Wearable device

Abstract

A wearable device according to the present disclosure comprises: a sensor body equipped with an electrode that is capable of detecting electrical characteristics of a living body and a detection unit that is capable of detecting biological information of the living body except for the electrical characteristics; and an attachment part that can be attached to and detached from the sensor body and that can be attached on the surface of the living body. The attachment part is provided with a conduction section that electrically connects the electrode of the sensor body and the surface of the living body by bringing, into contact, the electrode of the sensor body and the surface of the living body. The attachment part is configured so as not to block the space between the detection unit of the sensor body and the surface of the living body in a conduction state in which the attachment part having the sensor body attached thereto is attached to the surface of the living body and in which the electrode of the sensor body and the surface of the living body are electrically connected via the conduction section of the attachment part.

Description

Wearable devices

[0001] The present disclosure relates to wearable devices.

[0002] Wearable devices that can be attached to a living body surface and have electrodes that can detect electrical characteristics of the living body on a surface that comes into contact with the living body surface have been known. Patent Document 1 discloses a biological information measuring device as this type of wearable device. The biological information measuring device described in Patent Document 1 includes a case that houses a device main body including a biological information detection unit that detects the user's biological information, a band that attaches the case to the user, and electrodes provided on the surface of the case or band that comes into contact with the user's body. Furthermore, the biological information detection unit in Patent Document 1 includes an electrocardiogram measurement unit and a pulse wave detection unit.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-214641

[0004] In the wearable bioinformation measuring device described in Patent Document 1, the electrodes that contact the biological surface are susceptible to deterioration due to contact with the biological surface, sweat on the biological surface, and the like. In the bioinformation measuring device described in Patent Document 1, such electrode deterioration may necessitate replacement of the entire bioinformation measuring device, including the biological information detection unit. In other words, even if the components of the device main body (the sensor main body) other than the electrodes (e.g., the control unit and pulse wave detection unit) do not require replacement, electrode deterioration may determine the life cycle of the entire device. Therefore, the bioinformation measuring device described in Patent Document 1 still has room for improvement in terms of the reusability of the sensor main body.

[0005] Furthermore, the biological information detection unit described in Patent Document 1 includes an electrocardiogram measurement unit that utilizes the electrical characteristics of the living body from the electrodes, as well as a pulse wave detection unit that is a detection unit that can detect biological information other than the electrical characteristics of the living body. In such a case, it is preferable to improve the reusability of the sensor body described above while suppressing a decrease in the detection accuracy of the detection unit.

[0006] The present disclosure aims to provide a wearable device that can achieve both improved reusability of the sensor body and suppression of a decrease in detection accuracy by a detection unit that can detect biological information other than the electrical characteristics of a living body.

[0007] A wearable device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure is a wearable device comprising: (1) a sensor body including electrodes capable of detecting electrical characteristics of a living body and a detection unit capable of detecting biological information other than the electrical characteristics of the living body; and an attachment unit that is detachable from the sensor body and can be attached to a biological surface, wherein the attachment unit includes a conductive unit that contacts the electrodes of the sensor body and the biological surface to provide electrical conductivity between the electrodes of the sensor body and the biological surface, and the attachment unit is configured so as not to obstruct communication between the detection unit of the sensor body and the biological surface when the attachment unit to which the sensor body is attached is attached to the biological surface and the electrodes of the sensor body and the biological surface are in a conductive state in which they are conductive via the conductive unit of the attachment unit.

[0008] A wearable device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is the wearable device described in (1) above, wherein (2) the attachment portion has a back surface that covers the biological surface in the conductive state and a front surface opposite the back surface, the sensor body is detachable from the attachment portion on the front side of the attachment portion, an opening is formed in the attachment portion that penetrates from the front side to the back side, and the detection portion of the sensor body is capable of detecting the biological information through the opening in the attachment portion in the conductive state.

[0009] A wearable device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is (3) the wearable device described in (2) above, in which the sensor main body, in the conductive state, is inserted into the opening from the front side of the mounting portion.

[0010] A wearable device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is (4) the wearable device described in (3) above, in which the sensor main body, in the conductive state, protrudes from the back surface of the mounting part through the opening of the mounting part.

[0011] A wearable device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is (5) a wearable device according to any one of (2) to (4) above, wherein the conductive portion of the attachment portion comprises: a front exposed portion exposed on the front surface and capable of contacting the electrode of the sensor body; and a back exposed portion exposed on the back surface and capable of contacting the surface of the living body.

[0012] A wearable device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is (6) the wearable device described in (5) above, wherein a storage recess capable of storing the sensor body is formed on the front surface of the mounting portion, and the front exposed portion of the conductive portion is exposed on the front surface at the bottom surface of the storage recess.

[0013] A wearable device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is (7) the wearable device described in (5) or (6) above, wherein a storage recess capable of storing the sensor body is formed on the front surface of the mounting portion, and the front exposed portion of the conductive portion is exposed on the side of the storage recess on the front surface.

[0014] A wearable device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is the wearable device described in any one of (5) to (7) above, wherein (8) the attachment portion is a band body that extends circumferentially around the arm and can be attached to the arm, and the rear exposed portion and the front exposed portion of the conductive portion are positioned at overlapping positions in the extension direction of the band body.

[0015] A wearable device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is (9) the wearable device described in any one of (5) to (7) above, wherein the attachment portion is a band body that extends circumferentially around the arm and can be attached to the arm, and the rear exposed portion and the front exposed portion of the conductive portion are positioned so as not to overlap in the extension direction of the band body.

[0016] A wearable device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is (10) the wearable device described in (9) above, wherein the conductive portion electrically connects the rear exposed portion and the front exposed portion and includes a wiring portion that is embedded in the band body so as not to be exposed to the outside.

[0017] A wearable device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a wearable device according to any one of (1) to (10) above, wherein (11) the sensor body includes a plurality of the electrodes, and the attachment portion includes a plurality of the conductive portions corresponding to the plurality of electrodes, respectively.

[0018] A wearable device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is (12) a wearable device according to any one of (1) to (11) above, wherein the detection unit of the sensor body is a sensor capable of detecting electromagnetic waves or sound waves from a living body.

[0019] A wearable device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is (13) the wearable device according to (12) above, in which the detection unit of the sensor main body is an optical pulse wave sensor.

[0020] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a wearable device that can achieve both improved reusability of the sensor body and suppression of a decrease in detection accuracy by a detection unit that can detect biological information other than the electrical characteristics of a living body.

[0021] 1. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wearable device according to an embodiment, as seen from the front side, illustrating a state in which a sensor main body is attached to a base body. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the wearable device shown in FIG. 1, as seen from the rear side. FIG. 3 is a front view of the wearable device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a view showing a state in which the wearable device shown in FIG. 1 is being used. FIG. 5 is a view showing a state in which the wearable device shown in FIG. 1 is being used. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the wearable device shown in FIG. 6, as seen from the rear side, illustrating a state in which the base body and sensor main body of the wearable device shown in FIG. 1 are separated. FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the wearable device shown in FIG. 6, as seen from the rear side. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the wearable device taken along line II in FIG. 3. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the wearable device taken along line II-II in FIG. 3. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a wearable device according to an embodiment, as seen from the front side, illustrating a state in which a sensor main body is attached to the base body. FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the wearable device shown in FIG. 11, as seen from the rear side. FIG. 12 is a side view of the base body of the base body, the base cover of the base body, and the sensor main body. FIG. 13 is a view showing a state in which the wearable device shown in FIG. 10 is being used. 15 is an exploded perspective view of a wearable device according to an embodiment; FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of a mounting portion of the wearable device shown in FIG. 15; and FIG. 17 is a view showing a contact state between the conductive portion of the base body and the electrodes of the sensor main body in the wearable device shown in FIG.

[0022] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a wearable device according to the present disclosure will be illustrated and described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0023] 1 and 2 are perspective views of a wearable device 100 as one embodiment of a wearable device according to the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1 , the wearable device 100 includes an attachment unit 1 that can be attached to a biological surface and a sensor main body 3 that can be attached to and detached from the attachment unit 1. The attachment unit 1 of this embodiment is a base body 2 that is attached to the biological surface so as to be interposed between the biological surface and the sensor main body 3. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the wearable device 100, as seen from the front, with the sensor main body 3 attached to the base body 2. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the wearable device 100, as seen from the rear, with the sensor main body 3 attached to the base body 2. FIG. 3 is a front view of the wearable device 100 with the sensor main body 3 attached to the base body 2. FIGS. 4 and 5 are diagrams illustrating the wearable device 100 in use.

[0024] First, a method of using the wearable device 100 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0025] The wearable device 100 is used by being attached to the surface of a living body. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the wearable device 100 of this embodiment is configured to be usable by being wrapped around the arm X of a user. More specifically, the wearable device 100 of this embodiment includes a band body 10 as a base body 2. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the band body 10 extends along the circumferential direction of the user's arm X and is attached to the arm X in a state where it is wrapped around the arm X.

[0026] 4 and 5 show an example in which the wearable device 100 is used by being wrapped around the wrist X1 of the user's arm X, but the attachment position of the wearable device 100 is not limited to the wrist X1. For example, the wearable device 100 may be used by being wrapped around the forearm of the user's arm X. Furthermore, the wearable device 100 may be used by being wrapped around a biological surface other than the arm X, such as the user's leg.

[0027] Furthermore, the wearable device 100 of this embodiment includes a band body 10 as the base body 2, which is used by being wrapped around a biological surface, but the base body 2 is not limited to the band body 10. The base body 2 may, for example, have an adhesive surface that can be attached to the biological surface, and be attached to the biological surface by being attached to the biological surface. In such a case, the biological surface to which the base body 2 is attached may be a position other than the arm X or leg, such as the chest.

[0028] In the present embodiment, an example of a method of using the wearable device 100 in which the wearable device 100 is used by being wrapped around the arm X of the user will be described below.

[0029] 4 and 5 , wearable device 100 can acquire biometric information while being wrapped around wrist X1 of a user's arm X. More specifically, wearable device 100 can acquire biometric information based on electrical characteristics of a living body and other biometric information that is not based on electrical characteristics of a living body.

[0030] Examples of biometric information based on the electrical characteristics of a living organism include bioimpedance, which is detected by passing electricity through the living organism, and electrocardiographic information related to cardiac activity, which is obtained by detecting electrical signals flowing through the living organism. Other examples of biometric information not based on the electrical characteristics of a living organism include pulse wave information and blood pressure information. These are types of biometric information that can be obtained without passing electricity through the living organism or detecting electrical signals flowing through the living organism. The wearable device 100 of this embodiment is configured to be able to acquire bioimpedance as biometric information based on the electrical characteristics of a living organism. The wearable device 100 of this embodiment is also configured to be able to acquire pulse wave information as biometric information not based on the electrical characteristics of a living organism.

[0031] In this way, the wearable device 100 of this embodiment is used by being wrapped around the arm X of the user, and is capable of acquiring bioimpedance and pulse wave information of the user.

[0032] The wearable device 100 of this embodiment can measure the amount of moisture in the user's wrist X1 by acquiring bioimpedance from the user's wrist X1. It is known that a decline in cardiac function in a living body can cause edema, in which moisture accumulates on or under the skin. The wearable device 100 can monitor the amount of moisture in the wrist X1 of a user, such as a heart disease patient, and thereby detect a decline in the user's cardiac function early.

[0033] Furthermore, the wearable device 100 of this embodiment can monitor the user's heart rate in addition to the above-mentioned moisture content of the user by acquiring pulse wave information from the user's wrist X1. Therefore, a decline in the user's cardiac function can be considered from the perspective of fluctuations in heart rate as well as fluctuations in moisture content.

[0034] The wearable device 100 may be constantly attached to the user for a certain period of time, such as several hours or several days. In this manner, the state of the user's cardiac function can be constantly monitored. This allows for early detection of a decline in the user's cardiac function. However, the wearable device 100 may also be temporarily attached to the user for the purpose of understanding the state of the user's cardiac function at a predetermined time.

[0035] The wearable device 100 will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. FIGS. 6 and 7 are exploded perspective views of the wearable device 100, showing the base body 2 and the sensor main body 3 of the wearable device 100 separated from each other. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the wearable device 100, seen from the front, with the base body 2 and the sensor main body 3 separated from each other. FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the wearable device 100, seen from the rear, with the base body 2 and the sensor main body 3 separated from each other. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the wearable device 100 taken along line II in FIG. 3. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the wearable device 100 taken along line II-II in FIG. 3. For ease of explanation, in FIGS. 8 and 9, the position of the outer surface of the wrist X1 of the user's arm X, to which the wearable device 100 is attached, is indicated by a dashed line.

[0036] As described above, the wearable device 100 includes the base body 2 and the sensor main body 3. The base body 2 is configured to be attachable to the surface of a living body. The sensor main body 3 is configured to be detachable from the base body 2.

[0037] The sensor main body 3 includes electrodes 21 capable of detecting electrical characteristics of a living body and a detection unit 23 capable of detecting biometric information other than the electrical characteristics of the living body. The sensor main body 3 of this embodiment is capable of acquiring bioimpedance based on the electrical characteristics of the living body detected by the electrodes 21. The detection unit 23 may be a sensor capable of detecting electromagnetic waves or acoustic waves from the living body. The detection unit 23 of this embodiment is an optical pulse wave sensor that uses photoplethysmography. The sensor main body 3 of this embodiment is capable of acquiring pulse wave information (pulse wave signal) based on the optical pulse wave sensor serving as the detection unit 23.

[0038] The base body 2 includes a conductive portion 41. The conductive portion 41 is configured to contact the electrode 21 of the sensor main body 3 and the biological surface, thereby establishing electrical continuity between the electrode 21 of the sensor main body 3 and the biological surface. As shown in FIG. 9 , the sensor main body 3 can be attached to the base body 2 so that the electrode 21 is in contact with the conductive portion 41. In this manner, the base body 2 is attached to the biological surface with the conductive portion 41 of the base body 2 and the electrode 21 of the sensor main body 3 in contact and conducting. As described above, the base body 2 of this embodiment is attached to the user's wrist X1 while being wrapped around the wrist X1 (see FIGS. 4 and 5 ). At this time, the conductive portion 41 of the base body 2 contacts the outer surface of the wrist X1, which is the biological surface. In other words, the base body 2 is attached to the biological surface, and a conductive state is established between the electrode 21 of the sensor main body 3 and the biological surface via the conductive portion 41 of the base body 2. For ease of explanation, this state will be simply referred to as the "conductive state."

[0039] The base body 2 is configured so as not to block the gap between the detection unit 23 of the sensor main body 3 and the surface of the living body when in a conductive state. As will be described in detail later, an opening 50 is formed in the base body 2 of this embodiment (see FIG. 7 etc.). As shown in FIG. 9, the detection unit 23 of the sensor main body 3 can detect pulse wave information as biological information other than the electrical characteristics of the living body through the opening 50 of the base body 2.

[0040] As described above, in the wearable device 100, the sensor main body 3 is configured to be detachable from the base body 2. Furthermore, the electrodes 21 of the sensor main body 3 do not directly contact the biological surface, but are configured to be electrically conductive to the biological surface via the conductive portion 41 of the base body 2. In other words, the sensor main body 3 does not have electrodes that directly contact biological tissue to conduct electricity. This prevents the electrodes 21 of the sensor main body 3 from deteriorating due to contact with the biological surface or sweat on the biological surface. On the other hand, the conductive portion 41 of the base body 2 may deteriorate due to contact with the biological surface or sweat on the biological surface. In such a case, the sensor main body 3 can be detached from the base body 2 and only the base body 2 can be replaced. In other words, the sensor main body 3, including various electronic components, can be reused. This improves the reusability of the sensor main body 3 in the wearable device 100.

[0041] Furthermore, the base body 2 is configured so as not to block the gap between the detection unit 23 of the sensor main body 3 and the biological surface when in a conductive state. Therefore, even in a configuration in which the base body 2 is interposed between the sensor main body 3 and the biological surface, a decrease in the accuracy of detection of biological information by the detection unit 23 can be suppressed. The detection unit 23 is not electrically connected to the biological surface. Therefore, even if the part involved in detection of biological information by the detection unit 23 comes into direct contact with the skin as the biological surface without being blocked by the base body 2 or is exposed to sweat, it is unlikely to deteriorate. As will be described in detail later, in this embodiment, the detection window 24e of the housing 24 of the sensor main body 3 is configured to be able to come into contact with the outer surface of the wrist X1 as the biological surface through the opening 50 (see FIG. 9 ).

[0042] As described above, the wearable device 100 can improve the reusability of the sensor main body 3 while suppressing a decrease in the detection accuracy of the detection unit 23, which can detect biometric information other than the electrical characteristics of a living body.

[0043] The wearable device 100 of this embodiment will be described in further detail below. For ease of explanation, in this embodiment, when the wearable device 100 is attached to the surface of a living body (see FIGS. 4 and 5 ) with the sensor main body 3 attached to the base body 2 (see FIGS. 1 to 3 , etc.), the surface facing the living body surface will be referred to as the “back” and the surface opposite the back will be referred to as the “front.” For ease of explanation, the directions from the back side to the front side and from the front side to the back side of the wearable device 100 will be referred to as the “thickness direction A.” Furthermore, in this embodiment, the direction perpendicular to the thickness direction A and in which the band body 10 serving as the base body 2 extends will be referred to as the “longitudinal direction B.” In this embodiment, the direction perpendicular to the thickness direction A and the longitudinal direction B of the wearable device 100 will be referred to as the “width direction C.”

[0044] As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the sensor main body 3 of this embodiment includes, in addition to the above-mentioned electrodes 21 and detection unit 23, a housing 24, a control unit 25, a communication unit 26, and a rechargeable battery 27.

[0045] 7, the sensor main body 3 of this embodiment includes a plurality of electrodes 21. Specifically, the sensor main body 3 of this embodiment includes four electrodes 21. The four electrodes 21 of this embodiment are configured by a pair of electrodes 21a, 21b and another pair of electrodes 21c, 21d.

[0046] The pair of electrodes 21a, 21b is used to acquire the user's bioimpedance. The other pair of electrodes 21c, 21d may be used, for example, to acquire the user's bioimpedance, similar to the pair of electrodes 21a, 21b. The other pair of electrodes 21c, 21d may also be used, for example, as application electrodes that pass a current through a living body. The other pair of electrodes 21c, 21d may also be used, for example, to correct the measured value of the bioimpedance acquired through the pair of electrodes 21a, 21b. As described above, the other pair of electrodes 21c, 21d may be used to improve the measurement accuracy of the measured value of the bioimpedance acquired through the pair of electrodes 21a, 21b. The sensor main body 3 may also be configured without the other pair of electrodes 21c, 21d. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the pair of electrodes 21a, 21b of this embodiment will be referred to as a "pair of detection electrodes 21a, 21b," and another pair of electrodes 21c, 21d of this embodiment will be referred to as a "pair of auxiliary electrodes 21c, 21d." Furthermore, when there is no need to particularly distinguish between the four electrodes 21a to 21d, they will simply be referred to as "electrodes 21."

[0047] The electrode 21 is a dry electrode made of, for example, rubber, metal, etc. However, the electrode 21 is preferably made of metal with high conductivity.

[0048] The electrode 21 in this embodiment is exposed to the outside of a housing 24, which will be described later.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 3 , the pair of detection electrodes 21a, 21b in this embodiment are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction B. Here, the phrase "side by side in the longitudinal direction B" means that, in a plan view of the wearable device 100 viewed along the thickness direction A (see FIG. 3 ), there is at least one imaginary line (e.g., imaginary line L1 in FIG. 3 ) that passes through the pair of detection electrodes 21a, 21b and is parallel to the longitudinal direction B. This allows the pair of detection electrodes 21a, 21b to contact substantially equal positions along the length of the user's arm X and different positions along the circumference of the user's arm X. This allows the pair of detection electrodes 21a, 21b to detect bioimpedance in a cross section of the user's arm X that is substantially perpendicular to the length of the arm X. This makes it easier to monitor changes in the moisture content of the user's arm X in association with changes in the outer diameter of the arm due to edema, etc.

[0050] 3, the pair of auxiliary electrodes 21c, 21d of this embodiment are also arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction B. Here, the pair of auxiliary electrodes 21c, 21d being "arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction B" means that, in a plan view of wearable device 100 seen along the thickness direction A (see FIG. 3), there is at least one imaginary line (for example, imaginary line L2 in FIG. 3) that passes through the pair of auxiliary electrodes 21c, 21d and is parallel to the longitudinal direction B.

[0051] In the present embodiment, the pair of detection electrodes 21a, 21b and the pair of auxiliary electrodes 21c, 21d are arranged at different positions in the width direction C, but this configuration is not limiting. The pair of detection electrodes 21a, 21b and the pair of auxiliary electrodes 21c, 21d may be arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction B. In other words, the four electrodes 21a to 21d may be arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction B.

[0052] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the pair of detection electrodes 21 a, 21 b and the pair of auxiliary electrodes 21 c, 21 d are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction B, but this configuration is not limited thereto. The pair of detection electrodes 21 a, 21 b and the pair of auxiliary electrodes 21 c, 21 d may be arranged side by side in the width direction C at the same position or different positions in the longitudinal direction B. However, as described above, it is preferable that the pair of detection electrodes 21 a, 21 b be arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction B.

[0053] The detection unit 23 of this embodiment is an optical pulse wave sensor that uses photoplethysmography and includes an optical transmitter / receiver 23a that can transmit and receive optical signals through a detection window 24e of the housing 24, which will be described later.

[0054] The housing 24 is an exterior member of the sensor main body 3. In this embodiment, the housing 24 is a rectangular box made of resin that defines an internal space 24a. In this embodiment, the detection unit 23, the control unit 25, the communication unit 26, and the rechargeable battery 27 are housed in the internal space 24a of the housing 24.

[0055] The housing 24 of this embodiment includes a top wall 24b, a bottom wall 24c, and a side wall 24d. The internal space 24a of the housing 24 is defined by the top wall 24b, the bottom wall 24c, and the side wall 24d. The top wall 24b and the bottom wall 24c are arranged opposite each other in the thickness direction A. The periphery of the internal space 24a in a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction A is defined by the side wall 24d. More specifically, the side wall 24d of this embodiment includes a flat first side plate 24d1 and a flat second side plate 24d2 that face each other in the longitudinal direction B, and a flat third side plate 24d3 and a flat fourth side plate 24d4 that face each other in the width direction C.

[0056] The bottom wall 24c of this embodiment includes a flat bottom wall main body 24c1 that is continuous with the side wall 24d and has an opening in the center, and a cylindrical protrusion 24c2 that rises from the inner edge of the bottom wall main body 24c1. The tip of the protrusion 24c2 is closed by a tip wall 24c3.

[0057] The electrode 21 of this embodiment is held in the housing 24 so as to be exposed to the outside of the housing 24. Specifically, the electrode 21 of this embodiment is exposed to the outside from the bottom wall portion 24c of the housing 24. More specifically, the electrode 21 of this embodiment is exposed to the outside from the bottom wall portion 24c so as to protrude from the outer surface of the bottom wall main body portion 24c1 of the bottom wall portion 24c of the housing 24. The protruding portion 24c2 of this embodiment protrudes further from the bottom wall main body 24c1 than the electrode 21. In other words, the protruding amount T1 of the protruding portion 24c2 from the bottom wall main body 24c1 (see FIG. 8) is greater than the protruding amount T2 of the electrode 21 from the bottom wall main body 24c1 (see FIG. 9).

[0058] The housing 24 of this embodiment includes a detection window 24e that is used for detecting biological information by the detection unit 23 housed in the internal space 24a. As described above, the detection unit 23 of this embodiment is an optical pulse wave sensor, and the detection unit 23 can detect pulse wave information by transmitting and receiving optical signals from the optical transceiver 23a through the detection window 24e of the housing 24. The detection window 24e of this embodiment may be formed of, for example, a transparent resin material. The detection window 24e of this embodiment is formed in the tip wall 24c3 of the bottom wall 24c of the housing 24.

[0059] 3, the detection window 24e of this embodiment is disposed in an area surrounded by the four electrodes 21a to 21d in a plan view of the sensor main body 3 seen along the thickness direction A. However, the position of the detection window 24e is not limited to the position of this embodiment.

[0060] The control unit 25 executes operation instructions and the like for each unit of the wearable device 100. The control unit 25 is configured with a processor such as a CPU or an MPU. More specifically, the control unit 25 of this embodiment includes a storage unit such as a ROM (read only memory) or a RAM (random access memory). The storage unit may store, for example, various programs to be executed by the control unit 25. Furthermore, the wearable device 100 may include a storage unit separate from the control unit 25.

[0061] For example, when the control unit 25 detects that the pair of detection electrodes 21 a, 21 b are electrically connected to the surface of the living body through the conductive portion 41 of the base body 2, the control unit 25 instructs each unit of the wearable device 100 to start measuring the bioimpedance. Furthermore, when the control unit 25 in this embodiment detects that the pair of detection electrodes 21 a, 21 b are electrically connected to the surface of the living body through the conductive portion 41 of the base body 2, the control unit 25 instructs each unit of the wearable device 100, including the detection unit 23, to start measuring the pulse wave.

[0062] Furthermore, the control unit 25 may execute a process of calculating the moisture content from the bioimpedance measured based on the electrical characteristics of the living body detected by the pair of detection electrodes 21 a, 21 b. The control unit 25 may also transmit the calculated moisture content to an external device such as the user's smartphone, a server at a medical institution, or a cloud server via the communication unit 26. However, the control unit 25 may also transmit the measured value of the bioimpedance to the external device without executing a process of calculating the moisture content from the bioimpedance measured based on the electrical characteristics of the living body detected by the pair of detection electrodes 21 a, 21 b. In other words, the process of calculating the moisture content from the bioimpedance measured based on the electrical characteristics of the living body detected by the pair of detection electrodes 21 a, 21 b may be executed by the external device.

[0063] The control unit 25 may execute a process of calculating higher-order biological information such as a heart rate, pulse rate, and blood pressure based on a pulse wave, which is biological information other than the electrical characteristics of the living body, detected by the optical pulse wave sensor serving as the detection unit 23. The control unit 25 may also transmit the calculated higher-order biological information such as a heart rate, pulse rate, and blood pressure to an external device such as a user's smartphone, a medical institution's server, or a cloud server via the communication unit 26. However, the control unit 25 may also transmit the detected biological information itself to the external device without executing a process of calculating higher-order biological information from biological information other than the electrical characteristics of the living body detected by the detection unit 23. In other words, the process of calculating higher-order biological information based on biological information other than the electrical characteristics of the living body detected by the detection unit 23 may be executed by the external device.

[0064] The communication unit 26 includes at least one of a wireless communication module and a wired communication module. The wireless communication module is a communication module compatible with communication standards such as wireless local area network (LAN), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or near field communication (NFC). The wired communication module may be a wired LAN communication module, for example. This allows the wearable device 100 to communicate wirelessly or wired with external devices such as communication terminals, servers, etc., via the communication unit 26. The communication unit 26 of this embodiment includes a wireless communication module including an antenna 26a.

[0065] The rechargeable battery 27 can supply power to each part of the wearable device 100 .

[0066] The sensor main body 3 may further include other components. For example, the sensor main body 3 may further include an alarm unit. The alarm unit may be configured to alarm the outside by sound, light, or the like when an abnormal bioimpedance exceeding a predetermined threshold is measured, indicating that the sensor is not properly attached to the surface of the living body.

[0067] The base body 2 of this embodiment has a back surface 2a that covers the outer surface of the arm X as a biological surface in a conductive state, and a front surface 2b opposite the back surface 2a. As shown in Figures 1 to 3 and 6 to 9, the sensor main body 3 of this embodiment is detachable from the base body 2 on the front surface 2b side of the base body 2.

[0068] More specifically, the base body 2 of this embodiment is a band body 10 that extends circumferentially around the user's arm X and can be attached to the arm X by wrapping it around the arm X. The band body 10 serving as the base body 2 includes an attachment section 11 to which the sensor main body 3 can be attached, and a band section 12 that extends from the attachment section 11 so as to protrude in the longitudinal direction B of the band body 10.

[0069] An accommodating recess 11a capable of accommodating the sensor main body 3 is formed in the front surface 2b of the base body 2. More specifically, the accommodating recess 11a in this embodiment is formed in the front surface 2b at the position of the mounting portion 11 of the base body 2. The accommodating recess 11a is a substantially rectangular recess configured to allow the sensor main body 3 to be fitted therein. More specifically, the inner surface of the accommodating recess 11a includes a bottom surface 13 and side surfaces 14 into which the side wall portions 24d of the housing 24 of the sensor main body 3 can be fitted. More specifically, the side surfaces 14 of the accommodating recess 11a in this embodiment include a first side surface 14a and a second side surface 14b that face each other in the longitudinal direction B, and a third side surface 14c and a fourth side surface 14d that face each other in the width direction C. As will be described in detail later, a portion of the conductive portion 41 in this embodiment is exposed at the bottom surface 13 of the accommodating recess 11a. When the sensor main body 3 is accommodated in the accommodation recess 11a, the electrode 21 exposed from the bottom wall portion 24c of the housing 24 of the sensor main body 3 comes into contact with and is conductive to the conductive portion 41 exposed on the bottom surface 13 of the accommodation recess 11a.

[0070] The band portion 12 includes a first band portion 12a protruding from the attachment portion 11 to one side in the longitudinal direction B and a second band portion 12b protruding from the attachment portion 11 to the other side in the longitudinal direction B. The first band portion 12a and the second band portion 12b are flexible band-shaped portions that can flexibly deform in the thickness direction A. Therefore, the band body 10 serving as the base body 2 can be wrapped around the user's arm X along the circumferential direction of the arm X. One of the first band portion 12a and the second band portion 12b (the first band portion 12a in this embodiment) has a protrusion 12a1. The other of the first band portion 12a and the second band portion 12b (the second band portion 12b in this embodiment) has a plurality of holes 12b1 into which the protrusion 12a1 can be inserted. The plurality of holes 12b1 are arranged at intervals in the longitudinal direction B. The protrusion 12a1 is inserted into one of the plurality of holes 12b1 corresponding to the thickness of the user's arm X. In this way, the band body 10 as the base body 2 can be attached to the arm X so that the conductive portion 41, which will be described later, comes into contact with the surface of the living body, regardless of the thickness of the user's arm X.

[0071] However, the fasteners of the first band portion 12a and the second band portion 12b are not limited to the protrusions 12a1 and holes 12b1 described above. The first band portion 12a and the second band portion 12b may include other fasteners, such as hook-and-loop fasteners. Although the band portion 12 of this embodiment includes the first band portion 12a and the second band portion 12b, this configuration is not limited. The band portion 12 may also be configured with only one belt-shaped portion. In such a case, the band portion 12 may protrude from one end of the attachment portion 11 in the longitudinal direction B, and when wrapped around the user's arm X, its tip may be engaged with the other end of the attachment portion 11 in the longitudinal direction B.

[0072] As described above, the base body 2 includes the conductive portion 41. The conductive portion 41 of this embodiment will be described in detail below.

[0073] The base body 2 of this embodiment has four conductive parts 41. The four conductive parts 41 are configured to be in contact with and conductively connect with the four electrodes 21a to 21d of the sensor main body 3. Specifically, the base body 2 serving as the mounting part 1 of this embodiment has a pair of conductive parts 41 that are in contact with and conductively connect with the pair of detection electrodes 21a, 21b of the sensor main body 3, respectively, and a pair of conductive parts 41 that are in contact with and conductively connect with the pair of auxiliary electrodes 21c, 21d of the sensor main body 3, respectively. More specifically, the four conductive portions 41 in this embodiment include a first conductive portion 41a that can contact one of the pair of detection electrodes 21a, 21b, a second conductive portion 41b that can contact the other of the pair of detection electrodes 21a, 21b, a third conductive portion 41c that can contact one of the pair of auxiliary electrodes 21c, 21d, and a fourth conductive portion 41d that can contact the other of the pair of auxiliary electrodes 21c, 21d. The sensor main body 3 is attached to the base body 2 so that the four electrodes 21a to 21d are in contact with the corresponding one of the first to fourth conductive portions 41a to 41d. Hereinafter, when there is no need to particularly distinguish between the first to fourth conductive portions 41a to 41d, they will simply be referred to as "conductive portions 41."

[0074] The conductive portion 41 includes a front exposed portion 42 exposed on the front surface 2b of the base body 2, and a back exposed portion 43 exposed on the back surface 2a of the base body 2. The front exposed portion 42 can come into contact with the electrode 21 of the sensor main body 3 attached to the base body 2. The back exposed portion 43 can come into contact with the surface of a living body when the base body 2 is attached to the surface of a living body.

[0075] In this embodiment, the front exposed portion 42 of the conductive portion 41 is exposed on the front surface 2b of the base body 2, in front of the mounting portion 11. More specifically, the front exposed portion 42 of the conductive portion 41 in this embodiment is exposed on the bottom surface 13 of the accommodating recess 11a formed on the front surface of the mounting portion 11. Therefore, when the sensor main body 3 is accommodated in the accommodating recess 11a, the electrode 21 exposed on the outer surface of the bottom wall portion 24c of the housing 24, which serves as the back surface of the sensor main body 3, comes into contact with the front exposed portion 42 of the conductive portion 41. In other words, the sensor main body 3 is inserted into the accommodating recess 11a up to a position where the electrode 21 comes into contact with the conductive portion 41.

[0076] The front exposed portion 42 and the back exposed portion 43 of the conductive portion 41 are arranged in overlapping positions in the longitudinal direction B, which is the extension direction of the band body 10 serving as the base body 2. That is, the back exposed portion 43 of the conductive portion 41 in this embodiment is exposed on the back surface of the attachment portion 11 on the back surface 2a of the base body 2. When the wearable device 100 is used as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the attachment portion 11 is arranged on the outer surface of the user's arm X on the back side of the hand. Therefore, when the wearable device 100 is used as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the back exposed portion 43 of the conductive portion 41 contacts the outer surface of the user's arm X on the back side of the hand. However, the wearable device 100 of this embodiment can also be used so that the attachment portion 11 is arranged on the outer surface of the user's arm X on the palm side. In such a case, the back exposed portion 43 of the conductive portion 41 contacts the outer surface of the user's arm X on the palm side.

[0077] Furthermore, it is preferable that the exposed back surface portion 43 of the conductive part 41 protrudes from the back surface 2a of the base body 2. This makes it easier for the exposed back surface portion 43 to abut against the biological surface in a slightly pressing manner when the base body 2 is attached to the biological surface (see FIGS. 4 and 5). This makes it possible to stabilize the contact state between the conductive part 41 and the biological surface.

[0078] As described above, in this embodiment, the front exposed portion 42 and the back exposed portion 43 of the conductive portion 41 are arranged at positions where they overlap in the longitudinal direction B, which is the extension direction of the band body 10 as the base body 2, but this configuration is not limiting. The front exposed portion 42 and the back exposed portion 43 of the conductive portion 41 may also be arranged at positions where they do not overlap in the longitudinal direction B, which is the extension direction of the band body 10. Details of such a configuration will be described later (see FIGS. 10 to 14).

[0079] As described above, in the wearable device 100 of this embodiment, the electrode 21 of the sensor main body 3 and the biological surface are electrically connected via the conductive portion 41 of the base body 2. More specifically, in the wearable device 100 of this embodiment, the detection electrode 21a and the biological surface are electrically connected via the first conductive portion 41a of the base body 2. Also, in the wearable device 100 of this embodiment, the detection electrode 21b and the biological surface are electrically connected via the second conductive portion 41b of the base body 2. Furthermore, in the wearable device 100 of this embodiment, the auxiliary electrode 21c and the biological surface are electrically connected via the third conductive portion 41c of the base body 2. Furthermore, in the wearable device 100 of this embodiment, the auxiliary electrode 21d and the biological surface are electrically connected via the fourth conductive portion 41d of the base body 2.

[0080] As described above, the four electrodes 21a to 21d of the sensor main body 3 of this embodiment are not in direct contact with the surface of a living body when in a conductive state. Furthermore, the sensor main body 3 of this embodiment does not include any electrodes other than these four electrodes 21a to 21d. In other words, the sensor main body 3 of this embodiment does not include any electrodes that can be in direct contact with the surface of a living body when in a conductive state.

[0081] The constituent material of the conductive portion 41 is not particularly limited as long as it is a conductive material. The conductive portion 41 may be made of a metal such as copper or aluminum. However, the conductive portion 41 is preferably made of conductive rubber, which is flexible and has high skin contact properties. Examples of conductive rubber include conductive silicone rubber and conductive styrene-based rubber. Furthermore, the constituent materials of the base body 2 of this embodiment other than the conductive portion 41 may be made of, for example, a resin that does not have conductivity.

[0082] An opening 50 is also formed in the base body 2. The opening 50 penetrates from the front surface 2b to the back surface 2a. More specifically, the opening 50 in this embodiment is a through-hole that penetrates the base body 2 in the thickness direction A from the front surface 2b to the back surface 2a. In this embodiment, the detection unit 23 of the sensor main body 3 can detect pulse wave information and blood pressure information, as biological information, through the opening 50 of the base body 2 in a conductive state. By providing such an opening 50, the base body 2 does not interfere with the detection of biological information by the detection unit 23 of the sensor main body 3. In other words, it is possible to prevent the detection accuracy of biological information by the detection unit 23 from being reduced due to the presence of the base body 2.

[0083] 8 , the sensor main body 3 of this embodiment is electrically connected and enters the opening 50 from the front surface 2b of the base body 2. More specifically, the protrusion 24c2 of the bottom wall 24c of the housing 24 of the sensor main body 3 of this embodiment is electrically connected and enters the opening 50 from the front surface 2b of the base body 2. This allows the detection window 24e formed in the tip wall 24c3 provided at the tip of the protrusion 24c2 to be brought closer to the surface of the living body. In other words, the gap between the detection window 24e formed in the tip wall 24c3 and the living body surface can be reduced, thereby suppressing a decrease in the detection accuracy of the detection unit 23 that may occur due to the presence of this gap.

[0084] Furthermore, in the conductive state, the sensor main body 3 of this embodiment protrudes beyond the rear surface 2a of the base body 2 through the opening 50 of the base body 2. More specifically, the protruding portion 24c2 of the bottom wall portion 24c of the housing 24 of the sensor main body 3 of this embodiment is inserted into the opening 50 from the front surface 2b of the base body 2 so that the tip wall portion 24c3 of the bottom wall portion 24c of the housing 24 protrudes beyond the rear surface 2a of the base body 2 through the opening 50 of the base body 2. This allows the detection window 24e formed in the tip wall portion 24c3 to come into contact with the surface of the living body. In other words, it is possible to eliminate a gap between the detection window 24e formed in the tip wall portion 24c3 and the surface of the living body, thereby further suppressing a decrease in the detection accuracy of the detection unit 23.

[0085] As described above, it is preferable that the exposed back surface portion 43 of the conductive portion 41 protrudes from the back surface 2a of the base body 2. In this case, it is preferable that the amount of protrusion of the exposed back surface portion 43 of the conductive portion 41 from the back surface 2a of the base body 2 is greater than the amount of protrusion of the sensor main body 3 from the back surface 2a of the base body 2 described above. This can prevent the conductive portion 41 from being less likely to come into contact with the surface of a living body due to protrusion through the opening 50 of the sensor main body 3. This relationship in protrusion amount is illustrated in the wearable device 300 described below (see the protrusion amount T3 of the exposed back surface portion 343 of the conductive portion 341 in FIG. 16 and the protrusion amount T4 of the protrusion portion 24c2 in FIG. 16).

[0086] In the present embodiment, the base body 2 has a through-hole formed therein as the opening 50, but the opening 50 is not limited to a through-hole. The opening 50 may be, for example, a notched recess that penetrates the base body 2 in the thickness direction A and opens to the outer edge of the base body 2 in the width direction C.

[0087] Next, a wearable device 200 as another embodiment of a wearable device according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 14 . FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the wearable device 200 as seen from the front side. As shown in FIG. 10 , the wearable device 200 of this embodiment includes a base body 202 as an attachment unit 1 and a sensor main body 3. FIG. 10 shows the sensor main body 3 attached to the base body 202. FIGS. 11 and 12 are exploded perspective views of the wearable device 200, showing the base body 202 and the sensor main body 3 of the wearable device 200 separated from each other. Also, FIGS. 11 and 12 show the base body 202 further disassembled into a base body 231 and a base cover 232. FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the wearable device 200, as seen from the front side, in which the base body 231 of the base body 202, the base cover 232 of the base body 202, and the sensor main body 3 are separated from each other. Fig. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the wearable device 200 seen from the rear side, with the base body 231 of the base body 202, the base cover 232 of the base body 202, and the sensor body 3 separated. Fig. 13 is a side view of the base body 231 of the base body 202, the base cover 232 of the base body 202, and the sensor body 3 separated. In Fig. 13, the conduction path from the electrode 21 of the sensor body 3 to the rear exposed portion 243 of the conductive portion 241 of the base body 202 is indicated by a two-dot chain line. Fig. 14 is a diagram showing the wearable device 200 shown in Fig. 10 in use.

[0088] The sensor main body 3 has the same configuration as that in the wearable device 100 described above, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted here.

[0089] The base body 202 of this embodiment is a band body 210 that can be wrapped around the user's arm X so as to extend in the circumferential direction and attached to the arm X. The band body 210 as the base body 202 of this embodiment differs from the band body 10 of the above-described embodiment (see FIG. 1 , etc.) mainly in the configuration of the conductive portion 241. More specifically, in the band body 10 of the above-described embodiment (see FIG. 1 , etc.), the front exposed portion 42 and the back exposed portion 43 of the conductive portion 41 are arranged in positions that overlap in the longitudinal direction B, which is the extension direction of the band body 10, whereas in the band body 210 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13 , the front exposed portion 242 and the back exposed portion 243 of the conductive portion 241 do not overlap in the longitudinal direction B, which is the extension direction of the band body 10, but are arranged in different positions in the longitudinal direction B.

[0090] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 14 , the exposed back surface portion 243 of the conductive portion 241 can be brought into contact with the surface of the living body at a position in the longitudinal direction B different from the position of the attachment portion 11, i.e., at the position of the band portion 12. Body hair may be present on the outer surface of the back of the hand of the user's arm X. Therefore, body hair may be present between the exposed back surface portion 243 of the conductive portion 241 and the skin, which may reduce the accuracy of detection of the electrical characteristics of the living body detected through the conductive portion 241. Furthermore, the outer surface of the back of the hand of the user's arm X generally has less fat than the outer surface of the palm, which may result in an unstable contact state with the exposed back surface portion 243 of the conductive portion 241. Therefore, it is preferable to bring the exposed back surface portion 243 of the conductive portion 241 into contact with the outer surface of the palm of the hand rather than the outer surface of the back of the hand of the user's arm X. In this embodiment, the exposed back surface portion 243 of the conductive part 241 is exposed on the back surface 202a of the base body 202, on the back surface of the band part 12. This allows the exposed back surface portion 243 of the conductive part 241 to come into contact with the outer surface of the palm side of the user's arm X. As a result, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the detection accuracy of the electrical characteristics of the living body detected through the conductive part 241, and to stabilize the contact state between the conductive part 241 and the surface of the living body.

[0091] The base body 202 of this embodiment will be described in detail below.

[0092] As described above, the base body 202 of this embodiment includes the base main body 231 and the base cover 232 .

[0093] The back surface of the base body 231 is the back surface 202a of the base body 202. The base cover 232 is layered on the front surface of the base body 231. The front surface of the base cover 232 is the front surface 202b of the base body 202. In this way, the base body 202 of this embodiment is formed by layering the base body 231 and the base cover 232.

[0094] As shown in FIG. 10, the sensor body 3 of this embodiment is detachable from the base body 202 at the front surface 202b side of the base body 202.

[0095] More specifically, the band body 210 serving as the base body 202 in this embodiment includes an attachment portion 11 to which the sensor main body 3 can be attached, and a band portion 12 extending from the attachment portion 11 so as to protrude in the longitudinal direction B of the band body 210.

[0096] An accommodating recess 11a capable of accommodating the sensor main body 3 is formed in the front surface 202b of the base body 202. More specifically, the accommodating recess 11a in this embodiment is formed in the front surface 202b at the position of the attachment portion 11 of the base body 202. The shape of the accommodating recess 11a is similar to the configuration of the wearable device 100 described above, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted here. As will be described in detail later, in this embodiment, a front exposed portion 242 of the conductive portion 241 is exposed on the bottom surface 13 of the accommodating recess 11a. When the sensor main body 3 is accommodated in the accommodating recess 11a, the electrode 21 exposed from the bottom wall portion 24c of the housing 24 of the sensor main body 3 comes into contact with and is conductive with the front exposed portion 242 of the conductive portion 241 exposed on the bottom surface 13 of the accommodating recess 11a.

[0097] The band portion 12 includes a first band portion 12a protruding from the attachment portion 11 to one side in the longitudinal direction B and a second band portion 12b protruding from the attachment portion 11 to the other side in the longitudinal direction B. The first band portion 12a and the second band portion 12b are flexible band-shaped portions that can flexibly deform in the thickness direction A. Therefore, the band body 210 serving as the base body 202 can wrap the first band portion 12a and the second band portion 12b around the user's arm X in the circumferential direction of the arm X. One of the first band portion 12a and the second band portion 12b (the first band portion 12a in this embodiment) has a protrusion 12a1. The other of the first band portion 12a and the second band portion 12b (the second band portion 12b in this embodiment) has a plurality of holes 12b1 into which the protrusion 12a1 can be inserted. The plurality of holes 12b1 are arranged at intervals in the longitudinal direction B. The protrusion 12a1 is inserted into one of the plurality of holes 12b1 corresponding to the thickness of the user's arm X. In this way, the band body 10 as the base body 2 can be attached to the arm X so that the conductive portion 241, which will be described later, comes into contact with the surface of the living body, regardless of the thickness of the user's arm X.

[0098] However, the fasteners of the first band portion 12a and the second band portion 12b are not limited to the protrusions 12a1 and holes 12b1 described above. The first band portion 12a and the second band portion 12b may include other fasteners, such as hook-and-loop fasteners. Although the band portion 12 of this embodiment includes the first band portion 12a and the second band portion 12b, this configuration is not limited. The band portion 12 may also be configured with only one belt-shaped portion. In such a case, the band portion 12 may protrude from one end of the attachment portion 11 in the longitudinal direction B, and when wrapped around the user's arm X, its tip may be engaged with the other end of the attachment portion 11 in the longitudinal direction B.

[0099] Next, the conductive portion 241 of the base body 202 of this embodiment will be described in detail.

[0100] The base body 202 of this embodiment has four conductive portions 241. The four conductive portions 241 are configured to be in contact with and conductively connect to the four electrodes 21a to 21d of the sensor main body 3. Specifically, the four conductive portions 241 of this embodiment are a first conductive portion 241a that can contact the detection electrode 21a, a second conductive portion 241b that can contact the detection electrode 21b, a third conductive portion 241c that can contact the auxiliary electrode 21c, and a fourth conductive portion 241d that can contact the auxiliary electrode 21d. The sensor main body 3 is attached to the base body 2 so that the four electrodes 21a to 21d are in contact with the corresponding first to fourth conductive portions 241a to 241d. Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between the first to fourth conductive portions 241a to 241d, they will simply be referred to as "conductive portions 241."

[0101] The conductive portion 241 includes a front exposed portion 242 exposed on the front surface 202b of the base body 202, and a back exposed portion 243 exposed on the back surface 202a of the base body 202. The front exposed portion 242 can come into contact with the electrode 21 of the sensor main body 3 attached to the base body 202. The back exposed portion 243 can come into contact with the surface of a living body when the base body 202 is attached to the surface of a living body.

[0102] In this embodiment, the front exposed portion 242 of the conductive portion 241 is exposed on the front surface 202b of the base body 202, in front of the mounting portion 11. More specifically, the front exposed portion 242 of the conductive portion 241 in this embodiment is exposed on the bottom surface 13 of the accommodating recess 11a formed on the front surface of the mounting portion 11. Therefore, when the sensor main body 3 is accommodated in the accommodating recess 11a, the electrode 21 exposed on the outer surface of the bottom wall portion 24c of the housing 24, which serves as the back surface of the sensor main body 3, comes into contact with the front exposed portion 242 of the conductive portion 241. In other words, the sensor main body 3 is inserted into the accommodating recess 11a up to a position where the electrode 21 comes into contact with the conductive portion 241.

[0103] As described above, in this embodiment, the front exposed portion 242 and the back exposed portion 243 of the conductive portion 241 are arranged at positions that do not overlap in the longitudinal direction B, which is the extension direction of the band body 210 as the base body 202. More specifically, the back exposed portion 243 of the conductive portion 241 in this embodiment is exposed on the back surface 202a of the base body 202, not on the back surface of the attachment portion 11, but on the back surface of the band portion 12.

[0104] More specifically, the conductive portion 241 of this embodiment includes a wiring portion 244 that electrically connects the front exposed portion 242 and the back exposed portion 243 and is embedded in the band body 210 so as not to be exposed to the outside. By providing such a wiring portion 244, the front exposed portion 242 and the back exposed portion 243 of the conductive portion 241 are disposed at different positions in the longitudinal direction B. Furthermore, by embedding the wiring portion 244 in the band body 210, damage and corrosion of the wiring portion 244 can be prevented. By insulating the outer surface of the wiring portion 244, the wiring portion 244 may be disposed on the back surface 202a or the front surface 202b of the band body 210. However, from the viewpoint of preventing damage, it is preferable that the wiring portion 244 be embedded in the band body 210, as in the wiring portion 244 of this embodiment.

[0105] The wiring portion 244 of this embodiment includes a first conductive path 244a that is connected to the front exposed portion 242 and extends in the longitudinal direction B on the front surface of the base body 231. The wiring portion 244 of this embodiment also includes a second conductive path 244b that is connected to the rear exposed portion 243 and extends in the longitudinal direction B on the rear surface of the base cover 232. The first conductive path 244a and the second conductive path 244b are configured to come into contact with each other and be conductive when the base body 231 and the base cover 232 are stacked. However, the wiring portion 244 is not limited to the configuration including the first conductive path 244a and the second conductive path 244b described above.

[0106] In the present embodiment, the front exposed portion 242 of the conductive portion 241 is fixed onto the front surface of the base main body 231. The front exposed portion 242 of the conductive portion 241 is configured to be exposed to the bottom surface 13 of the accommodating recess 11a through a through hole 232a formed in the base cover 232 by stacking the base main body 231 and the base cover 232. However, the front exposed portion 242 of the conductive portion 241 is not limited to being fixed onto the front surface of the base main body 231. The front exposed portion 242 of the conductive portion 241 may be fixed to the base cover 232 side, for example.

[0107] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the rear surface exposed portion 243 of the conductive portion 241 is fixed onto the rear surface of the base cover 232. By stacking the rear surface exposed portion 243 of the conductive portion 241, the base main body 231, and the base cover 232, the rear surface exposed portion 243 is configured to be exposed to the rear surface 202a of the base body 202 through the through hole 231a formed in the base main body 231. However, the rear surface exposed portion 243 of the conductive portion 241 is not limited to being fixed onto the rear surface of the base cover 232. The rear surface exposed portion 243 of the conductive portion 241 may be fixed to the base main body 231 side, for example.

[0108] The constituent material of the conductive portion 241 is not particularly limited as long as it is a conductive material. The conductive portion 241 may be made of a metal such as copper or aluminum. However, the exposed back portion 243 of the conductive portion 241, which comes into contact with the surface of the living body, is preferably made of conductive rubber, which is flexible and has high skin contact properties. Examples of conductive rubber include conductive silicone rubber and conductive styrene-based rubber. Furthermore, the constituent materials of the base body 202 of this embodiment other than the conductive portion 241 may be made of, for example, a resin that does not have conductivity.

[0109] An opening 50 is formed in the base body 202. The opening 50 penetrates from the front surface 202b to the rear surface 202a. More specifically, the opening 50 in this embodiment is a through-hole that penetrates the base body 202 in the thickness direction A from the front surface 202b to the rear surface 202a. The through-hole as the opening 50 in this embodiment is formed by connecting a first opening 231b formed in the base body 231 and a second opening 232b formed in the base cover 232 in the thickness direction A. In other words, the base body 231 and the base cover 232 in this embodiment are stacked such that the first opening 231b and the second opening 232b are connected in the thickness direction A. The relationship between the sensor body 3 and the opening 50 is similar to that in the wearable device 100 described above (see FIGS. 1 to 9 ), and therefore will not be described here.

[0110] Next, a wearable device 300 as another embodiment of a wearable device according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figs. 15 to 17. Fig. 15 is an exploded perspective view of wearable device 300. As shown in Fig. 15, wearable device 300 includes a base body 302 as an attachment unit 1 and a sensor main body 303 that is detachable from base body 302. Fig. 16 is a cross-sectional view of an attachment unit 311 of wearable device 300. Fig. 17 is a diagram showing a contact state between a conductive portion 341 of base body 302 and an electrode 321 of sensor main body 303.

[0111] Compared to the above-described wearable device 100 (see FIGS. 1 to 9), the wearable device 300 of this embodiment differs in the configuration of the conductive portion 341 of the base body 302 and the exposed position of the electrode 321 of the sensor main body 303, but the other configurations are the same. Here, only the above-described differences will be described, and a description of the same configuration as the above-described wearable device 100 (see FIGS. 1 to 9) will be omitted.

[0112] In this embodiment, the front exposed portion 342 of the conductive portion 341 of the base body 302 is exposed on the side surface 14 of the accommodation recess 11a on the front surface 302b of the base body 302. As shown in FIG. 17 , the front exposed portion 342 in this embodiment is formed with an engagement recess 342a into which the electrode 321 of the sensor main body 303 fits. Furthermore, the electrode 321 of the sensor main body 303 in this embodiment is held in the housing 24 so as to be exposed to the outside of the housing 24. Specifically, the electrode 321 in this embodiment is exposed to the outside from the side wall portion 24d of the housing 24. More specifically, the electrode 321 in this embodiment is exposed to the outside from the side wall portion 24d of the housing 24 so as to protrude from the outer surfaces of the flat first side plate portion 24d1 and the flat second side plate portion 24d2 that face each other in the longitudinal direction B. In this embodiment, when the sensor main body 303 is accommodated in the accommodation recess 11a of the base body 302, the electrode 321 enters the engagement recess 342a formed in the front exposed portion 342 of the conductive portion 341, and comes into contact with the front exposed portion 342 to establish electrical conductivity.

[0113] In this way, the front exposed portion 342 of the conductive portion 341 of the base body 302 may be configured to be exposed on the side surface 14 of the accommodating recess 11 a. The accommodating recess 11 a is formed on the front surface 302 a of the base body 302, and the bottom surface 13 and the side surface 14, which are the inner surfaces of the accommodating recess 11 a, are also part of the front surface 302 a of the base body 302.

[0114] Furthermore, although the rear surface exposed portion 343 of the conductive portion 341 in this embodiment is arranged at a position overlapping with the front surface exposed portion 342 in the longitudinal direction B, this configuration is not limited thereto. That is, the rear surface exposed portion 343 may be exposed on the rear surface 302a of the base body 302 at a position that does not overlap with the front surface exposed portion 342 in the longitudinal direction B. Therefore, the rear surface exposed portion 343 may be exposed on the rear surface of the band portion 12, for example. In such a case, the front surface exposed portion 342 and the rear surface exposed portion 343 that are arranged at different positions in the longitudinal direction B may be electrically connected using, for example, the wiring portion 244 (see FIG. 11, etc.) of the conductive portion 241 of the above-described wearable device 200 (see FIGS. 10 to 14).

[0115] The wearable device according to the present disclosure is not limited to the specific configurations shown in the above-described embodiments, and various modifications, variations, and combinations are possible without departing from the scope of the claims. In the wearable device shown in the above-described embodiments, the sensor body has four electrodes and the base body has four conductive portions corresponding to the four electrodes, but this configuration is not limited to this. The number of electrodes in the sensor body and the number of conductive portions in the base body may be, for example, less than four or five or more. Furthermore, in the wearable device shown in the above-described embodiments, an optical pulse wave sensor is used as the detector of the sensor body, but other sensors capable of detecting electromagnetic waves or sound waves from a living body may also be used. Examples of such other sensors include a microwave sensor and a sound sensor capable of detecting various biological sounds.

[0116] Furthermore, while the wearable device described in the above-described embodiment includes a base body as the attachment portion, which is attached to the biological surface so as to be interposed between the biological surface and the sensor main body, the attachment portion is not limited to a base body. For example, the attachment portion may be attached to the biological surface without being interposed between the biological surface and the sensor main body. For example, such an attachment portion may not include a mounting portion having a recess for accommodating the sensor main body, but may instead be configured such that the first and second band portions are separated and attached directly to the sides of the sensor main body. In this case, the conductive portion has contacts electrically connected to the electrodes of the sensor main body at the locations of the first and second band portions attached to the sides of the sensor main body, and each of the first and second band portions has an exposed back surface portion on the back surface that can come into contact with the biological surface. Furthermore, in this case, the attachment portion may not be attached to the biological surface by itself, but may be attached to the biological surface only when the sensor main body is attached. This configuration and other configurations are also possible for the attachment portion to be attached to the biological surface.

[0117] The present disclosure relates to wearable devices.

[0118] 1: Mounting portion 2, 202, 302: Base body (an example of a mounting portion) 2a, 202a, 302a: Back surface 2b, 202b, 302b: Front surface 3, 303: Sensor main body 10, 210: Band body (an example of a base body) 11, 311: Mounting portion 11a: Storage recess 12: Band portion 12a: First band portion 12a1: Protrusion portion 12b: Second band portion 12b1: Hole portion 13: Bottom surface 14: Side surface 14a to 14d: First to fourth side surfaces 21, 321: Electrodes 21a, 21b, detection electrodes 21c, 21d: Auxiliary electrodes 23: Detection portion 23a: Optical transmitting / receiving portion 24: Housing 24a: Internal space 24b: Ceiling wall portion 24c: Bottom wall portion 24c1: Bottom wall main body portion 24c2: Protrusion 24c3: Tip wall 24d: Side wall 24d1: First side plate 24d2: Second side plate 24d3: Third side plate 24d4: Fourth side plate 24e: Detection window 25: Control unit 26: Communication unit 26a: Antenna 27: Rechargeable battery 41, 241, 341: Conductive portion 41a, 241a: First conductive portion 41b, 241b: Second conductive portion 41c, 241c: Third conductive portion 41d, 241d: Fourth conductive portion 42, 242, 342: Front exposed portion 43, 243, 343: Rear exposed portion 50: Opening 100, 200, 300: Wearable device 231: Base body 231a: Through hole 231b: First opening 232: Base cover 232a: Through hole 232b: Second opening 244: Wiring section 244a: First conductive path 244b: Second conductive path 342a: Engagement recess A: Thickness direction B: Longitudinal direction C: Width direction L1, L2: Imaginary straight lines T1 to T4: Projection amount X: Arm X1: Wrist

Claims

1. A wearable device comprising: a sensor body having electrodes capable of detecting electrical characteristics of a living organism and a detection unit capable of detecting biological information other than the electrical characteristics of the living organism; an attachment unit that is detachable from the sensor body and can be attached to a biological surface, the attachment unit having a conductive unit that contacts the electrodes of the sensor body and the biological surface to provide electrical conductivity between the electrodes of the sensor body and the biological surface, and the attachment unit is configured so as not to obstruct the space between the detection unit of the sensor body and the biological surface when the attachment unit to which the sensor body is attached is attached to the biological surface and is in a conductive state in which the electrodes of the sensor body and the biological surface are conductive via the conductive unit of the attachment unit.

2. The wearable device described in claim 1, wherein the attachment portion has a back surface that covers the biological surface in the conductive state and a front surface opposite the back surface, the sensor body is attachable to and detachable from the attachment portion at the front side of the attachment portion, the attachment portion has an opening that penetrates from the front side to the back side, and the detection portion of the sensor body is capable of detecting the biological information through the opening of the attachment portion in the conductive state.

3. The wearable device according to claim 2, wherein the sensor body, in the conductive state, is inserted into the opening from the front side of the mounting portion.

4. The wearable device according to claim 3, wherein the sensor body, in the conductive state, protrudes from the rear surface of the mounting portion through the opening of the mounting portion.

5. A wearable device as described in any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the conductive portion of the attachment portion comprises: a front exposed portion exposed to the front surface and capable of contacting the electrode of the sensor body; and a rear exposed portion exposed to the rear surface and capable of contacting the surface of the living body.

6. A wearable device as described in claim 5, wherein a storage recess capable of storing the sensor body is formed on the front surface of the mounting portion, and the front exposed portion of the conductive portion is exposed on the front surface at a bottom surface of the storage recess.

7. A wearable device as described in claim 5, wherein a storage recess capable of storing the sensor body is formed on the front surface of the mounting portion, and the front exposed portion of the conductive portion is exposed on a side surface of the front surface of the storage recess.

8. The wearable device described in claim 5, wherein the attachment portion is a band body that extends circumferentially around the arm and can be attached to the arm, and the rear exposed portion and the front exposed portion of the conductive portion are positioned in overlapping positions in the extension direction of the band body.

9. The wearable device described in claim 5, wherein the attachment portion is a band body that extends circumferentially around the arm and can be attached to the arm, and the rear exposed portion and the front exposed portion of the conductive portion are positioned in positions that do not overlap in the extension direction of the band body.

10. The wearable device according to claim 9, wherein the conductive portion electrically connects the rear exposed portion and the front exposed portion and includes a wiring portion that is embedded in the band body so as not to be exposed to the outside.

11. A wearable device described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the sensor body is provided with a plurality of the electrodes, and the mounting portion is provided with a plurality of the conductive portions corresponding to each of the plurality of electrodes.

12. A wearable device as described in claims 1 to 4, wherein the detection unit of the sensor body is a sensor capable of detecting electromagnetic waves or sound waves from a living body.

13. The wearable device according to claim 12, wherein the detection unit of the sensor body is an optical pulse wave sensor.

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