JP5941304B2 - Biological information measuring device - Google Patents

Description

  Aspects of the present invention generally relate to a biological information measuring device, and more specifically, to a biological information measuring device that measures urination volume, residual urine volume, and the like.

  For example, urination volume, residual urine volume, bladder capacity, intravesical pressure, and the like are used as diagnostic parameters for determining the pathology of the lower urinary tract. As a device for measuring them, for example, there is a device for measuring the amount of urination and the urinary flow rate by urinating into a container having a funnel-shaped opening or a bowl of a Western-style toilet. In addition, for example, there are devices that measure the amount of residual urine, bladder capacity, and the like using reflected waves when ultrasonic waves are transmitted toward the bladder (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  In the management of the lower urinary tract, it is necessary to collectively determine the test results of the diagnostic parameters as described above. Therefore, it is desirable that the measurement of the amount of urination and the measurement of the amount of urine in the bladder immediately after the end of urination (residual urine amount) be performed as a series of measurements. However, tests such as urination volume and residual urine volume are performed separately. That is, work summarization or load is required in summarizing the inspection results of the diagnostic parameters. For example, there is a case where the amount of urine is measured in a toilet and the amount of residual urine is measured in another laboratory after a while. Therefore, it may be difficult to estimate the residual urine amount immediately after the end of urination from the measurement result of the residual urine amount. Thus, the management of the lower urinary tract is a specialized field in the urology department.

  In addition, the urination state is easily affected by changes in the mental state. Therefore, if the measurement of the urine flow rate and the measurement of the residual urine amount are performed in a specially prepared laboratory, the measurement result may be affected. Furthermore, when the state of the bladder, which is an internal organ, is observed from outside the body with ultrasound or the like, the observation results are likely to differ depending on the relative positional relationship between the measuring element of the measuring device and the bladder. Therefore, consideration must be given to the method of fixing the measuring element of the measuring device.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-171149 Japanese Patent No. 4767615

  The present invention has been made on the basis of recognition of such problems, and can more accurately determine the presence and state of diseases of the lower urinary tract related to urination, or to realize care prevention and preventive medicine related to urination. It is an object of the present invention to provide a biological information measuring device capable of performing the above.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, when a subject urinates to a Western-style toilet, the change in the level of water stored in the Western-style toilet is measured so that the amount of urine excreted by the subject can be measured over time. A volume measuring means, an intravesical urine volume measuring means capable of radiating ultrasonic waves toward the subject's bladder , and measuring a urine volume inside the bladder according to a reflection state of the ultrasonic waves, and a urination volume measuring means Calculating means for generating correlation data synchronized with time based on the measurement result and the measurement result of the intravesical urine volume measuring means and including information on changes in the bladder contraction over time; a BIOLOGICAL information measuring apparatus provided with the bladder urine volume measuring means includes a fixed auxiliary member for holding the posture of the subject in a predetermined posture for measurement when measuring the urine volume of the interior of said bladder, said Send and receive the ultrasound to the bladder And a positioning member that fixes the body of the subject as viewed from the Western-style toilet and positions the ultrasound transmission / reception member at a predetermined part of the body of the subject. It is a measuring device .

According to this biological information measuring apparatus, it is possible to more accurately grasp the contraction state in the bladder accompanying urination based on the measurement result of the urination volume measurement means and the measurement result of the urinary bladder volume measurement means. That is, it is possible to more easily grasp the change over time of urination of bladder contraction as one of the main organs of the lower urinary tract. Therefore, it is possible to more accurately determine whether or not there is a disease in the lower urinary tract related to urination. Moreover, the measurement of the amount of urination and the measurement of the amount of urine in the bladder can be performed in the environment of the toilet room. Therefore, after-measurement urination processing, cleaning of the apparatus and the like are simplified. Furthermore, the subject can easily attach the ultrasonic transmission / reception member to a predetermined position by himself / herself, and can maintain the correct posture when measuring the urine volume in the bladder without special consideration. Therefore, even if the subject himself / herself measures biometric information in an environment in a toilet room where privacy is ensured, a highly reliable measurement value can be obtained.

Further, the second invention is a method for measuring the amount of urine excreted by the subject at the time of urination by the subject, and a urination amount measuring means capable of measuring the amount of urine excreted by the subject over time, and remaining inside the subject's bladder after the subject urinates. A bladder urine volume measuring means capable of measuring a residual urine volume; an integrated value of the urine volume of the subject by the urine volume measuring means; and the residual urine volume measured by the bladder urine volume measuring means. In addition, the urinary bladder volume before urination of the subject is calculated, and the correlation data synchronized with time based on the urinary bladder volume before urination and the measurement result of the urine volume measuring means. A biological information measuring apparatus comprising: a calculation means for creating correlation data including information on changes in bladder contraction over time .

According to this biological information measuring device , accurate correlation data can be obtained with a relatively simple configuration by creating correlation data based on the urinary bladder volume before urination and the measurement result of the urination volume measuring means. Can do. Based on this correlation data, the contracted state in the bladder accompanying urination can be grasped more accurately. That is, it is possible to more easily grasp the change over time of urination of bladder contraction as one of the main organs of the lower urinary tract. Therefore, it is possible to more accurately determine whether or not there is a disease in the lower urinary tract related to urination.

In addition, in a third aspect based on the second aspect, the urination amount measuring means measures a change in the water level of the stored water in a Western-style toilet to obtain the urine volume, and the urinary bladder volume measuring means includes the The biological information measuring apparatus is characterized in that an ultrasonic wave is emitted toward the bladder, and a urine volume inside the bladder is obtained based on a reflection state of the ultrasonic wave .

According to this biological information measuring device, the measurement of the amount of urination and the measurement of the amount of urine in the bladder can be performed in the environment of the toilet room. Therefore, after-measurement urination processing, cleaning of the apparatus and the like are simplified.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, the correlation data represents a change with time of urine volume inside the bladder at least during excretion. Information measuring device.

  According to this biological information measuring apparatus, it is possible to grasp the change over time of bladder contraction accompanying the progress of urination. Therefore, diagnosis can be performed more easily.

  According to the aspect of the present invention, there is provided a biological information measuring device that can more accurately determine the presence or state of a disease in the lower urinary tract related to urination, or can realize care prevention or preventive medicine related to urination. The

It is a typical top view showing the biological information measuring device concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a block diagram showing the principal part structure of the biological information measuring device concerning this embodiment. It is a flowchart figure which illustrates an example of the measurement procedure of the diagnostic parameter in the biological information measuring device concerning this embodiment. It is a typical perspective view showing the state where the test subject sat down on the toilet seat. It is a typical perspective view showing the fixing auxiliary member of this embodiment. It is a typical perspective view which illustrates an example of operation in which a subject attaches a positioning member. It is a graph which illustrates an example of the correlation data which the control part of this embodiment created. It is a graph which illustrates another example of the correlation data which the control part of this embodiment created. It is typical sectional drawing which illustrates the example of the urination amount measuring means of this embodiment. It is a block diagram which illustrates the specific example of the urinary bladder volume measuring means of this embodiment. It is the graph which illustrates the relationship between ultrasonic data and a urine storage state, and typical sectional drawing.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, in each drawing, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same component and detailed description is abbreviate | omitted suitably.
FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a biological information measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Moreover, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the principal part structure of the biological information measuring device concerning this embodiment.
FIG. 1 also shows a state in which the urination volume measuring means 110, the intravesical urine volume measuring means 120, and the calculation means 130 are electrically connected.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the biological information measuring apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment includes a urine output measuring unit 110, an intravesical urine volume measuring unit 120, and a calculating unit 130. The urination volume measuring means 110 and the intravesical urine volume measuring means 120 are provided in the toilet room. The urination volume measuring means 110 measures the urine volume (urination volume) urinated by the subject 300 and the urination volume per unit time (urine flow rate) over time. The intravesical urine volume measuring means 120 measures the urine volume (residual urine volume) in the bladder of the subject 300 using ultrasound. The intravesical urine volume measuring means 120 may measure the residual urine volume over time. Specific examples of the urine volume measuring means 110 and the intravesical urine volume measuring means 120 will be described in detail later.

  A toilet apparatus 200 is installed in the toilet room in which the urine volume measuring means 110 and the intravesical urine volume measuring means 120 are provided. The toilet apparatus 200 includes a Western-style toilet bowl 210, a toilet seat 220, a lining 230, and a backrest 240. As shown in FIG. 2, the Western-style toilet bowl 210 includes a stored water 211 and a urine flow rate measuring device 213. The stored water 211 is formed at the bottom of the bowl 212 (see FIG. 5) of the Western-style toilet 210. The urine flow rate measuring device 213 measures a change in the water level of the stored water 211 accompanying the urination of the subject 300, and calculates a urine volume and a urine flow rate using a calibration relationship between the water level of the stored water 211 and the water amount stored in advance. To do. The backrest 240 is provided on the lining 230.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, the Western-style toilet 210 is a part of the biological information measuring device 100 and is included in the urine volume measuring means 110. That is, the urine volume measuring means 110 has a Western-style toilet 210. The urine output measuring unit 110 includes a communication unit 117 and can transmit a measurement result or the like to the calculation unit 130 via, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network).

  The intravesical urine volume measuring means 120 includes an ultrasonic transmission device 121. The ultrasonic transmission device 121 includes a probe (ultrasonic transmission / reception member) 122 (see FIG. 1) and a urine volume calculation device 123. The probe 122 can transmit and receive ultrasonic waves to and from the bladder of the subject 300. The intravesical urine volume measuring means 120 estimates the bladder shape using an ultrasonic echo transmitted (radiated) by the probe 122, and measures the urine volume in the bladder using the urine volume calculation device 123. The intravesical urine volume measuring unit 120 includes a communication unit 125, and can transmit a measurement result or the like to the calculation unit 130 via a LAN, for example.

  The computing unit 130 includes a control unit (processing unit) 131 and a display unit 133. The control unit 131 is correlation data synchronized with time based on the measurement result of the urine volume measurement unit 110 and the measurement result of the intravesical urine volume measurement unit 120, and changes with time in the bladder contraction of the subject 300. Create correlation data that includes the information. The correlation data created by the control unit 131 is displayed on the display unit 133.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a diagnostic parameter measurement procedure in the biological information measuring apparatus according to this embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a state where the subject is seated on the toilet seat.
FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing the fixing auxiliary member of the present embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an example of an operation in which the subject attaches the positioning member.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the subject 300 first sits on the toilet seat 220 and measures the urine output measuring means 110 when measuring diagnostic parameters such as urination volume, urine flow rate, and residual urine volume. A starting operation is performed (step S101). Subsequently, the subject 300 urinates in the bowl 212 of the Western-style toilet 210 in a state of sitting on the toilet seat 220 (sitting position) (step S103). Then, the urination amount and the urinary flow rate of the subject 300 are measured by the urine volume measurement means 110 (step S103). Subsequently, the subject 300 performs an end operation of the urine output measuring means 110 (step S105).

  Subsequently, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the subject 300 installs the fixation assisting member 127 on the back of the toilet seat 220 (Step S <b> 107). Note that the fixing auxiliary member 127 may be fixed in advance to the back of the toilet seat 220. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the fixation assisting member 127 has a substantially triangular cross-sectional shape when viewed in the longitudinal direction or the left-right direction of the installed state, and sets or holds the posture of the subject 300 as the measurement posture. . “Measurement posture” refers to the posture of the subject 300 when the urine volume in the bladder is measured by the urinary bladder volume measuring means 120 in the sitting position, and as described later, refers to a backward tilt posture. As the fixing auxiliary member 127, for example, a cushion having a cushioning material therein can be cited.

  In the sitting position, the purpose of using the fixing auxiliary member 127 is to raise the waist of the subject 300 so that the pubic bone of the pelvis does not cover the bladder by lifting the waist of the subject 300, and the ultrasound emitted by the probe 122 is used. Is to properly irradiate the bladder. Therefore, the fixing auxiliary member 127 only needs to hold the posture of the subject 300 in a backward tilting posture so that the pubic bone does not hide the bladder. Therefore, the cross-sectional shape of the fixation assisting member 127 is not limited to a substantially triangular shape, and may be a substantially elliptical shape such as a blood sampling pillow used during blood collection.

  Here, in the present specification, the front is “front” when viewed from the user sitting on the toilet seat 220, and the rear is “rear” when viewed from the user sitting on the toilet seat 220. Further, the right side is referred to as “right side” and the left side is referred to as “left side” as viewed from the user standing in front of the Western-style toilet 210.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 6, the subject 300 takes a rearward leaning posture in which the upper body is bent backward, puts his / her waist on the fixing auxiliary member 127, and his / her back rests on the backrest 240. To hit. Subsequently, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the subject 300 attaches the positioning member 129 around the vicinity of his / her pubic portion while keeping the backward tilted posture (step S <b> 109).

  Examples of the positioning member 129 include a belt. One end of the positioning member 129 is fixed to the lining 230, for example. The other end of the positioning member 129 is provided with a pair of engaging portions 129a and 129b and a pair of holes 129c and 129d. The positioning member 129 of the present embodiment is provided with two pairs of engaging portions 129a and 129b, but the number of installed pairs of engaging portions 129a and 129b is not particularly limited. .

  As indicated by arrows A1 to A3 illustrated in FIG. 6, the subject 300 engages the pair of engaging portions 129a and 129b while aligning the positions of the pair of holes 129c and 129d. As a result, the body of the subject 300 is substantially fixed to the Western-style toilet 210. Examples of the pair of engaging portions 129a and 129b include a pair of magic tapes (registered trademark). At this time, the subject 300 attaches the positioning member 129 so that the holes 129c and 129d are located near the bladder near the pubic bone.

  Subsequently, the subject 300 attaches the probe 122 to the vicinity of the bladder near his / her pubic bone through the holes 129c and 129d of the positioning member 129 (step S111). Thereby, the probe 122 is fixed at a predetermined position near the bladder near the pubic bone. That is, the holes 129 c and 129 d have a function of positioning the probe 122 at a predetermined part of the body of the subject 300. Since the positioning member 129 has elasticity, the probe 122 can be positioned at the correct position even if there is a difference in the waist of the subject 300.

  Subsequently, the subject 300 measures the urine volume in the urinary bladder by the urinary bladder urine volume measuring means 120 while keeping the backward leaning posture (step S113). Then, the subject 300 ends the measurement of the diagnostic parameter (Step S115).

  According to the present embodiment, the subject 300 measures the urine volume and the urinary flow rate by the urine volume measuring unit 110 and then performs the urine volume measurement immediately after the end of the urination as a series of measurements. Can do. This makes it possible to more accurately grasp the amount of residual urine in the bladder in what kind of urination state in a series of actions related to urination. Further, based on the measurement result of the urination volume measuring unit 110 and the measurement result of the intravesical urine volume measurement unit 120, the contracted state in the bladder accompanying urination can be grasped more accurately. That is, it is possible to more easily grasp the change over time of urination of bladder contraction as one of the main organs of the lower urinary tract. Therefore, it is possible to more accurately determine whether or not there is a disease in the lower urinary tract related to urination.

  Moreover, the measurement of the amount of urination and the urine flow rate and the measurement of the urine volume in the bladder can be performed in the environment of the toilet room. Therefore, after-measurement urination processing, cleaning of the apparatus and the like are simplified.

  In addition, the subject 300 can easily attach the probe 122 to a predetermined position by himself / herself and maintain a correct predetermined posture (backward tilt posture) when measuring the amount of urine in the bladder without particular consideration. Can do. Therefore, even if the subject 300 measures biological information in an environment in a toilet room where privacy is ensured, a highly reliable measurement value can be obtained.

  Further, in an environment where privacy is ensured and the subject 300 can feel secure, the subject 300 himself can measure and evaluate the amount of urination, urine flow rate, and residual urine in his / her life. Therefore, care prevention and preventive medicine concerning urination can be realized. Furthermore, it is possible to collect and manage urination information of users at home, care facilities (for example, care houses, elderly-only rental housings) and hospitals.

  In addition, the control unit 131 can create correlation data representing a change with time of the urine volume in the bladder at least during urination. In this case, it is possible to grasp the change over time in bladder contraction accompanying the progress of the urination action. Therefore, diagnosis can be performed more easily.

FIG. 7 is a graph illustrating an example of correlation data created by the control unit of the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a graph illustrating another example of correlation data created by the control unit of the present embodiment.
Note that the horizontal axis of the graphs shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 represents time (seconds). The vertical axis on the left side of the graph shown in FIG. 7 represents the urine volume in the bladder (milliliter: mL). The vertical axis on the right side of the graph shown in FIG. 7 represents the urinary flow rate (milliliter / second: mL / second). The units for volume reduction rate, bladder radius, and bladder contraction rate are arbitrary units. All indexes in the graph shown in FIG. 7 are graphed with the same timing over time. The graph shown in FIG. 8 is the same as the graph shown in FIG. 7 in that the horizontal axis representing time is aligned to have the same timing over time, but each measurement item is drawn individually. ing. Specifically, the vertical axis in FIG. 8A represents the urinary flow rate (mL / second). The vertical axis | shaft of FIG.8 (b) represents the urine volume (mL) in a urinary bladder. The vertical axis | shaft of FIG.8 (c) represents the volume reduction rate (percent:%). The vertical axis | shaft of FIG.8 (d) represents the bladder radius (millimeter: mm). The vertical axis | shaft of FIG.8 (e) represents the bladder contraction speed (millimeter / second: mm / second).

  As described above with reference to FIG. 3, first, the urine flow rate is measured by the urine output measuring means 110. Subsequently, the urine volume in the bladder is measured by the urinary bladder volume measuring means 120. Then, the urine volume in the bladder is reversed based on the urine flow rate q (mL / second) measured by the urine volume measuring means 110 and the residual urine volume R1 measured by the bladder urine volume measuring means 120. Accumulate and calculate the amount of urine collected in the bladder before urination.

That is, based on the urine flow rate q (mL / second) measured by the urine volume measuring means 110 and the residual urine volume R1 measured by the bladder urine volume measuring means 120, the urine volume in the bladder at time t. R (t) (mL) is calculated by Equation (1) and Equation (2). In the formula (1), “R0” represents the amount of urine in the bladder before urination.

The volume reduction rate η (t) is a ratio of the bladder urine volume R (t) at time t to the bladder urine volume R0 before urination, and is calculated by the equation (3).

Further, the radius r (t) of the bladder at time t is calculated by Expression (4) assuming that the shape of the bladder is a sphere.

The bladder contraction speed v (t) is an amount of change in the radius r (t) of the bladder at time t, and is calculated by Expression (5).

Next, a specific example of the urine volume measuring means 110 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a specific example of the urine output measuring means of this embodiment.
FIG. 9A is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the state of the urine volume measuring means 110 before urination. FIG. 9B is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the state of the urine volume measuring means 110 during or immediately after urination. FIG. 9C is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the state of the urine volume measuring means 110 after toilet flushing.

  The urine flow rate measuring device 213 of the urine volume measuring means 110 of this specific example includes a water conduit 111, a water level sensor (pressure sensor) 113, and a storage tank 115. One end of the water conduit 111 is connected to the bottom of the bowl 212 of the Western-style toilet 210. The other end of the water conduit 111 is connected to the storage tank 115 via the water level sensor 113. The water guide pipe 111 can guide the stored water 211 in the bowl 212 to the storage tank 115 via the water level sensor 113, while the water in the storage tank 115 passes through the water level sensor 113 to the bowl 212 of the Western-style toilet 210. Can lead to.

  The water level of the stored water 211 is equivalent to the water level in the storage tank 115. Further, as shown in FIG. 9A, the water level of the stored water 211 is appropriately set at a position lower than the overflow water level. Here, in the present specification, the “overflow water level” refers to a water level when water overflows from the trap and is discharged to the drain pipe. In the present specification, the “reserved water level (reserved water level)” refers to the water level of the stored water 211 in the bowl 212 of the Western-style toilet 210. In addition, the urinary flow rate measuring device 213 according to this specific example learns and stores the water level and the amount of water when the biological information measuring device 100 according to the present embodiment is installed.

As shown in FIG. 9B, when the subject 300 urinates in the bowl 212 of the Western-style toilet 210, the water level of the stored water 211 and the water level in the storage tank 115 rise. At this time, the water level of the stored water 211 is appropriately set so as not to reach the overflow water level even when the subject 300 urinates in consideration of the assumed urination amount.
The water level sensor 113 detects a water level change in the storage tank 115 accompanying the urination of the subject 300. Then, the urine flow rate measuring device 213 of this specific example calculates the amount of urination and the urine flow rate using the calibration relationship between the water level and the water amount of the stored water 211 stored in advance based on the detection result of the water level sensor 113. To do.

  Subsequently, as illustrated in FIG. 9C, when the subject 300 performs toilet cleaning, the inside of the urine flow rate measuring device 213 is appropriately cleaned. And the water level of the stored water 211 is appropriately set to a position lower than the overflow water level as described above.

  In this way, the subject 300 can measure the amount of urination and the urinary flow rate by urinating into the bowl 212 of the Western-style toilet 210.

Next, a specific example of the intravesical urine volume measuring means 120 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a specific example of the intravesical urine volume measuring means of the present embodiment.
FIG. 11 is a graph and a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the relationship between the ultrasound data and the urine accumulation state.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the urine volume calculation device 123 of the intravesical urine volume measuring means 120 of this specific example includes an ultrasonic transducer vibration circuit 123a, a timing generation circuit 123b, a low noise amplifier 123c, and a variable amplifier. 123d, an AD conversion circuit 123e, and a waveform memory 123f.

  In the intravesical urine volume measuring means 120 of this specific example, the probe 122 incorporates a plurality of ultrasonic transducers and is mounted at a position optimal for the shape of the bladder 306. The probe 122 transmits the ultrasonic wave 122a from the body surface of the lower abdomen 302 of the subject 300 in a direction not blocked by the pubic bone 303 and in an appropriate direction including the upper end of the bladder 306 when the bladder 306 is contracted to the maximum expansion as much as possible. An ultrasonic echo that is transmitted and reflected by an organ or the like is detected. The ultrasonic wave 122a radiated from the probe 122 is controlled by an ultrasonic vibrator vibration circuit 123a including a pulse generation circuit for exciting the ultrasonic vibrator. The ultrasonic transducer vibration circuit 123a is controlled by a timing generation circuit 123b that performs time division management of transmission / reception of a plurality of ultrasonic waves and synchronizes with a waveform recording circuit or the like.

  The signal from the ultrasonic transducer transmitted through the probe 122 is very small and is not harmful to the human body. For this reason, the reflected echo signal is relatively small and requires a large amplification. Therefore, the reflected echo signal is amplified using the low-noise amplifier 123c and then sent to the variable amplifier 123d at the subsequent stage. Then, automatic gain control is performed by the arithmetic means 130 so that the amplitude of the back wall echo from the low noise amplifier 123c does not saturate and becomes an appropriate value for evaluation. The amplified signal from the variable amplifier 123d is converted from an ultrasonic echo as an analog signal into a digital signal by the AD conversion circuit 123e. The AD converted ultrasonic waveform is stored and recorded in a waveform memory 123f as a high-speed memory.

  As urine accumulation in the bladder 306 progresses, the bladder 306 expands while pushing surrounding organs. The contracted bladder 306 itself has a structure that is relatively easy to stretch. Therefore, the internal pressure of the bladder 306 increases slightly gently. On the other hand, when the bladder 306 is expanded to the original size, the muscle layer forming the bladder 306 is stretched. When the muscle layer forming the bladder 306 extends more than a predetermined length, it becomes a great resistance to the expansion of the bladder 306. When the bladder 306 increases to a predetermined volume, the human feels great urine due to bladder wall tension.

  Further, when the bladder wall is tensioned in this way, the knowledge that the energy of the ultrasonic wave 122a transmitted through the bladder wall is reduced and the echo from the back organ 310 is reduced has been obtained by various experiments. The experimental results are as shown in FIG.

  That is, as illustrated in FIGS. 11E to 11H, first, the probe 122 that transmits and receives the ultrasonic wave 122 a is disposed on the pubic bone 303 in the lower abdomen 302 of the subject 300. The probe 122 transmits an ultrasonic wave 122a toward the bladder 306 and receives a reflected echo. As shown in FIG. 11E, when the urine is stored in the bladder 306 relatively little and the bladder 306 exists substantially behind the pubic bone 303 when viewed from the probe 122, the ultrasonic wave 122a from the probe 122 is present. Hardly hits the bladder 306 and is scattered and absorbed before reaching the back organ 310 such as the rectum located behind the portion where the bladder 306 exists. At this time, as shown in FIG. 11A, there are almost no reflected echoes other than the echoes reflected by other biological tissues such as the abdominal muscles in the vicinity of the probe 122.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 11 (f), when urine accumulation in the bladder 306 progresses and the ultrasonic wave 122a from the probe 122 penetrates the bladder 306, as shown in FIG. 11 (b), the bladder A relatively weak reflected echo is dispersed and observed in the rear wall region 307 (see FIG. 10). At this time, a relatively large amount of reflected echo is generated on the inner side 308 and the outer side 309 of the bladder rear wall region 307. Further, as shown in FIG. 11B, the reflected echo on the external side 309 is larger than the reflected echo on the internal side 308.

  After that, as shown in FIG. 11G, when the urine accumulation in the bladder 306 further proceeds, the bladder 306 expands and becomes almost a predetermined size. Then, the intravesical pressure gradually increases. As shown in FIG. 11C, the reflected echo at this time is relatively large on the inner side 308 in the bladder rear wall region 307. The reflected echo on the inner side 308 is larger than the reflected echo on the outer side 309.

  Thereafter, as illustrated in FIG. 11H, when the urine accumulation in the bladder 306 further progresses, the bladder 306 further stretches the muscles forming the bladder 306 and becomes more strained. Then, the pressure inside the bladder 306 increases. As shown in FIG. 11D, the reflected echo at this time almost occurs on the inner side 308 of the posterior bladder wall region 307. In addition, the ultrasonic wave 122a transmitted rearward is reduced. Further, the reflected echo from the external side 309 is blocked.

  In this way, the subject 300 measures the urine volume in the bladder by the urinary bladder volume measuring means 120 in the tilted posture by fixing the probe 122 at a predetermined position near the bladder 306 near the pubic bone 303. be able to.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to these descriptions. As long as the features of the present invention are provided, those skilled in the art appropriately modified the design of the above-described embodiments are also included in the scope of the present invention. For example, the shape, size, material, arrangement, etc. of each element included in the urine volume measuring means 110 and the intravesical urine volume measuring means 120 and the installation form of the fixing auxiliary member 127 and the positioning member 129 are limited to those illustrated. It can be changed as appropriate.

Further, in the present embodiment, the case where the measurement posture when measuring the urine volume in the bladder by the bladder urine volume measuring means 120 is described as an example in the sitting position and the backward tilting posture. The measurement posture of the measurement by the urine volume measuring unit 120 may be a posture in which the bladder to be observed is not in the projection area of the pubic bone. Therefore, the measurement posture of measurement by the urinary bladder urine volume measuring means 120 may be not only a sitting position but also a posture in a state of standing from the toilet seat 220 (standing position).
Moreover, each element with which each embodiment mentioned above is provided can be combined as long as technically possible, and the combination of these is also included in the scope of the present invention as long as it includes the features of the present invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Biological information measuring device, 110 Urination volume measurement means, 111 Condensation pipe, 113 Water level sensor, 115 Reservoir tank, 117 Communication means, 120 Intravesical urine volume measurement means, 121 Ultrasonic transmitter, 122 Probe, 122a Ultrasound, 123 Urine volume calculation device, 123a ultrasonic transducer vibration circuit, 123b timing generation circuit, 123c low noise amplifier, 123d variable amplifier, 123e conversion circuit, 123f waveform memory, 125 communication means, 127 fixing auxiliary member, 129 positioning member, 129a, 129b Engagement part, 129c, 129d hole, 130 calculation means, 131 control part, 133 display part, 200 toilet device, 210 Western-style toilet, 211 reservoir, 212 bowl, 213 urine flow rate measuring device, 220 toilet seat, 230 line Ning, 240 backrest, 300 subjects, 302 lower abdomen, 303 pubic bone, 306 bladder, 307 posterior bladder wall region, 308 inner side, 309 outer side, 310 back organ

Claims (4)

A urine volume measuring means capable of measuring a urinary volume of urine excreted by the subject over time by measuring a change in the water level of the water stored in the western style toilet when the urine is urinated by the subject;
Intravesical urine volume measuring means capable of radiating ultrasonic waves toward the bladder of the subject and measuring the urine volume inside the bladder by the reflected state of the ultrasonic waves ,
Based on the measurement result of the urine volume measuring means and the measurement result of the intravesical urine volume measuring means, the correlation data synchronized with time and including the information of the change over time of the bladder contraction is created Computing means for
A BIOLOGICAL information measuring apparatus provided with,
The intravesical urine volume measuring means comprises:
A fixing auxiliary member that holds the posture of the subject in a predetermined measurement posture when measuring the urine volume inside the bladder;
An ultrasound transmitting / receiving member that transmits and receives the ultrasound to and from the bladder;
A positioning member that fixes the body of the subject as seen from the Western-style toilet and positions the ultrasonic transmission / reception member at a predetermined part of the body of the subject;
A biological information measuring device comprising: Urine volume measuring means capable of measuring the urinary volume of urine excreted by the subject at the time of urination by the subject;
And measurable intravesical urine measuring means residual urine volume remaining in the interior of the subject bladder after voiding of the subject,
The cumulative value of the subject's urine output by the urine output measuring means and the residual urine volume measured by the bladder urine volume measuring means are added to calculate the bladder urine volume before urination of the subject. Then, based on the urine volume in the bladder before urination and the measurement result of the urine volume measuring means , the correlation data synchronized with time and including the information on the change in the bladder contraction over time is created. Computing means for
A biological information measuring device comprising: The urine volume measuring means measures the water level change of the stored water of a Western-style toilet and determines the urine volume,
3. The biological information measuring apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the intravesical urine volume measuring means radiates an ultrasonic wave toward the bladder and obtains a urine volume inside the bladder based on a reflection state of the ultrasonic wave. .   The living body information measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the correlation data represents a change with time of urine volume in the bladder at least during excretion.