Wearable electronic device, health management system and health management method

Abstract

To provide a wearable electronic device capable of further accurately detecting biological information of a wearer.SOLUTION: A wearable electronic device comprises: an annular ring body; a light emitting element provided inside the ring body and emitting light toward a center side of the ring; and a first optical element provided inside the ring body, on the center side of the ring with respect to the light emitting element and changing a light travel direction to a direction of narrowing a directivity angle. The ring body includes at an inner peripheral surface thereof, a protrusion formed by protruding a part where the first optical element is disposed, toward a center side of the ring more than the other part where the first optical element is not disposed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wearable electronic device, a health management system, and a health management method. [Background technology]

[0002] JP 2017-506376 A (Patent Document 1) is a background technology in this technical field. This publication states that "One aspect of the disclosure provides a WCD (wearable computing device) including an inner wall, an outer wall, a flexible printed circuit board disposed between the inner wall and the outer wall, and at least one component mounted on the flexible printed circuit board, wherein at least one of the inner wall and the outer wall defines a window that facilitates at least one of data transmission, battery recharging, and status indication" (see Abstract). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2017-506376 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Paragraph 0223 of this patent document discloses that the base assembly includes an optical element 1790 positioned adjacent to the focusing light source 1770 to focus the LED light toward the CPV inside the WCD. However, patent document 1 does not disclose a configuration for accurately detecting the biological information of the WCD wearer.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention provides a wearable electronic device, a health management system, and a health management method that can detect the biometric information of the wearer with higher accuracy. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, for example, the configurations described in the claims are adopted. The present application includes multiple means for solving the above-mentioned problems, and one example is a wearable electronic device comprising: an annular ring body; a light-emitting element provided inside the ring body and emitting light toward the center of the ring; and a first optical element provided inside the ring body and toward the center of the ring relative to the light-emitting element and changing the direction of travel of the light to a direction that narrows the directional angle, wherein the inner peripheral surface of the ring body is provided with a protrusion where the portion where the first optical element is arranged protrudes toward the center of the ring more than the portion where the first optical element is not arranged. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a wearable electronic device, a health management system, and a health management method that can detect biometric information of a wearer with higher accuracy. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wearable electronic device 1 according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a wearable electronic device 1 according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the first optical element 16 according to one embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a first optical element according to another embodiment. [Figure 8]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a first optical element according to another embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the second optical element 18 according to one embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a second optical element according to another embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a wearable electronic device 1 according to another embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a human finger wearing a wearable electronic device 1 according to an embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a graph showing the results of a simulation of the relationship between the angle θ representing the relative position between the light emitting element and the light receiving element and the intensity of the light received by the light receiving element. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a graph showing the results of a simulation of the relationship between the angle θ representing the relative position of the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element and the perfusion index (AC / DC). [Figure 16] FIG. 16 shows the radiation intensity distribution of the light emitting element with and without the optical element. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a jig 600 for manufacturing the wearable electronic device 1 according to one embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is an exploded perspective view of the jig 600 of FIG. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 shows an example of the configuration of a health management system 100 according to an embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the wearable electronic device 1. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the management server 101. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the user terminal 102. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, the present technology will be described based on a wearable electronic device according to one embodiment, with reference to the accompanying drawings as appropriate. Note that in each drawing, components having the same functions may be designated by reference numerals and may not be described in duplicate. Also, in some drawings, common orientations are indicated by X, Y, and Z axes. Although not limited to this, in this embodiment, the X, Y, and Z orientations are mutually orthogonal.

[0010] [Wearable Electronic Devices] 1 to 3 are respectively a perspective view, an exploded perspective view, and a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in Fig. 1 of a wearable electronic device 1 according to an embodiment. A wearable electronic device 1 according to the present technology is a device that can acquire biometric information of a living body such as a human body non-invasively by being attached to the living body.

[0011] A wearable electronic device 1 according to one embodiment includes a ring body 10, a light-emitting element 15, and a first optical element 16. The inner peripheral surface of the ring body 10 is characterized in that a protrusion 12a is provided in the portion where the first optical element 16 is arranged, so that the portion protrudes further toward the center of the ring than a portion where the first optical element 16 is not arranged.

[0012] The wearable electronic device 1 can also be understood as including a ring body 10, a light-receiving element 17, and a second optical element 18. The wearable electronic device 1 preferably includes a combination of a light-emitting element 15 and a light-receiving element 17. At least one of the light-emitting element 15 and the light-receiving element 17 is combined with optical elements 16, 18. The wearable electronic device 1 can include additional elements such as an electronic component 13, a wiring board 14, and other electronic elements 19. Each of these components will be described in turn.

[0013] The ring body 10 is annular and generally constitutes the outer shape of the wearable electronic device 1. The ring body 10 is a housing that houses components such as a light-emitting element 15, a first optical element 16, a light-receiving element 17, and a second optical element 18. The ring body 10 of this example includes an exterior part 11 and a sealing resin part 12. In each figure, the ring axis of the ring body 10 is aligned along the Y axis.

[0014] The exterior part 11 constitutes the outer peripheral part of the ring body 10 and is annular. The exterior part 11 has a recess 11a on the center side of the ring, as shown in FIG. 2, for example. The recess 11a is recessed toward the outer peripheral side, and components such as the light emitting element 15, the first optical element 16, the light receiving element 17, and the second optical element 18 can be placed in this recess 11a. The exterior part 11 preferably has a certain degree of strength and hardness to protect the components from external forces, etc. The exterior part 11 can be made of, for example, metal, ceramics, or a material with relatively high strength (for example, a tensile strength of 30 N / mm at 25°C). 2 The above-mentioned synthetic resins can be used for the construction of the housing.

[0015] Suitable examples of metal materials constituting the exterior portion 11 include, but are not limited to, metals such as titanium, tantalum, hafnium, zirconium, niobium, gold, and platinum, or alloys thereof, as well as materials with low bioreactivity, such as surgical stainless steel. These metal materials are preferred because they are strong and have low bioreactivity. Suitable examples of ceramic materials include oxide ceramics such as alumina, zirconia, and yttria; carbide ceramics such as silicon carbide, boron carbide, titanium carbide, and zirconium carbide; nitride ceramics such as aluminum nitride, silicon nitride, and boron nitride; titanium diboride, tungsten boride, and zirconium boride. Ceramic materials are preferred because they are hard and have a texture different from that of metal materials. Suitable examples of synthetic resin materials include general-purpose plastics such as high-density polyethylene, polypropylene, acrylotryl butadiene styrene (ABS), and acrylic resins; engineering plastics such as polyamide, polycarbonate, and fiber-reinforced plastics; and super-engineering plastics such as polyimide, polyamideimide, and polyphenylene sulfide. Resin materials are preferred because they are lightweight. These materials may be used alone or as a composite of two or more.

[0016] The sealing resin portion 12 is annular and constitutes a central (inner peripheral) portion of the ring body 10. The sealing resin portion 12 is integrally disposed on the central side of the exterior portion 11, thereby enabling airtight and watertight sealing of components such as the light-emitting element 15, first optical element 16, light-receiving element 17, and second optical element 18, which are disposed in the recess 11a. The sealing resin portion 12 may be configured as an inseparable unit with the exterior portion 11, or may be configured to be detachable from the exterior portion 11 via, for example, a fixing member.

[0017] The sealing resin portion 12 can be made of the same resin material as the exterior portion 11. However, at least the portion covering the light-emitting element 15 and the light-receiving element 17 of the sealing resin portion 12 is preferably made of a material that transmits light emitted by the light-emitting element 15 to enable light propagation between the light-emitting element 15 and the light-receiving element 17. While the transmittance is not particularly limited, for example, the transmittance for light emitted by the light-emitting element 15 is preferably 50% or more, more preferably 70% or more, and even more preferably 80% or more, or 90% or more. Suitable examples of the resin material for the sealing resin portion 12 include, but are not limited to, acrylic resins, styrene resins, polycarbonate resins, polyolefin resins, and epoxy resins. When the sealing resin portion 12 is formed integrally and inseparably with the exterior portion 11, it is preferably made of a resin such as a thermoplastic resin or a reactive-curing thermosetting resin that can be cast molded, injection molded, or transfer molded. As a suitable example, a reaction-curable resin having a bisphenol type (typically, bisphenol A type or bisphenol F type) epoxy resin or a phenoxy resin is used as the base polymer, which is preferable because molding can be performed at room temperature or around 60°C.

[0018] The size of ring body 10 is not strictly limited and can be set appropriately depending on the part of the body where it is to be worn. When wearable electronic device 1 is, for example, a finger ring, it may have an inner diameter of approximately 13 mm to 30 mm. The general shape of ring body 10 may be a perfect circle, or may be an annular shape that can be considered roughly circular, such as an elliptical or oval shape. The thickness of ring body 10 (the radial dimension of the ring) may be roughly uniform around the entire circumference, or may be configured so that the portion placed on the back of the hand is relatively thick and the portion placed between the fingers or on the palm is relatively thin.

[0019] The light-emitting element 15 is provided inside the ring body 10 and emits light toward the center of the ring. The light-emitting element 15 is typically a light source that is paired with the light-receiving element 17 to form an optical sensor. The light-emitting element 15 may be, for example, various light-emitting diodes (LEDs), semiconductor lasers (LDs), organic / inorganic electroluminescence (EL), or the like. For example, to achieve high-precision measurement of arterioles (described later) with a small footprint, it is preferable to use an LED as the light-emitting element 15. The wavelength of light emitted by the light-emitting element 15 can be appropriately set depending on the detection target. For example, the light-emitting element 15 may include one or more light-emitting elements. When multiple light-emitting elements are included, each light-emitting element can emit light of the same or different wavelengths.

[0020] The light receiving element 17 is provided inside the ring body 10 and detects light. The light receiving element 17 is typically a photodetector that forms an optical sensor in combination with the light emitting element 15. As the light receiving element 17, for example, various types of photodiodes (PD), phototransistors, photoconductive elements, etc. can be used.

[0021] The light-emitting element 15 and the light-receiving element 17 will be described in detail in the examples below, but they are preferably arranged so that the angle θ formed by the line segment connecting each of the light-emitting element 15 and the light-receiving element 17 with the center of the ring is 55° or more and 90° or less. In this case, it is preferable that two light-receiving elements 17 are provided for one light-emitting element 15, with the light-emitting element 15 sandwiched between them. From the perspective of improving detection accuracy, the angle θ is preferably 60° or more or 65° or more, and more preferably 65° or more. Furthermore, the angle θ is preferably 85° or less, and more preferably 80° or less or 75° or less.

[0022] The light-emitting element 15 and the light-receiving element 17 can form, for example, a photoplethysmogram (PPG) sensor. A photoplethysmogram is a change in the volume of blood in capillaries over time caused by perfusion, and is biological information including, for example, information about the heart rate and the internal state of blood vessels. Incident light in the visible or near-infrared range is selectively absorbed by hemoglobin in red blood cells in biological tissue, while being transmitted through or reflected by other biological tissues. In photoplethysmography, visible or near-infrared light is incident on biological tissue, and the transmitted or reflected light is detected using a PPG sensor to measure the photoplethysmogram. Various biological information can be obtained by analyzing the PPG signal acquired by the PPG sensor. Hereinafter, the method of detecting transmitted light will be referred to as the transmission method, and the method of detecting reflected light (including scattered light) will be referred to as the reflection-diffusion method.

[0023] As a preferred example, the light-emitting element 15 may include multiple light sources to detect multiple pieces of biological information (e.g., vital signs). When the light-emitting element 15 includes multiple light sources, the light sources can be used in combination to obtain different pieces of biological information. The light-emitting element 15 may be in the form of a chip, or may be in the form of a package in which one or more chips 15a or other elements are mounted on a substrate 15b (see FIG. 4).

[0024] Specifically, for example, light-emitting element 15 may include a green LED that generates light with a central wavelength of 500 nm or more and 600 nm or less. Green light is highly absorbed by hemoglobin in the blood and is less affected by external light disturbances such as sunlight, allowing for relatively stable measurement of the volume pulse wave. Based on the pulsation of the volume pulse wave generated by this green light, for example, highly reliable information on heart rate and heart rate variability can be obtained.

[0025] Furthermore, oxygenated hemoglobin, deoxygenated hemoglobin (also called reduced hemoglobin), and glycated hemoglobin may have different absorption coefficients (typically, absorption spectra) for red or near-infrared light wavelengths. Therefore, as a preferred example, light-emitting element 15 may include a combination of a red LED with a central wavelength of 630 nm to 690 nm and an infrared LED with a central wavelength of 810 nm to 990 nm. Peripheral blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) and blood oxygen concentration and heart rate can be obtained based on the difference in the absorption coefficients of oxygenated hemoglobin and deoxygenated hemoglobin for these two types of light.

[0026] As another preferred example, the light-emitting element 15 may include a combination of LEDs that generate three or more (e.g., three or four) lights with different center wavelengths between 600 nm and 990 nm. Based on the differences in the absorption coefficients of oxyhemoglobin, deoxyhemoglobin, and glycated hemoglobin, the blood hemoglobin concentration, blood glycated hemoglobin concentration, etc. can be calculated.

[0027] Furthermore, the light-emitting element 15 may include an LED that emits light of a different wavelength. Because the shape of the pulse wave contains information about hemodynamics, blood pressure can be estimated by analyzing the shape of the volume pulse wave. Furthermore, analyzing the shape of the volume pulse wave can estimate blood viscosity, which can then be used to detect blood glucose levels. Note that spectroscopy (e.g., near-infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, etc.) may also be used to measure blood glucose levels. For example, the light-emitting element 15 may include a combination of LEDs that emit two or more (e.g., two or three) different wavelengths of near-infrared light having center wavelengths of approximately 1200 nm or more and 1600 nm or less. This allows blood glucose levels to be calculated based on the light absorption spectrum derived from glucose.

[0028] Here, the PPG signal acquired by the light-receiving element 17 is susceptible to not only the performance of the light-emitting element 15 and the light-receiving element 17 themselves but also to disturbance light. Furthermore, the reflective diffuse method is more susceptible to disturbances (e.g., external pressure) than the transmissive method. Specifically, the reflective diffuse method measures the volume pulse wave using small arteries near the epidermis of a living body. For example, the reflective diffuse method detects the absorbance of blood hemoglobin in terminal arterioles with a diameter of approximately 17 to 26 μm present in the papillary dermis of the skin and arterioles with a diameter of approximately 150 to 242 μm present at the junction between the dermis and subcutaneous tissue. These terminal arterioles have small volume changes and are relatively susceptible to decreases in blood flow velocity and shear rate due to external pressure, which changes the volume pulse wave shape. On the other hand, the transmissive method can measure the absorbance of blood hemoglobin in relatively large arterioles with a diameter of approximately 1 mm present deep in the subcutaneous tissue, which have relatively large volume changes and are less susceptible to external pressure. From the above, it can be said that in order to measure volume pulse waves more accurately using photoplethysmography, it is desirable to use the transmission method. However, this method is limited in that it can only be used on areas with relatively high transparency, such as the fingertips and earlobes.

[0029] FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a human finger (that is, the proximal phalanx at the base of the finger) wearing a wearable electronic device 1 according to an embodiment. Considering the above restrictions, it would be more desirable to measure the volume pulse wave using a reflection method targeting larger arterioles 506 present deep in the subcutaneous fat 503. Therefore, this technology partially adopts the reflection-diffusion method and the transmission method, and detects not only the volume pulse wave of the terminal arteriole present in the dermis 502 immediately below the epidermis 501 or in its vicinity, but also the volume pulse wave of the arteriole 506 by detecting, with the light receiving element 17, light that has passed through the dermis 502 and is reflected or multiply scattered.

[0030] A flexor tendon 505 is present along the proximal phalanx 504 on the palm side of the proximal phalanx 504 at the base of the finger, and two arterioles 506 and nerves 507 run parallel to each other, sandwiching the flexor tendon 505. According to studies by the present inventors, in order to irradiate as much light as possible from one light source to two arterioles 506 in finger tissue wearing a wearable electronic device 1, it has become clear that, based on optical simulations taking into account the absorbance, scattering coefficient, and refractive index of each element in the epidermis 501, dermis 502, and subcutaneous fat 503, it is desirable to arrange the light emitting element 15 on the palm and set the beam angle of light emitted from the light emitting element 15 to approximately 60° or less.

[0031] Therefore, if the outer shape of ring body 10 is not uniform around the entire circumference, it is desirable to provide light-emitting element 15 in the portion that will be placed on the palm. For example, light-emitting element 15 may be located on the opposite side of ring body 10 from the thicker portion with respect to the ring axis.

[0032] The wearable electronic device 1 can include a first optical element 16 inside the ring body 10, closer to the center of the ring than the light-emitting element 15. The first optical element 16 is an element that changes the direction of travel of light emitted by the light-emitting element 15 so as to narrow the beam angle. Narrowing the beam angle of the light-emitting element 15 increases the luminous intensity of light emitted in a desired direction, making it possible to achieve the desired luminous intensity with less power. The first optical element 16 is preferably designed so that the beam angle of the light emitted by the light-emitting element 15 is approximately 60° or less.

[0033] In this specification, the "directivity angle" is an index that represents the spread of light from a light source, and refers to the value obtained by taking the illuminance (which may be luminous flux or light intensity) on the brightest optical axis as a reference, normalizing the illuminance over the entire circumference when tilted by an angle θ from the optical axis, and doubling the angle θ at which the illuminance is 1 / 2. The directivity angle can be calculated, for example, by measuring the illuminance while rotating the light-receiving element relatively around the light-emitting element.

[0034] Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the first optical element 16 according to one embodiment, and Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI thereof. By providing the first optical element 16, the light emitted by the light-emitting element 15 can be efficiently irradiated onto the arteriole 506 with higher light intensity. This improves the accuracy of detecting the volume pulse wave.

[0035] The wearable electronic device 1 can also include a second optical element 18 inside the ring body 10, closer to the center of the ring than the light-receiving element 17. The second optical element 18 is an element that changes the direction of light toward the light-receiving element 17. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the second optical element 18 according to one embodiment, and FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view thereof taken along line XX. By including the second optical element 18, more light (i.e., with higher light intensity) that has been transmitted, reflected, and scattered within biological tissue and reached the vicinity of the light-receiving element 17 can be irradiated onto the light-receiving element 17. This improves the accuracy of detecting the volume pulse wave.

[0036] Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between the first optical element 16 and the second optical element 18, they may be collectively referred to as "optical elements 16, 18." The optical elements 16, 18 preferably have reflective surfaces 16a, 18a that move away from the radial line connecting the light emitting element 15 or the light receiving element 17 and the center of the ring as they move from the light emitting element 15 or the light receiving element 17 toward the inner peripheral surface. Providing such a reflective surface 16a on the first optical element 16 can effectively narrow the directivity angle of light emitted from the light emitting element 15. Providing such a reflective surface 18a on the second optical element 18 can effectively guide light irradiated onto the reflective surface 18a to the light receiving element 17. The reflective surfaces 16a, 18a may be provided, for example, so as to surround at least a portion, preferably the entire circumference, of the light emitting element 15 or the light receiving element 17 around the radial line.

[0037] In a preferred embodiment, the optical elements 16 and 18 include element bodies 16b and 18b and reflective films 16c and 18c provided on the element bodies 16b and 18b. The reflective surfaces 16a and 18a are formed by the reflective films 16c and 18c. The reflective films 16c and 18c may be, for example, metal films made of various metals, or dielectric multilayer films in which high-refractive index layers and low-refractive index layers are alternately stacked and the thicknesses are set so that the reflected light from each boundary surface is reinforced by interference, or a combination of these. The reflective films 16c and 18c can be formed by physical vapor deposition (PVD) methods such as sputtering, vacuum deposition, and ion plating, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) methods such as thermal CVD, photo-CVD, plasma CVD, epitaxial growth, atomic layer deposition, and metalorganic vapor phase deposition, or wet plating. In this case, the constituent materials of the element bodies 16b and 18b are not particularly limited as long as they can be used to form the reflective films 16c and 18c.

[0038] In a preferred embodiment, the optical elements 16 and 18 may include bases 16d and 18d that support the element bodies 16b and 18b but do not contribute to reflection. This allows the reflecting surfaces 16a and 18a to be stably positioned closer to the center of the ring than the light-emitting element 15 and the light-receiving element 17. The bases 16d and 18d may also include through-holes 16e and 18e that are continuous with the reflecting surfaces 16a and 18a and extend radially through the bases. The light-emitting element 15 or the light-receiving element 17 can be accommodated in the through-holes 16e and 18e. This allows the light-emitting element 15 and the light-receiving element 17 to be stably positioned closer to the center of the ring than the reflecting surfaces 16a and 18a. Furthermore, the reflecting surfaces 16a and 18a can be stably positioned relative to the light-emitting element 15 or the light-receiving element 17. If the light-emitting element 15 or the light-receiving element 17 includes a substrate, the optical elements 16 and 18 may be mounted on the substrate.

[0039] The reflecting surfaces 16a and 18a may be entirely smooth or may partially have an optical surface that exhibits a specific lens or prism function. The reflecting surfaces 16a and 18a may be, for example, a plane, a curved surface, a hyperbolic surface, an ellipsoid, a parabolic surface, or a combination of two or more of these surfaces. The light-emitting element 15 is preferably positioned so that the optical axis of the light it generates coincides with the radial line, in other words, so that the optical axis passes through the center of the ring. The light-receiving element 17 is preferably positioned so that the light-receiving surface is perpendicular to the radial line. The center of the ring may be the center of gravity of the inner peripheral contour derived from the inner peripheral surface of the ring body 10 excluding the protrusion 12a.

[0040] The reflecting surfaces 16a, 18a of the optical elements 16, 18 preferably have a parabolic shape such that the contour of at least one cross section passing through the above-mentioned radial line is a parabola, as shown in Figures 6 and 10. With this configuration, light incident on the reflecting surfaces 16a, 18a can be guided in a predetermined direction.

[0041] In a preferred example, the optical elements 16, 18 have substantially rectangular parallelepiped element bodies 16b, 18b and bases 16d, 18d, and are disposed in the ring body 10 with their long sides aligned along the ring axis (Y-axis). The bases 16d, 18d have through-holes 16e, 18e for accommodating chip- or package-shaped light-emitting elements 15 or light-receiving elements 17. The through-holes 16e, 18e are continuous with cup-shaped recesses in the element bodies 16b, 18b located toward the center of the ring, and the inner walls of these recesses serve as reflective surfaces 16a, 18a. The cross section of the light-emitting element 15 or light-receiving element 17 perpendicular to the radial direction has a rectangular frame shape, with the edges tapering toward the center of the ring, increasing the distance between the opposing reflective surfaces 16a, 18a. The reflective surfaces 16a, 18a have the same parabolic shape in both the XZ and YZ cross sections.

[0042] With this configuration, the dimensions of the optical elements 16 and 18 in the annular axis direction can be designed to be larger in accordance with the dimension (width) and curvature of the ring body 10 in the annular axis direction, and as a result, the area of ​​the region surrounded by the reflecting surfaces 16a and 18a at the ends of the optical elements 16 and 18 on the ring center side can be increased. This makes it possible to narrow the beam angle of light from the light-emitting element 15 while increasing the emission area of ​​light from the optical element 16 in accordance with the ring width. Furthermore, it is possible to increase the light-receiving area of ​​the optical element 18 and the light-receiving element 17. As a result, the measurement accuracy of the volume pulse wave for the arteriole 506 can be improved.

[0043] The optical elements 16, 18 are not particularly limited in terms of the shape of the portions other than the reflecting surfaces 16a, 18a that exert an optical effect on the traveling direction of light. For example, recesses 16f, 18f may be provided on the side surfaces of the optical elements 16, 18. The recesses 16f, 18f may be provided on all four side surfaces of the substantially rectangular parallelepiped optical elements 16, 18, or may be provided on some of the four side surfaces (e.g., two parallel side surfaces) as shown in FIG. 7, or may not be provided at all as shown in FIG. 11. The corners of the optical elements 16, 18 may be chamfered, or may not be chamfered as shown in FIGS. 7 and 11.

[0044] Furthermore, the reflecting surfaces 16a, 18a of the optical elements 16, 18 may form a paraboloid of revolution with the radial line as its axis. For example, FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a first optical element 116 according to another embodiment. The reflecting surface 116a of the first optical element 116 forms a paraboloid of revolution with the radial line as its axis (i.e., a coaxial paraboloid), and the reflecting surface 116a forms a parabola in all cross sections passing through the radial line. A cross section of the first optical element 116 perpendicular to the radial line direction has a circular frame shape, with the edges tapering toward the center of the ring, and the distance between the opposing reflecting surfaces 116a increasing. The outer shape of such a first optical element 116 is not particularly limited and may be, for example, approximately cylindrical. This configuration can suppress unevenness in the intensity of light from the light-emitting element 15. Note that the reflecting surfaces 16a, 18a may have only a portion of the paraboloid of revolution (off-axial paraboloid) depending on the orientation of the optical axis of the light-emitting element 15.

[0045] The reflecting surfaces 16a, 18a of such optical elements 16, 18 desirably have sufficiently high reflectivity. The reflectivity of the reflecting surfaces 16a, 18a is preferably, for example, 70% or more, and more preferably 80% or more, 90% or more, 95% or more, or 99% or more. The optical elements 16, 18 may be entirely made of a highly reflective material, or, as described above, at least the reflecting surfaces 16a, 18a may be made of a highly reflective material. Examples of highly reflective materials include various metals such as gold, silver, copper, and aluminum. The optical elements 16, 18 may also be made of a high-refractive index material having a higher refractive index than the material constituting the encapsulating resin portion 12. Examples of high-refractive index materials include optical resins such as acrylic resins and epoxy resins, or high-refractive index glasses, each having a refractive index of 1.4 or more, preferably 1.5 or more, 1.6 or more, for example, 1.7 or more, depending on their relationship with the material constituting the encapsulating resin portion 12. Alternatively, a combination of high-refractive index / low-refractive index dielectrics, such as HfO2 / SiO2, may be used.

[0046] By providing the ring body 10 with the optical elements 16, 18 as described above inside, the sealing resin portion 12 can be provided with protrusions 12a at positions corresponding to the optical elements 16, 18. The protrusions 12a can be provided in the portion where the first optical element 16 is arranged, and protrude more toward the center than the portion where the first optical element 16 is not arranged. The protrusions 12a can also be provided in the portion where the second optical element 18 is arranged, and protrude more toward the center than the portion where the second optical element 18 is not arranged.

[0047] With this configuration, when the wearable electronic device 1 is attached to a living body, the protrusions 12a come into close contact with the epidermis 501 of the living body, pushing the epidermis 501 and the living tissue toward the center of the annulus. This shortens the optical path within the living body, which has a relatively low optical transparency, and lengthens the optical path L2 of the sealing resin part 12, which has a relatively high optical transparency, thereby improving the accuracy of measuring the volume pulse wave.

[0048] In a preferred embodiment, the ends of the optical elements 16 and 18 on the ring center side are located closer to the ring center than the inner peripheral surface of the ring body 10. With this configuration, when the protrusions 12a press the epidermis 501 of the living body toward the ring center, the ends of the optical elements 16 and 18 on the ring center side are also located closer to the ring center than the epidermis 501 that is not pressed by the protrusions 12a. This prevents the emitted light whose direction is adjusted by the first optical element 16 from leaking outside the living body, allowing more light to propagate deeper into the living body. Furthermore, it prevents light propagating inside the living body toward the second optical element 18 and its periphery from leaking outside the living body. Furthermore, it effectively prevents external light from outside the living body, other than light emitted by the light-emitting element 15, from reaching the second optical element 18. As a result, the accuracy of measuring the volume pulse wave can be further improved.

[0049] Note that the dimension (thickness) L3 along the radius of the sealing resin portion 12 covering the optical elements 16, 18 shown in FIG. 4 is preferably thin enough to maintain durability, since the end portions of the optical elements 16, 18 closest to the annular center are positioned closer to the living body. The thickness L3 of the sealing resin portion 12 covering the optical elements 16, 18 is preferably 1 mm or less, and more preferably 0.5 mm or less. A suitable example of the thickness L3 is approximately 0.2 to 0.4 mm, for example, approximately 0.2 to 0.3 mm. Note that the thickness L3 of the sealing resin portion 12 is the dimension between the end portions of the optical elements 16, 18 closest to the annular center and the end portions of the sealing resin portion 12 closest to the annular center, and does not apply to the sealing resin portion 12 disposed in the area surrounded by the reflecting surfaces 16a, 18a of the optical elements 16, 18.

[0050] 4, the dimension (protrusion height) L1 along the radius line of the protrusion 12a is preferably high enough to suppress leakage of emitted light and intrusion of external light. However, since it is advantageous for the first optical element 16, which is required to narrow the beam angle of light, to have a large dimension (height) along the radius line, it is also preferable that the protrusion height L1 of the protrusion 12a provided in the portion where the first optical element 16 is disposed be large. However, the protrusion height L1 should be kept within a range that does not cause discomfort when wearing the wearable electronic device 1 or an uncomfortable feeling caused by being pressed down when wearing it.

[0051] From this perspective, the protrusion height L1 is preferably roughly 3% or more of the inner diameter of the ring body 10, and can be, for example, 4% or more, 5% or more, 6% or more. Furthermore, the protrusion height L1 of the protrusion 12a provided in the portion where the first optical element 16 is disposed is preferably roughly 10% or less of the inner diameter of the ring body 10, and can be, for example, 9% or less, 8% or less. As a suitable example, the protrusion height L1 of the protrusion 12a in the portion of the first optical element 16 is 5% or more and 10% or less of the inner diameter of the ring body 10, typically 1 mm to 2 mm, for example, about 1.5 mm ± 0.3 mm.

[0052] Furthermore, since control of the directivity angle of the second optical element 18 is not required, the height dimension along the radial line of the second optical element 18 can be made smaller than the height dimension of the first optical element 16. Therefore, it is preferable that the protrusion height L1 of the protrusion 12a provided in the portion where the second optical element 18 is arranged is made smaller than the protrusion height of the protrusion 12a in the portion of the first optical element 16. This can reduce the discomfort felt when wearing the wearable electronic device 1. The protrusion height L1 of the protrusion 12a in the portion of the second optical element 18 is roughly 3% to 7% of the inner diameter of the ring body 10, typically 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm, for example, about 1 mm ± 0.3 mm.

[0053] When the protrusion height L1 of the protrusion 12a of the second optical element 18 is reduced, the protrusion 12a may be connected to the non-protrusion portion 12a by a relatively gentle slope (typically a curved surface), as shown in FIG. 3, or the protrusion 12a may be connected to the non-protrusion portion 12a by a relatively steep slope (typically a curved surface), as shown in FIG. 12. Here, a relatively gentle slope refers to a slope formed by a surface having a curvature radius of 1 / 50 or more, preferably 1 / 40 or more, or 1 / 20 or more, of the inner diameter of the ring. By connecting the top surface of the protrusion 12a of the second optical element 18 to the inner peripheral surface of the ring body 10 by such a gentle slope, the protrusion 12a of the second optical element 18 does not appear to protrude at first glance. Providing a relatively gentle slope for the protrusion 12a of the second optical element 18 in this manner can further reduce the discomfort felt when wearing the wearable electronic device 1, thereby further improving wearability. The slope of the protrusion 12a can be designed, for example, so that the desired pressing effect of the protrusion 12a (and therefore the first optical element 16 and the second optical element 18) can be achieved around the entire circumference of the finger.

[0054] It is also possible to increase the thickness of the sealing resin portion 12 covering the optical elements 16 and 18 by, for example, making the protrusions 12a protrude in a hemispherical shape. For example, it may seem that forming the protrusions 12a from a transparent resin with a high refractive index would provide a convex lens-like light-condensing effect. However, the refractive index of biological tissue such as skin is relatively high, approximately 1.35 to 1.4, and is unlikely to differ from that of general optical resins. Therefore, when the wearable electronic device 1 is attached to a living body, it is difficult for the hemispherical protrusions 12a to provide a convex lens effect. Therefore, in the present technology, it may be preferable to increase the height of the first optical element 16 and form the top of the protrusions 12a into a flat surface that conforms to the optical elements 16 and 18.

[0055] As described above, the first optical element 16 provided for the light-emitting element 15 has the effect of narrowing the directivity angle of light emitted by the light-emitting element 15, and it is desirable to reduce the directivity angle to approximately 60° or less. The directivity angle of an LED chip that is not designed for light concentration is approximately 120° to 140°. For this reason, it is desirable that the first optical element 16 be configured to increase the directivity of light emitted by the light-emitting element 15. For example, the greater the dimension (height dimension) along the radius line of the first optical element 16, in other words, the greater the height dimension of the reflecting surface 16a, the easier it is to reduce the directivity angle.

[0056] The upper limit of the beam angle is preferably 100° or less, more preferably 80° or less, and even more preferably 60° or less, 50° or less, or 40° or less. However, the protrusion height of the protrusion 12a is limited as described above. Furthermore, if the beam angle is too narrow, it may be difficult to irradiate, for example, two arterioles 506 in the finger tissue with the emitted light. Therefore, the lower limit of the beam angle may be 15° or more, such as 20° or more, 25° or more, or 30° or more. More specific surface shapes of the reflecting surfaces 16a and 18a that satisfy such beam angle control can be designed using, for example, general-purpose optical system design and analysis software.

[0057] For example, if the optical axis of the light-emitting element 15 is not directed toward the center of the ring, the optical elements 16 and 18 may include mirrors, lenses, filters, prisms, etc., and may polarize the light emitted by the light-emitting element 15 toward the center of the ring.

[0058] Figure 20 shows an example of the hardware configuration of a wearable electronic device 1. The control lines and information lines in the figure are those considered necessary for explanation, and do not necessarily show all of the control lines and information lines in the product. In reality, it can be assumed that almost all components are interconnected. The same applies to Figures 19, 21, and 22.

[0059] The electronic component 13 may include, for example, a processor 401, an analog front end 402, a gyro sensor accelerator module 403, a power management unit 404, a communication control unit 405, a secondary battery 415, and a wireless charging receiver 416. These elements may be housed in a housing for the electronic component 13 or mounted on a substrate for the electronic component 13, for example.

[0060] The processor 401 is a digital signal processing device that controls the operations of the analog front end 402, the gyro sensor accelerator module 403, the power management unit 404, and the communication control unit 405. The processor 401 also transmits various pieces of information acquired from the analog front end 402 and the gyro sensor accelerator module 403 via the communication control unit 405 to the management server 101, the user terminal 102, etc., which will be described later.

[0061] The analog front end 402 is an analog-to-digital conversion circuit that sends analog detection signals from various sensors 411 to 414 provided in the wearable electronic device 1 to the processor 401. Examples of the sensors include a multi-wavelength PPG sensor 411, a temperature sensor 412, a microwave sensor 413, and an electrocardiogram sensor 414. The analog front end 402 may include a processor that performs processing to remove, as a background, a difference in signal between when the light-emitting element 15 is irradiated and when it is not irradiated.

[0062] The multi-wavelength PPG sensor 411 is configured with, for example, the light-emitting element 15 and the light-receiving element 17 according to the present technology. The multi-wavelength PPG sensor 411 can detect the PPG signal as described above.

[0063] The temperature sensor 412 can detect, for example, information relating to the skin temperature or core body temperature of a living body. The temperature sensor 412 can be, for example, a thermopile-type infrared sensor, although it is not limited to this.

[0064] The microwave sensor 413 can detect frequency characteristics around the resonant frequency by emitting microwaves to a living body, for example. By analyzing these frequency characteristics, information on the moisture content of the skin, the amount of sweat, blood sugar level, etc. can be obtained.

[0065] The electrocardiogram sensor 414 can detect electrical activity associated with cardiac movement. The electrocardiogram sensor 414 can be used as one measurement electrode in various lead methods. Therefore, for example, the electrocardiogram sensor 414 may be configured to obtain electrocardiogram information in cooperation with another electrocardiogram sensor 414 provided in another wearable electronic device 1. As an example, electrocardiogram information can be obtained using a bipolar lead method by using two ring-type wearable electronic devices 1 worn on the fingers of both the left and right hands. Alternatively, electrocardiogram information may be obtained by combining a ring-type wearable electronic device 1 worn on the fingers of one hand and a watch-type wearable electronic device 1 worn on the wrist of the other hand.

[0066] These sensors 411 to 414 are, for example, signal detection devices (sensors) for detecting various types of biological information. The other electronic elements 19 may be a temperature sensor 412, a microwave sensor 413, an electrocardiogram sensor 414, or the like.

[0067] The gyro sensor accelerator module 403 includes a gyro sensor and an acceleration sensor, and can detect the angular velocity and acceleration of the wearable electronic device 1, thereby obtaining information regarding the posture, activity level, calories burned, number of steps, and behavior of the living body wearing the wearable electronic device 1.

[0068] The power management unit 404 controls charging of the secondary battery 415 by a wireless charging system consisting of a wireless charging receiver 416 and a wireless charging transmitter 417, which is an external device. A wireless charging system that complies with the Near Field Communication (NFC) standard is preferable because it allows for miniaturization and cost reduction. The secondary battery 415 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to use a lithium polymer battery, which has high energy density and little risk of leakage.

[0069] The communication control unit 405 is configured to be connectable to other terminals via a network. The network may be wired or wireless, and each terminal can send and receive information to and from each other via the network.

[0070] The wiring board 14 is an element that electrically connects the light-emitting element 15, the light-receiving element 17, and other electronic elements 19 to the electronic component 13. The wearable electronic device 1 may be provided with one or more wiring boards 14. The wiring board 14 may be, for example, a flexible printed circuit (FPC) in which wiring is printed on a flexible substrate. The wiring board 14 may be mounted with, for example, any electronic element.

[0071] The wearable electronic device 1 described above can be suitably manufactured by, for example, resin casting using a jig 600 as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 , although this is not a limitation. The jig 600 is composed of an upper mold 601, a silicone core mold 602, and a lower mold 603. In manufacturing the wearable electronic device 1, the light-emitting element 15, the light-receiving element 17, the other electronic elements 19, the electronic component 13, and the optical elements 16 and 18, all connected by a wiring board 14, are preferably assembled in the recess 11a of the exterior part 11 prepared in advance. The optical elements 16 and 18 are preferably integrated with the light-emitting element 15 and the light-receiving element 17 in advance. The light-emitting element 15, the light-receiving element 17, the other electronic elements 19, the electronic component 13, and the wiring board 14 are preferably positioned and fixed in the recess 11a of the exterior part 11 using a fixing means such as double-sided tape, adhesive, or a fixing structure. Furthermore, it is preferable that light-emitting element 15, light-receiving element 17, other electronic elements 19, and the substrate portion of wiring board 14 are housed in recess 11a of exterior part 11 and arranged so as not to protrude from exterior part 11. In this way, it is possible to prevent the positional deviation of each component in the subsequent resin injection process.

[0072] A silicone core mold 602 is attached to the exterior part 11 on which the components are arranged in this manner. The silicone core mold 602 is a mold for molding the inner peripheral surface of the sealing resin part 12. As a result, a cavity is formed between the exterior part 11 and the silicone core mold 602.

[0073] Next, the fitted exterior part 11 and silicone core mold 602 are fixed by upper mold 601 and lower mold 603 (see FIG. 17). Silicone core mold 602 has an injection hole on the top surface for injecting resin, for example, and upper mold 601 has a flow path (spool) that is continuous with this injection hole.

[0074] Then, a resin material for the sealing resin portion 12 in a fluid state is injected into the cavity from an injection molding machine (not shown) through the upper mold 601. For example, a liquid resin containing bisphenol A epoxy resin as a base polymer is injected together with a polymerization initiator at room temperature (e.g., 25°C), and then heated to a temperature of about 60°C to harden the resin. This allows the sealing resin portion 12 to be integrally formed with the exterior portion 11 in a predetermined shape.

[0075] After the sealing resin portion 12 has hardened, the upper mold 601 and the lower mold 603 are opened, and the silicone core mold 602 is deformed and released. This completes the process of obtaining the wearable electronic device 1. Note that the method of manufacturing the wearable electronic device 1 is not limited to this example. The wearable electronic device 1 may be coated for decoration, if necessary.

[0076] [Health management system and health management method] 19 shows an example of the configuration of a health management system 100 according to an embodiment. The health management system 100 and health management method according to the present technology are a system and method for monitoring biological information and managing health using a wearable electronic device 1. The health management system 100 includes one or more wearable electronic devices 1, one or more management servers 101, and one or more user terminals 102. The health management system 100 additionally includes a wireless charging transmitter 417.

[0077] The management server 101 and the user terminal 102 are configured to be able to transmit and receive information to and from each other via, for example, a network. The wearable electronic device 1 and the user terminal 102 are also configured to be able to connect to each other via wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). However, the wearable electronic device 1, the management server 101, the user terminal 102, and the wireless charging transmitter 417 may also be configured to be able to transmit and receive information to and from each other via, for example, a network. Two or more of the management server 101, the user terminal 102, and the wireless charging transmitter 417 may also be configured as an integrated unit, or any of them may be configured as two or more separate units.

[0078] Each terminal of the health management system 100 (for example, the management server 101 and the user terminal 102) may be, for example, a portable terminal (mobile terminal) such as a smartphone, tablet, mobile phone, or personal digital assistant (PDA), or may be a stationary or portable computer, or a server located on the cloud or a network. Furthermore, in terms of functionality, it may be a VR (Virtual Reality) terminal, AR (Augmented Reality) terminal, or MR (Mixed Reality) terminal. Alternatively, it may be a combination of multiple of these terminals. For example, a combination of one smartphone and one wearable terminal may function logically as a single terminal. It may also be any other information processing terminal.

[0079] Each terminal in the health management system 100 includes a processor that executes an operating system, applications, programs, etc., a main storage device such as RAM (Random Access Memory), an auxiliary storage device such as an IC card, hard disk drive, SSD (Solid State Drive), flash memory, etc., a communication control unit such as a network card, wireless communication module, mobile communication module, etc., input devices such as a touch panel, keyboard, mouse, voice input device, and input device that detects motion by capturing images from a camera unit, and output devices such as a monitor, display, speaker, oscillator, etc. The output device may also be a device or terminal that transmits information to be output to an external monitor, display, printer, device, etc.

[0080] The main memory stores various programs and applications (software modules), and the processor executes these programs and applications to realize each functional element of the overall system. Each module may be an independent program or application, or may be implemented as a subprogram or function within a single integrated program or application. Each of these modules may also be implemented as hardware (hardware modules) by integrating circuits or using a microcomputer. Furthermore, each of these modules may be installed on a single terminal, or may be distributed across two or more terminals interconnected via a network.

[0081] In this specification, each module is described as a subject that performs processing, but in reality, the processing is carried out by a processor that processes various programs, applications, etc. (modules).

[0082] The auxiliary storage device stores various databases (DB). A "database" is a set of data that has been organized and collected so that it can accommodate any data manipulation (e.g., extraction, addition, deletion, overwriting, etc.) from a processor or an external computer. The auxiliary storage device is a functional element (storage unit) that stores one or more sets of data. There are no limitations on how the database is implemented; for example, it may be a database management system, spreadsheet software, or a text file such as XML or JSON.

[0083] FIG. 21 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the management server 101. The management server 101 is an element that manages the health management system 100 of this embodiment. The management server 101 is configured by, for example, a server deployed on a cloud. The management server 101 includes a main storage device 201 and an auxiliary storage device 202. The management server 101 also includes the processor 203, input device 204, output device 205 (an example of output means), and communication control unit 206, as described above.

[0084] The main memory device 201 stores programs and applications such as a user terminal management module 211 and a health management module 212. Each functional element of the management server 101 is realized by the processor 203 executing these programs and applications stored in the main memory device 201.

[0085] The auxiliary storage device 202 stores information necessary for the operation of the health management system 100. The auxiliary storage device 202 stores, for example, user information 210, health management information 220, and the like.

[0086] The user terminal management module 211 manages the operation of the user terminal 102. For example, the user terminal management module 211 cooperates with the user execution module 311 of the user terminal 102 to control the basic operation of the health management application executed on the user terminal 102. For example, the user terminal management module 211 acquires registration information of the user who uses the health management application, and outputs (stores) and manages the information in the user information 210 of the auxiliary storage device 202.

[0087] The health management module 212 manages information related to the user's health. Specifically, the health management module 212 cooperates with the user health management module 312 of the user terminal 102 to acquire, from the user terminal 102, biometric information acquired by the wearable electronic device 1. The health management module 212 also analyzes the acquired biometric information using a plethysmography method to calculate at least one of health management information such as heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, blood pressure, and blood glucose level. The health management module 212 may be configured to calculate the user's posture and activity level, calories burned, number of steps, behavioral status, body temperature (skin temperature and deep temperature), skin moisture content and sweat rate, blood glucose level, electrocardiogram, and other health management information based on the acquired biometric information. The health management information may include management indicators for disease prevention defined as needed, such as a vascular health index, activity status, stress level, depression level, and risk of lifestyle-related diseases. The health management module 212 outputs (stores) the calculated health management information in, for example, the health management information 220 in the auxiliary storage device 202 for management.

[0088] Furthermore, the health management module 212, for example, cooperates with a user health management module 312 of the user terminal 102 to output (display) the calculated health management information on a display (an example of the output device 305) of the user terminal 102.

[0089] Health management module 212 may be configured to notify the user of a finding when a predetermined characteristic is found in the calculated health management information. The notification method is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a display on the display of user terminal 102, or sending an email or message to a predetermined reporting destination.

[0090] FIG. 22 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the user terminal 102. The user terminal 102 is a terminal operated by a user who uses this health management system, and is composed of a terminal such as a smartphone, tablet, laptop PC, or desktop PC. The user terminal 102 includes a main memory device 301 and an auxiliary memory device 302. The user terminal 102 also includes the processor 303, input device 304, output device 305, camera 306, and communication control unit 307 as described above.

[0091] The main memory device 301 stores programs and applications such as a user execution module 311 and a user health management module 312, and the processor 303 executes these programs and applications to realize each functional element of the user terminal 102.

[0092] The auxiliary storage device 302 stores information necessary for the operation of the health management system 100. For example, the auxiliary storage device 302 stores user information 310, health management information 320, etc. The user information 310 and the health management information 320 may be partially or entirely the same as the user information 210 and the health management information 220.

[0093] The user execution module 311 controls the basic operations of the user terminal 102. For example, the user execution module 311 accepts input of user-related information from the user and outputs (records) the information to the user information 310 in the auxiliary storage device 302. The user execution module 311 also controls the basic operations for health management executed using the health management system 100 in cooperation with the user terminal management module 211 of the management server 101. The user execution module 311 transmits the user information to the management server 101 via the communication control unit 206, for example.

[0094] The user health management module 312 cooperates with the processor 401 of the wearable electronic device 1 to control the basic operations of the wearable electronic device 1. The user health management module 312 connects to the wearable electronic device 1 by short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), for example, via the communication control unit 206. The user health management module 312 acquires biological information acquired by the sensors 411 to 414 of the wearable electronic device 1, and outputs (records) the information to the health management information 320 in the auxiliary storage device 302, for example.

[0095] The user health management module 312 cooperates with the user health management module 312 of the management server 101 to transmit the biological information acquired from the wearable electronic device 1 to the management server 101. The user health management module 312 also cooperates with the user health management module 312 of the management server 101 to acquire the user's health management information calculated by the management server 101 and output (display) it on the user terminal 102.

[0096] According to the health management method of the present technology, a user can obtain various health management information by using, for example, the above-described wearable electronic device 1. In this health management method, first, the user wears the wearable electronic device 1 to acquire biometric information. Then, based on the biometric information acquired by wearing the wearable electronic device 1 on the living body, at least one of health management information including heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, blood pressure, and blood glucose level is calculated by a plethysmography method. The calculated health management information is then output to a display device such as a smartphone or PC.

[0097] The wearable electronic device 1 according to the present technology is configured to detect volume pulse waves from arterioles deep in the body, thereby enabling highly accurate health management information to be obtained non-invasively. Furthermore, the wearable electronic device 1 is, for example, small and lightweight, and has a ring-like shape, allowing it to acquire biometric information without imposing excessive physical or behavioral burdens on the user. Furthermore, the wearable electronic device 1 includes optical elements 16 and 18, which increase the output density of the light-emitting element 15, thereby enabling it to efficiently acquire volume pulse waves from arterioles deep in the body with reduced power consumption. Therefore, the wearable electronic device 1 can be used for a long time on a single charge, allowing the user to acquire biometric activity over, for example, 24 hours a day without feeling any discomfort or burden, and use the information for health management.

[0098] [Example] The structure of the ring-shaped wearable electronic device 1 was examined and evaluated based on optical simulations using a finger model. For the optical simulations, the optical simulation tool "Trace Pro" manufactured by Lambda Research Corporation in the United States was used.

[0099] A cross-sectional view of a finger model wearing a wearable electronic device 1 used in the optical optics simulation is shown in Figure 13. The model consisted of the ring body 10 (exterior part 11 and sealing resin part 12) of the wearable electronic device 1, a packaged light-emitting element 15 (LED), a first optical element 16, a chip-shaped light-receiving element 17, a second optical element 18, and the finger's epidermis 501, dermis 502, subcutaneous fat 503, proximal phalanges 504, flexor tendons 505, arterioles 506, and nerves 507. In the model, it was assumed that the finger tissue was compressed by the sealing resin part 12 of the wearable electronic device 1 and therefore deformed to a shape that conformed to the sealing resin part 12. The following values ​​were used as the optical coefficients, etc., for each biological element of the model.

[0100] [Table 1]

[0101] The wearable electronic device 1 was configured with two light-receiving elements 17 sandwiching one light-emitting element 15. The position of the light-receiving elements 17 relative to the light-emitting elements 15 was determined by changing the angle θ between the line segments (radial lines) connecting the center of the ring and each element in 10° increments within the range of θ = 30 to 110°. The light-emitting element 15 was an LED with a wavelength of 940 nm, a beam angle of 120°, and a light-emitting area of ​​0.28 mm × 0.28 mm, and the light emission intensity was set to 1 mW. The light-receiving surface of the light-receiving element 17 was a flat surface measuring 1.5 mm × 1.5 mm.

[0102] In the simulation, we investigated two models: one without optical elements 16 and 18, and one with at least one of first optical element 16 and second optical element 18. First optical element 16 and second optical element 18 had the shapes shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 and 9 and 10, respectively, with resin element bodies 16b and 18b and reflecting surfaces 16a and 18a made of aluminum vapor-deposited films (reflectivity 90%). First optical element 16 had reflecting surface 16a that limited the beam angle of light-emitting element 15 to 58°. FIG. 16 shows the radiation intensity distribution of light from light-emitting element 15 with and without first optical element 16.

[0103] The ends of the first optical element 16 and the second optical element 18 on the ring center side protruded toward the ring center beyond the inner peripheral surface of the sealing resin portion 12. The thickness (L2) of the sealing resin portion 12 covering the optical elements 16, 18 was 0.46 mm. The protrusion height (L1) of the protrusion 12a corresponding to the first optical element 16 was 1.38 mm, and the dimension (L3) from the surface of the light-emitting element 15 on the ring center side to the surface of the protrusion 12a was 1.48 mm. The dimension (L5) in the X direction of the opening (opposing reflective surface 16a) at the end of the first optical element 16 on the ring center side was 2.39 mm.

[0104] Based on the above conditions, when the light-emitting element 15 emits near-infrared light toward the center of the ring, the intensity of the light that is multiple-scattered within the finger tissue and reaches the light-receiving element 17 was analyzed using a multiple-scattering simulation. The results of the optical simulation are shown in Figures 14 and 15. Figure 14 is a graph showing the simulation results of the relationship between the angle θ, which represents the relative position of the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element, and the intensity of the light received by the light-receiving element. Figure 15 is a graph showing the simulation results of the relationship between the angle θ, which represents the relative position of the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element, and the perfusion index (AC / DC). The legend in the graph indicates the presence or absence of the optical elements 16 and 18 in the model. The solid line indicates the case where the first and second optical elements 16 and 18 are not present, the dotted line indicates the case where only the second optical element 18 on the PD side is present, the dashed-dotted line indicates the case where only the first optical element 16 on the LED side is present, and the dashed line indicates the case where the optical elements 16 and 18 are present on both the LED side and the PD side.

[0105] As shown in FIG. 16, it was confirmed that by providing the first optical element 16 to the light-emitting element 15, the directivity was enhanced and light with high intensity could be emitted. Thereby, for example, compared with the case where the first optical element 16 is not provided, light with higher luminance can be irradiated to the arteriole 506 with the same power consumption. Such a configuration can be said to be a particularly preferable configuration when irradiating the arteriole 506 existing deep in the living tissue. Further, such a configuration can be a particularly preferable configuration in the wearable electronic device 1 that is required to be small and lightweight, in terms of reducing the size of the secondary battery 415 described later or reducing the charging frequency.

[0106] The light intensity (PPG signal) detected by the light-receiving element 17 includes a pulsation component (AC component) caused by a volume change corresponding to the pulsation of the heart and a direct current component (DC component) composed of reflected light and scattered light from tissues other than the pulsation components such as skin, subcutaneous fat, bone, and vein. A relationship of AC << DC is seen between the AC component and the DC component, and the ratio (AC / DC) of the AC component to the DC component is known as a perfusion index (PI). In the wearable electronic device 1 that measures vital signs based on the PPG signal, generally, the goal is to increase this perfusion index AC / DC. In this simulation, the AC component is defined as the sum of the intensities of the light rays that passed through the arteriole 506 deep in the subcutaneous tissue after being emitted from the light-emitting element 15 and reached the light-receiving element 17. The DC component is defined as the sum of the intensities of the light rays that reached the light-receiving element 17 after being emitted from the light-emitting element 15.

[0107] As shown in FIG. 13, it can be confirmed that as the angle θ increases and the distance between the light-emitting element 15 and the light-receiving element 17 increases, the light-receiving intensity decreases exponentially. This is due to the absorption of light by the living tissue of the finger. Further, as shown in FIG. 14, it can be confirmed that in the range where the angle θ is about 90 to 100°, as the distance between the light-emitting element 15 and the light-receiving element 17 increases, the AC / DC increases.

[0108] In the small θ range, the detectable light intensity is high, allowing a predetermined detected light intensity to be obtained with less LED output, making this a suitable configuration for wearable devices where miniaturization is desired. Based on these characteristics of biological tissue, a reflective PPG sensor could be constructed by mounting the light-emitting element 15 and the light-receiving element 17 on the same substrate to form a single PPG sensor chip. However, in the small θ range, the AC / DC ratio is small, and it can be seen that the proportion of light rays that reach the light-receiving element 17 via the deep finger tissue where the arterioles 506 are present is extremely small. Furthermore, in the small θ range, the AC component originates from thin arterioles near the dermis 502, making the volume pulse wave susceptible to external pressure. Therefore, reducing θ in a ring-shaped wearable electronic device 1 is not desirable.

[0109] In the region where θ is large, the AC / DC ratio is large, and a large proportion of light rays reach the light-receiving element 17 via the deep finger tissue where the arterioles 506 are located. Therefore, this method is suitable for measuring the volume pulse wave of the palmar intrinsic arterioles 506. However, when θ exceeds approximately 90° or 100°, the PPG signal becomes unstable. This is thought to be due to the absorption of light by biological tissues such as bones and tendons. Based on these characteristics of biological tissues, a transmissive PPG sensor could be used to measure the volume pulse wave on boneless areas such as the fingertip or earlobe. However, because the detected light intensity is low in the transmissive method, the LED output must be further increased to achieve high light emission intensity in the region where θ is too large. This is not desirable for the ring-type wearable electronic device 1 from the perspective of power conservation.

[0110] From the above, it can be said that in the ring-shaped wearable electronic device 1, the angle θ that indicates the positional relationship between the light-emitting element 15 and the light-receiving element 17 is preferably a quasi-transmissive type between the reflective type and the transmissive type. Also, since there is a trade-off between the received light intensity and AC / DC, it is said that it is preferable to optimize θ.

[0111] A detailed examination of the received light intensity confirmed that, in the range of approximately 55° or greater, a wearable electronic device 1 including at least one optical element 16, 18 had a higher received light intensity than a wearable electronic device 1 not including optical elements 16, 18. Regarding AC / DC, it was confirmed that a wearable electronic device 1 including at least one optical element 16, 18 had a higher value than a wearable electronic device 1 not including optical elements 16, 18 for all θ values. However, this tendency became more pronounced in the range of θ approximately 55° or greater, and it was estimated that AC / DC significantly exceeded 0.05. Based on the above, the lower limit of θ is preferably 55° or greater, and more preferably 60° or greater, 62° or greater, 64° or greater, 66° or greater, or 68° or greater.

[0112] It can be seen that the inclusion of the first optical element 16 significantly improves AC / DC in the range where θ is 60° or more. However, it was confirmed that when the first optical element 16 is included, AC / DC tends to decrease when θ exceeds 90°. Furthermore, even when the first optical element 16 is not included, AC / DC tends to decrease (become unstable) when θ exceeds 90°. Therefore, the upper limit of θ should be set to 90° or less, at which point AC / DC can be reliably improved by the first optical element 16. More preferably, the upper limit of θ is, for example, 85° or less, 80° or less, 78° or less, 76° or less, 74° or less, or 72° or less. θ can be set, for example, in the range of 70°±5°.

[0113] Although specific examples of the present technology have been described above, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and alterations of the specific examples exemplified above.

[0114] In this specification, the expression "N1 to N2" indicating a numerical range can arbitrarily indicate both not less than N1 and not more than N2, and more than N1 and less than N2.

[0115] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those including all of the described configurations. Furthermore, it is possible to replace part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, or to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, it is possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations.

[0116] Furthermore, the above-described configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, etc. may be partially or entirely implemented in hardware, for example, by designing them as integrated circuits. The above-described configurations, functions, etc. may also be implemented in software, with a processor interpreting and executing a program that implements each function. Information such as the programs, tables, and files that implement each function can be stored in a memory, a recording device such as a hard disk or SSD (Solid State Drive), or a recording medium such as an IC card, SD card, or DVD.

[0117] In addition, the control lines and information lines shown are those that are considered necessary for the explanation, and do not necessarily show all the control lines and information lines in the product. In reality, it can be assumed that almost all components are interconnected. The above-described embodiments disclose at least the configurations described in the claims. The claims include at least the following features. [1] An annular ring body; a light-emitting element provided inside the ring body and emitting light toward the center of the ring; a first optical element provided inside the ring body and on a central side of the ring with respect to the light emitting element, the first optical element changing the traveling direction of the light in a direction narrowing the directivity angle; Equipped with A wearable electronic device in which a protrusion is provided on the inner surface of the ring body, where the portion where the first optical element is arranged protrudes toward the center of the ring more than the portion where the first optical element is not arranged. [2] A wearable electronic device according to [1], wherein the end of the first optical element on the center side of the ring is located closer to the center of the ring than the inner peripheral surface. [3] The wearable electronic device according to [1] or [2], wherein the first optical element is configured to set the directivity angle of the light-emitting element to 60° or less. [4] A wearable electronic device described in any one of [1] to [3], wherein the first optical element has a reflective surface that moves away from the radial line connecting the light-emitting element and the center of the ring as it moves toward the inner surface. [5] The wearable electronic device according to [4], wherein the reflective surface is a paraboloid. [6] The wearable electronic device according to [4] or [5], wherein the reflecting surface forms a paraboloid of revolution with the radial line as its axis. [7] The optical element includes an element body and a reflective film provided on the element body, The wearable electronic device according to any one of [1] to [6], wherein the reflective surface is constituted by the reflective film. [8] The wearable electronic device according to [7], wherein the reflective film is a metal film. [9] The wearable electronic device according to any one of [1] to [8], wherein the protrusion has a flat top.

[10] The wearable electronic device according to any one of [1] to [9], wherein the protrusion has a protruding dimension that is 5% to 10% of the inner diameter of the ring.

[11] The wearable electronic device according to any one of [1] to

[10] , wherein the thickness of the portion of the ring body that covers the optical element is 0.5 mm or less.

[12] A light-receiving element provided inside the ring body and detecting light; a second optical element that is provided inside the ring body and closer to the center of the ring than the light receiving element, and that changes the traveling direction of the light toward the light receiving element; Furthermore, The wearable electronic device according to any one of [1] to

[11] , wherein the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element are arranged so that the angle formed by the line segment connecting each of the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element to the center of the ring is greater than or equal to 55° and less than or equal to 90°.

[13] A wearable electronic device as described in

[12] , wherein the height dimension along the radial line of the first optical element provided for the light-emitting element is greater than the height dimension of the second optical element provided for the light-receiving element.

[14] The light-emitting element comprises a plurality of light-emitting diodes; The wearable electronic device according to any one of [1] to

[13] , wherein the plurality of light emitting diodes emit light of the same or different wavelengths.

[15] The wearable electronic device according to any one of [1] to

[14] , wherein the light emitting element includes a green diode that generates light having a central wavelength of 500 nm or more and 600 nm or less.

[16] The wearable electronic device according to any one of [1] to

[15] , wherein the light-emitting element includes a diode that generates light having a central wavelength of at least one of 630 nm or more and 690 nm or less and 810 nm or more and 990 nm or less.

[17] The ring body is an exterior portion disposed on the outer periphery of the ring and having a recess on the center side of the ring; a sealing resin portion disposed integrally with the exterior portion on a center side of the ring; Equipped with The wearable electronic device according to any one of [1] to

[16] , wherein the light emitting element and the optical element are disposed in the recess and sealed by the sealing resin portion.

[18] The wearable electronic device described in

[17] , wherein the light-emitting element and the optical element are arranged so as to protrude toward the center of the ring more than the exterior portion.

[19] An annular ring body; a light receiving element provided inside the ring body and configured to detect light; a second optical element that is provided inside the ring body and closer to the center of the ring than the light receiving element, and that changes the traveling direction of the light toward the light receiving element; Equipped with A wearable electronic device in which a protrusion is provided on the inner surface of the ring body, where the portion where the second optical element is arranged protrudes toward the center of the ring more than the portion where the second optical element is not arranged.

[20] A wearable electronic device according to any one of [1] to

[19] ; a control unit that calculates at least one piece of health management information, including a heart rate, a blood oxygen saturation level, a blood pressure, and a blood glucose level, by a plethysmography method based on the biological information acquired by the electronic element of the wearable electronic device attached to the living body; an output unit that outputs the health management information; A health management system comprising:

[21] A step of calculating at least one piece of health management information, including heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, blood pressure, and blood glucose level, by a plethysmography method based on biological information acquired by attaching the wearable electronic device according to any one of [1] to

[19] to a living body; outputting the health management information; A health management method including:

[22] The health management method according to

[21] , wherein the wearable electronic device is ring-shaped and the living body is a human finger. [Explanation of symbols]

[0118] 1...wearable electronic device, 10...ring body, 11...exterior part, 11a...recess, 12...sealing resin part, 12a...protrusion, 13...electronic component, 14...wiring board, 15...light-emitting element, 16...optical element, 16a...reflecting surface, 17...light-receiving element, 18...optical element, 18a...reflecting surface, 100...health management system, 101...management server, 102...user terminal

Claims

1. an annular ring body; a light-emitting element provided inside the ring body and emitting light toward the center of the ring; a first optical element provided inside the ring body and closer to the center of the ring than the light emitting element, the first optical element changing the traveling direction of the light in a direction narrowing the directivity angle; Equipped with A wearable electronic device in which a protrusion is provided on the inner surface of the ring body, where the portion where the first optical element is arranged protrudes toward the center of the ring more than the portion where the first optical element is not arranged.

2. The wearable electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein an end of the first optical element on a center side of the ring is located closer to the center of the ring than the inner peripheral surface.

3. The wearable electronic device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first optical element is configured to set the beam angle of the light-emitting element to 60° or less.

4. The wearable electronic device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first optical element has a reflective surface that moves away from a radial line connecting the light-emitting element and the center of the ring toward the inner peripheral surface.

5. The wearable electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the reflective surface is parabolic.

6. The wearable electronic device according to claim 4 , wherein the reflecting surface forms a paraboloid of revolution about the radial line.

7. the first optical element comprises an element body and a reflective film provided on the element body; The wearable electronic device according to claim 4 , wherein the reflective surface is constituted by the reflective film.

8. The wearable electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the reflective film is a metal film.

9. The wearable electronic device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the protrusion has a flat top.

10. The wearable electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the protrusion has a protruding dimension that is 5% to 10% of the inner diameter of the ring.

11. The wearable electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the portion of the ring body that covers the first optical element is 0.5 mm or less.

12. a light receiving element provided inside the ring body and configured to detect light; a second optical element provided inside the ring body and closer to the center of the ring than the light receiving element, the second optical element changing the traveling direction of the light toward the light receiving element; Furthermore, The wearable electronic device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element are arranged so that the angle formed by the line segment connecting each of the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element with the center of the ring is greater than or equal to 55° and less than or equal to 90°.

13. The wearable electronic device of claim 12, wherein a height dimension along a radial line connecting the center of the ring of the first optical element provided for the light-emitting element is greater than the height dimension of the second optical element provided for the light-receiving element.

14. the light emitting element comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes; The wearable electronic device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the plurality of light-emitting diodes emit light of the same or different wavelengths.

15. The wearable electronic device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the light emitting element includes a green diode that generates light having a center wavelength of 500 nm or more and 600 nm or less.

16. The wearable electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the light-emitting elements include a diode that generates light having a center wavelength of 630 nm or more and 690 nm or less, and a diode that generates light having a center wavelength of 810 nm or more and 990 nm or less.

17. The ring body is an exterior portion disposed on the outer periphery of the ring and having a recess on the center side of the ring; a sealing resin portion disposed integrally with the exterior portion on a center side of the ring; Equipped with The wearable electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the light-emitting element and the first optical element are disposed in the recess and are sealed by the sealing resin portion.

18. The wearable electronic device according to claim 17 , wherein the light-emitting element and the first optical element are arranged to protrude toward a center of the ring beyond the exterior portion.

19. an annular ring body; a light receiving element provided inside the ring body and configured to detect light; a second optical element provided inside the ring body and closer to the center of the ring than the light receiving element, the second optical element changing the traveling direction of the light toward the light receiving element; Equipped with A wearable electronic device in which a protrusion is provided on the inner surface of the ring body, where the portion where the second optical element is arranged protruding toward the center of the ring more than the portion where the second optical element is not arranged.

20. A wearable electronic device according to claim 1 or 19; a control unit that calculates at least one piece of health management information, including a heart rate, a blood oxygen saturation level, a blood pressure, and a blood glucose level, by a plethysmography method based on the biological information acquired by the wearable electronic device attached to the living body; an output unit that outputs the health management information; A health management system comprising:

21. 20. A step of calculating at least one piece of health management information, including a heart rate, a blood oxygen saturation level, a blood pressure, and a blood glucose level, by a plethysmography method based on biological information acquired by attaching the wearable electronic device according to claim 1 or 19 to a living body; outputting the health management information; A health management method including:

22. The health management method according to claim 21 , wherein the wearable electronic device is a ring-shaped device and the living body is a human finger.

Images