KR20080063933A - Apparatus for measuring skin impedance - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus for measuring skin impedance is provided to drastically improve reliability and stability by electrically connecting a sensor member as well as being elastically supported by a conductive elastic member. An apparatus for measuring skin impedance includes a case(110), a sensor member(120), a holder(130), a conductive elastic member(140), and a signal line(150). The sensor member measures the skin impedance in a contact method by being mounted to be exposed to an outside of the case. The holder is installed inside of the holder. The conductive elastic member supports the sensor member elastically and maintains an electrical connection with the sensor member by being inserted between the sensor member and the holder. The signal line is arranged inside of the case to be electrically connected to the conductive elastic member.

Description

Skin Impedance Measuring Device {APPARATUS FOR MEASURING SKIN IMPEDANCE}

1 and 2 are cross-sectional views showing the structure and operation structure of a conventional skin impedance measuring apparatus.

3 is a perspective view showing the structure of the skin impedance measuring apparatus according to the present invention.

4 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the skin impedance measuring apparatus according to the present invention.

5 and 6 are cross-sectional views for explaining a connection structure between a conductive elastic member and a signal line as a skin impedance measuring apparatus according to the present invention.

7 is a skin impedance measuring apparatus according to the present invention, which shows a modified example of the conductive elastic member.

8 to 10 are views illustrating a skin impedance measuring device according to another embodiment of the present invention, respectively.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

110: case 120: sensor member

122: sensor body 124: electrode

130: holder 131: receiving hole

132: conductive connector 134: spring fixing groove

140,140 ': conductive elastic member 150: signal wire

160,160 ': elastic member 161: spring body

162: spring extension

The present invention relates to a skin impedance measuring apparatus, and more particularly, to a skin impedance measuring apparatus capable of stably maintaining the electrical connection state of the sensor member.

Recently, researches on methods and devices for measuring skin impedance have been actively conducted in that the impedance value of the skin can be analyzed and applied to various applications.

As a representative application field, the skin impedance measurement device may measure skin hydration, which is the moisture content of the stratum corneum, and feedback the same to provide more efficient health care and skin care.

1 and 2 are cross-sectional views illustrating a structure and an operation structure of a conventional skin impedance measuring apparatus.

As shown in Figure 1 and 2, the conventional skin impedance measuring device is mounted on the case, the front end of the case is a sensor member for measuring the impedance of the skin in a contact manner, the sensor member is elastically in contact with the skin A spring mounted on the rear of the sensor member to elastically support the sensor member, and a signal line electrically connected to the sensor member so that a signal detected by the sensor member can be transmitted to an external circuit.

By such a configuration, the sensor member may be brought into contact with the skin of the user to measure skin impedance such as the degree of skin hydration, which is the moisture content of the stratum corneum.

However, in the conventional skin impedance measuring apparatus, when the sensing operation of the sensor member is repeatedly performed, it is difficult to stably maintain the electrical connection state of the sensor member, thereby reducing the reliability and stability.

That is, in the related art, since the signal line is integrally connected to the sensor member by soldering and configured to move together with the sensor member, the solder connection part between the signal line and the sensor member is deformed or damaged by repetitive movement of the sensor member. .

As the solder connection between the signal line and the sensor member is deformed and broken as described above, there is a problem in that the connection state between the sensor member and the signal line is not maintained stably and a poor contact occurs. In some cases, the connection between the signal line and the sensor member There is a problem that is completely broken. In addition, there is a problem in that the life of the product is shortened, and the maintenance cost increases.

In addition, when contact failure occurs, it is difficult to accurately measure the skin impedance, and thus there is a problem in that reliability is lowered.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a skin impedance measuring apparatus capable of improving the reliability and stability as devised to solve the above problems.

In particular, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for measuring skin impedance, which can stably maintain an electrical connection state between a sensor member and a signal line.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a skin impedance measuring apparatus that can extend the life of the product and reduce the maintenance cost.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object of the present invention, the skin impedance measuring device is mounted so as to be exposed to the outside of the case, the sensor member for measuring the impedance of the skin in contact, the inside of the case A holder to be installed, a conductive elastic member interposed between the sensor member and the holder to elastically support the sensor member and to maintain an electrical connection with the sensor member, and a signal line disposed inside the case and electrically connected to the conductive elastic member. It includes.

As the sensor member, a sensor member of various structures and methods capable of measuring the impedance of the skin in a contact manner may be employed. For example, a sensor member for measuring skin hydration, which is a moisture content of the stratum corneum, may be employed, and the sensor member may include a plurality of electrodes integrally coupled to the sensor body and the sensor body. It can be configured to include.

The conductive elastic member is interposed between the sensor member and the holder to elastically support the sensor member and to be electrically connected to the sensor member while maintaining the state in which the sensor member contacts the skin elastically. The conductive elastic member may be provided in plural to correspond to each electrode of the sensor member, and may be independently connected to each electrode.

The conductive elastic member may be made of a conventional conductive metal material capable of elastic deformation. As an example, a coil spring made of a conductive metal may be used as the conductive elastic member. In some cases, instead of the coil spring as a conductive elastic member, a plate spring made of a conventional conductive metal material and bent to be able to flow elastically along the height direction may be used. Various changes can be made depending on the design environment.

The signal line is floating in the case and electrically connected to the conductive elastic member. In addition, the electrical connection between the conductive elastic member and the signal line can be made directly as well as indirectly through a separate connection medium.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the skin impedance measuring device is a case, a sensor member mounted to be exposed to the outside of the case to measure the impedance of the skin by contact, a holder fixedly installed inside the case, the sensor member and the holder Interposed between the elastic support for the sensor member and electrically connected to the sensor member, a correction elastic member for elastically supporting the sensor member together with the conductive elastic member, is disposed floating in the case And a signal line electrically connected to the conductive elastic member.

The correction elastic member is provided to simply support the sensor member elastically without the need to be electrically connected to the sensor member, to prevent distortion of the sensor member and to evenly distribute and correct the pressure for pressing the sensor member.

As the correction elastic member, an elastic member having various shapes and structures may be employed, and the mounting position thereof may also be variously changed depending on the required conditions and design environment. As an example, a conventional coil spring may be used as the correction elastic member, and the correction elastic member formed of the coil spring may be interposed between the sensor member and the holder to elastically support the bottom of the sensor body. In some cases, a leaf spring coupled to the case to support the bottom of the sensor member may be employed as the correction elastic member.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited or limited by the embodiments. For reference, in the present description, the same numbers refer to substantially the same elements, and may be described by quoting the contents described in other drawings under the above rules, and the contents repeated or deemed apparent to those skilled in the art may be omitted.

3 is a perspective view showing the structure of the skin impedance measuring apparatus according to the present invention, Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the skin impedance measuring apparatus according to the present invention.

3 and 4, the skin impedance measuring apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention is the case 110, the sensor member 120, the holder 130, the conductive elastic member 140, the signal line And 150.

The sensor member 120 is in contact with the skin to be measured and is installed to be exposed to the outside at the tip of the case 110 to measure the impedance of the skin. As the sensor member 120, a sensor member of various structures and methods capable of measuring the impedance of the skin by a contact method may be employed. For example, a sensor member 120 for measuring skin hydration, which is a moisture content of the stratum corneum, may be employed. The sensor member 120 for measuring the skin hydration level may be a three-electrode method. It can be configured to measure the susceptance (Susceptance) which is the AC component of the admittance (Admittance). In some cases, a two-electrode sensor member may be employed.

The sensor member 120 for measuring the degree of skin hydration as described above is a sensor body 122 and a plurality of electrodes integrally coupled to the sensor body 122 is arranged to be linearly movable on a case 110 on the case 110. The electrode 124 may be configured to include an R electrode (Reference Electrode), a C electrode (Current Carrying Electrode), and an M electrode (Measuring Electrode). When the sensor member 120 including the three electrodes 124 is in contact with the skin of the user by such a configuration, a current flows between the R electrode and the C electrode through the skin, where the M electrode is the R electrode and It can be operated on the principle of measuring the impedance of the current flowing between the C electrodes.

In the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the sensor member 120 is described as an example in which a sensor member for measuring skin hydration is employed, but in some cases, other characteristics of the skin may be used instead of the sensor member for measuring skin hydration. Other sensor members for measuring may be employed, and are not limited or limited to the present invention by the structure and manner of the sensor member.

The holder 130 is fixedly installed in the case 110 to be spaced apart from the sensor member 120. Such a holder 130 may be manufactured and combined with the case 110 separately, and in some cases, a part of the case 110 may be integrally extended and configured to perform the role of the holder 130.

The conductive elastic member 140 is interposed between the sensor member 120 and the holder 130 to elastically support the sensor member 120, the state in which the sensor member 120 is in contact with the skin elastically maintained And may be electrically connected to the sensor member 120 at the same time. In this case, the conductive elastic member 140 is provided in plural to correspond to each electrode 124 of the sensor member 120 and is independently connected to each electrode 124. The conductive elastic member 140 may be made of a conventional conductive metal material capable of elastic deformation. For example, a coil spring made of a conductive metal material may be used as the conductive elastic member 140. As such, the conductive elastic member 140 interposed between the sensor member 120 and the holder 130 serves as a spring for elastically supporting the sensor member 120 and at the same time, the sensor member 120 and the signal. At the same time, it may serve as a cable for electrically connecting the line 150.

In addition, the holder 130 may be provided with a receiving hole 131 for partially accommodating one end of the conductive elastic member 140. Therefore, the conductive elastic member 140 is fixedly accommodated in such a manner that one end is press-fitted into the receiving hole 131 and the arrangement state thereof can be stably maintained. In some cases, a separate receiving hole 131 may be excluded and the conductive elastic member 140 may be simply interposed between the sensor member 120 and the holder 130.

The signal line 150 is floating in the case 110 and is electrically connected to the conductive elastic member 140. Here, the signal line 150 is arranged to be floating means that the signal line 150 is disposed so as not to move inside the case 110. One end of the signal line 150 is electrically connected to the conductive elastic member 140 and the other end is electrically connected to an external circuit so that a signal detected by the sensor member 120 can be transmitted to the external circuit.

In addition, the electrical connection between the conductive elastic member 140 and the signal line 150 can be made directly, as well as indirectly through a separate connection medium.

5 and 6 are cross-sectional views for explaining a connection structure between a conductive elastic member and a signal line as a skin impedance measuring apparatus according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 5, the conductive elastic member 140 may be exposed to the bottom surface of the holder 130 through the receiving hole 131 formed in the holder 130, and the signal line 150 may be exposed to the holder 130. From the bottom of the conductive elastic member 140 may be electrically connected directly by a method such as soldering. At this time, since the lower end of the conductive elastic member 140 is disposed in a fixed state on the holder 130, the signal line 150 connected to the lower end of the conductive elastic member 140 is also maintained in a floating state. Can be.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6, the conductive connector 132 made of a conductive metal material may be integrally coupled to the holder 130, and the conductive elastic member 140 and the signal line 150 may be connected to the conductive connector 132. Can be indirectly connected. That is, the conductive connector 132 may be integrally coupled to the holder 130 so that one end thereof is exposed to the upper and lower surfaces thereof, and a conductive elastic member may be formed on the upper end of the conductive connector 132 exposed to the upper surface of the holder 130. The lower end of the 140 may be coupled in an indentation manner and electrically connected thereto, and the signal line 150 may be electrically connected to the lower end of the conductive connector 132 exposed to the lower surface of the holder 130 by soldering or the like. . Since the signal line 150 is also connected to the conductive connector 132 fixed to the holder 130, the signal line 150 may be kept in a floating state.

Meanwhile, in the above-described and illustrated exemplary embodiments of the present invention, a coil spring is applied as the conductive elastic member 140, but it may be described. However, other types of conductive elastic members may be applied.

7 is a skin impedance measuring apparatus according to the present invention, which shows a modified example of the conductive elastic member. In addition, the same or equivalent reference numerals are given to the same or equivalent components as those described above, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 7, the conductive elastic member 140 ′ is made of a conventional conductive metal material and may be formed of a leaf spring bent to be elastically flowable along the height direction. In the embodiment of the present invention, the conductive elastic member 140 'is described as an example consisting of a leaf spring bent in a roughly "c" form, but the bending shape and structure of the conductive elastic member 140' is required. Various changes may be made depending on conditions and design environments, and the present invention is not limited or limited thereto.

On the other hand, Figures 8 to 10 is a view showing a skin impedance measuring apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the same or equivalent reference numerals are given to the same or equivalent components as those described above, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 8, the skin impedance measuring apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes a case 110, a sensor member 120, a holder 130, a conductive elastic member 140, and a correction elastic member 160. ), And a signal line 150.

As the sensor member 120, a sensor member having various structures and methods capable of measuring impedance of the skin by a contact method may be employed. For example, as the sensor member 120, a sensor member for measuring skin hydration, which is a moisture content of the stratum corneum, may be employed. That is, the sensor member 120 is configured to include a sensor body 122 and a plurality of electrodes 124 integrally coupled to the sensor body 122 disposed on the case 110 to be linearly movable for a certain period. As already known, the electrode 124 may be configured of an R electrode (Reference Electrode), a C electrode (Current Carrying Electrode), and an M electrode (Measuring Electrode). When the sensor member 120 including the three electrodes 124 is in contact with the skin of the user by such a configuration, a current flows between the R electrode and the C electrode through the skin, where the M electrode is the R electrode and It can be operated on the principle of measuring the impedance of the current flowing between the C electrodes.

The holder 130 is fixedly installed in the case 110 to be spaced apart from the sensor member 120. Such a holder 130 may be manufactured and combined with the case 110 separately, and in some cases, a part of the case 110 may be integrally extended and configured to perform the role of the holder 130.

The conductive elastic member 140 is interposed between the sensor member 120 and the holder 130 to elastically support the sensor member 120, the state in which the sensor member 120 is in contact with the skin elastically maintained And may be electrically connected to the sensor member 120 at the same time. In this case, the conductive elastic member 140 is provided in plural to correspond to each electrode 124 of the sensor member 120 and is independently connected to each electrode 124. The conductive elastic member 140 may be made of a conventional conductive metal material capable of elastic deformation. For example, a coil spring made of a conductive metal material may be used as the conductive elastic member 140. As such, the conductive elastic member 140 interposed between the sensor member 120 and the holder 130 serves as a spring for elastically supporting the sensor member 120 and at the same time, the sensor member 120 and the signal. At the same time, it may serve as a cable for electrically connecting the line 150.

In addition, the holder 130 may be provided with a receiving hole (see 131 of FIG. 3) for partially accommodating one end of the conductive elastic member 140. Therefore, the conductive elastic member 140 is fixedly accommodated in such a way that one end is pressed into the receiving hole and the arrangement state thereof can be stably maintained. In some cases, a separate receiving hole may be excluded and the conductive elastic member 140 may be simply interposed between the sensor member 120 and the holder 130.

In the second embodiment of the present invention, the coil spring is applied as an example of the conductive elastic member 140. However, in some cases, the conductive elastic member is made of a conventional conductive metal material and has a height, as in the above-described embodiment. It may be formed of a leaf spring (see 140 of FIG. 7) bent to be elastically flowable along the direction. In addition, the bending form and structure of the conductive elastic member formed in the shape of the bent leaf spring can be changed in various ways depending on the required conditions and design environment, it is not limited or limited by the present invention.

The signal line 150 is floating in the case 110 and is electrically connected to the conductive elastic member 140. Here, the signal line 150 is arranged to be floating means that the signal line 150 is disposed so as not to move inside the case 110. One end of the signal line 150 is electrically connected to the conductive elastic member 140 and the other end is electrically connected to an external circuit so that a signal detected by the sensor member 120 can be transmitted to the external circuit.

In addition, the electrical connection between the conductive elastic member 140 and the signal line 150 may be made directly, as well as indirectly made a separate conductive connector. (See FIGS. 5 and 6)

The correction elastic member 160 is provided to elastically support the sensor member 120 together with the conductive elastic member 140. The correction elastic member 160 is provided to simply support the sensor member 120 elastically without the need to be electrically connected to the sensor member 120, to prevent distortion of the sensor member 120 and The pressure for pressing 120 can be evenly distributed and corrected.

As the elastic elastic member 160, an elastic member having various shapes and structures may be employed, and the mounting position thereof may also be variously changed according to a required condition and a design environment. For example, a conventional coil spring may be used as the correction elastic member 160, and the correction elastic member 160 formed of the coil spring may be interposed between the sensor member 120 and the holder 130 to provide the sensor body 122. The bottom of the can be elastically supported.

As such, the diameter and number of the correcting elastic members 160 made of coil springs may be variously changed according to required conditions and design specifications. However, the correcting elastic members 160 may be driven more stably. It is preferable that the bottom surface of the sensor body 122 is formed to have a size that can support the wide area as possible, that is, have a diameter corresponding to the size of the sensor body 122.

In addition, the holder 130 may be formed with a spring fixing groove 134 for partially receiving one end of the correction elastic member 160. Therefore, the correction elastic member 160 is accommodated and fixed in such a way that one end is pressed into the spring fixing groove 134, and its arrangement can be stably maintained. In some cases, a separate spring fixing groove 134 may be excluded and the correction elastic member 160 may be simply interposed between the sensor member 120 and the holder 130.

In addition, the elastic modulus of the correction elastic member 160 may be appropriately changed according to the required conditions and design specifications. For example, the correction elastic member 160 may be formed to have the same elastic modulus as the conductive elastic member 140, or alternatively, the elastic modulus of the correction elastic member 160 may be larger than the elastic modulus of the conductive elastic member 140. It may be formed to be small.

Meanwhile, in the above-described and illustrated second embodiment of the present invention, the coil spring is applied as the correction elastic member 160. For example, a correction elastic member having a different shape and structure may be applied.

That is, as illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10, the correction spring member 160 ′ may adopt a leaf spring coupled to the case 110 to support the bottom surface of the sensor member 120.

That is, the spring member 161 to be disposed on the same plane as the spring body 161 and the spring body 161 for supporting the bottom surface of the sensor member 120 in surface contact with the correction elastic member (160 ') made of a leaf spring. It may be configured to include a spring extension 162 is integrally extended to one side of the) is restrained on the case (110). In the embodiment of the present invention, the four spring extensions 162 are described as an example in which the spring body 161 is arranged in an approximately bay shape (fylfot), but the number of spring extensions 162 is described. And the arrangement may be changed in various ways depending on the requirements and design specifications.

The correction elastic member 160 'made of a flat plate spring as described above allows the bottom surface of the sensor member 120 to be elastically supported while being in surface contact with the correction elastic member 160' and supports the sensor member 120. The pressurizing pressure can be more evenly distributed and corrected. In addition, such a structure allows the height of the skin impedance measuring apparatus to be made smaller.

As described above, according to the skin impedance measuring apparatus according to the present invention, by enabling the sensor member to be electrically connected and elastically supported by the conductive elastic member, the effect of remarkably improving the reliability and stability is provided. have.

In particular, the present invention allows the electrical connection state of the sensor member to be maintained stably, and it is possible to accurately measure and transmit the skin impedance without poor contact or disconnection of the signal line for transmitting the signal detected by the sensor member.

In addition, the present invention can extend the life of the product, there is an effect that can reduce the maintenance cost.

In addition, the present invention is provided with a correction elastic member for elastically supporting the sensor member with the conductive elastic member to prevent distortion of the sensor member and to evenly distribute and correct the pressure for pressing the sensor member.

As described above, although described with reference to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, those skilled in the art various modifications and variations of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention described in the claims below I can understand that you can.

Claims (15)

case; A sensor member mounted to be exposed to the outside of the case to measure the impedance of the skin by contact; A holder installed inside the case; A conductive elastic member interposed between the sensor member and the holder to elastically support the sensor member and to maintain an electrical connection with the sensor member; And A signal line disposed inside the case and electrically connected to the conductive elastic member; Skin impedance measuring apparatus comprising a. The method of claim 1, The sensor member includes a sensor body and a plurality of electrodes coupled to the sensor body, The conductive elastic member is a skin impedance measuring device, characterized in that connected to each of the electrodes independently. The method of claim 1, The conductive elastic member is a skin impedance measuring device, characterized in that it comprises a coil spring of a conductive metal material. The method of claim 1, The conductive elastic member is made of a conductive metal material, skin impedance measuring device, characterized in that it comprises a leaf spring bent to be elastically flowable along the height direction. The method of claim 1, Skin impedance measuring device, characterized in that the holder is formed with a receiving hole for receiving the conductive elastic member. The method of claim 1, The holder further comprises a conductive connector, one end of the conductive connector is connected to the conductive elastic member and the other end is a skin impedance measuring device, characterized in that connected to the signal line. case; A sensor member mounted to be exposed to the outside of the case to measure the impedance of the skin by contact; A holder installed inside the case; A conductive elastic member interposed between the sensor member and the holder to elastically support the sensor member and to maintain an electrical connection with the sensor member; A correction elastic member for elastically supporting the sensor member together with the conductive elastic member; And A signal line disposed inside the case and electrically connected to the conductive elastic member; Skin impedance measuring apparatus comprising a. The method of claim 7, wherein The correction elastic member is a skin impedance measuring device, characterized in that it comprises a coil spring interposed between the sensor member and the holder. The method of claim 8, Skin impedance measuring device is characterized in that the holder is formed with a spring fixing groove so that one end of the coil spring is accommodated. The method of claim 7, wherein The correction elastic member is a skin impedance measuring device, characterized in that it comprises a leaf spring coupled to the case to support the sensor member on the bottom. The method of claim 7, wherein The sensor member includes a sensor body and a plurality of electrodes coupled to the sensor body, The conductive elastic member is connected to each of the electrodes independently, the correction elastic member is a skin impedance measuring device, characterized in that the elastic support for the sensor body. The method of claim 7, wherein The conductive elastic member is a skin impedance measuring device, characterized in that it comprises a coil spring of a conductive metal material. The method of claim 7, wherein The conductive elastic member is made of a conductive metal material, skin impedance measuring device, characterized in that it comprises a leaf spring bent to be elastically flowable along the height direction. The method of claim 7, wherein Skin impedance measuring device, characterized in that the holder is formed with a receiving hole for receiving the conductive elastic member. The method of claim 7, wherein The holder further comprises a conductive connector, one end of the conductive connector is connected to the conductive elastic member and the other end is a skin impedance measuring device, characterized in that connected to the signal line.

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