Measurement device and semiconductor chip

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a measurement device capable of improving the accuracy of measurement results, and a semiconductor chip. Provided is a measurement device comprising: a transmission circuit that transmits a high-frequency signal via a transmission antenna; a reception circuit that receives, via a reception antenna, the high-frequency signal transmitted from the transmission antenna and passed through or reflected by a specimen; a signal processing circuit that is connected to the transmission circuit and the reception circuit, and analyzes propagation characteristics of the high-frequency signal; and an impedance adjustment circuit that is connected to at least one of the transmission antenna and the reception antenna, and adjusts impedance. For example, the present disclosure can be applied to VNA or the like.

Description

Measuring device and semiconductor chip

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a measurement device and a semiconductor chip, and more particularly to a measurement device and a semiconductor chip that are capable of improving the accuracy of measurement results.

[0002] In recent years, measurement devices have been proposed that have an antenna that transmits and receives high-frequency signals and perform non-invasive measurements by analyzing propagation characteristics such as reflection characteristics and transmission characteristics with a specimen (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3).

[0003] US Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0294883 US Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0247151 US Patent Application Publication No. 2011 / 0046467

[0004] When performing this type of measurement, it is required to obtain measurement results with higher accuracy.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and aims to improve the accuracy of measurement results.

[0006] A measuring device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a transmitting circuit that transmits a high-frequency signal via a transmitting antenna, a receiving circuit that receives via a receiving antenna the high-frequency signal that has been transmitted from the transmitting antenna and transmitted through or reflected by a specimen, a signal processing circuit that is connected to the transmitting circuit and the receiving circuit and analyzes the propagation characteristics of the high-frequency signal, and an impedance adjustment circuit that is connected to at least one of the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna and adjusts impedance.

[0007] A measurement device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a transmitting circuit that transmits a high-frequency signal via a transmitting antenna, a receiving circuit that receives via a receiving antenna the high-frequency signal transmitted from the transmitting antenna and transmitted through or reflected by a sample, and a signal processing circuit connected to the transmitting circuit and the receiving circuit that analyzes the propagation characteristics of the high-frequency signal, wherein the signal processing circuit determines whether the contact state between the sample and the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna is appropriate for measuring the sample based on the impedance of the sample, and performs measurement of the sample if it is determined that the contact state is appropriate for measuring the sample.

[0008] A semiconductor chip according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a semiconductor chip including a directional coupler connected to a transmitting circuit that transmits a high-frequency signal via a transmitting antenna, and an impedance adjustment circuit that adjusts the impedance based on the impedance of a specimen that transmits or reflects the high-frequency signal transmitted from the transmitting antenna.

[0009] The measuring device and the semiconductor chip according to one aspect of the present disclosure may be independent devices or may be an internal block constituting a single device.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example configuration of an embodiment of a measurement device to which the present disclosure is applied. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example configuration of an electronic device equipped with a measurement device to which the present disclosure is applied. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of measurement processing executed by the electronic device of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another example configuration of an electronic device equipped with a measurement device to which the present disclosure is applied. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of measurement processing executed by the electronic device 1 of FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example method of removing noise components. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another example configuration of an embodiment of a measurement device to which the present disclosure is applied. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another example configuration of an embodiment of a measurement device to which the present disclosure is applied. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing another example configuration of an embodiment of a measurement device to which the present disclosure is applied. FIG. 10 is a diagram explaining a path when calculating reflection characteristic S11.

[0011] <Device Configuration> Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example configuration of an embodiment of a measurement device to which the present disclosure is applied. In Fig. 1, a VNA (Vector Network Analyzer) 11 is a measurement device that has an antenna for transmitting and receiving high-frequency signals and measures a specimen 10 as a measurement target. The VNA 11 is composed of a transmission circuit 21, a directional coupler 22, an impedance adjustment circuit 23, a transmission antenna 24, a reception antenna 25, an impedance adjustment circuit 26, a reception circuit 27, and a signal processing circuit 28.

[0012] The transmission circuit 21 amplifies the generated high-frequency signal, sweeps the frequency, and outputs it to the directional coupler 22. The high-frequency signal can be a signal with a frequency corresponding to an electromagnetic wave such as a microwave or a millimeter wave. The directional coupler 22 divides the high-frequency signal input from the transmission circuit 21 and outputs it to the transmission antenna 24 and the reception circuit 27 as an incident signal that is incident on the analyte 10. The directional coupler 22 can also separate a reflected signal, which is a high-frequency signal that is reflected by the analyte 10 and input, and output it to the reception circuit 27.

[0013] The incident signal output from the directional coupler 22 is input to the transmitting antenna 24 via the impedance adjustment circuit 23 and is radiated as an electromagnetic wave. The impedance adjustment circuit 23 adjusts the impedance on the transmitting side according to the impedance of the specimen 10. The impedance on the transmitting side is the impedance on the VNA 11 side, and can be, for example, the impedance of the output portion of the transmitting antenna 24 electrically connected to the impedance adjustment circuit 23.

[0014] The receiving antenna 25 receives a high-frequency signal, which is an electromagnetic wave radiated from the transmitting antenna 24 and transmitted through or reflected by the specimen 10, and outputs the received high-frequency signal to a receiving circuit 27. The high-frequency signal output from the receiving antenna 25 is input to the receiving circuit 27 via an impedance adjustment circuit 26.

[0015] The receiving circuit 27 performs necessary processing such as amplification, frequency conversion, frequency selection, and AD (Analog to Digital) conversion on the inputted high frequency signal, and outputs the signal to the signal processing circuit 28. The high frequency signal inputted to the receiving circuit 27 includes an incident signal from the directional coupler 22, a transmitted signal which is a high frequency signal that has transmitted through the specimen 10, and a reflected signal which is a high frequency signal that has been reflected by the specimen 10. The impedance adjustment circuit 26 adjusts the impedance on the receiving side in accordance with the impedance of the specimen 10. The impedance on the receiving side is the impedance on the VNA 11 side, and can be, for example, the impedance of the input portion of the receiving antenna 25 electrically connected to the impedance adjustment circuit 26.

[0016] The signal processing circuit 28 is electrically connected to the transmission circuit 21 and the reception circuit 27. The signal processing circuit 28 controls the transmission circuit 21 to transmit a high-frequency signal. The signal processing circuit 28 also analyzes the propagation characteristics (transmission characteristics) of the high-frequency signal. The signal processing circuit 28 calculates the transmission characteristics, reflection characteristics, and other S-parameters (Scattering Parameters) that indicate the characteristics of the high-frequency signal. For example, in the VNA 11, the transmission antenna 24 is Port 1 (Port 1) and the reception antenna 25 is Port 2 (Port 2). Therefore, the signal processing circuit 28 can calculate the transmission characteristic S21(b2 / a1) from the incident signal (a1) and the transmitted signal (b2). Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 12, in the VNA 11, the transmission antenna 24 receives a reflection as Port 1 (Port 1), and the reflection characteristic S11(b1 / a1) can be calculated from the incident signal (a1) and the reflected signal (b1). The signal processing circuit 28 can also measure the impedance of the specimen 10. For example, S-parameters can be converted to impedance.

[0017] The signal processing circuit 28 measures the propagation characteristics of the high-frequency signal and analyzes the contact state between the specimen 10 and the transmitting antenna 24 and receiving antenna 25. Based on the analysis result of the contact state, the signal processing circuit 28 controls the transmitting circuit 21 and the receiving circuit 27 so that measurement of the specimen 10 is performed at the optimum timing. Furthermore, based on the analysis result of the contact state, the signal processing circuit 28 controls at least one of the impedance adjustment circuit 23 and the impedance adjustment circuit 26 to perform impedance matching with the specimen 10 on at least one of the transmitting side and the receiving side.

[0018] <Performing measurements at optimal timing> The VNA 11 can be mounted on an electronic device such as a wearable device. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example configuration of an electronic device equipped with a measurement device to which the present disclosure is applied. In Fig. 2, the electronic device 1 is composed of the VNA 11, a host 12, and a memory 13. In the VNA 11 in Fig. 2, parts corresponding to those in the VNA 11 in Fig. 1 are assigned the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0019] The host 12 is configured with a microcontroller (MCU: Micro Controller Unit) or the like. The host 12 controls the various functions of the electronic device 1, including at least the measurement function using the VNA 11. The memory 13 is configured with a non-volatile memory such as an NVRAM (Non-Volatile RAM). Information such as setting information is pre-recorded in the memory 13 as a database, and the host 12 can refer to the database recorded in the memory 13 as needed.

[0020] In the electronic device 1, the VNA 11 measures the specimen 10 under control of the host 12. That is, in the VNA 11, the signal processing circuit 28 starts a measurement sequence in response to a measurement request transmitted from the host 12. The signal processing circuit 28 then measures the propagation characteristics of the high-frequency signal to determine the contact state between the specimen 10 and the transmitting antenna 24 and receiving antenna 25, and performs the measurement at a timing when the contact state with the specimen 10 is optimal for the measurement.

[0021] 2 shows the minimum configuration of the electronic device 1, but other components may be included in the electronic device 1. For example, the electronic device 1 may be configured to include a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a touch screen, a speaker, operation buttons, a communication module, a microphone for calls, a vibrator for notifications, a rechargeable battery, etc.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the measurement process executed by the electronic device 1 of FIG.

[0023] In step S11, the host 12 transmits a measurement request to the VNA 11 in response to, for example, an operation by a user of the electronic device 1. In step S12, the VNA 11 starts a measurement sequence in response to the measurement request from the host 12.

[0024] In step S13, the signal processing circuit 28 measures the propagation characteristics of the high-frequency signal to measure the impedance of the specimen 10. In step S14, the signal processing circuit 28 compares the measured impedance with information in a database. For example, the database stores information indicating the impedance value (range) when the contact state between the specimen 10 and the transmitting antenna 24 and the receiving antenna 25 is optimal, and the measured impedance value can be compared with the impedance value (range) stored in the database.

[0025] The host 12 can supply the database information to the signal processing circuit 28 by referring to the database recorded in the memory 13. Alternatively, the signal processing circuit 28 can acquire the information by directly referring to the database recorded in the memory 13, or the VNA 11 can store the information in a database recorded in its built-in memory and acquire the information from the built-in memory.

[0026] In step S15, the signal processing circuit 28 determines whether the collation result indicates that the signal is within the appropriate range. If it is determined in step S15 that the collation result is not within the appropriate range, i.e., that the signal is outside the appropriate range, the process returns to step S11, and the above-described process is repeated. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S15 that the collation result is within the appropriate range, the process proceeds to step S16.

[0027] For example, when measuring the glucose concentration (blood glucose level) in the blood of a user using the electronic device 1, assume that the measurement is performed with the transmitting antenna 24 and the receiving antenna 25 in contact with the user's skin, which is the sample 10. In this case, if the optimal contact state is a tight contact state and the impedance value at that time is expressed as a value indicating a predetermined range (for example, a range of several hundred ohms, such as 100 to 200 ohms), the value indicating the predetermined range is stored in the database as setting information and is compared with the measured impedance value. In this case, if the measured impedance value is within the predetermined range, the comparison result is determined to be within an appropriate range.

[0028] In step S16, the signal processing circuit 28 controls the transmitting circuit 21 and the receiving circuit 27 to start measuring the specimen 10. In this way, the VNA 11 determines whether the contact state between the specimen 10 and the transmitting antenna 24 and the receiving antenna 25 is appropriate for measuring the specimen 10, and can perform measurement of the specimen 10 when it is determined that the contact state is appropriate for measuring the specimen 10. This allows the measurement to be performed at the optimal timing for measuring the specimen 10, thereby obtaining more accurate measurement results, thereby improving the accuracy of the measurement results.

[0029] <Performing Measurement at Optimal Timing Using Sensor Information> When an electronic device 1 equipped with a VNA 11 includes a sensor such as an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), it can perform measurements at a timing that will yield the best measurement results based on information from the sensor. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another example configuration of an electronic device equipped with a measurement device to which the present disclosure is applied. In FIG. 4, the electronic device 1 is composed of a VNA 11, a host 12, a memory 13, and a sensor 14. In the electronic device 1 in FIG. 4, parts corresponding to those in the electronic device 1 in FIG. 2 are assigned the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0030] The host 12 is configured by a microcontroller or the like, and controls the various functions of the electronic device 1 , including at least the measurement function of the VNA 11 and the sensing function of the sensor 14 .

[0031] The sensor 14 is composed of a sensor such as an IMU. For example, the IMU is composed of an acceleration sensor that measures the acceleration of an object, a gyro sensor that measures the angular velocity of the object, etc., and the motion state (posture and trajectory) of the object can be grasped using the measurement results. Note that the sensor 14 is not limited to an IMU, etc., and any other sensor may be used as long as it is capable of detecting information for grasping the motion state of the specimen 10. The sensor 14 performs sensing in accordance with control from the host 12. The sensor 14 outputs detection information obtained by sensing to the host 12.

[0032] Note that, in FIG. 4 as well, the electronic device 1 shows a minimum configuration, and may be configured to include components such as a CPU and a touch screen.

[0033] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the measurement process executed by the electronic device 1 of FIG.

[0034] In step S21, the host 12 generates a measurement request in response to, for example, an operation by a user using the electronic device 1. In step S22, the host 12 determines whether the specimen 10 is sufficiently stationary based on detection information from the sensor 14. For example, when measuring the blood glucose level of a user wearing the electronic device 1, the angular velocity information output from the gyro sensor mounted as the sensor 14 can be used to recognize the motion state (moving, stationary, etc.) of the user (skin) as the specimen 10.

[0035] More specifically, by determining whether the angular velocity value is equal to or less than a preset threshold, it is possible to determine whether the user (or the user's skin) is in a stationary state. The threshold can be stored in a database recorded in the memory 13. Here, a sufficiently stationary state includes not only a state in which the specimen 10 is completely stationary, but also a state in which there is no (little) effect on the measurement. For example, the threshold used in the determination process of step S22 may be specified within a predetermined range, and by determining whether the angular velocity value is within the threshold range, it may be determined whether the motion state of the specimen 10 is in a sufficiently stationary state in which there is no effect on the measurement.

[0036] If it is determined in step S22 that the specimen 10 is not in a sufficiently stationary state, the process returns to step S21, and the above-described process is repeated. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S22 that the specimen 10 is in a sufficiently stationary state, the host 12 transmits the generated measurement request to the VNA 11, and the process proceeds to step S23. In step S23, the VNA 11 starts a measurement sequence in response to the measurement request from the host 12.

[0037] When the measurement sequence starts, the processes of steps S24 to S26 are executed. In steps S24 to S26, the same processes as steps S13 to S15 in Fig. 3 are executed. That is, the signal processing circuit 28 measures the impedance of the specimen 10 (S24), and checks the measured impedance against information in a database (S25), thereby determining whether the measured impedance is within an appropriate range (S26).

[0038] If it is determined in step S26 that the measured impedance is outside the appropriate range, the process returns to step S21, and the above-described process is repeated. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S26 that the measured impedance is within the appropriate range, the process proceeds to step S27. In step S27, the signal processing circuit 28 controls the transmitting circuit 21 and the receiving circuit 27 to start measuring the specimen 10.

[0039] In this way, the VNA 11 determines the motion state of the specimen 10 prior to determining the contact state with the specimen 10, and determines the contact state with the specimen 10 when the motion state is appropriate for measuring the specimen 10 (sufficiently stationary), thereby enabling measurement to be performed at a timing that will yield the best measurement results. For example, if the specimen 10, such as a user (skin), is moving, there is a risk that the impedance measurement will not be performed accurately. However, by determining the motion state of the specimen 10, it is possible to perform impedance measurement when the specimen 10 is sufficiently stationary. This allows impedance measurement to be performed on a specimen 10 that is sufficiently stationary, thereby determining the contact state with the specimen 10, and enabling measurement to be performed at a more optimal timing.

[0040] <Impedance Adjustment> The VNA 11 has an impedance adjustment function and can adjust the impedance of the VNA 11 according to the impedance of the specimen 10. In the VNA 11, by matching the impedance on the VNA 11 side with the impedance of the specimen 10, an optimal contact state can be achieved, and optimal measurement results can be obtained.

[0041] 1, the impedance on the transmission side is adjusted by the impedance adjustment circuit 23 and the signal processing circuit 28. That is, the signal processing circuit 28 measures the propagation characteristics of the high-frequency signal to measure the impedance of the specimen 10. The impedance adjustment circuit 23 adjusts the value of the impedance on the transmission side so that it matches the measured impedance value.

[0042] For example, when the output section of the VNA 11 (the output portion of the transmitting antenna 24) comes into contact with the skin of a user, which serves as the subject 10, the impedance adjustment circuit 23 can internally adjust the value of the intrinsic impedance (transmission-side impedance) at the output section of the VNA 11 in accordance with the impedance value of the user's skin measured by the signal processing circuit 28. The impedance adjustment circuit 23 can be configured, for example, with elements such as resistive elements, capacitors, inductors, and switches that control these elements. The impedance adjustment circuit 23 can adjust the transmission-side impedance value by changing the resistance of the resistive elements, the capacitance of the capacitors, the inductance of the inductors, etc. in accordance with the measured impedance value.

[0043] 1, impedance adjustment on the receiving side is performed by the impedance adjustment circuit 26 and the signal processing circuit 28. That is, the signal processing circuit 28 measures the propagation characteristics of the high-frequency signal to measure the impedance of the specimen 10. The impedance adjustment circuit 26 adjusts the value of the impedance on the receiving side so that it matches the measured impedance value.

[0044] For example, when the input section of the VNA 11 (the input portion of the receiving antenna 25) comes into contact with the skin of a user as the specimen 10, the impedance adjustment circuit 26 can internally adjust the value of the intrinsic impedance (the impedance on the receiving side) at the input section of the VNA 11 in accordance with the impedance value of the user's skin measured by the signal processing circuit 28. Similar to the impedance adjustment circuit 23, the impedance adjustment circuit 26 can be configured from elements such as resistors, capacitors, inductors, and switches that control these elements.

[0045] 1 has an impedance adjustment function using the impedance adjustment circuits 23 and 26, making it possible to adjust the impedance of at least one of the transmitting and receiving sides based on the measured impedance of the specimen 10. By performing such impedance matching, the VNA 11 can maximize the transmission of high-frequency signals (power) to the specimen 10 (by suppressing reflections and power losses that reduce measurement accuracy), thereby obtaining optimal measurement results. As a result, the VNA 11 can obtain more accurate measurement results, thereby improving the accuracy of the measurement results.

[0046] Similarly, impedance adjustment can be performed in the electronic device 1 (FIGS. 2 and 4) equipped with the VNA 11. For example, in the electronic device 1, the VNA 11 can perform impedance adjustment after starting a measurement sequence in response to a measurement request from the host 12.

[0047] <Surrounding Environment Noise Detection> The VNA 11 can monitor noise in the surrounding environment and detect noise components present in the surrounding environment. For example, in the VNA 11, the transmitting antenna 24 is Port 1 (Port 1) and the receiving antenna 25 is Port 2 (Port 2). Therefore, when measuring the transmission characteristic S21 that indicates the propagation characteristic from Port 1 to Port 2, it is possible to detect noise components in the surrounding environment by measuring the reflection characteristic S22 that indicates the propagation characteristic from Port 2 to Port 2.

[0048] In the VNA 11, the receiving circuit 27 sweeps the frequency of a high-frequency signal that serves as an incident signal and outputs it via the receiving antenna 25, thereby receiving the high-frequency signal reflected by the specimen 10 and outputting it as a reflected signal. This allows the signal processing circuit 28 to calculate the reflection characteristic S22 (b2 / a2) from the incident signal (a2) and the reflected signal (b2). In this way, the VNA 11 can grasp the surrounding environment by scanning using the receiving circuit, without using the transmitting circuit.

[0049] Furthermore, when measuring the specimen 10 and calculating the transmission characteristic S21, the signal processing circuit 28 calculates the reflection characteristic S22 as a noise component of the surrounding environment, and subtracts the value of the reflection characteristic S22 from the value of the transmission characteristic S21, thereby removing the noise component from the measurement value obtained by measuring the specimen 10. For example, Fig. 6 shows the waveforms of the transmission characteristic S21 and the reflection characteristic S22, with the horizontal axis representing frequency and the vertical axis representing power. As shown in Fig. 6, the noise component can be removed by subtracting the value of the reflection characteristic S22 from the value of the transmission characteristic S21.

[0050] In this way, the VNA 11 can detect noise components in the surrounding environment and remove the noise components by subtracting the detected noise from the actual measurement value (actual measurement value). For example, if noise with a sharp waveform such as an interfering wave is detected, it is conceivable to take measures such as not using the frequency band corresponding to the detected noise or not using the signal corresponding to the detected noise in signal processing, but the removal of noise components here is particularly effective against such noise.

[0051] Similarly, the electronic device 1 (FIGS. 2 and 4) incorporating the VNA 11 can also detect noise in the surrounding environment and remove the noise components.

[0052] <Removal of noise delayed waves> The VNA 11 removes high-frequency components of delayed waves that become noise from the received high-frequency signal, and the resulting high-frequency signal component of the main wave can be used for signal processing. By performing signal processing using the signal from which the noise components have been removed, more accurate measurement results can be obtained.

[0053] For example, when measuring the specimen 10 in the VNA 11, the high-frequency signal (electromagnetic wave) received by the receiving antenna 25 includes a high-frequency signal received via the desired high-frequency propagation path and a high-frequency signal received after reflection from the dense specimen tissue. The high-frequency signal received by the receiving antenna 25 is input to the receiving circuit 27. The receiving circuit 27 separates the high-frequency signal component of the main wave and the high-frequency component of the delayed wave from the input high-frequency signal. This makes it possible to remove the high-frequency component of the delayed wave, which becomes noise, from the input high-frequency signal and obtain the high-frequency signal component of the main wave.

[0054] More specifically, for example, electromagnetic wave components reflected by dense specimen tissue (electromagnetic wave components that penetrate deep and are reflected by hard tissue) have a long path length and are therefore expected to arrive at the receiving antenna 25 later than the main electromagnetic wave component. The receiving circuit 27 pre-determines the path length of the desired high-frequency propagation path, so that the high-frequency signal (electromagnetic wave) is received only during the time it takes to pass through the set path length. This removes the high-frequency components of the delayed wave that have a long path length from the received high-frequency signal, allowing a high-frequency signal corresponding to the main high-frequency signal component to be output. The signal processing circuit 28 can use the high-frequency signal corresponding to the main high-frequency signal component for signal processing.

[0055] Similarly, in the electronic device 1 (FIGS. 2 and 4) equipped with the VNA 11, the high-frequency components of the delayed waves that become noise can be removed, and the resulting high-frequency components of the main waves can be used for signal processing. The process of removing the high-frequency components of the delayed waves that become noise and extracting the high-frequency components of the main waves may be performed by the signal processing circuit 28.

[0056] 7 to 11 are diagrams showing other configuration examples of an embodiment of a measurement device to which the present disclosure is applied. In Fig. 7 to 11, parts of the VNA 11 corresponding to those of the VNA 11 in Fig. 1 are assigned the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0057] 7, the VNA 11 is composed of a transmitting circuit 21, an impedance adjustment circuit 23, a transmitting antenna 24, a receiving antenna 25, an impedance adjustment circuit 26, a receiving circuit 27, and a signal processing circuit 28. Compared to the VNA 11 in Fig. 1, the VNA 11 in Fig. 7 does not have a directional coupler 22. Like the VNA 11 in Fig. 1, the VNA 11 in Fig. 7 can perform measurements at optimal timing (Figs. 2 and 3), measurements at optimal timing using sensor information (Figs. 4 and 5), impedance adjustment using the impedance adjustment circuits 23 and 26, noise detection in the surrounding environment (Fig. 6), and removal of noise-delayed waves.

[0058] 8, the VNA 11 is composed of a transmitting circuit 21, an impedance adjustment circuit 23, a transmitting antenna 24, a receiving antenna 25, a receiving circuit 27, and a signal processing circuit 28. Compared to the VNA 11 in Fig. 1, the VNA 11 in Fig. 8 does not have the directional coupler 22 and the impedance adjustment circuit 26. Like the VNA 11 in Fig. 1, the VNA 11 in Fig. 8 can perform measurements at optimal timing (Figs. 2 and 3), measurements at optimal timing using sensor information (Figs. 4 and 5), impedance adjustment using the impedance adjustment circuit 23, noise detection in the surrounding environment (Fig. 6), and removal of noise delay waves.

[0059] 9, the VNA 11 is composed of a transmitting circuit 21, a transmitting antenna 24, a receiving antenna 25, an impedance adjustment circuit 26, a receiving circuit 27, and a signal processing circuit 28. Compared to the VNA 11 in Fig. 1, the VNA 11 in Fig. 9 does not have the directional coupler 22 and the impedance adjustment circuit 23. Like the VNA 11 in Fig. 1, the VNA 11 in Fig. 9 can perform measurements at optimal timing (Figs. 2 and 3), measurements at optimal timing using sensor information (Figs. 4 and 5), impedance adjustment using the impedance adjustment circuit 26, noise detection in the surrounding environment (Fig. 6), and removal of noise delay waves.

[0060] 10, the VNA 11 is composed of a transmitting circuit 21, a transmitting antenna 24, a receiving antenna 25, a receiving circuit 27, and a signal processing circuit 28. Compared to the VNA 11 in Fig. 1, the VNA 11 in Fig. 10 does not have the directional coupler 22 and the impedance adjustment circuits 23 and 26. Like the VNA 11 in Fig. 1, the VNA 11 in Fig. 10 can perform measurements at optimal timing (Figs. 2 and 3), perform measurements at optimal timing using sensor information (Figs. 4 and 5), detect noise in the surrounding environment (Fig. 6), and remove noise-delayed waves.

[0061] 11, the VNA 11 is configured with a transmitting circuit 21, a directional coupler 22, an impedance adjustment circuit 23, a transmitting antenna 24, a receiving antenna 25, an impedance adjustment circuit 26, a receiving circuit 27, and a signal processing circuit 28. Compared to the VNA 11 in FIG. 1, the VNA 11 in FIG. 11 is configured with the directional coupler 22 and the impedance adjustment circuit 23 as a single semiconductor chip 31.

[0062] For example, when the analyte 10 between two ports (Port1, Port2) is the circuit under test, the directional coupler 22 can be configured as a resistor bridge circuit in which a first resistor element and the circuit under test connected in series are connected in parallel with a second resistor element and a third resistor element connected in series. Alternatively, the second resistor element and the third resistor element can be configured as variable resistor elements whose resistance values ​​can be adjusted to achieve a balanced condition in the resistor bridge circuit. The directional coupler 22 may also be configured to include other elements, such as a capacitor whose capacitance can be changed. The impedance adjustment circuit 23 may be configured, for example, with elements such as resistor elements, capacitors, inductors, and switches that control these elements. The directional coupler 22 and the impedance adjustment circuit 23 may share at least some of the resistor elements, capacitors, and other elements.

[0063] Similar to the VNA 11 in Fig. 1, the VNA 11 in Fig. 11 can perform measurements at optimal timing (Figs. 2 and 3), measurements at optimal timing using sensor information (Figs. 4 and 5), impedance adjustment using the impedance adjustment circuits 23 and 26 on the semiconductor chip 31, noise detection in the surrounding environment (Fig. 6), and removal of noise delay waves. Note that the VNA 11 in Fig. 11 may be configured without providing the impedance adjustment circuit 26 on the receiving side.

[0064] 11, the semiconductor chip 31 includes a directional coupler 22 and an impedance adjustment circuit 23. The directional coupler 22 is connected to a transmission circuit 21 that transmits a high-frequency signal via a transmission antenna 24, and is configured as, for example, a resistor bridge circuit. The impedance adjustment circuit 23 can adjust the impedance on the transmission side based on the impedance of the specimen 10 that transmits or reflects the high-frequency signal transmitted from the transmission antenna 24.

[0065] 1 and the like, the receiving circuit 27 of the VNA 11 is shown as a single receiving circuit 27 for the sake of simplicity, but in reality, circuits for receiving the incident signal, the transmitted signal, and the reflected signal are provided separately. Also, in the VNA 11 of FIG. 1 and the like, the impedance adjustment function of the impedance adjustment circuit 23 may be provided as a function of the directional coupler 22.

[0066] The VNA 11 installed in the electronic device 1 (FIGS. 2 and 4) is not limited to the VNA 11 shown in FIG. 1, but may be any of the VNAs 11 shown in FIGS. 7 to 11. For example, the electronic device 1 may be configured as a smartwatch. A smartwatch is a multifunctional, wristwatch-type wearable device equipped with a small touchscreen and a CPU. When the electronic device 1 is a smartwatch, the main body is worn on the user's wrist via a band. The smartwatch main body is equipped with the VNA 11 (at least a part of the VNA 11), a host 12, etc. The transmitting antenna 24 and receiving antenna 25 of the VNA 11 are positioned along the inner surface of the band (the surface that contacts the user's wrist). In this case, the VNA 11 can calculate S parameters by measuring the user's wrist (skin) as the sample 10. The calculated S parameters can also be used to calculate the user's blood glucose level.

[0067] In the above description, the transmitter circuit 21 and the receiver circuit 27 perform frequency sweeping, but a fixed frequency may also be used. If the appropriate range differs for each specimen 10 in step S15 of FIG. 3 or step S26 of FIG. 5 , the database stored in the memory 13 may record setting information for each specimen 10. In this case, the specimen 10 may be identified using detection information obtained by sensing using a sensor 14, such as an image sensor, and the setting information for the identified specimen 10 may be used. The VNA 11 is a measurement device that measures the specimen 10 as a measurement target, and may be configured as a VNA chip. The VNA chip may not include the transmitter antenna 24 and the receiver antenna 25. When the specimen 10 as a measurement target is a human body, the antennas may be considered as electrodes.

[0068] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the effects described in this specification are merely examples and are not intended to be limiting, and other effects may also be obtained.

[0069] The present disclosure can also be configured as follows.

[0070] (1) A measuring device comprising: a transmitting circuit that transmits a high-frequency signal via a transmitting antenna; a receiving circuit that receives, via a receiving antenna, the high-frequency signal transmitted from the transmitting antenna and transmitted through or reflected by a specimen; a signal processing circuit connected to the transmitting circuit and the receiving circuit and that analyzes propagation characteristics of the high-frequency signal; and an impedance adjustment circuit connected to at least one of the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna and that adjusts impedance. (2) The measuring device described in (1), in which the signal processing circuit determines whether a contact state between the specimen and the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna is appropriate for measuring the specimen based on the impedance of the specimen, and performs measurement of the specimen if it is determined that the contact state is appropriate for measuring the specimen. (3) The measuring device described in (2), in which the signal processing circuit determines whether an operating state of the specimen is appropriate for measuring the specimen based on information detected by a sensor, and performs measurement of the specimen if it is determined that the operating state is appropriate for measuring the specimen. (4) The measurement device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the impedance adjustment circuit adjusts the impedance of at least one of the transmitting and receiving sides based on the impedance of the specimen. (5) The measurement device according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the receiving circuit receives a high-frequency signal transmitted to the specimen and reflected therefrom, and the signal processing circuit detects noise components based on the propagation characteristics of the high-frequency signal. (6) The measurement device according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the signal processing circuit performs signal processing using a high-frequency signal obtained by removing high-frequency signal components reflected by the specimen from the received high-frequency signal. (7) The measurement device according to any one of (1) to (6), further comprising a directional coupler connected to the transmitting circuit and the impedance adjustment circuit connected to the transmitting antenna. (8) The measurement device according to (7), wherein the impedance adjustment circuit and the directional coupler are configured on a single semiconductor chip.(9) A measuring device comprising: a transmitting circuit that transmits a high-frequency signal via a transmitting antenna; a receiving circuit that receives, via a receiving antenna, the high-frequency signal transmitted from the transmitting antenna and transmitted through or reflected by a specimen; and a signal processing circuit connected to the transmitting circuit and the receiving circuit and that analyzes propagation characteristics of the high-frequency signal, wherein the signal processing circuit determines, based on the impedance of the specimen, whether a contact state between the specimen and the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna is appropriate for measuring the specimen, and performs measurement of the specimen if it is determined that the contact state is appropriate for measuring the specimen. (10) The measuring device according to (9), wherein the signal processing circuit determines, based on information detected by a sensor, whether an operating state of the specimen is appropriate for measuring the specimen, and performs measurement of the specimen if it is determined that the operating state is appropriate for measuring the specimen. (11) A semiconductor chip comprising: a directional coupler connected to the transmitting circuit that transmits a high-frequency signal via the transmitting antenna; and an impedance adjustment circuit that adjusts the impedance of the transmitting side based on the impedance of the specimen that transmits or reflects the high-frequency signal transmitted from the transmitting antenna.

[0071] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Electronic device, 11 VNA, 12 Host, 13 Memory, 14 Sensor, 21 Transmitting circuit, 22 Directional coupler, 23 Impedance adjustment circuit, 24 Transmitting antenna, 25 Receiving antenna, 26 Impedance adjustment circuit, 27 Receiving circuit, 28 Signal processing circuit, 31 Semiconductor chip

Claims

1. A measuring device comprising: a transmitting circuit that transmits a high-frequency signal via a transmitting antenna; a receiving circuit that receives, via a receiving antenna, the high-frequency signal that has been transmitted from the transmitting antenna and transmitted through or reflected by a specimen; a signal processing circuit that is connected to the transmitting circuit and the receiving circuit and analyzes the propagation characteristics of the high-frequency signal; and an impedance adjustment circuit that is connected to at least one of the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna and adjusts impedance.

2. The measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the signal processing circuit determines whether the contact state between the sample and the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna is appropriate for measuring the sample based on the impedance of the sample, and performs measurement of the sample if it is determined that the contact state is appropriate for measuring the sample.

3. The measuring device according to claim 2, wherein the signal processing circuit determines whether the operating state of the specimen is appropriate for measuring the specimen based on information detected by the sensor, and performs measurement of the specimen if it is determined that the operating state is appropriate for measuring the specimen.

4. The measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the impedance adjustment circuit adjusts the impedance of at least one of the transmitting side and the receiving side based on the impedance of the specimen.

5. The measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the receiving circuit receives a high-frequency signal that has been transmitted to the specimen and reflected, and the signal processing circuit detects noise components based on the propagation characteristics of the high-frequency signal.

6. The measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the signal processing circuit performs signal processing using a high-frequency signal obtained by removing high-frequency signal components reflected by the specimen from the received high-frequency signal.

7. The measuring device according to claim 1, further comprising a directional coupler connected to the transmitting circuit and the impedance adjustment circuit connected to the transmitting antenna.

8. The measuring device according to claim 7, wherein the impedance adjustment circuit and the directional coupler are configured on a single semiconductor chip.

9. A measuring device comprising: a transmitting circuit that transmits a high-frequency signal via a transmitting antenna; a receiving circuit that receives via a receiving antenna the high-frequency signal that has been transmitted from the transmitting antenna and transmitted through or reflected by a specimen; and a signal processing circuit that is connected to the transmitting circuit and the receiving circuit and that analyzes the propagation characteristics of the high-frequency signal, wherein the signal processing circuit determines whether the contact state between the specimen and the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna is appropriate for measuring the specimen based on the impedance of the specimen, and performs measurement of the specimen when it is determined that the contact state is appropriate for measuring the specimen.

10. The measuring device according to claim 9, wherein the signal processing circuit determines whether the operating state of the specimen is appropriate for measuring the specimen based on information detected by the sensor, and performs measurement of the specimen if it is determined that the operating state is appropriate for measuring the specimen.

11. A semiconductor chip comprising: a directional coupler connected to a transmitting circuit that transmits a high-frequency signal via a transmitting antenna; and an impedance adjustment circuit that adjusts the impedance of the transmitting side based on the impedance of a specimen that transmits or reflects the high-frequency signal transmitted from the transmitting antenna.

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