JP2022104396A - Excretion detecting device - Google Patents

Abstract

To wash and repeatedly use an excretion detecting device without deterioration of detection performance in a gas sensor.SOLUTION: A partition wall (24) for partitioning the inside of a housing (12) into a first chamber (20) and a second chamber (22) in a longitudinal direction is provided. In the housing (12), a circuit board (34) is provided so as to pass through the partition wall (24), and on a portion located in the first chamber (20) on the circuit board (34), a gas sensor (36) is mounted. On a portion located in the second chamber (22) on the circuit board (34), a control unit (40) for controlling the gas sensor (36) is mounted. The circuit board (34) is covered with a protection surface film (C), and the protection surface film (C) has anti-fouling property, waterproofness, and water repellency.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to an excretion detection device for detecting the presence or absence of excretion of a subject such as a care recipient or a nurse.

In recent years, the aging society has progressed rapidly, and along with this, the number of care recipients and nurses who cannot handle their own excrement is increasing.

At the care site, the diapers are regularly inspected, and the caregiver confirms whether or not the care recipient has excreted, which is a great physical and mental burden on the caregiver. Further, for the care recipient, even if the care recipient excretes during the inspection interval, the care recipient's excrement is left as it is during that period, which causes mental distress. The above-mentioned problems are the same not only in the field of long-term care but also in the field of nursing.

Therefore, the applicant of the present application has already developed and applied for an excretion detection device for detecting the presence or absence of excretion of a subject such as a care recipient or a nurse (see Patent Document 1).

Inside the housing of the excretion detection device of Patent Document 1, a distribution room is formed as a first room for circulating excrement gas generated from the excrement of a subject such as a care recipient or a nurse. .. The housing is formed with an introduction hole for introducing the excrement gas into the distribution chamber and an outlet hole for deriving the excretion gas from the distribution chamber. A circuit board is provided inside the housing, and a gas sensor for detecting excretory gas and a control unit for controlling the gas sensor are mounted on the circuit board, respectively.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2018-171236

By the way, while using the excretion detection device, dirt such as excrement of the subject may adhere to the excretion detection device. In this case, it is necessary to clean the excretion detection device without deteriorating the detection performance of the gas sensor. Especially in these days when measures against infectious diseases are being called for, it is indispensable to take this into consideration.

However, the excretion detection device of Patent Document 1 does not consider the above-mentioned points, and it is desired to develop an excretion detection device that can be washed and used repeatedly without deteriorating the detection performance of the gas sensor.

One aspect of the present invention is to clean and repeatedly use the excretion detection device without deteriorating the detection performance of the gas sensor.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in the excretion detection device according to one aspect of the present invention, the first chamber is formed on one side in the length direction inside, and the second chamber is formed on the other side in the length direction inside. A housing formed with an introduction hole for introducing the excretory gas generated from the excrement of the subject into the first chamber and an outlet hole for drawing out the excretory gas from the distribution chamber, and the above-mentioned A partition wall provided inside the housing and partitioning the first chamber and the second chamber in the length direction, and a partition wall provided inside the housing so as to pass through the partition wall and located in the first chamber. A gas sensor for detecting excretory gas is mounted on the portion to be excreted, and a circuit board on which a control unit for controlling the gas sensor is mounted is provided on the portion located in the second chamber, and the circuit board is coated with a protective film. The protective film has at least one of antifouling property, waterproof property, and water repellency.

According to the configuration, the circuit board is coated with the protective film, and the protective film has at least one of antifouling property, waterproof property, and water repellency. Therefore, even if a cleaning liquid such as water invades the excretion detection device (the housing), it is possible to prevent the circuit board including the gas sensor from failing. That is, the excretion detection device can be washed and used repeatedly without deteriorating the detection performance of the gas sensor.

In the excretion detection device according to one aspect of the present invention, the protective coating may be coated on the circuit board except for the detection portion of the gas sensor that comes into contact with the excretion gas.

According to the above configuration, since the protective film is coated on the circuit board except for the detection portion of the gas sensor, the detection performance of the gas sensor can be sufficiently ensured.
In the excretion detection device according to one aspect of the present invention, the protective film may be coated with a fluorine-based coating agent.

According to the above configuration, since the protective film is coated with a fluorine-based coating agent, the protective film can sufficiently secure antifouling property, waterproof property, and water repellency.

In the excretion detection device according to one aspect of the present invention, a notch portion for opening a part of the second chamber is formed in the housing, and further, the gas sensor is provided on the back side of the notch portion of the housing. A battery holder that holds a battery that is a power source for the control unit, a lid member that is detachably provided in the notch portion of the housing, and a lid member that is provided on the notch portion side inside the housing and of the battery. A protective wall surrounding the battery holder excluding the take-out side may be provided.

According to the above configuration, since the protective wall surrounding the battery holder excluding the battery ejection side is provided on the notch side inside the housing, urine that has entered the distribution chamber is provided. It is possible to prevent the battery holder from getting wet with the liquid such as urine.

In the excretion detection device according to one aspect of the present invention, the excrement of the subject may be the stool of the subject, and the excretion gas may be hydrogen sulfide or methyl mercaptan.

According to the above configuration, the gas sensor can detect hydrogen sulfide or methyl mercaptan which is an excreted gas.

According to the present invention, the excretion detection device can be washed and used repeatedly without deteriorating the detection performance of the gas sensor.

It is a perspective view which looked at the excretion detection apparatus which concerns on this embodiment from one side in the width direction. It is a perspective view which looked at the excretion detection device of FIG. 1 from the other side in the width direction. It is a figure which looked at the excretion detection device of FIG. 1 from the front side. It is a figure which looked at the excretion detection device of FIG. 1 from the back side. It is a figure which looked at the inside of the excretion detection device of FIG. 1 with the housing body, a circuit board, and a lid member removed from the back side. It is a figure which looked at the inside of the excretion detection device of FIG. 1 with the housing cover and a lid member removed from the front side. It is the figure which looked at the circuit board from the front side. It is a figure which looked at the circuit board of FIG. 7 from the back side. It is the figure which looked at the excretion detection device with the lid member removed from the front side.

Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the specification and claims, the width direction is the width direction of the excretion detection device, in other words, the width direction of the housing. The length direction is a direction orthogonal to the width direction of the excretion detection device, in other words, a direction orthogonal to the width direction of the housing. The length direction is usually the longitudinal direction of the housing, but is not limited to the longitudinal direction of the housing. In the drawings, "WD" refers to the width direction and "LD" refers to the longitudinal direction.

[Overview of excretion detection device]
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the excretion detection device 10 according to the present embodiment is a device for detecting the presence or absence of excretion of a subject such as a care recipient or a nurse. The excretion detection device 10 is usually installed inside a worn item such as a diaper worn by the subject. Here, in the present embodiment, the excretion of the subject who is the detection target of the excretion detection device 10 is the excretion of the subject's stool, and the excretion gas G is, for example, hydrogen sulfide or methyl mercaptan. The excretion detection device 10 may be installed in the vicinity of the worn item, not inside the worn item such as a diaper.

[Case configuration]
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the excretion detection device 10 includes a housing 12 extending in the length direction, and the housing 12 is made of, for example, a synthetic resin such as polyethylene terephthalate or polyethylene. The housing 12 includes a box-shaped housing body 14 and a box-shaped housing cover 18 fixed to the opening side of the housing body 14 by a plurality of special screws 16. The housing body 14 is located on the back side of the excretion detection device 10, and the housing cover 18 is located on the front side of the excretion detection device 10. Since the fastened state of the special screw 16 cannot be released with a normal tool, the housing cover 18 cannot be removed from the housing main body 14.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a distribution chamber 20 is formed as a first chamber for circulating the excrement gas G on one side in the length direction inside the housing 12. A control chamber 22 as a second chamber is formed on the other side in the length direction inside the housing 12. A partition wall 24 for partitioning the distribution chamber 20 and the control chamber 22 is provided inside the housing 12, and the partition wall 24 constitutes a part of the housing 12. The partition wall 24 extends in a direction parallel to the width direction, and includes a partition wall 24a provided inside the housing body 14 and a partition wall 24b provided inside the housing cover 18.

On one side of the housing 12 in the length direction, a seven-slit-shaped introduction hole 26 for introducing the excrement gas G into the distribution chamber 20 is formed. The introduction hole 26 is formed only in the housing cover 18, but may be formed in the housing body 14. The shape of each introduction hole 26 may be appropriately changed from a slit shape to, for example, a rectangular shape or a round shape.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, six slit-shaped first outlet holes 28 for deriving the excrement gas G from the distribution chamber 20 are formed on one side of the housing 12 in the width direction. Further, on the other side portion in the width direction of the housing 12, six slit-shaped second outlet holes 30 for deriving the excrement gas G from the distribution chamber 20 are formed. Although the first lead-out hole 28 and the second lead-out hole 30 are formed in the housing body 14 and the housing cover 18, respectively, they may be formed only in the housing cover 18. The first lead-out hole 28 and the second lead-out hole 30 may be appropriately changed from a slit shape to, for example, a rectangular shape or a round shape.

In the present embodiment, the total flow path area of the three first lead-out holes 28 and the three second lead-out holes 30 is set to be larger than the total flow path area of the seven introduction holes 26.

Inside the housing cover 18, a vertical guide wall 32A is provided perpendicular to the partition wall 24a, and the vertical guide wall 32A is located at the center of the housing cover 18 in the width direction. A rib-shaped auxiliary guide wall 32B is provided in the vicinity of the introduction hole 26 inside the housing cover 18, and the auxiliary guide wall 32B is located at the center in the width direction of the housing cover 18 and has a length. It extends parallel to the direction. The partition wall 24, the vertical guide wall 32A, and the auxiliary guide wall 32B guide the excrement gas G introduced into the distribution chamber 20 to the six first outlet holes 28 side and the six second outlet holes 30 side.

[Configuration of circuit board and its surroundings]
As shown in FIGS. 4 to 8, a circuit board 34 extending in the length direction is provided inside the housing 12 so as to pass through the partition wall 24. The circuit board 34 is positioned with respect to the housing 12 by a plurality of positioning protrusions 35 provided on the housing body 14. The partition wall 24a is formed with a recess 24ad recessed by the thickness corresponding to the thickness of the circuit board 34 so that the circuit board 34 can pass through the partition wall 24.

A gas sensor 36 that detects the excreted gas G is mounted on a portion of the circuit board 34 located in the distribution chamber 20. The gas sensor 36 has a detection unit 36a that comes into contact with the excrement gas G. As the gas sensor 36, a semiconductor type gas sensor, an electrochemical type gas sensor, a crystal vibration type gas sensor, or the like is used. The gas sensor 36 constitutes a part of the circuit board 34.

A communication IC chip 38 as a communication unit that wirelessly transmits and receives data to and from an external information processing device (not shown) such as an external computer is mounted on a portion of the circuit board 34 located in the control room 22. A microcontroller 40 is mounted as a control unit for controlling the gas sensor 36 and the communication IC chip 38 in a portion of the circuit board 34 located in the control chamber 22. The communication IC chip 38 and the microcontroller 40 form a part of the circuit board 34.

The microcontroller 40 has a processor such as a CPU, RAM, and ROM. The microcontroller 40 acquires the detection result from the gas sensor 36 at a predetermined sampling interval. The microcontroller 40 causes the communication IC chip 38 to transmit the detection result to an external information processing device. As a result, the external information processing device can detect (determine) the presence or absence of excretion of the subject by referring to the detection result from the gas sensor 36. The microcontroller 40 may detect the presence or absence of excretion of the subject. In this case, when the microcontroller 40 detects the presence or absence of excretion of the subject, the communication IC chip 38 informs the external information processing device to that effect. Notify.

Various electronic components (not shown) other than the gas sensor 36, the communication IC chip 38, and the microcontroller 40 are mounted on the circuit board 34.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, in the present embodiment, the front surface and the back surface of the circuit board 34 have a protective coating C having antifouling property, waterproof property, and water repellency, except for the detection unit 36a of the gas sensor 36. Is coated. The protective film C is composed of, for example, a coating agent having antifouling property, waterproof property, and water repellency such as a fluorine-based coating agent. In other words, the protective coating C has antifouling property, waterproof property, and water repellency. In addition to the detection unit 36a of the gas sensor 36, the portion where the protective coating C is not coated includes a portion of electronic components other than the gas sensor 36 where the protective coating C may not be able to exert its function. The protective film C may have at least one of antifouling property, waterproof property, and water repellency instead of having antifouling property, waterproof property, and water repellency.

[Battery holder and other configurations]
As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 5, and 9, the housing 12 is formed with a notch 42 that opens a part of the control chamber 22 along the width direction. A battery holder 46 for holding a button battery 44, which is a power source for the circuit board 34, is provided on the back side of the notch 42 of the housing 12. The battery holder 46 has a leaf spring portion (not shown) for holding the button battery 44 by a spring force. In order to facilitate the attachment / detachment of the button battery 44, the button battery 44 is held in the button battery 44 with the edges on both sides exposed. The excretion detection device 10 may use another battery as a power source instead of the button battery 44.

A lid member 48 is provided in the notch 42 of the housing 12 so as to cover the battery holder 46, and the lid member 48 can be attached to and detached from the housing 12 via a set screw 50. The lid member 48 can move in the width direction along the notch 42 of the housing 12 in the loosened state of the set screw 50. As a result, before replacing the button battery 44, the set screw 50 is loosened, the lid member 48 is moved to one side in the width direction, and the lid member 48 is detached from the notch 42 of the housing 12. After replacing the button battery 44, the lid member 48 is moved to the other side in the width direction, attached to the notch 42 of the housing 12, and fixed to the housing 12 by tightening the set screw 50.

A protective wall 52 is provided on the notch 42 side inside the housing cover 18, and the protective wall 52 surrounds the periphery of the battery holder 46 excluding the take-out side of the button battery 44. In this embodiment, a part of the partition wall 24a is a part of the protective wall 52.

A switch 54 that can switch between an ON state and an OFF state is provided on the other side of the housing 12 in the width direction. The ON state is a state in which power is supplied from the button battery 44, and the OFF state is a state in which power supply from the button battery 44 is stopped. Further, a attachment portion 56 for attaching a string-shaped or tape-shaped connecting member (not shown) is provided at the other end of the housing 12 in the length direction, and the connecting member is an excretion detecting device. 10 is used to install the 10 inside the wearable items such as diapers of the subject.

[Action effect]
Subsequently, the operation and effect of the excretion detection device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described.

According to the configuration of the present embodiment, the excrement gas G generated from the excrement of the subject is introduced into the distribution chamber 20 through the plurality of introduction holes 26. The excretory gas G introduced into the distribution chamber 20 is guided to the plurality of first outlet holes 28 side and the plurality of second outlet holes 30 side by the partition wall 24, the vertical guide wall 32A, and the auxiliary guide wall 32B. Then, the excretory gas G guided to the side of the plurality of first outlet holes 28 is led out to the outside of the housing 12 from the plurality of first outlet holes 28. The excretory gas G guided to the side of the plurality of second outlet holes 30 is led out from the plurality of second outlet holes 30 to the outside of the housing 12. As a result, the excrement gas G can be smoothly circulated in the distribution chamber 20 and stable detection of the excretion gas G by the gas sensor 36 can be ensured.

Further, according to the configuration of the excretion detection device 10 according to the present embodiment, the circuit board 34 is coated with the protective film C except for the detection unit 36a of the gas sensor 36, and the protective film C has antifouling property, waterproof property, and waterproof property. It has water repellency. Therefore, even if a cleaning liquid such as water intrudes into the excretion detection device 10 (housing 12), it is possible to prevent the circuit board 34 including the gas sensor 36, the communication IC chip 38, and the microcontroller 40 from failing. .. That is, according to the present embodiment, the excretion detection device 10 can be washed and used repeatedly without deteriorating the detection performance of the gas sensor 36, the communication performance of the communication IC chip 38, and the control performance of the microcontroller 40. ..

Further, according to the configuration of the excretion detection device 10 according to the present embodiment, the distribution chamber 20 is provided with a partition wall 24 for partitioning the distribution chamber 20 and the control chamber 22 in the length direction inside the housing 12. It is possible to prevent the invading liquid such as urine from flowing into the control chamber 22. Further, since the protective wall 52 surrounding the battery holder 46 excluding the take-out side of the button battery 44 is provided on the notch 42 side inside the housing 12, liquid such as urine that has entered the distribution chamber 20 can enter. , It is possible to avoid flowing into the battery holder 46 side. Therefore, the gas sensor 36, the communication IC chip 38, the microcontroller 40, and the battery holder 46 do not get wet with liquid such as stool, and it is possible to prevent the electronic parts such as the gas sensor 36 and the battery holder 46 from failing.

[Other embodiments]
The excretion of the subject to be detected by the excretion detection device 10 (10A) may include the excretion of the subject's urine in addition to the excretion of the subject's stool. In this case, the excrement gas G contains, for example, ammonia in addition to hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan. Further, a temperature sensor may be arranged in addition to the gas sensor 36 inside the housing 12.

[Additional notes]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and the embodiment obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in the different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

10 Excretion detection device 12 Housing 14 Housing body 18 Housing cover 20 Distribution room (1st room)
22 Control room (second room)
24 Partition wall 24ad Recessed hole 26 Introductory hole 28 1st lead-out hole 30 2nd lead-out hole 34 Circuit board 36 Gas sensor 36a Detection unit 38 Communication IC chip 40 Microcontroller (control unit)
42 Notch 44 Button battery (battery)
46 Battery holder 48 Cover member 52 Protective wall C Protective coating

Claims (5)

A first chamber is formed on one side in the length direction inside, and a second chamber is formed on the other side in the length direction inside, in order to introduce excrement gas generated from the excrement of the subject into the first chamber. A housing in which an introduction hole is formed and a lead-out hole for eliciting excrement gas from the first chamber is formed.
A partition wall provided inside the housing and partitioning the first chamber and the second chamber in the length direction,
A gas sensor is provided inside the housing so as to pass through the partition wall, a gas sensor for detecting excretory gas is mounted in a portion located in the first chamber, and the gas sensor is controlled in a portion located in the second chamber. With a circuit board on which a control unit is mounted,
An excretion detection device, wherein the circuit board is coated with a protective film, and the protective film has at least one of antifouling property, waterproof property, and water repellency. The excretion detection device according to claim 1, wherein the protective film is coated on the circuit board except for a detection portion of the gas sensor that comes into contact with the excretion gas. The excretion detection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the protective film is coated with a fluorine-based coating agent. A notch that opens a part of the second chamber is formed in the housing.
Further, a battery holder provided on the back side of the notch portion of the housing and holding a battery that is a power source for the gas sensor and the control unit, and a battery holder.
A lid member provided in the notch of the housing and
One of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a protective wall provided on the notch side inside the housing and surrounding the battery holder excluding the battery ejection side. The excretion detection device described in the section. The excretion detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the excrement of the subject is the stool of the subject, and the excrement gas is hydrogen sulfide or methyl mercaptan.

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