JP2012193967A - Electronic clinical thermometer, receiving device and method for transferring measured value - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic clinical thermometer allowing accurate communication of a measured value while suppressing an increase in size and cost of a device itself and preventing a complicated operation by the user.SOLUTION: An electronic clinical thermometer 1 includes a temperature sensor 6, a speaker 103 and a control unit 12 connected to the temperature sensor 6 and the speaker 103. Based on a sensor signal from the temperature sensor 6, the control unit 12 converts a measured value into an audio signal and outputs the converted audio signal from the speaker 103, to thereby output the measured value.

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic thermometer, a receiving device, and a measurement value transfer method, and particularly to an electronic thermometer, a receiving device, and a measurement value transfer method having a function of communicating a measurement value using sound.

  One of patient management in medical facilities is the management of patient temperature. In this method, body temperature, which is basic biological information of each patient, is periodically measured and recorded as a graph on a medical chart to observe a trend and grasp a metabolic state.

  In body temperature management in a medical facility, a nurse or a patient himself / herself measures body temperature using a thermometer, and manually records a measured value visually confirmed on a medical chart.

  However, in such a method, there is a problem that a risk that a correct measured value is not recorded in the medical chart is unavoidable due to human recognition such as misrecognition at the time of visual observation or a description error (input error).

  To solve this problem, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-283855 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1) provides a thermometer with a display device that blinks in accordance with the measured value, and displays the measured value on the display device to receive light from the light receiving element. A technique for reading is disclosed.

JP 2000-283855 A

  However, according to the technique of Patent Document 1, there is a problem that the thermometer becomes large in size or expensive because the thermometer needs to be equipped with a function for blinking according to the measured value.

  In addition, since an operation for reading the measurement value displayed on the display device using the reading device is required, there is a problem that the user's trouble increases and becomes complicated.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and it is possible to accurately communicate measured values without suppressing the size and cost of the apparatus itself and without complicating the operation of the user. An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic thermometer, a receiving device, and a method for transferring measurement values.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, an electronic thermometer is an electronic thermometer that measures the temperature of a measurement site of a subject and outputs a measured value. The electronic thermometer includes a temperature sensor, a sounding device, and a temperature sensor. And a control device connected to the sounding device. The control device, as control to output the measurement value using the sound generation device, a process of calculating the temperature of the measurement site as a measurement value based on the sensor signal from the temperature sensor, a process of converting the measurement value into an audio signal, And a process for outputting an audio signal from the sound generation device.

  Preferably, the electronic thermometer further includes an instruction unit for instructing the output of the measurement value, and the control device is also connected to the instruction unit, and executes the above-described control according to an instruction from the instruction unit.

  Preferably, the process of converting the measurement value into an audio signal includes a step of converting the measurement value into a binary value and a step of generating an audio signal by assigning audio ON / OFF to each of the binary values. In addition, in the process for outputting the audio signal, the audio signal is output from the sounding device at a predetermined output speed.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, the receiving device is a receiving device for receiving a measurement value from an electronic thermometer, and the electronic thermometer converts the measurement value into an audio signal and outputs an audio signal. A microphone and a control device connected to the microphone. The control device executes a process of converting the audio signal input from the microphone into a measurement value and a process of outputting the measurement value by a conversion method corresponding to a method of converting the audio signal from the measurement value of the electronic thermometer.

  Preferably, in the electronic thermometer, a sound signal is generated by assigning sound ON / OFF to each binary value obtained by converting the measurement value into a binary value, and the sound is generated at a predetermined output speed. The process of outputting a signal and converting an audio signal into a measurement value is performed based on a step of generating a pulse signal based on the audio signal and a pulse signal based on an interval between the pulse signal and a predetermined output speed. Converting the signal into a binary value and identifying the measured value by converting the binary value into a decimal value.

  Preferably, the control device further executes a process of extracting the audio signal output from the electronic thermometer by extracting the frequency band of the audio signal output from the electronic thermometer from the audio signal input from the microphone.

  Preferably, the receiving device includes a storage unit for storing the electronic thermometer, and an instruction unit for instructing the electronic thermometer to output a measurement value when the electronic thermometer is stored in the storage unit. And further comprising.

  More preferably, the electronic thermometer has a button for instructing the output of the measurement value, and the instruction means is provided in a position where the electronic thermometer is in contact with the button in the state where the electronic thermometer is stored in the storage unit. It is a protrusion.

  Preferably, the electronic thermometer has a speaker for outputting an audio signal, and the microphone is provided in the vicinity of the speaker when the electronic thermometer is stored in the storage unit.

  According to still another aspect of the present invention, a measured value transfer method includes an electronic thermometer that measures a temperature of a measurement site of a subject and outputs the measured value, and a receiving device that receives the measured value from the electronic thermometer. A method of transferring measured values in a system including a step of calculating the temperature of a measurement site as a measured value with an electronic thermometer, converting the measured value into an audio signal with an electronic thermometer, and an audio signal from a sound generator included in the electronic thermometer A step of outputting an audio signal with a microphone included in the receiving device, and a conversion method corresponding to a method of converting the audio signal input with the microphone from the measurement value of the electronic thermometer with the receiving device And converting the measurement value into a measurement value and outputting the measurement value obtained in the conversion step from the receiving device.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to accurately transmit a measurement value from the electronic thermometer to the receiving device without increasing the size and cost of the electronic thermometer and complicating the operation of the user.

It is a figure which shows the specific example of a structure of the body temperature management system concerning embodiment. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the electronic thermometer contained in a body temperature management system. It is the figure which looked at the main part of an electronic thermometer from the end by the side in which the 1st switch was provided. It is a figure which shows the outline of an internal structure of the receiver included in a body temperature management system. It is a functional block diagram of an electronic thermometer. It is a control block diagram of the electronic thermometer for transmitting a measured value to a receiver. It is a figure for demonstrating the audio | voice signal output from an electronic thermometer. It is a control block diagram of the receiver for receiving a measured value from an electronic thermometer. It is a figure for demonstrating the process of the audio | voice signal in a receiver. It is a flowchart showing the flow of operation | movement with an electronic thermometer for transmitting a measured value to a receiver. It is a flowchart showing the flow of operation | movement in a receiver for receiving a measured value from an electronic thermometer.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same parts and components are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same.

<System configuration>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a specific example of the configuration of the body temperature management system according to the present embodiment.

  Referring to FIG. 1, a body temperature management system includes an electronic thermometer 1 for measuring a body temperature of a measurement subject, and a receiving device 3 for receiving a measurement value transmitted from the electronic thermometer 1 with the electronic thermometer 1. And a processing device 2 that is equipped with management software such as an electronic medical record, receives the measurement value transmitted from the reception device 3, and writes the measurement value in a memory (not shown) managed by the management software. .

  The receiving device 3 has a storage portion 32 (FIG. 4) for inserting and setting the electronic thermometer 1, and the electronic thermometer 1 is set in the storage portion 32 by inserting the electronic thermometer 1 from the insertion port 31. By setting the electronic thermometer 1 from the insertion port 31 to the storage unit 32 in the receiving device 3, the measurement value of the electronic thermometer 1 is transferred to the receiving device 3.

  The receiving device 3 and the processing device 2 are electrically connected by a network 7 such as the Internet or a LAN (Local Area Network). The transmission of the measured value from the receiving device 3 to the processing device 2 may be performed directly using wireless communication or the like without solving the network 7.

<Device configuration>
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the electronic thermometer 1. 2A is a front view of the electronic thermometer 1, FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2A, and FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. is there.

  Referring to FIG. 2A, electronic thermometer 1 according to the present embodiment includes a housing 100 having a hollow structure inside. The housing 100 is sandwiched between a substantially rectangular parallelepiped main body 110 provided with a display unit 101, a speaker 103 as an information output unit, switches 102A and 102B, and a measurement site such as a user's armpit, sublingual, rectum. And the probe unit 120 that comes into contact with each other. At the tip of the probe unit 120, a temperature measuring unit 300 for measuring the temperature of the measurement site of the user is provided. Referring to FIGS. 2B and 2C, an internal component 4 including a circuit board, a power source, and the like is accommodated in the housing 100.

  The probe unit 120 is a tapered rod-shaped member that extends from one end of the substantially rectangular parallelepiped main body 110 and supports the temperature measuring unit 300 with respect to the main body 110 and has a hollow structure inside. In the following description, the axial direction in which the probe unit 120 extends is also referred to as “longitudinal direction”.

  Referring to FIG. 2A, display portion 101 and speaker 103 are provided on a surface parallel to the longitudinal direction of main body portion 110. The display unit 101 and the speaker 103 are not necessarily provided on the same surface. In the following description, the surface of the main body 110 on which at least the display unit 101 is provided is referred to as “front”.

  2B and 2B, a temperature measuring unit 300 at the tip of the probe unit 120 includes a cap 5 made of stainless steel (SUS) or the like, and a thermistor embedded and fixed inside the cap 5. And the like. The temperature sensor 6 is electrically connected to the CR oscillation circuit of the internal component 4 by a lead wire 41 extending from the internal component 4 accommodated in the housing 100 through the hollow interior of the probe unit 120. The temperature sensor 6 changes the resistance value according to the heat transmitted from the outer surface of the temperature measuring unit 300, and the change in the resistance value is output to the CR oscillation circuit.

  Note that FIG. 2 shows an example in which the probe unit 120 and the temperature measuring unit 300 are formed as separate bodies by using the cap 5. However, the cap 5 may not be used and the resin-molded main body 110 and the probe 120 may be integrally molded. In this case, the main body 110, the probe part 120, and the temperature measuring part 300 constitute the housing 100.

  The main body 110 has a first switch 102A, which is an ON / OFF switch for instructing the start and end of measurement, and a second switch, which is a switch for instructing the start of measurement value communication with the receiving device 3. A switch 102B is provided. In FIG. 2, as an example, the first switch 102A is provided at the end opposite to the side on which the probe unit 120 and the temperature measuring unit 300 are provided, and the second switch 102B is provided on the first switch 102A. The example provided in the surface different from all the surfaces of an edge part, a front surface, and a surface parallel to a front surface, ie, a side surface, is shown. However, the positional relationship of these switches is not limited to the positional relationship shown in FIG. As another example, the second switch 102 </ b> B may be provided on the front surface of the main body 110. As another example, the first switch 102 </ b> A may be provided on the side surface of the main body 110. In order to facilitate the configuration of the receiving device 3 described later, the first switch 102A and the second switch 102B are preferably configured not to be provided on the same plane.

  FIG. 3 is a view of the main body 110 viewed from the end opposite to the side on which the probe 120 and the temperature measuring section 300 are provided, that is, the view from the end on the side where the first switch 102A is provided. is there. Referring to FIG. 3, the cross-sectional shape of main body 110 has a shape in which a front surface is a substantially flat surface and a surface opposite to the front surface is an arc.

  Note that the shape shown in FIG. 3 is an example, and may preferably be another shape as long as the front surface and the opposite side or both side surfaces have different shapes.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an outline of the internal configuration of the receiving device 3. With reference to FIG. 4, it has the accommodating part 32 provided in the direction which goes to the inside of a housing | casing from the insertion port 31 provided in the housing | casing surface.

  The cross-section of the insertion port 31 is similar to the cross-sectional shape of the main body 110 of the electronic thermometer 1 shown in FIG. 3, and has a size that cannot be inserted with the surface of the electronic thermometer 1 facing the arc-shaped surface. To do. Thus, when the electronic thermometer 1 is inserted in the axial direction from the insertion port 31 toward the inside of the housing, the electronic thermometer 1 is inserted in a direction corresponding to the cross section of the insertion port 31.

  The storage portion 32 has a longitudinal direction from the insertion port 31 toward the inside of the housing, and has a hollow rod-like shape with a hollow structure inside. The tapered shape matches the shape of the probe portion 120 of the electronic thermometer 1. Accordingly, when the electronic thermometer 1 is inserted in the axial direction from the insertion port 31 toward the inside of the housing, the probe unit 120 is located at a position in the storage unit 32 where the shape of the probe unit 120 and the tapered shape coincide with each other. As a result, the position of the electronic thermometer 1 relative to the receiving device 3 in the longitudinal direction is held constant.

  A protrusion 32 </ b> A is provided on the inner wall of the storage portion 32. The protrusion 32A has the electronic thermometer 1 inserted into the storage portion 32 in a direction corresponding to the cross section of the insertion port 31, and the probe portion 120 is held at a position where the shape of the probe portion 120 and the tapered shape coincide with each other. It is provided at a position where it touches the second switch 102B of the electronic thermometer 1 and depresses the second switch 102B. The protrusion 32A is provided in a form corresponding to the position and operation method of the second switch 102B. That is, the shape is not limited to the simple protrusion shape as shown in FIG. 4, and when the second switch 102B is a slide type, the second switch 102B has a concave shape. If the depression is to be pushed down, a convex shape that matches the depression is used.

  With this configuration, the second switch 102B can be configured by simply inserting the electronic thermometer 1 into the storage unit 32 of the receiving device 3 without performing a special operation such as a user pressing down the second switch 102B. It will be pressed automatically. Moreover, when the electronic thermometer 1 is set in the receiving device 3 because the cross section of the insertion port 31 and the shape of the storage portion 32 are the above-described shapes, the state of the electronic thermometer 1 in the receiving device 3 is indicated by the second switch 102B. It can be in a state of being pressed by the protrusion 32A.

  Further, referring to FIG. 4, receiving apparatus 3 is executed by CPU 30, a microphone 33, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 30 that is electrically connected to microphone 33 and performs overall control. A memory 34 for storing the program, and a communication unit 35 for outputting a measurement value obtained as a result of processing by the CPU 30 to the processing device 2 via the network 7 are included.

  The CPU 30 performs an operation for analyzing the audio signal input from the microphone 33 and obtaining a measurement value.

  The microphone 33 is preferably configured such that the electronic thermometer 1 is inserted into the storage portion 32 in a direction corresponding to the cross section of the insertion port 31, and the probe portion 120 is held at a position where the shape of the probe portion 120 matches the tapered shape. It is provided at a position near the speaker 103 provided in the electronic thermometer 1 in the state. By arranging in this way, sound is collected by the microphone 33 even if the loud sound is not output from the speaker 103 of the electronic thermometer 1. Furthermore, since the sound emitted from the speaker 103 while being stored in the storage unit 32 is collected by the microphone 33, it is possible to prevent deterioration in communication quality due to the influence of noise.

<Functional block>
FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of the electronic thermometer 1.

  With reference to FIG. 5, the electronic thermometer 1 includes a control unit 12, a memory unit 13, a display unit 101, switches 102A and 102B, a speaker 103, a power supply unit 17, a temperature sensor 6 as functional blocks. including. The control unit 12 is configured by, for example, a CPU mounted on the circuit board of the internal component 4 and controls the entire electronic thermometer 1. The memory unit 13 is composed of, for example, a ROM (Read-Only Memory) or a RAM (Random-Access Memory) included in the internal component 4, and a program for causing the control unit 12 to execute a processing procedure for body temperature measurement. Is used for storing the measurement results and the measurement results.

  The display unit 101 is configured by a display panel such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), for example, and is used for displaying measurement results and the like. The switches 102 </ b> A and 102 </ b> B are configured with push buttons, for example, and input operation signals to the control unit 12 and the power supply unit 17 when pressed. The speaker 103 is used to emit a sound for communication with the receiving device 3 described later. The speaker 103 is also used to notify the user of a measurement state such as during measurement or when the measurement has been completed, a user operation being accepted, and the like.

  The power supply unit 17 is formed of, for example, a button battery included in the internal component 4 and is used to supply power as a power source to the control unit 12. When the control unit 12 is not executing the program for the measurement operation, the power supply unit 17 supplies the control unit 12 with a smaller amount of power than when the program is executed. This state is hereinafter referred to as a standby state. When the power supply unit 17 receives the operation signal in the standby state, the control unit 12 supplies the control unit 12 with power necessary for executing a program for the measurement operation.

  The temperature sensor 6 detects the temperature by being inserted into or inserted into a measurement site such as the armpit, sublingual, rectum, and the like, and inputs the detection result to the control unit 12.

<Overview of operation>
Operation in the body temperature management system according to the present embodiment will be described.

  First, the body temperature of the measurement subject is measured using the electronic thermometer 1. The measured value is stored in the memory unit 13 of the electronic thermometer 1.

  When writing the measurement value of the electronic thermometer 1 in the electronic medical record or the like of the processing device 2, the user inserts the electronic thermometer 1 from the insertion port 31 of the receiving device 3 and sets it in the receiving device 3. Thereby, the measured value is transmitted from the electronic thermometer 1 to the receiving device 3, and the receiving device 3 receives the measured value. The received measurement value is sent from the receiving device 3 to the processing device 2 via the network 7 and written in an electronic medical record or the like.

  In the body temperature management system according to the present embodiment, communication using sound is used when a measured value is transferred from the electronic thermometer 1 to the receiving device 3. Specifically, the electronic thermometer 1 converts the measured value into a binary number, assigns sound sound (ON / OFF) to binary numbers 0 and 1, and sounds the numerical value representing the measured value in binary number. The audio signal obtained by converting to is output at a specified speed. The receiving device 3 collects the sound, obtains a numerical value represented by a binary number based on the prescribed output speed and ringing interval, and obtains a measured value by converting the numerical value into a decimal number. .

<Control block>
FIG. 6 is a control block diagram of the electronic thermometer 1 for transmitting the measurement value to the receiving device 3.

  Referring to FIG. 6, electronic thermometer 1 has a temperature input unit 121 for receiving an input of a sensor signal from temperature sensor 6 as a measured value, and a measured value of the measurement site in decimal notation based on the sensor signal. A calculation unit 122 for calculating as, an operation input unit 123 for receiving an input of an operation signal when the second switch 102B is pressed from the second switch 102B, and a conversion formula stored in advance A conversion unit 124 for specifying a voice signal by converting a decimal measurement value calculated according to the input of the operation signal into a binary number and converting the numerical value into sounding (ON / OFF). And an output unit 125 for performing processing for outputting the audio signal from the speaker 103 at a predetermined speed.

  These may be functions mainly formed on the CPU by reading and executing a program stored in a ROM or the like included in the memory unit 13 by the CPU included in the control unit 12, or a part thereof. It may be a function realized by hardware.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an audio signal output from the electronic thermometer 1. As an example, a case where a measured value of 36.8 ° C. in decimal is obtained will be described.

  Referring to FIG. 7, conversion unit 124 converts “368” obtained by multiplying the obtained measured value 36.8 ° C. by 10 to a binary 10-digit value “0101110000” to obtain data bits. Then, a preset start bit, header code, and stop bit are added to the beginning and end of the data bit, respectively. Furthermore, the conversion unit 124 determines whether the parity bit is 0 or 1 according to the oddity set for “1” in the transmission data, and adds the parity bit after the data bit.

  For example, when 1 is set in advance as the start bit, the conversion unit 124 adds 1 to the head. For example, when “011” is preset as the header code, the conversion unit 124 adds “011” after the start bit. For example, when 0 is set in advance as the stop bit, the conversion unit 124 adds 0 to the end. Further, when the number of “1” s in the transmission data is set to an even number, the conversion unit 124 includes “1” as a parity bit because seven “1” s are included in the above data. And “1” is added after the data bit.

  As described above, the measured value 36.8 ° C. is converted into binary transmission data “1011010111000010” shown in FIG.

  Furthermore, the conversion unit 124 stores in advance correspondence between “0” and “1” of binary transmission data and ringing (ON / OFF). As an example, it is assumed that the voice ON corresponds to “1” of binary transmission data and the voice OFF corresponds to “0” of binary transmission data.

  Based on the stored correspondence, the conversion unit 124 assigns audio ON / OFF to binary transmission data “0” and “1”, thereby converting the data into an audio signal. When the correspondence relationship is the above example, the binary transmission data “1011010111000010” shown in FIG. 7A indicates that the voice shown in FIG. 7B is “ON / OFF / ON / ON / OFF / ON / OFF / ON / ON / ON / OFF / OFF / OFF / OFF / ON / OFF ". In FIG. 7B, the timing of the audio “ON” in the audio signal is represented by a mark in which three vertical lines are arranged, and the timing of the audio “OFF” is represented by a portion without the mark. ing.

  The output unit 125 outputs the audio signal obtained by the conversion unit 124 at a frequency defined in advance with the receiving device 3 at a frequency defined in advance with the receiving device 3. (C) in FIG. 7 represents the output speed of the audio signal stored in the output unit 125. As shown in (C) of FIG. 7, the output unit 125 sequentially assigns audio “ON” or “OFF” timing of the audio signal converted into each of the specified equidistant timings t1 to t16. Then, an audio signal is output according to the output speed. When the binary transmission data is the signal shown in FIG. 7B, the output unit 125 turns the sound ON at timings t1, t3, t4, t6, t8, t9, t10, and t15. The sound is output so that the sound is turned off at the timing. That is, the conversion unit 124 generates an audio signal that outputs audio of a predetermined frequency at a time interval represented by “ON” in FIG.

  FIG. 8 is a control block diagram of the receiving device 3 for receiving measurement values from the electronic thermometer 1.

  Referring to FIG. 8, receiving device 3 has an input unit 301 for receiving an input of an audio signal from microphone 33 and a frequency for extracting an audio signal in a frequency band corresponding to the audio signal from electronic thermometer 1. A filter 302 including a filter for extracting an audio signal in a frequency band corresponding to the audio signal from the electronic thermometer 1 from the input audio signal, and a pulse for converting the extracted audio signal into a pulse signal The generation unit 303 stores the pulse signal generation interval in advance, converts the pulse signal into a value represented by a binary number based on the generation interval and the pulse signal, and converts the numerical value to a decimal value. A conversion unit 304 for obtaining a measurement value transmitted from the electronic thermometer 1 by conversion, and an output unit for performing processing for transmitting the obtained measurement value to the processing device 2 by the communication unit 35 And a 05.

  These may be functions mainly formed on the CPU 30 when the CPU 30 reads and executes a program stored in the memory 34, or may be functions partially realized by hardware. . For example, the pulse generation unit 303 may be configured by a pulse generation circuit.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining audio signal processing in the receiving apparatus 3. As an example, a case where the audio signal shown in FIG. 7 is received will be described.

  Referring to FIG. 9, pulse generation section 303 generates a pulse signal that turns on the timing at which an audio signal in a frequency band corresponding to the audio signal from electronic thermometer 1 is input. The audio signal shown in FIG. 7B is “ON / OFF / ON / ON / OFF / ON” at the timing shown in FIG. 7C, that is, at timings t1 to t16. When an audio signal “/ OFF / ON / ON / ON / OFF / OFF / OFF / OFF / ON / OFF” is output from the electronic thermometer 1, the pulse generator 303 is represented by (A) in FIG. Generate a pulse signal.

  The conversion unit 304 stores in advance the output speed of the audio signal stored in the output unit 125 of the electronic thermometer 1. That is, the same timing t1-t16 ((B) in FIG. 9) is stored as the same timing t1-t16 stored in the output unit 125. Then, the conversion unit 304 applies the timings t1 to t16 to the pulse signal, and converts the pulse signal into a binary value based on the time interval of the pulse signal.

  When the pulse signal of FIG. 9A is generated and the timings t1 to t16 of FIG. 9B are stored, the conversion unit 304 performs “ON / OFF / ON / ON / OFF / ON / OFF / ON / ON / ON / OFF / OFF / OFF / OFF / ON / OFF "pulse signal is analyzed. Then, by assigning “1” to the pulse signal “ON” and “0” to the pulse signal “OFF”, this pulse signal is converted into a binary value “1011010111000010” shown in FIG. . That is, based on the time interval of the sound emitted from the electronic thermometer 1, the sound signal is converted into a binary value.

  Note that which of “1” and “0” is assigned to the pulse signals “ON” and “OFF” is defined in advance in accordance with the conversion method in the electronic thermometer 1, and the conversion unit of the electronic thermometer 1 according to the definition. 124 converts the binary value obtained by converting the measured value into audio data, and the conversion unit 304 of the receiving apparatus 3 converts the pulse signal into a binary value.

  Further, a start bit, a header code, a parity bit, and a stop bit are added in advance between the electronic thermometer 1 and the receiving device 3, and the contents thereof are determined, and the conversion unit of the electronic thermometer 1 is determined according to the agreement. 124 adds them to the data bits as described above, and the conversion unit 304 of the receiving device 3 removes these from the obtained binary value and extracts the data bits.

  When the start bit, the header code, the parity bit, and the stop bit are those shown in FIG. 7A, the conversion unit 304 of the receiving device 3 is as shown in FIG. 9C. In addition, “1” as the start bit and “011” as the header code are excluded from the head of the binary value “10110101111000010” obtained from the pulse signal, and “0” as the stop bit is excluded from the tail. Further, “1” immediately before “0” is removed as a parity bit as a stop bit. Thereby, the conversion unit 304 obtains “0101110000” as a value representing the measurement value in binary.

  Further, the conversion unit 304 obtains a measurement value by converting the obtained binary value into a decimal number. As shown in FIG. 9C, when the binary value “0101110000” is obtained, the conversion unit 304 converts this value into a decimal number to obtain “368”. Divide 368 by 10 according to an intervening convention to obtain a measured value of 36.8 ° C.

<Operation flow>
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an operation flow in the electronic thermometer 1 for transmitting the measurement value to the receiving device 3. In the operation shown in the flowchart of FIG. 10, the CPU included in the control unit 12 reads out and executes a program stored in a ROM or the like included in the memory unit 13, and exhibits each function shown in FIG. It is realized by.

  Referring to FIG. 10, an operation for measuring the temperature (body temperature) of the measurement site of the subject is performed in step S101. This operation is the same as that of a normal electronic thermometer. The measured value is stored in a predetermined area of the memory unit 13.

  Thereafter, when the electronic thermometer 1 is housed in the housing portion 32 from the insertion port 31 of the receiving device 3, the protrusion 32A inside the housing portion 32 comes into contact with the second switch 102B (the second switch in the flowchart of FIG. 10). 102B is expressed as a transmission switch). When it is detected that the second switch 102B has been pressed in this way (YES in step S103), in step S105, the CPU executes a process for generating an audio signal based on the measurement value.

  Specifically, in step S11, the CPU converts the measurement value obtained in decimal number into binary number. Here, as described above, the measured value (36.8) may be multiplied by 10 and then binary (368 → 0101110000). In step S13, the CPU uses a binary value as a data bit, and adds a start bit, a header code, and a stop bit, which are negotiated with the receiving device 3 in advance, before and after the data bit. Further, in step S13, the CPU determines whether the parity bit is 0 or 1 according to the oddity set for “1” in the transmission data, and adds it after the data bit (in the flowchart of FIG. 10, these data are communicated). Is expressed as a bit). In step S <b> 15, the CPU assigns voices “ON” and “OFF” to binary values “0” and “1” in accordance with a relationship previously determined with the receiving device 3. Then, voices “ON” and “OFF” assigned to binary values “0” and “1” are converted into voice signals arranged at equal intervals.

  In step S <b> 107, the CPU causes the speaker 103 to output sound at a frequency determined in advance with the receiving device 3 in accordance with the generated sound signal.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an operation flow in the receiving device 3 for receiving a measurement value from the electronic thermometer 1. The operation shown in the flowchart of FIG. 11 is realized by causing the CPU 30 to read and execute a program stored in the memory 34 to exhibit each function shown in FIG.

  Referring to FIG. 11, when CPU 30 receives a voice input from microphone 33 (YES in step S201), a voice representing a measurement value from electronic thermometer 1 is input from the input voice signal using a frequency filter in step S203. Extract the frequency band of the signal. In step S205, a pulse signal is generated from the extracted audio signal, for example, the audio ON timing is “ON”. In step S207, the CPU 30 executes a process for specifying a measurement value from the generated pulse signal.

  Specifically, in step S <b> 21, the CPU 30 converts the pulse signal into a binary numerical value according to a method corresponding to the conversion method in the electronic thermometer 1. Here, as described above, the pulse signal is arranged according to the output speed of the stored audio signal, the pulse signal “ON” is set to “1”, and the output timing without the pulse signal “ON” is set to the pulse signal “ By assigning “0” as “OFF”, the pulse signal is converted to a binary numerical value.

  In step S23, the CPU 30 removes the start bit, the header code, the parity bit, and the stop bit that have been negotiated with the electronic thermometer 1 in advance from the binary numerical value obtained in step S21, thereby obtaining the measurement value. Extract the corresponding data bits.

  In step S25, the CPU 30 converts a data bit that is a binary number into a decimal number, and in step S27, specifies a measurement value from the value.

  In step S209, the CPU 30 causes the communication unit 35 to transmit the specified measurement value to the processing device 2.

<Effect of Embodiment>
By performing the above operation in the electronic thermometer 1 and the receiving device 3, the measured value in the electronic thermometer 1 is transmitted to the receiving device 3 as an audio signal. In particular, since values that can be measured from the human body, such as body temperature, are limited in range, the number of digits when converted to a binary number can be set in advance. The same applies to other measurement values such as blood pressure values and blood oxygen concentrations, which will be described later. Therefore, it becomes possible to negotiate the form of the measurement data in advance between the electronic thermometer 1 on the transmission side and the reception device 3, and therefore, the measurement value can be reproduced from the audio signal on the reception device 3 side. That is, accurate measurement values can be transferred using audio signals.

  Usually, an electronic thermometer is often provided with a speaker for notifying the start and end of measurement, a measured value, and the like. Therefore, the electronic thermometer 1 can transmit measurement values without adding a special communication function for transmitting measurement values such as a wireless communication function to the receiving device 3 to the configuration of a normal electronic thermometer. It can be. Therefore, it is possible to provide a communication function with a low price and a small size.

  In addition, since the communication quality can be prevented from being deteriorated due to the influence of noise, the measurement value can be transmitted to the receiving device 3 with high accuracy.

  By doing in this way, the user simply performs a simple operation of inserting the measured electronic thermometer 1 into the receiving device 3, and the measured value is automatically transmitted to the receiving device 3. Therefore, the measured value can be transferred much more accurately than when the user visually confirms the measured value and copies it on a medical record or the like.

<Other examples>
In addition, the case where the some electronic thermometer 1 is contained in a body temperature management system, such as a medical institution, for example is assumed. In this case, the electronic thermometer 1 transmits information specifying itself together with the measurement value to the receiving device 3. Information for specifying the electronic thermometer 1 is registered in advance in the receiving device 3. For example, immediately after the start bit, the information is specified in the receiving device 3 and inserted in the receiving device 3. It may be transmitted to. As another example, the frequency is set for each electronic thermometer 1 in advance, and the measured value is output to the receiving device 3 at the corresponding frequency, so that the receiving device 3 specifies the frequency and the electronic thermometer 1 is set. It may be specified.

  Furthermore, in the above description, an example is shown in which the measured value (body temperature) measured by the electronic thermometer 1 is transmitted to the receiving device 3 as an audio signal. Similarly, a blood pressure measuring device or blood oxygen concentration measuring device is shown. Alternatively, the measurement value may be transmitted to the receiving device 3 as an audio signal by setting the device to the receiving device 3.

  In the above description, the measured value is output as an audio signal when the second switch 102B of the electronic thermometer 1 is pressed. However, the output trigger is not limited to pressing the second switch 102B. For example, after measurement, a sound signal may be automatically output after a specified time has elapsed. In this case, the electronic thermometer 1 may be stored in the storage unit 32 of the receiving device 3 within the above time. Moreover, it is not limited to a physical switch, and by detecting that the predetermined position of the electronic thermometer 1 has contacted the predetermined position of the storage part 32 electrically or magnetically, the measured value from the electronic thermometer 1 becomes an audio signal. It may be output.

  The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

  1 Electronic thermometer, 2 processing device, 3 receiving device, 4 internal components, 5 cap, 6 temperature sensor, 7 network, 12 control unit, 13 memory unit, 17 power supply unit, 30 CPU, 31 insertion slot, 32 storage unit, 32A Protrusion, 33 Microphone, 34 Memory, 35 Communication section, 41 Lead wire, 100 Housing, 101 Display section, 102A First switch, 102B Second switch, 103 Speaker, 110 Main body section, 120 Probe section, 121 Temperature input section , 122 calculation unit, 123 operation input unit, 124, 304 conversion unit, 125, 305 output unit, 300 temperature measuring unit, 301 input unit, 302 filter unit, 303 pulse generation unit.

Claims (10)

An electronic thermometer that measures the temperature of the measurement site of the subject and outputs the measured value,
A temperature sensor;
A sound generator;
A control device connected to the temperature sensor and the sounding device,
The control device, as control to output the measurement value using the sound generation device,
Processing for calculating the temperature of the measurement site as the measurement value based on a sensor signal from the temperature sensor;
A process of converting the measured value into an audio signal;
The electronic thermometer which performs the process for outputting the said audio | voice signal from the said sound generator. An instruction means for instructing output of the measurement value;
The electronic thermometer according to claim 1, wherein the control device is also connected to the instruction unit and executes the control in accordance with an instruction from the instruction unit. The process of converting the measured value into the audio signal is:
Converting the measured value into a binary value;
Generating an audio signal by assigning audio ON / OFF to each of the binary values;
The electronic thermometer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein in the process for outputting the audio signal, the audio signal is output from the sounding device at a predetermined output speed. A receiving device for receiving a measurement value from an electronic thermometer,
The electronic thermometer converts the measurement value into an audio signal and outputs the audio signal,
With a microphone,
A control device connected to the microphone,
The controller is
In the conversion method corresponding to the method of converting the audio signal from the measurement value in the electronic thermometer, a process of converting the audio signal input by the microphone into the measurement value;
A receiving device that executes processing for outputting the measurement value. In the electronic thermometer, an audio signal is generated by assigning audio ON / OFF to each of the binary values obtained by converting the measured value into a binary value, and the electronic thermometer generates the audio signal at a predetermined output speed. Output audio signal,
The process of converting the audio signal into the measurement value includes:
Generating a pulse signal based on the audio signal;
Converting the pulse signal into a binary value based on an interval of the pulse signal obtained by the pulse signal and the predetermined output speed;
The receiving apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: specifying the measurement value by converting the binary value into a decimal value.   The control device further executes a process of extracting the audio signal output from the electronic thermometer by extracting a frequency band of the audio signal output from the electronic thermometer from an audio signal input from the microphone. The receiving device according to claim 4 or 5. A storage section for storing the electronic thermometer;
7. The apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising indicating means for instructing the electronic thermometer to output the measurement value when the electronic thermometer is stored in the storage unit. 8. The receiving device described. The electronic thermometer has a button for instructing the output of the measurement value,
The receiving device according to claim 7, wherein the instructing unit is a protrusion provided in a position where the electronic thermometer is in contact with the button in the state where the electronic thermometer is stored in the storage unit. The electronic thermometer has a speaker for outputting the audio signal,
The receiving device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the microphone is provided in the vicinity of the speaker when the electronic thermometer is stored in the storage unit. A measurement value transfer method in a system including an electronic thermometer that measures a temperature of a measurement site of a subject and outputs a measurement value, and a receiving device for receiving the measurement value from the electronic thermometer,
Calculating the temperature of the measurement site as the measurement value with the electronic thermometer;
Converting the measured value into an audio signal with the electronic thermometer, and outputting the audio signal from a sounding device included in the electronic thermometer;
Inputting the audio signal with a microphone included in the receiving device;
Converting the audio signal input by the microphone into the measurement value by a conversion method corresponding to a method of converting the audio signal from the measurement value by the electronic thermometer in the receiving device;
Outputting the measurement value obtained in the conversion step from the receiving device.

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