JP6713921B2 - Wearable device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a wearable device that measures biological signals such as myoelectric signals and electrocardiographic signals.

In order to measure and record biological signals such as electroencephalograms, electromyograms, and diagnostic diagrams, and for electrical stimulation of living organisms, bioelectrodes attached to the body surface are widely used. In recent years, how to use the body and rehabilitation in sports There is an increasing demand for visualization of how to move the muscles of the extremities using the acquired myoelectric waveform. In order to acquire a stable myoelectric waveform over a long period of time, a supporter (wearable device) to which a bioelectrode is attached has been attracting attention.

Generally, a wearable device includes an electrode unit that comes into contact with a living body, a connector for mounting a biological signal acquisition device that acquires a biological signal, wiring that connects the electrode unit and the connector, and a supporter to which these elements are attached. Composed of and fabric. Conductivity is imparted only to the electrode portion, the connector, and the wiring, and the cloth is formed of an electric insulator. With such a configuration, it is possible to obtain a desired biological signal only from the electrode section (see Non-Patent Document 1).

In the conventional wearable device, the biological signal acquisition device is mechanically fixed and electrically connected only by the connector, so that the biological signal acquisition device has a high degree of freedom of movement, and the biological device wearing the wearable device has a high degree of freedom. The biological signal acquisition device may vibrate according to the movement of the (human body). In the wristband-type wearable device disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1, when the biological signal acquisition device acquires a weak biological signal, the biological signal acquisition device is located on the electrode, and therefore the movement of the biological signal acquisition device ( There is a problem that a clear biological signal cannot be obtained due to noise generated by the transmission of (vibration) to the electrodes.

Further, even when the biological signal acquisition device is not vibrating, if the contact state between the biological body and the electrodes changes due to the movement of the biological body, noise is generated.

Yasushi Makino, Hiroyuki Shinoda, “Wristband-type man-machine interface for measuring two-dimensional myoelectric distribution”, Proc. of the 23rd Sensing Forum, pp. 293-298, Oct, 2006

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a wearable device that can reduce noise caused by movement of a living body when measuring a biological signal.

The wearable device of the present invention includes a base material worn by a user, an electrode provided so as to come into contact with the skin of the user, and the base material, which is attached to the base material and a biosignal of the user via the electrode. A biosignal acquisition device for acquiring, a wiring provided on the base material and electrically connecting the electrode and the biosignal acquisition device, and a fixing auxiliary mechanism for suppressing movement of the biosignal acquisition device , before SL fixation assisting mechanism is provided so as to cover the entire of the user's skin and the contact surfaces with the biological signal acquisition device disposed on a surface of said substrate opposite to said the biological signal acquisition device Ri sheet member der applying a pressing force to press in the direction of the user's skin, before Symbol sheet member, said covers the biological signal acquiring unit, the base opposite to the surface in contact with the skin of the user It is provided so as to cover the portion where the electrode is provided from above the surface of the material, and the biological signal acquisition device is configured so that a pressing force for pressing the electrode against the skin of the user is applied to the electrode from the sheet-shaped member. And is arranged apart from the electrode.

According to the present invention, by providing the fixing auxiliary mechanism for suppressing the movement of the biological signal acquisition device, it is possible to suppress the vibration of the biological signal acquisition device due to the body movement of the user, and the vibration of the biological signal acquisition device is transmitted to the electrodes. Therefore, the noise generated can be suppressed. As a result, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a desired biological signal even if the user moves.

Further, in the present invention, the fixation assisting mechanism is provided so as to cover the entire biological signal acquisition device arranged on the surface of the base material opposite to the surface in contact with the skin of the user, and the biological signal acquisition device is used. By using a sheet-like member that applies a pressing force that pushes in the direction of the person's skin, it is possible to enhance the effect of suppressing the vibration of the biological signal acquisition device, and to reduce the noise generated by the vibration of the biological signal acquisition device being transmitted to the electrodes. Can be suppressed.

Further, in the present invention, the movement of the electrode can be suppressed by disposing the electrode and the biological signal acquisition device so as to be separated from each other so that the pressing force for pressing the electrode against the skin of the user is applied to the electrode from the sheet-shaped member. This makes it possible to obtain a desired biological signal even if the user moves.

Further, in the present invention, by providing the fixing auxiliary mechanism for suppressing the movement of the electrodes, it becomes possible to obtain a desired biological signal even if the user moves.

It is a top view which shows the structure of the conventional wearable device typically. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the contact surface with the biological body of the conventional wearable device. It is a top view which shows typically the structure of the wearable device which concerns on the 1st Example of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the contact surface with the biological body of the wearable device which concerns on the 1st Example of this invention. It is a top view which shows typically the structure of the wearable device which concerns on the 2nd Example of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the contact surface with the biological body of the wearable device which concerns on the 2nd Example of this invention. It is a top view which shows typically the structure of the wearable device which concerns on the 3rd Example of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the contact surface with the biological body of the wearable device which concerns on the 3rd Example of this invention.

First, a conventional wearable device which is the basis of the present invention will be described. 1 is a plan view schematically showing the configuration of a conventional wearable device, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a contact surface of the wearable device of FIG. 1 with a living body as seen from the Y side of FIG. The wearable device 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes a garment 10 serving as a base material, a biological signal acquisition device 20 detachably attached to the garment 10, and two or more electrodes 1 fixed to the surface of the garment 10 in contact with a living body. -1, 1-2, and for attaching to the clothing 10 and fixing the biological signal acquisition device 20 mechanically, and electrically connecting the electrodes 1-1 and 1-2 and the biological signal acquisition device 20. It is composed of connectors 3-1 and 3-2, and wirings 2-1 and 2-2 that electrically connect the electrodes 1-1 and 1-2 to the connectors 3-1 and 3-2.

As shown in FIG. 1, electrodes 1-1 and 1-2, wirings 2-1 and 2-2, and connectors 3-1 and 3-2 are arranged in a region 30 of the garment 10. The electrodes 1-1 and 1-2, the wirings 2-1 and 2-2, and the connectors 3-1 and 3-2 are fixed to the clothing 10 by sewing, an adhesive material or the like.

The electrodes 1-1 and 1-2 are fixed to the surface of the clothing 10 that comes into contact with the living body. The living body is, for example, a human body. When the user of the wearable device 100 wears the clothing 10, the electrodes 1-1 and 1-2 fixed to the clothing 10 and the living body (human body) 50 come into contact with each other as shown in FIG. -2 detects biological signals such as myoelectric signals, electrocardiographic signals, and skin potential. 1 and 2, the case where the clothing 10 is a wristband type supporter will be described as an example.

The wirings 2-1 and 2-1 are signal lines that electrically connect the electrodes 1-1 and 1-2 and the corresponding connectors 3-1 and 3-2. The wirings 2-1 and 2-1 are mounted so as to pass through the surface of the clothing 10 that contacts the living body 50 or the inside of the clothing 10, and prevent the wirings 2-1 and 2-1 from coming into contact with the living body 50. , Covered with an insulating member (not shown) such as a seam tape.

The connectors 3-1 and 3-2 are functional units for connecting the clothing 10 and the biological signal acquisition device 20. The connectors 3-1 and 3-2 are mounted on the garment 10 such that the portions connected to the biological signal acquisition device 20 are exposed on the surface opposite to the surface in contact with the living body 50.
A connector (not shown) arranged so as to be fitted to the connectors 3-1 and 3-2 is provided on the surface of the housing of the biological signal acquisition device 20. By fitting the exposed portions of the connectors 3-1 and 3-2 in the clothing 10 and the connector provided in the biological signal receiving apparatus 20, the biological signal acquisition apparatus 20 is mechanically fixed to the clothing 10 at the same time. The electrodes 1-1 and 1-2 and the biological signal acquisition device 20 are electrically connected.

The biological signal acquisition device 20 converts the biological signal acquired via the two or more electrodes 1-1 and 1-2 into digital data, and performs various kinds of signal processing as necessary. At this time, the biometric feature amount may be extracted from the data of the biometric signal. For example, biometric feature quantities such as heartbeats and respiratory waves may be extracted from the electrocardiographic signal. Then, the biometric signal acquisition device 20 wirelessly transmits at least one of the biometric signal data converted into digital data and the biometric feature amount data extracted from the biometric signal data to an external device. The internal circuit of the biological signal acquisition device 20 includes, for example, an A/D (Analog-to-digital) conversion circuit, a signal processing circuit, a program processing device such as an MCU (Micro Controller Unit), and an RF (Radio Frequency) circuit. It is configured to include. In addition, although an example of wirelessly transmitting the biological signal has been described, it goes without saying that wired transmission is also conceivable.

As described above, according to the wearable device 100, the two or more electrodes 1-1 and 1-2, the wirings 2-1 and 2-1, the connectors 3-1 and 3-2, and the biological signal acquisition apparatus 20 are provided. With the provision, the biosignal can be acquired by the electrodes 1-1 and 1-2 arranged so as to contact the same surface muscle of the living body 50 through the skin.

[First Embodiment]
Next, a characteristic configuration of the present invention will be described. 3 is a plan view schematically showing the configuration of the wearable device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the contact surface of the wearable device of FIG. 3 with a living body as seen from the Y side of FIG. Therefore, the same components as those in FIGS. 1 and 2 are designated by the same reference numerals. The wearable device 101 according to the present embodiment includes clothing 11, a biological signal acquisition device 20, electrodes 1-1 and 1-2, wirings 2-1 and 2-2, connectors 3-1 and 3-2, and It is composed of fixed bands 4-1 and 4-2.

The clothing 11 which is a wrist band type supporter includes electrodes 1-1 and 1-2, wirings 2-1 and 2-2, and connectors 3-1 and 3-2 similar to those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. And are provided. The clothing 11 is further provided with fixing bands 4-1 and 4-2 serving as a fixing auxiliary mechanism that suppresses the movement of the biological signal acquisition device 20 that causes noise.

The form of the fixing bands 4-1 and 4-2 is, for example, a clamp shape in which a part is fixed to the clothing 11 by sewing or an adhesive material and the biological signal acquisition device 20 on the clothing 11 is gripped to suppress movement. Members (FIGS. 3 and 4). Alternatively, both ends of the fixing bands 4-1 and 4-2 are fixed to the clothing 11 and are arranged so as to bridge over the biological signal acquiring device 20 so as to cover a part of the biological signal acquiring device 20. It may be a belt-shaped member that suppresses movement. Examples of the material of the fixing bands 4-1 and 4-2 include plastic, cloth, rubber and the like. Although the number of fixed bands 4-1 and 4-2 is two in the example of FIG. 3, it may be three or more. Other configurations are as described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

When the biological signal acquisition device 20 vibrates, the vibration is transmitted to the electrodes 1-1 and 1-2, and the contact impedance between the electrodes 1-1 and 1-2 and the skin surface of the living body 50 changes, thereby generating noise. To do. In the present embodiment, by providing the fixing bands 4-1 and 4-2, it is possible to suppress the vibration of the biological signal acquisition device 20 due to the body movement of the living body, and the vibration of the biological signal acquisition device 20 is caused by the electrodes 1-1 and It is possible to suppress the noise generated by being transmitted to 1-2. As a result, in the present embodiment, it is possible to obtain a desired biomedical signal even if the living body moves.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the fixed bands 4-1 and 4-2 suppress the part of the biological signal acquisition device 20, so that the clothing 11 and the fixed bands 4-1 and 4-2 are deformed to acquire the biological signal. It is possible to remove the device 20 from the clothing 11 and conversely, attach the biological signal acquisition device 20 to the clothing 11.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. 5 is a plan view schematically showing the configuration of the wearable device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the contact surface of the wearable device of FIG. 5 with a living body as seen from the X side of FIG. Therefore, the same components as those in FIGS. 1 and 2 are designated by the same reference numerals. The wearable device 102 according to the present exemplary embodiment includes clothing 12, a biological signal acquisition device 20, electrodes 1-1 and 1-2, wirings 2-1 and 2-2, connectors 3-1 and 3-2, and It is composed of a fixed belt 40.

The clothes 12 which is a wrist band type supporter includes electrodes 1-1 and 1-2, wirings 2-1 and 2-2, and connectors 3-1 and 3-2 similar to those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. And are provided. The clothing 12 is further provided with a fixing belt 40 that serves as a fixing auxiliary mechanism that suppresses movement of the biological signal acquisition device 20 that causes noise.

The fixing belt 40 is a sheet-shaped member that covers the entire biological signal acquisition device 20 and suppresses the movement of the biological signal acquisition device 20. The material of the fixing belt 40 may be cloth, rubber or the like. The fixing units 41-1 and 41-2 are locking members that fix at least two places of the fixing belt 40 to the clothing 12.

In this embodiment, by providing the fixing belt 40 that covers the entire biological signal acquisition device 20, the effect of suppressing the vibration of the biological signal acquisition device 20 can be enhanced compared to the first embodiment, and the biological signal acquisition can be performed. Noise generated by the vibration of the device 20 being transmitted to the electrodes 1-1 and 1-2 can be suppressed. In order to enhance such an effect, the biological signal acquisition device 20 is covered with the fixing belt 40 made of elastic cloth or rubber stretched, and the biological signal acquisition device 20 is pressed from above. Then, it is preferable to fix the fixing belt 40 to the clothes 12 by the fixing units 41-1 and 41-2.

The fixing units 41-1 and 41-2 may fix the fixing belt 40 to the clothes 12 semipermanently, or may have a mechanism that allows the fixing belt 40 to be removed from the clothes 12. By adopting a mechanism in which the fixing belt 40 can be detached from the clothing 12, it becomes easy to remove the biological signal acquisition device 20 from the clothing 12 or attach the biological signal acquisition device 20 to the clothing 12. Examples of such fixing units 41-1 and 41-2 include, for example, a surface fastener member attached to the fixing belt 40 side and a surface fastener member attached to the clothing 12 side.

Of the surface fastener member on the side of the fixed belt 40 and the surface fastener member on the side of the garment 12, a large number of loop-shaped engaging elements are arranged on one surface fastener member, and hook-shaped engaging elements are arranged on the other surface fastener member. Are arranged in large numbers. The engaging element of the surface fastener member on the fixed belt 40 side and the garment 12 side are pressed by pressing the fixing belt 40 against the garment 12 by facing the surface fastener member on the fixed belt 40 side and the surface fastener member on the garment 12 side. The fixing belt 40 is fixed to the garment 12 by engaging with the engaging element of the surface fastener member. In the example of FIGS. 5 and 6, the number of fixed units 41-1 and 41-2 is two, but may be three or more. Other configurations are as described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. 7 is a plan view schematically showing the configuration of the wearable device according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the contact surface of the wearable device of FIG. 7 with a living body as seen from the X side of FIG. Therefore, the same components as those in FIGS. 1 and 2 are designated by the same reference numerals. The wearable device 103 according to the present embodiment includes clothing 13, a biological signal acquisition device 20, electrodes 1-1 and 1-2, wirings 2-1 and 2-2, connectors 3-1 and 3-2, and It is composed of a fixed belt 42.

The clothing 13 which is a wristband type supporter includes electrodes 1-1 and 1-2, wirings 2-1 and 2-2, and connectors 3-1 and 3-2 similar to those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. And are provided. The clothing 13 is further provided with a fixing belt 42 that serves as a fixing auxiliary mechanism that suppresses the movement of the biological signal acquisition device 20 and the movement of the electrodes 1-1 and 1-2 that cause noise. The fixing belt 42 is a sheet-shaped member that covers the entire biological signal acquisition device 20 and the entire electrodes 1-1 and 1-2 to suppress the movements of the biological signal acquisition device 20 and the electrodes 1-1 and 1-2. The material of the fixing belt 42 includes cloth, rubber and the like. The fixing units 43-1 and 43-2 are locking members that fix at least two positions of the fixing belt 42 to the clothing 13.

In the first embodiment, the fixed bands 4-1 and 4-2 can suppress the movement of the biological signal acquisition device 20, but cannot suppress the movement of the electrodes 1-1 and 1-2. Further, in the second embodiment, the fixing belt 40 is provided so as to cover not only the biological signal acquisition device 20 but also the electrodes 1-1 and 1-2, but the biological signal acquisition device 20 and the electrode 1 Since the −1 and 1-2 are arranged close to each other, the pressing force of the fixing belt 40 is applied more strongly to the biological signal acquisition device 20 arranged so as to project on the clothing 12, and the electrode 1- The movements of 1 and 1-2 cannot be suppressed sufficiently.

As described in the first embodiment, when the electrodes 1-1 and 1-2 move, the contact impedance between the electrodes 1-1 and 1-2 and the skin surface of the living body 50 changes, which causes noise. ..
Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the biological signal acquisition device 20, the connectors 3-1 and 3-2, and the electrodes 1-1 and 1-2 are arranged separately. As described above, in the present embodiment, the biomedical signal acquisition device 20, the connectors 3-1 and 3-2, and the electrodes 1-1 and 1-2 are arranged apart from each other, and the biomedical signal acquisition device 20 and the electrode 1-1 are arranged. , 1-2, not only suppress the movement of the biological signal acquisition device 20 as in the second embodiment, but also suppress the movement of the electrodes 1-1 and 1-2. It will be possible. As a result, in the present embodiment, it is possible to obtain a desired biomedical signal even if the living body moves.

In order to enhance such an effect, the biological signal acquisition device 20 and the electrodes 1-1 and 1-2 are covered with the fixing belt 42 made of stretchable cloth or rubber in an expanded state, and the biological signal acquisition device 20. It is preferable that the fixing belt 42 is fixed to the clothing 13 by the fixing units 43-1 and 43-2 in a state in which the pressing force is applied to the electrodes 1 and 1-2 from above.

Similarly to the second embodiment, the fixing units 43-1 and 43-2 may be ones that fix the fixing belt 42 to the clothing 13 semipermanently, or the fixing belt 42 can be detached from the clothing 13. It may be a mechanism. In the example of FIGS. 7 and 8, the number of fixed units 43-1 and 43-2 is two, but it may be three or more. Other configurations are as described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
In the present embodiment, covering the biological signal acquisition device 20 with the fixing belt 42 is not an essential component. The fixing belt 42 may cover only the electrodes 1-1 and 1-2.

The present invention can be applied to a system for monitoring biological signals.

1-1, 1-2... Electrode, 2-1, 2-2... Wiring, 3-1, 3-2... Connector, 4-1, 4-2... Fixed band, 10, 11... Clothing, 20... Living body Signal acquisition device, 40, 42... Fixed belt, 41-1, 41-2, 43-1, 43-2... Fixed unit, 101, 102, 103... Wearable device.

Claims (1)

On the base material worn by the user, an electrode provided so as to contact the skin of the user,
A biological signal acquisition device mounted on the base material and acquiring a biological signal of the user via the electrode,
Wiring provided on the base material and electrically connecting the electrode and the biological signal acquisition device,
A fixed auxiliary mechanism for suppressing the movement of the biological signal acquisition device ,
The fixing auxiliary mechanism is provided so as to cover the entire biological signal acquisition device arranged on the surface of the base material opposite to the surface that comes into contact with the skin of the user, and the biological signal acquisition device is used as described above. A sheet-like member that applies a pressing force that pushes in the direction of the person's skin,
The sheet-shaped member is provided so as to cover the biological signal acquisition device, and to cover a portion where the electrode is provided from above the surface of the base material on the side opposite to the surface in contact with the skin of the user,
The wearable device, wherein the biological signal acquisition device is arranged apart from the electrode so that a pressing force for pressing the electrode against the skin of the user is applied to the electrode from the sheet-shaped member .

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