JP6772481B2 - Oral-related pressure measurement probe - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an oral-related pressure measuring probe used for measuring oral-related pressures such as tongue pressure, sublingual muscle pressure, lip pressure, and buccal pressure, and particularly applies pressing pressure to a balloon inserted into the oral cavity. It belongs to the technical field of the structure which makes the pressure measurable by adding.

In recent years, in order to improve the QOL (Quality of Life) of the elderly, maintenance and recovery of eating and swallowing functions have been required, and it is necessary to elucidate the functions. The movement of the tongue is deeply involved in the feeding and swallowing functions, and a predetermined tongue pressure is required for the formation of the bolus and the delivery to the pharynx. Therefore, the measurement of tongue pressure and its analysis are important. In addition to tongue pressure, measurement of oral-related pressures such as infrahyoid muscle pressure, lip pressure, and cheek pressure is also important, and the subjects of these oral-related pressures are other than the elderly. People with disabilities are also eligible. As a method for measuring the oral pressure, a method using a so-called balloon probe, which makes it possible to measure the pressure by applying a pressing force to a balloon to be inserted into the oral cavity, is known (see Patent Documents 1 to 3). .. In the oral pressure measuring device disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3, when the subject presses the balloon inserted in the oral cavity with the tongue, the air pressure change in the balloon is detected in the pressure detecting unit communicating with the balloon. .. The tongue pressure can be measured by converting this change in air pressure into an electric signal.

The probe of Patent Document 2 includes a balloon, a hollow tube portion communicating with the balloon, and a sliding member arranged outside the hollow tube portion. The sliding member is intended to be sandwiched and held between teeth and lips when the probe is used, and is configured so that the position can be changed according to the insertion length of the probe into the oral cavity. As the shape of the sliding member, a plurality of types having a flat cross section are disclosed.

Further, in Patent Document 3, a flange portion protruding outward is provided at the base end portion of the balloon of the probe.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-275994 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-135728 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-237366

By the way, there is a demand to stabilize the balloon in the oral cavity as much as possible in order to improve the measurement accuracy of the oral cavity-related pressure and to facilitate the measurement of the oral cavity-related pressure. Therefore, the cross-sectional shape of the balloon of Patent Documents 1 and 3 on the base end side is made into a flat cross-sectional shape close to the cross-sectional shape of the sliding member of Patent Document 2, and the flat portion is held so as to be sandwiched between teeth and lips. Can be considered. This makes it possible to stabilize the balloon as compared with the balloon having a circular cross section at the base end side.

Here, as disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3, the balloon and the hollow tube portion connected to the balloon are configured as separate members, and it is necessary to assemble and integrate each member after molding. is there. At this time, it is assumed that a collar portion as shown in Patent Document 3 is provided on the balloon, and the balloon is assembled to the hollow tube portion so as to sandwich the collar portion in the thickness direction.

However, if the cross section of the balloon on the proximal end side is flat, a curved portion and a flat portion are formed on the peripheral wall portion on the proximal end side. When a collar portion as in Patent Document 3 is formed at the end portion of the peripheral wall portion, a curved portion and a flat portion are also formed on the flange portion. When the collar has such a shape, the problem is the pull-out strength of the balloon. That is, a pulling force may act on the balloon while the probe is in use. According to the present inventor, if a curved portion and a flat portion are formed on the collar portion of the balloon, when a pulling force acts on the balloon, there is a large difference in pullout resistance between the curved portion and the flat portion of the collar portion. I found it to come out. Specifically, the flat portion of the collar portion has a significantly lower pull-out resistance than the curved portion, and therefore the collar portion comes out from the flat portion as a starting point, which in turn reduces the pull-out resistance of the balloon. There was a problem of doing it.

The present invention has been made in view of this point, and an object of the present invention is to enable the balloon to be stabilized at the time of measuring oral-related pressure and to prevent the balloon from coming out of the hollow tube portion. It is to suppress.

In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, the cross-sectional shape of the connecting tube portion of the balloon is flattened so that it can be easily pinched by teeth or lips, and an engaging portion is provided on the collar portion formed in the connecting tube portion. The pull-out resistance of the balloon is improved by fitting the engaging portion to the member constituting the empty tube portion.

The first invention is
A balloon made of an elastic material inserted into the oral cavity of the subject to measure the oral pressure,
With a hollow tube to which the balloon is connected,
In the oral cavity-related pressure measuring probe used by connecting the hollow tube portion to an oral-related pressure measuring device having a pressure detecting unit for detecting a pressure change of a gas in the balloon.
The balloon includes a pressure receiving portion that receives a pressing force in the oral cavity and a connecting tubular portion that is connected to the hollow tube portion.
The connecting cylinder portion of the balloon has a flat cross-sectional shape, and has a flange portion protruding outward in the radial direction at the end portion of the connecting cylinder portion .
The collar portion of the balloon has an engaging portion that projects toward one side in the thickness direction of the collar portion.
The hollow tube portion has a first member and a second member that hold the engaging portion of the balloon so as to be sandwiched from one side and the other side in the thickness direction of the collar portion .
The first member is formed with a fitting recess into which the engaging portion of the balloon is fitted .
The second member is characterized in that a contact surface is formed in contact with the end surface of the connecting cylinder portion of the balloon .

According to this configuration, since the cross-sectional shape of the connecting cylinder portion of the balloon is flattened, the probe can be easily and surely held by the teeth or lips with the pressure receiving portion of the balloon inserted into the oral cavity. The balloon becomes stable when measuring oral-related pressure.

Then, the collar portion of the connecting cylinder portion of the balloon is sandwiched from both sides in the thickness direction by the first member and the second member constituting the hollow tube portion, whereby the balloon is integrated with the hollow member. At this time, since the engaging portion of the collar portion of the balloon is fitted to the first member of the hollow tube portion, the engaging portion of the balloon is disengaged from the first member when a pulling force acts on the balloon. This makes it difficult for the collar of the balloon to come out between the first member and the second member. Therefore, the pull-out resistance of the balloon is improved.

The second invention is the first invention.
The engaging portion of the balloon is continuously formed in the circumferential direction of the collar portion.

According to this configuration, the collar portion of the balloon is less likely to come out from between the first member and the second member over the entire circumference, so that the pull-out resistance of the balloon is further improved.

The third invention is the first or second invention .
The first member of the hollow tube portion has an outer tubular portion into which the end portion of the connecting tubular portion is inserted.
The second member of the hollow tube portion has an inner tubular portion that is inserted inward of the end portion of the connecting tubular portion.
The end portion of the connecting cylinder portion is elastically deformed by being pressed in the thickness direction by the outer cylinder portion and the inner cylinder portion.

According to this configuration, the end portion of the connecting cylinder portion of the balloon is pressed in the thickness direction by the outer cylinder portion of the first member of the hollow tube portion and the inner cylinder portion of the second member of the hollow tube portion. Since it is elastically deformed, the end portion of the connecting tube portion is firmly held. Since the flange portion is formed at the end of the connecting cylinder portion, the collar portion becomes difficult to move when a pulling force is applied to the balloon, and as a result, the engaging portion of the collar portion is separated from the first member. It becomes more difficult to separate.

The fourth invention is the invention of any one of the first to the third .
The contact surface extends in the radial direction of the connecting cylinder portion of the balloon.

According to this configuration, the contact surface of the second member of the hollow tube portion contacts the end surface of the connecting cylinder portion of the balloon. Since this contact surface extends in the radial direction, the collar portion can be reliably sandwiched and held between the first member and the second member, and the engaging portion of the collar portion is further separated from the first member. It becomes difficult to do.

The fifth invention is the invention of any one of the first to the fourth.
The first member is characterized in that a step portion that expands in the radial direction of the connecting cylinder portion of the balloon is formed, and the engaging portion of the balloon is fitted to the inner surface of the step portion.

According to this configuration, since the collar portion of the balloon engages with the inner surface of the step portion of the first member, the pull-out resistance of the balloon is further improved.

The sixth invention is the invention of any one of the first to the fifth.
The first member is provided with a hard cover portion formed so as to cover the connecting cylinder portion of the balloon and made of a material harder than the elastic material constituting the balloon.

According to this configuration, since the connecting cylinder portion of the balloon is covered with the hard cover portion, the deformation of the connecting cylinder portion is suppressed when the balloon is sandwiched and held by the teeth or lips.

According to the first invention, since the cross-sectional shape of the connecting cylinder portion of the balloon is flattened, the probe can be easily pinched by the teeth and lips, and the balloon can be stabilized at the time of measuring the oral pressure. Then, an engaging portion is provided on the flange portion formed in the connecting cylinder portion of the balloon so that the engaging portion is fitted to the first member constituting the hollow tube portion, so that the pull-out resistance of the balloon is improved. be able to.

According to the second invention, since the engaging portion of the balloon is continuously formed in the circumferential direction of the collar portion, the pull-out resistance of the balloon can be further improved.

According to the third invention, the end portion of the connecting cylinder portion of the balloon is elastically deformed by being pressed in the thickness direction by the outer cylinder portion of the first member of the hollow tube portion and the inner cylinder portion of the second member. Therefore, the end portion of the connecting tube portion can be firmly held, which makes it difficult for the collar portion to move when a pulling force acts on the balloon. As a result, the engaging portion of the collar portion can be made more difficult to disengage from the first member.

According to the fourth invention, when the contact surface of the second member of the hollow tube portion contacts the end surface of the connecting cylinder portion of the balloon, the contact surface extends in the radial direction, so that the collar The portion can be securely sandwiched and held between the first member and the second member. As a result, the engaging portion of the collar portion can be made more difficult to disengage from the first member.

According to the fifth invention, a step portion that expands in the radial direction of the connecting cylinder portion of the balloon is formed in the first member of the hollow tube portion, and the balloon is fitted to the inner surface of the step portion. , The pull-out resistance of the balloon can be further improved.

According to the sixth invention, since the connecting cylinder portion of the balloon can be covered by the hard cover portion, the deformation of the connecting cylinder portion can be suppressed when the balloon is sandwiched and held by the teeth or lips.

It is a top view of the probe for oral-related pressure measurement which concerns on embodiment. It is a top view of the state which the probe for the oral-related pressure measurement is connected to the oral-related pressure measuring device. It is a side view of the probe for oral-related pressure measurement. It is an exploded perspective view of the probe for measuring the pressure related to the oral cavity. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. It is sectional drawing of VII-VII in FIG. It is a figure explaining the procedure of the pull-out test of a balloon. It is a graph which compares the pulling force of the balloon of the present invention and Comparative Examples 1 and 2.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the following description of the preferred embodiment is essentially merely an example and is not intended to limit the present invention, its application or its use.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the oral cavity-related pressure measurement probe 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The oral cavity-related pressure measuring probe 1 includes a balloon 2 made of an elastic material inserted into the oral cavity of a person to be measured for measuring an oral cavity-related pressure, and a hollow tube portion 3 to which the balloon 2 is connected. The oral cavity-related pressure includes, for example, tongue pressure, infrahyoid muscle pressure, lip pressure, cheek pressure, and the like, but is not limited to these, and can be used when measuring various oral-related pressures. Tongue pressure is the force that pushes the tongue against the palate, sublingual muscle pressure is the force that pushes the tongue down, lip pressure is the force that closes the upper and lower lips, and cheek pressure is the force that pushes the cheeks into the oral cavity. It is the force that pushes inward. Further, the person to be measured may be, for example, an elderly person, a person with a disability, or the like, but may be a healthy person. The oral cavity-related pressure measuring probe 1 can also be used as a training tool for recovering oral function.

The oral cavity-related pressure measuring probe 1 is used by connecting the hollow tube portion 3 to the oral cavity-related pressure measuring device 100 (shown in FIG. 2). As the oral pressure measuring device 100, for example, the devices disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3 can be used, and specifically, the pressure detecting unit 101, the display unit 102, the power supply unit 103, and the like are accommodated. The casing 104 is provided. The pressure detection unit 101 is composed of a well-known pressure sensor or the like, and is configured so that air pressure can be obtained. The display unit 102 can be composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display panel, an LED, or the like, and can specifically display the air pressure obtained by the pressure detection unit 101 as a numerical value, or can increase the air pressure obtained by the pressure detection unit 101. It is configured so that it can be displayed in multiple stages such as medium and low. The power supply unit 103 is, for example, a battery or the like, and supplies electric power to the pressure detection unit 101 and the display unit 102. Further, the casing 104 includes a connecting tube 105 to which the hollow tube portion 3 of the oral cavity-related pressure measuring probe 1 is connected. The connection pipe 105 communicates with the pressure detection unit 101.

(Balloon configuration)
As shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 7, the balloon 2 includes a pressure receiving portion 20 that receives a pressing force in the oral cavity of the person to be measured, and a connecting tube portion 21 connected to the hollow tube portion 3. The pressure receiving portion 20 and the connecting cylinder portion 21 are integrally molded. As the elastic material constituting the balloon 2, for example, a material having airtightness and watertightness such as rubber such as natural rubber, synthetic rubber and silicone rubber, and an elastomer can be used.

The pressure receiving portion 20 is a portion to be inserted into the oral cavity of the person to be measured, and is arranged at a portion to be measured in the oral cavity. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 2, 5 and the like, the pressure receiving portion 20 has a hollow shape having a cross section close to an ellipse, and as a whole, it is in the left-right direction of FIG. 1, that is, the oral cavity of the person to be measured. It has a long shape in the direction of insertion into. Since the oral cavity-related pressure can be measured by pressing the pressure receiving portion 20 and elastically deforming it, it has shape resilience that restores the original shape when an external force is removed after pressing. .. When the pressure receiving portion 20 is pressed with the connecting cylinder portion 21 open, the hardness of the elastic material is set to a low hardness so that the pressure receiving portion 20 can be elastically deformed with an extremely small force.

As shown in FIG. 7, the connecting cylinder portion 21 is formed so as to project outward from the end portion of the pressure receiving portion 20 in the longitudinal direction (base end side in the insertion direction into the oral cavity). ing. The protruding direction of the connecting cylinder portion 21 is a direction along the longitudinal direction of the pressure receiving portion 20. The inside of the connecting cylinder portion 21 communicates with the inside of the pressure receiving portion 20. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 6, the connecting cylinder portion 21 has a flat cross-sectional shape. Specifically, the cross section of the connecting cylinder portion 21 in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction is long in the width direction of the oral cavity-related pressure measuring probe 1 (vertical direction in FIGS. 1, 2, 6, 7, etc.). The connecting cylinder portion 21 is composed of a pair of flat wall portions 21a and 21a extending in the width direction thereof and curved wall portions 21b and 21b continuous with the flat wall portions 21a and 21a. The flat wall portions 21a and 21a extend in the width direction of the oral cavity-related pressure measurement probe 1 and are substantially parallel to each other. On the other hand, the curved wall portions 21b and 21b are wall portions curved toward the outside of the connecting cylinder portion 21. Instead of the flat wall portions 21a and 21a, the wall portion may be a wall portion gently curved toward the outside of the connecting cylinder portion 21, and may have an elliptical shape or the like.

At the end of the connecting cylinder 21 of the balloon 2, a flange 23 is formed so as to project outward in the radial direction of the connecting cylinder 21 and continuously extend in the circumferential direction. The flange portion 23 has a substantially similar shape to the cross-sectional shape of the connecting cylinder portion 21 so as to correspond to the flat cross-sectional shape of the connecting cylinder portion 21. The thickness direction of the collar portion 23 is the longitudinal direction of the connecting cylinder portion 21, and in this embodiment, one side of the collar portion 23 in the thickness direction is the left side in FIGS. 5, 7, and the like, and the other side of the collar portion 23 in the thickness direction. Is defined as the right side in FIGS. 5, 7 and the like.

An engaging portion 23a is formed on the flange portion 23 of the balloon 2. That is, the engaging portion 23a projects from the surface of the collar portion 23 on one side in the thickness direction toward the one side in the thickness direction, and forms a continuous ridge over the entire circumference of the collar portion 23 in the circumferential direction. Is formed in. The engaging portion 23a is located at the outermost peripheral portion of the flange portion 23, and a gap is provided between the engaging portion 23a and the outer peripheral surface of the connecting cylinder portion 21, and this gap is engaged. A groove is formed between the joint portion 23a and the outer peripheral surface of the connecting cylinder portion 21.

(Structure of hollow tube)
As shown in FIG. 4, the hollow tube portion 3 has an outer cylinder member (first member) 30 and an inner cylinder member (second member) 40, and the outer cylinder member 30 and the inner cylinder member 40. The collar portion 23 of the balloon 2 is configured to be sandwiched from one side and the other side in the thickness direction of the collar portion 23. The outer cylinder member 30 is made of a resin material that is harder than the elastic material constituting the balloon 2, and is an integrally molded product made of the resin material. Examples of the hard resin material constituting the outer cylinder member 30 include polypropylene, polyethylene and the like. Further, the inner cylinder member 40 is also made of a resin material that is harder than the elastic material constituting the balloon 2, and is an integrally molded product made of the resin material. Examples of the hard resin material constituting the inner cylinder member 40 include polycarbonate and the like.

A flange 31 is formed at the base end of the outer cylinder member 30 with reference to the insertion direction into the oral cavity. At the tip of the outer cylinder member 30, an outer cylinder portion 32 into which the connecting cylinder portion 21 of the balloon 2 is inserted is formed. The cross-sectional shape of the outer tubular portion 32 is a flat shape as a whole extending to both ends in the longitudinal direction, similar to the cross-sectional shape of the connecting tubular portion 21 of the balloon 2. The outer tubular portion 32 has a proximal end side tubular portion 32a constituting the proximal end side thereof and a distal end side tubular portion 32b forming the distal end side. The proximal end side tubular portion 32a is formed to have a larger diameter than the distal end side tubular portion 32b. Therefore, the outer tubular portion 32 has a balloon at the boundary portion between the proximal end side tubular portion 32a and the distal end side tubular portion 32b. A stepped portion 32c that expands in the radial direction of the connecting cylinder portion 21 of 2 is formed. The tip side cylinder portion 32b is a hard cover portion formed so as to cover the connection cylinder portion 21 of the balloon 2, and the inner peripheral surface of the tip side cylinder portion 32b is on the outer peripheral surface of the connection cylinder portion 21 of the balloon 2. On the other hand, it is formed so as to be in close contact with the entire circumference. The distal end side tubular portion 32b has a predetermined rigidity or higher so as not to be crushed when the person to be measured is pinched by teeth or lips during use, which will be described later.

Although shown only in FIG. 5, the tip portion of the tip side cylinder portion 32b is located near the end portion of the connecting cylinder portion 21 of the balloon 2 on the pressure receiving portion 20 side, and most of the connecting cylinder portion 21 is the tip side cylinder. It is covered by the portion 32b. An annular convex portion 32d is formed at the tip portion of the tip side tubular portion 32b. The annular convex portion 32d projects radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the distal end side tubular portion 32b and continuously extends in the circumferential direction of the distal end side tubular portion 32b. The annular convex portion 32d is formed so that the teeth and lips of the person to be measured are caught when the oral-related pressure measuring probe 1 is used, and is a convex portion for preventing the oral-related pressure measuring probe 1 from falling off. The protruding height of the annular convex portion 32d is set low so as not to interfere with the insertion into the oral cavity.

The flange portion 23 of the connecting tubular portion 21 of the balloon 2 is inserted into the base end side tubular portion 32a. The inner peripheral surface of the base end side tubular portion 32a is formed so as to be in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the flange portion 23 over the entire circumference.

As shown in FIG. 5, a fitting recess 32e into which the engaging portion 23a of the balloon 2 is fitted is formed on the inner surface of the step portion 32c of the outer tubular portion 32. The fitting recess 32e extends in an annular shape over the entire circumference of the inner surface of the outer tubular portion 32 in the circumferential direction.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the insertion direction into the oral cavity is used as a reference, the proximal end portion of the inner tubular member 40 is connected to the proximal end side of the tubular shape connected to the connecting tube 105 of the oral cavity-related pressure measuring device 100. A portion 41 is provided. A protruding plate portion 42 that protrudes outward in the radial direction is provided on the distal end side of the inner cylinder member 40 with respect to the proximal end side connecting portion 41. At the tip of the inner cylinder member 40, an inner cylinder portion 43 to be inserted inward of the connection cylinder portion 21 of the balloon 2 is formed. As shown in FIG. 5, the length of the inner cylinder portion 43 is set shorter than the length of the tip side cylinder portion 32b of the outer cylinder portion 32, and the tip portion of the inner cylinder portion 43 is the connecting cylinder of the balloon 2. It is located near the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the portion 21. The cross-sectional shape of the inner tubular portion 43 is flat like the cross-sectional shape of the connecting tubular portion 21 of the balloon 2. The outer diameter of the inner cylinder portion 43 is set to be larger than the inner diameter of the connection cylinder portion 21 of the balloon 2, whereby the entire circumference of the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder portion 43 is set to the connection cylinder portion 21 of the balloon 2. The inner peripheral surface of the balloon is pressed outward in the radial direction over the entire circumference. Therefore, at least the end portion of the connecting cylinder portion 21 is elastically deformed by being pressed by the outer cylinder portion 32 and the inner cylinder portion 43 in the thickness direction.

On the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder member 40, a contact surface 44 that comes into contact with the end surface of the connecting cylinder portion 21 of the balloon 2 is formed. The contact surface 44 is formed over the entire circumference of the inner cylinder member 40 in the circumferential direction, and extends in the radial direction of the connecting cylinder portion 21 of the balloon 2.

A large diameter portion 45 having a diameter larger than that of the inner cylinder portion 43 is provided on the base end side of the inner cylinder member 40 with respect to the contact surface 44. The large diameter portion 45 is inserted into the proximal end side tubular portion 32a of the outer cylinder member 30 and fixed in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the proximal end side tubular portion 32a.

(Assembly procedure of probe for oral pressure measurement)
When assembling the oral cavity-related pressure measuring probe 1 configured as described above, first, the connecting cylinder portion 21 of the balloon 2 is inserted into the outer cylinder portion 32 of the outer cylinder member 30. At this time, the connecting cylinder portion 21 of the balloon 2 may be elastically deformed and pushed into the outer cylinder portion 32 of the outer cylinder member 30. Then, the flange portion 23 of the balloon 2 is inserted into the proximal end side tubular portion 32a of the outer tubular portion 32 of the outer cylinder member 30, and the engaging portion 23a of the balloon 2 is fitted into the fitting recess 32e of the outer cylinder member 30. The engaging portion 23a and the fitting recess 32e are engaged with each other.

After that, the inner cylinder member 40 is inserted into the outer cylinder member 30, the large diameter portion 45 of the inner cylinder member 40 is inserted into the base end side cylinder portion 32a of the outer cylinder member 30, and the inner cylinder portion 43 is inserted into the balloon 2. It is inserted into the connection cylinder portion 21 of. As a result, the range from the end of the connecting cylinder 21 of the balloon 2 to the vicinity of the central portion in the longitudinal direction is elastically deformed by being pressed by the outer cylinder 32 and the inner cylinder 43 in the thickness direction, and is elastically deformed as compared with other parts. It is thinned and sufficient sealing properties can be obtained.

When the inner cylinder member 40 is completely inserted into the outer cylinder member 30, the contact surface 44 of the inner cylinder member 40 comes into contact with the end surface of the connecting cylinder portion 21 of the balloon 2. Therefore, the collar portion 23 of the balloon 2 is held in a state of being sandwiched by the outer cylinder member 30 and the inner cylinder member 40 from one side and the other side in the thickness direction.

(Action and effect of the embodiment)
When using the oral-related pressure measuring probe 1 obtained as described above, after connecting the oral-related pressure measuring probe 1 to the oral-related pressure measuring device 100, the balloon of the oral-related pressure measuring probe 1 is used. 2 is inserted into the oral cavity of the subject. At this time, the posture of the oral-related pressure measuring probe 1 is set so that the width direction of the oral-related pressure measuring probe 1 coincides with the left-right direction of the measurer. The pressure receiving portion 20 is inserted until the teeth and lips of the person to be measured are at positions corresponding to the connecting cylinder portion 21 of the balloon 2. Then, the portion corresponding to the connection tube portion 21 of the oral cavity-related pressure measurement probe 1 between the teeth and lips of the person to be measured, that is, the tip side tube portion 32b is held so as to be sandwiched in the vertical direction. At this time, since the cross-sectional shape of the connecting tubular portion 21 of the probe 1 and the cross-sectional shape of the distal end side tubular portion 32b are flat and the upper and lower surfaces of the distal end side tubular portion 32b are substantially flat, it is easy to be pinched by teeth or lips. It is possible to stabilize the balloon 2 at the time of measuring the oral-related pressure.

In addition, when a pull-out test of the balloon 2 was performed on the probe 1 for measuring oral pressure, it was demonstrated that the pull-out resistance of the balloon 2 was at a sufficiently high level. The procedure for pulling out the balloon 2 will be described with reference to FIG. A tensile tester 200 and a support jig 201 are prepared for the pull-out test of the balloon 2. As the tensile tester 200, a well-known one can be used, which has at least a load cell 202 and a chuck 203, and a tensile load can be obtained in real time by the load cell 202. In addition, the maximum tensile load can be stored. The chuck 203 is configured so that the balloon 2 can be gripped. Further, the support jig 201 is configured so that the hollow tube portion 3 of the oral cavity-related pressure measurement probe 1 can be fixed in a posture extending in the vertical direction.

Then, with the support jig 201 fixed, the chuck 203 is moved upward as indicated by the white arrow, and a pulling load is applied to the balloon 2 in the pulling direction, so that the balloon 2 is broken or the hollow tube is broken. Obtain the maximum tensile load immediately before coming out of the portion 3.

FIG. 9 is a graph showing the maximum tensile load of the present invention and Comparative Examples 1 and 2. The present invention is an oral cavity-related pressure measuring probe 1 configured as in the above embodiment. On the other hand, Comparative Example 1 is a case where the connecting cylinder portion of the balloon has a circular cross section and the engaging portion 23a and the fitting recess 32e are omitted from the configuration of the above embodiment, and Comparative Example 2 is the above. This is a case of a structure in which the engaging portion 23a and the fitting recess 32e are omitted from the configuration of the embodiment. As is clear from FIG. 9, in the present invention, the tensile load is significantly improved as compared with Comparative Examples 1 and 2. That is, the pull-out resistance of the balloon 2 is improved.

That is, the engaging portion 23a is provided on the flange portion 23 formed in the connecting cylinder portion 21 of the balloon 2, and the engaging portion 23a is fitted into the fitting recess 32e of the outer cylinder member 30 constituting the hollow tube portion 3. Therefore, the pull-out resistance of the balloon 3 can be improved.

Further, since the engaging portion 23a of the balloon 2 is continuously formed in the circumferential direction of the collar portion 23, the pull-out resistance of the balloon 2 can be further improved.

Further, since the end portion of the connecting cylinder portion 21 of the balloon 2 is elastically deformed by being pressed by the outer cylinder portion 32 and the inner cylinder portion 43 in the thickness direction, the end portion of the connecting cylinder portion 21 is firmly held. Can be done. As a result, the collar portion 23 becomes difficult to move when the pulling force acts on the balloon 2, so that the engaging portion 23a of the collar portion 23 can be made more difficult to disengage from the fitting recess 32e.

Further, when the contact surface 44 of the inner cylinder member 40 of the hollow tube portion 3 contacts the end surface of the connection cylinder portion 21 of the balloon 2, the contact surface 44 extends in the radial direction, so that the collar The portion 23 can be securely sandwiched and held between the outer cylinder member 30 and the inner cylinder member 40. As a result, the engaging portion 23a of the flange portion 23 can be made more difficult to disengage from the fitting recess 32e.

The above embodiments are merely exemplary in all respects and should not be construed in a limited way. Furthermore, all modifications and modifications that fall within the equivalent scope of the claims are within the scope of the present invention.

As described above, the oral cavity-related pressure measuring probe according to the present invention can be used for measuring oral-related pressures such as tongue pressure, sublingual muscle pressure, lip pressure, and cheek pressure.

1 Oral-related pressure measurement probe 2 Balloon 3 Hollow tube part 20 Pressure receiving part 21 Connection tube part 23 Collar part 23e Engagement part 30 Outer tube member (first member)
32 Outer cylinder 32b Tip side cylinder (hard cover)
32c Step 40 Inner cylinder member (second member)
43 Inner cylinder 44 Contact surface

Claims (6)

A balloon made of an elastic material inserted into the oral cavity of the subject to measure the oral pressure,
With a hollow tube to which the balloon is connected,
In the oral cavity-related pressure measuring probe used by connecting the hollow tube portion to an oral-related pressure measuring device having a pressure detecting unit for detecting a pressure change of a gas in the balloon.
The balloon includes a pressure receiving portion that receives a pressing force in the oral cavity and a connecting tube portion that is connected to the hollow tube portion.
The connecting cylinder portion of the balloon has a flat cross-sectional shape, and has a flange portion protruding outward in the radial direction at the end portion of the connecting cylinder portion .
The collar portion of the balloon has an engaging portion that projects toward one side in the thickness direction of the collar portion.
The hollow tube portion has a first member and a second member that hold the engaging portion of the balloon so as to be sandwiched from one side and the other side in the thickness direction of the collar portion .
The first member is formed with a fitting recess into which the engaging portion of the balloon is fitted .
A probe for measuring oral pressure related to the oral cavity , wherein the second member is formed with an abutting surface that abuts on the end surface of the connecting cylinder portion of the balloon . In the probe for measuring oral pressure related to claim 1,
An oral-related pressure measuring probe, wherein the engaging portion of the balloon is continuously formed in the circumferential direction of the collar portion. In the oral-related pressure measuring probe according to claim 1 or 2 .
The first member of the hollow tube portion has an outer tubular portion into which the end portion of the connecting tubular portion is inserted.
The second member of the hollow tube portion has an inner tubular portion that is inserted inward of the end portion of the connecting tubular portion.
An oral cavity-related pressure measuring probe characterized in that the end portion of the connecting cylinder portion is elastically deformed by being pressed by the outer cylinder portion and the inner cylinder portion in the thickness direction. In the oral cavity-related pressure measuring probe according to any one of claims 1 to 3 .
A probe for measuring an oral cavity-related pressure, wherein the contact surface extends in the radial direction of the connecting cylinder portion of the balloon. In the oral cavity-related pressure measuring probe according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The first member is formed with a step portion that expands in the radial direction of the connecting cylinder portion of the balloon, and the engaging portion of the balloon is fitted to the inner surface of the step portion. Probe for pressure measurement. In the oral cavity-related pressure measuring probe according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
The oral cavity-related member is provided with a hard cover portion formed so as to cover the connecting cylinder portion of the balloon and made of a material harder than the elastic material constituting the balloon. Probe for pressure measurement.

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