JP7353927B2 - Wireless sensor devices and wireless sensor systems - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a wireless sensor device and a wireless sensor system in which noise does not affect the detection value of a sensor element.

Conventionally, in a wireless sensor device, electromagnetic waves are used for contactless power supply between a sensor element and a control unit, and therefore, the detected value of the sensor element is strongly influenced by electromagnetic wave noise. 2. Description of the Related Art In order to improve the detection accuracy of a sensor element, a technique is known in which the influence of electromagnetic noise is removed from the detection value of a sensor element. For example, a technique is known in which a sensing period by a sensor element and a power feeding period do not overlap (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Patent No. 5305738

However, since conventional wireless sensor devices not only use electromagnetic waves for contactless power supply but also use electromagnetic waves for contactless communication, even if configured so that the sensing period and the power supply period do not overlap, The influence of electromagnetic noise caused by non-contact communication cannot be excluded from the detected value of the sensor element.

Therefore, there is a need for a wireless sensor device that is configured so that not only electromagnetic wave noise generated by contactless power supply but also electromagnetic wave noise generated by contactless communication does not affect the detection value of the sensor element.

The wireless sensor device of the present disclosure includes:
comprising a first transmitting/receiving section and a second transmitting/receiving section,
The first transmitter/receiver wirelessly transmits the trigger signal, the power supply signal, and the sensor element control signal to the second transmitter/receiver, and wirelessly receives the detection data signal output from the sensor element from the second transmitter/receiver,
The second transmitter/receiver is
a sensor element that outputs a detection data signal in response to a sensor element control signal;
a memory unit that stores the detection data signal and timing data output from the sensor element;
Once the trigger signal is received, the power supply signal and sensor element control signal are adjusted based on the timing data so that noise caused by the power supply signal, sensor element control signal, and detection data signal does not affect the detection by the sensor element during the sensing period. and a timing control unit that chronologically controls the respective timings of the detection data signal and the sensing period,
The timing data is
The start and stop timings of transmission of the power supply signal, the sensor element control signal, and the detection data signal include timing data that does not occur during the sensing period , and
Timing data representing a first delay period A from when the first transmitter/receiver stops transmitting the sensor element control signal until the sensing period starts;
Timing data representing a second delay period B from when the first transmitting/receiving unit stops transmitting the power supply signal until the sensing period starts;
the second delay period B is longer than the first delay period A;
The end point of the second delay period B coincides with the end point of the first delay period A,
The configuration includes timing data representing a third delay period C from the end of the sensing period until the start of transmission of the detected data signal from the second transmitter/receiver to the first transmitter/receiver.

According to the wireless sensor device of the present disclosure, configured as described above, the trigger signal, the power feeding signal, the sensor element control signal, and the detected data signal are wirelessly communicated between the first transmitting/receiving section and the second transmitting/receiving section. It becomes possible to obtain a detection value of the sensor element that does not include noise caused by the noise.

That is, according to the wireless sensor device of the present disclosure, each of the power supply signal, sensor element control signal, detection data signal, and sensing period is determined based on timing data in which no noise occurs during the sensing period in which the sensor element is driven. Since the timing of starting and stopping transmission and reception is controlled, it is possible to obtain a detection value of the sensor element that does not include noise caused by the power supply signal, the sensor element control signal, and the detection data signal.

Further, according to the wireless sensor device of the present disclosure, the first transmitter/receiver transmits the sensor element control signal based on the timing data representing the first delay period from when the sensor element control signal is stopped to when the sensing period starts. Since the timing at which transmission of the control signal is stopped is controlled, the sensor element control signal does not overlap the sensing period and be superimposed as noise on the detected value of the sensor element. Furthermore, even if an attenuation signal of the sensor element control signal occurs after transmission of the sensor element control signal is stopped, the attenuation signal will not overlap the sensing period and be superimposed as noise on the detected value of the sensor element. As a result, it is possible to obtain a detection value of the sensor element that does not include noise.

Further, according to the wireless sensor device of the present disclosure, the power supply signal is transmitted based on the timing data representing the second delay period from when the first transmitting/receiving unit stops transmitting the power supply signal until the sensing period starts. Since the timing of stopping is controlled, the power supply signal does not overlap the sensing period and be superimposed as noise on the detection value of the sensor element. Further, even if an attenuation signal of the power supply signal occurs after the transmission of the power supply signal is stopped, the attenuation signal will not overlap the sensing period and be superimposed as noise on the detection value of the sensor element. As a result, it is possible to obtain a detection value of the sensor element that does not include noise.

Further, according to the wireless sensor device of the present disclosure, the timing data includes timing data representing a first delay period from when the first transmitting/receiving unit stops transmitting the sensor element control signal until the sensing period starts; and timing data representing a second delay period from when the first transmitting/receiving unit stops transmitting the power supply signal until the sensing period starts, and the second delay period is longer than the first delay period. By doing so, the effect of obtaining a detection value of the sensor element that does not include noise is further improved. That is, since the power supply signal is an AC signal (shown in FIG. 2) with a larger amplitude than the sensor element control signal, its attenuation signal (referred to as attenuation signal ASk) is generated after the transmission of the power supply signal is stopped. When the attenuation signal (referred to as attenuation signal ASs) is generated after the transmission of the sensor element control signal is stopped, the length of the attenuation signal ASk becomes longer than the length of the attenuation signal ASs. Therefore, by making the length of the second delay period longer than the first delay period, it is possible to more effectively suppress the attenuation signal ASk from overlapping the sensing period and being superimposed as noise on the detected value of the sensor element. .

Further, according to the wireless sensor device of the present disclosure, based on the timing data representing the third delay period from the end of the sensing period until the start of transmission of the detection data from the second transmitting/receiving section to the first transmitting/receiving section. Since the timing at which transmission of the detection data is started is controlled, the detection data signal does not overlap the sensing period and be superimposed as noise on the detection value of the sensor element. As a result, it is possible to obtain a detection value of the sensor element that does not include noise generated at the time of starting transmission of the detection data signal.

Further, the wireless sensor device of the present disclosure includes:
comprising a first transmitting/receiving section and a second transmitting/receiving section,
The first transmitter/receiver wirelessly transmits the trigger signal, the power supply signal, and the sensor element control signal to the second transmitter/receiver, and wirelessly receives the detection data signal output from the sensor element from the second transmitter/receiver,
The second transmitter/receiver is
a sensor element that outputs a detection data signal in response to a sensor element control signal;
a memory unit that stores the detection data signal and timing data output from the sensor element;
After receiving the trigger signal, the power supply signal, the detection data signal, and the sensing period are adjusted based on the timing data so that the noise caused by the power supply signal and the detection data signal does not affect the detection by the sensor element during the sensing period. A timing control unit that controls timing in chronological order,
The timing data is
The timing of starting and stopping the transmission of the power supply signal, the timing of starting the transmission of the sensor element control signal, and the timing of starting and stopping the transmission of the detection data signal do not occur during the sensing period, and the timing of starting and stopping the transmission of the sensor element control signal does not occur during the sensing period. including timing data, the timing of the stop of transmission occurring during the sensing period , and
Timing data representing a delay period B from when the first transmitting/receiving unit stops transmitting the power supply signal until the sensing period starts ;
including timing data representing another delay period C from the end of the sensing period until the start of transmission of the detected data signal from the second transceiver to the first transceiver;
The timing control section is configured to delete a portion of the detection data signal containing noise or set the signal level of the portion to 0 when noise occurs due to overlapping of sensor element control signals during a sensing period.
According to the wireless sensor device of the present disclosure, when noise occurs due to overlapping of sensor element control signals during a sensing period, a portion of detection data including noise is invalidated. This makes it possible to obtain a detection value of the sensor element that does not include noise. Furthermore, even if the sensing period in which the sensor element is activated lasts much longer than the transmission and reception period of the power supply signal, the sensor element control signal, and the detection data signal, the power supply signal, the sensor element control signal, and the detection data signal It becomes possible to obtain a detection value of the sensor element that does not include generated noise. Furthermore, it is possible to start and stop transmission and reception of the power supply signal, sensor element control signal, and detection data multiple times during the sensing period. This allows the sensing period to be set over a long period of time.

As described above, according to the wireless sensor device of the present disclosure, by having the above-described configuration, it is possible to obtain a detection value of the sensor element that does not include noise caused by the power supply signal, the sensor element control signal, and the detection data signal. becomes. As a result, the wireless sensor device of the present disclosure can obtain accurate detection values without noise. In addition, it is possible to reliably eliminate the noise (attenuated signal) that remains after the reception of the power supply signal and the sensor element control signal is stopped, and the noise that occurs when the transmission of the detection data signal starts from the detection value of the sensor element. Become.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a wireless sensor device 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing the timing of wireless power supply and wireless communication of the wireless sensor device 200 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing the timing of wireless power supply and wireless communication of the wireless sensor device 201 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A wireless sensor device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<Wireless sensor device>
FIG. 1 is a block circuit diagram showing the electrical configuration of a wireless sensor device 200 according to the first embodiment. The wireless sensor device 200 of the present embodiment is a first transmitting/receiving unit 100 including a first antenna 10 for wireless power feeding and wireless communication, and includes a power feeding signal and a sensor element control signal for wireless power feeding from the first antenna 10. A second transmitting/receiving unit 110 includes a first transmitting/receiving unit 100 that transmits a signal, and a second antenna 20 for wireless power feeding and wireless communication between the first antenna 10, and is activated by a power feeding signal and controls a sensor element. A sensor element 60 that outputs a detection data signal in response to a signal, and a memory section 50 that stores timing data representing the communication period of the detection data signal and various signals such as the detection data signal output from the sensor element 60. The timing data stored in the memory unit 50 is configured such that noise caused by the power supply signal, the sensor element control signal, and the detection data signal does not affect the detection by the sensor element 60 during the sensing period. a timing control unit 40 that controls the start and stop of transmission of the power supply signal, the sensor element control signal, and the detection data signal, and also controls the start and stop of the sensing period.

The timing data may also be stored in the timing control section 40. Further, the timing data may include a control signal such as a trigger signal for the first transmitting/receiving section 100, and the timing control section 40 may perform a sequence operation in which the timing control section 40 moves in chronological order according to the control signal. That is, upon receiving a control signal such as a trigger signal, the timing control unit 40 transmits and receives a power supply signal, transmits and receives a sensor element control signal, transmits a detection data signal, sets the first to third delay periods (A to C), Timing may be controlled so that all operations of starting and stopping sensing are executed in chronological order. In another disclosure, the timing data may not be stored in the memory unit 50 but may be stored in the timing control unit 40. Further, there is no timing data, and control signals such as trigger signals of the first transmitting/receiving section 100 are stored in the memory section 50 or the like, and the control signals are activated based on the start signal transmitted from the first transmitting/receiving section 100. Alternatively, the above sequence operation may be executed.

The timing control unit 40 includes a clock signal generation unit that generates a clock signal at a predetermined frequency, and a control unit that controls the start and stop of various signals based on a clock counter that counts clock signals, or a control program that stores a control program. The storage unit may also include a storage unit. Further, the timing control section 40 may be disposed in the first transceiver section 100, may be disposed in both the first transceiver section 100 and the second transceiver section 110, or furthermore, the timing control section 40 may be disposed in the first transceiver section 100 and the second transceiver section 110. It may be arranged separately outside the section 110. In that case, the timing control section 40 may control the first transmitting/receiving section 100 and the second transmitting/receiving section 110 by wireless communication.

Since the timing control section 40 in the configuration of FIG. 1 is arranged in the second transmitting/receiving section 110, it basically operates as follows. As shown in the timing chart of FIG. 2, when the power feeding signal transmitted from the first transmitting/receiving section 100 is received by the second transmitting/receiving section 110, the second delay period (B) starts from the timing t2 when reception of the power feeding signal is stopped. Set. Next, when the sensor element control signal transmitted from the first transmitter/receiver 100 is received by the second transmitter/receiver 110, a first delay period (A) is set from timing t4 at which reception of the sensor element control signal is stopped. Here, the end point of the second delay period (B) and the end point of the first delay period (A) are controlled or programmed in advance, or the end point of the second delay period (B) The end time of the second delay period (B) may be adjusted and reset so that it coincides with the end time of the first delay period (A). Next, sensing is started at the end of the first delay period (A) and stopped at the end of a predetermined sensing period. Next, the transmission of the detection data signal to the first transmitting/receiving section 100 is started at the time when the third delay period (C) has passed from the end of sensing, and finally the transmission of the detection data signal is stopped.

Note that the timing control unit 40 controls all timings for transmitting and receiving power supply signals, transmitting and receiving sensor element control signals, transmitting detection data signals, setting first to third delay periods (A to C), and starting and stopping sensing. It may also operate to control.

The wireless sensor device 200 may further include at least one of the communication/power supply module 30, the selection circuit section 70, and the analog-to-digital conversion circuit section 80.

The first transmitting/receiving section 100 and the second transmitting/receiving section 110 may be arranged on separate substrates. The substrate is made of an electrically insulating material such as glass, plastic, ceramics, etc., and may be realized as a plate-shaped body having a rectangular or circular shape in plan view. Further, the substrate may be translucent, or may be colored black, brown, or the like.

For example, the first transmitter/receiver 100 may be directly formed and arranged on the surface (the upper surface or the lower surface of the upper surface, lower surface, or side surface) of the first substrate by a thin film forming method such as a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) method. good. Further, an insulating layer such as an inorganic insulating layer made of silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ), silicon nitride (Si ₃ N ₄ ), etc., and an organic insulating layer made of acrylic resin, polycarbonate, etc. is formed on the surface of the first substrate by CVD. The first antenna 10 may be formed and arranged by a thin film forming method such as a method, and the first antenna 10 may be arranged on the insulating layer. In that case, electrodes, wiring, connection conductors such as through holes, circuits, etc. that constitute the first antenna 10 can be arranged on the surface of the first substrate, on the insulating layer, and between the plurality of insulating layers. Further, the second transmitter/receiver 110 may be arranged on a second substrate formed in the same manner as the first substrate. That is, the second antenna 20, the timing control section 40, the memory section 50, the sensor element 60, etc. may be arranged on the second substrate. In that case, electrodes, wiring, connection conductors such as through holes, circuits, etc. that constitute the second antenna 20 and the sensor element 60 may be arranged on the surface of the second substrate, on the insulating layer, and between the plurality of insulating layers. I can do it. Thereby, the second transmitting/receiving section 110 can be configured as a wireless sensor chip including the second substrate, the sensor element 60, the memory section 50, etc. arranged on the second substrate. Since this wireless chip can be made small and thin, it can be used by being housed in a small storage space, such as each well of a multi-well plate for cell culture.

With the above configuration, the first antenna 10, the second antenna 20, other circuits, etc. can be integrated and arranged on the first substrate and the second substrate, and the area of the substrate can be reduced. In addition, when connecting conductors such as electrodes, wiring, through holes, circuits, etc. are arranged between multiple insulating layers, even if the measured object is corrosive such as acidic culture solution, the measured object The wireless sensor device can be placed in the container with high corrosion resistance.

Furthermore, the first transmitting/receiving section 100 and the second transmitting/receiving section 110 may be arranged on one substrate.

The first antenna 10 and the second antenna 20 may be realized by, for example, a loop antenna or a dipole antenna. The first antenna 10 and the second antenna 20 may preferably be loop antennas whose antenna lengths are easily adjustable and have high reception sensitivity.

The sensor element 60 may include at least one of a pH sensor element, a temperature sensor element, an electrical resistance sensor element, and an image sensor element. Furthermore, the sensor element 60 may include at least one of a pressure sensor element, a magnetic sensor element, a humidity sensor element, a chromaticity sensor element, an illuminance sensor element, and the like.

In the wireless sensor device and wireless sensor system of the present disclosure, the "sensing period" refers to a period in which the sensor element 60 is activated and driven to obtain a detected value. The sensing period is started by the sensor element 60 receiving the sensor element control signal, immediately after the reception of the sensor element control signal stops, or after a delay time has passed after the reception of the sensor element control signal stops. Further, the sensing period may be started in a period between the start timing and the stop timing of reception of the sensor element control signal. In this case, if the sensor element is covered with an electromagnetic shielding layer or the like so that the sensor element control signal does not interfere with the sensor element in the driven state, it is more advantageous in terms of obtaining a detection value of the sensor element that does not include noise. .

"Noise" and "electromagnetic wave noise" (shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) are used interchangeably and represent disturbances in electrical signals caused by power supply signals, sensor element control signals, and detected data signals. Specifically, this means that the various signals described above overlap the sensing period and are superimposed as noise on the detection value of the sensor element.

The “sensor element control signal” represents a signal for starting and stopping driving of the sensor element 60.

The “detected data signal” represents a data signal including a detected value obtained by driving the sensor element 60.

The memory unit 50 can store programs and data. The memory unit 50 may also be used as a work area for temporarily storing processing results. Memory unit 50 includes a recording medium. The recording medium may include any non-transitory storage medium, such as semiconductor storage media and magnetic storage media. Further, the memory unit 50 may include multiple types of storage media. The memory unit 50 may include a combination of a portable storage medium such as a memory card, an optical disk, or a magneto-optical disk, and a storage reading device. The memory unit 50 may include a storage device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) used as a temporary storage area. Note that the memory unit 50 can also be implemented as a configuration provided outside the wireless sensor device 200.

The memory unit 50 stores timing data representing the detection data signal output from the sensor element 60 and communication periods of various signals such as the detection data signal.

In the wireless sensor device and wireless sensor system of the present disclosure, "timing data" refers to data at the times (timings) at which transmission/reception of the power supply signal, sensor element control signal, or detection data signal is started and stopped. For example, the timing data sets that the transmission start time and the transmission stop time of the power supply signal are before the second transmitter/receiver 110 starts transmitting the sensor element control signal and before the sensing period starts. It may be data that has been

The timing data is set to the power supply signal, the sensor element control signal, and the sensor element control signal during the sensing period so that noise due to the power supply signal, the sensor element control signal, and the detection data signal does not occur during the sensing period when the sensor element 60 is activated and driven. The timing data may include timing data that does not indicate when to start and stop transmitting and receiving signals and detected data signals, respectively. For example, the timing data may be set such that the second transmitting/receiving section 110 starts receiving the power supply signal after the first transmitting/receiving section 100 stops receiving the detection data signal.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the timing of wireless power supply and wireless communication of the wireless sensor device 200 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG. 2, t1 represents the power supply signal reception start time, t2 represents the power supply signal reception stop time, t3 represents the sensor element control signal reception start time, t4 represents the sensor element control signal reception stop time, and t5 represents the power supply signal reception stop time. t6 represents the detection data transmission start time, t7 represents the sensor element drive start time, and t8 represents the sensor element drive stop time. In addition, the waveforms shown on the upper time axis represent the power supply signal, the sensor element control signal, and the detection data signal, respectively, and the waveforms shown on the lower time axis represent the power supply signal, the sensor element control signal, and the detection data signal. Represents the noise, including attenuated signals, caused by the data signal. In other words, these noises become noise when a power supply signal (including an attenuation signal), a sensor element control signal (including an attenuation signal), and a detection data signal are superimposed on the sensing period of the sensor element 60. It's noise.

As shown in FIG. 2, the timing data is a timing representing a first delay period (A) from when the first transmitting/receiving unit 100 stops transmitting the sensor element control signal until the sensor element 60 is subsequently driven. May contain data. This makes it possible to remove noise (an attenuated signal, hereinafter also referred to as "residual noise") that remains after the reception of the sensor element control signal is stopped from the sensing period. Note that the first delay period (A) has a length such that the sensing period does not start before the residual noise that remains after stopping reception of the sensor element control signal disappears.

The timing data also includes timing data when the first transmitting/receiving section 100 starts transmitting the power supply signal before the sensor element 60 is driven, and when the sensor element 60 starts transmitting the power supply signal after the first transmitting/receiving section 100 stops transmitting the power supply signal. It may also include timing data representing a second delay period (B) until the second delay period (B) is reached. This makes it possible to remove residual noise that remains after stopping reception of the power supply signal from the sensing period. The second delay period (B) is of a length such that the sensing period does not start before residual noise that remains after stopping reception of the power supply signal disappears. Further, since the residual noise caused by the power supply signal is larger than the residual noise caused by the sensor element control signal and occurs over a long period of time, the second delay period (B) is preferably longer than the first delay period (A). .

In Figure 2, the period of receiving the power supply signal and the period of receiving the sensor element control signal do not overlap, but the residual noise that remains after the reception of the power supply signal is stopped and the reception of the sensor element control signal is stopped. The period for receiving the power supply signal and the period for receiving the sensor element control signal may overlap or partially overlap, as long as residual noise remaining later does not fall within the sensing period. In this case, the second transmitter/receiver 110 may include a duplexer that separates the power supply signal and the sensor element control signal.

The timing data may include timing data representing a third delay period (C) from the end of driving of the sensor element 60 and the end of the sensing period to the start of transmission of the detection data signal. This makes it possible to reliably eliminate noise that occurs at the start of transmission of the detection data signal from the sensing period. The third delay period (C) is of a length such that noise occurring at the beginning of the transmission of the detected data signal does not enter the sensing period. Furthermore, the timing data may include at least one of a first delay period, a second delay period, and a third delay period, and preferably all of the first delay period, second delay period, and third delay period. including. This makes it possible to remove all noise caused by the power supply signal, the sensor element control signal, and the detection data signal from the detection value of the sensor element 60.

The timing data includes timings for starting and stopping the transmission of the power supply signal, timings for starting the transmission of the sensor element control signal, and timings for starting and stopping the transmission of the detection data signal that do not occur during the sensing period, and The timing data may include timing data on when the transmission of the sensor element control signal stops occurring during the sensing period. That is, the first delay period (A) may not be provided. This makes it possible to lengthen the sensing period and obtain more detailed and accurate detection data signals. Furthermore, when the sensing period is not lengthened, it is possible to increase the number of times of sensing in a certain period, for example, one second, one minute, one hour, etc., and it is possible to obtain a more detailed and accurate detection data signal. In this case, if the sensor element 60 is covered with an electromagnetic shielding layer or the like so that the sensor element control signal does not interfere with the sensor element 60 in the driven state, it will be easier to obtain a detection value of the sensor element 60 that does not include noise. It's advantageous.

The wireless sensor device 200 can be used to detect the state of an object to be measured in a container, such as a culture medium such as a cell culture solution, cells, and the like. For example, the wireless sensor chip having the second transmitter/receiver 110 of the wireless sensor device 200 may be installed inside a container, a petri dish, a flask, a multiwell plate, or the like. The shape, size, etc. of the container are not particularly limited, but may have one or more spaces suitable for cell proliferation, for example. For example, a petri dish has a width or diameter of several centimeters to several tens of centimeters, and a height of several millimeters to several centimeters, while a flask has a width or diameter of several centimeters to several tens of centimeters, and a height of five centimeters to several tens of centimeters. In the case of a multi-well plate, the width or diameter is about several cm to several tens of cm, and the height is about 0.5 cm to several cm. The container may be made of an optically transparent material, such as plastic, glass, etc., so that the interior can be viewed from the outside.

Further, in a multi-well plate, the shape of one well in plan view is circular, quadrilateral such as square, polygonal such as pentagon, hexagon, etc. A circular shape is suitable for isolegal growth of cells, and has the advantage that cells can easily grow. The hexagonal shape is suitable for close-packed arrangement of wells and is advantageous for downsizing multiwell plates.

More specifically, the container may be a commercially available cell culture container, such as a cell culture plate, a cell culture flask, or a cell culture dish. These cell culture containers are equipped with lids and may be realized by injection molding of transparent resin.

Preferably, the container has a plurality of accommodating portions each having a cylindrical shape, an inverted partially conical shape, or the like for accommodating a liquid, for example, a culture solution. The wireless sensor chip of the wireless sensor device 200 is installed inside or outside the container without accommodating cells and culture medium, and the container may then be supplied with cells and culture medium. The wireless sensor chip may be installed in a state where the wireless sensor chip is accommodated. Once the cells have grown sufficiently, the wireless sensor chip can be removed from the container, and the wireless sensor chip can be placed in the container again after the cells and culture medium have been collected, washed, and sterilized.

As described above, the first transmitter/receiver 100 may be installed outside the container, and the second transmitter/receiver 110 may be installed inside the container. For example, the first transmitter/receiver 100 may be provided so as to contact the bottom surface of the outside of the container, and the second transmitter/receiver 110 may be provided so as to contact the bottom surface inside the container. This allows the first antenna 10 of the first transmitting/receiving section 100 to be placed close to the second antenna 20 of the second transmitting/receiving section 110. This suppresses the attenuation of signals such as power feeding signals, sensor element control signals, and detected data signals that are transmitted and received between the first antenna 10 and the second antenna 20, and also reduces the mixing of noise into the signals. The two antennas 20 make it possible to receive signals with high reception strength. Further, a first adsorption member made of a magnet, a magnetic layer, an adhesive layer such as a silicone resin layer, etc. is disposed on at least a part of the second surface (container side surface) of the second transmitting/receiving section 110, and A second adsorption member made of a magnet, a magnetic layer, an adhesive layer such as a silicone resin layer, etc. may be arranged at a location corresponding to the first adsorption member. In this case, the position of the second transmitting/receiving section 110 relative to the container can be reliably fixed, and even if the container vibrates when the container is being transported, it is possible to prevent the second transmitting/receiving section 110 from shifting its position.

Further, for example, since the wireless sensor device 200 does not come into contact with a corrosive object to be measured such as an acidic culture solution, the wireless sensor device 200 has an increased durability and a long life. For example, the wireless sensor device 200 may be placed on the inside side of the container, in which case it becomes easy to observe (monitor) the inside of the transparent container from above and below.

The substrates, such as the first substrate constituting the first transmitting/receiving section 100 and the second substrate constituting the second transmitting/receiving section 110, have protection made of silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ), silicon nitride (Si ₃ N ₄ ), etc. on their side surfaces. Layers may be arranged. In this case, when the side surface of the substrate comes into contact with the inner surface of the container, damage such as abrasion and chipping can be prevented from occurring on the side surface of the substrate, especially the corners of the substrate, and the object to be measured such as the culture solution in the container can be prevented. It is possible to prevent unnecessary objects such as fragments of the board from entering. Furthermore, the protective layer disposed on the side surface of the substrate has an extension portion extending to at least one of the first surface (for example, the top surface) and the second surface (for example, the bottom surface) opposite to the first surface of the substrate. You can leave it there. This improves the effect of protecting the corners of the substrate. Alternatively, the insulating layer disposed on at least one of the first surface and the second surface of the substrate may extend to the side surface of the substrate to serve as a protective layer, and in that case, the corners of the substrate are also protected. The effect of

Silicone resin (silicone rubber) is applied to at least a portion of at least one of the second surface (the lower surface, which is the surface on the bottom side of the container) of the second substrate constituting the second transmitter/receiver 110 and the bottom surface of the container. An adhesive member may be disposed, such as an adhesive layer such as a plastic tape or a double-sided tape formed by coating or printing adhesive on both sides of a tape such as a plastic tape. In this case as well, the same effect as above is achieved. Furthermore, this adhesive member preferably has translucency. This makes it easy to observe the inside of the container from the outside. The adhesive strength of silicone resin is due to the effect of the silicone resin having a fine network structure biting into the fine irregularities on the surface of the object to be adhered to, and the adsorption force due to molecular contact such as intermolecular force and van der Waals force. caused by Moreover, the adhesive is suitable because it has a high effect of biting into the fine uneven surface of the surface of the object to be adhered.

It is preferable that the first adsorption member, the second adsorption member, and the adhesive member described above are arranged at a portion that does not overlap at least one of the first antenna 10 and the second antenna 20. In this case, attenuation of signals such as power feeding signals, sensor element control signals, and detection data signals transmitted and received between the first antenna 10 and the second antenna 20 is suppressed, and the mixing of noise into the signals is reduced. The two antennas 20 make it possible to receive signals with high reception strength. More preferably, the first adsorption member, the second adsorption member, and the adhesive member described above are arranged at a location that does not overlap both the first antenna 10 and the second antenna 20.

Further, since the second substrate constituting the second transmitter/receiver 110 is disk-shaped, it is suitable for isotropic proliferation of cells, such as a cell culture plate, a cell culture flask, or a cell culture dish. It can be appropriately used for a container having a circular storage space in a plan view. Further, the second substrate may have a shape similar to a disk shape, such as an elliptical plate shape or an elongated disk shape. In this case, the same effect as when the second substrate is disk-shaped is achieved. The shape of the container suitable for accommodating the disc-shaped second substrate is preferably a cylindrical shape or an inverted partially conical shape, which is suitable for isotropic cell growth. In particular, a container having an inverted partial conical shape is advantageous in that it is suitable for three-dimensional and isotropic cell growth.

The type of cells is not particularly limited, and may be animal cells, plant cells, yeast cells, bacterial cells, etc. Examples of animal cells include muscle cells, visceral cells such as liver, blood cells such as lymphocytes, monocytes, and granulocytes, nerve cells, immune cells, iPS cells (induced pluripotent stem cells), and the like.

These cells may be tissue-derived primary cells or may be subcultured cells. Note that iPS cells can be differentiated into cells of various tissues and organs, such as ES cells (embryonic stem cells), by introducing several types of genes into somatic cells such as human skin and culturing them. They are cells that have pluripotency and the ability to self-renew and maintain this ability even after undergoing division and proliferation, that is, the ability to proliferate almost indefinitely.

The wireless sensor device 200 of this embodiment can be suitably used for managing the number of iPS cells that have a high proliferation ability. Furthermore, the cells may be prokaryotic cells such as E. coli cells, or eukaryotic cells such as animal cells or plant cells. The cell may be, for example, a normal cell or an abnormal cell such as a tumor cell, or may be an artificially produced cell such as a cell into which a gene has been introduced. Furthermore, the cells may be cells that are cultured as part of a living tissue. Cell culture may be adherent culture or suspension culture.

For example, the sensor element 60 may measure the pH value, temperature, etc. of an object to be measured, such as a liquid in a container. The object to be measured is not particularly limited, but may be a culture medium for cell culture, and the culture medium may be a liquid such as a culture medium, a gel, a jelly, a semisolid substance such as agar, or a solid substance. It's fine. The liquid may be, for example, a buffer solution or a culture solution, and a commercially available cell culture medium can be used, and is selected depending on the cells used. The culture medium provides a growth environment for the culture target in the cultivation of biological tissues such as microorganisms and cells, and contains carbon sources such as glucose, nitrogen sources such as peptone and ammonium sulfate, amino acids, vitamins, phosphates, etc. It is a source of nutrients such as inorganic salts. It also provides a scaffold (base for proliferation) necessary for cell proliferation. Specifically, the culture medium includes a liquid medium consisting of a liquid containing the above-mentioned nutritional components necessary for cell culture, or a solid medium obtained by adding agar, gelatin, etc. to the liquid and solidifying it. The culture solution may also be Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium, for example, when culturing mammalian cells. The culture solution may further contain components necessary for culturing cells, such as bovine serum albumin, growth factors, amino acids, antibiotics, and the like.

The wireless sensor system of the present disclosure has a configuration including a second transmitting/receiving section 110, a container that accommodates the object to be measured, and a display device that acquires and displays the detection data signal received by the first transmitting/receiving section 100. This configuration provides a wireless sensor system that can acquire and display detection data signals that contain as little noise as possible. The first transmitting/receiving section 100 of this wireless sensor system may further include a control section and a power supply section. As a result, a highly functional and miniaturized wireless sensor system is constructed.

In the wireless sensor system of the present disclosure, the first transmitting/receiving section 100 may be configured to simultaneously perform wireless power supply and/or wireless communication with a plurality of second transmitting/receiving sections 110. In this case, the time required for drive control of the wireless sensor device 200, acquisition of measurement data, etc. is significantly shortened, and efficient operation becomes possible. When performing wireless power supply and wireless communication to a plurality of second transmitting/receiving units 110 simultaneously, the wireless power supply and wireless communication may be performed at the same time. In this case, for example, a wireless communication signal such as a drive control signal is superimposed on a wireless power feeding signal, which is an alternating current signal with a constant amplitude and frequency, to generate a composite signal, which is transmitted from the first antenna 10, and transmitted from the second antenna 20. The received composite signal is demultiplexed by the drive control unit and separated into a wireless power supply signal and a wireless communication signal, which can be used respectively. Furthermore, wireless power supply and wireless communication may be performed in a time-sharing manner within an extremely short period of time that can be regarded as almost simultaneous, for example, about 10 μsec (microseconds) to 1000 μsec. Wireless power supply and wireless communication are performed when radio waves (electromagnetic waves) transmitted from the first antenna 10 cause the second antenna 20 to generate an induced current due to electromagnetic induction. Furthermore, wireless communication in the opposite direction to the above is performed by the radio waves (electromagnetic waves) transmitted from the second antenna 20 causing the first antenna 10 to generate an induced current due to electromagnetic induction.

As a modified example, when at least one of the power supply signal, the sensor element control signal, and the detection data signal overlaps and noise occurs during the sensing period, the timing control unit 40 disables the portion of the detection data signal that includes the noise. It may be configured to do so. This makes it possible to set the sensing period regardless of the timing of the power supply signal, sensor element control signal, and detection data signal. For example, even if the detection data signal is transmitted multiple times during the sensing period, noise caused by the detection data signal can be removed from the detection value.

In the wireless sensor device and wireless sensor system of the present disclosure, "invalidating" means deleting a portion of the detected data signal that includes noise generated by the power supply signal, the sensor element control signal, and the detected data signal; This indicates that the signal level (signal strength) of a portion of the detected data signal is set to 0 level, or that a portion of the detected data signal that includes noise is excluded from all detected data.

FIG. 3 shows the timing of wireless power supply and wireless communication of the wireless sensor device 201 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. The waveform shown on the upper time axis represents the power supply signal, the sensor element control signal, and the detected data signal, and the waveform shown on the lower time axis represents the power supply signal, the sensor element control signal, and the detected data signal. Represents the noise generated.

In this modification, the sensing period defined by the sensor element drive start time and the sensor element drive stop time is the power supply signal reception start time, the power supply signal reception stop time, the sensor element control signal reception start time, and the sensor element control signal reception stop time. The detection data may include at least one of a point in time, a point in time to start transmitting the detected data, and a point in time to stop transmitting the detected data. Additionally, the power supply signal and the sensor element control signal may be received one or more times during the sensing period, and the detection data signal may be transmitted one or more times during the sensing period. For example, reception of the first power supply signal and sensor element control signal may be stopped before the sensing period starts, and reception of the second power supply signal and sensor element control signal may be started during the sensing period, and the detection Starting and stopping data transmission may be performed three times during the sensing period.

As described above, according to the wireless sensor device of the present disclosure, noise generated by the power supply signal, the sensor element control signal, and the detection data signal can be removed from the detection value of the sensor element, so that accurate detection values can be obtained. becomes possible. Further, the wireless sensor device of the present disclosure can be mass-produced at low manufacturing cost by forming the second transmitting/receiving section 110 using a wireless sensor chip formed by a thin film formation method on the second substrate, and can be manufactured as a disposable product. It is possible to suitably implement the method as follows. When implemented as a disposable product, it is possible to save the effort of cleaning and sterilizing the wireless sensor chip, and to prevent contaminants from entering the object to be measured such as the culture solution.

Although the present disclosure has been described in detail above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and improvements can be made without departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

10 First antenna 20 Second antenna 30 Communication/power supply module 40 Timing control section 50 Memory section 60 Sensor element 70 Selection circuit section 80 Analog-to-digital conversion circuit section 100 First transmitting/receiving section 110 Second transmitting/receiving section 200, 201 Wireless sensor device

Claims (7)

comprising a first transmitting/receiving section and a second transmitting/receiving section,
The first transmitter/receiver wirelessly transmits the trigger signal, the power supply signal, and the sensor element control signal to the second transmitter/receiver, and wirelessly receives the detection data signal output from the sensor element from the second transmitter/receiver,
The second transmitter/receiver is
a sensor element that outputs a detection data signal in response to a sensor element control signal;
a memory unit that stores the detection data signal and timing data output from the sensor element;
Once the trigger signal is received, the power supply signal and sensor element control signal are adjusted based on the timing data so that noise caused by the power supply signal, sensor element control signal, and detection data signal does not affect the detection by the sensor element during the sensing period. and a timing control unit that chronologically controls the respective timings of the detection data signal and the sensing period,
The timing data is
The start and stop timings of transmission of the power supply signal, the sensor element control signal, and the detection data signal include timing data that does not occur during the sensing period , and
Timing data representing a first delay period A from when the first transmitter/receiver stops transmitting the sensor element control signal until the sensing period starts;
Timing data representing a second delay period B from when the first transmitting/receiving unit stops transmitting the power supply signal until the sensing period starts;
the second delay period B is longer than the first delay period A;
The end point of the second delay period B coincides with the end point of the first delay period A,
A wireless sensor device including timing data representing a third delay period C from the end of the sensing period until the start of transmission of the detected data signal from the second transmitter/receiver to the first transmitter/receiver. comprising a first transmitting/receiving section and a second transmitting/receiving section,
The first transmitter/receiver wirelessly transmits the trigger signal, the power supply signal, and the sensor element control signal to the second transmitter/receiver, and wirelessly receives the detection data signal output from the sensor element from the second transmitter/receiver,
The second transmitter/receiver is
a sensor element that outputs a detection data signal in response to a sensor element control signal;
a memory unit that stores the detection data signal and timing data output from the sensor element;
After receiving the trigger signal, the power supply signal, the detection data signal, and the sensing period are adjusted based on the timing data so that the noise caused by the power supply signal and the detection data signal does not affect the detection by the sensor element during the sensing period. A timing control unit that controls timing in chronological order,
The timing data is
The timing of starting and stopping the transmission of the power supply signal, the timing of starting the transmission of the sensor element control signal, and the timing of starting and stopping the transmission of the detection data signal do not occur during the sensing period, and the timing of starting and stopping the transmission of the sensor element control signal does not occur during the sensing period. including timing data, the timing of the stop of transmission occurring during the sensing period , and
Timing data representing a delay period B from when the first transmitting/receiving unit stops transmitting the power supply signal until the sensing period starts ;
including timing data representing another delay period C from the end of the sensing period until the start of transmission of the detected data signal from the second transceiver to the first transceiver;
In the wireless sensor device, the timing control unit deletes a portion of the detection data signal containing noise or sets the signal level of the portion to 0 when noise is generated due to overlapping of sensor element control signals during a sensing period. The wireless sensor device according to claim 2, wherein the sensor element is covered with an electromagnetic shielding layer. The wireless sensor device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sensor element includes at least one of a pH sensor element, a temperature sensor element, an electrical resistance sensor element, and an image sensor element. 3. The wireless sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the second transmitting/receiving section is a wireless sensor chip comprising a substrate, a sensor element and a memory section arranged on the substrate. The wireless sensor device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
a container for accommodating a second transmitter/receiver and an object to be measured;
A wireless sensor system comprising: a display device that acquires and displays the detection data signal received by the first transmitter/receiver,
A wireless sensor system in which a first transmitter/receiver is installed outside the container, and a second transmitter/receiver is installed inside the container. The wireless sensor system according to claim 6, wherein the object to be measured is a culture medium for cell culture.