JP2002282225A - Health care apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a health care apparatus capable of appropriately judging the physical condition of a subject without applying a load to the subject. SOLUTION: In the apparatus, a load applying means 102 applies a load generated from the variation of temperature to a subject by varying the temperature of water from a shower 10, and a heart rate measuring means 8 measures the heart rate of the subject. Then, while the load applying means 102 is applying the load generated from the variation of temperature to the subject, a physical condition judging means 101 obtains information on the physical condition of the subject for judging the subject's physical condition based on the variation of the heart rate of the subject measured by the heart rate measuring means 8.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a health management device for judging the physical condition of a subject.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Since information on an electrocardiogram or heart rate is useful for judging the health condition of a subject, the electrocardiogram is measured in a health examination or the like, and the electrocardiogram measurement at home or the like is easily performed. For example, Japanese Patent No. 2594
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 217, a bathtub-type electrocardiogram measuring device capable of measuring an electrocardiogram of a bather while bathing in a bathtub has been proposed.

[0003]

Conventionally, there has been no simple health management device that can be used at home or the like to appropriately judge a physical condition while applying a load to a subject. Therefore, such a simple health management device is desired. Was rare. Incidentally, the bathtub-type electrocardiogram measuring device described above only measures the electrocardiogram of a bather in a bathed state. By the way, in recent years, European and American lifestyles have spread, and the number of showers who wash their bodies in showers has increased. For example, it is common among young people to take a shower in the morning and then go to school or work, or at night, take a shower without having to enter the bathtub. Also,
It is also common practice to sweat in a shower after exercise in a sports facility or the like.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and has as its object the purpose of providing a simple health-care apparatus capable of appropriately judging a physical condition in a state where a load is applied to a subject, while having a simple device configuration. It is to provide a management device. It is still another object of the present invention to provide a more convenient health management device that can judge the physical condition of a subject while applying a load while taking a shower or the like.

[0005]

A first feature of the health management apparatus according to the present invention for achieving this object is that the heart rate of the subject is as described in claim 1 of the claims. Heart rate measuring means for measuring the temperature, a load applying means for applying a load to the subject due to a temperature change, and measurement by the heart rate measuring means when the load applying means applies a load to the subject due to the temperature change And physical condition information determining means for obtaining physical condition information capable of determining the physical condition of the subject based on the change in the heart rate of the subject.

According to the second feature, in addition to the first feature, liquid can be continuously ejected to the subject's body, as described in claim 2 of the claims. Liquid ejecting means is provided, and the load applying means is configured to change the temperature of the liquid ejected to the subject's body by the liquid ejecting means, thereby applying a load to the subject due to the temperature change. There is in the point.

[0007] The third characteristic configuration is that, in addition to the second characteristic configuration, the heart rate measuring means is configured to eject the liquid by the liquid ejection means. The configuration is such that the heart rate of the subject is measured based on electrical signals appearing on a plurality of electrodes including at least one flow path electrode that comes into contact with the liquid to be performed.

The fourth characteristic configuration is obtained by the physical condition information discriminating means in addition to any one of the first to third characteristic configurations, as described in claim 4 of the claims. A physical condition information output means for outputting the physical condition information obtained.

[0009] The fifth characteristic configuration is, in addition to the fourth characteristic configuration, as described in claim 5 in the claims section, wherein the physical condition information output means is provided by the subject by the load applying means. And a display means for displaying a change in the heart rate of the subject when a load due to a temperature change is given to the subject.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in addition to any one of the first to fifth aspects, a temperature change by the load applying means is provided as described in claim 6 of the claims. Abnormality notification means for determining and notifying abnormality of a subject to which a load due to the subject is applied.

The operation and effect will be described below. According to the first characteristic configuration of the present invention, the load is applied to the subject by the temperature change by the load applying unit, and the heart rate of the subject is measured by the heart rate measuring unit. Then, based on a change in the heart rate of the subject measured by the heart rate measuring means when a load is applied to the subject due to a change in temperature, physical condition information from which the physical condition of the subject can be determined is obtained. That is, for example, when a subject is subjected to a load due to a temperature change from a high temperature state to a low temperature state, the heart rate of the subject temporarily increases and then changes so as to decrease. Since it differs depending on the physical condition, the physical condition of the subject can be determined based on the change in the heart rate at the time of applying the load due to the temperature change.

Therefore, although a simple device configuration is used to measure a change in the heart rate of a subject under a load given by a temperature change, it is possible to appropriately judge the physical condition under a load applied to the subject. A healthy health care device is provided. As a result, for example, when used for health management by a simple physical condition check at home or the like, it can lead to early detection of a disease and can contribute to a reduction in medical expenses. In addition, training (sports, walking, etc.)
Can be used for physical condition management (for example, checking the cool-down effect) after performing. If it is determined that the physical condition is bad by checking the cool-down effect, a measure such as reducing the training menu on the next day according to the physical condition can be taken.

According to the second characteristic configuration, the temperature of the liquid ejected to the subject's body is changed by the liquid ejecting means capable of continuously ejecting the liquid to the subject's body. On the other hand, a load due to a temperature change is applied. That is, a load due to a temperature change can be applied to the subject by using the liquid continuously ejected to the subject's body. Therefore, while performing a shower bath, etc., at the same time,
A more convenient health management device capable of judging the physical condition of a subject under a load by using a liquid such as water for a shower bath is provided. As a result, for example, it is possible to contribute to the promotion of health management at home and the like by making a habit of checking the physical condition while taking a shower every morning.

According to the third characteristic configuration, the temperature of the liquid ejected to the subject's body is changed by the liquid ejecting means capable of continuously ejecting the liquid to the subject's body. On the other hand, load due to temperature change is given,
The heart rate of the subject is measured based on electrical signals appearing on a plurality of electrodes including at least one flow path electrode contacting the liquid ejected by the liquid ejecting means.
That is, by using the liquid continuously ejected to the subject's body, a load can be applied to the subject by a temperature change, and conduction between the flow path electrode that comes into contact with the liquid via the liquid and the body surface. Since the path is formed, the heart rate of the subject can be measured in a state in which electrodes are directly fixed to the body surface of the subject and disadvantages such as restraining the body of the subject are avoided as much as possible. Therefore, a more convenient health management device is provided which can perform a shower bath or the like and at the same time, use a liquid such as water for the shower bath to apply a load and measure a heart rate to judge the physical condition of the subject. Is done.

According to the fourth characteristic configuration, the physical condition information of the subject obtained by the physical condition information determining means is output. Therefore, the physical condition of the subject can be easily determined from the output physical condition information. Then, for example, a treatment corresponding to the physical condition can be promptly taken.

According to the fifth feature configuration, a change in the heart rate of the subject when the subject is subjected to a load due to a temperature change is displayed as the physical condition information of the subject. Therefore, a change in the heart rate of the subject when the load is applied due to the temperature change can be visually recognized as the display information, so that the determination of the physical condition of the subject can be more easily performed.

According to the sixth characteristic configuration, the abnormality of the test subject given the load due to the temperature change is determined and notified. Therefore, when it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the subject due to the load due to the temperature change, the abnormality is reported to a third person such as a family member, and the subject can be rescued early.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a health management apparatus according to the present invention will be described for a case where a subject taking a shower is given a load by changing the temperature of hot water in the shower. Figure 1
As shown in FIG. 1, the shower equipment includes a shower head 10 as a liquid ejecting means capable of continuously ejecting a liquid (specifically, water) to a subject's body, and hot water supplied to the shower head 10. Water heater K to be supplied and water heater K
Is provided with a controller C for controlling the hot water supply operation. Although not shown, the water heater K is also configured to supply water to the bathtub, and the controller C has a bath provided with an operation unit and a display unit for inputting various command information for the hot water supply operation. The remote control R1 and the kitchen remote control R2 are connected.

As shown in FIG.
0, a liquid flow path 4 to which water of a constant pressure is supplied, a jet port 5 for continuously jetting water supplied to the liquid flow path 4, and a liquid flow path 4 facing the liquid flow path 4. And a flow path electrode 3 that comes into contact with water flowing through the flow path. Then, a conduction path is formed between the flow path electrode 3 and the body surface through the water continuously spouted from the ejection port 5 toward the body surface of the subject, and the body surface of the portion exposed to the water is formed. The potential is measured. Further, a gripping electrode 11 is provided on a grip portion of the shower head 10, and a body surface potential of a portion touching the gripping electrode 11 is measured. In addition, each body surface potential induced by the flow path electrode 3 and the gripping electrode 11 is extracted as an electric signal to the outside by the lead wire 6.

As shown in FIG. 1, the potential difference between the body surface potential measured by the flow path electrode 3 and the body surface potential measured by the handgrip electrode 11 is measured by a potential measuring device 7. For example, in FIG. 1, the body surface potential at the upper right chest where the water flow from the shower is bathed is measured by the flow channel electrode 3, and the body surface potential of the left hand is grasped by the gripping electrode 1.
The electrocardiogram signal is obtained from the difference signal between the two body surface potentials, which is measured by E.I. The electrocardiogram signal obtained by the potential measuring device 7 is used as a heart rate measuring means 8 for measuring the heart rate of the subject.
Has been entered. Therefore, the heart rate measuring means 8
The heart rate of the subject is determined based on electric signals appearing on a plurality of electrodes (the flow path electrode 3 and the handgrip electrode 11) including at least one flow path electrode 3 that comes into contact with the liquid ejected by the shower head 10. It is configured to measure.

FIG. 3 shows an example of an electrocardiogram signal obtained by the potential measuring device 7 and a heart rate measurement signal. In the original electrocardiogram signal obtained as a voltage difference between the flow path electrode 3 and the gripping electrode 11, a signal (for example, an R-wave or the like) generated instantaneously at a fixed cycle because of base line oscillation has occurred. The signal value cannot be known accurately. This baseline fluctuation is due to the instability of the contact state between the water flow spouted from the shower head 10 and the body surface, and the movement of the subject's body. Therefore, the potential measuring device 7 removes the low-frequency component forming the baseline fluctuation using a low-cut filter or the like, and outputs a calibration electrocardiogram signal without the baseline fluctuation. The calibrated electrocardiogram signal is an electrocardiogram generally seen. The heart rate measuring means 8 calculates the heart rate from the interval between peaks that appear instantaneously in the calibration electrocardiogram signal. Incidentally, the narrower the peak interval, the higher the heart rate. The information on the heart rate obtained by the heart rate measuring means 8 is input to the controller C.

At the top of the shower head 10, there is provided a liquid crystal display 10A for displaying a change in heart rate or the like during a cold water load test, which will be described later. As shown in FIG. 4, an operation unit 10B provided with a measurement start button 13 for heart rate change measurement by a cold water load test described later and an end confirmation button 14 is provided.
The operation signal of the operation section 10B is input to the controller C, and the display section 10A is driven for display by the controller C. Instead of the two buttons for measurement start and end confirmation as described above, a single on / off button for inputting each operation signal for measurement start and end confirmation may be provided.

Using the water heater K and the controller C, a load applying means 102 for applying a load to the subject due to a temperature change is constituted.
However, by changing the temperature of the liquid ejected to the body of the subject by the shower head 10, a load due to the temperature change is applied to the subject. Specifically, by switching the water that is immersed in the body of the subject from hot water at a predetermined temperature to low-temperature water, a load due to a temperature change, that is, a cold water load is applied to the subject.

Using the controller C, the heart rate of the subject measured by the heart rate measuring means 8 when the load applying means 102 is applying a load (the cold water load) due to a temperature change to the subject. The physical condition information determining means 101 for obtaining physical condition information capable of determining the physical condition of the subject based on the change in the physical condition is configured.

FIG. 5 shows the physical condition information discriminating means 101.
This will be specifically described based on the following. First, when the subject presses the measurement start button 13 in the standing or sitting position (this time is referred to as t0), a hot water shower (temperature is referred to as Tw) is spouted from the shower head 10, and the hot water shower is moved near the heart. And waits until the heart rate stabilizes at a constant value (base value P1). When it is confirmed that the heart rate has stabilized at the base value P1, the hot water shower is switched to a cold water shower (temperature is Tc) (this time is t1). By this switching of the shower temperature, the heart rate increases and reaches a maximum value (also referred to as a plateau value) P3 (this time is referred to as t2), and is maintained near the maximum value P3 until time t3 (this period is a plateau period). ), Then gradually decrease. Then, the cold water shower is continued until the heart rate reaches a constant value near the base value P1 (referred to as a recovery value P2) (this time is referred to as t4) and it is confirmed that the recovery value P2 is stabilized.

As the physical condition information, a return time t4-t1 of the heart rate from when the hot water shower is switched to the cold water shower to when it returns to the recovery value P2 is used. That is, when the physical condition is good, the return time t4-t1 of the heart rate is substantially constant, but when the physical condition is bad, the return time t of the heart rate is t.
Since 4-t1 is longer than usual, the physical condition is determined based on the length of the heart rate return time t4-t1.

Along with the return time t4-t1 of the heart rate, a more detailed physical condition check can be performed by any one of the following items or by combining these items. Heart rate rise rate: (P3-P1) / (t2-t1) Heart rate fall rate: (P3-P2) / (t4-t3) Difference between recovery value P2 and base value P1: P2-P1 Difference between plateau value P3 and base value P1: P3-P1 Plateau duration: t3-t2

As shown in FIG. 6, the heart rate decreased after the plateau period became lower than the base value P1 and the recovery value P
If 2 does not exist, the time at which the heart rate reaches the base value P1 is defined as t4, and the return time t4-t1 of the heart rate is obtained as in the case of FIG.

A physical condition information output means 103 for outputting the physical condition information obtained by the physical condition information determining means 101 is provided. And this physical condition information output means 103
Is constituted by display means for displaying a change in the heart rate of the subject when a load due to a temperature change is applied to the subject by the load applying means 102. Specifically, this display means is provided on the display unit 10A of the shower head 10.
5 or 6 is displayed on the display screen of the display unit 10A. In this case, FIG.
Alternatively, a line indicating a change in the normal heart rate when the physical condition is good may be superimposed on the graphic shown in FIG. 6 so that the difference from the normal state can be easily recognized. Therefore, the subject can easily confirm the change state of the heart rate by the display on the display unit 10A of the shower head 10 while squirting the shower near the heart while holding the shower head 10 with the hand.

Further, utilizing the controller C,
Abnormality reporting means 1 for discriminating and reporting abnormality of a subject to which a load due to a temperature change is applied by the load applying means 102.
04 is provided. Specifically, when the chilled water load test is completed, the abnormality notification means 104 operates the confirmation button 14 provided on the shower head 10 by voice from a speaker (not shown) built in the bath remote control R1. When the announcement that prompts is made and the confirmation button 14 is not operated within a certain period of time, the announcement that prompts the above operation is performed again. When it is determined that the alarm has occurred, a buzzer (not shown) built in the kitchen remote controller R2 is operated to notify the family.

[Another Embodiment] Another embodiment will be described below. In the above-described embodiment, the heart rate measuring means 8 outputs the electric signals appearing on the plurality of electrodes 3 and 11 each including the flow path electrode 3 as one electrode in contact with the liquid ejected by the liquid ejecting means 10 (shower head 10). Is configured to measure the heart rate of the subject based on the above. In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the electric signals appearing on the plurality of electrodes 3 formed by the two flow path electrodes 3 that come into contact with the liquid, as illustrated in FIG. May be configured to measure the subject's heart rate based on Specifically, in FIG. 7, each of the two fixed-type shower heads 1 is subjected to a water flow from the two fixed shower heads 1 toward a specific part of the body surface of the subject (the upper right chest and the upper left chest in the figure). Since the body surface potential at the site is measured, as shown in FIG. 1, the subject does not need to hold the shower head with one hand and touch the gripping hand electrode 11 provided on the gripping portion.

The hot water temperature Tw and the cold water temperature Tc of the shower in the cold water load test are changed according to the season and the like.
The temperature difference may be managed. For example, in summer, the temperature of hot water is set higher than in winter, so that the temperature difference from cold water is increased. In this case, the following items may be added to the physical condition check items (heart rate return time t4-t1 and heart rate increase speed) shown in the above embodiment.・ Temperature difference between hot water shower and cold water shower: Tw-Tc ・ Hot water shower temperature Tw ・ Cold water shower temperature Tc ・ Bathroom temperature, outside air temperature, season (summer, winter, etc.), time zone Since the load increases as the pressure increases, the flow rate and pressure of the cold water shower may be added to the physical condition check items.

In the above embodiment, the physical condition information output means 10
3 displays a change in heart rate when the subject is subjected to a load due to a change in temperature on the display unit 10A,
Although the state of change is displayed by a graphic, in addition to this, for example, the heart rate may be digitally displayed as a numerical value while comparing the measured value of the current heart rate with the normal value. In addition, as a display means, you may make it display on the display part of the bath remote control R1 instead of the display part 10A provided in the shower head 10.

Also, for example, by sound from a speaker (not shown) built in the bath remote controller R1,
A series of operations of the cold water load test by the shower jet and the result may be guided to the subject.
Examples of voice guidance for operation include (1) keep the shower 15 cm away from the heart, and (2) press the measurement start button. As an example of the resulting voice guidance, (1) the return time of the heart rate is ** seconds, which is normal, and (2) the return time of the heart rate is ** seconds, which is longer than usual, and the physical condition may be poor. So be careful, etc.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the shower head 10 with the built-in chilled water load test function is installed as the shower head 10 as the liquid jetting means has been described. A shower head adapter having a test function may be retrofitted, or an existing shower head may be replaced with a shower head with a built-in cold water load test function.

In the above embodiment, in the cold water load test, switching from hot water to cold water and various measurements are performed automatically. However, as a simple type device, the switching operation and measurement are performed manually. May be performed. For example, when the start and the end of the measurement are instructed by operating a manual button, the apparatus stores the average heart rate, the maximum heart rate, and the minimum heart rate from the start of the shower ejection to the end of the measurement, and stores the numerical value or the trend ( Transition). Then, the subject judges the physical condition by looking at the display.

In the above embodiment, the load applying means 102
However, the load due to the temperature change from the high temperature side to the low temperature side was applied to the subject, but the load due to the temperature change from the low temperature side to the high temperature side was applied to the subject, and the change in the heart rate at this time was determined. You may make it measure. Specifically, it is performed so as to switch from a cold water shower to a hot water shower.

The load applying means 102 does not apply the load due to the temperature change of the shower water, but applies the load accompanying the temperature change at the time of bathing, and the heart rate measuring means 8 installs the electrode on the inner wall surface of the bathtub. The change in the heart rate may be measured using a bathtub electrocardiographic device that measures the electrocardiogram of the subject immersed in the bathtub. That is, when the subject is immersed in the bathtub, the heart rate first increases and then decreases due to the temperature and pressure of the hot water. Therefore, the measurement is started from the time when the subject is immersed in the bathtub, and the increase, the plateau (stable period) and the decrease of the heart rate are measured. When the measurement is completed (the completion of the measurement is determined by the elapse of the set time or the detection of the plateau), the trend (transition), the average value, the maximum value, etc. of the heart rate within the measurement time, for example, a bath remote control Is displayed on the display section. Then, the set time is set to, for example, 1
It is set to 0 minutes, the average value of the heart rate at the time of bathing for 10 minutes and the appropriate value for the maximum heart rate are grasped, and it is determined whether the appropriate value is within an allowable range (for example, ± 10 beats). , Physical condition can be determined.

Also, the load applying means 102 uses a configuration in which a bathroom heating / drying machine installed in the bathroom is interlocked, so that the temperature of the shower and the room temperature in the bathroom are controlled by the bathroom heating / drying machine. Or the difference between the hot water temperature in the bathtub and the room temperature in the bathroom adjusted by the bathroom heater / dryer may be given to the subject as a load due to the temperature change.
In this case, in order to keep the load condition constant, the room temperature in the bathroom adjusted by the bathroom heater / dryer can be kept constant regardless of the season.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a shower facility provided with a health management device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of a shower head.

FIG. 3 is a graph showing an example of an electrocardiogram signal and a heart rate signal.

FIG. 4 is a front view of an operation unit of the shower head.

FIG. 5 is a graph showing a change in heart rate in a cold water load test.

FIG. 6 is a graph showing a change in heart rate in a cold water load test.

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram showing a shower facility according to another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 Channel electrode 8 Heart rate measuring means 10 Liquid ejection means 10A Display means 11 Electrode 101 Physical condition information discriminating means 102 Load applying means 103 Physical condition information outputting means 104 Abnormality reporting means

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G06F 17/60 126 A61B 5/04 310L F-term (Reference) 4C017 AA02 AB02 AC16 BC18 BD06 CC03 FF05 FF17 4C027 AA02 CC00 DD00 EE01 EE08 FF02 GG05 GG07 GG16 GG18 HH11 KK00 KK01

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A heart rate measuring means for measuring a heart rate of a subject, a load applying means for applying a load to the subject by a temperature change, and a load applied to the subject by a temperature change by the load applying means. And a physical condition information determining means for obtaining physical condition information capable of determining the physical condition of the subject based on a change in the heart rate of the subject measured by the heart rate measuring means. 2. A liquid ejecting means capable of continuously ejecting a liquid to a subject's body, wherein the load applying means changes a temperature of the liquid ejected to the subject's body by the liquid ejecting means. The health management device according to claim 1, wherein the health management device is configured to apply a load due to a temperature change to the subject by causing the subject to load. 3. The heart rate measuring means according to claim 1, wherein said heart rate measuring means measures a heart rate of the subject based on electric signals appearing on a plurality of electrodes including at least one flow path electrode contacting the liquid ejected by said liquid ejecting means. 3. The health management device according to claim 2, wherein the device is configured to measure. 4. The health management device according to claim 1, further comprising: a physical condition information output unit that outputs the physical condition information obtained by the physical condition information determining unit. 5. The physical condition information output means comprises display means for displaying a change in the heart rate of the subject when the load is applied to the subject by a change in temperature by the load applying means. 4. The health management device according to 4. 6. The health management device according to claim 1, further comprising an abnormality notification unit configured to determine and notify an abnormality of the subject to which a load due to a temperature change is applied by the load application unit. .