JP2013068487A - Electronic clinical thermometer and display control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily understand the body temperature state of a subject by an electronic clinical thermometer.SOLUTION: The electronic clinical thermometer for measuring the body temperature of a subject includes: display means for displaying body temperature information obtained by measurement; storage means for storing the body temperature information obtained by measurement corresponding to time information; and calculation means for calculating a body temperature difference and the change amount of the body temperature per unit time by using the body temperature information obtained by the current measurement and the body temperature information obtained by last measurement stored in the storage means. The display means displays an identifier having a predetermined inclination according to the body temperature difference and the change amount of the body temperature per unit time calculated by the calculation means, together with the body temperature information obtained by the current measurement.

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic thermometer that measures the body temperature of a subject and a display control method thereof.

  Generally, an electronic thermometer is provided with a display unit such as an LCD, and is configured to display the measured body temperature information of the subject to the user upon completion of the measurement (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below).

  In addition, in the case of a female thermometer, it has a function to record the measured body temperature information in association with the measurement date and time, and the previous value can be displayed on the display unit or a trend graph can be displayed. (For example, see Patent Documents 2 and 3 below).

JP 2007-24530 A JP-A-8-101075 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-281892

  On the other hand, when measuring the body temperature of the subject during fever, etc., not only the current body temperature information is known, but also whether the subject's current body temperature is in an increasing process, in equilibrium, or It is important to know the direction of changes in body temperature, such as whether it is in the descending process.

  On the other hand, in the conventional electronic thermometer, the user had to read the past measurement results and sequentially display them on the display unit or display them as a trend graph to read the direction of change in body temperature. .

  However, it is troublesome for the user to perform these operations while the subject is generating heat. For this reason, in an electronic thermometer used for body temperature measurement during fever, what is the current body temperature of the subject displayed on the display unit when the measurement is completed (whether it is in the rising process, equilibrium state) It is desirable for the user to be able to immediately grasp the direction of the change in body temperature (whether it is in the lowering process or the lowering process).

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to configure an electronic thermometer so that the body temperature of a subject can be easily grasped.

In order to achieve the above object, an electronic thermometer according to the present invention has the following configuration. That is,
An electronic thermometer that measures the temperature of a subject,
Display means for displaying body temperature information obtained by the measurement;
Storage means for storing body temperature information obtained by measurement in association with time information;
Calculation means for calculating the body temperature difference and the amount of change in body temperature per unit time using the body temperature information obtained by the current measurement and the body temperature information obtained by the previous measurement stored in the storage means. And comprising
The display means includes an identifier having a predetermined inclination according to the body temperature difference calculated by the calculation means and the amount of change in body temperature per unit time, together with body temperature information obtained by the current measurement. , And display.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, in an electronic thermometer, it becomes possible to make it possible to judge easily the body temperature state of a subject.

It is a figure which shows an example of the external appearance structure of the electronic thermometer which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the system configuration | structure of an electronic thermometer. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the body temperature measurement process of an electronic thermometer. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the display part of an electronic thermometer. It is a figure which shows the division of the identifier displayed on a display part. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the body temperature change display process of an electronic thermometer. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the last value initialization process of an electronic thermometer. It is the figure which showed the mode of the change of the body temperature at the time of a test subject's fever.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
1. External Configuration of Electronic Thermometer FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an external configuration of a rod-shaped electronic thermometer 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1A is a plan view of the front side of the electronic thermometer 100, and FIG. 1B is a plan view of the back side of the electronic thermometer 100.

  In FIG. 1A, 101 is a main body housing (housing 101) of the electronic thermometer 100, and 102 is a tail housing (housing 102) of the electronic thermometer 100. The housing 102 is detachably attached to the housing 101 (in FIG. 1B, reference numeral 105 denotes a screw hole for screwing the housing 102 after attaching the housing 102 to the housing 101).

  Reference numeral 103 denotes an end cap. The end cap 103 is covered with a metal such as stainless steel so that the body temperature of the subject can be easily conducted to a temperature measurement unit in which a temperature sensing element such as a thermistor is incorporated. A display unit 104 displays body temperature data and the like as a result of the body temperature measurement process, and is covered with a window member 104a formed of a transparent thermoplastic resin.

2. Next, the system configuration of the electronic thermometer will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a system configuration of the electronic thermometer 100.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the electronic thermometer 100 includes a temperature measuring unit 210 that measures temperature and outputs it as a digital value, and an arithmetic control unit that calculates the predicted temperature from the measured temperature and controls the entire electronic thermometer 100. 220, a display unit 104 including a backlight LED 231 that displays body temperature data as a result of the body temperature measurement process, a buzzer unit 240 that outputs sound, an input unit 250 that receives an operation from a user, and each unit And a power supply unit 260 for supplying power to the device.

  The temperature measurement unit 210 includes a thermistor and a capacitor installed in a temperature sensing unit connected in parallel, and a CR oscillation circuit for temperature measurement. The temperature measurement unit 210 changes the temperature according to the change in the count amount of the counter 226 corresponding to the temperature of the thermistor. Is output as a digital quantity. The configuration of the temperature measurement unit 210 is an example and is not limited to this.

  The arithmetic control unit 220 includes a RAM 223 that stores measurement results (body temperature data) in association with date and time information, and a ROM (computer-readable storage medium) 222 that stores parameters, prediction formula programs, and the like necessary for body temperature measurement. And a timer 224 for managing date and time information.

  Furthermore, a display control unit 227 for controlling the display unit 104, a counter 226 that counts oscillation signals of the temperature measuring CR oscillation circuit, and a calculation processing unit 221 that performs a prediction calculation or the like according to the prediction formula program of the ROM 222 are provided. . Further, a control circuit 225 for controlling the counter 226, the arithmetic processing unit 221, and the display control unit 227 is provided. A nonvolatile rewritable memory may be used as a temporary storage area for storing body temperature data and the like.

3. Procedure for Measuring Body Temperature of Electronic Thermometer Subsequently, the flow of the body temperature measurement process in the electronic thermometer 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of the body temperature measurement process of the electronic thermometer 100.

  When the power supply unit 260 of the electronic thermometer 100 is turned on, a body temperature measurement process is started. In step S301, the electronic thermometer 100 is initialized and temperature measurement by the temperature measurement unit 210 is started. Further, the arithmetic processing unit 221 calculates temperature data at a predetermined interval, for example, every 0.5 seconds.

  In step S302, it is determined whether a body temperature measurement start condition is satisfied. Specifically, whether the degree of increase from the temperature data value calculated by the previous temperature measurement (that is, the temperature data value 0.5 seconds before) has reached a predetermined temperature or higher (eg, 1 ° C. or higher). Judge whether or not.

  If it is determined in step S302 that the degree of increase has become equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature, it is determined that the body temperature measurement start condition is satisfied, and the timing at which the temperature data is calculated is used as a reference point (t = 0) for the predicted body temperature calculation. Set. That is, in the electronic thermometer 100, when a rapid temperature rise is measured, it is considered that the subject wears the electronic thermometer 100 at a predetermined measurement site.

  If it is determined in step S302 that the body temperature measurement start condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S303, and temperature data acquisition is started. Specifically, the calculated temperature data and the timing at which the temperature data is calculated are stored in the RAM 223 as time series data.

  In step S304, the predicted body temperature is calculated by a predetermined prediction formula using the temperature data stored in step S303.

  In step S305, after a predetermined time (for example, 25 seconds) has elapsed from the reference point (t = 0), a predicted value in a certain section (for example, t = 25 to 30 seconds) calculated in step S304 is set in advance. It is determined whether or not the predicted establishment condition is satisfied. Specifically, it is determined whether or not the temperature is within a predetermined range (for example, 0.1 ° C.).

  If it is determined in step S305 that the prediction establishment condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S306, the calculation of the predicted body temperature is terminated, and the temperature measurement by the temperature measurement unit 210 is terminated.

  In step S307, the buzzer unit 240 outputs a sound indicating that the calculation of the predicted body temperature has been completed, and displays the calculated predicted body temperature (body temperature data) on the display unit 104.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S305 that the prediction satisfaction condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S311. In step S311, it is determined whether a predetermined time (for example, 300 seconds) has elapsed from the reference point (t = 0). If it is determined that the time has elapsed, the calculation of the body temperature is forcibly terminated and the temperature measurement unit The temperature measurement by 210 is forcibly terminated. In addition, when forcibly ending, the body temperature (body temperature data) calculated at that time is displayed on the display unit 104 (step S307).

  In Step S308, the body temperature data calculated in Step S306 or Step S311 is compared with the previous value (the body temperature data calculated in the previous body temperature measurement process and stored in the specific area of the RAM 223 as the previous value together with the measurement time). Determine how body temperature is changing. Furthermore, an identifier corresponding to the determination result is displayed on the display unit 104. Details of the body temperature change display process in step S308 will be described later.

  In step S309, the body temperature data calculated in step S306 or step S311 is stored in the RAM 223 in association with date and time information.

  In step S310, it is determined whether a body temperature measurement end instruction has been received. If it is determined in step S310 that a body temperature measurement end instruction has not been received, the process waits. If it is determined that a body temperature measurement end instruction has been received, the power supply unit 260 is turned off.

  In the electronic thermometer that measures only the actual measurement value, after the process of step S303, after a predetermined time (5 to 10 minutes), a sound indicating that the measurement of the body temperature is completed at the buzzer unit 240 is output, and the body temperature Is displayed on the display unit 104, and then the process proceeds to step S308.

4). Relationship Between Direction of Change in Body Temperature and Identifier Subsequently, details of the body temperature change display process will be described. First, the relationship between the direction of change in body temperature and the identifier displayed on the display unit 104 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a display example of an identifier indicating the direction of change in body temperature displayed on the display unit 104.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the electronic thermometer 100 divides the direction of temperature change into three sections (I to III) and displays them using five types of identifiers (arrows).

  The first category (I) includes body temperature data (current value) calculated in the current body temperature measurement process, and the previous value (calculated in the previous body temperature measurement process, and stored in the specific area of the RAM 223 as the previous value together with the measurement time. The difference from the measured body temperature data) is ± 1 ° C or more, or the slope of the body temperature change from the previous value to the current value (the amount of change in body temperature per unit time) is 0.5 ° C / hour or more It is a condition. When the condition of the first classification is satisfied, an upward arrow (411) or a downward arrow (412) in the vertical direction with respect to the display direction of the current value is displayed together with the current value.

  In the second category (II), the body temperature data (current value) calculated in the current body temperature measurement process and the previous value (calculated in the previous body temperature measurement process are stored in the specific area of the RAM 223 together with the measurement time as the previous value. The difference from the body temperature data) is more than ± 0.5 ° C and less than ± 1.0 ° C, and the slope of body temperature change from the previous value to the current value (body temperature change per unit time) Is less than 0.5 ° C./hour. When the condition of the second category is satisfied, an arrow (421) obliquely upward or an arrow (422) obliquely downward with respect to the display direction of the current value is displayed together with the current value.

  The third category (III) is the body temperature data (current value) calculated in the current body temperature measurement process and the previous value (calculated in the previous body temperature measurement process and stored as a previous value in the specific area of the RAM 223 together with the measurement time. The temperature difference is less than ± 0.5 ° C. When the condition of the third category is satisfied, an arrow (431) in the horizontal direction with respect to the display direction of the current value is displayed together with the current value.

  Note that the difference (time difference) between the measurement time when the previous value is calculated and the measurement time when the current value is calculated is within one hour (within a predetermined time) when the condition of the third category is satisfied. ), Only the current value is displayed, and the horizontal arrow (431) is not displayed.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the classification of identifiers displayed on the display unit 104. In FIG. 5, the horizontal axis indicates the difference (body temperature difference) between the previous value and the current value, and the vertical axis indicates the measurement time when the previous value is calculated, and the measurement time when the current value is calculated. Difference (time difference).

  When the first to third sections (I to III) are applied to a two-dimensional region constituted by a body temperature difference and a time difference, the sections are divided as shown in FIG. Note that the area 501 is an area indicating a condition in which an arrow is not displayed.

5. Flow of Body Temperature Change Display Process Next, the flow of the body temperature change display process (step S308) will be described with reference to FIGS.

  6 is a flowchart showing the flow of the body temperature change display process in the electronic thermometer 100, and FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of the previous value initialization process for initializing the previous value used in the body temperature change display process. is there.

  In step S601, a previous value initialization process for initializing the previous value is executed. Specifically, the process proceeds to step S701 in FIG. 7, and the measurement time of the previous value is compared with the measurement time of the current value. In step S702, it is determined whether or not the time difference between the measurement time of the previous value and the measurement time of the current value is equal to or longer than a predetermined time (threshold value).

  If it is determined in step S702 that the time difference between the measurement time of the previous value and the measurement time of the current value is greater than or equal to a predetermined time (for example, threshold = 72 hours), the direction of change in body temperature is displayed. The body temperature data stored together with the measurement time in the specific area of the RAM 223 as the previous value at present is determined to be inappropriate, and the current value is overwritten on the previous value together with the measurement time in step S703. Thereafter, the process returns to step S309. In this case, only the current value is displayed on the display unit 104, and no arrow is displayed.

  As described above, when the time difference between the measurement time of the previous value and the measurement time of the current value is large, the electronic thermometer 100 determines that it is meaningless to compare the previous value and the current value, and an arrow is also displayed. Not performed.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S702 that the time difference between the measurement time of the previous value and the measurement time of the current value is less than a predetermined time (less than the threshold value), the body temperature for displaying the direction of change in body temperature. As the data, it is determined that the body temperature data stored together with the measurement time in the specific area of the RAM 223 as the previous value at this time is appropriate, and the process returns to step S602 in FIG.

  In step S602, the current value is compared with the previous value, and a body temperature difference between the current value and the previous value is calculated. In step S603, the body temperature difference calculated in step S602 and the time difference between the measurement time of the current value and the measurement time of the previous value are used to calculate the inclination of body temperature change (the amount of change in body temperature per unit time). calculate.

  In step S604, it is determined whether the body temperature difference calculated in step S602 is 1.0 ° C. or more (threshold value or more). If it is determined in step S604 that the body temperature difference is 1.0 ° C. or more, the process proceeds to step S608.

  In step S608, if the current temperature is higher than the previous value, a vertical upward arrow (411) is displayed on the display unit 104. When the current temperature is lower than the previous value, the vertically downward arrow (412) is displayed on the display unit 104. Thereby, the user can easily grasp that the current value displayed on the display unit 104 has rapidly increased (or decreased) compared to the previous value.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S604 that the body temperature difference is less than 1.0 ° C. (less than the threshold value), the process proceeds to step S605. In step S605, it is determined whether or not the amount of change in body temperature per unit time calculated in step S603 is 0.5 ° C./hour or more (above a threshold value).

  If it is determined in step S605 that the amount of change in body temperature per unit time is 0.5 ° C./hour or more (above a threshold value), the process proceeds to step S608. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S605 that the change in body temperature per unit time is less than 0.5 ° C./hour (less than the threshold value), the process proceeds to step S606.

  In step S606, it is determined whether the body temperature difference calculated in step S602 is 0.5 ° C. or higher (threshold value or higher). If it is determined in step S606 that the body temperature difference is 0.5 ° C. or more (threshold or more), the process proceeds to step S609.

  In step S609, if the current temperature is higher than the previous value, an upwardly pointing arrow (421) is displayed on the display unit 104. In addition, when the current value is lower than the previous value, an obliquely downward arrow (422) is displayed on the display unit 104. Accordingly, the user can easily grasp that the current value displayed on the display unit 104 has slightly increased (or decreased) compared to the previous value.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S606 that the body temperature difference is less than 0.5 ° C., the process proceeds to step S607. In step S607, it is determined whether or not the time difference between the measurement time of the previous value and the measurement time of the current value is within one hour (within a predetermined time). The process proceeds to step S610.

  In step S610, a horizontal arrow (431) is displayed on the display unit 104. Accordingly, the user can easily grasp that the current value displayed on the display unit 104 is substantially the same as the previous value and is in an equilibrium state.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S607 that the time is within one hour, the process returns to step S309 in FIG. 3 without displaying the identifier indicating the direction of temperature change.

  In any of steps S608 to S610, when an arrow is displayed on display unit 104, the process proceeds to step S611, the previous value is overwritten with the current value, and then the process returns to step S309.

6). EXAMPLE Next, an example of the body temperature measurement process will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing changes in body temperature during fever, with the horizontal axis representing time and the vertical axis representing body temperature. In FIG. 8, a curve 800 indicates the actual body temperature change of the subject, and each circle on the curve 800 indicates the timing when the body temperature is measured using the electronic thermometer 100.

  Moreover, the arrow attached | subjected to the vicinity of each circle mark has shown the arrow displayed on the display part 104, when body temperature measurement is performed at the timing of each circle mark. Of the circles, the black circle indicates that the body temperature data calculated by the body temperature measurement is stored as the previous value, and the white circle indicates that the body temperature data calculated by the body temperature measurement is stored as the previous value. Indicates that it was not done.

  As shown in FIG. 8, when body temperature measurement is performed at timing 801 when the subject's body temperature starts to rise, a predetermined time is measured between the measurement time of the previous value (not shown in FIG. 8) and the measurement time of the current value. Since there is a time difference greater than or equal to the time (greater than or equal to the threshold value), the body temperature data of the previous value is overwritten with the body temperature data of the current value (steps S701 → S702 → S703). In this case, the arrow is not displayed on the display unit 104, and after the current value is displayed, the body temperature measurement process ends (steps S309 → S310).

  Subsequently, when the body temperature is measured at timing 802, the body temperature difference and inclination are calculated using the body temperature data calculated at timing 801 as the previous value. In this case, since the body temperature difference and inclination between the previous value and the current value satisfy the condition of the region 501, no arrow is displayed on the display unit 104, and the current value is displayed, and then the body temperature measurement process ends. (Yes in steps S604 → S605 → S606 → S607).

  Subsequently, when the body temperature is measured at timing 803, the body temperature difference and inclination are calculated using the body temperature data calculated at timing 801 as the previous value. In this case, since the temperature difference and inclination between the previous value and the current value satisfy the condition of the second category (II), an arrow 823 is displayed on the display unit 104, and the previous value is overwritten by the current value. (Steps S604 → S605 → S606 → S609 → S611).

  Subsequently, when body temperature is measured at timing 804, the body temperature difference and inclination are calculated using the body temperature data calculated at timing 803 as the previous value. In this case, since the body temperature difference and inclination between the previous value and the current value satisfy the condition of the first category (I), an arrow 824 is displayed on the display unit 104 and the previous value is overwritten by the current value. (Steps S604 → S608 → S611).

  Thereafter, at timings 805 to 806 and 810 to 813, arrows corresponding to the calculated body temperature difference and inclination are displayed, and body temperature data calculated by body temperature measurement is used as the previous value used in the next body temperature measurement. Store. On the other hand, at timings 807 to 809, since the calculated body temperature difference and inclination satisfy the conditions of the region 501, no arrow is displayed on the display unit 104, and the body temperature data calculated by body temperature measurement is the previous time. It is not stored as a value in a specific area of the RAM 223 together with the measurement time (for this reason, at timing 810, the body temperature data calculated at timing 806 is used as the previous value).

  As is clear from the above description, the electronic thermometer 100 according to the present embodiment is configured to store the body temperature information obtained by the body temperature measurement process in association with the date and time information. In addition, by comparing the body temperature information (current value) obtained by the body temperature measurement process with the previous value, the body temperature of the subject when the current value is calculated is in an increasing process or in an equilibrium state. It will be possible to immediately recognize whether it is in the descending process. That is, the body temperature state (the direction of body temperature change) of the subject can be easily grasped.

[Second Embodiment]
In the first embodiment, based on the body temperature difference and the inclination, it is classified into the first to third sections, and the change in the body temperature of the subject is expressed by five types of arrows. Is not limited to this. For example, the number of sections may be increased, and the types of identifiers may be increased. The color of the identifier is not limited to black, and may be changed according to the category. Further, the shape and size of the identifier may be changed according to the category.

  In the first embodiment, the body temperature data is stored in the RAM 223 in association with the date and time information. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an arrow is displayed on the display unit 104. In such a case, the arrows may be stored in association with each other.

  In the first embodiment, the body temperature data calculated in the body temperature measurement is stored in the RAM 223 in association with the date and time information, and separately stored in a specific area as the previous value. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a predetermined flag may be added to body temperature data to be processed as the previous value among body temperature data stored in association with date and time information.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Electronic thermometer, 101 ... Case, 102 ... Case, 103 ... End cap, 104 ... Display part, 104a ... Window member

Claims (7)

An electronic thermometer that measures the temperature of a subject,
Display means for displaying body temperature information obtained by the measurement;
Storage means for storing body temperature information obtained by measurement in association with time information;
Calculation means for calculating the body temperature difference and the amount of change in body temperature per unit time using the body temperature information obtained by the current measurement and the body temperature information obtained by the previous measurement stored in the storage means. And comprising
The display means includes an identifier having a predetermined inclination according to the body temperature difference calculated by the calculation means and the amount of change in body temperature per unit time, together with body temperature information obtained by the current measurement. An electronic thermometer characterized by displaying.   When the body temperature difference is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold, or when the amount of change in body temperature per unit time is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold, the display means displays an arrow as the identifier. The electronic thermometer according to claim 1, wherein the electronic thermometer is displayed upward or downward with respect to a display direction of the body temperature information.   The display means displays the arrow as the identifier as the body temperature information when the body temperature difference is in a predetermined range and the amount of change in body temperature per unit time is less than a predetermined threshold. The electronic thermometer according to claim 1, wherein the electronic thermometer is displayed obliquely upward or obliquely downward with respect to the direction.   The display means displays the arrow as the identifier as the body temperature information when the body temperature difference is less than a predetermined threshold and the time difference between the previous measurement and the current measurement is not within a predetermined time. The electronic thermometer according to claim 1, wherein the electronic thermometer is displayed in a horizontal direction with respect to the display direction.   The display means does not display the arrow as the identifier when the temperature difference is less than a predetermined threshold and the time difference between the previous measurement and the current measurement is within a predetermined time. The electronic thermometer according to claim 4. An electronic thermometer display control method for measuring the temperature of a subject,
A display process for displaying body temperature information obtained by the measurement;
A storage step of storing the body temperature information obtained by the measurement in association with the time information in the storage means;
A calculation step of calculating a body temperature difference and a change in body temperature per unit time using the body temperature information obtained by the current measurement and the body temperature information obtained by the previous measurement stored in the storage unit. And comprising
The display step includes an identifier having a predetermined inclination according to the body temperature difference calculated in the calculation step and the amount of change in body temperature per unit time, together with body temperature information obtained by the current measurement. An electronic thermometer display control method characterized by displaying.   A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the display control method according to claim 6.

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