WO2022181384A1

WO2022181384A1 - Skin stimulation device and skin stimulation method

Info

Publication number: WO2022181384A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/005845
Authority: WO
Inventors: 敦曽我部; 亮介金子; 毅大谷
Original assignee: 株式会社資生堂
Priority date: 2021-02-26
Filing date: 2022-02-15
Publication date: 2022-09-01
Also published as: JPWO2022181384A1

Abstract

Provided is a skin stimulation device and skin stimulation method which make it possible to determine whether or not mask pressure is appropriate. Said device is equipped with: a mounting unit which can be mounted onto skin; a biasing unit for biasing the mounting unit against the skin surface at a prescribed pressure; a drive unit which is provided to the mounting unit and applies a mechanical stimulus to the skin surface; and a detection unit for detecting said pressure and outputting a signal which corresponds to said pressure.

Description

Skin stimulation device and skin stimulation method

The present invention relates to a skin stimulation device and a skin stimulation method.

In recent years, skin stimulators that can be worn on the face have been devised. The skin stimulation device described in Patent Document 1 includes a face-shaped mask, a belt attached to the mask, and a vibration element provided on the mask. The stimulus applied to the skin can be changed by the user's setting, and various stimuli are applied to the skin.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2014-530640

The skin stimulation device described in Patent Document 1 applies mechanical stimulation to the skin by transmitting the vibration of the vibrating element through the mask. Therefore, the mechanical stimulation applied to the skin by the skin stimulation device changes depending on how the user wears the mask. If the mask does not adhere sufficiently to the skin, the mechanical stimulation applied to the skin from the vibrating element is weakened. On the other hand, if the mask is too tight on the skin, skin irritation or congestion can occur.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and aims to provide a skin stimulation device and a skin stimulation method that can determine whether or not the mask pressure is appropriate.

According to one aspect of the present invention, an attachment part that can be attached to the skin, an urging part that urges the attachment part against the skin surface with a predetermined pressure, is provided in the attachment part, and A skin stimulator is provided, comprising: a drive unit that applies mechanical stimulation to a surface; and a detection unit that detects the pressure and outputs a signal corresponding to the pressure.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a biasing section biases a mounting section attachable to the skin surface with a predetermined pressure against the skin surface; Provided is a skin stimulation method comprising the steps of applying mechanical stimulation to the skin surface by a drive unit, and detecting the pressure by a detection unit and outputting a signal corresponding to the pressure. .

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a skin stimulation device and a skin stimulation method that can determine whether the mask pressure is appropriate.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the skin stimulation system in 1st Embodiment. It is a top view of a mask in a 1st embodiment. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the mask in the first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a skin stimulation device according to a first embodiment; FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a user terminal in the first embodiment; FIG. It is an example of the operation screen of the user terminal in the first embodiment. It is an example of the operation screen of the user terminal in the first embodiment. It is an example of the operation screen of the user terminal in the first embodiment. It is an example of the operation screen of the user terminal in the first embodiment. It is an example of the operation screen of the user terminal in the first embodiment. 4 is a flowchart of a skin stimulation method according to the first embodiment; FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram of a learning model of the skin stimulation device in the second embodiment; It is a flowchart of learning in the second embodiment. 4 is a flow chart of a skin stimulation method according to a second embodiment; It is an example of the operation screen of the user terminal in the second embodiment. It is a top view of a mask in a 3rd embodiment. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a mask in a third embodiment; FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a skin stimulation device according to a third embodiment; FIG. 9 is a flow chart of a skin stimulation method according to a third embodiment; It is a top view of a mask in a 4th embodiment. It is an example of the waveform of the driving voltage in the fifth embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Elements having common functions throughout the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description may be omitted or simplified.

[First embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a skin stimulation system according to the present invention. A skin stimulation system includes a skin stimulation device 1 and a user terminal 4 . The skin stimulation device 1 includes a mask 2 that can be worn on the skin and a controller 3 that controls the mask 2 . The mask 2 is equipped with actuator elements and is used to apply mechanical stimulation to the user's skin.

The control unit 3 is electrically connected to the mask 2 and controls the mask 2. The control unit 3 has a touch display operated by a user, and drives the mask 2 according to the user's operation. The control unit 3 can also be operated by the user terminal 4 and is communicably connected to the user terminal 4 .

The user terminal 4 is used to operate the skin stimulation device 1, and can communicate with the skin stimulation device 1 via Wi-Fi (registered trademark) and Bluetooth (registered trademark). The wireless communication method between the skin stimulation device 1 and the user terminal 4 is not limited to Bluetooth, and may be any communication method such as NFC (Near Field Communication). The user terminal 4 may be a mobile terminal such as a smart phone, a tablet terminal, or a wearable terminal, or a stationary terminal such as a personal computer. Note that the user terminal 4 does not necessarily have to be provided separately from the skin stimulation device 1 and may be configured integrally with the skin stimulation device 1 .

FIG. 2 is a top view of the mask 2 in this embodiment. In FIG. 2, the direction substantially perpendicular to the surface of the mask 2 is defined as the Z direction, and arbitrary orthogonal axes substantially parallel to the surface of the mask 2 are defined as the X direction and the Y direction.

As shown in FIG. 2, the mask 2 has a mounting portion 21, a belt (biasing portion) 22, a drive portion 25, and a detection portion 26. The mounting portion 21 can be in close contact with the skin, has flexibility, and can have a shape corresponding to a part such as the face, hands, and feet. For example, when the mask 2 is worn on the face, the wearing part 21 has a contour that sufficiently covers the face and has openings at the positions of the eyes, nose and mouth.

The belts 22 are attached to both sides of the wearing part 21 and urge the wearing part 21 against the skin surface with a predetermined pressure. The belt 22 is made of an elastic material such as non-woven fabric, plastic film, rubber, etc., and can be a pair of cords hooked on both ears of the user. The user can wear the wearing part 21 on the face by stretching the belt 22 and putting the belt 22 on the left and right ears. At this time, the belt 22 can urge the mounting portion 21 against the skin surface with a predetermined pressure. Although not shown, the belt 22 may be configured to be stretchable by user manipulation. In this case, the user can adjust the length of the belt 22 to appropriately change the pressure applied to the mounting portion 21 . Note that the belt 22 may be made of the same material as the mounting portion 21, or may be made of a different material.

The driving part 25 can be arranged in the mounting part 21 at a position corresponding to a desired body part such as the cheek, the corner of the eye, or the chin. The drive unit 25 can apply mechanical stimulation to the skin surface according to the applied voltage. In the top view of FIG. 2, the driving part 25 has, for example, a circular shape, but it may have an elliptical shape, a rectangular shape, a regular polygonal shape, or the like. Further, the number of drive units 25 is not limited to four, and any number of drive units 25 may be provided.

The detection section 26 is arranged at a position close to the skin surface in the mounting section 21, and can detect the pressure applied by the mounting section 21 to the skin surface. The detection portion 26 is arranged at a position where the pressure of the mounting portion 21 can be easily detected, for example, near the belt 22 . If the pressure in the mounting portion 21 is not uniform, it may be arranged at a plurality of positions such as near the opening where the pressure tends to be weak or near the belt 22 where the pressure tends to be strong. The shape of the detection unit 26 is not limited, and may be an ellipse, a rectangle, a regular polygon, or the like when viewed from above. Also, the number of detection units 26 is not limited to two, and an arbitrary number of detection units 26 may be provided.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the mask 2 according to this embodiment, and is a cross-sectional view of the mask 2 taken along line III-III' of FIG. As shown in Figure 3, the mask 2 further comprises a substrate 23 and

insulating materials

24a, 24b. The base material 23 is a stretchable and insulating thin film, and can be made of a material such as silicone rubber or resin, for example.

Insulators

24 a and 24 b are formed on the upper and lower surfaces of base material 23 to electrically insulate base material 23 and skin 5 . The insulating

materials

24a and 24b can be made of materials such as polyimide and polyethylene terephthalate, for example. The insulating

materials

24 a and 24 b ensure insulation between the drive unit 25 and the skin 5 , and a large drive voltage can be applied to the drive unit 25 .

The drive unit 25 is embedded inside the base material 23 . The drive unit 25 has a plurality of drive elements 250 that can be displaced according to applied voltage. A plurality of drive elements 250 are stacked in the Z direction.

The drive element 250 includes an electrode 251, an electrode 252, and a dielectric 253. The

electrodes

251 and 252 desirably have low rigidity, and can be made of, for example, a thin metal film using gold or silver, graphite powder, or a mixture of silicone oil and graphite. A dielectric 253 is formed between the

electrodes

251, 252 and can be, for example, a dielectric elastomer, ceramic, barium titanate, lead zirconate titanate, zinc oxide, or the like. The

electrodes

251 , 252 are alternately arranged, and two adjacent driving elements 250 share the electrode 251 or the electrode 252 . The plurality of electrodes 251 are electrically connected to each other through wiring 258 , and the plurality of electrodes 252 are electrically connected to each other through wiring 259 . The

wirings

258 and 259 can be mutually connected to the

electrodes

251 and 252 of the other driving section 25 . A drive voltage is applied to the

wirings

258 and 259 from the controller 3 .

When the driving voltage is applied to the

electrodes

251 and 252, an electrostatic force is generated between the

electrodes

251 and 252. Electrostatic attraction between the

electrodes

251 and 252 causes the dielectric 253 to contract in the Z direction. As a result, the mounting portion 21 contracts in the Z direction. When the driving voltage is no longer applied to the

electrodes

251 and 252, the electrostatic force generated between the

electrodes

251 and 252 disappears. As the

electrodes

251 and 252 attracted by the electrostatic force are separated from each other, the dielectric 253 expands in the Z direction. As a result, the mounting portion 21 expands in the Z direction. That is, the mounting section 21 contracts and expands according to the driving voltage applied to the

electrodes

251 and 252 , and the driving section 25 can apply mechanical stimulation to the user's skin surface via the mounting section 21 .

Since the plurality of drive elements 250 are stacked, the overall displacement of the drive section 25 is increased. That is, by increasing the number of laminated driving elements 250, it is possible to increase the contraction and extension displacement of the driving portion 25. FIG. Although three driving elements 250 are stacked in FIG. 3, the number of driving elements 250 constituting the driving section 25 is not limited. Further, the lamination direction of the drive elements 250 is not limited to the Z direction, and may be the X direction or the Y direction. When the drive elements 250 are stacked in the X direction or the Y direction, the drive unit 25 can apply mechanical stimulation that displaces the surface of the skin 5 in the horizontal direction.

The detection section 26 is configured substantially in the same manner as the drive section 25 and includes electrodes 261 and 262 and a dielectric 263 . That is, the electrodes 261 and 262 are made of thin film metal such as gold or silver, graphite powder, or a mixture of silicone oil and graphite. It can be lead zirconate, zinc oxide, and the like. When pressure is applied to dielectric 263 , a sense voltage can be generated between electrodes 261 , 262 . Therefore, it is possible to detect the pressure applied to the skin 5 by the mounting section 21 based on the detected voltage output from the detection section 26 .

The detection section 26 is desirably arranged at a position close to the skin 5 so that the pressure applied by the mounting section 21 to the skin 5 can be easily detected. In FIG. 3 , the detector 26 is arranged between the base material 23 and the insulating material 24 b on the lower surface side, but may be arranged between the insulating material 24 b and the skin 5 .

Note that the detection section 26 may include a plurality of elements stacked in the Z direction, similar to the drive section 25 . That is, the electrodes 261 , 262 are alternately arranged and two adjacent elements can share the electrode 261 or the electrode 262 . A plurality of electrodes 261 are electrically connected to each other through wiring 268 , and a plurality of electrodes 262 are electrically connected to each other through wiring 269 . The

wires

268 and 269 can be mutually connected to the electrodes 261 and 262 of the other detectors 26 . The pressure detected by the detection unit 26 is output to the control unit 3 as a detection voltage via

wirings

268 and 269 . By using the detection part 26 to which a plurality of elements are connected, the pressure of the attachment part 21 to the skin 5 can be detected with high sensitivity.

It should be noted that the detection unit 26 can also detect the strength of the mechanical stimulation given to the skin 5 by the drive unit 25, the tension of the skin, the flexibility, etc., when the skin is stimulated. When the skin stimulation device 1 applies a driving voltage to the driving section 25, the driving section 25 contracts and the mounting section 21 is displaced. This displacement irritates the skin. At the same time, the detection section 26 outputs a detection voltage according to the displacement of the mounting section 21 . At this time, the amount of displacement of the mounting portion 21 differs depending on the condition of the skin, and the stimulation on the skin may vary. For example, when the flexibility of the skin is high, the amount of displacement of the mounting section 21 is large, and the detection voltage of the detection section 26 is large. On the other hand, when the skin is taut, the amount of displacement of the mounting portion 21 is small, and the detection voltage of the detection portion 26 is small. Thus, it is also possible to estimate the tension, flexibility, etc. of the skin based on the voltage detected by the detection unit 26 .

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the skin stimulation device 1 according to this embodiment, showing the mask 2 and the controller 3. The control unit 3 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 301, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 302, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 303, a storage device 304, a display 305, a touch sensor 306, a WAN (Wide Area Network) 307, a LAN ( Local Area Network) 308 , bus 310 , oscillation circuit 311 , booster circuit 315 , switching circuit 320 , amplifier 331 , filter circuit 332 and AD converter 333 . Each part of the control part 3 is interconnected via a bus 310 .

The CPU 301 controls each part of the skin stimulation device 1 by application programs. The ROM 302 is composed of non-volatile memory and stores application programs for controlling each part of the skin stimulation device 1 . A RAM 303 provides a memory area necessary for the operation of the CPU 301 . The storage device 304 is composed of a hard disk, a semiconductor memory, or the like. The display 305 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display, an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) display, or the like. A touch sensor 306 is arranged on the surface of the display 305 . The touch sensor 306 comprises capacitive or resistive sensing circuitry. Display 305 and touch sensor 306 may be used instead of user terminal 4 to operate skin stimulation device 1 . The WAN 307 may communicably connect the skin stimulation device 1 and the user terminal 4 via a mobile communication network. The mobile communication network can be, for example, 3rd generation mobile communication, LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4th generation mobile communication, 5th generation mobile communication, or the like. The LAN 308 is a communication unit that transmits and receives data by wireless communication, and is configured to be able to execute short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth and wireless communication by wireless LAN connection such as Wi-Fi.

The oscillation circuit 311 generates a plurality of pulse signals to drive the switching circuit 320 . The oscillation circuit 311 can independently control the frequency and pulse width of each pulse signal according to instructions from the CPU 301 .

A switching circuit 320 is provided for each drive unit 25 and has an inverter 321 and

switches

322 and 323 . The inverter 321 outputs an inverted signal obtained by inverting the logic of the pulse signal input from the oscillation circuit 311 .

Switches

322 and 323 are cascaded between the high voltage of boost circuit 315 and ground potential. An inverted signal of the pulse signal is input to the gate of the switch 322 , and a pulse signal is input to the gate of the switch 323 . The

switches

322 and 323 are complementarily turned on or off to generate a drive voltage by switching the high voltage of the booster circuit 315 . A driving voltage generated by the switching circuit 320 is applied to the driving section 25 . A switching circuit 320 is provided for each drive unit 25 , and the control unit 3 can independently control a plurality of drive units 25 . As a result, the skin stimulation device 1 can apply skin stimulation with different displacements to different parts of the skin surface.

A booster circuit 315 boosts a power supply voltage VDD such as 5V or 12V to generate a DC high voltage of several tens to several hundreds of volts. The generated high voltage is supplied to the switching circuit 320 and defines the ON voltage of the drive voltage. Also, the booster circuit 315 can control a high voltage according to a command from the CPU 301 . For example, the booster circuit 315 generates a high voltage of 500 V when the stimulation applied to the skin needs to be strengthened, and the booster circuit 315 generates a high voltage of about 100 V when the stimulation applied to the skin is weakened. can.

It should be noted that the amplitude and frequency of the drive voltage can be appropriately changed according to the site to which the stimulation is applied. For example, a large-amplitude drive voltage can be applied to the drive unit 25 in regions close to the skeleton, such as the forehead, temples, and corners of the eyes. A large-amplitude driving voltage can be applied to the driving section 25 in a region such as the cheek that is distant from the skeleton. Moreover, although the frequency is preferably 60 Hz or less, for example, the frequency may be appropriately changed according to the site.

The amplifier 331 includes a differential amplifier circuit and amplifies the weak detection voltage output from the detection section 26. Filter circuit 332 passes only a specific frequency component of the voltage amplified by amplifier 331 . By providing the filter circuit 332, the noise component of the detected voltage can be reduced. The AD converter 333 includes a comparison circuit and a reference voltage generation circuit, and converts the detected voltage that has passed through the filter circuit 332 into a digital signal. AD converter 333 outputs a digital signal to LAN 308 via bus 310 . Note that the amplifier 331 , filter circuit 332 and AD converter 333 are provided for each detection unit 26 . A digital signal of the detected voltage output to the LAN 308 is transmitted to the user terminal 4 .

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the user terminal 4 in this embodiment. The user terminal 4 includes a CPU 401 , a ROM 402 , a RAM 403 , a storage device 404 , a display 405 , a touch sensor 406 , a first wireless communication section 407 , a second wireless communication section 408 , an imaging section 409 and a bus 410 . Each unit is interconnected via a bus 410 .

The CPU 401 controls each part of the user terminal 4 by application programs. The ROM 402 is a non-volatile memory and stores application programs for controlling each part of the user terminal 4 . A RAM 403 provides a memory area necessary for the operation of the CPU 401 . Storage device 404 is a non-volatile memory, an external memory, or the like.

The display 405 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display, an OLED display, an LED display, or the like. A touch sensor 406 is arranged on the surface of the display 405 . The touch sensor 406 comprises capacitive or resistive sensing circuitry.

The first wireless communication unit 407 is a communication unit that performs wireless communication in a mobile communication network, and can execute, for example, 3rd generation mobile communication, LTE, 4th generation mobile communication, 5th generation mobile communication, and the like.

The second wireless communication unit 408 is a communication unit that transmits and receives data by wireless communication, and can perform, for example, short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth, wireless communication by wireless LAN connection such as Wi-Fi, infrared wireless communication, and the like. configured to The second wireless communication unit 408 receives the digital signal of the voltage detected by the detection unit 26 from the LAN 308 of the control unit 3 .

The imaging unit 409 is, for example, an area sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) sensor or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) sensor. Note that the skin stimulation device 1 or the user terminal 4 may analyze the image captured by the imaging unit 409 and determine the amplitude, frequency, etc. of the drive voltage from the image.

The user terminal 4 can acquire information such as the age and gender of the user and notify the user of the pressure of the mounting section 21 by means of an application program. This enables the user to determine whether or not the pressure of the mounting portion 21 is appropriate.

6A to 6E are examples of operation screens of the user terminal 4 in this embodiment. The mask 2 can give the user the optimum mechanical stimulation based on the user information input to the user terminal 4 . When the user starts the application program on the user terminal 4, the user terminal 4 displays the screen shown in FIG. 6A on the display 405. FIG. On the screen of FIG. 6A, the user operates the touch sensor 406 arranged on the display 405 to input information such as gender, birthday (age), and the part to be used to the user terminal 4, and select the driving voltage. can be done. It should be noted that the drive voltage may not be selected by the user but determined by the application program. When the user inputs information and touches the "Next" button, the user terminal 4 causes the display 405 to display the screen shown in FIG. 6B.

On the screen of FIG. 6B, the user wears the mask 2 according to the instructions displayed on the display 405 . The user terminal 4 can display as a graph whether the pressure detected by the detection unit 26 is a predetermined target pressure. The target pressure can be set to a predetermined pressure range, such as 10-100 gf/cm ² . Also, different values can be set for the target pressure depending on the direction of the mechanical stimulation applied to the user's skin 5 by the wearing unit 21 and the site to which the mechanical stimulation is applied. When the detected pressure is weaker than the predetermined target pressure, the user terminal 4 sets the graph value to "too weak" in FIG. 6B. Also, when the detected pressure is stronger than the target pressure, the user terminal 4 sets the value of the graph to "too strong" in FIG. 6B. The user can adjust the length of the belt 22 and the like to adjust the pressure of the mounting portion 21 while viewing the screen of FIG. 6B. When the detected pressure is the predetermined target pressure, the user terminal 4 sets the graph value to "good" in FIG. 6B and causes the display 405 to display the screen shown in FIG. 6C.

　On the screen of FIG. 6C, the user inputs the current mood state to the user terminal 4. The user terminal 4 displays three icons "good", "not bad", and "bad" on the display 405, which represent mood states. The user can input the user's current mood to the user terminal 4 by touching one of the three icons. On the screen of FIG. 6D, the user enters an action plan. The user terminal 4 displays icons such as “skin care”, “leisurely”, and “sleep” on the display 405 . The user can input the user's action schedule by touching one of these icons.

Based on the user information input as described above, the user terminal 4 determines skin stimulation information such as driving voltage and stimulation time. The drive voltage may be determined by specifying the signal type such as sine wave, alpha wave, or audio signal, or by specifying the signal waveform such as amplitude, frequency, and waveform. The user terminal 4 transmits the determined skin stimulation information to the control section 3, and the control section 3 outputs a driving voltage based on the skin stimulation information. The drive unit 25 changes the mechanical stimulation in a predetermined drive pattern based on the drive voltage. This makes it possible to provide the user with optimal mechanical stimulation. Also, the user terminal 4 may cause the display 405 to display the screen shown in FIG. 6E. On the screen of FIG. 6E, based on the input user information, the user is presented with a treatment schedule capable of applying the optimum mechanical stimulation. By performing treatments according to this treatment schedule, the user can use the skin stimulation device 1 at appropriate frequencies and at appropriate treatment times.

It should be noted that the user terminal 4 may acquire the user's facial image, and the user terminal 4 may automatically determine the skin stimulation information according to the facial image. For example, the user terminal 4 learns the skin stimulation information in association with the facial image, thereby determining the optimal skin stimulation information for the input facial image.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the skin stimulation method according to this embodiment, showing the operation of skin stimulation and pressure detection.

First, by operating the touch sensor 406 arranged on the display 405, the user operates the screens of FIGS. Information such as the next action schedule is input to the user terminal 4 (step S101). Next, the user wears the mask 2 on his face (step S102). The information input in step S101 may be performed after wearing the mask 2 .

The detection unit 26 detects the pressure with which the mounting unit 21 presses the skin surface (step S103), and the control unit 3 determines whether or not the detected pressure is a predetermined target pressure (step S104). If the detected pressure is not the target pressure (NO in step 104), the control unit 3 instructs the user to adjust wearing of the mask 2 via the user terminal 4 (step S105). For example, if the detected pressure is too strong than the target pressure, the user terminal 4 displays the graph value as "too strong" in FIG. 6B, and the user adjusts the belt 22 and puts on the mask 2 again. can be done. If the detected pressure is the target pressure (YES in step S104), the controller 3 notifies the user via the user terminal 4 that wearing of the mask 2 is appropriate (step S106). The user operates the application program, and the skin stimulation device 1 starts skin stimulation (step S107).

The control unit 3 sets the amplitude, frequency, etc. of the driving voltage for each part of the skin (step S110). Furthermore, the control unit 3 applies the set driving voltage to the driving unit 25 (step S111), and the driving unit 25 gives stimulation to the skin. That is, when the control unit 3 applies a driving voltage to the driving unit 25, the driving unit 25 stimulates the skin by contraction and extension. After the skin stimulation is started, the detection unit 26 detects the pressure with which the attachment unit 21 presses the skin surface (step S112), and the control unit 3 informs the user whether the detected pressure is the target pressure. Notify (steps S113, S114, S115). Therefore, even when the skin is stimulated, the user can determine whether or not the pressure of the mounting section 21 is appropriate.

Subsequently, the control unit 3 determines whether or not to end the skin stimulation (step S116). For example, if the operation time set by the user does not elapse (NO in step S116), control unit 3 continues skin stimulation. Moreover, when the time set by the user has passed (YES in step S116), the control unit 3 stops the skin stimulation. Furthermore, the control unit 3 displays the treatment result and the skin condition on the display 405 (step S120). When the above processing is completed, the control unit 3 turns off the main power.

As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to determine whether the pressure of the mask is appropriate or not, and it is possible to achieve appropriate skin stimulation.

[Second embodiment]
Next, the skin stimulation device according to this embodiment will be described. The skin stimulation device of this embodiment differs from that of the first embodiment in that the pressure is detected based on the image of the mask. The following description focuses on the configuration different from that of the first embodiment.

The skin stimulation device 1 in this embodiment captures an image of the mask 2 with the imaging unit 409 of the user terminal 4, and uses so-called AI (Artificial Intelligence) to estimate the pressure of the mounting unit 21 based on the captured image. It is possible. FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram of a learning model of the skin stimulation device in this embodiment. A learning model can be constructed in the control unit 3 shown in FIG. The learning model is composed of a neural network including an input layer 91 , an intermediate layer 92 and an output layer 93 and is stored in the storage device 304 of the controller 3 . A neuron 951 in the input layer 91 , a neuron 952 in the intermediate layer 92 , and a neuron 953 in the output layer 93 are connected by synapses 96 . A neuron 951 of the input layer 91 inputs user information and an image of the mask 2 , and a neuron 953 of the output layer 93 outputs pressure values at a plurality of portions of the mounting part 21 . For example, the learning model may include, as a neural network, the correlation between the degree of expansion and contraction of the wearing part 21 or the belt 22 and the pressure in the image. Thus, the control unit 3 can calculate the pressure with which the mask 2 presses the user's skin surface. Note that the pressure of each portion of the mounting portion 21 may be calculated by using a learning model.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of machine learning in this embodiment. Machine learning in this embodiment is supervised learning using teacher data, and the pressure detected by the detection unit 26 is used as teacher data. First, the control unit 3 inputs the user information and the image of the mask 2 to the neurons of the input layer 91 (step S201). An image of the mask 2 can be captured by the imaging unit 409 of the user terminal 4 . Also, the user information may be user attributes such as age and gender input to the user terminal 4 . Based on the input user information and the image of the mask 2, the control section 3 calculates the pressure of the mounting section 21 from the neurons of the output layer 93 (step S202).

On the other hand, the control unit 3 calculates the difference between the detected pressure detected by the detection unit 26 and the pressure calculated by machine learning (step S203). If the difference is large (NO in step S204), the control unit 3 feeds the difference back to the learning model and changes the weighting coefficient of the synapse 96 so that the difference becomes small (step S205). The control unit 3 repeats the processing of steps S202 to S205 until the difference becomes sufficiently small. When the difference becomes sufficiently small (YES in step S204), control unit 3 generates a learning model (step S206) and terminates machine learning. In this way, a learning model can be generated by repeating the above-described machine learning until the difference becomes sufficiently small.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a skin stimulation method according to this embodiment, showing pressure detection processing using a learning model. Also, FIG. 11 shows an example of an operation screen of the user terminal 4 in this embodiment.

First, the user activates the application program stored in the user terminal 4 and sets the time for using skin stimulation (step S211). The user may set the part of the face to be stimulated or the like. Next, the user operates the touch sensor 406 arranged on the display 405 to transmit information such as sex, birthday (age), stimulation site, user's mood state, user's next action plan, etc. to the user terminal 4 . (step S212).

Next, the user terminal 4 displays the shooting screen of FIG. 11 on the display 405 (step S213). In the photographing screen of FIG. 11, a guide for photographing the mask 2 worn by the user is displayed as a dotted line frame. The user can adjust the orientation and position of the imaging unit 409 while viewing the imaging screen so that the image of the mask 2 fits within the guide. Also, a circular imaging button is displayed at the bottom of the screen. When the user touches the imaging button, the user terminal 4 stores the image of the mask 2 in the storage device 304 (step S214). The image of the mask 2 acquired in this manner is input to the learning model together with the user information.

The control unit 3 uses the learning model to calculate the pressure with which the wearing unit 21 presses the skin surface (step S215). If the estimated pressure is not the predetermined target pressure (NO in step S216), the user terminal 4 instructs the user to adjust wearing of the mask 2 (step S217). If the estimated pressure is the predetermined target pressure (YES in step S216), the user terminal 4 displays to the user that wearing of the mask 2 is appropriate (step S218). The user operates the application program to cause the skin stimulation device 1 to start skin stimulation.

As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to detect whether or not the pressure applied by the mounting section 21 to the skin surface is appropriate based on the image of the mask 2 . Moreover, the pressure can be detected without providing the detection unit 26 on the mask 2 .

[Third embodiment]
Next, the skin stimulation device according to this embodiment will be described. The skin stimulation device of this embodiment differs from that of the first embodiment in that it includes an elastic element that controls the pressure of the mask. The following description focuses on the configuration different from that of the first embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a top view of the mask 2 in this embodiment. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the mask 2 in this embodiment, and is a cross-sectional view of the mask 2 taken along line XIII-XIII' of FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the mask 2 further has a stretchable element 27 that allows the belt 22 to stretch. The elastic elements 27 are fixed to both sides of the mounting portion 21 , and both ends of the belt 22 are connected to the elastic elements 27 . The expansion/contraction element 27 may be an element that can be displaced according to an applied driving voltage, such as a solenoid, linear motor, piezoelectric element, magnetostrictive element, shape memory alloy, or the like. The expansion/contraction element 27 can displace the position of the end of the belt 22 according to a signal from the control unit 3 to expand/contract the belt 22 . Thereby, the pressure with which the mounting unit 21 presses the user's skin surface can be changed.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of the skin stimulation device according to this embodiment, showing the mask 2 and the controller 3. The controller 3 further has a drive circuit 341 . The driving circuit 341 includes a current amplifying circuit, a voltage amplifying circuit, and the like, and can output a driving voltage to the elastic element 27 based on instructions from the CPU 301 . A driving circuit 341 may be provided for each expansion/contraction element 27 . In this case, the controller 3 can independently control each of the plurality of elastic elements 27 .

FIG. 15 is a flowchart of the skin stimulation method according to this embodiment, showing the operation of skin stimulation and pressure control.

First, by operating the touch sensor 406 arranged on the display 405, the user inputs information such as sex, birthday (age), site of use, user's mood state, user's next action plan, etc. to the user terminal 4. (step S301). The user may set the part of the face that the user wants to stimulate. Next, the user wears the mask 2 at a predetermined position on the face (step S302). The wearing of the mask 2 may be performed before the information input in step S301.

The detection unit 26 detects the pressure of the mounting unit 21 (step S303), and the control unit 3 determines whether or not the detected pressure is a predetermined target pressure (step S304). If the detected pressure is not the predetermined target pressure (NO in step S304), the controller 3 drives the expansion/contraction element 27 so that the difference between the target pressure and the detected pressure becomes smaller (step S305). If the detected pressure is the target pressure (YES in step S304), the user is instructed to start skin stimulation, and skin stimulation device 1 starts skin stimulation (step S306).

The control unit 3 sets the amplitude, frequency, etc. of the driving voltage for each part of the skin (step S310). Furthermore, the control unit 3 applies the set driving voltage to the driving unit 25 (step S311), and the driving unit 25 gives stimulation to the skin. That is, when the control unit 3 applies a driving voltage to the driving unit 25, the driving unit 25 stimulates the skin by contraction and extension. Further, the detection unit 26 detects the pressure with which the mounting unit 21 presses the skin surface (step S312). The controller 3 drives the elastic element 27 so that the detected pressure becomes the target pressure (step S313). That is, if the pressure is not the target pressure (NO in step S313), the controller 3 drives the expansion/contraction element 27 (step S311). Therefore, even when the skin is stimulated, control unit 3 can control the pressure of mounting unit 21 to be appropriate (YES in step S313).

Subsequently, the control unit 3 determines whether or not to end the skin stimulation (step S314). For example, if the operation time set by the user does not elapse (NO in step S314), control unit 3 continues skin stimulation. If the time set by the user has passed (YES in step S314), control unit 3 stops skin stimulation. Furthermore, the control unit 3 displays the treatment result and the skin condition on the display 405 (step S320). When the above processing is completed, the control unit 3 turns off the main power.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the pressure with which the mask 2 presses the skin surface is controlled to the target pressure based on the pressure detected by the detection unit 26 . As a result, the skin stimulation device 1 can automatically adjust the pressure of the mounting section 21 and easily achieve an appropriate pressure.

[Fourth embodiment]
Next, the skin stimulation device according to this embodiment will be described. The skin stimulation device of this embodiment differs from the above-described embodiments in that the pressure of the mounting portion 21 is estimated by detecting the tension of the belt 22 . The following description focuses on the configuration different from that of the first embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a top view of the mask in this embodiment. The detection section 260 is provided between both sides of the mounting section 21 and the end of the belt 22 . That is, one end of the detection portion 260 is fixed to the side portion of the mounting portion 21 and the other end of the detection portion 260 is fixed to the end portion of the belt 22 . The detection section 260 includes a dielectric and an electrode like the detection section 26 in the first to third embodiments, detects the tension of the belt 22, and can output a detection voltage. Since the tension of the belt 22 and the pressure of the mounting portion 21 are correlated, the pressure of the mounting portion 21 can be calculated based on the tension of the belt 22 . Therefore, the control section 3 can calculate the pressure of the mounting section 21 based on the voltage detected by the detection section 260 .

Note that the elastic element 27 described in the third embodiment may be provided in addition to the detection section 260 in this embodiment. In this case, the amount of expansion and contraction of the elastic element 27 can be adjusted according to the tension of the belt 22, and the pressure of the mounting portion 21 can be optimally controlled.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the detection unit 26 detects the expansion and contraction of the belt 22 . As a result, the skin stimulation device 1 can notify the user according to the expansion and contraction of the belt 22, and can easily apply an appropriate pressure.

[Fifth embodiment]
Next, the skin stimulation device according to this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the drive unit 25 can control not only the mechanical stimulation but also the pressure of the mounting unit 21 . The following description focuses on the configuration different from that of the first embodiment.

FIGS. 17(a) and 17(b) show an example of waveforms of drive voltages in this embodiment. 17(a) and 17(b), the solid line represents the pulse signal output from the oscillation circuit 311, and the dashed line represents the driving voltage supplied to the driving section 25. As shown in FIG. Also, the dashed-dotted line indicates the average voltage of the drive voltage. As shown in FIG. 4, the oscillator circuit 311 generates a high frequency pulse signal, for example, a frequency higher than the audible range, to drive the switching circuit 320 . The driving section 25 is connected to the switching circuit 320 as a capacitive load. Therefore, the drive voltage output from the switching circuit 320 is a voltage obtained by integrating the pulse signal, as indicated by the dashed line. Here, by adding a constant offset to the pulse width of the pulse signal, it is possible to add the offset voltage ΔV to the average voltage. That is, the driving unit 25 can apply to the skin surface a pressure based on an average voltage to which an offset voltage ΔV is added in addition to the mechanical stimulation based on the sine wave. By appropriately changing the offset of the pulse width, the offset voltage of the drive voltage can be changed as ΔV1 (FIG. 17(a)) and ΔV2 (FIG. 17(b)). By setting a different offset voltage ΔV for each drive unit 25, the control unit 3 can change the average voltage and apply a different pressure to each part of the mounting unit 21, such as the cheek, the corner of the eye, and the forehead. . For example, pressure may be reduced in areas prone to congestion. In addition, the vicinity of the eyes, mouth, and nose of the mounting portion 21 may be difficult to adhere to the skin surface due to the influence of the openings, and the pressure may be weakened. In this case, the pressure in the vicinity of the opening of the mounting portion 21 may be increased, and control may be performed so that the same pressure as that applied to other portions is applied.

As described above, according to this embodiment, by applying the offset voltage ΔV to the drive unit 25, it is possible to apply a constant pressure to the skin surface. As a result, the belt 22 can adjust the pressure of the entire mounting portion 21 , and the driving portion 25 can apply the optimum pressure to each portion of the mounting portion 21 .

[Other embodiments]
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible. For example, the drive unit 25 is not limited to one that uses electrostatic force in a dielectric, and may be one that uses electromagnetic force such as a solenoid. Furthermore, the number and arrangement of the drive units 25 are not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the drive units 25 may be arranged to apply mechanical stimulation in the horizontal direction to the skin surface.

It should be noted that the drive section 25 can function as the detection section 26 when no voltage is applied from the control section. In this case, it is possible to detect the pressure at the site of the skin where the drive unit 25 applies the mechanical stimulation.

Furthermore, examples in which a part of the configuration of any one embodiment is added to another embodiment, and examples in which a part of the configuration of another embodiment is replaced are also embodiments of the present invention. In addition, well-known techniques and known techniques in the relevant technical field can be appropriately applied to parts that are not particularly described or illustrated in the embodiments.

This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-031181 filed on February 26, 2021, and the content thereof is incorporated herein by reference.

1 Skin stimulation device 2 Mask 3 Control unit 4 User terminal 21 Mounting unit 22 Belt 25 Driving unit 26 Detecting unit

Claims

a mounting part that can be mounted on the skin surface;
an urging portion that urges the mounting portion against the skin surface with a predetermined pressure;
a driving unit provided in the mounting unit and providing mechanical stimulation to the skin surface;
and a detection unit that detects the pressure and outputs a signal corresponding to the pressure.
The skin stimulation device according to claim 1, further comprising a notification unit that notifies a user according to the signal.
The skin stimulation device according to claim 2, wherein the notification indicates whether or not the pressure is a predetermined target pressure.
3. The skin stimulation device according to claim 1, further comprising a control section that controls the urging section based on the signal so that the pressure reaches a predetermined target pressure.
5. The skin stimulation device according to claim 3, wherein the target pressure is 10 to 100 gf/ cm2 .
The skin stimulation device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the target pressure is a value according to the direction of the mechanical stimulation.
The skin stimulation device according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the target pressure is a value according to a site on the skin surface.
The skin stimulation device according to any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein the target pressure is set based on an image of the skin surface.
The skin stimulation device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the detection section is arranged between the attachment section and the skin surface.
The skin stimulation device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein a plurality of said detection units are arranged in a plurality of portions of said attachment unit.
The skin stimulation device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the detecting section is arranged in the urging section.
The skin stimulation device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the drive section can function as the detection section in a state where the skin surface is not mechanically stimulated.
The skin stimulation device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the detection section detects the pressure based on an image of the attachment section or the urging section.
14. The skin stimulation device according to claim 13, wherein the detection unit detects the pressure in each of the plurality of parts of the attachment part based on the image of the attachment part.
The skin stimulation device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the urging section is capable of independently urging each of the plurality of portions of the mounting section.
5. The skin stimulation device according to claim 4, wherein the control unit controls at least one of the direction, magnitude, and cycle of the mechanical stimulation according to the signal.
4. The control unit determines at least one of the direction, magnitude, and cycle of the mechanical stimulation according to at least one of the subject's age, sex, and site on the skin surface. 17. The skin stimulation device according to 16.
a step of urging the attachment part attachable to the skin surface with a predetermined pressure against the skin surface by the urging part;
applying a mechanical stimulus to the skin surface by a drive unit provided in the mounting unit;
and detecting the pressure with a detecting unit and outputting a signal corresponding to the pressure.