JP2001061815A - Apnea detector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To let an apnea detector make judgement on the start or stop of detection of a subject by itself. SOLUTION: This apnea detector bas a pressure measuring means 322 for detecting a subject's body movement including the respiration and outputting detection signals, a respiration judging means 312 for judging the respiration condition of the subject based on the detection signals outputted from the pressure measuring means 322 and a subject judging means 313 for judging the existence of the subject. Since the apnea detector has the subject judging means 313, the device can make judgement on the start or stop of detection of a subject by itself based on the detection signals generated from the body movement different from the normal respiration.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apnea detecting apparatus which detects an apnea state of a subject by body movement such as respiration and notifies the apnea state by an alarm or the like.

[0002]

BACKGROUND ART In recent years, sudden death syndrome (hereinafter abbreviated as SIDS) is the number one cause of neonatal death in Western countries. In Japan, as the lifestyle approaches European and US, SIDS is increasing. I have. Based on the current situation, there is a need for an apnea detection device that can easily monitor the respiration of a newborn baby for 24 hours in a hospital or home and can also know the state of non-breathing, that is, the state of apnea. Is growing.

Meanwhile, a conventional apnea detecting apparatus includes a device in which a detecting unit for capturing a body movement such as breathing is brought into direct contact with the body (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 6-63031), and a detecting unit for detecting a body movement such as a mattress or futon. (Japanese Patent Application Hei 10-28535)
No. 0). In both cases, detection start and stop of apnea are performed by turning on and off a power switch on a monitor provided in the apnea detection device.

[0004]

However, the above-mentioned apnea detecting apparatus which starts and ends the operation by turning on and off the power switch has the following problems. (1) After power on, buzzer sounds, LED lights,
The start of detection can be recognized by displaying a message on the LCD or the like. However, these functions are activated only when the power is turned on, and there is a problem that the detection cannot be performed if the power is forgotten. (2) At the end of detection, if the subject leaves the detection mat without turning off the power, there is a problem that malfunction may occur, such as erroneously recognizing that the patient is in an apnea state and sounding a warning buzzer. (3) When a plurality of apnea detecting devices are managed by one person at a hospital or the like, there is a risk that the power ON / OFF operation may be forgotten. For this reason, there is a demand for the development of an apnea detection device that can automatically determine the presence or absence of a subject in order to prevent a problem caused by forgetting to turn on or turn off the power.

[0005] It is an object of the present invention to provide an apnea detecting apparatus which can determine whether to start detection of a subject and to stop detection of the subject by itself.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is to achieve the above object by providing a subject apnea detecting apparatus with subject determining means for determining the presence or absence of a subject.

[0007] Specifically, the invention according to claim 1 is a detecting means for detecting a body motion including respiration of a subject and outputting a detection signal, and detecting the subject based on the detection signal generated from the detecting means. Breathing determination means for determining the state of breathing of
An apnea detecting apparatus, comprising: a subject determining unit configured to determine the presence or absence of the subject based on the detection signal.

Here, as the apnea detecting device, for example, a pressure-sensitive pipe which deforms due to the respiration of the subject and causes a volume change is provided inside a detection mat on which the subject is placed, and this is connected to a pressure sensor, and the pressure-sensitive pipe is connected. There is a type in which a detection signal generated from a pressure sensor in accordance with a change in the volume of a pipe is processed by respiration determination means and subject determination means. As the detection means in the present invention, for example, there is a means for detecting a body motion including respiration of a subject by a pressure sensor, a load sensor, or the like. Further, each of the determination means for respiration and the subject can be configured as a program developed on a CPU for arithmetically processing a detection signal from the detection means.

According to the present invention, since the subject determination means is provided in the apnea detecting device, the start of the subject detection and the stop of the subject detection are caused by body movements different from normal respiration. The determination is made based on the detection signal. Therefore, the start of detection of the subject and the stop of the detection of the subject can be determined by the apnea detection device itself.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the apnea detecting apparatus according to the first aspect, when the subject determining means determines that the subject is gone during the determination by the breathing determining means, An apnea detecting apparatus characterized by comprising a detection stopping means for stopping detection.

In the present invention, the detection stopping means includes:
Specifically, there are the following. That is, when a newborn or the like as a subject is lifted up from the detection mat, pressure fluctuations specific to the pressure-sensitive pipe in the detection mat, for example, a sudden decrease in pressure occur, and a detection signal is generated accordingly. By this means, after the subject determination means determines that the subject is no longer in the detection state, and further, when the respiration determination means determines that the detection signal accompanying respiration has not been generated, the detection stop means operates to stop detection. There is.
The term “discontinuation of detection” in the present invention means both termination by completely turning off the power of the apnea detection device itself and termination of only detection in which each determination unit is operated without completely turning off the power. Including concepts. The same applies to the invention described below regarding the suspension of the detection.

According to the present invention, when it is determined by the subject determining means that the detection state of the subject has been released, the detection stopping means operates to stop the detection by the detecting means. Thereby, as a result of the detection being continued even after the detection state of the subject is released, a problem such as a warning buzzer sounding as being erroneously recognized as an apnea state is solved.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the apnea detecting apparatus according to the first or second aspect, when the subject determining means determines that there is a subject, the detecting means starts the detection. An apnea detection device comprising detection start means.

In the present invention, the detection starting means includes:
Specifically, there are the following. That is, when a newborn or the like as a subject is placed on the detection mat, a pressure change specific to the pressure-sensitive pipe in the detection mat, for example,
An abrupt increase in pressure occurs, and a corresponding detection signal is generated. Thereby, when the subject determination means determines that the subject has entered the detection state, and then the respiration determination means determines that a detection signal associated with respiration is generated, the detection start means operates to start detection. . Note that the detection start means in the present invention refers to a means for starting detection from a state where at least the respiration detection means and the subject determination means are operated without completely turning off the power of the apnea detection device. The start of the detection is the same for the inventions according to claims 4 and 5.

According to the present invention, when the subject determining means determines that the subject is in the detection state, the detection starting means operates and the detection by the detecting means is started. Therefore, after the subject turns into the detection state after forgetting to turn on the power of the apnea detection device, the problem that the apnea state is missed without detection being started is solved.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the apnea detecting apparatus according to the third aspect, the detection is stopped when the detection signal does not change for a predetermined time after the detection by the detection start means is started. An apnea detection device comprising a malfunction prevention means. According to the invention,
Prevention of malfunction when the detection start means operates erroneously due to some external cause other than the subject being detected by the apnea detection device, for example, a third person hands on the detection mat, etc. Means work to stop detection. Thus, it is possible to eliminate a problem such as an alarm buzzer sounding by erroneously recognizing an apnea state despite the absence of a subject.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the apnea detecting apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the detection stop means and the detection start means are enabled or disabled. An apnea detection apparatus characterized by comprising a means selection switch for selecting the apnea. According to the present invention, since the means selection switch is provided in the apnea detecting apparatus, the validity or invalidity of the detection stopping means and the detection starting means can be selected. Accordingly, if the detection stopping means is invalidated, even if the subject deviates from the detection state at any time, the detection stopping means can prevent the detection stopping means. Further, if the detection start means is invalidated, it is possible to prevent the detection start means from being activated due to an external factor when the apnea detection apparatus is carried, and to prevent the detection from being started.

[0018]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the apnea detecting device 1 includes a detection mat 1 formed in a substantially flat rectangular parallelepiped shape.
0 and a monitor 20 that measures pressure fluctuations generated inside the detection mat 10 to detect an apnea state and warn the user of the apnea, are connected by a connecting pipe 40.

The structure of the detection mat 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 2 which is a vertical sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 which is a horizontal sectional view taken along the line III-III of FIG. A pressure-sensitive pipe 13 that generates pressure fluctuation in synchronization with body movements including respiration of the subject is disposed at the upper center in the longitudinal direction of the lower plate 11 formed of hard plastic or the like.
Spacers 14 for preventing the pressure-sensitive pipe 13 from being excessively crushed are attached to both sides of the lower plate 11 in the longitudinal direction. These pressure-sensitive pipe 13 and spacer 1
An upper plate 12 is placed on the upper portion of the detection mat 4, and all of these components are covered with a protective cover 15 made of a soft plastic to form a detection mat 10.

Here, the pressure-sensitive pipe 13 is formed by cutting a tube made of an elastically deformable material, for example, a silicone resin tube into a predetermined length, and one end thereof is sealed with a sealing plug 131. The other end is connected to a connection finger 132 that also serves as a noise reduction diaphragm that adjusts the amount of pressure fluctuation due to factors other than body movement. The upper plate 12 is formed of a member that can be elastically deformed by respiration of the subject, for example, a foam made of vinyl chloride. At the time of detection, a mattress or the like may be appropriately placed on the detection mat 10 for use.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the monitor 20 has a pressure sensor 21 for detecting a pressure change of the pressure-sensitive pipe 13 therein.
Circuit 30 for processing an electric signal from the apparatus, an alarm buzzer 24 for notifying an apnea condition to the outside, and an LED 3
6, an alarm control unit 321 for controlling ON / OFF of the alarm buzzer 24 and the LED 36, and a battery 23 for supplying power to these units.

The structure of the pressure sensor 21 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 6. The pressure sensor 21 is connected to the connecting pipe 40 and has a small volume in the space so as not to lower the detection sensitivity. This is a differential pressure sensor having a pressure inlet 213, a pressure receiving chamber 211 that receives pressure from the inside of the connection pipe 40, and a back pressure chamber 212 adjacent above the pressure receiving chamber 211 via a pressure sensor circuit unit 216. The pressure sensor circuit section 216 partitions the pressure receiving chamber 211 and the back pressure chamber 212, and has a base 216A having an electronic circuit (not shown).
And a pressure sensor chip 216 disposed at the center of the base 216A and detecting a pressure change of the pressure-sensitive pipe 13.
B.

The pressure sensor chip 216B includes, for example, a diaphragm that deforms in response to pressure fluctuations. The deformation of the diaphragm is taken out as a distortion amount or a capacitance, and converted into an electric signal by an electronic circuit so that the pressure can be measured. Has been. Further, the pressure receiving chamber 211 is formed with a pressure receiving chamber atmosphere open throttle 215 which is a through hole communicating with the atmosphere.
The pressure receiving chamber air opening restriction 215 has a role of preventing the pressure receiving chamber 211 from being closed. That is, the air in the pressure receiving chamber 211 expands or compresses due to an external factor whose pressure response is slower than the respiration, such as a change in the atmospheric pressure or the ambient temperature, or a change in the body temperature of the newborn baby, and the internal pressure of the pressure receiving chamber 211 gradually increases. And has a role to prevent that it becomes impossible to detect minute pressure fluctuation due to breathing.

The back pressure chamber 212 is also formed with a back pressure chamber atmosphere open throttle 214 which is a through hole having the same shape as the pressure receiving chamber atmosphere open throttle 215. This back pressure chamber air release throttle 21
4, when the back pressure chamber 212 is opened to the atmospheric pressure, the back pressure chamber 212 is directly changed due to an atmospheric change such as opening / closing of a door of a room where the apnea detecting device 1 is installed or air-conditioning wind. Due to the influence, the detection of respiration is not performed normally, so that it is formed to prevent this.

The apnea detecting apparatus 1 configured as described above operates as follows. That is, the detection mat 1
The upper plate 12 bends due to body movement caused by the breathing of the subject's newborn baby, which is placed on the top. As a result, the volume of the pressure-sensitive pipe 13 changes, and the pressure fluctuates accordingly. This pressure fluctuation is detected by the pressure sensor 21 provided in the monitor 20 and connected to the pressure-sensitive pipe 13 by the connection pipe 40. The captured changes are processed in the electric circuit 30,
When it is determined that the patient is in the apnea state, the alarm buzzer 24 sounds and a warning is issued.

Next, the configuration of the electric circuit 30 provided in the monitor 20 will be described with reference to FIG. The electric circuit 30 is configured around a CPU 31, and around the CPU 31,
A power supply circuit 32 for supplying power from the battery 23 to the CPU 31, the pressure sensor 21, and the A / D converter 35;
N, OFF, a detection switch 33, a means selection switch 34 for selecting the validity / invalidity of a detection stop means 314 and a detection start means 315 described later, and converts an analog electric signal from the pressure sensor 21 into a digital electric signal. A
A / D converter 35 and an LED 36 are provided.

The CPU 31 has a pressure sensor 21 therein.
And a control unit 311 that receives an electric signal from the controller and controls each unit described below based on the electric signal.
The arithmetic processing is performed upon receiving the signal from 1 and respiration determination means 312, subject determination is performed as means for determining the respiration of the subject, determining the presence or absence of the subject, stopping automatic detection, starting automatic detection, and preventing malfunction. Means 313, detection suspending means 31
4. A part for performing various automatic controls is provided with the detection start means 315 and the malfunction prevention means 316.

The CPU 31 further includes an A / D converter 35
A timer 317 for transmitting a measurement signal at a predetermined time T1 which can be arbitrarily set in advance, a RAM 318 having a plurality of counters for incrementing at each time T1, a reference value for apnea determination ROM 319 in which the time judgment value and the level judgment value as well as the zero point of the pressure sensor 21 are registered, power operation means 320 for supplying power only during measurement in order to reduce battery power consumption, alarm buzzer 24 and LED 36 ON, OF
An alarm control unit 321 for performing F control is also provided.

Here, the A / D converter 35 receives the measurement timing signal from the timer 317 for a predetermined time T.
For each one, a measured value indicating the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 21 is converted into a digital electric signal as a detection signal and transmitted to the control unit 311. The pressure sensor 21, the A / D converter 35, and the timer 317 constitute a pressure measurement unit 322 as a detection unit that measures the pressure in the pressure-sensitive pipe 13 at predetermined time intervals T1. . In such a pressure measuring means 322, a change in the digital electric signal sent to the control unit 311 during the detection of the subject's respiration is, as shown in FIG. It is detected as a pulse signal and swings regularly in both directions around the zero point of the pressure sensor 21. Also, RAM 318
Is determined based on a plurality of counters provided in the ROM and a time determination value registered in the ROM 319.

In this embodiment, level reference values 1 to 8 and time determination values 1 to 8 are read in advance in the ROM 319 as reference values for performing each control described later, and correspond to the time determination values 1 to 8. The RAM 318 is provided with counters 1 to 8. The level determination value 1 is used to determine the pressure associated with breathing in a normal detection state.
This is a reference value (see FIG. 8). Level determination value 2 is
This is a reference value when determining the positive pressure generated when the newborn baby as the subject is placed on the detection mat 10 (see FIG. 9). The level determination value 3 is a reference value when determining the negative pressure generated when the newborn baby, who is the subject, is lifted from the detection mat 10 (see FIG. 10). The level judgment values 4 to 9 are values that are used as references when judging a zero return gradient that returns to a zero point from a negative pressure state caused by holding a newborn baby as a subject (see FIG. 10).

The time judgment value 1 is a preset time for issuing an alarm after a lapse of a predetermined time from the time of apnea in the normal detection state, and is set to 20 seconds in this embodiment. (See FIG. 8). The time judgment value 2 is
In order to determine the length of the longest positive pressure state among the positive pressures described above, the preset time is 3 seconds in this embodiment (see FIG. 9). The time determination value 3 is a value set in advance in order to determine the time required to reach the lowest pressure among the above-described negative pressures. In the present embodiment, the time determination value 3 is set to 0.3 second from the time of passing the zero point. (See FIG. 10). The time determination value 4 is a time that is set in advance in order to determine the time during which the lowest pressure state among the negative pressures lasts,
In the present embodiment, it is 3 seconds (see FIG. 10).

The time judgment value 5 is calculated from the time judgment values 5-1 to 5
-3, which are preset times for determining the time required to return from the negative pressure state to the zero point. In the present embodiment, the time determination value 5-1 is 1 second, The time determination value 5-2 is 2 seconds, and the time determination value 5-3 is 3 seconds (see FIG. 10). The time determination value 6 is a time set in advance for maintaining a detection standby state described later, and is set to one minute in the present embodiment (see FIG. 10). The time determination value 7 is a time for presetting the time for detection after the detection standby, and is set to 10 seconds in the present embodiment (FIG. 10).
reference). The time determination value 8 is a time that is set in advance to determine the time during which the apnea state is maintained after the start of automatic detection described later, and is 30 seconds in the present embodiment.

The counters 1 to 5 and 8 provided in the RAM 318 correspond to the above-mentioned time judgment values 1 to 5 and 8, respectively, and have a predetermined time T1 (10 in this embodiment).
0 ms). The counters 6 and 7 are set so as to be appropriately incremented when determining the time determination values 6 and 7, respectively.

The method for detecting whether or not the apnea is performed by the CPU 31 in the electric circuit 30 configured as described above will be described with reference to flowcharts shown in FIGS. 11 to 13 and FIGS. 8 to 10. This will be described in detail using a graph of pressure fluctuation. The following series of operations are performed for a predetermined time T.
It is executed every 1 (100 msec).

First, a normal detection method will be described. (1) When the detection switch 33 is turned on (process S1),
The following (2) to (4) shown in processing S2 to processing S6
(Hereinafter referred to as the operation of the section A) occur. (2) The powers of the pressure sensor 21 and the A / D converter 35 are turned on (process S2), and the pressure is measured by the pressure sensor 21 (process S3). (3) After the power of the pressure sensor 21 and the A / D converter 35 is turned off (process S4), the counters 1 to 5 and 8 are incremented (process S5), and the process proceeds to process S6. (4) The difference between the registered zero point value in the ROM 319 and the measured value is calculated by the breath determination means 312 to calculate a breath level value (process S6), and the process proceeds to process S7.

(5) In the process S7, it is determined whether any of the detection stop conditions 1 to 3 is set so that the detection stop by the detection stop means 314 described later is executed with a plurality of steps of control. (6) If it is determined that any of the detection stop conditions 1 to 3 has been set, the process shifts to and enters FIG. 13 to be described later. (7) On the other hand, if it is determined that none of the detection stop conditions 1 to 3 has been set, the process proceeds to step S8. (8) In the process S8, it is determined whether or not the respiration level value calculated in the process S6 is equal to or less than a zero point. If the respiratory level value is larger than the zero point, it is determined that a normal detection state is present.
, And resets the counter 3 to zero, and then enters the process S10. On the other hand, if it is determined that the value is equal to or less than the zero point, the process directly proceeds to step S10.

(9) In step S10, the respiratory level value calculated in step S6 is compared with the level determination value 3 shown in FIG. (10) If the level determination value is 3 or less, the subject determination means 313 determines that there is a possibility that the newborn baby, which is the subject, has been lifted from the detection mat 10, and the process proceeds to step S 11, where the counter 3 sets the value in FIG. It is determined whether it is less than the indicated time judgment value 3 (for example, 0.3 seconds), and if it is not more than the time judgment value 3, it is judged that there is a high possibility that the newborn baby has been held up from the detection mat 10 and the The stop condition 1 is set (process S12), the counter 4 is reset to zero (process S13), and the process proceeds to process S14. On the other hand, if the time determination value is larger than 3, the subject determination means 313 determines that the pressure is a temporary negative pressure, and enters the process S14.

(11) In step S14, it is determined whether or not the absolute value of the respiration level value is equal to or greater than the level determination value 1 shown in FIG. (12) When the respiratory level value is equal to or greater than the level determination value 1, the respiratory determination means 312 determines that the respiratory state of the newborn baby as the subject is detected, resets the counter 1 to zero (process S15), and performs the process. A series of processes from S2 to S14 is repeated. (13) If the respiration level value is less than the level determination value 1, the respiration determination means 312 determines that a signal corresponding to the respiration of a newborn baby as a subject has not been detected, and the process proceeds to step S16.

(14) In the process S16, the counter 1
Is determined to be equal to the time determination value 1 (for example, 20 seconds) shown in FIG. (15) If the time determination value is less than 1, it is determined that the respiration determination means 312 cannot be detected temporarily due to a body motion other than respiration, and the processes S2 to S14 are repeated. (16) On the other hand, when it becomes equal to the time judgment value 1,
Since the apnea state continues for the time determination value 1, the process enters step S17 to determine whether or not the detection device malfunctions. (17) In the processing S17, the detection start means 3 described later
15 is used to determine whether the detection has been started. (18) When the detection is not started by the detection start means 314, the operator intentionally turns on the detection switch 33 and it is not considered that a malfunction has occurred. , And immediately outputs a signal to the alarm control unit 321. The alarm control unit 321 causes the alarm buzzer 24 and the LED 36 to output an alarm signal (step S18).

(19) On the other hand, if the detection is started by the detection start means 314, it is possible that the detection has started even though there is no newborn baby as the subject due to a malfunction, so the process proceeds to step S19. (20) In the process S19, it is determined whether or not the counter 8 is equal to or longer than a time determination value 8 (for example, 30 seconds). (21) If the time determination value is less than 8, it is determined that a malfunction has occurred, and the malfunction prevention means 316 stops the detection and returns to the state before the detection switch 33 was turned on. (22) On the other hand, if the time determination value is 8 or more, the respiratory determination means 312 determines that the newborn baby, which is the subject existing on the detection mat 10, is not in apnea state, not a malfunction. Immediately outputs a signal to the alarm control unit 321. The alarm control unit 321 outputs the alarm buzzer 24 and the LED3.
Then, an alarm signal is output from 6 (process S18).

The above operations (18) to (21) are performed by external factors other than placing the newborn on the detection mat 10, for example, a third party other than the newborn touches the detection mat 10, or the surrounding sudden air Subject change means 313 due to fluctuations and the like
Misidentified that the newborn was placed on the detection mat 10,
A malfunction when the detection is started by the detection start means 314 is prevented by the malfunction prevention means 316.

Next, a detection start method by the detection start means 315 will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG.
The specific pressure fluctuation that occurs in the pressure-sensitive pipe 13 when a newborn baby as a subject is placed on the detection mat 10 is shown. This pressure fluctuation is caused by the pressure of the newborn baby placed on the detection mat 10, the pressure-sensitive pipe 13 is crushed, and the internal pressure of the pressure-sensitive pipe 13 suddenly becomes positive, and then gradually becomes zero at the zero point of the pressure sensor 21. It is caused by going to a certain atmospheric pressure. Hereinafter, the detection start method using the detection start means 315 described in detail with reference to FIG. 12 is performed by capturing the characteristic pressure fluctuation shown in FIG.

(23) If the detection switch 33 is not turned on in the processing S1 of FIG.
Then, after performing a series of operations of the part A shown in FIG. 11 (process S20), the process proceeds to process S21. (24) In process S21, it is determined whether or not the respiration level value calculated by the respiration determination means 312 is equal to or greater than the level determination value 2 shown in FIG. (25) If the respiratory level value is less than the level determination value 2, the subject determination means 313 determines that the pressure increase has not reached the level when the newborn baby as the subject is placed, Judge that it is not listed in
The counter 2 is reset to zero (step S22), and the process returns to step S1 shown in FIG. (26) On the other hand, when the respiratory level value is equal to or greater than the level determination value 2, the pressure fluctuation has reached the level when the newborn baby as the subject is placed, and the
It is determined that there is a possibility that the counter 2 is placed on 0, the counter 2 is incremented (process S23), and the process proceeds to process S24. (27) In the process S24, it is determined whether or not the counter 2 has become equal to the time determination value 2 (for example, 3 seconds) shown in FIG.

(28) When the value of the counter 2 becomes equal to the time judgment value 2, the pressure increase has been maintained for a certain period of time, and the subject judging means 313 sets the newborn baby as the subject on the detection mat 10. And proceeds to FIG. 1
The process proceeds to the normal detection shown in FIG. (29) When the value of the counter 2 is less than the time determination value 2, the subject determining means 313 determines that there is no newborn baby as the subject because there is only a temporary pressure fluctuation, and proceeds to FIG. The process returns to the indicated process S1.

Next, a method of stopping detection by the detection stopping means 314 will be described with reference to FIGS. 10, 13 to 15.
FIG. 10 shows a specific pressure fluctuation that occurs in the pressure-sensitive pipe 13 when a newborn baby, who is a subject, is lifted from the detection mat 10. This pressure fluctuation occurs because the pressure-sensitive pipe 13 that has been crushed by the load of the newborn baby tends to swell to its original shape because the newborn baby is raised.
After the internal pressure of the pressure-sensitive pipe 13 suddenly becomes a negative pressure, the pressure gradually rises to the atmospheric pressure which is the zero point of the pressure sensor 21. Hereinafter, a method of stopping detection using the detection stopping means 314, which will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 13 to 15, captures the characteristic pressure fluctuation described above.

(30) If it is determined in the processing S7 of FIG. 11 that any of the detection suspension conditions 1 to 3 for causing the detection suspension means 314 to perform the detection suspension is set, the processing proceeds to the processing S25 of FIG. First, detection stop condition 1
Is set. (31) When it is determined that the detection stop condition 1 is not set, the process proceeds to step S33 shown in FIG. (32) On the other hand, when it is determined that the detection stop condition 1 is set, the process proceeds to step S26.

(33) In step S26, it is determined whether or not the respiration level value calculated by the respiration determination means 312 is equal to or less than the level determination value 3 (for example, -230 pulses) shown in FIG. (34) When the respiratory level value is greater than the level determination value 3, the subject determination means 313 determines that the detected negative pressure has not reached the level generated by the newborn being held up, and that the newborn is on the detection mat 10. Then, the detection stop condition 1 is reset (step S27), and the routine shifts to the normal detection in FIG. (35) On the other hand, when the respiratory level value is equal to or less than the level determination value 3, the subject determining means 313 determines that there is a possibility that the newborn baby has been lifted from the detection mat 10, and the process proceeds to step S28.

(36) In the process S28, the counter 4
Is determined to be equal to the time determination value 4 (for example, 3 seconds) shown in FIG. (37) If the counter 4 is less than the time determination value 4, the subject determining means 313 determines that the large negative pressure generated in the detection mat 10 is due to body movement such as turning over, It is determined that the user is at the top, and the process proceeds to the normal detection in FIG. (38) On the other hand, if the counter 4 is equal to the time judgment value 4, the subject judging means 313 judges that a large negative pressure continues for a certain period of time, and it is highly likely that the newborn is held up. After resetting the stop condition 1, the process proceeds to step S30, the detection stop condition 2 is set, and the process proceeds to step S31. (39) The respiration level value at the time judgment value 4 is stored in the RAM 3
After saving the data in DATA1 on the line 18 (process S31), the counter 5 is reset to zero (process S32), and
The process enters the process S33 of FIG.

(40) In the process S33, it is determined whether or not the detection stop condition 2 is set. (41) If it is determined that the detection stop condition 2 has not been set, the process proceeds to and proceeds to the normal detection in FIG. (42) On the other hand, when it is determined that the detection stop condition 2 is set, the process proceeds to step S34. (43) In process S34, it is determined whether or not the counter 5 has become equal to the time determination value 5-1 (for example, 1 second) shown in FIG. (44) On the other hand, if it is equal to the time determination value 5-1, the process S
Proceed to 35.

(45) In step S35, the respiratory level value in the time determination value 5-1 is used to calculate D in step S31.
The value obtained by subtracting the respiratory level value saved in ATA1 (Fig. 1
It is determined whether or not the change in the number of pulses in one second (ba) is equal to or more than the level determination value 4 (for example, 100 pulses) and equal to or less than the level determination value 5 (for example, 180 pulses). Thus, it is determined whether or not the pressure during the time determination value 5-1 corresponds to a pressure change when the newborn is held up. (46) If the change in the number of pulses in one second does not fall within the above range, the subject determining means 313 determines that the gradient returning to the zero point is different from that caused by holding the newborn baby, and stops detection. Reset condition 2 (processing S
36), the process proceeds to normal detection shown in FIG. (47) On the other hand, if the change in the number of pulses in one second falls within the above range, the subject determining means 313 determines that the gradient returning to the zero point is highly likely to have been caused by the newborn being lifted up, After saving the respiration level value at the time determination value 5-1 in DATA1 on the RAM 318 (process S37), the process proceeds to process S38.

(48) If the time is not equal to the time determination value 5-1, the process S35 and the process S37 are omitted, and the process proceeds to the process S38. (49) In the process S38, it is determined whether or not the difference between the current respiratory level value and the respiratory level value before the time T1 (for example, 100 ms) is equal to or larger than -6 (pulse). (50) When the difference is less than -6 (pulse), the subject determining means 313 determines that the gradient returning to the zero point is different from that caused by the newborn being raised, and resets the detection discontinuation condition 2. Thereafter (processing S36), the process proceeds to FIG.
The process proceeds to the normal detection shown in. (51) If the difference is equal to or more than -6 (pulse), the subject determining unit 313 determines that the gradient returning to the zero point is highly likely to have been caused by holding the newborn baby, and the process proceeds to step S39. .

(52) In the processing 39, the counter 5
Is determined to be equal to the time determination value 5-2 shown in FIG. (53) If it is equal to the time determination value 5-2, the process proceeds to step S40. (54) In process S40, the difference between the respiration level value at the time determination value 5-2 and the respiration level value saved in DATA1 in process S37 (cb in FIG. 10), that is, the change in the number of pulses per second Is not less than the level determination value 6 (for example, 30 pulses) and not more than the level determination value 7 (for example, 80 pulses). Thus, it is determined whether or not the pressure during the time determination value 5-2 corresponds to a pressure change when the newborn is held. (55) When the change in the number of pulses in one second does not fall within the above range, the subject determining means 313 determines that the gradient returning to the zero point is different from that caused by holding the newborn baby, and stops detection. Reset condition 2 (processing S
36), the process proceeds to normal detection shown in FIG. (56) When the change in the number of pulses in one second is within the above range, the subject determining means 313 determines that the gradient returning to the zero point is highly likely to have been caused by holding the newborn baby, and the time determination is performed. The respiration level value at the value 5-2 is R
After saving to DATA1 on AM318 (process S4
1), the process proceeds to step S42. (57) If not equal to the time determination value 5-2, the process S40 and the process S41 are omitted, and the process proceeds to the process S42.

(58) In the process 42, the counter 5
Is equal to the time determination value 5-3 shown in FIG. (59) If it is not equal to the time determination value 5-3, the process proceeds to the normal detection shown in FIG. (60) If it is equal to the time determination value 5-3, the process proceeds to step S43. (61) In process S43, the difference between the respiration level value at the time determination value 5-3 and the respiration level value saved in DATA1 in process S41 (dc in FIG. 10), that is, the change in the number of pulses per second Is greater than or equal to level determination value 8 (for example, 0 pulse) and level determination value 9 (for example,
(40 pulses) or less. (62) If the change in the number of pulses in one second does not fall within the above range, the subject determining means 313 determines that the gradient returning to the zero point is different from that generated by holding the newborn baby, and stops detection. Reset condition 2 (processing S
36), the process proceeds to normal detection shown in FIG. (63) On the other hand, if the change in the number of pulses in one second falls within the above range, the subject determining means 313 determines that the gradient returning to the zero point is highly likely to have been caused by holding the newborn baby, and the detection is performed. Set stop condition 3 (process S4
4) After the detection stop condition 2 is reset (process 45) and the counter 6 is reset to zero (process 46), the process proceeds to step S47, and the process enters process S47 shown in FIG. In the process S47, the subject determining means 313 determines that the newborn baby has been lifted up and is no longer on the detection mat 10, and the detection canceling means 314 operates to enter a detection standby state.

As described above, detection stop control is performed at a plurality of stages of the change in the number of pulses at the time determination value 4, the time determination value 5 (5-1, 5-2, 5-3), and the time T1. .
As a result, even when a negative pressure is generated due to body movements other than respiration such as turning over, normally, a positive pressure is generated by the time determination value 5 or a gradient that returns to the zero point is generated by holding the newborn. The detection is not stopped because it is different from the above. However, even with this multi-step control, it is assumed that detection will be stopped if a large body movement occurs and the same pressure change and gradient returning to the zero point occur as if the body were accidentally lifted. Therefore, measures are needed to prevent this. In the following, when the state where the level judgment value is 3 or less due to turning over continues for the time judgment value 4 or more, and the gradient at which the time judgment value 5 returns to the zero point satisfies each of the above-described conditions and the detection stand-by occurs, the detection is performed again. Will be described with reference to FIG. 10 and FIG. Note that the detection may be completely stopped in the process 47 without using the following means.

(64) After the process 47 enters the detection standby state, the counter 6 is incremented (process S).
48), This increment is
This is repeated until it is determined that the time is equal to the time determination value 6 (for example, one minute). (65) If it is determined in step S49 that the counter 6 has become equal to the time determination value 6, the counter 7 is reset to zero (step S50), and then A shown in FIG.
The operation of the unit is performed (process S51), and the process proceeds to process S52.
It is determined whether or not the absolute value of the respiration level value calculated by the respiration determination means 312 is equal to or greater than the level determination value 1 shown in FIG. (66) When the absolute value of the respiratory level value is equal to or greater than the level determination value 1, the subject determining means 313 detects the newborn on the detection mat 10 because the pressure fluctuation corresponding to the respiration of the newborn as the subject has been detected. After the detection stop condition 3 is reset (process S53), the process proceeds to
The process proceeds to the normal detection shown in FIG.

(67) On the other hand, when the respiratory level value is less than the level determination value 1, the subject determining means 313 does not detect the pressure fluctuation corresponding to the respiration of the newborn baby as the subject. It is determined that there is a high possibility that the counter 7 is not present, and the counter 7 is incremented (processing S
54), and enters the process S55. (68) In the process S55, it is determined whether or not the counter 7 has become equal to the time determination value 7 (for example, 10 seconds) shown in FIG. (69) When the counter 7 is equal to the time determination value 7,
The subject determining means 313 determines that the newborn baby as the subject is not on the detection mat 10 and resets the detection stop condition 3 (process S56), and then proceeds to the detection stop means 31.
4, the detection is stopped, and the state returns to the state before the detection switch 33 was turned ON. (70) If the value of the counter 7 is less than the time determination value 7, the process returns to step S51, and steps S51 to S55 are repeated again.

The detection suspending means 314 and the detection starting means 315 can be enabled or disabled by using a means selecting switch 34 provided in the electric circuit 30. By disabling these, when the apnea detection device 1 is used in a situation where the following problem is assumed, the problem can be prevented.

That is, for example, when the baby is turned over, other than holding the newborn baby from the detection mat 10,
Even when the newborn baby comes off the detection mat 10, the subject determination means 313 determines that there is no newborn baby, and the detection is stopped by the detection stop means 314. At this time, if the detection canceling means 314 is invalidated by the means selecting switch 34, the body movement cannot be detected, so that it is determined that the apnea is present, and the LED 36 and the alarm buzzer 24 are turned on to notify the outside. it can. For this reason, it is desirable to disable the detection canceling unit 314 except when the periphery of the detection mat 10 is surrounded.

When the apnea detecting apparatus 1 is transported in a state where the detection mat 10 and the monitor 20 are connected by the connecting pipe 40, a subject is subjected to impact or a change in the atmospheric pressure. However, there is a possibility that the detection by the detection start means 315 may be started by determining that the newborn baby is on the detection mat 10. At this time, if the detection start means 315 is invalidated by the means selection switch 34, the detection is not started even if some kind of pressure fluctuation as described above occurs. For this reason, it is desirable to invalidate the detection start unit 315 when the apnea detection device 1 is carried or the like.

According to the above-described embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. That is, since the subject determining means 313 is provided in the apnea detecting apparatus 1, it is possible to determine starting the detection of the subject and stopping the detection of the subject based on a detection signal generated by a body motion different from normal respiration. Therefore, the start of detection of the subject and the stop of the detection of the subject can be determined by the apnea detection apparatus 1 itself. When the subject determination unit 313 determines that the detection state of the subject has been released, the detection stop unit 314 operates to stop the detection by the pressure detection unit 322 as the detection unit. As a result, the detection is continued even after the detection state of the subject has been canceled, and as a result, it is erroneously recognized as the apnea state and the alarm buzzer 24
The problem such as sounding is solved.

When the subject determining means 313 determines that the subject is in the detection state, the detection starting means 315 operates and the detection by the pressure detecting means 322 as the detecting means is started. Therefore, after the subject turns into the detection state after forgetting to turn on the power of the apnea detection apparatus 1, the problem that the apnea state is missed without the detection being started is solved. Also,
When the detection is started by the detection start means 315 due to some external cause other than the detection state of the subject in the apnea detection device 1, for example, a third person puts his hand on the detection mat 10, a malfunction occurs. The prevention means 316 works to stop the detection. This can solve the problem that the alarm buzzer 24 sounds, etc., by erroneously recognizing that the subject is apnea despite the absence of the subject.

The means selection switch 34 is connected to the apnea detecting apparatus 1.
Is provided, the validity and invalidity of the detection stop means 314 and the detection start means 315 can be selected. This allows
If the detection canceling means 314 is invalidated, even if the subject deviates from the detection state by any beat, the detection canceling means 31
4 can be prevented from being stopped. Also, detection start means 3
If 15 is invalidated, it is possible to prevent the detection start means 315 from operating due to an external factor when the apnea detection device 1 is carried or the like, thereby preventing the detection from starting. In addition, the apnea detection device 1
Measures the pressure inside the pressure-sensitive pipe 13 with the pressure sensor 21 and detects the apnea state from the measured pressure fluctuation, so that it is compared with the conventional detection unit attached to the body of the subject. Can detect breathing without wearing any cords or sensors, and without any burden on the subject, reliably measure body movements including the breathing of the subject and detect apnea. can do.

Since the pressure-sensitive pipe 13 is formed of an elastically deformable pipe-shaped hollow body, the pressure inside the pressure-sensitive pipe 13 can be changed even by minute breathing or body movement of the subject. And the respiration can be detected precisely.

Since the pressure change occurs in the pressure-sensitive pipe 13 due to the deformation of the upper plate 12 due to the movement of the subject's body, the subject turns over from the position directly above the pressure-sensitive pipe 13 due to turning over or the like. 1
Even if the subject moves to an arbitrary location on
As long as the upper plate 12 does not come off, pressure fluctuations occur in the pressure-sensitive pipe 13 with the deformation of the upper plate 12, so that respiration of the subject can be easily detected. Further, since the lower plate 11 is formed of a hard member that does not elastically deform, the pressure applied to the pressure-sensitive pipe 13 due to the deformation of the upper plate 12 is hardly absorbed by the lower plate 11, and the pressure-sensitive pipe The sensitivity of the pressure fluctuation inside 13 can be improved, and the sensitivity of detecting respiration can be improved.

The pressure-receiving chamber 211 is provided with a pressure-receiving chamber open-to-atmosphere throttle 215.
Is formed, even if pressure fluctuations occur temporarily due to external factors, the internal pressure of the pressure receiving chamber 211 can be promptly returned to the atmospheric pressure state, whereby only pressure fluctuations caused by breathing can be reduced in a minute range. Can be measured. Further, since the back pressure chamber 212 is formed with the back pressure chamber atmosphere opening throttle 214, it is possible to alleviate a sudden change in the atmosphere, and to make the pressure receiving chamber 211 and the throttle and the volume in the space the same shape. In addition, the influence of a sudden change in the atmospheric pressure can be reduced.

Connection finger 13 also serving as noise reduction aperture
2 is provided, unnecessary components such as vibration due to external factors can be reduced, the pressure waveform obtained from the pressure fluctuation due to respiration can be smoothed, and a stable and good respiration waveform can be extracted. .

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and modifications and improvements as long as the object of the present invention can be achieved are included in the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the apnea detection device 1 includes the detection mat 10 and the monitor 20.
The present invention is not limited to this. For example, the sensor may be attached to the body. However, the use of the apnea detecting apparatus 1 having the configuration as in the present embodiment is preferable because there is no problem that the sensitivity is significantly different depending on a portion where the pressure measuring unit 322 as the detecting unit is attached.

In the above embodiment, the control unit 311 and each unit (respiration determination unit 312, subject determination unit 313,
Although the detection canceling unit 314, the detection starting unit 315, and the malfunction preventing unit 316) are separately configured, the present invention is not limited to this, and all units may be configured as one unit or may be appropriately combined. Also, a timer 317, a power operation unit 320, an alarm control unit 321, a ROM 319, a RAM
Each component such as 318 may be built in the control unit 311 and integrated. Further, although seven counters are provided in the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and the counters may be appropriately adjusted in accordance with the number of time determination values to be set. The values are not limited to the values in the embodiment, and may be set as appropriate.

In the above-described embodiment, the means selection switch 34 is provided, but this may not be provided. However, it is preferable to provide the means selection switch 34 because the validity and invalidity of the detection stop means 314 and the detection start means 315 can be selected. Further, as in the above-described embodiment, control can be performed using a microcomputer, and when the power supply is of a battery type, the microcomputer can be put into a sleep mode when waiting for detection or when stopping detection. This is preferable because the consumption of the battery can be reduced. Further, each time determination value and each level determination value used in the above embodiment are not limited to the above-described values, and may be set as appropriate.

In the above embodiment, the pressure measuring means 322 as the detecting means (the pressure sensor 21 is a main part)
However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, other detecting means using a load sensor or the like may be used. Further, although the connection finger 132 which also serves as a noise reduction aperture is provided in the pressure-sensitive pipe 13, the invention is not limited to this. For example, if the test subject is placed on the detection mat 10 with a sealed structure, the pressure-sensitive pipe 13 is always compressed, and the measured pressure value is:
Although the positive pressure value fluctuates to a certain value or more, the presence or absence of the subject on the detection mat 10 may be determined using this condition. In the present embodiment, the subject was a newborn, but is not limited to this.For example, regardless of age, it is suitable for people who have apnea due to immaturity or chronic lung disease or who are performing artificial respiration. May be applied.

[0071]

According to the present invention, since the subject determining means is provided in the apnea detecting apparatus, starting the subject detection and stopping the subject detection are caused by body movements different from normal respiration. The determination is made based on the detection signal. Therefore, the start of detection of the subject and the stop of the detection of the subject can be determined by the apnea detection apparatus itself, and there is an effect that a problem caused by forgetting to turn on or off the power of the apnea detection apparatus can be solved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an apnea detecting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of the detection mat in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the detection mat shown in FIG. 2 along the line III-III.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing the monitor in the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing a monitor in the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a pressure sensor according to the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an electric circuit block diagram in the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing pressure fluctuation during respiration detection in the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a pressure fluctuation when detection starts in the embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a pressure fluctuation when detection is stopped in the embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a normal apnea detection method in the embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a detection start method by a detection start unit in the embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a first flowchart illustrating a detection stop method by a detection stop unit in the embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a second flowchart showing a detection stop method by the detection stop unit in the embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a third flowchart showing a detection stop method by the detection stop unit in the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Apnea detection apparatus 10 Detection mat 20 Monitor 21 Pressure sensor 312 Respiration determination means 313 Subject determination means 314 Detection stop means 315 Detection start means 316 Malfunction prevention means 322 Pressure measurement means as a detection means 34 Means selection switch

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A detecting means for detecting a body movement including respiration of a subject and outputting a detection signal, a respiration determining means for determining a respiratory state of the subject based on the detection signal generated from the detecting means, An apnea detecting apparatus, comprising: subject determining means for determining the presence or absence of the subject based on the detection signal. 2. The apnea detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said subject determining means determines that said subject is gone during said determination by said breathing determining means, and stops detection by said detecting means. An apnea detection device, comprising: 3. The apnea detecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: detection start means for causing said detection means to start detection when said subject determination means determines that there is a subject. An apnea detecting device, characterized in that: 4. The apnea detecting apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a malfunction prevention means for stopping the detection when the detection signal does not change for a predetermined time after the detection by the detection starting means is started. An apnea detecting device, characterized in that: 5. An apnea detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said means for selecting whether said detection stopping means and said detection starting means are valid or invalid. An apnea detecting device comprising a switch.