JP2019030786A - Medical equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide medical equipment, for example, which is sanitary, and is capable of facilitating a disinfection sterilization work, and suppressing excess rise of a surface temperature.SOLUTION: Medical equipment (10) includes a Peltier element (100) having a first surface (1001) and a second surface (1002), control means (830) for executing first energization control to the Peltier element, in which the first surface is used as an endothermic surface, and the second surface is used as a radiation surface, a latent heat storage agent (16) arranged on the second surface in the state where a thermal contact condition is kept, and a housing (11F, 11R) for housing the Peltier element and the latent heat storage agent in the state where a thermal-conductive member for covering the first surface or at least a part of the first surface is exposed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a technical field of a medical device that can relieve puncture pain that occurs when, for example, a puncture needle is driven.

In the said technical field, the puncture pain relieving apparatus which relieves the puncture pain at the time of artificial dialysis is proposed (refer patent document 1).
According to the puncture pain alleviating device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the surface temperature of the skin is set to 22 degrees Celsius by bringing the pressing body cooled to 3 to 7 degrees Celsius by the Peltier element into contact with the site where the puncture needle is driven. It can be cooled from 28 degrees to 28 degrees.

JP 2010-284330 A

The puncture pain alleviating device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is configured to dissipate heat absorbed by the Peltier element from the heat radiating unit by driving a cooling fan. An intake port and an exhaust port are required to drive the fan.
Here, medical devices often require disinfection and sterilization. However, in such a configuration in which an air inlet and an air outlet must be formed outside the apparatus, disinfection and sterilization operations are difficult. . In addition, when the air inlet and the air outlet are formed, the body fluid of the user (for example, a medical worker) or the user (for example, a patient) may enter the apparatus from the air inlet or the air outlet. And is not hygienic as a medical device.
From another viewpoint, an appropriate value or an upper limit value according to the standard is determined for the surface temperature of the medical device during use. In a configuration in which an exhaust port is formed in a housing that forms the outer portion of the apparatus, the temperature near the exhaust port may conflict with this type of standard. Such a problem can occur without any change even in a configuration in which heat is radiated to the outside by a heat sink or a heat sink without forming an exhaust port.
That is, the puncture pain alleviating device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is difficult to disinfect and sterilize, in particular, disinfecting and sterilizing using a liquid, is not hygienic, and the surface temperature of the device is an appropriate value or an upper limit. There is a technical problem that it is difficult to satisfy the conditions to be observed as a medical device, such as the possibility of exceeding the value.
The present invention has been made in view of such technical problems, for example, to provide a medical device that is easy to disinfect and sterilize, is hygienic, and can suppress an excessive increase in surface temperature. Is at least one of the issues.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the medical device according to claim 1 is a Peltier element having a first surface and a second surface, and the first surface is an endothermic surface with respect to the Peltier element, and Control means for performing first energization control in which the second surface becomes a heat radiating surface, a latent heat storage agent arranged in thermal contact with the second surface, the first surface or the And a housing for housing the Peltier element and the latent heat storage agent in a state where a heat conductive member covering at least a part of the first surface is exposed.

1 is a schematic plan view of a puncture pain alleviating device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is typical side surface sectional drawing of the puncture pain relieving apparatus of FIG. It is a block diagram of the puncture pain alleviation device of FIG. It is a conceptual diagram of the operation mode of the puncture pain relieving apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which illustrates the control table of the puncture pain relieving apparatus of FIG.

  <Embodiment of Medical Device>

An embodiment of the medical device according to the present invention includes a Peltier element having a first surface and a second surface, and the first surface is an endothermic surface and the second surface is the Peltier element. Control means for performing first energization control to be a heat radiating surface, a latent heat storage agent arranged in thermal contact with the second surface, and at least the first surface or the first surface And a housing that houses the Peltier element and the latent heat storage agent in a state in which a thermally conductive member that covers a part is exposed (Claim 1).
In the embodiment of the medical device, the first surface of the Peltier element becomes the heat absorbing surface and the second surface becomes the heat radiating surface by the first energization control by the control means. The first surface serving as the heat absorption surface is directly or indirectly pressed against a use target site (for example, skin) of a user (for example, a patient) of the medical device. When the first surface is indirectly pressed, at least a part of the first surface is covered with the heat conductive member of the user. When the first surface is pressed directly or indirectly against the use target portion of the user, the use target portion is deprived of heat and cooled by the endothermic action of the endothermic surface.
On the other hand, the heat deprived from the part to be used is radiated from the second surface of the Peltier element, which becomes the heat radiating surface in the first control, and the latent heat storage agent arranged in thermal contact with the second surface. To be supplied.
Here, since the latent heat storage agent can accumulate supply heat as latent heat, even if it receives heat radiation from the second surface, the temperature change of the latent heat storage agent is maintained within a predetermined range in a non-thermal saturation state. . Ideally, the temperature of the latent heat storage agent does not change. That is, according to the embodiment of the medical device, in the period in which the latent heat storage agent is in the non-heat saturation state, for example, it is not necessary to release the heat taken away from the use target part of the user as a part of the medical action to the outside. .
Therefore, according to the embodiment of the medical device, it becomes easy to comply with the standard required for the medical device in terms of the surface temperature of the device. Further, according to the embodiment of the medical device, it is not necessary to provide a vent hole related to the exchange of heat with the outside world, for example, the above-described exhaust port and intake port, in the housing that accommodates the Peltier element and the latent heat storage agent. This makes it easy to perform disinfection and sterilization work. Furthermore, since there is no need to provide a vent, body fluid scattered from the user (for example, a medical worker such as a doctor, nurse, laboratory technician, etc.) or the target user (for example, a patient or a subject of medical practice) Etc. does not enter the inside of the device through the vent and is hygienic.
Incidentally, “arranged while maintaining a thermal contact state” means that the second surface and the latent heat storage agent are in a full or partial surface contact state as a preferred embodiment, This does not necessarily mean only this type of physical contact. That is, most of the heat radiated from the second surface (for example, heat corresponding to a predetermined ratio or more of the amount of heat radiated) can be received by all of the positional relationships between them being “kept in thermal contact”. Is included in the state.

In one aspect of the embodiment of the medical device, the control unit includes the first energization control, and the second energization control in which the first surface is a heat dissipation surface and the second surface is a heat absorption surface. Is selectively executed (claim 2).
According to this aspect, the control means can execute the second energization control in addition to the first energization control. In the second energization control, by reversing the polarity of energization to the Peltier element, the first surface becomes the heat dissipation surface and the second surface becomes the heat absorption surface. That is, in the second energization control, the heat accumulated in the latent heat storage agent is absorbed by the second surface of the Peltier element and released from the first surface.
Therefore, according to this aspect, for example, the heat storage amount of the latent heat storage agent can be reduced by the second energization control at a desired time, or the heat storage state can be reset (that is, the heat storage amount can be set to zero). Equipment can be used semi-permanently. In addition, since the control unit can selectively execute the first energization control and the second energization control, for example, according to an operation input or the like for selecting one, the medical device is not used. This second energization control can be performed during a period of time and the like, and safety considerations can be easily taken.

In this aspect, the medical device includes a power source configured to be rechargeable, the control unit performs energization of the Peltier element with power supplied from the power source, and the control unit includes the power source. You may perform said 2nd electricity supply control at the time of charge (Claim 3).
In this case, since the control means can perform the first energization control by supplying power from the power source, the operability of the medical device is improved and the degree of freedom of the use environment is also improved. Furthermore, since the second energization control is executed when the power supply is charged, the latent heat storage agent can be reset without any special operation input instructing the execution of the second energization control. is there.

In another aspect of the embodiment of the medical device, the housing has a sealed structure in accordance with a predetermined standard (claim 4).
According to this aspect, the housing of the medical device has a sealed structure conforming to a predetermined standard such as JIS. For this reason, maintenance such as sterilization is easy and hygienic. Such a sealed structure is realized only when there is a structure unique to the embodiment of the medical device in which the Peltier element absorbs heat released from the second surface in the first energization control by the latent heat storage body. It is something that can be done.

In another aspect of the embodiment of the medical device, the housing is made of a heat insulating material (Claim 5).
According to this aspect, since the housing is made of the heat insulating material, for example, even if the temperature rises due to the latent heat storage agent falling into a heat saturation state, the temperature change of the housing can be suppressed.

In another aspect of the embodiment of the medical device, the medical device includes detection means for detecting that the latent heat storage agent is saturated (Claim 6).
According to this aspect, since the thermal saturation of the latent heat storage agent can be detected, the temperature increase of the latent heat storage agent can be prevented in advance.

In addition, in this aspect, you may provide the alerting | reporting means which alert | reports saturation of the detected said latent heat storage agent (Claim 7).
In this way, for example, the user can be notified of the saturation of the latent heat storage agent by various notification means such as an alarm and an indicator, which is more effective.

In another aspect of the embodiment of the medical device, the latent heat storage agent is housed in a thermally conductive container that is placed in thermal contact with the second surface (Claim 8).
According to this aspect, the latent heat storage agent is accommodated in the thermally conductive container. This thermally conductive container is disposed in thermal contact with the second surface of the Peltier element, and heat exchange between the latent heat storage agent and the second surface of the Peltier element is performed without delay.
On the other hand, in a configuration in which the latent heat storage agent is not accommodated in the heat conductive container, the positional relationship and contact state between the latent heat storage agent and the Peltier element change inside the device, and the heat absorption characteristics of the latent heat storage agent with respect to the Peltier element may change. There is sex. On the other hand, if the configuration is such that the latent heat storage agent is housed in a thermally conductive container whose outer shape is less likely to change than the latent heat storage agent, it is possible to suppress the change in the heat absorption characteristics and ensure the performance of the medical device over a long period of time. it can.
These effects and other advantages of the present invention will be made clear by the embodiments described hereinafter.

The puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10 will be described below as a preferred embodiment for realizing the present invention with reference to the drawings as appropriate. The puncture pain alleviating device 10 is a medical device that is an example of a “medical device” according to the present invention that can be used by hand to relieve a patient's puncture pain in various medical practices such as injection.
<Configuration of Example>
First, the configuration of the puncture pain alleviating device 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of the puncture pain alleviating device 10. 1A is a front view, and FIG. 1B is a rear view.
In FIG. 1A, two substantially rectangular holes are formed in the front case 11 </ b> F that forms a part of the outline of the puncture pain alleviating device 10. Among these holes, a part of the operation unit 500 is exposed from one hole on the upper side of the apparatus (upper side in the figure), and one of the light emitting parts 600 is exposed from the other hole on the lower side of the apparatus (lower side in the figure). The part is exposed. These two holes and the exposed portions of the operation unit 500 and the light emitting unit 600 are joined while maintaining airtightness in accordance with a sealing structure described later, and the inside of the puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10 is interposed through these holes. The structure does not communicate with the outside world.
The operation unit 500 is a button switch for operating the puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10 and includes a heat absorption button 510 and a power button 520.
The endothermic button 510 is a button switch that prompts activation of a first operation mode (an endothermic mode), which is one of operation modes described later of the puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10. The power button 520 is a button switch for turning on the puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10. The configuration of the operation unit 500 is an example, and the configuration of the operation means that prompts the user of the puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10 to perform various functions may be any.
The light emitting unit 600 is an LED (Light Emitting Diode) indicator for notifying the user of the state of the puncture pain alleviating device 10, and includes LED indicators 610, 620, 630, and 640.
The indicator 610 is an indicator that displays whether or not energization to a later-described main board 15 of the puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10 is being performed.
The indicator 620 is an indicator for notifying that the latent heat storage agent 16 described later is in a heat saturation state, and is an example of “notification means” according to the present invention. The “notification unit” according to the present invention is not limited to this type of lighting unit, and may be, for example, a voice notification unit that outputs voice information via a speaker.
The indicator 630 is an indicator for notifying the operation mode of the puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10 and is an indicator for displaying whether or not the puncture pain reducing apparatus 10 is operating in a first operation mode to be described later.
The indicator 640 is another indicator for notifying the operation mode of the puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10 and is an indicator for displaying whether or not the puncture pain reducing apparatus 10 is operating in a second operation mode described later.
The configuration of the light emitting unit 600 is an example, and any means for notifying the user of the state of the puncture pain alleviating device 10 may be used.
In FIG. 1 (b), a circular hole is formed on the back side case 11R forming a part of the outline of the puncture pain alleviating device 10 on the upper side of the device. A part of the pressing portion 18 is exposed from this hole.
The pressing portion 18 is a heat conductive member that comes into contact with the skin of the user (for example, a patient) of the puncture pain alleviating device 10 when the puncture pain alleviating device 10 is used, and the exposed portion has a gentle spherical shape. It has become. The pressing part 18 is comprised by various heat conductive materials, such as a metal material, a heat conductive ceramic material, or a heat conductive resin material, for example. The hole formed in the back side case 11R and the exposed portion of the pressing portion 18 are joined while maintaining airtightness in accordance with a sealing structure described later, and the inside of the puncture pain alleviating device 10 is connected to the outside through this hole. It is configured not to communicate with.
In the following description, when referring to the entire case of the puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10 composed of the front case 11F and the back case 11R, the term “case 11” is used as appropriate. To do. The case 11 is an example of the “housing” according to the present invention.
Next, the configuration of the puncture pain alleviating device 10 will be further described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10. In FIG. 2, parts that are the same as in FIG. FIG. 2 corresponds to a cross-sectional view taken along line AA ′ in FIG.
In FIG. 2, the puncture pain alleviating device 10 is configured such that each part is accommodated in a case 11. The front side case 11F and the back side case 11R constituting the case 11 are pressed against each other through various seal members including the O-ring 12, and the puncture pain alleviating device 10 has a sealed structure as a whole.
The sealing structure of the puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment is equivalent to a waterproof structure having a grade equal to or higher than the second characteristic number “7” of “JIS C 0920” which is a JIS standard. The JIS standard is an example of the “predetermined standard” according to the present invention.
In addition, for such a sealing structure (waterproof structure) of the puncture pain relieving device 10 according to the JIS standard, for example, construction methods of various known sealing structures such as a sealing structure in a precision instrument such as a watch or a camera are applied. The puncture pain relieving device 10 does not have any special technical features in the sealing structure itself.
On the other hand, such a sealing structure has a ventilation hole in the outer shell of the device (in the puncture pain alleviating device 10, the case 11 including the front case 11 </ b> F and the back case 11 </ b> R and the portion exposed from the hole formed therein). Needless to say, when there is a part that inevitably communicates with the inside of the apparatus, it is fundamentally impossible to realize this. In other words, the puncture pain alleviating device 10 realizes this type of sealing structure by not having any part communicating with the inside of the device outside the device outline. This is a special technical feature of the puncture pain alleviating device 10.
Moreover, the case 11 is comprised with various heat insulation materials, such as a heat insulation ceramic and heat insulation resin, for example, and the puncture pain relief apparatus 10 which has the said sealing structure has a kind of heat insulation structure. Therefore, in the puncture pain alleviating device 10, the influence of heat that can be generated inside the device on the surface temperature of the case 11 is extremely small.
The “heat insulation structure” according to the present invention is not limited to the heat insulation structure in a strict sense that the heat conduction between the apparatus outer shell and the apparatus inside is completely cut off. That is, the heat insulation characteristic of the puncture pain alleviating device 10 is a heat insulation characteristic in a relative meaning that depends on the heat insulation characteristic of the heat insulation material constituting the case 11.
Since the puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10 is a medical device, the temperature of the apparatus surface has an allowable value based on, for example, JIS standard (T0601-1). Therefore, the insulation properties required for case 11 are preferably this tolerance and the amount of heat that can be generated inside the device or an estimate inside the device, which can be estimated beforehand experimentally, empirically or theoretically. Based on the maximum temperature and the like, the temperature of the apparatus surface is determined to be less than this allowable value. The selection of the heat insulating material constituting the case 11 is preferably performed based on the required heat insulating characteristics.
A battery 200 is accommodated in a space below the device (right side in the drawing) inside the puncture pain alleviating device 10. The battery 200 is a DC power source as an example of the “power source” according to the present invention in which a plurality of secondary battery cells are arranged in series, for example. The battery 200 is electrically connected to the main board 15 by a cable (reference numeral omitted).
In addition, a connector 300 that is an interface for charging the battery 200 is formed below the battery 200 (on the right side in the figure). Normally, the connector 300 is concealed from the outside by a sealing member 13 for securing the above-described sealing structure (that is, the sealing member 13 is also a part of the outer shell of the device forming the above-described sealing structure). . In addition, the connector 300 is electrically connected to the main board 15, and an electric signal indicating whether the connector 300 is connected to an external power supply with respect to an energization control unit 800 described later formed on the main board. Can be supplied.
As shown in FIG. 1A, the operation unit 500 and the light emitting unit 600 that are partially exposed on the front side of the device are electrically connected to the switch substrate 14 inside the puncture pain alleviating device 10. . The switch board 14 is formed with an operation signal generation unit (not shown) that generates an electrical signal corresponding to the operation content when the operation unit 500 is operated, a light emission drive circuit (not shown) of the light emitting unit 600, and the like. Yes. The switch board 14 is electrically connected to the main board 15.
In the internal space of the puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10, a Peltier element 100 is installed on the upper side (left side in the figure) of the apparatus rear side (lower side in the figure).
The Peltier element 100 is a plate-like heat transfer element having a first surface 1001 corresponding to the back side of the apparatus and a second surface 1002 corresponding to the front side of the apparatus (upper side in the drawing). The first surface 1001 is an example of a “first surface” according to the present invention, and the second surface 1002 is an example of a “second surface” according to the present invention. When the Peltier element 100 is energized, one of the first surface 1001 and the second surface 1002 becomes a heat absorbing surface, and the other surface becomes a heat radiating surface. The Peltier element 100 is electrically connected to the main board 15.
The first surface 1001 of the Peltier element 100 is in full surface contact with the pressing portion 18, and the second surface 1002 of the Peltier element 100 is in full surface contact with the accommodating portion 17 described later.
The accommodating part 17 is a heat conductive case opened to the front side of the apparatus. The accommodating portion 17 is an example of the “thermally conductive container” according to the present invention, which is configured of various thermally conductive materials such as a metal material, a thermally conductive ceramic material, or a thermally conductive resin material. A latent heat storage agent 16 is accommodated in the accommodating portion 17. The housing part 17 is closed by a canopy part 19 in a state where the latent heat storage agent 16 is housed.
The latent heat storage agent 16 is a heat storage body composed of a latent heat storage material capable of storing heat supplied from the outside as latent heat (that is, storing heat). As the latent heat storage agent 16, for example, an inorganic material such as calcium chloride hydrate, sodium thiosulfate hydrate, sodium sulfate hydrate, sodium acetate hydrate, or an organic material such as paraffin may be used. it can.
The latent heat storage agent 16 is in a solid phase in a low temperature region below a predetermined phase change temperature and in a liquid phase in a high temperature region higher than the phase change temperature, but in the phase change process from the solid phase to the liquid phase. Thermal energy can be stored. In a state where the latent heat storage agent 16 is not thermally saturated (that is, a non-heat saturation state), the phase change process continues, and the temperature of the latent heat storage agent 16 is maintained substantially constant at the phase change temperature. When the heat energy exceeding the accumulation limit is applied to the latent heat storage agent 16, the latent heat storage agent 16 enters a heat saturation state, and the temperature of the latent heat storage agent 16 increases according to the supplied heat.
The storage space of the latent heat storage agent 16 in the storage portion 17 is shaped so that the bottom and side surfaces of the latent heat storage agent 16 are stored in the storage space without any gap (in other words, in surface contact). It has been decided. Therefore, the position of the latent heat storage agent 16 hardly changes during the process in which the puncture pain relieving device 10 is used over a long period of time.
Here, the second surface 1002 of the Peltier element 100 and the outer bottom surface portion of the accommodating portion 17 are in surface contact as shown in the figure, and the accommodating portion 17 according to the present invention “is in thermal contact with the second surface. It is in a state of being “kept and kept”. On the other hand, although the latent heat storage agent 16 is accommodated in the accommodating part 17, since the accommodating part 17 has thermal conductivity, the thermal conductivity with respect to the external field is ensured. That is, the heat conduction between the second surface 1002 of the Peltier element 100 and the latent heat storage agent 16 is not hindered, and the latent heat storage agent 16 also has a thermal contact state with the second surface according to the present invention. It is in a state of being “kept and kept”.
The temperature sensor 700 is a sensor configured to be able to detect the temperature of an object. The temperature detection terminal of the temperature sensor 700 is fixed to the latent heat storage agent 16, and the temperature sensor 700 can measure the heat storage agent temperature T <b> 1 that is the temperature of the latent heat storage agent 16. The temperature sensor 700 is electrically connected to the main board 15. The temperature sensor 700 is an example of the “detecting means” according to the present invention.
The temperature sensor 900 is a sensor configured to be able to detect the temperature of an object. A temperature detection terminal of the temperature sensor 900 is fixed to the pressing portion 18, and can detect a pressing portion temperature T <b> 2 that is the temperature of the pressing portion 18. As described above, since the pressing portion 18 is in full surface contact with the Peltier element 100, the pressing portion temperature T2 can also be handled as the temperature of the Peltier element 100. The temperature sensor 700 is electrically connected to the main board 15.
Next, the configuration of the puncture pain alleviating device 10 will be further described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the puncture pain alleviating device 10. In the figure, the same reference numerals are given to the same portions as those in FIG. 2, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.
In FIG. 3, a driver IC 400 and an energization control unit 800 are formed on the main board 15.
The driver IC 400 is an IC (Integrated Circuit) that controls the energization state of each part in the puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10. The driver IC 400 is configured to be able to switch the energization state of each part in the Peltier element 100 according to the switching state of a switching element (not shown). The energization state of the puncture pain alleviating device 10 is defined according to the drive state (switching state) of the driver IC 400, that is, three types of energization states: a power-on state, a first energization state, and a second energization state. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the puncture pain alleviating device 10 is a medical device that can be operated by hand, and a driver IC suitable for downsizing the device is used. The device to be controlled can use a relay circuit or the like in addition to the driver IC.
In the power-on state, power is supplied from the battery 200 to the main board 15. On the other hand, power supply from the battery 200 to the Peltier device 100 is interrupted. That is, in the power-on state, the Peltier element 100 is not energized. The power-on state corresponds to a standby state.
In the first energization state, the Peltier element 100 is energized in addition to energization to the main board 15 equivalent to the power-on state. At this time, in the first energization state, energization is performed with an energization polarity in which the first surface 1001 of the Peltier element 100 is the heat absorption surface and the second surface 1002 is the heat dissipation surface.
In the second energization state, the Peltier element 100 is energized in addition to energization to the main board 15 equivalent to the power-on state. At this time, in the second energization state, energization is performed with an energization polarity in which the first surface 1001 of the Peltier element 100 is the heat dissipation surface and the second surface 1002 is the heat absorption surface.
That is, the second energization state is an energization state that is different from the first energization state only in the energization polarity. In the Peltier element 100, the surface that functions as the heat absorption surface and the surface that functions as the heat dissipation surface can be switched by reversing the energization polarity in this way. The puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10 utilizes such a function reversal action of the Peltier element 100.
The energization control unit 800 includes sub-processors of a charge determination unit 810, an operation determination unit 820, an IC control unit 830, a light emission control unit 840, a saturation determination unit 850, and a temperature control unit 860, and the operation of the puncture pain alleviating device 10 It is a controller which controls.
The charge determination unit 810 determines whether or not the battery 200 is in a charged state. As described above, the connector 300 connected to the battery 200 is electrically connected to the energization control unit 800, and the charge determination unit 810 is an electrical signal indicating whether the connector 300 is connected to an external power source. , It can be determined whether or not the battery 200 is in a charged state. The connector 300 is connected to an external power source via the connector CN of the charger CG.
The operation determination unit 820 is electrically connected to the above-described heat absorption button 510 and the power button 520 constituting the operation unit 500, and determines the operation state of each button.
The IC control unit 830 is an example of a “control unit” according to the present invention that controls the operating state of the driver IC 410. The IC control unit 830 supplies a control signal for the driver IC 410 to control the energization state of each part in the puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10 according to the state of each part of the puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10.
The light emission control unit 840 is electrically connected to each indicator constituting the light emitting unit 600 and controls the light emission operation of each indicator. The light emission control unit 840 is an example of the “notification unit” according to the present invention.
The saturation determination unit 850 is electrically connected to the temperature sensor 700 and determines whether or not the latent heat storage agent 16 is in a thermal saturation state based on the above-described heat storage agent temperature T1 detected by the temperature sensor 700. The saturation determination unit 850 is an example of the “detection unit” according to the present invention.
The temperature control unit 860 is electrically connected to the temperature sensor 900, and controls the temperature state of the Peltier element 100 based on the above-described pressing unit temperature T2 detected by the temperature sensor 900.
For example, the temperature control unit 860 controls the driver IC 400 via the IC control unit 830, so that the temperature of the first surface 1001 of the Peltier element 100 is maintained in a desired temperature range according to various operation modes described later. To control. The temperature controller 860 is further configured to stop energization of the Peltier element 100 when the temperature of the first surface 1001 of the Peltier element 100 exceeds upper and lower limit values corresponding to various operation modes described later. May be.
<Operation of Example>
Next, the operation of the puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment will be described.
<Details of operation mode>
The puncture pain alleviating device 10 is set with three types of operation modes corresponding to the above-described energized state, ie, a power mode, a first operation mode, and a second operation mode. The power supply mode is an operation mode in which the energization state is controlled to the above-described power-on state, the first operation mode is an operation mode similarly controlled to the above-described first energization state, and the second operation mode is also the same as described above. This is an operation mode controlled to the second energization state.
Here, the details of the first and second operation modes will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram of the operation mode of the puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10. FIG. 4 corresponds to an enlarged view of the periphery of the Peltier element 100 in FIG. In the figure, the same reference numerals are given to the same portions as those in FIG. 2, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.
FIG. 4A is a conceptual diagram of the first operation mode. The first operation mode is an operation mode in which the energized state of each part of the puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10 is set to the first energized state described above. That is, in the first operation mode, the IC control unit 830 controls the driver IC 400 to realize the first energization state.
As shown in FIG. 4A, in the first operation mode, the Peltier element 100 has a first surface 1001 as a heat absorbing surface and a second surface 1002 as a heat radiating surface. Here, when the puncture pain alleviating device 10 is used, the pressing portion 18 having thermal conductivity is pressed against the use target portion of the user. Accordingly, in the first operation mode, the heat of the use target portion of the user is absorbed by the Peltier element 100 via the pressing portion 18 and the first surface 1001. For example, when the puncture pain alleviating device 10 is used prior to driving the puncture needle into the patient's skin, the temperature of the patient's skin is lowered by the endothermic action of the Peltier element 100 in the first operation mode, and the puncture is performed. The puncture pain when the needle is driven into the skin is relieved. Various studies have already revealed that the puncture pain perceived by the patient can be reduced by lowering the skin temperature.
Further, the heat absorbed by the Peltier device 100 in the first operation mode is radiated from the second surface 1002 serving as a heat dissipation surface. Here, the second surface 1002 is in contact with the accommodating portion 17 having thermal conductivity, and the latent heat storage agent 16 is accommodated in the internal space of the accommodating portion 17. Accordingly, the heat absorbed by the Peltier element 100 is accumulated in the latent heat storage agent 16. As already described, the heat storage agent temperature T1, which is the temperature of the latent heat storage agent 16, does not change until the latent heat storage agent 16 reaches a thermal saturation state. For this reason, the puncture pain alleviating device 10 does not generate heat during normal use.
FIG. 4B is a conceptual diagram of the second operation mode. The second operation mode is an operation mode in which the energized state of each part of the puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10 is set to the second energized state described above. That is, in the second operation mode, the IC control unit 830 controls the driver IC 400 to realize the second energization state.
As shown in FIG. 4B, in the second operation mode, in the Peltier element 100, the first surface 1001 is a heat dissipation surface and the second surface 1002 is a heat absorption surface. Here, the second surface 1002 is in contact with the accommodating portion 17 having thermal conductivity, and the latent heat storage agent 16 is accommodated in the internal space of the accommodating portion 17. Therefore, in the second operation mode, the heat accumulated in the latent heat storage agent 16 in the first operation mode is absorbed by the Peltier element 100 via the housing portion 17 and the second surface 1002.
On the other hand, the heat absorbed by the Peltier element 100 is radiated from the first surface 1001 serving as a heat dissipation surface. Here, the first surface 1001 is in contact with the pressing portion 18 having thermal conductivity, and the heat radiated from the first surface 1001 is finally released to the outside through the pressing portion 18.
<Details of operation mode control>
Next, the execution conditions of these operation modes will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a control table related to the operation control of the puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10.
In FIG. 5, the left end column indicates the control pattern number of the puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10.
The second to fifth columns from the left represent the state of the puncture pain alleviating device 10, the second column is the operating state of the power button 520, and the third column is the operating state of the endothermic button 510. In addition, the fourth column corresponds to the charging execution state (connection state with the external power source), and the fifth column corresponds to the presence or absence of thermal saturation of the latent heat storage agent 16. In the second and third columns, the symbol “◯” indicates that the button is pressed (ie, is ON), and the symbol “x” indicates that the button is not pressed (that is, is OFF). In the fourth column, the symbol “◯” indicates that the battery 200 is connected to an external power source via the connector 300, the connector CN, and the charger CG, and the symbol “X” indicates that the battery 200 is connected to the external power source. It means not. In the fifth column, the symbol “◯” represents that the latent heat storage agent 16 is in a heat saturation state, and the symbol “X” represents that the latent heat storage agent 16 is not in a heat saturation state. In the second column to the fifth column, a blank represents that either may be used.
The sixth column to the eighth column from the left represent the operation modes of the puncture pain alleviating device 10, the sixth column is the power mode, the seventh column is the first operation mode, and the eighth column. Corresponds to the second operation mode. In the sixth column to the eighth column, the symbol “◯” represents that the puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10 is controlled to the operation mode, and the blank represents that the operation mode is not controlled.
In addition, the ninth column and the twelfth column from the left represent the light emission state of each indicator of the light emitting unit 600, the ninth column is the indicator 610, the tenth column is the indicator 620, and the eleventh column is the indicator. 630 corresponds to the indicator 640 in the twelfth column. In each of these columns, the symbol “◯” indicates that light is emitted, and the blank indicates that light is not emitted. In addition, “blinking” indicates that light is emitted intermittently.
Hereinafter, the operation of each part of the puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10 will be described for each control pattern of the control patterns P1 to P7. The control patterns P1 to P7 are examples of operating conditions that can be taken by the puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10, and are not necessarily all the operating conditions that can be taken by the puncture pain reducing apparatus 10.
<Control pattern P1>
The control pattern P1 is determined when the operation determination unit 820 determines that the power button 520 is not pressed, and the charge determination unit 810 determines that the battery 200 is not connected to an external power source. It is a control pattern corresponding to.
In the control pattern P1, the operation mode of the puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10 is not any operation mode, and the puncture pain reducing apparatus 10 is in a stopped state. In the stop state, each indicator of the light emitting unit 600 is also in a non-light emitting state.
<Control pattern P2>
The control pattern P2 is determined by the operation determination unit 820 that the power button 520 has not been pressed, the charge determination unit 810 determines that the battery 200 is connected to an external power source, and is saturated. This is a control pattern corresponding to a case where the determination unit 850 determines that the latent heat storage agent 16 is not in the heat saturation state.
In the control pattern P2, the second operation mode is executed under the control of the driver IC 400 by the IC control unit 830. That is, the heat radiation operation via the pressing portion 18 described with reference to FIG. 4B, in other words, the reset operation of the latent heat storage agent 16 is performed.
Further, in the control pattern P2, the light emission control unit 840 causes the indicator 640 of the light emitting unit 600 to emit light. Furthermore, in the control pattern P2, since the battery 200 is charged by supplying power from an external power source, the light emission control unit 840 causes the indicator 610 to emit light intermittently. The reason for intermittent light emission is to distinguish from the light emission state when the power button 520 is pressed.
Whether the latent heat storage agent 16 is in a heat saturation state is determined by the saturation determination unit 850. As described above, when the latent heat storage agent 16 is in a non-thermal saturation state, the heat storage agent temperature T1 is a value equal to or lower than the phase change temperature. Therefore, when the heat storage agent temperature T1 detected by the temperature sensor 700 becomes higher than the phase change temperature, it can be determined that the latent heat storage agent 16 has fallen into a heat saturation state.
In the present embodiment, the saturation determination unit 850 performs the determination operation with reference to the detection value of the temperature sensor 700, but the saturation / non-saturation determination operation is not necessarily required. For example, the saturation determination unit 850 simply outputs a signal (for example, a Hi / Lo binary signal) according to a comparison result between the heat storage agent temperature T1 detected by the temperature sensor 700 and a preset phase change temperature. It may be configured. The same can be applied to the charging determination unit 810 and the operation determination unit 820.
<Control pattern P3>
In the control pattern P3, the operation determination unit 820 determines that the power button 520 is not pressed, the charge determination unit 810 determines that the battery 200 is connected to an external power source, and is saturated. This is a control pattern corresponding to the case where the determination unit 850 determines that the latent heat storage agent 16 is in a heat saturation state.
In the control pattern P3, the second operation mode is executed under the control of the driver IC 400 by the IC control unit 830. That is, the heat radiation operation via the pressing portion 18 described with reference to FIG. 4B, in other words, the reset operation of the latent heat storage agent 16 is performed.
In the control pattern P3, the light emission control unit 840 causes the indicator 640 and the indicator 620 of the light emitting unit 600 to emit light. Furthermore, in the control pattern P2, since the battery 200 is charged by supplying power from an external power source, the light emission control unit 840 causes the indicator 610 to emit light intermittently.
<Control pattern P4>
In the control pattern P4, the operation determination unit 820 determines that the power button 520 is pressed and the heat absorption button 510 is not pressed. The saturation determination unit 850 determines that the latent heat storage agent 16 is This control pattern corresponds to a case where it is determined that the thermal saturation state is not reached. When the power button 520 is pressed, the presence or absence of connection between the battery 200 and the external power supply does not affect the control. Therefore, the charging determination unit 810 may or may not determine whether the battery 200 is connected to an external power source.
In the control pattern P4, the power supply mode is executed under the control of the driver IC 400 by the IC control unit 830, and the light emission control unit 840 causes the indicator 610 of the light emitting unit 600 to emit light. The state of the puncture pain alleviating device 10 according to the control pattern P4 is a so-called standby state.
<Control pattern P5>
In the control pattern P5, the operation determination unit 820 determines that the power button 520 is pressed and the heat absorption button 510 is not pressed. The saturation determination unit 850 determines that the latent heat storage agent 16 is This is a control pattern corresponding to a case where it is determined that the heat saturation state exists.
In the control pattern P5, the power supply mode is executed by the control of the driver IC 400 by the IC control unit 830, and the light emission control unit 840 causes the indicator 610 and the indicator 620 of the light emitting unit 600 to emit light. The state of the puncture pain relieving device 10 according to the control pattern P5 is a state in which the user of the puncture pain relieving device 10 is notified that the latent heat storage agent 16 is in a heat saturation state in a so-called standby state.
<Control pattern P6>
In the control pattern P6, the operation determination unit 820 determines that the power button 520 is pressed and the heat absorption button 510 is pressed. The saturation determination unit 850 determines that the latent heat storage agent 16 is This control pattern corresponds to a case where it is determined that the thermal saturation state is not reached.
In the control pattern P6, the first operation mode is executed under the control of the driver IC 400 by the IC control unit 830. That is, the endothermic operation via the pressing portion 18 described with reference to FIG.
In the control pattern P6, the light emission control unit 840 causes the indicator 610 and the indicator 630 of the light emitting unit 600 to emit light.
<Control pattern P7>
In the control pattern P7, the operation determination unit 820 determines that the power button 520 is pressed and the heat absorption button 510 is pressed. The saturation determination unit 850 determines that the latent heat storage agent 16 is This is a control pattern corresponding to a case where it is determined that the heat saturation state exists.
In the control pattern P7, the first operation mode is executed under the control of the driver IC 400 by the IC control unit 830. That is, the endothermic operation via the pressing portion 18 described with reference to FIG.
In the control pattern P7, the light emission control unit 840 causes the indicator 610, the indicator 620, and the indicator 630 of the light emitting unit 600 to emit light.
<Effect of Example>
The puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10 has an advantageous effect on practice peculiar to the puncture pain reducing apparatus according to the present invention as follows.
<Adsorption effect of heat absorption / radiation performance>
The puncture pain alleviating device 10 includes a thermally conductive accommodating portion 17 between the second surface 1002 of the Peltier element 100 and the latent heat storage agent 16. That is, the latent heat storage agent 16 is accommodated in the accommodating portion 17. The internal space of the housing portion 17 is formed so as to match the physique and shape of the latent heat storage agent 16, and the latent heat storage agent 16 inhibits heat conduction with the second surface 1002 of the Peltier element 100. Without being damaged, it is protected from vibration and shock during the actual use of the device. Therefore, in the puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10, the three-dimensional positional relationship between the latent heat storage agent 16 and the Peltier element 100 does not change with time. For this reason, the puncture pain alleviating device 10 has its heat absorption and heat dissipation characteristics (for example, the amount of heat absorbed and released per unit area of the Peltier element 100) that does not change over time. That is, the puncture pain alleviating device 10 can maintain its heat absorption / radiation performance as much as possible over time.
<Trouble prevention effect>
As described above, in the puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10, the first operation mode is executed when the heat absorption button 510 is pressed while the power button 520 is pressed. Further, the second operation mode is executed when the power button 520 is not pressed while the battery 200 is connected to the external power source, that is, when the battery 200 is charged. In other words, the puncture pain alleviating device 10 pays attention to the fact that the pressing portion 18 can be used as both a heat absorbing surface and a heat radiating surface by switching the energization polarity with respect to the Peltier element 100. The structure is not broken.
For example, when resetting the latent heat storage agent 16 using a heat radiating member that cannot control the progress of heat radiating, such as a heat radiating plate or a heat sink, the heat absorption via the pressing portion 18 and the heat radiating member via The heat dissipation that has occurred will proceed at the same time. If both proceed at the same time, for example, the patient may accidentally contact the heat radiating member. In this respect, in the puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10, the heat accumulated in the latent heat storage agent 16 is not freely radiated but is radiated only when the second operation mode is executed. That is, the pressing part 18 functions as one functional member with the clear intention of the user regarding whether the pressing part 18 is used as a heat absorbing member or a heat radiating member. Therefore, such a situation is not caused.
Further, in the puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10, there is no problem even if an operation button corresponding to the second operation mode is provided, but the apparatus is configured so that the second operation mode is executed only during charging. Therefore, such a situation can be prevented more firmly. That is, generally, the location of the external power source used for charging is often different from the location where the apparatus is used. Inevitably, the second operation mode gradually proceeds in a place where a human body is present in the vicinity and at least a user is not present. Therefore, it is safer. It is also possible to easily determine the usage rules for the device.
<Temperature rise prevention effect inside and outside the device>
The puncture pain alleviating device 10 can cool the use target part of the user by the heat absorbing action of the first surface 1001 of the Peltier element 100 in the first operation mode. At this time, the absorbed heat is released from the second surface 1002 of the Peltier element 100 inside the device, but the puncture pain alleviating device 10 can store the released heat in the latent heat storage agent 16. . The latent heat storage agent 16 does not increase in temperature for a corresponding period until its heat storage capacity is satisfied (that is, until it is saturated with heat). In other words, the puncture pain alleviating device 10 substantially does not have a heat source inside the device during its use. Accordingly, the outer temperature (mainly, the temperature of the case 11) is maintained almost equal to the temperature of the usage environment (for example, the room temperature). The temperature of the medical device has a restriction based on, for example, JIS standard (T0601-1) and the like, but it is easy to comply with the puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10 that does not have a heat source inside the apparatus.
Also in the puncture pain alleviating device 10, when the latent heat storage agent 16 falls into a heat saturation state, the temperature of the latent heat storage agent 16 gradually increases during the use of the device. However, the puncture pain alleviating device 10 detects the thermal saturation of the latent heat storage agent 16 by the action of the temperature sensor 700 and the saturation determination unit 850, and further detects the detected heat by the action of the indicator 820 and the light emission control unit 840. Saturation can be promptly notified to the user. For this reason, it is possible to easily take appropriate measures before the heat storage agent temperature T1 rises excessively (that is, in this embodiment, the operation of connecting the battery 200 to the external power supply without pressing the power button 520). It is.
Furthermore, the case 11 (the front side case 11F and the back side case 11R) that defines the outline of the puncture pain relieving device 10 is made of a heat insulating material, and the puncture pain relieving device 10 has a heat insulating structure as a whole. Yes. Therefore, in the puncture pain alleviating device 10, it is difficult for the temperature inside the device to be conducted to the surface of the device, and it is assumed that the use of the device is continued for a period of time after the latent heat storage agent 16 shifts to the heat saturation state. (Which is not uncommon in the field of medical practice), an increase in the surface temperature of the device is prevented. That is, the puncture pain alleviating device 10 has high practicality due to its temperature rise preventing effect.
<Ease of sterilization and disinfection>
The puncture pain alleviating device 10 can use the pressing portion 18 as a heat absorbing member or a heat radiating member by utilizing a switching function between the heat absorbing surface and the heat radiating surface of the Peltier element 100. In other words, during normal use of the puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10, the use target portion of the user is cooled by using the pressing portion 18 as a heat absorbing member in the first operation mode, so that puncture by the user is performed. Can relieve pain. Further, when the latent heat storage agent 16 falls into a thermal saturation state, the latent heat storage agent 16 releases the heat accumulated as latent heat to the outside by using the pressing portion 18 as a heat radiating member in the second operation mode. The amount of heat stored in the latent heat storage agent 16 can be reduced, and ideally, the amount of stored heat can be made zero (that is, reset). In other words, in the puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10, the place where heat is exchanged with the outside world is limited only to the pressing portion 18. This has great significance as a medical device.
That is, in practical operation, medical devices require sterilization and disinfection. It is also required to be hygienic.
There are various methods of sterilization and disinfection, but in any case, it is necessary that communication between the outer shell of the device and the inner portion of the device is cut off. Also, in terms of hygiene, the communication between the outer shell of the device and the inner portion of the device needs to be blocked. This is because if the device shell communicates with the inside of the device, the patient's body fluid or the like enters or infiltrates the inside of the device and is unsanitary. Therefore, the ease of sterilization and disinfection required for medical devices and the sanitary function disappear at the stage where the vents are formed in the outer shell of the apparatus.
Here, when there is no technical idea of using the pressing portion 18 as a heat absorption surface and a heat dissipation surface, a method of using a cooling fan is one method for releasing the heat accumulated in the latent heat storage agent 16 to the outside. Conceivable. However, the operation of the cooling fan requires an intake port and an exhaust port, and the above-described sterilization and disinfection eases are lost and not hygienic. As another method, a method using a heat radiating member such as a heat radiating plate or a heat sink can be considered. In this case, although it is possible to cut off the communication between the outer shell and the inner device, as described above, since there is no controllability in the heat radiation action, there is a concern in terms of safety. Further, both methods cannot exclude the possibility that the temperature of the surface of the apparatus exceeds a specified value in the actual use environment of the apparatus. That is, in any case, it is extremely difficult to comply with matters that should be observed as a medical device.
On the other hand, according to the puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10, since heat is exchanged only through the pressing portion 18, the entire apparatus can have a sealed structure, and sterilization and disinfection are easy. In addition, since it has a sealed structure, it is extremely good in terms of hygiene. Furthermore, in the puncture pain alleviating device 10, controllability regarding heat absorption / heat dissipation is ensured. Therefore, the temperature of the device outer shell (device surface) does not conflict with the regulations in the actual use environment of the device. In other words, in the puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10, the matters to be observed as a medical device are cleared very well.
In the puncture pain alleviating apparatus 10, the first surface 1001 of the Peltier element 100 is covered with the pressing portion 18 and is not exposed to the outside. Such a configuration is more desirable in terms of hygiene. However, on the other hand, in contrast to the concept of the medical device according to the present invention and the puncture pain relieving device 10, the puncture pain relieving device 10 does not necessarily have the pressing portion 18. That is, the first surface 1001 of the Peltier element 100 may be partially or entirely exposed to the outside. Even in this case, there is no problem in realizing a sealed structure as a whole apparatus.
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist or concept of the invention that can be read from the claims and the entire specification. A medical device accompanying such a change can also be used. It is included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Puncture pain alleviation device, 100 ... Peltier device, 200 ... Battery, 300 ... Connector, 400 ... Driver IC, 500 ... Operation part, 510 ... Endothermic button, 520 ... Power button, 600 ... Light emission part, 610, 620, 630.640 ... Indicator, 700 ... Temperature sensor, 800 ... Electrification control unit, 810 ... Charge determination unit, 820 ... Operation determination unit, 830 ... IC control unit, 840 ... Light emission control unit, 850 ... Saturation determination unit, 860 ... Temperature Control unit, 1001... First surface (Peltier element), 1002... Second surface (Peltier element), 900.

Claims (1)

A Peltier element having a first surface and a second surface;
Control means for performing first energization control with respect to the Peltier element, wherein the first surface is a heat absorbing surface and the second surface is a heat radiating surface;
A latent heat storage agent disposed in thermal contact with the second surface;
A medical device comprising: a housing for storing the Peltier element and the latent heat storage agent in a state where a heat conductive member covering at least a part of the first surface or the first surface is exposed.

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