Moisture meter

• US 9,433,370 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2011
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha (Terumo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha (Terumo Corporation)
• Inventors: Koyama, Miyuki, Yoshino, Keisuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Jackson, Gary
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROSEFELT, JOSHUA ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US13/877,090
• Publication Number:
  US 20130274566A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,805 Days
• Field of Search: 600/301, 600/306, 600/307, 600/346, 600/549, 600/547, 356/319
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/029 Humidity sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0531 Measuring skin impedance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0537 Measuring body composition by impedance, e.g. tissue hydration or fat content
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4875 Hydration status, fluid retention of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6824 Arm or wrist

Abstract

Provided is a moisture meter that can easily measure a moisture content of a subject and can be effectively used as means for assisting the subject in appropriately regulating the moisture content. A moisture meter for measuring a moisture content of a subject includes: a moisture measuring unit that is held in an armpit of a subject so as to measure a moisture content of the subject, the moisture measuring unit including measurement current supply electrode portions and voltage measurement electrode portions that make contact with a skin surface of the armpit; and a temperature measuring unit that is held in the armpit of the subject so as to measure the temperature of the subject.

Claims

1. A moisture meter for measuring a moisture content of a subject, comprising:

a main body possessing one end, an other end opposite to the one end, and an intermediate portion extending between the one end and the other end, the main body also possessing a thickness between opposite surfaces of the main body that partially contact skin surface of the user during use of the moisture meter;

a measuring unit holder at the one end of the main body configured to be held in an armpit of the subject;

an impedance-type moisture measuring unit mounted on the measuring unit holder, the impedance-type moisture measuring unit including a measurement current supply electrode portion and a voltage measurement electrode portion that make contact with the skin surface of the armpit to provide information used to measure the moisture content of the subject when the measuring unit holder is held in the armpit;

a display unit holder at the other end of the main body;

a display unit mounted on the display unit holder and configured to display the measured moisture content of the subject;

the intermediate portion of the main body including a first curved portion that is curved outward to form a convex surface along one side of the intermediate portion of the main body and a second curved portion that is curved inward to form a concave surface along a side of the intermediate portion of the main body that is opposite the one side of the intermediate portion of the main body, the first and second curved portions being located between the display unit and the impedance-type moisture measuring unit, the second curved portion possessing a greater radius of curvature than the first curved portion; and

the display unit holder at the other end of the main body extending from the subject when the measuring unit holder at the one end of the main body is held in the armpit of the subject, allowing the subject to read the measured moisture content on the display unit while the measuring unit holder at the one end of the main body is held in the armpit.

2. The moisture meter according to claim 1, further comprising:

a temperature measuring unit mounted on the measuring unit holder that is configured to be held in the armpit of the subject to measure temperature of the subject.

3. The moisture meter according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of temperature measuring units is held in the measuring unit holder.

4. The moisture meter according to claim 1, wherein

each of the electrode portions of the impedance-type moisture measuring unit includes an electrode terminal for making direct contact with the skin surface of the armpit, and an elastically deformable member for pressing the electrode terminal against the skin surface of the armpit.

5. The moisture meter according to claim 1, wherein

each of the electrode portions of the impedance-type moisture measuring unit includes an electrode terminal for making direct contact with the skin surface of the armpit, and a sticking member for making close contact with the skin surface of the armpit to press the electrode terminal against the skin surface of the armpit.

11. The moisture meter according to claim 1, wherein the measuring unit holder has one convex portion and an other convex portion opposite to the one convex portion.

6. A moisture meter for measuring a moisture content of a subject, comprising:

a main body extending from a proximal end to a distal end;

a measuring unit holder at the proximal end of the main body configured to be held in an armpit of the subject;

an electrostatic capacitance-type moisture measuring unit mounted on the measuring unit holder to provide information used to measure the moisture content of the subject when the measuring unit holder is held in the armpit;

the moisture measuring unit detects an electrostatic capacitance using a plurality of electrodes to measure the moisture content based on a variation in permittivity that changes with a moisture content ratio;

a display unit holder at the distal end of the main body;

a display unit mounted on the display unit holder and configured to display the measured moisture content of the subject measured;

the main body including a first curved portion that is curved outward to form a convex surface and a second curved portion that is curved inward to form a concave surface, the second curved portion possessing a greater radius of curvature than the first curved portion; and

the first curved portion extending along one side of the main body at a location between the moisture measuring unit at the proximal end of the main body and the display unit at the distal end of the main body, the second curved portion extending along an other side of the main body at a location between the moisture measuring unit at the proximal end of the main body and the display unit at the distal end of the main body, the one side of the main body and the other side of the main body being positioned opposite one another.

7. The moisture meter according to claim 6, further comprising:

a temperature measuring unit that is mounted on the measuring unit holder configured to be held in the armpit of the subject to measure temperature of the subject.

8. The moisture meter according to claim 6, wherein

a plurality of temperature measuring units is held in the measuring unit holder.

9. The moisture meter according to claim 6, wherein

each of the electrode portions of the electrostatic capacitance-type moisture measuring unit includes an electrode terminal for making direct contact with the skin surface of the armpit, and an elastically deformable member for pressing the electrode terminal against the skin surface of the armpit.

10. The moisture meter according to claim 6, wherein

each of the electrode portions of the electrostatic capacitance-type moisture measuring unit includes an electrode terminal for making direct contact with the skin surface of the armpit, and a sticking member for making close contact with the skin surface of the armpit to press the electrode terminal against the skin surface of the armpit.

12. The moisture meter according to claim 6, wherein the measuring unit holder has one convex portion and an other convex portion opposite to the one convex portion.