JP5051370B2 - Biological information acquisition device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a biological information acquisition apparatus that is mounted on a seat portion of a vehicle or the like and efficiently and non-invasively senses a weak signal from a living body that is important in determining the health condition of a driver.

  In recent years, intelligent vehicles have been further promoted, and various techniques for monitoring the health of passengers centered on drivers have been proposed.

For example, in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-329956), a monitoring unit that monitors a driving state of a driving object by a driver, a biological signal detection unit that detects a biological signal of the driver, and the biological signal detection described above. Calculating means for quantifying information contained in the biological signal detected by the means, and determining means for determining the driver's skill level from the driving information by the monitoring means and the change of the biological signal information from the start of driving by the calculating means A driver monitoring device is disclosed.
JP 2004-329956 A

  In the device described in Patent Document 1, there is a problem that the biological signal detecting means for detecting the biological signal of the driver does not disclose how the biological signal of the driver is specifically detected. In other words, in-vehicle biological signal sensors do not require the driver to install sensing equipment, and simply acquire the biological signal without being bothered by the driver while sitting in the seat. Must not.

  In sensing biological signals under such circumstances, there are technically high barriers that must be solved. However, Patent Document 1 does not disclose any such thing. In particular, in an electrocardiographic sensor that acquires information related to the heart, which is important for judging the health status of the driver, it is necessary to sense a weak electrical signal from the heart while the driver of the clothing is sitting on the seat. Although there is technical difficulty, there is a problem in that Patent Document 1 does not describe any technique related to efficient acquisition of weak signals in such an in-vehicle biological signal sensor.

  According to the experiments by the inventors, in a biological information acquisition device such as an in-vehicle electrocardiographic sensor that employs a method in which an electrode is not directly attached to the skin, an electrocardiogram signal is measured between the electrode and the skin ( It was found that the humidity of the inner part of the clothes and clothes) must be maintained at a certain level or higher (the required humidity varies depending on the thickness and material of the clothes, but from 40% RH to 60% RH or more). In other words, in order to stably observe the electrocardiogram signal, it has become apparent that the humidity above a certain level must be maintained in order to ensure electrical continuity between the electrode and the driver's skin. The driver monitor device described in No. 1 has a problem that this is not considered at all.

In order to solve the above problems, the invention according to claim 1 is a biological information acquisition device that is mounted on a seat portion and detects a biological signal related to a living body non-invasively, and is attached to the inside of the seat. And an humidity control means for controlling the humidity in the vicinity of the electrode.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the biological information acquiring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the humidity control means is a heater and a cooler.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the biological information acquiring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the humidity control means is a heating element and a cooling element.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the biological information acquiring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the humidity control means is a humidifier and a dehumidifier.

  According to the biological information acquisition apparatus of the first aspect of the present invention, it becomes possible to maintain the humidity between the skin and the electrode necessary for detecting the electrical signal of the living body by the humidity control means, Thus, it becomes possible to observe the electrical signal of the living body.

  Further, according to the biological information acquiring apparatus according to claim 2 of the present invention, the humidity between the skin and the electrode necessary for detecting an electrical signal of the living body is adjusted by a heater and a cooler built in the seat portion. Thus, it is possible to stably observe an electrical signal of a living body. Moreover, such a heater and a cooler can also be used for controlling the temperature of the entire vehicle interior, and the conventional vehicle air conditioning equipment can be diverted by a simple design change.

  Moreover, according to the biological information acquisition apparatus according to claim 3 of the present invention, between the skin and the electrode necessary for detecting an electrical signal of the living body by the heating element and the cooling element incorporated in the seat portion. It is possible to maintain the humidity of the living body, and it is possible to stably observe the electrical signal of the living body. Further, such a heating element and a cooling element do not require a mechanical configuration such as a compressor, and therefore can be stored compactly and easily inside the seat.

  Moreover, according to the biological information acquisition apparatus according to claim 4 of the present invention, the humidifier and the dehumidifier incorporated in the seat portion are used to detect an electrical signal of the living body between the skin and the electrode. It becomes possible to maintain the humidity, and it becomes possible to observe the electrical signal of the living body stably. In addition, such a humidifier and dehumidifier can directly control the humidity between the electrode and the skin, and can quickly change to a state where an electrical signal can be detected.

  Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of the vicinity of a driver's seat of a biological information acquisition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 schematically shows a schematic configuration of the biological information acquisition apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a main part of the circuit configuration of the biological information acquisition apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a block configuration of the biological information acquisition apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows an outline.

  In addition, although the biometric information acquisition apparatus of this embodiment assumes mounting in vehicles, such as a motor vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, and an electric vehicle, it is also possible to mount in other moving means, such as a train, a ship, and an aircraft. It is. In the present embodiment, the target for acquiring biological information such as heart-related information (heart rate / electrocardiogram) is a vehicle driver, and the configuration of electrodes and the like for acquiring the biological information is provided in the driver's seat. However, the biometric information acquisition target person may be a passenger such as a passenger seat or a rear seat, and the configuration of the present invention can be similarly applied to the seat of the passenger. Is. In the present embodiment, information related to the heart of the driver (heart rate, electrocardiogram, etc.) is acquired as the biological information. However, the configuration around the electrode of the present invention is biological information for acquiring other biological information. The present invention can also be applied to an acquisition device. More specifically, it is also applicable to acquiring biological information such as breathing, body temperature, body weight, body fat, blood pressure, sweating, line of sight, myoelectricity, skin impedance of the passenger.

  1 to 4, 10 is a driver seat, 20 is a driver seat belt, 21 is a first-stage amplifier for a first electrode, 25 is a coaxial cable for a first ECG sensor electrode, and 30 is a second ECG sensor. Electrode, 31 is a first stage amplifier for a second ECG sensor electrode, 35 is a coaxial cable for a second ECG sensor electrode, 40 is a ground electrode, 45 is a ground cable, 50 is a second stage amplifier, 51 is Amplifier, 52 is a high-pass filter, 53 is a low-pass filter, 60 is a heater / cooler, 80 is a pressure sensor, 100 is a control processing unit, 200 is an electrocardiogram information acquisition unit, 210 and 220 are first and second electrocardiographic sensor electrodes , 300 is a humidity control unit, 400 is a driver posture detection unit, 600 is a determination result output unit, 610 is a display, 620 is a speaker, 900 is a storage unit, and 920 is a personal information file. Shows each Le.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the seat 10 is a driver's seat, and in this embodiment, the driver is a monitor target of the biological information acquisition apparatus. Inside the seat 10, electrocardiographic sensor electrodes 210 and 220 made of, for example, capacitive electrodes are provided so as not to be exposed to the seat 10. The ground electrode 40 is disposed in a portion (seat portion) of the seat 10 where the buttocks of the driver hits, and the ground electrode 40 is connected to the second-stage amplifier unit 50 by a ground cable 45. The ground electrode 40 is used as a configuration for determining a reference potential for removing an offset signal generated in a signal from the first electrocardiographic sensor electrode 210 (second electrocardiographic sensor electrode 220).

  The heater / cooler 60 is provided inside the seat 10 and controls the temperature in the vicinity of the first ECG sensor electrode 210 and the second ECG sensor electrode 220. In place of the heater / cooler 60, a temperature control means such as a seat air conditioner or a heat pump may be used. In the biological information acquisition apparatus of the present embodiment, the humidity between the driver's skin and the first ECG sensor electrode 210 (second ECG sensor electrode 220) is changed by temperature control by the heater / cooler 60. It is aimed.

  The pressure sensor 80 detects pressure from the back of the driver, and is generally disposed between the first electrocardiographic sensor electrode 210 and the second electrocardiographic sensor electrode 220. Information from the pressure sensor 80 is used to determine whether or not the driver is in close contact with the electrocardiographic sensor electrodes 210 and 220 of the seat 10.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the driver's seat 10 is provided with first and second electrocardiographic sensor electrodes 210 and 220, and the driver gets on the vehicle, sits on the driver's seat 10 and holds the steering wheel. When driving the vehicle, a weak current is detected from the electrocardiographic sensor electrodes 210 and 220 on the driver's back. These weak currents are amplified and acquired by the control processing unit 100 of the biological information acquisition apparatus as information (heart rate, electrocardiogram, etc.) relating to the driver's heart. The electrocardiographic sensor electrodes 210 and 220 used for acquiring such information related to the heart (heart rate and electrocardiogram) are composed of, for example, capacitive electrodes. As such a capacitive electrode, for example, those described in JP-A-2005-511174 can be used.

  For the first electrocardiogram sensor electrode 210 and the second electrocardiogram sensor electrode 220 in the electrocardiogram information acquisition unit 200, for example, a capacitive electrocardiograph sensor electrode having an oxide film layer provided on the surface thereof is used. The sensor electrode 210 is disposed so as to be substantially on the left side of the driver's back, and the second electrocardiographic sensor electrode 220 is disposed so as to be approximately on the right side of the driver's back.

  A signal detected between the first electrocardiographic sensor electrode 210 and a predetermined reference potential is transmitted from the first electrocardiographic sensor electrode first-stage amplifier unit 21 and from the second electrocardiographic sensor electrode 220 to a predetermined reference potential. A signal detected between the first and second potentials is amplified by the first-stage amplifier unit 31 for the second electrocardiographic sensor electrode to a signal level of about 1 mV to several mV (for example, 2 mV). .

  The distance between the first electrocardiographic sensor electrode 210 and the input terminal of the first electrocardiographic sensor electrode first stage amplifier unit 21, the second electrocardiographic sensor electrode 220 and the second electrocardiographic sensor electrode first stage amplifier unit The distance between the first and second ECG sensor electrodes 210 and 220 is preferably as short as possible in order to avoid the influence of external noise. The first stage amplifier section is arranged. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the first ECG sensor electrode first stage amplifier section 21 and the second ECG sensor electrode first stage amplifier section 31 are both embedded in the seat 10. .

  The output signal from the first stage amplifier unit 21 for the first ECG sensor electrode and the output signal from the first stage amplifier unit 31 for the second ECG sensor electrode are both output to the second stage amplifier unit 50, respectively. The second-stage amplifier unit 50 performs the second-stage amplification.

  The signals from the first-stage amplifier unit 21 for the first ECG sensor electrode and the first-stage amplifier unit 31 for the second ECG sensor electrode are the coaxial cable 25 for the first ECG sensor electrode and the second ECG sensor electrode, respectively. The coaxial cable 35 is transmitted to the second-stage amplifier unit 50, and the second-stage amplifier unit 50 performs the second-stage amplification. The amplified signal amplified by the second stage amplifier unit 50 is processed by a signal processing circuit (not shown) or the like. A signal processed by the signal processing circuit or the like is input from the electrocardiogram information acquisition unit 200 to the control processing unit 100 and used as information for determining the appropriateness of the biological signal, determining the health condition of the driver, and the like.

  Next, an amplification circuit of the heart rate sensor in the electrocardiogram information acquisition unit 200 of the biosensor will be described. Since the circuit configuration of the first stage amplifier is common to that for the first ECG sensor electrode 210 and that for the second ECG sensor electrode 220, only one circuit configuration is shown in FIG. ing. In FIG. 3, AMP1 to AMP3 are amplifiers, and C1 and C3 are capacitors.

  The capacitor C1 is interposed between the first electrocardiographic sensor electrode 210 (second electrocardiographic sensor electrode 220) and AMP1, and the first electrocardiographic sensor electrode 210 (second electrocardiographic sensor electrode 220), AMP1 and Are AC coupled (AC coupled). As a result, the offset signal generated in the signal input to the first stage amplifier section is removed. The output from the AMP2 is input to the AMP3 and fed back to the input of the AMP1 through the capacitor C3, thereby forming a bootstrap circuit. By these AMP1 and AMP2, the detection signal from the first electrocardiographic sensor electrode 210 (second electrocardiographic sensor electrode 220) can be amplified to about 1 mV with stable and low noise. AMP3 has an amplification factor of about several times, and the output signal of the first stage amplifier from AMP3 has a level of about several mV (for example, 2 mV).

  The output signal from the first-stage amplifier unit 21 for the first ECG sensor electrode (first-stage amplifier unit 31 for the second ECG sensor electrode) is amplified to about several times by the first-stage amplifier unit, and then described above. In this way, it is guided to the second stage amplifier section by the coaxial cable and amplified by several tens of times by the second stage amplifier section. Due to such a two-stage amplifier configuration, the configuration of the biological information acquisition apparatus of the present embodiment is an optimal configuration for mounting in a vehicle or the like.

  The circuit configuration of the second-stage amplifier section is common to the signal for the first ECG sensor electrode 210 and the signal for the second ECG sensor electrode 220. Only the configuration is shown.

  In FIG. 3, 51 indicates an amplifier, 52 indicates a high-pass filter, and 53 indicates a low-pass filter. The second-stage amplifier unit 50 is provided with an amplifier 51 that amplifies the signal from the first-stage amplifier unit on the order of several tens of times, and a high-pass filter 52 and a low-pass filter 53.

  The high-pass filter 52 and the low-pass filter 53 are provided to suppress signals of frequencies other than the frequency of the electrocardiogram waveform as much as possible. With these filters, the second-stage amplifier unit 50 selectively selects only the frequency related to the electrocardiogram. You can get it. The amplified signal amplified by the second-stage amplifier unit 50 is processed by a signal processing circuit (not shown) or the like and used as information acquired by the electrocardiogram information acquisition unit 200.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the biological information acquisition apparatus according to the present embodiment mainly includes a control processing unit 100, an electrocardiogram information acquisition unit 200, a humidity control unit 300, a driver posture detection unit 400, a determination result output unit 600, A storage unit 900 is included. The biological information acquisition apparatus according to the present embodiment performs determination by the control processing unit 100 based on the electrical signals acquired by the first electrocardiographic sensor electrode 210 and the second electrocardiographic sensor electrode 220, and the humidity control unit 300, The driver posture detection unit 400, the determination result output unit 600, and the like are configured to be controlled.

  In the block diagram of the biometric information acquisition apparatus of this embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the control processing unit 100 is an electronic control unit, and includes a CPU, a ROM that holds a program operating on the CPU, a RAM that is a work area of the CPU, and the like. It is a general-purpose information processing mechanism.

  The electrocardiogram information acquisition unit 200 includes first and second electrocardiographic sensor electrodes 210 and 220 and an amplification unit that amplifies a weak current collected from these electrodes, and sits in the driver's seat 10 to operate a steering wheel. The heart rate and electrocardiogram data, which are information related to the driver's heart, are acquired.

  The humidity control unit 300 operates the heater / cooler 60 based on the on / off signal from the control processing unit 100 to control the temperature in the vicinity of the first and second electrocardiographic sensor electrodes 210 and 220 to obtain an electrocardiographic signal. To get the humidity needed for

  The driver posture detection unit 400 determines whether or not the driver posture is in the correct position for acquiring an electrocardiogram signal based on the sensing result of the pressure sensor 80 provided on the driver back portion of the seat 10. is there.

  The determination result output unit 600 constitutes an output interface in the biological information acquisition apparatus, and includes a display 610 that displays characters, graphics, and image information, and a speaker 620 that outputs sound. The determination result output unit 600 is not limited to the above configuration, and other man-machine interface mechanisms can be used.

  The storage unit 900 includes a relatively large-capacity storage device such as a hard disk, and stores a personal information file 920 and the like. This personal information file 920 is a personal information file for each driver who uses a vehicle, and basic information of biological information that the driver can have (average heart rate (learning from past history), heart rate determination threshold. Medical history, doctor contact information) That is. Such a personal information file 920 can be used to determine whether or not the acquired electrocardiogram signal is appropriate.

  Next, humidity control at the time of acquiring a biological signal such as an electrocardiographic signal of the biological information acquiring apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 shows the result of measuring the relationship between the relative humidity (% RH) between the skin and the electrode and the SN ratio of the acquired biological signal for each clothing cloth of the driver. As the clothing fabric, five types of fabrics 1 to 5 having different thicknesses and materials were used. Here, in the biological information acquisition device, roughly, when the SN ratio of the detection signal is 15 dB or more, it is possible to analyze the detection signal as a biological signal, and when the SN ratio of the detection signal is less than 15 dB, It becomes impossible to analyze the detection signal as a biological signal.

  As shown in the figure, a biological signal of 15 dB or more can be detected at a humidity of about 40% RH depending on the type of clothing cloth of the driver, but a biological signal of 15 dB or more is detected in some cloths. In order to achieve this, there are those that require a humidity of 40% RH or higher. From such a viewpoint, the biological information acquisition apparatus according to the present embodiment creates a humidity environment above a certain level in order to correctly detect a biological signal.

  Note that if the humidity is 50% RH or more, it is possible to deal with approximately 80% of clothing fabrics, so the target humidity for detecting a biological signal can be 50% RH. Further, if the humidity is 60% RH or more, it is possible to deal with almost all clothing fabrics, so the target humidity for detecting a biological signal can be set to 60% RH. Whether the target humidity for detecting a biological signal is 50% RH or 60% RH can be appropriately set.

  Next, humidity control for achieving the target humidity at the time of biosignal acquisition of the biometric information acquisition apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the amount of saturated water vapor at each temperature. Here, a case where the target humidity for detecting a biological signal is set to 50% RH will be described.

  In the figure, a curve A indicates the saturated water vapor amount at each temperature, and a curve B indicates a water vapor amount that is half the saturated water vapor amount-that is, a humidity of 50% RH.

  Now, for example, if the temperature and humidity are points X in the figure, the temperature and humidity are below the curve B, which is below the humidity of 50% RH for detecting a biological signal. It will be. Therefore, in such a state, the biometric information acquisition apparatus according to the present embodiment operates the heater / cooler 60 that is a humidity control means, lowers the temperature to the point Y in the figure, and sets the relative humidity to 50% RH. By doing so, the biological signal from the driver is properly detected.

  According to such a configuration, it becomes possible to maintain the humidity between the skin and the electrode necessary for detecting the electrical signal of the living body by the humidity control means, and stably observe the electrical signal of the living body. It becomes possible.

  Further, the heater / cooler 60 can also be used for controlling the temperature of the entire vehicle interior, and the conventional vehicle air conditioning equipment can be diverted by a simple design change.

  When the heater / cooler 60 is used as the humidity control means, it can be dealt with by moving the temperature environment from the X point to the Y point as described above, but the humidity control means of the present invention is not limited to this. Alternatively, a humidifier / dehumidifier can be used. When a humidifier / dehumidifier is used as the humidity control means, when it is in the state of the X point, it is humidified and brought to the state of the Z point so that the biological signal from the driver is properly detected. be able to. According to the humidity control by such a humidifier and dehumidifier, it is possible to directly control the humidity between the electrode and the driver's skin, and it is possible to quickly shift to a state where an electric signal can be detected.

  Next, the humidity control process of the biological information acquisition apparatus according to the first embodiment configured as described above will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a flowchart relating to humidity control processing of the biological information acquiring apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 5, when the humidity control process of the biological information acquisition device is started at the same time as starting the ignition of the vehicle in step S100, initial setting of the biological information acquisition device is performed in step S101. In this initial setting, personal information related to the driver is read by the personal information file 920 or the like.

  In step S102, the electrocardiogram information acquisition unit 200 performs a biosignal detection process. In step S103, it is determined whether or not the biological signal is appropriate. Here, as a technique for determining whether or not a biological signal is proper, a conventionally known technique can be used.

  If the result of determination in step S103 is YES, the process proceeds to step S104, and if the result of determination in step S103 is NO, the process proceeds to step S106.

  In step S104, an appropriate biological signal can be acquired and humidity control is not necessary. In step S104, it is determined whether the heater / cooler 60, which is a humidity control device, is operating. If it is in operation, the process proceeds to step S105, and the heater / cooler 60 is stopped. If it is not in operation, the process returns to step S102 and loops. In addition, this flowchart is comprised so that it may always loop, except stopping with an ignition stop.

  In step S106 that proceeds when the determination result in S103 is NO, it is determined whether or not the driver is sitting at an appropriate seat position based on the detection result of the driver posture detection unit 400.

  When the result of determination in step S103 is YES, the process proceeds to step S107, and when the result of determination in step S103 is NO, the process proceeds to step S109.

  In step S104, humidity control is performed because a proper biological signal cannot be acquired even though the driver is sitting properly. In step S107, it is determined whether or not the heater / cooler 60, which is a temperature control device, is stopped. If it is stopped, the process proceeds to step S108, and the heater / cooler 60 is operated. If not stopped, the process returns to step S102 and loops.

  In step S109, since there is a possibility that the biological signal cannot be acquired due to the posture of the driver, the determination result output unit 600 notifies the driver of a sheet position correction recommendation notification.

  According to the living body information acquiring apparatus of the present embodiment as described above, the humidity between the skin and the electrode necessary for detecting an electric signal of the living body is maintained by the heater / cooler 60 built in the seat portion. It becomes possible to observe the electrical signal of the living body stably. Moreover, such a heater / cooler 60 can also be used for controlling the temperature of the entire vehicle interior, and the conventional vehicle air conditioning equipment can be diverted by a simple design change. .

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing the outline of the configuration of the biological information acquisition apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the configuration of the humidity control means. In the first embodiment, the humidity control means is configured by the heater / cooler 60, but in the second embodiment, the humidity control means is configured. The means is composed of a heating element / cooling element 65 such as a Peltier element. Such a heating element / cooling element 65 does not require a mechanical configuration such as a compressor, and therefore can be accommodated compactly and easily in the seat.

  Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically showing the outline of the configuration of the biological information acquiring apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The third embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the configuration of humidity control means. In the first embodiment, the humidity control means is configured by the heater / cooler 60, but in the third embodiment, the humidity control means is configured by the humidifier / dehumidifier 70.

  As the dehumidifier, a compressor type, a desiccant type (zeolite type), or a hybrid type of these can be used. Further, as the humidifier, a vaporizing type, a spraying type (ultrasonic type), a steam fan type, or a hybrid type thereof can be used.

  The third embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the second point in that a humidity sensor 92 is used for the humidity control process instead of the pressure sensor 80. Due to the above differences, the block configuration is as shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an outline of a block configuration of a biological information acquisition apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 10, the humidity control unit 300 is based on the humidifier / dehumidifier 70, and the sensing result of the humidity sensor 92 is used as the humidity detection unit 500.

  With the above differences, the humidity control processing flow of the biometric information acquisition apparatus also differs, so the processing flow will be described next. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a flowchart relating to humidity control processing of the biological information acquiring apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 10, when the humidity control process of the biological information acquisition apparatus is started at the same time as starting the ignition of the vehicle in step S200, initial setting of the biological information acquisition apparatus is performed in step S201. In this initial setting, personal information related to the driver is read by the personal information file 920 or the like.

  In step S202, the electrocardiogram information acquisition unit 200 performs a biosignal detection process. In step S203, the humidity detector 500 measures the humidity between the electrocardiographic sensor electrodes 210 and 220 and the driver's skin.

  In step S204, the (measured humidity) measured in step S203 and the (target humidity) for detecting a biological signal are compared to determine whether (measured humidity) ≧ (target humidity). Here, the (target humidity) for detecting a biological signal can be set to 50% RH, for example.

  When the determination result in step S204 is YES, the process proceeds to step S205, and when the determination result in step S204 is NO, the process proceeds to step S209.

  In step S205, since the target humidity is cleared in the measurement environment of the biological signal, it is determined whether or not the humidifier / dehumidifier 70 that is a humidity control device is in operation. Proceeding to S206, the humidity control device is stopped. On the other hand, if it is determined not to be in operation, the process proceeds to step S207.

  In step S207, it is determined whether or not the acquired biological signal is appropriate. Here, as a technique for determining whether or not a biological signal is proper, a conventionally known technique can be used.

  If the result of determination in step S207 is YES, there is no problem with the signal acquisition status, and the process returns to step S202 and loops. In addition, this flowchart is comprised so that it may always loop, except stopping with an ignition stop.

  When the result of determination in step S207 is NO, the process proceeds to step S208. In step S208, since there is a possibility that the biological signal cannot be acquired due to the posture of the driver, the determination result output unit 600 notifies the driver of a sheet position correction recommendation notification.

  In step S209 that proceeds when the determination result in step S204 is NO, the humidity of the biological signal detection environment is lower than the target. Therefore, in step S209, the humidifier / dehumidifier 70 that is a temperature control device is stopped. If it is determined that there is a stop, the process proceeds to step S210 to operate the humidity control device. If not stopped, the process returns to step S202 and loops.

  As described above, according to the third biological information acquisition apparatus, the humidity between the skin and the electrode necessary for detecting the electrical signal of the living body is determined by the humidifier / dehumidifier 70 built in the seat portion. Thus, it is possible to stably observe an electrical signal of a living body. Further, such a humidifier / dehumidifier 70 can directly control the humidity between the electrode and the skin, and can quickly change to a state where an electrical signal can be detected.

  While various embodiments have been described above, the biological information acquisition apparatus of the present invention includes a configuration in which elements constituting each embodiment are arbitrarily combined. That is, the humidity control device and means can be configured by arbitrarily combining a heater / cooler, a heating element / cooling element, a humidifier / dehumidifier, and a pressure sensor is used as the sensor. It is also possible to use a humidity sensor.

It is an external appearance perspective view around a driver's seat of a living body information acquisition device concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a figure which shows typically the outline of the structure of the biometric information acquisition apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the principal part of the circuit structure of the biometric information acquisition apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the outline of a block structure of the biometric information acquisition apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the flowchart regarding the humidity control process of the biometric information acquisition apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the relationship between skin-electrode humidity and an electrocardiogram signal. It is a figure which shows the amount of saturated water vapor | steam in each temperature. It is a figure which shows typically the outline of a structure of the biometric information acquisition apparatus which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows typically the outline of a structure of the biometric information acquisition apparatus which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the outline of a block structure of the biometric information acquisition apparatus which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the flowchart regarding the humidity control process of the biometric information acquisition apparatus which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Driver's seat, 20 ... Driver's seat belt, 21 ... First stage amplifier for first electrode, 25 ... Coaxial cable for first electrocardiographic sensor electrode, 30 ... Second ECG sensor electrode, 31... First stage amplifier for second ECG sensor electrode, 35... Coaxial cable for second ECG sensor electrode, 40... Earth electrode, 45. 50 ... 2nd stage amplifier section, 51 ... Amplifier, 52 ... High pass filter, 53 ... Low pass filter, 60 ... Heater / cooler, 65 ... Heating element / cooling element, 70 ... Humidifier / Dehumidifier, 71 ... Water tank, 80 ... Pressure sensor, 92 ... Humidity sensor, 100 ... Control processing unit, 200 ... Electrocardiogram information acquisition unit, 210 , 220... First and second electrocardiographic sensor electrodes, 3 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 0 ... Temperature control part, 400 ... Driver posture detection part, 500 ... Humidity detection part, 600 ... Determination result output part, 610 ... Display, 620 ... Speaker, 900 ... Storage unit, 920 ... personal information file

Claims (4)

A biological information acquisition device that is mounted on a seat portion and detects a biological signal related to a living body in a non-invasive manner,
An electrode mounted inside the seat for acquiring biological information ;
A biological information acquisition apparatus comprising a humidity control unit that is provided inside the seat and controls humidity near the electrode. The biological information acquiring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the humidity control means is a heater and a cooler. The biological information acquiring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the humidity control means is a heating element and a cooling element. The biological information acquiring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the humidity control means is a humidifier and a dehumidifier.

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