Pulse wave sensor, intelligent wearable device and pulse wave measuring device

Abstract

According to the pulse wave sensor provided by the utility model, the mode that the flexible sensor is matched with the air bag is adopted, so that the signal stability of the sensor can be ensured, and the user experience can be improved. The pulse wave sensor comprises an air bag unit and a flexible sensor unit, the airbag unit comprises an airbag and an air pump assembly; the air pump assembly inflates the air bag to adjust the pressure in the air bag. The flexible sensor unit is arranged on the surface of the side, facing a measured object, of the air bag, and pulse waves are measured in a direct attaching mode. In addition, based on the pulse wave sensor, the utility model further provides intelligent wearable equipment and a pulse wave measuring device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to a sensor, in particular to a pulse wave sensor, belonging to the technical field of optical and mechanical sensor measurement. Background Art

[0002] There are several common ways to measure pulse as follows:

[0003] (1) Airbag measurement: Inflate the airbag inside through an air pump to make the airbag expand and compress the wrist blood vessels, and measure the pulse beat through a pressure sensor.

[0004] (2) Liquid bag measurement: Fill the liquid bag with liquid, and measure the pulse beat through a pressure sensor arranged in the liquid.

[0005] (3) Direct sensor fitting measurement: Place a MEMS sensor or other piezoelectric or piezoresistive flexible film sensors on the inner side of the wristband, and measure the pulse beat by wearing the wristband. To ensure that the sensor fits the skin, the wristband needs to be worn tightly.

[0006] However, the above measurement methods have the following defects:

[0007] (1) Airbag measurement:

[0008] Low accuracy: What is actually measured is the pressure fluctuation of the internal medium (air). The pulse beat is transmitted through the medium. Since air can be compressed, the signal will have a large attenuation during transmission, and the sensitivity will also decrease.

[0009] (2) Liquid bag measurement:

[0010] Low accuracy: Similar to airbag measurement, what is actually measured is the pressure fluctuation of the internal medium (liquid, generally silicone oil). The pulse beat is transmitted through the medium. Although the liquid transmits force better than air, due to the relatively long transmission distance, the signal will have attenuation during transmission, and the sensitivity will also decrease.

[0011] (3) Direct sensor fitting measurement:

[0012] There are mainly problems of tightness and position.

[0013] For the position problem: It is required that the sensor is located above the radial / ulnar artery;

[0014] For the tightness problem: It is required that the sensor fits the skin and has a certain pressure. Since everyone has different body fat and different thicknesses of wrist tissues, the required pressure is also different. For fat people, the radial / ulnar artery in the wrist is buried deeper, and the wristband needs to be tightened more to allow the sensor to detect a better signal, which will result in a poor user experience and is not suitable for long-term wearing. Summary of the Invention

[0015] In view of this, the present utility model provides a pulse wave sensor, which adopts a cooperation mode of a flexible sensor and an airbag, and can not only ensure the signal stability of the sensor but also improve the user experience.

[0016] A pulse wave sensor includes: an airbag unit and a flexible sensor unit;

[0017] The airbag unit includes: an airbag and an air pump assembly; the air pump assembly inflates the airbag to adjust the pressure inside the airbag;

[0018] The flexible sensor unit is arranged on the surface of the airbag facing the object to be measured, directly adheres to the part to be measured, and realizes the measurement of the pulse wave.

[0019] As a preferred mode of the present utility model, the flexible sensor unit includes an optoelectronic module and a pressure module; the pressure module includes two or more pressure sensors distributed in an array; the optoelectronic module includes one optoelectronic sensor or two or more optoelectronic sensors distributed in an array.

[0020] As a preferred mode of the present utility model, when used for a wristwatch, the air pump assembly is installed inside the wristwatch body; the airbag and the flexible sensor unit are integrated and installed on the inner side of the wristband.

[0021] As a preferred mode of the present utility model, the air pump assembly includes: an air pump, an air pump bracket, an airway seal, a flexible circuit board for a pressure sensor, a pressure sensor, and a sensor main board;

[0022] The air pump is installed on the air pump bracket, and an airway is provided on the air pump bracket and connected to the air outlet of the air pump; the airway seal is installed at the position of the airway on the air pump bracket for sealing the airway; an airbag nozzle mounting hole and a pressure sensor mounting hole communicating with the airway are provided on the airway seal; the nozzle on the airbag is inserted into the airbag nozzle mounting hole;

[0023] The pressure sensor is installed on the flexible circuit board for the pressure sensor, and the detection end of the pressure sensor is inserted into the pressure sensor mounting hole;

[0024] The sensor main board is installed on the air pump bracket, and the flexible circuit board for the pressure sensor is installed on the air pump bracket and electrically connected to the sensor main board.

[0025] As a preferred mode of the present utility model, the flexible sensor unit includes: a flexible front cover assembly, a sensor array flexible circuit board, and a flexible rear cover assembly;

[0026] The flexible front cover assembly includes a front cover body and an integrally formed front end cover and a bracket unit mounted on the rear end face of the front cover body; the bracket unit is used to support the flexible circuit board of the sensor array;

[0027] An optoelectronic module and a pressure module are arranged on the flexible circuit board of the sensor array; a light-transmitting lens is arranged at a position corresponding to the optoelectronic module on the bracket unit;

[0028] The airbag is mounted on the flexible front cover assembly through a flexible rear cover assembly.

[0029] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, on the front cover body, there is a protrusion at a position corresponding to the pressure sensor in the pressure module, and the protrusion has a structure that is thick in the middle and thin around, thereby forming a spring arm at the thin wall.

[0030] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the front cover body has a rigid reinforcing layer and silicone layers on both sides of the rigid reinforcing layer.

[0031] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the flexible sensor unit includes: a flexible front cover assembly, a flexible circuit board of the sensor array, and a flexible rear cover assembly;

[0032] The flexible front cover assembly includes a front cover body and an integrally formed front end cover and a bracket unit mounted on the rear end face of the front cover body; the bracket unit is used to support the flexible circuit board of the sensor array;

[0033] An optoelectronic module and a pressure module are arranged on the flexible circuit board of the sensor array; a light-transmitting lens is arranged at a position corresponding to the optoelectronic module on the bracket unit;

[0034] The airbag is mounted on the flexible front cover assembly through a flexible rear cover assembly;

[0035] Gold-plated elastic pieces are arranged on the flexible circuit board of the sensor array, and gold-plated elastic pieces are also arranged on the sensor main board. The two elastic pieces are connected through conductive pins to achieve electrical connection.

[0036] In addition, the present invention provides a smart wearable device, on which the above-mentioned pulse wave sensor is arranged.

[0037] In addition, the present invention provides a pulse wave measuring device, including: an acquisition unit and a processing unit;

[0038] The acquisition unit is used to acquire the pulse wave signal generated by the object to be measured and send it to the processing unit;

[0039] The processing unit is used to analyze and process the pulse wave signal acquired by the acquisition unit to generate target pulse data;

[0040] The acquisition unit is the above-mentioned pulse wave sensor.

[0041] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the pulse wave measuring device further includes: a display unit;

[0042] The processing unit sends the generated target pulse data to the display unit;

[0043] The display unit is used to display the pulse beating frequency or waveform of the measured object according to the received target pulse data.

[0044] Advantageous effects:

[0045] (1) The present invention adopts a cooperation mode of a flexible sensor unit and an airbag. The flexible sensor is attached to the surface of the airbag. When not measuring, the flexible sensor unit remains in a relaxed state. When measuring, by inflating the airbag, the flexible sensor realizes the measurement of the pulse wave in a direct fitting manner; thus, it can not only ensure the stability of the sensor signal but also improve the user experience; and it can realize different pressurization pressures for different people. In the present invention, the flexible sensor unit is easy to bend and can better fit the part to be measured (such as the wrist).

[0046] (2) In the present invention, a sensor array is arranged in the flexible sensor unit. By means of the array, the strict requirements of the flexible sensor unit for the pulse position can be reduced.

[0047] (3) In the present invention, when used for a wristwatch, the air pump assembly is installed inside the wristwatch case body, and the airbag and the flexible sensor unit are integrated and installed on the inner side of the wristband; realizing the miniaturization and integration of the pulse wave sensor.

[0048] (4) In the present invention, the position corresponding to the pressure sensor on the front cover main body is designed to be a round cap shape, thereby forming an elastic arm at the thin wall, so that it can easily deform to receive weak pressure changes and is easier to transmit pressure, improving the measurement accuracy.

[0049] (5) In the present invention, a hard reinforcing layer is added inside the front cover main body, so that the front cover main body does not deform under tension. Description of the Drawings

[0050] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a wristband with the pulse wave sensor of the present invention;

[0051] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the air pump assembly;

[0052] Figure 3 It is an exploded view of the air pump assembly;

[0053] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the installation of the air pump;

[0054] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the installation of the flexible circuit board of the air pressure sensor;

[0055] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the overall structure of the airbag and sensor array assembly;

[0056] Figure 7 Exploded view of the airbag and sensor array assembly;

[0057] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the structure of the flexible front cover assembly;

[0058] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the structure of the flexible circuit board of the sensor array;

[0059] Figure 10 Schematic diagram of the installation of the flexible circuit board of the sensor array on the bracket assembly;

[0060] Figure 11 For Figure 9 C-C cross-sectional view;

[0061] Figure 12 For Figure 9 D-D cross-sectional view;

[0062] Figure 13 Schematic diagram of the structure of the flexible front cover assembly;

[0063] Figure 14 Schematic diagram of the airway connection of the pulse wave sensor of the present utility model;

[0064] Figure 15 Schematic diagram of the electrical connection of the pulse wave sensor of the present utility model.

[0065] Wherein: 1 - air pump assembly, 101 - air pump, 102 - air pump bracket, 103 - airway, 104 - airway seal, 105 - airbag nozzle mounting hole, 106 - air pressure sensor mounting hole, 107 - flexible circuit board of air pressure sensor, 108 - air pressure sensor, 109 - air pressure sensor fixed cover, 110 - buckle, 111 - sensor main board;

[0066] 2 - flexible sensor unit, 21 - flexible front cover assembly, 210 - front cover main body, 211 - end cover, 212 - bracket A, 213 - bracket B, 214 - bracket C, 215 - spring arm, 22 - flexible circuit board of sensor array, 23 - flexible rear cover assembly, 233 - silicone layer, 234 - rigid reinforcement layer; 24 - pressure sensor, 25 - emitting diode, 26 - receiving diode, 27 - lens;

[0067] 3 - airbag; 4 - wrist; 5 - wristband; 6 - front watch case; 7 - rear watch case; 8 - sealing ring; 9 - airbag nozzle; 10 - shrapnel; 11 - conductive pin. Detailed implementation mode

[0068] The following combines the accompanying drawings and embodiments to make a further detailed description of the present utility model.

[0069] Embodiment 1:

[0070] This embodiment provides a pulse wave sensor, which adopts a cooperation mode of a flexible sensor and an airbag, which can not only ensure the signal stability of the sensor but also improve the user experience.

[0071] This pulse wave sensor adopts a scheme of combining a flexible sensor and an airbag, including: an airbag unit and a flexible sensor unit 2; wherein the airbag unit includes: an airbag 3 and an air pump assembly 1; the flexible sensor unit 2 is used to measure the pulse wave by directly attaching. The flexible sensor unit 2 is easy to bend and can fit well with the skin (for example, it can better fit the shape of the wrist when used in a wristband-type wearable device). As an example, the flexible sensor unit 2 adopts a sensor array with multiple groups of sensors, so that after wearing, at least one group of sensors is located above the radial / ulnar artery.

[0072] The air pump assembly 1 adjusts the pressure in the airbag 3 by inflating the airbag 3, and then applies different pressures to different measurement objects; the flexible sensor unit 2 is arranged on the surface of the airbag 3 facing the measured object; as Figure 1 shown, when this pulse wave sensor is used in a wristband-type wearable device such as a watch, the airbag 3 is arranged on the lower surface of the wristband 5, the flexible sensor unit is arranged on the lower surface of the airbag 3, and the air pump assembly 1 is placed in the watch case. Thus, when this watch is worn on the wrist 4 of the measured object, the flexible sensor unit contacts the skin of the wrist 4 (that is, the airbag 3 is located between the flexible sensor unit and the wristband 4, and the flexible sensor unit is located at the radial artery of the wrist). When not measuring, the wristband 5 remains in a relaxed state (that is, the airbag 3 is not inflated); when measuring is required, the pressure of the airbag 3 is adjusted through the air pump assembly 1 to attach the flexible sensor unit 2 to the skin; since the sensor directly attaches for measurement, different from the oscillometric method measurement, it does not need to apply a large pressure, generally keeping at 60 mmHg, thus ensuring both the signal stability of the sensor and improving the user experience. And through the self-regulation of the air pump assembly 1 to inflate the airbag 3, this pulse wave sensor has the ability of pressure adaptive regulation.

[0073] Embodiment 2:

[0074] On the basis of the above Embodiment 1, this embodiment gives a specific structure of this pulse wave sensor.

[0075] As shown Figures 2 - 5 in the figure, the air pump assembly 1 includes: an air pump 101, an air pump bracket 102, an airway seal 104, a barometric pressure sensor flexible circuit board 107, a barometric pressure sensor 108, and a sensor main board 111; as an example, the materials of the airway seal 104 and the air pump bracket 102 are engineering plastics. The air pump 101 is installed on the air pump bracket 102, and an airway 103 (a groove structure provided on the air pump bracket 102) connected to the air outlet of the air pump 101 is provided on the air pump bracket 102; the airway seal 104 is adhesively bonded to the position of the airway 103 on the air pump bracket 102 by glue for sealing the airway 103; an airbag nozzle mounting hole 105 and a barometric pressure sensor mounting hole 106 communicating with the airway 103 are provided on the airway seal 104 (the airway 103 is only communicated with the airbag nozzle mounting hole 105 and the barometric pressure sensor mounting hole 106 through the airway seal 104 to avoid gas leakage). The barometric pressure sensor 108 is soldered to the barometric pressure sensor flexible circuit board 107, then the detection end of the barometric pressure sensor 108 is inserted into the barometric pressure sensor mounting hole 106, and then the barometric pressure sensor fixing cover 109 is assembled. The barometric pressure sensor fixing cover 109 is fixed to the barometric pressure sensor flexible circuit board 107 by the buckle 110 on the side. As an example, the barometric pressure sensor fixing cover 109 is formed by stamping stainless steel sheet metal. The sensor main board 111 is adhesively bonded to the air pump bracket 102 by double-sided tape, and the barometric pressure sensor flexible circuit board 107 is bent and adhesively bonded to the back of the air pump bracket 102 (the side of the air pump bracket 102 connected to the air pump 101 is its front), and is snap-fitted to the sensor main board 111 through a connector to achieve electrical connection with the sensor main board 111; thus, the entire air pump assembly 1 is formed.

[0076] As shown Figures 6 - 13 in the figure, in this embodiment, the airbag 3 in the airbag unit is integrated with the flexible sensor unit 2, and a sensor array is adopted in the flexible sensor unit 2, thereby forming an airbag-sensor array assembly.

[0077] The flexible sensor unit 2 includes: a flexible front cover assembly 21, a sensor array flexible circuit board 22, and a flexible rear cover assembly 23. The flexible front cover assembly 21 includes a front cover main body 210 and an integrally formed front end cover 211, a bracket A 212, a bracket B 213, and a bracket C 214 mounted on the rear end face of the front cover main body 210; wherein the front cover main body 210 is made of silica gel material to ensure its flexibility; the front end cover 211, the bracket A 212, the bracket B 213, and the bracket C 214 are made of engineering plastics.

[0078] The bracket unit formed by bracket A212, bracket B213, and bracket C214 is used to support the sensor array flexible circuit board 22; a pressure sensor array and a photoelectric sensor are soldered on the sensor array flexible circuit board 22. A number of pressure sensors 24 form a pressure sensor array (pressure module) and are soldered to the sensor array flexible circuit board 22. As an example, ten pressure sensors 24 are soldered on the sensor array flexible circuit board 22. The ten pressure sensors 24 are divided into two columns, with five in each column. The pressure sensor 24 is preferably a MEMS piezoresistive sensor. The photoelectric sensor (i.e., the photoelectric module) includes a transmitting diode 25 and a receiving diode 26.

[0079] The sensor array flexible circuit board 22 soldered with the pressure sensor array and the photoelectric sensor is adhered to bracket B213 and bracket A212 of the flexible front cover assembly 21 by glue. Among them, the position of the photoelectric sensor corresponds to the position of bracket A212, and the position of the pressure sensor array corresponds to the position of bracket B213. Bracket C214 is used to connect bracket B213 and bracket A212 to the front end cover 211. A lens is adhered to bracket A212. As an example, the lens is made of high-transmittance glass, and the glass is coated to make its light transmittance > 96%.

[0080] As an example, on the front cover body 210, the position corresponding to the pressure sensor 24 (the side in contact with the skin) is designed to be a round cap shape, that is, the front cover body 210 at this position has a structure that is thick in the middle and thin around. Thus, an elastic arm 215 is formed at the thin wall, enabling it to easily deform to receive weak pressure changes and more easily transmit pressure. The thickness of the elastic arm 215 is generally 0.2 mm to 0.5 mm; as an example, the thickness of the elastic arm 215 is 0.2 mm, and the length is about 0.6 mm.

[0081] To prevent the front cover body 210 from deforming under tension, a hard reinforcing layer 234 is added inside the front cover body 210, and its material is a 0.05 mm PET film; thus, the front cover body 210 has a hard reinforcing layer 234 and silicone layers 233 on both sides of the hard reinforcing layer 234.

[0082] The flexible rear cover assembly 23 is adhered to the flexible front cover assembly 21 by glue. The airbag 3 is located at the rear side of the flexible rear cover assembly 23 and is buckled to the end cover 211 on the flexible front cover assembly through two metal buckles, thereby forming an airbag-sensor array assembly. The air nozzle of the airbag 3 is inserted into the airbag air nozzle mounting hole 105 on the air pump assembly 1.

[0083] In this pulse wave sensor, the air pump assembly 1 drives the air pump 101 to inflate the airbag 3; the pressure sensor 108 collects the air pressure value inside the airbag 3 in real time.

[0084] Embodiment 3:

[0085] Based on the above-mentioned Embodiment 2, this embodiment provides a structure for mounting the pulse wave sensor on a wristwatch.

[0086] As Figure 14 and Figure 15 shown, the airbag-sensor array assembly is mounted on the inner side of the wristband 5, and the air pump assembly 1 is mounted inside the wristwatch body (i.e., the space surrounded by the wristwatch front case 6 and the wristwatch back case 7). The air nozzle on the airbag 3 is inserted into the airbag air nozzle mounting hole 105 on the air pump assembly 1, and two layers of sealing rings 8 are used to ensure airtightness at the docking place, so that air can flow between the airbag 3 and the air pump 101, thereby realizing the air path connection.

[0087] Gold-plated elastic pieces 10 are provided on the flexible circuit board 22 of the sensor array, and gold-plated elastic pieces 10 are also provided on the sensor main board 111. The two elastic pieces 10 are connected through conductive pins 11 on the wristwatch back case. The material of the conductive pins 11 is copper and the surface is gold-plated; thus, electrical connection is realized.

[0088] Embodiment 4:

[0089] This embodiment provides a pulse wave measuring device, including: an acquisition unit, a processing unit, and a display unit;

[0090] The acquisition unit is used to acquire the pulse wave signal generated by the target object and send it to the processing unit;

[0091] The processing unit is used to analyze and process the pulse wave signal acquired by the acquisition unit, generate target pulse data, and send it to the display unit;

[0092] The display unit is used to display the pulse beating frequency or waveform of the target object according to the received target pulse data.

[0093] The acquisition unit is the pulse wave sensor described in the above-mentioned Embodiments 1-3.

[0094] Although the present invention has been described in detail with general descriptions and specific embodiments above, based on the present invention, some modifications or improvements can be made, which are obvious to those skilled in the art. Therefore, these modifications or improvements made without departing from the spirit of the present invention all fall within the scope of protection required by the present invention.

Claims

1. A pulse wave sensor, characterized in that: include: an airbag unit and a flexible sensor unit; The airbag unit comprises: an airbag and an air pump assembly; the air pump assembly adjusts the pressure in the airbag by inflating the airbag; The flexible sensor unit is arranged on the surface of the airbag facing the object to be measured, directly attached to the part to be measured, so as to measure the pulse wave; The flexible sensor unit includes a photoelectric module and a pressure module; the pressure module includes two or more pressure sensors distributed in an array; the photoelectric module includes one photoelectric sensor or two or more photoelectric sensors distributed in an array.

2. The pulse wave sensor according to claim 1, wherein: When used in a wristwatch, the air pump assembly is installed inside the watch body; the airbag is integrated with the flexible sensor unit and installed on the inner side of the wristband.

3. The pulse wave sensor according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The air pump assembly includes: an air pump, an air pump bracket, an airway seal, an air pressure sensor flexible circuit board, an air pressure sensor and a sensor mainboard; The air pump is mounted on an air pump bracket, and an air duct connected to the air outlet of the air pump is provided on the air pump bracket; the air duct seal is mounted on the air pump bracket at the position of the air duct, and is used to seal the air duct; the air duct seal is provided with an air bag nozzle mounting hole and an air pressure sensor mounting hole connected to the air duct; the air nozzle on the air bag is inserted into the air bag nozzle mounting hole; The air pressure sensor is mounted on the air pressure sensor flexible circuit board, and the detection end of the air pressure sensor is installed in the air pressure sensor mounting hole; The sensor main board is mounted on the air pump bracket, and the air pressure sensor flexible circuit board is mounted on the air pump bracket and is electrically connected to the sensor main board.

4. The pulse wave sensor according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The flexible sensor unit comprises: a flexible front cover assembly, a sensor array flexible circuit board and a flexible back cover assembly; The flexible front cover assembly comprises a front cover body and an integrally formed front cover and a bracket unit installed on the rear end surface of the front cover body; the bracket unit is used to support the sensor array flexible circuit board; The photoelectric module and the pressure module are arranged on the sensor array flexible circuit board; and a light-transmitting lens is arranged at a position corresponding to the photoelectric module on the bracket unit; The airbag is mounted on the flexible front cover assembly via a flexible rear cover assembly.

5. The pulse wave sensor according to claim 4, characterized in that: On the front cover body, a protrusion is provided at a position corresponding to the pressure sensor in the pressure module, and the protrusion is a structure that is thick in the middle and thin around, thereby forming an elastic arm at the thin wall.

6. The pulse wave sensor according to claim 4, characterized in that: The front cover body comprises a hard reinforcement layer and silicone layers located on both sides of the hard reinforcement layer.

7. The pulse wave sensor according to claim 3, characterized in that: The flexible sensor unit comprises: a flexible front cover assembly, a sensor array flexible circuit board and a flexible back cover assembly; The flexible front cover assembly comprises a front cover body and an integrally formed front cover and a bracket unit installed on the rear end surface of the front cover body; the bracket unit is used to support the sensor array flexible circuit board; The photoelectric module and the pressure module are arranged on the sensor array flexible circuit board; and a light-transmitting lens is arranged at a position corresponding to the photoelectric module on the bracket unit; The airbag is mounted on the flexible front cover assembly via a flexible rear cover assembly; The sensor array flexible circuit board is provided with a gold-plated spring sheet, and the sensor main board is also provided with a gold-plated spring sheet. The two spring sheets are connected via a conductive needle to achieve electrical connection.

8. A smart wearable device, characterized in that: A pulse wave sensor as described in any one of claims 1 to 7 is arranged thereon.

9. A pulse wave measuring device, characterized in that: include: Acquisition unit and processing unit; The acquisition unit is used to acquire the pulse wave signal generated by the measured object and send it to the processing unit; The processing unit is used to analyze and process the pulse wave signal collected by the collection unit to generate target pulse data; The acquisition unit is the pulse wave sensor according to any one of claims 1-8.

10. The pulse wave measuring device according to claim 9, characterized in that: Also includes: Display unit; The processing unit sends the generated target pulse data to the display unit; The display unit is used to display the pulse beat frequency or waveform of the object under test according to the received target pulse data.

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