BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION MEASUREMENT APPARATUS

• US 20160166162A1
• Filed: 02/26/2016
• Published: 06/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Original Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Inventors: Yamaji, Kazuhiro, Tsuchimoto, Hirofumi
• Granted Patent: US 10,098,555 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02427 Details of sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6826 Finger

Abstract

A biological information measurement apparatus capable of improving the SN ratio of a photoplethysmographic signal by reducing stray light in detection light that reaches a light-receiving unit from a light-emitting unit is provided.

A biological information measurement apparatus includes a light-emitting unit that irradiates a finger, a light-receiving unit that receives and photoelectrically converts light transmitted through or reflected by the finger and outputs a photoplethysmographic signal, and a processing unit that obtains biological information on the basis of the photoplethysmographic signal. The light-emitting and light-receiving units are disposed, in plan view in a plane perpendicular to the direction of the emitted light or the received light, such that a line passing through the centers of the light-emitting unit and the light-receiving unit is slanted relative to a lengthwise direction of the finger.

Claims

1. A biological information measurement apparatus comprising:

a light-emitting unit configured to emit light to irradiate a measurement area; and

a light-receiving unit configured to receive light transmitted through or reflected by the measurement area and to photoelectrically convert the light to a photoplethysmographic signal comprising biological information,

wherein, in a plan view, the light-emitting unit and the light-receiving unit are disposed in a plane perpendicular to at least one of a direction of the emitted light and a direction of the received light, and

wherein the light-emitting unit and the light receiving unit are positioned such that a line intersecting centers of each the light-emitting and light-receiving units is diagonal relative to a lengthwise direction of the measurement area.

2. The biological information measurement apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a processing unit configured to obtain the biological information based on the photoplethysmographic signal.

3. The biological information measurement apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a substrate in which the light-emitting unit and the light-receiving unit are disposed; and

a main body including a guide for directing a position of the measurement area relative to the substrate.

4. The biological information measurement apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the measurement area is a finger, and

wherein the guide is a cover having a cylindrical hollow cavity structurally configured to receive the finger, such that the line intersecting the centers of the light-emitting and light-receiving units is diagonal relative to a center axis of the cylindrical hollow cavity.

5. The biological information measurement apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the substrate comprises a rectangular shape, the light-emitting unit and the light-receiving unit are disposed at diagonally opposing corner areas of the rectangular substrate, and one pair of sides of the substrate is parallel to a center axis of the cylindrical hollow cavity.

6. The biological information measurement apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the guide comprises at least one guiderail that extends in a direction parallel to the lengthwise direction of the measurement area.

7. The biological information measurement apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a substrate in which the light-emitting unit and the light-receiving unit are disposed; and

a main body configured to define a position of the substrate relative to the measurement area.

8. The biological information measurement apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the measurement area is a finger;

and

the substrate comprises a rectangular shape and the light-emitting unit and the light-receiving unit are disposed parallel to a pair of sides of the substrate, such that the pair of sides is diagonal relative to the lengthwise direction of the measurement area.

9. The biological information measurement apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the substrate is rotatable relative to the main body such that an angle between the lengthwise direction of the measurement area and the line intersecting the centers of the light-emitting and light receiving units is variable.

10. The biological information measurement apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a substrate in which the light-emitting unit and the light-receiving unit are disposed, wherein one of the light-emitting unit and the light-receiving unit is disposed on a center line bisecting the substrate and the other of the light-emitting unit and the light-receiving unit is offset from the center line of the substrate.

11. A biological information measurement apparatus comprising:

a main body including a guide configured to position a finger of a person in a lengthwise direction of the main body;

a planar substrate disposed in a base of the main body;

a light-emitting unit disposed in the planar substrate and configured to emit light to irradiate the finger; and

a light-receiving unit disposed in the planar substrate and configured to receive light transmitted through or reflected by the finger and to photoelectrically convert the received light to a photoplethysmographic signal comprising biological information of the person,

wherein the light-emitting unit and the light receiving unit are positioned such that a line intersecting centers of each the light-emitting and light-receiving units is diagonal relative to the lengthwise direction of main body.

12. The biological information measurement apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a processing unit configured to obtain the biological information based on the photoplethysmographic signal.

13. The biological information measurement apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the guide is a cover having a cylindrical hollow cavity structurally configured to receive the finger, such that the line intersecting the centers of the light-emitting and light-receiving units is diagonal relative to a center axis of the cylindrical hollow cavity.

14. The biological information measurement apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the substrate comprises a rectangular shape, the light-emitting unit and the light-receiving unit are disposed at diagonally opposing corner areas of the rectangular substrate, and one pair of sides of the substrate is parallel to a center axis of the cylindrical hollow cavity.

15. The biological information measurement apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the guide comprises at least one guiderail that extends the lengthwise direction.

16. The biological information measurement apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the guide comprises a pair of guiderails that extend in the lengthwise direction.

17. The biological information measurement apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the main body is configured to define a position of the substrate relative to the finger.

18. The biological information measurement apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the substrate comprises a rectangular shape and the light-emitting unit and the light-receiving unit are disposed parallel to a pair of sides of the substrate, such that the pair of sides of the substrate is diagonal relative to the lengthwise direction of the finger.

19. The biological information measurement apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the substrate is rotatable relative to the main body such that an angle between the lengthwise direction of the finger and the line intersecting the centers of the light-emitting and light receiving units is variable.

20. The biological information measurement apparatus according to claim 11, wherein one of the light-emitting unit and the light-receiving unit is disposed on a center line bisecting the substrate and the other of the light-emitting unit and the light-receiving unit is offset from the center line of the substrate.