JP2006094904A - Bioinformation measuring instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bioinformation measuring instrument disclosing incidental information related to the urination state of a subject without a health professional's hearing investigation to the subject when an urine flow rate is measured based on changes in retained water level in real time in a toilet, or a general place for excretion. <P>SOLUTION: The incidental information disclosure method of this bioinformation measuring instrument discloses not only the measurement result of the urine flow rate but also management information for improving the efficiency of diagnosis utilization of the health professional in relationship to the measurement related information related to the urination state and is suited that the health professional, in particular, grasps determination indices specific for the urinary diseases. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention not only discloses the measurement result of the urinary flow rate, but also relates to the management information for improving the efficiency of diagnosis utilization by medical staff and the measurement related information related to the urination state in association with each other. In particular, the invention relates to a method for disclosing incidental information of a biological information measuring device, which is particularly suitable for medical personnel to know a judgment index peculiar to a urological disease.

The urine flow rate is an index indicating the amount of urine per unit time, and can be obtained by measuring urine volume fluctuations in real time. This index is used to diagnose urological diseases such as prostatic hypertrophy.
As a conventional urinary flow rate measuring device, there is a device that receives excreted urine in a container and measures a change in weight over time (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  In such cases, the need to excrete outside the toilet may cause mental pressure on the patient, or the patient may not be able to collect urine in the original urination state, paying attention to stool leakage during urination. there were. In addition, the medical staff and nurses operate the urine volume measuring device, and after leaving the laboratory, the patient subjects undress and perform specific excretion, so the patient is willing to urinate. It was impossible to measure the hesitation time because it was the time until urination occurred. In addition, information on urination posture can only be obtained from hearing information from patients with shame, and there is a problem that correct information cannot be transmitted to medical staff, and there is a risk of making erroneous medical judgments based on measurement results There was a problem.

There is also an effort to perform urination measurement in a toilet rather than in a laboratory (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
In such a case, it is possible to measure the amount of urine excreted by the subject, but the urinary tract disease-related index including the urinary flow rate and related information are not disclosed.
JP 2002-186601 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-299348

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and the problem of the present invention is generally related to the urination state of a subject when measuring urination data such as urinary flow rate from a change in the level of stored water in a toilet that performs excretion. The present invention provides a biological information measuring apparatus that discloses information incidental to measurement data other than the urination data required for accurate diagnosis, such as information, without a medical staff interviewing a subject. .

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the amount of urination is measured based on the change in the water level of the ball surface on which the subject's urine is received and the sewage is formed, and the surface of the ball. Disclosed as a measurement result is a calculation means, a urine flow rate calculation means for calculating a urinary flow rate representing a rate of urine excretion based on a change in the stored water level, and at least the urine output and / or urine flow rate. In a biological information measuring device comprising: a measurement result disclosing means; detecting a human body detecting means for detecting that a subject is present at a measurement location in the vicinity of the ball surface; and detecting the subject's seating on a toilet seat contacting the ball surface Seating detection means, urination posture determination means for determining the posture of the subject based on the determination results of the human body detection means and the seating detection means, operation means for instructing measurement start and / or measurement end, presence of urination Urination detection means for determining the urination state determination means for determining the urination state of the subject based on the measurement result, and the measurement result disclosure means includes at least the subject's measurement information in the measurement information as the measurement result. Disclose in association the management information including the personal authentication information and the measurement date and time and the measurement related information related to the information on the urination state of the subject obtained by the urination state determination means and / or the urination posture obtained by the urination posture determination means. By characterizing
Healthcare professionals can obtain additional information related to urination measurement such as urination status and posture of urination without interviewing the user and conducting research, and information that has been concealed due to the shame of the user It was possible to eliminate the fear that a person would make a wrong judgment.

According to the invention of claim 2, the information on the urination posture is a determination result of whether the urination posture is a sitting position or a standing position.
In particular, the effect on abdominal muscle urination, which tends to occur in men, can be judged without error.

According to the invention of claim 3, the measurement related information is a time from a measurement start operation to urine flow detection in the case of standing,
Especially for males, the time from when the subject wants to urinate in a standing position to when urination actually starts can be known correctly, so the measurement results are accurately judged at the time of diagnosis. Made it possible.

According to the invention of claim 4, the measurement related information is a time from sitting detection to urine flow detection in the case of sitting,
Regardless of gender, it is possible to accurately know the time from when the subject wants to urinate in the sitting position until the actual urination starts, so the measurement results can be accurately judged at the time of diagnosis. It was.

According to the invention described in claim 5, the measurement related information indicates that the measurement result of the stored water level has undergone more fluctuations than expected, such as stool excretion during measurement and / or toilet paper input. By being characterized by information,
A medical worker who uses the measurement information can make a medical decision on the assumption that there is a possibility of an error in the measurement result.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the medical worker can know incidental information regarding a user's urination state without hearing a user and hearing. At the same time, the measurement results such as urine volume and urinary flow rate and the incidental information are disclosed simultaneously, and there is an effect that it is possible to efficiently use data including grasping of therapeutic effects over time.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

Next, a biological information measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
First, a biological information measuring apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a biological information measuring apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the toilet unit 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a Western-style toilet 2 and various functional units 4 that operate the toilet unit 1. The Western-style toilet 2 includes a ball 6, a rim water discharge nozzle 7 that discharges cleaning water, a trap portion 8 that seals the ball 6, and a zette that is a siphon phenomenon generating unit that jets cleaning water toward the trap portion 8. This is a Western-style toilet that performs water-pipe direct pressure cleaning with a water discharge nozzle 9. Furthermore, the toilet unit 1 is a drainage socket 10 connected to the trap unit 8 of the Western-style toilet 2 and a water supply valve that is attached to the Western-style toilet 2 and switches and supplies cleaning water supplied from city water. Water channel switching means 16. Opening / closing means 28 for opening and closing the discharge channel is incorporated in the drain socket 10.

  The function unit 4 includes a pressure sensor 18 that is a water level measuring unit that measures the hydrostatic pressure at the bottom of the ball 6. The functional unit 4 includes a water storage tank 24 and a pump 36 that pumps water in the water storage tank 24 and cleans a pipe line used for urine volume measurement. Furthermore, the functional unit 4 includes a first on-off valve 30, a second on-off valve 32, a third on-off valve 34, and a fourth on-off valve 26 that switch the water channel. The function unit 4 includes a controller 38 that controls the water channel switching means 16, each three-way valve, and each on-off valve. The controller 38 has a built-in urine volume / urine flow rate calculating means 40 for calculating the urine volume or the urine flow rate based on the measured value by the pressure sensor 18.

An outlet side end portion of the trap portion 8 is connected to the sewer pipe D through the drain socket 10. The rim water discharge nozzle 7 is configured to discharge cleaning water from the upper part of the ball 6 in the tangential direction of the rim to clean the wall surface of the ball 6. The jet water discharge nozzle 9 is configured to eject cleaning water from the bottom of the ball 6 toward the trap portion 8 and induce a siphon phenomenon in the trap portion 8.
The water channel switching means 16 is configured to alternately discharge the wash water supplied from city water from the rim water discharge nozzle 7 and the jet water discharge nozzle 9 in accordance with a control signal of the controller 38.

  The pressure sensor 18 is configured to measure the hydrostatic pressure at the bottom of the ball 6 guided by the pressure conduit 12 communicating with the jet water discharge nozzle 9. As shown in FIG. 1, the pressure conduit 12 communicated with the jet water discharge nozzle 9 is connected to the pressure sensor 18 via the third on-off valve 34. Furthermore, the third on-off valve 34 is configured to be opened by the controller 38 when the water level is measured by the pressure sensor 18 and closed when the water level is not measured.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a fourth open / close valve 26 is provided between the city water and the water storage tank 24. When the fourth on-off valve 26 communicates, the city water is guided to the water storage tank 24. A branch path 22 is provided between the water path switching means 16 and the rim water spouting nozzle 7. When the first on-off valve 30 is closed, city water is directly discharged from the water channel switching means 16 to the rim water discharge nozzle 7.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the water storage tank 24 has a double structure in which the washing tank 24a surrounds the reservoir tank 24b which is the water level setting means, and the water overflowing from the reservoir tank 24b flows into the washing tank 24a. It is supposed to be. An outlet pipe 24d is connected to the bottom of the reservoir tank 24b, and water in the reservoir tank 24b is discharged from the rim spouting nozzle 7 via the first on-off valve 30 connected to the outlet pipe 24d. It is like that.

  Further, the cleaning tank 24a is configured such that water supplied from the water supply pipe 24c into the stored water tank 24b and overflowed from the stored water tank 24b flows into the cleaning tank 24a. Since the outlet gap is secured between the water supply pipe 24c and the reservoir tank 24b, even if the reservoir water 13 flows backward, it does not communicate with city water, and there is no problem in terms of hygiene. For this reason, the amount of water stored in the stored water tank 24b is determined by the volume of the stored water tank 24b, and a certain amount of water is stored in the stored water tank 24b.

  Further, an overflow pipe 24e is connected to the cleaning tank 24a. The overflow pipe 24e is connected to the drain socket 10 via the trap pipe 25. As a result, in the unlikely event that the water supply to the water storage tank 24b is not stopped due to a malfunction or the like, the water in the cleaning tank 24a is discharged to the drain socket 10 to prevent the water from overflowing from the cleaning tank 24a. Yes. Since the overflow pipe 24e is connected to the drain socket 10 via the trap pipe 25, the odor in the sewage pipe does not leak to the atmosphere through the overflow pipe 24e. In order to prevent the sealed water in the trap tube 25 from being cut, the water supply time to the water storage tank 24 is set such that the replenishing water is always generated due to overflow.

  Further, an outflow pipe 24f is connected to the bottom of the cleaning tank 24a. The outflow pipe 24 f is connected to the pressure conduit 12 through the pump 36 and the second on-off valve 32. Accordingly, when the pump 36 is operated with the second on-off valve 32 opened, the water in the cleaning tank 24 a flows into the pressure conduit 12.

  The controller 38 is configured to send a control signal to the water channel switching means 16, each three-way valve, and each on-off valve to execute the washing function and the urine volume measuring function of the Western-style toilet 2. Further, the urine volume / urine flow rate calculating means 40 built in the controller 38 is configured to obtain the water level in the ball 6 based on the pressure measured by the pressure sensor 18 and to calculate the urine output of the subject. ing. The controller 38 and the urine volume / urine flow rate calculating means 40 can be constituted by a microprocessor (not shown) and a memory (not shown) storing a program for operating the microprocessor.

Next, the operation of the toilet unit 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a graph showing the operation of the toilet unit 1 in time series.
As shown in FIG. 2, at the time of standby, the water level of the stored water 13 in the ball 6 of the toilet unit 1 is the start water level indicated by Y in FIG. 1, and an operation / display unit (not shown). ) Is displayed as “measurable”. In the present embodiment, the start water level Y is set approximately 36 mm below the overflow water level H and approximately 25 mm above the sealed water level at which the sealed water in the trap portion 8 is broken.

  A pressure sensor 20 is connected to the drain socket 10. When the pressure sensor 20 monitors the pressure in the sewage pipe and detects a pressure fluctuation exceeding 25 mm, which is the depth of sealing, the water is discharged from the water channel switching means 16 toward the rim water discharging nozzle 7 so that the sealing water is cut off. This prevents odors and pests from spreading into the toilet.

  Next, when the subject of the toilet unit 1 operates a measurement start switch of the operation / display unit (not shown) or a predetermined activation means (not shown) such as insertion of an ID card for personal authentication, The display on the display unit (not shown) is “in preparation”. At the same time, the controller 38 sends a control signal to the second on-off valve 34. Thereby, the pressure conduit 12 and the pressure sensor 18 are communicated. The controller 38 sends control signals to the pressure sensor 18 to operate them.

  Further, the controller 38 sends a control signal to the opening / closing means 28 built in the drain socket 10, and closes the flow path from the opened toilet to the sewage pipe during standby. In this way, the flow path is open during standby, even if the urine volume is not measured at the time of cleaning the toilet, etc., even if the bucket water is allowed to flow into the toilet bowl, sewage overflow occurs. This is so that there is no such thing. Pressure fluctuations generated by the flow of water originating from other devices generated in the sewage pipe D when the flow path is closed in accordance with the intention to start urine volume measurement using the subject's toilet bowl unit Is not transmitted to the water level of the accumulated water 13.

  When the measurement preparation operation as described above is completed, the display on the operation / display unit (not shown) changes to “under measurement”. After the display changes to “measuring”, the subject urinates to the ball 6. When the test subject urinates, the water level in the ball 6 rises as shown in FIG. When the pressure change measured by the pressure sensor 18 disappears or the subject finishes urination and operates the urination end switch (not shown) of the operation / display unit (not shown), the controller 38 causes the subject to urinate. It is determined that the process has been completed, and calculation of the subject's urine output is started. The urine volume / urine flow rate calculating means 40 built in the controller 38 calculates the urine output of the subject based on the pressure measurement result measured by the pressure sensor 18 and displays the result as a measurement value.

  Simultaneously with the calculation of the amount of urination, the controller 38 sends a control signal to the pressure sensor 18, turns it off, sends a control signal to the third on-off valve 34, and closes it. Further, the controller 38 sends a control signal to the opening / closing means 28 built in the drain socket 10 to open the flow path and prepare the discharged filth to be discharged into the sewage pipe D.

  Further, the controller 38 opens the second on-off valve 32 and operates the pump 36. Thereby, the water in the washing tank 24a is discharged from the jet water discharge nozzle 9 through the pump 36, the second on-off valve 32, and the pressure conduit 12, and these paths are cleaned. In addition, washing | cleaning of these piping path | routes which contacted urine may be performed for every measurement, or may be performed for every predetermined measurement frequency or every predetermined time. As described above, when the cleaning is not performed every time, the total time required for one measurement can be shortened.

  When the subject operates a toilet flushing switch (not shown) of the operation / display unit (not shown) after the urine volume measurement is completed, the display on the operation / display unit changes to “in preparation”. At the same time, the controller 38 sends a control signal to the water channel switching means 16 to discharge water from the rim water discharge nozzle 7 for a predetermined time, and the water level in the ball 6 rises to the overflow water level H as shown in FIG. Next, the controller 38 stops water discharge from the rim water discharge nozzle 7 and discharges water from the jet water discharge nozzle 9. Due to water discharge from the jet water discharge nozzle 9, a siphon phenomenon occurs, the water stored in the ball 6 is sucked into the trap portion 8, and the amount of water stored in the ball 6 becomes the zero water level X.

  After performing the jet water discharge for a predetermined time, the controller 38 stops the jet water discharge. At the same time, the controller 38 sends a control signal to the first on-off valve 30 to release it, and causes the first on-off valve 30 and the rim water discharge nozzle 7 to pass a predetermined amount of water stored in the reservoir tank 24b. And water is discharged into the ball 6. When the first on-off valve 30 is opened for a predetermined time, all the water in the reservoir tank 24 b flows into the ball 6. Here, since the amount of water stored in the ball 6 before the water supply from the water storage tank 24b is the zero water level X, all the water in the water storage tank 24b in which a predetermined amount of water is stored is stored in the ball 6. The amount of accumulated water in the ball 6 after flowing into the ball 6 is always substantially constant, and the water level at this time becomes a predetermined start water level Y. Accordingly, the reservoir tank 24b functions as a water level setting means.

  When all the water in the stored water tank 24 b flows into the ball 6, the controller 38 closes the first on-off valve 30. At the same time, the controller 38 sends a control signal to the fourth on-off valve 26 to cause the city water to communicate with the water storage tank 24. As a result, the city water passes through the fourth on-off valve 26 and flows into the water storage tank 24b that has been emptied. When water flows into the reservoir tank 24b, the water level in the reservoir tank 24b rises. When the reservoir tank 24b is full, the water overflows from the reservoir tank 24b and flows into the cleaning tank 24a. When the water level of the cleaning tank 24a rises and reaches a predetermined water level, the controller 38 stops water supply from the fourth on-off valve 26. When the water supply from the fourth on-off valve 26 stops, the display on the operation / display unit (not shown) changes to “measurable”, and the toilet unit 1 returns to the standby state.

  If the water supply is not stopped even if the water level of the cleaning tank 24a reaches a predetermined level, the water in the cleaning tank 24a is drained to the drain socket 10 via the trap pipe 25. Water is prevented from overflowing from the cleaning tank 24a.

  FIG. 3 shows the operation when the toilet unit 1 of the present embodiment is used for stool rather than urine volume measurement. In this case, the subject presses a stool use switch (not shown) of an operation / display unit (not shown) or predetermined activation means such as a preparation switch or insertion of an ID card for personal authentication (see FIG. It is a case where it sat down without operating. If the controller 38 recognizes that the purpose is to excrete stool rather than measuring the amount of urine, the controller 38 supplies rim water from the rim water spouting nozzle 7 and raises the water level in the ball 6 to the overflow water level H. Let Since the rim water supply is performed at a flow rate of about 20 L / min, in this embodiment in which the total amount of stored water is 2 to 3 L at the overflow water level H, the time required for raising the water level to the overflow water level H is about It is within 10 seconds, and the convenience of the subject does not deteriorate. Moreover, by raising the water level to the overflow water level H, a sufficient water storage area can be secured, and a siphon phenomenon due to jet water discharge can be effectively generated.

  Next, measurement of the urine volume by the pressure sensor 18 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a graph showing an example of the relationship between the water level of the ball 6 and the amount of water accumulated in the ball 6. The pressure sensor 18 is configured to measure the pressure transmitted by the pressure conduit 12 communicated with the jet water discharge nozzle 9 provided at the bottom of the ball 6, and the pressure measured by the pressure sensor 18 is It is proportional to the water level of 6. The urine volume / urine flow rate calculating means 40 built in the controller 38 stores in advance the relationship between the water level and the amount of accumulated water as shown in FIG. The urine volume / urine flow rate calculating means 40 obtains the retained water level Z after urination of the subject from the measured pressure of the pressure sensor 18 after the subject has finished urination. Next, the urine volume / urine flow rate calculating means 40 calculates the amount of stored water in the ball 6 at the stored water level Z based on the stored relationship between the water level and the stored water amount. The amount of urine of the subject is calculated by subtracting the amount of retained water at the start water level Y before urination, which is set in advance and is known, from the amount of accumulated water after urination. Similarly, the urine volume / urine flow rate calculating means 40 calculates the urine flow rate, which is the amount of urine discharged per unit time, by measuring the water level change during urination of the subject every moment.

  The relationship between the water level or pressure measurement value and the amount of stored water may be stored in advance in the urine volume / urine flow rate calculating means 40 as a design value, but in a general toilet made of ceramics, Since there is an individual difference for each product, the urine volume / urine flow rate calculating means 40 learns and stores the relationship between the water level or the measured pressure value and the accumulated water volume by throwing a predetermined water volume into the ball 6 at the construction site. It can also be configured as follows. Further, since the urine amount is converted based on the relationship between the water level and the amount of stored water, it is not essential that the start water level is Y. Similarly, the urine volume may be measured by measuring the water level change from the air level X.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 5, the influence of the water level of the stored water 13 and the pressure fluctuation in the sewage pipe D will be described. The case where the opening / closing means 28 built in the drain socket 10 is not operated will be described. FIG. 5 (a) is a diagram showing the water level in the ball 6 and the trap part 8 when the pressure in the sewer pipe is equal to the atmospheric pressure, and FIG. 5 (b) shows the case where the pressure in the sewer pipe is negative (c) ) Is a diagram showing the water level in the case of positive pressure.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, when the pressure in the sewer pipe is equal to the atmospheric pressure, the water level in the ball 6 and the water level in the trap portion 8 are equal, so the water level is obtained from the pressure measurement value of the pressure sensor 18. Thus, the urine volume can be calculated with high accuracy. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), when the pressure in the sewage pipe becomes negative, the accumulated water in the trap part 8 is sucked toward the sewage pipe, so that the water level in the trap part 8 rises. Then, the water level in the ball 6 falls. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5C, when the pressure in the sewer pipe becomes positive, the accumulated water in the trap portion 8 is pushed, the water level in the trap portion 8 is lowered, and the water level in the ball 6 is raised. To do. In the case of FIG. 5B or 5C, if the water level is obtained as it is from the pressure measurement value of the pressure sensor 18 and the amount of stored water is calculated, an error occurs in the calculated value of the stored water amount. In this embodiment, since the pressure fluctuation in the sewage pipe D is not transmitted to the accumulated water 13, the measurement is always performed in the state of FIG.

  Next, a biological information measuring apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a biological information measuring apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6, the toilet unit 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes a Western-style toilet 2 and various functional units 4 that operate the toilet unit 1. The Western-style toilet 2 includes a ball 6, a rim water discharge nozzle 7 that discharges cleaning water, a trap portion 8 that seals the ball 6, and a zette that is a siphon phenomenon generating unit that jets cleaning water toward the trap portion 8. This is a Western-style toilet that performs water-pipe direct pressure cleaning with a water discharge nozzle 9. Furthermore, the toilet unit 1 is a drainage socket 10 connected to the trap unit 8 of the Western-style toilet 2 and a water supply valve that is attached to the Western-style toilet 2 and switches and supplies cleaning water supplied from city water. Water channel switching means 16. Opening / closing means 28 for opening and closing the discharge channel is incorporated in the drain socket 10.

  The function unit 4 includes a pressure sensor 18 that is a water level measuring unit that measures the hydrostatic pressure at the bottom of the ball 6. Furthermore, the function part 4 has the 2nd on-off valve 32 and the 3rd on-off valve 34 which switch or open / close a water channel. The function unit 4 includes a water channel switching unit 16 and a controller 38 that controls each on-off valve. The controller 38 has a built-in urine volume / urine flow rate calculating means 40 for calculating the urine volume or the urine flow rate based on the measured value by the pressure sensor 18.

  An outlet side end portion of the trap portion 8 is connected to the sewer pipe D through the drain socket 10. The rim water discharge nozzle 7 is configured to discharge cleaning water from the upper part of the ball 6 in the tangential direction of the rim to clean the wall surface of the ball 6. The jet water discharge nozzle 9 is configured to eject cleaning water from the bottom of the ball 6 toward the trap portion 8 and induce a siphon phenomenon in the trap portion 8. The water channel switching means 16 is configured to alternately discharge the wash water supplied from city water from the rim water discharge nozzle 7 and the jet water discharge nozzle 9 in accordance with a control signal of the controller 38.

  The pressure sensor 18 is configured to measure the hydrostatic pressure at the bottom of the ball 6 guided by the pressure conduit 12 communicating with the jet water discharge nozzle 9. As shown in FIG. 6, the pressure conduit 12 communicating with the jet water discharge nozzle 9 is connected to the pressure sensor 18 via the third on-off valve 34. Furthermore, the third on-off valve 34 is configured to be opened by the controller 38 when the water level is measured by the pressure sensor 18 and closed when the water level is not measured.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a branch path 22 is provided between the water channel switching means 16 and the jet water discharge nozzle 9, and city water passes through the second on-off valve 32 and the pressure conduit 12 to the jet water discharge nozzle 9. The water for cleaning is guided. When the second on-off valve 32 is closed, the city water is directly discharged from the water channel switching means 16 to the jet water discharge nozzle 9.

  In addition, during the measurement, after the accumulated water 13 is discharged by a siphon phenomenon generated by water discharged from the jet water discharge nozzle 9, the opening / closing means 28 built in the drain socket 10 is closed, and the odor and pressure fluctuation of the sewage piping are It is not transmitted to surface 6. In addition, since the cross-sectional area of the ball surface 6 becomes smaller as it goes downward, the second embodiment has a larger water level change amount with respect to the same urine volume than the first embodiment, and as a result, more accurate measurement can be expected. become.

  The controller 38 is configured to send a control signal to the water channel switching means 16, each three-way valve, and each on-off valve to execute the washing function and the urine volume measuring function of the Western-style toilet 2. Further, the urine volume / urine flow rate calculating means 40 built in the controller 38 is configured to obtain the water level in the ball 6 based on the pressure measured by the pressure sensor 18 and to calculate the urine output of the subject. ing. The controller 38 and the urine volume / urine flow rate calculating means 40 can be constituted by a microprocessor (not shown) and a memory (not shown) storing a program for operating the microprocessor.

Next, the operation of the toilet unit 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a graph showing the operation of the toilet unit 2 in time series.
As shown in FIG. 7, at the time of standby, the water level of the stored water 13 in the ball 6 of the toilet unit 1 is the overflow water level indicated by H in FIG. (Not shown) displays "Preparing".

  Next, when the subject of the toilet unit 1 operates a predetermined activation means (not shown) such as a preparation switch of an operation / display unit (not shown) or an ID card for personal authentication, the operation / display is performed. The display of the part (not shown) continues “in preparation”. At the same time, the controller 38 sends a control signal to the water channel switching means 16 to discharge water from the rim water discharge nozzle 7 for a predetermined time, and the water level in the ball 6 remains in the overflow water level H as shown in FIG. Wash. Next, the controller 38 stops water discharge from the rim water discharge nozzle 7 and discharges water from the jet water discharge nozzle 9. Due to water discharge from the jet water discharge nozzle 9, a siphon phenomenon occurs, the water stored in the ball 6 is sucked into the trap portion 8, and the amount of water stored in the ball 6 becomes the zero water level X. In this embodiment, the water level X is the starting water level at the start of measurement.

  Since the stored water 13 secures a sealed water depth of 50 mm or more in consideration of the pressure fluctuation standard value ± 40 mmAqa in the sewage pipe, there is no possibility that the sealed water will be cut when a pressure fluctuation occurs in the sewage pipe. In Example 1, the pressure fluctuation in the sewage pipe is monitored, and the excessive pressure fluctuation is replenished to prevent the water seal from running out by replenishing the stored water. Can be The mechanism configuration may be selected depending on whether or not to admit that a time lag occurs in the measurement preparation.

  Next, the controller 38 sends a control signal to the opening / closing means 28 built in the drain socket 10 to close the flow path. Even if the flow path is opened during standby and the urine volume measurement is not performed, even if a bucket of water flows through the toilet bowl, consideration is given to preventing overflow of sewage. By closing the flow path in accordance with the intention to start measurement by the test subject, pressure fluctuations and odors generated in the flow of water originating from other equipment generated in the sewage pipe D are not transmitted to the water level of the ball 6. It becomes like this.

  When a predetermined time elapses, the third on-off valve 34 is opened to measure the water level of the accumulated water 13 and the pressure sensor 18 is activated, and the display on the operation / display unit (not shown) changes to “measuring”. After the display changes to “measuring”, the subject urinates to the ball 6. When the subject urinates, as shown in FIG. 7, the water level in the ball 6 rises and becomes the water level Z after urination. The controller 38 determines that the urination of the subject has ended when the pressure change measured by the pressure sensor 18 disappears or when the subject operates a urination end switch (not shown) of the operation / display unit (not shown). Then, the calculation of the subject's urine output is started. The urine volume / urine flow rate calculating means 40 built in the controller 38 calculates the urination volume of the subject based on the pressure measured by the pressure sensor 18.

  Simultaneously with the calculation of the amount of urination, the controller 38 sends a control signal to the pressure sensor 18, turns it off, sends a control signal to the third on-off valve 34, and closes it. Further, the controller 38 opens the second on-off valve 32 and executes the jet water discharge from the water channel switching means 16. Simultaneously with water discharge toward the jet water discharge nozzle 9, water is discharged from the water discharge nozzle 9 through the pressure conduit 12, and these paths are cleaned. In addition, washing | cleaning of these piping path | routes which contacted urine may be performed for every measurement, or may be performed for every predetermined measurement frequency or every predetermined time. As described above, when the cleaning is not performed every time, the total time required for one measurement can be shortened. Next, at the timing when the sealed water is secured, the controller 38 sends a control signal to the opening / closing means 28 built in the drain socket 10, opens the flow path, and prepares the discharged filth to be discharged into the sewage pipe D. .

  When the subject operates a toilet flushing switch (not shown) of the operation / display unit (not shown) after the urine volume measurement is completed, the display on the operation / display unit changes to “in preparation”. At the same time, the controller 38 sends a control signal to the water channel switching means 16 to discharge water from the rim water discharge nozzle 7 for a predetermined time, while the water level in the ball 6 is raised to the overflow water level H as shown in FIG. The inside of the ball 6 is washed. Next, the controller 38 stops water discharge from the rim water discharge nozzle 7 and discharges water from the jet water discharge nozzle 9. Due to water discharge from the jet water discharge nozzle 9, a siphon phenomenon occurs, the water stored in the ball 6 is sucked into the trap portion 8, and the amount of water stored in the ball 6 becomes the zero water level X.

  After performing the jet water discharge for a predetermined time, the controller 38 stops the jet water discharge. At the same time, the water discharge is switched to the rim side, and water is discharged into the ball 6 through the rim water discharge nozzle 7 until the overflow water level H is reached. When the predetermined water level is reached, the controller 38 stops water supply from the water channel switching means 16. When the water supply from the water channel switching means 16 stops, the operation / display section (not shown) displays “in preparation” and the toilet unit 1 returns to the standby state.

  FIG. 8 shows the operation when the toilet unit 1 of the present embodiment is used for stool rather than urine volume measurement. In this case, the subject presses a stool use switch (not shown) of an operation / display unit (not shown) or predetermined activation means such as a preparation switch or insertion of an ID card for personal authentication (see FIG. It is a case where it sat down without operating. If the controller 38 recognizes that the purpose is to excrete the stool instead of measuring the amount of urine, the controller 38 prohibits the accumulated water 13 from being discharged until a toilet cleaning operation is performed. Since the accumulated water level is maintained at the overflow water level H, a sufficient accumulated water area can be secured, and siphon phenomenon due to jet water discharge can be effectively generated, so excrement is highly reliable. Can be discharged into the sewage pipe.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing human urination status over time and the contents of urological disease management indices.
The horizontal axis represents time (seconds), and the vertical axis represents urinary flow rate (mL / second) indicating changes in urine volume per unit time. By measuring the change in water level over time with the biological information measuring device of the present invention as a change in pressure, converting it to the amount of stored water using a calibration curve, and performing first-order differentiation of the temporal variation of the amount of stored water, the change in the amount of stored water per unit time The urine flow rate can be easily obtained.

Next, each item of the urological disease management index used for clinical use will be described. A case is used in which humans urinate due to excretion, which shows temporal fluctuations in urine flow rate as shown in FIG. When intermittent urination is performed, the amount of urine excreted at the first time is A ₁ , and the amount of urine excreted at the second time is A ₂ . If excreted in N times as a whole, the excreted urine volume R (mL) is expressed by the following equation.

最大尿流率Ｂ（ｍＬ／秒）は、１回目に排泄された尿量がＡ_１・尿流時間Ｅ_１、２回目に排泄された尿量がＡ_２・尿流時間Ｅ_２・・・のうち、最大ピークを迎えた尿流率である。また排尿開始からピークを迎えるまでの時間が、最大尿流率到達時間Ｆ（秒）である。

The maximum urinary flow rate B (mL / second) is that the amount of urine excreted in the first time is A ₁ · urine flow time E ₁ , the amount of urine excreted in the second time is A ₂ · urine flow time E _2. Of these, the urinary flow rate reached its maximum peak. The time from the start of urination to the peak is the maximum urine flow rate arrival time F (seconds).

The upper limit of the maximum urine flow rate is about 50 mL / second, generally about 20 mL / second, and if it falls below 5 mL / second, the possibility of urinary tract disease is suspected. Men with a long urethra tend to have a lower urinary flow rate with age than women with a short urethra. The average urinary flow rate C (mL / second) is that the amount of urine excreted in the first time is A ₁ · urine flow time E ₁ , the amount of urine excreted in the second time is A ₂ · urine flow time E _2. Is expressed by the following formula.

排泄時間Ｄ（秒）は、途切れ途切れの状態を含めて排泄が終了した時間である。排泄時間が６０秒を超えるようになると、前立腺肥大などの疾病が疑われるようになる。尿流時間Ｅ（秒）は、実際に排泄が行われた時間であり、下式で表現される。

The excretion time D (seconds) is the time when excretion is completed including the discontinuity state. When excretion time exceeds 60 seconds, diseases such as prostatic hypertrophy become suspected. The urine flow time E (seconds) is the time when excretion is actually performed, and is expressed by the following equation.

ためらい時間Ｇ（秒）はまよい時間とも称されるもので、排尿の意志をもってから実際に排泄が起こるまでの時間である。

The hesitation time G (seconds) is also referred to as a good time, and is the time from the will of urination until the actual excretion occurs.

  The biological information measuring device according to the present invention will be described with reference to a block diagram to be described later, but the biological information measuring device according to the present invention includes an operation unit that performs a measurement start operation, a human body detection sensor that detects the proximity of the subject, and a seat that detects that the subject has been seated Has a sensor. When a man excretes in a standing position, hesitation time G (seconds) can be measured with the subject being detected by the human body detection sensor and the measurement start operation being additionally performed. When a man urinates in a standing position, when the measurement start operation of urinary flow rate measurement is performed after the trouser zipper is lowered to expose the penis and preparation for urination is completed, the most accurate hesitant time G (seconds) is obtained. Measurement can be carried out.

  When a woman excretes in a sitting position, she will sit after undressing, and therefore, the intention to urinate can measure a hesitation time G (seconds) with the seating sensor sitting on the subject's toilet seat as a starting point for timing. When men excrete, the urinary flow rate is said to be higher in the standing position where the abdominal muscles can be used. For example, even if a medical worker gives an instruction for excretion in a sitting position where the abdominal muscles are not used, since the inside of the toilet is a personal space, it can be disclosed whether the instructions are actually being observed.

  In addition, when a woman does not want to touch the toilet seat and performs excretion at the middle waist, and the seating sensor does not detect the seating action, the excretion action does not represent a normal state. The biometric information measuring device of the present invention allows the medical staff to easily know the excretion state without making a question regarding the excretion that the patient may feel ashamed of. In addition, since the medical staff can know the information hidden by the patient, there is no wrong judgment regarding the treatment policy decision.

  It should be noted that the same excretion never occurs again. It is assumed that stool is excreted during urinary flow rate measurement or that toilet paper is put in before ending operation. In addition, for example, when an operation failure occurs in the opening / closing means 28 that interrupts transmission of the sewage pressure fluctuation, the measurement result of the urine volume / urine flow rate has an error.

  Since the human urinary flow rate is 50 mL / second or less and has a dynamic characteristic of 1 Hz or less, when the pressure sensor 18 measures a larger amplitude or frequency, the measurement is performed. The entire result is unreliable due to the error factors. However, if a health care professional interprets the urinary flow rate graph over time on the assumption that there is an error factor, it can make judgments using data until fluctuation occurs, and it is not enough for measurement at all It is also possible to prevent this.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of the biological information measuring apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
Blocks are roughly divided into toilet parts and functional parts. The toilet part is composed of a rim water discharge nozzle for supplying water for cleaning the ball and a jet water discharge nozzle for generating a siphon phenomenon for a trap submerged in the stored water and connected to the drain socket. City water is supplied from the water channel switching means of the functional unit. The water channel is branched between the jet water discharge nozzle and the water channel switching unit, and is connected to the stored water level measuring unit. The stored water level measuring means transmits a signal to the urine volume / urine flow rate calculating means in the controller. The controller is connected to the operation / display unit, receives operations from the subject, and discloses measurement results to the subject. The controller is also connected to a human body detecting means for detecting that the subject is present in the vicinity of the toilet and a seating detecting means for detecting that the subject is sitting on the toilet seat. In the case of the second embodiment, there is no fixed water supply means, the sewage pressure fluctuation protection means is omitted, and an open / close means is incorporated in the drain socket instead.

11 and 12 are flowcharts of the biological information measuring apparatus of the present invention.
S101 is a step of starting the program. In S102, the subject enters the toilet. When the human body detection sensor detects the subject in S103 and performs a measurement start operation for measuring urine volume in S104, the timer 1 for measuring the hesitation time is started in S105. S106 is a step of determining the urination posture, and it is determined whether the urination is standing or sitting based on the operation of the seating sensor.

  S107 is a case where it is determined that the subject is sitting urinating because the subject is seated on the toilet seat. The timer 1 is reset assuming that undressing is finished and preparation for urination is completed, and in S108, hesitant time measurement is started again. S109 is a step of detecting the start of urination. When it is detected that the water level of the accumulated water has changed by a signal from the pressure sensor 18, it is determined that there is a urine flow, that is, urination has started. The timer 1 that has been measuring the hesitation time in S110 is stopped, and the time at which it is determined in S111 that urination has started is stored. In step S112, the timer 2 is started to measure the urine flow time, that is, the time during which the urine has actually dropped into the stored water. S113 counts to the urination counter which counts the number of times when one subject urinates several times without continuously urinating.

  S114 is a step of checking the fluctuation state of the urine flow rate. When the pressure sensor 18 detects fluctuations in the amplitude and frequency of the stored water that exceed the range expected for normal urination, when displaying the measurement result, the existence of a measurement error with respect to the measurement result can be disclosed in association with it. The fact that such a change has occurred is stored in S115. Possible causes include excretion of stool during measurement of urinary flow rate, or insertion of toilet paper before the end of measurement, but medical personnel using measurement results are If the time fluctuation graph of urinary flow rate is confirmed on the assumption that there is suspicion of sex, the risk of making a wrong decision is reduced.

Here, as a method for determining the possibility of the presence of measurement error, information obtained from the operation of other instruments that affect the measurement result, such as the use of toilet paper or a sanitary washing device, may be determined in combination. That is, when the toilet paper holder is operated and the amount of toilet paper used is relatively large, it is considered that not only urine but also stool is excreted during the measurement, or the switch of the sanitary washing device is pressed during the measurement. In this case, it is possible to consider that water other than urination is discharged to the ball surface.

In this way, the occurrence of factors that cause errors in the measurement results, which are obtained by direct or indirect estimation from the measurement results, in other words, events that reduce the reliability of the measurement are recorded and measured after the measurement is completed. The result may be added in an appropriate form and output.

  S116 is a step of determining whether or not the urine flow has a peak. If it is determined that the peak is reached, the value and time at that time are stored as the maximum urinary flow rate and the maximum urinary flow rate arrival time in S116. Since urination may be excreted in a plurality of times, each is stored as N-th data, and the most frequently measured N urine flow rate and maximum urinary flow rate arrival time are measured in S127 described later. The urinary flow rate and time when the values are large are obtained as the maximum urinary flow rate and the maximum urinary flow rate arrival time of the subject.

  S118 is a step of detecting the end or interruption of urination. When the detection of urine flow is lost, the timer 2 stops counting in S119. When the urine flow is lost, the urination end time is updated and stored in S120 as the Nth data of urine excreted multiple times. S121 and S122 are steps for determining whether or not the subject has finished all urination according to the presence or absence of the subject's termination operation. If one subject urinates and finishes the operation in S121, the Nth update data is the urination end time. If the urine flow is detected again in S122 without the ending operation, the timer 2 for measuring the urine flow time is restarted in S123, the time is accumulated, and the counter for counting the number of urine flows is incremented by one, It returns to S114 and waits for completion | finish operation, measuring a urine flow state.

  In S125, the amount of excreted urine is calculated from the difference in the amount of accumulated water before and after the start of urination. S126 is a step of calculating a hesitation time as the value of timer 1. S127 is a step of calculating the maximum urinary flow rate and the maximum urinary flow rate arrival time. The urinary flow rates at the peaks of N urine flows are compared, and the maximum value is defined as the maximum urine flow rate. The interval between the time and the urination start time is calculated as the maximum urine flow rate arrival time. In step S128, the interval between the urination start time and the urination end time is calculated as the urination time. S129 is a step in which the integrated value of the timer 2 is set as the urine flow time during which urine is actually excreted. In S130, the average urine flow rate is calculated from the urine volume calculated in S125 and the urine flow time calculated in S129. S131 is a step of outputting them. As shown in FIG. 13, in addition to outputting on paper, a method of outputting as electronic information to the in-hospital LAN or outputting as electronic information to a storage medium can be considered. In S132, each timer and counter are reset, and this program ends and waits for the next measurement.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the stored water level measurement value of the present invention determined in S114 in the above-described flowchart has undergone unexpected fluctuations.
The human urine flow is a maximum of 50 mL / sec, the amount of retained water during measurement is 1 to 3 L, and the accumulated water cross-sectional area is 15000 to 30000 mm ^2. The water level change rate is about 0.5 mm / second at the maximum. Further, the water storage portion can be modeled as a U-shaped tube that performs hydraulically damped vibration by urine flow. The vibration frequency of the spilled water accompanying the urine flow was 10 Hz or less according to actual measurement values, and was about 3 Hz. Based on the above results, compared to when only urine is falling in the stored water, when the rate of change of the stored water level and the amplitude of the stored water level are higher than expected, for example, feces as solids may have dropped It is estimated that there is sex.

FIG. 14 is an example of an output chart of the biological information measuring device of the present invention.
The urine flow rate, which is measurement information, is displayed as a time variation graph, and the urine output volume (mL), maximum urinary flow rate (mL), and average urine flow rate (mL) described above as analysis results of the measurement information indicated by the graph Urination time (seconds), maximum urine flow rate arrival time (seconds), and hesitation time (seconds) are disclosed.

  At the same time, the management information is disclosed as management information for efficiently utilizing the measured data for medical practice, and the name of the doctor in charge, patient name, patient gender, measurement date, and measurement time are disclosed. Yes. If the device is activated with an ID card or barcode that stores personal authentication data, the name of the doctor in charge, the patient's name, and the patient's gender can be entered, but the switch operation does not include personal authentication information. In the case of activation, it is also assumed that a medical worker or nurse uses a handwritten name in a blank part when pasting on a medical record.

  In addition, as the measurement related information related to the urinary excretion state, the urination posture that can be measured by the subject performing urination in the toilet, which is a personal space, and the reliability of the measurement are disclosed.

  The display of the measurement reliability may be a direct expression such as the possibility of foreign matter contamination as well as a problem / no problem. The medical staff can know whether or not he is urinating in the posture as instructed without hearing the subject. In addition, information should be given to healthcare professionals, such as whether all measurement results can be judged reliably, whether the judgment should be based on data before the reliability problem occurs, or whether the judgment should be made as a result including an error factor. Will be disclosed.

This measurement result is output from the printer in the doctor's office and read directly by the health care worker or nurse. In some cases, the patient takes the paper output from the printer to the health care worker or nurse. Conceivable. In addition, the information may be supplied as electronic information to an electronic tool such as a personal computer of a medical worker or a nurse or a PDA by a hospital LAN. If the patient directly sees the output, it may be possible to avoid giving unnecessary worry to the measurement result by using English or German.

It is sectional drawing of the biometric information measuring apparatus by 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a graph showing the operation of the toilet unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention in time series. It is a graph which shows the effect | action at the time of using the toilet unit by 1st Embodiment of this invention for the use of a stool. It is a graph which shows an example of the relationship between the water level of a ball | bowl, and the amount of stored water which has accumulated in the ball | bowl. (A) When the pressure in the sewage pipe is equal to atmospheric pressure, (b) When the pressure in the sewage pipe is negative, (c) The water level in the ball and trap part when the pressure in the sewage pipe is positive It is. It is sectional drawing of the biological information measuring device by 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a graph showing the operation of the toilet unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention in time series. It is a graph which shows the effect | action at the time of using the toilet unit by 2nd Embodiment of this invention for the use of a stool. It is a schematic diagram which shows the content of the human urination state over time and the urological disease management index. It is a block diagram of the biological information measuring device by a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is the first half part of the flowchart of the biological information measuring device of the present invention. It is a second half part of the flowchart of the biological information measuring device of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state which received the fluctuation | variation by which the stored water level measurement value of this invention received the unexpected. It is an example of the output chart of the biological information measuring device of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Urinal unit 2 Western style toilet 4 Functional part 6 Ball 7 Rim water discharge nozzle 8 Trap part 9 Jet water discharge nozzle 10 Drain socket 12 Pressure conduit 13 Water storage 16 Water channel switching means 18 Pressure sensor 20 Pressure sensor 22 Branch 24 Water storage tank 24a Washing tank 24b Water storage tank 24c Water supply pipe 24d Outflow pipe 24e Overflow pipe 24f Outflow pipe 25 Trap pipe 26 Fourth on-off valve 28 Opening / closing means 30 First on-off valve 32 Second on-off valve 34 Third on-off valve 36 Pump 38 Controller 40 Urine volume and urine flow rate calculation means D Sewage piping H Overflow water level X Air water level Y Start water level Z Water level after urination

Claims (5)

Urine is excreted based on the change in the stored water level, the ball surface on which the urine of the subject is received and the water is formed, the urine volume calculating means for measuring the amount of urine from the change in the stored water level on the ball surface, In the biological information measuring device, comprising: a urinary flow rate calculating means for calculating a urinary flow rate representing a speed to be measured; and a measurement result disclosing means for disclosing at least the urination volume and / or urine flow rate as a measurement result. Judgment results of the human body detecting means for detecting the presence of the subject in the vicinity, the seating detecting means for detecting the seating of the subject on the toilet seat in contact with the ball surface, and the determination results of the human body detecting means and the seating detecting means Urination posture determination means for determining the posture of the subject based on the above, operating means for instructing the start and / or end of measurement, urination detection means for determining the presence or absence of urination, and Urination state determination means for determining a urination state of the person, and the measurement result disclosure means includes, in the measurement information as the measurement result, management information including at least a subject's personal authentication information and measurement date and time, and the urination A biological information measuring apparatus characterized by disclosing in association with urination state of a subject obtained by the state judging means and / or measurement related information regarding the urinating posture obtained by the urinating posture judging means.
The biological information measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information related to the urination posture is a determination result of whether the urination posture is a sitting position or a standing position. The biological information measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the measurement related information is a time from a measurement start operation to urine flow detection in a standing position. The biological information measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the measurement related information is a time from sitting detection to urine flow detection in the case of sitting. 2. The measurement-related information is information indicating that the measurement result of the stored water level has undergone more fluctuations than expected, such as stool excretion during measurement and / or insertion of toilet paper. The biological information measuring device described.

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