Oral cavity optical sensor

Abstract

To enable stable measurement of a pulse wave or a degree of oxygen saturation in blood.SOLUTION: An oral cavity optical sensor includes: an attachment tool to be attached to the gingiva of an oral cavity; and an optical sensor to be fixed to the attachment tool. The optical sensor includes one or more light emission elements and a light reception element. In the optical sensor, the light emission elements are arranged such that light emitted by the light emission elements is applied to the gingiva and the light emission elements are arranged so as to be closely attached to the surface of an intraoral tissue, and the optical sensor measures a pulse wave or a degree of oxygen saturation in blood.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an intraoral optical sensor. [Background technology]

[0002] A physiological quantity detection device is known in which a reflective pulse oximeter sensor is arranged so that a light-emitting element is irradiated onto the greater palatine artery to measure blood oxygen saturation, and which is placed on a support base in close contact with the surface of the oral cavity (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-246191 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the physiological quantity detection device described in Patent Document 1, the light-emitting element is installed in the greater palatine artery. The greater palatine artery is an artery whose branches are distributed throughout the upper jaw. In the physiological quantity detection device described in Patent Document 1, it is unclear which part of the upper jaw should be provided with the light-emitting element in order to stably measure the pulse wave or blood oxygen saturation. There is a demand for the ability to stably measure pulse waves or blood oxygen saturation.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and provides an intraoral optical sensor that can stably measure a pulse wave or blood oxygen saturation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and one aspect of the present invention is an intraoral optical sensor that measures pulse waves or blood oxygen saturation, comprising an attachment device to be attached to the gums in the oral cavity, and an optical sensor fixed to the attachment device, the optical sensor comprising one or more light-emitting elements and a light-receiving element, the light-emitting element being positioned so that light emitted by the light-emitting element is irradiated onto the gums and the light-emitting element is positioned so that it is in close contact with the surface of intraoral tissue.

[0007] In addition, in one aspect of the present invention, in the above-mentioned intraoral optical sensor, the light receiving element receives reflected light resulting from light emitted by the light emitting element being reflected by intraoral tissue.

[0008] In addition, one aspect of the present invention is the intraoral optical sensor, wherein the light-emitting element is placed on the gums of the upper jaw.

[0009] In one aspect of the present invention, in the intraoral optical sensor, the light-emitting element is placed on any one of the maxillary no. 1 palatal gingiva, the maxillary no. 2 palatal gingiva, or the maxillary no. 3 palatal gingiva.

[0010] In addition, in one aspect of the present invention, in the intraoral optical sensor, the light-emitting element is placed on the palatal gingiva of the maxillary third tooth.

[0011] In addition, one aspect of the present invention is that, in the intraoral optical sensor described above, the light-emitting element is positioned so as to be in close contact with the intraoral surface under a load of 0.3 N or more and 0.8 N or less.

[0012] In addition, one aspect of the present invention is that, in the above-mentioned intraoral optical sensor, the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element are encapsulated in a transparent resin consisting of two or more layers, the light-emitting element is in close contact with the intraoral surface via the resin, and the layer of the two or more layers of the resin that contacts the intraoral surface is parylene.

[0013] In another aspect of the present invention, in the intraoral optical sensor, the attachment is an intraoral device. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention, pulse waves or blood oxygen saturation can be stably measured. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of an intraoral optical sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a region of the gums of the upper jaw according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the results of actually measuring the perfusion index (PI value) at each site of the upper jaw according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a graph illustrating a change in relative PI value with respect to a change in load applied to a light-emitting element according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of an intraoral optical sensor when a substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached to a mounting fixture. [Figure 6] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which a light-emitting element according to an embodiment of the present invention is fixed so as to be in close contact with the surface of the upper gum. FIG. [Figure 7] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration for applying an appropriate load to a light-emitting element when placing an intraoral optical sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention in the oral cavity. FIG. [Figure 8] 13 is a diagram showing another example of a configuration for applying an appropriate load to a light-emitting element when placing an intraoral optical sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention in the oral cavity. FIG. [Figure 9] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a sealing structure according to an embodiment of the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] (Embodiment) Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of an intraoral optical sensor 1 according to this embodiment. The intraoral optical sensor 1 includes a processing unit 10, a sensor unit 11, a power supply unit 12, a wireless communication unit 13, and a storage unit 14.

[0017] The sensor unit 11 includes an optical sensor 110. The optical sensor 110 is fixed to the attachment 5. The attachment 5 is attached to the gums in the oral cavity of a living body. A specific example of the arrangement of the attachment 5 and the optical sensor 110 will be described later. The optical sensor 110 includes one or more light-emitting elements (one light-emitting element 111 as an example) and a light-receiving element 112. Red light and infrared light emitted by the light-emitting element 111 are reflected through the blood. The light-receiving element 112 measures the intensity of this reflected light. The wavelength of the red light is approximately 660 nm. The wavelength of the infrared light is approximately 940 nm.

[0018] The power supply unit 12 supplies power to each of the processing unit 10, the storage unit 14, the sensor unit 11, and the wireless communication unit 13. The power supply unit 12 includes a battery. The battery is, for example, a lithium battery, a silver oxide battery, or a zinc-air battery. It is desirable that the battery has a sufficient battery capacity for the intraoral optical sensor 1 to operate in the oral cavity for a long period of time.

[0019] The processing unit 10 performs various types of processing. For example, the processing unit 10 performs signal processing. The processing unit 10 converts the sensing data sent from the sensor unit 11 into digital data and stores it in the storage unit 14. The processing unit 10 also converts the digital data stored in the storage unit 14 into transmittable data. The processing unit 10 interprets commands sent from a network connector (not shown) and controls the operations of the sensor unit 11 and the wireless communication unit 13.

[0020] More specifically, as the signal processing, the processing unit 10 converts the signal measured by the sensor unit 11 into digital data as bioinformation. The bioinformation is, for example, one or more of pulse wave, pulse rate, blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), etc. The processing unit 10 transmits the digital data as the bioinformation obtained by converting the signal to the external reading device 2 via the wireless communication unit 13. The external reading device 2 collects the digital data as the bioinformation.

[0021] When the processing unit 20 converts the signal measured by the sensor unit 11 into digital data of a pulse wave as biological information, the intraoral optical sensor 1 functions as an intraoral pulse wave measuring device. When the processing unit 20 converts the signal measured by the sensor unit 11 into digital data of SpO2 as biological information, the intraoral optical sensor 1 functions as an intraoral blood oxygen saturation measuring device.

[0022] The processing unit 10 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The processing unit 10 realizes various processes by loading a program read from a ROM (Read Only Memory) by the CPU into a RAM (Random Access Memory) and executing the process according to the program. The ROM and RAM are included in the storage unit 14. The processing unit 10 may include a microcomputer and an AD converter instead of or in addition to the CPU.

[0023] The storage unit 14 stores various types of information. The storage unit 14 includes a memory configured using a storage device such as a semiconductor storage device.

[0024] The wireless communication unit 13 transmits and receives various information by wireless communication. The wireless communication unit 13 transmits digital data obtained by converting sensing data measured by the sensor unit 11 in the oral cavity into digital data by the processing unit 10 to the external reader 2 outside the oral cavity. The wireless communication unit 13 also receives commands transmitted from a network connector (not shown). The wireless communication unit 13 includes a communication interface (I / F) for performing wireless communication. For example, BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy) or the like is preferably used for the wireless communication. Note that the wireless communication may be other than BLE.

[0025] The battery included in the power supply unit 12, the optical sensor 110 included in the sensor unit 11, the CPU included in the processing unit 10, the communication I / F included in the wireless communication unit 13, and the memory included in the storage unit 14 are mounted on a substrate 4 (not shown in FIG. 1). The substrate 4 is, for example, a thin circuit board or a flexible substrate. In the intraoral optical sensor 1, the battery, the optical sensor 110, the CPU, the memory, and the communication I / F are mounted on the substrate 4. Here, as an example, the communication I / F, the CPU, and the memory are provided on the substrate 4 as a single chip.

[0026] The external reader 2 performs various processes on the digital data serving as bioinformation obtained by the intraoral optical sensor 1. The external reader 2 includes a processing unit 20 and a wireless communication unit 21. The processing unit 20 performs various processes on the digital data received by the wireless communication unit 21. The processing unit 20 includes, for example, a CPU. The wireless communication unit 21 receives the digital data from the intraoral optical sensor 1 via wireless communication.

[0027] Here, the measurement and conversion by the optical sensor 110 will be explained. Hemoglobin in blood has different absorbances of red light and infrared light depending on whether it is bound to oxygen or not. Specifically, deoxygenated hemoglobin (RHb) absorbs red light well, and oxygenated hemoglobin (O2Hb) absorbs infrared light well. Therefore, by measuring the reflected light intensity of each of the red light and infrared light, the concentration of hemoglobin bound to oxygen in the blood can be estimated.

[0028] In order to distinguish reflected light that has passed through arterial blood from reflected light that has passed through venous blood or soft tissue, the ability to separate light into a component that is superimposed with pulsation (AC component) and a component that is not due to arterial blood (DC component) is generally utilized. The AC component is necessary to calculate the pulse wave and SpO2. On the other hand, the DC component does not contribute to the pulse wave or SpO2. Therefore, the perfusion index (PI (Perfusion Index) value) is often used as an index showing how large the AC component is relative to the DC component. The PI value is a value that expresses the ratio of the AC component to the DC component as a percentage. In general, it is considered desirable for the PI value to be 1.0% or more to ensure accurate SpO2.

[0029] Here, when placing the optical sensor 110 in the oral cavity, there are certain locations where stable measurement can be performed due to the distribution of blood vessels and capillaries in the oral cavity. Stable measurement means that the PI value is high and SpO2 can be measured accurately. FIG. 2 shows an example of the location of the maxillary gums. In FIG. 2, of the locations of the maxillary gums, the maxillary no. 1 palatal gingiva 31, the maxillary no. 2 palatal gingiva 32, the maxillary no. 3 palatal gingiva 33, the maxillary no. 5 palatal gingiva 35, the maxillary no. 6 palatal gingiva 36, ​​and the maxillary no. 7 palatal gingiva 37 are shown.

[0030] The results of measuring the PI value at each site of the maxilla are shown in Figure 3. The measured PI values ​​of maxillary #1 palatal gingiva 31, maxillary #2 palatal gingiva 32, maxillary #3 palatal gingiva 33, maxillary #5 palatal gingiva 35, maxillary #6 palatal gingiva 36, ​​and maxillary #7 palatal gingiva 37 were 0.72%, 0.68%, 1.92%, 0.18%, 0.17%, and 0.30%, respectively.

[0031] Here, in order to ensure accurate measurement of SpO2, it is preferable that the PI value is 1% or more, with the threshold value being 1%. According to the actual measurement results, the site where the PI value is 1% or more is the maxillary no. 3 palatal gingiva. In addition, the site where the PI value is less than 1% but where the PI value is 0.5% or more is considered as an area where sufficient measurement is possible. The sites where the PI value is 0.5% or more are the maxillary no. 1 palatal gingiva and the maxillary no. 2 palatal gingiva. The maxillary no. 1 palatal gingiva and the maxillary no. 2 palatal gingiva are the sites that are suitable for accurate measurement of SpO2, next to the maxillary no. 3 palatal gingiva.

[0032] The site where the PI value is 0.5% or more is a site where SpO2 can be stably measured. The sites where the PI value is 0.5% or more are the maxillary no. 1 palatal gingiva, the maxillary no. 2 palatal gingiva, and the maxillary no. 3 palatal gingiva. Therefore, it is preferable that the light emitting element 111 provided in the optical sensor 110 is installed in any one of the maxillary no. 1 palatal gingiva, the maxillary no. 2 palatal gingiva, or the maxillary no. 3 palatal gingiva. With this configuration, SpO2 can be stably measured as a response of capillaries in any one of the maxillary no. 1 palatal gingiva, the maxillary no. 2 palatal gingiva, and the maxillary no. 3 palatal gingiva.

[0033] Furthermore, a site where the PI value is 1% or more is a site where SpO2 can be measured particularly stably. The site where the PI value is 1% or more is the maxillary no. 3 palatal gingiva. Therefore, it is preferable that the light emitting element 111 provided in the optical sensor 110 is disposed on the maxillary no. 3 palatal gingiva. With this configuration, SpO2 can be measured particularly stably as a response of capillaries in the maxillary no. 3 palatal gingiva.

[0034] Note that one optical sensor 110 may include a plurality of light-emitting elements 111. Also, a plurality of optical sensors 110 may be installed in the oral cavity. Regardless of whether one optical sensor 110 includes a plurality of light-emitting elements 111 or a plurality of optical sensors are installed in the oral cavity, the light-emitting elements 111 included in the optical sensor are preferably installed on one or more of the maxillary no. 1 palatal gingiva, the maxillary no. 2 palatal gingiva, and the maxillary no. 3 palatal gingiva.

[0035] Furthermore, the light emitting element 111 may be placed on a portion of the upper gum other than the upper gum #1 palatal side gingiva, the upper gum #2 palatal side gingiva, and the upper gum #3 palatal side gingiva. Therefore, the light emitting element 111 is placed on the upper gum. By placing the light emitting element 111 on the upper gum, the measurement result is less susceptible to the influence of the tongue, and there is less vomiting reaction. Furthermore, since the upper gum is connected to the central artery of the brain, etc., by placing the light emitting element 111 on the upper gum, it is possible to measure the change in blood oxygen saturation at the center. Note that the light emitting element 111 may be placed on oral tissue other than the upper gum.

[0036] Furthermore, the measurement accuracy of the optical sensor 110 is also greatly affected by the state of close contact (contact) of the light emitting element 111 with the intraoral surface. Fig. 4 shows an example of a graph showing the change in relative PI value with respect to the change in load applied to the light emitting element 111. The change in load was measured by changing the load when pressing the optical sensor 110 against the intraoral surface on the palatal gingiva of the maxillary no. 3. The relative PI value is a value expressed as a percentage, where the maximum PI value on the palatal gingiva of the maxillary no. 3 is set as a reference value.

[0037] According to the graph in Figure 4, the relative PI value is high in the range of 0.3 N to 0.8 N. In particular, the relative PI value is almost at its maximum value in the range of 0.4 N to 0.6 N. Outside the range of 0.3 N to 0.8 N, the relative PI value is small compared to the range in question.

[0038] If the load is too small, the contact state will be poor, such as floating. On the other hand, if the load is too large, blood will stagnate, blood flow will be poor, and the detection sensitivity of the pulse wave or SpO2 will deteriorate. Therefore, the light-emitting element 111 is arranged so as to be in close contact with the surface of the oral cavity when a load of 0.3 N or more and 0.8 N or less is applied to the light-emitting element 111. More preferably, the light-emitting element 111 is arranged so as to be in close contact with the surface of the oral cavity when a load of 0.4 N or more and 0.6 N or less is applied to the light-emitting element 111.

[0039] By disposing the light emitting element 111 so as to be in close contact with the intraoral surface while applying a load of 0.3 N or more and 0.8 N or less to the light emitting element 111, it is possible to apply an appropriate load to the light emitting element 111 in close contact with the intraoral surface. This makes it possible to maintain a good contact state of the light emitting element 111 with the intraoral surface and to measure a pulse wave or SpO2 close to the original state without disturbing the blood flow. The pulse wave or SpO2 in the original state is the pulse wave or SpO2 in a state where the intraoral optical sensor 1 is not installed.

[0040] The light emitting element 111 may be arranged so as to be in close contact with the intraoral surface while a load of less than 0.3 N or more than 0.8 N is applied to the light emitting element 111. However, in order to maintain a good contact state and measure the actual pulse wave or SpO2, it is preferable that the optical element is arranged so as to be in close contact with the intraoral surface while a load of 0.3 N or more and 0.8 N or less is applied to the light emitting element 111.

[0041] The configuration for applying an appropriate load is, as described below, a configuration in which the load can be adjusted using a mechanism such as a screw. The load may also be controlled by protruding the optical sensor 110 from the mouthpiece material. In order to reduce the size of the intraoral optical sensor 1, the latter configuration in which the optical sensor 110 protrudes from the mouthpiece material is preferred.

[0042] Next, the configuration of the attachment 5 will be described with reference to Fig. 5 and Fig. 6. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of the intraoral optical sensor 1 when the substrate 4 according to this embodiment is attached to the attachment 5. In the example shown in Fig. 5, the attachment 5 is a mouthpiece. The attachment 5 is molded from a resin material used as a mouthpiece material, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

[0043] The substrate 4 is housed in a recess (also described as a depression) provided in the fixture 5. By housing the substrate 4 in the recess, the optical sensor 110 is fixed to the fixture 5. The optical sensor 110 is fixed so that the light emitting element 111 is in close contact with the surface of the maxillary gum 3, as shown in FIG.

[0044] In the optical sensor 110, the light emitting element 111 is disposed so that the light emitted by the light emitting element 111 is irradiated onto the gums. In addition, in the optical sensor 110, the light emitting element 111 is disposed so as to be in close contact with the surface of the upper gums 3, and the pulse wave or blood oxygen saturation is measured.

[0045] The light receiving element 112 receives reflected light resulting from light emitted by the light emitting element 111 being reflected by the surface of the maxillary gum 3. In other words, the optical sensor 110 is a reflective optical sensor. By using a reflective structure for the optical sensor 110, the light emitting element 111 and the light receiving element 112 can be arranged together at a predetermined site in the oral cavity. This allows the intraoral optical sensor 1 to be miniaturized.

[0046] When a transmission type structure is used for the optical sensor 110, a substrate on which the light receiving element 112 is mounted is required in addition to the substrate on which the light emitting element 111 is mounted across the gums. Therefore, the intraoral optical sensor 1 becomes larger than when a reflection type structure is used for the optical sensor 110. Note that a transmission type structure may be used for the optical sensor 110.

[0047] The attachment 5 may be an intraoral device other than a mouthpiece, such as an orthodontic device (functional device for orthodontic treatment), dentures, implants, aligners, or splints. Therefore, the attachment 5 is an intraoral device. By making the attachment 5 an intraoral device, the intraoral optical sensor 1 can be simultaneously and reliably installed at a predetermined position in the oral cavity by the simple task of wearing the intraoral device in the oral cavity. The attachment 5 may be something other than an intraoral device as long as it can be attached to the gums in the oral cavity.

[0048] As described above, there is a range of appropriate load when placing the intraoral optical sensor 1 in the oral cavity. A configuration for applying an appropriate load will be described with reference to Figs. 7 and 8. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration for applying an appropriate load to the light emitting element 111 when placing the intraoral optical sensor 1 in the oral cavity. In Fig. 7, an intraoral optical sensor 1a is shown as an example of the intraoral optical sensor 1. The intraoral optical sensor 1a includes a substrate 4, an optical sensor 110, an attachment 5a, and a screw 6a.

[0049] The attachment 5a is, for example, a mouthpiece. The substrate 4 and the optical sensor 110 are housed in a recess provided in the attachment 5a. The optical sensor 110 is provided on the substrate 4. The optical sensor 110 is in close contact with the surface of the oral tissue 8 on the side opposite to the substrate 4.

[0050] The attachment 5a has a screw hole on the surface of the attachment 5a opposite to the oral tissue 8. When the screw 6a is fitted into the hole, the tip of the screw 6a contacts the surface of the substrate 4 opposite to the surface on which the optical sensor 110 is provided. By adjusting the height of the portion of the screw 6a protruding from the surface of the attachment 5a, the screw 6a presses the optical sensor 110 against the oral tissue 8 via the substrate 4. Furthermore, by adjusting the height, the load applied to the optical sensor 110 in close contact with the surface of the oral tissue 8 is adjusted.

[0051] An appropriate load may be adjusted as the load applied to the optical sensor 110 depending on the subject who is the subject of measurement by the intraoral optical sensor 1. Adjusting an appropriate load depending on the subject means, for example, adjusting the load depending on the shape and hardness of the surface of the intraoral tissue of the subject.

[0052] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing another example of a configuration for applying an appropriate load to the light emitting element 111 when placing the intraoral optical sensor 1 in the oral cavity. In Fig. 8, an intraoral optical sensor 1b is shown as an example of the intraoral optical sensor 1. The intraoral optical sensor 1b includes a substrate 4, an optical sensor 110, and an attachment 5b.

[0053] The attachment 5b is, for example, a mouthpiece. The attachment 5b has a recess formed therein for accommodating the optical sensor 110 and the substrate 4. The optical sensor 110 is in close contact with the surface of the oral tissue 8 on the side of the substrate 4 opposite to the side on which the optical sensor 110 is provided. The side of the substrate 4 opposite to the side on which the optical sensor 110 is provided is in contact with a part of the surface forming the recess of the attachment 5b.

[0054] Here, the material of the attachment 5b is resin. Therefore, the attachment 5b has elasticity. The attachment 5b presses the optical sensor 110 against the oral tissue 8 via the substrate 4 by elastic force. The load applied to the optical sensor 110 in close contact with the surface of the oral tissue 8 is adjusted by the depth of the recess or the protruding amount of the optical sensor 110. The protruding amount of the optical sensor 110 is the height of the optical sensor 110 from the surface of the substrate 4 in a state in which the optical sensor 110 is placed on the surface of the substrate 4. The greater the protruding amount of the optical sensor 110, the greater the pressure with which the optical sensor 110 is pressed against the oral tissue 8.

[0055] Intraoral optical sensor 1b does not require any parts such as a screw to press optical sensor 110. Therefore, intraoral optical sensor 1b has a simpler configuration and can be made smaller in size than intraoral optical sensor 1a (FIG. 7).

[0056] In addition, in either the configuration of intraoral optical sensor 1a (Figure 7) or intraoral optical sensor 1b (Figure 8), the optical sensor 110 protrudes toward the oral tissue 8 beyond the surface of the attachment 5 (attachment 5a or attachment 5b) that contacts the oral tissue 8.

[0057] When installing the substrate 4 and the optical sensor 110 in the oral cavity, waterproofing is important for safety and stable measurement of the intraoral optical sensor 1. A sealing structure for waterproofing will be described. Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of the sealing structure according to this embodiment.

[0058] As described above, the optical sensor 110 includes the light emitting element 111 and the light receiving element 112. The light emitting element 111 and the light receiving element 112 are provided on the substrate 4. The light shielding plate 113 is provided between the light emitting element 111 and the light receiving element 112 on the substrate 4. The light shielding plate 113 prevents the light emitted from the light emitting element 111 from directly reaching the light receiving element 112. The light emitted from the light emitting element 111 is received by the light receiving element 112. The light receiving element 112 measures the intensity of the received light. The processing unit 10 (not shown in FIG. 9) converts the light intensity as sensing data into digital data. As described above, the digital data indicates biological information such as a pulse wave or SpO2.

[0059] When placing these elements in the oral cavity, it is important to provide a sealing structure for waterproofing in terms of safety and stable measurement of the device. For this purpose, first, the structure including the light emitting element 111 and the light receiving element 112 is sealed with the first resin 6. The first resin 6 is, for example, an epoxy resin or an acrylic resin. The material of the first resin 6 is preferably a material that ensures electrical insulation and is transparent to the wavelength of light emitted by the light emitting element 111.

[0060] Furthermore, in order to obtain biocompatibility, it is preferable to further seal with a second resin 7. The second resin 7 is a transparent resin. The second resin 7 is, for example, a biocompatible material such as parylene. The second resin 7 is the mounting tool 5 itself.

[0061] Therefore, the light emitting element 111 and the light receiving element 112 are sealed by a transparent resin consisting of two or more layers. The transparent resin consisting of two or more layers is a first resin 6 and a second resin 7. The light emitting element 111 is in close contact with the surface of the oral tissue 8 via the resins (the first resin 6 and the second resin 7). Of the two or more layers of the resin, the layer (the second resin 7) that comes into contact with the surface of the oral tissue 8 is, for example, parylene.

[0062] The above-described sealing structure allows the intra-oral optical sensor 1 to be safely installed in the oral cavity while ensuring waterproofing, and also ensures electrical insulation and structural stability.

[0063] As described above, the intraoral optical sensor 1 according to this embodiment includes the attachment 5 and the optical sensor 110. The attachment 5 is attached to the gums in the oral cavity. The optical sensor 110 is fixed to the attachment 5. The optical sensor 110 includes one or more light emitting elements (one light emitting element 111 in this embodiment) and a light receiving element 112. The optical sensor 110 measures pulse waves or blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) by arranging one or more light-emitting elements (in this embodiment, one light-emitting element 111) so that light emitted from the one or more light-emitting elements (in this embodiment, one light-emitting element 111) is irradiated onto the gums (in this embodiment, either the maxillary no. 1 palatal side gingiva, the maxillary no. 2 palatal side gingiva, or the maxillary no. 3 palatal side gingiva), and by arranging the one or more light-emitting elements (in this embodiment, one light-emitting element 111) so that they are in close contact with the surface of the oral tissue.

[0064] With this configuration, the intraoral optical sensor 1 of this embodiment can irradiate the gums with light emitted by the light-emitting element arranged in close contact with the surface of the oral tissue, thereby enabling stable measurement of pulse waves or blood oxygen saturation.

[0065] The intraoral optical sensor 1 is placed on the gums in the oral cavity and can measure the pulse wave or SpO2 in a state where it is stably fixed in the oral cavity using the attachment 5. Measuring the pulse wave or SpO2 in the oral cavity has the following effects.

[0066] One of the advantages of measuring pulse waves or SpO2 inside the mouth is that it is possible to measure inside the mouth even in cases of peripheral circulatory disorders. One of the advantages of measuring pulse waves or SpO2 inside the mouth is that it is highly possible to measure even in patients with injured fingers or ears, because the mouth is less likely to be burned.

[0067] One of the advantages of measuring pulse waves or SpO2 in the mouth is that it can be used during sleep or exercise because it places little physical constraint on the body. Conventional techniques for measuring outside the mouth include a type of sensor that is fixed to the forehead with tape, but it is difficult to stably fix the sensor and therefore difficult to perform stable measurements.

[0068] One of the benefits of measuring pulse waves or SpO2 inside the mouth is that it can add sensing functionality to intraoral devices (such as orthodontic appliances (functional appliances for orthodontic treatment), dentures, implants, mouthpieces, aligners, or splints) that are used daily by people of all ages, from children to the elderly. This allows more accurate biometric information to be obtained from people of all ages, from children to the elderly, increasing the possibility of intervening in treatment before symptoms worsen. Therefore, the intraoral optical sensor 1 can be ideally used for daily individual health management or in home medical care.

[0069] One of the advantages of measuring the pulse wave or SpO2 inside the mouth is that the surface skin inside the mouth is thin and the influence of light reflection by the surface skin is small. One of the advantages of measuring pulse waves or SpO2 inside the mouth is that the effects of external light can be blocked, allowing for stable measurements. One of the advantages of measuring pulse waves or SpO2 inside the mouth is that skin color (race) has less influence on the measurement results.

[0070] One of the benefits of measuring pulse waves or SpO2 in the mouth is that a drop in SpO2 can be detected more sensitively in the mouth than on a finger. For example, it has been confirmed that the lowest point of SpO2 when holding one's breath is significantly lower in the mouth than on a finger. Therefore, even if an abnormality occurs in the body and SpO2 drops, the abnormality can be discovered earlier.

[0071] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to the above, and various design changes, etc. are possible within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 1, 1a, 1b... intraoral optical sensor, 5... attachment, 110... optical sensor, 111... light emitting element, 112... light receiving element

Claims

1. An attachment that is attached to the gums in the oral cavity; an optical sensor fixed to the fixture; Equipped with The optical sensor includes one or more light emitting elements and a light receiving element. The light emitting element is disposed so that light emitted from the light emitting element is irradiated onto the gums, and the light emitting element is disposed so as to be in close contact with the surface of tissue in the oral cavity, and the light sensor measures a pulse wave or blood oxygen saturation. Intraoral optical sensor.

2. The light receiving element receives reflected light resulting from light emitted by the light emitting element being reflected by tissue in the oral cavity. The intraoral optical sensor of claim 1 .

3. The light emitting device is placed on the gums of the upper jaw. The intraoral optical sensor of claim 2 .

4. The light emitting element is installed on either the maxillary first palatal gingiva, the maxillary second palatal gingiva, or the maxillary third palatal gingiva. The intraoral optical sensor of claim 3 .

5. The light emitting element is installed on the palatal side of the maxillary third tooth. The intraoral optical sensor of claim 4.

6. The light emitting element is disposed so as to be in close contact with the intraoral surface under a load of 0.3 N or more and 0.8 N or less. The intraoral optical sensor of claim 2 .

7. the light emitting element and the light receiving element are sealed with a transparent resin consisting of two or more layers, The light emitting element is in close contact with the oral cavity surface via the resin, The layer of the two or more layers of the resin that contacts the intraoral surface is parylene. The intraoral optical sensor of claim 1 .

8. The attachment is an intraoral appliance. The intraoral optical sensor of claim 1 .

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