Sensor device and wearable device

Abstract

To provide a sensor device that extends the functions of a wearable device without impairing workability of a user.SOLUTION: A sensor device, together with a smart device and a band that enables the smart device to be worn on a forearm of a user, constitutes a wearable device. The sensor device includes: a first end portion arranged at a side of the hand of the user when the wearable device is worn; a second end portion arranged at a side of the elbow of the user when the wearable device is worn; and an attachment portion to be attached to the band, the attachment portion being offset to the side of the first end portion, relative to a midpoint position positioned at the midpoint between the first end portion and the second end portion.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] As one type of wearable device, a wristwatch-type device that is worn on the forearm is known. The wristwatch-type device has a smart device and a band that allows the smart device to be worn on the forearm of a user. An example of a smart device is known as a smartwatch. In addition to a function of displaying the date and time, a smartwatch has a variety of functions such as a health management function, an incoming call notification function, a voice call function, an information communication function, and a music playback function.

[0003] Some people want such wearable devices to have expanded functionality, so that they can have not only the functions of smart devices but also sensor device functions that smart devices do not have. Naturally, it is also desirable for this functionality to not impair the user's operability. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2016-535349 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a sensor device that expands the functionality of a wearable device without impairing the operability of the user, and a wearable device including the sensor device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The sensor device of the embodiment constitutes a wearable device together with a smart device and a band that allows the smart device to be worn on a user's forearm. The sensor device includes a first end portion that is located on the side of the user's hand when the wearable device is worn, a second end portion that is located on the side of the user's elbow when the wearable device is worn, and an attachment portion that is attached to the band and is offset toward the first end portion from a middle position between the first end portion and the second end portion. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a wearable device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a wearable device according to an embodiment as viewed from a different direction than that shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a wearable device according to an embodiment having a display unit different from that in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of how the wearable device according to the embodiment is worn, in a state where the hand is stretched out. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of how the wearable device according to the embodiment is worn, in which the hand is flexed. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of how a wearable device according to a comparative example is worn with an outstretched hand. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of how a wearable device according to a comparative example is worn, in a state where the hand is flexed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings, in which like elements are designated by the same reference numerals. The drawings are schematic or conceptual.

[0009] 1 to 3 are perspective views showing a wearable device 10 according to an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1 to 3, the wearable device 10 has a wristwatch type device 20 and a sensor device 50 attached to the wristwatch type device 20.

[0010] The wristwatch type device 20 includes a smart device 30 and a band 40 that allows the smart device 30 to be worn on the front end of the user's forearm. Here, the front end of the forearm means the end of the forearm, that is, the end of the forearm closer to the hand. Accordingly, in the following description, expressions relating to front and rear will follow this. In other words, the side closer to the hand is the front, and the side closer to the elbow is the rear. Here, the hand means the part forward of the wrist.

[0011] For example, the smart device 30 is a smart watch. The smart device 30 has various functions such as a date and time display function, a health management function, an incoming call notification function, a voice call function, an information communication function, and a music playback function.

[0012] The smart device 30 has a display unit 31 (see Figs. 2 and 3) that displays information. For example, the display unit 31 has a touch screen that uses a liquid crystal or the like. In other words, the display unit 31 functions as an information input / output device. Although not shown, the smart device 30 also has a built-in microcomputer that processes information displayed on the display unit 31 and information input from the display unit 31. The microcomputer also works with necessary devices to implement the various functions described above.

[0013] The smart device 30 has a pair of attachment parts 32, 33 for attaching the band 40. Each of the attachment parts 32, 33 has a pair of protrusions and a pin (not shown) supported by the pair of protrusions.

[0014] In the embodiment, one end of the band 40 is connected to the attachment portion 32 by a pin (not shown). For example, the band 40 has a through hole at one end, and a pin supported by a pair of protrusions is passed through the through hole, thereby connecting the band 40 to the attachment portion 32.

[0015] The band 40 is folded back around the pin of the attachment portion 33. A fastener 42 is provided at the other end of the band 40, and the other end of the band 40 is fastened to a desired position in the middle of the band 40 by the fastener 42.

[0016] The sensor device 50 has a function of reading information by wireless communication. For example, the sensor device 50 is an RFID reader. The sensor device 50 has a function of reading information written in an RF tag by using radio waves or electromagnetic waves. The sensor device 50 may also have a function of writing information in an RF tag by using radio waves or electromagnetic waves. The sensor device 50 also has a function of transmitting the read information to the smart device 30 by wireless communication.

[0017] The sensor device 50 has an external shape of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped. For convenience, the following assumption is made. A substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape means a solid having six faces corresponding to the six planes of a rectangular parallelepiped. Furthermore, the faces of the solid do not need to be flat, and may be curved.

[0018] Furthermore, the surface of the sensor device 50 that faces the forearm when the wearable device 10 is worn is defined as the bottom surface, and the surface opposite the bottom surface is defined as the top surface. In addition to the bottom surface and the top surface, the sensor device 50 has two pairs of side surfaces that face each other. As shown in FIG. 1, an axis La passing through the center of one pair of side surfaces and an axis Lb passing through the center of the other pair of side surfaces are set. The axis La and the axis Lb are perpendicular or approximately perpendicular to each other.

[0019] The sensor device 50 has a dimension along the axis La that is larger than a dimension along an axis Lb that is perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the axis La. Correspondingly, hereinafter, the axis La will also be referred to as the long axis La, and the axis Lb will also be referred to as the short axis Lb, as appropriate.

[0020] The sensor device 50 is attached to the band 40 so as to be disposed on the opposite side of the smart device 30 with respect to the user's forearm when the wearable device 10 is worn. The sensor device 50 is attached to the wristwatch type device 20 so that the minor axis Lb is aligned with the band 40.

[0021] The sensor device 50 is larger than the smart device 30 in at least a dimension along the axis line La. For example, the dimension of the sensor device 50 along the axis line La is larger than the dimension of the smart device 30 along the axis line La. Furthermore, the dimension of the sensor device 50 along the axis line Lb may be larger than the dimension of the smart device 30 along the axis line Lb.

[0022] The sensor device 50 has a mounting portion 51 that is attached to the band 40. For example, the mounting portion 51 is an elongated through-hole through which the band 40 passes. The through-hole extends through the sensor device 50 along the minor axis Lb.

[0023] However, the configuration of the attachment portion 51 is not limited to this. The attachment portion 51 may have any configuration as long as the sensor device 50 can be attached to the band 40. For example, the attachment portion 51 may be a pair of U-shaped pins fixed to the sensor device 50. In this configuration example, the band 40 is passed through the gap between the sensor device 50 and the U-shaped pins.

[0024] 4 and 5 are diagrams showing an example of how the wearable device 10 according to the embodiment is worn. FIG. 4 illustrates a state in which the hand 83 is extended, and FIG. 5 illustrates a state in which the hand 83 is flexed, that is, the joint of the wrist 82 is bent toward the palm 85. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the wearable device 10 is worn on the front end of the forearm 81 of the left arm of the user. In this wearing example, the wearable device 10 is worn on the front end of the forearm 81 with the smart device 30 disposed on the back of the hand 84 side and the sensor device 50 disposed on the palm 85 side.

[0025] The orientation of the wearable device 10 is determined according to the orientation of the display unit 31 of the smart device 30. That is, the wearable device 10 is worn on the front end of the forearm 81 so that the upper side of the display unit 31 of the smart device 30 is on the little finger side of the hand 83.

[0026] The position of the attachment part 51 of the sensor device 50 will be described below in relation to the state when the sensor device 50 is worn. For convenience, the first end portion disposed on the side of the user's hand 83 when the wearable device 10 is worn will be referred to as the front end portion 52, and the second end portion disposed on the side of the user's elbow will be referred to as the rear end portion 53. In addition, the intermediate position between the front end portion 52 and the rear end portion 53 will be referred to as the intermediate position 54. The distance along the long axis La between the front end portion 52 and the intermediate position 54 is the same as the distance along the long axis La between the rear end portion 53 and the intermediate position 54.

[0027] 4 and 5, a straight line Lc is set passing through the intersection of the intermediate position 54 and the major axis La, and a straight line Ld is set passing through the intersection of the front end portion 52 and the major axis La. Both the straight lines Lc and Ld are perpendicular or approximately perpendicular to both the major axis La and the minor axis Lb (see FIG. 1).

[0028] The mounting portion 51 of the sensor device 50 is provided offset toward the front end 52 with respect to an intermediate position 54 located halfway between the front end 52 and the rear end 53. That is, with respect to the position along the long axis La, the center of the mounting portion 51 is shifted toward the front end 52 from the intermediate position 54. For example, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the mounting portion 51 is positioned toward the front end 52, deviating from a straight line Lc passing through the intermediate position 54. For example, the entire mounting portion 51 is positioned between the straight line Lc passing through the intermediate position 54 and the straight line Ld passing through the front end 52.

[0029] In addition, since the mounting portion 51 is positioned as described above, the front end 52 of the sensor device 50 is not located forward of the smart device 30. In other words, the straight line Ld passing through the front end 52 crosses the smart device 30 or is tangent to the front end of the smart device 30.

[0030] 5, even when the hand 83 is flexed, that is, when the joint of the wrist 82 is bent toward the palm 85, the hand 83 does not come into contact with the sensor device 50. In other words, the sensor device 50 does not get in the way of the user's work.

[0031] Here, a wearable device 60 according to a comparative example will be described with reference to Fig. 6 and Fig. 7. Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 are diagrams showing an example of wearing a wearable device 60 according to a comparative example. Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 depict the same state of a hand 83 as Fig. 4 and Fig. 5, respectively.

[0032] A wearable device 60 according to the comparative example is similar to the wearable device 10 according to the embodiment, except that the position of the attachment portion 51 of the sensor device 50 is different.

[0033] That is, the wearable device 60 has a wristwatch type device 20 and a sensor device 50. However, the attachment part 51 of the sensor device 50 is provided at an intermediate position 54. That is, the center of the attachment part 51 is located at the intermediate position 54. In other words, the attachment part 51 is provided at a position where the straight line Lc passing through the intermediate position 54 crosses the center of the attachment part 51.

[0034] 7, when a hand 83 is flexed, that is, when the joint of a wrist 82 is bent toward a palm 85, the hand 83 comes into contact with the sensor device 50. This may cause the sensor device 50 to affect the operability of the user.

[0035] An example of how the wearable device 10 is used in an apparel store will be described below. In this example, the user is a salesperson at the apparel store, and the sensor device 50 is an RFID reader. An RF tag with information about the product written thereon is attached to an item such as clothing before it is put out.

[0036] When a product is put on display or put on display in a store, the product is carried, for example, by a store clerk wearing the wearable device 10. At that time, the sensor device 50 reads information about the product from the RF tag attached to the product.

[0037] The sensor device 50, which is an RFID reader, can read information on multiple products at the same time. In addition, since the sensor device 50 has a wide recognition range, the store clerk does not need to search for RF tags to read the information. In other words, the store clerk can have the sensor device 50 read the information on multiple products without the trouble of reading the information.

[0038] The sensor device 50 also transmits the read information to the smart device 30 by wireless communication. The smart device 30 stores the received information. The smart device 30 can display the requested information upon request.

[0039] For example, in response to a question from a customer who is interested in a certain product, a store clerk who is a user wearing the wearable device 10 can operate the smart device 30 to display information about the product on the display unit 31 of the smart device 30 as shown in Fig. 2. For example, the information displayed on the display unit 31 includes image information and text information. The text information includes information such as the product name, price, material and function of the product, concept, hints and advice on how to wear the product, etc.

[0040] This allows store staff to quickly provide customers with accurate information about the product without having to search for tags or the like.

[0041] Also, for example, the store clerk can request the wearable device 10 to display information on the next product to be put out. In response to the request, the sensor device 50 wirelessly reads information on the sold product from a cash register system or the like, and transmits the information to the smart device 30. Based on the received information, the smart device 30 displays the information on the next product to be put out on the display unit 31, as shown in FIG.

[0042] This allows the store clerk to easily obtain information about the next product to be stocked, which contributes to improving the efficiency of stocking work and reducing stocking mistakes.

[0043] Thus, according to the embodiment, a sensor device 50 is provided that extends the functions of the wristwatch type device 20 without impairing the operability of the user. Furthermore, a wearable device 10 is provided in which the functions of the sensor device 50 that are not present in the smart device 30 are added by the sensor device 50 and by cooperation between the sensor device 50 and the smart device 30. Furthermore, in the wearable device 10, the sensor device 50 added to the smart device 30 does not impair the operability of the user.

[0044] In the above-described embodiment, an example of wearing the wearable device 10 is shown in which the smart device 30 is arranged on the back of the hand 84 side and the sensor device 50 is arranged on the palm 85 side, and the wearable device 10 is worn on the front end of the forearm 81. However, the manner of wearing the wearable device 10 is not limited to this. Contrary to this wearing example, the wearable device 10 may be worn on the front end of the forearm 81, with the smart device 30 arranged on the palm 85 side and the sensor device 50 arranged on the back of the hand 84 side.

[0045] Even when the hand 83 is dorsiflexed, that is, when the joint of the wrist 82 is bent toward the back of the hand 84, the hand 83 does not come into contact with the sensor device 50. In other words, the sensor device 50 does not interfere with the work of the user.

[0046] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described, the embodiment is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The new embodiment can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. The embodiment and its modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 10...wearable device, 20...wristwatch-type device, 30...smart device, 31...display unit, 32, 33...mounting unit, 40...band, 42...fastening unit, 50...sensor device, 51...mounting unit, 52...front end, 53...rear end, 54...middle position, 81...forearm, 82...wrist, 83...hand, 84...back of hand, 85...palm.

Claims

1. A sensor device constituting a wearable device together with a smart device and a band that enables the smart device to be worn on a user's forearm, A first end portion that is disposed on a side of the user's hand when the wearable device is worn; A second end portion that is disposed on the side of the user's elbow when the wearable device is worn; and an attachment portion attached to the band, the attachment portion being offset toward the first end portion with respect to an intermediate position between the first end portion and the second end portion; Equipped with Sensor device.

2. Smart devices and A band that allows the smart device to be worn on a user's forearm; A sensor device attached to the smart device via the band, A first end that is disposed on a side of the user's hand when worn; and A second end portion that is disposed on the side of the user's elbow when worn; and an attachment portion attached to the band, the attachment portion being offset toward the first end portion with respect to an intermediate position between the first end portion and the second end portion; A sensor device comprising: A wearable device comprising:

3. The sensor device is attached to the band so that, when worn, it is positioned on the opposite side of the smart device via the forearm of the user. The wearable device of claim 2 .

4. The sensor device is an RFID reader. A wearable device according to any one of claims 2 to 3.

5. The smart device is a smart watch. A wearable device according to any one of claims 2 to 4.

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