JP7093989B2 - Sweat amount measuring device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a sweating amount measuring device for measuring the amount of water evaporation from the skin surface of humans and animals.

Conventionally, water is constantly transpired from the skin surface of humans and animals. For example, when the temperature is high or when exercising, a large amount of thermal sweating accompanies as gas or liquid sweat, but the loss of body fluid due to excessive sweating puts a heavy burden on the living body such as the thermoregulatory reaction and the circulation regulation system. However, not only the athletic ability decreases, but also the body temperature rises, which causes the occurrence of heat stroke. In recent years, due to the effects of global warming and the like, the frequency of abnormally high temperatures has increased, and along with this, the number of cases of heat stroke during various tasks and exercises and being transported to medical institutions is increasing rapidly. The number of outbreaks exceeds tens of thousands per year and is increasing year by year. Therefore, there is a demand for a device that detects the occurrence of heat stroke in advance and prevents it from occurring.

On the other hand, it is known that mental stimuli such as stress cause mental sweating to be secreted from the palms and soles of the feet by the action of the sympathetic nerves. This mental sweating is different from thermal sweating, which is sweat caused by exercise, in a very small amount in the range of several mg / cm ² / hr to several tens of mg / cm ² / hr, and evaporates from the sweat glands of the skin. By measuring the amount of this mental sweating, stress and the like can be investigated. In addition to sweat, there is skin transpiration water that unknowingly dissipates from the body, and by measuring this skin transpiration water, it is possible to investigate the state of the skin barrier function, fineness of texture, and the like.

Conventionally, various devices for measuring the amount of sweating have been proposed. For example, the sweating amount measuring device of Patent Document 1 by the applicant of the present application and others has a patch for measuring the amount of sweating, a main body, a cord for electrically connecting these, and a band portion attached to the main body and attached to the body. It is provided. The sweating amount measurement patch includes a film attached to the surface to be measured by an adhesive, an opening formed in the film through which moisture passes, and the opening attached to the surface of the film opposite to the adhesive. A water adsorbing layer covering the portion and a support covering the water adsorbing layer are provided, and a pair of electrodes for electrically measuring the amount of water adsorbed by the water adsorbing layer on the support side of the film. Is provided.

Further, the sweat monitoring device of Patent Document 2 by the applicant of the present application and others is composed of a sensor portion in close contact with the skin, a connection portion such as a coil spring, and a band portion to be worn on the body. The sensor unit is provided with a sweating amount detecting means having an adsorption layer for adsorbing sweat and an electrode provided on the adsorption layer, and a person by measuring the electric resistance or the current value between the electrodes in the adsorption layer. Estimate the cumulative amount of sweating. The band portion is provided with a body temperature detecting means, a pulse rate detecting means, a calculation means, an alarm means, a battery, and a display means. This sweating monitoring device monitors a person's sweating state based on the detected body temperature, pulse rate, and cumulative sweating amount.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2017-23408 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-15996

In the case of Patent Document 1 of the above background technique, the sweating amount measuring patch adheres to human skin with an adhesive to measure the sweating amount, and the work of adhering is troublesome, and the skin becomes moist or dirty. If there is, the adhesive strength will be weakened, and there is a risk that the amount of sweating cannot be measured accurately. On the other hand, in the case of Patent Document 2, the sensor portion is in close contact with the skin due to the elasticity of the connection portion to measure the amount of sweating, and the adhesion is not sufficiently high, and there is a possibility that accurate measurement cannot be performed. Further, a method in which the sensor portion is provided on the inner surface of the band and the sensor portion is attached from the band is also disclosed. In this case, although the attachment strength is high, it takes time and effort to attach the sweating amount detecting means to the inside of the band. If the position where it is attached to the band shifts, it will not be possible to measure accurately.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the background technique, and provides a sweating amount measuring device capable of repeatedly and accurately measuring the sweating amount at low cost by simple structure and easy operation. The purpose is to do.

The present invention includes a sweating sensor device that is in close contact with a part of the subject's body to measure the amount of sweating, and the sweating sensor device is formed in a case portion having a storage space and a part of the case portion and communicates inside and outside. An opening through which moisture passes, an adsorbent that is detachably placed in the storage space of the case and covers the opening, and an adsorbent located in the case in contact with the adsorbent, and the adsorbent is adsorbed. An electrode for electrically measuring the amount of sweat is provided, the electrode is electrically connected to a measuring unit main body for calculating the amount of sweating, and the measuring unit main body measures an electrical value between the electrodes. This is a sweating amount measuring device that measures the sweating amount of the subject based on the sweat adsorbed by the adsorbent.

The opening is surrounded by an annular protrusion formed so as to project outward from the case. It is preferable that the convex portion has a curved surface in which the corner portion between the tip surface and the side surface is chamfered.

The case portion is provided with a protrusion portion that projects toward the opening portion and causes the adsorbent to protrude toward the outside of the opening portion. The protrusion is provided on the surface side of the electrode in the case.

It is preferable that the adsorbent has a convex shape at the center corresponding to the protrusion. In particular, the adsorbent is preferably a blend of hydrophilic fibers and water-absorbent fibers.

The case portion has a case portion main body and a lid portion that can be opened and closed with respect to the case portion main body, the electrode is provided in the case portion main body, and the adsorbent is the case portion main body. It is a sweating amount measuring device capable of measuring the sweating amount of the subject from the amount of sweat adsorbed on the adsorbent by contacting the electrode with the lid portion closed.

The lid portion is located on the body side of the subject in the state of use, and the lid portion is provided with the opening portion. The electrode is covered with an insulating film and insulated, and the sweat sensor device measures the capacitance. In particular, it is preferable to use a pair of comb-shaped electrodes formed on the insulating substrate as the electrodes.

The electrode may be composed of one electrode provided in the case portion and the other electrode facing the one electrode with the adsorbent interposed therebetween. The electrode is a plate-shaped electrode that comes into contact with the adsorbent in the case portion.

Further, a band member that holds the sweat sensor device and is attached to a part of the body of the subject is provided, and the case portion of the sweat sensor device has the case portion main body fixed to the band member. Out. Further, it is preferable that a display device for displaying the calculated sweating amount is provided on the side opposite to the opening of the case portion.

The sweating amount measuring device of the present invention has a simple structure and can accurately and repeatedly measure the sweating amount by a simple operation. In the sweat sensor device, the adsorbent is replaceable and easy to replace, and the amount of sweat sweat can be repeatedly measured at low cost. The adsorbent has a shape that is housed in the case portion, does not require positioning work when it is replaced, and is easy to operate. Furthermore, by integrally configuring the sweating sensor device that measures the amount of sweating with the band member attached to the subject's body, the sweating sensor device can be easily wound around the subject with the band member and brought into close contact with the subject to accurately measure the amount of sweating. It will be possible to do.

It is a perspective view (a) which shows the state which opened the case part of the sweating sensor device of the sweating amount measuring device of one Embodiment of this invention, and is the perspective view (b) which shows the state which the case part is closed. It is a vertical sectional view (a) of the sweating sensor device of the sweating amount measuring apparatus of this embodiment, and the vertical sectional view (b) of another embodiment. It is a perspective view of the sweating amount measuring apparatus of this embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the use state of the sweating amount measuring apparatus of this embodiment. It is a graph which shows the periodic change amount of the water addition amount and the measured value by the sweating amount measuring apparatus of the Example of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 to 4 show an embodiment of the present invention, and the sweating amount measuring device 10 of this embodiment is attached to a measuring unit main body 14 having a rectangular housing 12 and a measuring unit main body 14. A flexible rubber or resin band member 16 for attaching the main body 14 to the body of the subject is provided. The band member 16 is wound around the wrist of the subject here, and the sweating amount measuring device 10 is a wristwatch type. The band member 16 is formed so that the band-shaped belt portion 16a wound around the wrist and the wide holder portion 16b that wraps and holds the housing 12 are integrally connected by a gentle curve, and the housing is in the center of the holder portion 16b. An opening into which the 12 is fitted is formed so as to penetrate the front and back surfaces. From the opening of the holder portion 16b, the back surface 12a of the housing 12 located on the body side of the subject and the surface surface 12b located on the side opposite to the body of the subject are exposed. The housing 12 is provided with a sweating sensor device 18 and a pulse sensor 20, and the sweating sensor device 18 and the outer surface of the pulse sensor 20 are exposed on the back surface 12a of the housing 12. A liquid crystal screen 22 as a display means is exposed on the surface 12b of the housing 12.

Next, the sweat sensor device 18 will be described. The sweat sensor device 18 is provided with a case portion 24 made of synthetic resin, and the case portion 24 includes a case portion main body 26 having a storage space and a lid portion 28 that can be continuously opened and closed from the case portion main body 26.

The case portion main body 26 has a rectangular bottom portion 26a, and four side surfaces 26b are continuously provided on the peripheral portion of the bottom portion 26a. The lid portion 28 has an upper surface portion 28a having the same shape as the bottom portion 26a, and an edge portion 28b is provided on the peripheral edge portion of the upper surface portion 28a. One of the side surfaces 26b of the case portion 26 and one of the end edge portions 28b of the lid portion 28 are rotatably connected by the hinge portion 30, and when the lid portion 28 is closed, the case portion 24 is closed and the case portion main body is closed. The bottom portion 26a of the 26 and the top surface 28a of the lid portion 28 are located in parallel. A packing 32 that becomes liquidtight with the lid portion 28 closed is provided on the side edge portion of the other side surface 26b of the case portion main body 26. The packing 32 may be provided on the edge portion 28b of the lid portion 28 instead of the side surface 26b of the case portion main body 26, or may be provided on both sides.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2A, the upper surface 28a of the lid portion 28 is provided with an elongated rectangular opening 34 at the center, and communicates the inside and outside of the case portion 24. A convex portion 36 is formed so as to project toward the outside of the case portion 24 on the entire circumference of the peripheral edge portion of the opening portion 34. The convex portion 36 is formed of a synthetic resin such as plastic or a silicone resin forming the lid portion 28, and the corner portion between the tip surface and the side surface of the convex portion 36 is chamfered to form a curved surface 38.

A thin electrode substrate 40 whose surface is insulated is provided on the inner surface of the case portion 24 of the bottom portion 26a of the case portion main body 26. The electrode substrate 40 is a rectangle slightly smaller than the bottom 26a. The electrode substrate 40 is provided with a pair of comb-shaped electrodes 42, 44 on the surface thereof, and the outer surface is covered with an insulating coating 45. The pair of electrodes 42 and 44 measure the amount of sweating based on the capacitance between the electrodes, and utilize the fact that the capacitance increases as the amount of sweating increases. A lead wire 50 is connected to the end of the electrode substrate 40 and extends, and the tip of the lead wire 50 penetrates the side surface 26b of the case portion main body 26 and is pulled out to the outside.

The thickness of the electrode substrate 40 is, for example, 0.5 mm to 3.0 mm. Further, the materials of the pair of electrodes 42 and 44 are Cu / Cu, Cu / Zn, Al / Al, stainless steel / stainless steel, C (carbon powder) / C, Au / Au when each pair of materials is separated by "/". , Ag / Ag, etc., and is covered with an insulating coating 45 to insulate the surface.

An adsorbent 48 is provided on the surface side of the electrodes 42 and 44 of the electrode substrate 40. The adsorbent 48 is preferably a thin material having water absorption / hygroscopicity such as filter paper, Japanese paper, rayon or other cellulosic hydrophilic material, and a sheet material of water absorption material, and is fitted inside the case portion 24 to form an electrode substrate 40. It is cut into a rectangular shape so as to surely cover the electrodes 42 and 44 of the above. When the material of the adsorbent 48 is a blend of hydrophilic fibers and water-absorbent fibers, the amount of water absorption can be increased, water absorption is rapidly performed, and a large amount of water can be retained. Further, by increasing the number of hydrophilic fibers, the sensitivity to water absorption can be increased as shown in the experimental results described later. The adsorbent 48 is not locked in the case portion 24, is sandwiched between the electrode substrate 40 and the lid portion 28 in the case portion 24, and can be taken out by opening the case portion 24.

On the surface of the electrode substrate 40 in the case portion 24, a protrusion 46 protruding toward the opening 34 of the lid portion 28 is provided. The protrusion 46 is fixed on the insulating coating 45 on the side of the surface of the electrode substrate 40 where the electrodes 42 and 44 are provided. The protrusion 46 has a rectangular plate shape, stands vertically from the surface of the electrode substrate 40, fits in the opening of the opening 34 with a predetermined gap at a height reaching the opening 34, and is convex. It has a length and width such that it is located inside the portion 36. The protrusion 46 ensures that the adsorbent 48 is exposed to the outside of the opening 34, and as will be described later, the adsorbent 48 can reliably contact the skin of the subject and absorb sweat accurately and effectively. It can be so. Therefore, it is preferable that the tip edge of the protrusion 46 is formed in a curved surface shape, and the adsorbent 48 may be formed into a shape in which the central portion is pre-bulged into a convex shape corresponding to the protrusion 46. good.

The sweat sensor device 18 accommodating the case portion 24, the electrode substrate 40, and the adsorbent 48 is housed in a rectangular housing 12, and the back surface 12a and the lid are housed on the back surface 12a side of the measurement unit main body 14 located on the body side of the subject. The upper surface 28a of the portion 28 is embedded and attached so as to be flush with each other. The pair of lead wires 50 drawn out from the case unit 24 are connected to the inside of the measuring unit main body 14 and connected to a circuit unit (not shown) provided with a conversion circuit (not shown) or the like. The circuit unit transmits the capacitance detected by the pair of electrodes 42 and 44 as electrical data in the form of frequency or the like. Inside the measurement unit main body 14, an arithmetic unit such as a microchip having a CPU for calculating data sent from the circuit unit is further provided, and the calculated measured value is displayed on the liquid crystal screen 22. Since the liquid crystal screen 22 is provided on the surface 12b of the housing 12, it can be seen in a state where the sweating amount measuring device 10 is attached to the subject.

As for the electrode structure, as shown in FIG. 2B, the electrode substrate 43 of the insulated thin electrodes 42 and 44 is also provided on the inner surface of the case portion 24 on the upper surface 28a of the lid portion 28. The adsorbent 48 may be provided so as to sandwich it. In this case, the electrode substrate 43 on the lid 28 side is formed with a through hole 43a corresponding to the opening 34, and the electrodes 42 and 44 are also opened in accordance with the through hole 43a. Further, a structure in which a pair of electrodes are formed in a plate shape to sandwich the adsorbent 48 may be used.

A pulse sensor 20, a temperature sensor (not shown), or the like is provided on the back surface 12a of the housing 12, and measures the pulse, body temperature, and the like to detect the tendency of the body condition as well as the amount of sweating. Further, it may be possible to detect an abnormal sweating state, for example, sweating caused by heat stroke, based on changes in the amount of sweating, body temperature, and pulse rate. This is to notify an abnormal sweating state when, for example, the body temperature is 38 ° C. or higher, the increase in sweating amount tends to decrease or stop, and the increase in pulse rate tends to stop at the upper limit. Set the condition to.

Further, it is preferable to provide an alarm means in the measuring unit main body 14 so as to emit a sound or vibration to issue an alarm. Further, when the subject's body temperature detects 38 ° C. and the increase in the pulse rate does not change at the upper limit, the alarm means emits an alarm sound or vibration, and the liquid crystal screen 22 blinks the body temperature and the pulse value, and further. When the increase in the amount of sweating is stopped for a certain period of time, the alarm means may make a longer sound or vibration, and the liquid crystal screen 22 may blink the numerical values of the body temperature, the pulse, and the amount of sweating to call attention. In particular, in a noisy environment such as a construction site, an alarm by vibration is effective, and it is also effective to issue a specific alarm together with a character display on the liquid crystal screen 22.

Next, a method of using the sweating amount measuring device 10 of this embodiment will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 4, the belt portion 16a of the band member 16 is wound around the wrist of the subject and attached. At this time, before attaching the sweating amount measuring device 10, the moisture such as the sweat 54 of the skin 52 is wiped off in advance. At the time of wearing, the sweat sensor device 18 exposed from the band member 16 is brought into contact with the skin 52 of the subject. After wearing, leave it in that state for a predetermined time to measure the amount of sweating. The measurement time is from several minutes to 24 hours, and may be, for example, 3 minutes.

During this period, as shown in FIG. 2, the sweat generated from the skin 52 passes through the opening 34 of the sweating sensor device 18 and is adsorbed on the adsorbent 48. When the amount of sweat adsorbed on the adsorbent 48 increases, the capacitance between the electrodes 42 and 44 increases, and the amount of sweat adsorbed on the adsorbent 48 is calculated by the arithmetic unit as a change in frequency. The range of the measured water content is, for example, 0 to 200 μl when the area of the opening 34 is 20 to 500 mm ² , and can be measured from 0 to 2000 ml in terms of the amount of thermal sweating of the whole body. At the same time as estimating the amount of sweating, the pulse rate is measured by the pulse sensor 20, and the body temperature is measured by a temperature sensor (not shown). The calculated sweating amount, body temperature, and pulse rate are displayed on the liquid crystal screen 22. Further, when an abnormal sweating state, for example, sweating caused by heat stroke is detected based on changes in the amount of sweating, body temperature, and pulse rate, an alarm means is activated to notify the abnormal sweating state. Further, the sweating amount, body temperature, and pulse rate may be transmitted to a monitoring center, an administrator, a family member, or the like by a communication module so that the sweating amount, the body temperature, and the pulse rate can be managed at a remote place. In addition, the data may be managed and graphed by transmitting it to the subject's portable terminal device or the like, and may be checked by himself / herself.

After the measurement is completed, the sweating amount measuring device 10 is removed from the wrist, the lid 28 of the case portion 24 of the sweating sensor device 18 is rotated around the hinge portion 30 to open, and the adsorbent 48 that has adsorbed sweat is removed, and the next time. A new adsorbent 48 is inserted for the measurement of, and the lid 28 is closed.

According to the sweating amount measuring device 10 of this embodiment, it is lightweight and can be easily attached, and the sweating amount can be measured electrically and accurately. Since the sweating amount measuring device 10 is small and lightweight, it can be carried and the range of application can be widened. It does not interfere with various tasks and exercises, and it is possible to continuously measure the amount of sweating during work and exercise under all circumstances to detect the occurrence of heat stroke in advance and prevent it. For example, it is possible to easily perform heat stroke prevention management for workers at construction sites, operators and maintenance workers in a high temperature environment. The sweating amount measuring device 10 can reliably quantify the sweating amount by directly attaching it to the skin 52, and can easily measure the sweating amount at low cost. Further, since the amount of sweating is electrically detected based on the capacitance changed by the sweat 54 adsorbed on the adsorbent 48, accurate measurement can be performed. Since it is possible to monitor a person's abnormal sweating state based on changes in body temperature, pulse rate, and sweating amount, it is possible to detect the occurrence in advance even in cases where it is necessary to detect many changes in biological values (for example, heat stroke). can do. Moreover, the amount of sweating can be measured non-invasively without damaging the body. The sweating amount measuring device 10 has a wristwatch shape, is comfortable to wear, does not cause discomfort, and can comfortably measure without affecting the movement or psychology of the subject.

The opening 34 formed in the lid 28 of the case portion 24 of the sweat sensor device 18 has a convex portion 36 formed around the opening 34, and the amount of sweat 54 generated only in the skin 52 having a predetermined area facing the opening 34. Since it is possible to measure, accurate measurement is possible. The front end surface of the convex portion 36 is chamfered at a corner between the convex portion 36 and has a curved surface 38, so that the skin is not irritated and does not hurt. Further, since the case portion main body 26 and the lid portion 28 of the case portion 24 are liquid-tightly closed by the packing 32, sweat, rainwater, washing water, etc. generated from other than the skin 52 facing the opening portion 34 may enter. There is no.

The sweat sensor device 18 can easily replace the adsorbent 48 by opening the lid 28 of the case portion 24, and after measuring the amount of sweat, only the adsorbent 48 that has adsorbed sweat is replaced, and new adsorption is always performed. It can be measured using the material 48. The adsorbent 48 is inexpensive and can be measured repeatedly at a low cost. The adsorbent 48 is a rectangle fitted to the case portion 24, and can be easily set without being displaced in the case portion 24. The adsorbent 48 is held only by closing the lid portion 28 of the case portion 24, and the step of replacing the adsorbent 48 is simple. Since the adsorbent 48 uses a hydrophilic and water-absorbent material, the water content due to sweating is not easily saturated, and a large amount of water can be adsorbed, even during long hours of work or exercise. , A large amount of sweating can be measured. Since the pair of electrodes 42 and 44 are covered with the insulating coating 45, they are reliably insulated and have a simple structure, and do not interfere with the replacement work of the adsorbent 48. Since the electrode substrate 40 is fixed and is not disposable, it has little impact on the environment and can reduce costs.

In addition, since it is possible to measure a minute amount of gaseous mental sweating, it is possible to quantify mental stimuli such as stress, excitement, and pain. For example, it is possible to quantify the degree of stress by quantifying the amount of sweating when the sweating amount measuring device 10 is attached and engaged in driving a car, daily work, dangerous work, or the like. Furthermore, by wearing the sweating amount measuring device 10 and examining the amount of publication per predetermined unit of individual actions such as various tasks and lifestyles, how much mental stress is received from which tasks and lifestyles are received. It can be easily analyzed. In addition, it is possible to measure the accumulated water content for a long time.

The sweating amount measuring device 10 can continuously measure the stress caused by the patient's pain and anxiety felt at the time of treatment or examination at a medical institution for a long time during treatment. This makes it possible to quantify, for example, human relationships between students and employees at school and workplace, stress caused by bullying, etc., and also enables the general public to self-check their own mental state. Therefore, it helps to improve QOL (quality of life). It is also possible to measure the degree of deep sleep by utilizing the fact that the amount of mental sweating during sleep is lower than that during awakening. This makes it possible to easily confirm the deep sleep status of the care recipient and the inpatient. In addition, it can be used for the treatment of diseases in which sleep disorders exist, such as autonomic imbalance and sleep apnea syndrome.

Furthermore, in addition to mental sweating, insensitive transpiration moisture (TEWL) can be measured to check the barrier function of the skin, the effect of skin care, and the moisturizing power of rough skin. Further, the width and length of the band member 16 can be changed and attached to the legs, back, abdomen, etc., and the thermal sweating of the whole body can be measured to check for insomnia, night sweats, and the like. This can be used for diagnosis by a dermatologist or a cosmetologist, and the general public can quantitatively measure the condition of his / her skin at home or at work at any time.

The sweating amount measuring device 10 of this embodiment is not limited to the above embodiment, and may calculate the sweating amount from an electric resistance other than the capacitance, a current value, a voltage value, or the like. This takes advantage of the fact that as the amount of sweating increases, the electrical resistance and voltage decrease, and the current increases. When calculating the amount of sweating from the electric resistance or the current value, the insulating coating 45 covering the electrodes is unnecessary. Further, as for the structure of the electrode, in addition to the comb-shaped electrode, a metal plate may be used as an electrode without using an electrode substrate, or a metal film formed in a planar shape on the electrode substrate may be used as an electrode. Further, the electrode may be one in which one electrode is brought into contact with the adsorbent and the other is connected to the human body to be grounded. In this case, it is only necessary to provide one electrode in the case portion.

In addition, the electrode of the sweating amount measuring device of the present invention may be a metal foil provided integrally with the adsorbent. In this case, the adsorbent and the electrode are consumables, but the contact between the electrode and the adsorbent is used. Is reliable, and the connection between the electrode and the device side is easy, so it is possible to measure the amount of sweating accurately.

Further, the measurement site may be a site other than the wrist of the subject. The shape and shape of the main body and the band member can be appropriately changed according to the mounting portion. The object to be measured can measure skin transpiration moisture and the like in addition to thermal sweating and mental sweating. In addition to humans, the amount of water evaporation from animals and plants may be measured. The position of the pulse sensor or the like other than the sweat sensor device can be freely changed or may not be used. The shape of the case portion of the sweat sensor device can be freely changed, and the shapes of the electrodes and the adsorbent may be any shape as long as they match the shape of the case portion.

For the sweating amount measuring device of this embodiment, an experiment was conducted on the relationship between the amount of water adsorbed and the capacitance of the pair of electrodes. In the experiment, a predetermined amount of water was added instead of sweat, and the amount of periodic change due to the frequency change of the measuring device due to the capacitance was measured. Here, three types of adsorbents were tested: hydrophilic fibers only, water-absorbent fibers only, and adsorbents made by blending hydrophilic fibers and water-absorbent fibers. According to this, as shown in the graph of FIG. 5, a correlation was found between the amount of water added and the increase in the cycle of the measured values for all three types of adsorbents. In particular, it was found that more water absorption is possible when an adsorbent made by blending hydrophilic fibers and water-absorbent fibers is used, and higher sensitivity to water absorption can be obtained when only hydrophilic fibers are used.

10 Sweating amount measuring device 14 Measuring part main body 16 Band member 18 Sweating sensor device 20 Pulse sensor 22 Liquid crystal screen 24 Case part 26 Case part main body 28 Lid part 30 Hinge part 32 Packing 34 Opening part 36 Convex part 38 Curved surface 40 Electrode substrate 42, 44 Electrode 45 Insulation coating 46 Projection 48 Adsorbent

Claims (14)

Equipped with a sweat sensor device that closely adheres to a part of the subject's body and measures the amount of sweat
The sweat sensor device is detachably inserted into the case portion having a storage space, an opening formed in a part of the case portion and allowing moisture to pass through inside and outside, and the storage space of the case portion. An adsorbent covering the portion and an electrode located in the case portion in contact with the adsorbent and electrically measuring the amount of sweat adsorbed by the adsorbent are provided.
A protrusion is provided in the case portion so as to project toward the opening and project the adsorbent toward the outside of the opening.
The electrode is electrically connected to the main body of the measuring unit that calculates the amount of sweating.
The measuring unit main body is a sweating amount measuring device, characterized in that the electric value obtained by the electrode is measured and the sweating amount of the subject is measured based on the sweat adsorbed by the adsorbent. The sweating amount measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral edge portion of the opening portion is surrounded by an annular convex portion formed so as to project toward the outside of the case portion. The sweating amount measuring device according to claim 2, wherein the convex portion has a curved surface in which a corner portion between a tip surface and a side surface is chamfered. The sweating amount measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion is provided on the surface side of the electrode in the case. The sweating amount measuring device according to claim 1 or 4, wherein the adsorbent has a convex shape at the center corresponding to the protrusion. The sweating amount measuring device according to claim 1 or 5, wherein the adsorbent is a blend of hydrophilic fibers and water-absorbent fibers. The case portion has a case portion main body and a lid portion that can be opened and closed with respect to the case portion main body, and the electrode is provided in the case portion main body.
The adsorbent is placed in the case portion main body, contacts the electrode with the lid portion closed, and the sweating amount of the subject can be measured from the amount of sweat adsorbed on the adsorbent. Item 1. The sweating amount measuring device according to Item 1. The sweating amount measuring device according to claim 7, wherein the lid portion is located on the body side of the subject in a used state, and the lid portion is provided with the opening portion. The sweating amount measuring device according to claim 1 or 7, wherein the electrodes are covered with an insulating film and insulated, and the sweating sensor device measures capacitance. The sweating amount measuring device according to claim 1, 7 or 9, wherein the electrodes are a pair of comb-shaped electrodes formed on an insulating substrate. The sweating amount measuring device according to claim 1, 7 or 9, wherein the electrode comprises one electrode provided in the case portion and the other electrode facing the one electrode with the adsorbent interposed therebetween. The sweating amount measuring device according to claim 11, wherein the electrode is a plate-shaped electrode that comes into contact with the adsorbent in the case portion. Claim 1 is provided with a band member that holds the sweat sensor device and is attached to a part of the body of the subject, and the case portion of the sweat sensor device has a case portion main body fixed to the band member. , 2 or 7. The sweating amount measuring device. The sweating amount measuring device according to claim 13, wherein a display device for displaying the calculated sweating amount is provided on the side opposite to the opening of the case portion.

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