JPH039724A - Body temperature measuring apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To achieve a determination and management of body temperature easily and accurately by arranging a body temperature measuring section comprising an ear cock containing a temperature inspection sensor which is inserted into an outer ear canal to inspect body temperature near a tympanic membrane and a display section for displaying body temperature to always inspect body temperature at a fixed part in a short time. CONSTITUTION:When an ear cock 16 of a body temperature measuring section 12 is inserted into an outer ear canal 20, a temperature inspection sensor 18 detects body temperature of the outer ear near a tympanic membrane proportional to body temperature at a deep part of a human body in a short time. An electrical signal from the temperature inspection sensor 18 is introduced to a display section 14 via leads 26 and 28 together with an electrical signal from an environmental temperature sensor 22. Within the display section 14, an electrical signal is amplified with amplifiers 30 and 32 and a correction circuit 34 outputs a true body temperature signal by removing an output of the environmental temperature sensor 22 as effect portion due to an environmental temperature from an output of an infrared temperature inspection sensor 18. This body temperature signal is converted into a digital signal with an A/D converter 36 and supplied to a display circuit 38 to display body temperature.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a body temperature measuring device used for radiation measurement of body temperature, measurement of basal body temperature of women, monitoring of body temperature during surgery, and the like.

[Conventional technology]

Conventional thermometers generally include a contact probe that measures the temperature by touching the subject's armpit or sublingual area, and directly display or store the temperature signal from this probe (e.g. , JP-A No. 62-249022 and JP-A No. 63-11140) In particular, minute changes in body temperature of women over time and changes in body temperature of general patients per unit of time are physiologically and medically important. It is extremely important to be able to record body temperature data, read it out as appropriate, and analyze and monitor this data.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, all conventional thermometers measure the temperature by directly contacting the skin of the human body that is exposed to the outside air, allowing for thermal equilibrium, so it takes a considerable amount of time to measure the temperature as it takes more than 5 minutes for the temperature to reach equilibrium. Ascertaining and managing body temperature is troublesome, especially sublingual (in the mouth) temperature measurement, which involves opening the mouth, which causes a drop in temperature, and the measurement position shifts each time, making it difficult to reproducibly measure the measurement position. was not able to measure body temperature with high accuracy.

Furthermore, in order to continuously measure changes in body temperature over time, such as during surgery, it is necessary to detect body temperature that changes from moment to moment. Furthermore, in cases where frequent body temperature measurements are required, such as when measuring a woman's body temperature, conventional thermometers are cumbersome to measure temperature, so temperature measurement may be omitted. could not be grasped and managed.

One object of the present invention is to provide a body temperature measuring device that can always detect the body temperature at a certain part in a short time, and therefore can easily and reliably grasp and manage the body temperature. Another object of the invention is to provide a body temperature measuring device that can always detect body temperature at a certain part in a short time, store it over time, and measure changes in body temperature over time at short time intervals. Yes (means to solve the problem) Book i? ! According to one of Ming's child actors, there is a body temperature measurement section consisting of an earplug that is inserted into the ear canal and includes a temperature sensor that measures the body temperature near the eardrum, and a display section that receives the output of this body temperature measurement section and displays the body temperature. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a body temperature measuring device comprising: a body temperature measuring section comprising an earplug including a temperature sensor that is inserted into the ear canal and measures body temperature near the eardrum; There is provided a body temperature measuring device characterized by comprising a memory element connected to an output end of the body temperature measuring section and storing a body temperature signal from the body temperature measuring section over time.

In these solutions according to the present invention, the temperature sensor is a thermo-electric variable element such as a minute thermistor or thermocouple embedded in the surface of the earplug made of a heat insulating material so as to be in contact with the skin surface of the external auditory canal. be able to. Further, the earplug may be made of a heat insulating member having an introduction hole through which infrared rays emitted from the eardrum or the like are introduced, and the temperature sensor may be an infrared temperature sensor installed in the introduction hole of the earplug. The earplug may include an environmental temperature sensor within the earplug, and may also include an air passage that equalizes the air pressure inside the earplug and the outside.

[Effect]

According to this configuration, 1. When the ear plug-type body temperature measuring part of the body temperature measuring device is inserted into the ear canal, the internal temperature sensor detects the eardrum in the deep part of the external auditory canal, which is said to have the closest proportional relationship to body heat in the deep part of the human body. It detects nearby human body heat and immediately generates an electrical signal (body temperature signal) proportional to body temperature, and based on this body temperature signal, body temperature is directly displayed or stored over time. Therefore, if the device has a display section, the body temperature can be known immediately, and if it has a storage device, data can be read from the storage device to know the change in body temperature over time.

(Embodiment) An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a body temperature measuring device tto according to an embodiment of the present invention, and this body temperature measuring device 10 has the form of an earplug. a body temperature measuring section 12 having a body temperature measuring section 12, and a display M connected to this body temperature measuring section 12.
814, the earplug-type body temperature measurement unit 12 consists of a heat insulating member (earplug) 16 that is inserted into the external auditory canal (ear hole) of a human body. It includes a sensor 18. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the temperature sensor 18 is a thermo-electric sensor such as a minute thermistor or thermocouple with a diameter of about 1 to 2 mm embedded in the surface of the earplug 16 so as to be in contact with the skin surface of the external auditory canal. It consists of elements. As shown in FIG. 2, this temperature sensor 18 is
Only the temperature measuring part 18a is exposed and comes into contact with the skin surface 20a of the ear canal 20, and the other part 18b is buried in the heat insulating part of the earplug 16, so that heat conduction from other parts than the temperature measuring part is delayed. In the illustrated embodiment, the earplug 16 further includes an environmental temperature sensor 22, and the earplug 16 also includes an environmental temperature sensor 22.
6 is an air passageway 2 that equalizes the air pressure inside and outside the ear canal 20 when the earplug 16 is inserted into the ear canal 20.
4, the air passage 24 is in the form of a through hole formed in the axial direction and the radial direction of the earplug 16; It may also be in the form of grooves provided in the direction.

The display section 14 is integrally attached to the earplug 16 and is connected to the partition wall 15a.
The cylindrical container body 15 is provided with lead wires 26.28 extending from the temperature sensor 18 and the environmental temperature sensor 20 through the cylindrical container body 15. It is connected.

The display unit 14 includes amplifiers 30.32 connected to each lead wire 26.28, and a correction circuit 34 that receives the outputs of these amplifiers 30.32 and corrects the body temperature by removing the influence of the environmental temperature. It includes an analog/digital converter 36 that converts the output signal (analog signal) of this correction circuit 34 into a digital signal, and a display circuit 38 that displays body temperature based on the digital signal from this analog/digital converter 36. The display of the 0 display circuit 38 is arranged corresponding to a transparent window (not shown) of the cylindrical vessel body 15.

Next, the operation of the body temperature measuring device IO of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 will be described. As shown in FIG.
6 is inserted into the ear canal 20, as mentioned above, the thermistor or thermocouple temperature sensor 18 detects the body temperature in the ear canal near the eardrum in a short period of time, which is proportional to the body temperature deep within the human body. The electrical signal from the temperature sensor 18 is guided to the display section 14 through lead wires 26 and 28 together with the electrical signal from the environmental temperature sensor 22 that detects the ambient temperature.
4, the electrical signals from both sensors 18 and 22 are sent to amplifier 3.
After being amplified by 0.32 respectively, the correction circuit 34
The correction circuit 34 removes the output of the environmental temperature sensor 20 which is influenced by the environmental temperature from the output of the infrared temperature sensor 18 corresponding to the body temperature, and outputs a true body temperature signal. This body temperature signal is converted into a digital signal by an analog/digital converter 36 and then supplied to a 1 display circuit 38 to display the body temperature.

If the temperature sensor 18 is made of a minute thermistor or thermocouple, the time constant until the temperature reaches thermal equilibrium upon contact with the external auditory canal to be measured is short.

The part of the ear canal 20 near the eardrum, which can perform high-speed measurement in a short time of less than one second, is relatively close to the body temperature deep within the human body and is not easily affected by external environmental temperature. Earplug-type sensors always measure at the same measurement location, resulting in good reproducibility and are ideal for repeated body temperature measurements.

In addition, when inserting the earplug 16 into the external auditory canal 20, the external auditory canal 2
0, the air pressure builds up against the eardrum, causing discomfort and preventing smooth insertion of the earplug 16.
With this, the air pressure inside and outside the ear canal 20 becomes equal, eliminating such discomfort and facilitating smooth insertion of the earplug 16.

FIG. 3 shows a body temperature measuring device io' according to another embodiment of the present invention in which the body temperature is displayed on the display section 14 in the same way as the embodiment shown in FIG. The earplug 6 is made of a heat insulating member having an introduction hole 16a through which infrared rays emitted from the eardrum etc. are introduced, and the temperature sensor 18° is an infrared temperature sensor installed in the introduction hole 16a of the earplug 16. The display section 14 is substantially the same as that of the embodiment shown in FIG.
are exactly the same as those in FIG. 1, and the earplugs 16 are:
Since it has an infrared introduction hole 16a extending in the axial direction,
The passage in the axial direction of the air passage passage 24 is formed through this introduction hole 16a.
is also used. In FIG. 3, the same parts as in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals.

When the temperature sensor 18' is an infrared temperature sensor, the temperature sensor 18' detects the body temperature by receiving infrared rays that are proportional to the eardrum temperature, which is relatively close to the human body's core body temperature, so the detected temperature is the true core body temperature. Since the measurement is carried out using infrared rays, high-speed measurement of less than 1 second is possible. In addition, as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the ear holes are relatively unaffected by the external environmental temperature, and the correction circuit 34 completely eliminates the influence of the environmental temperature on the infrared temperature sensor 18'. Since the plug 16 is insulated from the outside by its heat-insulating properties, it is not affected by the temperature from the ear, and therefore body temperature can be measured quickly with high accuracy and sensitivity.

The infrared temperature sensor 18'' may be, for example, an aspiration infrared sensor such as a thermoelectric, pyroelectric infrared sensor, or bolometer.

All of these sensors are equipped with a light receiving section that receives infrared rays and converts the heat into an electrical signal.

FIG. 4 shows a body temperature measurement device 40 according to another embodiment of the present invention that is capable of measuring and storing body temperature over time.

This body temperature measuring device 40 includes a body temperature measuring section 1 similar to that shown in FIG.
2, but this body temperature measuring section 12 may be of the form shown in FIG.
．． 32 and an auxiliary cylindrical body 42 housing the correction circuit 34
It is equipped with

The body temperature measuring device 40 further includes a storage means 46 that receives an electrical signal from the output terminal 34a of the correction circuit 34 through a lead wire 44 and stores the electrical signal. The storage means 46 includes an analog/digital converter 36 and a memory element 48 for storing over time the digital body temperature signal that is the output of the analog/digital converter 36.

The memory element 48 comprises, in the illustrated embodiment, a read/write memory RAM, and the digital body temperature signal is transmitted to this memory element 4 together with a clock signal from a clock oscillator 52 which generates a digital signal corresponding to the date and time of the measurement.
8 RAM. This storage operation is performed according to a storage command signal from a storage command circuit 56 controlled by a memory switch 54. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 50 is a monitor display section.

This storage means 46 can be connected to a computer (not shown) via an interface 58, and the computer receives a read command signal from the interface 58.
The stored body temperature data (measurement date, measurement time, and change in body temperature) can be read out from the memory element 48 via the memory device 48 .

The computer reads this body temperature data and calculates, for example, basal body temperature. The basal body temperature curve calculated in this way is displayed or printed on a cathode ray tube, liquid crystal display, printer, plotter, etc., as appropriate. In addition, the computer analyzes the basal body temperature calculated in this way and selectively determines the low temperature period, rising period, high temperature period, falling period, temperature drop, ovulation day, OV value, menstrual cycle, etc. of the basal body temperature on the specified day. Or to be able to display them all at once.

In the above embodiment, the RAM installed in the body temperature measuring device 40 is used as a memory element for reading and writing body temperature data, but it can also be managed by each patient at the hospital or at home. Alternatively, the information may be stored in an IC cart that can be attached to and detached from the body temperature measuring device 40.

(Effects of the Invention) According to the present invention, as described above, the body temperature of a certain part can always be detected in a short time and with high accuracy, so body temperature can be easily and reliably managed. Since body temperature can be detected in a short time, stored over time, and changes in body temperature over time can be measured at short time intervals, it can be used to measure basal body temperature, manage body temperature during surgery, etc. There is. Furthermore, since the earplugs have air passages, when inserting the earplugs into the ear canal, the air pressure inside and outside the ear canal can be equalized, so there is no discomfort when inserting the earplugs, and the earplugs can be inserted smoothly. can be inserted into.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an embodiment of the body temperature measuring device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the device shown in FIG. 1 with ear plugs inserted, and FIG. 3 is a temperature measuring device using the device shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional view of another embodiment in which the sensor is modified. FIG. 4 is a schematic system diagram of still another embodiment of the body temperature measuring device of the present invention, which is equipped with a storage means in place of the display section. 10.10°, 40---One body temperature measuring device, 12.1
2°-1111 body temperature measurement section, 14-1111 display section, x
e---41R1h member (earplugs), 18.18'-
---1 temperature sensor, 2゜--1--external auditory canal, 22--
---Environmental temperature sensor, 24---Air passageway,
38-111 display circuit, 46-----storage means, 4
8-1---memory element, 52----1 oscillator. Figure 30 Figure 2 @ 4 2. /8 Procedural amendment (voluntary) (2) Figure 2 of the drawings will be corrected as shown in the attached sheet. l. Indication of pleasure Patent Application No. 1-144998 2. Name of the invention Body temperature measuring device 3. Relationship with the person making the amendment case

Claims (5)

[Claims] (1) A body temperature measurement unit comprising an earplug that is inserted into the ear canal and includes a temperature sensor that measures body temperature near the eardrum, and a display unit that receives the output of the body temperature measurement unit and displays the body temperature. Body temperature measuring device. (2) A body temperature measurement unit consisting of an earplug that includes a temperature sensor that is inserted into the ear canal to measure body temperature near the eardrum, and a body temperature signal from the body temperature measurement unit that includes a memory element connected to the output end of the body temperature measurement unit. 1. A body temperature measuring device comprising: a storage means for storing over time. (3) The temperature sensor comprises a thermoelectric variable element such as a minute thermistor or thermocouple embedded in the surface of the earplug made of a heat insulating material so as to be in contact with the skin surface of the external auditory canal. The body temperature measuring device according to item 1 or 2. (4) The earplugs are made of a heat insulating member having an infrared introduction hole through which infrared rays emitted from the eardrum etc. are introduced, and the temperature sensor is an infrared temperature sensor installed in the infrared introduction hole of the earplug. Claim 1 or 2
The body temperature measuring device described in Section. (5) The body temperature measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising an environmental temperature sensor within the earplug, and an air passage that equalizes air pressure inside the earplug and outside.