WO2023043193A1

WO2023043193A1 - Smart ring for sensing bio-signals

Info

Publication number: WO2023043193A1
Application number: PCT/KR2022/013730
Authority: WO
Inventors: 전상연; 박경연; 최창우; 이병환
Original assignee: 주식회사 스카이랩스
Priority date: 2021-09-15
Filing date: 2022-09-14
Publication date: 2023-03-23
Also published as: KR102595841B1; KR20230040048A

Abstract

A smart ring according to the present invention comprises: an inner ring at least partially made of a conductive material; an outer ring coupled to the outer side of the inner ring and at least partially made of a conductive material; a PCB assembly interposed between the inner ring and the outer ring and having a sensor unit attached to a lower surface thereof facing the inner ring; an outer electrode contact member attached to an upper surface of the PCB assembly facing the outer ring to electrically connect the PCB assembly and the outer ring, and an inner electrode contact member attached to the lower surface of the PCB assembly to electrically connect the PCB assembly and the inner ring; an outer conductive elastic layer surrounding the outer contact member and interposed between the upper surface of the PCB assembly and the inner surface of the outer ring, and an inner conductive elastic layer surrounding the inner contact member and interposed between the lower surface of the PCB assembly and the outer surface of the inner ring; and an outer insulating adhesive layer filling the space between the upper surface of the PCB assembly and the inner surface of the outer ring, and an inner insulating adhesive layer filling the space between the lower surface of the PCB assembly and the outer surface of the inner ring.

Description

Smart ring that detects vital signs

The present invention relates to a smart ring, and more particularly, to a smart ring that detects a biosignal.

Blood pressure, heart rate, pulse, blood flow, blood vessel condition, body temperature, body composition, pupil condition, calorie consumption, oxygen saturation, respiration, blood sugar, BIA (Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis), GSR (Galvanic Skin Response), EDA (Electrodermal Activity), EMG Devices for detecting biosignals such as , electroencephalogram, electrocardiogram, etc. are important tools used in clinical diagnosis and can be used to diagnose symptoms. In particular, a person suffering from a disease or suspected of having a disease needs to detect sudden abnormal symptoms or give an early warning.

Since devices that detect general vital signs are too large in size or inconvenient to wear, they are mainly used when visiting hospitals or examination centers to perform tests that detect vital signs, so continuous monitoring is a difficult problem. there is.

Meanwhile, in order to solve this problem, a wearable device, which is a device that can be freely worn on the body like clothes, watches, or glasses, has been proposed.

A technical problem of the present invention is to provide a smart ring that detects a biosignal, which is a wearable device having reliability of electrical connection.

In order to achieve the above technical problem, the present invention provides the following smart ring. A smart ring according to the present invention includes an inner ring at least partially made of a conductive material; an outer ring coupled to the outer side of the inner ring and at least a portion of which is made of a conductive material; a PCB assembly interposed between the inner ring and the outer ring and having a sensor unit attached to a lower surface facing the inner ring; an outer electrode contact member attached to an upper surface of the PCB assembly facing the outer ring and electrically connecting the PCB assembly and the outer ring; and an inner electrode contact member attached to a lower surface of the PCB assembly to electrically connect the PCB assembly and the inner ring to each other. an outer conductive elastic layer surrounding the outer contact member and interposed between an upper surface of the PCB assembly and an inner surface of the outer ring; and an inner conductive elastic layer surrounding the inner contact member and interposed between a lower surface of the PCB assembly and an outer surface of the inner ring. and an outer insulating adhesive layer filling between the upper surface of the PCB assembly and the inner surface of the outer ring. and an inner insulating adhesive layer filling between the lower surface of the PCB assembly and the outer surface of the inner ring.

The outer electrode contact member and the inner electrode contact member may be disposed to face each other with the PCB assembly interposed therebetween.

The outer conductive elastic layer and the inner conductive elastic layer are attached to the upper and lower surfaces of the PCB assembly so as to overlap each other in a vertical direction, and may be made of an electrically conductive polymer elastomer.

The horizontal width and horizontal area of each of the outer conductive elastic layer and the inner conductive elastic layer may have the same value, but may have a greater value than the horizontal width and horizontal area of each of the outer electrode contact member and the inner electrode contact member. there is.

The outer insulating adhesive layer and the inner insulating adhesive layer may be made of a cured resin.

The outer electrode contact member and the outer insulating adhesive layer are spaced apart from each other with the outer conductive elastic layer interposed therebetween, and the inner electrode contact member and the inner insulating adhesive layer are spaced apart from each other with the inner conductive elastic layer interposed therebetween. It can be.

A top cover combined with the outer ring to constitute the outermost part of the smart ring; further comprising, wherein the top cover and the outer ring constitute a part and the remaining part of the circular ring shape, respectively, and the inner ring is the A sensor cap for protecting the sensor unit is coupled and may have a cap hole penetrating the inner ring.

The smart ring has an electrode connection area adjacent to the sensor cap, the sensor cap and the electrode connection area are located on opposite sides of the top cover, the outer electrode contact member, the inner electrode contact member, The outer conductive elastic layer and the inner conductive elastic layer may be located in the electrode connection area.

The inner ring may protrude inward from a circular cross section in which a portion where the cap hole is located forms a ring shape.

The outer electrode contact member and the inner electrode contact member may include clips or pogo pins.

In the smart ring according to the present invention, the PCB assembly and the outer ring can be electrically connected by the outer electrode contact member and the outer conductive elastic layer, and the PCB assembly and the inner ring are electrically connected by the inner electrode contact member and the inner conductive elastic layer. Since it can be connected, the contact area for electrical connection between the PCB assembly and the outer ring and the contact area for electrical connection between the PCB assembly and the inner ring are increased, so that between the PCB assembly and the outer ring and between the PCB assembly and the inner ring. The reliability of electrical connection can be improved.

Also, since the outer electrode contact member and the outer insulating adhesive layer are spaced apart from each other with the outer conductive elastic layer interposed therebetween, and the inner electrode contact member and the inner insulating adhesive layer are spaced apart from each other with the inner conductive elastic layer interposed therebetween, the outer insulating adhesive layer and the inner insulating adhesive layer are spaced apart from each other. Even if the insulating adhesive layer including the insulating adhesive layer is cured, it is possible to prevent loss of elastic force and restoring force of the electrode contact members including the outer electrode contact member and the inner electrode contact member, and thus between the PCB assembly and the outer ring, and between the PCB assembly and the PCB assembly. The reliability of the electrical connection between the inner rings can be improved.

1 is a perspective view of a smart ring according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is an exploded perspective view of a smart ring according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a part of a smart ring according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4A and 4B are exemplary views of an electrode contact member included in a smart ring according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5A to 5D are partial cross-sectional views illustrating a method of manufacturing a smart ring according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of manufacturing a smart ring according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The terms used in the present embodiments have been selected as general terms that are currently widely used as much as possible while considering the functions in the present embodiments, but these may vary according to the intention of a person skilled in the art or precedent, the emergence of new technologies, and the like. In addition, in a specific case, there are also terms arbitrarily selected by the applicant, and in this case, the meaning will be described in detail in the relevant part. Therefore, the term used in the present embodiments should be defined based on the meaning of the term and the content throughout the present embodiment, not a simple name of the term.

Since the present embodiments can have various changes and various forms, some embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail. However, this is not intended to limit the present embodiments to a specific disclosure, and should be understood to include all changes, equivalents, or substitutes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present embodiments. Terms used in this specification are only used for description of the embodiments, and are not intended to limit the embodiments.

However, when it is determined that a detailed description of a known function or component related to the present invention may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description and specific illustration thereof will be omitted. In addition, the accompanying drawings may not be drawn to an actual scale in order to aid understanding of the present invention, but the sizes of some components may be exaggerated.

Meanwhile, terms such as first and second may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. These terms are only used for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, a first element may be termed a second element, and similarly, a second element may be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Terms used in the present embodiments have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the present embodiments belong, unless otherwise defined. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related art, and unless explicitly defined in the present embodiments, interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal meaning Shouldn't be

In addition, connecting lines or connecting members between components shown in the drawings are only examples of functional connections and/or physical or circuit connections. In an actual device, connections between components may be represented by various functional connections, physical connections, or circuit connections that can be replaced or added.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the technical idea of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals are used for the same components in the drawings, and duplicate descriptions thereof are omitted.

1 is a perspective view of a smart ring according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a smart ring according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the smart ring 100 may be used to measure biosignals such as electrocardiogram (ECG) and photoplethysmography (PPG). The smart ring 100 may include a top cover 110, an outer ring 120, and an inner ring 150. The top cover 110 and the outer ring 120 may be coupled together to form the outermost part of the smart ring 100. Each of the outer ring 120 and the inner ring 150 may function as an electrode because the entirety or a portion of the surface thereof is made of a conductive material. For example, each of outer ring 120 and inner ring 150 may include stainless steel, conductive nanoparticles, gold and/or silver. The outer ring 120 and the inner ring 150 may also be referred to as a first electrode and a second electrode, or an outer electrode and an inner electrode. Each of the top cover 110 and the outer ring 120 constitutes a part and the remaining part of a ring shape, that is, a circular ring shape, and may have an arc-shaped cross section. The arc length of the outer ring 120 may be about twice the arc length of the top cover 110 . The inner ring 150 may have a ring shape, that is, a circular ring shape, and may have a circular cross section.

In some embodiments, the outer ring 120 and the inner ring 150 may constitute the body of the smart ring 100. The outer ring 120 may be disposed on an outer surface of the body, and the inner ring 150 may be disposed on an inner surface of the body. The top cover 110 may constitute the body of the smart ring 100 together with the outer ring 120 and the inner ring 150, and the top cover 110 and the outer ring 120 are the outer surface of the body. and the inner ring 150 may be disposed on the inner surface of the body. In some embodiments, the top cover 110 and the outer ring 120 may be disposed over the outer and side surfaces of the body.

The material and diameter, overall shape and function of the top cover 110 and the outer ring 120 may be applied to various embodiments forming the outermost outermost part of the existing smart ring, so detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted. In some embodiments, outer ring 120 may be manufactured by press working. In some other embodiments, outer ring 120 may be manufactured by injection molding.

The inner ring 150 is inserted into the outer ring 120 and coupled thereto so that a user's finger can be inserted into the inner ring and brought into contact therewith. The inner ring 150 may have a cap hole 150H into which a sensor cap 160 for protecting the sensor unit 135 attached to the PCB assembly 130 is coupled. The cap hole 150H may pass through the inner ring 150 . In some embodiments, inner ring 150 may be manufactured by press working. In some other embodiments, inner ring 150 may be manufactured by injection molding. The sensor unit 135 may be attached to the PCB assembly 130 corresponding to the portion where the sensor cap 160 is located.

In some embodiments, in the inner ring 150, a portion where the cap hole 150H is formed protrudes inward from a circular cross section constituting a ring shape, so that the inner ring 150 can surely contact the skin of the finger. there is. In some embodiments, the sensor cap 160 protrudes inward from the inner surface of the inner ring 150 so that the inner ring 150 can securely contact the skin of the finger, and the sensor cap 160 The sensor unit 135 corresponding to may better sense the biosignal.

In some embodiments, a concave portion 120R to which the PCB assembly 130 is coupled may be formed on an inner surface of the outer ring 120 . In some other embodiments, instead of the concave portion 120R being formed on the inner surface of the outer ring 120 shown in FIG. 2, the concave portion to which the PCB assembly 130 is coupled is formed on the outer surface of the inner ring 150. It could be.

The PCB assembly 130 may be interposed between the inner side of the outer ring 120 and the outer side of the inner ring 150 . The PCB assembly 130 may include a flexible substrate. The PCB assembly 130 includes a sensor unit 135 that enables the smart ring 100 to perform various functions, a battery used as a power source of the smart ring 100, and a biosignal that is collected, stored, or collected. It may further include a control unit including a communication module for transmitting a signal. The sensor unit 135, the battery, and the control unit may be attached to the flexible substrate. The sensor unit 135 may include various types of sensors according to the purpose of use.

The battery may include any secondary battery configuration capable of being charged/discharged multiple times. For example, the battery may include a lithium iron phosphate (LiFePo4) battery, but is not limited to the above example. For example, the battery may include a lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) battery or a lithium titanate (Li4Ti5O12) battery. In addition, the battery may be charged by receiving power from the outside of the smart ring 100. For example, the battery may have a charging voltage of about 4V to about 4.3V and an output voltage of about 3.6V to about 3.9V. The capacity of the battery may be about 10mAh to about 50mAh.

The controller may include at least one processor. The processor may be implemented as an array of a plurality of logic gates, or may be implemented as a combination of a general-purpose microprocessor and a memory storing a program that can be executed by the microprocessor. For example, the control unit may be a simple controller, a complex processor such as a microprocessor, CPU or GPU, a processor configured by software, dedicated hardware or firmware. The control unit may be implemented by application specific hardware such as, for example, a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

According to some embodiments, the operation of the controller may be implemented as instructions stored on a machine-readable medium that can be read and executed by one or more processors. Here, a machine-readable medium may include any mechanism for storing and/or transmitting information in a form readable by a machine (eg, a computing device). For example, machine-readable media include read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash memory devices, electrical, optical, acoustic or other forms of propagation signals ( eg carrier waves, infrared signals, digital signals, etc.) and any other signals.

The communication module is, for example, 5G (5th generation wireless) system, LTE (Long Term Evolution) system, LTE-Advanced system, CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) system, GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) system, such as cellular It may be a wireless communication system based on a cellular network, or data on a user's biosignal may be transmitted to the outside using a wireless local area network (WLAN) system or any other wireless communication system. For example, the communication module may transmit data on bio-signals to a communication terminal or to a designated medical institution. The PCB assembly 130 may be electrically connected to each of the outer ring 120 and the inner ring 150 .

In some embodiments, the inner ring 150 may be inserted into a finger to be in contact with the finger, and the control unit may collect a biosignal when the user's body contacts the outer ring 120 . For example, the control unit 40 may detect the user's biometric information or transmit collected data when the user repeats contact and release of the outer ring 120 once or twice in succession. . In some other embodiments, the control unit detects the user's biometric information or collects data regardless of the user's body contacting the outer ring 120 according to the time set by the control information received through the communication module. can send

The sensor unit 135, the battery, and the PCB assembly 130 to which the control unit is attached may be combined in a form surrounding the outer circumferential surface of the inner ring 150 and the inner circumferential surface of the outer ring 120. The battery may be made of a flexible material. The sensor unit 135, the battery, and the control unit may have various shapes for optimization of the smart ring 100 by those skilled in the art within the technical spirit and scope of the present invention, and PCB A bar that can be attached to various parts of the assembly 130, specific illustration will be omitted.

In some embodiments, a display window 112 may be disposed on an outer surface of the top cover 110 . The display window 112 may serve as a window that allows a user to visually check the measurement result of the sensor unit 135 provided on the PCB assembly 130 or the state thereof. The display window 112 may be an LCD or LED module disposed over all or most of the outer surface of the top cover 110, but is not limited thereto. For example, the display window 112 may be a plurality of LEDs disposed spaced apart from each other on the outer surface of the top cover 110, and the shape and number of the display window 112 are within the technical spirit and scope of the present invention. Various modifications and changes can be made by those skilled in the art.

In some embodiments, an insulation unit 140 may be interposed between the outer ring 120 and the inner ring 150 to maintain insulation between the outer ring 120 and the inner ring 150 . For example, the insulation unit 140 may be made of a flexible material such as silicone or rubber. In some embodiments, the top cover 110, the outer ring 120, the insulation unit 140, and the inner ring 150 may constitute the body of the smart ring 100. The top cover 110 and the outer ring 120 may be disposed on an outer surface of the body, and the inner ring 150 may be disposed on an inner surface of the body. In some embodiments, the top cover 110 and the outer ring 120 may be disposed over the outer and side surfaces of the body, and the insulation unit 140 may be disposed on the side surface of the body.

In some other embodiments, the inner ring 150 may include an insulating rim attached to an outer circumference, and the insulating rim may maintain insulation between the outer ring 120 and the inner ring 150 .

The smart ring 100 may have an electrode connection region (CTR). The electrode connection region (CTR) may be located in a part opposite to the top cover 110 in the smart ring 100 . In some embodiments, the electrode connection area (CTR) and the sensor cap 160 may be located in a part opposite to the top cover 110 in the smart ring 100, and the electrode connection area (CTR) is the sensor cap 160 ) may be located adjacent to.

3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a part of a smart ring according to an embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the electrode connection region CTR of the smart ring 100 shown in FIG. 1 .

Referring to Figure 3, the smart ring 100 is attached to the upper surface of the PCB assembly 130, the PCB assembly 130 interposed between the outer ring 120 and the inner ring 150, the PCB assembly 130 and the outer An outer electrode contact member 172 electrically connecting between the rings 120 and an inner electrode contact member attached to the lower surface of the PCB assembly 130 and electrically connecting between the PCB assembly 130 and the inner ring 150 ( 174) may include an electrode contact member 170.

The electrode contact member 170 including the outer electrode contact member 172 and the inner electrode contact member 174 may have elasticity and restoring force. Therefore, the electrode contact member 170 including the outer electrode contact member 172 and the inner electrode contact member 174 is provided between the PCB assembly 130 and the outer ring 120, and between the PCB assembly 130 and the inner ring ( 150), it is possible to provide reliability of electrical connection between the PCB assembly 130 and the outer ring 120, and between the PCB assembly 130 and the inner ring 150.

The outer electrode contact member 172 and the inner electrode contact member 174 may be disposed to face each other with the PCB assembly 130 therebetween. That is, the outer electrode contact member 172 and the inner electrode contact member 174 may be disposed to overlap each other in a vertical direction.

In this specification, the vertical or vertical direction refers to a direction between the outer ring 120 and the inner ring 150, and the horizontal or horizontal direction is perpendicular to the vertical or vertical direction, and the top surface of the PCB assembly 130 Or it may extend along the lower surface.

The electrode contact member 170 including the outer electrode contact member 172 and the inner electrode contact member 174 may include, for example, a clip or a pogo pin.

The smart ring 100 includes an outer conductive elastic layer 182 interposed between the inner surface of the outer ring 120 and the upper surface of the PCB assembly 130, and the outer surface of the inner ring 150 and the PCB assembly 130. A conductive elastic layer 180 including an inner conductive elastic layer 184 interposed between the lower surfaces may be further included. The conductive elastic layer 180 may be made of an electrically conductive polymer elastomer. For example, the conductive elastic layer 180 may be a conductive rubber sheet or a conductive silicone sheet.

Each of the outer conductive elastic layer 182 and the inner conductive elastic layer 184 may surround the outer electrode contact member 172 and the inner electrode contact member 174 , respectively. The outer conductive elastic layer 182 is attached to the upper surface of the PCB assembly 130 to which the outer electrode contact member 172 is attached, covers a portion of the upper surface of the PCB assembly 130, and covers at least a portion of the outer electrode contact member 172. The sides can be covered. In some embodiments, the outer conductive elastic layer 182 covers the top surface of the PCB assembly 130 and may cover at least a portion of the top surface and side surfaces of the outer electrode contact member 172 .

The inner conductive elastic layer 184 is attached to the lower surface of the PCB assembly 130 to which the inner electrode contact member 174 is attached, covers a portion of the lower surface of the PCB assembly 130, and covers at least one portion of the inner electrode contact member 174. The sides can be covered. In some embodiments, the inner conductive elastic layer 184 may cover a lower surface of the PCB assembly 130 and at least a portion of an upper surface and a side surface of the inner electrode contact member 174 .

The outer conductive elastic layer 182 and the inner conductive elastic layer 184 each have a horizontal width and a horizontal area such that the outer electrode contact member 172 and the inner electrode contact member 174 surround all side surfaces of the outer electrode contact member. It may have values larger than the horizontal width and horizontal area of 172 and the inner electrode contact member 174, respectively. In some embodiments, the horizontal width and horizontal area of each of the outer conductive elastic layer 182 and the inner conductive elastic layer 184 may have the same value.

The outer conductive elastic layer 182 and the inner conductive elastic layer 184 may be disposed to face each other with the PCB assembly 130 therebetween. That is, the outer conductive elastic layer 182 and the inner conductive elastic layer 184 may be disposed to overlap each other in a vertical direction.

The PCB assembly 130 and the outer ring 120 may be electrically connected by the outer electrode contact member 172 and the outer conductive elastic layer 182, and the PCB assembly 130 and the inner ring 150 may contact the inner electrode. The member 174 and the inner conductive elastic layer 184 may be electrically connected.

An insulating adhesive layer 190 may be filled between the inner surface of the outer ring 120 and the outer surface of the inner ring 150 . The insulating adhesive layer 190 surrounds the outer conductive elastic layer 182 and fills between the inner surface of the outer ring 120 and the upper surface of the PCB assembly 130. The outer insulating adhesive layer 192 and the inner conductive elastic layer 184 ) and may include an inner insulating adhesive layer 194 filling between the outer surface of the inner ring 150 and the bottom of the PCB assembly 130.

The insulating adhesive layer 190 may be made of a cured resin. For example, the insulating adhesive layer 190 may include a cured epoxy resin. In some embodiments, the insulating adhesive layer 190 may be formed from a thermosetting resin. For example, the insulating adhesive layer 190 may inject A-stage liquid resin into the space between the inner surface of the outer ring 120 and the outer surface of the inner ring 150, or the PCB assembly 130 It may be a result of attaching a resin film in a non-stage (B-stage) state to the upper and lower surfaces of ) and then curing it in a C-stage state by applying heat. The A-stage state refers to an initial reaction stage of a thermosetting resin containing a solvent. The non-stage state refers to a state in which the solvent is removed in the A-stage state, but curing does not proceed, does not melt, and swells in the solvent but does not dissolve, and the non-stage state may have adhesiveness. . The C-stage state refers to a fully cured state.

In the smart ring 100 according to the present invention, the PCB assembly 130 and the outer ring 120 may be electrically connected by the outer electrode contact member 172 and the outer conductive elastic layer 182, and the PCB assembly 130 ) and the inner ring 150 can be electrically connected by the inner electrode contact member 174 and the inner conductive elastic layer 184, so the contact area for electrical connection between the PCB assembly 130 and the outer ring 120 , and the contact area for electrical connection between the PCB assembly 130 and the inner ring 150 increases, so that between the PCB assembly 130 and the outer ring 120, and between the PCB assembly 130 and the inner ring 150 Reliability of electrical connection between them can be improved.

In addition, the outer electrode contact member 172 and the outer insulating adhesive layer 192 are spaced apart from each other with the outer conductive elastic layer 182 interposed therebetween, and the inner electrode contact member 174 and the inner insulating adhesive layer 194 are inner conductive elastic. Since the layers 184 are interposed and spaced apart from each other, even if the insulating adhesive layer 190 including the outer insulating adhesive layer 192 and the inner insulating adhesive layer 194 is cured, the outer electrode contact member 172 and the inner electrode contact member ( 174), it is possible to prevent loss of elastic force and restoring force of the electrode contact member 170, and thus, between the PCB assembly 130 and the outer ring 120, and between the PCB assembly 130 and the inner ring 150. Reliability of electrical connection between them can be improved.

Referring to FIG. 4A , the electrode contact member 170a may be a clip contact type made of a clip. The electrode contact member 170a may be the outer electrode contact member 172 and/or the inner electrode contact member 174 shown in FIG. 3 . The electrode contact member 170a is electrically connected between the outer ring 120 and the PCB assembly 130 and/or the inner ring 150 and the PCB assembly 130 shown in FIG. 3 by the elasticity and restoring force of the clip. can provide.

Referring to FIG. 4B , the electrode contact member 170b may be a pogo pin contact type made of a pogo pin. For example, the electrode contact member 170b may be formed of a pogo pin including a spring therein. The electrode contact member 170b may be the outer electrode contact member 172 and/or the inner electrode contact member 174 shown in FIG. 3 . The electrode contact member 170b is the outer ring 120 and the PCB assembly 130 shown in FIG. 3 and/or the inner ring 150 and the PCB assembly 130 shown in FIG. 3 by the elasticity and restoring force of the spring included in the pogo pin. ) can provide an electrical connection between them.

5A to 5D are partial cross-sectional views illustrating a method of manufacturing a smart ring according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of manufacturing a smart ring according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5A and 6 together, after preparing the PCB assembly 130 (S10), the outer electrode contact member 172 and the inner electrode contact member 174 are provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the PCB assembly 130. The electrode contact member 170 is attached (S100). The PCB assembly 130 may include a flexible board. The PCB assembly 130 may further include a battery attached to the flexible board, a sensor unit, and a control unit. Each of the outer electrode contact member 172 and the inner electrode contact member 174 may be electrically connected to the PCB assembly 130 . The outer electrode contact member 172 and the inner electrode contact member 174 may be the electrode contact member 170a shown in FIG. 4A or the electrode contact member 170b shown in FIG. 4B, but are not limited thereto and have elasticity and restoring force. Any member having electrical conductivity may be applicable.

5B and 6 together, an outer conductive elastic layer on the upper surface of the PCB assembly 130 to which the outer electrode contact member 172 is attached and the lower surface of the PCB assembly 130 to which the inner electrode contact member 174 is attached. A conductive elastic layer 180 including 182 and an inner conductive elastic layer 184 is attached (S200). For example, the conductive elastic layer 180 may be a conductive rubber sheet or a conductive silicon sheet.

The outer conductive elastic layer 182 covers a portion of the upper surface of the PCB assembly 130 and covers at least the side surface of the outer electrode contact member 172 of the PCB assembly 130 to which the outer electrode contact member 172 is attached. Can be attached to the top surface. The inner conductive elastic layer 184 covers a portion of the lower surface of the PCB assembly 130 and covers at least the side surface of the inner electrode contact member 174 of the PCB assembly 130 to which the inner electrode contact member 174 is attached. It can be attached to the bottom.

In some embodiments, the outer conductive elastic layer 182 may be attached to the upper surface of the PCB assembly 130 to cover at least a portion of the upper surface and the side surface of the outer electrode contact member 172, and the inner conductive elastic layer 184 ) may be attached to the lower surface of the PCB assembly 130 to cover at least a portion of the upper surface and the side surface of the inner electrode contact member 174 .

5C and 6 together, the PCB assembly 130 is placed inside the outer ring 120, and the inner ring 150 is inserted into the outer ring 120 to form an outer ring 120. And the PCB assembly 130 is interposed between the inner ring 150 (S300).

In some embodiments, insulation may be maintained between the outer ring 120 and the inner ring 150 by interposing the insulation unit 140 shown in FIG. 2 between the outer ring 120 and the inner ring 150. . In some other embodiments, the inner ring 150 may be formed to include an insulating rim attached to the outer circumference, and the insulating rim maintains insulation between the outer ring 120 and the inner ring 150. can

Referring to FIGS. 5D and 6 together, an insulating adhesive material 190P is injected between the inner surface of the outer ring 120 and the outer surface of the inner ring 150 (S400). The insulating adhesive material 190P may be made of resin. For example, the insulating adhesive material 190P may include a heat-strengthening epoxy resin. For example, the insulating adhesive material 190P may be an A-stage liquid resin.

In some other embodiments, as shown in FIG. 5B , the upper surface of the PCB assembly 130 to which the outer electrode contact member 172 is attached and the lower surface of the PCB assembly 130 to which the inner electrode contact member 174 is attached are externally conductive. After attaching the elastic layer 182 and the inner conductive elastic layer 184, the insulating adhesive material 190P, which is a resin film in a non-stage state, is attached to the upper and lower surfaces of the PCB assembly 130. may be

The insulating adhesive material 190P surrounds the outer conductive elastic layer 182 and fills between the inner surface of the outer ring 120 and the upper surface of the PCB assembly 130, the outer insulating adhesive material 192P, and the inner conductive elastic layer. It may include an inner insulating adhesive material (194P) that surrounds (184) and fills between the outer surface of the inner ring (150) and the bottom of the PCB assembly (130).

Thereafter, while applying pressure between the outer ring 120 and the inner ring 150, heat is applied to the insulating adhesive material 190P, and as shown in FIG. 3, the outer insulating adhesive layer in which the outer insulating adhesive material 192P is cured (192), and the inner insulating adhesive layer 194 in which the inner insulating adhesive material 194P is cured is formed to form a smart ring 100 in which the outer ring and the inner ring are coupled (S500). In some embodiments, the insulating adhesive layer 190 may be formed by curing the insulating adhesive material 190P by applying heat of about 130° C. to about 180° C.

1 to 6 together, the manufacturing method of the smart ring 100 according to the present invention includes an outer conductive elastic layer 182 and an inner conductive elastic layer covering the outer electrode contact member 172 and the inner electrode contact member 174. Since the conductive elastic layer 184 is attached to the upper and lower surfaces of the PCB assembly 130, the contact area for electrical connection between the PCB assembly 130 and the outer ring 120, and the PCB assembly 130 and the inner ring ( 150) to increase the contact area for electrical connection between the PCB assembly 130 and the outer ring 120, and between the PCB assembly 130 and the inner ring 150 can improve the reliability of the electrical connection.

In addition, the outer conductive elastic layer 182 and the inner conductive elastic layer ( 184) is interposed, the electrode contact member 170 including the outer electrode contact member 172 and the inner electrode contact member 174 has Loss of elasticity and restoring force can be prevented, and reliability of electrical connection between the PCB assembly 130 and the outer ring 120 and between the PCB assembly 130 and the inner ring 150 can be improved.

In the above, the present invention has been described in detail with preferred embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are made by those skilled in the art within the technical spirit and scope of the present invention. can do.

Claims

an inner ring at least partially made of a conductive material;

an outer ring coupled to the outer side of the inner ring and at least a portion of which is made of a conductive material;

a PCB assembly interposed between the inner ring and the outer ring and having a sensor unit attached to a lower surface facing the inner ring;

an outer electrode contact member attached to an upper surface of the PCB assembly facing the outer ring and electrically connecting the PCB assembly and the outer ring; and an inner electrode contact member attached to a lower surface of the PCB assembly to electrically connect the PCB assembly and the inner ring to each other.

an outer conductive elastic layer surrounding the outer contact member and interposed between an upper surface of the PCB assembly and an inner surface of the outer ring; and an inner conductive elastic layer surrounding the inner contact member and interposed between a lower surface of the PCB assembly and an outer surface of the inner ring. and

an outer insulating adhesive layer filling between the upper surface of the PCB assembly and the inner surface of the outer ring; and an inner insulating adhesive layer filling between the lower surface of the PCB assembly and the outer surface of the inner ring.
According to claim 1,

The outer electrode contact member and the inner electrode contact member are arranged to face each other with the PCB assembly therebetween.
According to claim 1,

The outer conductive elastic layer and the inner conductive elastic layer are attached to the upper and lower surfaces of the PCB assembly so as to overlap each other in a vertical direction, and are made of an electrically conductive polymer elastomer.
According to claim 2,

The horizontal width and horizontal area of each of the outer conductive elastic layer and the inner conductive elastic layer have the same value,

The smart ring, characterized in that it has a value greater than the horizontal width and horizontal area of each of the outer electrode contact member and the inner electrode contact member.
According to claim 1,

The outer insulating adhesive layer and the inner insulating adhesive layer are made of a cured resin.
According to claim 5,

The outer electrode contact member and the outer insulating adhesive layer are spaced apart from each other with the outer conductive elastic layer interposed therebetween;

The inner electrode contact member and the inner insulating adhesive layer are spaced apart from each other with the inner conductive elastic layer interposed therebetween.
According to claim 1,

Further comprising a top cover combined with the outer ring to constitute the outermost part of the smart ring, wherein each of the top cover and the outer ring constitutes a part and the remaining part of the circular ring shape,

The inner ring is a smart ring, characterized in that the sensor cap for protecting the sensor unit is coupled and has a cap hole penetrating the inner ring.
According to claim 7,

The smart ring has an electrode connection area adjacent to the sensor cap, the sensor cap and the electrode connection area are located on opposite sides of the top cover,

The outer electrode contact member, the inner electrode contact member, the outer conductive elastic layer, and the inner conductive elastic layer are located in the electrode connection area.
According to claim 8,

The inner ring is a smart ring, characterized in that the portion where the cap hole is located protrudes inward from a circular cross section constituting a ring shape.
According to claim 1,

The outer electrode contact member and the inner electrode contact member include a clip or a pogo pin.