Biological information measurement device

Abstract

To provide a biological information measurement device capable of measuring biological information from the right ear and the left ear.SOLUTION: The biological information measurement device comprises: a first electrode for measuring biological information at a part of the right ear; a second electrode for measuring biological information at a part of the left ear; and a differential amplifier circuit for amplifying a measurement result measured from between the two electrodes of the first electrode and the second electrode. The first electrode or the second electrode is a dry electrode obtained by forming a conductive film using silver-silver chloride electrode outside the first electrode or the second electrode.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 24

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a biological information measuring device. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Techniques for measuring biological information such as electroencephalograms are known.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a technique for measuring brain waves by providing a conductive member in a canal-type earphone. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-217986 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a biological information measuring device capable of measuring biological information from the right and left ears. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The invention of claim 1 is a bioinformation measuring device having a first electrode for measuring bioinformation on a part of the right ear, a second electrode for measuring bioinformation on a part of the left ear, and a differential amplifier circuit for amplifying the measurement result measured between the first electrode and the second electrode. The invention of claim 2 is the biological information measuring device described in claim 1, characterized in that the first electrode or the second electrode is a dry electrode having a conductive film made of silver-silver chloride formed on the outside of the first electrode or the second electrode. The invention according to claim 3 is the biological information measuring device according to claim 2, characterized in that the dry electrode uses a polymer material, and the silver-silver chloride is applied to the polymer material. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the inventions set forth in claims 1, 2 and 3, biological information can be measured from the right and left ears. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a biological information measuring system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a perspective view showing an entire biological information measuring device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram of the biological information measuring device as viewed from above. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a view of the left earphone as seen from the left side. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the right earphone. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the left earphone. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a top view of the right earphone. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the right earphone. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the right earphone. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the inside of the left earphone. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the left earphone. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the left earphone. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the left earphone. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the left earphone. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a main board and a sub board. [Figure 16] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the inner surface of the main board. [Figure 17] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the outer surface of the main board. [Figure 18] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the inner surface of the sub-substrate. [Figure 19]FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the outer surface of the sub-board. [Figure 20] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing wiring on the inner surface of the main board. [Figure 21] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing board components included in the main board. [Figure 22] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the front surface of the relay board. [Figure 23] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the rear surface of the relay board. [Figure 24] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a biological information measuring device. [Diagram 25] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a terminal device. [Figure 26] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the appearance of a human right ear. [Figure 27] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic view of the exterior and interior of a human right ear. [Figure 28] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the appearance of a human right ear. [Figure 29] 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating a right earpiece and a conductive tube member. [Diagram 30] 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating a right earpiece and a conductive tube member. [Diagram 31] 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating a right earpiece and a conductive tube member. [Diagram 32] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of a right earphone. [Diagram 33] FIG. 2 shows the appearance of the right earphone having a flexible structure. [Diagram 34] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the appearance of the left earphone according to the first modified example. [Diagram 35] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the appearance of a human left ear. [Diagram 36] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the appearance of the left earphone according to the first modified example. [Figure 37] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the appearance of a human left ear. [Figure 38] FIG. 11 is a diagram of the left earphone according to the second modification, viewed from the left. [Figure 39] FIG. 11 is a diagram of the left earphone according to Modification 2 as viewed from above. [Diagram 40] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the appearance of a human left ear. [Diagram 41] FIG. 11 is a diagram of the right earphone according to Modification 3 as viewed from the right. [Figure 42A] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a microneedle sheet. [Figure 42B] FIG. [Figure 42C] FIG. [Diagram 43] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a microneedle sheet. [Figure 44A] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic view of the ear canal. [Figure 44B] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic view of an elastic base layer and a sheet. [Diagram 45] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic view of the ear canal. [Figure 46] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an iPS cell sheet. [Figure 47] This is a diagram of a person's head and pillow viewed from above the head. [Figure 48] This is a diagram of a person's head and pillow viewed from above the head. [Figure 49] This is a diagram of a person's head and pillow viewed from above the head. [Figure 50] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a person's head and a display as viewed from above the head. [Figure 51] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a person's head and a display as viewed from above the head. [Figure 52] FIG. [Figure 53] FIG. [Figure 54] FIG. [Figure 55] FIG. [Figure 56] FIG. [Figure 57] FIG. [Figure 58] FIG. [Figure 59] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of a right earphone, a left earphone, and a cable. [Figure 60] FIG. 1 illustrates a balanced differential amplifier. [Figure 61] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a method of selecting an electrode. [Figure 62] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a method of selecting an electrode. [Figure 63] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a method of selecting an electrode. [Figure 64] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an apparatus for processing signals of multiple channels. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] A biological information measuring system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. An example of the configuration of the biological information measuring system according to this embodiment is shown in Fig. 1. The biological information measuring system 10 includes a biological information measuring device 12 and a terminal device 14.

[0010] The vital information measuring device 12 and the terminal device 14 have a function of communicating with other devices via a communication path. The communication may be wired communication using a cable, or wireless communication. That is, the vital information measuring device 12 and the terminal device 14 may be physically connected to other devices via a cable and transmit and receive information to each other, or may transmit and receive information to each other via wireless communication. For example, short-range wireless communication, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), infrared communication, visible light communication, etc. are used as wireless communication. Wireless communication of other standards may be used. For example, short-range wireless communication is Bluetooth (registered trademark), RFID (Radio Frequency Identifier), NFC, etc. In addition, the vital information measuring device 12 and the terminal device 14 may communicate with other devices (for example, devices such as servers) via a communication path such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet.

[0011] The biological information measuring device 12 is a device configured to measure biological information of a living organism. The living organism may be a human, a non-human animal, or a plant.

[0012] The biological information may include various information emitted from a living organism. The biological information may be, for example, information indicating brain activity (for example, brain waves, brain blood flow, brain magnetic field signals, etc.), information indicating pulse rate, electromyographic information such as electromyographic waveform, information on saliva (for example, information indicating saliva volume), information indicating pulse wave, information indicating blood pressure, information indicating blood flow, information indicating pulse, information indicating heart rate, information indicating electrocardiographic waveform, information indicating eye movement, information indicating body temperature, information indicating sweat amount, information indicating gaze, voice information, information indicating human movement, or information obtained from bodily fluids (for example, blood, etc.). Information specified by a biomarker may also be used as the biological information. The biological information may be information resulting from an electric potential detected from a living organism. For example, the biological information may be an electroencephalogram which is a measurement result of a microcurrent generated with brain activity, an electrocardiogram which is a measurement result of a microcurrent generated with heartbeat, an electromyogram which is a measurement result of a microcurrent generated with muscle activity, or a skin potential which is a measurement result of a microcurrent generated on the skin. These are merely examples of biological information, and other biological information may be used. The biological information measuring device 12 measures one or more types of biological information.

[0013] By analyzing the biometric information, emotional information, mental information, psychological information, etc. may be obtained. For example, by analyzing a person's biometric information, information indicating the person's emotion, information indicating the person's mental state, information indicating the person's psychology, etc. Of course, by analyzing the biometric information of non-human animals or plants, information indicating the state of the non-human animals or plants may be obtained.

[0014] The biological information measuring device 12 may be a device (for example, a wearable device) that is attached to a living subject to measure biological information, or may be a device that measures biological information without being attached to a living subject.

[0015] Examples of the wearable device include a hearable device attached to the ear of an animal, a device attached to the head of an animal, a device attached to the wrist, arm, or finger (hereinafter referred to as "wrist, etc.") of an animal (for example, a watch-type device such as a smart watch), a device attached to the neck of an animal, a device attached to the torso of an animal (for example, the chest, abdomen, etc.), a device attached to the lower limbs (for example, the thigh, lower leg, knee, foot, ankle, etc. of a human), a glasses-type device, or a contact lens-type device. The biological information measuring device 12 may be a wearable device attached to a part other than these. Furthermore, the biological information measuring device 12 may be attached to multiple parts.

[0016] The hearable device may be, for example, an earphone, a hearing aid, a piercing-type device, a clip-type device, or a device including a band or cable wrapped around the ear. The device worn on the head may be, for example, a headset including a band or cable wrapped around the head. The device worn on the wrist or the like may be, for example, a device including a band or cable wrapped around the wrist. Devices worn on other parts may also include a band or cable.

[0017] The biological information measuring device 12 may be a contact type device that is a device that comes into contact with a living organism and measures the biological information of the living organism, or the biological information measuring device 12 may be a non-contact type device that measures the biological information of the living organism without coming into contact with the living organism. The biological information measuring device 12 may be a device that combines both a contact type device and a non-contact type device. In other words, the biological information measuring device 12 may come into contact with a living organism and measure the biological information of the living organism, and further, may measure the biological information of the living organism without coming into contact with the living organism. The biological information measured by coming into contact with a living organism and the biological information measured without coming into contact with the living organism may be the same type of biological information or different types of biological information.

[0018] The biological information measuring device 12 includes electrodes for measuring biological information and sensors other than electrodes. The electrodes may be in contact with a living body to detect an electric potential, which is an example of biological information, or may be in contact with the living body to detect an electric potential. The sensors other than the electrodes may be in contact with a living body to measure biological information, or may be in contact with the living body to measure biological information. For example, the electrodes may be in contact with an animal to detect an electric potential indicating the brain waves of the animal. Also, the sensors may be in contact with the animal to measure biological information indicating the body temperature of the animal. Of course, these are merely examples, and other biological information may be measured.

[0019] For example, the biological information measuring device 12 includes one or more electrodes. For example, a plurality of electrodes are provided on an organism, and an electric potential is detected by the plurality of electrodes. The detected electric potential includes a bioelectric potential, which is an example of the biological information of the organism, and the detected electric potential is processed to extract the bioelectric potential from the detected electric potential. For example, the detected electric potential may include noise other than that derived from the biological potential, and a noise cancellation process or other process is performed to obtain a bioelectric potential from which the noise has been removed. The noise may include, for example, an electric potential generated due to the movement of the organism, an electric potential transmitted from the outside of the organism, an electric potential generated due to the global environment, an electric potential representing biological information other than that of the measurement target, and the like. An electric potential generated by a device such as a PC or a smartphone may be included in the noise. The electrodes used for detecting the electric potential may be switched depending on the measurement conditions such as the detection sensitivity of the electric potential and the noise. In addition, when electric potentials derived from various biological potentials are measured in a compounded manner, the electric potentials derived from various biological potentials may be estimated and separated by performing a process of dividing the electric potentials measured for each biological potential by frequency, or by performing a process of dividing the electric potentials into a compounded portion and a weakly compounded portion during the measurement time. For example, in the above-mentioned hearable device, information indicating brain activity, information indicating pulse rate, electromyographic information derived from muscle movements, information resulting from blood flow such as pulse waves and heart rate may be measured in a composite manner, but these pieces of information often have different frequencies or absolute values ​​of output, and can be estimated by dividing them into frequency analysis of the measurement signal or differences in output value levels. For example, in the case of brain waves, they are divided into α, β, θ, δ, and γ wave bands depending on their frequencies. As an alternative method, each of these may be measured by a hearable device under the same state conditions, and a single measurement signal may be measured multiple times individually using a commercially available electroencephalograph, electromyographic measuring device, or blood flow measuring device, and a means may be introduced to analyze the composite measurement signal information of the hearable device using a frequency analysis method such as Fourier transform or wavelet transform to determine which biological information the information is derived from, and then to estimate the information by applying statistical processing.

[0020] For example, one or more electrodes are used as biopotential detection electrodes (hereinafter referred to as "sensor electrodes") for detecting electrical potentials including biopotentials, another one or more electrodes are used as electrodes for grounding (hereinafter referred to as "ground electrodes"), and yet another one or more electrodes are used as electrodes (hereinafter referred to as "reference electrodes") for detecting electrical potentials to be compared with the electrical potentials detected by the sensor electrodes.

[0021] Hereinafter, the potential detected by the sensor electrode will be referred to as the "sensor potential," the potential detected by the reference electrode will be referred to as the "reference potential," and the potential detected by the ground electrode will be referred to as the "ground potential."

[0022] As another example, the biological information measuring device 12 includes one or more sensors other than electrodes. For example, a plurality of sensors are provided on a living organism, and the biological information is measured by the plurality of sensors. The measured information may contain noise, and the sensor used to measure the biological information may be switched depending on the measurement conditions such as measurement sensitivity and noise.

[0023] As yet another example, the vital information measuring device 12 may include one or more electrodes and one or more sensors other than the electrodes.

[0024] Note that a plurality of vital information measuring devices 12 each including at least one of an electrode and a sensor may be used, and the same or different types of vital information may be measured by each vital information measuring device 12 .

[0025] The vital information measuring device 12 may transmit vital information (for example, a potential signal indicating a potential detected by an electrode, information measured by a sensor, information on the analysis result, etc.) to the terminal device 14. The vital information measuring device 12 may transmit the vital information to a device other than the terminal device 14 (for example, a server, etc.). The vital information measuring device 12 may transmit the vital information to another device, or may store the vital information in the vital information measuring device 12 itself, without transmitting the vital information.

[0026] The terminal device 14 is, for example, a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as "PC"), a mobile terminal (for example, a smartphone, a tablet PC, a mobile phone, etc.), or other devices (for example, a music player, etc.). The terminal device 14 may receive biological information from the biological information measuring device 12 and perform processing such as storing, analyzing, or transmitting the biological information to another device. For example, the terminal device 14 may extract biological information from an electric potential detected from a living organism.

[0027] The biological information measuring device 12 is, for example, a hearable device, and is used by being inserted into the ear canal of a person's ear. The biological information measuring device 12 may be, for example, a device including a canal-type earphone. For example, as a function of an earphone, the biological information measuring device 12 has a function of converting an electric signal output from a playback device into a sound wave using a speaker. The playback device may be a terminal device 14. For example, the biological information measuring device 12 receives a sound signal such as an audio signal from the terminal device 14 by wireless communication or wired communication, and generates a sound according to the sound signal.

[0028] 2 to 10, the shape of the biological information measuring device 12 will be described in detail. Here, an earphone that is attached to a person's ear will be described as an example of the biological information measuring device 12, but the biological information measuring device 12 described here may be a hearable device other than an earphone.

[0029] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the entirety of the biological information measuring device 12. FIG. 3 is a view of the biological information measuring device as viewed from above. FIG. 4 is a view of the left earphone as viewed from the left. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the right earphone. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the left earphone. FIG. 7 is a view of the right earphone as viewed from above. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the right earphone. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the right earphone. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the inside of the left earphone.

[0030] For ease of explanation, the front-back direction, the up-down direction, and the left-right direction are defined as shown in Fig. 2. The front direction is the direction in which a person's face faces, and the back direction is the opposite direction to the front direction. The up direction is the direction in which the top of a person's head faces, and the down direction is the opposite direction to the up direction. The right direction is the direction toward a person's right hand side, and the left direction is the direction toward a person's left hand side. The front-back direction, the up-down direction, and the left-right direction are perpendicular to each other.

[0031] Also, as an example, the biological information measuring device 12 measures biological information including brain waves. Of course, the biological information measuring device 12 may measure biological information other than brain waves while measuring brain waves, or without measuring only brain waves. For example, when the right earphone 16R or the left earphone 16L described later is attached to a person's ear, a potential representing biological information is detected. A potential signal indicating the detected potential usually includes a potential signal representing brain waves, but in addition to the potential signal representing brain waves, a potential signal indicating a potential generated due to the movement of the person's head may include a potential signal indicating a movement due to facial expression, a potential generated due to the movement of the neck, jaw, and eyeballs, etc. Also, as biological information caused by a change in blood flow accompanying the movement of the person's head, cerebral blood flow, pulse waves related to cardiac blood flow, heart rate, etc. may be significantly measured. In this way, the biological information measuring device 12 may measure biological information other than brain waves along with brain waves. Biological information other than brain waves may be processed as noise (for example, may be removed), or may be separated from brain waves as described above and used for some processing.

[0032] 2 and 3, the biological information measuring device 12 mainly includes a right earphone 16R to be worn on a person's right ear, a left earphone 16L to be worn on a person's left ear, and a cable 18 that electrically connects the right earphone 16R and the left earphone 16L. The right earphone 16R and the left earphone 16L may transmit and receive signals and data via the cable 18. A remote control for operating the biological information measuring device 12 may be provided on the cable 18.

[0033] Either the right earphone 16R or the left earphone 16L may function as a biological information measuring device that measures biological information, or both the right earphone 16R and the left earphone 16L may function as a biological information measuring device.

[0034] For example, one earphone may have a sensor electrode, a reference electrode and a ground electrode, while the other earphone has no electrodes.

[0035] As another example, both the right earphone 16R and the left earphone 16L may have a sensor electrode, a reference electrode and a ground electrode.

[0036] As yet another example, one earphone may have one or two of a sensor electrode, a reference electrode, and a ground electrode, and the other earphone may have electrodes that the other earphone does not have.

[0037] As yet another example, the right earphone 16R and the left earphone 16L may each be provided with one or more electrodes, and the sensor electrode, the reference electrode, and the ground electrode may each be assigned to one of the electrodes.

[0038] As yet another example, one of the earphones may be provided with multiple sensor electrodes, multiple reference electrodes, and multiple ground electrodes, such as the right earphone 16R being provided with multiple sensor electrodes and the left earphone 16L being provided with multiple reference electrodes.

[0039] The right earphone 16R is, for example, a canal-type earphone and includes a right housing 20R, a right earpiece 22R, a right support 24R, a right earhook 26R, and an electrode member 28R. The earpiece is sometimes called an ear pad.

[0040] The right housing 20R is, for example, a housing having a thin rectangular parallelepiped shape and housing electronic circuits and the like. In the right housing 20R, a right earpiece 22R and a right support 24R are provided on a surface facing a person's right ear when the user wears the biometric information measuring device 12. A control device, a speaker, a communication device (for example, a communication chip), an electronic circuit for analyzing and processing biometric information, a 6-axis sensor (for example, a sensor having a 3-axis sensor for detecting acceleration and a 3-axis sensor for detecting angular velocity), a memory, a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor, and the like are stored inside the right housing 20R. The communication device is a device for realizing wireless communication functions such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) and BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy). This communication device is equipped with a wireless LAN (for example, a network using WiFi, etc.) and a cellular (3G, 4G, 5G, LPWA, etc.) module to widen the communication area, and can directly transmit data to a device in a local area with a longer communication distance than Bluetooth (registered trademark) or a distant device via the Internet. The six-axis sensor detects the direction of movement, orientation, and rotation of the right housing 20R. The biological information may be stored in a memory. Note that the electronic circuit for analyzing the biological information does not have to be provided in the biological information measurement device 12.

[0041] The right support 24R has a columnar or other cylindrical shape, protrudes from a side surface of the right housing 20R (for example, a surface facing the right ear when the right earphone 16R is worn on the right ear), and is provided between the right housing 20R and the right earpiece 22R. For example, the outer diameter of the right support 24R is larger than the outer diameter of the right earpiece 22R. An electrode member 28R is provided on a part or all of the side surface of the right support 24R.

[0042] For example, the electrode member 28R has a ring shape and is supported by a columnar right support 24R. The whole or a part of the electrode member 28R functions as an electrode. That is, an electrode may be provided on the whole surface of the electrode member 28R, or an electrode may be provided on a part of the surface of the electrode member 28R, and no electrode may be provided on that part of the surface. The electrode member 28R is made of, for example, conductive rubber made of carbon. Even in this case, the whole of the electrode member 28R may be made of conductive rubber, and the whole of the electrode member 28R (for example, the whole surface) may function as an electrode, or a part of the electrode member 28R may be made of conductive rubber, and a part of the electrode member 28R (for example, a part of the surface) may function as an electrode.

[0043] The right earpiece 22R is provided at the tip of the right support 24R (i.e., the end opposite to the end connected to the right housing 20R). For example, the right earpiece 22R has a cylindrical shape that narrows toward the tip. Of course, this shape is merely an example, and the right earpiece 22R may have a different shape.

[0044] A sound guide tube or the like (for example, a conductive tube member 30R described later) is stored inside the right earpiece 22R, and sound emitted by the speaker is transmitted through the sound guide tube or the like inside the right earpiece 22R and emitted to the outside from the right earpiece 22R. An electrode is provided on a part or all of the outer surface (for example, a side surface, etc.) of the right earpiece 22R. The electrode is made of, for example, conductive rubber made of carbon. The right earpiece 22R itself may be made of conductive rubber. For example, the whole or part of the right earpiece 22R may be made of conductive rubber. In other words, the whole or part of the surface of the right earpiece 22R may function as an electrode.

[0045] The right earpiece 22R and the electrode member 28R may be made of, for example, an elastic material. For example, a resin such as rubber is used as the elastic material. Specifically, Si-based rubber (for example, S1734 manufactured by NOK) or urethane-based rubber may be used for the right earpiece 22R and the electrode member 28R. Furthermore, the hardness (for example, hardness according to the standard of durometer type A (instantaneous)) of each of the right earpiece 22R and the electrode member 28R is, for example, 40 to 75. As an example, a resin with a hardness of 70 may be used for the right earpiece 22R and the electrode member 28R.

[0046] As described below, the right earpiece 22R is positioned on the right ear so as to be inserted into and contact the ear canal of the right ear, and the electrode member 28R supported by the right support 24R is positioned on the right ear so as to contact the concha cavity of the right ear.

[0047] The right ear hook 26R has a curved shape as a whole, and is a member that is hung on the right ear of the user when the user wears the right earphone 16R. For example, the right ear hook 26R is hung on the helix of the right ear. To explain in more detail, the right ear hook 26R is provided in contact with the helix on the back side of the helix. One end of the right ear hook 26R is connected to the front part of the right housing 20R, and the right ear hook 26R has a curved shape from the connection part to the rear side of the right housing 20R, and this part forms a curved part. The curved part is provided in contact with the helix on the back side of the helix of the right ear. For example, the curved part has a shape that follows the shape of the back side of the helix. The other part of the right ear hook 26R is connected to one end of the cable 18.

[0048] The right earpiece 22R and the right support 24R are replaceable members. For example, multiple types (e.g., 3 to 5 types) of right earpieces 22R and right support bodies 24R with different shapes and sizes are prepared in advance, and the right earpiece 22R and right support body 24R can be replaced according to the shape of the user's ear (e.g., the ear canal, the concha cavity, or other parts).

[0049] The left earphone 16L is, for example, a canal-type earphone, and includes a left housing 20L, a left earpiece 22L, a left support 24L, a left earhook 26L, and an electrode member 28L.

[0050] The left housing 20L is, for example, a housing having a thin rectangular parallelepiped shape, and stores a battery and the like. In the left housing 20L, a left earpiece 22L and a left support 24L are provided on a surface facing the left ear of the user when the user wears the biological information measuring device 12. Power from the battery is supplied to the right earphone 16R and the left earphone 16L, thereby driving the right earphone 16R and the left earphone 16L. For example, power from the battery is supplied to a speaker and each circuit. The battery may be provided in both the right housing 20R and the left housing 20L, or in either the right housing 20R or the left housing 20L.

[0051] The left support 24L has a columnar or other cylindrical shape, protrudes from a side surface of the left housing 20L (for example, a surface facing the left ear when the left earphone 16L is worn on the left ear), and is provided between the left housing 20L and the left earpiece 22L. For example, the outer diameter of the left support 24L is larger than the outer diameter of the left earpiece 22L. An electrode member 28L is provided on a part or all of the side surface of the left support 24L.

[0052] For example, the electrode member 28L has a ring shape and is supported by the columnar left support 24L. The whole or a part of the electrode member 28L functions as an electrode. That is, an electrode may be provided on the whole surface of the electrode member 28L, or an electrode may be provided on a part of the surface of the electrode member 28L, and no electrode may be provided on that part of the surface. The electrode member 28L is made of, for example, conductive rubber made of carbon. Even in this case, the whole of the electrode member 28L may be made of conductive rubber, and the whole of the electrode member 28L (for example, the whole surface) may function as an electrode, or a part of the electrode member 28L may be made of conductive rubber, and a part of the electrode member 28L (for example, a part of the surface) may function as an electrode.

[0053] The left earpiece 22L is provided at the tip of the left support 24L (i.e., the end opposite to the end connected to the left housing 20L). For example, the left earpiece 22L has a cylindrical shape that narrows toward the tip. Of course, this shape is merely an example, and the left earpiece 22L may have a different shape.

[0054] A sound guide tube and the like are stored inside the left earpiece 22L, and sound emitted by the speaker is transmitted through the sound guide tube and the like inside the left earpiece 22L and emitted to the outside from the left earpiece 22L. An electrode is provided on a part or the whole of the outer surface (e.g., the side surface, etc.) of the left earpiece 22L. The electrode is made of, for example, conductive rubber made of carbon. The left earpiece 22L itself may be made of conductive rubber. For example, the whole or part of the left earpiece 22L may be made of conductive rubber. In other words, the whole or part of the surface of the left earpiece 22L may function as an electrode.

[0055] The left earpiece 22L and the electrode member 28L may be made of, for example, an elastic material. For example, a resin such as rubber is used as the elastic material. Specifically, a Si-based rubber (for example, S1734 manufactured by NOK) or a urethane-based rubber may be used for the left earpiece 22L and the electrode member 28L. Furthermore, the hardness (for example, hardness according to the standard of durometer type A (instantaneous)) of each of the left earpiece 22L and the electrode member 28L is, for example, 40 to 75. As an example, a resin with a hardness of 70 may be used for the left earpiece 22L and the electrode member 28L.

[0056] As described below, the left earpiece 22L is positioned on the right ear so as to be inserted into and contact the ear canal of the right ear, and the electrode member 28L supported by the left support 24L is positioned on the left ear so as to contact the concha cavity of the left ear.

[0057] The left ear hook 26L has a curved shape as a whole, and is a member that is hung on the left ear of the user when the user wears the left earphone 16L. For example, the left ear hook 26L is hung on the helix of the left ear. To explain in more detail, the left ear hook 26L is provided in contact with the helix on the back side of the helix. One end of the left ear hook 26L is connected to the front part of the left housing 20L, and the left ear hook 26L has a curved shape from the connection part to the rear side of the left housing 20L, and this part forms a curved part. The curved part is provided in contact with the helix on the back side of the helix of the left ear. For example, the curved part has a shape that follows the shape of the back side of the helix. The other part of the left ear hook 26L is connected to one end of the cable 18.

[0058] The left earpiece 22L and the left support 24L are replaceable members. For example, multiple types (e.g., 3 to 5 types) of left earpieces 22L and left support bodies 24L with different shapes and sizes are prepared in advance, and the left earpiece 22L and the left support body 24L can be replaced to suit the shape of the user's ear (e.g., the ear canal, the concha cavity, or other parts).

[0059] The control device, communication device, electronic circuit, six-axis sensor, memory, etc. may be stored in either the right housing 20R or the left housing 20L, or in both the right housing 20R and the left housing 20L.

[0060] In addition, the right housing 20R or the left housing 20L is provided with a power button, a switch for adjusting the volume, etc. The power button, the switch, etc. may be provided on both the right housing 20R and the left housing 20L.

[0061] For example, either the electrode provided on the right earpiece 22R or the electrode provided on the left earpiece 22L is used as a sensor electrode, and the other electrode is used as a reference electrode. Also, the electrode members 28R and 28L are used as ground electrodes. Of course, either the electrode member 28R or the electrode member 28L may be used as a sensor electrode, the other as a reference electrode, and the electrodes provided on the right earpiece 22R and the left earpiece 22L may be used as ground electrodes.

[0062] As another example, the right earpiece 22R may be provided with a plurality of electrodes separated from each other, and at least one of the plurality of electrodes may be used as a sensor electrode, a reference electrode, or a ground electrode. For example, the plurality of electrodes may be used as sensor electrodes, and a potential detected by an electrode with the highest detection sensitivity, the electrode with the least noise, or the electrode with the most stable noise level among the plurality of electrodes may be used as a sensor potential. The same applies when the plurality of electrodes are used as reference electrodes or ground electrodes. The same applies to the left earpiece 22L, the electrode member 28R, and the electrode member 28L.

[0063] As shown in FIG. 7, the electrode member 28R supported by the right support 24R is disposed at a height h from the right housing 20R. That is, the distance between the electrode member 28R and the right housing 20R is set to a height h. The height h is set to a value that prevents interference between the right housing 20R and the helix and prevents poor contact, for example. Specifically, the height h is set so that the right housing 20R does not contact the helix of the right ear when the right earpiece 22R is inserted into the ear canal of the right ear and the right earphone 16R is worn on the right ear. That is, the height h is set so that the right housing 20R is separated from the helix to a position where it does not contact the helix. In this way, for example, the upper surface of the right housing 20R does not contact the helix. If the right housing 20R comes into contact with the helix and interferes with the helix, the right earpiece 22R may not be inserted to a stable position in the ear canal, and poor contact may occur between the electrode of the right earpiece 22R and the ear canal. In addition, the electrode member 28R may not be positioned in a position that makes good contact with the concha of the right ear, and poor contact may occur between the electrode member 28R and the concha of the right ear. If such poor contact occurs, the detection sensitivity of the sensor potential, the reference potential, and the ground potential may decrease, and the measurement accuracy of the biological information may decrease. By setting the height h so that the right housing 20R does not come into contact with the helix, the right housing 20R does not interfere with the helix, and the right earpiece 22R can be inserted to a stable position in the ear canal, and good contact can be made between the electrode of the right earpiece 22R and the ear canal. In addition, the electrode member 28R can be positioned in a position that makes good contact with the concha of the right ear, and good contact can be made between the electrode member 28R and the concha of the right ear. This improves the sensitivity of detecting bioelectric potentials. The same applies to the left earphone 16L.

[0064] Also, as shown in FIG. 3, the right ear hook 26R is arranged offset from the position of the right housing 20R in the direction where the right earpiece 22R is installed when the right earphone 16R is viewed from above. In other words, when the right earphone 16R is viewed from above, a gap is formed between the right housing 20R and the right ear hook 26R. It can be said that the right ear hook 26R is arranged offset from the position of the right housing 20R in the direction where the right earpiece 22R is installed. The gap is an ear space, and the right ear is inserted and arranged in the gap. By providing such an ear space and inserting the right ear into the ear space, the right ear can be arranged in the ear space regardless of the size of the right ear, and the right earphone 16R can be stably worn on the right ear. As a result, the contact between the electrode of the right earpiece 22R and the ear canal and the contact between the electrode member 28R and the concha cavity can be improved. The same applies to the left earphone 16L.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 8, a conductive pipe member 30R made of metal is provided on the right support 24R so as to protrude in a direction away from the right housing 20R. The rear end of the conductive pipe member 30R is installed on the right support 24R, and the right earpiece 22R is provided on the front end of the conductive pipe member 30R. For example, the rear end of the conductive pipe member 30R is attached to the front end of the right support 24R by screwing or the like. A conductive pipe member 32R made of metal is provided on a side surface of the right support 24R in a direction protruding from the side surface. In addition, a ring-shaped electrode member 28R is provided on the side surface so as to cover the conductive pipe member 32R. To explain in more detail, a groove is formed on the side surface of the right support 24R along the circumferential direction of the right support 24R, and a hole 24R1 into which one end of the conductive pipe member 32R is inserted is formed in the groove. One end of the conductive pipe member 32R is inserted into the hole 24R1, so that the conductive pipe member 32R is attached to the side surface of the right support 24R. For example, the conductive tube member 32R is attached to the side surface of the right support body 24R by screwing or the like. With the conductive tube member 32R attached to the side surface of the right support body 24R, the electrode member 28R is fitted into a groove in the side surface of the right support body 24R, so that the electrode member 28R is attached to the side surface of the right support body 24R in a state of contact with the conductive tube member 32R. The conductive tube member 32R is connected to an electric wire within the right support body 24R. As a result, a potential signal indicating the potential detected by the electrode member 28R is sent to the electric wire via the conductive tube member 32R and output to a main board 34 (described later) via the electric wire. The left earphone 16L has a configuration similar to that of the right earphone 16R.

[0066] 9, a main board 34 and a sub-board 36 are housed in the right-side housing 20R. The main board 34 and the sub-board 36 will be described in detail later. Boards other than the main board 34 and the sub-board 36 may be housed in the left-side housing 20L.

[0067] 10, the left housing 20L accommodates a battery 38 and a relay board 40. Power is supplied from the battery 38 via the relay board 40 to the right earphone 16R and the left earphone 16L.

[0068] The cable 18 has a hardness that allows the cable 18 to maintain its overall shape. For example, the cable 18 has a shape that extends rearward from the right housing 20R and the left housing 20L so that the cable 18 does not come into contact with the back of the head or the hair at the back of the head when the biometric information measuring device 12 is worn on a person's ear. In this way, the cable 18 does not come into contact with the back of the head or the hair at the back of the head, thereby preventing noise caused by such contact from occurring in the biometric information.

[0069] Even if the cable 18 comes into contact with the back of the head, the load caused by the contact is transmitted to the cable 18, and the left earphone 16L as a whole rotates backward as indicated by the arrow Y in FIG. 4. This causes the left earpiece 22L and the electrode member 28L to be more firmly fixed to the left ear. That is, the left earphone 16L as a whole rotates in a direction that more firmly fixes the left earpiece 22L and the electrode member 28L. As a result, the contact between the electrode of the left earpiece 22L and the ear canal and the contact between the electrode member 28L and the cavity of the concha can be improved, thereby improving the detection sensitivity. The same applies to the right earphone 16R.

[0070] The ear hook will be described with reference to Fig. 11 to Fig. 14. The left earphone 16L is shown in Fig. 11 and Fig. 12. Exploded perspective views of the left earphone 16L are shown in Fig. 13 and Fig. 14.

[0071] The left ear hook 26L includes a cover 42 that covers the cable 18, and a hanger 44 that covers the cover 42. The hanger 44 is not shown in Figures 11 and 13, and the portion of the cable 18 where the left ear hook 26L is formed is covered by the cover 42. The hanger 44 is shown in Figures 12 and 14. The hanger 44 is provided to cover the cover 42.

[0072] 13 and 14, the left housing 20L is composed of housing members 46, 48, and the tip of the cover 42 (i.e., the portion where the left earhook 26L is attached to the left housing 20L) is fixed to the left housing 20L by being sandwiched between the housing members 46, 48. The tip of the hanger 44 may also be sandwiched between the housing members 46, 48 together with the tip of the cover 42. The right earhook 26R has a similar configuration.

[0073] The cover 42 is made of, for example, nylon, and the hanger 44 is made of silicone rubber. By using nylon as the material for the cover 42, it is possible to prevent the hanger 44 from bending at its base (i.e., the portion fixed by the left housing 20L). In addition, the cable 18 is bent by the cover 42 and the hanger 44, and it is possible to prevent the cable 18 from coming into contact with the human body when the biological information measuring device 12 is attached to the human body. The right earhook 26R has a similar configuration to the left earhook 26L.

[0074] The main board 34 and the sub-board 36 will be described below. Fig. 15 shows the relative positions of the main board 34 and the sub-board 36. Fig. 15 is a perspective view showing the main board 34 and the sub-board 36. Here, as an example, the biological information is brain waves, and the main board 34 and the sub-board 36 include electronic circuits and the like that extract the brain waves from potential signals that indicate detected potentials.

[0075] The main substrate 34 has an inner surface 34a that faces the head of a person when the right earphone 16R is attached to the ear, and an outer surface 34b that is the surface opposite the inner surface 34a. The sub-substrate 36 has an inner surface 36a that faces the head of a person when the right earphone 16R is attached to the ear, and an outer surface 36b that is the surface opposite the inner surface 36a.

[0076] Fig. 16 shows an inner surface 34a of the main board 34. Fig. 17 shows an outer surface 34b of the main board 34.

[0077] As shown in FIG. 16, the inner surface 34a of the main board 34 is provided with, as an example, an EEG sensor 3410 that extracts EEG from an electric potential signal by analyzing the electric potential signal indicating the detected electric potential, a six-axis sensor 3411, a flash memory 3412, an LED 3413, an inter-board connector 3414, and a USB terminal 3415.

[0078] As shown in FIG. 17, the outer surface 34b of the main board 34 is provided with a communication chip 3416 that communicates via Bluetooth (registered trademark), a charge management IC (Integrated Circuit) 3417 that manages the charging of the battery, a step-up / step-down converter 3418, a SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) memory 3419, an SRAM 3420, an MCU (Memory Control Unit) 3421, and an antenna 3422.

[0079] Fig. 18 shows an inner surface 36a of the sub-substrate 36. Fig. 19 shows an outer surface 36b of the sub-substrate 36.

[0080] 18, for example, a microphone 3610 is provided on the inner surface 36a of the sub-substrate 36. Also, a through hole 3611 is formed penetrating the sub-substrate 36 in the thickness direction. The through hole 3611 is a hole for wiring.

[0081] As shown in FIG. 19, on the outer surface 36b of the sub-board 36, volume switches 3612 and 3613, a switch 3614 for setting the functions of the biological information measuring device 12, and an inter-board connector 3615 are provided.

[0082] Fig. 20 shows the electrode pads on the inner surface 34a of the main board 34. Note that Fig. 20 only shows the brain wave sensor 3410 and the electrode pads, and the electric wires on the main board 34 are omitted.

[0083] The electrode pads 34a1 and 34a2 are electrode pads connected to an electrode provided on the right earphone 16R by an electric wire. For example, the electrode pad 34a1 is connected to one of the electrodes of the right earpiece 22R or the electrode member 28R by an electric wire, and the electrode pad 34a2 is connected to the other electrode by an electric wire. The electrode pads 34a1 and 34a2 are connected to the brain wave sensor 3410 by an electric wire formed on the main board 34. The electrode pad 34a3 is an electrode pad connected to a ground electrode for shielding. The electric wires connected to the electrode pads 34a1 and 34a2 (i.e., two electric wires in total) are bundled by a shield wire and routed through the through hole 3611 of the sub-board 36 to the electrode provided on the right earpiece 22R and the electrode member 28R, and are connected to the electrode provided on the right earpiece 22R and the electrode member 28R.

[0084] The electrode pads 34a4 and 34a5 are connected to a speaker provided in the right earphone 16R by electric wires. The electrode pad 34a6 is connected to a ground electrode for shielding. The electric wires connected to the electrode pads 34a4 and 34a5 (i.e., a total of two electric wires) are bundled by a shield wire and connected to the speaker.

[0085] The electrode pads 34a7 and 34a8 are electrode pads connected to an electrode provided on the left earphone 16L by an electric wire. For example, the electrode pad 34a7 is connected to one of the electrodes of the left earpiece 22L or the electrode member 28L by an electric wire, and the electrode pad 34a8 is connected to the other electrode by an electric wire. The electrode pad 34a9 is an electrode pad connected to a ground electrode for shielding. In addition, the electrode pads 34a7 and 34a8 are connected to the brain wave sensor 3410 by an electric wire formed on the main board 34. The electric wires connected to the electrode pads 34a7 and 34a8 (i.e., two electric wires in total) are bundled by a shield wire and routed to the electrode provided on the left earpiece 22L and the electrode member 28L, and are connected to the electrode provided on the left earpiece 22L and the electrode member 28L.

[0086] The electrode pads 34a10 and 34a11 are connected to a speaker provided in the left earphone 16L by electric wires. The electrode pad 34a12 is connected to a ground electrode for shielding. The electric wires connected to the electrode pads 34a10 and 34a11 (i.e., a total of two electric wires) are bundled by a shield wire and connected to the speaker.

[0087] By arranging the electrode pads for measuring brain waves (for example, electrode pads 34a1, 34a2, 34a7, 34a8) closer to the brain wave sensor 3410 than the other electrode pads, it is possible to reduce the influence of noise generated in the wiring between the electrode pads for measuring brain waves and the brain wave sensor 3410. In addition, since the communication chip 3416 and the charge management IC 3417 are not arranged between the electrode pads for measuring brain waves and the brain wave sensor 3410, it is possible to reduce the influence of noise generated in the communication chip 3416 and the charge management IC 3417.

[0088] In addition, by separating the wires connected to the electrode pads for measuring brain waves from the wires connected to the electrode pads connected to the speaker and wiring these wires separately, crosstalk between them can be reduced.

[0089] Furthermore, the main board 34 may be a multi-layer board. FIG. 21 shows board components 341 and 342 included in the main board 34. The board components 341 and 342 are boards that constitute different layers of the multi-layer board. The board component 341 is provided with an electroencephalogram sensor 3410. The board component 342 is a shield ground (SGND) board, and is arranged next to the board component 341 in a stacked manner. Since a bioelectric potential is input to the electroencephalogram sensor 3410, by stacking the board component 342, which is a shield ground board, next to the board component 341 in which the electroencephalogram sensor 3410 is provided, noise generated in the bioelectric potential can be reduced.

[0090] Fig. 22 shows the wiring on the front surface 40a of the relay board 40. Fig. 23 shows the wiring on the rear surface 40b of the relay board 40.

[0091] The electrode pad 4000 is an electrode pad that is connected to the negative electrode of the battery 38. The electrode pad 4001 is an electrode pad that is connected to the positive electrode of the battery 38.

[0092] The electrode pads 4002 and 4003 are electrode pads connected to an electrode provided on the left earphone 16L by an electric wire. For example, the electrode pad 4002 is connected to one of the electrodes of the left earpiece 22L or the electrode member 28L by an electric wire, and the electrode pad 4003 is connected to the other electrode by an electric wire. For example, the electrode pad 4002 is connected to the electrode of the left earpiece 22L, and the electrode pad 4003 is connected to the electrode of the electrode member 28L. The electrode pad 4004 is an electrode pad connected to a ground electrode for shielding.

[0093] The electrode pads 4006 and 4007 are audio electrode pads, and are connected by wires to the speaker of the left earphone 16L. The electrode pad 4005 is an electrode pad that is connected to a ground electrode for shielding.

[0094] The electrode pads 4002 and 4003 are surrounded by shields 4008 and 4010 for noise reduction, and the electrode pads 4006 and 4007 are surrounded by shields 4009 and 4011 for noise reduction.

[0095] The audio electrode pads 4005, 4006, and 4007 and the electrode pads 4002, 4003, and 4004 connected to electrodes for detecting bioelectric potentials are arranged apart from each other, and a shield is arranged between them, so that noise that may occur in the bioelectric potential due to audio can be suppressed.

[0096] In addition, the battery electrode pads 4000 and 4001 and the electrode pads 4002, 4003, and 4004 are arranged apart from each other with a shield disposed between them, thereby suppressing noise that may be generated in the bioelectric potential due to the battery.

[0097] The functions of the vital information measuring device 12 will be described in detail below with reference to Fig. 24. Fig. 24 is a block diagram showing the functions of the vital information measuring device 12.

[0098] As described above, the biological information measuring device 12 includes the right earphone 16R, the left earphone 16L, and the cable 18. The right earphone 16R and the left earphone 16L are physically connected by the cable 18, and transmit and receive data to and from each other via the cable 18.

[0099] The right earphone 16R includes a right speaker 16R1, a communication unit 16R2, a first right electrode 16R3, a second right electrode 16R4, a processing unit 16R5, a storage unit 16R6, and a control unit 16R7.

[0100] The left earphone 16L includes a left speaker 16L1, a battery 16L2, a first left electrode 16L3, and a second left electrode L4.

[0101] The sound emitted from the right speaker 16R1 is emitted to the outside from the right earpiece 22R, and the sound emitted from the left speaker 16L1 is emitted to the outside from the left earpiece 22L.

[0102] The communication unit 16R2 is a communication interface such as a communication chip, and has a function of communicating with other devices. The communication may be wireless communication or wired communication. For example, the communication unit 16R2 transmits potential signals and biological information to an external device (e.g., the terminal device 14) and receives information such as control information from the external device (e.g., the terminal device 14).

[0103] The first right electrode 16R3 is an electrode provided on the outer surface of the right earpiece 22R. The right earpiece 22R itself may constitute the first right electrode 16R3. The second right electrode 16R4 is an electrode provided on a side surface of the right support 24R, and more specifically, is an electrode constituted by an electrode member 28R. Potential signals indicating the potentials detected by each of the first right electrode 16R3 and the second right electrode 16R4 are output to a processing unit 16R5.

[0104] The first left electrode 16L3 is an electrode provided on the outer surface of the left earpiece 22L. The left earpiece 22L itself may constitute the first left electrode 16L3. The second left electrode 16L4 is an electrode provided on the side surface of the left support 24L, and specifically, is an electrode constituted by an electrode member 28L. Potential signals indicating the potentials detected by the first left electrode 16L3 and the second left electrode 16L4 are output from the left earphone 16L to the processing unit 16R5 of the right earphone 16R via the cable 18.

[0105] The number of electrodes is merely an example. The right earpiece 22R, the left earpiece 22L, the electrode member 28R, and the electrode member 28L may each be provided with a plurality of electrodes.

[0106] The processing unit 16R5 is configured to analyze the potential signals detected by the first right electrode 16R3, the second right electrode 16R4, the first left electrode 16L3, and the second left electrode 16L4. For example, the processing unit 16R5 analyzes the potential signals to extract a specific biopotential (e.g., a biopotential having a specific frequency) from the potential signals, remove noise, and extract brain waves, which are an example of biological information. The function of the processing unit 16R5 is realized, for example, by a processor. A memory may be used to realize the function. For example, the function of the processing unit 16R5 may be realized by the brain wave sensor 3410.

[0107] Processing unit 16R5 may analyze potential signals detected by two or more electrodes selected from an electrode group including first right electrode 16R3, second right electrode 16R4, first left electrode L3, and second left electrode 16L4.

[0108] For example, the first right electrode 16R3 is used as a sensor electrode, the second right electrode 16R4 is used as a ground electrode, and the first left electrode 16L3 is used as a reference electrode. In this case, the processing unit 16R5 defines the potential detected by the second right electrode 16R4 as a ground potential that is a reference potential, and then calculates the potential difference between the potential detected by the first right electrode 16R3 that is a sensor electrode and the reference potential detected by the first left electrode 16L3 that is a reference electrode as a biopotential. The processing unit 16R5 may apply a known statistical process to the potential difference, and adopt the application result as bioinformation. The potential signal indicating the biopotential and the bioinformation are temporarily stored in, for example, the storage unit 16R6, and then transmitted from the bioinformation measuring device 12 to an external device (for example, the terminal device 14) by the communication unit 16R2. Of course, signals indicating each potential before calculation, signals indicating the potential difference before statistical processing is applied, etc. may be transmitted from the vital information measuring device 12 to an external device (e.g., terminal device 14), and the potential difference may be calculated or statistical processing may be performed in the external device.

[0109] The memory unit 16R6 is composed of, for example, a memory, and stores signals indicating the potentials detected by each of the first right side electrode 16R3, the second right side electrode 16R4, the first left side electrode L3, and the second left side electrode L4, as well as information generated by the processing unit 16R5.

[0110] The battery 16L2 supplies power to each part of the right earphone 16R and the left earphone 16L. Each part of the right earphone 16R and the left earphone 16L is driven by the power supplied from the battery 16L2. For example, a rechargeable battery is used as the battery 16L2. Of course, a non-rechargeable battery may be used. A shielding member for preventing electromagnetic waves may be provided around the battery 16L2 and the parts involved in charging. By providing the shielding member, noise caused by electromagnetic waves generated during charging can be reduced.

[0111] The control unit 16R7 is configured to control the operation of each part of the right earphone 16R and the left earphone 16L. The function of the control unit 16R7 is realized, for example, by a processor. A memory may be used to realize the function.

[0112] The left earphone 16L may also be provided with a communication unit 16R2, a processing unit 16R5, a storage unit 16R6, a control unit 16R7, etc., and the right earphone 16R may also be provided with a battery 16L2. These components may be provided in either the right earphone 16R or the left earphone 16L.

[0113] Although the right earphone 16R and the left earphone 16L are connected via a cable 18, the biological information measuring device 12 does not need to include the cable 18. In this case, a communication unit is also provided in the left earphone 16L, and the right earphone 16R and the left earphone 16L communicate with each other to transmit and receive data between them.

[0114] The functions of the terminal device 14 will be described in detail below with reference to Fig. 25. Fig. 25 is a block diagram showing the functions of the terminal device 14.

[0115] The communication unit 14a is a communication interface such as a communication chip, and has a function of communicating with other devices. The communication may be wireless communication or wired communication.

[0116] The storage unit 14b is a storage device such as a hard disk drive, a memory, etc. The storage unit 14b stores, for example, various data and various programs.

[0117] The UI unit 14c is a user interface and includes, for example, a display device and an operation device. The display device is, for example, a display such as a liquid crystal display or an EL display. The operation device is, for example, an input device such as a button, a keyboard, or a mouse. A user interface (for example, a touch panel, etc.) that serves as both a display device and an operation device may be used as the UI unit 14c. The UI unit 14c may also include a microphone, a speaker, etc.

[0118] The control unit 14d is configured to control the operation of each unit of the terminal device 14. The function of the control unit 14d is realized, for example, by a processor. A memory may be used to realize the function.

[0119] Note that processing unit 16R5 may be provided in terminal device 14, and terminal device 14 may execute the processing by processing unit 16R5.

[0120] Hereinafter, with reference to Fig. 26 to Fig. 28, a contact state between the biological information measuring device 12, which is a hearable device, and a person's ear when the biological information measuring device 12 is worn on the ear will be described in detail. Fig. 26 and Fig. 28 are diagrams showing the appearance of a person's right ear. Fig. 27 is a diagram showing the appearance and inside of a person's right ear.

[0121] As shown in FIG. 26 , the ear 60 includes the external auditory canal 62 which connects to the external auditory canal 88, the area surrounding the external auditory canal 62, the concha cavity 64, the helix 66, the concha vowel 68, the triangular fossa 70, the navicular fossa 72, the antihelic crus 74, the antihelix 76, the helical crus 78, the tragus 80, the antitragus 82, the intertragic notch 84, and the ear lobe 86.

[0122] Fig. 27 shows the right earphone 16R worn on a person's right ear 60. Fig. 28 shows the portion of the electrode member 28R that contacts the right ear 60 (portion indicated by reference numeral 90).

[0123] The right ear hook 26R is hooked on the helix 66, and in this state, the right earpiece 22R is inserted into the ear canal 88. At this time, the outer surface of the right earpiece 22R comes into contact with the surface of the ear canal 88 (i.e., the skin). Because the right earpiece 22R is made of an elastic material, the shape of the right earpiece 22R deforms in accordance with the shape of the ear canal 88, so that the outer surface of the right earpiece 22R comes into close contact with the surface of the ear canal 88. As a result, the electrode provided on the outer surface of the right earpiece 22R comes into close contact with the surface of the ear canal 88.

[0124] Furthermore, the electrode member 28R comes into contact with the cavity of the concha 64. Because the electrode member 28R is made of an elastic member, the shape of the electrode member 28R deforms along the shape of the cavity of the concha 64, and as a result, the electrode member 28R comes into close contact with the cavity of the concha 64. As a result, the electrode provided on the outer surface of the electrode member 28R comes into close contact with the cavity of the concha 64. For example, the electrode member 28R comes into contact with the edge of the cavity of the concha.

[0125] The right earphone 16R having the above-described configuration restricts movement of the right earphone 16R attached to the ear 60. This point will be described in detail below.

[0126] The ear 60 is placed between the lower part of the right earhook 26R and the upper part of the electrode member 28R, so that the ear 60 is sandwiched between the right earhook 26R and the electrode member 28R from above and below, thereby restricting the vertical movement of the right earphone 16R.

[0127] In addition, the right portion of the right earhook 26R comes into contact with the helix of the right ear, and friction is generated between the outer surface of the right earpiece 22R and the ear canal 88, thereby restricting left-right movement of the right earphone 16R.

[0128] Additionally, the ear 60 is sandwiched from the front, rear and rear by the part of the right earhook 26R that comes into contact with the back side of the ear 60 and the rear part of the electrode member 28R, thereby restricting movement of the right earphone 16R in the front-rear direction.

[0129] As described above, since the movement of the right earphone 16R is restricted, the contact between the electrode provided on the right earphone 16R and the skin is maintained, and the contact can be suppressed or prevented from becoming unstable. As a result, the generation of noise mixed into the bioelectric potential due to the unstable contact can be suppressed or prevented, and the measurement accuracy of the bioinformation can be improved. For example, even if a person moves, the movement of the right earphone 16R is restricted, so the generation of noise can be suppressed or prevented.

[0130] Depending on the shape of a person's ears and head, the ear 60 (e.g., the base of the ear) may be pinched between the lower part of the right earhook 26R and the upper part of the right earpiece 22R, restricting the up-down movement of the right earphone 16R. Also, the ear 60 (e.g., the base of the ear) may be pinched between the part of the right earhook 26R that contacts the back side of the ear 60 and the rear part of the right earpiece 22R, restricting the front-rear movement of the right earphone 16R.

[0131] As described above, the right earpiece 22R, the electrode member 28R and the right earhook 26R function as an auxiliary portion and a restricting portion for positioning the right earphone 16R, that is, for positioning the electrode that comes into contact with the skin.

[0132] The same is true for the left earphone 16L. Note that in the left earphone 16L, the left earpiece 22L is inserted into the ear canal of the left ear, and the electrode provided on the left earpiece 22L comes into contact with the surface of the ear canal.

[0133] In addition, since the shape of ears may vary from person to person, the right earpiece 22R, electrode member 28R, left earpiece 22L, and electrode member 28L can each be replaced with members of different sizes and shapes, so it is possible to accommodate individual differences between people.

[0134] The right earpiece 22R may be movable around a portion supported by the conductive tube member 30R as an axis. This will be described with reference to Figures 29 to 31. Figures 29 to 31 show schematic diagrams of the right earpiece 22R and the conductive tube member 30R.

[0135] As shown in Fig. 29, the right earpiece 22R is provided at the tip of the conductive tube member 30R and is supported at the tip so as to be swingable in the direction indicated by the arrow X1. For example, the right earpiece 22R is swung by utilizing the rigidity of the right earpiece 22R made of conductive rubber. As another example, the right earpiece 22R may be moved by arranging a spring member in a coil shape or arranging a spring member along the conductive tube member 30R. The left earpiece 22L may also be moved around a portion supported by the left conductive tube member as an axis, similar to the right earpiece 22R.

[0136] As another example, as shown in Fig. 30, the conductive tube member 30R itself may be swingable in the direction indicated by the arrow X1 around a portion where the conductive tube member 30R is supported (for example, the right housing 20R) as an axis. The right earpiece 22R can be tilted by swinging the conductive tube member 30R itself. For example, the conductive tube member 30R itself may be made of resin such as rubber, a spring member may be arranged in a coil shape, or a spring member may be arranged along the conductive tube member 30R, thereby making the conductive tube member 30R movable. The conductive tube member provided in the left earphone 16L may also be movable in the same manner as the conductive tube member 30R.

[0137] By tilting the right earpiece 22R, the angle of the surface of the right earpiece 22R that contacts the ear canal can be changed. This allows the right earpiece 22R to be closely attached to the ear canal, and the detection sensitivity of the electrodes provided on the right earpiece 22R can be improved. Although the shape of the ear varies from person to person, when the right earpiece 22R is inserted into the right ear, the right earpiece 22R is tilted, so that the electrodes of the right earpiece 22R can easily come into contact with the ear canal. In other words, even if there are individual differences in the shape of the ear, the electrodes of the right earpiece 22R can be closely attached to the ear canal. The same applies to the left earpiece 22L.

[0138] As another example, a member that contacts the cavity of the concha may be movable. For example, as indicated by the arrow X2 in FIG. 31, the electrode member 28R that contacts the cavity of the concha may be movable in a direction away from the outside of the human ear (for example, a direction away from the ear canal toward the outside of the ear) and in a direction toward the inside of the human ear (for example, a direction toward the ear canal). To explain in more detail, the right support 24R that supports the electrode member 28R may be movable in the direction indicated by the arrow X2. In addition, the right support 24R may swing in the direction indicated by the arrow X3 with a part supported by the right housing 20R as an axis. The left support 24L may also be movable in the direction indicated by the arrow X2 or swing in the direction indicated by the arrow X3, similar to the right support 24R. By moving the electrode member 28R, the electrode member 28R can be brought into close contact with the cavity of the concha to increase the detection sensitivity. The same applies to the electrode member 28L.

[0139] Another example of the earphone will be described below with reference to Fig. 32. Fig. 32 is a cross-sectional view showing a right earphone 16RA, which is another example of the right earphone 16R.

[0140] The right earphone 16RA, like the right earphone 16R, includes a right housing 20R, a right earpiece 22R, and a right support 24R. The right earphone 16RA may or may not be provided with a right ear hook 26R.

[0141] An electrode film 92, which is a conductive film, is formed on the outer surface of the right support 24R (i.e., the surface facing the human ear). The electrode film 92 is formed, for example, by applying a conductive paste to the outer surface of the right support 24R. As another example, the right support 24R may be made of conductive rubber.

[0142] The right earpiece 22R is made of conductive rubber, similar to the right earphone 16R. As another example, a conductive film may be formed on the surface of the right earpiece 22R.

[0143] The right support body 24R is a hollow member having an internal space, and is provided on the right housing 20R. A speaker 94 is provided inside the right support body 24R (i.e., in the internal space of the right support body 24R). The speaker 94 is fixed on the right housing 20R.

[0144] One end of an electric wire 96 is connected to the electrode of the right earpiece 22R, and the other end of the electric wire 96 is connected to a board installed in the right housing 20R. The electric wire 96 is routed inside the right support 24R. If the right earpiece 22R itself is made of conductive rubber, one end of the electric wire 96 is connected to a part of the right earpiece 22R. If an electrode such as a conductive film is formed on the right earpiece 22R, one end of the electric wire 96 is connected to that electrode.

[0145] The left earphone has a similar configuration to the right earphone 16RA.

[0146] For example, the electrode of the right earpiece 22R is used as a sensor electrode or a reference electrode, and the electrode film 92 is used as a ground electrode. When the electrode of the right earpiece 22R is used as a sensor electrode, the electrode of the left earpiece 22L is used as a reference electrode. When the electrode of the right earpiece 22R is used as a reference electrode, the electrode of the left earpiece 22L is used as a sensor electrode.

[0147] Because the speaker 94 and each electrode (that is, the electrode of the right earpiece 22R and the electrode film 92) are provided separately from each other, noise caused by the speaker 94 is unlikely to occur in the potential signal indicating the potential detected by the electrodes. Also, because only a small number of electric wires are used, reliability is also high in that respect.

[0148] The right earphone and the left earphone may have a flexible structure. A flexible structure is, for example, a structure that can be deformed to fit the shape of the ear. This point will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 33.

[0149] An example of the right earphone 16RB having a flexible structure is shown in Fig. 33. Fig. 33 is a diagram showing the appearance of the right earphone 16RB.

[0150] The right earphone 16RB includes a right earpiece 22RB, an upper layer member 24RB1, and a lower layer member 24RB2. The upper layer member 24RB1 is connected to the lower layer member 24RB2, and the right earpiece 22RB is connected to the upper layer member 24RB1. In other words, the upper layer member 24RB1 is disposed between the lower layer member 24RB2 and the right earpiece 22RB.

[0151] The upper layer member 24RB1 is a hollow member, and inside thereof, conductive pipe members, electric wires, etc. that transmit sound are disposed.

[0152] For example, the width of each of the right earpiece 22RB and the upper layer member 24RB1 is narrower than the width of the lower layer member 24RB2. The right earpiece 22RB is a member that is inserted into the ear canal of the ear and comes into contact with the surface of the ear canal (i.e., the skin). The upper layer member 24RB1 is a member that comes into contact with the cavity of the concha.

[0153] The right earpiece 22RB and the upper layer member 24RB1 are made of an elastic material such as rubber or sponge. The right earpiece 22RB has a hardness that allows it to deform along the shape of the ear canal when inserted into the ear canal. The upper layer member 24RB1 has a hardness that allows it to change shape when it comes into contact with the cavity of the concha.

[0154] The right earpiece 22RB and the upper layer member 24RB1 may each be made of conductive rubber. As another example, electrodes made of conductive films may be formed on the surfaces of the right earpiece 22RB and the upper layer member 24RB1. Electric wires connected to the electrodes are disposed within the upper layer member 24RB1.

[0155] The lower layer member 24RB2 may be fixed to the right housing 20RB. Substrates and the like are housed inside the right housing 20RB.

[0156] Since the right earpiece 22RB has a flexible structure that can be deformed to conform to the shape of the ear canal, the electrode of the right earpiece 22RB can easily come into contact with the surface of the ear canal, and the electrode can be closely attached to the surface of the ear canal. Also, since the upper layer member 24RB1 has a flexible structure that can be deformed to conform to the shape of the concha, the electrode of the upper layer member 24RB1 can easily come into contact with the surface of the concha, and the electrode can be closely attached to the surface of the concha.

[0157] Below, modified examples of the earphone will be described.

[0158] (Earphone Variation 1) Variation 1 of the earphone will be described with reference to Fig. 34 and Fig. 35. Fig. 34 shows a left earphone 100L according to Variation 1. Fig. 34 is a diagram showing the appearance of the left earphone 100L. Fig. 35 is a diagram showing the appearance of the left ear.

[0159] As shown in FIG. 34, the left earphone 100L includes a left earhook 102L and a left insert member 104L.

[0160] The left ear hook 102L has a curved shape so as to pinch the helix 112 of the ear 110. An electrode 106L is provided on the inside of the curved portion. For example, the left ear hook 102L is attached to a portion of the helix 112 that faces backward on the person's head, and pinches that portion. When the curved portion comes into contact with the helix 112, the electrode 106L comes into contact with the surface of the helix 112 (i.e., the skin). The left ear hook 102L itself may be made of conductive rubber.

[0161] A cylindrical or semi-cylindrical left insertion member 104L is provided at a portion of one end 102L1 of the left earhook 102L. The left insertion member 104L protrudes from one end 102L1 of the left earhook 102L so as to face the ear 110 when the left earphone 100L is worn on the ear 110 (i.e., when the left earhook 102L is attached to the earlobe 112).

[0162] An electrode 108L is provided on the side of the left insertion member 104L. The left insertion member 104L is inserted into the ear canal 114 as shown in FIG. 35. When the left insertion member 104L is inserted into the ear canal 114, the electrode 108L comes into contact with the surface of the ear canal 114. In the example shown in FIG. 34, the electrode 108L is provided on the side of the left insertion member 104L, on the side opposite to the side facing the left ear hook 102L. In this way, when the left earphone 100L is worn on the ear 110, the electrode 108L comes into contact with the front part of the ear canal 114. Of course, the electrode 108L may be provided on another part of the side of the left insertion member 104L, or on the entire side. The left insertion member 104L itself may be made of conductive rubber.

[0163] As indicated by the arrow X4 in FIG. 34, the sound emitted from the speaker provided in the left earphone 100L is emitted from a portion of the one end 102L1 where the left insertion member 104L is not provided.

[0164] The other end 102L2 of the left earhook 102L is positioned between the ear 110 and the side of the person's head (ie, at the base of the ear 110) when the left earhook 102L is attached to the earhelix 112.

[0165] The left ear hook 102L and the left insertion member 104L may have a flexible structure. For example, the left ear hook 102L may have a hardness such that it can be deformed along the shape of the earlobe 112, and the left insertion member 104L may have a hardness such that it can be deformed along the shape of the ear canal 114.

[0166] The right earphone has a similar configuration to the left earphone 100L, that is, the right earphone has a right earhook provided with an electrode and a right insert member provided with an electrode.

[0167] For example, the electrode 106L on the left ear hook 102L is used as a ground electrode, and the electrode 108L on the left insertion member 104L is used as a sensor electrode or a reference electrode. Similarly, the electrode on the right ear hook is used as a ground electrode, and the electrode on the right insertion member is used as a sensor electrode or a reference electrode. For example, the electrode 108L is used as a sensor electrode, and the electrode on the right insertion member is used as a reference electrode. The reverse may also be true.

[0168] Another example of the left earphone 100L is shown in Fig. 36 and Fig. 37. Fig. 36 is a diagram showing the appearance of the left earphone 100L. Fig. 37 is a diagram showing the appearance of the left ear.

[0169] 36 and 37, the electrode 108L is formed on the side surface of the left insertion member 104L that faces the left earhook 102L. In this way, as shown in Fig. 37, when the left earphone 100L is placed on the ear 110, the electrode 108L comes into contact with a rear portion of the ear canal 114. The right earphone has a similar configuration to the left earphone 100L shown in Fig. 36.

[0170] FIG. 36 shows a cable 116. The cable 116 is a cable that connects the left earphone 100L and the right earphone. Of course, the left earphone 100L and the right earphone may communicate with each other wirelessly without using the cable 116. The cable 116 may also be provided with a holder 118. The holder 118 may accommodate, for example, various boards accommodated in the right housing 20R described above and a battery accommodated in the left housing 20L. Of course, the various boards and the battery may be accommodated in the left earphone 100L or the right earphone. The holder 118 may also be provided with various switches and buttons.

[0171] (Earphone Variation 2) Variation 2 of the earphone will be described with reference to Fig. 38 to Fig. 40. Fig. 38 shows the left earphone 120L according to Variation 2. Fig. 38 is a diagram of the left earphone 120L as viewed from the left. Fig. 39 is a diagram of the left earphone 120L as viewed from above. Fig. 40 is a diagram showing the appearance of the left ear. The left earphone 120L according to Variation 2 is an earphone that transmits sound by bone conduction.

[0172] The left earphone 120L includes a left earhook 122L, a left support 124L, a left bone conduction section 126L, and a left insertion member 128L. For ease of explanation, the left earhook 122L is not shown in FIG.

[0173] The left ear hook 122L has a curved shape so that it can be hooked onto the ear 110. Specifically, the left ear hook 122L is placed between the helix of the ear 110 and the side of the person's head (i.e., the base of the ear 110) and is sandwiched between the helix and the side of the head. An electrode 130L is provided on the inside of the curved part. When the curved part is placed between the helix and the side of the head, the electrode 130L comes into contact with the base of the ear 110. The left ear hook 122L itself may be made of conductive rubber.

[0174] One end of the left ear hook 122L is fixed to the left support 124L. The left ear hook 122L extends from the position where it is fixed to the left support 124L while curving backward. For example, the left ear hook 122L is curved to fit the shape of the base of the ear 110.

[0175] A left bone conduction section 126L is provided on a part of the surface of the left support 124L that faces the ear 110 when the left earphone 120L is attached to the ear 110, and a left insertion member 128L is provided protruding from the surface toward the ear 110. When the left bone conduction section 126L vibrates, sound is transmitted to the inner ear through a bone (e.g., the skull). An electrode 132L is provided on a side surface of the left insertion member 128L. When the left earphone 120 is attached to the ear 110, the left bone conduction section 126L comes into contact with a part of the ear 110. The left insertion member 128L is inserted into the ear canal 114 as shown in FIG. 40. When the left insertion member 128L is inserted into the ear canal 114, the electrode 132L comes into contact with the surface of the ear canal 114. In the example shown in Fig. 39 and Fig. 40, the electrode 132L is provided on a side surface of the left insertion member 128L that faces backward. In this way, when the left earphone 120L is worn in the ear 110, the electrode 132L comes into contact with a rear portion of the ear canal 114. Of course, the electrode 132L may be provided on another portion of the side surface of the left insertion member 128L, or on the entire side surface. Furthermore, the left insertion member 128L itself may be made of conductive rubber.

[0176] When the left earhook 122L is attached to the base of the ear 110 and the left insertion member 128L is inserted into the ear canal 114, the left insertion member 128L and the left earhook 122L sandwich the base of the ear 110. This makes it possible to prevent the left earphone 120L from shifting out of position.

[0177] The right earphone has a similar configuration to the left earphone 120L, that is, the right earphone has a right earhook provided with an electrode and a right insert member provided with an electrode.

[0178] For example, the electrode 130L on the left ear hook 122L is used as a ground electrode, and the electrode 132L on the left insertion member 104L is used as a sensor electrode or a reference electrode. Similarly, the electrode on the right ear hook is used as a ground electrode, and the electrode on the right insertion member is used as a sensor electrode or a reference electrode. For example, the electrode 132L is used as a sensor electrode, and the electrode on the right insertion member is used as a reference electrode. The reverse may also be true.

[0179] FIG. 38 shows a cable 134. The cable 134 is a cable that connects the left earphone 120L and the right earphone. Of course, the left earphone 120L and the right earphone may communicate with each other wirelessly without using the cable 134. The cable 134 may also be provided with a holder 136. The holder 136 may house, for example, various boards housed in the right housing 20R described above and a battery housed in the left housing 20L. Of course, the various boards and the battery may be housed in the left earphone 120L or the right earphone. The holder 136 may also be provided with various switches and buttons.

[0180] (Earphone Variation 3) Variation 3 of the earphones will be described with reference to Fig. 41. Fig. 41 shows a right earphone 140R according to Variation 3. Fig. 41 is a view of the right earphone 140R as viewed from the right. The right earphone 140R according to Variation 3 is an earphone that transmits sound by cartilage conduction.

[0181] The right earphone 140R includes a right earhook 142R, a right support 144R, and a cartilage conduction section 146R.

[0182] The right ear hook 142R has a curved shape so that it can be hooked on the right ear 148. Specifically, the right ear hook 142R is hooked on an upper portion of the ear helix 150 of the ear 148. An electrode is provided on the inside of the curved portion. When the curved portion is hooked on the ear helix 150, the electrode provided on that portion comes into contact with the ear helix 150. The right ear hook 142R itself may be made of conductive rubber.

[0183] One end of the right ear hook 142R is fixed to the right support 144R. The right support 144R is disposed so as to come into contact with the concha cavity of the ear 148 when the right earphone 140R is worn on the ear 148. A cartilage conduction unit 146R is provided on a portion of the right support 148R that comes into contact with the concha cavity. When the cartilage conduction unit 146R vibrates, it vibrates the cartilage inside the ear canal, and the sound is transmitted to the inner ear.

[0184] For example, an electrode may be provided on a surface of the right support 144R that contacts the cavity of the concha of the ear 148. When the right earphone 140R is worn on the ear 148 and the right support 144R contacts the cavity of the concha, the electrode comes into contact with the cavity of the concha.

[0185] As another example, a right insertion member to be inserted into the ear canal may be provided on the surface of the right support 144R at a position on the surface corresponding to the ear canal of the ear 148, and an electrode may be provided on the surface of the right insertion member. When the right earphone 140R is worn on the ear 148 and the right insertion member is inserted into the ear canal, the electrode provided on the surface of the right insertion member comes into contact with the ear canal. The right insertion member may be an earpiece or a structure having a semi-cylindrical shape.

[0186] The left earphone has a similar configuration to the right earphone 140R. That is, the left earphone has a left ear hook on which an electrode is provided, and a left support on which an electrode is provided. Also, a left insertion member on which an electrode is provided may be provided on the left support. In this case, the left support does not need to be provided with an electrode.

[0187] For example, an electrode provided on the right ear hook 142R is used as a ground electrode, and an electrode provided on the right support 144R or the right insertion member is used as a sensor electrode or a reference electrode. Similarly, an electrode provided on the left ear hook is used as a ground electrode, and an electrode provided on the left support or the left insertion member is used as a sensor electrode or a reference electrode. For example, an electrode provided on the right support 144R or the right insertion member is used as a sensor electrode, and an electrode provided on the left support or the left insertion member is used as a reference electrode. The reverse may also be true.

[0188] FIG. 41 shows a cable 154. The cable 154 is a cable that connects the right earphone 140R and the left earphone. Of course, the right earphone 140R and the left earphone may communicate with each other wirelessly without using the cable 154. A holder may be provided on the cable 154. The holder may house, for example, various boards housed in the right housing 20R and a battery housed in the left housing 20L. Of course, the various boards and the battery may be housed in the right earphone 140R or the left earphone. The holder may also be provided with various switches and buttons.

[0189] Below, modified examples of electrodes used as a sensor electrode, a reference electrode, or a ground electrode will be described.

[0190] (Electrode Modification 1) The electrode according to the first modification is composed of a conductive microneedle. Hereinafter, the electrode according to the first modification will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 42A to Fig. 45.

[0191] 42A and 43 are perspective views showing the microneedle sheet 160. FIG. 42B is a schematic diagram of another sheet 160A seen from the side. FIG. 42C is a schematic diagram of the sheet 160A seen from above. The microneedle sheet 160 is, for example, a sheet having a rectangular shape. On one surface of the microneedle sheet 160, a plurality of microneedles 162 made of a conductive material are provided. The microneedles are needle-shaped objects with a diameter and length of at least less than 1 mm, and in this embodiment, when the microneedles are larger than this size, they are called protrusions. FIGS. 42B and 42C show the sheet 160A having the protrusions. In the protrusions 162B, the tips of the protrusions are not sharp and have a curved shape. The material of the microneedles may be metal, but considering safety considerations regarding needle breakage and allergic reactions, it is preferable to use a material with excellent affinity with the living body, such as a conductive biodegradable biopolymer. It is preferable that the material of the protrusions is conductive and elastic.

[0192] As shown in FIG. 43, the microneedle sheet 160 is rolled into a cylindrical shape so that the surface on which the microneedles 162 are provided faces outward.

[0193] 44A and 45 are cross-sectional views showing the ear canal 164. As shown in FIG. 44A, the microneedle sheet 160 rolled into a cylindrical shape is attached to the tip of the support 166 and fixed to the support 166, and in this state, it is inserted into the ear canal 164 and placed in the ear canal 164. For example, the microneedle sheet 160 is rolled into a cylindrical shape to a size that allows it to be inserted into the ear canal 164. The sheet should be able to withstand flexible deformation with excellent elasticity, but in order to increase adhesion by deforming according to the shape of the ear canal, the microneedle sheet 160 may be bonded to an elastic base layer 160C made of rubber or the like as shown in FIG. 44B. FIG. 44B is a cross-sectional view of the elastic base layer 160C and the microneedle sheet 160. The microneedle sheet 160 has elasticity that can withstand the deformation while elastically deforming to follow the various shapes of the ear canal of various people, thereby realizing the function of the electrode reliably contacting the skin of the ear canal while increasing adhesion. This allows the electrode to reliably contact the skin of the ear canal even with "human movement" and "small changes in the shape of the ear canal that occur during that movement", thereby realizing a stable electrical contact. If the microneedle sheet is made detachable from the base layer and can be replaced as a consumable item, costs can be kept low. If the adhesion is not achieved by adhesion in which molecules on two surfaces are attracted to each other by physical or chemical forces or both, but by using a non-adhesive effect that prevents the adhesion or adhesion of stickers or adhesive tapes, or makes it easy to remove them, replacement will be easier.

[0194] After the microneedle sheet 160 is placed in the ear canal 164, the microneedle sheet 160 is separated from the support 166 by, for example, cutting the microneedle sheet 160 from the support 166. In this way, the microneedle sheet 160 spreads in the ear canal 164 and comes into contact with the surface of the ear canal 164 (i.e., the skin). As a result, as shown in FIG. 45, the multiple microneedles 162 provided on the surface of the microneedle sheet 160 come into contact with the surface of the ear canal 164 and, for example, pierce the epidermis. In this way, the conductive microneedles 162 are placed in contact with the ear canal 164. Note that the protruding objects 162B shown in FIG. 42B and FIG. 42C do not pierce the skin like microneedles, but the protruding objects 162B themselves deform and come into contact with the skin, increasing the contact pressure of the protruding objects 162B against the ear canal 164.

[0195] As shown in Figure 45, a connector 168 made of a conductive material is provided on one side of the microneedle sheet 160 (for example, the portion fixed to the support 166) so as to protrude from that side. Electric wires are formed on the microneedle sheet 160, and the microneedles 162 are connected by the electric wires. The electric wires are also connected to the connector 168. Therefore, a potential signal indicating the potential detected by the conductive microneedles 162 can be output to the outside of the microneedle sheet 160 via the electric wires and the connector 168.

[0196] For example, as shown in Fig. 45, main device 170 is attached to the ear. Main device 170 is provided with a connector receptacle 172 to which connector 168 is connected. When main device 170 is attached to the ear, connector 168 is connected to connector receptacle 172. In this way, a potential signal indicating the potential detected by microneedle 162 is output to main device 170.

[0197] The microneedle 162 is used as a sensor electrode, a reference electrode, or a ground electrode.

[0198] (Electrode Modification 2) With reference to FIG. 46, a second modified example of the electrode will be described. In the second modified example, an iPS cell sheet is used instead of the microneedle sheet 160. FIG. 46 shows an example of an iPS cell sheet. FIG. 46 is a perspective view showing an iPS cell sheet. For example, an iPS cell sheet 174 is a sheet having a rectangular shape, and an electrode 176 is provided on its surface. The iPS cell sheet 174 is provided with a connector 178 connected to the electrode 176. As with the microneedle sheet 160, the iPS cell sheet 174 is rolled into a cylindrical shape and inserted into the ear canal 164 to be placed in the ear canal 164. In this way, the electrode 176 comes into contact with the surface (i.e., the skin) of the ear canal 164. An electric potential signal indicating the electric potential detected by the electrode 176 is output to the main device 170 via the connector 178. In addition to the iPS cell sheet, an electronic skin (e-skin; bionic skin) sheet may be used. The electronic skin sheet is adhered to an elastic base layer such as rubber, and the electronic skin can reliably contact the skin of the ear canal as an electrode that can withstand flexible deformation, realizing a stable electrical contact. The electronic skin is preferably made of a polymer material that has the same softness and elasticity as cells, and can be constructed by constructing or printing an electronic circuit on a polymer film substrate such as polyester or polyethylene terephthalate.

[0199] <Electrode materials and types> The materials and types of electrodes (for example, a sensor electrode, a reference electrode, and a ground electrode) for measuring biological information will be described.

[0200] The material of the electrodes is, for example, gold (Au), platinum (Pt), silver (Ag), tungsten (W), molybdenum (Mo), copper (Cu), stainless steel (SUS304), solder, iron (Fe), silver-silver chloride (Ag / AgCl), etc. The electrodes used may be changed depending on the type of bioinformation to be acquired.

[0201] The types of electrodes include disposable surface electrodes using conductive gel, silver-silver chloride electrodes (Ag / AgCl electrodes) which are dry electrodes, silver plate electrodes, stainless steel electrodes which are dry electrodes, conductive rubber electrodes which are dry electrodes, conductive polymer materials which are dry electrodes, non-contact electrodes, suction cup electrodes, clip electrodes, etc. Of course, other types of electrodes may be used.

[0202] Disposable electrodes do not require paste and are easy to handle. In addition, disposable electrodes have low impedance and a small offset voltage, and allow stable measurements.

[0203] The silver-silver chloride electrode has a small and stable resting potential and polarization voltage. The impedance is up to several hundred kΩ.

[0204] Stainless steel electrodes have a higher offset voltage than silver-silver chloride electrodes.

[0205] The impedance of conductive rubber materials and conductive polymer materials is several hundred kΩ to several MΩ. Non-contact electrodes are used, for example, to measure electrocardiogram signals and electromyogram signals.

[0206] <Method of charging the biological information measuring device 12> A method of charging the battery provided in the vital information measuring device 12 will be described below.

[0207] FIG. 47 shows an example of a charging method. FIG. 47 is a diagram of a person's head 180 and a pillow 182 viewed from above the head. Charging devices 184 and 186 are provided in the pillow 182. The charging devices 184 and 186 are wireless charging devices that include a power transmission coil and the like and charge a battery in a non-contact manner. That is, the charging devices 184 and 186 are devices that charge a battery using non-contact power transmission. The charging devices 184 and 186 are arranged apart from each other in the pillow 182. For example, the charging device 184 is arranged on one end side of the pillow 182 from the center position of the pillow 182, and the charging device 186 is arranged on the other end side of the pillow 182 from the center position of the pillow 182. The charging device 184 charges a battery provided within a range where the charging device 184 can wirelessly charge it. The charging device 186 charges a battery provided within a range where the charging device 186 can wirelessly charge it.

[0208] For example, the head 180 is placed on the pillow 182 with the right earphone 16R attached to the right ear and the left earphone 16L attached to the left ear. The charging device 184 is placed at a position where the battery provided in either the right earphone 16R or the left earphone 16L can be wirelessly charged when the head 180 is placed on the pillow 182. That is, the charging device 184 is placed at a position where the battery provided in either the right earphone 16R or the left earphone 16L can be wirelessly charged when the head 180 is placed on the pillow 182. Similarly, the charging device 186 is placed at a position where the battery provided in either the right earphone 16R or the left earphone 16L can be wirelessly charged when the head 180 is placed on the pillow 182. That is, the charging device 186 is placed at a position where the battery provided in either the right earphone 16R or the left earphone 16L can be wirelessly charged when the head 180 is placed on the pillow 182.

[0209] 47, the right earphone 16R is placed within a range where it can be wirelessly charged by the charging device 184. If a battery is housed in the right earphone 16R, the battery of the right earphone 16R can be wirelessly charged by the charging device 184.

[0210] Furthermore, the left earphone 16L is disposed within a range where it can be wirelessly charged by the charging device 186. If a battery is housed in the left earphone 16L, the charging device 186 can wirelessly charge the battery of the left earphone 16L.

[0211] The batteries provided in the right earphone 16R and the left earphone 16L include, for example, a power receiving coil and the like, and are capable of being charged by wireless charging.

[0212] When a battery is placed within a range where charging device 184 can wirelessly charge the battery, charging of the battery may begin by charging device 184. Similarly, when a battery is placed within a range where charging device 186 can wirelessly charge the battery, charging of the battery may begin by charging device 186.

[0213] Also, the timing and period of charging may be controlled. For example, a control device may be provided in the right earphone 16R or the left earphone 16L, and the timing and period of charging may be controlled by the control device. The control device may be realized by, for example, an electronic circuit arranged on a main board or a sub-board. As another example, a control device may be provided in the pillow 182, and the timing and period of charging may be controlled by the control device.

[0214] For example, the control device charges the battery while the person is sleeping. The control device determines whether the person is sleeping based on biological information (e.g., brain waves) measured by the right earphone 16R and the left earphone 16L.

[0215] The control device may charge the battery while measuring the biological information. For example, a measurement chip (e.g., an electroencephalogram sensor or the like) for measuring biological information is not provided in the left earphone 16L but is provided in the right earphone 16R, and a battery is not provided in the right earphone 16R but is provided in the left earphone 16L. In this way, by providing the battery and the measurement chip in separate earphones and separating the battery and the measurement chip, the measurement chip can perform measurement without being affected by wireless charging.

[0216] The control device may not charge the battery while transmitting the potential signal or the biological information, but may charge the battery when the potential signal or the biological information is not being transmitted. For example, the detected potential signal or the biological information is transmitted from the right earphone 16R to the terminal device 14. The control device does not charge the battery during the transmission. This allows the potential signal or the biological information to be transmitted without being affected by wireless charging.

[0217] In the example shown in FIG. 47, the pillow 182 may be provided with three or more charging devices.

[0218] FIG. 48 shows another example of the charging method. FIG. 48 shows a person's head 180 and a pillow 182 viewed from above the head. One charging device 188 is provided in the pillow 182. The charging device 188 is arranged, for example, in the center or near the center of the pillow 182. For example, when the right earphone 16R and the left earphone 16L are each provided with a battery, the charging device 188 charges the batteries provided in the right earphone 16R and the left earphone 16L. For example, the charging device 188 may have a size that allows wireless charging of the batteries provided in the right earphone 16R and the left earphone 16L that are separated from each other, and may have a function that allows output of a magnetic field or electric field having an output level that allows this. Note that multiple charging devices may be provided in the pillow 182.

[0219] Fig. 49 shows yet another charging method. Fig. 49 is a diagram of a person's head 180 and a pillow 182 viewed from above the head. In the example shown in Fig. 49, a power receiving device 190 including a power receiving coil and the like is provided at or near the center of the cable 18. In addition, one charging device 192 is provided in the pillow 182. The charging device 192 is disposed, for example, at or near the center of the pillow 182. The power receiving device 190 supplies power provided from the charging device 192 to batteries provided in the right earphone 16R and the left earphone 16L. This charges the batteries.

[0220] Yet another charging method is shown in Fig. 50. Fig. 50 is a diagram of a person's head 180 and a display 194 as viewed from above the head. A charging device 196 is provided at one of the left and right ends (e.g., the right end) of the screen of the display 194, and a charging device 198 is provided at the other end (e.g., the left end).

[0221] Charging device 196 charges a battery provided within a range that can be wirelessly charged by charging device 196. Charging device 198 charges a battery provided within a range that can be wirelessly charged by charging device 198.

[0222] For example, when a person is looking at the screen of the display 194, the right earphone 16R worn on the right ear is located within a range where it can be wirelessly charged by the charging device 196, and the left earphone 16L worn on the left ear is located within a range where it can be wirelessly charged by the charging device 198. If the right earphone 16R is provided with a battery, the battery is charged by the charging device 196. If the left earphone 16L is provided with a battery, the battery is charged by the charging device 198.

[0223] Alternatively, charging device 196 may be provided at one end (e.g., the right end) of the upper surface of display 194, and charging device 198 may be provided at the other end (e.g., the left end) of the upper surface. Also, three or more charging devices may be provided on the display.

[0224] In the example shown in FIG. 50, the control device that controls charging may control the timing of charging. For example, the control device charges the battery when a person is stationary, when a person is sitting in front of the display 194, or when the amount of movement of the person is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, and does not charge the battery in other cases. In other words, the control device does not charge the battery when a person is walking or exercising. The movement of the person may be detected, for example, by a six-axis sensor provided in the right earphone 16R, or may be detected by a camera provided in the display 194. The control device receives a signal indicating the movement detected by the six-axis sensor from the six-axis sensor, or receives a signal indicating the movement detected by the camera from the camera, and detects the movement of the person.

[0225] FIG. 51 shows yet another charging method. FIG. 51 shows a person's head 180 and a display 194 viewed from above. In the example shown in FIG. 51, one charging device 200 is provided at the center or near the center of the upper surface of the display 194. For example, when the right earphone 16R and the left earphone 16L are provided with batteries, the charging device 200 charges the batteries provided in the right earphone 16R and the left earphone 16L. For example, the charging device 200 may have a size large enough to wirelessly charge the batteries provided in the right earphone 16R and the left earphone 16L that are separated from each other, and may have a function capable of outputting a magnetic field or an electric field having an output level large enough to do so. Note that the display 194 and a plurality of charging devices may be provided.

[0226] As yet another example, a charging device capable of wireless charging may be provided on a chair. For example, a charging device may be provided in the center of the headrest of the chair, or on both the left and right sides, or a charging device may be provided in the center of the upper part of the backrest, or on both the left and right sides. For example, the pillow 182 shown in Figs. 47 to 49 is replaced with a headrest, and the embodiment described with reference to Figs. 47 to 49 is applied.

[0227] As yet another example, the terminal device 14 may be provided with a charging device, and the battery may be charged by the terminal device 14.

[0228] <Cable structure> Various embodiments of the cable connecting the right earphone 16R and the left earphone 16L will be described below.

[0229] (Cable Example 1) Fig. 52 shows the configuration of the cable according to the first embodiment. Fig. 52 is a cross-sectional view of the cable. In the cable 210, there are arranged an electric wire 212 (i.e., an electric wire for a bioelectric potential) for transmitting and receiving a potential signal indicating a potential detected by a sensor electrode or a reference electrode, an electric wire 214 for transmitting and receiving a potential signal indicating a potential detected by a ground electrode, electric wires 216 and 218 for transmitting and receiving an audio signal indicating a sound emitted from a speaker, and electric wires 220 and 222 for transmitting and receiving power supplied by a battery. In order to reduce noise, a shielded wire is used for the electric wire 212 and the electric wires 216 and 218.

[0230] As an example, the electrode provided on the right earpiece 22R of the right earphone 16R is used as a sensor electrode, the electrode provided on the left earpiece 22L of the left earphone 16L is used as a reference electrode, and the electrode member 28L of the left earphone 16L is used as a ground electrode. The electrode member 28R of the right earphone 16R is not used. Also, a measurement chip (e.g., an electroencephalogram sensor) for measuring biological information is provided inside the right housing 20R of the right earphone 16R.

[0231] In this case, a potential signal indicating the potential detected by a reference electrode provided in the left earphone 16L is transmitted from the left earphone 16L to the right earphone 16R via the electric wire 212, and the potential signal is input to a measurement chip such as an electroencephalogram sensor. A potential signal indicating the potential detected by a sensor electrode provided in the right earphone 16R is input from the sensor electrode to the measurement chip in the right earphone 16R.

[0232] (Cable Example 2) The configuration of the cable of Example 2 is shown in Fig. 53. Fig. 53 is a cross-sectional view of the cable. In cable 230, there are arranged electric wire 232 (i.e., electric wire for bioelectric potential) for transmitting and receiving a potential signal indicating a potential detected by a sensor electrode or a reference electrode, electric wire 234 for transmitting and receiving a potential signal indicating a potential detected by a ground electrode, electric wire 236 for transmitting and receiving an audio signal, and electric wire 238 for transmitting and receiving power supplied by a battery.

[0233] For example, cable 230 has a circular or elliptical cross section, and electric wires 232, 234, 236, and 238 are arranged along the circumferential direction within cable 230. For example, in order to avoid the influence of noise caused by the audio signal, electric wire 232 for biopotential is arranged at a position furthest from electric wire 236 for audio signal. In other words, the distance between electric wire 232 for biopotential and electric wire 236 for audio signal is longer than the distance between the other electric wires.

[0234] (Cable Example 3) The configuration of the cable Example 3 is shown in Fig. 54. Fig. 54 is a cross-sectional view showing the cable. Inside the cable 240, the above-mentioned electric wires 232, 234, 236, and 238 are arranged.

[0235] For example, the cable 240 is composed of a cable element 242 and a cable element 244. The cable elements 242 and 244 have, for example, a rectangular cross section.

[0236] The electric wires 236, 234, and 238 are arranged in a line in that order in the cable element 242. The length of the cable element 242 in the direction in which the electric wires 236, 234, and 238 are arranged is longer than the length of the cable element 244. The cable element 244 is arranged to protrude from the cable element 242. The electric wire 232 is arranged in the cable element 244.

[0237] For example, the cable element 244 protrudes from the position where the ground electrode wire 234 is disposed in the cable element 242. This increases the distance between the biopotential wire 232 and the audio signal wire 236 compared to when the audio signal wire 236 is disposed at the position of the ground electrode wire 234, thereby suppressing the generation of noise that may occur in the biopotential due to the audio signal. Similarly, the distance between the biopotential wire 232 and the battery wire 238 increases compared to when the battery wire 238 is disposed at the position of the ground electrode wire 234, thereby suppressing the generation of noise that may occur in the biopotential due to the power supply from the battery.

[0238] The cable 240 may have a generally triangular cross section, in which the electric wires 232, 234, 236, and 238 may be arranged in the positional relationship shown in FIG.

[0239] (Cable Example 4) The configuration of the cable Example 4 is shown in Fig. 55. Fig. 55 is a cross-sectional view showing the cable. Inside the cable 250, the above-mentioned electric wires 232, 234, 236, and 238 are arranged.

[0240] The electric wires 232, 234, 236, and 238 are arranged in a line in that order within the cable 250. The order in which the electric wires are arranged is not particularly limited, but for example, by arranging the electric wire 232 for the biopotential away from the electric wire 238 for the battery, it is possible to suppress the generation of noise that may occur in the biopotential due to the electrode supply. Similarly, by arranging the electric wire 232 away from the electric wire 236 for the audio, it is possible to suppress the generation of noise that may occur in the biopotential due to the audio signal.

[0241] (Cable Example 5) The configuration of the cable embodiment 5 is shown in Fig. 56. Fig. 56 is a cross-sectional view showing the cable. Inside the cable 260, the above-mentioned electric wires 232, 234, 236, and 238 are arranged.

[0242] For example, cable 260 is composed of cable element 262 and cable element 264. Cable elements 262 and 264 have, for example, a rectangular cross section.

[0243] The electric wires 232, 234, and 236 are arranged in a line in that order in the cable element 262. The length of the cable element 262 in the direction in which the electric wires 232, 234, and 236 are arranged is longer than the length of the cable element 264. The cable element 264 is arranged to protrude from the cable element 262. An electric wire 238 is arranged in the cable element 262. For example, the cable element 264 protrudes from the position in the cable element 262 where the electric wire 236 for the audio signal is arranged. In this way, the electric wire 232 for the biopotential is arranged away from the electric wire 236 for the audio signal, and it is possible to suppress the generation of noise that may occur in the biopotential due to the audio signal.

[0244] (Cable Example 6) A configuration of a cable according to a sixth embodiment is shown in Fig. 57. Fig. 57 is a cross-sectional view showing the cable. Inside the cable 270, the above-mentioned electric wires 232, 234, 236, and 238 are arranged.

[0245] The cable 270 is a coaxial cable. The cable 270 has a circular, elliptical or rectangular cross section. For example, the ground wire 234 is arranged around the biopotential wire 232, the audio signal wire 236 is arranged around the ground wire 234, and the battery wire 238 is arranged around the audio signal wire 236. The ground wire 234 is arranged between the biopotential wire 232 and the wires 236 and 238, and the wire 232 is not arranged next to the wires 236 and 238, so that it is possible to suppress the generation of noise that may occur in the biopotential due to the audio signal or power supply.

[0246] (Cable Example 7) A configuration of Example 7 of the cable is shown in Fig. 58. Fig. 58 is a cross-sectional view showing the cable. Inside the cable 280, the above-mentioned electric wires 232, 234, 236, and 238 are arranged.

[0247] For example, a coaxial cable is made up of a ground wire 234, an audio signal wire 236, and a battery wire 238. The biopotential wire 232 is not included in the coaxial cable, but is arranged at a different position within the cable 280. In this way, by arranging the biopotential wire 232 away from the other wires, it is possible to suppress the generation of noise that may occur in the biopotential due to the audio signal or power supply.

[0248] (Cable Example 8) The configuration of the cable according to Example 8 is shown in Fig. 59. Fig. 59 is a diagram showing right earphone 16R, left earphone 16L, and cable 18 in schematic form.

[0249] The right earphone 16R and the left earphone 16L may be detachable from the cable 18. A known standard such as USB or MMCX may be used as the standard for the terminal for the connection. For example, the right earphone 16R and the left earphone 16L may be disconnected from the cable 18 and connected to a different cable.

[0250] Also, when the right earphone 16R and the left earphone 16L are connected to the cable 18, the right earphone 16R and the left earphone 16L communicate with another device (e.g., the terminal device 14) by wired communication. On the other hand, when the right earphone 16R and the left earphone 16L are disconnected from the cable 18, the right earphone 16R and the left earphone 16L may communicate with another device by wireless communication. That is, the communication mode may be automatically switched from the wired communication mode to the wireless communication mode. Also, the right earphone 16R and the left earphone 16L may be driven independently of each other.

[0251] Furthermore, depending on the type of cable 18 connected, the function or mode of the right earphone 16R and the left earphone 16L may be changed.

[0252] Two devices of the same type or two devices of different types may be connected to the cable 18. For example, a device connected to one end of the cable 18 may function as a master device, and a device connected to the other end may function as a slave device. In this case, the master device may control the slave device.

[0253] Furthermore, when two devices of different types are connected to the cable 18, the functions of the devices may be restricted. For example, access to the memory provided in the devices may be restricted, or control of the devices may be prohibited.

[0254] Alternatively, electrodes provided on a device connected to one end of the cable 18 may be used as a reference electrode and a ground electrode, and electrodes provided on a device connected to the other end may be used as a sensor electrode. For example, when the right earphone 16R is connected to one end, the electrode of the right earpiece 22R is used as a reference electrode, and the electrode member 28R is used as a ground electrode. When the left earphone 16L is connected to the other end, the electrode of the left earpiece 22L is used as a sensor electrode. For example, the brain wave sensor treats a potential signal indicating a potential detected by the electrode of the left earpiece 22L as a potential signal indicating a potential detected by the sensor electrode, treats a potential signal indicating a potential detected by the electrode of the right earpiece 22R as a potential signal indicating a potential detected by the reference electrode, and treats a potential signal indicating a potential detected by the electrode member 28R as a potential signal indicating a potential detected by the ground electrode.

[0255] Here, the processing of potential signals indicating potentials detected by each electrode will be described by taking an electroencephalogram as an example. As an example, the processing of generating an electroencephalogram signal based on a sensor potential detected by a sensor electrode, a reference potential detected by a reference electrode, and a ground potential detected by a ground electrode will be described.

[0256] A balanced differential amplifier is used to generate an electroencephalogram signal. For example, the function of the balanced differential amplifier is realized by the above-described electroencephalogram sensor 3410. For example, a known balanced differential amplifier is used.

[0257] The configuration of the balanced differential amplifier is shown in Figure 60. A potential signal indicating the sensor potential is input to the negative side of amplifier 1 (input 1), and a potential signal indicating the reference potential is input to the negative side of amplifier 2 (input 2). A potential signal indicating the ground potential is input to the positive side of each of amplifiers 1 and 2. The potential signals are amplified by amplifiers 1 and 2, and a signal that is the difference between the signal output from amplifier 1 (output 1) and the signal output from amplifier 2 (output 2) is obtained. The differential output is the output of the brainwave signal.

[0258] Between the potential signal indicating the sensor potential and the potential signal indicating the reference potential, a signal that is a difference (eg, brain waves) is amplified, and a signal of the same magnitude (eg, AC noise) is cancelled out.

[0259] <Electrode selection> Hereinafter, embodiments regarding the selection of the sensor electrodes, the reference electrodes, and the ground electrodes will be described.

[0260] For example, the sensor electrode and the reference electrode are placed in contact with the ear canal, and the ground electrode is placed in contact with the cavity of the concha. In the following, as an example, a potential signal indicating the potential detected by the electrodes is output to, for example, an electroencephalogram sensor.

[0261] (Example 1 of electrode selection) Example 1 of electrode selection will be described below with reference to Fig. 61. Fig. 61 is a diagram for explaining a method of selecting electrodes.

[0262] For example, an electrode placed in the ear canal of the right ear (e.g., the electrode of the right earpiece 22R) is used as a sensor electrode, and an electrode placed in the ear canal of the left ear (e.g., the electrode of the left earpiece 22L) is used as a reference electrode. Also, an electrode placed in the concha cavity of the right ear (e.g., the electrode member 28R) is used as a ground electrode, and an electrode placed in the concha cavity of the left ear (e.g., the electrode member 28L) is used as a ground electrode.

[0263] A potential signal indicating the potential detected by the sensor electrode and a potential signal indicating the potential detected by the reference electrode are output to the electroencephalogram sensor.

[0264] Either a potential signal indicating a potential detected by a ground electrode placed in the right ear canal or a potential signal indicating a potential detected by a ground electrode placed in the left ear canal is output to the EEG sensor, and the other is not output to the EEG sensor. The selection is performed, for example, by the control unit 16R7. For example, of the two ground electrodes, a potential signal indicating a potential detected by a ground electrode that detects a more stable potential is output to the EEG sensor. For example, a potential signal with a smaller amplitude or a smaller amount of change in amplitude is selected as a more stable potential signal. For example, the right ground electrode and the left ground electrode are made conductive to each other, and the ground electrode that detects a less noisy potential (for example, a potential with a smaller amplitude) is selected from these two ground electrodes, and a potential signal indicating a potential detected by the selected ground electrode is output to the EEG sensor.

[0265] For example, the electrodes may be selected during adjustment before measuring biological information, or the electrodes may be switched when a potential signal indicating a detected potential is unstable. The same applies to the following embodiments.

[0266] (Example 2 of electrode selection) Hereinafter, a second embodiment of electrode selection will be described with reference to Fig. 62. Fig. 62 is a diagram for explaining a method of selecting electrodes.

[0267] For example, four electrodes (e.g., electrodes A, B, C, and D) are placed in the ear canal of the right ear, and electrodes A, B, C, and D are used as sensor electrodes. The electrode placed in the ear canal on the left side is used as a reference electrode, and the electrode placed in the concha of the left ear is used as a ground electrode.

[0268] A potential signal indicating the potential detected by the reference electrode and a potential signal indicating the potential detected by the ground electrode are output to the electroencephalogram sensor.

[0269] A potential signal indicating the potential detected by any of the electrodes A, B, C, and D is output to the EEG sensor. For example, a potential signal indicating the potential detected by an electrode that detects a more stable potential among the electrodes A, B, C, and D is output to the EEG sensor. For example, a potential signal with a smaller noise amplitude is selected as the more stable potential signal. This selection is performed, for example, by the control unit 16R7.

[0270] (Example 3 of electrode selection) Hereinafter, a third embodiment of electrode selection will be described with reference to Fig. 63. Fig. 63 is a diagram for explaining a method of selecting electrodes.

[0271] For example, two electrodes (e.g., electrodes A and B) are placed in the ear canal of the right ear, and electrodes A and B are used as sensor electrodes. Two electrodes (e.g., electrodes C and D) are placed in the ear canal of the left ear, and electrodes C and D are used as reference electrodes. In addition, electrodes placed in the concha of each of the right and left ears are used as ground electrodes.

[0272] A potential signal indicating the potential detected by the electrode that detects the more stable potential out of electrodes A and B is output to the electroencephalogram sensor. For example, a potential signal having a smaller noise amplitude is selected as the more stable potential signal.

[0273] Further, a potential signal indicating the potential detected by the electrode that detects the more stable potential out of the electrodes C and D is output to the electroencephalogram sensor. For example, a potential signal having a smaller noise amplitude is selected as the more stable potential signal.

[0274] A potential signal indicating the potential detected by the electrode that detects the more stable potential out of the right ground electrode or the left ground electrode is output to the electroencephalogram sensor. For example, a potential signal having a smaller amplitude or a smaller amount of change in amplitude is selected as the more stable potential signal.

[0275] <Multiple channels> A plurality of biological information of the same type may be measured. One biological information corresponds to one channel, and a plurality of channels are formed corresponding to a plurality of biological information. Hereinafter, the plurality of channels will be described with reference to FIG. 64. FIG. 64 shows a block diagram showing a function for processing signals of a plurality of channels.

[0276] For example, the functions of each part shown in Fig. 64 are realized by the electroencephalogram sensor 3410, the processing unit 16R5, etc. Of course, the functions of each part may be realized by another device, processor, etc. Here, as an example, it is assumed that the functions of each part are realized by the electroencephalogram sensor 3410.

[0277] For example, a sensor electrode, a reference electrode, and a ground electrode are placed on the right ear, and biological information indicating brain waves is measured by these electrodes, and the biological information is processed by the brain wave sensor 3410 as a signal on channel CH1.

[0278] In addition, a sensor electrode, a reference electrode, and a ground electrode are placed on the left ear, and biological information indicating brain waves is measured by these electrodes, and the biological information is processed by the brain wave sensor 3410 as a signal on channel CH2.

[0279] Of course, the biological information assigned to each of channels CH1 and CH2 is merely an example, and biological information measured by electrodes placed at different locations may be assigned to channel CH1 or channel CH2.

[0280] The switching unit 300 receives the biological information of the channel CH1 and the biological information of the channel CH2, switches the channel at predetermined time intervals, and outputs the biological information of either the channel CH1 or the channel CH2 to the signal storage unit 302.

[0281] The signal storage unit 302 stores the biological information output from the switching unit 300. For example, the biological information of channel CH1 is linked to channel information indicating channel CH1 and stored in the signal storage unit 302, and the biological information of channel CH2 is linked to channel information indicating channel CH2 and stored in the signal storage unit 302. A signal 304, which is an example of biological information, is stored in the signal storage unit 302.

[0282] The signal separation unit 306 retrieves the biological information from the signal storage unit 302, separates the biological information into biological information for channel CH1 and biological information for channel CH2, and outputs the biological information for channel CH1 and the biological information for channel CH2 separately.

[0283] During a period in which channel CH1 is selected by the switching unit 300 and the biometric information of channel CH1 is output to the signal storage unit 302, the biometric information of channel CH2 is not output to the signal storage unit 302 and is not stored in the signal storage unit 302. Similarly, during a period in which channel CH2 is selected by the switching unit 300 and the biometric information of channel CH2 is output to the signal storage unit 302, the biometric information of channel CH1 is not stored in the signal storage unit 302 and is output to the signal storage unit 302. In this way, by switching the channel, the biometric information during a period in which the own channel is not selected is not stored in the signal storage unit 302.

[0284] Therefore, for each individual channel, the signal separation unit 306 predicts the biometric information during the period when its own channel is not selected (i.e., the biometric information that is not stored in the signal storage unit 302) based on the biometric information during the period when its own channel is selected, and interpolates the biometric information during the period when its own channel is not selected.

[0285] For example, for channel CH1, the signal separation unit 306 interpolates the biometric information during a period when channel CH1 is not selected based on the biometric information for periods before and after that period (i.e., the period when channel CH1 is selected). Similarly, for channel CH2, the signal separation unit 306 interpolates the biometric information during a period when channel CH2 is not selected based on the biometric information for periods before and after that period (i.e., the period when channel CH2 is selected).

[0286] The signal 308 shown in Fig. 64 is an example of the biometric information of the channel CH1. The signal 308 includes a signal 308a and a signal 308b. The signal 308a shown by a solid line is the biometric information during a period when the channel CH1 is selected by the switching unit 300. The signal 308b shown by a dashed line is the biometric information during a period when the channel CH1 is not selected by the switching unit 300, and is the biometric information interpolated based on the signal 308a, which is the biometric information of the periods before and after that period.

[0287] Signal 310 is an example of biometric information of channel CH2. Signal 310 includes signals 310a and 310b. Signal 310a indicated by a solid line is biometric information during a period when channel CH2 is selected by switching unit 300. Signal 310b indicated by a dashed line is biometric information during a period when channel CH2 is not selected by switching unit 300, and is biometric information interpolated based on signals 310b, which are biometric information before and after that period.

[0288] The switching unit 300 may not switch channels every time, or may switch channels every time and also switch channels according to a criterion other than time. That is, the switching unit 300 may switch channels not based on time.

[0289] For example, the switching unit 300 may switch channels depending on the noise of each channel. Specifically, the switching unit 300 selects a channel in which the amplitude of the noise is smaller, and outputs the biological information of that channel to the signal storage unit 302.

[0290] As another example, when an operation or processing is performed using a right brain signal, the switching unit 300 selects channel CH1 and outputs the biological information of channel CH1 to the signal storage unit 302. For example, when an instruction is given to operate a device or the like using a right brain signal, the switching unit 300 selects channel CH1. Similarly, when an operation or processing is performed using a left brain signal, the switching unit 300 selects channel CH2 and outputs the biological information of channel CH2 to the signal storage unit 302.

[0291] As yet another example, the switching unit 300 may select a channel according to a user's instruction.

[0292] <Noise cancellation> The process of removing noise from biological information (that is, noise cancellation process) will be described below. The noise cancellation process is performed by, for example, the processing unit 16R5. The noise here refers to potential signal information measured other than the intended measurement target.

[0293] For example, the processing unit 16R5 generates the biological information of the measurement subject from which noise has been removed by removing biological information measured by other electrodes or sensors that are not used to measure the biological information of the measurement subject from the biological information measured by the electrodes or sensors for measuring the biological information of the measurement subject. That is, the processing unit 16R5 treats the biological information measured by the other electrodes or sensors as noise, and removes the noise from the biological information measured by the electrodes or sensors for measuring the biological information of the measurement subject to generate the biological information from which noise has been removed.

[0294] Taking electroencephalograms as an example, the processing unit 16R5 removes biosignals measured by other electrodes and sensors such as a pulse sensor and an acceleration sensor from bioinformation including electroencephalograms (for example, the differential output in FIG. 60) measured by the sensor electrode, reference electrode, and ground electrode described above, thereby generating bioinformation of the measurement subject from which noise has been removed. For example, the processing unit 16R5 removes the period and impulse of the biosignals measured by the pulse sensor and acceleration sensor as noise from the bioinformation including electroencephalograms. The noise is, for example, a signal propagating within the organism or a signal propagating from outside the organism.

[0295] For example, the processing unit 16R5 treats as noise the bioinformation measured by electrodes or sensors provided at other sites than the sites where the sensor electrode, the reference electrode, and the ground electrode are provided. As an example, when measuring an electroencephalogram using electrodes provided in the ear canal, myoelectric signals caused by pulsation (e.g., blood flow cycle of blood vessels), jaw movement, blinking, etc. are treated as noise. The processing unit 16R5 removes the myoelectric signals from the biosignals measured by the sensor electrode, the reference electrode, and the ground electrode to generate an electroencephalogram signal representing the electroencephalogram from which noise has been removed.

[0296] More specifically, in the ear canal, electrode A is provided at an upper position (i.e., a position on the upper side of the head), electrode B is provided at a lower position (i.e., a position on the jaw side), electrode C is provided at a front position (i.e., a position on the face side), and electrode D is provided at a rear position (i.e., a position on the action part side). The potential detected by electrode C provided at the front position is presumed to be a potential reflecting a myoelectric potential generated due to facial movements such as blinking. Also, electrode B provided at the lower position is presumed to be a potential reflecting a myoelectric potential generated due to jaw movements, swallowing, and other movements. In this case, the processing unit 16R5 treats the potentials detected by each of electrodes B and C as noise, and removes the potentials detected by each of electrodes B and C from the bioinformation (e.g., the differential output in FIG. 60) obtained based on the potentials detected by electrodes other than electrodes B and C. In this way, an electroencephalogram signal representing an electroencephalogram from which noise caused by facial movements, jaw movements, swallowing, and the like has been removed can be obtained.

[0297] Although electroencephalograms have been taken as an example here, when other biological information is the measurement target, noise is also removed in the same manner as for electroencephalograms.

[0298] <User Interface Modifications> The biological information measuring device 12 may display various types of information (e.g., biological information or other information) not on the biological information measuring device 12 itself but on a location other than the biological information measuring device 12. For example, the biological information measuring device 12 may display various types of information on a living thing or other object (e.g., a desk, a wall, etc.).

[0299] For example, when the biometric information measuring device 12 is a wristwatch-type wearable device and is attached to a person's arm, the biometric information measuring device 12 may display various information on the person's arm, the back of the hand, etc.

[0300] As another example, when the biological information measurement device 12 is a glasses-type wearable device, the biological information measurement device 12 may display various types of information on the glass portion of the glasses.

[0301] <Example of Shared Biological Information Measurement Device 12> The biological information measuring device 12 may be shared by a plurality of people, etc. For example, after a person A uses the biological information measuring device 12, another person, a person B, may use the biological information measuring device 12 that was used by the person A.

[0302] For example, the contact-type biological information measuring device 12 (i.e., a device in which electrodes or sensors come into contact with a living organism such as a human to measure biological information) may output information indicating that the living organism (e.g., a human) wearing the biological information measuring device 12 has changed or information encouraging cleaning, for example. Outputting information may be, for example, displaying the information on a display, emitting the information as sound from a speaker, or both. For example, when the right earphone 16R or the left earphone 16L is used, the control unit 16R7 generates the information as sound from these earphones. As another example, the control unit 16R7 may display the information on a display provided in the biological information measuring device 12. As yet another example, the control unit 14d of the terminal device 14 may display the information on the terminal device 14, or may generate the information as sound from a speaker provided in the terminal device 14.

[0303] For example, if the vital information measuring device 12 is provided with a microphone, the control unit 16R7 recognizes the person using the vital information measuring device 12 based on the person's voice input from the microphone, thereby determining whether the person using the vital information measuring device 12 has changed. The control unit 16R7 may recognize the person using the vital information measuring device 12 based on an image generated by photographing the person using the vital information measuring device 12 using a camera provided in the terminal device 14 or the like.

[0304] As another example, when the account of a person using the vital information measuring device 12 is managed by the vital information measuring device 12, the terminal device 14, a server, etc., and the account is switched to another account, the control unit 16R7 may determine that the person using the vital information measuring device 12 has changed.

[0305] By outputting information indicating that the person using the vital information measuring device 12 has changed, the person using the vital information measuring device 12 can recognize that the vital information measuring device 12 has been used by another person. This allows, for example, a new person to use the vital information measuring device 12 to recognize that the vital information measuring device 12 needs to be cleaned. The same applies when information encouraging cleaning is output.

[0306] Also, a sensor or the like that detects that the vital information measuring device 12 has been cleaned may be used. For example, a sensor that detects that the electrodes or sensors have been cleaned with alcohol (e.g., a sensor that detects alcohol) is used, and when the vital information measuring device 12 is about to be used in a state in which the electrodes or sensors have not been cleaned with alcohol (e.g., when the power supply of the vital information measuring device 12 is turned on), the control unit 16R7 outputs information indicating that the vital information measuring device 12 has not been cleaned. Also, the control unit 16R7 does not need to turn on the power supply of the vital information measuring device 12. When the vital information measuring device 12 is about to be used in a state in which the electrodes or sensors have been cleaned with alcohol, the control unit 16R7 may output information indicating that the vital information measuring device 12 has been cleaned, or may not output such information.

[0307] In each of the above embodiments, the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense, and includes general-purpose processors (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit, etc.) and dedicated processors (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.). Furthermore, the operation of the processor in each of the above embodiments may not only be performed by one processor, but may also be performed by multiple processors located at physically separate locations working together. Furthermore, the order of each operation of the processor is not limited to the order described in each of the above embodiments, and may be changed as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0308] 10 vital information measuring system, 12 vital information measuring device, 14 terminal device.

Claims

1. A first electrode for measuring biological information at a part of a right ear; A second electrode for measuring biological information at a part of the left ear; A differential amplifier circuit that amplifies a measurement result measured between the first electrode and the second electrode.

2. 2. The biological information measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the first electrode or the second electrode is a dry electrode having a conductive film made of silver-silver chloride formed on the outside of the first electrode or the second electrode.

3. 3. The biological information measuring device according to claim 2, wherein the dry electrode is made of a polymer material, and the silver-silver chloride is applied to the polymer material.

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