Optical sweat sensor

Abstract

The embodiment of the utility model discloses an optical sweat sensor. The optical sweat sensor comprises a tube seat, a tube cap, a circuit board, a light emitting chip, a light receiving chip, a signal processing chip and a light transmitting element, the tube cap comprises a tube body and a top wall, the top wall and the tube base are connected to the two sides of the tube body respectively and jointly define a mounting cavity, and the light-transmitting element is arranged on the top wall. The circuit board divides the installation cavity into a first cavity and a second cavity in the connection direction of the tube base and the top wall. The light emitting chip and the light receiving chip are both located in the first cavity and electrically connected with the first face of the circuit board. And the signal processing chip is positioned in the second cavity, is electrically connected with the second surface of the circuit board, and is used for driving the light emitting chip and processing a signal emitted by the light receiving chip. When sweat is detected, the light emitting chip and the light receiving chip are not in direct contact with the sweat, the detection process can be completed without consumables, and the detection cost is reduced.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The utility model relates to sensor manufacturing technical field, especially optical sweat sensor. BACKGROUND

[0002] Biofluids (such as sweat, tears, saliva or interstitial fluid) have become analytes for characterizing human health status because of their ease of sampling and the potential to provide continuous, real-time physiological information for understanding the deeper biological molecule state of the human body. Compared with other biofluids, sweat contains a wealth of analytes. These analytes can convey the body's physiological information and are closely related to blood levels. Sweat monitoring has great advantages in monitoring human health status.

[0003] Current sweat detection is generally based on the following principles: (1) electrochemical principle, chemical substances in sweat such as sodium, potassium, chloride ions, etc. can be used as electrolytes to participate in electrochemical reactions. The electrodes in the sweat sensor contact with sweat, and the concentration of specific ions is detected by measuring the current or voltage change between the electrodes. (2) Electrical impedance principle, the conductivity of sweat is related to its water content and ion concentration. The sweat sensor can evaluate the conductivity of sweat by measuring its electrical impedance, so as to infer the composition or water content of sweat. (3) Biological recognition principle, the sweat sensor contains biological recognition elements, such as elements that recognize enzymes or antibodies. During detection, enzymes or antibodies can specifically bind to specific molecules in sweat to change their shape or electrical properties, and the sweat sensor converts these changes into electrical signal output.

[0004] However, these sweat detection methods need to use some consumables to complete the detection, and the detection cost is high. UTILITY MODEL CONTENT

[0005] The embodiment of the utility model provides a kind of optical sweat sensor, to provide a kind of sweat sensor with lower detection cost.

[0006] To solve the above technical problems, the embodiment of the utility model discloses the following technical solutions:

[0007] An optical sweat sensor is provided, comprising:

[0008] A pipe seat is provided.

[0009] A pipe cap is provided, comprising a pipe body and a top wall, the top wall and the pipe seat are connected to the two sides of the pipe body respectively, and together enclose a mounting cavity.

[0010] A circuit board is provided in the mounting cavity to divide the mounting cavity into a first chamber and a second chamber along a first direction, the first direction is the connection direction of the pipe seat and the top wall, and the circuit board has a first face and a second face opposite in its thickness direction.

[0011] a light emitting chip and a light receiving chip, both located in the first cavity and electrically connected to the first surface of the circuit board;

[0012] a light transmitting element arranged on the top wall, the light transmitting element allowing light to transmit between the inside and outside of the first cavity;

[0013] a signal processing chip located in the second cavity and electrically connected to the second surface of the circuit board, for driving the light emitting chip and for processing signals emitted by the light receiving chip.

[0014] In addition to one or more of the above disclosed features, or as an alternative, there is also provided:

[0015] a support structure arranged in the second cavity and attached to the pipe body, for fixing and supporting the circuit board above the pipe base and forming a gap between the circuit board and the pipe base, the gap constituting the second cavity.

[0016] In addition to one or more of the above disclosed features, or as an alternative, the support structure comprises a first support block and a second support block, both comprising a support portion and a protruding portion, the protruding portion being located at the top end of the support portion, the circuit board being provided with a first through hole and a second through hole, the protruding portion of the first support block being engaged in the first through hole, the protruding portion of the second support block being engaged in the second through hole, the second surface of the circuit board being supported by the top end of the support portion of the first support block and the top end of the support portion of the second support block.

[0017] In addition to one or more of the above disclosed features, or as an alternative, the first support block and the second support block are oppositely arranged on the pipe base.

[0018] In addition to one or more of the above disclosed features, or as an alternative, the surfaces of the protruding portions of the first support block and the second support block facing each other are arc-shaped surfaces, the shape of the first through hole is adapted to the shape of the protruding portion of the first support block, and the shape of the second through hole is adapted to the shape of the protruding portion of the second support block.

[0019] In addition to one or more of the above disclosed features, or as an alternative, the support portions of the first support block and the second support block are connected to the pipe base, or the side walls of the support portions of the first support block and the second support block are connected to the pipe body.

[0020] In addition to one or more of the above disclosed features, or as an alternative, the power management chip is located in the second cavity and is electrically connected to the second surface of the circuit board, and is configured to convert a voltage of an external power supply and supply power to components electrically connected to the circuit board.

[0021] In addition to one or more of the above disclosed features, or as an alternative, the first cavity is provided with a partition element, the partition element is connected to the top wall and the first surface of the circuit board at two ends along the thickness direction of the circuit board, so as to divide the first cavity into a first sub-cavity and a second sub-cavity which are physically isolated from each other, the light emitting chip is arranged in the first sub-cavity, and the light receiving chip is arranged in the second sub-cavity.

[0022] In addition to one or more of the above disclosed features, or as an alternative, the light-transmitting element comprises a light-transmitting lens, the light-transmitting lens is arranged on the top wall, a part of the light-transmitting lens covers the first sub-cavity, and another part of the light-transmitting lens covers the second sub-cavity, so as to allow the light to transmit between the inside of the first sub-cavity and the outside of the cap, and allow the light to transmit between the inside of the second sub-cavity and the outside of the cap.

[0023] In addition to one or more of the above disclosed features, or as an alternative, the tube seat is provided with through holes, the optical sweat sensor further comprises a plurality of pins, one end of the plurality of pins is fixed and electrically connected to the circuit board, the other end of the plurality of pins extends out of the second cavity through the through holes, and the plurality of pins are sealingly connected to the corresponding through holes.

[0024] One of the above technical solutions has the following advantages or beneficial effects: the main component of sweat is water, and in the infrared region, especially in the near-infrared (NIR) and mid-infrared (MIR) regions, water molecules will exhibit strong absorption peaks. In the present application, the signal processing chip drives the light emitting chip to emit light, the light is transmitted to the skin through the light-transmitting element, the light receiving chip detects the light reflected by the skin, converts the reflected light into an electrical signal through the photoelectric effect and transmits the electrical signal to the signal processing chip, the signal processing chip processes the electrical signal and converts it into a digital signal, and the sweat detection is completed by analyzing the digital signal. In the present application, the light emitting chip and the light receiving chip do not directly contact the sweat during the detection of sweat, and the detection process can be completed without consumables, thereby reducing the detection cost. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0025] The technical solutions and other beneficial effects of the present application will become apparent from the following detailed description of the specific embodiments of the present application, combined with the accompanying drawings.

[0026] Figure 1is a structural schematic diagram of an optical sweat sensor provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 2 is a three-view diagram of a first support block provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 3 is a top view of a first face of a circuit board provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 4 is a top view of a second face of a circuit board provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 5 is a connection schematic diagram of a support structure and a tube body provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0031] Legend:

[0032] 10, tube base;

[0033] 20, tube cap; 201, tube body; 202, top wall; 203, first cavity; 2031, first sub-cavity; 2032, second sub-cavity; 204, second cavity;

[0034] 30, circuit board; 301, first through hole; 302, second through hole; 303, mounting area;

[0035] 40, light emitting chip;

[0036] 50, light receiving chip;

[0037] 60, light-transmitting element;

[0038] 70, signal processing chip;

[0039] 80, support structure; 801, first support block; 802, second support block; 803, support part; 804, protruding part;

[0040] 90, power management chip;

[0041] 100, partition element;

[0042] 110, pin;

[0043] 120, skin. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] In order to make the purpose, technical scheme and beneficial effects of the present application clearer, the present application will be further described in detail below in combination with the drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described in the present specification are only for the purpose of explaining the present application, and are not intended to limit the present application.

[0045] An optical sweat sensor is disclosed. Referring to Figure 1 The optical sweat sensor includes a tube base 10, a tube cap 20, a circuit board 30, a light emitting chip 40, a light receiving chip 50, a signal processing chip 70, and a light transmission element 60. The tube cap 20 includes a tube body 201 and a top wall 202. The tube body 201 is a hollow tubular structure with two open ends. The top wall 202 and the tube base 10 are respectively connected to two sides of the tube body 201 and jointly enclose a mounting cavity. In some embodiments, the top wall 202 and the tube body 201 are integrally formed. The circuit board 30 is arranged in the mounting cavity to divide the mounting cavity into a first chamber 203 and a second chamber 204 along a first direction. The first direction is the connection direction of the tube base 10 and the top wall 202. The circuit board 30 has a first surface and a second surface arranged opposite in the thickness direction thereof. The light emitting chip 40 and the light receiving chip 50 are both located in the first chamber 203 and are both electrically connected to the first surface of the circuit board 30. The signal processing chip 70 is located in the second chamber 204 and is electrically connected to the second surface of the circuit board 30. The signal processing chip 70 is configured to drive the light emitting chip 40 and process signals emitted by the light receiving chip 50. The light transmission element 60 is arranged on the top wall 202. The light transmission element 60 allows light to transmit between the inside of the first chamber 203 and the outside thereof.

[0046] The main component of sweat is water. In the infrared region, especially in the near infrared (NIR) and mid infrared (MIR) regions, water molecules exhibit strong absorption peaks. In the present application, the signal processing chip 70 drives the light emitting chip 40 to emit light. The light is transmitted to the skin 120 through the light transmission element 60. The light receiving chip 50 detects the light reflected by the skin 120 and converts the reflected light into an electrical signal through the photoelectric effect and transmits the electrical signal to the signal processing chip 70. The signal processing chip 70 processes the electrical signal and converts it into a digital signal. The optical sweat sensor or other devices can complete sweat detection by analyzing the digital signal. In the present application, the light emitting chip 40 and the light receiving chip 50 do not directly contact the sweat during sweat detection. The detection process can be completed without consumables, reducing the detection cost.

[0047] Continuing to refer to Figure 1 , the present application provides a support structure 80 arranged above the tube base 10 to support the circuit board 30, so that a gap is formed between the circuit board 30 and the tube base 10. The gap is used to form the second chamber 204. Specifically, the support structure 80 includes a first support block 801 and a second support block 802. The first support block 801 and the second support block 802 are arranged opposite on the tube base 10. Further, referring to Figure 2 and Figure 3The connection mode of the first support block 801 and the second support block 802 with the circuit board 30 will be introduced below. The first support block 801 and the second support block 802 are the same in structure, and each includes a support part 803 and a protruding part 804. The protruding part 804 is located at the top end of the support part 803. The circuit board 30 is provided with a first through hole 301 and a second through hole 302 penetrating the circuit board 30. The protruding part 804 of the first support block 801 is clamped in the first through hole 301, and the protruding part 804 of the second support block 802 is clamped in the second through hole 302. The second surface of the circuit board 30 is supported on the top end of the support part 803 of the first support block 801 and the top end of the support part 803 of the second support block 802. It should be noted that, because the first support block 801 and the second support block 802 are oppositely arranged, the first through hole 301 and the second through hole 302 are oppositely provided on the circuit board 30. Further, one embodiment of fixing the first support block 801 and the second support block 802 is that the support part 803 of the first support block 801 and the support part 803 of the second support block 802 are connected with the pipe base 10, that is, the bottom end of the support part 803 is fixedly connected with the side surface of the pipe base 10 facing the circuit board 30. Referring to Figure 5 Another embodiment of fixing the first support block 801 and the second support block 802 is that the side wall of the support part 803 of the first support block 801 and the side wall of the support part 803 of the second support block 802 are connected with the pipe body 201. It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the first support block 801 and the second support block 802 can be integrally formed with the pipe body 201.

[0048] In order to facilitate the clamping of the protruding part 804 of the first support block 801 in the first through hole 301 and the clamping of the protruding part 804 of the second support block 802 in the second through hole 302, referring to Figure 4 and Figure 5 the surface of the protruding part 804 of the first support block 801 and the protruding part 804 of the second support block 802 on the side facing each other is an arc surface. The shape of the first through hole 301 is matched with the shape of the protruding part 804 of the first support block 801, and the shape of the second through hole 302 is matched with the shape of the protruding part 804 of the second support block 802. In this way, when installed, the protruding part 804 can be more easily slid into the corresponding through hole, making the clamping more smooth, and the installation efficiency can be improved.

[0049] Referring to Figure 3 and Figure 4The first surface and the second surface of the circuit board 30 are each provided with a mounting area 303 for fixing a chip. In order to avoid the light emitting chip 40 and the light receiving chip 50 from being damaged by heat during operation, a substrate can be arranged on the mounting area 303 of the first surface of the circuit board 30, and the light emitting chip 40 and the light receiving chip 50 are both mounted on the substrate. It should be noted that the substrate can be made of ceramic material. The light emitting chip 40 and the light receiving chip 50 are electrically connected to the electrodes on the circuit board 30 through metal wires. Further, the optical sweat sensor further comprises a power management chip 90, which is located in the second chamber 204, mounted on the second surface of the circuit board 30, and electrically connected to the circuit board 30, for converting the voltage of an external power supply and supplying power to the components electrically connected to the circuit board 30.

[0050] In order to avoid optical crosstalk between the light emitting chip 40 and the light receiving chip 50 and affect the detection accuracy when detecting sweat, the first chamber 203 is further provided with a partition element 100. The partition element 100 is connected to the top wall 202 and the first surface of the circuit board 30 at both ends in the thickness direction of the circuit board 30, so as to divide the first chamber 203 into a first sub-chamber 2031 and a second sub-chamber 2032 which are physically isolated from each other. The first sub-chamber 2031 contains the light emitting chip 40, and the second sub-chamber 2032 contains the light receiving chip 50. In some embodiments, the partition element 100 can be an independent partition wall or an isolation column, and the partition element 100 is connected to the top wall 202 and the first surface of the circuit board 30 at both ends in the thickness direction of the circuit board 30 by glue. In some examples, the partition element 100 is integrally formed with the pipe body 201. It should be noted that the partition element 100 in the embodiments of the present application is made of a light-proof material.

[0051] Further, the light-transmitting element 60 is a light-transmitting lens, which is arranged on the top wall 202. A part of the light-transmitting lens covers the first sub-chamber 2031, and another part of the light-transmitting lens covers the second sub-chamber 2032, so as to allow light to be transmitted between the inside of the first sub-chamber 2031 and the outside of the pipe cap 20, and to allow light to be transmitted between the inside of the second sub-chamber 2032 and the outside of the pipe cap 20. Specifically, a through slot can be formed on the top wall 202, and the through slot is in communication with the first sub-chamber 2031 and the second sub-chamber 2032, and then a light-transmitting lens is embedded in the through slot to cover a part of the first sub-chamber 2031 and another part of the second sub-chamber 2032. In this way, the laser emitted by the light emitting chip 40 can be transmitted to the skin 120 through a part of the corresponding light-transmitting lens of the first sub-chamber 2031, and the diffuse reflection of the skin 120 can be transmitted to the second sub-chamber 2032 through another part of the corresponding light-transmitting lens of the second sub-chamber 2032.

[0052] In order to transmit signals and supply power for the circuit board 30, the optical sweat sensor further comprises a plurality of pins 110, the tube seat 10 is provided with through holes, one end of the plurality of pins 110 is fixed and electrically connected with the circuit board 30, and the other end extends out of the second chamber 204 through the through holes. The plurality of pins 110 are sealingly connected with the corresponding through holes. Specifically, the sealing connection between the pins 110 and the through holes can be realized by sintering of insulating materials, and the pins 110 can be electrically connected by soldering with the pads on the circuit board 30.

[0053] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any manner. In order to make the description simple, all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are not described, however, as long as the combinations of the technical features do not contradict, they should be considered as the scope of the present disclosure.

[0054] The above embodiments only express several implementation manners of the present application, the description is relatively specific and detailed, but it should not be understood as a limitation on the patent scope of the present application. It should be pointed out that for ordinary skilled in the art, without departing from the concept of the present application, a number of modifications and improvements can be made, which all belong to the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the patent protection scope of the present application should be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. An optical sweat sensor characterized in that, The application relates to a light-emitting tube, which comprises the following parts: a tube base (10); a tube cap (20) comprising a tube body (201) and a top wall (202), the top wall (202) and the tube base (10) being connected to two sides of the tube body (201) respectively and jointly forming an installation cavity; a circuit board (30) arranged in the installation cavity to divide the installation cavity into a first cavity (203) and a second cavity (204) along a first direction, the first direction being the connecting direction of the tube base (10) and the top wall (202), the circuit board (30) having a first surface and a second surface arranged oppositely in the thickness direction of the circuit board (30); a light-emitting chip (40) and a light-receiving chip (50), both of which are arranged in the first cavity (203) and are electrically connected to the first surface of the circuit board (30); a light-transmitting element (60) arranged on the top wall (202), the light-transmitting element (60) allowing light transmission between the inside and the outside of the first cavity (203); a signal processing chip (70) arranged in the second cavity (204) and electrically connected to the second surface of the circuit board (30), the signal processing chip (70) being used for driving the light-emitting chip (40) and processing the signals emitted by the light-receiving chip (50).

2. The optical sweat sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that The application further comprises: a support structure (80) arranged in the second cavity (204) and arranged in close contact with the tube body (201), the support structure (80) being used for fixing and supporting the circuit board (30) above the tube base (10) and forming a gap between the circuit board (30) and the tube base (10), the gap being used for forming the second cavity (204).

3. The optical sweat sensor according to claim 2, characterized in that The support structure (80) comprises a first support block (801) and a second support block (802), the first support block (801) and the second support block (802) both comprising a support part (803) and a protruding part (804), the protruding part (804) being arranged at the top end of the support part (803), the circuit board (30) being provided with a first through hole (301) and a second through hole (302), the protruding part (804) of the first support block (801) being clamped in the first through hole (301), the protruding part (804) of the second support block (802) being clamped in the second through hole (302), the second surface of the circuit board (30) being supported by the top end of the support part (803) of the first support block (801) and the top end of the support part (803) of the second support block (802).

4. The optical sweat sensor according to claim 3, characterized in that The first support block (801) and the second support block (802) are arranged oppositely on the tube base (10).

5. The optical sweat sensor of claim 3, wherein, The surfaces of the protruding part (804) of the first support block (801) and the protruding part (804) of the second support block (802) on the opposite sides are both arc-shaped surfaces, the shape of the first through hole (301) is matched with the shape of the protruding part (804) of the first support block (801), and the shape of the second through hole (302) is matched with the shape of the protruding part (804) of the second support block (802).

6. The optical sweat sensor of claim 3, wherein, The support part (803) of the first support block (801) and the support part (803) of the second support block (802) are connected with the pipe base (10), or the side wall of the support part (803) of the first support block (801) and the side wall of the support part (803) of the second support block (802) are connected with the pipe body (201).

7. The optical sweat sensor of claim 1, wherein, The power management chip (90) is arranged in the second cavity (204) and is electrically connected with the second surface of the circuit board (30), and is used for converting the voltage of an external power supply and supplying power to components electrically connected with the circuit board (30).

8. The optical sweat sensor of claim 1, wherein, The first cavity (203) is provided with a partition element (100), both ends of the partition element (100) in the thickness direction of the circuit board (30) are connected with the top wall (202) and the first surface of the circuit board (30) respectively, so as to divide the first cavity (203) into a first sub-cavity (2031) and a second sub-cavity (2032) which are physically isolated from each other, the optical emitting chip (40) is arranged in the first sub-cavity (2031), and the optical receiving chip (50) is arranged in the second sub-cavity (2032).

9. The optical sweat sensor according to claim 8, characterized in that The light-transmitting element (60) comprises a light-transmitting lens, the light-transmitting lens is arranged on the top wall (202), a part of the light-transmitting lens covers the first sub-cavity (2031), and another part of the light-transmitting lens covers the second sub-cavity (2032), so as to allow the light to be transmitted between the inside of the first sub-cavity (2031) and the outside of the pipe cap (20), and to allow the light to be transmitted between the inside of the second sub-cavity (2032) and the outside of the pipe cap (20).

10. The optical sweat sensor according to any of claims 1-9, characterized in that, The pipe base (10) is provided with a via hole, and the optical sweat sensor further comprises a plurality of pins (110), one end of the plurality of pins (110) is fixed and electrically connected with the circuit board (30), the other end of the plurality of pins (110) extends out of the second cavity (204) through the via hole, and the plurality of pins (110) and the corresponding via holes are sealingly connected.

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