Module and wearable device

Abstract

To produce beep sound and the like with a piezoelectric sound production unit provided in a device by sufficient sound pressure.SOLUTION: A module includes: a board 52 on which a biological sensor 51 (heart beat sensor etc.) which is a biological information acquisition unit is mounted; a piezoelectric sound production unit 7 which is superimposed on the board 52 and includes a piezoelectric body 71; and a buffer member 6 provided between the board 52 and the piezoelectric sound production unit 7. In the piezoelectric sound production unit 7, a center position C2 in a face direction of the piezoelectric body 71 is arranged in a position shifted from a center position C1 in a face direction of the board 52.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a module and a wearable device. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, devices equipped with a biological information acquisition unit (various biological sensors and the like) capable of acquiring various types of information related to a living body non-invasively are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In a device equipped with such a biometric information acquisition unit, it is necessary that a portion that senses the biometric information (such as a biosensor) can be arranged in close proximity to the living body.

[0003] Also, various wearable devices and the like are known that have a sounding section (piezoelectric sounding unit) that generates a beep sound (sounds a buzzer) to notify a user, etc. In such a sounding section (piezoelectric sounding unit), for example, a fluctuating voltage is applied to a piezoelectric body (piezoelectric element) to periodically deform the piezoelectric body, and the piezoelectric body vibrates a diaphragm to which the piezoelectric body is attached, thereby generating a beep sound. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-013404 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in a wearable device equipped with a biometric information acquisition unit (such as various biometric sensors), from the viewpoint of usability, it is necessary to generate a beep sound with an easy-to-hear sound pressure.

[0006] The present invention is intended to solve these problems, and aims to provide a module and a wearable device that can suppress a reduction in sound pressure and produce sounds at a good sound pressure when a beep or the like is produced by a piezoelectric sound production unit installed within the device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the module according to the present invention comprises: A substrate having a biometric information acquisition unit mounted thereon; a piezoelectric sound generating unit including a piezoelectric body, the piezoelectric sound generating unit being superimposed on the substrate; a buffer member provided between the substrate and the piezoelectric sound unit; Equipped with The piezoelectric sounding unit is characterized in that the center position in the surface direction of the piezoelectric body is disposed at a position shifted from the center position in the surface direction of the substrate. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, the piezoelectric sound producing unit can produce sound with a good sound pressure. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the main parts of the timepiece according to the embodiment. [Diagram 2] 2 is an exploded perspective view of the main components arranged on the back cover member side shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2A is a plan view of a sensor mounting side of a substrate in an embodiment, and FIG. 2B is a plan view of the back surface side of the substrate shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2A is a plan view of the visible side of a piezoelectric sounding unit in an embodiment, and FIG. 2B is a plan view of the non-visible side of the piezoelectric sounding unit shown in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a main portion of a back cover member and components arranged on the back cover member in the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] An embodiment of a module (fixing structure of a substrate) and a wearable device including the module according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the wearable device will be described as an electronic watch worn on the wrist of a user. In addition, the embodiments described below are subject to various limitations that are technically preferable for implementing the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments and illustrated examples.

[0011] [composition] Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of a wearable device (hereinafter simply referred to as a "watch") in this embodiment, and Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the main parts on the back cover side of the watch shown in Fig. 1.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, a watch 100, which is a wearable device in this embodiment, has a device case 1. The device case 1 of this embodiment is formed in a hollow short column shape that is open at the top and bottom, and the internal hollow portion forms a storage space for storing various components. The device case 1 is made of a relatively hard synthetic resin, such as engineering plastic or super engineering plastic. The material of the device case 1 is not limited to those exemplified here. The device case 1 may be made of a metal material, such as SUS.

[0013] Various operation buttons 12 (push buttons, crown, etc.) are provided on the outer portion of the device case 1 in FIG. 2, allowing the user to perform various input operations. Although not shown, the outer surface of the device case 1 is provided with a pair of band attachment parts (not shown) at the 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock positions of an analog timepiece, to which a band (not shown) is attached. Furthermore, the opening on the front side (the viewing side of the watch) of the device case 1 is closed by a windshield member (not shown). The windshield member is a transparent member (cover member) made of, for example, a glass material or a transparent resin material. In addition, an exterior member (bezel) (not shown) may be provided on the front side (the viewing side of the watch) of the device case 1 so as to surround the opening.

[0014] Although detailed illustration and description are omitted, the device case 1 houses a control unit, operating unit, battery, and the like of a watch 100, which is a wearable device. When watch 100 is of a digital display type, the operating unit includes a display unit including a liquid crystal display panel or the like, and this display unit is located on the face side of the watch (the viewing side, the upper side in FIG. 1). When watch 100 is of an analog display type, the operating unit includes hands, a gear train (wheel train mechanism) that rotates the hands, and a drive unit (motor, etc.) instead of the above components. Note that watch 100 may be a hybrid type having both a digital system and an analog system, in which case both components are included as operating units. The control unit is mounted on a circuit board (not shown) or the like, and controls the display operation, etc., performed by the operation unit. In FIG.

[0015] An opening on the back side of the device case 1 (the non-viewing side of the watch) is closed by a back cover member 2. The back cover member 2 may be formed integrally with the device case 1. Moreover, the back cover member 2 is preferably attached to the device case 1 via a waterproof ring or the like (not shown). By attaching the back cover member 2 via a waterproof ring or the like, it is possible to close the opening on the back side of the device case 1 (the non-visible side of the watch) while ensuring waterproofness (airtightness) inside the device case 1.

[0016] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a recess 21 is formed in approximately the center of the surface of the back cover member 2. The biosensor unit 5 (see FIG. 5) is disposed in the recess 21. The biosensor unit 5 includes a biosensor 51 as a bioinformation acquiring section, and a substrate 52 on which the biosensor 51 is mounted. Furthermore, within the recess 21, a window 22 is formed in a portion where the biosensor 51 is to be positioned when the biosensor unit 5 is attached to the back cover member 2.

[0017] The biosensor 51 is a sensor capable of acquiring bioinformation of a living body, such as a heart rate sensor, a blood pressure sensor, a blood oxygen concentration sensor, etc. The biosensor 51 may be any sensor that acquires bioinformation and is not limited to the examples shown here. The biosensor 51 may be a sensor that can handle a plurality of pieces of bioinformation. The biosensor 51 includes a light emitting section including, for example, an LED (Light Emittng Diode) and a light receiving section including a PD (PhotoDiode) (neither shown).

[0018] For example, when acquiring biometric information such as heart rate, the light-emitting unit of the biosensor 51 irradiates light onto a living body such as the user's arm. The light emitted by the light-emitting unit is, for example, green light that is reflected by a relatively shallow part of the skin. Note that the light emitted from the light-emitting unit is not limited to green. The light-emitting unit may be capable of irradiating multiple types of light depending on the type of biometric information to be acquired and the purpose. The light receiving section receives light that is emitted from the light emitting section and reflected by the arm, and outputs a detection signal indicating the amount of the received reflected light as detection information. The detected information is processed by a calculation unit (not shown) mounted on the board 52 or the like, and the user's heart rate and the like are calculated.

[0019] 3(a) and 3(b) are plan views of the substrate of the biosensor unit in this embodiment. Fig. 3(a) is a view of the substrate 52 from the side that will become the back side (the non-visible side of the watch, the lower side in Figs. 1 and 2) when the biosensor unit 5 is assembled to the back cover member 2, and Fig. 3(b) is a view of the substrate 52 from the side that will become the front side (the visible side of the watch, the upper side in Figs. 1 and 2) when the biosensor unit 5 is assembled to the back cover member 2.

[0020] In this embodiment, substrate 52 is made of a flexible printed circuit board (hereinafter referred to as "FPC") that can be bent and deformed, and the parts indicated by the two-dot chain lines in the figure are the parts that are mountain-folded when assembled into the back cover member 2. The parts indicated by the dotted lines are the parts that are valley-folded when assembled into the back cover member 2. A main board body 53a on which the biosensor 51 is mounted is provided at one end of the board 52. In addition, an auxiliary board body 53b on which other circuit elements and the like are mounted is connected to the main board body 53a via an FPC. The other end of the board 52 is connected to a circuit board (main board) (not shown) in the movement 3.

[0021] Further, a buffer member 61 having a thickness equal to or greater than the thickness of the biosensor 51 is disposed on the main substrate body 53a in order to prevent light leakage from the biosensor 51 (see FIG. 3(a)). Furthermore, a cushioning member 6 is attached to the surface of the main board body 53a opposite to the surface on which the biosensor 51 is mounted (see FIG. 3(b)). The cushioning member 61 and the cushioning member 6 are formed from various resins having excellent shock absorbing properties. As the material of the cushioning member 6, for example, a high-performance urethane foam such as a microcell polymer sheet (for example, "PORON" (registered trademark) manufactured by Rogers Inoac Corporation) is preferably used. The material forming the cushioning member 61 and the cushioning member 6 is not limited to this. The cushioning member 61 and the cushioning member 6 may be formed from different materials.

[0022] Furthermore, the side of the main substrate body 53a on which the biosensor 51 is mounted is disposed within the recess 21 of the back cover member 2 via an insulating sheet 55. The insulating sheet 55 is fixed, for example, by being sandwiched between the main substrate body 53a and the back cover member 2.

[0023] Furthermore, on the upper side of the biosensor unit 5 (the side opposite to the back cover member 2, the visible side of the watch), a piezoelectric sounding unit 7 is disposed via a buffer member 6, which generates beep sounds (sounds a buzzer) to notify the user of various notifications. As shown in Fig. 2, a buffer member 57 for absorbing shock is disposed on the upper side (visible side) of the piezoelectric sounding unit 7 to protect the piezoelectric sounding unit 7 from shocks. The buffer member 57 is preferably disposed on the outer periphery of the piezoelectric sounding unit 7 so as not to impede the vibrations (described below) of the piezoelectric sounding unit 7. Figure 4(a) is a plan view of the piezoelectric sounding unit seen from the visible side (upper side in Figures 1 and 2), and Figure 4(b) is a plan view of the piezoelectric sounding unit seen from the non-visible side (lower side in Figures 1 and 2). When the piezoelectric sounding unit 7 is disposed on the biosensor unit 5 with the cushioning member 6 interposed therebetween, the side shown in FIG. 4(b) faces the cushioning member 6 (see FIG. 2).

[0024] 4(a) and 4(b), the piezoelectric sound producing unit 7 of this embodiment is a unimorph structure in which a piezoelectric body 71 is bonded to a metal plate member 72. The piezoelectric body 71 is, for example, a piezoelectric ceramic (piezoelectric ceramic plate) on which electrodes (not shown) are formed, and the metal plate member 72 is, for example, a metal plate such as SUS, and the piezoelectric sound producing unit 7 is formed by bonding the metal plate member 72 to the piezoelectric body 71. Note that the metal plate member 72 is not limited to SUS, and may be brass, nickel, or the like. In the piezoelectric sound unit 7, the piezoelectric body 71 (piezoelectric ceramic, piezoelectric ceramic plate) expands when a voltage is applied, while the metal plate member 72 adhered to the piezoelectric body 71 does not expand or contract. As a result, when a voltage is applied to the piezoelectric sound unit 7, the entire piezoelectric sound unit 7 bends, and when a reverse voltage is applied to the piezoelectric sound unit 7, it bends in the opposite direction. For this reason, by inputting a signal so that the direction of the voltage alternates, the entire piezoelectric sound unit 7 bends in different directions alternately, and by repeating this process, it vibrates, generating sound waves and outputting a beep sound.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 4(b), double-sided tape 56 is attached along the outer periphery of the non-visible surface of the piezoelectric sounding unit 7. A step 23 is formed on the inner surface (upper side in Fig. 2) of the back cover member 2, which is dug down one step to match the shape of the piezoelectric sounding unit 7. The piezoelectric sounding unit 7 is placed within the step 23 of the back cover member 2 and attached with double-sided tape 56.

[0026] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view that shows a schematic positional relationship between the biosensor unit and the piezoelectric sounding unit that are disposed inside the back cover member. As shown in FIG. 5, when the biosensor unit 5 is arranged inside the back cover member 2 so that the biosensor 51 is exposed to the outside from the window portion 22 (directly or indirectly via glass, etc.), the substrate 52 of the biosensor unit 5 is arranged almost flat within the recess 21, and the piezoelectric sounding unit 7 is arranged on top of it via the buffer member 6. As a result, the substrate 52 is fixed in a position where the biosensor 51, which is the bioinformation acquisition unit, can face and approach an external living body (such as a user's arm), and the piezoelectric sound unit 7 functions as a fixing member that fixes the biosensor unit 5 including the substrate 52 in a predetermined position.

[0027] [Effect] When assembling the timepiece 100 of this embodiment, the movement 3 is housed in the device case 1 and the opening on the visible side is closed with a windshield member, while the opening on the non-visible side is closed with the back cover member 2. A biosensor unit 5 is placed on the inside of this back cover member 2 (the side that is placed inside the device case 1). Specifically, a substrate 52 is placed in the recess 21 with the biosensor 51 exposed from the window 22 of the back cover member 2. A piezoelectric sounding unit 7 is then placed on top of that with a cushioning member 6 interposed between them, and the piezoelectric sounding unit 7 is fixed to the inside surface of the back cover member 2 (inside the step portion 23 of the back cover member 2) with double-sided tape 56.

[0028] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, when the piezoelectric sound unit 7 is placed in the step portion 23 of the back cover member 2 and superimposed on the substrate 52 (biosensor unit 5 including the substrate 52), the center position C2 in the surface direction of the piezoelectric body 71 of the piezoelectric sound unit 7 is positioned at a position shifted from the center position C1 in the surface direction of the substrate 52.

[0029] In the piezoelectric sound generating unit 7 having a unimorph structure, the center position C2 of the piezoelectric body 71 and its vicinity are most likely to vibrate, which affects the sound pressure of the generated sound. In this regard, by shifting the center position C1 of the substrate 52 and the center position C2 of the piezoelectric body 71, the piezoelectric sounding unit 7 can fix the substrate 52 (biosensor unit 5 including the substrate 52) in a predetermined position, and even if the piezoelectric sounding unit 7 also serves as a fixing member for fixing the substrate 52 (biosensor unit 5 including the substrate 52), the piezoelectric sounding unit 7 can be vibrated sufficiently, and a reduction in the sound pressure of the piezoelectric sounding unit 7 can be suppressed, allowing sound to be produced at a good sound pressure.

[0030] More specifically, the action is as follows. The metal plate member 72 of the piezoelectric sounding unit 7 is adhered and fixed to the back cover member 2 with double-sided tape (not shown in FIG. 5). At least a portion of the piezoelectric body 71 is disposed on the fixing surface between the metal plate member 72 to which the piezoelectric body 71 is adhered and the back cover member 2. In this embodiment, the piezoelectric sounding unit 7 fixes the substrate 52 of the biosensor unit 5 via the buffer member 6. In this case, by shifting the center position C2 of the circular piezoelectric body 71 in the piezoelectric sounding unit 7 from the center position C1 of the substrate 52 of the biosensor unit 5 in a plan view, it is possible to suppress a reduction in sound pressure and produce sound with a good sound pressure.

[0031] This is because the center position C1 of the substrate 52 of the biosensor unit 5 is away from the location where the back cover member 2 and the metal plate member 72 of the piezoelectric sounding unit 7 are bonded and fixed with double-sided tape, making it easy to bend. Also, the center position of the buffer member 6 (cushion) is approximately the same as the center position C1 of the substrate 52 of the biosensor unit 5. Therefore, the buffer member 6 is most likely to bend at the center position of the buffer member 6, and is in an upwardly bent state. The piezoelectric body 71 of the piezoelectric sounding unit 7 vibrates up and down to output sound, and if the buffer member 6 is bent upward, the piezoelectric body 71 of the piezoelectric sounding unit 7 is less likely to vibrate downward, and the sound pressure of the piezoelectric sounding unit 7 is reduced. In this regard, by shifting the center position C1 of the substrate 52 from the center position C2 of the piezoelectric body 71, it is possible to eliminate the state in which the piezoelectric body 71 is less likely to vibrate.

[0032] [effect] As described above, the module in this embodiment comprises a substrate 52 on which a biosensor 51, which is a bioinformation acquisition unit, is mounted, a piezoelectric sound unit 7 including a piezoelectric body 71 superimposed on the substrate 52, and a buffer member 6 provided between the substrate 52 and the piezoelectric sound unit 7, and the piezoelectric sound unit 7 is arranged such that the center position C2 in the surface direction of the piezoelectric body 71 is shifted from the center position C1 in the surface direction of the substrate 52. As a result, the piezoelectric sounding unit 7 fixes the biosensor unit 5 at an appropriate position inside the back cover member 2 (i.e., a position where the biosensor 51 is exposed from the window 22 and the substrate 52 is placed in the recess). In this case, the central position C2 of the piezoelectric body 71, which is most likely to vibrate in the piezoelectric sounding unit 7 and affects the sound pressure of the sound, is positioned offset from the central position C1 of the substrate 52, thereby ensuring sufficient sound pressure and allowing the beep to be output with good sound pressure.

[0033] In this embodiment, the piezoelectric sound unit 7 also serves as a fixing member for fixing the substrate 52 (biosensor unit 5 including the substrate 52) to a position where the biosensor 51 can face and approach an external living body. Thus, in this embodiment, the substrate 52 (biosensor unit 5 including the substrate 52) is fixed by the piezoelectric sound unit 7 that is originally provided in an electronic device (wearable device) such as the watch 100. This eliminates the need to provide a separate member for fixing the substrate 52, reducing the number of parts and contributing to the overall miniaturization and weight reduction of the device (watch 100) into which the module is incorporated.

[0034] Moreover, the piezoelectric sound producing unit 7 in this embodiment has a unimorph structure in which the piezoelectric body 71 is bonded to the metal plate member 72 . By making the piezoelectric sound unit 7 in this way a relatively simple structure, the number of parts can be reduced, and the device (watch 100) into which the module is incorporated can be made smaller and lighter overall.

[0035] In this embodiment, the substrate 52 (the biosensor unit 5 including the substrate 52) and the piezoelectric sound unit 7 are disposed at a distance from each other. Therefore, the biosensor unit 5 does not interfere with the sound produced by the piezoelectric sound unit 7, and the beep sound can be output in a good state with sufficient sound pressure.

[0036] In this embodiment, the biosensor 51, which is the bioinformation acquisition unit, includes any one of a heart rate sensor, a blood pressure sensor, and a blood oxygen concentration measurement sensor. Therefore, by simply wearing a wearable device including the module of this embodiment on the arm or the like, the user can easily obtain biometric information such as heart rate information.

[0037] Furthermore, when the watch 100, which is the wearable device of this embodiment, has the above-mentioned fixing structure for the board 52 (the biosensor unit 5 including the board 52), the number of parts can be reduced and the biosensor unit 5 can be fixed efficiently. As a result, even a device (watch 100) capable of acquiring bioinformation such as heart rate and blood pressure can be made smaller and lighter. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, by shifting the center position C2 of the piezoelectric body 71, which is the part of the piezoelectric sound unit 7 that is most likely to vibrate and affects the sound pressure of the sound, from the center position C1 of the substrate 52, sufficient sound pressure is ensured and the beep can be output with good sound pressure.

[0038] In this embodiment, the device case 1 has a back cover member 2 on the side that comes into contact with the living body (such as the user's arm) from which biometric information is to be obtained, and the substrate 52 (the biometric sensor unit 5 including the substrate 52) is positioned and fixed at a predetermined position on the back cover member 2. Therefore, if the position of the biosensor 51 of the biosensor unit 5 is shifted, it becomes difficult to perform accurate sensing. However, in this embodiment, the biosensor 51 can be fixed in a position suitable for sensing, and accurate bioinformation can be obtained.

[0039] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0040] For example, in this embodiment, the wearable device is a watch 100, and a module (a structure for fixing the substrate 52 of the biosensor unit 5) is mounted on the watch 100; however, devices to which the module (fixing structure for the substrate 52) of this embodiment can be applied are not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be widely applied to electronic devices such as various smart watches and sports watches, as well as wearable devices that acquire biometric information such as heart rate and blood flow information in addition to the time.

[0041] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1 Equipment case 2 Back cover parts 21 Recess 22 Window 3 steps 3. Movement 5. Biosensor Unit 51 Biometric sensor (biometric information acquisition unit) 52 Substrate 6. Cushioning materials 7 Piezoelectric sound unit 71 Piezoelectric 72 Metal plate parts 100 Watches (Wearable Devices)

Claims

1. A substrate equipped with a biological information acquisition unit, A piezoelectric sound emission unit that is superimposed on the substrate and includes a piezoelectric body, Comprising, In the piezoelectric sound emission unit, the central position in the plane direction of the piezoelectric body is arranged at a position deviated from the central position in the plane direction of the substrate. A module characterized by this.

2. The piezoelectric sound emission unit is a unimorph structure in which the piezoelectric body is adhered to one surface of a metal plate member. The module according to claim 1, characterized by this.

3. The metal plate member is a sheet metal containing any one of SUS, brass, and nickel. The piezoelectric body is a piezoelectric ceramic on which electrodes are formed. The module according to claim 2, characterized by this.

4. The biological information acquisition unit includes any one of a heartbeat sensor, a blood pressure sensor, and a blood oxygen concentration measurement sensor. The module according to claim 1, characterized by this.

5. Having the module according to any one of claims 1 to 4, A cylindrical device case that houses the substrate and the piezoelectric sound emission unit, A windproof member provided on one opening side of the device case, A back cover member provided on the other opening side of the device case, Comprising, A wearable device characterized by this.

6. The back cover member is provided on the side of the device case that contacts the living body that is the target for acquiring biological information. On the inner surface of the back cover member, a stepped portion dug down in one stage and a concave portion dug down further in one stage from the stepped portion are formed. The wearable device according to claim 5, characterized by this.

7. The substrate is arranged in the concave portion of the back cover member. The wearable device according to claim 6, characterized by this.

8. The piezoelectric sound emission unit is arranged in the stepped portion of the back cover member. The metal plate member to which the piezoelectric body is adhered on one surface and the back cover member are adhered to each other. The wearable device according to claim 6, characterized by this.

9. At least a part in the plane direction of the piezoelectric body is arranged so as to overlap with the inner surface of the back cover member inside the stepped portion and outside the concave portion of the back cover member in a cross-sectional view. The wearable device according to claim 6, characterized by this.

10. The substrate includes an auxiliary substrate body and a main substrate body provided on one end side of the substrate and on which the biological information acquisition unit is mounted. The other end side of the substrate is connected to a circuit board. The wearable device according to claim 5, characterized in that.

11. The side of the main board body on which the biological information acquisition unit is mounted is disposed in a recess formed in the back cover member via an insulating sheet, The insulating sheet is sandwiched and fixed between the main board body and the back cover member. The wearable device according to claim 10, characterized in that.

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