JP7379995B2 - Biological information detection device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a biological information detection device that is worn on the ear to detect body temperature, pulse, etc., for example.

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, as a tympanic membrane thermometer, one disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, for example, is known. This tympanic membrane thermometer focuses on the fact that the shape of the human external auditory canal is approximately S-shaped, and the probe inserted into the external auditory canal has a first curve and a second curve that follow the external auditory canal. A sensor element is provided at the tip of this probe so as to face the eardrum.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-340681

However, since the shape of a person's external auditory canal varies greatly from person to person, the first and second curves described above do not necessarily fit the external auditory canal. For this reason, when a conventional eardrum thermometer probe is inserted into the ear canal, there is a risk that a person may experience strong discomfort or pain. In particular, the part of the external auditory canal corresponding to the second curve is called the bony external auditory canal, and people feel pain due to pressure more strongly than the part on the entrance side of the external auditory canal.

An object of the present invention is to provide a biological information detection device that can appropriately suppress discomfort during wearing on the ear.

As one aspect of the present invention, a biological information detection device includes a main body that contacts at least a part of the ear when worn on the ear, an insertion part that is provided in a state that projects from the main body and is inserted into the external auditory canal. , a detection section that detects biological information of the wearer, which is provided on at least one of the main body and the insertion section, and the main body and the insertion section are connected to each other and deformed to change the angle of the insertion section with respect to the main body. a possible connection part ;
The main body includes a contact surface that contacts the concha cavity, and a portion of the main body including the contact surface is provided with a convex portion that is softer than the insertion portion and swells toward the concha cavity. There is .

According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a biological information detection device that can appropriately suppress discomfort during wearing on the ear.

1 is a perspective view showing a biological information detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the biological information detection device of FIG. 1 viewed from the direction of arrow F2. FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the biological information detection device of FIG. 1 taken along F3-F3. An external view of an example of the left ear seen from the left side. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the left ear of FIG. 4 taken along F5-F5. 5 is an external view showing a state in which the biological information detection device of FIG. 1 is attached to the left ear of FIG. 4. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a state in which the biological information detection device of FIG. 1 is attached to the left ear. The graph which shows the result of investigating the relationship between the insertion depth of the insertion part into the external auditory canal and the diameter of the insertion part for a plurality of subjects. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the angle of the insertion section with respect to the main body and the insertion state of the insertion section into the external auditory canal. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the angle of the insertion section with respect to the main body and the insertion state of the insertion section into the external auditory canal. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the results of evaluating the fit of the biological information detection device on the ear and the stability of measurement. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a modification of the biological information detection device shown in FIG. 1;

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a biological information detection device 10 (hereinafter simply referred to as device 10) according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an insertion portion 2, a pressing portion 4 (convex portion), and an engaging portion 6. , and a positioning section 8. The device 10 also includes a main body 12 including the pulse wave sensor 1 (detection section), and a substantially cylindrical support member 13 that supports the temperature sensor 3 (detection section). Furthermore, the device 10 includes a cover 14 that covers the main body 12 and the support member 13 and integrally includes the insertion section 2, the pressing section 4, the engaging section 6, and the positioning section 8.

The support member 13 and the temperature sensor 3 are provided inside the insertion portion 2 of the cover 14. In other words, the support member 13 is one of the components constituting the insertion section 2. The main body 12, the portion of the cover 14 covering the main body 12, and the pressing portion 4 function as the main body portion 20 of the present invention. Furthermore, the insertion section 2, the engagement section 6, and the positioning section 8 are provided so as to protrude outward from the main body section 20.

The cover 14 is made of an elastic member such as an elastomer. Therefore, the pressing part 4, the engaging part 6, and the positioning part 8, which are formed integrally with the cover 14, are also elastically deformable. On the other hand, the main body 12 and the support member 13 are made of rigid bodies such as resin or metal, and are not easily deformed elastically. That is, although the surface of the insertion portion 2 having the support member 13 inside can be slightly elastically deformed, it cannot be elastically deformed so as to be bent. In this embodiment, the main body 12 and the support member 13 are provided separately and placed in the cover 14 with a distance from each other.

The cover 14 is provided integrally with the support member 13 and is provided removably with respect to the main body 12, or is provided removably with respect to the main body 12 and the support member 13. This allows the device 10 to be replaced with another cover 14 of a different size and shape. In other words, the shapes and sizes of the insertion section 2, the pressing section 4, the engaging section 6, and the positioning section 8 can be changed by replacing the cover 14.

The support member 13 has a substantially cylindrical shape with a smaller diameter than the insertion portion 2, and has the temperature sensor 3 fixedly attached to one end in the axial direction (the end on the side away from the main body 12). The support member 13 is not limited to a cylindrical shape, but may have any cross-sectional shape as long as it is linear. The portion of the cover 14 that constitutes the insertion section 2 together with the support member 13 is formed into a substantially cylindrical shape with its inner circumferential surface being in contact with the outer surface of the support member 13, and the portion of the cover 14 that constitutes the insertion portion 2 together with the support member 13 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape. It has a substantially circular opening 15 (FIG. 2) for exposing the insertion portion 2 toward the distal end thereof.

The portion of the insertion portion 2 where the support member 13 is provided has higher rigidity than the portion where the support member 13 is not provided. Since the support member 13 extends in a straight line, the portion of the insertion portion 2 where the support member 13 is provided is also configured in a straight line, and cannot be bent over substantially the entire length of the insertion portion 2. On the other hand, the portion of the cover 14 between the main body 12 and the support member 13 is softer than the insertion portion 2 and can be bent. In other words, the portion consisting only of the cover 14 functions as a connecting portion 22 that connects the main body portion 20 and the insertion portion 2 in a bendable manner.

"Soft" here means a hardness that allows the wearer of the biological information detection device 10 to easily tilt the main body 20 around the connecting portion 22 when the insertion portion 2 is inserted into the external auditory canal 31. means. In other words, when a stress that would gouge the main body part 20 is applied while the insertion part 2 is inserted into the external auditory canal 31, the connecting part 22 absorbs this stress and suppresses the stress from being transmitted to the insertion part 2. As a result, even if the size and dimensions of the device 10 are difficult to fit in the ear, the undesirable stress generated due to the difference in shape can be absorbed in the connecting part 22, and the undesirable stress in the insertion part 2 can be absorbed. By not transmitting such stress, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of discomfort such as ear pain.

Furthermore, the support member 13 that provides rigidity to the insertion section 2 may be formed of an elastic member such as rubber or a spring instead of a rigid body such as metal or resin, or the insertion section 2 may be made flexible. good. In this case, the insertion portion 2 can be deformed to match the shape of the ear canal 31 of the wearer, and the problem of the insertion portion 2 pressing against the inner surface of the ear canal 31 when the device 10 is worn on the ear can be further suppressed. This makes it possible to improve the wearing feeling. Note that even in this case, it is desirable that the connecting portion 22 be made softer than the insertion portion 2.

In this embodiment, since the connecting part 22 is made softer than the insertion part 2, a gap is provided between the main body 12 and the support member 13, and only the cover 14 is provided, but the present invention is not limited to this. 12 and the support member 13 may be connected by an elastically deformable member. Alternatively, as in a modification shown in FIG. 12, the main body 12 and the support member 13 may be connected by a universal joint such as a ball joint 30. As shown in FIG. 12, by connecting the main body 12 and the support member 13 via the ball joint 30, the angle of the insertion part 2 with respect to the main body part 20 can be adjusted to a desired angle. Other universal joints include Cardan joints and Zeppa joints. When the main body part 20 and the insertion part 2 are connected via a mechanical bending mechanism as in this modification, the angle of the insertion part 2 with respect to the main body part 20 can be adjusted to match the angle of the ear canal 31 of the wearer. This makes it possible to accommodate all wearers with different ear shapes.

In any case, by providing the connecting part 22 for making the insertion part 2 bendable with respect to the main body part 20, the wiring between the temperature sensor 3 fixed at the tip of the support member 13 and the main body 12 ( (not shown) is subjected to stress in the compression and extension directions. Further, even when the insertion portion 2 is made flexible, stress is applied to the wiring. In particular, if stress in the direction of extension is applied to the wiring, there is a risk of wire breakage. Therefore, in this embodiment, the wiring itself is formed of an expandable and contractible material. Alternatively, the wiring may be provided in a spiral shape along the outer peripheral surface of the support member 13, or may be provided in a jagged spring shape.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the main body 12 has a pulse wave sensor 1 embedded therein. The pulse wave sensor 1 is housed in a recess 12b provided in the surface 12a of the main body 12. The opening of the recess 12b on the surface 12a side of the main body 12 is closed by a transparent plate member 11. The plate member 11 mentioned here is, for example, a transparent glass plate or an acrylic plate. The plate member 11 is not limited to this, and may be formed of a material that can transmit green light, red light, and infrared light well, for example. Note that in FIG. 3, illustration of the cover 14 is omitted.

The pulse wave sensor 1 includes two light emitting elements 16a and 16b and one light receiving element 17. The light emitting elements 16a and 16b are, for example, LED elements, and are arranged at the bottom of the recess 12b with the light receiving element 17 interposed therebetween. The light emitted from the light emitting elements 16a and 16b is diffused by the ears, and the returned light is received by the light receiving element 17. The pulse wave sensor 1 is, for example, a reflective photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor that detects biological information regarding blood flow, and detects heart rate per unit time. As shown in FIG. 1, the cover 14 includes an opening 14a for exposing the plate member 11 of the pulse wave sensor 1 to the outside.

The external shape and detailed structure and functions of each part of the device 10 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7. The device 10 can be worn on the ears of humans as well as on the ears of great apes such as monkeys and chimpanzees. In the following description, the top, bottom, left, right, front, back, inside, outside, etc. of the device 10 will be defined as viewed from the wearer wearing the device 10.

The insertion section 2 is inserted into the external auditory canal 31 of the ear. The insertion portion 2 is formed by the above-described substantially cylindrical support member 13 and a cover 14 portion that covers the outside of the support member 13. The temperature sensor 3 provided at the tip of the support member 13 is, for example, a thermopile or a bolometer element, and uses infrared rays emitted from a detection target (for example, the eardrum or the skin around it) and guided through the opening 15. is received through its light-receiving surface without contact and converted into voltage. The device 10 measures the temperature of the detection target based on the intensity of infrared rays detected via the temperature sensor 3.

Ideally, the angle of the support member 13 with respect to the main body 12, that is, the angle of the insertion part 2 with respect to the main body part 20, is set in the state where the insertion part 2 is inserted into the external auditory canal 31 at a predetermined depth (as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7). state), the surface of the plate-like member 11 of the pulse wave sensor 1 fixed to the main body 12 comes into surface contact with a portion 33 of the tragus 32 on the side of the external auditory canal 31 (hereinafter, this portion is referred to as the back of the tragus 33). It is set at an angle. Since the device 10 of this embodiment connects the main body 20 and the insertion portion 2 via the flexible connecting portion 22 that can be flexibly bent, Even when the device 10 is worn, the surface of the pulse wave sensor 1 can be brought into good contact with the back of the tragus 33. Note that although there are individual differences in the shape of ears, the average shape of the ears will be explained here by illustrating them in FIGS. 4 and 5.

The insertion portion 2 includes two substantially annular holding pieces 2a and 2b formed integrally with the cover 14 and substantially coaxially therebetween. The two holding pieces 2a and 2b are provided apart from each other along the longitudinal direction of the insertion portion 2. The two holding pieces 2a and 2b contact the inner surface of the external auditory canal 31 with elastic deformation when the insertion unit 2 is inserted into the external auditory canal 31, thereby stabilizing the attachment state of the insertion unit 2 to the external auditory canal 31. In other words, the two holding pieces 2 a and 2 b firmly hold the insertion section 2 against the external auditory canal 31 and prevent the insertion section 2 from slipping out of the external auditory canal 31 .

The pressing portion 4 is provided at a position where it comes into contact with the concha cavity 34 when the insertion portion 2 is inserted into the external auditory canal 31 . The pressing portion 4 has a shape in which the cover 14 bulges out in a dome shape toward the concha cavity 34 . The surface of the pressing part 4 includes a contact surface 4a that contacts the concha cavity 34 when the insertion part 2 is inserted into the external auditory canal 31 and the device 10 is attached to the ear. The contact surface 4a deforms to follow the shape of the surface of the concha cavity 34 while the pressing part 4 is pressed against the concha cavity 34. The pressing portion 4 has a structure made of an elastic member as a solid material, or a structure in which the inside is hollow. Since the pressing part 4 is integrally formed of the same material as the cover 14, it has flexibility like the connecting part 22 and is softer than the insertion part 2.

When the insertion part 2 is inserted into the external auditory canal 31 , the pressing part 4 is pressed against the concha cavity 34 , and is elastically deformed by contact with the concha cavity 34 . The reaction force of the interspace 34 acts to press the pulse wave sensor 1 against the back of the tragus 33. More specifically, the reaction force of the concha cavity 34 that the pressing part 4 receives causes the main body part 20 to rotate toward the tragus 32 using the connecting part 22 that connects the insertion part 2 and the main body part 20 as a fulcrum. As a result, the pulse wave sensor 1 is pressed against the back of the tragus 33. At this time, since the insertion portion 2 is inserted into the external auditory canal 31 and fixed, the connecting portion 22 serves as a fulcrum for rotation of the main body portion 20.

That is, the pulse wave sensor 1 is pressed against the back of the tragus 33 by the reaction force of the concha cavity 34 . In addition, at this time, since the connecting part 22 that connects the main body part 20 and the insertion part 2 is flexible, the stress generated by the rotation of the main part 20 is suppressed from being transmitted to the external auditory canal 31 via the insertion part 2. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a problem in which the insertion portion 2 presses the inner surface of the external auditory canal 31 and causes discomfort to the wearer.

When the insertion part 2 is inserted into the external auditory canal 31 (the state shown in FIG. 6), the engaging part 6 is elastically deformed, and the curved part 6a at the tip in the protruding direction connects with the pair of rings 35 and the concha. It is fitted between the boat 36 and contacts both 25 and 26. In this state, the curved portion 6a of the engaging portion 6 is arranged inside the pair of wheels 35, and the pair of wheels 35 at least partially covers the curved portion 6a.

The engaging portion 6 has a shape like a rod-shaped elastic member bent into a U-shape. Both ends of the engaging portion 6 are connected to the cover 14 of the main body portion 20. That is, the engaging portion 6 is provided integrally with the cover 14 in such a direction that the curved portion 6a bent into a U-shape is arranged at a position spaced apart from the main body 12.

In addition, in the state shown in FIG. 6, the curved portion 6a is fitted between the pair of wheels 35 and the concha 36, and by contacting them, the engaging portion 6 is elastically deformed, and the pair of wheels 35 and the ear The reaction force of the pair of wheels 35 and the concha 36 generated by the contact of the engaging portion 6 with the concha 36 acts to press the pulse wave sensor 1 against the back of the tragus 33 . At this time, the reaction force of the pair of wheels 35 received by the engaging portion 6 in the direction in which the pair of wheels 35 presses the engaging portion 6 inward toward the head is applied to the main body by the principle of leverage using the connecting portion 22 as a fulcrum. 20 to act in the direction of pressing the pulse wave sensor 1 against the back of the tragus 33 (in the direction away from the ear to the outside). In other words, the pulse wave sensor 1 is also pressed against the back of the tragus 33 by the reaction force of the pair of wheels 35 .

There are individual differences in the shape and size of ears, and the curved portion 6a of the engaging portion 6 may not fit into the concha boat 36 all the way. For example, when the device 10 is worn on a relatively large ear and the insertion portion 2 is inserted into the external auditory canal 21, the pair of wheels 35 is slightly caught on the curved portion 6a, and the curved portion 6a is attached to the concha boat 36. It is possible that it may not arrive. In such a case, the engaging portion 6 is elastically deformed by contacting the pair of wheels 35, and the reaction force of the pair of wheels 35 generated by the contact of the engaging portion 6 with the pair of wheels 35 is different from that in the case described above. Similarly, it acts to rotate the device 10 using the connecting portion 22 as a fulcrum, thereby pressing the pulse wave sensor 1 against the detected portion 23 .

In any case, according to the present embodiment, the engaging portion 6 contacts the pair of wheels 35 and the concha 36, or only the pair of wheels 35, and the pair of wheels 35 and the concha that occur as a result. The reaction force of the boat 36 acts to press the pulse wave sensor 1 against the detected portion 33 via the main body 12 .

The engaging portion 6 is not limited to the shape of a rod-shaped elastic member bent into a U-shape as in the present embodiment, but may also have a shape of a rod-shaped elastic member bent into a “dog” shape. Any shape may be used as long as it can generate a force in the direction of pressing the pulse wave sensor 1 against the back of the tragus 33 by a reaction force when deformed.

As described above, the pressing portion 4 and the engaging portion 6 function as a contact portion for pressing the pulse wave sensor 1 against the back of the tragus 33. Therefore, even if only one of the pressing part 4 and the engaging part 6 is provided, the pulse wave sensor 1 can be pressed well against the back of the tragus 33. When both are provided, the pulse wave sensor 1 can be pressed against the back of the tragus 33 more reliably than when either the pressing portion 4 or the engaging portion 6 is provided.

The positioning portion 8 is provided at a position where it contacts the intertragal notch 38 between the tragus 32 and the antitragus 37 when the insertion portion 2 is inserted into the external auditory canal 31. In other words, the positioning part 8 is provided with respect to the main body part 20 at a position and angle such that the positioning part 8 is fitted into the intertragal notch 38 when the insertion part 2 is inserted into the external auditory canal 31. The positioning portion 8 is a protrusion that extends straight from the main body portion 20 in a predetermined direction and is integral with the cover 14 .

When the insertion section 2 is inserted into the external auditory canal 31 , the positioning section 8 is fitted into the intertragal notch 38 and is elastically deformed by contact with the intertragal notch 38 . The reaction force acts to press the pulse wave sensor 1 against the back of the tragus 33. More specifically, when the main body 12 is worn on the left ear, the reaction force of the intertragal notch 38 acts in a direction to move the main body 12 away from the wearer's head to the left. Similar to the reaction force of the interstitial cavity 34, it acts to rotate the main body 12 using the connecting portion 22 as a fulcrum, thereby pressing the pulse wave sensor 1 against the detected portion 33. Moreover, the positioning part 8 has a function of positioning the device 10 with respect to the ear by being fitted into the intertragal notch 38. Furthermore, the positioning part 8 regulates the insertion depth of the insertion part 2 into the external auditory canal 31, and prevents the insertion part 2 from being inserted into the external auditory canal 31 beyond a certain depth.

By providing the positioning part 8 in addition to the pressing part 4 and the engaging part 6 described above, the device 10 can be fitted to the ear more securely, and the pulse wave sensor 1 can be more securely attached to the back of the tragus 33. can be pushed to. However, the positioning section 8 is not an essential component of the present invention, and the positioning section 8 may be omitted. Further, as described above, it is sufficient that at least one of the pressing portion 4 and the engaging portion 6 is provided, and it is not necessary that both of the pressing portion 4 and the engaging portion 6 are provided.

(Shape of insertion section 2)
Here, the shape of the insertion portion 2 will be considered.
As described above, there are individual differences in the shape of the external auditory canal 31 into which the insertion portion 2 is inserted. Therefore, ideally, the shape of the insertion portion 2 is desirably matched to the shape of the external auditory canal 31 of the wearer's ear. However, this is not practical because it requires taking a mold of the wearer's ear and manufacturing the device 10 individually to fit the ear mold. Therefore, it is desired to develop a device 10 that can be worn comfortably in the ears of almost all wearers, regardless of the shape of the wearer's ears.

The inventors of the present application investigated the shapes of the external auditory canals 31 of a plurality of test subjects in order to develop a device 10 that can absorb individual differences in the shape of ears and can be worn on all ears. As a result, it was found that the external auditory canal 31 was generally curved in an S-shape. For this reason, the inventors of the present invention first investigated whether there was a common S-shape that could be inserted into the external auditory canal 31 of all subjects without causing any discomfort. However, the outer diameter, orientation, and curve of the external auditory canal 31 and the angle between the external auditory canal 31 and the concha cavity 34 differed greatly depending on the subject, and it was not possible to find an S-shaped insertion portion 2 that could be used in common.

On the other hand, when a straight rod was inserted into the ear canal 31 of multiple subjects, it was found that a straight rod with a diameter of 3 mm could be inserted deep into the ear canal 31 of all subjects. Understood. In other words, the inventors of the present application found that it is better to make the insertion part 2 linear than to make it S-shaped, since it is better to absorb individual differences in the shape of the external auditory canal 31 and to allow the insertion part 2 to be inserted deep into the external auditory canal 31. I found it.

In addition, in order to investigate the relationship between the insertion depth of the insertion part 2 into the external auditory canal 31 and the diameter of the insertion part 2, the inventors of the present invention also investigated the relationship between the insertion depth of the insertion part 2 into the external auditory canal 31 and the diameter of the insertion part 2. A rod was prepared and inserted into the external auditory canal 31 of 10 test subjects (4 men, 6 women) to measure the depth at which it could be inserted. Note that the insertion depth at this time was measured based on the concha cavity 34. The results are shown in FIG. According to this, it can be seen that male subjects with relatively large ears generally penetrate deeper than female subjects.

When actually manufacturing the device 10, considering the diameter of the temperature sensor 3 and the diameter of the support member 13 disposed inside the insertion section 2, the outer diameter of the insertion section 2 will be about 5 mm. Further, from the results shown in FIG. 8, it can be seen that the smaller the diameter of the insertion portion 2, the deeper the insertion depth into the external auditory canal 31. Therefore, if it is assumed that the diameter of the insertion portion 2 is approximately 5 mm, which allows the insertion depth to be as long as possible, the graph in FIG. 8 shows that the diameter of the insertion portion 2 is 10 mm (5. 5 mm diameter) can be considered as the possible insertion depth for all subjects. In other words, it was found that if the insertion part 2 had a diameter of about 5 mm, it was possible to insert the insertion part 2 into the external auditory canal 31 of almost all subjects to a depth of about 10 mm.

In fact, when we attached a camera to the tip of a probe with a diameter of 5.5 mm and inserted it into the external auditory canal 31 of 10 subjects and observed the eardrums at a depth of 10 mm, we were able to see the eardrums of all subjects. . In other words, it has been found that by forming the insertion section 2 in a linear shape and making the insertion depth of the insertion section 2 about 10 mm, the temperature sensor 3 can be directed toward the eardrum. Therefore, the insertion portion 2 of the device 10 of this embodiment is formed into a straight line with a diameter of 5.5 mm or less, and the device 10 is attached to the ear (the contact surface 4a of the pressing portion 4 is in contact with the concha cavity 34). It was formed to a length that would allow it to be inserted into the external auditory canal 31 by about 10 mm in the state (

(Angle of insertion section 2 with respect to main body section 20)
Hereinafter, the angle between the main body part 20 and the insertion part 2 that allows the device 10 to fit comfortably in the ear will be discussed mainly with reference to FIG. 7. Note that although FIG. 7 shows the device 10 being worn on the ear, it is assumed that in this state the device 10 fits the ear without deforming. That is, it is assumed that the device 10 shown in FIG. 7 has the same shape as when it is not worn on the ear.

As described above, the device 10 of this embodiment has the insertion portion 2 that projects linearly from the main body portion 20. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the central axis O of the support member 13 passing through the center of the opening 15 at the distal end of the insertion section 2 is defined as the protrusion direction of the insertion section 2 (the direction in which the insertion section 2 extends). Furthermore, among the flat contact surfaces that contact the curved surface of the pressing section 4 of the device 10, the contact surface 4a that contacts the surface portion of the pressing section 4 closest to the insertion section 2 is defined as a flat imaginary surface P. . The plane P is a plane that substantially coincides with the surface of the concha cavity 34 when the device 10 is worn on the ear. Therefore, here, the angle of the central axis O with respect to the plane P will be considered.

When the angle of the external auditory canal 31 with respect to the concha cavity 34 of a plurality of subjects was measured, the angle was within the range of approximately 70° to 110°. For example, the central axis O of the insertion section 2 with respect to the plane P, which is the contact surface 4a of the pressing section 4, is adjusted to match the shape of the ear (FIG. 10) in which the angle of the external auditory canal 31 with respect to the concha cavity 34 is 70 degrees. As shown in FIG. 9, when the device 10A in which the angle A of The insertion depth for 31 becomes shallow. Therefore, the device 10A cannot be fitted to the ear of a subject whose angle of the external auditory canal 31 with respect to the concha cavity 34 is relatively large.

On the other hand, the central axis O of the insertion section 2 with respect to the plane P, which is the contact surface 4a of the pressing section 4, is adjusted to match the shape of the ear (FIG. 9) in which the angle of the external auditory canal 31 with respect to the concha cavity 34 is 110 degrees. When the device 10B in which the angle A of 110° is placed on a subject B whose ear shape is such that the angle of the external auditory canal 31 to the concha cavity 34 is 70°, as shown in FIG. It moves away from the concha cavity 34, and the device 10B does not fit the ear. However, in the device 10 of this embodiment, the main body portion 20 actually has the pressing portion 4 that protrudes toward the concha cavity 34, as shown by the broken line in FIG. Therefore, even if the device B has an angle A of 110° between the central axis O and the plane P, it can be made to fit the ear of the subject B.

Therefore, in this embodiment, when the device 10 is worn on the ear, the angle of the insertion portion 2 with respect to the main body portion 20 is adjusted such that the angle A of the insertion portion 2 with respect to the plane P of the concha cavity 34 is larger than the right angle. Set. As in the present embodiment, by making the angle A of the central axis O with respect to the plane P of the device 10 equipped with the pressing part 4 having the above-described function larger than a right angle, the angle of the insertion part 2 with respect to the concha cavity 34 is increased. In addition to being able to fit the device 10 well to relatively large ears, the device 10 can also fit well to ears where the angle of the insertion portion 2 with respect to the concha cavity 34 is relatively small. .

(Material of insertion part 2)
If the cover 14 of the device 10 that integrally includes the insertion portion 2, the pressing portion 4, the engaging portion 6, and the positioning portion 8 is formed of elastomer as in the embodiment described above, the portion where the device 10 comes into contact with the ear is The device 10 can be deformed to fit the shape of the ear, allowing the device 10 to fit the ear. However, if this device 10 is worn in the ear for a long time, the part of the ear that the device 10 comes into contact with will be compressed, resulting in poor blood flow, which may cause discomfort such as pain to the wearer. When the device 10 having the same shape is worn on the ears of a plurality of wearers having different ear shapes, it is difficult to eliminate the possibility of such a problem occurring. Therefore, in order to eliminate the above-mentioned discomfort, it may be possible to change the material of the cover 14 to a softer material, but since the insertion section 2 would also become soft at the same time, it would be difficult to insert the insertion section 2 into the ear canal 31. It can get difficult.

In order to eliminate such problems, the cover 14 of the device 10 is made of an α-olefin whose loss tangent tan δ peak temperature obtained by measuring dynamic viscoelasticity at a frequency of 1.6 Hz is 20°C or more and 45°C or less. A possible method is to use a material containing a copolymer. An example of such a material is Absortomer (registered trademark) manufactured by Mitsui Chemicals. In addition, the cover 14 may be formed using a material to which another thermoplastic elastomer is added, as long as the tan δ peak temperature described above does not impair the intended function of the specific resin. Examples of thermoplastic elastomers include olefin-based, styrene-based, urethane-based, polyester-based, and polyamide-based ones.

The above-mentioned material has a certain degree of hardness at room temperature (about 15° C. to 25° C.), and has the property of becoming soft when heated. Therefore, if the cover 14 is formed using such a material, the hardness of the insertion section 2 can be maintained to a certain extent when the insertion section 2 is inserted into the external auditory canal 31, and the work of inserting the insertion section 2 into the external auditory canal 31 can be made easier. It can be easily done. Furthermore, after a while after inserting the insertion section 2 into the external auditory canal 31, the insertion section 2 is warmed by body temperature, becomes soft, and fits into the external auditory canal 31. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the insertion portion 2 from pressing against the inner wall of the external auditory canal 31, and even if the device 10 is used for a long time, there is no need to worry about giving the wearer discomfort such as ear pain.

(Example)
Four types of devices 10-1 to 10-4 with different materials for the insertion part 2 and different structures for the connecting part 22 were prepared, and four types of devices 10-1 to 10-4 were placed in the ears of four subjects 1 to 4, respectively, and the subjects slept for 6 hours or more. , body temperature was measured. Then, evaluations of the fit were obtained from each subject, and the stability of temperature measurement was evaluated. The results are shown in FIG. Subject 1 is an ordinary male with standard-sized ears, Subject 2 is a male with relatively large ears, and Subject 3 has a relatively small angle between the concha cavity 34 and the external auditory canal 31. Subject 4 is a male and a female with relatively small ears.

In the device 10-1, the insertion portion 2 is made of ABS containing glass fiber, and the connecting portion 22 is not flexible. In the device 10-2, the insertion section 2 is made of ABS containing glass fiber, and the connecting section 22 is provided with a mechanical rotation mechanism. In the device 10-3, the insertion portion 2 is formed of a silicone resin having a hardness of SHOREA 30, and the connecting portion 22 is not flexible. In the device 10-4, the insertion portion 2 was formed using the above-mentioned Absortomer (registered trademark) manufactured by Mitsui Chemicals. In all the devices 10-1 to 10-4, a thermopile was used as the temperature sensor 3, the length of the insertion section 2 protruding from the main body 20 was 10 mm, and the diameter of the tip of the insertion section 2 was 5 mm.

The feeling of wearing was evaluated as ○ if the wearer did not feel any pain, △ if the wearer felt a tolerable discomfort, and × if the wearer felt pain. When measuring the temperature inside the ear, the temperature may fluctuate due to the device 10 not being held stably in the ear, or the temperature within the ear may not be measured correctly due to the device being attached or detached due to discomfort when worn. Therefore, in evaluating the stability of temperature measurement, if the temperature inside the ear can be measured stably by 90% or more, it is marked as ○, and if it can be measured stably by 70% or more, it is marked as △. A case where the percentage of

From the above results, it was found that none of the subjects felt any pain when wearing the device, and that the temperature inside the ear could be measured stably by more than 70%. More specifically, the evaluation of device 10-4 was the highest, the evaluations of devices 10-2 and 10-3 were almost the same, and the evaluation of device 10-1 was relatively low among all devices.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the insertion part 2 is formed in a straight line, the insertion part 2 can be inserted into the external auditory canal 31 regardless of the shape of the external auditory canal 31, so that it can be inserted into the ear of almost all wearers. The device 10 can be worn without any discomfort. Further, according to the present embodiment, the connecting portion 22 that connects the main body portion 20 and the insertion portion 2 to each other is made softer than the insertion portion 2, so that the main body portion 20 can be inserted into the external auditory canal 31 as desired. The device 10 can be placed at an angle, and in addition to being able to fit the device 10 in the ear, pain and discomfort caused by the insertion portion 2 strongly pressing against the inner wall of the external auditory canal 31 can be suppressed.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the angle of the insertion portion 2 with respect to the main body portion 20 is greater than a right angle, and the device 10 is able to press the pressing portion 4 that contacts the concha cavity 34 when the device 10 is attached to the ear. Therefore, whether the wearer has a relatively large angle of the external auditory canal 31 with respect to the concha cavity 34 or a relatively small angle, the device 10 can fit the ear well.

In addition, the insertion part 2 is formed of "a material containing an α-olefin copolymer whose peak temperature of loss tangent tan δ obtained by measuring dynamic viscoelasticity at a frequency of 1.6 Hz is 20°C or more and 45°C or less". In this case, when the device 10 is worn on the ear, the hardness of the insertion portion 2 can be maintained to a certain extent, and the device 10 can be easily worn on the ear. In addition, by forming the insertion portion 2 from such a material, the insertion portion 2 can be easily deformed to match the shape of the external auditory canal 31 after the device 10 is attached to the ear, and the insertion portion 2 can be easily deformed to fit the shape of the ear canal 31. The wearing feeling can be further improved.

Although the present invention has been described above based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and it goes without saying that various modifications and applications are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention. be.

For example, in the embodiment described above, the temperature sensor 3 provided in the insertion section 2 and the pulse wave sensor 1 provided in the main body section 20 were explained as examples of the detection section for detecting biological information of the wearer. However, a sensor for detecting other biological information may be provided anywhere in the device 10. Further, the present invention can also be applied to hearable devices such as earphones that do not have the pulse wave sensor 1 or the temperature sensor 3. Further, the present invention can also be applied to a hearable device such as an earphone having such a biological information detection means.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the insertion portion 2 is formed in a straight line, but the insertion portion 2 is not limited to this and may be curved. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, when the device 10 is worn on the ear, the pressing portion 4 of the main body 20 comes into contact with the concha cavity 34, but the present invention is not limited to this. The contact point may be the back of the tragus 33, the pair of wheels 35, the concha 36, etc.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the connection part 22 formed only by the cover 14 and the ball joint 30 were described as examples of the connection part in which the insertion part 2 is connected to the main body part 20, but the connection part 22 is not limited to this. It is sufficient that the part is at least softer than the insertion part 2, and the connection structure may be of any type, such as a coil spring.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the angle between the extending direction of the insertion portion 2 and the surface P of the main body portion 20 is set to be larger than a right angle, but the angle of the insertion portion 2 with respect to the main body portion 20 is determined to suit the ear of the wearer. The angle is within the fit range and does not exceed this range. The upper limit of the angle between the direction in which the insertion section 2 extends and the plane P of the main body section 20 is, for example, less than 180.

The present invention is included within the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents. Below, the invention described in the original claims of the present application will be added.
[Additional note 1]
a main body that contacts at least a portion of the ear when worn on the ear;
an insertion portion provided in a protruding state on the main body portion and inserted into the external auditory canal;
a detection unit that detects biological information of a wearer, the detection unit being provided in at least one of the main body part and the insertion part;
a connecting part that can change the angle of the insertion part with respect to the main body by connecting and deforming the main body and the insertion part;
A biological information detection device comprising:
[Additional note 2]
The angle between the direction in which the insertion portion extends and the surface of the insertion portion side of the contact surface where the main body portion contacts the concha cavity is larger than 90 degrees and smaller than 180 degrees,
A portion of the main body including the contact surface is provided with a convex portion that is softer than the insertion portion and bulges toward the concha cavity.
The biological information detection device according to [Additional Note 1].
[Additional note 3]
The connecting portion is made of a softer member than the insertion portion.
The biological information detection device according to [Additional Note 1] or [Additional Note 2].
[Additional note 4]
The connecting portion is configured to be able to adjust the angle of the insertion portion with respect to the main body portion by deforming.
The biological information detection device according to [Additional Note 1] or [Additional Note 2].
[Additional note 5]
The connecting portion includes a mechanical bending mechanism connected to adjust the angle of the insertion portion with respect to the main body portion.
The biological information detection device according to [Appendix 4].
[Additional note 6]
The bending mechanism is configured with a universal joint.
The biological information detection device according to [Appendix 5].
[Additional note 7]
The insertion portion is formed of a material containing an α-olefin copolymer whose peak temperature of loss tangent tan δ obtained by measuring dynamic viscoelasticity at a frequency of 1.6 Hz is 20° C. or more and 45° C. or less. ,
The biological information detection device according to any one of [Appendix 1] to [Appendix 6].
[Additional note 8]
The detection unit detects body temperature as biological information of the wearer.
The biological information detection device according to any one of [Appendix 1] to [Appendix 7].

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Pulse wave sensor, 2... Insertion part, 3... Temperature sensor, 4... Pressing part, 4a... Contact surface, 6... Engagement part, 8... Positioning part, 10... Biological information detection device, 12... Main body, 13... Support member, 14... Cover, 20... Main body, 22... Connecting part, 30... Ball joint, 31... External auditory canal, 32... Tragus, 33... Tragus back, 34... Concha cavity, 35... Pair of wheels, 36 ... conchal boat, 37... antitragus, 38... intertratracular notch.

Claims (8)

a main body that contacts at least a portion of the ear when worn on the ear;
an insertion portion provided in a protruding state on the main body portion and inserted into the external auditory canal;
a detection unit that detects biological information of a wearer, the detection unit being provided in at least one of the main body part and the insertion part;
a connecting part that can change the angle of the insertion part with respect to the main body by connecting and deforming the main body and the insertion part;
Equipped with
The main body includes a contact surface that contacts the concha cavity, and a portion of the main body including the contact surface is provided with a convex portion that is softer than the insertion portion and swells toward the concha cavity. There is,
Biological information detection device. a main body that contacts at least a portion of the ear when worn on the ear;
an insertion portion provided in a protruding state on the main body portion and inserted into the external auditory canal;
a detection unit that detects biological information of a wearer, the detection unit being provided in at least one of the main body part and the insertion part;
a connecting part that can change the angle of the insertion part with respect to the main body by connecting and deforming the main body and the insertion part;
Equipped with
The angle between the direction in which the insertion portion extends and the surface of the insertion portion side of the contact surface where the main body portion contacts the concha cavity is larger than 90 degrees and smaller than 180 degrees. ,
Biological information detection device. The connecting portion is made of a softer member than the insertion portion.
The biological information detection device according to claim 1 or 2. The connecting portion is configured to be able to adjust the angle of the insertion portion with respect to the main body portion by deforming.
The biological information detection device according to claim 1 or 2. The connecting portion includes a mechanical bending mechanism connected to adjust the angle of the insertion portion with respect to the main body portion.
The biological information detection device according to claim 4. The bending mechanism is configured with a universal joint.
The biological information detection device according to claim 5. The insertion portion is formed of a material containing an α-olefin copolymer whose peak temperature of loss tangent tan δ obtained by measuring dynamic viscoelasticity at a frequency of 1.6 Hz is 20° C. or more and 45° C. or less. ,
The biological information detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The detection unit detects body temperature as biological information of the wearer.
The biological information detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 .