JP5647022B2 - Thermometer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a thermometer.

  Conventionally, a non-heated thermometer is known as a thermometer that is attached to the body surface of a subject and measures the body temperature in the deep part of the subject (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  In general, a non-heating type thermometer is disposed so as to face a first temperature sensor that is in contact with the body surface when the sample is attached to the body surface of the subject, and to the first temperature sensor via a heat insulating material. At least two temperature sensor pairs each including a second temperature sensor are provided. And the thickness of each heat insulating material in which each temperature sensor pair is arranged is different from each other, and the temperature difference between the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor in each temperature sensor pair is detected. Thus, the body temperature in the deep part is calculated by obtaining the heat flow from the deep part.

JP 2007-212407 A JP 2009-222543 A

  However, a non-heating type thermometer has a large measurement error, and it is difficult to measure a deep body temperature with high accuracy. For this reason, in practical use, it is indispensable to individually examine factors affecting measurement accuracy and take measures to eliminate those factors. In particular, since it is easily affected by a sudden temperature change (disturbance) on the outside (the side opposite to the side in contact with the body surface), it is important to take measures to eliminate such a disturbance.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and in a non-heating type thermometer that is attached to the body surface of a subject and measures the body temperature in the deep part of the subject, measurement accuracy is reduced by reducing the influence of disturbance. The purpose is to improve.

One aspect of the present invention relates to a thermometer that performs measurement in a state of being attached to a body surface of a subject, and the thermometer includes a first surface that is a surface on the body surface side and the first surface. A first thermal resistor having a second surface that is the surface opposite to the surface, a third surface that is the surface on the body surface side, and a surface that is the surface opposite to the third surface. A second thermal resistor having four surfaces, a first temperature sensor disposed on the first surface of the first thermal resistor, and the second of the first thermal resistor. A second temperature sensor disposed on the surface, a third temperature sensor disposed on the third surface of the second thermal resistor, and the fourth surface of the second thermal resistor. A fourth temperature sensor disposed, and the second temperature sensor is disposed so as to cover both the second surface of the first thermal resistor and the fourth surface of the second thermal resistor. Surface and said fourth surface A uniformizing member that equalizes the temperature, a heat insulating member that surrounds the side surface of the first thermal resistor, and that surrounds the side surface of the second thermal resistor, and a predetermined amount for the uniforming member And a bottom surface of the first thermal resistor and the second thermal resistor is covered with a heat conductive member and further covered with an adhesive tape.

  According to the present invention, in an unheated thermometer that is attached to the body surface of a subject and measures the body temperature in the deep part of the subject, it is possible to reduce the influence of disturbance and improve measurement accuracy.

In order to explain the measurement principle of a non-heating type thermometer, the heat flow in the non-heating type thermometer is expressed as an electric circuit using an electric circuit similarity method. It is a figure for demonstrating the influence of the disturbance with respect to the equalization member. It is a figure which shows the cross-sectional structure of a non-heating type thermometer. It is a figure for demonstrating the effect of the protection member with respect to a disturbance. It is a figure which shows the planar structure of a non-heating type thermometer.

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

[First Embodiment]
1. Principle of measuring deep body temperature with a non-heated thermometer First, a non-heated thermometer (a thermometer that is attached to the body surface of a subject and measures the deep body temperature of the subject and does not have a heating function) The measurement principle of deep body temperature in a thermometer) will be briefly described.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the heat flow in an unheated thermometer as an electric circuit using an electric circuit similarity method in order to explain the measurement principle of the non-heated thermometer.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the heat flow in the non-heated thermometer can be expressed by an equivalent circuit 100 by setting the heat flow as the current I, the temperature as the voltage T, and the heat resistance as the electric resistance R.

  In FIG. 1, Tb is the deep body temperature, Rt is the thermal resistance of the subcutaneous tissue of the subject, Tt1 is the temperature detected by the first temperature sensor 111, and Ta1 is the temperature detected by the second temperature sensor 112. Ra1 indicates the thermal resistance value of the thermal resistor 113, respectively. Tt2 represents the temperature detected by the first temperature sensor 121, Ta2 represents the temperature detected by the second temperature sensor 122, and Ra2 represents the thermal resistance value of the thermal resistor 123. Further, Tc represents an external temperature, and Rc represents a thermal resistance value between the homogenizing member 130 and the outside for equalizing the measured temperature on the outside air side.

  Since the equivalent circuit 100 can be replaced with one to which a voltage (Tb−Tc) is applied, it can be assumed that the current I flows in the equivalent circuit 100 according to the voltage.

  Of these, assuming that the heat flow in the thermal resistor 113 is current I1, and the heat flow in the thermal resistor 123 is current I2, the current I1 and the current I2 can be expressed by the following equations (1) and (2).

  Then, when the respective equations are modified, the following equations (3) and (4) are obtained.

  Here, the thermal resistance Rt of the subcutaneous tissue varies from individual to individual and from site to site, and is not constant. Therefore, when Rt is calculated to remove Rt from the above equations (3) and (4), the following equation (5) is obtained.

  Then, by substituting the above equation (5) into the above equation (4), the following equation (6) is obtained.

  Here, since Ra1 and Ra2 are known, the depth body temperature Tb can be uniquely determined by detecting four temperatures (Tt1, Tt2, Ta1, Ta2).

2. Explanation of the cause of disturbance in the thermometer and its influence Next, in the non-heating type thermometer that measures the deep body temperature based on the above-mentioned measurement principle, a sudden temperature change (disturbance) outside (the side opposite to the side in contact with the body surface) ) And the effects. Various influences can be considered for the disturbance received by the non-heated thermometer. In the present application, however, the influence of the disturbance received by the uniformizing member 130 will be particularly examined.

  In general, a non-heating type thermometer is premised on being directly attached to the body surface of a subject for a long time. For this reason, for example, when the pasting position is inside the garment, it is considered that a part of the garment comes into contact with the uniformizing member 130 as a cause of the disturbance, thereby causing the temperature of the contact surface to rapidly increase. It can be considered that the measurement results are affected.

  On the other hand, when the pasting position is not covered with clothes or the like and exposed to the outside air, a part of the human body such as the subject's own finger is caused to be a cause of the disturbance. It is conceivable that the temperature of the contact surface changes abruptly, thereby affecting the measurement result. Further, it is conceivable that wind or the like directly hits as another cause of disturbance, and thereby the temperature of the uniformizing member as a whole changes suddenly and affects the measurement result.

  Therefore, the applicant of the present application has experimented with the degree of influence of various causes of disturbances that can be enumerated when the actual attachment position is assumed as described above.

  FIG. 2 shows a non-heating type thermometer in which 1) paper (instead of clothes) is brought into contact with the uniformizing member, 2) finger is brought into contact, 3) wind is applied, It is the figure which showed the degree of each influence about these three types.

  In FIG. 2, the horizontal axis represents the elapsed time, 201 and 202 indicate the timing when the paper is contacted, 203 and 204 indicate the timing when the finger is contacted, and 205 and 206 indicate the timing when the wind is applied. ing. The vertical axis represents the measurement temperature, 200 represents the measurement result, and 210 represents the temperature of the measurement target.

  As shown in FIG. 2, it can be seen that any of 1) to 3) affects the measurement result (the measurement result changes at the timing of 1) to 3) regardless of the change of the temperature 210 to be measured. doing).

3. Requirements for removing the influence of disturbance on the uniformizing member Based on the above experimental results, the requirements for removing the influence of the disturbance on the uniformizing member 130 will be examined. As shown in FIG. 2, the non-heating type thermometer is affected by any disturbance that can be considered when an actual attachment position is assumed. For this reason, in order to eliminate the influence of these disturbances, it is indispensable for the non-heating type thermometer to have the following configuration.
(1) A configuration in which clothes, fingers, and the like can be prevented from coming into direct contact with the uniformizing member.
(2) A configuration that can block the wind that hits the uniformizing member or at least reduce the amount and speed thereof.

  On the other hand, in the case of the non-heating type thermometer, as described in the above “1.”, the heat flow in the thermal resistor 113 and the thermal resistor 123 is changed to four temperature sensors (first temperature sensors 111, 121, second The deep body temperature Tb is calculated by detecting with the temperature sensors 112 and 122). For this reason, in order to maintain measurement accuracy, it is important to configure so as not to disturb the heat flow in the thermal resistor 113 and the thermal resistor 123.

  That is, the requirement for removing the influence of the disturbance received by the uniformizing member 130 in the non-heating type thermometer is a configuration that does not disturb the heat flow from the inside to the outside and blocks the disturbance from the outside to the uniformizing member. It can be said.

4). Sectional Configuration of Non-Heating Thermometer A non-heating thermometer according to this embodiment having a configuration that satisfies the above requirements will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional configuration of a non-heating type thermometer 300 according to the present embodiment, in which measures for removing the influence of disturbance are taken. In FIG. 3, 111 and 121 are first temperature sensors located on the side in contact with the body surface when pasted on the body surface of the subject, and 112 and 122 are the first temperature sensors 111 and 121. It is the 2nd temperature sensor distribute | arranged to the side facing. In addition, the 1st and 2nd temperature sensors (111, 121, 112, 122) shall be comprised by the thermocouple, for example.

  Reference numeral 113 denotes a thermal resistor that is disposed between the first temperature sensor 111 and the second temperature sensor 112 and allows a heat flow from the body surface of the subject to pass therethrough. Similarly, 123 is a thermal resistor that is disposed between the first temperature sensor 121 and the second temperature sensor 122 and allows a heat flow from the body surface of the subject to pass therethrough.

  Note that the thermal resistor 113 and the thermal resistor 123 are each made of polyacetal having a thermal conductivity of 0.25 W / mK. The thermal resistor 113 has a flat plate shape with a thickness of 1 mm and a diameter of 10 mm, and the thermal resistor 123 has a flat plate shape with a thickness of 2 mm and a diameter of 10 mm. The first temperature sensors 111 and 121 and the second temperature sensors 112 and 122 are arranged at the center positions in the thermal resistor 113 and the thermal resistor 123, respectively.

  By having such a shape / arrangement, in the non-heating type thermometer 300 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress the heat flow itself from the side surfaces of the thermal resistor 113 and the thermal resistor 123. Further, it is possible to suppress the influence on the first temperature sensors 111 and 112 and the second temperature sensors 121 and 122 as much as possible due to the heat flow dissipated from the body surface around the thermal resistor 113 and the thermal resistor 123. It becomes.

  Further, on the side surfaces of the thermal resistor 113 and the thermal resistor 123, a heat insulating member 301 (for example, foam rubber, polyurethane, etc.) having a lower thermal conductivity and higher flexibility than the thermal resistor 113 and the thermal resistor 123 is disposed. Has been. Thereby, dissipation of the heat flow from the body surface around the thermal resistor 113 and the thermal resistor 123 can be directly suppressed. Further, since the heat insulating member 301 can be deformed along the shape of the body surface, it is suitable for sticking the non-heated thermometer 300 in close contact with the body surface.

  The heat insulating member 301 is thicker than the adjacent thermal resistors 113 and 123, and the thermal resistors 113 and 123 are respectively fitted in opening holes provided in the center of the heat insulating member 301. To do. Thereby, the side surfaces of the thermal resistors 113 and 123 are surrounded by the heat insulating member 301.

  By having such a shape / arrangement, in the non-heating type thermometer 300 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress the heat flow itself from the side surfaces of the thermal resistor 113 and the thermal resistor 123. Further, it is possible to suppress the influence on the first temperature sensors 111 and 112 and the second temperature sensors 121 and 122 as much as possible due to the heat flow dissipated from the body surface around the thermal resistor 113 and the thermal resistor 123. It becomes.

  Further, a uniformizing member 130 made of aluminum having a thermal conductivity of 236 W / mK is disposed on the upper surfaces of the thermal resistor 113 and the thermal resistor 123, and covers the entire upper surface of the thermal resistor 113 and the thermal resistor 123. ing. As a result, the temperatures of the upper surface of the thermal resistor 123 and the upper surface of the thermal resistor 123 (that is, the outside air side where the heat flow is dissipated) are made uniform, and the direction of the heat flow passing through the thermal resistors 113 and 123 is changed. The heat flow from the side surfaces of the thermal resistor 113 and the thermal resistor 123 can be indirectly suppressed by directing in a direction substantially perpendicular to the body surface.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the thermal resistor 113 and the thermal resistor 123 are juxtaposed via a heat insulating member 301 with an interval of about 1 mm to 10 mm (preferably 2 mm to 6 mm). It is assumed that the heat flow passing through the heat resistor and the heat flow passing through the thermal resistor 123 are not mixed.

  Further, a protective member 302 is attached above the uniformizing member 130. The protective member 302 has a peripheral portion fixed to a surface on the side facing the body surface of the heat insulating member 301 and is disposed with a predetermined amount of space with respect to the uniformizing member 130. The protective member 302 may be a non-plastic member such as paper or a plastic member such as plastic. Further, the protective member 302 may be formed homogeneously or may have a predetermined size of vent (a vent having a diameter such that clothes, fingers, etc. do not directly contact the homogenizing member 130). A plurality may be provided.

  In any case, by adopting a configuration in which the uniformizing member 130 is not directly exposed, it is possible to avoid clothing, fingers, or the like from coming into direct contact with the uniformizing member 130. Further, it is possible to block the wind that hits the uniformizing member from the outside (or to reduce the air volume and the wind speed).

  Since a space (air layer) is provided between the protective member 302 and the uniformizing member 130, the heat flow dissipated from the uniformizing member 130 is not hindered by the protective member 302.

  That is, the protective member 302 is a requirement for removing the influence of the disturbance received by the homogenizing member 130 in the non-heating type thermometer 300, and does not disturb the heat flow from the inside to the outside, and from the outside to the homogenizing member. It can be said that the apparatus is configured to block disturbance.

  On the other hand, on the surface on the side in contact with the body surface of FIG. As a result, when pasted on the body surface of the subject, the bottom surface of the thermal resistor 113, the bottom surface of the thermal resistor 123, and the heat insulating member 301 are each pasted to the body surface of the subject without any gaps. Become.

  Further, the bottom surfaces of the thermal resistor 113 and the thermal resistor 123 are respectively covered with thermal conductive members 303 and 304 having good thermal conductivity such as aluminum tape, and further, on the body surface side of the non-heating type thermometer 300. The whole is covered with an adhesive tape (adhesive layer) 305 and an adhesive tape (release paper) 306. Thereby, the non-heating type thermometer 300 can be easily attached to the body surface of the subject.

5. Plan Configuration of Non-Heating Thermometer with Measurement Error Reduction Measures Next, the plan configuration of the non-heating thermometer 300 will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing various planar configurations of the non-heating type thermometer 300 according to the present embodiment, and the surface on the side in contact with the body surface when pasted on the body surface of the subject. The top view at the time of seeing from the opposite side (namely, back side), the top view at the time of seeing from the side which contacts a body surface, and the top view at the time of cut | disconnecting in the intermediate position are shown.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a protective member 302 is disposed at the central portion on the back side so that the uniformizing member 130 is not exposed. For this reason, the uniformizing member 130 is not affected by disturbance.

6). Effects of Protection Member 302 Next, effects of the protection member 302 in the non-heating type thermometer 300 provided with the protection member 302 will be described.

  FIG. 5 shows an unheated thermometer 300 provided with a protective member 302, as in FIG. 2, 1) when paper is touched, 2) when finger is touched, and 3) when wind is applied. It is a figure which shows the result of having experimented about these three types.

  In FIG. 5, the horizontal axis represents elapsed time, 501 and 502 indicate the timing when the paper is contacted, 503 and 504 indicate the timing when the finger is contacted, and 505 and 506 indicate the timing when the wind is applied. ing. The vertical axis represents temperature, 500 represents the measurement result, and 510 represents the temperature to be measured.

  As shown in FIG. 5, it can be seen that in any of 1) to 3), the influence of the disturbance on the measurement result can be avoided as compared to FIG. 2 (along the change in the temperature 510 of the measurement target). The measurement result 500 has changed, and the measurement result is not affected at the timings 501 to 505).

7). Other configurations of the non-heating type thermometer The non-heating type thermometer 300 transmits the temperatures detected by the first temperature sensors 111 and 121 and the second temperature sensors 112 and 122 to an external display device by wireless or the like. By doing so, the deep temperature of the subject is displayed. That is, the non-heating type thermometer 300 is provided with a transmission unit for transmitting to an external display device. In addition, the transmission method by a transmission part is not limited to a specific method, Arbitrary transmission methods shall be applied.

  As is clear from the above description, in the non-heating type thermometer 300 according to the present embodiment, the heat flow from the inside to the outside is not disturbed and is uniform from the outside in order to remove the influence of the disturbance received by the uniformizing member 130. The disturbance to the adjusting member 130 is blocked. As a result, measurement accuracy can be improved.

[Second Embodiment]
In the first embodiment, the air layer is provided as a space between the protective member 302 and the uniformizing member 130, but the present invention is not limited to this. It suffices if a space is provided between the protective member 302 and the uniformizing member 130, and a layer of another substance such as a substance other than air, for example, a gel-like substance may be provided in the space. .

  In the first embodiment, the protective member 302 is fixed so as to form substantially the same plane as the surface facing the body surface of the heat insulating member 301 and the surface facing the body surface. The invention is not limited to this, and in order to take a larger space between the uniformizing member 130, the central portion may be formed in a swelled shape.

  In the first embodiment, the material and thickness of the protective member 302 are not particularly mentioned. However, the protective member 302 is preferably 0.025 mm to 3 mm thick, and further 0.05 mm. A thickness of ˜1 mm is preferred. In this embodiment, for example, a PE film having a thickness of 0.2 mm may be used.

  Note that it is desirable that the material and thickness of the protective member 302 can ensure strength that the protective member 302 does not contact the uniformizing member 130 even when the protective member 302 is pressed from the outside with a finger or the like. This is because the influence of disturbance can be further reduced by avoiding contact between the protective member 302 and the equalizing member 130.

  For example, when a PE film having a thickness of 0.2 mm is used, the protective member 302 is pressed in the vertical direction with a force of 500 gf by securing a vertical distance of about 2 mm between the uniformizing member 130 and the protective member 302. Even in this case, the protective member 302 does not come into contact with the uniformizing member 130. Needless to say, if the thickness of the protective member 302 increases, the vertical distance between the uniformizing member 130 and the protective member 302 can be reduced.

[Other Embodiments]
In the first embodiment, the temperature sensors (111, 121, 112, 122) are configured by, for example, thermocouples, but other temperature sensors such as a thermistor may be used.

  In the first embodiment, the thermal resistors 113 and 123 have shapes (thickness and diameter) of 1 mm, 20 mm, 2 mm, and 20 mm, respectively, but the present invention is not limited to this. .

  The thickness of the thermal resistor 113 may be in the range of 0.5 mm to 10 mm, and the diameter may be in the range of 5 mm to 20 mm. The thickness of the thermal resistor 123 may be in the range of 1 mm to 20 mm and the diameter may be in the range of 5 mm to 20 mm. However, the ratio of the thickness of the thermal resistor 113 and the thermal resistor 123 may be any ratio as long as it is a predetermined value, but considering the depth temperature calculation accuracy and ease of manufacture, It is desirable that the ratio is about 1: 2. In addition, for the thermal resistor 113 and the thermal resistor 123, members having different thermal conductivities may be used.

  In the first embodiment, polyacetal is used as the material of the thermal resistors 113 and 123. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any material having the same or lower thermal conductivity may be used. For example, other materials may be used. In the first embodiment, aluminum is used as the material of the homogenizing member 130. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the material having higher thermal conductivity than the thermal resistors 113 and 123 is used. Other materials may be used if they exist.

  Moreover, in the said 1st Embodiment, although comprised so that the thickness of the heat insulation member 301 might become thicker than the thickness of the adjacent thermal resistance bodies 113 and 123, this invention is not limited to this. In the first embodiment, foamed rubber, polyurethane, or the like is used as the material of the heat insulating member 301. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the heat resistance is higher than that of the thermal resistor 113 and the thermal resistor 123. Other materials having low conductivity and high flexibility may be used.

  In the first embodiment, the thermal resistors 113 and 123 are arranged without gaps with respect to the heat insulating member 301. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the thermal resistors 113 and 123 and the heat insulating members are insulated. A gap may be provided between the member 301 and the member 301.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Equivalent circuit, 111 ... 1st temperature sensor, 112 ... 2nd temperature sensor, 113 ... Thermal resistor, 121 ... 1st temperature sensor, 122 ... 1st 2 temperature sensors, 123 ... thermal resistor, 300 ... thermometer, 130 ... homogenizing member, 301 ... heat insulating member, 302 ... protective member, 303 ... heat conducting member, 304 ... Heat conduction member, 305 ... Attaching tape (adhesive layer), 306 ... Attaching tape (release paper)

Claims (9)

A thermometer that performs measurement in a state of being attached to the body surface of a subject,
A first thermal resistor having a first surface that is a surface on the side of the body surface and a second surface that is a surface opposite to the first surface;
A second thermal resistor having a third surface which is a surface on the body surface side and a fourth surface which is a surface opposite to the third surface;
A first temperature sensor disposed on the first surface of the first heat resistor,
A second temperature sensor disposed on the second surface of the first heat resistor,
A third temperature sensor disposed on the third surface of the second thermal resistor;
A fourth temperature sensor disposed on the fourth surface of the second thermal resistor;
It arrange | positions so that both the said 2nd surface of the said 1st thermal resistor and the said 4th surface of the said 2nd thermal resistor may be covered, and the temperature of the said 2nd surface and the said 4th surface is made. A homogenizing member for homogenization;
A heat insulating member that surrounds the side surface of the first thermal resistor and is arranged to surround the side surface of the second thermal resistor;
And a protective member arranged with a predetermined space relative to the previous SL uniformizing member,
The thermometer according to claim 1, wherein bottom surfaces of the first thermal resistor and the second thermal resistor are covered with a heat conductive member and further covered with an adhesive tape .   The thermometer according to claim 1, wherein the first thermal resistor has a thickness of 0.5 mm to 10 mm, and the second thermal resistor has a thickness of 1 mm to 20 mm.   2. The thermometer according to claim 1, wherein the uniformizing member is formed of a material having a higher thermal conductivity than the first and second thermal resistors.   The thermometer according to claim 1, wherein the first and second thermal resistors have a thermal conductivity of 0.5 W / mK or less. The first and second thermal resistors are arranged such that the first surface of the first thermal resistor and the third surface of the second thermal resistor form the same plane. The thermometer according to claim 1, wherein the thermometer is arranged. The thermometer according to claim 1, wherein an interval of 2 mm to 6 mm is provided between a side surface of the first thermal resistor and a side surface of the second thermal resistor.   The first and second thermal resistors are arranged such that a gap is formed between a side surface of the first and second thermal resistors and the heat insulating member. 1. The thermometer according to 1.   2. The thermometer according to claim 1, wherein the heat insulating member is formed of a highly flexible material having lower thermal conductivity than the first and second thermal resistors.   The thermometer according to claim 1, wherein the protective member has a vent hole.

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