抄録
It is pointed out that the chewing operation is strongly related to one's health and development of brain cells. But our chewing number is decreasing recently, especially for children. We are requested to make a counting system of the chewing number by a dentist.
We consider three methods for counting the chewing number using small pressure sensors, i.e., metal strain gage and semiconductor pressure sensor. The first one is the chin-strap detection method in which the system detects the small expansion of the chin strap with strain gages when one chews food. The second is the ear-plug detection method using a strain gage or a semiconductor pressure sensor. In this method, the small strain of the ear-plug is detected by these sensors. The last one is the head detection method in which the system detects the small expansion of the temporal muscle using the head-band with a semiconductor pressure sensor. These systems also can detect the chewing power.
Comparing these methods, it is made clear that the head-band detection method has the best performance and its system can be used easily when one chews food. Its miscount is about 1.3 to 3.1[%] depending on food, and the circuit of this system can be put inside user's pocket.
