Patent Grant
11497444
The present invention relates to a biological information measuring instrument suitable for use in a controller for operating a game, a robot, a computer, or the like.
In recent years, with progress of virtual reality technology and spread of head-mounted displays, video games that allow various experiences in a virtual space presented by video have been developed.
When such a video game is operated by a user, the user feels more realistic sensation in operation by movement of the user's hand or finger than in operation using a controller with conventional buttons and keys. For example, it is known to detect the movement of the user's hand from the video taken using a video camera and reflect the detected movement of the hand in the video game.
However, when detecting a user's movement using the video camera, it is impossible to detect finger movement or the like that cannot be seen from the video camera in principle, because it is only possible to perform an operation based on the user's movement that can be taken by the video camera.
In order to solve this problem, the present applicant has proposed a technique for detecting the movement of the finger with a measuring instrument previously worn on the user's arm (see PATENT LITERATURE 1).
The technique described in PATENT LITERATURE 1 detects the movement of the user's finger by detecting a displacement of muscle that moves the finger by an optical distance sensor disposed in the measuring instrument worn on the user's arm. In the measuring instrument described in PATENT LITERATURE 1, the optical distance sensor for detecting the displacement of the muscle is disposed, and an electrode for stimulating the muscle is disposed in addition to the optical distance sensor, so that it has bidirectionality to control the movement of the finger while detecting the movement of the user's finger.
When performing the game using the video such as the virtual space as described above, the measuring instrument worn on the user's arm is preferably made as small and light as possible so as not to give the user a sense of discomfort while performing the game. Therefore, it is conceivable to omit the electrode for stimulating the muscle from the measuring instrument described in PATENT LITERATURE 1 and to make a small measuring instrument in which only the optical distance sensor is disposed.
However, when the measuring instrument is simply made small, there is a problem that a wearing position of the measuring instrument is not always appropriate. That is, the sensor for detecting the displacement of the muscle has a limited detection position appropriate for detecting the displacement of the muscle, and the measuring instrument is required to be worn at a predetermined position of the arm. Specifically, the optical distance sensor is preferably placed on the arm (a forearm) at a position several centimeters away from a wrist; however, when the measuring instrument is small, it is not always worn at such a position. For example, when the measuring instrument is worn around the wrist, there may be a case where the displacement of the muscle cannot be detected. In such a case, it will be in a state of use in which an original measuring ability of the measuring instrument is not utilized.
An object of the present invention is to provide the biometric information measuring instrument which can be easily and reliably worn on an appropriate position of the arm by the user.
A biological information measuring instrument of the present invention includes: a belt portion that is worn on a user's arm in a circumferential direction of the arm and disposed with a sensor for detecting a displacement of an arm muscle; and a case portion that is attached to a predetermined portion of the belt portion and houses a circuit component that processes a signal of the displacement detected by the sensor.
The case portion has a shape of protruding from the belt portion in a longitudinal direction of the arm when the belt portion is worn on the arm, and amounts of protrusions protruding in the longitudinal direction are different between one protrusion and the other protrusion.
According to the present invention, since the case portion has a shape protruding from the belt portion, when the belt portion is worn on the user's arm, the belt portion can be worn on the arm away from the wrist by a certain distance. For example, the belt portion can be automatically worn on the appropriate position of the arm by attaching a guide mark or the like so that the belt portion is worn on the arm with the protrusion more largely protruding from the belt portion being directed to the wrist. Therefore, since the sensor disposed on the belt portion can satisfactorily detect the displacement of the muscle accompanying the movement of the finger, it is possible to satisfactorily measure biological information.
Hereinafter, a biological information measuring instrument of an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as a “present embodiment”) will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The biological information measuring instrument 100 of the present embodiment is to be worn around a user's arm as shown in
First, an overall structure of the biological information measuring instrument 100 will be described.
The biological information measuring instrument 100 includes a first belt member 110 which is a member to be wound around the arm. The first belt member 110 includes a cover 111 that covers a part of a front surface portion 121 of a case lid 120, and a sword tip-side belt 113 and a parent-side belt 114 connected to the cover 111. The first belt member 110 is formed of a flexible resin such as silicone rubber.
The case lid 120 is a member that forms a case body by being joined to a case bottom surface 130 shown in
Second belt members 140 and 150 are arranged on the rear surface side of the case bottom surface 130. The second belt members 140 and 150 are formed by integrally joining the second belt member 140 on the front surface side and the second belt member 150 on the rear surface side by bonding or the like. The second belt member 140 on the front surface side and the second belt member 150 on the rear surface side are formed of the flexible resin such as silicone rubber.
Further, as shown in
Next, a detailed structure of each component will be described.
A plurality of wearing holes 116 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the sword tip-side belt 113 connected to the cover 111 of the first belt member 110. Further, a buckle connection portion 117 is formed at a tip of the parent-side belt 114, and a buckle 210, which is a mechanical component for connecting with the sword tip-side belt 113, is attached thereto. When the biological information measuring instrument 100 is worn on the arm, a tip of the sword tip-side belt 113 is passed through the buckle 210 and a fixing rod 211 attached to the buckle 210 is fitted into one of the wearing holes 116 in the sword tip-side belt 113. The biological information measuring instrument 100 can cope with a difference in size of the user's arm by selecting one of the wearing holes 116 into which the fixing rod 211 is fitted.
In addition, elongated holes 115a and 115b for connecting with the second belt members 140 and 150 are formed in the sword tip-side belt 113 and the parent-side belt 114 of the first belt member 110. Further, a ring 118 for passing the sword tip-side belt 113 is disposed near the buckle connection portion 117 of the parent-side belt 114 of the first belt member 110.
As shown in
Then, when the cover 111 is put on the front surface portion 121 of the case lid 120, an upper surface portion 122 of the case lid 120 is exposed through the through-hole 112. A button 123 that functions as a power switch is disposed on the upper surface portion 122 of the case lid 120.
Note that a groove 124 is formed around the upper surface portion 122 of the case lid 120, and when the cover 111 is put on the case lid 120, the wall 112a on the cover 111 side is fitted into the groove 124 on the case lid 120 side. Further, as shown in
Further, as shown in
A component placement location 131 is formed on the case bottom surface 130 joined to the case lid 120, and the circuit board and the battery (not shown) are attached to the component placement location 131.
Note that as shown in
Notches 132 are formed in a plurality of locations around the case bottom surface 130, and connecting pieces 142 formed in a frame 141 in a center of the second belt member (front side) 140 are inserted into the notches 132. The connecting pieces 142 of the second belt member (front side) 140 are inserted into the notches 132 of the case bottom surface 130, so that the second belt member (front side) 140 is connected to the case bottom surface 130.
As shown in
As shown in
Further, as shown in
As shown in
As the sensor 161, for example, an optical distance sensor that detects a distance using infrared rays is used. The sensor substrate 160 has a connection portion 162 substantially at a center thereof, and is connected to a circuit board (not shown) disposed on the case bottom surface 130. Then, a process of detecting the displacement of the muscle is performed by an integrated circuit (not shown) attached to the circuit board. Information on the detected displacement of the muscle is wirelessly transmitted to an external instrument by a wireless communication circuit attached to the circuit board.
Note that holes 163 and 164 are formed at one end and the other end of the sensor substrate 160.
Further, as shown in
Then, a hole 145 is formed at the tip of the sword tip-side belt 143 of the second belt member (front side) 140, and a hole 146 is formed at the tip of the parent-side belt 144 of the second belt member (front side) 140. Further, a hole 156 is formed at the tip of the sword tip-side belt 152 of the second belt member (rear side) 150, and a hole 157 is formed at the tip of the parent-side belt 153 of the second belt member (rear side) 150.
The holes 145, 146, 156, 157 of the second belt members 140, 150 are used to connect the second belt members 140, 150 to the first belt member 110 using connection fittings 220, 230. That is, as shown in
When assembled as the biological information measuring instrument 100, the pins 221 and 231 are fitted into the elongated holes 115a and 115b of the first belt member 110 through the holes 163 and 164 of the sensor substrate 160 and the holes 145 and 146 of the second belt member (front side) 140. Here, bulged portions of tips of the pins 221 and 231 are formed slightly wider than lateral widths of the elongated holes 115a and 115b. Thus, as shown in
Next, a wearing state when the biological information measuring instrument 10 of the present embodiment is worn on the arm will be described with reference to
First, the user who is going to wear the biological information measuring instrument 10 places the biological information measuring instrument 10 on an arm a near the wrist w as shown in
When placing the biological information measuring instrument 10 on the arm a, the wearing direction is determined by the mark m imitating the shape of the hand on the surface of the cover 111. That is, the user wears the biological information measuring instrument 10 in a state in which a portion of the cover 111 disposed with the mark m imitating the shape of the hand is near the wrist w.
Here, the case body of the biological information measuring instrument 10 has a shape protruding from the lateral width of the sword tip-side belt 113 and the parent-side belt 114 by the protrusion amounts D1 and D2 as described above. In particular, by making the protrusion amount D2 on the side closer to the wrist w larger than the protrusion amount D1 on the opposite side, the biological information measuring instrument 10 is worn on the arm a away from the wrist w by at least the large protrusion amount D2 when the user wears it. That is, when trying to wear the biological information measuring instrument 10 on a position closer to the wrist w than positions shown in
As shown in
As shown in
Further, since the first belt member 110 and the second belt members 140 and 150 are fixed at a central portion thereof by screwing using the screw holes 151a (
That is, as shown in
As described above, positions of the pins 221 and 231 slide along the elongated holes 115a and 115b at the time of wearing, so that the displacement between the positions of the first belt member 110 and the second belt members 140 and 150 at the time of wearing is well absorbed. By being able to appropriately absorb this displacement, the tip of the cylindrical portion 154 of the second belt members 140 and 150 comes into close contact with the arm when worn on the arm, so that the displacement of the muscle of the arm can be favorably detected.
Note that as shown in
As described above, since the case body has a shape protruding from the belt members 110, 140, and 150, the biological information measuring instrument 10 of the present embodiment is automatically worn on a position away from the wrist by a certain distance, which is an appropriate position for the sensor to detect the displacement of the muscle in conjunction with the movement of the finger or the wrist when it is worn on the arm. Therefore, the movement of the finger or wrist of the user wearing the biological information measuring instrument 10 of the present embodiment can be measured well. Moreover, since the biological information measuring instrument 10 of the present embodiment is a very simple mechanism that can be simply wound around the arm with the belt members 110, 140 and 150, and is small in size, it does not give the user a sense of discomfort wearing a foreign object.
Then, by separating the belt member into the second belt members 140 and 150 incorporating the sensor substrate 160 therein and the first belt member 110 in which the mechanical component to be wound around the arm is attached on the front surface side, a state of use as the biological information measuring instrument 10 can be improved. That is, the first belt member 110 attached with the mechanical component wound around the arm may be worn out and damaged by repeated wearing on the arm, but can be relatively easily removed and replaced. On the other hand, the second belt members 140 and 150 incorporating the sensor substrate 160 and the like therein have no members that are worn out when worn on the arm, and can increase durability as the measuring instrument.
Note that a shape of each component of the biological information measuring instrument 100 shown in
Further, as shown in an exploded manner in
Note that in the present embodiment, the belt member is divided into the first belt member 110 and the second belt members 140 and 150, but may be integrally formed. As for a mechanism for wearing the biological information measuring instrument 100 on the arm, the buckle 210 widely used as a so-called wristwatch belt is used, but it may be worn on the arm using another mechanism.
Further, although the second belt members 140 and 150 have a shape in which the second belt member (front side) 140 and the second belt member (rear side) 150 are bonded, they may be integrally formed.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| JP2017-180305 | Sep 2017 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2018/024438 | 6/27/2018 | WO |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2019/058688 | 3/28/2019 | WO | A |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20100130841 | Ozawa | May 2010 | A1 |
| 20150105221 | Roush et al. | Apr 2015 | A1 |
| 20150160048 | Schuessler | Jun 2015 | A1 |
| 20160022181 | Valsan et al. | Jan 2016 | A1 |
| 20160091980 | Baran | Mar 2016 | A1 |
| 20190022373 | Tamaki et al. | Jan 2019 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2013-150847 | Aug 2013 | JP |
| 2015-112488 | Jun 2015 | JP |
| 2016-30214 | Mar 2016 | JP |
| 2016-533256 | Oct 2016 | JP |
| 2017-131362 | Aug 2017 | JP |
| Entry |
|---|
| International Search Report (ISR) dated Aug. 7, 2018 filed in PCT/JP2018/024438. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20210022674 A1 | Jan 2021 | US |
