JP7746766B2 - Sensor Device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a sensor device.

Sensor devices that can be attached to clothing such as training pants or waist belts to measure and analyze exercise form and pace have been available for some time. For example, the sensor device shown in Patent Document 1 has a clip attached to the acceleration sensor, and can be attached to the back using a waist belt.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-99413

Sensor devices can detect body movements more reliably by wearing the housing, which includes a sensor element such as an acceleration sensor, close to the body. Therefore, in conventional sensor devices, the housing is sometimes worn in close contact with the skin. In this case, when the clothing clipped to the device moves relative to the skin during exercise, the housing also moves relative to the skin, causing friction between the housing and the skin, which can lead to skin irritation.

The present invention aims to provide a sensor device that can perform appropriate sensing and reduce skin irritation, etc.

One aspect of the present invention provides a sensor device comprising: a housing that houses at least a sensor element and has a contact surface that can come into contact with a user's skin and a connectable portion different from the contact surface; an attachment portion that is attached to a holding member that holds the sensor device with the contact surface of the housing portion in contact with the user's skin; and a coupling mechanism that is connected to the connectable portion and the attachment portion and that prevents relative movement between the housing portion and the attachment portion in a contact direction that is substantially perpendicular to the contact surface, and that allows relative movement between the housing portion and the attachment portion within a certain range in an in-plane direction substantially parallel to the contact surface when an external force of a certain magnitude is applied that causes the housing portion and the attachment portion to move relative to each other in the in-plane direction.

The present invention provides a sensor device that can perform appropriate sensing and reduce skin irritation, etc.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sensor device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the second clip portion side. 1 is a perspective view of a sensor device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the side on the lock component side; 1 is a diagram showing a state in which a user wears a sensor device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the sensor device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the sensor device according to the first embodiment of the present invention taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 2, illustrating a state in which no external force is applied to the connecting mechanism in an in-plane direction substantially parallel to the contact surface. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the sensor device according to the first embodiment of the present invention taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 2, showing a state in which an external force is applied to the connecting mechanism in an in-plane direction substantially parallel to the contact surface, causing the mounting portion and the housing portion to move relative to each other. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a connection mechanism of the sensor device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the sensor device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 2, showing a state in which no external force is applied to the connecting mechanism in an in-plane direction substantially parallel to the contact surface. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the sensor device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, corresponding to the cross section IV-IV in FIG. 2, showing a state in which an external force is applied to the connecting mechanism in an in-plane direction approximately parallel to the contact surface, causing the mounting portion and the housing portion to move relative to each other.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. The sensor device 10 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B includes a housing 20, an attachment unit 30, and a connecting mechanism 40. As shown in FIG. 2, the sensor device 10 can be attached to the body of the user 100 by clipping the clip-shaped attachment unit 30 around an edge 121 (a waist elastic portion or a holding member) of clothing 120 (training pants in FIG. 2) worn by the user 100, and by bringing a contact surface 21 (see FIG. 1B) of the sensor device 10 into contact with skin 110 around the waist of the user 100. When the user 100 engages in exercise, such as running, the sensor device 10 derives index data (described below) representing the user 100's exercise state using a motion sensor unit 512 (described below) included in the sensor device 10, and transmits the derived index data to an external device (not shown). In the following description, when the sensor device 10 is worn on the body of the user 100, the head side is the top and the leg side is the bottom, and the left and right sides are the left and right directions. Also, as shown in Figure 4, the ventral side is the front and the back side is the back, and the front-to-back direction is the front and back directions, respectively. In the following description, rotation in both directions is referred to as rotation.

1A and 1B, the sensor device 10 has a box-like shape that is a substantially rectangular shape elongated in the vertical direction. The mounting portion 30 has a clip-like shape. The mounting portion 30 has a first clip portion 31 on the front side (housing portion 20 side) and a second clip portion 32 on the rear side. The first clip portion 31 and the second clip portion 32 both have a substantially flat plate shape with their planes facing in the front-to-rear direction, and are connected by a hinge portion 35 provided on the upper side of the mounting portion 30. The hinge portion 35 has a pivot shaft 35a. The pivot shaft 35a is inserted through an axial hole of a first bearing 31a protruding from the upper rear surface of the first clip portion 31 and an axial hole of a second bearing 32a protruding from the upper front surface of the second clip portion 32, rotatably connecting the first clip portion 31 and the second clip portion 32. A torsion coil spring 35b (see Figures 4A and 4B) is wound around the pivot shaft 35a in approximately the center in the left-right direction. The torsion coil spring 35b biases the first clip portion 31 and the second clip portion 32 in a direction that moves the portions below the pivot shaft 35a toward each other, and by clamping an edge 121 of clothing 120, the sensor device 10 can be fixed to the body of the user 100 via the clothing 120. In addition, multiple protrusions 31b, 32b are provided on the rear surface of the first clip portion 31 and the front surface of the second clip portion 32, respectively, so that when the clothing 120 is clamped, the protrusions 31b, 32b can bite into and clamp the clothing 120.

A locking component 36 is provided above the second clip portion 32. The locking component 36 has a flat main body 36a with a protrusion 36b on the front surface. The protrusion 36b has a slot-shaped engagement hole 36c (see Figures 4A and 4B) on each side. The pivot shaft 35a is inserted into and engages with the engagement hole 36c. Meanwhile, a push-up protrusion 31c is provided on the upper rear surface of the first clip portion 31, facing the locking component 36. The locking component 36 is provided on the second clip portion 32 so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction (approximately the vertical direction) of the slot-shaped engagement hole 36c. When the user 100 operates the locking component 36 to move downward, the protrusion 36b abuts against and rides on the push-up protrusion 31c. Even if the first clip portion 31 attempts to approach the second clip portion 32 above the pivot shaft 35a (i.e., even if the first clip portion 31 and the second clip portion 32 attempt to open), the protrusion 36b abuts against the push-up protrusion 31c, preventing the first clip portion 31 from approaching the second clip portion 32. In this way, the second clip portion 32 is locked from rotating around the pivot shaft 35a relative to the first clip portion 31. The locking component 36 can be unlocked by moving the locking component 36 upward, releasing the protrusion 36b from riding on the push-up protrusion 31c. Once unlocked, the second clip portion 32 becomes rotatable around the pivot shaft 35a.

The housing 20 has a roughly rectangular box-like shape that is long in the vertical direction and thick in the front-to-back direction, and serves as a case for housing the circuit board 50 (see Figures 4A and 4B) and the battery (not shown) that serves as the power source. The front surface of the housing 20 is a contact surface 21 that can come into contact with the skin 110 of the user 100, and the rear surface of the housing 20 faces the front surface of the first clip portion 31 with a slight gap. The contact surface 21 is flat, but may also be curved. Note that in this specification and claims, "substantially perpendicular" includes not only intersecting at 90 degrees, but also intersecting within a certain tolerance range from 90 degrees. The top surface of the housing 20 is provided with a button switch 24 as the operation unit 518 and two LEDs 251 and 252. By pressing the button switch 24, the user 100 can perform operations such as turning on the power to the sensor device 10 and starting detection by the motion sensor unit 512, and the status of the sensor device 10, such as its operating mode, is displayed by the illumination state of the LEDs 251 and 252. A cover 26 that covers a USB terminal (not shown) is provided on the underside of the housing unit 20.

Next, the control circuit of the sensor device 10 will be described with reference to Figure 3. The housing 20 of the sensor device 10 is provided with a first processing unit 510 and a motion sensor unit 512 (see also Figures 4A and 4B) mounted on the circuit board 50, as well as a display unit 516 and an operation unit 518, and a memory unit 514, environmental information detection unit 522, and communication unit 524 located inside the circuit board 50 and the housing 20. The motion sensor unit 512, memory unit 514, display unit 516, operation unit 518, environmental information detection unit 522, and communication unit 524 are each connected to the first processing unit 510 via a bus BS. The attachment unit 30 of the sensor device 10 is also provided with a second processing unit 520 and an antenna 530. In this embodiment, the second processing unit 520 and antenna 530 are mounted on the second clip unit 32 of the attachment unit 30 (see Figures 4A and 4B).

The antenna 530 is connected to the first processing unit 510 via signal line 51 (see Figures 4A and 4B), communication unit 524, and bus BS, and is also connected to the second processing unit 520 via signal line 51. It is capable of outputting signals received from external devices to the first processing unit 510 and the second processing unit 520 via signal line 51 and communication unit 524. The antenna 530 is also configured so that it can output transmission signals to external devices via the communication unit 524, which is controlled by the first processing unit 510. In this way, the antenna 530 is capable of communicating with external devices. These external devices include terminal devices such as smartphones and positioning satellites related to the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS).

The first processing unit 510 is composed of at least one processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a microcomputer, and reads programs stored in the storage unit 514 to execute various processes. The storage unit 514 is composed of at least one memory such as a flash memory or an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM). The storage unit 514 stores system programs and application programs executed by the first processing unit 510, as well as data required to execute these programs.

The motion sensor unit 512 includes sensor elements such as a three-axis acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, and a geomagnetic sensor, and is capable of detecting the movement of the sensor device 10 as movement of the waist of the user 100 wearing the sensor device 10, and the detected detection signal is output to the first processing unit 510. The sensor element may be a sensor element that detects user motion information, such as movement of a certain part of the user's body, such as the user's waist, or a sensor element that detects biometric information, such as the user's pulse wave, blood oxygen concentration, or blood sugar level; in other words, any sensor element that detects user information may be used.

The display unit 516 includes, for example, LEDs 251 and 252 provided on the housing unit 20. The operation unit 518 includes, for example, a button switch 24, and an operation signal indicating the operation state of the button switch 24 by the user 100 is output to the first processing unit 510. The light emission state of the LEDs 251 and 252 is controlled by the first processing unit 510 in accordance with the operation signal indicating the operation state of the button switch 24 by the user 100.

The second processing unit 520 includes a large scale integrated circuit (LSI) having a CPU, memory, filters, modems, etc., and is connected to the first processing unit 510 via signal line 51. The second processing unit 520 is also capable of deriving location information data for the sensor device 10 based on signals received from positioning satellites via the above-mentioned antenna 530, and outputs the derived location information data to the first processing unit 510 via signal line 51. The environmental information detection unit 522 includes, for example, a barometric pressure sensor that measures the air pressure at the location where the sensor device 10 is located, and the detection signal from the environmental information detection unit 522 is output to the first processing unit 510.

The communication unit 524 includes a circuit that transmits and receives signals to and from an external device (terminal device) via an antenna 530 using a predetermined wireless communication method, and this circuit has a filter, amplifier, and modulator/demodulator. The predetermined wireless communication method is, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) version 4 or later of Bluetooth (registered trademark). The communication unit 524 performs signal processing on the transmission signal input from the first processing unit 510, amplifies, and modulates the signal, and transmits it to the external device (terminal device) via the antenna 530. It also demodulates, amplifies, and processes the received signal received from the external device via the antenna 530, and outputs it to the first processing unit 510.

The first processing unit 510 performs various processes based on the detection signals from the motion sensor unit 512, the position information data from the second processing unit 520, and the detection signals from the environmental information detection unit 522 to derive index data representing the user's 100 physical state, such as the user's 100 running or walking speed, pitch, stride, and up-and-down movement of the hips, and transmits the derived index data as a transmission signal to an external device (terminal device) via the communication unit 524. The external device performs a motion analysis of the user 100 based on the transmitted index data.

As shown in Figures 4A and 4B, the connectable portion 27 of the housing 20 and the first clip portion 31 of the attachment portion 30 are connected to each other by a connecting mechanism 40. The connectable portion 27 is provided on the rear side of the upper end of the housing 20, which is a surface different from the contact surface 21, and has a housing portion 27a that partially houses the connecting mechanism 40. The housing portion 27a has a concave shape that opens to the rear, and one flange portion 42 (described below) of the connecting mechanism 40 is fixed to a wall portion 27a1 of the connectable portion 27 that defines the bottom of the front end of the housing portion 27a. The wall portion 27a1 is also provided with a through-hole 27a2 that penetrates in the front-to-rear direction.

As shown in FIG. 5, the connecting mechanism 40 has a generally bobbin-like shape and is provided with a through-hole 41. The connecting mechanism 40 has a generally cylindrical external force absorbing portion 45 integrally provided between two annular plate-shaped flange portions 42. The external force absorbing portion 45 includes a plurality of plate-shaped rubber materials 45a stacked on top of each other in the axial direction of the axis center CL. Specifically, the interior of the external force absorbing portion 45 is provided with alternating stacks of annular plate-shaped rubber materials 45a and annular plate-shaped resin materials 45b. The outer peripheral ends of the plurality of rubber materials 45a and resin materials 45b are connected to a tubular portion 45c made of the same rubber material as the rubber material 45a, and the plurality of rubber materials 45a, resin materials 45b, and tubular portion 45c are integral with each other.

Even when a force is applied in the axial direction indicated by the axis center CL, the external force absorbing portion 45 of the connecting mechanism 40 does not deform in the axial direction indicated by the axis center CL because the laminated rubber material 45a and resin material 45b hardly deform in the thickness direction. On the other hand, when a certain external force acts on the flange portions 42, 42 of the external force absorbing portion 45, causing them to move relative to each other in an in-plane direction generally perpendicular to the axis center CL, the laminated rubber material 45a and resin material 45b shift relative to each other, causing the external force absorbing portion 45 as a whole to shear within a certain range in the in-plane direction. Thus, the dimensions of the external force absorbing portion 45 and the elastic modulus of the rubber material 45a are preset so that when a certain external force acts in an in-plane direction generally perpendicular to the axis center CL (a direction parallel to this plane), the external force absorbing portion 45 can deform within a certain range in this in-plane direction. The above-mentioned certain magnitude of external force is preset through experiments, for example, to a force smaller (slightly smaller) than the force capable of moving the contact surface 21 relative to the skin when it is in contact with the skin 110 by the edge portion 121 serving as a holding member. This setting is made taking into consideration individual differences in the pressing force with which the edge portion 121 presses the contact surface 21 against the skin 110. Furthermore, the above-mentioned certain range is preset through experiments, for example, to a range of magnitude within which the edge portion 121 may move relative to the skin 110 while the user 100 is exercising.

In addition to the configuration in which the rubber material 45a and the resin material 45b are alternately layered as in this embodiment, the lamination can also be configured so that multiple pieces of either the rubber material 45a or the resin material 45b are placed between each other. Furthermore, the external force absorbing portion 45 may use elastic sponge or elastomer instead of the rubber material that forms the rubber material 45a and the tubular portion 45c. Furthermore, the connecting mechanism 40 may have a different configuration, such as a floating connector.

As shown in Figures 4A and 4B, the connecting mechanism 40 thus formed has one flange portion 42 fixed to the wall portion 27a1 of the connected portion 27, and the other flange portion 42 fixed to the front surface of the first clip portion 31. The connecting mechanism 40 may also omit the flange portion 42 and directly fix the external force absorbing portion 45 to the wall portion 27a1 and the first clip portion 31. The connecting mechanism 40 is arranged so that the through hole 41 and the through hole 27a2 of the connecting mechanism 40 are substantially coaxial. That is, the axis CL of the connecting mechanism 40 is arranged to extend in the front-to-rear direction. The signal line 51 from the substrate 50 is inserted and guided through the guide passage 55, electrically connecting the substrate 50 and the antenna 530. This guide passage 55 is composed of the through hole 27a2 provided in the connected portion 27, the through hole 41 of the connecting mechanism 40 (external force absorbing portion 45), and passages such as holes and grooves formed in the mounting portion 30.

The sensor device 10 is attached to the body by clamping the edge 121 of the clothing 120, which is a pair of training pants, between the first clip portion 31 and the second clip portion 32 of the attachment portion 30. At this time, the contact surface 21 comes into contact with the skin 110 in the waist region of the user 100. The contact surface 21 is pressed against the skin 110 by the fastening force of the retaining member, which is the edge 121 of the clothing 120. Therefore, the attachment portion 30 is attached to the edge 121, which is a retaining member that holds the sensor device 10 with the contact surface 21 in contact with (pressing against) the skin 110. The connecting mechanism 40 prevents relative movement between the housing portion 20 and the attachment portion 30 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the contact surface 21 (hereinafter referred to as the "contact direction"). This contact direction is the front-to-rear direction, the direction in which the housing portion 20 and the edge 121 are aligned, and also the pressing direction in which the edge 121 presses the contact surface 21 against the skin 110. On the other hand, when an external force of a certain magnitude acts on the housing unit 20 and the mounting unit 30 in an in-plane direction substantially parallel to the contact surface 21 (i.e., an in-plane direction substantially perpendicular to the axis CL of the connecting mechanism 40), the connecting mechanism 40 allows relative movement between the housing unit 20 and the mounting unit 30 in this in-plane direction within the certain range described above.

In this case, when the user 100 exercises while wearing the sensor device 10 as shown in FIG. 4A, the edge 121 of the garment 120 is pulled by the body in the vertical direction, the horizontal direction, diagonal directions from left to right along the vertical direction, and diagonal directions from left to right along the vertical direction, i.e., in a plane generally parallel to the contact surface 21, causing the attachment portion 30, which sandwiches the edge 121, to move in this in-plane direction. However, due to the connection mechanism 40, when an external force of a certain magnitude acts on the attachment portion 30 and the housing portion 20 such that they (the attachment portion 30 and the housing portion 20) move relative to each other in an in-plane direction generally parallel to the contact surface 21, the relative movement within the certain range in this in-plane direction is permitted. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4B, only the attachment portion 30 moves, while the housing portion 20 remains largely stationary, and the contact surface 21 is less likely to move from its position in contact with the user's 100's skin 110. This reduces friction between the contact surface 21 and the skin 110. In this specification and claims, "an in-plane direction substantially parallel to the contact surface 21" includes not only a direction parallel to the contact surface 21, but also a direction substantially parallel to it within the margin of error.

On the other hand, the attachment part 30 and the housing part 20 are prevented from moving relative to each other in the contact direction (front-to-back direction) by the connecting mechanism 40, and relative movement in the in-plane direction approximately parallel to the contact surface 21 does not occur until an external force of a certain magnitude is applied. Therefore, the attachment part 30 and the housing part 20 are integrally connected by the connecting mechanism 40.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 6A and 6B. The sensor device 10A of this embodiment includes a connected portion 27A having two walls 27f, 27g instead of the connected portion 27 of the sensor device 10 of the first embodiment, and a connecting mechanism 40A having a shaft portion 47 and a flange portion 48 instead of the connecting mechanism 40. Therefore, the same members and parts as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted or simplified.

The connected portion 27A has two walls 27f, 27g that are aligned inside the housing 20 in a contact direction (front-to-back direction) that is approximately perpendicular to the contact surface 21 and extend in an in-plane direction that is approximately parallel to the contact surface 21. Wall 27f is provided inside the housing 20, and wall 27g is provided on the rear side of wall 27f with a predetermined distance between them. The rear surface of rear wall 27g is exposed as the rear surface of the housing 20 and faces the front surface of the first clip portion 31 with a small gap between them. Wall 27g, one of the two walls 27f, 27g, has a through-hole 27g1 that penetrates in the contact direction.

The connecting mechanism 40A has an external force absorbing portion 45A, a shaft portion 47, and a flange portion 48. The external force absorbing portion 45A is fixed to the through-hole 27g1 in the rear wall portion 27g. The external force absorbing portion 45A has elasticity due to a rubber material, sponge, or the like, and has an annular shape with a guide hole 45Aa that penetrates in the contact direction (front-to-back direction). The shaft portion 47 has a roughly cylindrical shape and is positioned so that its axis extends in the contact direction. The rear end of the shaft portion 47 is fixed to the front surface of the first clip portion 31 of the mounting portion 30, and the front end is fixed to the rear surface of the flange portion 48. The shaft portion 47 is press-fit into the guide hole 45Aa of the external force absorbing portion 45A.

The flange 48 is connected to the shaft 47 and has a generally annular plate shape with a through-hole 48a that penetrates in the contact direction. The flange 48 extends in an in-plane direction generally parallel to the contact surface 21. The shaft hole 47a, which penetrates the cylindrical interior of the shaft 47 in the contact direction, and the through-hole 48a of the flange 48 are coaxially arranged. The front surface of the flange 48 is in sliding contact with the rear surface of the front wall 27f, and the rear surface is in sliding contact with the front surface of the rear wall 27g. Therefore, the flange 48 of the connecting mechanism 40A is clamped between the walls 27f and 27g of the connected part 27A so as to be immovable in the contact direction relative to the housing 20 but movable within the housing 20 in in-plane directions generally parallel to the contact surface 21 (up and down, left and right, diagonal directions from left to right along the up and down axis, and diagonal directions from left to right along the up and down axis).

In addition, a through-hole 27g1 may be provided in the front wall portion 27f, the external force absorbing portion 45A may be fixed to this through-hole 27g1, and the shaft portion 47, which is provided to extend further forward than the flange portion 48, may be fitted into the guide hole 45Aa of this external force absorbing portion 45A.

The sensor device 10A has a guide passage 55A for guiding the signal line 51 that electrically connects the substrate 50 and the antenna 530. The guide passage 55A is composed of a through-hole 27f1 that penetrates the front wall portion 27f in the contact direction (front-to-back direction), a through-hole 48a in the flange portion 48, an axial hole 47a that penetrates the cylindrical interior of the axial portion 47 in the contact direction, and passages such as holes and grooves that are provided in the mounting portion 30 (first clip portion 31, second clip portion 32).

As shown in Figure 6A, the sensor device 10A can also be worn by the user 100 by attaching it to the edge 121 of clothing 120 via the attachment portion 30 with the contact surface 21 in contact with and pressed against the skin 110 in the waist area. As the user 100 exercises while wearing the sensor device 10A, the edge 121 of the clothing 120 moves in an in-plane direction substantially parallel to the contact surface 21 (up and down, left and right, diagonal directions from left to right along the up and down direction, and diagonal directions from left to right along the up and down direction). In response to this movement, an external force acts on the housing portion 20 and the attachment portion 30, moving the two (attachment portion 30, housing portion 20) relative to each other in this in-plane direction. This external force is then transmitted via the shaft portion 47 to the external force absorbing portion 45A of the connecting mechanism 40A. In this case, when an external force of a certain magnitude acts on the housing part 20 and the mounting part 30 and is further transmitted to the external force absorbing part 45A, as shown in Fig. 6B, this causes the external force absorbing part 45A to elastically deform in the in-plane direction, allowing relative movement between the two (mounting part 30, housing part 20) within a certain range in the in-plane direction, resulting in the mounting part 30 moving in the in-plane direction relative to the housing part 20. In the case of the second embodiment, the external force of a certain magnitude and the certain range are set in advance as described in the first embodiment, and the dimensions and elastic modulus of the external force absorbing part 45A are set in advance so that it elastically deforms within a certain range when an external force of a certain magnitude acts in the in-plane direction. In this case, as shown in Figure 6B, the mounting portion 30, shaft portion 47, and flange portion 48 move together, and because flange portion 48 is clamped between walls 27f and 27g as described above, movement of the mounting portion 30 in the direction of contact with the housing portion 20 is prevented, and in the example of Figure 6B, the lower side of external force absorbing portion 45A shown in cross section is compressed and the upper side is extended.

As a result, as in the first embodiment, even if the attachment portion 30 moves together with the edge portion 121 in an in-plane direction substantially parallel to the contact surface 21, the housing portion 20 is less likely to move in tandem with the attachment portion 30, thereby reducing friction between the contact surface 21 and the skin 110.

Although the present invention has been described above as being limited to the first and second embodiments (hereinafter referred to as "the present embodiments"), various modifications can be made to the present invention. For example, in the present embodiment, the sensor device 10 is mounted on the back, but it may also be mounted on other parts of the body, such as the arms or legs. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the sensor device 10 is attached to the edge 121 of the training pants 120 as a retaining member. However, other retaining members, such as a belt or band, may be used to retain the contact surface 21 in contact with (press against) the skin of other parts of the body, such as the arms or legs, in addition to the waist. In other words, the contact direction is not limited to the front-to-rear direction. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, a clip-shaped attachment portion 30 is used, but an attachment portion secured to the retaining member by a fastener such as a snap fastener or button may also be used.

In addition, the connecting portions 27, 27A are provided on the upper side of the housing 20 in the sensor device 10 of the first embodiment, and are provided approximately in the center of the housing 20 in the sensor device 10A of the second embodiment, but they can be provided in different locations in each embodiment. Furthermore, it is sufficient that at least the motion sensor unit 512, which is the sensor element, is provided (housed) in the housing 20. For example, the first processing unit 510, environmental information detection unit 522, and communication unit 524 may be provided in the attachment unit 30. Furthermore, the antenna 530 and second processing unit 520 may be provided in the housing 20 or the first clip unit 31. However, by providing the antenna 530 in the second clip unit 32, i.e., on the outside of the clothing 120, as in this embodiment, adverse effects on communication due to the clothing 120 (particularly adverse effects caused by sweat or the like adhering to the clothing 120 acting as a conductor) can be suppressed, and the sensitivity of the antenna 530 can be improved. When the second processing unit 520 is provided (housed) in the housing unit 20, the first and second processing units 510, 520 may be combined into a single processing unit (processor, circuit).

According to the above-described embodiment, the sensor device 10, 10A includes a housing 20 that houses at least a motion sensor unit 512, which is a sensor element, and has a contact surface 21 that can come into contact with the skin 110 of the user 100, and a connecting portion 27, 27A that is different from the contact surface 21; an attachment portion 30 that is attached to the edge 121 of clothing 120, which serves as a holding member that holds the sensor device 10 with the contact surface 21 of the housing 20 in contact with the skin 110 of the user 100; and a coupling mechanism 40, 40A that is connected to the connecting portion 27, 27A and the attachment portion 30 and that prevents relative movement between the housing 20 and the attachment portion 30 in a contact direction that is substantially perpendicular to the contact surface 21, and that, when an external force of a certain magnitude is applied that causes relative movement between the housing 20 and the attachment portion 30 in an in-plane direction substantially parallel to the contact surface 21, allows relative movement between the housing 20 and the attachment portion 30 within a certain range in this in-plane direction.

As a result, when the user 100 is exercising, the sensor device 10, 10A causes the housing unit 20 and the attachment unit 30 to move relative to each other in the in-plane direction due to the action of the external force described above. As a result, the housing unit 20, which contacts the user's 100's skin 110 at the contact surface 21, hardly moves in the in-plane direction, and only the attachment unit 30 moves, following the edge 121 of the clothing 120, which serves as the holding member, thereby reducing friction between the contact surface 21 and the skin 110. As a result, appropriate sensing can be performed by the motion sensor unit 512 housed in the housing unit 20, and roughness of the skin 110 can be reduced.

Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, the connecting mechanism 40 includes a plurality of plate-shaped rubber members 45a stacked on top of each other in the contact direction, and has an external force absorbing section 45 that is connected to the connected section 27 and the mounting section 30 and can deform in an in-plane direction substantially parallel to the contact surface 21 when an external force acts on the in-plane direction. This allows the connecting mechanism 40 to be configured with a simple structure, and the housing section 20 and the mounting section 30 to be integrally connected.

Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, the external force absorbing portion 45 has plate-shaped resin material 45b between multiple rubber materials 45a. This reliably prevents deformation of the external force absorbing portion 45 in the contact direction, and because it is resin material 45b, the sensor device 10 can be made lighter than when a material with a high specific gravity, such as iron, is used.

Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, the connected portion 27 includes a housing portion 27a that houses at least a portion of the connecting mechanism 40. This eliminates the need for a large distance between the mounting portion 30 and the housing portion 20, allowing for a compact sensor device 10 and protecting the connecting mechanism 40.

Furthermore, according to the second embodiment, the connected portion 27A has two wall portions 27f, 27g aligned with each other in the contact direction of the contact surface 21, and a through hole 27g1 provided in one of the two wall portions 27f, 27g and penetrating in the contact direction. The connecting mechanism 40 has a guide hole 45Aa penetrating in the contact direction, and an external force absorbing portion 45A fixed to this through hole 27g1 and deformable in an in-plane direction substantially parallel to the contact surface 21 due to the action of an external force that moves the housing portion 20 and the mounting portion 30 relative to each other in this in-plane direction, the in-plane direction being approximately parallel to the contact surface 21; a shaft portion 47 connected to the mounting portion 30 and fitted into the guide hole 45Aa; and a flange portion 48 connected to the shaft portion 47 and clamped between the two wall portions 27f, 27g so as to be immovable in the contact direction but movable in this in-plane direction. This allows the mounting portion 30 to be supported in the contact direction by the shaft portion 47 and flange portion 48, further reliably restricting movement of the mounting portion 30 in the contact direction.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the sensor device 10, 10A further includes an antenna 530 that is connected to the first processing unit 510 via at least a signal line 51, is capable of communicating with an external device, and is provided on the attachment unit 30. The contact surface 21 of the housing unit 20, 20A comes into contact with the user's 100's skin, so there is a possibility that the user's 100's sweat will adhere to the contact surface 21. If an antenna were provided on the housing unit, as in this embodiment, this sweat would act as a conductor and potentially adversely affect communication between the external device and the antenna. In contrast, according to this embodiment, the antenna 530 is provided on the attachment unit 30, which is attached to the edge 121, rather than on the housing unit 20, 20A, and is further connected to the first processing unit 510 within the housing unit 20 via at least a signal line 51. This allows appropriate data exchange between the external device and the first processing unit 510 while minimizing adverse effects on communication between the external device and the antenna 530.

Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, the coupled portion 27, the external force absorbing portion 45, and the mounting portion 30, and according to the second embodiment, the other of the two walls 27f, 27g (wall portion 27g), the shaft portion 47, the flange portion 48, and the mounting portion 30, each have guide passages 55, 55A for guiding the signal line 51. This makes it possible to protect the signal line 51 connecting the processing portion 510 and the like to the antenna 530.

The above-described embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments may be embodied in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as set forth in the claims.

The invention described in the first claim of the present application is as follows:
[1] A sensor device,
a housing portion that houses at least the sensor element and has a contact surface that can come into contact with the user's skin and a connection portion that is different from the contact surface;
an attachment portion attached to a holding member that holds the sensor device in a state in which the contact surface of the housing portion is in contact with the skin of the user;
a connecting mechanism that is connected to the connected portion and the mounting portion, and that prevents relative movement between the housing portion and the mounting portion in a contact direction that is approximately perpendicular to the contact surface, and that allows relative movement between the housing portion and the mounting portion in an in-plane direction that is approximately parallel to the contact surface within a certain range when an external force of a certain magnitude acts on the housing portion and the mounting portion such that the housing portion and the mounting portion move relative to each other in the in-plane direction;
A sensor device comprising:
[2] The sensor device described in [1], wherein the connecting mechanism includes a plurality of plate-shaped rubber materials stacked on top of each other in the contact direction, is connected to the connected portion and the mounting portion, and has an external force absorbing portion that can deform in the direction approximately within the plane due to the action of the external force.
[3] The sensor device according to [2], wherein the external force absorbing portion has a plate-shaped resin material between the plurality of rubber materials.
[4] The sensor device according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the connected portion has a housing portion that houses at least a part of the connecting mechanism.
[5] The connected portion has two wall portions arranged side by side in the contact direction, and a through-hole provided in one of the two wall portions and penetrating in the pressing direction,
The connecting mechanism includes:
an external force absorbing section having a guide hole penetrating in the contact direction, fixed to the through hole, having a guide hole penetrating in the contact direction, and deformable in the direction substantially within the plane due to the action of the external force;
a shaft portion connected to the mounting portion and fitted into the guide hole;
a flange portion connected to the shaft portion and clamped between the two wall portions so as to be immovable in the contact direction and movable in the direction substantially within the plane.
[6] The housing accommodates a processing unit connected to the sensor element,
The sensor device according to any one of [1] to [5], further comprising an antenna that is connected to the processing unit via at least a signal line, is capable of communicating with an external device, and is provided on the mounting portion.
[7] The sensor device according to [6], which cites at least [2], wherein the connected portion, the external force absorbing portion, and the mounting portion have a guide passage for guiding the signal line.
[8] The other of the two wall portions, the shaft portion, the flange portion, and the mounting portion have a guide passage for guiding the signal line. The sensor device described in [6], which cites [5].

10, 10A Sensor device 20, 20A Housing 21 Contact surface 24 Button switch 26 Lid 27, 27A Connected portion 27a Storage portion 27a1 Wall 27a2 Through hole 27f Wall 27f1 Through hole 27g Wall 27g1 Through hole 30 Mounting portion 31 First clip portion 31a First bearing 31b Protrusion 31c Push-up convex portion 32 Second clip portion 32a Second bearing 32b Protrusion 35 Hinge portion 35a Rotation shaft 35b Torsion coil spring 36 Locking component 36a Main body 36b Protrusion 36c Engagement hole 40, 40A Connecting mechanism 41 Through hole 42 Flange portion 45, 45A External force absorbing portion 45Aa Guide hole 45a Rubber material 45b Resin material 45c Cylinder portion 47 Shaft portion 47a Shaft hole 48 Flange portion 48a Through hole 50 Board 51 Signal lines 55, 55A Guide passage 100 User 110 Skin 120 Clothing 121 Edge portions 251, 252 LED
510 First processing unit 512 Motion sensor unit 514 Storage unit 516 Display unit 518 Operation unit 520 Second processing unit 522 Environmental information detection unit 524 Communication unit 530 Antenna BS Bus CL Shaft center

Claims (8)

A sensor device,
a housing portion that houses at least the sensor element and has a contact surface that can come into contact with the user's skin and a connection portion that is different from the contact surface;
an attachment portion attached to a holding member that holds the sensor device in a state in which the contact surface of the housing portion is in contact with the skin of the user;
a connecting mechanism that is connected to the connected portion and the mounting portion, and that prevents relative movement between the housing portion and the mounting portion in a contact direction that is approximately perpendicular to the contact surface, and that allows relative movement between the housing portion and the mounting portion in an in-plane direction that is approximately parallel to the contact surface within a certain range when an external force of a certain magnitude acts on the housing portion and the mounting portion such that the housing portion and the mounting portion move relative to each other in the in-plane direction;
A sensor device comprising: The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the connecting mechanism includes a plurality of plate-shaped rubber materials stacked on top of each other in the contact direction, and has an external force absorbing portion that is connected to the connected portion and the mounting portion and is deformable in the in-plane direction due to the action of the external force. The sensor device according to claim 2 , wherein the external force absorbing portion includes a plate-shaped resin material between the plurality of rubber materials. The sensor device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the connected portion has a housing portion that houses at least a part of the connecting mechanism. the connected portion has two wall portions aligned in the contact direction, and a through-hole provided in one of the two wall portions and penetrating in the contact direction,
The connecting mechanism includes:
an external force absorbing portion having a guide hole penetrating in the contact direction, fixed to the through hole, and deformable in the in-plane direction by the action of the external force;
a shaft portion connected to the mounting portion and fitted into the guide hole;
The sensor device according to claim 1 , further comprising: a flange portion connected to the shaft portion and sandwiched between the two wall portions so as to be immovable in the contact direction but movable in the in-plane direction. The housing accommodates a processing unit connected to the sensor element,
The sensor device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising an antenna connected to the processing unit via at least a signal line, capable of communicating with an external device, and provided on the attachment part. The sensor device according to claim 6 , wherein the connected portion, the external force absorbing portion, and the mounting portion have a guide passage for guiding the signal line. The sensor device according to claim 6 , which relies on claim 5 , wherein the other of the two wall portions, the shaft portion, the flange portion, and the mounting portion have a guide passage for guiding the signal line.