JPH0318927Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a probe capable of accurately supporting the pressing force of a measurement electrode against the surface of an object to be measured, in order to measure the conductance of the stratum corneum, etc. on the surface of the skin.

In general, the water content of the stratum corneum of the skin varies greatly depending on gender, age, health condition, etc. Therefore, in order to provide consumers with the optimal type and amount of drugs, creams, etc. that supply nutrition and moisture to the skin, it is necessary to know the moisture content of the skin's surface stratum corneum.

In order to meet such demands, methods and devices for measuring the conductance of the stratum corneum of the skin have been developed. In other words, by focusing on the fact that there is a high correlation between the water content of the skin's surface stratum corneum and conductance, it is possible to indirectly know the water content of the skin's surface stratum corneum by measuring conductance. .

For example, by pressing the measuring electrode part against the skin, a change is made to the tuning curve according to the measured conductance value, and the conductance of the skin's surface stratum corneum can be determined from the amount of change.

In this case, it is necessary to press the measuring electrode against the skin with a constant force, but there is a drawback that usually different results are obtained depending on the skill level of the measurer. In addition, it is conceivable to use a conventional "spring balance" as a measuring device, but as the pointer slides inside the slit, friction with the side of the slit prevents the smooth movement of the slit. There is a problem that accurate measurement values cannot be obtained.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a probe that does not require any skill and can accurately indicate the pressing force on the object to be measured using a simple instrument.

The probe according to the present invention for achieving the above object will be explained in conjunction with embodiments as follows.

The probe according to the present invention is a probe used for measuring the moisture content of the stratum corneum on the skin surface, and includes a cylindrical body 1 having a slit 2 in the axial direction on the outer periphery, a coaxial probe 16, and a coaxial probe 16, which is integrated with the probe 16. a center probe assembly including a pointer 12 which is movable forward and backward in the cylinder body 1;
support means 5, 7, 10 supporting the tip of the probe 16 so that it can slide in and out from one side of the outer cylinder; and a tip of the probe 16 provided between the support means and the center probe assembly so as to protrude. a spring means 13 provided on the other side of the cylindrical body 1;
A cable 17 is electrically connected to each electrode 19, 20 of 6 and connected to an indicating device that indicates a detected value, and the cable 17 corresponds to the conductance of the skin surface keratin when the contact pressure indicated by the pointer 12 is applied to the indicating device. configured to enable display.

The support means also includes an annular locking member 5 fixed to the cylindrical body 1 and having a female thread 6 at the center, and a ring-shaped locking member 5 that is loosely screwed to the female thread 6 and that allows a portion 11 of the central probe assembly to be inserted through a central through hole. and a male screw 7 that is slidably supported, and the spring means 13 may be provided between the male screw 7 and the central probe assembly in a direction that causes the coaxial probe 16 to protrude.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the probe according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the entire probe according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a cylindrical body containing a probe body.

In the figure, a single slit 2 for moving a pointer 12 is provided on the outer periphery of a cylindrical body 1, and this slit 2 opens at the right end of the body 1 in the drawing. Furthermore, a scale 3 is engraved around the slit 2 to indicate the pressing force. A disk-shaped member 4 having a center hole 4a is fixed to the left end of the cylinder 1 in the drawing. Further, an annular locking member 5 is provided near the center of the cylinder so as to be movable in the axial direction, and this member 5 has a female thread 6 carved on the inner surface of the annular portion and a screw thread at any position in the axial direction. It can be locked by 5a. Furthermore, this female screw 6
A male screw 7 having a center hole 7a is provided inside, and the male screw 7 and the female screw 6 are rotatably screwed together with a sufficient gap between them. The right end of the cylindrical body 1 is closed with a lid 8, and a disc-shaped fixing member 10 having a center hole 10a is provided at a constant distance from the lid 8 by a bar 9. The lower end of a pointer 12 is fixed to a rod 11 that passes through the center hole 10a of this fixing member 10 and the center hole 7a of the male screw 7, and the upper end of this pointer 12 protrudes from the slit 2 to the outside of the cylinder and is bent. Then, the tip of the tip indicates the scale 3. Further, a coil spring 13 having a diameter larger than that of the rod 11 is fixed at both ends to the lower end of the pointer 12 and the tip of the male screw 7 by washers 14 and 15, respectively, so that when no external force is applied, the pointer 12 returns to the zero position of the scale 3. It is positioned by the locking tool 5 so as to indicate the following. Note that this coil spring 13 is formed to have a required effective number of turns adapted to external force. Furthermore, at the left end of this rod 11,
A coaxial probe 16 is integrated on the extended axis of the rod 11.
is attached, and the end of this coaxial probe 16 is set so as to protrude outward from the left end of the cylindrical body 1 when not pressed by external pressure. Therefore, the rod 11 and the coaxial probe 16 are supported at both ends by the fixing members 4 and 10.
and center holes 4a, 10a and 7a of male screw 7
It can be slid axially inside.

The coaxial probe 16 is a measurement electrode section for detecting the conductance of the stratum corneum on the skin surface to be measured.

Although not shown, a circuit device including a measuring and indicating device including a crystal oscillator, a buffer amplifier, a tuner, and a display section is prepared for measuring the water content of the stratum corneum. The input terminal of this circuit device is connected to the lid member 8 by a coaxial cable 17, and the central conductor is connected to the internal electrode via the film wiring 18 passing through the circumferential notches 10b and 5b of the fixing member 10 and the locking member 5. 19, and the external conductor is connected to a ring-shaped external electrode 20 to form a series of circuits.

Hereinafter, a method of using the probe according to the present invention configured as described above will be explained.

When no pressing force is applied, the coaxial probe 1
The position of the locking member 5 is adjusted so that the end portion 16a of the cylindrical body 1 projects outward in the axial direction from the left end of the cylindrical body 1, and the pointer 12 indicates the zero point of the scale 3. When the end surface 16a of the coaxial probe 16 is brought into contact with the skin of the person to be measured, a current flows between the internal electrode 19 in the center and the ring-shaped external electrode through the skin surface, so that the conductance between the two electrodes is reduced by the skin. The amount increases according to the water content in the surface stratum corneum, passes from the film wiring 18 to the coaxial cable 17, passes through a detector, operational amplifier, etc. (not shown), and is displayed on the indicator.

At this time, the coaxial probe 16 is pushed in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure, and the left end of the cylinder 1 comes into contact with the skin, and the rod 11 integrated with the coaxial probe 16 and the pointer 12 fixed to the rod 11 move inside the slit 2 as shown in the arrow. As the needle moves in the direction, the coil spring 13 fixed to the lower end of the pointer 12 is pulled, causing the coil spring 13 to be twisted. However, since the male screw 7 to which one end of the coil spring 13 is fixed is screwed together with the female screw 6 with a large gap, it can rotate freely within the female screw 6, so there is a gap between the pointer 12 and the side surface of the slit 2. Since no friction occurs, the pointer 12 can smoothly slide left and right, and therefore the pressing force can be accurately indicated. Therefore, the measured value of conductance under accurate pressing force is read from an indicator (not shown), corrected to the value of conductance under specified pressing force, and from the correspondence chart of conductance and moisture content, You can know the moisture content of the skin's surface stratum corneum.

As explained above, the probe according to the present invention is a probe used for measuring the moisture content of the stratum corneum on the skin surface, and includes a cylinder 1, a probe assembly, a support means, a spring means, and a cable. 17, the coaxial probe can be brought into contact with the skin or the like to obtain an indication corresponding to the conductance of the skin's surface stratum corneum. At this time, the contact pressure at that time can be known at the same time.

In addition, in the device according to the present invention, the main body of the measuring unit is housed in a small cylindrical body, and a coil spring is interposed between the male screw that can freely rotate within the female screw and the pointer, so that when the coil spring is pulled, It is possible to eliminate the twist of the pointer and avoid restriction of the movement of the pointer due to friction between the pointer and the side surface of the slit. Therefore, the external force can be accurately measured with a simple instrument without requiring any skill, so it can be widely used for measuring the water content of the stratum corneum of the skin and other uses.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the probe according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cylindrical body. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Cylindrical body, 2... Slit, 5... Annular locking member, 6... Female thread, 7... Male thread, 11... Rod, 12... Pointer, 13... Coil spring, 16...
...Coaxial probe.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] (1) A cylindrical body 1 having a slit 2 in the axial direction on its outer circumference, which is a probe used for measuring the moisture content of the stratum corneum on the skin surface.
a coaxial probe 16, a central probe assembly including a pointer 12 which is movable forward and backward integrally with the probe 16, and a center probe assembly which is provided inside the cylinder body 1 and includes the assembly, with the pointer 12 facing the slit and the probe 16; supporting means 5, 7, 10 for supporting the tip of the outer cylinder so that it can slide in and out from one side of the outer cylinder;
Spring means 13 is provided between the support means and the center probe assembly so that the tip of the probe 16 protrudes; Spring means 13 is provided on the other side of the cylindrical body 1 and is connected to each electrode 19, 20 of the probe 16. Cable 1 that is electrically connected and connects to an indicating device that indicates a detected value
7, wherein the probe is configured to enable the indicating device to display a display corresponding to the conductance of the skin surface stratum corneum at the contact pressure indicated by the pointer 12. (2) The supporting means includes an annular locking member 5 fixed to the cylindrical body 1 and having a female thread 6 at the center, and a part 11 of the central probe assembly that is loosely screwed to the female thread 6 and inserted through a central through hole. and a male screw 7 that slidably supports the coaxial probe 16, and the spring means 13 is provided between the male screw 7 and the center probe assembly in a direction that causes the coaxial probe 16 to protrude. Probes described in section.