JP2014230538A - Excitation degree light - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device that facilitates measurement of cardiac beat and pulse, even about an animal covered with fur and having skin being dry in normal.SOLUTION: A device comprises a color development part 1, a micro-computer 2, a pulse sensor 3 and a battery, and represents the excitation degree of a wearer inferred from a pulse by using the color and blinking of a color development part. Thereby, an owner or the like of a pet animal can intuitively grasp the excitation degree of the pet animal. The excitation degree substantially coincides with the level of a pulse rate, so that arbitrary interpretation is not required here. Also, this device does not require fixing of a body of the animal, and is usable in the state where the animal can move freely. Also, an infrared photo-reflector is lightly attached to a portion where the fur is thin and the skin is also thin to measure the pulse, about the animal having fur and a dry body surface.

Description

    In the present invention, the pulse rate is measured by the pulse sensor (3), the degree of excitement is calculated by the microcomputer (2), and the degree of excitement is expressed by the coloring part (1).

    Animals and humans have problems in communication because human language exchanges are not possible. Nowadays, pets such as dogs and cats are increasingly accepted by humans as members of their families. On the other hand, there are few technologies that support communication between animals and humans. So far, the technology to translate animal calls into human language has been developed, but it involves the unnaturalness of translating seed calls that do not have a common language system with human language into human language. In addition, the act of anthropomorphizing an animal excessively imposes an unnatural act on the animal, which may not be preferable from the viewpoint of animal welfare. In response to these problems, we created a device that conveys animal emotions (excitement) to humans by eliminating arbitrary human translation as much as possible. In this case, unless otherwise stated, “animal” includes humans.

    There were inventions that tried to grasp the state of animals from biological information, but there were many things that were difficult to understand. The present invention appeals to the user simply and intuitively by color, blinking and vibration so that a general owner can easily use it.

    Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-138

    The problems to be solved are as follows. The device that translates animal emotions that existed so far was an arbitrary one that forcedly applied it to human language, and did not necessarily accurately convey animal emotions.

    The problems to be solved are as follows. Many of the devices that measure the biological information of animals that have been used so far need to fix the body of an individual, and many can move freely and cannot measure biological information in a relaxed state. It was.

    The problems to be solved are as follows. Heart rate measurement by electrocardiogram measurement is simple for animals with thin body hair such as humans, but heart rate and pulse measurement are not easy for animals covered with fur and whose epidermis is normally dry. Absent. For medical purposes, there may be methods such as shaving body hair, applying an electric gel, or stabging an electrode under the skin, but the owner of a pet animal can easily perform these actions on a healthy animal by itself. There is a problem in animal welfare.

    Depending on the species, it is a well-known physiological phenomenon that the pulse of an animal becomes higher as it gets excited, and that the pulse becomes lower when it is calm. Therefore, the degree of excitement is estimated using the pulse as an index. In animals such as dogs, whose respiratory frequency increases with increasing excitement, the respiratory frequency can also be used as an index. The estimated degree of excitement can be transmitted to the other party by color (color of light, etc.), blinking, and vibration. For example, when it is calm, the light is shined blue, and the color is changed so that the light approaches red as it gets excited. Since this method directly visualizes biological information, it is easy to understand intuitively without any arbitrary interpretation.

    In the present invention, a sensor and a microcomputer for measuring biological information are small and can be attached to an animal body. Therefore, it is not necessary to fix the animal body, and biological information during the action can be measured. Moreover, the living body information in a relaxed state can be measured by accustoming the animal to the sensor. By attaching an expression device such as a light to the animal body itself, there is also an advantage that the degree of excitement can be seen without taking the eyes off the animal body (for example, if an external display is adopted as the expression device) Need to keep an eye on the animals to see the display).

    In animals with thin hair like humans, it is easy to measure the pulse from electrocardiogram, but it is not easy to measure electrocardiogram in animals that have fur and the body surface is normally dry. In addition, actions such as shaving fur and piercing needle-shaped electrodes cannot be performed for medical purposes, but there are problems from the viewpoint of animal welfare when performed on healthy animals. As a countermeasure against such a case, it is possible to simply measure the pulse by pressing an infrared photoreflector against a portion of the animal with fur that has a thin body hair and epidermis.

    Infrared photoreflectors produce a weak voltage difference waveform in response to blood flow in the animal's subcutaneous blood vessels. The pulse can be measured by amplifying the waveform with an operational amplifier.

    It is not easy to know what kind of stressor (stress source) a pet animal such as a dog or cat reacts every day. For example, noise, a person who is not good at it, enlargement / reduction of one's range of action, movement of furniture, etc. may be stressed. Many animals are known to be excited when under stress and to increase their heart rate (and thus pulse rate). In the present invention, since the degree of excitement of the animal can be seen intuitively, the owner can estimate what is causing the animal's stress by observing the degree of excitement of the animal and the surrounding situation together.

    Similarly, the present invention can give the owner a hint as to what to do with an animal that is under stress and excited, so that the animal can be sedated. In general, theories of calming down when listening to heart sounds and music, and calming down when placed in a small space are prevalent, but you can guess which measures are really effective.

    In the case of animals such as dogs, excitement control is an important point of discipline and training. In particular, dogs in excessive excitement are often unable to hear human commands. Therefore, it is meaningful to intuitively see how excited the dog is when it comes into contact with the dog. For example, it can be inferred what kind of work has a sedative effect on the dog. Although it is generally said that “lie down” has the effect of calming the dog, it is possible to wait until the dog cools down with “down”. These are made possible by visualizing the degree of excitement of animals according to the present invention.

    The important point of the present invention is that the observation and countermeasure suitable for each individual can be taken in the estimation of excitement and the countermeasure. This is an effect unique to the present invention, which cannot be obtained by disciplined books or generalized training instructions using DVDs.

    Although the pulse sensor for hairy animals using the infrared photoreflector included in the present invention is inferior in accuracy to heartbeat measurement by electrocardiography, it is very easy to attach to an animal having a fur and a dry body surface. . For example, heart rate measurement by electrocardiogram to measure the heart rate (or pulse rate) of a double-coated dog breed (Welsh Corgi Pembroke) in a state where the individual can move freely, and the pulse rate by an infrared photoreflector Compare the measurements. When wearing an electrocardiogram heart rate sensor, wet your dog's forefoot from the base to the base until water dripping, apply conductive gel to the sensor electrode, and wear the heart rate sensor to measure your heart rate. It becomes like this. On the other hand, when wearing a pulse sensor with an infrared photoreflector, it is not necessary to wet the dog's body or apply a conductive gel, and the pulse can be measured just by applying the sensor to the thin part of the individual's body hair and skin. . Pulse measurement with an infrared photoreflector is relatively inaccurate, but this simplicity is very important for pet owners to wear it repeatedly.

  The wearer wears a device composed of a color developing part (1), a microcomputer (2), and a pulse sensor (3). The pulse measured by the pulse sensor (3) is processed by the microprocessor (2), and the color development part (1) expresses the degree of excitement by color and flickering.   A person who is away from the wearer is provided with a vibrator (4), and the degree of excitement is transmitted by wireless communication between the microprocessor (2) and the vibrator (4).   As an example, when the wearer is excited, the coloring portion (1) glows red.   As an example, when the wearer is excited, the coloring portion (1) glows blue.   For animals with fur, an infrared photoreflector (5) can be lightly pressed against the thin part of the fur and skin to measure the pulse. Further, depending on the part to which the infrared photoreflector (5) is applied, the respiratory rate can be measured.   Basic configuration of this device. It consists of a coloring part (1), a microcomputer (2), a pulse sensor (3), and a battery (6).

    Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. Connect the coloring section (1), microcomputer (2), pulse sensor (3), and battery (6). The infrared photoreflector (5) is a part of the pulse sensor (3).

    The microcomputer (2) analyzes the output value of the pulse sensor (3) and estimates the degree of excitement.

    The microcomputer (2) controls the color development part (1). The coloring portion (1) can develop full color.

    The microcomputer (2) changes the color of the coloring portion (1) according to the degree of excitement.

    The wearer wears the coloring part (1), the microcomputer (2), the pulse sensor (3), and the battery (6) for use.

    In addition, a vibrator (4) for wireless communication with the microcomputer (2) is prepared, and the excitement level of the wearer can be transmitted to a remote place.

    FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the device according to the present invention, in which a wearer (in this example, a dog) is composed of a color development unit (1), a microcomputer (2), a pulse sensor (3), and a battery (6). to wear. Due to the change in the pulse of the dog, the coloring portion (1) changes its color and informs the owner of the degree of excitement of the dog.

    FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention, in which a wearer (in this example, a dog) is composed of a coloring section (1), a microcomputer (2), a pulse sensor (3), and a battery (6). to wear. Due to the change in the pulse of the dog, the vibrator (4) vibrates by wireless communication and transmits the degree of excitement of the dog to a remote place.

    FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the device according to the present invention, in which a wearer (in this example, a dog) is composed of a color development unit (1), a microcomputer (2), a pulse sensor (3), and a battery (6). to wear. Due to the high pulse of the dog, as an example, the coloring section (1) turns red to inform the owner that the dog is excited. Although this figure explicitly depicts a dog's excitement, the excitement of a dog is not always apparent from its appearance.

    FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of the device according to the present invention, in which a wearer (in this example, a dog) is composed of a coloring portion (1), a microcomputer (2), a pulse sensor (3), and a battery (6). to wear. Due to the low pulse of the dog, for example, the coloring portion (1) turns blue, and informs the owner that the dog is calm. Although the figure explicitly depicts the dog resting, the coolness of the dog is not always apparent from the appearance.

    FIG. 5 is a diagram focusing on the pulse sensor portion of the device of the present invention. Since it is not easy to measure electrocardiogram from an animal with a fur and a dry body surface, as a simple alternative, lightly apply an infrared photoreflector to the part where the animal's fur is thin and the skin is thin, The pulse can be measured by sufficiently amplifying the voltage change with the operational amplifier. In addition, the respiratory rate can be measured depending on the assigned site.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Color development part 2 Microcomputer 3 Pulse sensor 4 Vibrator 5 Infrared photo reflector 6 Battery

Claims (2)

  A device that estimates the degree of animal excitement based on the animal's pulse rate and respiratory rate, and intuitively conveys it to humans through color, blinking, and vibration.   Simple pulse measurement using an infrared photoreflector to measure a pulse from an animal with a fur and a dry body surface, non-invasively without fixing the body and without using a conductive gel. apparatus.

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