of the deflection of the housing and improving the detection accuracy.

In order to achieve the above object, the body composition monitor according to the present invention comprises:
A housing provided with a load-bearing surface on which the subject is placed on the upper surface and supported by a plurality of legs provided on the lower surface;
An electrode attached to the load surface for measuring the body impedance of the subject;
A load sensor attached to the leg for measuring the weight of the subject;
An electronic circuit board that is housed in the housing and is connected to the electrode and the load sensor via a lead wire, and includes an amplification circuit that amplifies an input signal from the electrode and the load sensor and outputs the amplified signal to a control circuit; ,
A body composition monitor comprising:
The electronic circuit board is mounted inside the housing such that the direction in which the surface of the board extends is substantially the same as the direction in which the inner wall surface of the housing bends when receiving a load on the load surface. To do.

  In this way, by mounting the electronic circuit board so that the direction in which the surface of the board extends is substantially the same as the direction in which the inner wall surface of the housing bends, it is difficult for stress to act on the electronic circuit board even if the housing is bent. It becomes. Therefore, when the housing is deflected, the amplification circuit provided on the electronic circuit board is prevented from changing in output.

Inside the housing, there is provided a groove extending in a direction substantially the same as the direction in which the inner wall surface of the housing bends when receiving a load on the load surface,
The electronic circuit board may be attached to the inside of the housing by loosely fitting the end portion into the groove.

  Thereby, the play between the grooves absorbs the deflection of the housing, and the stress is more effectively suppressed from acting on the electronic circuit board.

  The electronic circuit board may be provided with an elastic member or a cushioning member between the inner wall surface of the housing.

  Thereby, it is more effectively suppressed that the elastic member or the member having cushioning properties absorbs the deflection of the housing and the stress acts on the electronic circuit board.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to improve the detection accuracy by reducing the influence of the deflection of the housing.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be exemplarily described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the components described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to those unless otherwise specified. .

(Example)
With reference to FIGS. 1-5, the body weight body composition meter which concerns on the Example of this invention is demonstrated. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of the whole body composition monitor. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a use state of the body weight / body composition meter. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the body weight / body composition meter. FIG. 4 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the body composition monitor main body. 5A and 5B are schematic views showing a housing portion of the electronic circuit board in the main body housing, wherein FIG. 5A is a schematic plan view showing the housing portion in an enlarged manner, and FIG. FIG.

<Configuration of body weight composition meter>
With reference mainly to FIG.1 and FIG.2, the schematic structure of the whole body weight composition meter is demonstrated.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the body weight / body composition meter is roughly composed of a main body 1 and a holding unit (display operation unit) 2. The main body 1 and the holding unit 2 are connected by a cable 3 and can transmit and receive signals. In addition, the structure which connects the main body 1 and the holding | maintenance part 2 by radio | wireless communication may be sufficient. When not in use, the holding unit 2 and the cable 3 are stored in the holding unit storage unit 14 of the main body 1.

  Four foot electrodes 10L, 10R, 11L, and 11R are provided on the upper surface (load surface) of the main body 1. The electrodes 10L and 10R are electrodes for applying a current to the left and right soles, and the electrodes 11L and 11R are electrodes for detecting a voltage from the left and right soles.

  Legs 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d that support the main body 1 in contact with the floor surface are provided at the four corners of the lower surface of the main body 1. Inside these leg portions 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d, strain gauges 13a, 13b, 13c, and 13d are provided as load sensors for measuring body weight.

  The holding unit 2 is provided with left and right grips 20L and 20R, a display unit 21, an operation unit 22, and the like. The display unit 21 is a part that displays measurement results, guidance, and the like, and is configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display. The operation unit 22 includes a user interface for inputting user information such as age, sex, and height, selecting a registration number (user), and inputting other information. The display unit 21 and the operation unit 22 may be configured by common hardware using a touch panel display.

  The grips 20L and 20R are provided with electrodes 24L and 24R for applying a current to the palm and electrodes 25L and 25R for detecting a voltage from the palm, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the body weight / body composition meter configured as described above has the subject put the left foot on the electrodes 10 </ b> L and 11 </ b> L on the upper surface of the main body 1 and the right foot on the electrodes 10 </ b> R and 11 </ b> R. 2. Hold the electrodes 24L, 25L of the left grip 20L with the left hand, hold the electrodes 24R, 25R of the right grip 20R with the right hand, extend the arm horizontally, and hold the holding portion 2 at substantially the same height as the shoulder. Used by.

  The control configuration of the body weight / body composition meter will be described mainly with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the holding unit 2 includes a control unit 26, an impedance measurement unit 27 as a means for measuring body composition, a storage unit 28, a power source 29, and the like. Further, the main body 1 incorporates a weight measuring unit 19a as means for measuring the body weight to which the load sensor is connected, an impedance interface 19b to which the foot electrode is connected, and the like. The weight measuring unit 19a and the impedance interface 19b are provided on the electronic circuit board 19.

  The control unit 26 includes a CPU (arithmetic processing unit), a memory, and the like. When the CPU executes a program, the weight and impedance measurement values and the user's body identification information read from the storage unit 28 are read. Is configured to perform various processes such as estimation of various body composition components (body fat, visceral fat, etc.) and determination of the degree of change in body composition value, and display the processing results on the display unit 21. Has been. However, some or all of the functions performed by the control unit 26 may be configured by a dedicated chip.

  The body weight measurement unit 19a is a means for measuring the body weight of the subject by detecting changes in resistance values detected by the strain gauges 13a, 13b, 13c, and 13d.

  The impedance measuring unit 27 applies a predetermined current to the living body from the foot electrodes 10L and 10R and the hand electrodes 24L and 24R according to the control of the control unit 26, and the foot electrodes 11L and 11R and the hand electrodes 25L and 25R. It is a means for measuring impedance in the body by detecting voltage.

  The storage unit 28 includes a storage medium such as a nonvolatile memory. In the storage unit 28, the control unit 26 stores the measurement results (measurement values) of the body weight and the body composition in time series for each user (by registration number). The storage unit 28 also stores body specifying information (gender, age, height) of each user. In the body composition monitor according to the present embodiment, a plurality of (for example, four) users can be registered, and the user can be selected by designating a registration number on the operation unit 22.

  For specific processing flow when measuring body weight and body composition, and specific processing contents of the weight measuring unit 19a, the control unit 26, and the impedance measuring unit 27, etc., publicly known methods should be adopted as appropriate. The description is omitted here.

<Housing structure of body composition monitor body>
The housing structure of the main body 1 will be described mainly with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the main body 1 is roughly composed of a housing main body 1a and a housing cover 1b. Both the housing body 1a and the housing cover 1b are resin molded products. Examples of the resin material include ABS resin and polycarbonate.

  The housing main body 1a is a housing-like member whose upper surface is open, and leg portions 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d are provided at the four corners of the lower surface. The housing body 1a includes a reinforcing structure having rigidity necessary to support the weight of the subject. Specifically, a plurality of reinforcing ribs 15 extending in a lattice shape are provided inside the housing body 1a to enhance the rigidity.

  Each of the reinforcing ribs 15 has a protrusion that rises perpendicularly from the upper surface of the bottom of the housing body 1a continuously between opposing side walls in the housing body 1a, that is, a wall that partitions the internal space of the housing body 1a. It has such a shape. The plurality of reinforcing ribs 15 extend inside the housing body 1a in parallel in the vertical direction in the horizontal direction and extend in parallel in the horizontal direction so as to divide the inside of the housing body 1a into a plurality of small spaces. Are configured to cross each other. In addition, various structures have been known for reinforcing structures that increase rigidity by such reinforcing ribs. In this embodiment, a plurality of reinforcing ribs intersect each other at right angles so that the internal space is substantially rectangular. For example, the configuration may be a triangular shape or a honeycomb shape.

  The reinforcing rib 15 is configured such that the upper surface thereof abuts the lower surface of the housing cover 1b to support the housing cover 1b from below. The number, interval, thickness, and the like of the reinforcing ribs 15 are appropriately set based on specifications such as the shape and dimensions of the housing body 1a. In addition, the reinforcing ribs 15 are provided at substantially the same height as a whole. However, as will be described later, the height of the reinforcing ribs 15 is partially reduced at locations where the housing portion of the electronic circuit board 19 and the lead wires are wired. It has become.

Foot electrodes 10L, 10R, 11L, and 11R are attached to the upper surface of the opened housing body 1a, supported by the reinforcing ribs 15. In FIG. 4, each electrode is illustrated as being mounted directly on the reinforcing rib 15, but a plate material or the like may be mounted between the electrode and the reinforcing rib 15. Further, strain gauges 13a, 13b, 13c, and 13d as load sensors are attached to the insides of the leg portions of the housing body 1a.

  The reinforcing rib 15 is provided with a housing portion 15a for an electronic circuit board 19 formed by partially reducing the height or by cutting out a part thereof. In addition, the method of accommodating the electronic circuit board 19 is not limited to this, and a method of inserting and accommodating the electronic circuit board 19 in the gap between the adjacent reinforcing ribs 15 may be used if design dimensions are possible.

  The electronic circuit board 19 is connected to the foot electrodes 10L, 10R, 11L, 11R and the strain gauges 13a, 13b, 13c, 13d through lead wires (not shown). The electronic circuit board 19 is connected to an electronic circuit board accommodated in the holding unit 2 via the cable 3, and a control circuit (control unit 26) or an impedance measurement circuit (impedance) provided on the board. An amplifier circuit (op-amp) for amplifying and outputting input signals from the electrodes and strain gauges is formed for the measuring unit 27).

  Although not shown, the lead wires connecting the respective foot electrodes 10L, 10R, 11L, and 11R and the strain gauges 13a, 13b, 13c, and 13d and the electronic circuit board 19 are gaps between the reinforcing ribs 15. Or, it extends so as to sew a notch for wiring (not shown) provided in a part of the reinforcing rib 15.

  The housing cover 1b is a plate-like member having a planar shape corresponding to the opened upper surface of the housing body 1a. The upper surface of the housing cover 1 b is a load surface on which the subject is placed, and the lower surface is supported by the reinforcing rib 15.

  Further, the housing cover 1b is provided with openings 16a, 16b, 16c, and 16d penetrating vertically at four locations corresponding to the attachment positions of the foot electrodes 10L, 10R, 11L, and 11R in the housing main body 1a. . Each of the openings 16a, 16b, 16c, and 16d has substantially the same planar shape and size as each of the foot electrodes, and when attached to the housing body 1a, each of the foot electrodes is entirely loaded surface. It is provided so as to be exposed. Further, the thickness of the housing cover 1b is set such that when the subject is placed on the upper surface of the housing cover 1b, a part of the sole is surely in contact with each foot electrode. For example, in the state attached to the housing main body 1a, the height of the upper surface of the housing cover 1b is provided so as to be substantially the same as the upper surface of each foot electrode.

<Receiving part of electronic circuit board>
With reference mainly to FIG. 5, the housing | casing part of the electronic circuit board in a housing is demonstrated.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the accommodating portion 15 a is formed by providing a cutout portion 15 b in a part of the plurality of reinforcing ribs 15. The electronic circuit board 19 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape as a whole. It is attached. The number, depth, and the like of the cutout portions 15b are appropriately set based on the dimensions of the electronic circuit board 19 and the number and interval of the reinforcing ribs 15. Although not shown, the electronic circuit board 19 is connected to lead wires wired between electrodes and strain gauges, and various kinds of operational amplifiers, IC chips, etc. are provided on the substrate surface. Electronic circuit components are mounted.

  A pair of engaging portions 15 c having grooves extending in a substantially vertical direction are provided at both ends of the accommodating portion 15 a in the long side direction of the electronic circuit board 19. The electronic circuit board 19 is positioned in the accommodating portion 15a by loosely fitting both ends of the short side into the groove of the engaging portion 15c.

  The extending direction of the board surface of the electronic circuit board 19 attached in this way is substantially the same as the direction in which the housing undergoes flexural deformation when a load is applied to the load surface by placing the subject. ing. In the body composition monitor housing, the plane parallel to the floor is in a state where both ends are fixedly supported by legs provided at the four corners of the lower surface of the housing. On the other hand, the central part is deformed to be bent downward in a substantially vertical direction. On the other hand, the electronic circuit board 19 is a plate-like member, and hardly deforms with respect to the force acting in the extending direction of the board unless the force is very large. In other words, the electronic circuit board 19 is attached to the housing so that the direction in which the board is less likely to be deformed by an external force and the direction in which the inner wall surface of the housing is flexibly deformed substantially coincide. .

  Although not shown, a rubber member as an elastic member or a sponge as a member having a cushioning property is interposed in the gap between the electronic circuit board 19 and the reinforcing rib 15 (inner wall surface of the housing). Is preferred. The electronic circuit board 19 is elastically supported in the housing portion 15c by the rubber member or sponge, so that the flexure of the housing is absorbed and the looseness between the loosely-fitted engagement portion 15c and the groove. Can be suppressed. Further, the lead wires connected to the substrate may be wired so as to be packed in a space opened between the substrate and the accommodating portion 15a. Also in this case, the packed lead wire can act as a cushion and suppress the rattling of the electronic circuit board 19.

  <Excellent points of this embodiment>

  In this embodiment, the deflection of the housing is achieved by attaching the electronic circuit board 19 so that the direction in which the surface of the board extends, that is, the direction in which the board is less likely to deform and the direction in which the inner wall surface of the housing bend is substantially the same. As a result, the electronic circuit board 19 is hardly subjected to stress. As a result, even if the housing is bent, the electronic circuit board 19 is less likely to be stressed, and fluctuations in the output of the amplifier circuit and the like mounted on the board are suppressed.

  Therefore, the detection accuracy can be improved by reducing the influence of the deflection of the housing in the body composition monitor.

  The above embodiment is merely an example of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the technical idea.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the type of body composition monitor has been described as having a configuration in which the main body and the holding section are separated, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a control section, a display section, etc. are provided on the main body side. The present invention can be applied to various known configurations such as a configuration in which impedance measurement is performed using only the foot electrodes and the holding unit is eliminated. Further, the arrangement of electrodes, load sensors, and the like is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, and can be changed as appropriate.

  Further, the housing structure of the body composition meter main body is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the rigidity is reinforced by the reinforcing rib above the ground housing made of a single sheet metal. The conventional structure which covers the front housing which consists of a resin molded product may be sufficient.

It is a schematic diagram which shows schematic structure of the whole body weight composition meter. It is a schematic diagram which shows the use condition of a body weight body composition meter. It is a block diagram which shows the control structure of a body weight body composition meter. It is a typical exploded perspective view of a body composition monitor main body. It is a schematic diagram which shows the accommodating part of the electronic circuit board in a housing. It is a disassembled perspective view of the main body housing of the body weight composition meter which concerns on a prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body 1a Housing main body 1b Housing cover 10L, 10R Foot electrode 11L, 11R Foot electrode 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d Leg part 13a, 13b, 13c, 13d Strain gauge 14 Holding part accommodation part 15 Reinforcement rib 15a Accommodation part 15b Notch 15c Engagement part 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d Opening part 17a, 17b, 17c, 17d Lead wire 18a, 18b, 18c, 18d Lead wire 19 Electronic circuit board 19a Weight measurement part 19b Impedance interface 2 Holding part 20L, 20R grip 21 display unit 22 operation unit 24L, 24R hand electrode 25L, 25R hand electrode 26 control unit 27 impedance measurement unit 28 storage unit 29 power supply 3 cable

Claims (3)

A housing provided with a load-bearing surface on which the subject is placed on the upper surface and supported by a plurality of legs provided on the lower surface;
An electrode attached to the load surface for measuring the body impedance of the subject;
A load sensor attached to the leg for measuring the weight of the subject;
An electronic circuit board that is housed in the housing and is connected to the electrode and the load sensor via a lead wire, and includes an amplification circuit that amplifies an input signal from the electrode and the load sensor and outputs the amplified signal to a control circuit; ,
A body composition monitor comprising:
The electronic circuit board is mounted inside the housing such that the direction in which the surface of the board extends is substantially the same as the direction in which the inner wall surface of the housing bends when receiving a load on the load surface. Body composition monitor. Inside the housing, there is provided a groove extending in a direction substantially the same as the direction in which the inner wall surface of the housing bends when receiving a load on the load surface,
2. The body composition monitor according to claim 1, wherein the electronic circuit board is attached inside the housing by loosely fitting an end of the electronic circuit board.   3. The body composition monitor according to claim 1, wherein an elastic member or a member having cushioning properties is interposed between the electronic circuit board and the inner wall surface of the housing.

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