Wearable sensor and wearable sensor system

Abstract

To make it easier to change the configuration of a wearable sensor.SOLUTION: The present invention relates to a wearable sensor to attach to a human body, the wearable sensor including: a layered body shaped to surround the area from the wrist of a hand of a person to the tips of the fingers, the layered body forming at least two layers overlapping each other at least partially; and at least one sensor provided in at least one of the at least two layers.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wearable sensor having a sensor that measures finger movements and other finger-related actions, and a wearable system that collects and processes information measured by the wearable sensor. [Background technology]

[0002] Currently, many countries around the world are experiencing a declining birthrate and an aging population, or this trend is expected to continue. In Japan, the effects of population decline and aging have led to a decrease in the number of skilled workers, for example in the industrial sector. This has made the transfer of skills from skilled workers to younger workers an urgent issue. Many of the skills acquired by skilled workers take many years to master. Therefore, there is a need to measure and quantify the movements of workers and use this quantified data to help them understand the tricks of the trade. This also creates a need to shorten the time required to transfer skills. Furthermore, measuring human movements can be useful for transferring skills in fields other than industry as well.

[0003] There are various ways to measure the movements of workers, but one effective method is for workers to wear sensors while working.One method of wearing sensors while working is to use sensor gloves, which can visualize the movements of the hands and fingertips, which are particularly likely to reveal the level of skill of the worker.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a data glove comprising a glove body and a first strain sensor and a second strain sensor arranged in an area corresponding to the vicinity of the metacarpophalangeal joint on the dorsal side of at least one of the first to fifth fingers of the glove body, the first strain sensor being configured to detect expansion and contraction of the area in the proximal-distal direction, and the second strain sensor being configured to detect expansion and contraction of the area in the left-right direction. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-125931 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The method described in Patent Document 1 is believed to be capable of capturing finger bending and straightening three-dimensionally and accurately. However, for example, in manufacturing, workers perform a variety of movements. The items to be measured and the type of sensor to be used vary depending on the movements. Examples of items to be measured include finger bending and straightening, pressure on the hand, acceleration when moving the hand, and sound generated during work. Examples of sensors to be used include strain sensors, pressure sensors, acceleration sensors, and microphones. With gloves specialized for using specific sensors, such as the data glove disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is difficult to freely change the sensors used in order to change the items to be measured in accordance with the worker's various movements.

[0007] The objective is to provide a wearable sensor and a wearable sensor system whose sensor configuration can be easily rearranged so that a wide variety of finger movements can be measured in various fields, including industrial fields. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A representative example of the means for solving the problems of the present invention is as follows: That is, a wearable sensor to be worn on a human body, the wearable sensor comprising a layered body having a shape that surrounds the human body between the wrist and the fingertips of the hand, and at least two layers that at least partially overlap each other, and at least one sensor provided in at least one of the at least two layers. The at least two layers are connected to each other by a fastening member. It is characterized by: [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, the wearable sensor of the present invention can be used by combining two or more layers from among a plurality of layers on which the sensor is provided, in an appropriate combination depending on the application. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] An example of the overall configuration of a wearable sensor system. [Figure 2] Illustrates the combination of the glove as multiple layers. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a sensor data collection unit. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen for selecting a glove combination in the wearable sensor system. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a screen that displays measurement data of a wearable sensor in the wearable sensor system. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of combining wearable sensors as multiple layers. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing an example of storing a sensor in a pocket portion of a wearable sensor as a layer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be given with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention, and not all of the elements and combinations thereof described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0012] [Example 1] Wearable sensors can be used to measure and quantify the movements of workers, and by utilizing this quantified data, it becomes easier to understand the tricks of the trade, which can also shorten the time required to transfer skills.

[0013] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a wearable sensor system. The wearable sensor system 1 may include a wearable sensor 11, a transmitter 2, a receiver 3, and a sensor data collector 4.

[0014] The wearable sensor of Example 1 has a layered body that surrounds the body between the wrist and the fingertips of the hand, and the layered body has at least two layers that at least partially overlap, and at least one of the at least two layers may have at least one sensor.

[0015] FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of a wearable sensor 11 according to Example 1. Example 1 is a wearable sensor having a glove shape. This glove-shaped wearable sensor may be simply called a sensor glove or simply a glove. In addition, a case where the wearable sensor according to Example 1 is used mainly for work in the industrial field will be described.

[0016] According to the first embodiment, the configuration of the wearable sensor can be easily changed, thereby making it easy to change the functions of the wearable sensor. In the first embodiment, a plurality of gloves each having at least one sensor selected from a plurality of sensors can be prepared. By using a glove suitable for the task to be measured from the plurality of gloves, the configuration of the wearable sensor can be easily changed. Furthermore, gloves without sensors can be used together with gloves with sensors.

[0017] In other words, by configuring a wearable sensor by combining multiple gloves with different functions, the function of the wearable sensor can be changed by changing the combination of gloves. Wearable sensor 11 in Example 1 may have inner glove 12 and outer glove 13 as at least two layers that at least partially overlap and are included in a layered body that surrounds the body between the wrist and the fingertips.

[0018] The inner glove 12 includes a sensor 21, wiring 22, and a printed circuit board 23. The inner glove 12 includes at least one sensor, and multiple types of sensors may be used simultaneously. In FIG. 2, only some of the sensors 21 are labeled with reference numerals, but the large black circles may represent the sensors 21. Although only some of the wiring 22 is labeled with reference numerals, it is understood that the wires connecting the sensors 21 and the printed circuit board 23 are the wiring 22. In FIG. 2, the wearable sensor 11 includes the sensor 21, wiring 22, printed circuit board 23, and button 14 (described later) of the inner glove 12. Although these are located inside the outer glove, they are depicted with solid lines for clarity. The inner glove 12 may be made of various materials, including natural or synthetic film, cloth, and leather. The inner glove 12 may be made of sewn or glued cloth, or may be molded from a material using a mold.

[0019] Since the items to be measured and the type of sensor to be used vary depending on the movements of the person wearing the wearable sensor while working, it is desirable to select gloves with sensors appropriate to the person's movements. Items to be measured include, for example, bending and straightening of the fingers, pressure on the hand, acceleration when moving the hand, and work noise, and sensors to be used include, for example, strain sensors, pressure sensors, acceleration sensors, and microphones.

[0020] To summarize, the sensors may be pressure sensors, strain sensors, acceleration sensors, gyro sensors, geomagnetic sensors, distance sensors, contact sensors, temperature sensors, Hall elements, and microphones. Table 1 shows examples of the arrangement of the sensors and alarm units on the inner and outer layers of the at least two layers of the wearable sensor.

[0021] [Table 1]

[0022] Here, examples of work will be given and examples of sensors required to measure the movements of a worker in the work will be described.

[0023] One example of an operation is painting, in which a worker holds a spray gun and moves it from side to side and up and down while spraying paint. spray gun The movement speed of the spray gun is changed as needed. The trainee adjusts the amount of paint sprayed with the trigger. In painting training, it is necessary to convey the techniques and skills of skilled workers to the learner, but these techniques are difficult to convey verbally. When applying the wearable sensor of the present invention to painting work, if a glove-shaped layered body is used, as shown in wearable sensor 11, the pressure sensor should be attached to the fingertip of the glove worn by the worker operating the spray gun, often corresponding to the index fingertip. A microphone serving as a sensor should also be attached, for example, to the back of the glove corresponding to the hand operating the spray gun. Furthermore, an inertial sensor should also be attached to the back of the glove corresponding to the hand operating the spray gun. By arranging the sensors in this way, the pressure sensor can measure the relationship between the timing and force of pulling the trigger. The microphone can measure the amount of paint sprayed in terms of sound. The inertial sensor can measure the timing and speed of swinging the spray gun left and right, etc. By using the wearable sensor of the present invention to measure the results of an expert painting job, a learner can learn how to best operate a spray gun by comparing the results with the results of measurements taken of their own work.

[0024] Another example of a task is the installation of connectors during network construction work. In the field of information technology, operational errors, such as incorrectly inserting or removing a connector during maintenance work, can have serious consequences, such as data loss. Reducing such operational errors is a major challenge. During connector installation, a worker connects a male connector to a female connector. An example of applying a wearable sensor according to the present invention to connector installation work will be described. When a glove-shaped layered body is used, as shown in wearable sensor 11, the sensor can be worn as follows: Specifically, a pressure sensor can be worn on the fingertips of the glove worn by the worker on the hand that will hold the connector, often corresponding to the index finger and thumb. A microphone serving as a sensor can be worn, for example, on the back of the glove that corresponds to the hand that will hold the connector. Furthermore, an inertial sensor can be worn on the back of the glove that corresponds to the hand that will hold the connector. By wearing the sensors in this manner, the force with which the connector is held can be measured by the pressure sensor, the sound generated when the connector is mated can be measured by the microphone, and the hand movement can be measured by the inertial sensor. By using the measurement results obtained when an expert performs connector installation work using the wearable sensor of the present invention, learners can learn how to best install a connector by comparing the results with the measurement results of their own work.

[0025] The description of the wearable sensor 11 continues.

[0026] The wiring 22 may be a wiring that connects the sensor 21 and the printed circuit board 23. The wiring 22 may be a cable, a part of the printed circuit board 23, or a printed circuit board separate from the printed circuit board 23. In FIG. 2, each wiring is represented by a single line for the sake of simplicity, but this is a notation for convenience and does not limit the actual number of wirings. The wiring 22 may transmit the output of the sensor 21 to the printed circuit board. The wiring 22 may also supply the power required for the sensor to operate from a battery 25.

[0027] Printed circuit board 23 is a printed circuit board electrically connected to wiring 22, and sensor data may be aggregated on printed circuit board 23. Printed circuit board 23 may also be configured using a flexible board, and may be any board that aggregates sensor output, not just a printed circuit board. Printed circuit board 23 may have battery 25 disposed on a part thereof. Printed circuit board 23 may also be equipped with a function for processing sensor data through calculations, or a function for determining whether or not a task has been performed, or whether the task is satisfactory, based on the sensor data. Here, what is simply referred to as sensor data may mean data that is output or has been output by a sensor provided in a wearable sensor. This also applies to the following explanation unless otherwise specified.

[0028] The power for the sensor 21 and the transmitter 2 may be supplied from a battery 25 provided on the printed circuit board 23, or may be supplied from outside the glove. The sensor 21 and the transmitter 2 may be configured to be supplied from their own batteries.

[0029] The wearable sensor according to the first embodiment may have at least one notification unit in at least two layers. The notification unit may be configured to notify the worker wearing the wearable sensor and those around him or her. For example, the wearable sensor may have an LED indicator, a vibration motor, a sound generating unit such as a speaker, etc., to inform the worker of an awareness based on data collected by the wearable sensor 11. Here, the LED indicator, the vibration motor, and the sound generating unit are the notification unit. The LED indicator, the vibration motor, and the sound generating unit may notify the worker when the work motion measured by the sensor attached to the wearable sensor 11 exceeds an allowable error compared with reference data while the worker is training or learning about the work using the wearable sensor 11. Alternatively, the LED indicator, the vibration motor, and the sound generating unit may notify the worker when the work motion measured by the sensor attached to the wearable sensor 11 is within an allowable error compared with reference data. The inclusion of such a notification unit has the effect of providing the worker with an awareness that can lead to improvements in their work.

[0030] In the wearable sensor according to the first embodiment, at least two layers may have different functions. For example, the inner glove 12 may have the functions of the material of the layered body as its function, in addition to the electrical functions of sensing by the sensor and reporting by the reporting unit. For example, the inner glove 12 as the layered body may be made of rubber. Since rubber is waterproof, it may have a waterproof function to prevent the sensor from being damaged by the worker's sweat.

[0031] The outer glove 13 may be a glove that is worn over the inner glove 12. The outer glove 13 may have at least one function different from that of the inner glove 12. The functions of the outer glove may include, for example, cut resistance, waterproofing, and flame retardancy in addition to electrical functions such as sensing by a sensor and reporting by a reporting unit. The function of protecting the inner glove 12 when the hand wearing the wearable sensor 11 comes into contact with an obstacle may be one of the functions possessed by the outer glove 13 alone and not by the inner glove 12. The outer glove 13 may be made of various materials, such as film, cloth, or leather made from natural or synthetic materials. The outer glove 13 may be made of sewn or glued cloth, or may be molded from a material using a mold.

[0032] In the wearable sensor according to the first embodiment, at least two layered bodies may be connected to each other by a fastening member.

[0033] For example, the two layers, the inner glove 12 and the outer glove 13, can be fastened together and removed by passing a button 14 through a buttonhole 15. The button 14 may be a fastening member of the inner glove 12, which is the inner layer. The buttonhole 15 may be a fastening member of the outer glove 13, which is the outer layer. The button 14 and the buttonhole 15 allow the inner glove 12 and the outer glove 13 to be easily fastened together and removed.

[0034] The inner glove 12 and the outer glove 13 may be fastened together by other methods such as hooks, hook-and-loop fasteners, sewing, or adhesives. The location of the fastening members is not limited to the positions of the buttons 14 and buttonholes 15 shown in Fig. 2, i.e., on the back of the wrist of the gloves. For example, the fingertips of the inner glove 12 and the outer glove 13 may be fastened together, or the wrist portions may be fastened together.

[0035] In the embodiments described so far, examples have been shown in which two gloves, the inner glove 12 and the outer glove 13, are used, but a configuration in which three or more gloves are stacked on top of each other may also be used.

[0036] Furthermore, the layered body and the layers of the layered body according to Example 1 do not necessarily have to cover everything below the wrist like a glove. That is, for example, they may be glove-shaped but have openings at the fingertips, exposing the fingers when worn. Furthermore, they may encircle the wrist like a bracelet, encircle the fingers like a ring, or encircle the fingertips like a finger cot. Furthermore, in the wearable sensor according to the present invention, for the layered body that encircles the body and has at least two layers that at least partially overlap, the side that contacts the body, i.e., the inner layer, and the outer layer, i.e., the outer layer, do not necessarily have to completely overlap. That is, for example, the lower layer may be glove-shaped and the upper layer may be finger cot-shaped, or the relationship between the upper and lower layers may be reversed.

[0037] In addition, in Example 1, the inner glove 12 has a sensor and the outer glove 13 does not have a sensor, but the opposite to this example may be true, where the outer glove 13 has a sensor and the inner glove 12 does not have a sensor, and even in this case the essence of the invention remains the same.

[0038] In the wearable sensor according to the first embodiment, at least two layers provided with sensors may be connected to a transmitter that transmits output data from the sensors or a data transmission cable. In the first embodiment, the wearable sensor 11 may have a transmitter 2 in at least one of the inner glove 12 and the outer glove 13, and the transmitter 2 may transmit output data from the sensors in at least one of the inner glove 12 and the outer glove 13. Also, in the first embodiment, the wearable sensor 11 may be connected to a data transmission cable that transmits output data from the sensors in at least one of the inner glove 12 and the outer glove 13. With this configuration, data measured by the sensors can be sent to the outside of the wearable sensor 11. As a result, the data measured by the sensors may be used in various ways.

[0039] The wearable sensor system of Example 1 includes a wearable sensor according to the present invention and a sensor data collection unit, wherein the wearable sensor includes a transmitter and the sensor data collection unit includes a receiver, and communication between the transmitter and receiver is preferably possible.

[0040] FIG. 1 shows an example of a wearable sensor system according to the first embodiment. In the figure, a transmitter 2 is electrically connected to a printed circuit board 23 and may transmit sensor data received from the printed circuit board 23 or data obtained by processing the sensor data to a receiver 3. The transmitter 2 may correspond to a glove on which a sensor is provided among multiple gloves. A transmitter 2 may be provided for each glove on which a sensor is provided. Alternatively, as will be described later, a single transmitter 2 may be provided for multiple gloves on which sensors are provided, which transmits the outputs of the sensors in those gloves collectively. Furthermore, each sensor in each glove may have a transmitter 2.

[0041] The method of transmitting data from the transmitter 2 to the receiver 3 may be a wireless connection such as a connection using Bluetooth (registered trademark) or WiFi (registered trademark), or a wired connection using a cable. The transmitter 2 may also have a function to process data sent from the sensor by calculation, and a function to determine whether or not a task has been performed and whether or not it is satisfactory based on the sensor data. The transmitter 2 may also be integrated with the printed circuit board 23, and may have a function on the printed circuit board 23 to transmit the sensor data to the receiver 3.

[0042] The receiver 3 receives data transmitted from the transmitter 2 and passes it on to the sensor data collector 4. The receiver 3 may have both a receiving function and a transmitting function, and the transmitter 2 may have both a transmitting function and a receiving function. That is, the transmitter 2 and the receiver 3 may each be a communication unit having a communication function capable of transmitting and receiving data, or may be capable of communicating between the two communication units. As a result, for example, the receiver 3 may have the function of lighting an LED provided on the printed circuit board 23 of the wearable sensor 11 and the function of sending a signal to operate a vibration motor.

[0043] The sensor data collection unit 4 may perform various processes on the received sensor output data. The sensor data collection unit 4 may be, for example, a personal computer (PC) having a processor, storage resources, etc., a general-purpose computer, a cloud server, etc.

[0044] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the sensor data collection unit 4. The sensor data collection unit 4 may mainly include an input unit 31, a sensor data collection unit receiving unit 32, a storage unit 33, a calculation unit 34, an output unit 35, and a transmission unit 36.

[0045] The function of sensor data collection unit 4 to process sensor data may be a program stored in the storage resource. Sensor data collection unit 4 may process sensor output data and generate and send a signal to activate the function of lighting up an LED provided on printed circuit board 23 of wearable sensor 11, as described above. Here, sensor data collection unit 4 may, for example, compare the work movement measured by the sensor attached to wearable sensor 11 with reference data, determine whether the work movement exceeds an allowable error or is within an allowable error, and then issue a command to light up the LED.

[0046] 4 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen for selecting a glove combination in the sensor data collection unit 4, and shows an example of information input in the input unit 31. This operation screen may be displayed on a display. The display may function as the output unit 35, which will be described later.

[0047] According to the first embodiment, the configuration of the wearable sensor can be easily changed by changing the glove combination. Therefore, the measurement items and the type of sensor to be used can be appropriately selected depending on the movement pattern of the worker to be measured, i.e., the task. Therefore, the sensor data collection unit 4 also needs to collect sensor data corresponding to the glove combination. The glove selection area 41 is an area for selecting gloves pre-registered in the system using a pull-down menu or the like. At least one glove can be selected, and any number of gloves may be selected regardless of the example of the operation screen in FIG. 4 . Furthermore, when registering gloves, individual gloves before combining multiple gloves, such as a glove that can be used as an inner glove and a glove that can be used as an outer glove, may be registered. Furthermore, if there is a frequently used glove combination, the combined glove may also be registered. The glove selection area 41 may have a function for registering a new glove and a new registration button for this purpose. Although the present invention relates to a wearable sensor exemplified by a glove-shaped sensor, the glove selection area 41 may be expanded to include an area for selecting a wearable sensor other than a glove sensor or for selecting a sensor. The glove combination confirmation area 42 is an area that displays the result of determining whether the glove combination selected in the glove selection area 41 is appropriate. An example of an inappropriate glove combination is when a glove for an outer glove is combined with a glove for an outer glove that is the same as the outer glove.

[0048] The receiving unit 32 of the sensor data collecting unit has an interface for receiving data from the receiving unit 3. Depending on the configuration of the wearable sensor system 1, the receiving unit 3 may be integrated with the receiving unit 32 of the sensor data collecting unit.

[0049] The memory unit 33 may include storage resources such as semiconductor memory, flash memory, HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), volatile memory, and non-volatile memory, and may be able to store various information including data received from the input unit 31 and the receiving unit 32 of the sensor data collection unit, programs executed by the calculation unit 34, and information used for collecting and analyzing sensor data.

[0050] The calculation unit 34 may include a processor and may execute various processes by executing a program in the storage unit 33. For example, the calculation unit 34 may perform calculations on information regarding the glove combination received from the input unit 31, sensor data received from the receiving unit 32 of the sensor data collection unit, or data obtained by processing the sensor data. The calculation unit 34 may perform calculations for graphically displaying the sensor data, calculations for determining whether or not a task has been performed and whether or not it is satisfactory, and calculations for generating signals for turning on an LED provided on the printed circuit board 23 of the wearable sensor 11 and for driving a vibration motor, etc.

[0051] The output unit 35 may be capable of displaying graphs, determination results, etc. on a screen based on the calculation results performed by the calculation unit 34. Furthermore, when the sensor data collection unit 4 is used in combination with another system, the output unit 35 may be capable of outputting information to be passed to the corresponding system.

[0052] For example, based on the calculations of calculation unit 34, transmission unit 36 ​​can transmit to reception unit 3 a signal to light up an LED provided on printed circuit board 23 of wearable sensor 11 and to drive a vibration motor. In this case, reception unit 3 sends the transmitted signal to transmission unit 2, so that transmission unit 2 and reception unit 3 may both be transceivers having a transmission function and a reception function.

[0053] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a screen that displays sensor data in the sensor data collection unit 4. The screen that displays the sensor data may be one that updates and displays sensor data in real time, or one that displays saved sensor data. Here, "real time" means that it takes a short time for the movement of a worker wearing a wearable sensor to be converted into sensor data and displayed on the sensor data collection unit 4. A short time may be, for example, within 5 seconds, within 1 second, within 1 millisecond, or within 1 microsecond.

[0054] The connection status confirmation area 43 is an area that indicates whether various connections are properly made and whether sensor data is being received by the sensor data collection unit 4. This area displays whether the transmitter 2 and receiver 3 are connected via Bluetooth (registered trademark), WiFi (registered trademark), or the like, and whether the glove is properly connected. Here, the various connections may be connections from sensors attached to the glove to the sensor data collection unit 4 via the transmitter 2 and receiver 3. Whether the various connections are properly connected may be determined based on the number of received data or the characteristics of the sensor data. In other words, it can be determined based on whether the number of sensor data corresponding to the number of pre-registered sensors has been received, or whether the sensor data corresponding to the characteristics of the pre-registered sensors has been received.

[0055] The wearable sensor system according to the first embodiment may have a function of outputting sensing information from a sensor provided in the wearable sensor.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 5 , the wearable sensor system according to the first embodiment may have a function to display and output, for example, in the graph area 44, sensor data, which is sensing information from the sensor, or graphs of processed sensor data. The displayed graph may, for example, display the elapsed time of measurement on the horizontal axis and values ​​obtained by converting sensor data into an appropriate unit system on the vertical axis. It may also show the results of determining whether or not a task was performed, whether it was successful, or a summary of the frequency of the task. The graph area 44 may also have a mechanism to display the worker's skill level, or it may show the worker's hand movements using a graphic that resembles a wearable sensor. By displaying the results of sensor measurements of tasks in a graph, a worker wearing a wearable sensor can objectively understand the results of their work. The three graphs shown in the graph area 44 may be displayed with the same time axis, which makes it easier to understand the timing of the work actions corresponding to each graph. It may also be possible to display a comparison of data resulting from a task performed by a worker undergoing training and data resulting from the same task performed by an expert, using the graph displayed in the graph area 44. In this way, the tricks of the task that are difficult to put into words can be visually and easily understood using a graph, which also aids communication when a trainee and an expert converse.

[0057] The wearable sensor of this embodiment can be used by combining two or more layers from among the multiple layers on which sensors are provided, in an appropriate combination depending on the application. This combination makes it easy to prepare a wearable sensor suitable for the application, and reduces the total number of types of wearable sensors that need to be prepared.

[0058] [Example 2] In the wearable sensor according to the second embodiment, the sensors included in at least two layers each having a sensor may be electrically connected to each other between the two layers.

[0059] A second embodiment of the present invention, that is, a second example, will be described with reference to Fig. 6. The second example is the same as the first example, except for the points described below.

[0060] FIG. 6 shows a configuration example of a wearable sensor 111 according to a second embodiment of the wearable sensor of the present invention. In the second embodiment, in addition to the inner glove 112, the outer glove 113 may also have a sensor. The outer glove 113 may have a sensor 21, wiring 22, and a printed circuit board 23. The outer glove 113 may have at least one type of sensor, and multiple types may be used simultaneously. The inner glove 112 and the outer glove 113 may have connectors 124 and 24, respectively, to be electrically connected. The connectors 124 and 24 may be a pair, for example, a combination of the connectors of the inner glove 112 and the outer glove 113. For example, the connector 124 of the inner glove 112 may be a female connector, and the connector of the outer glove 113 may be a male connector corresponding to the connector 124. With this connector configuration, even if the inner glove and the outer glove are replaced with gloves with different functions, such as different sensors, the replaced inner glove and outer glove can be connected with the connector. The wearable sensor is not limited to a two-glove configuration consisting of an inner glove and an outer glove; it may also be configured with three or more gloves. In such a configuration with three or more gloves, for example, the innermost glove may have a female connector, and the gloves other than the innermost glove may have corresponding male connectors. In this case, the male connector may be a connector with a female connector on the back side where the connector pins are formed, thereby enabling three or more gloves to be connected. Furthermore, the connectors of the inner glove 112 and the outer glove 113 may each be configured to be connected to the transmitter 2. Note that the sensor 21 of the inner glove 112 and the sensor 21 of the outer glove 113 are displayed with different shapes; however, this is simply a distinction between the inner glove and the outer glove; they are still sensors.

[0061] In Example 2, as in Example 1, at least two layers on which sensors are provided may be connected to a transmitter that transmits output data from the sensors or to a data transmission cable. In Example 2, the wearable sensor 111 may have a transmitter 2 in at least one of the inner glove 112 and the outer glove 113, and the transmitter 2 may transmit output data from the sensors in at least one of the inner glove 112 and the outer glove 113. Furthermore, in Example 2, at least two gloves that are layers having sensors may each have a transmitter 2 and each may be connected to a data transmission cable.

[0062] Furthermore, in the wearable sensor according to Example 2, the sensors included in at least two layered bodies each having a sensor may be electrically connected to each other between the two layered bodies, and in Example 2, a combined signal of the sensors included in the inner glove 112 and a combined signal of the sensors included in the outer glove 113 may be connected by wireless communication between the inner glove 112 and the outer glove 113. Furthermore, each of the individual sensors or several combined sensors included in the inner glove 112 and the outer glove 113 may be connected by wireless communication to other individual sensors or several combined sensors.

[0063] In the second embodiment, the inner glove 112 and the outer glove 113 may be selected to provide an appropriate combination of sensors for the wearable sensor 111. Since the items to be measured and the types of sensors to be used vary depending on the movements of the worker to be measured, i.e., the type of work, gloves with sensors suited to the movements may be selected. Examples of items to be measured include finger bending and straightening, pressure on the hand, acceleration during hand movement, and work sound. Examples of sensors to be used include strain sensors, pressure sensors, acceleration sensors, and microphones. For example, if the items to be measured are pressure and work sound, a glove with a pressure sensor may be selected for the inner glove 112, and a glove with a microphone may be selected for the outer glove 113. In this way, by combining gloves with different sensors, the combination of gloves can be easily changed depending on the application, eliminating the need to create a dedicated wearable sensor for each application. In other words, from multiple layered bodies on which sensors are provided, two or more layered bodies can be combined in an appropriate combination depending on the application. This allows for easy preparation of layered bodies suitable for a particular application, thereby reducing the number of types of layered bodies to be prepared, i.e., the total number of wearable sensors. Furthermore, as mentioned above, some sensors are suitable for placement on the inner glove, while others are suitable for placement on the outer glove. For example, a pressure sensor for measuring pressure on the fingertips, etc., is effectively placed on the inner glove, close to the finger, because its position relative to the finger is important. On the other hand, a microphone for recording work sounds should be placed on the outer glove, so that sound is not blocked by the glove fabric or other material as much as possible. Therefore, placing a microphone on the outer glove is effective. Thus, the gloves prepared in advance can be positioned according to the characteristics of the sensors, and a large number of sensor combinations can be realized with a small number of types to accommodate a wide range of applications.Also in Example 2, the functions that the inner glove 112 and the outer glove 113 each have are not limited to sensing functions. For example, the inner glove 112 may have a waterproof function to protect the sensor from the worker's sweat, and the outer glove 113 may have functions such as cut resistance, waterproofing, flame resistance, and anti-slip properties.

[0064] The wearable sensor system according to the second embodiment may have a function of confirming that all combinations of layered bodies are valid combinations.

[0065] In the second embodiment, the glove combination confirmation area 42 may also be able to confirm whether the combination of gloves and sensors to be used together is appropriate. For example, if the same sensors are placed at opposing positions on the inner glove 112 and the outer glove 113, there is redundancy, and it may be possible to notify the user that the glove combination is inappropriate. Furthermore, if the connectors of the inner glove 112 and the outer glove 113 cannot be combined with each other, it may be possible to notify the user that the combination of the two gloves is inappropriate.

[0066] The wearable sensor system of Example 2 may have a function to confirm that the sensor side communication unit, the data collection unit side communication unit, and all of the layered bodies on which the sensor is provided are properly electrically connected.

[0067] In the second embodiment, the connection status confirmation area 43 may have a function to confirm whether the transmitter 2, the receiver 3, and all the gloves having sensors are properly connected. Here, the transmitter 2 and the receiver 3 may both be communication units having transmission and reception functions. The gloves may be connected in such a manner that the inner glove 112 and the outer glove 113 are connected by a connector and the outer glove 113 is connected to the transmitter 2, or the connectors of the inner glove 112 and the outer glove 113 are each connected to the transmitter 2. The function to confirm whether elements such as gloves are properly connected may be realized in the following manner. That is, it may be determined from the number of received data or from the characteristics of the sensor data. That is, it may be determined from whether the number of sensor data corresponding to the number of pre-registered sensors has been received, or whether sensor data corresponding to the characteristics of the pre-registered sensors has been received.

[0068] The second embodiment may be implemented together with the first embodiment described above.

[0069] [Example 3] The wearable sensor according to the third embodiment may have a detachable member on at least one of the sensor and the layer for attaching and detaching the sensor and the layer.

[0070] A third embodiment of the present invention, that is, Example 3, will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Example 3 is common to Examples 1 and 2 except for the points described below. Example 3 employs a glove as a layer.

[0071] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a third embodiment. In the third embodiment, a sensor may be stored in a pocket of a glove 51. Although a single glove is illustrated in the third embodiment, this single glove may be used as one of multiple gloves, such as the inner glove and outer glove in the first and second embodiments. In the third embodiment, at least one of the multiple gloves constituting the glove 51 has a pocket 16 as a detachable member for storing and detachably holding the sensor and wiring. The pocket 16 may have a lid with a hook-and-loop fastener, a button, or the like to prevent the sensor and wiring from falling out. In this way, even when the sensor and wiring are stored in a pocket of a glove, a wearable sensor that can achieve the same effects as those of the first and second embodiments can be configured. The sensor stored in the pocket 16 may be stored in the same housing as the transmitter 2 and the battery 25 before being stored in the pocket 16. The sensor and wiring stored in the pocket 16 may be electrically connected to other sensors, wiring, and the transmitter 2 via connectors or wiring, as necessary. The detachable member does not have to be located only on the glove side. That is, the sensor may have a detachable member that can be used to attach and detach the sensor to and from the glove. In this example, a clip-shaped member may be used to attach the sensor. Furthermore, the sensor and the glove may each have a hook-and-loop fastener that can be used to attach and detach the sensor. By configuring the sensor as in Example 3, the sensor can be easily attached and detached to the layer. As a result, by preparing only a small number of gloves, which are layers, it becomes possible to configure many types of wearable sensors. Furthermore, as described above, Example 3 may be implemented together with Example 1 and Example 2.

[0072] As described above, examples of embodiments of the present invention have been described using the first, second, and third embodiments, but the embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention as claimed, and not all of the elements and combinations thereof described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention. Furthermore, in these examples, the measurement target has been described as work, but any action involving movement of the hands and fingers, such as sports or playing a musical instrument, can be the subject of the present invention.

[0073] Although the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to such specific configurations, but includes various modifications and equivalent configurations within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

[0074] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the components can be modified and embodied in practice without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0075] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes various modifications and equivalent configurations within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. 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 configurations including all of the described configurations. Furthermore, part of the configuration of one embodiment may be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment. Furthermore, the configuration of another embodiment may be added to the configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, part of the configuration of each embodiment may be added, deleted, or replaced with other configurations.

[0076] Furthermore, the aforementioned configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, etc. may be realized in part or in whole in hardware, for example by designing them as integrated circuits, or may be realized in software by having a processor interpret and execute a program that realizes each function.

[0077] Information such as programs, tables, and files that realize each function can be stored in a storage device such as a memory, a hard disk, or an SSD (Solid State Drive), or in a recording medium such as an IC card, an SD card, or a DVD.

[0078] In addition, the control lines and information lines shown are those that are considered necessary for explanation, and do not necessarily represent all the control lines and information lines that are necessary for implementation. In reality, it can be assumed that almost all components are interconnected. [Explanation of symbols]

[0079] 1. Wearable sensor system 2...Transmitter 3...Receiver 4...Sensor data collection unit 11, 111...Wearable sensors 12, 112...Inner glove 13, 113...Outer glove 14...Button 15...Buttonhole 16...Pocket 21...Sensor 22...Wiring 23...Printed circuit board 24, 124…connectors 25…Battery 31...Input section 32...Receiver 33...Storage section 34...Arithmetic section 35...Output section 36...Transmitter 41...Glove selection area 42...Glove combination confirmation area 43...Connection status confirmation area 44...Graph area 51...Gloves

Claims

1. A wearable sensor attached to a human body, a layered body having a shape that surrounds the human body between the wrist and the fingertips, and at least two layers that at least partially overlap each other; at least one sensor disposed in at least one of the at least two layers; A wearable sensor characterized in that the at least two layers are connected to each other by a fastening member.

2. A wearable sensor attached to a human body, a layered body having a shape that surrounds the human body between the wrist and the fingertips, and at least two layers that at least partially overlap each other; at least one sensor disposed in at least one of the at least two layers; A wearable sensor comprising at least one notification unit in at least one of the at least two layers.

3. A wearable sensor according to claim 1 or 2, The wearable sensor, wherein the at least two layers of the wearable sensor each have a different function.

4. The wearable sensor according to claim 1 or 2, A wearable sensor, characterized in that the sensor is provided in each of the at least two layers.

5. The wearable sensor according to claim 1 or 2, The wearable sensor is characterized in that the sensor includes at least one of a pressure sensor, a strain sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, a distance measurement sensor, a contact sensor, a temperature sensor, a Hall element, and a microphone.

6. A wearable sensor according to claim 4, A wearable sensor characterized in that at least two layers on which the sensor is provided are communicatively connected.

7. A wearable sensor according to claim 4, A wearable sensor characterized in that at least two layers on which the sensor is provided are connected to a first transmitting unit or a transmitting cable that transmits the sensing results of the sensor.

8. A wearable sensor according to claim 1 or 2, A wearable sensor characterized in that the sensor and at least one of the at least two layers have a detachable member that detachably holds the sensor to the layer.

9. A wearable sensor system, The wearable sensor according to claim 1 or 2; and a sensor data collection unit that collects observation results from the wearable sensor.

10. The wearable sensor system of claim 9, the sensor is provided in each of the at least two layers; At least two layers on which the sensors are provided have first transmitting units that transmit sensing results from the sensors; The wearable sensor system is characterized in that the sensor data collection unit has a receiving unit capable of communicating with the first transmitting unit.

11. The wearable sensor system of claim 10, A wearable sensor system, characterized in that the sensor data collection unit has a function of confirming a connection between the first transmission unit and a layer on which at least one of the sensors is provided.

12. The wearable sensor system of claim 10, The wearable sensor system is characterized in that the sensor data collection unit has a function of determining whether the combination of layers in which the sensor is provided is effective.

13. The wearable sensor system of claim 10, The wearable sensor system is characterized in that the sensor data collection unit has a function of outputting sensing results of a sensor provided in the wearable sensor.

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