JPH07110352A - Electromagnetic environment alarm device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate a malfunction of a medical apparatus due to an electro magnetic wave or an uncomfortable feeling due to a change of a mode by detecting the electromagnetic wave, by determining whether the electromagnetic wave causes a prescribed device to malfunction or not and by issuing an alarm. CONSTITUTION:The alarm device 10 is used in such a manner that a patient having a pace maker implanted, for instance, carries it constantly. An electromagnetic wave detecting part 100 detects an external noise electric field 20 and an external noise magnetic field 30, converts them into electric signals, amplifies selectively only signal components of a frequency band having the possibility of producing an adverse effect on the pace maker and outputs them to an arithmetic control part 200 as an electric field sensing signal 121 and a magnetic field sensing signal 141. The arithmetic control part 200 and determines frequency distributions, intensity distributions and shapes of waveforms of the electric field and the magnetic field and the kinds of codes thereof, while evaluating and judging synthetically whether or not the electro- magnetic wave has the possibility of causing the pace maker to malfunction. Then, it outputs the result to an alarm issuing part 300 and makes it issue an alarm 40.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electromagnetic environment alarm device for monitoring an electromagnetic field environment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the deterioration of electromagnetic environment in recent years, malfunction reports of various electronic devices and electronic medical devices have been increasing, and techniques for preventing or not receiving unnecessary electromagnetic waves in various fields have been studied. ing. Under such circumstances, medical equipment for treatment, particularly pacemakers, are representative of devices in which malfunctions are not allowed because malfunctions are directly related to life, and countermeasures against malfunctions due to electromagnetic fields are required. Hereinafter, a pacemaker will be described as an example.

A pacemaker operates by connecting a pacemaker lead between the main body and the heart, and using this lead to perform pacing and detection of a cardiac action potential. In the case of a pacemaker, this lead causes malfunction.
That is, the lead is an antenna for electromagnetic waves and is susceptible to noise, and since the cardiac action potential is as small as several mV, it is more susceptible to electromagnetic waves than other medical devices. Although it is required to develop a lead having a structure that does not serve as an electromagnetic wave antenna, it has not been put into practical use due to problems such as thickness, durability, and electrical characteristics.

Therefore, current pacemakers have a function of detecting noise in the control algorithm of the main body,
When noise is detected, the mode is forced to shift to the fixed heartbeat stimulation mode that does not use the detection result of the cardiac action potential.

[0005]

However, even with such a function, there is no way for the pacemaker user to know in advance that he or she is in an adverse electromagnetic environment causing a malfunction of the pacemaker. At the current technical level, pacemaker users will feel uncomfortable as a result of switching to the fixed heartbeat stimulation mode, and in the case of a bad electromagnetic environment at which the control algorithm in the main unit malfunctions, There is even a risk of death. In fact, there have been reports of malfunctions in daily life areas such as medical NMR and the vicinity of linear motor cars, and the current situation is that pacemaker users are instructed to stay away from such places.

The present invention has been made for the purpose of solving such a problem, and provides an electromagnetic environment alarm device useful for eliminating malfunction of medical equipment due to electromagnetic waves or discomfort caused by mode change. To do.

[0007]

In order to solve this problem, the electromagnetic environment alarm device of the present invention has an electromagnetic wave detecting means for detecting an electromagnetic wave and whether the detected electromagnetic wave malfunctions a predetermined device. Malfunction determining means for determining
An alarm generating means is provided for generating an alarm when the electromagnetic wave causes the predetermined device to malfunction.

Here, the predetermined device is a medical device, and the malfunction determining means determines whether or not the electromagnetic wave may cause the medical device to malfunction. Further, the malfunction determining means obtains the frequencies and intensities of the electric and magnetic fields from the output of the electromagnetic wave detecting means by calculation, the waveform shape and the type of code, and comprehensively evaluates and determines whether or not the malfunction electromagnetic waves of the medical device. And an arithmetic control unit for outputting an alarm signal. Further, the alarm generating means is
An alarm is generated by either or a combination of vibrations.

[0009]

With the electromagnetic environment alarm device having such a configuration, a user of a medical device, particularly a pacemaker, etc. can know that an electromagnetic environment in which the device may malfunction may be present due to the alarm, and the user is aware of the location. You can avoid it.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. The electromagnetic environment alarm device of this embodiment is shown in FIG.
From now on, description will be made based on FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a main body of an electromagnetic environment alarm device 10 for medical equipment. The output windows of the optical alarm 310 and the acoustic alarm 320 are exposed on the surface of the main body, and the electric field sensor 110 is provided inside the main body.
The magnetic field sensor 130, the vibration alarm 330, and all other components are stored.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of use of the electromagnetic environment alarm device 10. This device is used, for example, by a patient with an implanted pacemaker 1 at all times. In the figure, it is used in a shirt pocket, but it may be attached to a belt or carried in a bag. In the example of this device, it is a device that detects the electromagnetic field mixed into the pacemaker, so it must be placed in the same environment as the pacemaker is placed in. When carrying it, put it in a container that shields electromagnetic waves such as metal. It is preferable to carry it in a place as close to the pacemaker 1 as possible.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining the internal structure of the electromagnetic environment alarm device 10. The electromagnetic environment alarm device 10 includes an electromagnetic wave detection unit 100 and an arithmetic control unit 2.
00, an alarm generation unit 300, and a power supply unit 400. The power supply unit 400 uses a primary battery or a secondary battery as a power supply and supplies power to each unit in the electromagnetic wave environment alarm device 10.

The electromagnetic wave detecting section 100 further includes an electric field sensor 1.
10, electric field sensing amplifier 120, magnetic field sensor 13
0, the magnetic field sensing amplifier 140, and the electric field sensor 110 and the magnetic field sensor 130 are external noise electric field 2
0, the external noise magnetic field 30 is detected, and each is converted into an electric signal and output. The electric signals are respectively input to the electric field sensing sync amplifier 120 and the magnetic field sensing amplifier 140, selectively amplifying only the signal components in the frequency band that may adversely affect the pacemaker, and the electric field sensing signal 121 and the magnetic field sensing signal. It is output to the arithmetic and control unit 200 as 141.

The arithmetic control unit 200 arithmetically processes the electric field sensing signal 121 and the magnetic field sensing signal 141 to obtain the frequency distribution, intensity distribution, waveform shape and code type of the electric field and magnetic field, and based on these information. Then, it comprehensively evaluates and judges whether or not the electromagnetic waves that may cause the pacemaker to malfunction, and outputs the alarm signal 201, which is the judgment result, to the alarm generator 300.

The alarm generator 300 receives the alarm signal 201 and generates a corresponding alarm 40. The alarm generation unit includes an optical alarm 310 and an acoustic alarm 32.
0, vibration alarm 330, using one or a combination of multiples of the above three alarms. The optical alarm 310 includes an alarm such as a liquid crystal display and a light emitting diode. As the audible alarm 320, a buzzer,
There are alarms such as voice synthesis output. As the vibration alarm, there is an alarm that generates a vibration that can be felt by a person, and is an alarm that is generated by rotating a weight having a rigid center of gravity with a motor.

In the electromagnetic environment alarm device 10 having the above-described configuration, the electromagnetic wave detection unit 100 detects an external electromagnetic wave, and the arithmetic control unit 200 determines whether the electromagnetic wave may cause a malfunction of the pacemaker. If there is a risk, the alarm generation unit 300 is controlled to generate an alarm 4
Generates 0.

[0017]

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electromagnetic environment alarm device useful for eliminating malfunction of medical equipment due to electromagnetic waves or discomfort caused by mode change. By using this electromagnetic environment alarm device, for example, a pacemaker user or the like can know in advance the danger of malfunction of the pacemaker due to electromagnetic waves. In other words, the pacemaker users themselves can avoid a dangerous electromagnetic environment, and it is possible to prevent the occurrence of discomfort due to the fixed heartbeat stimulation mode and the malfunction of the pacemaker itself, and provide a safe pacemaker life. can do.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an appearance of an electromagnetic environment alarm device according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a method of using the electromagnetic environment alarm device according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of an electromagnetic environment alarm device according to the present embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Pacemaker 10 Electromagnetic Environment Alarm Device Main Body 100 Electromagnetic Wave Detection Unit 110 Electric Field Sensor 120 Electric Field Sensing Amplifier 121 Electric Field Sensing Signal 130 Magnetic Field Sensor 140 Magnetic Field Sensing Amplifier 141 Magnetic Field Sensing Signal 200 Computation Control Unit 201 Alarm Signal 300 Alarm Generation Unit 310 Optical Alarm 320 Acoustic Alarm 330 Vibration alarm 400 Power supply

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An electromagnetic wave detecting means for detecting an electromagnetic wave, a malfunction determining means for judging whether or not the detected electromagnetic wave malfunctions a predetermined device, and an electromagnetic wave malfunctioning the predetermined device, An electromagnetic environment alarm device, comprising: an alarm generating means for generating an alarm. 2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined device is a medical device, and the malfunction determining unit determines whether or not the electromagnetic wave may malfunction the medical device. Electromagnetic environment alarm device. 3. The malfunction determining means calculates the frequencies and intensities of the electric and magnetic fields, the waveform shape, and the type of code from the output of the electromagnetic wave detecting means, and comprehensively determines whether the malfunction electromagnetic waves of the medical device. The electromagnetic environment alarm device according to claim 2, further comprising arithmetic control means for evaluating and judging and outputting an alarm signal. 4. The electromagnetic environment alarm device according to claim 1, wherein the alarm generating means generates an alarm by light, sound, vibration, or a combination thereof.