JP2018056859A - Information transmitter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information transmitter capable of directly transmitting information to a remote place by using a commercial radio data communication network.SOLUTION: An information transmitter of the present invention includes a communication unit capable of transmitting information via a commercial radio data communication network, and therefore can directly transmit information to a remote place without an apparatus such as a mobile terminal. In addition, the information transmitter allows a user to select the number of batteries to be used. Therefore, the user can increase battery capacity by connecting a large number of batteries to a connection unit at the time of long-time use. In addition, the user can reduce the number of batteries to be connected at the time of short-time use and reduce the weight of the transmitter to mitigate a burden on a wearer.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to an information transmission device that transmits position information or biological information of a subject using a commercial wireless data communication network.

  In recent years, accidents and distresses in mountain climbing and skiing, habits of patients with dementia, etc. have become social problems. There have also been cases of removal and missing cases for children and infants. And the increase of these search cases increases the burden on the people involved in the search as well as the related parties and related organizations. With regard to these matters, for example, in the following [Patent Document 1], a position information transmission device including a GPS (Global Positioning System) device and a wireless transmission device is provided to subjects such as dementia patients and children. An invention is disclosed in which the position of a subject is acquired by carrying it.

  Moreover, daily health management is important for elderly people and patients with lifestyle-related diseases, and it is desirable to constantly monitor and record biological information (vital signs) such as the patient's pulse wave, body temperature, blood pressure and the like. In particular, with regard to depression, which has been increasing in recent years, attempts have been made to calculate the activity of autonomic nerves from the patient's pulse wave and to use the daily fluctuation of this activity for diagnosis and treatment. And as an apparatus which acquires biometric information constantly, for example, it wraps around a subject's body at the time of exercises, such as jogging, acquires biometric information, such as a subject's pulse, and transmits to personal digital assistants, such as a smart phone, with a short-range wireless device. Information transmission devices have been commercialized.

JP-A-8-65413

  However, a conventional information transmission device using a short-range wireless device has a problem in that information cannot be transmitted to a remote place without a terminal having a communication function for a commercial wireless data communication network.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an information transmitting apparatus capable of directly transmitting information to a remote place using a commercial wireless data communication network.

The present invention
(1) In the information transmission device used by wrapping around the subject's body,
A power supply unit 30 that supplies power to each unit, an information acquisition unit 40 that acquires position information or biological information of the target person, and information acquired by the information acquisition unit 40 is transmitted via a commercial wireless data communication network. By providing an information transmission device 80 characterized by having a communication unit 42, the above-mentioned problem is solved.
(2) While the power supply unit 30 includes the rechargeable battery 32,
The information transmission according to (1) above, further comprising a charging unit 50 for charging the rechargeable battery 32 by electromagnetic induction from outside, wherein the charging unit 50 includes a planar coil 52 having flexibility. The above problem is solved by providing the device 80.
(3) The power supply unit 30 has a plurality of connection units 34 connected in parallel,
The rechargeable battery 32 is detachably connected to the connection portion 34, and
A charging line 46b connected from the charging unit 50 to the power supply unit 30, a power supply line 46a connected from the power supply unit 30 to the communication unit 42, and a switching unit 44 that opens and closes the charging line 46b and the power supply line 46a. Have
When the switching unit 44 detects the output from the charging unit 50, the switching unit 44 closes the charging line 46b and opens the power supply line 46a. Solve the above problems.
(4) Each connecting portion 34 divides the connection wiring with the positive electrode of the rechargeable battery 32 into two, one rechargeable battery 32 side is connected to the power supply line 46a via the anode first diode element D1, and the other is The above problem is solved by providing the information transmission device 80 according to the above (3), wherein the rechargeable battery 32 side is connected to the charging line 46b through the cathode second diode element D2.

Since the information transmission apparatus according to the present invention has a communication unit capable of transmitting information via a commercial wireless data communication network, the information transmission apparatus can directly transmit information to a remote place without a device such as a portable terminal. Can do.
Moreover, in the structure provided with the rechargeable battery and the charging unit, since the charging unit has a built-in planar coil, charging can be performed in a non-contact manner. Moreover, since the planar coil is a thin sheet and has flexibility, the subject can wear the information transmission device without a sense of incongruity.
In addition, the information transmission apparatus according to the present invention can select the number of batteries used on the user side. For this reason, many batteries can be connected to a connection part at the time of long-time use, and battery capacity can be increased. In addition, when used in a short time, the number of batteries to be connected can be reduced to reduce the weight of the device and reduce the burden on the wearer.
In particular, in a configuration using a rechargeable battery, the connection portion divides the connection wiring with the positive electrode of the rechargeable battery into two branches, which are connected to the power supply line and the charge line via the diode elements, respectively. As a result, even when rechargeable batteries with different charge levels are connected at the same time, power is supplied preferentially from rechargeable batteries with a large charge amount when supplying power, and preferentially charged from rechargeable batteries with a low charge amount when charging. It can be carried out.

It is a figure which shows the use condition of the information transmission apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the information transmission apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a block diagram of the information transmitter concerning the present invention. It is a schematic cross section of the information transmission device according to the present invention.

  Embodiments of an information transmitting apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Here, FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a usage state of the information transmission device 80 according to the present invention. FIG. 2 (a) is a schematic view showing the information transmitting apparatus 80 according to the present invention from the outer surface side, and FIG. 2 (b) is a schematic view shown from the inner surface side. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the information transmitting device 80, and FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the information transmitting device 80 and the charging device 90. In FIG. 4, the thickness of the information transmission device 80 is shown to be thick for the sake of illustrating the internal structure, but the thickness of the main body portion of the information transmission device 80 excluding the portion related to the rechargeable battery 32 is about several mm to 7 mm. Is preferred. 2 to 4, the power supply unit 30 includes the rechargeable battery 32, and the information transmission device 80 includes the charging unit 50, but the present invention uses a primary battery that cannot be charged as the power supply unit 30. It may be used.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an information transmission device 80 according to the present invention is used by being wrapped around a subject's body, and is configured by fixing each part inside a flexible belt-shaped holding body 10. In addition, it is most preferable to install all the components of the information transmission device 80 in this way on the holding body 10, but when the power supply unit 30 is large, the power supply unit 30 is provided separately from the holding body 10, For example, it may be carried by a waist belt or the like, and power may be supplied to each unit via a wired power cable. The part where the information transmission device 80 is installed is not particularly limited when the information transmission device 80 transmits position information, and may be any part such as a subject's hand, leg, trunk, or neck. In addition, when the information transmission device 80 transmits the biological information of the subject person, the information acquisition unit 40 sets the part from which the biological information can be acquired. For example, when the biological information is a pulse or a pulse wave, an optical heart rate meter or an optical pulse wave measuring device is used for the information acquisition unit 40 to measure the subject's pulse (the posterior tibial artery, the back of the foot). It is fixed to parts such as the arterial part), wrist (radial arterial part), knee (popliteal arterial part), elbow (brachial arterial part), neck (carotid arterial part), thigh root (femoral arterial part) and the like. When the biological information is blood pressure, a portable sphygmomanometer is used as the information acquisition unit 40 and is fixed to the wrist or upper arm capable of measuring the subject's blood pressure.

  Moreover, it has the fixing member 12 which wraps and hold | maintains the information transmission apparatus 80 on a subject's body at the both ends of the holding body 10. FIG. As the fixing member 12, any member such as a hook or a hook may be used, but it is particularly preferable to use a surface fastener capable of freely changing the fixing position. The holding body 10 preferably includes a plurality of battery insertion portions 14 such as pockets for holding the rechargeable battery 32 or the primary battery. In addition, it is preferable to provide this battery insertion part 14 in the surface side of the holding body 10, as shown in FIG.

  Next, the configuration of the information transmission device 80 according to the present invention will be described. Here, an example in which the rechargeable battery 32 and the charging unit 50 are provided will be basically described. As shown in FIG. 3, the information transmission device 80 according to the present invention includes a power supply unit 30 that supplies power to each unit, an information acquisition unit 40 that acquires position information or biological information of the subject, and the information acquisition unit 40. And a communication unit 42 that transmits the acquired position information or biometric information via a commercial wireless data communication network. In the configuration in which the power supply unit 30 includes the rechargeable battery 32, the charging unit 50 that charges the rechargeable battery 32 by electromagnetic induction from the outside and the connection line of the power supply unit 30 are switched according to the output voltage from the charging unit 50. And a switching unit 44. As the rechargeable battery 32, a well-known lithium ion battery that can be charged can be used.

  The power supply unit 30 has a plurality of connection units 34 connected in parallel, and the rechargeable battery 32 or the primary battery is detachably connected via the connection unit 34. The number of connecting portions 34 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that the number is 2 to 3 for children and about 4 to 7 for adults. The number of connection portions 34 is the upper limit number of connectable rechargeable batteries 32 or primary batteries. In addition, the holder 10 is basically provided with the same number of battery insertion portions 14 as the connection portions 34, and the connection portions 34 are installed outside the holder 10 via a wiring cable. Further, the connection portion 34 may be a case or a holder shape, but is particularly preferably a cap shape. And when the connection part 34 is made into a cap shape, by inserting the rechargeable battery 32 or the primary battery into the connection part 34, the positive electrode and negative electrode terminal of the battery and the positive electrode and negative electrode terminal of the connection part 34 are brought into contact with each other and become conductive. It is preferable.

  Further, in the configuration using the rechargeable battery 32, the connection wiring connected to the positive electrode of the rechargeable battery 32 is branched into two, one of which is connected to the power supply line 46a via the first diode element D1 on the rechargeable battery 32 side. On the other hand, the rechargeable battery 32 side is connected to the charging line 46b through the cathode second diode element D2. The first diode element D1 and the second diode element D2 may be provided in the cap or in the holding body 10. The power supply line 46 a is connected to the information acquisition unit 40, the communication unit 42, and a control unit (not shown) through the switching unit 44. Further, the charging line 46 b is connected to the charging unit 50 via the switching unit 44.

  The information acquisition unit 40 acquires position information or biological information. When acquiring position information, a known GPS unit that receives a signal from a GPS satellite and acquires its own position information is used. Can do. The biological information acquired and transmitted by the information transmitting apparatus 80 includes the subject's heart rate, pulse wave, body temperature, blood pressure, and the like. When the biological information is a heart rate or a pulse wave, a known optical heart rate meter or optical pulse wave measuring device can be used as the information acquisition unit 40. These optical heart rate monitors and optical pulse wave measuring devices irradiate the subject's blood vessels (arteries) with laser light of a predetermined wavelength and receive the reflected light. Since hemoglobin in blood has the property of absorbing light, the amount of light absorption increases or decreases depending on the blood flow of the artery, and the amount of reflected light changes accordingly. The optical heart rate monitor and the optical pulse wave measuring device detect the change in the amount of reflected light to acquire the heart rate and pulse wave of the subject. In particular, the optical pulse wave measuring device uses a green light emitting diode, and acquires the pulse wave of the subject by acquiring the change in the amount of reflected light in time series. The tension state of the subject and the activity of the autonomic nerve can be calculated by pulse fluctuation analysis, waveform analysis, and the like on the pulse wave data. And the data regarding this autonomic nerve can be utilized for the diagnosis and treatment with respect to mental diseases, such as depression, for example.

  When the biological information is the temperature of the subject person, a known electronic thermometer can be used as the information acquisition unit 40. As the electronic thermometer to be used, it is preferable to use a non-contact type electronic thermometer. Further, when the biological information is the blood pressure of the subject person, a known portable blood pressure monitor can be used as the information acquisition unit 40. In addition, when the information acquisition part 40 uses a laser beam etc., the information acquisition part 40 is exposed from the holding body 10, or is installed in the inner surface of the holding body 10. FIG.

  As the communication unit 42, a known communication module capable of transmitting information using a commercial wireless data communication network such as 3G, LTE (Long Term Evolution), and Wi-Fi (registered trademark) can be used.

  In the configuration including the charging unit 50, the charging unit 50 includes a flexible thin sheet-like planar coil 52, a rectifying unit 54 that rectifies AC power output from the planar coil 52, and the rectifying unit. And a charging circuit unit 56 that smoothes the output from the output unit 54 and outputs it to the power supply unit 30 side as a direct current of a predetermined voltage. The planar coil 52 of the charging unit 50 is preferably formed by forming a wiring pattern wound in a planar shape by etching or the like and sandwiching the wiring pattern with a flexible plastic film and performing a lamination process or the like. . Further, the planar coil 52 is preferably provided in a flat portion near the surface of the holding body 10 as much as possible.

  The switching unit 44 opens and closes the charging line 46b and the power supply line 46a according to a signal from the voltage detection unit 58 that detects the output voltage of the charging unit 50, and an electronic device using a known semiconductor switching element or the like. A circuit is preferable. For convenience of explanation, a manual switch graphic symbol is used in the figure.

  In addition, each part and each unit of these information transmission devices 80 are connected by a small board, a flexible board, a cable wiring, or the like, and are configured so as not to hinder the flexibility of the holding body 10.

  Next, the operation at the time of use of the information transmission device 80 according to the present invention will be described. Here, description will be made using an example in which the rechargeable battery 32 and the charging unit 50 are basically provided. First, a required number of rechargeable batteries 32 or primary batteries are connected to the connecting portion 34. For example, when the information transmission device 80 transmits the position information of the subject person, many batteries are connected to the connection unit 34 when long-term use such as mountain climbing is expected. In addition, when the subject is a child or an elderly person and is used when going out for a relatively short time, the number of batteries to be connected is reduced to reduce the weight of the device and reduce the burden on the wearer. Even when the information transmitting device 80 transmits the biological information of the subject person, the number of batteries to be connected is increased when going out for a long time, etc., at home where the user can go out for a short time, replace or charge the battery immediately. When using the battery, the number of batteries to be connected is reduced to reduce the burden on the wearer.

  Next, the information transmission device 80 is wound around the subject's body, and the fixing members 12 at both ends of the holding body 10 are engaged and fixed. At this time, each part of the information transmission device 80 does not hinder the flexibility of the holding body 10 and the planar coil 52 has flexibility, so that the holding body 10 is flexibly wound around the body of the subject. To fit. Thereby, the subject can wear the information transmission device 80 without a sense of incongruity. In addition, when the information transmission apparatus 80 transmits a subject's positional information, there is no limitation in particular in the fixed place of the information transmission apparatus 80. FIG. Further, when the information transmission device 80 transmits the biological information of the subject person, the information transmission device 80 is fixed at a specific location where the biological information can be acquired by the information acquisition unit 40 as described above.

  Note that the charging unit 50 does not function when the information transmission device 80 is in use, and the voltage detection unit 58 does not detect the output from the charging unit 50. In this use state, the switching unit 44 opens the charging line 46b between the charging unit 50 and the power supply unit 30 and holds both in a disconnected state. Further, the power supply line 46a between the power supply unit 30, the information acquisition unit 40, and the communication unit 42 is closed, and both are held in a conductive state. Thereby, the electric power from the rechargeable battery 32 is output to the power supply line 46a through the first diode element D1, and is supplied to the information acquisition unit 40, the communication unit 42, the control unit, and the like. In addition, when the rechargeable batteries 32 having different charge amounts are simply connected in parallel, charging and discharging are performed between a rechargeable battery with a large charge amount and a rechargeable battery with a small charge amount. Since the rechargeable battery 32 and the power supply line 46a are connected to each other via the first diode element D1 having the anode 32, charging / discharging between the rechargeable batteries 32 is not performed, and the rechargeable battery 32 having a high terminal voltage and a large charge amount is preferential. Is supplied with power. For this reason, there is little loss of electric power and the rechargeable battery 32 can be connected without worrying about the amount of each charge.

  As described above, when power is supplied to the information acquisition unit 40 and the communication unit 42, the information acquisition unit 40 acquires the position information or the biological information of the target person and outputs the information to the communication unit 42. For example, when the information transmission device 80 transmits position information, the information acquisition unit 40 receives a signal from a GPS satellite, acquires its own GPS position information, and outputs it to the communication unit 42. In addition, when the information transmission device 80 transmits biological information, the information acquisition unit 40 acquires the biological information of the target person and outputs it to the communication unit 42. Note that the information acquisition unit 40 may always acquire information or may perform it at predetermined time intervals. Further, it may be performed at a preset time by a timer function or the like.

  And the communication part 42 transmits the information which the information acquisition part 40 output to the server, apparatus, etc. which were preset through the commercial wireless data communication network. Note that the communication unit 42 may temporarily record the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 40 in a memory or the like, and transmit the recorded information at a predetermined time interval.

  For example, when the target person is a child or a mountain climber and the information transmission device 80 transmits the position information of the target person, the position information of the target person is obtained from the mobile terminal 24 or service of the family or guardian shown in FIG. It transmits to the server 20 of the provider. And a family and a guardian grasp the position of a subject person by access to server 20 of portable terminal 24 or a service providing organization. When the subject is a patient with dementia, the location information of the subject, such as a family member, a guardian, a caregiver's mobile terminal 24, a server 20 of a service provider, a care welfare facility to which the subject is concerned, etc. It transmits to the server 20 and the computer 22. Then, the family, the guardian, and the caregiver grasp the position of the target person by accessing the mobile terminal 24, the computer 22, the server 20, or the like. And take appropriate measures such as protection. Further, when the information transmitting device 80 transmits the subject's biometric information, the subject's biometric information is transmitted to, for example, a family member or his / her mobile terminal 24 or the computer 22, the service providing institution server 20 or the medical institution server 20. Send. Then, by recording daily fluctuations of the subject's biological information, it is used for diagnosis, treatment, and health management of the subject.

  In the conventional information transmission device, information is transmitted to the portable terminal of the target person using short-range wireless such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), and information is transmitted by a commercial wireless data communication network using the communication unit of the portable terminal. Although the information transmitting device 80 according to the present invention transmits information using the commercial wireless data communication network, the information transmitting device 80 according to the present invention directly transmits information, so that a child who does not have a portable terminal or a dementia patient, Even an elderly person or the like can transmit position information and biological information. In general, transmission of information using a commercial wireless data communication network consumes more power than short-range wireless communication. However, since the information transmission device 80 according to the present invention can connect a plurality of batteries (the rechargeable battery 32 or the primary battery), it can be used for a long time. In addition, since these batteries can be attached and detached, the weight of the apparatus can be reduced and the burden on the subject can be reduced by removing the excess batteries when the battery is used for a short time.

  Next, the operation at the time of charging of the information transmission device 80 will be described. First, when there is a rechargeable battery 32 to be charged, it is connected to the connection unit 34. Next, as shown in FIG. 4, a charging device 90 for the information transmission device 80 is prepared. The charging device 90 includes a power supply coil 92 having a size substantially the same as that of the planar coil 24 of the information transmission device 80, a charge control unit 94 for controlling the power supply coil 92, and a power supply coil with a commercial power supply set to a predetermined high-frequency voltage. And a power supply unit 96 for supplying to the power source 92. Next, the information transmission device 80 is removed from the subject and placed at the charging position of the charging device 90. Note that the charging position at this time is a position where the planar coil 24 on the information transmission device 80 side faces and closes to the power feeding coil 92.

  Next, the charging switch of the charging device 90 is turned on. As a result, the power supply unit 96 of the charging device 90 applies a commercial power supply to the feeding coil 92 at a predetermined voltage, for example, a high frequency voltage of 100 kHz. Thereby, the magnetic field according to the direction of the high frequency voltage is alternately generated from the feeding coil 92. An induced current flows down to the planar coil 24 close to the power supply coil 92 due to electromagnetic induction of the power supply coil 92. The AC induced current is rectified by the rectifying unit 54, smoothed by the charging circuit unit 56, and then output to the charging line 46b as a DC current of a predetermined voltage. At this time, the voltage detection unit 58 detects the output from the charging unit 50 and transmits a predetermined switching signal to the switching unit 44. The switching unit 44 receives the switching signal from the voltage detection unit 58, and opens the power supply line 46a between the power supply unit 30, the information acquisition unit 40, and the communication unit 42 and disconnects the connection as shown in FIG. To do. Thereby, the power supply to the information acquisition unit 40 and the communication unit 42 is stopped, and these functions are stopped. At the same time, the switching unit 44 closes the charging line 46b between the power supply unit 30 and the charging unit 50 and connects the two. Thereby, the output from the charging part 50 is output to each rechargeable battery 32 through the charge line 46b and the 2nd diode element D2, and, thereby, the rechargeable battery 32 is charged. In addition, since the rechargeable battery 32 is connected to the charging line 46b via the second diode element D2 on the cathode side of the rechargeable battery 32, charging / discharging is not performed between the rechargeable batteries 32, and the charge amount with a low terminal voltage is small. Charging is performed preferentially from the rechargeable battery 32. Thereby, the charging operation can be performed efficiently.

  As described above, in the information transmission device 80 according to the present invention, since the communication unit 42 directly transmits information using a commercial wireless data communication network, a child who does not have a mobile terminal, a dementia patient, an elderly person Etc., it is possible to transmit position information and biological information to a remote place.

  Moreover, in the structure which has the charging part 50, charge with respect to the rechargeable battery 32 can be performed non-contactingly. Further, each configuration of the information transmission device 80 according to the present invention is installed on the flexible belt-shaped holding body 10 so as not to impair the flexibility, and the planar coil 52 of the information transmission device 80 is thin and flexible. It has sex. For this reason, the information transmission device 80 has flexibility and is wound around the subject's body to fit the subject's body. Thereby, the subject can wear the information transmission device 80 without a sense of incongruity.

  Further, the information transmission device 80 according to the present invention can select the number of rechargeable batteries 32 or the number of primary batteries used on the user side. For this reason, many batteries can be connected to the connection part 34 at the time of long-time use, and battery capacity can be increased. In addition, when used in a short time, the number of batteries to be connected can be reduced to reduce the weight of the device and reduce the burden on the wearer.

  Furthermore, in the configuration using the rechargeable battery 32, the rechargeable battery 32 is connected in parallel via the first diode element D <b> 1 and the second diode element D <b> 2. There is no mutual charge / discharge. In addition, when power is supplied, power is preferentially supplied from the rechargeable battery 32 having a high terminal voltage and a large amount of charge, and charging is preferentially performed from the rechargeable battery 32 having a low terminal voltage and a low amount of charge. Thereby, the electric power supply and charge of the rechargeable battery 32 can be performed efficiently.

  The configuration, size, design, operation, and the like of each part of the information transmission device 80 shown in this example are examples, and the present invention can be modified and implemented without departing from the gist of the present invention.

30 Power supply
32 rechargeable battery
34 connections
40 Information acquisition unit
42 Communication Department
44 Switching section
46a Feeding line
46b charging line
50 live parts
52 Planar coil
80 Information transmitter
D1 First diode element
D2 Second diode element

Claims (4)

In the information transmission device used by wrapping around the subject's body,
A power supply unit for supplying power to each unit;
An information acquisition unit for acquiring position information or biological information of the subject;
And a communication unit that transmits the information acquired by the information acquisition unit via a commercial wireless data communication network. While the power supply unit has a rechargeable battery,
The information transmitting device according to claim 1, further comprising a charging unit that charges the rechargeable battery by electromagnetic induction from outside, wherein the charging unit includes a flexible planar coil. The power supply unit has a plurality of connection parts connected in parallel,
Rechargeable batteries are detachably connected to the connection parts,
A charging line connected from the charging unit to the power supply unit, a power supply line connected from the power supply unit to the communication unit, and a switching unit that opens and closes the charging line and the power supply line,
The information transmission device according to claim 2, wherein when the output from the charging unit is detected, the switching unit closes the charging line and opens the power feeding line. Each connection part branches the connection wiring with the positive electrode of the rechargeable battery into two, one is connected to the power supply line through the first diode element whose rechargeable battery side is the anode, and the other is the second diode whose rechargeable battery side is the cathode The information transmission device according to claim 3, wherein the information transmission device is connected to a charging line via an element.

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