JP2001104257A - Equipment for biological information transmission in biological information management system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To upgrade reliability in communication. SOLUTION: Biological information measured by urinal inspection equipment 19 or blood flow inspection equipment 21 installed in the housing of users is transmitted to the main FAX 25 via branched FAX 27 and then to the system 31 of the outer information service center in the form of email from the main FAX 25. The main FAX 25 stores the measured biological information in the memory and transmits it every few days together with at least the previously transmitted data. By transmitting lengthy data including previously transmitted data, as same data are transmitted by another transmission of email, center system 31 can receive all the biological information without loss even when an email is failed in some transmission. The transmission from branched FAX 27 and receive by center system becomes asynchronous by use of email and the center system 31 can receive males accumulated in the male server 63 from number of users at one time.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a biological information management system for collecting personal ecological information using a urine test apparatus installed in a private residence or the like and utilizing it for health management and medical treatment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Urine contains various biological information,
A urine test is always performed at the time of a medical examination or the like. A test paper is used for the test, and abnormalities in the health of the human body such as urine sugar, urine protein, and PH are visually discriminated by a change in the color of the test paper when urine is applied. This test method is widely used because no equipment is required and the cost is low. However, since the test paper is disposable and has high accuracy due to visual discrimination using a color change, a toilet apparatus having a biological information detecting function such as a urine sugar test or a urine protein test has been proposed. In the case of this device, the result of the inspected biometric information is stored in the form of being written on an IC card via an IC card reader / writer installed in the toilet device or stored in a home server in the same house through a communication device. You.

[0003]

However, in a conventional toilet apparatus having a biometric information detecting function, the detection result is self-managed by an IC card or transmitted to a home server using communication only indoors where the toilet apparatus is installed. It's just an accumulation of data. Therefore, in order to effectively use this detection result for user's health management and disease treatment, bring or mail a disk or printout containing the data to an external organization such as a hospital,
They need to be judged by experts and have their data processed in a format that is easy for users to use. This is very troublesome for the user, and it is impossible to quickly respond to the abnormal health.

[0004] In view of this point, there is also a system that connects a user's residence and an external institution with a communication network such as a public telephone network, and transmits and receives biological information and diagnostic information between the user's residence and the external institution through this communication network. Proposed. However, a system that uses this communication is not able to reliably communicate an enormous number of times with a large number of users at an external institution, and biological information is transmitted to the external institution due to a failure in the communication network. If not, it will be difficult to put it to practical use unless the issue of how to recover the information and surely convey the biological information, such as the problem of ensuring communication reliability, is solved.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a highly reliable biometric information management system capable of reliably transmitting biometric information of a user from a user's residence to an external institution via a communication network.

[0006]

A living body information management system to which the present invention is applied is a living body examination apparatus for examining a user at a user's residence to obtain living body information, and receiving living body information from the living body examination apparatus. An in-house communication system for transmitting the biological information to an external organization outside the user's house through a communication network.

A biological information transmitting apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention aims to enhance the reliability of communication, particularly when transmitting biological information data in the form of electronic mail from a biological information management system to an external organization. And That is, the biological information transmitting apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention includes:
The above-mentioned biological information management system is mounted on the living body inspection apparatus or the in-home communication system, and stores the data acquired by the living body inspection apparatus, and when the transmission time comes, after the previous transmission time, Redundant data transmitting means for extracting redundant data including the obtained untransmitted data and predetermined transmitted data transmitted at the previous or previous transmission time from the storage device and transmitting the redundant data to an external organization; Prepare.

According to this biological information transmitting apparatus, not only untransmitted data but also predetermined transmitted data (for example, previously transmitted data) is transmitted at each transmission time, so that the same data is transmitted twice or more times. It will be transmitted at the time of transmission.
Therefore, even if an e-mail of one transmission is not received due to communication failure, the same data is transmitted by e-mail of another transmission, so there is a certainty that an external organization can receive all biometric information without missing Increase. Also, by using e-mail, there is no need to synchronize the transmission time of the system on the user side with the reception time of the external organization, and the external organization can collectively receive a large number of e-mails, so that the communication volume is small. As a result, the reliability of communication is improved.

[0009] The biological information transmitting apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention also aims at improving the reliability of communication when transmitting biological information data in the form of electronic mail. That is, the biological information transmitting device according to the second aspect of the present invention includes:
A storage device for storing the data acquired by the biopsy device, which is mounted on the biopsy device or the in-home communication system of the above biometric information management system, and when the transmission time comes, at least after the previous transmission time Data transmission means for taking out the untransmitted data acquired from the storage device and transmitting the data to an external organization, and when a non-delivery notification about the e-mail of the data transmitted to the external organization is returned from the communication network, Notification means for notifying the user of the non-delivery notification, input means for the user to input a retransmission instruction, and at least a predetermined transmission already transmitted from the storage device in response to the retransmission instruction from the input means. Data retransmitting means for extracting data and transmitting the data to an external organization. In a preferred embodiment, the data retransmission unit extracts all data stored in the storage device and transmits the data to an external organization.

When a non-delivery of an e-mail occurs, a notification of the non-delivery is returned from the communication network to the system on the user side (this notification is an e-mail). For example, the notification of the non-delivery is notified to the user (for example, the received e-mail is notified by a method such as printing out), and when the user who receives the notification inputs a retransmission instruction, the notification is stored in the storage device. At least the already transmitted data (for example, all data in the storage device) is transmitted again to the external organization. As a result, undelivered mail can be recovered, and normally only untransmitted data needs to be transmitted, so that the amount of communication can be reduced. (Of course, if the amount of communication does not matter, redundant data including transmitted data can be used.) May be sent).

[0011] A biological information transmitting apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention also aims at improving the reliability of communication when transmitting biological information data in the form of an electronic mail. That is, the biological information transmitting apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention includes:
The above-mentioned biological information management system is mounted on the living body inspection apparatus or the in-home communication system, and stores the data acquired by the living body inspection apparatus, and when the transmission time comes, after the previous transmission time, Normal data transmission means for extracting the acquired untransmitted data from the storage device and transmitting it to an external organization, and when the transmission time comes, the untransmitted data acquired after the previous transmission time and the previous transmission time Redundant data including predetermined transmitted data that has already been transmitted is retrieved from the storage device, and redundant data transmitting means for transmitting the redundant data to an external organization, and one of the normal data transmitting means and the redundant data transmitting means are manually operated. Or a communication mode selection means for automatically selecting the communication mode.

According to this biometric information transmitting apparatus, a normal data transmission mode for transmitting untransmitted data each time and a redundant data transmission mode for transmitting redundant data obtained by adding predetermined transmitted data to untransmitted data each time are provided. It can be selected according to the situation. For example, you usually send in the normal data transmission mode, but when a non-delivery of e-mail occurs,
It can be used for retransmission in the redundant data transmission mode.

[0013] A biological information transmitting apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention also aims to enhance the reliability of communication when transmitting biological information data in the form of an electronic mail. That is, the biological information transmitting apparatus according to the fourth aspect of the present invention includes:
A storage device for storing the data acquired by the biopsy device, which is mounted on the biopsy device or the in-home communication system of the above biometric information management system, and when the transmission time comes, at least after the previous transmission time Data transmission means for extracting the untransmitted data acquired from the storage device and transmitting the data to an external organization, and a predetermined signal indicating that the e-mail of the data transmitted to the external organization is undelivered from the external organization. And a data retransmitting means for extracting at least transmitted predetermined transmitted data from the storage device in response to the predetermined signal and transmitting the data to the external institution. In a preferred embodiment, when data is transmitted to an external institution, a management code is assigned to the data so that the external institution can check the arrival / non-delivery of an e-mail concerning the data. Means are further provided.

When a predetermined signal (for example, incoming telephone call) indicating a non-delivery of an e-mail arrives from an external organization, the biometric information transmitting apparatus automatically responds to the signal and transmits the unsent transmission data. resend. In general, a non-delivery notification by e-mail performed by an e-mail service cannot be recognized as a non-delivery notification unless the content is read, so that it is difficult for the apparatus to automatically recognize this. Therefore, when data is retransmitted based on a non-delivery notification by e-mail as in the above-described biological information transmitting apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, the contents are notified to the user by printing out the contents. Then, the user needs to perform an operation such as inputting a retransmission instruction. On the other hand, the biometric information transmitting apparatus according to the fourth aspect receives a predetermined signal from an external organization so that the apparatus can automatically recognize the e-mail when there is no e-mail, and responds to this signal to transmit a data. Is resent, so that all the biometric information can be sent to an external organization without any loss of the user's hand. Moreover, since it is not usually necessary to send redundant data, the amount of communication can be reduced (of course, if the amount of communication does not matter, redundant data including transmitted data may be sent).

[0015] A biological information transmitting apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention also aims at improving the reliability of communication within the biological information management system. That is, the biological information transmitting apparatus according to the fifth aspect of the present invention is mounted on the biological examination apparatus or the in-home communication system of the biological information management system, and can be actively accessed by an external institution system. A storage device is provided, and means for storing data acquired by the biopsy device in the storage device. This allows
The system of the external institution can actively access the storage device and acquire the biological information stored therein. In this case, by storing all of the biological information in the storage device, the external organization can actively connect to the biological information transmitting device and access the storage device to store the biological information. The transmission to the institution (that is, the passive transmission is performed) can be configured so that the active transmission from the biological information transmitting device does not need to be performed. Alternatively, usually, the biometric information transmitting device actively transmits biometric information to an external organization by e-mail or the like, but the previously transmitted e-mail or the biometric information included in the e-mail is stored, for example, for a predetermined period of time in the past. By storing the information in the device, it is possible to configure such that when a non-delivery of an e-mail or the like occurs, the storage device is actively accessed from an external organization to acquire the non-delivery information.

[0016] A biological information transmitting apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention also aims at improving the reliability of communication within the biological information management system. That is, the biological information transmitting apparatus according to the sixth aspect of the present invention is mounted on the biological inspection apparatus or the in-home communication system of the biological information management system, and transmits data acquired by the biological inspection apparatus to an external organization. A data transmission means for transmitting the data to the communication device, and a communication test for outputting a test signal at a predetermined timing to check whether communication between the biometric device and the in-home communication system can be normally performed; Communication inspection means for notifying the user of

According to this biological information transmitting apparatus, by performing a communication test, the time required for installation and maintenance can be reduced, and the reliability of communication can be ensured. In particular,
In a preferred embodiment, the communication between the living body inspection apparatus and the in-house communication system is performed by infrared rays, and the communication in the in-house communication system (for example, between the FAX master unit and the slave unit) is performed by radio waves. When adopting such wireless communication, it is extremely important to check whether a communication channel has been normally secured. In a preferred embodiment, the communication test is automatically performed when the power of the apparatus is turned on. Thus, the communication test is automatically performed when the apparatus is installed or the battery is replaced, so that the communication test can be surely secured without forgetting to execute the communication test. The preferred embodiment also performs quantitative measurement of communication status (for example, reception sensitivity, etc.) as well as whether communication is normal or abnormal, and notifies the user of the result of this quantitative measurement. This makes it possible to install the device in an optimal state where the best communication situation can be obtained.

[0018] Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent in the following description of the embodiments.

[0019]

FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of a biological information management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

This system is available to a large number of users,
Many medical institutions (hospitals, health centers, etc.) used by these users also use this system. A user system 9 for detecting biometric information of a user is installed in an individual user's house or workplace (hereinafter, referred to as user's house) 1. In addition, at least one information service center 3 is provided, and provides a service of collecting and processing biometric information from a large number of user systems 9 and adding the added value such as a diagnosis result to the user system 9. A computer system (hereinafter, referred to as a center system) 31 is installed. The center system 31 includes a database 33 for storing biometric information of a large number of users and diagnosis results by doctors. Also, each medical institution 5 has a computer system (hereinafter referred to as a hospital system) for performing each task.
35 are installed.

The user system 9, the center system 31, and the hospital system 35 are each connected to the public telephone network 7. The raw biometric information 41 detected by the user is sent from the user system 9 to the center system 31 through the public communication network 7 and stored in the database 33 of the center system 31. The data is processed into a form suitable for use in the database 33 and stored in the database 33 again. The biological information 43 processed for the user is transmitted from the center system 31 to the public communication network 7.
Is fed back to the user system 9 and presented to the user. In addition, biological information 4 processed for a doctor
5 is sent from the center system 3 to the hospital system 35 via the public communication network 7 and presented to the doctor, and the doctor makes a diagnosis based on the sent information. Doctor's diagnosis results are in the hospital system 3
5 to the center system 3 from the hospital system 35
1 and stored in the database 33, and further sent from the center system 31 to the user system 9 to be presented to the user.

The user system 9 includes various biological information detecting devices installed in the user's residence 1, such as a urine test device 19, a blood flow test device 21, a weight scale 23, and a body fat meter. The urine test apparatus 19 measures urinary sugar, urinary occult blood, urine protein, urine PH, etc., and is attached to the toilet seat of the toilet bowl 13 in the toilet booth 11 to collect urine excreted by the user; The urine collection device 15 includes an inspection device main body 17 that is connected to the urine collection tube by a ureter tube and that takes in and inspects urine collected by the urine collection device 15. The blood flow test device 21 is a device for measuring blood flow such as blood pressure and pulse, and has, for example, an arched shape with a tunnel into which a user's finger is inserted. , Where it is easy to insert a finger. The weight scale 23 has, for example, a flat plate shape, and is arranged in a place suitable for measuring weight when using the toilet, for example, on the floor in front of the toilet 13 of the toilet booth 11. In addition to these, other biopsy devices such as a stool and a thermometer that measure stool conditions such as diarrhea and bloody stool, and environmental measurement devices such as a thermometer, a hygrometer, and a clock are also the above-described test devices. The equipment can be installed separately or in a form incorporated in the above-described inspection apparatus. Further, the specific configuration and installation location of the above-described inspection / measurement device are merely examples as one embodiment. An embodiment installed in a place is of course also possible. For example, the urine testing device 19 can be configured to be built in a toilet seat or a local cleaning device attached to the toilet bowl 13 or attached as an accessory.

The user system 9 also includes an in-house communication system 29 for relaying communication between devices in the user house and for communicating with the public communication network 7. Various types of communication systems that can be installed in a home can be used as the in-house communication system 29. In this embodiment, a wireless communication system that is relatively popular in general homes and has relatively low installation costs is used. Facsimile with telephone handset (hereafter,
A communication system (abbreviated as FAX) is used. This fax
A communication system (communication system in the house) 29 is connected to a telephone line, can perform FAX communication with the outside, can automatically answer an incoming call, and can print out a received FAX image.
An AX master device 25 and at least one slave device 27 connected to the FAX master device 25 by a wireless two-way telephone communication channel 51 by radio waves. Slave unit 27 is located in toilet booth 11
Inspection devices 19, 2 in the toilet booth 11
1 and 23 are connected by wireless two-way data communication channels 53, 55 and 57 using infrared rays. The slave unit 27 can exchange data with each of the inspection devices 19, 21, and 23 by infrared communication, and is attached to a place where the user can easily operate, for example, a side wall surface of the toilet booth 27. The main functions of the slave unit 27 are the inspection devices 19, 21, and 23 and the FAX master unit 25.
In addition to the in-house communication function, the data storage function for storing the detected biological information, and an inspection signal to check whether infrared and radio communication in the house can be performed reliably. It can also have an inspection function for transmitting and receiving data.

In this embodiment, the individual inspection devices 19, 2
1 and 23 are connected to the slave unit 27 so as to be capable of two-way communication using the individual infrared channels 53, 55 and 57, respectively.
An embodiment is also possible in which only the slave unit 27 is capable of infrared communication with the slave unit 27 and the other inspection devices 21 and 23 are communicably connected to the urine inspection device main body 17 by wire or infrared. In short, each inspection device 19 without interference
It suffices if the data from 21 and 23 is sent to the slave unit 27.

The FAX master unit 25 is configured such that the slave unit 27
The biometric information collected from 9, 21, and 23 is transmitted to the information service center 3 through the public communication network 7, and the processed biometric information and the diagnosis result of the doctor are received from the information service center 3 and printed out or displayed. Have a role to do. The FAX master device 25 is
Instead of or together with the slave unit 27, it may have the above-described data storage function and inspection function.

Various inspection devices 1 in the user system 3
In the infrared communication between the slaves 9, 21, 13 and the slave unit 27 and the radio wave communication between the slave unit 27 and the FAX master unit 25, in order to surely communicate, after the transmission side sends data to the reception side. ,
When the receiving side completely receives the data, the receiving side returns a reception completion notification to the transmitting side, and adopts a two-way communication method of performing a handshake that communication is completed only after the transmitting side confirms the completion notification.

FIG. 2 shows the FAX master unit 2 of the user system 9.
5 shows a communication mode between the information service center 3 and the center system 31 of the information service center 3.

The FAX master device 25 and the center system 31 can be connected via a public telephone network 66 to communicate by FAX or telephone protocol. When transmitting the biometric information to (31), communication is performed by e-mail. The FAX master device 25 on the user side sends and receives e-mails via the FAX mail server 61 provided by the Internet provider contracted by the user. The center system 31 also sends and receives e-mails via the mail server 63 of the system 31 (or provided by a provider contracted by the system 31).

When transmitting the biometric information, the FAX master 25 on the user side transmits the biometric information to, for example, the text data 6.
7 and send it to the mail server 61. Mail server 61
Converts the text data 67 of the biometric information into an electronic mail format, and sends the electronic mail to the mail address of the center system 31 from the telephone line. Electronic mail addressed to the center system 31 is stored in a center system mailbox in the mail server 63. The center system 31 logs in to the mail server 63 at a convenient time and receives the mail addressed to itself stored in the center system mailbox there. The e-mail sent from the center system 31 to the user is transmitted through the reverse route and temporarily stored in the user mailbox in the mail server 61. Mail server 61
Converts the e-mail into FAX image data 69
Send to X master unit 25. FAX master device 25 prints out the FAX image.

If the user's FAX master unit 25 sends biometric information directly to the center system 31 by facsimile or telephone, the center system 31 sends a huge number of facsimile or telephone calls from a large number of users. Incoming calls must be accepted around the clock, and unless the center system 31 has an extremely large number of telephone lines, when the user attempts to send biological information from the center system 31,
Often, you can't connect during a call. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the biometric information is transmitted from the user to the center system 31 by using the electronic mail, the transmission of the user and the center system 31 are performed.
And the center system 31 can collectively receive a large number of e-mails in one communication, so that both transmission from the user side and reception on the center system 31 side can be performed reliably. And the reliability of communication increases.

However, if a situation occurs in which the electronic mail of the biological information does not reach the center system 31 due to a failure such as a mail server failure, the user system 9 cannot automatically detect this. That is, when the e-mail transmitted from the user system 9 does not reach the mail server 63 on the center system 31 side, an e-mail notifying the non-delivery of the mail is posted to the user mailbox of the mail server 61, and the mail server 61 Sends the e-mail to the user's FAX master device 25 as FAX image data. The FAX master 25 prints out the FAX image, and the user reads the FAX image, so that only the user knows the fact that the mail has not been delivered (the FAX master 25 cannot understand the contents of the e-mail (FAX image). Can't automatically know of a mail bounce).

In this embodiment, in order to prevent a problem from occurring even if a mail failure occurs, in the present embodiment, the user system 9 transmits redundant biometric information. FIG. 3 shows a configuration of an embodiment of a biological information transmitting apparatus for transmitting the redundant information.

The biometric information transmitting device shown in FIG. 3 is typically mounted on the FAX master unit 25 in the user system 9, but it is not always necessary, and the FAX slave unit 27 or individual biometric information It can be mounted on any of the inspection devices 19, 21 and 23. This biological information transmitting device includes a transmitting circuit 71 for transmitting or receiving biological information, a controller 73 for controlling the transmitting circuit 71, and a memory 75 read and written by the controller 73. Memory 75
Stores biological information for a plurality of times of measurement. For example, assuming that biometric information is to be measured at least once a day for one user, storage areas 77-1 and 77-that store daily biometric information for 30 days for four users in a family. 2, ..., 77-30 are memory 7
5 and the measurement result of the oldest day is stored in the memory 75 every day.
And the measurement result of the day is stored in the memory 75 instead.
Will be added as today's measurement result. Therefore, the memory 7
5 stores biological information of the last 30 days including today.

The controller 73 of this biological information transmitting apparatus
As shown in FIG. 4, when a predetermined transmission time (for example, a fixed time every day, a fixed time once every few days, or a measurement time) arrives (Yes in step S1), the untransmitted data and the predetermined The transmitted data up to the time before is stored in the memory 75
, And passes it through the communication circuit 71 for transmission (S2). For example, if data is transmitted only once every five days, the untransmitted data is data for the last five days including today. Also, the transmitted data up to a predetermined time before is, for example, data from 5 days before to 9 days before if this is the previously transmitted data, and if this is data before and after the previous time, for example. Data from 10 days ago to 14 days ago. In this way, the same biological information is repeatedly transmitted a plurality of times by transmitting redundant data in which data that has not been transmitted and data that has been transmitted up to a predetermined time are added in each data transmission. Therefore, even if an e-mail transmitted in any one of the times is unsuccessful, if the e-mail transmitted in the other time is correctly delivered, all the biometric information can be reliably transmitted to the center system 31.
Can be passed to In fact, non-delivery of e-mail does not occur frequently, and failures such as server failures that cause it are quickly recovered. There will be none.

FIG. 5 shows the operation of another embodiment of the biological information transmitting apparatus for responding to non-delivery of an electronic mail.

As shown in FIG. 3, the biological information transmitting apparatus that performs the operation shown in FIG. 5 further includes a retransmission button 81 in addition to the communication circuit 71, the controller 73, and the memory 75 described above. The retransmission button 81 is used to collectively transmit all data in the memory 75 to the center system 31 when a mail has not been delivered.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the transmission time arrives, the controller 73 of the biological information transmitting apparatus (S11).
Yes), data not transmitted from the memory 75 (for example, 5
If the transmission is performed only once a day, the data of the last five days including today is read out and transmitted through the communication circuit 71 (S12). In this case, as in the flow of FIG. 4, transmitted data up to a predetermined time before may be sent together, but it is not always necessary to do so, and at least untransmitted data may be sent.

The data transmitted in step S12 is sent to the center system 31 in the form of an e-mail as described above. If the e-mail is not delivered, the fact that the data has not been delivered is received as described above. FAX image data is returned from the mail server 61 (how long after the mail transmission the time when this non-delivery notification is returned differs depending on the case of the mobile phone). The controller 73 uses the FA
When there is an X incoming call (Yes in S13), the FAX image data is received and printed out in response to the automatic reception (S14). If the content of this printout is a notification of non-delivery of mail, the user sees it and knows the fact of non-delivery of mail. The user who has noticed the mail failure pushes the resend button 81 to resend the biometric information. When the retransmission button is pressed (Yes in S15), the controller 7
3 reads out all the data stored in the memory 75 (for example, all the data for the last 30 days including today) and transmits it through the communication circuit 71 (S16). All the data transmitted in step S16 is also sent to the center system 31 in the form of e-mail.

As described above, when the notification of the non-delivery mail is received, by retransmitting the entire stored data, the user can determine the time of the data included in the non-delivery mail. The unreachable data can be reliably sent to the center system 31 without being conscious. In particular,
If the data for a sufficiently long period, such as 30 days, is saved and resent as in this embodiment, a delay of about one week or two weeks from the receipt of the non-delivery notification until the resend button is pressed. Even if there is, the biological information can be sent to the center system 31 without fail. In addition, since the retransmission function is provided, it is not necessary to transmit redundant data in normal transmission every time. Therefore, there is an advantage that the amount of communication data is significantly reduced particularly on the center system 31 side.

FIG. 6 shows an operation of still another embodiment of the biological information transmitting apparatus for responding to non-delivery of an electronic mail.

As shown in FIG. 3, the biological information transmitting apparatus that performs the operation shown in FIG. 6 further includes a mode switch 83 in addition to the communication circuit 71, the controller 73, and the memory 75 described above. The mode switch 83 determines which data is to be transmitted at each transmission (communication mode).
This is used to switch between a "redundant" mode in which redundant data in which untransmitted data and transmitted data up to a predetermined time before are added is transmitted.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the transmission time comes (S21)
Yes at step S), and check the current communication mode setting (S
22) If the normal mode is set, the memory 7
5, only untransmitted data (for example, if transmitted only once every five days, data for the last five days including today) is read and transmitted through the communication circuit 71 (S2).
3). On the other hand, when the redundancy mode is set, the controller 73 determines whether data that has not been transmitted from the memory 75 (for example, if transmitted only once every five days, data for the last five days including today) and a predetermined time The previously transmitted data (for example, data from 5 days before to 9 days before the previous transmission) is read out and transmitted through the communication circuit 71 (S24).

The data transmitted in step S23 or S24 is sent to the center system 31 in the form of e-mail as described above. If the e-mail is not received, the data is not transmitted as described above. FAX image data is returned from the mail server 61. When there is an incoming fax (Yes in S25), the controller 73 automatically responds to the received fax image data and prints it out (S26). If the content of this printout is a notification of non-delivery of mail, the user sees it and knows the fact of non-delivery of mail. The user who knows the non-delivery of the mail does not need to do anything if the current communication mode is the redundant mode (because even if there is one non-delivery mail as described above, another When the current communication mode is the normal mode, the mode switch 83 is changed from “normal” to “normal” in order to retransmit the unreachable biometric information. Redundant "
Switch to

When the mode switch 83 is switched from "normal" to "redundant"("redundant" in S27), the controller 73 sets the communication mode to the redundant mode (S2).
8) Then, the untransmitted data and the transmitted data up to a predetermined time before are read out from the memory 75, and the communication circuit 7
1 (S24).

The user switches the mode switch 83 from "normal" to "redundant" and retransmits the data.
The mode switch 83 can be returned to "normal" again. Then ("normal" in S27), the controller 73
Sets the normal mode as the communication mode (S29). Thereby, the subsequent transmission is performed in the normal mode.

As described above, when a non-delivery mail occurs,
By switching the communication mode to the redundant mode and transmitting the already transmitted data again, the unreachable data can be delivered to the center system 31. In addition, since the user can arbitrarily select the normal mode and the redundant mode, the advantage that the communication volume is reduced when the normal mode is selected is obtained. The advantage is that you do not have to worry about them.

In addition to the function shown in FIG. 6, a function of transmitting the whole data by the retransmission button shown in steps S15 and S16 in FIG. 5 may be added.

FIG. 7 shows the operation of still another embodiment of the biological information transmitting apparatus for responding to non-delivery of electronic mail.

The operation shown in FIG. 7 is intermediate between the operation shown in FIG. 5 and the operation shown in FIG. 6, and during normal transmission (Yes in S31), The transmission is performed in the mode (S33), and if the resend button 81 is pressed when the mail is not delivered (Yes in S36), the transmission is performed in the redundant mode (S37).

FIG. 8 shows the operation of yet another embodiment for responding to non-delivery of an e-mail.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the FAX master device 25 of the user system 9 prints out the non-delivery sent from the mail server 61 to notify the user of the non-delivery of the mail. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the center system 31 detects the non-delivery of the mail and calls the FAX master device 25 directly through the telephone network 66, whereby the F
This is to notify the AX master unit 25 itself of the non-delivery of the mail and to automatically perform the retransmission.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the transmission time arrives (S41), the FAX master device 25 usually reads at least untransmitted data from the memory 75 shown in FIG. By sending, the unsent data is sent to the center system 31 in the form of an e-mail (S42). When receiving the e-mail (S43), the center system 31 checks whether there is any undelivered mail (S44). To check for bounced emails,
For example, a mail management code for identifying the date or the serial number is added to the e-mail on the mail transmitting side such as the FAX master device 25, and the center system 31 checks whether the e-mail management code of the e-mail received so far is omissible. A method to check whether (continuity is maintained) or a method to check whether continuity is maintained in the date of biometric information included in the e-mail received so far, Various methods can be employed. If there is no undelivered mail, the center system 31 ends the communication processing (S
45) However, if there is an undelivered mail, the telephone network is switched to 66.
A direct telephone call is made to the user's FAX master device 25 through (S46) (this telephone call is a special one that is performed only when there is a non-delivery mail).

The FAX master device 25 on the user side establishes a telephone connection with the center system 31 by automatically responding to an incoming call from the center system 31 (47). At this time, FA
The X base unit 25 automatically recognizes that the caller is the center system 31 by the caller number notification function at the time of an incoming call (that is, automatically recognizes that the mail is a non-delivery notice), and responds to this. The previously sent data that was not delivered (that is, the most recently sent data) is now
The center system 31 through the currently established telephone connection
(S48). Thereby, the center system 3
1 reliably receives the undelivered data (S49),
After the reception is completed, the telephone connection is disconnected to end the communication (S5).
0).

In step S48, the FAX master unit 48
May send the non-delivery data again using e-mail instead of telephone. Further, in step S48, in addition to the method of transmitting the same data as the previous data by telephone or e-mail, the data may be transmitted in a redundant mode in which the previous data is added, or all data in the memory may be transmitted. May be transmitted entirely.

As described above, the center system 31 detects the undelivered mail and requests the user system 9 to resend the data, so that the biological information can be securely transmitted to the center system 31 without bothering the user. Can be sent.

In steps S46 to S49, when the center system 31 is connected to the FAX master unit 48 for communication, the center system 31 actively accesses the biometric information stored in the user system to acquire the biometric information. You can also In this case, for example, on the user system side, the center system 31 stores e-mail transmitted in the past or biometric information included in the e-mail for a predetermined period in the past in a storage area that can be actively accessed using, for example, the FTP protocol. In advance, the center system 31 can access the storage area as needed to acquire undelivered e-mails or biometric information. Alternatively, on the user system side, all the biological information obtained from the inspection apparatus is stored in a storage area that can be actively accessed by the center system 31, and the center system does not need to be actively transmitted from the FAX master unit 48. It may be configured that the user 31 can connect to the FAX master unit 48 at any time to acquire biometric information in the user system.

The embodiment for improving the reliability of the communication between the user system 9 and the center system 31 has been described above. Next, the communication reliability in the user system 9 (user residence 1) will be described. An embodiment for improving the performance will be described. In the user system 9, the communication between the FAX master device 25 and the slave device 27 is wireless communication using radio waves, and the communication between the slave device 25 and each of the inspection devices 19, 21, and 23 is wireless communication using infrared rays. , FAX master device 25, slave device 27, and inspection devices 19, 21, and 23, there is a possibility that a good communication channel cannot be secured. In particular, the infrared communication between the slave unit 25 and each of the inspection devices 19, 21, and 23
Due to the straightness of the infrared rays, it is necessary to pay attention to the arrangement of each device so as to ensure the infrared channel.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show the configuration and operation of an embodiment of a biological information transmitting apparatus having an inspection function for inspecting whether communication in the user system 9 can be performed reliably.

This biometric information transmitting device is connected to the FAX master device 2
5. It can be mounted on at least one of the slave unit 27 or each of the inspection devices 19, 21, and 23. As shown in FIG. 9, this biological information transmitting apparatus performs a transmitting circuit 91 for transmitting or receiving biological information and a test signal, a controller 93 for controlling the transmitting circuit 91, and executing a communication test for the controller 793. Inspection switch 95 for giving command
And an LED display panel 97 for displaying the state of the apparatus, the inspection result, and the like. It is desirable that the inspection switch 95 is arranged in a place where the user does not normally touch. For example, the FAX slave 27 or the urine test apparatus main body 1 shown in FIG.
7 is equipped with this biological information transmitting apparatus, the FA
The back side of the X slave unit 27 or the urine test apparatus main body 17 which usually faces the wall of the toilet booth, or a recess which is usually covered with a lid and which is not exposed unless the lid is opened (for example,
The inspection switch 95 is housed in the battery box.

The controller 93 of the living body information transmitting device
As shown in FIG. 10, when the power is turned on (for example, when the battery is replaced in the case of the battery type, when the power switch is turned on, etc.), the device state is initialized (S61). When the initialization is completed and the device becomes operable, first, a special signal for inspection is transmitted to the communication partner device, and a reception completion notification for the inspection signal is received from those devices ( S62). Here, transmitting the inspection signal to the communication partner device means that, for example, in the case of the FAX slave device 27, the inspection infrared signal is transmitted to each of the inspection devices 19, 21, and 23, and the inspection radio signal is transmitted to the FAX master device. 25, and in the case of each of the inspection devices 19, 21 and 23, it is to transmit an infrared signal for inspection to the slave unit 27, and in the case of the FAX master unit 25, the radio signal for inspection is transmitted. This is to transmit to the slave unit 27.

After transmitting the inspection signal, if the reception completion notification of the inspection signal is received from the communication partner, the inspection result becomes “normal”. If the reception completion notification is not received, the inspection result becomes “abnormal”. The inspection result is displayed on the LED display panel 97 (S63). At this time, the test result is "normal"
Not only “abnormality” but also quantitative information such as received signal sensitivity may be measured and displayed. After the examination, a normal operation routine (operation routine for transmitting the measured biological information at a predetermined transmission time) (S64) is entered. When the inspection switch 95 is pressed even after entering the normal operation routine, the inspection operation described above is executed (S62, S6).
3). The automatic inspection function at power-on and the manual inspection function by the inspection switch 95 may be provided with only one of them, and the other may be removed.

As described above, by providing the communication inspection function, the communication channel can be arbitrarily checked.
The time required for installation and maintenance is reduced. In addition, since the communication test is automatically performed at the time of installation such as when the power is turned on, a special operation for the test is not required for the installer (the test switch may be omitted for cost reduction). In addition, if quantitative information such as reception sensitivity is notified as a test result, each device can be installed in an optimal state where the highest reception sensitivity can be obtained, and system performance can be improved. it can.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described above.
The above embodiment is merely an example for describing the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention to only the above embodiment. Therefore, the present invention can be implemented in various modes other than the above-described embodiment.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a biological information management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a communication form between a FAX master device 25 of the user system 9 and a center system 31 of the information service center 3.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a biological information transmitting apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a transmission operation performed by the biological information transmitting apparatus of FIG. 3 to cope with non-delivery of mail.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing another transmission operation performed by the biological information transmitting apparatus of FIG. 3 to cope with non-delivery of mail.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing still another transmission operation performed by the biological information transmitting apparatus of FIG. 3 to cope with mail failure.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing yet another transmission operation performed by the biological information transmitting apparatus of FIG. 3 to cope with non-delivery of mail.

[FIG. 8] FAX master unit 25 to respond to non-delivery of mail
9 is a flowchart showing still another transmission operation performed by the server and the center system 31.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a biological information transmitting apparatus having a communication check Ina.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an operation performed by the biological information transmitting apparatus of FIG. 9;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 User residence 3 Information service center 5 Medical institution 7 Public communication network 9 User system 11 Toilet booth 19 Urine test device 21 Blood flow test device 25 FAX parent machine 27 Child machine 29 Residential communication system 61, 63 Mail server 66 Public telephone network 71, 91 Communication circuit 73, 93 Controller 75 Memory 81 Retransmission button 83 Mode switch 95 Inspection switch

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Kiyoshi Arifuku 2-1, 1-1 Nakajima, Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu-city, Fukuoka Prefecture Totoki Kiki Co., Ltd. (72) Kentaro Toroki 2 Nakajima, Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu-shi, Fukuoka No. 1-1, Totoki Kiki Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Koji Yamaguchi 1006 Kadoma Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Akiko Kitajima 1006 Kadoma Kadoma, Kadoma City, Osaka Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A biopsy device for examining a user at a user's residence to acquire data of biometric information, and receiving the data acquired by the biopsy device and transmitting the data to an external organization outside the user's residence via a communication network. An in-home communication system, wherein the biometric information data is transmitted to the external institution in the form of e-mail over the communication network to the external institution. In a biological information transmitting device mounted on a communication system, a storage device for storing data acquired by the biopsy device, and when a transmission time arrives, untransmitted data acquired after a previous transmission time and a previous transmission time The redundant data including the predetermined transmitted data that has been transmitted at the time is extracted from the storage device, and the redundant data is transmitted to the external organization. Biometric information transmitting device of the biological information management system comprising a redundant data transmission means. 2. A biopsy device for examining a user at a user's residence to acquire data of biometric information, and receiving the data acquired by the biopsy device and transmitting the data to an external organization outside the user's residence via a communication network. An in-home communication system, wherein the biometric information data is transmitted to the external institution in the form of e-mail over the communication network to the external institution. In a biological information transmitting device mounted on a communication system, a storage device for storing data obtained by the biopsy device, and when a transmission time comes, at least the untransmitted data obtained after the previous transmission time is stored in the storage device. Data transmission means for extracting the data from the external organization and transmitting the data to the external organization. Notification means for notifying the user of the non-delivery notification when the non-delivery notification is returned from the communication network; input means for the user to input a retransmission instruction; and A biometric information transmitting apparatus for a biometric information management system, comprising: a data retransmitting unit that, in response, retrieves at least predetermined transmitted data that has been transmitted from the storage device and transmits the data to the external organization. 3. The biological information transmitting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the data retransmitting unit extracts all data stored in the storage device and transmits the data to the external institution. 4. A biopsy apparatus for examining a user at a user's residence to acquire data of biometric information, and receiving the data acquired by the biopsy apparatus and transmitting the data to an external organization outside the user's residence via a communication network. An in-home communication system, wherein the biometric information data is transmitted to the external institution in the form of e-mail over the communication network to the external institution. In a biometric information transmitting device mounted on a communication system, a storage device for storing data obtained by the biopsy device, and when a transmission time comes, untransmitted data obtained after a previous transmission time is transmitted from the storage device. A normal data transmission means for extracting and transmitting the data to the external organization; and when a transmission time comes, an untransmitted data acquired after a previous transmission time. Redundant data transmission means for extracting redundant data including the data and predetermined transmitted data transmitted at the previous transmission time from the storage device and transmitting the redundant data to the external organization; and A biometric information transmitting apparatus for a biometric information management system, comprising: a transmitting unit and a communication mode selecting unit for manually or automatically selecting one of the redundant data transmitting units. 5. A biopsy apparatus for examining a user at a user's residence to acquire data of biometric information, and receiving the data acquired by the biopsy apparatus and transmitting the data to an external organization outside the user's residence via a communication network. An in-home communication system, wherein the biometric information data is transmitted to the external institution in the form of e-mail over the communication network to the external institution. In a biological information transmitting device mounted on a communication system, a storage device for storing data obtained by the biopsy device, and when a transmission time comes, at least the untransmitted data obtained after the previous transmission time is stored in the storage device. Data transmission means for extracting the data from the external organization and transmitting the data to the external organization. When a predetermined signal indicating that the data is transmitted from the external organization, in response to the predetermined signal, at least predetermined transmission data already transmitted from the storage device is taken out and transmitted to the external organization. A biological information transmission device of a biological information management system comprising a retransmission unit. 6. When the data is transmitted to the external organization, a mail management code is added to the data so that the external organization can check whether the electronic mail relating to the data has arrived or not arrived. 6. The biological information transmitting device according to claim 5, further comprising a management code providing unit. 7. A biopsy device for examining a user at a user's residence to acquire biometric information data, and receiving the data acquired by the biopsy device and transmitting the data to an external organization outside the user's residence via a communication network. In a living body information management system including a living house communication system, in the living body information transmitting apparatus mounted on the living body examination device or the living house communication system, a storage device that the system of the external institution can actively access; Means for storing the data obtained by the biopsy device in the storage device so that the system of the external institution can actively access the storage device and obtain the biometric information stored therein. Biological information transmitting device. 8. A biopsy apparatus for examining a user at a user's residence to acquire biometric information data, and receiving the data acquired by the biopsy apparatus and transmitting the data to an external organization outside the user's residence via a communication network. In the living body information management system provided with the in-house communication system, the living body inspection apparatus or the living body information transmitting apparatus mounted on the in-house communication system, wherein the data acquired by the living body inspection apparatus is transmitted to the external institution. A data transmission unit that performs a communication test for outputting whether or not communication between the living body inspection device and the in-home communication system can be performed normally by outputting a test signal at a predetermined timing, and outputs the test result to a person. A biological information transmitting apparatus of a biological information management system, comprising: 9. The biological information transmitting apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said communication inspection means automatically performs said communication inspection when power is turned on. 10. The biological information transmitting apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said communication inspection means performs not only a determination as to whether the communication is normal or abnormal but also a quantitative measurement of the communication status, and notifies the user of the result of the quantitative measurement.