BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION PRESSURE SENSOR AND BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION PRESSURE DETECTOR

• US 20070112283A1
• Filed: 11/16/2006
• Published: 05/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Kogure, Shunsuke, Ando, Mitsuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,610,820 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/587
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0247 Pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/043 in a linear array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/164 the sensor is mounted in or on a conformable substrate or carrier
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/222 Electrical cables or leads therefor, e.g. coaxial cables or ribbon cables
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/103 Detecting, measuring or recording devices for testing the shape, pattern, colour, size or movement of the body or parts thereof, for diagnostic purposes A61B5/08 takes precedence; measuring aids for tailors A41H1/00; measuring instruments specially adapted for dentistry A61C19/04
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6887 mounted on external non-worn devices, e.g. non-medical devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6892 Mats

Abstract

A biological information pressure sensor having a planer shape disposed on an elastic support element for supporting a human body, for detecting an external force due to one or both of a load variation caused by the human body and vibration generated by the human body. The sensor includes a sensing portion having sensitivity with respect to the external force, wherein the sensing portion is configured by using a piezoelectric material, and is configured to have flexibility and anisotropy.

Claims

1. A biological information pressure sensor having a planer shape disposed on an elastic support element for supporting a human body, for detecting an external force due to one or both of a load variation caused by the human body and vibration generated by the human body, the sensor comprising:

a sensing portion having sensitivity with respect to the external force, wherein the sensing portion is configured by using a piezoelectric material, and is configured to have flexibility and anisotropy.

2. The biological information pressure sensor according to claim 1, wherein the sensing portion is configured to have flexibility and anisotropy by partially varying thickness of the piezoelectric material.

3. The biological information pressure sensor according to claim 1, wherein the sensing portion has a sensor portion formed by the piezoelectric material and a base portion holding the sensor portion, wherein the sensing portion is configured to have flexibility and anisotropy by partially varying thickness of the base portion.

4. The biological information pressure sensor according to claim 1, wherein a detecting portion having the plurality of sensing portions and a wiring portion for transmitting output signals of the plurality of the sensing portions are formed using an identical material, and wherein the wiring portion is configured to be harder than the detecting portion.

5. The biological information pressure sensor according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensing portions is provided, and at least one of the sensing portions has isotropy that is different from the other sensing portions.

6. The biological information pressure sensor according to claim 5, wherein at least one of the sensing portions has anisotropy that is orthogonal to the other sensing portions.

7. The biological information pressure sensor according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of sensing portions are arranged through slit means.

8. The biological information pressure sensor according to claim 1, wherein a groove is provided on an outer surface of the sensing portion so that the thickness of the piezoelectric material is partially varied.

9. A biological information pressure detector having the biological information pressure sensor according to claim 1, wherein the biological information pressure sensor is disposed at a position at which a load of the human body is applied in the case where the human body is in an ordinary posture, and wherein the sensing portion is configured to have anisotropy that is easily flexed in a direction along a curved surface of the human body for elastically deforming the support element in the case of the ordinary posture and that is hard to flex in a direction orthogonal to the flexing direction.

10. A biological information pressure detector having a plurality of the biological information pressure sensors according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the biological information pressure sensors is disposed at a position at which the external force caused by the human body is not directly applied in the case where the human body is in an ordinary posture.