JPH0542606B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Technical Field The present invention relates to an electronic thermometer, and more specifically to a so-called predictive electronic thermometer that predicts and displays the temperature in a thermal equilibrium state in body temperature measurement, and a body temperature measurement method. Prior art and its problems Conventionally, such electronic thermometers predict the temperature at thermal equilibrium from the measured temperature and display this in advance before reaching the thermal equilibrium state. This temperature prediction is typically performed by monitoring the measured temperature and its rate of change over time, and using a prediction function that uses these two variables and the elapsed time up to the time of monitoring as variables. Therefore, the predicted equilibrium temperature is
It is uniquely determined by the actual measured values of two variables. Electronic thermometers using such an equilibrium temperature prediction method have the advantage of short temperature measurement time because temperature measurement is completed before reaching a thermal equilibrium state, but if the temperature prediction function selected for temperature prediction is not appropriate, The disadvantage is that the accuracy of is significantly reduced. In this temperature prediction function, the shape of the temperature rise curve usually differs depending on the part where the body temperature is measured, such as the armpit or the inside of the mouth. The measurements, or predictions of the thermal equilibrium temperature, are made repeatedly at a series of discrete points in time. The end of the measurement is determined when the predicted thermal equilibrium temperature value falls within a predetermined rate of change, in other words, when the difference between the previous predicted value and the current predicted value falls within a predetermined range. . When it is determined that the measurement has ended in this way, the predictive calculation operation is stopped and the predicted thermal equilibrium temperature is displayed.
This display generally remains until the electronic thermometer is powered off. Generally, with a direct-reading thermometer such as a mercury thermometer, the longer the temperature measurement time, the closer the temperature can be measured to the thermal equilibrium temperature, so the measurement accuracy improves depending on the temperature measurement time. Therefore, with the above-mentioned predictive electronic thermometer, the predicted value is retained after the measurement is completed, so
Extending the temperature measurement time does not result in a more accurate predicted value being displayed. In other words, the predicted equilibrium temperature is simply displayed with the accuracy inherent to the electronic thermometer. When electronic thermometers are manufactured, shipped, or used in medical institutions such as hospitals, tests may be performed to calibrate or confirm the absolute accuracy of electronic thermometers. However, in the case of a predictive electronic thermometer, if a normal constant temperature bath is used, a predicted value different from the constant temperature will be displayed, which is inconvenient. In order to avoid this, even predictive electronic thermometers can be designed to switch to direct-reading operation mode under special temperature conditions, and tests can be performed under such special temperature conditions. Additionally, electronic thermometers must be equipped with a mode changeover switch that allows selection of direct-indication mode of operation. As mentioned before, the shape of the temperature rise curve for performing predictive calculations differs depending on the part to be measured, such as underarm temperature measurement or oral temperature measurement. Since a predictive electronic thermometer retains its predicted equilibrium temperature value upon completion of measurement, for example, even if an electronic thermometer for oral measurement is used for underarm measurement, the correct predicted value will not be displayed. Conversely, the same holds true when an electronic thermometer for armpit measurements is used for oral measurements. Purpose The present invention overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art and
It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic thermometer that can perform predictive calculations of thermal equilibrium temperature with accuracy that meets the purpose of temperature measurement, that is, according to the user's will. This object is achieved according to the invention by an electronic thermometer as follows. That is, this electronic thermometer includes a temperature detection means that detects the temperature of the part to be measured and generates a first signal indicating this temperature, an accumulation means that sequentially accumulates the first signal, and a timer that measures the elapsed time after starting measurement. The equilibrium temperature is determined by an elapsed time clock that generates a second signal indicating the elapsed time, and an equilibrium temperature prediction function that defines the temperature change from the first and second signals to the equilibrium temperature using the measurement time as a variable. a first calculation means for calculating a predicted value of the equilibrium temperature; a first control means for causing the first calculation means to perform a prediction calculation of the equilibrium temperature at a predetermined cycle; a display means for displaying the predicted value of the equilibrium temperature; a second control means responsive to the time counting means for reading a first signal corresponding to two successive points in time from the storage means and comparing the two signals; corresponds to the current time point after the difference between the first signals corresponding to two successive time points no longer shows an increase beyond a first predetermined range; The operation of the first calculation means is stopped when the first signal corresponding to the previous time point shows a decrease exceeding a second predetermined range compared to the first signal corresponding to the previous time point. The second control means is configured to adjust the first signal corresponding to the current time point before the difference between the first signals corresponding to two successive time points no longer shows an increase beyond the first predetermined range. When the signal exhibits a decrease exceeding the second predetermined range compared to the first signal corresponding to a previous point in time, a first display indicating this condition is displayed on the display means. The indicating means includes an audible signal generator, and the second control means indicates that the second signal has exceeded a predetermined elapsed time and that the first signal corresponds to two successive points in time. When the difference no longer indicates an increase beyond the first predetermined range, the audible signal generator is energized. The second control means causes the display means to display a second display indicating this state when the predicted value output from the first calculation means exceeds a third predetermined range. The second control means displays the first display on the display means and stops the first calculation means. The second control means displays the second display on the display means and stops the first calculation means. The display means includes a liquid crystal display element for visually displaying the predicted value, and an illumination means for illuminating the liquid crystal display element. The lighting means is turned on only for a period of time. The second control means controls when the second signal exceeds a second predetermined elapsed time that is longer than either the predetermined length or the first predetermined elapsed time;
The operation of the first calculation means is stopped. Further, the above-mentioned object of the present invention is achieved by the following electronic thermometer. That is, this electronic thermometer includes a temperature detection means that detects the temperature of the part to be measured and generates a first signal indicating this temperature, an accumulation means that sequentially accumulates the first signal, and a timer that measures the elapsed time after starting measurement. The equilibrium temperature is determined by an elapsed time clock that generates a second signal indicating the elapsed time, and an equilibrium temperature prediction function that defines the temperature change from the first and second signals to the equilibrium temperature using the measurement time as a variable. a first calculation means for calculating a predicted value of
a first control means for causing the prediction calculation of the equilibrium temperature in the calculation means to be performed at a predetermined cycle; a display means for displaying the predicted value of the equilibrium temperature; The first
and a second control means for reading out the signal from the storage means and comparing both signals, the second control means indicating that the second signal has exceeded a first predetermined elapsed time, and After the difference between the first signals corresponding to two time points no longer shows an increase beyond the first predetermined range, the first signal corresponding to the current time point becomes equal to the difference between the first signals corresponding to the previous time point. When the electronic thermometer shows a decrease exceeding a second predetermined range compared to the first signal, the operation of the first calculation means is stopped, and the electronic thermometer further stops the operation of the first calculation means. and retaining means for retaining the predicted value of the equilibrium temperature at the time. The holding means causes the display means to display a predicted value of the equilibrium temperature when the operation of the first calculation means is stopped. The second control means controls the first signal corresponding to the current point in time before the difference between the first signals corresponding to two successive points in time no longer shows an increase beyond the first predetermined range. shows a decrease by more than the second predetermined range compared to the first signal corresponding to a previous time point, a first display indicating this condition is caused to be displayed on the display means. The second control means causes the display means to display a second display indicating this state when the predicted value output from the first calculation means exceeds a third predetermined range. The second control means displays the first display on the display means and stops the first calculation means. The second control means displays a second display on the display means and stops the first calculation means. The display means includes a liquid crystal display element that visually displays the predicted value, and an illumination means that illuminates the liquid crystal display element. The lighting means is turned on only for a period of . The second control means controls when the second signal exceeds a second predetermined elapsed time that is longer than either the predetermined length or the first predetermined elapsed time;
The operation of the first calculation means is stopped. The holding means holds the predicted value of the equilibrium temperature until measurement is started again. DETAILED DESCRIPTION AND OPERATIONS OF THE INVENTION Examples of the electronic thermometer according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the basic configuration of an electronic thermometer according to the present invention. Its main components are a temperature detection section 1 that includes a temperature sensing element, a measurement circuit 2 that converts its electrical output into temperature data, an arithmetic processing section 3 that calculates the equilibrium temperature by processing the temperature data, and a display that displays the results of the arithmetic processing. Section 4, arithmetic processing section 3 and measurement circuit 2
This is a control section 5 that controls the. A display holding section 11 is connected to the display section 4 to hold display contents to be displayed thereon. As is clear from the explanation below, the arithmetic processing unit 3
is realized by a microcomputer that can be configured into a single chip, the temperature detection section 1 and the measurement circuit 2 forming its input section, and the display section 4 forming its output section. That is, the configuration inside the arithmetic processing unit 3 is realized by the general hardware configuration of a general-purpose microcomputer, such as a central processing unit (CPU), read-only memory (ROM), and random access memory (RAM). The functions executed by the program stored in the ROM of the microcomputer are specified in blocks. From this description, those skilled in the art should be able to understand the configuration and operation to the extent that they can carry out the invention very easily. The arithmetic processing section 3 performs arithmetic operations according to instructions from the control signal 103 from the control section 5 as shown in the figure, and the data reading section 6, memory 7,
It has subroutine units such as an elapsed time measurement section 8, a prediction calculation section 9, and a measurement end determination section 10. The data reading section 6 is a unit that reads the temperature data output from the measuring circuit 2 and stores it in the memory 7. The elapsed time measuring section 8 is a unit that receives the clock signal 106 from the control section 5 and measures the elapsed time since the operation of the arithmetic processing section 3. To measure the elapsed time, the control section 5 outputs a control signal 103 that causes each section in the arithmetic processing section 3 to perform each process at regular intervals, so of course this may be used. The prediction calculation unit 9 is a central part of the calculation processing unit 3, and is a unit that calculates a predicted value of the thermal equilibrium temperature according to a temperature prediction function in accordance with the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit 1. The measurement end determination section 10 is a part having one important feature of the present invention, and is a unit that determines the conditions for terminating the prediction calculation in the prediction calculation section 9. Both of these units will be explained in detail later. The operation will be explained with reference to the flow diagram in FIG.
When the temperature detection unit 1, which includes a temperature sensing element such as a thermistor whose electrical characteristics change depending on the temperature, is applied to the body temperature measurement site in the mouth or under the armpit, its electrical output 10
1 changes. The measurement circuit 2 receives the electrical output 101 and converts it into temperature data, and outputs the temperature data 102.
The data is sent to the data reading section 6 of the arithmetic processing section 3 as a. If the arithmetic processing unit 3 is in an operating state at this stage, each step in FIG. become. The conditions for starting the operation of the arithmetic processing section 3 may be arbitrary. For example, simply turn on the power switch (not shown).
Alternatively, the measurement circuit 2 may perform preliminary measurement with rough accuracy in advance, and when the temperature detected by the temperature detection section 1 exceeds a certain value and shows a change of more than the certain value, the arithmetic processing section 3 may be made to start operating automatically. In this way, the arithmetic processing unit 3 is kept in a stopped state and on standby during the preliminary measurement period, thereby reducing power consumption. In the example, the latter was adopted. That is, the measurement circuit 2 receives the control signal 115 from the control section 5 prior to the main measurement.
Accordingly, preliminary measurements with rough accuracy are performed at a fixed period, for example, once every 4 seconds. The measurement circuit 2 has a temperature threshold detection circuit and a temperature change detection circuit, both of which will be described later, for carrying out preliminary measurements. The operation of the arithmetic processing section 3 is started via the control section 5 by detecting a change, for example, a temperature increase of 0.1° C. or more per second. After that, the cycle will be short, for example, once per second.
In addition to measuring the real-time temperature with high precision at a rate of 100 times, the body temperature is also measured using preliminary calculations.
Note that details of the measurement circuit 2 and the control section 5 will be described later. Now, the operating data reading section 6 of the arithmetic processing section 3 receives the temperature data output 102, takes in the temperature data, stores new temperature data in the memory 7 in response to the data write signal 105, and then stores the new temperature data in the data reading storage step S.
Finish 102. The elapsed time measuring section 8 inside the arithmetic processing section 3 measures the elapsed time in response to the clock signal 106 from the control section 5. Thus, the elapsed time measuring step S103 uses the clock signal 106.
This is carried out at predetermined intervals. In this embodiment, the prediction calculation section 9 takes in the latest temperature data stored in the memory 7 and the elapsed time measured by the elapsed time measurement section 8 as the latest temperature data signal 107 and elapsed time signal 108, respectively.
Using these, the prediction calculation step S104 is carried out to predict the equilibrium temperature that is expected to reach equilibrium after about 3 to 10 minutes, for example. Details of the prediction calculation section 9 will be described later. Here, the features of the prediction calculation section 9 in relation to the measurement end determination section 10, which is one important feature of the present invention, will be described. That is, to put it simply, the origin of the feature lies in the fact that predictive calculations are performed and displayed at every measurement cycle until it is determined that the measurement has ended. Generally, when measuring body temperature, it takes about 3 minutes to reach the equilibrium temperature for oral temperature measurement and about 5 to 10 minutes for armpit temperature measurement, but the temperature detected by temperature detection unit 1 is measured. As time passes, the temperature approaches equilibrium. Normally, the temperature predicted in the middle of the measurement is also predicted to be the equilibrium temperature based on the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit 1, so the prediction calculation is performed so that the temperature approaches the equilibrium temperature on average over time. Algorithm is set. For example, in the middle of a measurement, it is determined at what point the equilibrium temperature will be reached from the relationship between the elapsed time and the measured temperature, and the temperature added to the measured temperature during predictive calculation is decreased smoothly over time, and then the temperature is changed at that point. It may be calculated so that it becomes 0. It is easier to fix the calculation method by, for example, decreasing the temperature to be added smoothly from the beginning and setting it to 0 after 10 minutes, for example, and the result will not be so bad. If this is done, the accuracy of the prediction calculation result will increase over time, and eventually, after a certain period of time, the measured temperature itself will become the calculation result, so it will match the equilibrium temperature. There are still several other ways to improve predictive calculations. Normally, the predicted calculated value of the equilibrium temperature when 30 to 40 seconds have passed for mouth temperature measurement and 45 to 60 seconds for armpit temperature measurement after the start of measurement has a deviation of about ±0.2℃ from the equilibrium temperature. . However, for example, even with oral temperature measurement, the deviation from the equilibrium temperature is ±0.5℃ after about 15 seconds.
There is a tendency for the results of predictive calculations to be extremely useful. Therefore, for example, in oral temperature measurement, the predicted calculation result is not displayed until the elapsed time exceeds 30 seconds, or a somewhat lower temperature is displayed and as time passes, it approaches the predicted calculated value of the equilibrium temperature, due to natural temperature changes. Consideration should be given to impressing the user. In addition, when the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit 1 is changing at a large rate of change, it generally takes some time to reach the equilibrium temperature, and when it is not, it is close to the equilibrium temperature, and even with the same temperature measurement method, Predictive calculations are performed taking into account the fact that the changes in the detected temperature vary depending on the measurement conditions. For example, in armpit temperature measurement, there is a difference of about 5 to 10 minutes in the time it takes to reach equilibrium temperature when the armpit is closed in advance and when it is opened. Therefore, the point in time when the temperature shows a constant rate of change is 1.
As a guideline, it is possible to take measures such as terminating the prediction calculation at that point or notifying the end. In the embodiment of the present invention, the predictive calculation continues even after reaching this constant rate of temperature change, and the calculation results are updated every measurement cycle until the end of the measurement. be. however,
As will be described later, the point showing this constant rate of temperature change will be used to determine the end of the measurement. In any case, the prediction calculation section 9 performs the prediction calculation step S104, sends the display output 104 to the display section 4, and causes the display step S105 to be performed. on the other hand,
The measurement end determination unit 10, which represents one feature of the present invention, also takes in the latest temperature data output 109 from the memory 7 and the elapsed time signal 110 from the elapsed time measurement unit 8 at regular intervals, and constantly determines the end of the measurement. Conduct monitoring. The conditions for determining the end of measurement are: (1) the above-mentioned elapsed time exceeds a predetermined value, (2) the change in temperature has fallen below a certain value, and (3) the latest detected temperature data is A decrease of more than a predetermined value is used. The first of the three conditions included here is essential in the sense that the results of the prediction calculation are reliable. If only the second condition is to be determined, the results of the predictive calculation will be clearly shown on the display even if the thermometer is removed midway through, so avoid this. Therefore, consider the first condition. The second condition has the purpose of taking advantage of the rationality of the measurement, since a temperature measurement with good responsiveness will have high reliability even if the result is notified quickly. Therefore, there is some effect by omitting the second condition and making the first condition, which is the elapsed time constraint, longer. Also, as mentioned earlier,
The original purpose of the second condition is to make predictions with almost the same accuracy depending on whether the temperature reaches equilibrium quickly or not, so when calculating the prediction, (4 ) It is also possible to capture the time when the magnitude of the temperature to be added to the measured temperature is below a certain value and change this to the second condition. The third condition is the most important determination condition when the measurement end determination section 10 in this apparatus executes the measurement end determination step S106. After the first and second conditions are met, the predicted calculated value of the equilibrium temperature displayed on the display unit 4 is highly reliable, and for normal purposes it is not practical even if the temperature measurement ends at this point. There are no problems. There are various ways to end the temperature measurement, but since it involves the action of removing the temperature detection unit 1 from the measurement site, it is probably best to determine that the temperature measurement has ended with this action. Seems reasonable. Specifically, it is also possible to provide a touch sensor near the temperature detection section 1 to detect when the detection section 1 is separated from the human body, and use the signal to determine the end of the measurement. This is more advantageous than using a mechanical switch in terms of operability from the user's perspective. In the present invention, the measurement end determination unit 10 is configured to determine the end of temperature measurement by utilizing the phenomenon that the detected temperature decreases when the temperature detection unit 1 leaves the measurement site under normal environmental conditions for measuring body temperature. are doing. Specifically, after the first and second conditions are met, when the latest temperature detected by the temperature detection unit 1 has dropped by 0.1°C or more, the measurement end determination unit 10 outputs the measurement end signal 111. do. When the measurement end signal 111 is output, a part of it is input to the display holding unit 11 as an operation instruction signal 112 for the display holding unit 11 . Display holding part 1
1 sends a display holding signal 113 to the display unit 4, executes a display holding step S107, and holds the display content currently being displayed. At the same time, measurement end signal 1
Step 11 executes an arithmetic processing unit stopping step S108 to stop at least the operation of the arithmetic processing unit 3. In this way, the arithmetic processing unit 8 stops at the end step S109. Now, if the end of the measurement is not determined in the measurement end determination step S106, the loop 1 for continuing the measurement is
Enter 10. In other words, even if the first and second conditions are satisfied among the three judgment conditions in the measurement end judgment step S106, if the third condition is not satisfied, the loop 110 is circulated. The third condition is almost only satisfied artificially when measuring body temperature, so as mentioned in the predictive calculation section, the accuracy of the predictive calculation will improve over time unless the person taking the measurement tries to stop measuring. The results will be displayed on the display section 4. Therefore, when the first and second conditions are met, the person taking the temperature measurement is notified by a buzzer or the like, and for normal temperature measurement purposes, the person taking the temperature measurement is encouraged to finish the measurement at that point. That is enough. If even more precise measurement is required, the measurement can be continued at the discretion of the measurer. Then, over time, a highly reliable predicted value of equilibrium temperature can be obtained. After a certain period of time has elapsed, the results will be displayed that completely match the equilibrium temperature. As described above, the present invention provides a predictive electronic thermometer that improves predictive accuracy as time elapses.
It is also characterized in that it is possible to obtain measured values as close to the equilibrium temperature as possible according to the will of the measurer. The effects of the present invention are tremendous, and are particularly effective in the following two points. One of them is that the equilibrium temperature can be accurately measured even when using another thermometry method. Commonly used temperature measurement methods include oral, armpit, and rectal temperature measurement.Due to the historical background of temperature measurement customs, oral temperature measurement is practiced in countries that follow the British tradition, and armpit temperature measurement is practiced in countries that follow the German tradition. It is said that Rectal temperature measurements are also commonly used in newborns and patients under anesthesia. Regarding oral temperature measurement and armpit temperature measurement, most people follow one method or another, but there are technical issues as to whether or not they should be treated separately when calculating equilibrium temperature. There are some aspects that require consideration. In other words, the two temperature measurement methods are significantly different in how the temperature changes from the start of measurement to equilibrium. This creates some unreasonableness. Rather, in practice, a prediction of the optimal equilibrium temperature is often set for each temperature measurement method. As mentioned above, a dedicated predictive electronic thermometer that uses one of the temperature measurement methods usually suffices, but sometimes it becomes necessary to use another temperature measurement method. In terms of prediction technology, rectal temperature measurement is similar to oral temperature measurement, but in Japan, for example, there are situations where it is necessary to use an armpit temperature measurement instead of a rectal temperature measurement or an oral temperature measurement. In this case, if the embodiment of the present invention is followed, even if the temperature is measured by another temperature measuring method, the equilibrium temperature can be accurately measured after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, so that the objective can be achieved. Another issue is temperature calibration and verification. In a predictive electronic thermometer, the displayed value is a predicted value of the thermal equilibrium temperature that is the result of predictive calculation, so it is usually impossible to know what the true temperature, ie, the actual temperature of the part to be measured, is. For this reason, when calibrating or verifying the temperature in conventional predictive electronic thermometers, some methods are used, such as switching to a mode that displays the detected temperature as is, or switching to a direct display mode when specific temperature conditions are given. Requires cumbersome procedures and treatments. It goes without saying that these problems can also be overcome according to the present invention. Now, the prediction calculation unit 9 of one embodiment predicts the current temperature from the temperature actually measured at a certain point in the past using a prediction function that defines temperature changes,
This predicted temperature is compared with the currently measured temperature, and if the difference between the two is within a predetermined tolerance range, the temperature at thermal equilibrium is predicted and displayed, and if it is outside the predetermined tolerance range, the temperature prediction function is changed. and repeat this prediction calculation. In addition, even if the difference is within a predetermined tolerance range, temperature measurement and prediction calculation will be repeated until it is determined that the measurement has finished, and the predicted temperature display will be updated to a more accurate value. It is configured. By the way, in the measurement of body temperature, there are a wide variety of observed temperature changes from the start of measurement to thermal equilibrium, depending on the thermal characteristics of the thermometer, the state of the measurement site, and the characteristics of the site itself. However, by limiting the thermal characteristics of the thermometer, these temperature changes can be classified into several patterns, that is, temperature changes can be defined. A very broad classification is the measurement of oral temperature and the measurement of armpit temperature. There are many other classification methods, but here we will explain body temperature measurement using oral temperature measurement. When oral body temperature is measured in a wide variety of cases using a thermometer with limited thermal properties, it is found that thermal equilibrium is reached in approximately 3 to 5 minutes. If we carefully examine the difference U' between the temperature Te at thermal equilibrium and the temperature T during the measurement, we will find that it follows the following formula with very good accuracy in the relatively early stages of measurement. U′=Te−T=αt+β+C(t+γ)〓 …(1) where U′: Difference between temperature at thermal equilibrium and temperature during measurement t: Time from start of measurement C: Variable parameters α, β, γ, δ: Constant that is well suited to measurements under certain conditions. Especially when measuring body temperature in the mouth, for example, the following empirical formula is U' = -0.001t + 0.05 + C (t + 1) ^-1.0 (6≦C≦26) ...(2) It is well established. Here, when the unit of t is given in seconds, U' is given in degrees Celsius. Therefore, the calculation formula is constructed so that the predicted temperature Tp when the temperature Te at thermal equilibrium is predicted corresponds to the temperature T at the time of prediction plus the corrected temperature difference U corresponding to equation (2). . Therefore, U=Tp−T=−0.001t+0.05+C(t+1) ^−1.0 (6≦C≦26) (3) is the first prediction function that provides a predicted corrected temperature difference. The reason why U' is changed to U in equation (3) is that the temperature Te at the time of thermal equilibrium corresponds to the predicted temperature Tp when executing the prediction process. FIG. 3 shows a curve when the value of the parameter C is changed from C=6 to C=26. Note that equation (3) also holds true for rectal temperature measurement. FIGS. 5 and 6 are a block diagram and an operation flowchart of the prediction calculation unit 9 for both oral and axillary temperature measurement. The formula for the corrected temperature difference for oral temperature measurement has been exemplified above, but the first formula is used according to the determination in step S131 at 100 seconds, and is used for both the mouth and the armpit.
The prediction function for 10<t≦100 is U ₁ = (−0.0025A−0.0035)t+0.5A+0.55+C
(t+1) ...(4) At t>100, U ₂ = (-0.0025A-0.0035)t+0.5A+0.55+C
(t+1)+0.02(t-100)/(C+10)...(5). That is, when 10<t≦100, the calculation of equation (4) is performed in step S135, and when T>100, the calculation of equation (5) is performed in step S135.
Compatible with S136. Here, A is a variable parameter, and the variable range of C with respect to A is as shown in Table 1. When A=-1.0, equation (4) matches equation (3), and A
When = -0.6, equations (4) and (5) become the equations for the corrected temperature difference in armpit temperature measurement.

[Table] The elapsed time measurement unit 8 measures the time from the start of the measurement operation using the clock signal 106 from the control unit 5. The elapsed time signal 108 is supplied to the main calculation section 20. Further, when 10 seconds have elapsed, the initial value setting section 26 sends an initial setting signal 131 to the main counter register section 19 in response. The main counter register section 19 is connected to the main calculation section 20. The former is a counting unit that counts by setting parameters C and A, as will be explained later, and the latter monitors the elapsed time signal 108 and selects calculations and processing according to its magnitude to calculate the corrected temperature difference U. , a rating function f, monitors the corrected temperature difference, instructs the next process according to its magnitude, and outputs the corrected temperature difference. The output 135 of the main calculation section 20 is connected to the temperature increment calculation section 21, and the output 133 is connected to the evaluation calculation section 24. The temperature increment calculation unit 21 is a unit that calculates the temperature increment ΔU, and the evaluation calculation unit 24 uses the evaluation function f given from the main calculation unit 20 to predict the current temperature based on data from 10 seconds ago. This unit evaluates the difference between the result and the real-time temperature. Instruction signal 1 which is the evaluation output
40 is input to the main counter register section 19. The corrected temperature difference output signal 134 of the main calculation section 20 is connected to the addition section 25, and the output signal 104 of the addition section 25 is
is connected to the display section 4. The adding section 25 is an adding unit that calculates the predicted temperature Tp at the time of thermal equilibrium. Now, when the processing of the arithmetic processing section 3 starts, the control section 5 causes the elapsed time measuring section 8 to start receiving the clock signal 106, and executes the elapsed time measuring step S121. The elapsed time measuring section 8 sends an elapsed time signal 108 to the main calculation section 20 and the initial value setting section 26, and the latter executes the initial value setting step S123 after satisfying step S122. Step S122 is a step of waiting for an elapsed time until the following temperature prediction step becomes actually meaningful. For example, this means that the system waits for about 10 seconds before starting to calculate the corrected temperature. This is because predictions up to about 10 seconds have extremely low accuracy and give invalid measurement results. Therefore, the flow is exited without executing the following temperature prediction step until 10 seconds have passed. Eventually, when the initial value setting unit 26 determines that 10 seconds have passed,
Step S123 is executed to send the initial value setting signal 131 to the main counter register section 19, and initialize the parameters A to A=-0.8 and C to C=10. Once the initial setting step S123 is executed, it will be skipped from the next time onwards. On the other hand, the elapsed time signal 1 from the elapsed time measuring section 8
08 is input to the main calculation section 20, and is used together with the parameter signal 132 from the main counter register section 19 to calculate equations (4) and (5). The main calculation section 20 has a function of monitoring the elapsed time signal 108 and selecting a calculation step and a processing step according to its magnitude, a function of calculating a corrected temperature difference U, and a function of calculating an evaluation function f (to be described later) (blocks 29 and 29, respectively). 30), a function of monitoring the corrected temperature difference, a function of instructing the next process according to the magnitude, and a function of outputting the corrected temperature difference. In calculating the corrected temperature difference U, two corrected temperature differences for the elapsed time t and an earlier time tx such as t-10 (ie, 10 seconds before) are determined using the same parameters. These differences correspond to the second prediction function for determining the temperature increment ΔU, and in this example, when 10<t≦100, the calculation in step S125 is ΔU ₁ =Ux−U=(−0.0025A−0.0035) ( tx - t) + C {(tx+1) ^A - (t+1) ^A }...(6
) At t > 100, the calculation in step S126 is ΔU ₂ = Ux - U = (-0.0025A - 0.0035) (tx - t) + C {(tx + 1) ^A - (t + 1) ^A } + 0.02 (tx - t) / (C+10) ...(7). Now, the determination steps S124 and S131 are executed by the above-mentioned functions of the main calculation section 20, and the process enters the corrected temperature difference calculation step S135 or S136 using equations (4) and (5). The corrected temperature difference U is that the two values for t and tx are the signal 1.
35, the calculation process in the temperature increment calculation section 21
For the purpose of being used in S125, it is sent, for example, every second. The flowchart in Figure 6 shows the calculation of ΔU.
(6) and (7) are shown, but this part is done by converting the operation of U into a subroutine as shown in the block diagram of Fig.
It is also possible to calculate ΔU based on the calculation result of . The temperature data output 102 of the measurement circuit 2 is always sent to the memory 7 via the data reading section 6, and according to a storage instruction signal (not shown) sent from the control section 5 every second, for example, 10 pieces of data are stored in order from the oldest data. Temperature data for 10 seconds is stored. As new data is sampled and stored in the newest data storage location, the oldest data is discarded. For example, the oldest data and the newest data are conveyed from the memory 7 to the prediction calculation section 9 by a signal 107. These are treated as the temperature Tx 10 seconds ago and the current temperature T, and the former is used as the Tx signal 136 in the addition step S127 for real-time predicted temperature calculation.
The input signal is input to the adding section 22 which performs the following. Here, the adding unit 22 performs the addition step S127 of the output ΔU of the temperature increment calculating unit 21 and the temperature Tx 10 seconds ago, and outputs a real-time predicted temperature signal 138 to the subtracting unit 23. The subtraction unit 23 subtracts the real-time predicted temperature T' from the current temperature T, and sends the result as an output 139 to the evaluation calculation unit 24. In the evaluation calculation unit 24, the evaluation function output f1 from the main calculation unit 20
33 to evaluate the difference between the result of predicting the current temperature from data from 10 seconds ago and the real-time temperature T.
Evaluate at S128. Here, f is an appropriately selected evaluation function, but if the following function is used, the evaluation process will be relatively easy. f=(tx+1) ^-1.0 -(t+1) ^-1.0 ...(8) This means that when t is small, the change in the predicted value when changing the parameter is large, and as t becomes large, the change becomes smaller. It corresponds to going. Figure 4 shows how f changes when the value 10 seconds before the current time t is used for tx.
In principle, equation (8) follows equation (9) below. f = (Ux, c = c + 1 - Uc = c + 1) - (Ux,
c=c−Uc=c) …(9) Here, the evaluation function f is basically equation (9), but
Furthermore, at 10<t≦100, f ₁ = (tx+1) ^A − (t+1) ^A …(10) At t>100, f ₂ = (tx+1) ^A −(t+1) ^A +0.02{1/ (C+11)−1 /(C+10)}(tx-t)...(11). The evaluation results are divided into three types: 1. When T-T'≧f, proceed to the step of increasing parameter C; 2. When |T-T'|<f, proceed to the next step without changing the parameter; 3. T-T When '≦-f, an instruction signal 140 for proceeding to the step of decreasing the parameter C is output. In step S130 of increasing the parameter C, A
Increase the current value of counter register 27 by one. At the same time, in a judgment step 133, the maximum value is monitored according to Table 1. When Cmax is exceeded, step S137 is entered and the current value of the A counter register 8 is increased by 0.1. Further, in step S39, the value of the A counter register 27 is reset according to Table 1. To give a concrete example of the case where the initial settings in step S123 are updated, first
When it is determined in S133 that parameter C exceeds 11, the process proceeds to S137 and parameter A is incremented by 0.1. In other words, A becomes -0.7. Next, in step S139, a new setting value 6 (CNEXT) according to Table 1 is set to parameter C. Further, in the judgment step S141, the value of A is monitored, and A>-0.6
In this case, the error signal 114 is outputted in the display step S144 to cause the display unit 4 to display, for example, E, and then the display holding unit 11 is operated as it is to carry out the display holding step S107 in which the display of E is held.
In addition, another part of the error signal 114 is sent to the arithmetic processing unit stop step S108 in which the arithmetic processing unit 3 is stopped.
have them do it. If a NO sign is issued in the judgment steps S133 and S141, the prediction calculation step is exited. Similarly, when it is determined in step S132 that the parameter C is smaller than 9, the process proceeds to step S134, where the parameter A is subtracted by 0.1. So A is -0.9
become. Next, in step S138, the first
A new setting value 18 (CNEXT) according to the table is set. In step S140, it is determined whether or not the parameter A exceeds its lower limit value -1.0. If it does not, the prediction calculation step is similarly exited, and if it does, the display step S143 is executed. When performing the above steps, the predicted temperature data Tp to be displayed has not yet been calculated, so the display step
Even if S105 is performed, the predicted equilibrium temperature is not displayed. When entering a loop in which parameters are not changed, a correction temperature difference calculation step S135 or S136 is entered. A loop in which parameters are not changed passes when the parameters used for calculation are suitable for real-time temperature changes, so the prediction is valid. Therefore, the flow is the addition step of the addition section 25 with the corrected temperature difference calculation result.
Enter S142. A signal 141 of the current temperature T and a signal 134 of the corrected temperature difference U are inputted to the adding unit 25, and the predicted temperature Tp at the time of thermal equilibrium is calculated and sent to the display unit 4 as a display output 104. It is actually displayed in the display step S105. Furthermore, when an instruction to proceed to the step of decreasing the parameter C is issued in the evaluation step S128, the same process as the step of increasing the parameter C is performed.
S129, 132, 134, 138, 140 will be implemented. In this way, the prediction calculation unit 9 of this embodiment has A=-1.0.
The mouth temperature measurement for A=-0.6 and the lower temperature measurement for A=-0.6 are automatically determined, and body temperature predictions suitable for each temperature measurement are performed. 7 and 8 show another embodiment of the invention. The differences from the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are as follows:
In addition to the above-mentioned subunits, the arithmetic processing unit 3 further includes an average detected temperature calculation unit 12, a maximum average detected temperature calculation unit 13, an error determination unit 15, a prediction end determination unit 14, and a range over determination unit 16. Furthermore, the buzzer 17 and lamp 18 are connected to the arithmetic processing section 3. The average detected temperature calculation section 12 is a unit that calculates the arithmetic average of several latest series of temperature data measured at each measurement cycle. The moving average temperature, which is an arithmetic average value, is used to reduce the influence of slight fluctuations in temperature data on the results in later processing steps such as prediction calculations.
For example, in temperature data every second, the current temperature T
The arithmetic average values of about 5 to 15 values are used as the temperature Tx and the temperature Tx 10 seconds ago. Maximum average detection calculation unit 13
is a unit that takes in the average detected temperature signal 130 obtained by the average detected temperature calculation section 12 and outputted every cycle, and if it is larger than the previous value, obtains it, and if it is smaller, discards it. The maximum average detected temperature determined here is used in the later main calculation process. As briefly explained in connection with the previous embodiment, the prediction end determination unit 14 determines that when the elapsed time exceeds a certain value,
It is also a unit that determines when the change in temperature falls below a certain value. Before these two conditions are satisfied, the error determination unit 15 receives the latest temperature data signal 119 from the memory 7 and the maximum average detected temperature calculation unit 1.
The latest temperature is compared with the maximum average detected temperature signal 118 from 3, and the latest temperature is a predetermined value than the maximum average detected temperature.
For example, this is a unit that determines an error if the temperature is lower than 0.1°C. Specifically, the error state corresponds to cases where the measurement is interrupted before the predictive calculation results are guaranteed with sufficient accuracy, or the thermometer is removed from the measurement site.
In such cases, the temperature is not displayed. The range over determination section 16 is a unit that monitors the prediction calculation result of the prediction calculation section 9 and determines whether or not the predicted value is within a predetermined temperature range, for example, 30.degree. C. or lower or 43.degree. C. or higher. The lamp 18 is provided near the display section 4 using, for example, a liquid crystal display element, and is used to illuminate the display section 4. The buzzer 17 is an audible signal generating device that notifies the user of the completion of prediction. By the way, to explain the operation with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 8, temperature data 129 from the memory 7 is taken into the average detected temperature calculation section 12, and here several latest series of data measured at each cycle are calculated. The average value of the temperature data is calculated in the average detected temperature calculation step S111. The maximum average detected temperature calculation unit 13 takes in the average detected temperature signal 130 output from the average detected temperature calculation unit 12 for each cycle, and if it is larger than the previous value, it is determined, and if it is smaller, it is discarded. Value calculation step S112
Execute. The prediction end determination unit 14 determines when the elapsed time exceeds a predetermined value and the change in temperature becomes less than or equal to a predetermined value. The error determination unit 15 determines that an error occurs when the latest temperature data signal 119 is lower than the maximum average detected temperature signal 118 by a predetermined value, for example, 0.1° C. or more, before these two conditions are satisfied. This is the error determination step S113. In this way, the error determination section 15 outputs the error determination signal 1.
When 25 is output, part of it becomes a signal 112 to the display holding unit 11 and a signal for displaying, for example, E (alphabet E, meaning error). This is done after displaying E on the display section 4 in the display step S117.
The display holding unit 11 is operated as it is to carry out a display holding step S107 in which the display of E is held. Another part of the signals causes the arithmetic processing section stopping step S108 to stop the arithmetic processing section 8. This error determination step S113 is executed every cycle until the previous prediction end determination condition is satisfied, and then skipped.
Next, when a "NO" determination is made in the error determination step S113, the prediction calculation section 9 uses the maximum average detected temperature signal 116 and the elapsed time signal 108 output from the elapsed time measurement section 8 in this embodiment. Prediction calculation process
Equilibrium temperature prediction calculation is performed in S104. The result is a range over judgment process performed by the range over judgment unit 16 on the predicted value output 120.
It is monitored in S114, and when a predetermined temperature range is exceeded, for example, when the predicted value is below 30°C or above 43°C, a determination of "YES" is made. At this time, the range over determination section 16 outputs the range over signal 126.
is output, and a part of it is displayed on the display section 4 in the display step S118.
For example, O (alphabetic letter O, meaning over) is displayed, and the same operation as that carried out by the error determination section 15 is performed. When the range over determination unit 16 makes a “NO” determination, the display unit 4 executes the display step S105 based on the predicted value display output 104 from the prediction calculation unit 9. The prediction end determination unit 14 performs the prediction end determination step S115.
The elapsed time signal 121 and the maximum average detected temperature 11
7, each for a predetermined period of time (e.g. 30
When the specified change (for example, change within 0.2 degrees Celsius/second) is exceeded (for example, a change within 0.2 degrees Celsius/second), it is judged as "YES",
A signal 123 for making the buzzer 17 sound is output, and the buzzer sounding step S119 is executed. At this time, the prediction end determination unit 14 outputs the prediction end signal 127,
Similar to the error determination section 15 and the range over determination section 16, it is also possible to maintain the display and stop the arithmetic processing section 3. Regarding the prediction end determination, once a ``YES'' determination is made, the next prediction end determination is skipped.
Next, the elapsed time measuring section 8 performs an elapsed time measuring step.
In addition to measuring the elapsed time since the arithmetic processing unit 3 started operating in S103, in the time end determination step S116, when a predetermined normal body temperature measurement is surely completed, for example, 15 minutes, The operation of automatically outputting a time end signal 128, holding the display, and stopping the arithmetic processing section 3 is performed. The function performed by the measurement end determination section 10 is to monitor the maximum average detected temperature signal 122 and the latest temperature signal 109 in the measurement end determination step S106, and to perform the prediction end determination step S106.
Once S115 has determined that the prediction has ended, if the latest temperature is lower than the maximum average detected temperature by a predetermined value, e.g. 0.1℃ or more, it determines this and immediately or after a predetermined time (e.g. 5 or 6 seconds later) the lamp is turned on. 18 for a predetermined period of time (for example, about 2 to 4 seconds), the lamp lighting step S120 is executed, and the measurement end signal 111 is used to hold the display and stop the arithmetic processing section 3. be. lamp 1
Of course, the reason for lighting 8 is to make the display readable even in a dark place. The loop 110 of continuous measurement is circulated until the end of the measurement is determined in the measurement end determination step S106. As described above, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the average detected temperature calculation section 12 is added to the embodiment shown in FIG. Judgment, measurement completed,
We have made the prediction end judgment more effective, added a range over judgment function, and made it easier to judge whether the prediction has ended or not.
In other words, the display holding unit 11
This includes a function of stopping the arithmetic processing section 8 while maintaining the display on the display section 4. Regardless of which result is retained in the display, the displayed result is important to the measurer and must be retained at least until the measurer reads the result. Glass thermometers retain their results unless you shake them down. In the case of an electronic thermometer as well, it is extremely meaningful to maintain the display until the next measurement is started, for example, as in this embodiment. Furthermore, stopping the operation of the arithmetic processing unit 3 after all the determination steps is important in the sense of suppressing excess power consumption as much as possible. For example, if the arithmetic processing unit 3 is constructed of C-MOS, the effect of power saving due to operation stoppage is large. In this example, an example is shown in which the maximum average detected temperature or detected temperature is used in each process of prediction calculation, error judgment, prediction end judgment, measurement end judgment, and range over judgment, but all of these calculation steps or judgments It goes without saying that an embodiment in which the average detected temperature is used in each step, or an embodiment in which the maximum average detected temperature and the average detected temperature are used is also possible. Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 9 to 12, the hardware that is not implemented by the microcomputer will be described in detail. First, to facilitate understanding, the correspondence between FIG. 1 and FIG. 9 will be explained. The temperature detection section 1 is connected to the thermistor 201, the measurement circuit 2 is connected to the block 2 surrounded by the dashed line, and the control section 5 is connected to the thermistor 201. Each corresponds to block 5 surrounded by a dashed line. Further, the arithmetic processing section 3 is realized by a microcomputer 231. Next, the configuration shown in FIG. 9 will be explained in detail with reference to the timing chart in FIG. 11. In the figure, a thermistor 201 for body temperature measurement is connected to a resistance value-to-pulse number conversion circuit (hereinafter referred to as a conversion circuit) 202. The conversion circuit 202 has a reference clock signal 206 and a conversion command signal 204.
is entered. The conversion is started when the conversion command signal 204 from the control unit 227 becomes logic 1, and the conversion end signal 205 from the conversion circuit 202 causes the signal 204 to become logic 0, and the conversion ends. The converter 202 consists of an oscillator (OSC) whose oscillation frequency changes depending on the resistance value, for example, and a control circuit that controls this oscillation, and is a circuit that outputs the number of oscillator pulses within a fixed width (conversion time). . If the detected temperature is high, a high frequency pulse is output. To explain with reference to FIG. 10, when the counter (COUNT) gives a conversion command to the OSC for a predetermined time width T1 according to the conversion command signal 204, the OSC outputs the number of pulses for the time corresponding to the time width T1. do. When the conversion time times out, a conversion end signal 205 is output. In addition, measurement start detection signal 2, which will be described later,
When 35 is applied to the counter, the counter is set to obtain a conversion time larger than the time width T1, increasing the conversion time and increasing the conversion accuracy. Note that these times are based on the reference clock signal 2.
It is made from 06. 203 is a data pulse output signal which is the output of the conversion circuit 202, and constitutes the clock (CLK) input of the counter 207. The counter 207 performs an up operation when a logic 1 is input to the mode switching terminal U/D. When a logic 0 is input, a down operation is performed. R is a reset terminal of the counter 207. 102 (corresponding to reference numeral 102 in FIG. 1) is the data output of counter 207, which corresponds to temperature data. Data 102 also constitutes the data input of decoder 212. Decoder 212
When the thermistor 201 detects a temperature of 30°C and receives data input with a count of 100, the output terminal T1
forms a logic 1 output. That is, the block 31 surrounded by the broken line constitutes a temperature threshold detection circuit. 214 is an AND gate which receives the output of T1 of the decoder 212 and the decode control signal 229 of the control circuit 227 as gate inputs. In the preliminary measurement, the thermistor 201 detects a temperature of 30°C or higher, the decoder 212 forms a logic 1 at the terminal T1, and when the decode control signal is logic 1, the divided output 217 of the 1/2 frequency divider 216 becomes logic 1. , the D input of the D flip-flop 218 is set to logic 1.
Make it. Reference numeral 222 is a read pulse output by the control unit 227, which is output to store the D input in the flip-flop 218 when the conversion command signal 204 falls. Now, the frequency division output 217,
That is, the D input of the D flip-flop 218 is a logic 1.
Therefore, the output, that is, the up-down control signal 220 becomes logic 0, and the counter 207, which receives the output at the mode switching terminal U/D, is switched to a down counter, and the data pulse output signal 20
3 counts down. Further, the counter reset signal 211 is gated by an AND gate 209. Therefore, the data pulse output signal 203 converted by the next conversion command signal 204 causes the counter 207 to count down in reverse from the count value at the previous up-count. Now, if the down-counted value is the same value as the previous measured value, it will be zero, but if the temperature is higher than that, the contents of the counter 207 will further down-count from zero and take a negative value. . Now, if this value is, for example, minus 3 counts (+0.3
℃), a logic 1 output signal is generated at the decode output terminal T2 of the decoder 212, which is input to the clock terminal (CLK) of the flip-flop 224, and a measurement start detection signal 235 is output.
A block 32 surrounded by a broken line constitutes a temperature change detection circuit. The measurement start detection signal 235 is fed back to the conversion circuit 202, and from this point on, the body temperature measurement mode is entered to improve measurement accuracy. Further, this signal 235 is input to one input terminal of an AND gate 233 in the control unit 5, and is ANDed with a timer interrupt signal 234 that is managed within the microcomputer and generated every second to generate an interrupt to the microcomputer 231. I'm putting it on. This first interrupt activates the arithmetic processing unit start step S101 in FIG. 2, and the data reading and storage step S102 and subsequent steps are subsequently executed. Each time there is an interrupt every second, each step of the loop 110 is executed and the elapsed time is measured. Furthermore, the measurement start signal 230 that is output every second from this point on is a data sampling command signal from the microcomputer 231, and when this signal is input to the control circuit 227, it outputs the conversion command signal 204, and the thermistor 201 outputs the conversion command signal 204. A value corresponding to the temperature is output to data output 102.
The microcomputer 231 reads this value and performs calculations, processing, display, etc. When body temperature measurement is completed, a measurement completion signal 228 is sent from the microcomputer, and a preliminary measurement mode is entered in which the start of measurement is detected again. At this time, the microcomputer goes into standby mode again to reduce power consumption. In addition, the seventh
As shown in the figure, a known liquid crystal display 4, a buzzer 17, and a lamp 18 are connected to the microcomputer as output means. In addition, the display holding section 11
includes a latch circuit that holds error codes, etc.
The contents set in the latch circuit are forcibly displayed on the display 41. Now, when the content of the counter 207 is less than minus 3 counts when counting down, a logic 1 is not generated at the decode output 223 of the decoder 212, so the flip-flop 224
is not set, and the measurement start detection signal 235 is not generated. At this time, near the down count starting point
1/2 frequency divider 2 when passing 100 counts in reverse direction
Since the logic 1 of the decode output 215 is generated at the 1/2 frequency divider 216, the frequency divided output of the 1/2 frequency divider 216 is inverted again. Therefore, the flip-flop 218 is inverted again, and the counter 207 is set in the up-counting state so that it can be reset, and a check is made again to see if the temperature is above 30°C. FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing details of the control section 227. In the figure, 300 is a power-on reset circuit that outputs a reset signal 232 when the electronic thermometer of the embodiment is powered on.
At the same time, the logic circuit within the control section 227 is reset. Reference numeral 302 denotes a timer oscillation circuit which outputs a reference clock signal 206 to the conversion circuit 202, and at the same time, the clock 206 is used as a control clock for the logic circuit in the control section 227. For example, a synchronous circuit 3 consisting of a plurality of flip-flops
04, it is used to capture the rising edge of the input signal and output a pulse synchronized with the clock 206, and is also used as a timer counting clock in the counter circuit 306 that outputs the decoder control signal 229. Furthermore, the oscillation circuit 30
Another output clock 308 from No. 2 is a preliminary measurement timing clock set to a period of 4 seconds for use in the rough precision preliminary measurement. The preliminary measurement flip-flop 310 is connected to the clock 308.
The measurement start detection signal 235 is triggered at the rising edge of
A unique measurement start signal 204 is output via the gate 312 while a logic 1 is not output. gate 3
The other input to 12 is the measurement start signal 230 from the microcomputer 231, which outputs the measurement start signal 204 after the measurement start detection signal 235 is output as logic 1. OR gate 314 controls counters 207 and 306 in synchronization with command signal 204 or reset signal 226.
This is for forming the reset signal 211 of Conversion end signal 205 energizes synchronization circuit 304 to output read pulse 222 and simultaneously reset corresponding flip-flops 310 and 322 via OR gate 316. Reset signal 2
21 and 226 through the or gate 320,
It is activated by the power-on reset signal 232 or the measurement end signal 228 from the microcomputer 231. The circuit shown in FIG. 9 is constructed with a C-MOS circuit, and when the power is turned on to the circuit, a reset signal is output to the counter reset signal 211 and flip-flop preset signals 221 and 226, and the counter and flip-flop are reset. Performs reset control. Further, after initializing the microcomputer 231 by outputting a reset signal 232, the microcomputer 231 is set to a standby state to reduce power consumption. Next, referring to FIGS. 13A and 13B, the control flow of the microcomputer 231 when the power is turned on will be explained. When the power is turned on, the measurement start signal 2
Set 30 to LOW level. Next, send the measurement end signal.
Set to LOW level, clear internal registers, etc., and wait. The microcomputer 231 started with the interrupt start signal 234 every second of measurement outputs the measurement start signal 230. After outputting the measurement start signal 230, a timer is set,
It has an A/D conversion end that converts temperature information into a digital value. When the timer times up, control is advanced, data output 102 on the data bus is taken in, calculations and processing are performed on the data, and body temperature prediction is displayed. When the body temperature measurement is completed, logic 1 is output to the measurement end signal 228, and the CPU is placed in a standby state. As described above, the CPU is stopped even if body temperature measurement is not completed even after execution of a predetermined calculation. Furthermore, the functions of the temperature threshold detection circuit 31, the temperature change detection circuit 32, and the control section 5 may be substituted by software of a microcomputer equipped with a timer interrupt function. Those skilled in the art should be able to easily create a program that performs equivalent functions based on these configurations and operations described in detail so far and convert them into software. Specific Effects of the Invention By having the electronic thermometer according to the present invention configured as described above, it is possible to display the predicted value of the thermal equilibrium temperature with accuracy according to the user's will. That is, the longer the measurement time is, the more the prediction accuracy can be improved compared to the normal accuracy.
As a measuring instrument, it is possible to calibrate and confirm temperature display without special conditions or mode switching. Furthermore, by taking a longer measurement time, it is possible to accurately measure the temperature by using other temperature measurement methods instead of relying on the temperature measurement method specific to the thermometer. Also,
The measurement can be ended at any time, and the display of the measurement result can be maintained, for example, until the next measurement, without wasting power and using the minimum amount of power.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the electronic thermometer according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a flow chart showing the operation of the electronic thermometer shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a prediction for C = 6 to 26 in oral temperature measurement. A graph showing the temporal change in the above corrected temperature difference U, Fig. 4 is a graph showing an example of the evaluation function F when 10 seconds before the original time t is used as the past time tx, and Fig. 5 6 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the prediction calculation unit according to the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a flow diagram showing the operation of the configuration shown in FIG. 5.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the electronic thermometer according to the present invention, FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the electronic thermometer shown in FIG. 7, and FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing details of FIG. 1. FIG. 10 is a circuit diagram showing an example of a specific configuration of a resistance value-to-pulse number converter;
The figure is a timing chart for explaining the operation in Figure 9, Figure 12 is a block diagram showing details of the control section in Figure 9, and Figures 13A and 13B illustrate the operation and control of the CPU when the microcomputer is powered on. This is a flowchart.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. Temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the part to be measured and generating a first signal indicating the temperature, storage means for sequentially accumulating the first signal, and elapsed time after the start of measurement. and an equilibrium temperature that defines a temperature change from the first and second signals to the equilibrium temperature using the measurement time as a variable. a first calculation means for calculating a predicted value of the equilibrium temperature using a prediction function; a first control means for causing the first calculation means to perform a prediction calculation of the equilibrium temperature at a predetermined cycle;
display means for displaying the predicted value of the equilibrium temperature; and a second control for reading out first signals corresponding to two successive time points from the storage means and comparing both signals in response to the elapsed time measuring means. means, the second control means indicating that the second signal has exceeded a first predetermined elapsed time and that the difference between the first signals corresponding to two points in time is a first predetermined time period. after the first signal corresponding to the current time point no longer shows an increase exceeding a predetermined range, the first signal corresponding to the current time point exceeds a second predetermined range compared to the first signal corresponding to the previous time point; An electronic thermometer characterized in that the operation of the first calculation means is stopped when the indication is indicated. 2. The second control means controls the first signal corresponding to the current point in time before the difference between the first signals corresponding to the two points in time no longer shows an increase exceeding the first predetermined range. is characterized in that when the signal shows a decrease exceeding the second predetermined range compared to the first signal corresponding to a previous time point, the display means displays a first display indicating this state. An electronic thermometer according to claim 1. 3. The display means includes an audible signal generator, and the second control means indicates that the second signal has exceeded a predetermined elapsed time, and that the display means is configured to indicate that the second signal has exceeded a predetermined elapsed time, and that the display means is configured to indicate that the second signal has exceeded a predetermined elapsed time, and that the display means includes an audible signal generator. 2. The electronic thermometer of claim 1, wherein the audible signal generator is energized when the difference no longer indicates an increase beyond the first predetermined range. 4. The second control means is characterized in that when the predicted value output by the first calculation means exceeds a third predetermined range, the second control means causes the display means to display a second display indicating this state. Claim 1:
Electronic thermometer as described in section. 5. The electronic thermometer according to claim 2, wherein the second control means displays the first display on the display means and stops the first calculation means. 6. The electronic thermometer according to claim 4, wherein the second control means displays the second display on the display means and stops the first calculation means. 7. The display means includes a liquid crystal display element that visually displays the predicted value, and an illumination means that illuminates the liquid crystal display element, and the second control means is configured to stop the operation of the first calculation means. 2. The electronic thermometer according to claim 1, wherein the lighting means is lit for a predetermined period in advance. 8. The second control means controls the first signal when the second signal exceeds a second predetermined elapsed time that is longer than both the predetermined length and the first predetermined elapsed time. The electronic thermometer according to claim 1, characterized in that the operation of the calculation means is stopped. 9 Temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the part to be measured and generating a first signal indicating the temperature; accumulating means for sequentially accumulating the first signal; and measuring the elapsed time after the start of measurement, Predicting the equilibrium temperature using an elapsed time clock that generates a second signal indicating the elapsed time, and an equilibrium temperature prediction function that defines the temperature change from the first and second signals to the equilibrium temperature using the elapsed time as a variable. a first calculation means for calculating a value; a first control means for causing the first calculation means to perform a prediction calculation of the equilibrium temperature at a predetermined cycle; a display means for displaying the predicted value of the equilibrium temperature; a second control means responsive to the elapsed time clock means for reading out the first signal corresponding to two successive time points from the storage means and comparing the two signals; after a second signal indicates that a first predetermined elapsed time has been exceeded and the difference between said first signals corresponding to two points in time no longer indicates an increase beyond a first predetermined range; When the first signal corresponding to the current time point shows a decrease exceeding a second predetermined range compared to the first signal corresponding to the previous time point, the first calculation means operates. The electronic thermometer further comprises a holding means for holding a predicted value of the equilibrium temperature when the operation of the first calculation means is stopped. 10. The electronic thermometer according to claim 9, wherein the holding means causes the display means to display a predicted value of the equilibrium temperature when the operation of the first calculation means is stopped. 11 The second control means controls the first signal corresponding to the current point in time before the difference between the first signals corresponding to two points in time no longer shows an increase exceeding the first predetermined range. is characterized in that when the signal shows a decrease exceeding the second predetermined range compared to the first signal corresponding to a previous time point, the display means displays a first display indicating this state. An electronic thermometer according to claim 10. 12. The second control means is characterized in that when the predicted value output by the first calculation means exceeds a third predetermined range, the second control means causes the display means to display a second display indicating this state. Claim 1:
Electronic thermometer described in item 0. 13. The electronic thermometer according to claim 11, wherein the second control means displays the first display on the display means and stops the first calculation means. 14. The electronic thermometer according to claim 12, wherein the second control means displays the second display on the display means and stops the first calculation means. 15 The display means includes a liquid crystal display element that visually displays the predicted value, and an illumination means that illuminates the liquid crystal display element, and the second control means
10. The electronic thermometer according to claim 9, wherein the illumination means is turned on for a predetermined period before stopping the operation of the calculation means. 16 The second control means performs a first calculation when the second signal exceeds a second predetermined elapsed time that is longer than both the predetermined length and the first predetermined elapsed time. The electronic thermometer according to claim 9, characterized in that the operation of the means is stopped. 17. The electronic thermometer according to claim 9, wherein the holding means holds the predicted value of the equilibrium temperature until measurement is started again.