# US 10,244,959 B2 · Vital information measurement device and vehicle seat > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,244,959 B2 - Document ID: US10244959B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/891,214 - Filed: 2014-05-16 - Published: 2016-03-31 - Granted: 2019-04-02 - Earliest claimed: 2013-05-17 - Assignees: Ts Tech Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Ts Tech Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Shinji Sugiyama - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10244959B2 ## CPC - A61B 5/26: maintaining contact between the body and the electrodes by the action of the subjects, e.g. by placing the body on the electrodes or by grasping the electrodes - A61B 5/0245: by using sensing means generating electric signals, {i.e. ECG signals} - A61B 5/18: for vehicle drivers {or machine operators} - A61B 5/28: for electrocardiography [ECG] - A61B 5/282: Holders for multiple electrodes (for introduction into the body A61B5/287) - A61B 5/6893: {Cars} - B60N 2/0022: {for sensing anthropometric parameters, e.g. heart rate or body temperature} - B60N 2/003: {characterised by the sensor mounting location in or on the seat} - A61B 5/02444: {Details of sensor (A61B5/02427 takes precedence)} - A61B 5/6891: {Furniture} - A61B 2503/40: Animals - A61B 2562/0214: Capacitive electrodes - A61B 2562/04: Arrangements of multiple sensors of the same type - A61B 2562/164: the sensor is mounted in or on a conformable substrate or carrier - A61B 2562/222: Electrical cables or leads therefor, e.g. coaxial cables or ribbon cables - B60N 2210/48: Piezoelectric - B60N 2230/30: Signal processing of sensor data - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - B60N: SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract A vital information measurement device and a vehicle seat which improves the durability of sheet-shaped sensors configured to detect vital information of a seated passenger can stably measure the heart rate of the seated passenger. A vehicle seat includes sheet-shaped sensors attached to a seat back, and can measure the heart rate of a seated passenger based on vital signals of the seated passenger detected by the sheet-shaped sensors. At each sheet-shaped sensor, a sensor overlap reduction section is provided to reduce partial overlapping of the sheet-shaped sensor when the seated passenger leans on the seat back. Specifically, each sheet-shaped sensor includes a first cutout extending toward the center of the sheet-shaped sensor at an outer peripheral portion of the sheet-shaped sensor, and a second cutout formed continuously from the first cutout and extending opposite to the center along the outer peripheral portion of the sheet-shaped sensor. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vital information measurement device comprising: a sheet-shaped sensor that is configured to detect a vital signal of a subject that is a human or an animal, wherein: the vital information measurement device is configured to measure vital information of the subject based on the vital signal detected by the sheet-shaped sensor, the sheet-shaped sensor at least comprises a conductive line that forms a sensor body, and a conductive sheet fixing the conductive line, the conductive line is disposed along an outer peripheral portion of the conductive sheet, a sensor overlap reduction section configured to reduce partial overlapping of the sheet-shaped sensor when the subject directly or indirectly contacts the sheet-shaped sensor is provided in the sheet-shaped sensor, and at least one or more cutouts are, as the sensor overlap reduction section, formed in the outer peripheral portion of the conductive sheet. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vital information measurement device according to claim 1, wherein: the sheet-shaped sensor is configured to detect an electric signal associated with a biopotential of the subject as the vital signal, and the vital information measurement device further includes a central processing unit configured to measure a heart rate of the subject based on the electric signal detected by the sheet-shaped sensor. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The vital information measurement device according to claim 1, wherein the cutouts comprise: a first cutout extending toward a center of the sheet-shaped sensor at the outer peripheral portion of the sheet-shaped sensor, and a second cutout formed continuously from the first cutout and extending opposite to the center along the outer peripheral portion of the sheet-shaped sensor. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The vital information measurement device according to claim 1, wherein: the conductive line is disposed along the cutouts provided in the outer peripheral portion of the conductive sheet. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The vital information measurement device according to claim 1, wherein: the conductive line comprises a plurality of conductive lines, and an intersection point at which the plurality of the conductive lines intersect each other is arranged opposed to one of the cutouts in a short-length direction or a long-length direction of the sheet-shaped sensor. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) A vehicle seat comprising: a seat back that is a backrest of the vehicle seat; a seat cushion that is a seating portion of the vehicle seat; and the vital information measurement device of claim 1, wherein: the vital information measurement device is attached to the seat back or to the seat cushion. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The vehicle seat according to claim 6, wherein: the sheet-shaped sensor is attached to a cushion pad that forms the seat back, a distribution cable is electrically connected to the sheet-shaped sensor and is configured to transmit the vital signal detected by the sheet-shaped sensor, a cable housing recess is formed in the cushion pad, and the distribution cable is housed in the cable housing recess. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The vehicle seat according to claim 7, wherein: the seat back is configured such that the cushion pad is covered with a skin, a skin insertion groove into which an end of the skin is inserted is formed in the cushion pad, and the sheet-shaped sensor is disposed in a position other than a part of the cushion pad formed with the skin insertion groove. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The vehicle seat according to claim 8, wherein the sheet-shaped sensor is disposed along the skin insertion groove. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) A vehicle seat comprising: a skin, a cushion pad and the vital information measurement device of claim 1, wherein: the vital information measurement device is attached to the cushion pad, the vital information measurement device includes a distribution cable electrically connected to the sheet-shaped sensor and configured to transmit the vital signal detected by the sheet-shaped sensor, a skin insertion groove into which an end of the skin is inserted is formed in the cushion pad, a through hole through which the distribution cable passes is formed in the cushion pad, and the sheet-shaped sensor and the through hole are configured to avoid the skin insertion groove.