JP2014171596A - Human body warming/cooling stimulation device and method of controlling human body warming/cooling stimulation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a human body warming/cooling stimulation device which can improve the blood flow promotion effect.SOLUTION: A human body warming/cooling stimulation device 10 comprises at least two or more warming/cooling units 11a, 11b disposed on a human body 27 at predetermined intervals, and a control unit 13 that performs warming-drive and cooling-drive of the two or more warming/cooling units sequentially with time delays along a blood flow direction.

Description

  The present invention relates to a human body temperature / stimulation device that performs heating or cooling to increase local blood flow in the human body to treat edema (swelling) and the like, and a control method thereof.

  In the field of disease treatment and beauty, fatigue, swelling (swelling) or stiffness due to stagnation of blood circulation is a big problem, and development of a device that promotes blood circulation is desired.

  Thus, as a device that promotes blood circulation, a human body temperature cooling / stimulating device in which a Peltier element is attached to the body has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 18 is a configuration diagram of a main part of a conventional human body temperature cooling / stimulation apparatus. A conventional human body temperature cooling / stimulation device uses one or more thermoelectric conversion elements connected in series to a DC power source as a heating / cooling unit 1, and uses this heating / cooling unit 1 to repeat a heating / cooling cycle, thereby The blood flow of the human body 6 is stimulated by stimulating the blood flow. This human body thermal cooling / stimulation device includes the thermal / cooling unit 1, the heat radiation block 2, the thermal cooling pad 3, the tube 4, and the sheet material 5. The heating / cooling pad 3 is configured by laminating a heat radiation block 2 on the side opposite to the use surface (the human body side) of the heating / cooling unit 1. A plurality of heating / cooling pads 3 are arranged between flexible sheet materials 5, and the respective heat dissipation blocks 2 are connected by tubes 4. When the human body temperature cooling / stimulation apparatus is attached to the human body 6, the sheet material 5 is fixed to a desired treatment station.

JP-A-7-24000

  However, since all the thermoelectric conversion elements in the conventional human body temperature cooling / stimulation apparatus are connected in series and all the thermoelectric conversion elements simultaneously heat or cool, all of the thermoelectric conversion elements attached to the human body. Are repeated heating and cooling in the same phase. Therefore, the conventional human body temperature cooling / stimulation apparatus may have insufficient blood flow promoting effect. Further, in the conventional human body temperature / cool stimulation apparatus, the temperature / cool cycle cannot be changed corresponding to individual differences in blood flow change characteristics with respect to the temperature / cool cycle.

  The present invention provides a human body temperature cooling / stimulation apparatus and a method for controlling the body temperature cooling / stimulation apparatus that can further improve the blood flow promotion effect.

  In order to achieve the above object, each aspect of the present invention is configured as follows.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, at least two or more heating / cooling units arranged in a human body at a predetermined interval, and the two or more heating / cooling units with a time delay along a blood flow direction. A human body temperature / cool stimulation apparatus including a controller that sequentially drives temperature and / or cools.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, under the control of the control unit, at least two or more heating and cooling units are arranged in the human body at a predetermined interval along the blood flow direction of the human body. A control method for a human body temperature / cool stimulation device, wherein the two or more temperature / cool units are sequentially driven and / or cooled with a time delay along the direction of blood flow to apply a warm / stimulus stimulus to the human body. provide.

  As described above, according to the control method for the human body cooling stimulation apparatus and the human body temperature cooling stimulation apparatus according to the present invention, the blood flow promoting effect can be further improved as compared with the conventional art.

1 is a schematic perspective view of a human body temperature cooling / stimulation apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The block diagram of the human body temperature cooling stimulation apparatus in 1st Embodiment of this invention The flowchart of the control method of the human body temperature cooling stimulation apparatus in 1st Embodiment of this invention. Explanatory drawing of the drive command and flow volume change in 1st Embodiment of this invention Explanatory drawing of the drive command in the separation pattern in the first embodiment of the present invention Explanatory drawing of the drive command in the superposition pattern in 1st Embodiment of this invention. The block diagram of the human body temperature cooling stimulation apparatus in the modification of 1st Embodiment of this invention Flowchart of thermoelectric delay time calculation in the human body temperature cooling / stimulation apparatus in the modification of the first embodiment of the present invention The block diagram of the human body temperature cooling stimulation apparatus in 2nd Embodiment of this invention The block diagram of the human body temperature cooling stimulation apparatus in the modification of 2nd Embodiment of this invention The flowchart of the control method of the human body temperature cooling stimulation apparatus of the real time mode in 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The flowchart of the control method of the human body temperature cooling stimulation apparatus of the offline mode in 2nd Embodiment of this invention. Explanatory drawing of an example of the comparison part in 2nd Embodiment of this invention. Explanatory drawing of an example of the comparison part in 2nd Embodiment of this invention. Explanatory drawing of an example of the comparison part in 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The flowchart of the control method of the human body temperature cool stimulation apparatus of the human body temperature cool stimulation apparatus in the modification of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. Schematic diagram of a human body temperature cooling stimulation apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The figure which shows the relationship information of the site | part of the human body memorize | stored in the memory | storage part of the flow-velocity selection part in 3rd Embodiment of this invention, and the blood flow velocity of a vein in a table format. Explanatory drawing explaining how to distinguish the some heating / cooling unit in the 1st modification of embodiment of this invention. Explanatory drawing which shows the example of the mark for distinguishing the some heating / cooling unit in the 1st modification of embodiment of this invention Explanatory drawing which shows arrangement | positioning of the heating / cooling unit in the 2nd modification of embodiment of this invention. Explanatory drawing when using a fixing jig according to an arrangement part so that an aorta side and a distal side may be understood when arranging a plurality of heating and cooling units in the 3rd modification of an embodiment of the present invention. The figure which shows the conventional human body temperature cooling stimulation apparatus described in patent document 1

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same component and description may be abbreviate | omitted. Further, the drawings schematically show each component as a main component for easy understanding.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of the entire human body temperature cooling / stimulation apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the human body temperature cooling / stimulation apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of heating / cooling units 11a and 11b whose temperatures are controlled by the controller 13 as part of the human body 27 (for example, , Lower leg part). The heating / cooling units 11a and 11b can promote blood flow in the portion of the human body 27 arranged by periodically repeating heating and cooling. In this way, the human body thermal cooling / stimulation device 10 of the first embodiment is effective for the flow of blood flow by gradually cooling the human body 27 from the distal side toward the proximal side. Blood vessel pumping can be realized.

  In FIG. 1, the heating / cooling units 11 a and 11 b are arranged on the lower leg as an example, but are not limited thereto, but the foot, upper leg, trunk, forearm, upper arm, clavicle, neck, face You may arrange in the part. Moreover, you may arrange | position the heating / cooling units 11a and 11b in those several site | parts.

  By executing the control method of the human body thermal cooling stimulation apparatus 10 of the first embodiment to be described later, when blood flow is promoted by utilizing the pulsation due to the contraction and expansion of the blood vessels due to thermal cooling, By pulsating in conjunction, blood flow can be promoted reliably and sufficiently.

  In the first embodiment, the number N of heating / cooling units needs to be a natural number of 2 or more. That is, in the first embodiment, at least two or more heating / cooling units are required.

  FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the human body temperature cooling / stimulation apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the human body thermal cooling / stimulation apparatus 10 includes a plurality of thermal cooling units 11 a and 11 b, a blood flow rate detection unit 12, a control unit 13, and a drive command generation unit 14. The human body temperature / cool stimulation device 10 may further include a mode selection switch 100 and a preheating mode switch 101.

  The first embodiment requires at least two heating / cooling units 11a and 11b. The plurality of heating / cooling units 11a and 11b are each composed of a band-shaped member, and each has a thermoelectric converter therein. The plurality of heating / cooling units 11a and 11b are arranged along the direction of blood flow (along the blood vessel) from the distal side (lower side in FIG. 2) to the proximal side (upper side in FIG. 2) when viewed from the heart of the human body 27. ) At a predetermined interval. The band-shaped heating / cooling units 11a and 11b are arranged, for example, by being wound around the arm or leg of the human body 27, for example.

  The drive command generation unit 14 generates temperature command values for the plurality of heating / cooling units 11a and 11b and outputs the temperature command values to the control unit 13 as drive command signals. The temperature command value is a command value for raising or lowering the heating / cooling units 11a and 11b to predetermined temperatures.

  The blood flow rate detection unit 12 measures the blood flow rate Q in the vicinity of the proximal temperature cooling unit 11b using an infrared sensor or the like. In the first embodiment, the blood flow rate detection unit 12 is integrated and integrated in a proximal temperature cooling unit 11b described later.

  Based on the blood flow Q measured by the blood flow detection unit 12, the control unit 13 independently controls the temperatures of the heating / cooling units 11a and 11b independently.

  Here, of the arbitrary two heating / cooling units 11a and 11b, the heating / cooling unit located on the distal side (the distal side of the human body 27, the lower side in FIG. 2) as viewed from the heart of the human body 27 is the distal side temperature. Let it be the cooling unit 11a, and the warming / cooling unit on the proximal side (the central side of the human body 27, the upper side in FIG. 2) be the proximal warming / cooling unit 11b. At this time, the control unit 13 compares at least the distal drive unit 15a, the proximal drive unit 15b, the reference flow value generator 16 as an example of the reference flow value generation unit, and the comparison unit as an example. As an example, a time measurement unit 18 as an example of a time measurement unit, a reference delay time generator 19 as an example of a reference delay time generation unit, a modulator 20 as an example of a modulation unit, and an example of a delay unit The delay device 21 of FIG. Note that reference numerals 22, 23, 24, and 25 in FIG. 2 denote first, second, third, and fourth switches, respectively.

  The distal drive unit 15 a controls the temperature of the distal heating / cooling unit 11 a based on the drive command signal from the drive command generation unit 14 input via the first switch 22.

  The proximal drive unit 15b controls the temperature of the proximal heating / cooling unit 11b based on a drive command signal from the drive command generation unit 14 input via the second switch 23, the modulator 20, and the delay unit 21. To do.

The reference flow value generator 16 generates a reference value (for example, a predetermined threshold value Q _th ) of the blood flow rate Q in the vicinity of the proximal heating / cooling unit 11 b measured by the blood flow rate detection unit 12. As the threshold value Q _th , for example, a standard value may be obtained from a prior experiment, and this value may be set in advance as a threshold value. Further, if necessary, the threshold value _Qth may be changed by the user using an input means such as a keyboard.

The threshold value Q _th is, for example, a normal blood flow before starting the heating of the distal side cooling unit 11a for a certain time, and based on the average blood flow Q _avg and the standard deviation Q _sd at that time, It can be set as Q _th = Q _avg + 3Q _sd .

The comparator 17 receives the blood flow measured by the blood flow detector 12 and the reference value generated by the reference flow value generator 16, and compares the input blood flow with the reference value. The comparison judgment result is output. For example, whether the comparator 17, the flow rate Q measured by the blood flow detector 12 which is installed near the proximal side hot and cold unit 11b is greater than the threshold Q _th predetermined at a reference flow rate value generator 16 To make a comparison. When the comparator 17 determines that the flow rate Q measured by the blood flow rate detection unit 12 exceeds the threshold value _Qth , the contact of the fourth switch 25 is changed from the B side to the A side by a signal from the comparator 17. Can be switched.

  The time measuring device 18 receives the drive command signal from the drive command generator 14 and the comparison judgment result from the comparator 17, and changes in the comparator 17 after the drive command signal is generated in the drive command generator 14. The transmission delay time until it is detected is counted. Then, the counted transmission delay time is output to the reference delay time generator 19 via the third switch 24.

  The reference delay time generator 19 delays the transmission delay time calculated by the time measuring device 18 with respect to the drive command signal input from the drive command generator 14, and sends the delayed drive command signal to the fourth switch 25. Is output to the contact A side.

  The modulator 20 modulates the drive command signal so that the high temperature set value, the low temperature set value, and the temperature cooling cycle change in the drive command signal generated from the drive command generation unit 14 toward the proximal temperature cooling unit 11b. The modulated drive command signal is output to the delay unit 21.

  The drive command signal modulated by the modulator 20 is input to the delay unit 21. At the same time, when the contact of the fourth switch 25 is in contact with the A side, the delay device 21 receives the signal output from the reference delay time generator 19 and the contact of the fourth switch 25 contacts the B side. When it is, the determination result signal from the comparator 17 is input. As a result, the delay unit 21 further delays the drive command signal modulated by the modulator 20 based on the signal input via the fourth switch 25, 2 to the proximal drive unit 15b via the switch 23.

  The first switch 22 opens and closes the connection between the drive command generation unit 14 and the distal drive unit 15a, and transmits signals from the delay device 21 and the drive command generation unit 14 to the distal drive unit 15a. It is a switch that determines whether or not.

  The second switch 23 is a switch that opens / closes a connection between the delay device 21 and the proximal drive unit 15b and determines whether or not to transmit a signal from the delay device 21 to the proximal drive unit 15b. .

  The third switch 24 is a switch that opens / closes the connection between the time measuring device 18 and the reference delay time generator 19 and determines whether or not the transmission delay time measured by the time measuring device 18 is actually delayed. is there.

  The fourth switch 25 connects the delay unit 21 and the reference delay time generator 19 or connects the delay unit 21 and the comparator 17 based on a signal from the determination unit 17 or the reference delay time generator 19. It is a change-over switch that performs either of the above. That is, the fourth switch 25 is a switch for switching the contact between the reference delay time generator 19 (contact A) and the comparator 17 (contact B).

  The opening / closing of the first switch 22, the second switch 23, and the third switch 24 is performed based on a signal from the drive command generator 14.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the control method of the apparatus when performing the heating and / or cooling of the heating / cooling units 11a, 11b in the human body temperature cooling stimulation apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment.

  When selecting a mode (operation mode) such as “real time mode” and “offline mode” described later, the user selects a desired mode with the mode selection switch 100 before entering the following steps. Is selected, a signal for executing the mode is input from the mode selection switch 100 to the drive command generator 14.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in step S01, the drive command generation unit 14 sets the warm / cool drive commands for the distal warm / cool unit 11a and the proximal warm / cool unit 11b in advance. Specifically, the drive command in step S01 is a command to heat the human body contact surface of the distal side thermal cooling unit 11a and not to cool the proximal side thermal cooling unit 11b.

Then, in step S02, to set the threshold Q _th, measuring an initial blood flow with blood flow measuring unit 12.

  Next, in step S03, based on the drive command output from the drive command generation unit 14 to the control unit 13, the human body contact surface of the distal-side heating / cooling unit 11a is heated, and the proximal-side heating / cooling unit 11b is heated / cooled. Not performed. At this time, in FIG. 2, the first switch 22 and the second switch 23 are on, and the fourth switch 25 has a contact on the B side. In this way, the distal side heating / cooling unit 11a starts heating the distal side (peripheral side) of the human body 27, so that the distal side heating / cooling unit 11a is directly below the human body contact surface. The blood is warmed, and the blood flow flows in the proximal direction (upward direction in FIG. 2).

Next, in step S04, the blood flow rate Q measured by the blood flow rate measurement unit 12 installed in the vicinity of the proximal temperature cooling unit 11b is the threshold value Q determined by the reference flow rate generator 16 based on the initial blood flow rate. _The comparator 17 determines whether or not _th is exceeded. The comparator 17 determines that the blood flow rate Q measured by the blood flow measuring unit 12 exceeds the threshold value Q _th and (Yes in step S04), and outputs a signal of the comparison judgment result, the flow proceeds to step S05.

  In step S05, the contact of the fourth switch 25 is switched from the B side to the A side based on the signal of the comparison determination result from the comparator 17, and the drive command signal generated from the drive command generation unit 14 is output to the delay device 21. The Further, the drive command signal is input from the delay device 21 to the proximal drive unit 15b via the second switch 23, and the proximal heating / cooling unit 11b starts driving.

  Through these steps S01 to S05, the human body thermal cooling / stimulation device 10 of the first embodiment observes the blood flow warmed by the heating / cooling unit 11a while observing the blood flow state (blood flow) of the human body 27 in real time. In turn, they can be pushed out in a chain from the distal side to the proximal direction. As a result, the human body temperature cooling / stimulation apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment can obtain a higher blood flow pumping effect. Furthermore, since the human body temperature cooling / stimulation device 10 of the first embodiment measures the blood flow in real time using the blood flow detection unit 12, individual differences or the like depending on the amount of subcutaneous fat or the size of the blood vessel diameter or the like. Even when the transmission characteristics of the warm and cold stimulus differ depending on the site difference, blood vessel pumping adapted to the transmission characteristics of the warm and cold stimulus is possible.

  Here, in the first embodiment, a mode in which the blood flow is estimated in real time and the driving of the heating / cooling units 11a and 11b is delayed as described above is referred to as “real time mode”.

  In the first embodiment, the temperature condition included in the drive command signal set in the drive command generator 14 is set so as to repeat heating and cooling periodically. Here, as shown in FIG. 5, in the temperature command value, the highest temperature state is defined as high temperature, the temperature is defined as a high temperature setting temperature, the lowest temperature state is defined as low temperature, and the temperature is defined as Set to a low set temperature. Further, transition from a low temperature state to a high temperature state is defined as warm heat, and transition from a high temperature state to a low temperature state is defined as cooling. At this time, it is desirable that the high temperature set temperature is a value higher than the skin temperature of the human body 27 and the low temperature set temperature is a value lower than the skin temperature of the human body 27. The skin temperature to be set may be a value of a temperature sensor for controlling the temperature of the heating / cooling unit 11a, 11b before starting the heating, or may be set to a general human body temperature (for example, 36 ° C.). You may do it. Thereby, it becomes easy to realize that warming (heating or cooling) is performed, and it becomes easy to obtain a sensory effect.

  Here, it is desirable to set the high temperature set temperature to less than 43 ° C., for example, 42 ° C. This is because, generally, a high temperature of 43 ° C. or more may cause pain due to excitement of the human polymodal receptor, which is not preferable. Thus, by setting the high temperature set temperature of the heating / cooling units 11a, 11b to less than 43 ° C., it is possible to suppress the occurrence of pain due to the excitement of the human polymodal receptor.

  Furthermore, when the heating / cooling units 11a and 11b are heated, the temperature gradient is increased in the region lower than the skin temperature, and the temperature gradient is decreased in the region higher than the skin temperature to control the temperature gradient in a plurality of stages. Thus, the pain that occurs when the temperature changes suddenly can be reduced. That is, when the heating / cooling units 11a and 11b are heated, the drive command generating unit 14 heats the skin temperature to the first temperature gradient, and after the heating / cooling units 11a and 11b reach the skin temperature, the first temperature is increased. It is preferable that a drive command signal for heating at a second temperature gradient lower than the gradient is generated and output to the control unit 13 to control the heating / cooling units 11a and 11b independently. More specifically, it is 7.5 ° C./min from 35 ° C. to 38 ° C., 3.3 ° C./min from 38 ° C. to 40 ° C., and 2.0 ° C./min from 40 ° C. to 42 ° C. It is desirable to do. By setting such a temperature gradient divided into a plurality of stages, it is possible to alleviate pain that occurs when the temperature changes rapidly, particularly in a temperature region exceeding the body temperature (skin temperature).

As for cooling, it is desirable to rapidly cool at a predetermined time gradient. Specifically, at the time of cooling, as shown in FIG. If it sets in this way, generation | occurrence | production of the pain by low-temperature irritation | stimulation can be suppressed. The time _Tc required for cooling at this time is a main factor in determining the heating / cooling cycle frequency. The low-temperature holding time and _{T ck,} the time required to heat and _{T h,} when the heat holding time and _{T hk,} a _{(T c + T ck + T} h + T hk) is one period of the hot and cold cycles. In addition, regarding cooling, it is preferable to cool the proximal side heating / cooling unit 11b after cooling the distal side heating / cooling unit 11a as in the order of heating. Since the cooling operation is the same as the heating operation in the control operation, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In addition, due to the characteristics of the human body, when heating and cooling are performed with the skin temperature in between, rapid cooling is less likely to feel pain in the body than rapid heating. Therefore, make the cooling width to the minimum temperature larger than the heating width to the maximum temperature, that is, make the temperature gradient at the time of cooling to the minimum temperature larger than the temperature gradient at the time of heating to the maximum temperature. Is desirable.

  In addition, the time for delaying the start of the drive command for the proximal-side heating / cooling unit 11b with respect to the distal-side heating / cooling unit 11a is not based on the measurement result in the real-time mode described above. A time calculated in advance by an experiment or the like based on the above may be used. In the first embodiment, this method is referred to as “offline mode”.

  The case where heat or cooling is performed in the offline mode will be described.

When performing heating or cooling in the offline mode, first, as shown in FIG. 4, the blood flow rate Q is generated from the reference flow rate value from the time (t = 0) when the heating of the distal side cooling unit 11a is started. The time measuring device 18 measures the time until the time (t = t _d ) at which the comparator 17 determines that the predetermined threshold value Q _th has been exceeded in the device 16. Here, the blood flow rate Q is measured by the blood flow rate detection unit 12b installed in the vicinity of the proximal temperature cooling unit 11b. time from t is 0 to t _d is the transmission delay time. The time measuring device 18 with the measured propagation delay t _d, is set to the reference delay time generator 19 as a reference delay time. At this time, the first switch 22 is on, the second switch 23 is off, the third switch 24 is on, and the fourth switch 25 has a contact in the A direction. Next, the first switch 22 is turned on, the second switch 23 is turned on, the third switch 24 is turned off, and the fourth switch 25 is brought into a state having a contact on the A side. And outputs a drive command signal from the drive command generation section 14 in this state to the control unit 13, after a propagation delay t _d by the reference delay time generator 19 has passed through the delay unit 21 from the reference delay time generator 19 The drive command signal is transmitted to the proximal drive unit 15b.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5A, the relationship between the temperature (or cooling) of the distal side cooling unit 11a and the proximal side cooling unit 11b is that the heating time (or cooling time) of both the cooling units 11a and 11b is the same. It is desirable that they do not overlap. Such control is called “separation type”. Since the blood flow pumping can be realized at a high speed by controlling the temperature with the separation type, the blood flow can be promoted in a shorter time.

  In FIG. 2, the blood flow rate detection unit 12 is arranged in the form of being incorporated in the vicinity of the proximal side thermal cooling unit 11b, but the distal side thermal cooling unit 11a and the proximal side thermal cooling unit 11b are arranged. You may arrange | position the blood flow rate detection part 12 in an intermediate position.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 5B, the relationship between the temperature (or cooling) of the distal-side heating / cooling unit 11a and the proximal-side heating / cooling unit 11b is the relationship between the proximal-side heating / cooling unit 11b and the distal-side heating / cooling unit 11a. The heating time (or cooling time) may overlap. Such control is referred to as “superimposition type”. By controlling the temperature with the superposition type, both the proximal-side heating / cooling unit 11b and the distal-side heating / cooling unit 11a are warm, and the portion where the distal-side heating / cooling unit 11a and the proximal-side heating / cooling unit 11b are arranged is entirely located. As a warm condition, you can enhance the relaxation effect. Further, by controlling the temperature with the superposition type, the temperature difference between the distal side thermal cooling unit 11a and the proximal side thermal cooling unit 11b can be reduced, so that it is gentle and safe for the user of the human thermal cooling / stimulating device 10. But there is.

(Modification of the first embodiment)
In the above description, the case where the number N of the heating / cooling units 11a and 11b (N is a natural number) is N = 2 has been described, but N may be 3 or more. A modification of the first embodiment in the case of N = 3 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of the human body temperature cooling / stimulation apparatus 10A in the case of N = 3. As shown in FIG. 6, the human body temperature cooling / stimulation apparatus 10 </ b> A includes a distal side heating / cooling unit 11 c, an intermediate heating / cooling unit 11 d, and a proximal side heating / cooling unit 11 e arranged from the distal side of the human body 27. The blood flow rate detection units 12d and 12e are arranged between them. The intermediate blood flow rate detection unit 12d is disposed between the distal-side heating / cooling unit 11c and the intermediate heating / cooling unit 11d, and is incorporated in the intermediate heating / cooling unit 11d. The proximal blood flow rate detection unit 12e is disposed between the intermediate heating / cooling unit 11d and the proximal heating / cooling unit 11e, and is incorporated in the proximal heating / cooling unit 11e. When measuring the transmission delay time in the above-described offline mode in the human body temperature cooling / stimulation apparatus 10A of this modification, as shown in FIG. 7, the heating is performed sequentially from the distal-side heating / cooling unit 11c.

  In this way, if the number of heating / cooling units is N ≧ 3, the heating / cooling units can be arranged at a higher density than when N = 2, and the blood flow is more continuous. Flow pumping is possible. In addition, if the number of heating / cooling units is N ≧ 3, the heating / cooling unit can be placed in a longer section than when N = 2, and blood flow is promoted to the proximal side. can do.

  In the case of the human body temperature cooling / stimulating apparatus 10A shown in FIG. 6, first, in step S61 of FIG. 7, a drive command output from the drive command generating unit 14 to the control unit 13 is set.

Next, in step S62, the initial blood flow is measured by the blood flow detectors 12d and 12e. The threshold values Q _th2 and Q _th3 in the respective heating / cooling units 11d and 11e are calculated by measuring the initial blood flow in each of the blood flow detection units 12d and 12e.

  Next, in step S63, heating to the distal side heating / cooling unit 11c is started to heat the human body contact surface of the distal side heating / cooling unit 11a. At this time, the intermediate and proximal temperature cooling units 11d and 11e are not cooled.

Next, in step S64, the blood flow rate Q2 measured by the blood flow rate detection unit 12d installed in the vicinity of the intermediate heating / cooling unit 11d is determined in the reference flow rate value generator 16 based on the initial blood flow rate of the blood flow rate detection unit 12d. The comparator 17 determines whether or not a predetermined threshold value Q _th2 is exceeded. When the comparator 17 determines that the flow rate Q2 measured by the blood flow rate detection unit 12d exceeds the threshold value _Qth2 (Yes in step S64), the process proceeds to step S65.

  Next, in step S65, the transmission delay time in the intermediate heating / cooling unit 11d is measured. Since the measurement of the transmission delay time is the same as that described above, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  Next, in step S66, based on the drive command output from the drive command generation unit 14 to the control unit 13, heating to the intermediate heating / cooling unit 11d is started.

Next, in step S67, the flow rate Q3 measured by the proximal blood flow rate detection unit 12e installed in the vicinity of the proximal temperature cooling unit 11e is a reference flow rate based on the initial blood flow rate of the blood flow rate detection unit 12e. The comparator 17 determines whether the value generator 16 exceeds a predetermined threshold value Q _th3 . When the comparator 17 determines that the flow rate Q3 measured by the blood flow rate detection unit 12c exceeds the threshold value _Qth3 (Yes in step S67), the process proceeds to step S68.

  In step S68, the transmission delay time is measured in the proximal temperature cooling unit 11e. Since the measurement of the transmission delay time is the same as that described above, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  Next, in step S69, heating to the proximal side heating / cooling unit 11e is started. In this way, by using the three heating / cooling units 11c, 11d, and 11e, the blood flow pumping action can be strengthened as compared with the case of two heating / cooling units.

  Here, after starting the heating to the intermediate heating / cooling unit 11d, the transmission delay time is measured in the proximal heating / cooling unit 11e, and after the intermediate heating / cooling unit 11d returns to room temperature, the distal heating / cooling unit 11c is moved to. By starting the heating, the transmission delay time can be measured in a shorter time than measuring the transmission delay time in the intermediate heating / cooling unit 11d.

  In the first embodiment, the blood flow transmission delay time is calculated by heating the human body contact surface of the heating / cooling unit 11, but the transmission delay time may be calculated by cooling. When calculating the transmission delay time by cooling, for example, since the blood flow of the blood flow rate detection unit 12 of the proximal side thermal cooling unit 11b decreases, a threshold relating to the decrease amount is set in advance by the reference flow value generator 16. Then, in the comparator 17, it is determined whether or not the decrease amount of the blood flow exceeds the threshold value preset by the reference flow value generator 16, and the driving of the proximal heating / cooling unit 11b is started at the exceeding timing.

  As yet another modification of the first embodiment, a “separation type (a type in which the heating time does not overlap)” that can promote blood flow in a short time and a “superposition type (a type in which the heating time overlaps)” that can improve relaxation are provided. You may use the temperature variation which combined. In this case, the method of performing the cooling by the “superposition type” after first performing the thermal cooling by the “separation type”, or conversely, by performing the temperature cooling by the “superimposition type” first, Possible ways to do this. Since the former is warmed as a whole after promoting blood flow in a short period of time, a high relaxing effect can be realized. In the latter, since not only the vicinity of the heating / cooling unit but also the whole is heated and cooled locally for a short time, stimulation such as electrical stimulation can be given in a pseudo manner. These variations can be further combined.

  These variations are provided with a type change-over switch that can be linked with each switch of the control unit 13, selected by a program, or predetermined as a sequence.

  As described above, according to the human body cooling stimulation apparatus 10 and 10A according to the first embodiment, the controller 13 drives the heating / cooling unit 11 independently and sequentially with time delay along the blood flow direction. And / or by carrying out cold drive, the blood-flow promotion effect can be improved further compared with the past.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of a human body temperature / cool stimulation device 10B according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, differences of the second embodiment from the first embodiment will be mainly described with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the human body temperature cooling / stimulation apparatus 10B includes a plurality of heating / cooling units 11a and 11b arranged on the human body 27 at predetermined intervals, a temperature measurement unit 52 such as a thermistor, and a measurement unit. The control unit 53 and the drive command generation unit 14 are configured to independently and independently control the temperature of the heating / cooling units 11a and 11b based on the generated temperature. That is, the human body temperature / cool stimulation device 10B of the second embodiment includes a temperature measurement unit 52 instead of the blood flow rate detection unit 12 of the human body temperature / cool stimulation device 10 of the first embodiment. In general, when the blood flow increases, the blood circulation becomes good, and as a result the body temperature rises. By measuring the body temperature by the temperature measuring unit 52, an increase or decrease in the blood flow is detected as an increase or decrease in temperature. can do.

  The temperature measuring unit 52 measures the temperature T of the human body contact surface in the vicinity of the proximal side heating / cooling unit 11b. The temperature measurement unit 52 is an example of a blood flow rate detection unit that detects a blood flow rate based on the temperature of the human body (body temperature).

  Of the two arbitrary heating / cooling units 11a, 11b, the heating / cooling unit located distal to the heart (the distal side of the human body 27) is referred to as the distal heating / cooling unit 11a, and the proximal side (human body 27). The central heating / cooling unit is referred to as a proximal heating / cooling unit 11b. The control unit 53 includes a distal drive unit 15a, a proximal drive unit 15b, a reference temperature value generator 56 as an example of a reference temperature value generation unit, a comparator 57 as an example of a comparison unit, and a time A time measuring device 18 as an example of a measurement unit, a reference delay time generator 19 as an example of a reference delay time generation unit, a modulator 20 as an example of a modulation unit, and a delay device 21 as an example of a delay unit Consists of. A significant difference from the first embodiment is a temperature measurement unit 52 that functions as an example of a blood flow rate detection unit, a reference temperature value generator 56, and a comparator 57. The distal drive unit 15a and the proximal drive unit 15b operate in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

  The temperature measurement unit 52 measures the temperature of the human body contact surface of the human body 27 but indirectly detects a change in blood flow. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the temperature is measured and compared with the threshold value of the temperature. The purpose is to detect a change in blood flow.

The reference temperature value generator 56 generates a reference value of the temperature T measured by the temperature measurement unit 52 (for example, a threshold value T _th determined in advance based on the initial body temperature).

The comparator 57 receives the temperature T measured by the temperature measuring unit 52 and the reference value generated by the reference temperature value generator 56 (for example, a threshold value T _th determined in advance based on the initial body temperature), respectively. The temperature measured by the temperature measurement unit 52 is compared with the reference value generated by the reference temperature value generator 56. For example, the comparator 57 determines whether or not the temperature T measured by the temperature measuring unit 52 installed in the vicinity of the proximal temperature cooling unit 11b exceeds a threshold value T _th that is predetermined in the reference temperature value generator 56. It is judged by. When the comparator 57 determines that the temperature T measured by the temperature measuring unit 52 has exceeded a predetermined threshold value _Tth in the reference temperature value generator 56, the signal from the comparator 57 causes the fourth The contact of the switch 25 is switched from the B side to the A side.

  The time measuring device 18 changes the comparator 57 after the drive command signal from the drive command generator 14 and the judgment result from the comparator 57 are input and the drive command signal is generated from the drive command generator 14. Is detected and output to the reference delay time generator 19 via the third switch 24.

  The reference delay time generator 19 receives the drive command signal from the drive command generation unit 14 and calculates the transmission delay time calculated by the time measuring unit 18 with respect to the drive command signal generated from the drive command generation unit 14. Delayed and output to the contact A side of the fourth switch 25.

  Furthermore, the modulator 20 changes the high temperature set temperature, the low temperature set temperature, and the temperature cooling cycle of the drive command signal generated from the drive command generation unit 14 toward the distal temperature cooling unit 11a. The modulated drive command signal is output to the delay unit 21.

  The delay unit 21 receives the drive command signal modulated by the modulator 20 and inputs the signal output from the reference delay time generator 19 when the contact of the fourth switch 25 is in contact with the A side. When the contact point of the fourth switch 25 is in contact with the B side, the determination result signal from the comparator 57 is input. As a result, the delay unit 21 further delays the drive command signal modulated by the modulator 20 based on the signal input via the fourth switch 25, 2 to the proximal drive unit 15b via the switch 23.

  The first switch 22 to the third switch 24 operate in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

  The fourth switch 25 either connects the delay unit 21 and the reference delay time generator 19 or connects the delay unit 21 and the comparator 57 based on the signal from the determination unit 57. It is a changeover switch.

  FIG. 10A is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of a method for controlling the apparatus when performing the heating and / or cooling of the heating / cooling unit in the human body temperature / cool stimulation apparatus 10B in the real-time mode according to the second embodiment.

  First, in step S11, the drive command generator 14 sets in advance drive commands for heating and cooling the distal-side heating / cooling unit 11a and the proximal-side heating / cooling unit 11b. For example, it is assumed that the human body contact surface of the distal side thermal cooling unit 11a is heated and the proximal side thermal cooling unit 11b is not cooled.

  Next, in step S <b> 12, the initial body temperature of the human body contact surface of the human body 27 is measured using the temperature measurement unit 52.

  Next, in step S13, as shown in FIG. 7, the human body contact surface of the distal heating / cooling unit 11a is heated based on the drive command output from the drive command generation unit 14 to the control unit 53 and set in advance. The warming / cooling of the proximal heating / cooling unit 11b is not performed. By starting the heating of the human body contact surface of the distal heating / cooling unit 11a, the blood immediately below the human body contact surface with which the distal heating / cooling unit 11a is in contact is warmed, and the blood flow is in the proximal direction. Will flow into.

Next, in step S14, it is determined whether or not the temperature T measured by the temperature measuring unit 52 installed in the vicinity of the proximal temperature cooling unit 11b exceeds a threshold value _Tth determined in advance in the reference temperature value generator 56. The determination is made by the comparator 57. When the comparator 57 determines that the temperature T measured by the temperature measurement unit 52 has exceeded a predetermined threshold value _Tth in the reference temperature value generator 56 (Yes in step S14), the process proceeds to step S15. .

  In step S <b> 15, the fourth switch 25 switches the contact point from the B side to the A side based on the determination result signal from the comparator 57, and the drive command signal generated from the drive command generation unit 14 is transmitted to the delay unit 21. Furthermore, the drive command signal enters the proximal drive unit 15b from the delay device 21 via the second switch 23, and starts heating the proximal heating / cooling unit 11b.

  This makes it possible to push the heated blood flow sequentially in a chain from the distal side to the proximal direction while indirectly observing the blood flow state in real time by measuring the temperature. An effect can be obtained. Furthermore, since blood flow is measured via body temperature in real time, blood vessel pumping adapted to different transfer characteristics depending on individual differences or site differences depending on the amount of subcutaneous fat or the size of the blood vessel diameter can be realized. Furthermore, when the blood flow is measured as in the first embodiment, the signal-to-noise ratio of the signal is likely to deteriorate, and an expensive measurement system is required to obtain a signal with low noise. The temperature measurement unit 52 used in the second embodiment can measure a low SN ratio signal at a very low cost, and can accurately measure thermoelectricity.

In addition, since the blood flow rate increases due to the heat, and as a result, the temperature of the human body contact surface increases, a time delay occurs until the temperature increase occurs. Therefore, as one specific example of the comparator 57 that functions as a comparison unit, the temperature (sensor value) measured by the temperature measurement unit 52 as shown in FIG. 11A in both the real-time mode and the offline mode. You may comprise with the comparator 81 which observes the timing when T exceeds 1st threshold value (for example, the said threshold value _Tth ).

  However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as another specific example of the comparator 57, as shown in FIG. 11B, a time differentiator that differentiates the temperature measured by the temperature measurement unit 52 with time and calculates a temperature change amount. 85 and a comparator 82 for observing the timing at which the temperature change amount calculated by the time differentiator 85 exceeds a predetermined second threshold value. Accordingly, by using the temperature change amount calculated by the time differentiator 85, the time delay can be removed, and blood flow transmission can be accurately measured at an earlier timing.

  As another specific example of the comparator 57, as shown in FIG. 11C, a time differentiator 86 for calculating a differential value obtained by differentiating the temperature measured by the temperature measurement unit 52 with time, and a temperature measurement unit The comparator 84 adds the temperature measured at 52 and the differential value calculated by the time differentiator 86, and the comparator 83 observes the timing when the added value from the comparator 84 exceeds the third threshold. You may do it. As a result, by using the differential value calculated by the time differentiator 86, the time delay can be removed, and a determination that tends to be unstable only by differentiation can be made more stable and early. .

  In addition, the time for delaying the start of the drive command of the proximal-side heating / cooling unit 11b relative to the distal-side heating / cooling unit 11a is calculated in advance by measuring the temperature transfer characteristic of the blood flow in advance, not in the real-time mode. May be. As an example, each of the heating / cooling units 11a and 11b may be configured by a pair of Peltier elements, and the temperature transfer characteristics may be calculated in advance based on the initial body temperature by using the Peltier elements as temperature sensors.

  When performing control of the human body temperature cooling / stimulation apparatus 10B in the offline mode, first, as shown in FIG. 10B, in the same way as FIG. 10A, in step S11, in the drive command generation unit 14, the distal side heating / cooling unit 11a. And a heating / cooling drive command for the proximal-side heating / cooling unit 11b are set in advance.

  Next, after the initial temperature of the human body contact surface of the human body 27 is measured using the temperature measurement unit 52 in step S12, the human body contact surface of the distal heating / cooling unit 11a is heated in step S13.

Next, in step S16 of FIG. 10B, when the proximal-side thermal cooling unit 11b is not cooled, the distal-side thermal cooling unit 11a starts to be heated and is installed in the vicinity of the proximal-side thermal cooling unit. The time measuring unit 18 determines the time t _d until the comparator 57 determines that the temperature T measured by the temperature measuring unit 52 has exceeded a predetermined threshold value T _th in the reference temperature value generator 56. Measured as transmission delay time.

Then, in step S17, is set as a reference delay time, the time measuring device 18 reference delay time generator 19 of the transmission delay time t _d that is measured (in this case, the first switch 22 is turned on, the second switch 23 is turned off The third switch 24 is on, and the fourth switch 25 has a contact on the A side.). After completion of step S17, each switch is switched to the state of step S18 described later by a signal from the drive command generator 14.

Next, in step S18, the first switch 22 is turned on, the second switch 23 is turned on, the third switch 24 is turned off, and the fourth switch 25 has a contact on the A side. There from the output, the reference delay time generator 19, whether propagation delay t _d has elapsed. The reference delay time generator 19, the propagation delay t _d from the output signal from the drive command generation section 14 is determined to have elapsed, the process proceeds to step S15.

  In step S15, based on the determination result signal from the reference delay time generator 19, the fourth switch 25 switches the contact point from the B side to the A side, and the drive command signal generated from the drive command generation unit 14 is the delay device 21. It is transmitted to. Further, the drive command signal is transmitted from the delay device 21 to the proximal drive unit 15 b via the second switch 23. As a result, the proximal temperature cooling unit 11b starts to drive.

  This makes it possible to simply calculate the transmission delay time adapted to different transmission characteristics depending on individual differences or site differences due to the amount of subcutaneous fat or the size of the blood vessel by one measurement, and it is possible to simplify warm blood Blood vessel pumping by sequential delivery becomes possible.

(Modification of the second embodiment)
In 2nd Embodiment, you may use the voltage detection part 62 using the Seebeck effect which the thermoelectric converter (for example, a pair of Peltier device) in the proximal side heating / cooling unit 11b has as an alternative of a temperature sensor. In this case, as shown in FIG. 9, the human body temperature cooling / stimulation apparatus 10C includes a voltage detection unit 62 in the proximal side heating / cooling unit 11b of the plurality of heating / cooling units 11a, 11b, and the proximal side cooling / heating. It has the 2nd switch 23 which controls electricity supply to the unit 11b, and the control part 63 which controls the temperature of the distal side thermal cooling unit 11a based on the temperature change measured by the proximal side thermal cooling unit 11b.

  FIG. 12: shows the flowchart of the control method of the apparatus at the time of implementing the heating and / or cooling of the heating / cooling unit 11a, 11b in 10 C of human body temperature cooling stimulation apparatuses in the modification of 2nd Embodiment.

  First, of the two arbitrary heating / cooling units 11a, 11b, the second switch 23 is disconnected so as not to energize the proximal-side heating / cooling unit 11b (step S21), and the human body of the distal-side heating / cooling unit 11a The contact surface is heated (step S22).

Thereafter, the blood flow whose flow rate has been increased by the heat of the distal side cooling unit 11a flows to the proximal side, and the temperature rises. At this time, a thermoelectric conversion element produces a voltage by the Seebeck effect of the thermoelectric conversion element in the voltage detection part 62 in the proximal side thermal cooling unit 11b. The voltage V of the temperature measured by the voltage amount detection unit 62 installed in the vicinity of the proximal side heating / cooling unit 11b after the heating of the distal side heating / cooling unit 11a is started in the reference voltage value generator 66 in advance. The comparator 67 determines whether or not a predetermined threshold value _Vth is exceeded (step S23). When the comparator 67 determines that the voltage V of the temperature measured by the voltage amount detector 62 has exceeded the threshold value _Vth (Yes in step S23), the process proceeds to step S24.

In step S24, when the comparator 67 determines that the voltage V of the temperature measured by the voltage amount detection unit 62 has exceeded the threshold value _Vth , the voltage V after the temperature of the distal heating / cooling unit 11a starts. There time t _d to be determined in the comparator 67 and exceeds the threshold value V _th, measured as propagation delay time measuring device 18. It is set as a reference delay time reference delay time generator 19 of the transmission delay time t _d that is measured.

Next, the first switch 22 is turned on, the second switch 23 is turned on, the third switch 24 is turned off, the fifth switch 25 is switched to the contact on the A side, and the drive command signal is output from the drive command generator 14. the reference delay time generator 19, whether propagation delay t _d has elapsed. When it is determined by the reference delay time generator 19 that the transmission delay time t _d has elapsed since the signal was output from the drive command generation unit 14, the reference delay time generator 19 generates a signal based on the determination result signal from the reference delay time generator 19. The 4 switch 25 switches the contact from the B side to the A side, and the drive command signal generated from the drive command generation unit 14 is transmitted to the delay device 21. Further, the drive command signal is transmitted from the delay device 21 to the proximal drive unit 15 b via the second switch 23. As a result, the proximal side heating / cooling unit 11b starts to drive (step S25).

  Thereafter, in step S26, similarly to step S01, in the drive command generation unit 14, the warm / cool drive commands for the distal warm / cool unit 11a and the proximal warm / cool unit 11b are set in advance. For example, it is assumed that the human body contact surface of the distal side thermal cooling unit 11a is heated and the proximal side thermal cooling unit 11b is not cooled.

  Next, in step S27, based on the drive command output from the drive command generation unit 14 to the control unit 63 and set in advance, the human body contact surface of the distal heating / cooling unit 11a is heated, and the proximal heating / cooling unit. 11b is not performed (at this time, the first switch 22 and the second switch 23 in FIG. 9 are on, and the fourth switch 25 has a contact on the B side).

Then, in step S28, after determining the reference time delay generator 19 to the distal side hot and cold unit 11a hyperthermia propagation delay from the start t _d of has passed, the determination of the reference delay time generator 19 Based on the resulting signal, the fourth switch 25 switches the contact from the B side to the A side, and the drive command signal generated from the drive command generation unit 14 is transmitted to the delay device 21. Further, the drive command signal is transmitted from the delay device 21 to the proximal drive unit 15 b via the second switch 23. As a result, the proximal temperature cooling unit 11b starts to drive.

  This makes it possible to simply calculate a transmission delay adapted to different transmission characteristics depending on individual differences or site differences due to the amount of subcutaneous fat or the size of the blood vessel by one measurement, and use a temperature sensor. Without cost.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram of a human body temperature cooling / stimulation apparatus 10D according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the human thermal cooling / stimulation apparatus 10D includes at least a plurality of thermal cooling units 11a and 11b arranged on the human body 27 with a predetermined interval, an inter-unit distance detection unit 102, and a flow velocity selection unit. 124 and the control unit 103.

  The inter-unit distance detection unit 102 measures the distance between the heating / cooling units 11a and 11b.

  The flow velocity selection unit 124 includes a part input unit 122 that selects a part with which the heating / cooling units 11a and 11b are brought into contact, and a posture input unit 123 that selects the posture of the human body at that time, such as a sitting position or a standing position. The blood flow velocity in the units 11a and 11b is determined.

  The control unit 103 independently controls the temperatures of the respective heating / cooling units 11 a and 11 b independently from each other based on information from the inter-unit distance detection unit 102, the flow velocity selection unit 124, and the drive command generation unit 14.

  Note that in the flow velocity selection unit 124, the relation information between the human body part and the venous blood flow velocity is registered in advance in a table format as shown in FIG. Then, when the part (such as calf or forearm) input by the part input unit 122 and the posture (such as standing or sitting or lying) input by the posture input unit 123 are input to the flow velocity selection unit 124, the input The blood flow velocity corresponding to the input site and the input posture is output from the flow velocity selection unit 124. The table registered in the storage unit of the flow velocity selection unit 124 differs depending on the age and gender in addition to the part and posture, and the table may be selected by selecting the age and gender. In addition to gender and age, the blood flow velocity depends on joint flexion progress, body weight, or body fat percentage. In addition, when a plurality of heating / cooling units 11a and 11b are arranged across the joint, the temperature changes depending on the posture of the arm or leg (bending or stretching the joint) sandwiching the joint. It is added as a condition (see knee joint, hip joint, elbow joint, etc. in FIG. 14).

  As the human body thermal cooling / stimulation operation, various types of human body thermal cooling / stimulation operations are realized by combining the parts shown in FIG. 14 and the modes such as the “real time mode” and the “offline mode” described above. be able to.

By multiplying the unit interval output from the flow rate selector 124 blood flow velocity and the inter-unit distance detecting section 102 outputted from, in a simplified manner, the delay time propagation delay t _d of the blood flow between units It can be calculated by the calculation unit 118. From the output signal from the drive command generation section 14, if propagation delay t _d by the reference delay time generator 19 is determined to have elapsed, the drive command signal is transmitted to the proximal drive section 15b. By transmitting the drive command signal with a delay of the transmission delay time before executing the drive command, it is possible to easily calculate the transmission delay adapted to different transfer characteristics depending on the part or posture, and to simplify the warm blood Blood vessel pumping by sequential sequential delivery becomes possible.

Furthermore, since the heat conduction time from the epidermis to the blood vessels varies depending on the thickness of the skin, the amount of fat, or the muscle mass, the time during which the heat of the heating / cooling units 11a and 11b is transmitted to the blood vessels and blood may be used as the parameter of the flow rate selection unit. . Specifically, the thermal conduction time in which the amount of body fat or muscle mass and parameters are acquired in advance by experiments, and the thermal conduction time distal to hot and cold unit 11a and t _i, proximally hot and cold When t _{i + 1} is set in the unit 11b, the driving command for the proximal side heating / cooling unit 11b is started with a delay of time (t _d + t _i −t _{i + 1} ). Thereby, the thermoelectric delay of the blood flow can be estimated more accurately, and continuous blood vessel pumping becomes possible.

In the third embodiment, the unit distance measuring unit 102 measures the inter-unit distance. However, the units may be fixed in advance with a rigid body such as a wire so as to have a constant inter-unit distance. In this case, by multiplying the blood velocity and inter-unit distance determined from the table, it is possible to calculate the propagation delay t _d of the blood flow between the units.

  In the first to third embodiments, based on the drive command signal from the drive command generation unit 14, before the heating / cooling units 11a, 11b are brought into contact with the human body 27, the heating / cooling units 11a, 11b are installed in advance. It may be warmed to about 36 ° C., which is approximately equal to the skin temperature. For example, a preheating mode switch 101 is provided, and a signal is output to the control unit 3 so that the preheating control is performed from the drive command generation unit 14 by turning on the preheating mode switch 101. It may be. Thereby, the stimulus given to the human body 27 when the heating / cooling units 11a and 11b are brought into contact with the human body 27 is reduced. In addition, when calculating the blood flow threshold for determining the delay time, the blood flow when the temperature of the heating / cooling unit 11a, 11b is equivalent to the skin temperature is calculated as a reference. When the skin temperature is reached, the threshold value can be calculated in a short time.

(First Modification of Embodiment)
As a first modification of the first to third embodiments, in order to clearly distinguish the distal side and the proximal side of the plurality of heating / cooling units 11a, 11b, a mark is provided for each of the plurality of heating / cooling units 11a, 11a, 11b. You may make it attach to 11b. For example, when a plurality of heating / cooling units 11a, 11b are connected to each other by a connecting band 11X, a characteristic mark (such as “foot” or “hand”) is attached to the distal-side heating / cooling unit 11a as shown in FIG. 15A. It is desirable to form characters such as “far” by printing or the like. Thereby, a user does not arrange | position the arrangement | positioning of the distal side heating / cooling unit 11a and the proximal side heating / cooling unit 11b reversely, and heating / cooling can be implemented at the intended timing. Note that a mark such as “heart” or a character such as “near” may be formed on the proximal heating / cooling unit 11b by printing or the like.

(Second Modification of Embodiment)
Further, as a second modification of the first to third embodiments, one heating / cooling unit is constituted by a plurality of thermoelectric conversion elements arranged independently along the circumferential direction of the human body, and one heating / cooling unit. Among the plurality of thermoelectric conversion elements in the circumferential direction, a configuration may be adopted in which a delay is given to the timing of heating and cooling. For example, in the distal side heating / cooling unit 11a, the thermoelectric conversion elements 11a1, 11a2,... Are arranged in the circumferential direction, and in the proximal side heating / cooling unit 11b, the thermoelectric conversion elements 11b1, 11b2,. To do. In order to give a delay, referring to a general vein position, the peripheral blood vessel side of the vein is warmed first, and the high temperature portion is moved to the vena cava side of the vein with a delay. For example, in the case of an ankle, the outer side in the circumferential direction of the ankle is heated first, and then the inner side in the circumferential direction of the ankle is heated. Thereby, the blood flow can be promoted to the vena cava more efficiently than to cool and cool one heating / cooling unit uniformly. Also, for example, a vena cava blood flow promoting switch (not shown) is provided and the vena cava blood flow promoting switch is turned on, so that the drive command generating unit 14 can change the temperature from among the plurality of thermoelectric conversion elements. A signal may be output to the control unit 3 so as to delay the cold timing.

(Third Modification of Embodiment)
As a third modification of the first to third embodiments, when the heating / cooling units 11a and 11b are arranged, a fixing jig according to the arrangement site may be provided so that the aorta side and the distal side can be seen. For example, as shown in FIG. 17, in the case of the ankle 27a, the arrangement of the plurality of heating / cooling units 11a and 11b with respect to the ankle 27a can be easily determined by attaching a jig 11Y such as a string or a band to be hooked on the heel. it can. By doing in this way, it can arrange | position easily in the state which prescribed | regulated the position of several heating / cooling unit 11a, 11b.

  In addition, as a modified example of the embodiment, application examples such as a massage chair and an electric blanket are conceivable in addition to the type in which the plurality of heating / cooling units 11a and 11b are wound around the arm or the leg.

  Especially in a massage chair, blood flow can be promoted simultaneously with massage by incorporating a human body temperature cooling / stimulation device including a plurality of heating / cooling units 11a, 11b in the leg massage part of the massage chair.

  In the electric blanket, the blood flow of the person wrapped in the electric blanket can be promoted by arranging a number of heating and cooling units 11a, 11b,. The arrangement of the heating / cooling unit 11 is not limited to the entire electric blanket, but may be only the half on the leg side excluding the half on the chest side. In the electric blanket, since the power supply unit is generally on the leg side, it is possible to specify the leg side in the electric blanket.

  Although the present invention has been described based on the first to third embodiments and modifications, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the first to third embodiments and modifications. The following cases are also included in the present invention.

  Specifically, a part or all of each control unit is a computer system including a microprocessor, a ROM, a RAM, a hard disk unit, a display unit, a keyboard, a mouse, and the like. A computer program is stored in the RAM or hard disk unit. Each unit achieves its function by the microprocessor operating according to the computer program. Here, the computer program is configured by combining a plurality of instruction codes indicating instructions for the computer in order to achieve a predetermined function.

  For example, each component can be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory. In addition, the software which implement | achieves a part or all of the element which comprises the control part in the said embodiment or modification is the following programs. That is, a control program for controlling at least two or more heating / cooling units arranged in a human body at a predetermined interval, wherein the two or more heating / cooling units are placed in a computer along a blood flow direction for a time. It is a control program for functioning as a control unit that sequentially drives with temperature and / or cool with a delay.

  The program may be executed by being downloaded from a server or the like, and a program recorded on a predetermined recording medium (for example, an optical disk such as a CD-ROM, a magnetic disk, or a semiconductor memory) is read out. May be executed.

  Further, the computer that executes this program may be singular or plural. That is, centralized processing may be performed, or distributed processing may be performed.

  In addition, it can be made to show the effect which each has by combining arbitrary embodiment or modification of the said various embodiment or modification suitably.

  The human body temperature cooling / stimulation device and the method for controlling the body temperature cooling / stimulation device of the present invention are useful in fields such as medical treatment or beauty treatment for promoting blood circulation.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Heating / cooling part 2 Radiating block 3 Heating / cooling pad 4 Tube 5 Sheet material 6 Human body 10, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D Human body heat / cool stimulation apparatus 11 Heating / cooling unit 11a, 11c Distal temperature-cooling unit 11b, 11e Near Position side thermal cooling unit 11d Intermediate temperature cooling unit 11X Connection band 11Y Jigs 12, 12d, 12e Blood flow rate detection units 13, 53, 63, 103 Control unit 14 Drive command generation unit 15 Thermal cooling unit drive unit 15a Distal drive unit 15b Proximal drive unit 16 Reference flow rate generators 17, 57, 67 Comparator 18, 118 Time measuring device 19 Reference delay time generator 20 Modulator 21 Delay 22 First switch 23 Second switch 24 Third switch 25 Fourth switch 27 Human body 52 Temperature measurement unit 56 Reference temperature value generator 62 Voltage detection unit 66 Reference voltage value generator 100 Mode selection Switch 101 between the pre-heating mode switch 102 units distance detector 122 site input unit 123 orientation input unit 124 flow rate selector

Claims (14)

At least two or more heating / cooling units arranged on the human body at a predetermined interval;
A controller that sequentially drives the two or more heating / cooling units along the direction of blood flow with time delay and / or cooling.
Human body thermal cooling device. A blood flow rate detection unit that measures a blood flow rate in the vicinity of the proximal thermal cooling unit disposed on the proximal side near the heart side of the human body along the blood flow direction of the plurality of thermal cooling units. ,
The control unit drives or cools a distal-side heating / cooling unit disposed on the distal side opposite to the proximal side of the human body among the plurality of heating / cooling units, and then the blood flow volume After detecting that the detection unit has reached a predetermined blood flow rate, the proximal side cooling unit is controlled to start driving or cooling.
The human body thermal stimulation apparatus according to claim 1. The blood flow detection unit detects a change in blood flow by temperature detection of the human body where the blood flow detection unit is disposed, and detects that the blood flow detection unit has reached the predetermined blood flow.
The human body temperature cooling / stimulation apparatus according to claim 2. Each of the heating / cooling units is composed of a pair of Peltier elements, and by first using the Peltier elements as temperature sensors, temperature transfer characteristics are measured,
Based on the measured temperature transfer characteristics and the blood flow measured by the blood flow detector, the blood flow detector detects that the predetermined blood flow has been reached.
The human body temperature cooling / stimulation apparatus according to claim 1. An inter-unit distance detector that measures the distance between the heating and cooling units;
From the relationship between the site and posture and the blood flow velocity at which the heating / cooling unit is disposed, and further comprising a flow rate setting unit that determines the blood flow velocity at the region where the heating and cooling unit is disposed,
The control unit multiplies the blood flow velocity determined by the flow velocity selection unit and the inter-unit distance measured by the inter-unit distance detection unit, thereby transmitting blood flow between the plurality of heating / cooling units. It has a delay time calculation part that calculates the delay time,
After the transmission delay time has elapsed since the drive command signal for the heating / cooling unit has been output, the control unit starts driving or cooling the proximal heating / cooling unit among the plurality of heating / cooling units. To control,
The human body thermal stimulation apparatus according to claim 1. When the heating / cooling unit warms the heating / cooling unit, the controller heats up to the skin temperature of the human body with a first temperature gradient, and after the heating / cooling unit reaches the skin temperature, the temperature is lower than the first temperature gradient. Controlling the heating and cooling unit to heat with a second temperature gradient;
The human body temperature cooling / stimulation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5. In the temperature drive command output from the control unit to the heating / cooling unit, the maximum temperature is less than 43 ° C.
The human body thermal cooling stimulator according to any one of claims 1 to 6. In the temperature driving command output from the control unit to the heating / cooling unit, the cooling width to the minimum temperature is larger than the heating width to the maximum temperature with respect to the human body temperature,
The human body thermal cooling stimulator according to any one of claims 1 to 7. Before starting the cooling to the heating / cooling unit from the control unit, the heating / cooling unit is heated to the skin temperature of the human body in advance.
The human body temperature cooling / stimulation apparatus according to claim 1. When the control unit drives or cools the heating / cooling unit, the proximal side temperature close to the heart side of the human body during the cooling operation of the distal heating unit far from the heart side of the human body. Performs the heating / cooling operation of the cooling unit in a superimposed manner.
The human body temperature cooling / stimulation apparatus according to claim 1. The heating / cooling unit has a plurality of thermoelectric conversion elements,
When performing thermal stimulation from the control unit to the thermal cooling unit, each thermal cooling unit arranges the plurality of thermoelectric conversion elements along the circumferential direction of the human body and temporally performs the thermal cooling operation along the circumferential direction. Do differently,
The human body thermal stimulation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10. The human body temperature cooling / stimulating device according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
massage chair. The human body temperature cooling / stimulating device according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
electric blanket. In a state where at least two or more heating / cooling units are arranged on the human body at a predetermined interval along the blood flow direction of the human body, the two or more heating / cooling units are controlled under the control of the control unit. A temperature drive and / or a cold drive are sequentially performed with a time delay along the blood flow direction to give a warm and cold stimulus to the human body.
Control method of human body temperature cooling and stimulation apparatus.

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