Clothing

Abstract

To provide a garment capable of detecting biological signals, and excellent in detecting stable biological signals, especially electrocardiograms, by bringing an electrode part into contact with an appropriate part of a wearer, while absorbing differences in the wearer's body shape without applying excessive pressing pressure, and furthermore, suppressing damage to the electrode part and disconnections in a conductive wire part.SOLUTION: The garment is capable of detecting biological signals and worn on the upper body of a wearer, including: a body fabric configured to adhere to the wearer; a highly elastic structural fabric having higher elasticity than the body fabric; a sheet-shaped electrode part in contact with the wearer; and conductive wire parts connected to the electrode part, the electrode part being bonded to the body fabric.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to clothing capable of detecting biological signals. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, clothing capable of detecting biosignals has been used to measure the wearer's electrocardiogram, electromyogram, etc. Such clothing usually includes an electrode portion for detecting the wearer's biosignals and a conductor portion connected to the electrode portion (for example, see Patent Documents 1 to 3).

[0003] In order to stably acquire biosignals, it is important to hold the electrodes in appropriate positions on the wearer, so conventional clothing of this type uses the tightening effect of the fabric to hold the electrodes in close contact with the wearer. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-158709 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2017-082361 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2020-146336 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, if the pressing pressure of the fabric is too strong, it can cause breathing problems for the wearer, a decrease in blood oxygen concentration, etc., and is therefore not suitable for long-term use. Furthermore, the pressing pressure may become even stronger depending on the wearer's body type.

[0006] Furthermore, expansion and contraction of the fabric due to the wearer's movements, etc., may cause damage to the electrodes or breakage of the conductors connected to the electrodes.

[0007] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention has an object to provide clothing capable of detecting biosignals, which absorbs differences in the wearer's body shape without applying excessive pressure, which brings the electrode portions into contact with appropriate parts of the wearer, and which is excellent at detecting stable biosignals, particularly electrocardiac signals, and which further suppresses damage to the electrode portions and breakage of the conductor portions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The clothing according to the present invention comprises: A garment capable of detecting a biological signal, It is worn on the wearer's upper body, The garment comprises a body fabric configured to fit closely to a wearer, and a highly elastic structural fabric having higher elasticity than the body fabric, The device includes a sheet-like electrode portion that is in contact with a wearer, and a conductor portion that is connected to the electrode portion, The electrode portion is joined to the body fabric.

[0009] According to this configuration, the highly elastic structural fabric stretches when worn, absorbing the difference in the wearer's body shape without applying excessive pressure. In addition, since the electrode portion is bonded to the body fabric, the electrode portion can be brought into contact with an appropriate part of the wearer, and thus a stable biosignal can be detected, compared to when the electrode portion is bonded to a highly elastic structural fabric with high elasticity. Furthermore, since the highly elastic structural fabric absorbs the stretching that may occur due to the wearer's movements, the stretching of the body fabric is reduced, and the stretching of the body fabric to which the electrode portion and the conductor portion are bonded is suppressed, so that damage to the conductor portion and breakage of the electrode portion can be suppressed.

[0010] The highly elastic structured fabric preferably has an elongation rate 15% or more higher than that of the body fabric. The highly elastic structured fabric is preferably a bellows-shaped warp knitted fabric, and more preferably the bellows stretch direction is aligned along the width direction of the garment. Garments having such a configuration have even better effects as described above.

[0011] The garment according to the present invention preferably comprises a back body, The highly elastic structural fabric is disposed on the center line in the width direction of the rear body.

[0012] The movement of the wearer causes more change in the fabric that composes the garment when the wearer leans forward than when the wearer leans backward. Therefore, when the garment is worn, the amount of stretch near the center line of the back body is greater than the other fabrics (particularly the front body). The garment with the above configuration takes such wearer movements into consideration, and the highly stretchable fabric structure in the back body is more likely to absorb the stretch caused by the wearer's movements, resulting in even greater advantages than the above effects.

[0013] In addition, the clothing according to the present invention preferably comprises: The electrode portion is composed of conductive fibers and non-conductive fibers, The non-conductive fibers have a single fiber diameter of 1 μm or less.

[0014] According to this configuration, since the single fiber diameter of the non-conductive fibers is 1 μm or less, the sheet-like electrode portion has excellent flexibility and can easily conform to the body shape of the wearer.

[0015] In the clothing according to the present invention, the non-conductive fibers preferably include polyester fibers.

[0016] According to this configuration, polyester fiber is relatively excellent in strength and elasticity among various fibers, and therefore the electrode portion has excellent durability.

[0017] In the clothing according to the present invention, the conductor portion preferably includes a conductive portion and an insulating portion that covers the conductor portion.

[0018] According to this configuration, the covering of the insulating portion suppresses damage to the conductive portion.

[0019] In the clothing according to the present invention, the insulating portion preferably contains polyester fibers.

[0020] According to this configuration, the conductive portion has excellent durability.

[0021] In the clothing according to the present invention, the connection portion between the electrode portion and the conductor portion is preferably covered with an insulating sheet.

[0022] According to this configuration, the connection between the electrode portion and the conductor portion is covered with an insulating sheet, so that signal information is transmitted accurately by the conductor portion.

[0023] In the garment according to the present invention, preferably, a cushioning material is interposed between the electrode portion and the body fabric.

[0024] According to this configuration, the cushioning material is interposed between the electrode portion and the body fabric, so that the electrode portion can be brought into contact with and held in place at an appropriate part of the wearer without applying excessive pressure.

[0025] In addition, the clothing according to the present invention preferably comprises: The garment comprises a front body, a first electrode portion joined to the front body, and a second electrode portion joined to the front body, Each of the first electrode portion and the second electrode portion is arranged so as to be located above a first center line passing halfway between the lower end of the armhole of the garment and the lower end of the front body, and to be located closer to the side edge than a third center line passing halfway between a second center line dividing the front body evenly into left and right halves and the side edge of the front body.

[0026] According to such an arrangement of the electrodes, the electrodes can come into contact with parts of the wearer with less muscle, making it easier to detect electrical signals from the heart, i.e., easier to detect electrocardiographic signals.

[0027] Moreover, the garment according to the present invention preferably comprises a front body and a fastener dividing the front body into left and right portions.

[0028] With this configuration, the front body can be divided by the fastener, making it easy to put on and take off even though the body fabric is configured to fit closely to the wearer, and preventing damage to the electrode parts and breakage of the conductor parts. Effect of the Invention

[0029] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide clothing capable of detecting biosignals, which absorbs differences in the wearer's body shape without applying excessive pressure, contacts the electrode portions with appropriate parts of the wearer, and is excellent at detecting stable biosignals, particularly electrocardiogram signals, and further reduces damage to the electrode portions and breakage of the conductor portions. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0030] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view of a garment according to one embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a rear view of the garment of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 2 shows the back side of the garment in FIG. 1, mainly showing the electrode and conductor portions. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0031] Hereinafter, a garment according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0032] 1 and 2, the clothing 1 according to this embodiment is a T-shirt-type upper garment, and includes a front body 10 that covers the wearer's torso from the front side, and a back body 20 that covers the wearer's torso from the back side. The clothing 1 according to this embodiment also includes a sheet-like electrode section 30 that detects electrocardiogram signals as biosignals, and a conductor section 40 having one end connected to the electrode section 30 and the other end connected to a processing device. The processing device acquires the signal data detected by the electrode section 30 and generates an electrocardiogram.

[0033] The garment 1 of this embodiment includes a fastener 50 that divides the front body 10 into a right and left portion. The fastener 50 extends across the top-bottom direction of the front body 10, and is configured to be able to divide the front body 10 into a right front body portion 10R and a left front body portion 10L.

[0034] The back body 20 of this embodiment has a pocket 60 that houses the processing device. Furthermore, at least two (specifically, three) terminals 70 for electrically connecting the processing device and the electrode section 30 are attached to the back body 20 above the pocket 60. The terminals 70 are attached between the neckline of the garment 1 and the pocket 60. The pocket 60 is formed below the terminals 70.

[0035] Each of the front body 10 and the back body 20 of this embodiment is composed of a body fabric as the main fabric and a highly stretchable structural fabric that is a fabric having higher stretchability than the body fabric.

[0036] The body fabric of this embodiment is a stretchable knit fabric composed of a textured yarn made of polytrimethylene terephthalate or a polyester composite fiber containing polytrimethylene terephthalate as one component, which is false twisted and crimped, and an elastic yarn made of an elastic fiber such as polyurethane elastic fiber. The front body 10 and the back body 20 having such a body fabric can be in close contact with the wearer's skin. The body fabric of the present invention is not limited to the above, and may be, for example, a knit or woven fabric made of polyester fiber, nylon fiber, cotton, etc.

[0037] The highly elastic structural fabric of this embodiment has higher elasticity than the main fabric. Specifically, when the elongation of the highly elastic structural fabric of this embodiment is measured according to the A method (strip method) of "8.14 Tensile strength and elongation" of JIS L 1096:2010 (Fabric test method for woven and knitted fabrics), the elongation is 15% or more higher than that of the main fabric in both the horizontal and vertical directions. The dimensions of the test piece are 50 mm wide x 300 mm long or 25 mm wide x 200 mm long. When measuring the stretch rate of the highly elastic structure fabric in the width direction (corresponding to the horizontal direction of the fabric) in the garment 1, five pieces of 50 mm wide x 60 mm long (five pieces with a 2 mm seam allowance and a length of 300 mm after sewing) or four pieces of 25 mm wide x 50 mm long (four pieces with a 2 mm seam allowance and a length of 200 mm after sewing) are overlapped at the seam allowance and sewn together using a non-elastic thread to prepare the above test piece. The thread for sewing may be polyester thread or nylon thread. The sewing method is a lock stitch. On the other hand, when measuring the stretch rate of the highly elastic structure fabric in the garment 1 in the up-down direction (corresponding to the vertical direction of the fabric), a test piece of 50 mm wide x 300 mm long or 25 mm wide x 200 mm long is prepared.

[0038] The highly elastic structured fabric of this embodiment has a repeating structure of alternating concaves and convexes aligned along a predetermined direction in the surface direction. The highly elastic structured fabric of this embodiment is configured to approach a flat state by tension along the predetermined direction, and to return to the original concave and convex state by releasing the tension. This makes the highly elastic structured fabric of this embodiment easy to stretch along the predetermined direction. Examples of such highly elastic structured fabrics include knitted or woven fabrics that have been subjected to pleating processing, willow fabrics, and knitted or woven fabrics formed into a bellows shape.

[0039] In particular, a bellows-shaped warp knitted fabric is preferred because it stretches easily even with a relatively small tensile force. A "bellows" is a structure in which mountain folds and valley folds (i.e., unevenness) are successively formed, and is also called an "accordion fabric." More specifically, in a cross section perpendicular to the surface direction of the fabric and parallel to the predetermined direction, a bellows-shaped warp knitted fabric has front-side convex portions and back-side convex portions (i.e., concave portions) of the fabric alternately formed. When the surface of the bellows-shaped warp knitted fabric is viewed, the front-side convex portions protrude while being curved in the predetermined direction so as to cover a part of the back-side convex portion adjacent thereto. When a bellows-shaped warp knitted fabric having such a structure is subjected to a tensile force along the predetermined direction, the curved portions approach a straight line, and the fabric stretches significantly in the predetermined direction.

[0040] The bellows-shaped warp knitted fabric can be manufactured by, for example, the method described in Japanese Patent No. 5451193. That is, for example, a denbi knitted portion (front side main knitted portion) of a predetermined width is knitted at a predetermined interval in the weft direction with the front side needles of a double raschel knitting machine, while a denbi knitted portion (back side main knitted portion) of a predetermined width is knitted at a predetermined interval in the weft direction with the back side needles, and further, the phase of the parallel back side main knitted portions is shifted in the weft direction with respect to that of the front side main knitted portions, so that each back side main knitted portion is positioned at the middle position between the front side main knitted portions. In this case, it is preferable to knit the side edges of the adjacent front side main knitted portions and the side edges of the back side main knitted portions in the warp direction by double chain stitch or double denbi stitch (connected knitted portion), and knit the ear portions on both sides of the knitted fabric with the same knitting structure as the connected knitted portion. An example of a commercially available product is Accordio (product name) by Inoue Ribbon Kogyo Co., Ltd.

[0041] The highly elastic structured fabric of this embodiment is composed of a textured polyester yarn that has been false twisted and crimped, and an elastic yarn composed of an elastic fiber such as polyurethane elastic fiber. The elastic yarn that constitutes the highly elastic structured fabric of this embodiment has a larger fineness than the elastic yarn that constitutes the body fabric, specifically, it is at least twice, preferably at least three times, more preferably at least four times, and even more preferably at least five times that of the elastic yarn for the body fabric. The highly elastic structured fabric of this embodiment has enhanced elasticity due to the structural characteristics as described above, and also has enhanced elasticity due to the textured yarn and the elastic yarn. As a result, the highly elastic structured fabric of this embodiment exhibits higher elasticity in the width direction of the garment 1 than the body fabric, and also exhibits higher elasticity in the vertical direction of the garment 1.

[0042] The body fabric and the highly elastic fabric are preferably joined together by sewing with thread.

[0043] Next, the electrode unit 30 of this embodiment will be described. As shown in Fig. 3, the electrode unit 30 of this embodiment has a rectangular shape and a surface unit 31 that comes into contact with the epidermis of the wearer. The surface unit 31 has a detection unit 311 extending on a center line that bisects the surface unit 31, and a pair of non-detection units 312 formed on both sides of the detection unit 311. The detection unit 311 and the non-detection unit 312 are each formed between the parallel edges of the electrode unit 30. The shape of the electrode unit may be a square, a circle, a triangle, or the like.

[0044] The electrode unit 30 of this embodiment has a detection unit 311 formed by interknitting or interweaving conductive fibers, and a non-detection unit 312 formed by interknitting or interweaving non-conductive fibers. As a method for forming the detection unit and the non-detection unit of the present invention, a method of partially applying a conductive agent to a knitted or woven fabric made of non-conductive fibers by impregnation or printing, or a method of partially printing a conductive material on a non-conductive film can also be adopted.

[0045] The conductive fiber may be a known fiber having electrical conductivity. For example, it may be one described in Japanese Patent No. 6185638. That is, specific examples of the conductive fiber include metal-plated fiber, conductive polymer fiber, metal fiber, carbon fiber, slit fiber, conductive material-containing fiber, etc. The conductive fiber may be used alone or in combination of two or more types. Examples of the metal-plated fiber include fibers in which the surface of a synthetic fiber is coated with a metal such as silver, copper, gold, or stainless steel, or an alloy containing at least one of these metals. Examples of the synthetic fiber to be metal-plated include nylon fiber, polyester fiber, etc. As a commercially available product, it may be silver-plated nylon fiber such as "AGposs" (product name) manufactured by Mitsufuji Co., Ltd.

[0046] The non-detection portion 312 of this embodiment contains nanofibers (ultrafine fibers) with a single fiber diameter of 1 μm or less (preferably 10 to 800 nm) as non-conductive fibers. This makes the surface of the sheet-like electrode portion 30 flat, increases the contact area with the epidermis of the wearer, and is preferable because it enhances adhesion to the epidermis. The non-detection portion 312 preferably contains 30 mass % or more (preferably 50 mass % or more) of the nanofibers. Furthermore, as the nanofibers, Nanofront (registered trademark) manufactured by Teijin Frontier Co., Ltd., with a single fiber diameter of 700 nm, is preferable. The single fiber diameter can be obtained by selecting 20 single fibers facing forward in a microscope such as a SEM, measuring the diameters of the circumscribed circles of the selected single fibers, and averaging the diameters.

[0047] The thickness of the electrode section 30 made of the conductive and non-conductive fibers as described above can be 1.0 mm or less (more preferably 0.1 to 0.5 mm). The thinner the thickness, the easier it is to conform to the unevenness and curvature of the wearer's epidermis and adhere closely. The thickness of the electrode section 30 is measured according to the 8.4 A method described in JIS L1096:2020 (Fabric test method for woven and knitted fabrics).

[0048] As shown in FIG. 1, the clothing 1 of this embodiment includes two electrode units 30 joined to the front body 10. Each electrode unit 30 is arranged along the lower end of each armhole of the clothing 1. More specifically, the first electrode unit 30 is provided on the right front body 10R, and the second electrode unit 30 is provided on the left front body 10L. With regard to the vertical arrangement of these, when a line passing through the middle between the lower end of the armhole of the clothing 1 and the lower end of the front body 10 is defined as a first center line C1, each electrode unit 30 is arranged in an area located above the first center line C1. More specifically, each electrode unit 30 is arranged so as to extend on a center line passing through the middle between the lower end of the armhole of the clothing 1 and the first center line C1.

[0049] Next, regarding the arrangement of the electrode parts 30 in the left-right direction, when the center line that divides the front body 10 equally into the left and right sides is defined as the second center line C2, and the two lines that pass through the middle between the second center line C2 and a pair of side edges of the front body 10 (the side edge 11R of the right front body 11 and the side edge 11L of the left front body 10L) are defined as the third center line C3 and the fourth center line C4, respectively, the first electrode part 30 is arranged in the area between the third center line C3 and the side edge 11R of the right front body 10R, and the second electrode part 30 is arranged in the area between the fourth center line C4 and the side edge 11L of the left front body 10L. These areas are areas that are made of the body fabric. With such an arrangement, the electrode parts 30 can come into contact with parts of the wearer with less muscle, making it easier to detect electrical signals from the heart. In addition, since the electrodes 30 are arranged so as to sandwich the wearer's heart from both the left and right sides, the electrocardiogram signal can be clearly detected. Considering that each side edge of the front body 10 may be slightly curved in the vertical direction as in this embodiment, the third center line C3 and the fourth center line C4 are defined based on a straight line that passes through the innermost point in the width direction among each side edge of the front body 10 and is parallel to the vertical direction.

[0050] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a cushioning material having a thickness of 5 mm or more (preferably 5 to 20 mm) is arranged between the back surface of each electrode section 30 opposite to the surface (surface that contacts the wearer) and the back surface of the fabric constituting the front body 10. This cushioning material has the effect of pressing the sheet-like electrode section 30 against the epidermis side, and also has the effect of making it easier for the surface shape of the electrode section 30 to follow and deform according to the unevenness and curvature of the epidermis. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of the above-mentioned followability, it is preferable that this cushioning material is sandwiched between the sheet-like electrode section 30 and the body fabric without being bonded or sewn to them. The cushioning material is, for example, made of polyurethane foam.

[0051] In this embodiment, the sheet-like electrode section 30 and the fabric constituting the front body 10 are fixed by attaching a thermal transfer sheet 80, which is a single-sided insulating sheet, in the shape of an outer frame to the outer periphery of the electrode section 30. In addition, a method of sandwiching and adhering a double-sided thermal transfer sheet cut into a frame shape between the sheet-like electrode section 30 and the fabric, or a method of sewing the outer periphery of the sheet-like electrode section 30 and the fabric can also be used. In particular, a method of fixing with a thermal transfer sheet such as an ironing sheet is preferable.

[0052] In this embodiment, the highly elastic structured fabric is partially disposed in each of the front body 10 and the back body 20. Meanwhile, the other areas (areas other than the areas constituted by the highly elastic structured fabric) are constituted by the body fabric.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 1, in the front body 10 of this embodiment, highly elastic structural fabrics are arranged in pairs in the right front body 10R and the left front body 10L, respectively, to form a pair of first highly elastic regions H1 on the left and right. The first highly elastic region H1 extends in the vertical direction, with its upper end arranged below the electrode section 30 and above the first center line C1, and its lower end arranged to correspond to the lower end of the front body 10. Meanwhile, with regard to the arrangement in the width direction, the first highly elastic region H1 is formed closer to the center in the width direction (the fastener 50 side) than the electrode section 30. The first highly elastic region H1 is also arranged in approximately the region between the second center line C2 and the third center line C3 and the region between the second center line C2 and the fourth center line C4. More specifically, of the total area of ​​the first highly stretchable region H1 in the right front body 10R, 80% or more is formed in the area between the second center line C2 and the third center line C3, and of the total area of ​​the first highly stretchable region H1 in the left front body 10L, 80% or more is formed in the area between the second center line C2 and the fourth center line C4.

[0054] The ratio of the width of the highly elastic structure fabric in the width direction of the right front body 10R is preferably 25% to 50%, more preferably 30% to 40%. Similarly, the ratio of the width of the highly elastic structure fabric in the width direction of the left front body 10L is preferably 25% to 50%, more preferably 30% to 40%. More specifically, the dimensions of the highly elastic structure fabric in each of the right front body 10R and the left front body 10L are preferably in the range of 50 to 60 cm in length and 3 to 20 cm in width (preferably 3 to 6 cm in width). Note that the width ratio here is calculated based on each side edge of the front body 10, but considering that each side edge of the front body 10 may be slightly curved in the vertical direction as in this embodiment, a straight line passing through the point located at the innermost position in the width direction among each side edge of the front body 10 and parallel to the vertical direction is used as the reference line for calculation. In calculating the width ratio, first, five line segments parallel to the width direction are drawn between the reference line and the second center line C2 at equal intervals in the vertical direction, and the average length of these line segments (total width) is determined. Next, five line segments parallel to the width direction are drawn between the upper end and the lower end of the highly elastic structure fabric at equal intervals in the vertical direction, and the average length of these line segments (average width) is determined. The width ratio means the ratio of the average width to the total width. The width of the highly elastic structure fabric is the average width.

[0055] In the first highly elastic region H1, the unevenness of the highly elastic structural fabric is aligned along the width direction of the garment 1 (in other words, the specified direction of the fabric corresponds to the width direction), and elasticity in the width direction is greater than in the vertical direction.

[0056] Next, as shown in Fig. 2, in the rear body 20 of this embodiment, the highly elastic structural fabric is arranged so as to extend on the fifth center line C5 that divides the rear body 20 equally into left and right halves and not to face the electrode section 30 joined to the front body 10, forming a second highly elastic region H2 in the width direction center of the rear body 20. The second highly elastic region H2 is arranged so that its upper end is above the electrode section 30 and corresponds to the lower end of the armhole, and its lower end corresponds to the lower end of the rear body 20. In this way, the rear body 20 of this embodiment has a second highly elastic region H2 that is as long as possible in the length direction, and this second highly elastic region H2 is adapted to absorb expansion and contraction due to the wearer's movements, etc.

[0057] The ratio of the width of the highly elastic structured fabric in the width direction of the back body 20 is preferably 10% to 30%, more preferably 10% to 20%. More specifically, the dimensions of the highly elastic structured fabric in the back body 20 are preferably in the range of 10 to 80 cm in length (preferably 35 to 50 cm) and 5 to 20 cm in width (preferably 3 to 6 cm). The width ratio here is calculated based on the side edge of the back body 20. However, considering that each side edge of the back body 20 may be slightly curved in the vertical direction as in this embodiment, a straight line passing through the innermost point in the width direction among each side edge of the back body 20 and parallel to the vertical direction is used as the reference line for calculation. In calculating the width ratio, first, five line segments parallel to the width direction are drawn between the reference line and the fifth center line C5 at equal intervals in the vertical direction, and the average value (total width) of the lengths of these line segments is determined. Next, five line segments are drawn parallel to the width direction between the upper and lower ends of the highly elastic structure fabric so as to be equally spaced in the vertical direction, and the lengths of these line segments are averaged to determine an average width. The width ratio refers to the ratio of the average width to the total width. The width of the highly elastic structure fabric is defined as the average width.

[0058] Furthermore, in the second highly stretchable region H2, the projections and recesses of the highly stretchable structural fabric are aligned in the width direction of the garment 1, and the stretch in the width direction is greater than in the vertical direction.

[0059] A terminal 70 is joined above the second highly elastic region H2, and a pocket 60 is formed above the terminal 70. That is, the pocket 60 and the terminal 70 are disposed above the second highly elastic region H2 in the widthwise center of the back body 20.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 3, the garment 1 of this embodiment includes two conductor parts 40, one end (lower end) of which is connected to the electrode part 30 and the other end (upper end) of which is connected to a terminal 70. Each conductor part 40 is joined to the back body 20 so as to extend along a straight line connecting the electrode part 30 and the terminal 70. When the fastener 50 is closed, each conductor part 40 is arranged so as not to overlap the first highly elastic region H1. Furthermore, each conductor part 40 is joined to the body fabric constituting the back body 20 without intersecting the second highly elastic region H2. In other words, each conductor part 40 is joined to the body fabric constituting the back body 20 so as to pass outside the outer edge of the second highly elastic region H2.

[0061] The conductor section 40 of this embodiment includes a conductive section 41 made of the conductive fibers (conductive fibers forming the detection section 311 in the electrode section 30) and an insulating section 42 made of a binder tape made of synthetic fibers. Specifically, in the conductor section 40 of this embodiment, the binder tape is folded along a folding line passing through the center in the tape width direction, and the conductive fibers are sewn along the folding line in one region of the folding line. As a result, the binder tape in the folded state has a first region on one side of the folding line where the conductive fibers are sewn, and a second region on the other side of the folding line where the conductive fibers are not sewn. The binder tape in the folded state also has a first side edge 421 which is a side edge on the folded side, and a second side edge 422 opposite to the first side edge 421. In the present embodiment, the second side edge 422 of the conductor portion 40 is sewn to the back body 20 with the first region facing the back surface of the back body 20. This results in the conductive portion 41 being covered by the second region of the insulator portion 42. The first side edge 421 is a free end, which makes it difficult for the binder tape to expand and contract. The first side edge 421 is disposed below the second side edge 422.

[0062] 3, the connection portion between the conductor portion 40 and the electrode portion 30 is covered with an insulating sheet, a thermal transfer sheet 80. In addition, the connection portion between the conductor portion 40 and the terminal 70 is covered with an insulating sheet, a thermal transfer sheet 80. An example of the insulating sheet 80 is a thermal transfer sheet such as an iron sheet.

[0063] According to the clothing 1 of this embodiment, even if there are differences in body type among the wearer, these are absorbed by the highly elastic structural fabric partially arranged in the clothing 1, and the desired biological electrical signals, particularly electrocardiogram signals, can be obtained stably and clearly.

[0064] Specifically, in the clothing 1 of this embodiment, each electrode unit 30 is arranged in the area between the third center line C3 and the side edge 11R of the right front body 10R and the area between the fourth center line C4 and the side edge 11L of the left front body 10L, and a first highly elastic area H1 is formed in the area between the second center line C2 and the third center line C3 and the area between the second center line C2 and the fourth center line C4 in the front body 10, and the other areas of the front body 10 are composed of body fabric, so that the electrode units can be held in appropriate positions on both the left and right sides of the heart (contributed by the body fabric) while relieving pressure on the wearer's abdomen and ribs and maintaining wearing comfort (contributed by the highly elastic structural fabric), and the electrode units 30 can acquire clear biosignals.

[0065] In addition, because normal clothing is designed to fit a standard body type, a wearer with physical characteristics such as an enlarged chest or shoulder width, i.e., a wearer whose body type differs greatly from the standard body type, may feel discomfort such as shortness of breath or a limited range of motion when wearing the clothing. In contrast, according to the clothing 1 of this embodiment, the fastener 50 extends in the vertical direction of the front body 10, so that the degree of adhesion of the area made of the body fabric, where the pressing pressure may be relatively strong, can be adjusted by adjusting the width of the fastener 50. In other words, the clothing 1 of this embodiment can be used appropriately by both a wearer whose upper part of the upper body is large and a wearer whose lower part of the upper body is large, thanks to the fastener 50 and the first highly elastic region H1.

[0066] With regard to the combination of fastener 50 and first highly elastic region H1, when the wearer attempts to open or close fastener 50, the grip portion (the portion that the wearer operates to open or close) joined to the top stop of fastener 50 is easily pulled in a direction away from the front of the wearer, making the grip portion easier to see, which has the effect of making it easier to put on and take off garment 1.

[0067] Furthermore, in the garment 1 of this embodiment, the second highly elastic region H2 in the widthwise center of the back body 20 facilitates absorbing stretch caused by the wearer's forward leaning posture without being transmitted to the front body 10, thereby preventing the electrode section 30 from shifting from the appropriate contact position.

[0068] Furthermore, in the clothing 1 of this embodiment, each conductor portion 40 is joined to the body fabric constituting the back body 20 so that it passes outside the outer edge of the second highly elastic region H2, so deformation is relatively suppressed. In turn, this reduces noise caused by changes in resistance value due to deformation, making it easier to detect biological signals.

[0069] As described above, one embodiment has been shown as an example, but the clothing according to the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment. The clothing according to the present invention is also not limited by the above-mentioned action and effect. The clothing according to the present invention can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0070] For example, while the clothing 1 in the above embodiment is for detecting electrocardiogram signals, the clothing of the present invention is not limited to this and may be capable of detecting electrical signals from muscles as biosignals. EXAMPLES

[0071] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples, but is not limited thereto. The measurement items in the examples were measured by the following methods.

[0072] (1) Heart rate measurement The Teijin Frontier Sensing DSP wireless ECG / HR logger (acceleration / angular velocity) SS-ECGHRAG was connected to the clothing via a snap button attached to the clothing, and the electrocardiogram waveform and heart rate were measured at rest and during exercise, and the heart rate measurement was evaluated according to the following criteria. The measurement frequency was set to 1 kHz. ◎ ⇒ Heart rate was calculated accurately from all data during exercise. ○ ⇒ Heart rate was calculated accurately using data from 80% or more of the time spent exercising. △ ⇒ Heart rate was calculated accurately from data between 50% and 80% during exercise. × ⇒ Heart rate was accurately calculated using data from less than 50% of the time during exercise. The entire measurement process took three minutes: one minute of rest, one minute of twisting exercise, and one minute of swinging arms at full speed.

[0073] (2) Thickness Measurement was performed according to the method specified in JIS L1096:2010 8.4 A method. (3) Fineness Measured according to JIS L1013:2021 8.3.1. Correct fineness. (4) Pressing pressure The wearer rated the garment on a two-level scale: "good" or "bad" based on the fit.

[0074] [Example 1] (Production of highly elastic structural fabric) Using a known double raschel knitting machine (24 gauge) with two rows of needle beds on the front (face) side and the back (back) side, double denbi knitting was performed using 48 strands of commercially available polyester yarn-dyed false twisted shrink processed yarn of 167 dtex on the needles on the front side, and at the same time polyurethane (Leica) of 235 dtex / 1 strand was inserted with two needles to form the main knitted part on the front side, with each yarn inserted at a 4-in-4-out interval in the weft direction. Similarly, on the back needles, double denbi knitting was performed using commercially available polyester yarn-dyed false twist yarn 167T48, and at the same time, polyurethane elastic yarn (Leica) 235 dtex / 1 strand was inserted with two needles to form a back main knitted section with 4-in-4-out yarn insertions in the weft direction. Furthermore, the phase of the parallel back main knitted sections was shifted in the weft direction relative to that of the front main knitted section, so that each back main knitted section was positioned at the midpoint between the front main knitted sections. At the same time, the side edges of adjacent front main knitted sections and the side edges of the back main knitted sections were joined in the warp direction by double chain stitch using commercially available polyester yarn-dyed false twist yarn 167 dtex / 48 strands, and the same double chain stitch as the joined knitted section was knitted with a full set of 8 needles on both sides of the knitted fabric, and at the same time, commercially available yarn-dyed false twist yarn 167 dtex / 48 strands was inserted with three needles to form an ear section. The resulting grey fabric was dry-heat set (temperature: 150°C, time: 35 seconds) and cut to a size of 10 cm wide (in the direction of bending wave propagation) x 48 cm long to obtain a bellows-shaped warp knit (highly stretchable fabric). This highly stretchable fabric was a fabric that, when measured by the above-mentioned measuring method, had a breaking strength (N) that was 15% or more lower than the body fabric described below and an elongation rate that was 15% or more higher in both the longitudinal and transverse directions.

[0075] (Preparation of electrode part) Next, using a 28G Russell knitting machine (narrow width knitting machine), 78 dtex / 34 silver-plated conductive nylon yarn was arranged in the center (width 0.5 cm), and an interlaced blend of 78 dtex / 16,720 ultra-fine polyester fibers (Nanofront (registered trademark) manufactured by Teijin Frontier Co., Ltd.) with a single fiber diameter of approximately 700 nm and 33 dtex / 12 ordinary polyester fibers was used for the other parts to produce a knitted fabric (total width 4 cm) with a back reed weave of 10 / 01 and a front reed weave of 12 / 10, which was then cut to a length of 6 cm to form a sheet-like electrode part.

[0076] (Clothing production) A bare jersey knit fabric was knitted with 84 dtex / 72 polyester processed yarn and 44 dtex / 1 polyurethane elastic yarn at a draft rate of 2.5 times on a 28G single circular knitting machine, and this knit fabric was used as the body fabric (clothing fabric). As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a highly stretchable fabric was arranged on each of the front and back body so that the width (stretch) direction was the horizontal direction of the body. More specifically, the upper end of the highly stretchable fabric on the front body was arranged below the electrode part and above the first center line, and the lower end was arranged to correspond to the lower end of the front body. In addition, the width of the highly stretchable fabric on the front body was about 5 cm per side (total width on one side: about 15.5 cm, width ratio: about 32%). The upper end of the highly stretchable fabric on the back body was arranged to correspond to the lower end of the armhole, and the upper end was arranged to correspond to the lower end of the back body. The width of the highly stretchable fabric in the back was about 4.5 cm (total width: about 30.5 cm, width ratio: about 15%). Next, a zipper was placed on the center line that divided the front into left and right equal parts to create a medium-sized garment.

[0077] Next, the sheet-like electrode part and the conductive wire part described below were attached with a thermal transfer sheet to the inside (human body side) of the position of the wear shown in Figure 1, and a 10 mm thick low-resilience urethane sponge was inserted between the clothing fabric and the sheet-like electrode part as a cushioning material. The thermal transfer sheet was a urethane sheet coated with adhesive, and the clothing fabric and the sheet-like electrode part were thermally bonded by a heat press at 160°C. In this sheet-like electrode part, the exposed part of the sheet-like electrode part was 4.5 cm x 3 cm in size.

[0078] The conductive part was prepared by sewing the same silver-plated nylon thread (conductive fiber) as above onto one side of a polyester fiber binder tape, and the sheet-like electrode part was connected to a snap button on the upper back on the inside (body side) as shown in Figure 2, and connected to an electrocardiogram measuring device via the snap button. The connection part between the sheet-like electrode part and the conductive part was covered with a thermal transfer sheet, which is an insulating sheet. This garment was worn so that the sheet-like electrode part was in direct contact with the skin, and electrocardiograms were measured at rest and during exercise, with the results being "○". In addition, the garment was comfortable to wear without excessive pressure being applied to the wearer.

[0079] [Comparative Example 1] The same procedure was followed as in Example 1, except that the highly stretchable warp knit fabric was not provided in the front body and the back body. The result was "X".

[0080] [Example 2] A garment was made in the same manner as in Example 1, except that no fastener was provided on the front body. The result was "Good". However, it was somewhat difficult to put on and take off, and some wearers felt a physical burden because the fastening force of the fastener could not be adjusted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0081] 1: clothing, 10: front body, 10R: right front body, 10L: left front body, 11R: side edge, 11L: side edge, H1: first high elasticity area, 20: back body, H2: second high elasticity area, 30: electrode portion, 31: surface portion, 311: detection portion, 312: non-detection portion, 40: conductor portion, 41: conductive portion, 42: insulator portion, 421: first side edge, 422: second side edge, 50: fastener, 60: pocket, 70: terminal, 80: insulating sheet, C1: first center line, C2: second center line, C3: third center line, C4: fourth center line, C5: fifth center line [Industrial Applicability]

[0082] According to the present invention, clothing is provided that can absorb differences in the wearer's body shape and thereby stably obtain desired biological electrical signals, particularly electrocardiogram signals, without applying excessive pressure, and the industrial value of this clothing is extremely great.

Claims

1. A garment capable of detecting a biological signal, the garment including a front body and a back body, It is worn on the wearer's upper body, The garment comprises a body fabric configured to fit closely to a wearer, and a highly elastic structural fabric having higher elasticity than the body fabric, The device includes a sheet-like electrode portion that is in contact with a wearer, and a conductor portion that is connected to the electrode portion, the electrode portion is joined to the body fabric of the front body, and is disposed so as to be located above a first center line passing between the lower end of the armhole of the garment and the lower end of the front body, and to be located closer to the side edge than a third center line passing between a second center line dividing the front body equally into left and right sides and a side edge of the front body; The highly elastic structured fabric extends along the up-down direction in the front body, and an upper end of the highly elastic structured fabric is disposed below the electrode portion, The garment further comprises a zipper extending in the vertical direction so as to divide the front body into left and right portions.

2. The garment according to claim 1 , wherein the highly stretchable structural fabric exhibits an elongation rate that is at least 15% higher than that of the main fabric.

3. The garment according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the highly stretchable structured fabric is a bellows-shaped warp knit fabric.

4. The garment according to claim 3 , wherein the highly stretchable structural fabric is arranged such that a direction of stretch caused by the bellows is along a width direction of the garment.

5. The garment according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the highly elastic structured fabric is disposed on a center line in a width direction of the back body.

6. The electrode portion is composed of conductive fibers and non-conductive fibers, The clothing according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the non-conductive fiber has a single fiber diameter of 1 μm or less.

7. The garment of claim 6 , wherein the non-conductive fibers comprise polyester fibers.

8. The garment according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the conductor portion includes a conductive portion and an insulating portion covering the conductive portion.

9. The garment of claim 8 , wherein the insulation portion comprises polyester fibers.

10. The garment according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a connection portion between the electrode portion and the conductor portion is covered with an insulating sheet.

11. The garment according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a cushioning material is interposed between the electrode portion and the body fabric.

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