JP2011019867A - Instrument for measuring amount of saliva - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method capable of quantitatively grasping a continuous change in stress. <P>SOLUTION: This instrument for measuring a saliva amount in the oral cavity is composed of: an intraoral device equipped with a pair of electric-current-applying electrodes for continuously applying an electric current to the inside of the oral cavity, a pair of voltage-measuring electrodes for continuously measuring the voltage in the oral cavity, a temporary data memory part for temporarily recording the data of the value of the current applied by the electric-current-applying electrodes and the data of the value of the voltage measured by the voltage-measuring electrodes, and a data transmission part for transmitting the current value data and voltage value data recorded in the temporary data memory part to an extraoral device by a radio system; and the extraoral device equipped with a data-receiving part for receiving the current value data and the voltage value data, an arithmetic part for calculating impedance from the received current and voltage value data to convert the same into the amount of saliva, and a memory part for storing the amount of saliva hourly. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention is a saliva amount measuring device that continuously measures the amount of saliva in the oral cavity for stress determination.

      In recent years, as society becomes more complex, the number of people suffering from mental illness due to mental stress such as depression has been increasing, and the importance of stress diagnosis has increased. Conventionally, stress diagnosis has been performed by psychiatrist interviews. However, the results of the interviews include the psychiatrist's subjectivity, and it is difficult to quantify stress unless it is an expert. Therefore, a method for accurately quantifying stress is required.

  Conventional stress determination methods include methods using human biological information such as heart rate changes, body temperature changes, brain waves, and α-amylase activity in saliva.

As an example, FIG. 4 shows a stress determination apparatus using the amount of α-amylase activity in saliva as an index. The stress determination apparatus in FIG. 4 includes a saliva collection sheet 44 for collecting saliva, and the saliva collection sheet 44 is applied to the subject's mouth to collect saliva and measure the amount of α-amylase activity in the saliva. . This amount of α-amylase activity is measured at the time of the subject's unconsciousness of stress and stored as a reference value. After that, the amount of α-amylase activity is measured at any time, and the stress level is determined from the difference between the measured value and the reference value. The degree can be determined. (See Patent Document 1)
Also, the relationship between saliva secretion and stress is known, and it is conceivable to apply a method for measuring saliva to stress determination.

As an example of a method for measuring the amount of saliva, FIG. 5 shows an intraoral saliva amount measuring apparatus. 5 includes a pair of current application electrodes 52 and 53 and a pair of voltage measurement electrodes 54 and 55. The current application electrodes 52 and 53 and the voltage measurement electrodes 54 and 55 are applied to the oral cavity. A current is applied from the current application electrodes 52 and 53, and the voltage at that time is measured by the voltage measurement electrodes 54 and 55. The saliva impedance is calculated from the current and voltage, and the amount of saliva is converted from the saliva impedance. (See Patent Document 2)
In either case, the measurement value is obtained at a certain moment, and continuous measurement is not possible.

JP 2007-275287 A JP 2007-82700 A

  Various stresses are applied to humans. Depending on environmental changes and stimulus changes, stress may be received without being conscious or suddenly stressed. It is desirable that an apparatus for determining stress can perform continuous measurement. However, since the conventional measuring apparatus cannot perform continuous measurement, it has not been possible to quantitatively capture the continuous stress change due to environmental changes or stimulus changes. An object of the present invention is to provide a method capable of quantitatively capturing a continuous stress change.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention pays attention to the fact that the amount of saliva secreted changes due to stress, and provides a saliva amount measuring device that can be worn continuously. By continuously measuring changes in saliva volume, we can quantitatively capture changes in the stress caused by changes in the environment and stimuli.

  The present invention is an apparatus for measuring the amount of saliva in the oral cavity, a pair of current application electrodes for continuously applying current to the oral cavity, a pair of voltage measurement electrodes for continuously measuring the voltage in the oral cavity, Temporary data storage unit for temporarily recording current value data applied to the current application electrode and voltage value data measured by the voltage measurement electrode; current value data and voltage value data recorded in the temporary data storage unit An intraoral device provided with a data transmission unit for wirelessly transmitting to the extraoral device described later, a receiving unit for receiving the current value data and the voltage value data, and an impedance from the received current value data and voltage value data. A saliva amount measuring device comprising: an arithmetic unit that calculates and converts to a saliva amount; and a storage unit that stores the saliva amount every hour.

  In the saliva measurement device of the present invention, the intraoral device is a measurement electrode body including the pair of current application electrodes and the pair of voltage measurement electrodes, and a measurement that receives a measurement start / end signal from the extraoral device. A temporary data storage unit for temporarily recording current value data applied by the current application electrode to the start / end signal receiving unit and the extraoral device and voltage value data measured by the voltage measurement electrode, and the temporary data storage unit A device body including a data transmission unit for transmitting recorded current value data and voltage value data to the extraoral device, and a support rod for electrically and physically connecting the measurement electrode pair and the device body The pair of current application electrodes and the pair of voltage measurement electrodes are on the same surface of the measurement electrode body, and the pair of voltage measurement electrodes are disposed inside the pair of current application electrodes. The measuring electrode body is configured to fit between the lower teeth and the lower lip when the intraoral device is worn, and the device body is placed under the tongue when the intraoral device is worn. It is configured that the support rod is configured to hang on the lower teeth when the intraoral device is worn.

  According to the saliva amount measuring apparatus of the present invention, the saliva amount can be continuously measured, and changes in the saliva amount can be continuously captured.

  According to the present invention, changes in the amount of saliva obtained can be used to capture changes in stress due to environmental changes and stimulus changes.

It is a functional block diagram of the saliva amount measuring apparatus of the present invention. It is an external view of the saliva amount measuring apparatus of the present invention. It is sectional drawing in an oral cavity when the intraoral apparatus of the saliva measuring device of this invention is mounted | worn. It is a block diagram of the conventional stress determination apparatus which used the alpha-amylase activity amount of the saliva as a parameter | index. It is a block diagram of the conventional intraoral saliva amount measuring apparatus.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the saliva measuring device of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a saliva measurement device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an external view of the saliva measuring device of FIG. 1, (a) is an intraoral device 1, and (b) is an extraoral device 9. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, intraoral device 1 includes a measurement start / end signal receiving unit 22 that receives a measurement start / end signal from extraoral device 9, and a current application unit that includes current application electrodes 5 and 6. 23, the measurement electrode body 2 including the voltage measurement unit 24 including the voltage measurement electrodes 7 and 8, the current value applied by the current application unit 23 and the voltage value measured by the voltage measurement unit 24 temporarily. A temporary data storage unit 25 for recording; a device main body 3 including a data transmission unit 26 for transmitting current value data and voltage value data recorded in the temporary data storage unit 25 to the extraoral device 9; The apparatus includes a support rod 4 that connects the apparatus body 3. The extraoral device 9 includes a measurement start / end signal transmission unit 21 that transmits a measurement start / end signal to the intraoral device 1, and a data reception unit 27 that receives the current value and the voltage value transmitted from the intraoral device 1. , Calculating the electrical impedance from the received current value data and voltage value data and converting it into saliva volume, a storage unit 29 for recording the converted saliva volume data, and a display unit 30 including the display panel 10; The apparatus includes a determination button 11, menu selection buttons 12 and 13, and an operation unit 20 including a power button 14.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the oral cavity when the intraoral device 1 is mounted. Referring to FIG. 3, the intraoral device 1 is mounted in the oral cavity like a mouthpiece so that the measurement electrode body 2 is always in contact with the oral cavity, the current application electrodes 4 and 5, and the voltage measurement electrode 6. , 7 are always in contact with the oral cavity of the subject.

  The intraoral device 1 will be described in detail. The material of the measuring electrode body 2 of the intraoral device 1 is a highly elastic synthetic resin. The shape of the measurement electrode body 2 is an ellipse, the thickness is 3 mm, the longitudinal direction is 40 mm to 50 mm, and the lateral direction is 7 mm to 12 mm. Since the measurement electrode body 2 is made of a highly elastic synthetic resin as described above, the longitudinal direction of the apparatus main body 3 matches the shape in the oral cavity when the intraoral apparatus 1 is mounted in the oral cavity. Curve in the direction.

  The surface of the measurement electrode body 2 on the lip side when the intraoral apparatus 1 is mounted in the oral cavity is set as a table, and the current application electrodes 5 and 6 are arranged on the table of the measurement electrode body 2. The positions of the current application electrodes 5 and 6 are set as counter electrodes in the longitudinal direction of the measurement electrode body 2. The voltage measuring electrodes 7 and 8 are arranged on the surface of the measuring electrode body 2. The voltage measuring electrodes 7 and 8 are arranged inside the current applying electrodes 5 and 6 in order to measure the voltage between the current applying electrodes 5 and 6.

  The material of the apparatus body 3 is a synthetic resin. The apparatus body 3 has a crescent shape, a thickness of 10 mm, a longitudinal direction of 40 mm, and a lateral direction of 20 mm. The crescent-shaped convex part faces the front direction.

The material of the support rod 4 is a synthetic resin. The support rod 4 connects the measurement electrode body 2 and the apparatus main body 3 electrically and physically. The connection position is the center of the upper side surface of the measurement electrode body 2 and the center of the front side surface of the apparatus body 3. The support rod 4 extends upward from the connecting portion with the measurement electrode body 2 and bends in a U shape so as to be hooked on the front lower teeth, the measurement electrode body 2 is between the lower lip and the front teeth, and the apparatus body 3 is a tongue. Supports to be placed underneath.
Next, the operation of the saliva measuring device having the above configuration will be described in detail.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the oral cavity when the intraoral device 1 is mounted. The intraoral device 1 is mounted such that the support rod 4 is placed on the front lower teeth, the measurement electrode body 2 is placed between the lower lip and the front lower teeth, and the device main body 3 is placed under the tongue. In this state, the power button 14 of the extraoral device 9 is pressed to turn on the intraoral device 9. With the extraoral device 9 turned on, a measurement start menu displayed on the display panel 10 is selected by operating the menu selection buttons 12 and 13, and the determination button 11 is operated, whereby a measurement start / end signal is displayed. A measurement start signal is transmitted from the transmitter 21. When the measurement start / end signal receiving unit 22 receives the measurement start signal, current application is started from the current application electrodes 5 and 6. With the start of current application, voltage measurement is started at the voltage measurement electrodes 7 and 8. The current value applied from the current application electrodes 5 and 6 and the voltage value measured by the voltage measurement electrodes 7 and 8 are detected every second, and the detected current value and voltage value are recorded in the data temporary storage unit 25. To do. When 10 current values and voltage values are recorded in the temporary data storage unit 25, all data recorded in the temporary data storage unit 25 is transmitted from the data transmission unit 26 to the extraoral device 9. When the transmission of the data recorded in the temporary data storage unit 25 is completed, the data in the temporary data storage unit 25 is deleted, and a new current value and voltage value are recorded. The current value data and the voltage value data transmitted from the data transmitting unit 26 to the extraoral device 9 are received by the data receiving unit 27, and the calculation unit 28 calculates the electrical impedance from the current value data and the voltage value data. Impedance is converted to saliva volume. The saliva amount data is recorded in the storage unit 29. The storage unit 29 includes a memory having a capacity capable of recording saliva amount data for 24 hours. After the measurement is continued for an arbitrary time, the menu selection buttons 12 and 13 are operated to select the measurement end menu displayed on the display panel 10, and the determination button 11 is operated to end the measurement. After the measurement is completed, the recorded data display menu is selected by operating the menu selection buttons 12 and 13, and the saliva amount data is displayed by operating the decision button 11. The saliva amount data is displayed in a graph, and the saliva amount with time and the maximum and minimum values of the saliva amount within the measurement time can be seen.

  The saliva amount measuring apparatus according to the present invention can continuously detect changes in the amount of saliva, and can use change data of the amount of saliva for stress determination.

  For example, a diagnosis of stress diagnosis by a psychiatrist can be made by using a saliva measurement device of the present invention while wearing the saliva volume measuring device of the present invention for a certain period of time while being used by a patient. It can be used as one of the standards.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Intraoral apparatus 2 Measurement electrode body 3 Apparatus main body 4 Support rod 5,6 Current application electrode 7,8 Voltage measurement electrode 9 Extraoral apparatus 10 Display panel 11 Decision button 12,13 Menu selection button 14 Power button 20 Operation part 21 ON / OFF signal transmission unit 22 ON / OFF signal reception unit 23 Current application unit 24 Voltage measurement unit 25 Data temporary storage unit 26 Data transmission unit 27 Data reception unit 28 Calculation unit 29 Storage unit 30 Display unit 40 Operation button 41 Operation lever 42 Liquid crystal Display 43 Sheet holder 44 Saliva collection sheet 50 Display unit 51 Input unit 52, 53 Current application electrode 54, 55 Voltage measurement electrode 56 Device body 57 Support rod

Claims (7)

  An apparatus for measuring the amount of saliva in the oral cavity, comprising a pair of current application electrodes for continuously applying current to the oral cavity, a pair of voltage measurement electrodes for continuously measuring the voltage in the oral cavity, and the current application electrode Temporary data storage unit that temporarily records applied current value data and voltage value data measured by the voltage measurement electrode; and current value data and voltage value data recorded in the temporary data storage unit An intraoral device provided with a data transmitter for wirelessly transmitting to the device; a receiver for receiving the current value data and voltage value data; and calculating impedance from the received current value data and voltage value data, and saliva A saliva amount measuring device comprising an extraoral device provided with a calculation unit that converts to a quantity and a storage unit that stores the amount of saliva every hour.     The intraoral device includes a measurement electrode body including the pair of current application electrodes and the pair of voltage measurement electrodes, a measurement start / end signal receiving unit that receives a measurement start / end signal from the extraoral device, and the oral cavity Temporary data storage unit for temporarily recording current value data applied by the current application electrode to the external device and voltage value data measured by the voltage measurement electrode, and current value data and voltage value recorded in the temporary data storage unit The apparatus main body including a data transmission unit that transmits data to the extraoral device, and a support rod that electrically and physically connects the measurement electrode pair and the device main body. The saliva amount measuring apparatus according to 1.     The saliva amount measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pair of current application electrodes and the pair of voltage measurement electrodes are on the same surface of the measurement electrode body.     The saliva amount measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the pair of voltage measurement electrodes are arranged inside the pair of current application electrodes.     The saliva amount measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the measuring electrode body is configured to fit between a lower tooth and a lower lip when the intraoral device is mounted.     The saliva amount measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the device main body is configured to fit under a tongue when the intraoral device is worn. The saliva amount measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the support rod is configured to be applied to lower teeth when the intraoral device is mounted.