JP7610405B2 - Biometric information recording device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a biometric information recording device that measures and records biometric information.

To understand the health condition of a living organism such as a human, there are known bioinformation recording devices that measure and record the bioinformation of the organism, such as a Holter electrocardiogram recording device (Patent Document 1). A Holter electrocardiogram recording device is a device that attaches electrodes to the skin of a subject and measures and records the subject's electrocardiogram waveform with the electrodes, and is capable of measuring and recording electrocardiogram waveforms for long periods of time (e.g., 24 hours).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-122092

Bioinformation recording devices such as the Holter ECG recording device described above are required to be compact and waterproof in order to measure and record over long periods of time. However, when the connector of the bioinformation recording device to which the measurement probe (e.g., electrodes) is connected is made compact, it becomes difficult to waterproof the connector pins. For this reason, the connector is made as a separate part from the housing of the bioinformation recording device, and after the connector is made, it is joined to the housing. As a result, the number of parts in the bioinformation recording device increases, and the labor required for assembly also increases.

The objective of the present invention is to provide a biometric information recording device that can reduce the number of parts and labor required.

The biometric information recording device according to the present invention comprises:
A biological information recording device for measuring and recording biological information,
A conductive pin penetrating a side surface of a housing of the biometric information recording device;
a protrusion protruding from an inner surface of the side surface toward the inside of the housing and surrounding the conductor pin;
a wiring board that covers the protruding portion and is connected to the conductive pin;
a first hole through which an adhesive can be injected from above into a space formed by the protrusion and the wiring board with an outer surface of the side surface facing downward;
a second hole capable of discharging air in the space upward when the adhesive is injected;
Equipped with
The housing and the wiring board are bonded together by the adhesive that fills the space .

The present invention can reduce the number of parts and labor required for a biometric information recording device.

1 is a perspective view showing the inside of an example of a biometric information recording device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a perspective view showing the inside of the bio-information recording device shown in FIG. 1 with a flexible cable removed. 2 is a top view showing a flexible cable of the biometric information recording device shown in FIG. 1 . 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1.

The following describes in detail the embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

[Biometric information recording device]
Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the inside of a bioinformation recording device 100 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the inside of the bioinformation recording device 100 shown in Fig. 1 with a flexible cable 30 removed.

In order to show the main parts of this embodiment, the lid that seals the housing 10 of the biometric information recording device 100 and the electronic devices placed inside the housing 10 are omitted in Figures 1 and 2.

The bioinformation recording device 100 is a device that measures and records bioinformation, for example a Holter electrocardiogram recording device. The bioinformation recording device 100 has a housing 10 that houses an electronic device, a connector section 20 for connecting a probe such as an electrode (not shown), and a planar flexible cable 30 (wiring board) that connects the electronic device and the connector section 20 inside the housing 10. The electronic device also has a control device that measures and records the bioinformation, a recording device, a battery, etc.

The housing 10 is formed in a box shape with an opening 11 on one side. The opening 11 can be sealed with a lid (not shown) to make the inside of the housing 10 watertight. The lid includes a display device that displays biometric information.

A connector section 20 to which a probe for measuring bioinformation is connected is formed on one side surface (for convenience, referred to as the bottom surface) 12 of the housing 10. The connector section 20 has a connector section housing 20a, which is formed integrally with the housing 10 and forms part of the bottom surface 12. When the bioinformation recording device 100 is a Holter electrocardiogram recording device, the probe is an electrode that measures the electrocardiogram waveform.

The connector housing 20a is formed in a convex shape from the bottom surface 12 of the housing 10 toward the inside. When viewed from the outside of the housing 10, the connector housing 20a has a concave shape, and is configured so that the probe-side connector is connected to the connector 20 of the housing 10 by inserting the probe-side connector into the concave. A seal member such as a packing (not shown) is provided in the connector on the probe side or in the above-mentioned concave on the housing 10 side, thereby enabling the connector on the probe side to be connected to the connector 20 of the housing 10 in a watertight state.

A number of connector pins 22 (conductor pins) are arranged on the inner surface (called the connector inner surface) 21 of the connector housing 20a, and the connector pins 22 are provided penetrating the connector inner surface 21 that constitutes part of the bottom surface 12. In other words, the inner end 22a of the connector pins 22 is exposed to the inside of the housing 10, and the outer end is connectable to a connector pin of the connector part on the probe side.

The connector portion inner surface 21 is provided with protrusions 23a and 23b that protrude from the connector portion inner surface 21 toward the inside of the housing 10, surrounding the connector pins 22 arranged in this manner.

In this embodiment, a locking mechanism 24 that locks the connector on the probe side is provided in the center of the connector inner surface 21, and the connector pins are divided into a group of four connector pins 22 and a group of six connector pins 22 on either side of the locking mechanism 24. The side surface 24a and protrusion 23a of the locking mechanism 24 surround the group of four connector pins 22, and the side surface 24a and protrusion 23b surround the group of six connector pins 22.

If the locking mechanism 24 is not provided, the protrusions 23a and 23b can surround all ten connector pins 22.

A flexible cable 30 is arranged to cover the protrusions 23a and 23b formed in this manner, and is connected to the connector pin 22. By covering the protrusions 23a and 23b with the flexible cable 30, a space S is formed as shown in FIG. 4, which will be described later.

Here, the flexible cable 30 and the space S formed by the flexible cable 30 will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. Figure 3 is a top view showing the flexible cable 30 of the bioinformation recording device 100 shown in Figure 1. Also, Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 1. Note that while Figure 4 shows a group of four connector pins 22, a group of six connector pins 22 has the same structure.

The flexible cable 30 is a flexible and deformable wiring board, and can be an FFC (Flexible Flat Cable) or an FPC (Flexible Printed Circuits). An FFC or FPC has wiring and electrical circuits formed on a substrate made of a thin, soft, insulating base film (such as polyimide) and a conductive metal such as copper foil bonded together, and is extremely thin and can be bent freely.

In this embodiment, the flexible cable 30 has a base film 31, and an electrical circuit (or wiring) (not shown) is formed on the base film 31. In the flexible cable 30, the cover portion 31a of the base film 31 covers the protrusions 23a and 23b.

The cover portion 31a of the base film 31 is formed with a plurality of insertion holes 32 through which the inner ends 22a of the connector pins 22 are inserted. Around each insertion hole 32, an electrical circuit is formed for electrical connection with the corresponding inner end 22a.

In addition, on the group side of the four connector pins 22, a notch 33a is formed on the outside (corresponding to the first end side) of the cover 31a. In addition, a notch 34a (second hole) is formed on the inside (corresponding to the second end side opposite the first end) of the cover 31a.

As shown in Figures 1 and 4, in the cutout 33a, the opening (first hole) formed between the protrusion 23a functions as an injection hole that can inject adhesive into the space S from above when the outer surface of the bottom surface 12 is downward. The cutout 34a can discharge air from the space S upward when adhesive is injected into the space S, and also functions as a discharge hole or outflow hole that can allow the adhesive to flow out upward when the injected adhesive fills the space S. It is desirable that the size (opening area) of the opening of the cutout 33a that functions as the injection hole is larger than the cutout 34a that functions as the outflow hole or outflow hole.

Similarly, on the side of the group of six connector pins 22, a through hole 33b (first hole) is formed on the outside (corresponding to the first end side) of the cover 31a. Also, a notch 34b (second hole) is formed on the inside (second end side opposite the first end) of the cover 31a.

When the outer surface of the bottom surface 12 faces downward, the through hole 33b also functions as an injection hole that can inject adhesive into the space S from above. The cutout portion 34b also functions as a discharge hole or outflow hole, allowing air in the space S to be discharged upward when adhesive is injected into the space S, and allowing the adhesive to flow out upward when the injected adhesive fills the space S. It is desirable that the size (opening area) of the through hole 33b functioning as an injection hole is larger than the cutout portion 34b functioning as a discharge hole or outflow hole.

As described above, by providing the notch 33a and through hole 33b, which function as injection holes, on the upper and outer surface of the cover 31a, adhesive can be easily injected into the space S. In this embodiment, when the outer surface of the bottom surface 12 of the housing 10 faces downward (bottom side), the worker assembling the bioinformation recording device 100 can access the notch 33a and through hole 33b from above the flexible cable 30, making the bonding operation easier.

In this embodiment, as described above, the lock mechanism 24 is provided in the center of the connector inner surface 21, and a corresponding through hole 35 is formed for inserting the lock mechanism 24. The notches 34a and 34b are formed to be an integral hole with the through hole 35.

In this embodiment, a through hole 36a (third hole) is formed between the notch 33a and the notch 34a. Similarly, a through hole 36b (third hole) is formed between the through hole 33b and the notch 34b. The through holes 36a and 36b can also discharge the air in the space S upward when the adhesive is injected into the space S, and can also discharge the adhesive upward when the injected adhesive fills the space S, and function as a discharge hole or an outflow hole. The through holes 36a and 36b functioning as a discharge hole or an outflow hole are preferably smaller in size (opening area) than the notch 33a and the through hole 33b functioning as an injection hole, like the notches 34a and 34b.

Through hole 36a is arranged along the direction from notch 34a to notch 34a. In other words, through hole 36a and notch 34a are provided along the outside to the inside (from the first end to the second end) of cover 31a. Furthermore, multiple through holes 36b are arranged along the direction from through hole 33b to notch 34b. In other words, through hole 36b and notch 34b are also provided along the outside to the inside (from the first end to the second end) of cover 31a. By arranging through holes 36a, 36b and notches 34a, 34b in this manner, air in space S can be easily discharged, and space S can be filled with the injected adhesive.

In this embodiment, when the outer surface of the bottom surface 12 of the housing 10 faces downward (the bottom side), the worker assembling the biometric information recording device 100 can visually observe the through holes 36a, 36b and the cutouts 34a, 34b from above the flexible cable 30.

When adhesive is injected into space S through notch 33a and through hole 33b, which function as injection holes, air escapes from through holes 36a, 36b and through hole 34a, 34b, which function as exhaust or outflow holes, as described above. Then, when the adhesive fills space S, the adhesive flows out from through holes 36a, 36b and through hole 34a, 34b, making it possible to confirm (visually confirm) that space S is filled with adhesive.

In this case, the adhesive will be more visible if it is a different color from the base film 31 and/or the color of the connector housing 20a. Different colors means that one or more of the three attributes of color, hue, saturation, and brightness, are different. In addition, it is preferable that the base film 31 is transparent or highly transparent, and if the color of the adhesive is, for example, black, the adhesive filling state can be confirmed through the base film 31.

The adhesive used may be one that changes color between when it is injected and when it hardens. When such an adhesive is injected by an operator, it is preferable to use an adhesive that is a different color from the base film 31 and/or the connector housing 20a when it is injected, in order to improve visibility for the operator when it is injected. When such an adhesive is injected automatically by a device or the like, it is preferable to use an adhesive that is a different color from the base film 31 and/or the connector housing 20a when it hardens, in order to improve visibility for the operator when it hardens.

In conventional bioinformation recording devices, the connector was manufactured as a separate part from the housing. This resulted in a large number of parts and a large amount of labor. In contrast, in the bioinformation recording device 100, the housing 10 and the connector section 20 are not manufactured as separate parts, which makes it possible to reduce the number of parts and labor.

In addition, in conventional bioinformation recording devices, the connector is manufactured as a separate part from the housing, and after manufacturing, the connector and housing are joined. This requires an area to join the connector and housing, and this area is an obstacle to miniaturization. In contrast, in the bioinformation recording device 100, the housing 10 and the connector section 20 are not manufactured as separate parts, so an area to join them is not required, making it possible to further miniaturize the device.

In this embodiment, the opening of the notch 33a is formed between the cover 31a and the protruding portion 23a, but it may be provided in the flexible cable 30, similar to the through hole 33b. Also, although the through hole 33b is provided in the flexible cable 30, it may be formed between the cover 31a and the protruding portion 23b, similar to the opening of the notch 33a. Also, when the opening is formed between the cover 31a and the protruding portion 23a, the notch 33a may not be provided, and a part of the protruding portion 23a may be disposed outside the cover 31a to form an opening that communicates with the space S.

The opening of the cutout 33a and the through hole 33b may be formed to a size that allows an adhesive nozzle to be inserted into the opening of the cutout 33a and the through hole 33b to inject the adhesive. An insertion nozzle may also be provided on the cutout 33a and through hole 33b side, and the adhesive nozzle may be inserted into the insertion nozzle to inject the adhesive.

[Method of assembling the connector part of the biometric information recording device]
A method of assembling the connector section 20 of the bio-information recording device 100 will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, the housing 10 and the connector housing 20a (including the protrusions 23a, 23b, etc.) are formed as a single unit, and then the connector pins 22 are attached by penetrating the connector inner surface 21. In other words, the state shown in Figure 2 is obtained.

Next, the connector pin 22 is inserted through the insertion hole 32 of the flexible cable 30 shown in FIG. 3, and the locking mechanism 24 is inserted through the insertion hole 35, and the protrusions 23a and 23b are covered with the cover 31a.

Next, adhesive is injected into space S through cutout 33a, and the injection of adhesive is stopped when the adhesive flows out from through hole 36a and cutout 34a. Similarly, adhesive is injected into space S through through hole 33b, and the injection of adhesive is stopped when the adhesive flows out from through hole 36b and cutout 34b.

The adhesive that fills the space S in this way adheres the flexible cable 30 to the connector portion 20 and prevents water from entering the housing 10 from the outside into the inside, making the inside of the housing 10 watertight.

The above embodiments are merely examples of how the present invention can be implemented, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be interpreted in a limiting manner based on these embodiments. In other words, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from its gist or main characteristics.

For example, in this embodiment, a Holter ECG recording device is exemplified as the bioinformation recording device 100, but the present invention can also be applied to devices other than a Holter ECG recording device.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Housing 11 Opening 12 Bottom surface 20 Connector portion 20a Connector portion housing 21 Connector portion inner surface 22 Connector pin 22a Inner end portion 23a, 23b Protrusion 24 Lock mechanism portion 24a Side surface 30 Flexible cable 31 Base film 31a Cover portion 32, 35 Insertion hole 33a Cutout portion 33b Through hole 34a, 34b Cutout portion 36a, 36b Through hole 100 Biometric information recording device

Claims (9)

A biological information recording device for measuring and recording biological information,
A conductive pin penetrating a side surface of a housing of the biometric information recording device;
a protrusion protruding from an inner surface of the side surface toward the inside of the housing and surrounding the conductor pin;
a wiring board that covers the protruding portion and is connected to the conductive pin;
a first hole through which an adhesive can be injected from above into a space formed by the protrusion and the wiring board with an outer surface of the side surface facing downward;
a second hole capable of discharging air in the space upward when the adhesive is injected;
Equipped with
the housing and the wiring board are bonded together by the adhesive filled in the space ;
Biometric information recording device. the first hole is formed in the wiring substrate or between the protruding portion and the wiring substrate;
The second hole is formed in the wiring substrate or between the protruding portion and the wiring substrate.
The biological information recording device according to claim 1 . The first hole is formed on a first end side of the wiring substrate,
The second hole is formed on a second end side of the wiring board opposite to the first end side.
3. The biological information recording device according to claim 1 or 2. a third hole is provided between the first hole and the second hole, through which air in the space can be discharged upward when the adhesive is injected;
The biological information recording device according to claim 3. The third hole is provided in plurality,
The third holes are arranged along a direction from the first hole to the second hole.
The biological information recording device according to claim 4. The third hole is smaller in size than the first hole.
6. The biological information recording device according to claim 4 or 5. The size of the first hole is larger than the size of the second hole.
The biological information recording device according to claim 1 . the adhesive has a color different from that of at least one of the wiring board and the housing when the adhesive is injected;
The biological information recording device according to claim 1 . the adhesive has a color different from that of at least one of the wiring board and the housing after the adhesive is hardened;
The biological information recording device according to claim 1 .

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