JP2013220232A - Biological sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a biological sensor having high use durability while flexibly adapting to a shape or movement of a human body, an animal or the like.SOLUTION: A biological sensor 1 includes: a planar first electrode 2 capable of receiving pressure from at least a part of a human body or an animal; a planar second electrode 3 facing to the first electrode 2 apart from the first electrode 2; and a planar electric conductor 4 interposed between the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 3. A part of at least one of the front face and the rear face of the electric conductor 4 has an insulation region 5, and each of the first electrode 2, the second electrode 3 and the electric conductor 4 has flexibility.

Description

  The present invention detects the posture of a user in a bed, chair, etc. used by a user such as a hospital, a nursing facility, an elderly facility, etc., and manages the user and prevents accidents. The present invention relates to a living body sensor and a safety management device.

  In recent years, many countries including Japan are aging. As the population ages, the number of inpatients due to illness and injury increases, and the number of people who need care needs to increase due to aging. Inpatients and care recipients are often hospitalized or entered hospitals, nursing homes, elderly facilities, etc., and spend a lot of time in bed depending on their medical condition and care status. Or you may spend a lot of time on a wheelchair or nursing chair.

  Thus, patients and care recipients who spend a lot of time in bed gradually become depressed by continuing to sleep in the bed for a long time or receiving excessive care by the caregiver. If the body and mind decline in this way, it becomes bedridden, which is not preferable for patients and care recipients. Also, the increase in bedridden people can cause social problems that put pressure on public insurance budgets such as health insurance and long-term care insurance.

  For this reason, patients and care recipients are required to perform their daily lives as much as possible. For example, it is preferable that patients and care recipients perform excretion, meals, visits to the examination room, etc. by themselves. This is because it is possible to prevent bedridden by performing the actions necessary for daily life as much as possible. Or, even if you are sleeping in bed, it is also important for patients and care recipients to exercise on the bed, such as turning over and raising their upper body, in order to prevent mental deterioration. .

  In this way, patients and care recipients are required to move on and off the bed so that they can be bedridden and can be discharged and discharged early. . The same applies to wheelchairs and nursing chairs.

  However, it is dangerous for the patient or the person to be cared for if the patient or the person to be cared for moves on the bed or gets out of the bed. For example, there is a possibility that the patient or the person to be cared for falls from the bed or falls when getting off the bed. In particular, patients and care recipients may fall and fall because their physical abilities are weakened. Alternatively, patients and care recipients may cause unpredictable movements on the bed due to mental instability.

  In hospitals, care facilities, and elderly facilities, it is necessary to detect such dangers and unpredictable behaviors of patients and care recipients to prevent injuries and accidents. This is because if an injury or accident occurs, it may be a problem of compensation or a decrease in the reliability of a hospital or nursing facility. However, it is not realistic to monitor each patient and care recipient in terms of securing human resources and costs. Of course, it is not realistic for a care worker to monitor a patient or a person to be cared for along with the care work in terms of work efficiency and securing human resources.

  In this way, in the field of medical care and nursing care that is already becoming a huge industry, it is required to predict the risk for patients and care recipients in a balanced manner with human resources and budgets.

  In such a situation, various techniques have been proposed for detecting a seating or a seating state in a bed or a seat (for example, see Patent Documents 1 to 5). These have proposed a technique for automatically detecting whether or not a person is sitting on a bed or a seat or getting up.

JP-A-6-315424 JP 7-237487 A JP 2006-73522 A

  Patent document 1 arranges a plurality of temperature sensors and humidity sensors on the seat surface of a bed, detects body temperature and humidity of a sleeping person, and blows air inside the bed so as to maintain the comfortable state of the sleeping person. A bed apparatus is disclosed. In other words, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 can estimate the comfort / discomfort level of a sleeping person based on the temperature and humidity that can be detected by the bed apparatus, and can provide a comfortable sleeping environment for the sleeping person.

  However, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 can only detect the body temperature and humidity of the sleeping person, and cannot accurately estimate the sleeping person's body position and situation. For this reason, even if it is the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 or the technique to which this technique is applied, what kind of posture the patient or care recipient is on the bed, or whether it is in a dangerous state Have problems that cannot be guessed.

  Moreover, the technique disclosed by patent document 1 has arrange | positioned the several temperature sensor and humidity sensor on the seat surface of a bed. Of course, a person is sleeping on the bed surface, and pressure and a load caused by the movement of the person are applied to these sensors. There is a problem that the sensor deteriorates or breaks down due to this pressure and load. That is, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a problem inferior in use durability.

  Patent Document 2 discloses an occupancy detection device that detects whether or not an occupant is seated by a pressure-sensitive element attached to the back of the seat.

  Similarly to Patent Documents 1 and 2, Patent Document 2 can only detect digitally whether the user is seated or not. Of course, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2 or the technique applied to this has a problem in that it cannot be estimated what kind of posture the patient or care recipient is on the bed or whether it is in a dangerous state. Have.

  Of course, like Patent Document 1, there is a problem inferior in specification durability. In addition, since a pressure sensitive element is used as an electrode, it lacks flexibility. When applied to a device for detecting a human body provided on a bed seat or the like for flexibility, it is inconvenient. Not only does it cause discomfort to the human body, but current detection based on pressure from the human body is not sufficient, which may cause false detection. The same applies to Patent Document 1.

  Patent Document 3 discloses a flexible surface switch characterized in that a plurality of holes are provided in an insulator and electrodes of a flexible surface conductor are provided on both surfaces of the insulator. Patent document 3 implement | achieves a surface switch by the combination of the insulator which has a hole, and the electrode which can contact this insulator. Such a surface switch can be applied to a biological sensor that detects a human body by being installed in a bed or a seat. Of course, human bodies (including animals) can be detected not only on beds and seats but also on the floor. In addition, unlike Patent Documents 1 and 2, the surface switch has flexibility, so even when it is installed in a bed or seat, it is easy to cope with the curved surface and movement of the human body, and the current change due to pressure by the human body Easy to detect.

  However, the surface switch of Patent Document 3 is a set in which the insulator and the electrode are separated. For this reason, the distance between the insulator and the electrode becomes non-uniform due to pressure or movement applied during use. Or the hole provided in the insulator may connect with another hole and resistance may change. For this reason, the resistance value (current value) due to the pressure applied to the surface of the surface switch (the pressure of the human body when applied to a biological sensor) changes during use, and the specification may not be satisfied.

  As described above, the technique related to human body detection in the prior art detects a human body or an animal by applying pressure based on the weight of the human body or animal. However, the prior art has the following problems.

(1) An electrode that detects pressure and detects a change in current value does not have flexibility.
(2) Even when the electrode has flexibility, the electrode and the insulator are separated from each other, and the current value generated by the pressure of the human body or the like varies.
(3) Even when the electrode has flexibility, the electrode and the insulator are separated, so that the use performance deteriorates and the insulating performance and the conductive performance change. As a result, accurate detection of the human body becomes difficult.
(4) In addition to detecting the presence or absence of a human body or animal, in the case of detecting the human body or animal's posture or posture in detail, changes in insulation performance or conductive performance due to deterioration of use as shown in (3) are adversely affected. Give rise to

  Thus, the prior art has a problem that it is impossible to achieve both usage applicability and usage durability.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a biosensor that can solve these problems 1 to 4 and has high use durability while flexibly responding to the shape and operation of a human body or an animal.

  In view of the above problems, the biosensor of the present invention includes a planar first electrode capable of receiving pressure from at least a part of a human body or an animal, and a planar second electrode that is spaced apart from and opposed to the first electrode. An electrode and a planar conductor interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, and at least part of at least one of the front surface and the back surface of the conductor has an insulating region, Each of the electrode, the second electrode, and the conductor has flexibility.

  Since the biosensor of the present invention has flexibility, it can be easily installed in various places such as a bed seat, a seat, and a floor. In addition, since it is possible to cope with the external shape, posture, body position, etc. of the human body or animal, it is easy to correspond to the pressure change applied from the human body etc. and the current value (resistance value) change generated by the biosensor. For this reason, the living body sensor can detect not only the presence or absence of a human body or an animal, but also a change in posture and body position.

  In the biosensor of the present invention, since the insulating portion and the conductive portion are integrated, the insulating portion and the conductive portion are not separated from each other, and detection variation does not occur. In addition, since the insulating part is not easily deteriorated by use, the detection accuracy is hardly lowered due to use deterioration.

  As a result, the biological sensor of the present invention can detect the presence / absence, posture, and posture change of a human body or animal with high reliability.

It is a schematic diagram of the biosensor which is a premise of the present invention. It is a block diagram of the biosensor in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a front view of the conductor in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a front view of the conductor in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a front view of the biosensor enclosed with the case in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a side view of the bed in which the biosensor in Embodiment 1 of this invention was installed. It is a block diagram of the biosensor in Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a graph which shows the classification of the connection resistance value in Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a graph which shows the change of the connection resistance value in the case of estimating the rolling state in Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a graph which shows the change of the connection resistance value used as the basis of the estimation of the dangerous state in Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state which installed the biosensor in embodiment of invention.

  A biological sensor according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a planar first electrode capable of receiving pressure from at least a part of a human body or an animal, and a planar first electrode spaced apart from and opposed to the first electrode. Two electrodes and a planar conductor interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, and at least one part of the front surface and the back surface of the conductor has an insulating region, Each of the first electrode, the second electrode, and the conductor has flexibility.

  With this configuration, the biosensor can indicate different connection resistance values (current values) with high accuracy according to the pressure of the human body or the like. In addition, it has high durability.

  In the biosensor according to the second invention of the present invention, in addition to the first invention, the flexibility of the first electrode and the second electrode is higher than the flexibility of the conductor.

  With this configuration, both comfort to the human body and the conductivity between the electrodes can be achieved.

  In the biosensor according to the third invention of the present invention, in addition to the first or second invention, at least one of the front surface and the back surface of the conductor is a conductive region except for the insulating region.

  With this configuration, the first electrode and the second electrode are in a conductive state via the conductive region of the conductor.

  In the biosensor according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the third aspect, the conductive region includes a plurality of conductive portions.

  With this configuration, the first electrode and the second electrode can conduct (or insulate) in a wide planar range.

  In the biosensor according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the fourth aspect, the conductive portion has any one of a substantially circular shape, a substantially elliptical shape, a substantially rectangular shape, and a substantially polygonal shape.

  With this configuration, the conductive portion is arranged on the conductor surface with a good balance.

  In the biosensor according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the fourth aspect, the conductive portion has a substantially rectangular shape or a substantially oval shape whose major axis is at least three times the minor axis.

  With this configuration, conduction can be facilitated according to the installation state.

  In the biological sensor according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, in addition to the sixth aspect, the major axis of the substantially rectangular shape and the substantially elliptical shape is along the height direction of the human body that applies pressure to the biological sensor.

  With this configuration, the conductive state can easily correspond to the movement of the human body accurately.

  In the biological sensor according to the eighth invention of the present invention, in addition to any of the fourth to seventh inventions, each of the plurality of conductive portions is randomly arranged on at least one of the front surface and the back surface of the conductor. The

  With this configuration, the living body sensor can accurately indicate a connection resistance value and a current value corresponding to a complicated shape and posture such as a human body.

  In the biosensor according to the ninth aspect of the present invention, in addition to any of the fourth to eighth aspects of the invention, the insulating region is made of an insulating material printed on at least one of the front surface and the back surface of the conductor. It is formed by being attached by at least one of vapor deposition and adhesion.

  With this configuration, it is possible to prevent wear and deformation of the insulating region.

  In the biological sensor according to the tenth aspect of the present invention, in addition to any of the fourth to ninth aspects, the insulating region is integral with the conductor.

  With this configuration, use durability is improved.

  In the biosensor according to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, in addition to any of the fourth to tenth aspects, the connection resistance value between the first electrode and the second electrode and the conduction between the first electrode and the second electrode. Measuring unit for measuring at least one of current value and conductive voltage value of first electrode and second electrode, magnitude, change state, change in at least one of connection resistance value, conductive current value and conductive voltage value An estimation unit for estimating the state of the human body based on at least one of a quantity, a differential quantity, a relationship with time and an integral value, and the first electrode and the human body pressure applied to the first electrode The second electrode is electrically connected through the conductive region of the conductor.

  With this configuration, the biological sensor can estimate the state of the human body.

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

  (Embodiment 1)

(Assumption)
In the biosensor, at least the first electrode and the second electrode are separated from each other, and the separated first electrode and the second electrode are brought into contact with each other by the pressure applied to the first electrode or the second electrode to conduct electricity. Based on the connection resistance value in this conduction (in other words, the current value. Hereinafter, the connection resistance value of the first electrode and the second electrode may be understood as the same as the current value in the same manner). Detects the presence or absence of a human body or an animal, or estimates the state of a human body or an animal (that is, the biological sensor can be said to be a human body detection sensor or an animal detection sensor). One object of the biological sensor of the present invention is to detect the presence or posture of a human body sitting on a bed or chair, or an animal present in a certain space. As an example, a living body sensor is installed on the seat surface of a bed, and a human body rides on it. The biometric sensor needs to cope with unevenness of the human body and unevenness caused by a change in posture of the human body.

  In such a situation, it is preferable that the first electrode and the second electrode of the biosensor are materials having high flexibility. For example, it is preferable that the first electrode and the second electrode are formed of a highly flexible material such as a woven fabric of metal fibers. If it is the 1st electrode and the 2nd electrode which have such high flexibility, the 1st electrode and the 2nd electrode will correspond to the unevenness of the human body (the same applies to animals; the same applies hereinafter) and the unevenness caused by the posture change. Because is deformed. In addition, because of the high flexibility, the human body is less likely to feel uncomfortable even when the biosensor is installed on the seat surface of a bed or chair.

  However, when the flexibility of the first electrode and the second electrode is high, the first electrode and the second electrode are too easily deformed by applying pressure from the human body, and the first electrode and the second electrode are in contact with each other so as to be conductive. Sometimes it doesn't. Even if contact is made, the first electrode and the second electrode as a whole are not sufficiently in contact, and only a part of the contact remains. In this case, the connection resistance value may not be in accordance with the posture of the human body. The biological sensor is required to estimate the state of the human body (sleeping, waking up, turning over, dangerous state, etc. in the case of a bed) based on the connection resistance value in the conduction between the first electrode and the second electrode. If the connection resistance value corresponding to the posture of the human body cannot be detected, the biological sensor cannot sufficiently detect changes in the posture and body position of the human body.

  In order to solve this problem, it is preferable to interpose a conductor that can maintain a certain form while having flexibility between the first electrode and the second electrode. By disposing the first electrode and the second electrode having high flexibility on the side receiving the pressure of the human body, it is possible to reduce discomfort to the human body. On the other hand, the first electrode and the second electrode have high flexibility, but the first electrode and the second electrode are reliably in contact with the electric conductor by interposing an electric conductor that is inferior in flexibility but easy to maintain the form. It is easy to become. For this reason, a 1st electrode, a conductor, and a 2nd electrode contact according to the pressure of the human body provided to either a 1st electrode and a 2nd electrode. As a result, the biological sensor tends to generate a connection resistance value according to the state of the human body.

  However, if a conductor is interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, the connection resistance value is always small (the current value is large) due to planar contact. If it becomes like this, it will become difficult to produce the state where a connection resistance value is large, and it will become difficult to produce the high connection resistance value in the state where the pressure of a human body is low. In order to solve this, it is necessary to insert an insulator including a hole or a conductive region between either the first electrode and the conductor or between the second electrode and the conductor. It is. By inserting the insulator, while the pressure from the human body is small, the insulator between the first electrode (second electrode) and the conductor makes the insulation performance dominant and increases the connection resistance value. Make it appear. On the contrary, if the pressure from the human body is large, the first electrode (second electrode) and the conductor come into contact with each other through the hole or the conductive region of the conductor, and a low connection resistance value is exhibited.

  As described above, when it is required to perform estimation including situations such as the posture and body posture of a human body or an animal, the biosensor is configured to cause a change in a range from a high connection resistance value to a low connection resistance value. It is necessary to have As described above, in order to achieve both reduction in discomfort to the human body and current detection with high accuracy, the biosensor is composed of the first electrode and the second electrode made of a highly flexible material, and the conductivity interposed therebetween. It is assumed that a body and an insulator are required.

  However, if the conductor and the insulator are separated from each other, the gap or the conductive region provided in the insulator may not show a connection resistance value that should be shifted from the conductor. Or since an insulator is pinched | interposed into a conductor and a 1st electrode (2nd electrode), it may be worn out by repeated pressure application. Since the insulator needs to be thinned to reduce discomfort, it is more likely to wear out. Or an insulator becomes easy to float with respect to a conductor, the contact of an electrode and a conductor is not enough, and a connection resistance value higher than the connection resistance value which should be may be measured.

  Of course, as wear increases, it becomes difficult for the biosensor to exhibit a connection resistance value corresponding to the applied pressure.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a biosensor which is a premise of the present invention. The biosensor 100 includes a first electrode 101, a second electrode 102, a conductor 103, and an insulator 104. The first electrode 101 and the second electrode 101 are opposed to each other in a separated state (in use, the first electrode 102 rides on the second electrode 102 via another member. The conductor 103 and the insulator 104 are interposed therebetween.

  The insulator 104 includes a plurality of holes 105. The portion other than the hole 105 is in an insulated state, and the portion of the hole 105 allows the first electrode 101 and the conductor 103 to be in contact with each other, so that the contact can be made conductive. When pressure is applied to either the first electrode 101 or the second electrode 102, the first electrode 101 and the conductor 103 come into contact through the hole 105. The second electrode 102 and the conductor 103 are also in contact. As a result, the first electrode 101 and the second electrode 102 conduct through the conductor 103, and a low connection resistance value is obtained. That is, the biosensor 100 can detect the presence of a human body or an animal (they exist on the biosensor 100) with this low connection resistance value.

  On the other hand, when the pressure of the human body or the animal is not applied to the first electrode 101 or the second electrode 102 or the pressure is low, the first electrode 101 and the conductor 103 are not contacted by the insulator 104 or weakly contacted. Become. As a result, the connection resistance value between the first electrode 101 and the second electrode 102 increases. With this high connection resistance value, the biological sensor 100 can detect the absence of a human body or an animal.

  However, as described above, if the conductor 103 and the insulator 104 are separated, even if pressure is applied, the conductor 103 and the first electrode 101 may be difficult to contact. Or the hole 105 provided in the insulator 104 spreads or breaks, the assumed resistance value changes, and the detected connection resistance value may shift. As described above, the biosensor according to the present invention requires the conductor 103 and the insulator 104, but the problem caused by the separation must be solved.

  As described above, the biological sensor of the present invention has the first electrode, the second electrode, and the conductor as a premise, and solves the difficulty of controlling insulation in contact between the conductor and the electrode.

(Overview)
First, the general outline of the biosensor according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described. The biological sensor detects the existence of a wide range of living organisms such as human bodies and animals, and estimates the posture and posture of the organism. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the biosensor according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  The biosensor 1 includes a first electrode 2, a second electrode 3, and a conductor 4. The first electrode 2 has a planar shape capable of receiving pressure from at least a part of a human body or an animal. Further, the first electrode 2 has flexibility and conductivity. For example, the first electrode 2 is formed of a woven fabric woven with metal fibers.

  The second electrode 3 is spaced apart from the first electrode 2. Similarly to the first electrode 2, the second electrode 3 can receive pressure from at least a part of a human body or an animal. The second electrode 3 is also planar and has flexibility and conductivity. For example, the second electrode 3 is formed of a woven fabric woven with metal fibers. By being formed of such a material, each of the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 3 has conductivity while having flexibility.

  The first electrode 2 and the second electrode 3 are similar elements, and the first and second terms are for convenience of distinction and are not intended to be particularly limited. The second electrode 3 is opposed to the first electrode while being spaced apart. However, in the actual use state, the first electrode 2 is placed on the second electrode 3 so that the second electrode 3 is brought into a close state according to natural gravity.

  The conductor 4 is interposed between the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 3. The conductor 4 includes an insulating region 5 and a conductive region 6 on at least a part of its front and back surfaces. In FIG. 2, a plurality of circular conductive portions 61 are provided on the surface of the conductor 4 (surface facing the first electrode 2), and the plurality of conductive portions 61 form a conductive region 6. A portion other than the conductive region 6 is an insulating region 5. As described above, the biosensor 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention differs from the biosensor 100 of FIG. 1 in that the conductor 4 also serves as an insulator, and the conductor and the insulator are integrated. Yes.

  On the other hand, although not shown in FIG. 2, the back surface of the conductor 4 (the surface facing the second electrode 3) similarly has the insulating region 5 and the conductive region 6. Alternatively, all of the back surface may be the conductive region 6. The conductor 4 itself is formed of a material having conductivity and flexibility. For example, the conductor 4 may be formed of a resin having conductivity, rubber, silicon, silicone, or the like.

  A conductive cable 7 is connected to the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 3. The conductive cable 7 connects the current generator 8 and the measurement unit 9. A current generator 8 applies current to the conductive cable 7. For example, the current applied by the current generator 8 flows from the current generator 8 to the first electrode 2. When the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 3 are not electrically connected, no current flows from the first electrode 2 to the second electrode 3. As a result, no current flows in the entire conductive cable 7. Not flowing. In particular, the first electrode 2 and the conductor 4 are in light contact with natural gravity, but since the insulating region 5 is formed on the surface of the conductor 4, the first electrode 2 and the conductor 4 Does not make any contact up to the electrical connection.

  Of course, the first electrode 2 and the conductor 4 may be in contact with each other in the conductive region 6, but the contact area between the entire conductive region 6 and the first electrode 2 and the contact pressure are low due to the weak pressure. The electrical connection between the first electrode 2 and the conductor 4 becomes small. Of course, the electrical connection between the second electrode 3 and the conductor 4 is also small. For these reasons, the measuring unit 9 measures the current flowing through the conductive cable 7 small.

  On the other hand, when pressure is applied to at least one of the surfaces of the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 3, the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 3 come into contact with each other by the pressure. At this time, the first electrode 2 comes into sufficient contact with the conductor 4 in the conductive region 6. For this reason, the electrical connection between the first electrode 2 and the conductor 4 is strengthened. Also, the electrical connection between the second electrode 3 and the conductor 4 is strong. As a result, the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 3 are in a conductive state. In this case, the measurement unit 9 measures the connection resistance value between the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 3 low (measures the current value of the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 3 high).

  Thus, the biosensor 1 can show the connection resistance value (current value) according to the applied pressure by interposing the conductor 4 including the conductive region 6 and the insulating region 5. Moreover, each of the 1st electrode 2, the 2nd electrode 3, and the conductor 4 has a softness | flexibility. However, the flexibility of the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 3 is higher than the flexibility of the conductor 4. Due to the difference in flexibility, the conductor 4 maintains a certain form as compared with the deformation of the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 3 even when pressure is applied. For this reason, when no pressure is applied, the contact between the first electrode 2 and the conductor 4 is easily prevented by the insulating region 5. On the other hand, when pressure is applied, the first electrode 2 and the conductive region 6 are easily brought into contact with each other, and the electrical connection between the first electrode 2 and the conductor 4 is ensured.

As described above, the following roles of the insulating region 5 and the conductive region 6 of the conductor 4 are effective.
(1) Since the insulating region 5 is provided, the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 3 can be insulated or weakly conductive when pressure is low.
(2) Since the conductive region 6 is provided, the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 3 can be in a sufficiently conductive state when a large pressure is applied.
(3) Since the flexibility of the conductor 4 is lower than the flexibility of the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 3, contact and non-contact can be reliably realized.

  By means of (1) to (3), the biosensor 1 can provide correspondence between the application of pressure and the connection resistance value. Due to this correspondence, the biosensor 1 can detect the presence or absence of a human body or an animal. In addition, since the biosensor 1 can detect different current values depending on the contact state, it can also detect changes in posture and body posture of a human body or animal using different current values.

(Merits of integrating the conductor and the insulating region)
The insulating region 5 is provided in the conductor 4 itself. That is, the conductor 4 and the insulating region 5 are integral. For this reason, unlike the case where the insulating region 5 is a separate member made of an insulator or the like, the insulating region 5 and the conductor 4 are not separated from each other. For this reason, when a pressure is provided, the 1st electrode 2 and the conductor 4 do not become a contact failure. For this reason, the biosensor 1 can realize a conductive state corresponding to the strength of pressure application. The connection resistance value obtained by the measuring unit 9 accurately indicates the strength of the applied pressure.

  On the other hand, since the insulating region 5 is integral with the conductor 4, the pressure in the surface direction of the conductor 4 is not applied to the insulating region 5 unlike the separated insulator. For this reason, the insulating region 5 is not displaced or deformed with respect to the surface of the conductor 4. Since there is no such deviation or deformation, the connection resistance value assumed when pressure is applied does not change. The biological sensor 1 estimates the posture and body position of a human body or an animal based on the obtained connection resistance value. If the reference value set by the specification and the actual connection resistance value are deviated, The actual posture and posture cannot be estimated accurately. Since the conductor 4 and the insulating region 5 are integrated as in the biosensor 1 of the first embodiment, the connection resistance value obtained does not differ depending on the difference in measurement. As a result, the biosensor 1 can always obtain the same result under the same conditions. In particular, even if the usage period has elapsed, the reliability is unlikely to decrease.

  Further, since the conductor 4 and the insulating region 5 are integrated, wear and damage of the insulating region 5 can be prevented. If it is a separate member such as an insulator, it may be torn or worn by the pressure in the surface direction.

  As described above, the living body sensor 1 according to the first embodiment can improve the use durability because the conductor 4 and the insulating region 5 are integrated.

(Details of each part)
Next, the detail of each part is demonstrated.

(First electrode 2 and second electrode 3)
As described above, the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 3 are planar members having flexibility. In addition, it has conductivity. For example, a conductive region is provided on the surface where each of the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 3 faces the conductor 4.

  Since the 1st electrode 2 and the 2nd electrode 3 are installed facing, it is also suitable that it has the same magnitude | size and shape. A conductive cable 7 is connected to each of the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 3. The conductive cable 7 may be wired or wireless.

  Since it is preferable that the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 3 have high flexibility, the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 3 may be formed of a woven fabric or a non-woven fabric.

(conductor)
The conductor 4 is a conductive material and is formed of a flexible material. However, since the flexibility is preferably lower than that of the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 3, as described above, it is preferable to be formed of rubber or resin.

  An insulating region 5 and a conductive region 6 are formed on at least a part of the front and back surfaces of the conductor 4. Here, the remaining portion where the insulating region 5 is formed becomes the conductive region 6. The conductive region 6 is formed by a plurality of conductive portions 61 as shown in FIG.

  In the insulating region 5 of the conductor 4, an insulating material is formed on at least one of the front surface and the back surface of the conductor 4 by at least one of printing, vapor deposition, and adhesion. For example, resin, vinyl, paper, film, and other materials having insulating properties are attached by at least one of printing, vapor deposition, and adhesion so as to leave the conductive portion 61. As a result, the insulating region 5 is formed on at least one of the front surface and the back surface of the conductor 4. Of course, printing is performed while leaving the outer shape to be the conductive portion 61, so the remaining portion automatically becomes the conductive portion 61. The entire conductive portion 61 becomes the conductive region 6. By forming the insulating region 5 by any one of printing, vapor deposition, and adhesion, the conductor 4 and the insulating region 5 are integrated.

  The conductive region 6 includes a plurality of conductive portions 61. When the insulating region 5 is formed, the conductive portion 61 is formed by leaving a portion that becomes the conductive portion 61. Here, the conductive part 61 has a substantially circular shape or a substantially elliptical shape. Of course, the conductive part 61 may have a square shape or a polygonal shape. By having such a shape, when the first electrode 2 (second electrode 3) and the conductor 4 are in contact with each other, the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 3 are made to correspond to the applied pressure. This is because the conductive current value (connection resistance value) changes.

  FIG. 3 is a front view of the conductor in the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the conductor 4 includes an insulating region 5 while including a substantially circular conductive portion 61.

  It is also preferable that the conductive portion 61 has a substantially square shape or a substantially oval shape whose major axis is three times or more the minor axis. In this case, the major axis is preferably along the height direction of the human body that applies pressure to the biosensor 1. As a result, since the conductive portion 61 picks up pressure applied along the height direction of the human body, the sensitivity of the biosensor 1 is increased.

  FIG. 4 is a front view of the conductor in the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the conductor 4 has a substantially elliptical conductive portion 61 whose major axis is three times or more the minor axis. The remainder of the conductive portion 61 is the insulating region 5.

  The conductive region 6 includes a plurality of conductive portions 61, and the remaining portion can be the insulating region 5. At this time, each of the plurality of conductive portions 61 may be randomly arranged on at least one of the front surface and the back surface of the conductor 4. This is because by arranging them randomly, the pressure applied to the first electrode 2 (second electrode 3) can be widely picked up, and the change in the connection resistance value can easily cope with the change in the pressure.

  In addition, when the insulating region 5 is formed on the surface of the conductor 4, it is also preferable that the insulating region 5 is not formed on the back surface. If the insulating region 5 is also formed on the back surface, the correspondence between the conductive portion 61 on the front surface and the conductive portion 61 on the back surface becomes complicated, and the connection resistance value for conducting the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 3 is grasped. Because it becomes troublesome.

  Here, it has been described that the insulating region 5 is formed while leaving the conductive portion 61, but conversely, the conductive region 6 is formed on at least one of the front surface and the back surface of the conductor 4 while forming the insulating region 5. May be. In this case, the insulating region 5 includes a plurality of insulating portions having a substantially circular shape, a substantially elliptical shape, a rectangular shape, a polygonal shape, and the like.

(The entire)
The biological sensor 1 described above is actually used with the first electrode 2, the second electrode 3, and the conductor 4 overlapped. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the first electrode 2, the second electrode 3, and the conductor 4 may be stacked and enclosed in the case 50. The case 50 is a bag-shaped member made of a flexible material such as resin, vinyl, or silicon. The first electrode 2, the second electrode 3 and the conductor 4 are inserted into the case 50. By being inserted, each of the first electrode 2, the second electrode 3, and the conductor 4 naturally overlaps. They may be attached to each other with hook-and-loop fasteners.

  FIG. 5 is a front view of the biosensor enclosed in the case according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  It is also preferable that the case 50 can be sealed at the entrance. In addition, it is also suitable to have waterproofness. Thereby, the 1st electrode 2 grade | etc., Inside case 50 does not receive the water immersion from the outside. The biosensor 1, particularly the first electrode 2 and the like are often installed on the bed surface or the like, and therefore may receive unexpected moisture. This is because the patient's urine or chemicals necessary for treatment may spill. Since the case 50 is waterproof, the first electrode 2 and the like are protected from such water immersion.

  The case 50 is provided with an outlet for the conductive cable 7. This is because the conductive cable 7 is pulled out of the case 50, whereby electrical connection between the measurement unit 9 and the first electrode 2 and the like becomes possible.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, it is also preferable that two sets of first electrodes 2A, 2B and the like are enclosed in the case 50 (second electrodes 3A, 3B, conductors 4A, 4B). . Each set is arranged on each side of the case 50. By doing so, the case 50 can be folded and carried in half.

  Thus, it is also practically preferable that the biosensor 1 is used in a state enclosed in the case 50.

  As described above, the biosensor 1 according to Embodiment 1 is excellent in durability for use and can generate a connection resistance value according to the applied pressure with high accuracy. The superior use durability has high merit for medical institutions and nursing institutions that are sensitive to cost awareness.

  (Embodiment 2)

  Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, the actual application of the biosensor 1 described in the first embodiment will be described.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the biosensor 1 is installed on the seat surface of the bed. FIG. 6 is a side view of the bed on which the biosensor according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is installed.

  The human body 10 is sleeping on the seat surface 12 of the bed 11. Here, sleeping means not only the state of sleeping, but also the state of waking up but lying down or lying down for medical treatment. In short, a patient who is sick or injured or a person to be cared for is lying down.

  The bed 11 installed in a hospital or a nursing facility is often waist high for the convenience of medical treatment and nursing care, and includes a leg portion 13 as shown in FIG. Due to the legs 13, the bed 11 has a height of about the waist height, and the height of the seating surface 12 of the bed 11, that is, the sleeping height of the human body 10 is about the height of the waist. A sheet 14 is laid on the seat surface 12, and the biological sensor 1 is installed under the sheet 14. The pressure from the human body 10 is applied to at least a part of the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 3 of the biosensor 1.

  A set of the first electrode 2, the conductor 4, and the second electrode 3 (hereinafter referred to as “main body portion 20”) of the biosensor 1 is installed on the seat surface 12 of the bed 11, and the current generator 8 and The measuring unit 9 (the control means 30 including these) is installed on a place other than the seating surface 12.

  The human body 10 that is a patient or a person to be cared for and needs to be managed by the biosensor 1 of the first embodiment often has a mental deterioration or a disability. For this reason, such a human body 10 feels trouble in operations such as getting off the bed 10 or changing the body position on the bed 10. The human body 10 may fall from the bed 11 or perform a habit by unexpected movements that cannot be predicted. As described above, since the bed 11 has a height of the waist height, the human body 10 may be injured if it falls. This is a risk that should be avoided not only for the human body 10 but also for hospitals and care facilities that are responsible for management.

  Alternatively, if the dropped human body 10 is left for a long time after falling, there is a problem that the condition becomes suddenly changed due to serious injury or interruption of the drip treatment. For this reason, it is easily and accurately grasped whether the human body 10 sleeping in the bed 11 has no danger of dropping or wrinkling, or has not been left after being dropped. It is important to be managed. Of course, hospitals and nursing homes need to be managed while reducing the human burden.

  The biological sensor 1 has its main body portion 20 installed under the human body 10 so that it can receive pressure from at least a part of the human body 10. By this pressure, the biosensor 1 changes the connection resistance value (current value) and estimates the state of the human body 10. With this estimated state, the administrator can grasp the dangers and problems of the human body 10 at an early stage.

  The structure and function of the biological sensor 1 are as described in the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the biosensor according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. The control unit 30 further includes an estimation unit 31. The estimation unit 31 is based on at least one of the magnitude, change state, change amount, time relationship, and integral value in at least one of the measured connection resistance value, conduction current value, and conduction voltage value. The state of the human body 10 is estimated.

  In particular, the estimation unit 31 determines the human body 10 based on at least one of the magnitude, change state, change amount, time relationship, and integral value in at least one of the connection resistance value, the conduction current value, and the conduction voltage value. It is estimated by any one of the “turning over state”, “leaving state”, “normal leaving state”, “getting off by falling”, “landing state”, and “dangerous state”. Here, the dangerous state includes a type of danger and a state that can occur following the danger, but the estimation unit 31 first estimates the dangerous state. The estimation unit 31 estimates the type of danger and the state that can occur following the danger as necessary. In addition, the lying state includes a case where there is no problem in the human body 10 and also includes a case where an abnormality has occurred in the medical condition of the human body 10. Similarly to the dangerous state, the estimation unit 31 may estimate even an abnormality of the human body 10 or may estimate the turning up and leave the abnormality to management department judgment or other processing.

  In addition, the state of turning over indicates a state where the human body 10 is rolling about on its back or sideways. That is, the human body 10 in a lying state is turned sideways and applies pressure to the main body 20 by the shoulder or the side of the body, or returns to the back and applies pressure to the main body 20 by the back. For this reason, in the turnover state, the pressure applied by the human body 10 changes in magnitude or the applied position changes.

  Since the measurement unit 9 is electrically connected to the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 3 by the conductive cable 7, the connection resistance value between the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 3 can be measured. Here, the connection resistance value varies depending on the pressure of the human body 10 applied to the first electrode 2 (in other words, the main body 2). Furthermore, the connection resistance value changes according to a change in pressure by the human body 10.

  Using this, the estimation unit 31 estimates the state of the human body 10 based on at least one of the magnitude of the connection resistance value, the change state, the change amount, the differential amount, the relationship with time, and the integral value. . For example, when the connection resistance value is low, the planar first electrode 2 and the second electrode 3 are considered to be in contact over a wide area. Since this is a state where the human body 10 is riding over a wide area of the first electrode 2, the estimation unit 31 estimates that the human body 10 is in the sleeping state. Conversely, when the connection resistance value is high, it is considered that the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 3 are separated from each other by a large area. In this case, the estimation unit 31 estimates that the human body 10 is in a bed leaving state. Of course, the bed leaving state includes both a normal bed leaving state and an abnormal bed leaving state (such as a fall of the human body 10 from the bed 11). For this reason, the estimation part 31 can estimate the finer state of the human body 10 based on the change of the connection resistance value.

  Thus, if the estimation unit 31 can estimate the state of the human body 10 based on the connection resistance value, the manager of the hospital or facility can detect the risk of the patient or the care recipient at an early stage and with high accuracy. As a result, the safety of patients and care recipients increases, and the management capabilities of hospitals and facilities also increase.

(Estimation by the estimation unit 31)
The estimation by the estimation unit 31 will be described on the assumption that the measurement unit 9 measures the connection resistance value between the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 3.

  The measurement unit 9 measures the connection resistance value by any one of “large”, “medium”, and “small”, which are classified by a predetermined first threshold value and second threshold value. FIG. 8 is a graph showing the classification of connection resistance values in the second embodiment of the present invention. The connection resistance value changes according to the posture of the human body 10 and a change in the situation. Below the second threshold, the measurement unit 9 measures the connection resistance value as “small”. In the range from the second threshold value to the first threshold value, the measurement unit 9 measures the connection resistance value as “medium”. Above the first threshold, the measurement unit 9 measures the connection resistance value as “large”. Of course, the measuring unit 9 may measure the connection resistance value in an analog manner, and then classify the connection resistance value into “large”, “medium”, and “small”. Alternatively, the measuring unit 9 may classify the connection resistance values shown in the graph of FIG. 8 in an analog manner, and the estimating unit 31 may classify them into “large”, “medium”, and “small”.

  Here, “large”, “medium”, and “small” are terms for convenience, and the values of the connection resistance values may be classified according to the first threshold value and the second threshold value according to the specifications of the biosensor 1 and the settings of the user. . It is also preferable that the first threshold value and the second threshold value can be variably set by the user.

(Judgment of rolling state)
First, the determination of the turnover state will be described.

The estimation unit 31
(1) When the connection resistance value is “medium” at a certain point in time,
(2) When the connection resistance value repeats "small" and "medium"
(3) When the average value of the connection resistance value in the predetermined period is “medium”,
If it is at least one of the above, it is estimated that the human body 10 is in the state of turning over.

  For example, when the connection resistance value is “medium” at a certain point in time, the pressure applied to the main body 20 is medium, so that the human body 10 is oriented sideways or obliquely on the seating surface 12 of the bed 11. It is thought that it is.

  Alternatively, when the connection resistance value repeats “small” and “medium”, the pressure applied to the main body 20 is repeatedly increasing or decreasing. This is presumed that the human body 10 repeatedly turns sideways or lies on the seat surface 12. For this reason, the estimation part 31 estimates the human body 10 as a lying state. FIG. 9 is a graph showing a change in connection resistance value when the rolling state is estimated in the second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 9, the change in the connection resistance value is represented digitally. As described above, when the connection resistance value is in a state of repeating the middle and the small, the estimation unit 31 estimates that the human body 10 is in a lie-down state.

  Or when the average value of the connection resistance value in the predetermined period is “medium”, it indicates a state in which the pressure applied to the main body portion 20 changes around the middle level. This is presumed that the human body 10 repeats a state where the seat surface 12 is directed obliquely or laterally. That is, this is considered that the human body 10 is turning over. For this reason, also in this case, the estimation unit 31 estimates that the human body 10 is in a lying state.

(Estimation of getting out of bed)
Next, estimation of the bed leaving state will be described.

As described above, the measurement unit 9 measures the connection resistance value using any one of “large”, “medium”, and “small”. Based on the measurement result, the estimation unit 31
(1) When the connection resistance value is “large” at a certain point in time,
(2) When the average value of the connection resistance value in the predetermined period is “large”,
(3) When the connection resistance value is “large” for a predetermined period or longer,
If it is at least one of the above, it is estimated that the human body 10 is in a bed leaving state.

  First, in the case of (1), the fact that the connection resistance value at a certain point in time is “large” is considered to be a state where no pressure of the human body 10 is applied to the main body 2. Although there are various reasons, the human body 10 is in a state where it is no longer on the seat surface 12 of the bed 11. For this reason, when the connection resistance value is “large” at a certain point in time, the estimation unit 31 estimates the human body 10 as a bed leaving state.

  Further, when the average value of the connection resistance value is “large” over the predetermined period of (2), the estimation unit 31 assumes that the human body 10 is getting out of bed and estimates it as a bed leaving state. This is because it is considered that the human body 10 is not continuously in the bed 11 not only at a certain point of time.

  Similarly, when the connection resistance value is “large” over the predetermined period of (3), it is considered that the human body 10 is not in the bed 11, and therefore the estimation unit 31 estimates the bed leaving state. . This is because it is considered that the human body 10 is not in the bed 11, whether the average value is considered or the value itself.

  Here, the bed leaving state is a normal bed leaving (a state where the patient or the person to be cared for has left the bed 11 for his own intention or for a clear reason such as medical examination or treatment). Cases and abnormal cases such as falling or wrinkles. Based on the connection resistance value, the estimation unit 31 can perform estimation by distinguishing between a normal bed leaving state and an abnormal state.

(Estimation of normal bed leaving)
The estimation unit 31
(1) When the connection resistance value changes in the order of “small” and “medium” before it becomes “large”,
(2) When the connection resistance value indicates “medium” before it becomes “large”,
In any of the cases, the human body 10 is estimated to be a normal bed.

  In the case where the human body 10 gradually gets up from the sleeping state by his / her intention and gets out of the bed, the human body 10 gets off the bed 11 while gradually raising the upper body. For this reason, the pressure applied to the main body 2 by the human body 10 gradually decreases. With this change in pressure, the connection resistance value changes in the order of “small”, “medium”, and “large”.

  For this reason, when the connection resistance value in (1) changes in the order of “small” and “medium” before the connection resistance value of (1) becomes “large”, the human body 10 gradually moves with its own intention. Assuming that the person gets up and gets off the bed 11, it is estimated that the person is getting out of bed.

  Alternatively, the human body 10 may get up from the bed 11 and get off the bed 11 from a state such as turning over or having its upper body turned sideways. In this case, the connection resistance value does not change from the state of “small”, but the connection resistance value changes from “medium”. That is, as shown in (2), before the connection resistance value becomes “large”, the state is “medium”. Also in this case, the estimation unit 31 determines that the human body 10 is a normal bed.

(Judgment the same as landing)
Further, when the pressure of the human body 10 is not applied to the main body 2, the connection resistance value is “large” because there is no connection state between the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 3. For this reason, when the connection resistance value at a certain point in time is “large”, the estimation unit 31 can estimate the human body 10 as the bed leaving state.

  However, even in the state of getting out of bed, the patient who is the human body 10 or the person to be cared for only gets up for a short time or gets off the bed 11 for a short time trying to take out an object from the table beside the bed 11 or the like. Sometimes. In this case, if it is estimated as a bed leaving state, there arises a problem that extra care is required for the management department. It is also annoying for patients and care recipients.

  In order to cope with such a problem, the estimation unit 31 determines that the connection resistance value is “small” or “medium” within a predetermined period from the time when the connection resistance value is measured to be “large”. The human body 10 is estimated to be in a landing state. For example, even if the connection resistance value changes to “large” at a certain point in time, the connection resistance value changes to “small” or “medium” within about several seconds to several tens of seconds thereafter. The state in which the subject is immediately returning to the bed 11 is shown. Considering such a case, the estimation unit 31 estimates that the user is in the landing state.

  Of course, when the predetermined period is variably set according to the specifications and circumstances, the case where the connection resistance value changes once the connection resistance value once increases is estimated as the landing state. Can be varied.

(Estimated fall)
If the floor is a dangerous bed, it may fall. When a patient or a care recipient falls from the bed 11, it is important to find it early and take treatment. This is because if the discovery or treatment is delayed, it may be dangerous for the patient or the care recipient.

  The estimation unit 31 estimates that the human body 10 is getting out of bed by falling if the connection resistance value indicates a “small” state before “large” at a certain time. That is, when the connection resistance value changes from “small” to “large” (when the connection resistance value “medium” does not elapse), this indicates a state in which there is no patient or care recipient from the bed 11 suddenly after sleeping. it is conceivable that. One of the causes is the fall of the human body 10 from the bed 11.

  For this reason, the estimation unit 31 estimates that the human body 10 is in the state of getting out of bed due to falling if the connection resistance value indicates a “small” state before indicating “large” at a certain time. If it is estimated that it has fallen, the management department that has received the estimation result can deal with a patient who has fallen immediately or a care recipient. This not only ensures safety and security for patients and care recipients, but also helps improve the reliability of the management department.

  The estimation unit 31 may estimate the human body 10 as a bed leaving state due to a drop based on a change time, a change degree, and the like in which the connection resistance value changes from small to large.

(Dangerous state estimation)
The human body 10 changes the application of pressure to the main body 2 by its movement, body position change, posture change, action, and the like. Although it does not fall into a clear dangerous state like the above-mentioned fall, it may be approaching a dangerous state or a state with a high probability of danger.

  It is also preferable that the estimation unit 31 estimates such a dangerous state and can notify the management department. This is because the management department that has received the notice of the dangerous state can leave the patient and the care recipient at an early stage.

The measuring unit 9 measures the connection resistance value as one of “large”, “medium”, and “small”. The estimation unit 31
(1) When the connection resistance value repeats “large” and “small”
(2) When the number of times of “large” in a predetermined period is a predetermined number or more,
(3) When the amount of time that is “large” in a predetermined period is a predetermined number or more,
(4) In a predetermined period, when the connection resistance value frequently changes between “large”, “medium”, and “small”,
The human body 10 is estimated to be in a dangerous state.

  That the connection resistance value in (1) repeats large and small means that, for example, the human body 10 repeatedly descends from the bed 11 or sleeps on the bed, or the human body 10 raises the upper body from the seat surface 12 or sits down. It can be considered that the state of returning to the surface 12 is repeated. There is a possibility that the patient who is the human body 10 or the care recipient is repeating such behavior due to poor physical condition and condition. Or there is a possibility that the patient or the person to be cared for feels uncomfortable and repeats such behavior.

  Leaving such a state may lead to a sudden change in the condition of the patient or the care recipient, and has a very high probability of being dangerous. For this reason, when the connection resistance value of (1) repeats large and small, the estimation unit 31 assumes that the human body 10 is in a dangerous state, and estimates the human body 10 as a dangerous state.

  Further, the fact that the number of times of “large” in the predetermined period of (2) is equal to or greater than the predetermined number indicates that the human body 10 frequently gets up and gets down from the bed 11 in a certain period. . The state in which the patient or the care recipient who is the human body 10 frequently gets up or gets off the bed 11 may cause the patient or the care recipient to behave unpredictably. For example, if it is a patient with a mental illness, the behavior is suspicious, and leaving it unattended is not preferable for patients and care recipients. For this reason, the estimation part 31 estimates that the human body 10 is in a dangerous state, when such a connection resistance value is detected.

  The predetermined period here may be determined as appropriate. The predetermined period may be increased or decreased depending on the condition of the patient or the person to be cared for and the condition level. It is preferable to shorten the predetermined period if the patient is a patient or a care recipient. Conversely, if the length is longer, the burden on the management department will be reduced.

  In addition, the time amount of “large” in the predetermined period of (3) being equal to or greater than the predetermined number suggests the possibility that the patient or care recipient is carelessly leaving the bed 11. Of course, it may be a normal bed leaving, but it may be based on the unpredictable behavior of the patient or the care recipient. For example, a spider. Alternatively, there is a possibility that the patient or the person to be cared for is going out forbidden. Leaving such a state may cause a sudden change in the condition of the patient or the person to be cared for, or may cause a decrease in morality in the facility.

  For this reason, also in the case of (3), the estimation unit 31 estimates that the human body 10 is in a dangerous state. Management departments can easily prevent problems, improve service to patients and care recipients, and improve facility reliability.

  In addition, in the predetermined period of (4), when the connection resistance value frequently changes between “large”, “medium”, and “small”, the patient or the person to be cared for gets up, sleeps, Or it can be considered as a state of repeating mysterious movements and posture changes such as lying sideways. For example, patients and care recipients may feel uncomfortable or feel unwell.

  Therefore, the estimation unit 31 estimates that the human body 10 is in a dangerous state even in the case of such a change in connection resistance value. Actually, the patient and the care recipient may not be suddenly changed, but it is possible to estimate the state with a high probability at an early stage, thereby enabling early management by the management department.

(Dangerous state estimation 2)
The estimation unit 31
(1) When the connection resistance value changes from “small” to “large” within a predetermined time,
(2) When the connection resistance value changes from “large” to “small” within a predetermined time,
The human body 10 is estimated to be in a dangerous state.

  The connection resistance value of (1) changes from small to large within a predetermined time, for example, when it suddenly changes from small to large, or from small to large within a certain time (within a short time). To change. These are considered to indicate a state in which a patient who is in a sleeping state or a care recipient suddenly disappears from the bed 11. It is possible that he left the floor in a normal state, but the possibility of having left the floor in an unforeseen situation is also included.

  FIG. 10 is a graph showing a change in the connection resistance value that is the basis of the second dangerous state estimation in the second embodiment of the present invention. The left half of the graph is the case where the connection resistance value changes from small to large as in (1) above. The right half of the graph is a case where the connection resistance value changes from large to small as in (2) above. In any case, the degree of change is steep, and it is considered that the mutual change between getting out of bed and sleeping state is abrupt. In other words, the estimation unit 31 corresponds to whether the connection resistance value changes between large and small, or the degree of change is steep.

  For this reason, the estimation unit 31 estimates that the human body 10 is in a dangerous state when the connection resistance value changes from small to large within a predetermined period (particularly within a short period). This is because it is considered that there is a probability of becoming a dangerous state.

  Conversely, as shown in (2), even when the connection resistance value changes from large to small within a predetermined period (especially within a short period), the patient or the person to be cared for operates smoothly. It is not considered. For example, it is assumed that a patient or a care recipient falls into bed 11 so that he / she gets worse after getting out of bed and falls. In this case as well, leaving it unattended can be a dangerous state for patients and care recipients.

  For this reason, also in the case of (2), the estimation part 31 estimates the human body 10 as a dangerous state. The management department that has received this estimate can respond quickly by visiting a hospital bed.

(Dangerous state estimation 3)
When the connection resistance value is “large” for a predetermined period or longer, the estimating unit 31 estimates the human body 10 to be in a dangerous state. A large connection resistance value is considered to indicate a state in which a patient or a care recipient is getting out of bed. Of course, there are cases where the patient is in a normal state of getting out of bed, but being out of the bed for a long time may cause the patient or care recipient to be hesitant. Being in a mania state can cause problems for patients and care recipients.

  For this reason, also in such a case, the estimation part 31 estimates that it is a dangerous state. Note that the connection resistance value being “large” for a predetermined period or longer may include a normal bed leaving, including a dangerous state such as dredging or going out of violation. For this reason, it is preferable to variably set the predetermined period according to the characteristics of the patient and the care recipient. For example, if you are a seriously ill patient, it is difficult to think of spontaneous bed leaving. In this case, the dangerous state can be detected early by shortening the predetermined period.

(Dangerous state estimation 4)
The main body 2 including the first electrode, the conductive portion, and the second electrode is the seating surface 12 of the bed 11 and may be installed on the upper half and the lower half of the human body 10. It is also preferable to estimate the human body 10 more precisely based on the pressure of both the upper body and the lower body.

  FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the biosensor according to the embodiment of the present invention is installed. Unlike the case of FIG. 6, two main body portions 20 are installed on the seat surface 12. One main body 2 is installed in the upper half of the human body 10, and the other main body 2 is installed in the lower half of the human body 10. The upper body part 2 generates an upper connection resistance value, and the lower body part 2 generates a lower connection resistance value.

  The measuring unit 9 measures each of the upper connection resistance value in the upper body and the lower connection resistance value in the lower body with any one of “large”, “medium”, and “small”, and outputs the result to the estimation unit 31.

The estimator is
(1) The upper connection resistance value is “small” or “medium” and the lower connection resistance value is “large”.
(2) The upper connection resistance value is “large” and the lower connection resistance value is “small” or “medium”.
The human body 10 is estimated to be in a dangerous state.

  When the upper connection resistance value in (1) is small or medium and the lower connection resistance value is large, the upper body applies a certain pressure to the seating surface 12 of the bed 11, but the lower body is It is considered that no pressure is applied to the seating surface 12. This includes the case where the feet of the patient or the person to be cared for have fallen off the bed 11. If this state is left unattended, problems such as the patient or care recipient falling. Therefore, in the case of (1), the estimation unit 31 estimates that the human body 10 is in a dangerous state.

  In addition, when the upper connection resistance value in (2) is “large” and the lower connection resistance value is “small” or “medium”, it is suggested that only the upper body may protrude from the bed 11. ing. If the upper body protrudes from the bed 11, it may fall as it is, which is dangerous for patients and care recipients.

  For this reason, also in this case, the estimation unit 31 estimates that the human body 10 is in a dangerous state. If estimated, early management by the management department is possible, and risk management for patients and care recipients is achieved.

  Of course, changing the setting of large, medium and small values and setting the installation position of the main body 20 in detail further improves the estimation accuracy of the dangerous state.

  As described above, when it is estimated that the state is in a dangerous state, the management department that has received the estimation result can take an appropriate response. For example, in the case of a hospital or a care facility, nurses and doctors can be dispatched to the bed of patients or care recipients at an early stage. As a result, a sense of security is increased for the patient and the care recipient. Of course, the management department also benefits from improvements in reliability and ease of management.

  Note that the classification of the connection resistance values described here is an example according to specifications, and may be determined as appropriate. The definitions of large, medium, and small are not unambiguous and may be variable according to the specification.

  As described above, the biological sensor 1 according to the second embodiment is installed on the seat surface of the bed, and can estimate the state of the human body 10 based on the magnitude and change of the connection resistance value (in other words, the current value). At this time, as described in the first embodiment, the biosensor 1 does not cause deterioration in use or accuracy because the conductor 4 and the insulating region 5 are integrated. For this reason, the biosensor 1 can estimate an accurate human body state.

  In addition, the biosensor 1 may be installed on the seat surface of a chair, or may be installed on the floor surface of a circle for animals.

  The biosensor described in the first and second embodiments is an example for explaining the gist of the present invention, and includes modifications and alterations without departing from the gist of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Biosensor 2 1st electrode 3 2nd electrode 4 Conductor 5 Insulation area 6 Conductive area 61 Conductive part 7 Conductive line 8 Current generator 9 Measuring part 10 Human body 20 Main body part 30 Control main end 31 Estimating part

Claims (14)

A planar first electrode capable of receiving pressure from at least a part of a human body or animal;
A planar second electrode facing and spaced apart from the first electrode;
A planar conductor interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode,
A part of at least one of the front surface and the back surface of the conductor has an insulating region,
Each of the first electrode, the second electrode, and the conductor is a biological sensor having flexibility.   The biosensor according to claim 1, wherein flexibility of the first electrode and the second electrode is higher than flexibility of the conductor.   The biosensor according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one of the front surface and the back surface of the conductor is a conductive region other than the insulating region.   The biosensor according to claim 3, wherein the conductive region includes a plurality of conductive portions.   The biosensor according to claim 4, wherein the conductive portion has any one of a substantially circular shape, a substantially elliptical shape, a substantially rectangular shape, and a substantially polygonal shape.   The biosensor according to claim 4, wherein the conductive part has a substantially rectangular shape or a substantially elliptical shape whose major axis is three times or more the minor axis.   The biological sensor according to claim 6, wherein the major axis of the substantially square shape and the substantially elliptical shape is along a height direction of a human body that applies pressure to the biological sensor.   The biosensor according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein each of the plurality of conductive portions is randomly or regularly disposed on at least one of a front surface and a back surface of the conductor.   The insulating region is formed by attaching an insulating material to at least one of a front surface and a back surface of the conductor by at least one of printing, vapor deposition, and adhesion. Biological sensor.   The biosensor according to claim 4, wherein the insulating region is integral with the conductor. Measure at least one of a connection resistance value between the first electrode and the second electrode, a conductive current value between the first electrode and the second electrode, and a conductive voltage value between the first electrode and the second electrode. A measuring unit to perform,
Based on at least one of a magnitude, a change state, a change amount, a differential amount, a relationship with time, and an integral value in at least one of the connection resistance value, the conduction current value, and the conduction voltage value, An estimation unit for estimating a state;
The living body according to any one of claims 4 to 10, wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are electrically connected through a conductive region of the conductor by pressure of a human body applied to the first electrode. sensor.   The biosensor according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the first electrode, the second electrode, and the conductor are arranged on any one of a bed seat surface, a seat seat surface, and a floor surface.   When the first electrode, the second electrode, and the conductor are arranged on a seating surface of a bed, the estimation unit is configured to turn the human body over, the human body out of bed, and the normal human body out of bed. The biological sensor according to claim 12, wherein at least one of a state, a bed leaving due to a fall of the human body, a landing state of the human body, and a dangerous state of the human body is estimated.   The biosensor according to claim 1, further comprising a cover that encloses the first electrode, the second electrode, and the conductor.