Patent Application
20230082487
The present disclosure relates to a wearable device, a perspiration analysis apparatus, and a perspiration analysis method.
A living body such as a human body has tissues that perform electrical activities such as muscles and nerves, and in order to keep these tissues operating normally, it is provided with a mechanism for keeping an electrolyte concentration in the body constant mainly by the actions of the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system.
For example, when a human body is exposed to a hot environment for an extended period of time, and excessive exercise or the like is taken, a large amount of moisture in the body is lost due to perspiration, and an electrolyte concentration may fall outside a normal value. In such a case, various symptoms typified by heatstroke occur in the human body. Thus, in order to recognize a dehydration condition of the body, it can be said that monitoring an amount of perspiration and an electrolyte concentration in sweat is one of beneficial techniques.
For example, in NPL 1, as a typical related art for measuring an amount of perspiration, a change in an amount of water vapor during perspiration is measured. In the technique described in NPL 1, an amount of perspiration is estimated based on a difference in humidity with respect to the outside air, and thus the air in a measurement system needs to be replaced by using an air pump.
Then, in recent years, wearable devices attached to a user are becoming widespread due to development of the ICT industry and a reduction in size and weight of a computer. The wearable devices are attracting attention for practical use in health care and fitness fields.
For example, even when a measurement technique for monitoring an amount of perspiration of a user and an electrolyte concentration in sweat is implemented by a wearable device, it is necessary to reduce the size of the device. For example, when the technique for measuring an amount of perspiration described in NPL 1 is to be implemented by a wearable device, an air pump for replacing the air in a measurement system occupies relatively large volume, and thus it can be said that a reduction in size of the entire device has a problem.
The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a wearable device that can measure a physical amount of sweat without using an air pump for replacing the air in a measurement system.
In order to solve the problem described above, a wearable device according to the present disclosure is a wearable device attached to a living body includes a substrate that forms a first flow path, a second flow path, and a third flow path, a first electrode exposed to the first flow path, a second electrode spaced apart from the first electrode and exposed to the second flow path, and a sensor that detects, by using the first electrode and the second electrode, an electrical signal deriving from a predetermined component included in sweat flowing from the first flow path to the second flow path and secreting from skin of the living body and outputs the electrical signal, in which the first flow path includes one end that opens into a first side surface of the substrate, and is configured to transport the sweat, the second flow path has a diameter larger than a diameter of the first flow path, includes one end connected to another end of the first flow path, and is configured to transport the sweat, and the third flow path has a diameter smaller than the diameter of the second flow path, includes one end connected to another end of the second flow path and another end that opens into a second side surface of the substrate, and is configured to transport the sweat.
In order to solve the problem described above, a perspiration analysis apparatus according to the present disclosure includes the wearable device described above, a first calculation circuit that calculates, from a frequency of occurrence of a local maximum value or a local minimum value of the electrical signal output from the sensor, a physical amount related to perspiration of the living body, and an output unit that outputs the physical amount calculated and related to the perspiration.
In order to solve the problem described above, a perspiration analysis method according to the present disclosure includes causing a first flow path including one end that opens into a substrate to transport sweat secreted from skin of a living body, causing a second flow path having a diameter larger than a diameter of the first flow path and including one end connected to another end of the first flow path to transport the sweat, causing a third flow path having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the second flow path and including one end connected to another end of the second flow path and another end that opens into the substrate to transport the sweat, detecting, by a sensor including a first electrode exposed to the first flow path and a second electrode spaced apart from the first electrode and exposed to the second flow path, an electrical signal deriving from a predetermined component included in the sweat flowing from the first flow path to the second flow path to output the electrical signal, calculating, from the electrical signal output in the detecting, at least any of a physical amount related to perspiration of the living body and a concentration of a predetermined component included in the sweat, and outputting a calculation result in the calculating.
The present disclosure includes the first flow path including one end that opens into the first side surface of the substrate, the second flow path having a diameter larger than a diameter of the first flow path and including one end connected to another end of the first flow path, and the third flow path having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the second flow path and including one end connected to another end of the second flow path and another end that opens into the second side surface of the substrate. Thus, a physical amount related to sweat can be measured without using an air pump for replacing the air in a measurement system.
Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to
First, an outline of a wearable device 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to
The wearable device 1 includes an electrode 15a (first electrode) exposed to the first flow path 12, and an electrode 15b (second electrode) spaced apart from the electrode 15a and exposed to the second flow path 13. The substrate further includes a first substrate 10 and a second substrate 11 bonded to each other.
Configuration of Wearable Device
Next, the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to
The wearable device 1 includes, for example, the first substrate 10 and the second substrate 11 that are attached to the user, the first flow path 12, the second flow path 13, the third flow path 14, and a sensor 16 including the electrode 15a (first electrode) and the electrode 15b (second electrode).
The electrodes 15a and 15b are disposed on a surface of the first substrate 10 facing the second substrate 11.
The second substrate 11 includes, in a surface facing the first substrate 10, a first groove, a second groove, and a third groove that form the first flow path 12, the second flow path 13, and the third flow path 14, respectively. In the present embodiment, the first flow path 12, the second flow path 13, and the third flow path 14 are formed by a space defined by bonding a surface of the second substrate 11 in which the grooves are formed and a surface of the first substrate 10 facing the surface of the second substrate 11.
Any insulating material can be used as a material of the first substrate 10 and the second substrate 11. For example, a hydrophilic material such as glass or a hydrophobic material such as resin may be used as the insulating material.
One end of the first flow path 12 opens into a side surface (first side surface) of the substrate acquired by bonding the first substrate 10 and the second substrate 11 to each other. Then, the other end of the first flow path 12 is connected to one end of the second flow path 13 and transports the sweat SW secreted from the sweat gland of the skin SK. The first flow path 12 includes a space defined by the groove (first groove) formed in the surface of the second substrate 11 facing the first substrate 10 and the first substrate 10.
An inlet structure (not illustrated) is provided at the one end of the first flow path 12 and collects the sweat SW. For example, the inlet structure that collects the sweat SW may be a flow path structure having an opening in contact with the skin SK of the user.
A cross-sectional shape of the first flow path 12 can be rectangular, circular, or the like. Further, the first flow path 12 is, for example, a thin tube having a certain flow path length and a certain flow path width, and a cross-sectional area can be, for example, approximately 1 mm2, or 1 mm2 or less. An inner wall of the first flow path 12 may be either hydrophilic or hydrophobic. Note that, even when the inner wall of the first flow path 12 is hydrophobic, the sweat SW secreted from the sweat gland is transported from the first flow path 12 to the second flow path 13 and, further to the third flow path 14 due to osmotic pressure of the sweat SW.
The second flow path 13 has a diameter larger than a diameter of the first flow path 12, includes one end connected to the other end of the first flow path 12, and transports the sweat SW. The other end of the second flow path 13 is connected to one end of the third flow path 14. The groove (second groove) of the second flow path 13 is formed in the surface of the second substrate 11 facing the first substrate 10. The second flow path 13 includes a space defined by the first substrate 10 and the second substrate 11 bonded to each other.
In the present embodiment, as illustrated in
Because the inner wall of the second flow path 13 is hydrophobic, when the sweat SW transported by the first flow path 12 is transported to an inlet of the second flow path 13, the sweat SW forms a droplet in the second flow path 13.
The third flow path 14 has a diameter smaller than a diameter of the second flow path 13 and includes one end connected to the other end of the second flow path 13. Then, the other end of the third flow path 14 opens into a side surface (second side surface) of the substrate including the first substrate 10 and the second substrate 11 bonded to each other and transports the sweat SW. The groove (third groove) of the third flow path 14 is formed in the surface of the second substrate 11 facing the first substrate 10. The third flow path 14 includes a space defined by the first substrate 10 and the second substrate 11 bonded to each other.
A cross-sectional shape of the third flow path 14 can be rectangular, circular, or the like. Further, the third flow path 14 is, for example, a thin tube having a certain flow path length and a certain flow path width and has a cross-sectional area of, for example, approximately 1 mm2, or 1 mm2 or less that is sufficiently smaller than a cross-sectional area of the second flow path 13. An inner wall of the third flow path 14 is hydrophilic. In the present embodiment, when a droplet of the sweat SW formed in the second flow path 13 comes into contact with an inlet (the one end) of the third flow path 14, the sweat SW having the volume of the formed droplet flows into the third flow path 14 so as to be sucked into the third flow path 14 and is transported to an outlet (the other end) of the third flow path 14.
The other end of the third flow path 14 may be provided with, for example, an outlet structure that facilitates discharge and evaporation of the sweat SW transported from the third flow path 14. As an example of the outlet structure provided at the other end of the third flow path 14, fibers such as cotton and silk, or a porous body such as a porous ceramic substrate can be used.
In this way, with the first flow path 12 being a thin tube, the second flow path 13 having a cross-sectional area of the flow path larger than those of the first flow path 12 and the third flow path 14 and including the hydrophobic inner wall, and the third flow path 14 including the hydrophilic inner wall and being a thin tube, the sweat SW is transported from the first flow path 12 to the second flow path 13, and further from the second flow path 13 to the third flow path 14 due to a capillary phenomenon.
The electrode 15a is exposed to the first flow path 12. The other electrode 15b is exposed to the second flow path 13. For example, an electrode pattern, a strip electrode, and the like can be used for the electrodes 15a and 15b. In the present embodiment, the electrodes 15a and 15b are disposed on the surface of the first substrate 10 facing the second substrate 11.
The electrode 15a is disposed so as to be exposed to the first flow path 12 and intersect a direction of the flow path length of the first flow path 12. On the other hand, the electrode 15b is spaced apart so as not to be in contact with the electrode 15a and is disposed so as to be exposed to the second flow path 13 and intersect the flow path length of the second flow path 13.
For example, as illustrated in
The sensor 16 detects, by using the electrodes 15a and 15b, an electrical signal deriving from a predetermined component included in the sweat SW flowing from the first flow path 12 to the second flow path 13 and outputs the electrical signal. The sensor 16 includes a current meter that detects energization between the electrodes 15a and 15b. For example, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
The sweat SW secreted from the sweat gland of the skin SK flows in from the first flow path 12 and is transported to the second flow path 13, and, when an amount of perspiration further increases or perspiration further continues, the liquid sweat SW forms a droplet in the second flow path 13 including the hydrophobic inner wall, for example. When the droplet comes into contact with the electrode 15b exposed to the second flow path 13, an electrolyte such as sodium ions and potassium ions included in the sweat SW causes energization, and a current flows.
Subsequently, by the amount of perspiration of the sweat SW further increasing or the perspiration further continuing, when the droplet in the second flow path 13 comes into contact with the inlet of the third flow path 14 including the hydrophilic inner wall, the sweat SW in the second flow path 13 is sucked into the third flow path 14 due to the capillary phenomenon. At this time, because the droplet of the sweat SW in the second flow path 13 disappears, the electrode 15b is in contact with only the air, and the electrodes 15a and 15b are not energized, and thus no current flows.
The wearable device 1 described above forms the pattern of the electrodes 15a and 15b by using a material of an electric conductor, which is a material of the electrodes 15a and 15b, for the first substrate 10 formed of an insulating material such as a hydrophobic resin and by using a known sputtering or plating method. Further, a mold in which a groove being a flow path is formed by etching resin or Si is created. Next, a metal structure is created by electroforming based on the created mold, and the created mold is removed by etching or the like to acquire a metal mold. The metal mold is transferred to mold the second substrate 11 in which a flow path formed of a hydrophobic resin or the like is formed. Subsequently, the inner wall of the first flow path 12 and the third flow path 14 is subjected to surface treatment for making the inner wall hydrophilic by plasma treatment, for example. Finally, the surface of the first substrate 10 on which the electrode 15a is formed and the surface of the second substrate 11 in which the groove being the flow path is formed are bonded together to acquire the wearable device 1.
The wearable device 1 can also use a hydrophilic insulating material, such as a glass substrate, as the first substrate 10 and the second substrate 11. In this case, the first flow path 12, the second flow path 13, and the third flow path 14 formed in the second substrate 11 have a hydrophilic inner wall. In this case, for the second flow path 13, the inner wall of the second flow path 13 is subjected to surface treatment for making the inner wall hydrophobic (water-repellent) by, for example, silane coupling treatment, fluorine plasma treatment, or the like. When fluorine plasma treatment is used, the inner wall becomes inert, and even when sebum or the like is included in the sweat SW, the inner wall of the second flow path 13 can be made water-repellent.
As illustrated in
Subsequently, as illustrated in
Subsequently, as illustrated in
A vertical axis in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
Functional Blocks of Perspiration Analysis Apparatus
Next, a functional configuration of a perspiration analysis apparatus 100 including the wearable device 1 described above will be described with reference to a block diagram in
The perspiration analysis apparatus 100 includes the wearable device 1, an acquisition unit 20, a first calculation circuit 21, a second calculation circuit 22, a storage unit 23, and an output unit 24.
The acquisition unit 20 acquires an electrical signal acquired by the wearable device 1. The acquisition unit 20 performs signal processing such as amplification, noise removal, and AD conversion of the acquired electrical signal. Time-series data of the acquired electrical signal is accumulated in the storage unit 23. As illustrated in
The first calculation circuit 21 calculates a physical amount related to perspiration from a frequency of occurrence of a local maximum value or a local minimum value of the electrical signal. For example, the first calculation circuit 21 calculates, from the time-series data of the electrical signal, an amount of perspiration by multiplying predetermined volume of a droplet of the sweat SW formed in the second flow path 13 by the number of times of energization (the number of peaks in
Further, the first calculation circuit 21 calculates a perspiration rate by dividing predetermined volume of a droplet of the sweat SW by an energization cycle.
The second calculation circuit 22 calculates a concentration of a predetermined component included in the sweat SW from the electrical signal acquired by the wearable device 1. For example, the second calculation circuit 22 calculates a concentration of an electrolyte such as sodium ions and potassium ions among components (water, sodium chloride, urea, lactic acid, and the like) included in the sweat SW. More specifically, the second calculation circuit 22 calculates, from an applied voltage between the electrodes 15a and 15b and a current value during energization, an average resistance value (conductivity) that depends on a concentration of an electrolyte included in the sweat SW.
The storage unit 23 stores time-series data of the electrical signal acquired from the wearable device 1 by the acquisition unit 20. In the storage unit 23, predetermined volume of a droplet of the sweat SW and a value of an applied voltage between the electrodes 15a and 15b are previously stored.
The output unit 24 outputs the amount of perspiration, the perspiration rate, and the component concentration of the sweat SW calculated by the first calculation circuit 21 and the second calculation circuit 22. The output unit 24 can display a calculation result on a display device (not illustrated), for example. Alternatively, the output unit 24 may send a calculation result to an external communication terminal device (not illustrated) by a communication I/F 105 described below.
Hardware Configuration of Perspiration Analysis Apparatus
Next, an example of a hardware configuration that implements the perspiration analysis apparatus 100 including the wearable device 1 having the above-described functions will be described with reference to
As illustrated in
A program causing the micro control unit (MCU) 101 to perform various controls or calculations is previously stored in the memory 102. Each function of the perspiration analysis apparatus 100 including the acquisition unit 20, the first calculation circuit 21, and the second calculation circuit 22 illustrated in
The analog front end (AFE) 103 is a circuit that amplifies a measurement signal that is a weak electrical signal representing an analog current value measured by the wearable device 1.
The analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 104 is a circuit that converts an analog signal amplified by the AFE 103 into a digital signal at a predetermined sampling frequency. The AFE 103 and the ADC 104 implement the acquisition unit 20 in
The memory 102 is implemented by a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory, a volatile memory such as a DRAM, and the like. The memory 102 temporarily stores time-series data of signals output from the ADC 104. The memory 102 implements the storage unit 23 in
The memory 102 includes a program storage area in which a program used by the perspiration analysis apparatus 100 to perform perspiration analysis processing is stored. Further, for example, it may have a backup area for backing up the above-described data, programs, or the like.
The communication I/F 105 is an interface circuit for communicating with various external electronic devices through a communication network NW.
For example, a communication interface compatible with a wired or wireless data communication standard such as LTE, 3G, 4G, 5G, Bluetooth (trade name), Bluetooth Low Energy, and Ethernet (trade name) and an antenna are used as the communication I/F 105. The output unit 24 in
Note that the perspiration analysis apparatus 100 acquires time information from a clock incorporated in the MCU 101 or a time server (not illustrated) and uses the time information as sampling time.
Perspiration Analysis Method
Next, an operation of the perspiration analysis apparatus 100 including the wearable device 1 having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to a flowchart in
First, the acquisition unit 20 acquires an electrical signal indicating a current value from the wearable device 1 (step S1). Next, the acquisition unit 20 amplifies the electrical signal (step S2). More specifically, the AFE 103 amplifies a weak current signal measured by the wearable device 1.
Next, the acquisition unit 20 performs AD conversion on the electrical signal amplified in step S2 (step S3). Specifically, the ADC 104 converts an analog signal amplified by the AFE 103 into a digital signal at a predetermined sampling frequency. Time-series data of the electrical signal converted into the digital signal is stored in the storage unit 23 (step S4).
Next, the first calculation circuit 21 calculates an amount of perspiration of the user from a frequency of occurrence of a local maximum value of the acquired electrical signal (step S1). Subsequently, the first calculation circuit 21 calculates a perspiration rate from the frequency of occurrence of the local maximum value of the electrical signal (step S6).
Next, the second calculation circuit 22 calculates a concentration of a predetermined component included in the sweat SW from the acquired electrical signal (step S7). Subsequently, when the measurement has been completed (step S8: YES), the output unit 24 outputs a calculation result including the amount of perspiration, the perspiration rate, and the component concentration (step S9). On the other hand, when the measurement has not been completed (step S8: NO), the processing returns to step S1.
Note that the first calculation circuit 21 may be configured to calculate either the amount of perspiration or the perspiration rate. The first calculation circuit 21 can also be configured, by setting, to calculate any one or two values of the amount of perspiration, the perspiration rate, and the component concentration, and an order in which the values are calculated is optional.
Further, in the described embodiment, the wearable device 1 may be fixed to a body of a user by a band or may be fixed to clothing worn by the user as long as the wearable device is connected to the inlet structure that collects the sweat SW from the skin SK of the user.
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the wearable device transports the sweat SW by the second flow path 13 that is formed in the substrate and includes the hydrophobic inner wall and by the third flow path 14 that is connected to the second flow path 13, has a diameter smaller than a diameter of the second flow path 13, and includes the hydrophilic inner wall. Further, the electrode 15a is disposed so as to be exposed to the first flow path 12, and the other electrode 15b is disposed so as to be exposed to the second flow path 13. Thus, the wearable device 1 can measure a physical amount related to sweat without using an air pump. Further, the wearable device 1 can measure, from the measured physical amount related to the sweat, a physical amount related to perspiration such as an amount of perspiration and a perspiration rate, and a component included in the sweat.
The wearable device 1 according to the present embodiment collects the sweat SW in a liquid state without using an air pump and transports the sweat SW from the second flow path 13 to the third flow path 14 for each certain volume, and thus the size of the wearable device 1 can be made smaller. Further, as a result, the size of the perspiration analysis apparatus 100 can be reduced.
Further, the wearable device 1 according to the present embodiment includes the sensor 16 including the pair of electrodes 15a and 15b and measures time-series data of a current signal due to energization in accordance with a cycle in which the sweat SW appears in the second flow path 13 and is transported to the third flow path 14 at a certain cycle. Thus, the wearable device 1 attached to a user can electrically measure a physical amount related to sweat.
Although the embodiments of the wearable device, the perspiration analysis apparatus, and the perspiration analysis method according to the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be modified into various forms that can be conceived by a person skilled in the art within the scope of the disclosure described in the aspects.
This application is a national phase entry of PCT Application No. PCT/JP2020/008819, filed on Mar. 3, 2020, which application is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2020/008819 | 3/3/2020 | WO |
