WO2013121762A1

WO2013121762A1 - Clinical thermometer and body temperature measurement system

Info

Publication number: WO2013121762A1
Application number: PCT/JP2013/000712
Authority: WO
Inventors: 内山　城司; 河野　弘昌
Original assignee: テルモ株式会社
Priority date: 2012-02-14
Filing date: 2013-02-08
Publication date: 2013-08-22
Also published as: JP6081983B2; JPWO2013121762A1

Abstract

A clinical thermometer comprises a plurality of thermal resistors, each of which has a first temperature sensor disposed on a side that comes in contact with the surface of the body to be examined, and a second temperature sensor disposed on the side opposing the side that comes in contact with the body surface, and the clinical thermometer measures the core body temperature of the body to be examined when adhered to the surface of the body to be examined. The clinical thermometer is provided with: a first thermal resistor having a prescribed thermal resistance between the first and second temperature sensors; second and third thermal resistors having thermal resistances between the first and second temperature sensors lower than that of the first thermal resistor; a homogenization member that covers the faces of the first to third thermal resistors at the side opposing the side that comes in contact with the body surface; a selecting means for selecting either a first pair comprising the first and second thermal resistors or a second pair comprising the first and third thermal resistors, on the basis of the relationships between the temperatures of the first to third thermal resistors measured with the first temperature sensors; and a calculation means that calculates the core body temperature on the basis of the results of measurements by the temperature sensors belonging to the pair selected by the selecting means.

Description

Thermometer and body temperature measurement system

The present invention relates to a thermometer and a body temperature measurement system for measuring the deep body temperature of a subject in a state of being attached to the body surface of the subject.

Conventionally, a thermometer that measures the body temperature of the deep part of the subject in a state of being attached to the body surface of the subject is known. As one of such thermometers, a non-heating type thermometer is known (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

In general, in a non-heating type thermometer, a first temperature sensor that comes into contact with the body surface when it is attached to the body surface of a subject, and a heat insulating material (thermal resistor) for the first temperature sensor are provided. There are provided at least two pairs of temperature sensors each composed of a second temperature sensor disposed at a position opposed to each other. Here, each temperature sensor pair is arranged in a thermal resistor, and the thermal resistance of the thermal resistor is configured to be different from each other.

Then, a temperature difference between the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor in each temperature sensor pair is detected, and a heat flow rate from the deep part of the subject is obtained based on the temperature difference. The body temperature is calculated (hereinafter, a thermometer of such a measurement method is referred to as a heat flow type thermometer).

JP 2007-212407 A JP 2009-222543 A

However, in such a heat flow thermometer, there are many disturbance factors that cause measurement errors, and it is essential to investigate these factors that affect measurement accuracy individually and take measures to eliminate those factors. .

Here, as one of the disturbance elements, for example, the temperature distribution on the body surface of the subject can be cited. The heat flow thermometer measures the heat flow of the subject in a state where it is attached to the body surface of the subject. At this time, the above-described thermal resistor is placed in a region on the body surface where the temperature distribution is greatly different. When pasted, the temperature difference according to the resistance value of the thermal resistor cannot be obtained. As a result, a desired measurement result may not be obtained.

Then, this invention is made | formed in view of the said subject, and it aims at providing the technique which suppressed the disturbance element at the time of measuring deep body temperature, and improved the measurement precision of deep body temperature. .

In order to solve the above-described problem, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a temperature sensor is disposed as a first temperature sensor on a side in contact with a body surface of a subject, and is in contact with the body surface as a second temperature sensor. A thermometer that includes a plurality of thermal resistors each having a temperature sensor disposed on a side facing the side surface, and measures the deep body temperature of the subject in a state of being attached to the body surface of the subject, A first thermal resistor having a predetermined thermal resistance between one temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor; and a thermal resistance between the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor. Is lower than the first thermal resistor, and the thermal resistance between the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor is lower than that of the first thermal resistor. The third thermal resistor, the first thermal resistor, and the second thermal resistor And a uniformizing member configured to cover a surface of the third thermal resistor that faces the surface of the third thermal resistor that is in contact with the body surface, the first thermal resistor, and the second thermal resistor A first thermal resistor and a second thermal resistor based on a temperature relationship measured by the first temperature sensor of each of the body and the third thermal resistor. A selection means for selecting one of a pair and a second pair constituted by the first thermal resistor and the third thermal resistor; and the pair selected by the selection means Calculating means for calculating the deep body temperature based on the measurement result of each temperature sensor included.

According to the present invention, disturbance factors when measuring deep body temperature can be suppressed, and measurement accuracy of deep body temperature can be improved.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, the same or similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

The accompanying drawings are included in the specification, constitute a part thereof, show an embodiment of the present invention, and are used to explain the principle of the present invention together with the description.
It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of an internal structure of the heat flow type thermometer 10 concerning one embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the measurement principle of the deep body temperature in the heat flow type thermometer. It is a figure which shows the measurement conditions at the time of the measurement experiment by the heat-flow-type thermometer. It is a figure which shows the result at the time of the measurement experiment by the heat-flow-type thermometer. It is a figure which shows the result at the time of the measurement experiment by the heat-flow-type thermometer. It is a figure which shows the result at the time of the measurement experiment by the heat-flow-type thermometer. It is a figure which shows the result at the time of the measurement experiment by the heat-flow-type thermometer. The figure which shows an example of a structure of the body temperature measurement system provided with the heat-flow-type thermometer. It is a figure which shows an example of a functional structure of the heat-flow-type thermometer. It is a figure which shows an example of a functional structure of the body temperature display apparatus.

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

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of a heat flow thermometer 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The upper diagram shows an outline of the heat flow thermometer 10 viewed from the side, and the lower diagram shows an overview of the heat flow thermometer 10 viewed from above.

The heat flow thermometer 10 is attached to the body surface of the subject and measures the deep body temperature of the subject in this state. In addition, in this embodiment, the heat flow type thermometer 10 is comprised with the type which does not have a heating function.

Here, the heat flow thermometer 10 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of (in this case, three) measurement units 20 (second measurement unit 20a, first measurement unit 20b, and third measurement unit 20c). Configured.

The three measurement units 20 measure the deep body temperature of the subject divided into two pairs. Specifically, the measurement is performed with the combination of the second measurement unit 20a and the first measurement unit 20b as the first pair and the combination of the third measurement unit 20c and the first measurement unit 20b as the second pair. Done.

Then, the deep body temperature is calculated based on the measurement result of either pair. This is because the measurement unit 20 is affixed to different regions on the body surface during measurement by each measurement unit 20, and therefore the influence of the temperature distribution on the body surface may be included as a disturbance in the measurement result. Because there is sex.

That is, according to the heat flow type thermometer 10 according to the present embodiment, any pair is selected according to the measurement result of each pair, and the deep body temperature of the subject is measured based on the measurement result of the selected pair. To do.

Here, each of the plurality of measurement units 20 is provided with a first temperature sensor 21 (21a to 21c), a second temperature sensor 22 (22a to 22c), and a thermal resistor 23 (23a to 23c). It has been.

The first temperature sensor 21 is located on the side in contact with the body surface when the heat flow thermometer 10 is attached to the body surface of the subject. The second temperature sensor 22 is located on the side facing the first temperature sensor 21 through the thermal resistor 23. In addition, the 1st temperature sensor 21 and the 2nd temperature sensor 22 are comprised by the thermocouple, for example.

The thermal resistor 23 is configured to have a flat plate shape with a thickness of 1 mm to 2 mm and a diameter of 10 mm, for example, and the material is, for example, polyacetal. The thermal resistor 23 is disposed between the first temperature sensor 21 and the second temperature sensor 22 and allows the heat flow from the body surface of the subject to pass therethrough. Each of the first temperature sensor 21 and the second temperature sensor 22 is disposed at a central position in the thermal resistor 23.

The thermal resistors 23 are juxtaposed via the heat insulating member 13 at intervals of about 1 mm to 10 mm (preferably 2 mm to 6 mm), respectively, so that heat flows passing through the thermal resistors 23 do not mix with each other. Has been placed.

Further, the bottom surface of the thermal resistor 23 is covered with a heat conductive member 15 (15a to 15c) having a good thermal conductivity such as an aluminum tape. The entire body surface side of the heat flow thermometer 10 is covered with an adhesive tape (adhesive layer) and an adhesive tape (release paper) 14. Thereby, the heat flow type thermometer 10 can be easily mounted on the body surface of the subject.

Here, the thermal resistor 23a and the thermal resistor 23c are configured to have the same thermal resistance (between the first temperature sensor 21 and the second temperature sensor 22). It is comprised so that thermal resistance may become lower than 23b. In addition, as a method of lowering the thermal resistance of the thermal resistor 23a and the thermal resistor 23c than the thermal resistor 23b, the member of the thermal resistor 23 is changed, the thickness of the thermal resistor 23 (first temperature) The change of the distance between the sensor 21 and the 2nd temperature sensor 22 is mentioned.

Specifically, in the former method, the thermal resistor 23a and the thermal resistor 23c are formed of the same member, and the thermal resistor 23b is a member having a lower thermal conductivity than the thermal resistor 23a and the thermal resistor 23c. Can be formed. In the latter method, the thermal resistor 23a, the thermal resistor 23b, and the thermal resistor 23c are all formed of the same member, and the distance between the first temperature sensor 21 and the second temperature sensor 22 is set to The resistor 23a and the thermal resistor 23c have the same length, and the thermal resistor 23b may be longer than the thermal resistor 23a and the thermal resistor 23c. In the case of FIG. 1, the former method, that is, the case where the thermal resistor 23b is formed of a member having lower thermal conductivity than the thermal resistor 23a and the thermal resistor 23c is shown.

By configuring the first temperature sensor 21, the second temperature sensor 22, and the thermal resistor 23 in the shape and arrangement as described above, the heat flow thermometer 10 can dissipate heat flow from the side surface of the thermal resistor 23. It can be suppressed. Further, the influence on the first temperature sensor 21 and the second temperature sensor 22 due to the heat flow dissipated from the body surface around the thermal resistor 23 can be suppressed as much as possible.

A heat insulating member 13 having a thermal conductivity lower than or comparable to that of the thermal resistor 23 is disposed on the side surface of the thermal resistor 23. Thereby, dissipation of the heat flow from the body surface around the thermal resistor 23 can be directly suppressed. The heat insulating member 13 is made of another material having high flexibility, and can be deformed along the shape of the body surface. This is to allow the heat flow thermometer 10 to be adhered and adhered to the body surface. In addition, as a material of the heat insulation member 13, for example, foamed rubber, polyurethane, or the like is used. Of course, it may be made of a material other than this, for example, it may be made of a foam of a resin such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinylidene fluoride or the like.

The heat insulating member 13 is thicker than the adjacent thermal resistor 23, and each thermal resistor 23 is fitted in an opening hole provided in the center of the heat insulating member 13. That is, the side surface of the thermal resistor 23 is surrounded by the heat insulating member 13. With such a configuration, the heat flow thermometer 10 can directly suppress the dissipation of heat flow from the side surface of the thermal resistor 23. Note that the upper surface of the heat insulating member 13 is covered with, for example, a plastic film.

The homogenizing member 11 is disposed on the upper surface of the thermal resistor 23, and the homogenizing member 11 covers the entire upper surface of the thermal resistor 23. Thereby, the temperature of the upper surface of the thermal resistor 23 (that is, the outside air side where the heat flow is dissipated) is made uniform, and the direction of the heat flow passing through the thermal resistor 23 is substantially perpendicular to the body surface. The heat flow from the side surface of the thermal resistor 23 can be indirectly suppressed. The uniformizing member 11 may be made of a material having a higher thermal conductivity than that of the thermal resistor 23, and is realized by, for example, aluminum.

A protective member 12 is attached above the uniformizing member 11. The protective member 12 is fixed to a surface on the side opposite to the surface that contacts the body surface of the heat insulating member 13, and the protective member 12 is arranged with a predetermined space with respect to the uniformizing member 11. The protection member 12 may be a non-plastic member such as paper, or may be a plastic member such as plastic. Further, the protective member 12 may be formed uniformly, or has a predetermined size of a vent (a vent having a diameter such that clothes, fingers, etc. do not directly contact the homogenizing member 11). A plurality of them may be provided.

In any case, by adopting a configuration in which the uniformizing member 11 is not directly exposed, it is possible to avoid clothing, fingers, etc. coming into direct contact with the uniformizing member 11. Moreover, the wind which hits from the outer side with respect to the equalization member 11 can also be interrupted | blocked (or air volume and a wind speed are reduced).

In addition, since a space (air layer) is provided between the protective member 12 and the homogenizing member 11, the heat flow dissipated from the homogenizing member 11 is not hindered by the protective member 12. That is, the protection member 12 can remove the influence of the disturbance received by the homogenizing member 11 in the heat flow thermometer 10 (does not disturb the heat flow from the inside to the outside and blocks the disturbance from the outside to the homogenizing member 11). To do).

Next, the measurement principle of the deep body temperature in the heat flow thermometer 10 shown in FIG. 1 will be briefly described with reference to FIG. Here, in order to explain the measurement principle of the deep body temperature of the heat flow thermometer according to this embodiment, the heat flow in the heat flow thermometer is expressed as an electric circuit using an electric circuit similarity method. In FIG. 2, the heat flow is represented as current I, the temperature is represented as voltage T, and the heat resistance is represented as electric resistance R. As a result, the heat flow in the heat flow thermometer is equivalent to the equivalent circuit 100 (first equivalent circuit 100a, It can be expressed as a second equivalent circuit 100b).

Here, Tb represents the deep body temperature, and Rt represents the thermal resistance of the subcutaneous tissue of the subject. In the first equivalent circuit 100a, Tt1 indicates the temperature detected by the first temperature sensor 21a. Ta1 indicates the temperature detected by the second temperature sensor 22a, and Ra1 indicates the thermal resistance value of the thermal resistor (second thermal resistor) 23a.

Furthermore, Tt2 indicates the temperature detected by the first temperature sensor 21b, Ta2 indicates the temperature detected by the second temperature sensor 22b, and Ra2 indicates the thermal resistor (first thermal resistor) 23b. The thermal resistance value is shown. Further, Tc represents an external temperature, and Rc represents a thermal resistance value between the homogenizing member 11 and the outside for making the measured temperature on the outside air side uniform.

In the second equivalent circuit 100b, Tt3 indicates the temperature detected by the first temperature sensor 21c. Ta3 indicates the temperature detected by the second temperature sensor 22c, and Ra3 indicates the thermal resistance value of the thermal resistor (third thermal resistor) 23c. Note that Tt2, Ta2, and Ra2 in the second equivalent circuit 100b are the same as those described in the first equivalent circuit 100a.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the thermal resistor 23a and the thermal resistor 23c are formed of the same member and are configured to have the same thermal resistance. Therefore, the relationship Ra1 = Ra3 is established. Note that the deep body temperature measured by the first equivalent circuit 100a and the second equivalent circuit 100b may have different values. This is because the thermal resistor 23a and the thermal resistor 23c are attached to different regions of the body surface, and thus may be affected by the temperature distribution on the body surface.

In addition, the thermal resistance of the thermal resistor 23a is equal to that of the thermal resistor 23c, whereas the thermal resistance of the thermal resistor 23b is higher than that of the thermal resistor 23a. It is configured as follows.

Here, the measurement principle of the deep body temperature in the first equivalent circuit 100a and the second equivalent circuit 100b will be described in more detail. Since the principle of measuring the deep body temperature in both equivalent circuits is the same, here, the first equivalent circuit 100a will be described as an example.

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

Of these, assuming that the heat flow in the thermal resistor 23a is current I1, and the heat flow in the thermal resistor 23b is current I2, the current I1 and the current I2 can be expressed by the following equations (1) and (2).

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

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

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

Since Ra1 and Ra2 are known, the deep body temperature Tb can be obtained by detecting four temperatures (Tt1, Tt2, Ta1, Ta2).

Here, using FIG. 3 to FIG. 5B, the measurement results when the deep body temperature of the chest is actually measured by the heat flow thermometer 10 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. Here, as a comparative example of the measurement result of the heat flow thermometer 10, the measurement result of the heat flow compensation thermometer (type having a heating function) will also be described.

First, measurement conditions will be described with reference to FIG. The measurement site is the chest, the probe of the heat flow compensation thermometer 50 is attached to the right chest, and the heat flow thermometer 10 is attached to the left chest. The temperature at the measurement location is 27.2 degrees, and the measurement posture of the subject is sitting. In this measurement, as a reference, a measurement condition is also added such that the chest is exposed to the outside air from a state where the chest is covered with clothes.

Here, FIG. 4A, FIG. 4B, FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B show the measurement results measured by the heat flow thermometer 10 and the heat flow compensation thermometer 50 under the measurement conditions described in FIG.

First, the measurement results shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B will be described. FIG. 4B shows the measurement result of the deep body temperature by the first pair (second measurement unit 20a, first measurement unit 20b) shown in FIG. 4A. More specifically, among the temperature sensors (1) to (6), the results measured by the temperature sensors (1), (2), (4) and (5) correspond to the respective signs. It is shown.

FIG. 4B also shows the measurement results by the second measurement unit (temperature sensors (1) and (4)) 20a and the measurement results by the first measurement unit (temperature sensors (2) and (5)) 20b. The deep body temperature of the subject's chest obtained from is shown as “estimated temperature”. In addition, the measurement result of the heat flow compensation thermometer 50 described in FIG. 3 is shown as a “heat flow compensation formula”.

Referring to the measurement result of the first pair shown in FIG. 4B, the relationship of the temperature difference according to the resistance value of the thermal resistor is obtained, that is, the measurement result of the temperature sensor (1) <the measurement result of the temperature sensor (2). It has been. Such a temperature difference relationship is obtained because the first measurement unit 20b having the temperature sensor (2) has a higher thermal resistance than the second measurement unit 20a having the temperature sensor (1). (See FIG. 2). Furthermore, it can be said that the “estimated temperature” indicating the measurement result of the deep body temperature by the first pair has a correlation with the measurement result of the heat flow compensation thermometer 50.

In the measurement result shown in FIG. 4B, the measurement site (chest) is exposed to the outside from the state covered with clothes after about 13 minutes from the start of measurement. Therefore, in particular, in the temperature sensor (4) and the temperature sensor (5) provided on the outside air side, the measurement temperature is lowered from the point of about 13 minutes under the influence of the outside air. In addition, about the exposure to the exterior of this measurement site | part, since it is not directly related to the point which is intended to explain by this embodiment, it abbreviate | omits about further description. Here, only such a result is shown for reference.

Subsequently, the measurement results shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B will be described.

FIG. 5B shows the measurement result of the deep body temperature by the second pair (first measurement unit 20b, third measurement unit 20c) shown in FIG. 5A. More specifically, among the temperature sensors (1) to (6), the results measured by the temperature sensors (2), (3), (5) and (6) correspond to the respective signs. It is shown.

FIG. 5B also shows the measurement results obtained by the first measurement unit (temperature sensors (2) and (5)) 20b and the measurement results obtained by the third measurement unit (temperature sensors (3) and (6)) 20c. The deep body temperature of the subject's chest obtained from is shown as “estimated temperature”. In addition, the measurement result of the heat flow compensation thermometer 50 described in FIG. 3 is shown as a “heat flow compensation formula”.

Referring to the measurement result of the second pair shown in FIG. 5B, the temperature difference relationship of the measurement result of the temperature sensor (3) <the measurement result of the temperature sensor (2) is not obtained. That is, the first measurement unit 20b having the temperature sensor (2) has a higher thermal resistance than the third measurement unit 20c having the temperature sensor (3) (see FIG. 2). ), No temperature difference is seen in the measurement results of both temperature sensors (temperature sensor (2) and temperature sensor (3)).

The “estimated temperature” indicating the measurement result of the deep body temperature by the second pair has the same change as the temperature sensor (2) and the temperature sensor (3), and the measurement result of the heat flow compensation thermometer 50 There is no correlation between the two.

That is, the measurement result of the deep body temperature by the second pair may be influenced by disturbance due to the temperature distribution on the body surface of the subject, and it can be said that there is a problem in the measurement accuracy of the deep body temperature. Therefore, considering the measurement results described in FIG. 4B and FIG. 5B, in this case, the measurement result of the first pair (FIG. 5B) is selected, and the depth body temperature is measured based on the measurement result of the first pair. Will do.

Further, in the measurement result shown in FIG. 5B, as in the case of FIG. 4B, the measurement site (chest) is exposed to the outside from the state covered with clothes after about 13 minutes from the start of measurement. Therefore, in particular, in the temperature sensor (5) and the temperature sensor (6) provided on the outside air side, the measurement temperature is lowered from the point of about 13 minutes under the influence of the outside air. In addition, like FIG. 4B mentioned above, here, such a result is shown only for reference.

Next, a body temperature measurement system including the heat flow type thermometer 10 shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 shows an external configuration of a body temperature measurement system including a heat flow thermometer 10 and a body temperature display device 60 configured to be communicable with the heat flow thermometer 10.

The heat flow thermometer 10 includes a processing unit (not shown) (RF-ID tag that includes an antenna for communication and processes the detected temperature value of each temperature sensor). The processing unit receives power supply from the body temperature display device 60 via an antenna (for example, power supply due to generation of induced electromotive force by electromagnetic waves having a frequency of 13.56 MHz), and a power circuit (not shown) included therein When the electric power is supplied, the entire processing unit is activated, and the deep body temperature data is transmitted to the body temperature display device 60 together with various information.

The body temperature display device 60 includes an RF-ID reader / writer. When the body temperature display device 60 is close to the processing unit, the body temperature display device 60 is magnetically coupled to the processing unit, and supplies power to a power supply circuit included in the processing unit. Receives deep body temperature data and various information.

As described above, in the body temperature measurement system, the heat flow thermometer 10 includes a processing unit and is operated by receiving power supply from the RF-ID reader / writer included in the body temperature display device 60. There is no need to mount the device, and it is possible to reduce the size and weight. As a result, it becomes easy to attach to the measurement site of the subject for a long time.

In addition, the measurement result shows that the body temperature display device 60 including an RF-ID reader / writer that transmits electromagnetic waves of a predetermined frequency, for example, 13.56 MHz, is about 5 to 30 mm of the measurement site where the heat flow thermometer 10 is attached. It can be read simply by moving it closer to the position. For this reason, it is possible to greatly reduce the load of measurement result confirmation / recording work by the measurer.

Here, an example of a functional configuration of the heat flow thermometer 10 shown in FIG. 6 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the heat flow thermometer 10 including the circuit board 40 on which the processing unit 70 is mounted and the sensor unit 41.

The processing unit 70 includes an antenna 71, a wireless communication unit 72, a storage unit 73, and a control unit 74. The wireless communication unit 72 includes a rectifier circuit, a booster circuit, and the like. In the wireless communication unit 72, the AC voltage generated in the antenna 71 is converted into a predetermined DC voltage and supplied to the storage unit 73 and the control unit 74. In addition, the wireless communication unit 72 transmits the deep body temperature data acquired by the control unit 74 to the body temperature display device 60 via the antenna 71 in a predetermined format.

The storage unit 73 stores, for example, identification information unique to the processing unit. The control unit 74 performs overall control of processing in the heat flow thermometer 10. In the control unit 74, for example, operations of the wireless communication unit 72 and the storage unit 73 are controlled. In addition, the control unit 74 processes the output from the sensor unit 41 (first temperature sensors 21a to 21c, second temperature sensors 22a to 22c) (digital conversion, calculation based on a programmed calculation formula, etc.), It transmits to the wireless communication part 72 as deep body temperature data.

Next, an example of a functional configuration of the body temperature display device 60 shown in FIG. 6 will be described with reference to FIG.

The body temperature display device 60 includes an RF-ID reader / writer 80, a control unit 61, a storage unit 62, a display unit 63, and a wired communication unit 64. In addition, the body temperature display device 60 includes a power supply unit composed of a battery, a rechargeable battery, etc., an operation switch including a power ON / OFF switch, etc., but the illustration thereof is omitted here. Yes.

The RF-ID reader / writer 80 functions to transmit / receive data to / from the heat flow thermometer 10 and to supply power, and includes an antenna 81, a wireless communication unit 82, and a signal processing unit 83. It comprises.

The antenna 81 generates an electromagnetic wave having a predetermined frequency, for example, 13.56 MHz, and magnetically couples with the antenna 71 of the processing unit 70 of the heat flow thermometer 10 to supply power to the processing unit 70. Or receive data from the processing unit 70.

The wireless communication unit 82 controls the voltage applied to the antenna 81 in order to supply power to the processing unit 70 of the heat flow thermometer 10 via the antenna 81, or the processing unit of the heat flow thermometer 10 via the antenna 81. Data received from 70 is transmitted to the signal processing unit 83.

In the signal processing unit 83, the data received from the wireless communication unit 82 is processed (for example, converted into digital data) and transmitted to the control unit 61 as deep body temperature data.

The control unit 61 performs overall control of processing in the body temperature display device 60. In the control unit 61, for example, the operations of the wireless communication unit 82 and the signal processing unit 83 are controlled. Further, the deep body temperature data received from the signal processing unit 83 is stored in the storage unit 62 together with the identification information, or displayed on the display unit 63. Further, the control unit 61 converts the deep body temperature data stored in the storage unit 62 together with the identification information through the wired communication unit 64 to another information processing apparatus (other information wired via the wired communication unit 64). To the processing device).

Here, the control unit 61 is provided with a selection unit 91 and a calculation unit 92 as its functional configuration.

The selection unit 91 selects one of the measurement result of the first pair and the measurement result of the second pair as the deep body temperature of the subject. This selection is performed based on the measurement result of the first temperature sensor 21 of each measurement unit 20. That is, as described in FIG. 4B and FIG. 5B, the measurement result of the first temperature sensor 21 that matches the thermal resistance relationship of the thermal resistor (the measurement result of the temperature sensor (1) <the measurement result of the temperature sensor (2)). Then, the measurement result of the pair from which the measurement result of the temperature sensor (3) <the measurement result of the temperature sensor (2)) is selected is selected.

The calculation unit 92 calculates the deep body temperature of the subject based on the measurement result of the pair selected by the selection unit 91.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, a plurality of measurement units each having a thermal resistor are provided, and one of the pairs of measurement units is selected, and based on the measurement result of the selected pair. Measure the deep body temperature of the subject.

With such a configuration, for example, the measurement result of any pair can be selected in consideration of the influence of disturbance due to the temperature distribution on the surface of the body to which the thermal resistor is affixed, the orientation when the thermal resistor is affixed, etc. become. Therefore, the disturbance element at the time of measuring deep body temperature can be suppressed, and the measurement accuracy of deep body temperature can be improved.

The above is an example of a typical embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above and shown in the drawings, and can be appropriately modified and implemented within the scope not changing the gist thereof. . Here, some modifications will be described.

(Modification 1)
In the above-described embodiment, processing for selecting either the measurement result of the first pair or the measurement result of the second pair, or the deep body temperature of the subject is calculated based on the measurement result of the selected pair. Although the case where the process to perform is performed on the body temperature display device 60 side has been described, it is not limited thereto. For example, such a determination may be performed on the heat flow thermometer 10 side. That is, you may make it provide a selection part and a determination part in the control part 74 of the heat flow type thermometer 10 (refer FIG. 8). In this case, for example, the deep body temperature calculated from the measurement result of any pair is transmitted from the heat flow thermometer 10 to the body temperature display device 60 side.

(Modification 2)
In the above-described embodiment, one of the measurement result of the first pair and the measurement result of the second pair is selected based on the temperature relationship measured by the first temperature sensor 21 of each measurement unit 20. Although the case has been described, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the user may select from the measurement results of all pairs. In this case, the measurement results of all pairs are transmitted from the heat flow thermometer 10 to the body temperature display device 60 side. And the measurement result of all the said pairs is displayed in the body temperature display apparatus 60, and a user makes a selection with reference to it.

(Modification 3)
Moreover, although embodiment mentioned above demonstrated the case where the 1st temperature sensor 21 and the 2nd temperature sensor 22 were distribute | arranged to each thermal resistor 23, it is not restricted to this. For example, it is good also as a structure which shares the 2nd temperature sensor 22 distribute | arranged to each thermal resistor 23 using the effect of the equalization member 11. FIG. Further, the second temperature sensor 22 only needs to be disposed at any position on the body surface side surface of the homogenizing member 11, and is not necessarily disposed at a position facing the first temperature sensor 21. Also good.

(Modification 4)
Moreover, although embodiment mentioned above demonstrated the case where it was comprised so that the thermal resistance of the thermal resistance body 23a and the thermal resistance body 23c might become equal, it is not restricted to this. In other words, the thermal resistance of the thermal resistor 23a and the thermal resistor 23c only needs to be configured to be lower than that of the thermal resistor 23b, and the respective thermal resistances are not necessarily the same.

(Modification 5)
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the heat flow thermometer 10 is operated by receiving power supply from the RF-ID reader / writer 80 of the body temperature display device 60 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a power source (a small battery or the like) may be provided inside the heat flow thermometer 10 so that it can operate independently without receiving power supply from the body temperature display device 60.

(Modification 6)
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the communication method using the RF-ID reader / writer 80 and the RF-ID tag is adopted as the communication means between the body temperature display device 60 and the heat flow thermometer 10 has been described. Not limited to this. That is, a configuration combined with another wireless communication method or a wired communication method may be used.

(Modification 7)
Moreover, although embodiment mentioned above demonstrated the case where the three measurement units 20 were provided, it is not restricted to this. That is, four or more measurement units 20 may be provided. In consideration of the size of the heat flow thermometer 10 and the effects obtained by increasing the number of measurement units (effects contributing to improvement in measurement accuracy), it is desirable that the number of measurement units 20 be three.

(Modification 8)
Moreover, priority may be provided to either the first pair or the second pair, and the measurement result of any pair may be selected based on the priority. For example, when a temperature difference corresponding to the resistance value of the thermal resistance is obtained in both the first pair and the second pair (measurement result of temperature sensor (1) <measurement of temperature sensor (2)) As a result, the measurement result of the temperature sensor (3) <the measurement result of the temperature sensor (2)), and any pair of measurement results may be selected based on the priority.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, in order to make the scope of the present invention public, the following claims are attached.

This application claims priority on the basis of Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-029807 filed on Feb. 14, 2012, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

A plurality of thermal resistors in which a first temperature sensor is disposed on a side that contacts the body surface of the subject, and a second temperature sensor is disposed on a side facing the surface that contacts the body surface; A thermometer for measuring the temperature of a subject,
A first thermal resistor having a predetermined thermal resistance between the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor;
A second thermal resistor configured to have a thermal resistance between the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor lower than that of the first thermal resistor;
A third thermal resistor configured to have a thermal resistance between the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor lower than that of the first thermal resistor;
A homogenizing member configured to cover a surface of the first thermal resistor, the second thermal resistor, and the third thermal resistor that are opposed to a surface that is in contact with the body surface; ,
Based on the temperature relationship measured by the first temperature sensor of each of the first thermal resistor, the second thermal resistor, and the third thermal resistor, the first thermal resistor and Select one of the first pair composed of the second thermal resistor and the second pair composed of the first thermal resistor and the third thermal resistor Selection means to
A thermometer comprising: calculation means for calculating the deep body temperature based on a measurement result of each temperature sensor included in the pair selected by the selection means.
The selection means includes
One of the measured temperatures of the first temperature sensor of the second thermal resistor and the third thermal resistor is measured by the first temperature sensor of the first thermal resistor. 2. The thermometer according to claim 1, wherein if the temperature is lower than the measured temperature, a pair including a thermal resistor that arranges the first temperature sensor that measures the low measured temperature is selected.
The selection means includes
A measurement in which both of the measured temperatures of the first temperature sensor of the second thermal resistor and the third thermal resistor are measured by the first temperature sensor of the first thermal resistor. The pair of the first pair and the second pair is selected based on a predetermined priority if the temperature is lower than the temperature. Thermometer.
4. The thermal resistance between the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor is equal between the first thermal resistor and the third thermal resistor. 5. The thermometer according to claim 1.
A heat insulating member disposed so as to surround side surfaces of the first thermal resistor, the second thermal resistor, and the third thermal resistor;
And a protective member that is fixed by a surface of the heat insulating member that faces the body surface of the heat insulating member and that faces the body surface, and is disposed with a predetermined space with respect to the uniformizing member. The thermometer according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The thermometer according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising display means for displaying the deep body temperature calculated by the calculating means.
The thermometer according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising output means for outputting the deep body temperature calculated by the calculation means to a body temperature display device.
A temperature sensor is arranged as a first temperature sensor on the side that contacts the body surface of the subject, and a temperature sensor is arranged as a second temperature sensor on the side facing the surface that contacts the body surface. A body temperature measuring system comprising a plurality of thermal resistors, a thermometer for measuring the deep body temperature of the subject in a state of being attached to the body surface of the subject, and a body temperature display device capable of communicating with the thermometer. And
The thermometer is
A first thermal resistor having a predetermined thermal resistance between the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor;
A second thermal resistor configured to have a thermal resistance between the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor lower than that of the first thermal resistor;
A third thermal resistor configured to have a thermal resistance between the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor lower than that of the first thermal resistor;
A homogenizing member configured to cover a surface of the first thermal resistor, the second thermal resistor, and the third thermal resistor that are opposed to a surface that is in contact with the body surface; ,
A first pair constituted by the first thermal resistor and the second thermal resistor, and a second pair constituted by the first thermal resistor and the third thermal resistor. Output means each for outputting information indicating the measured deep body temperature, and
The body temperature display device
Input means for inputting information indicating the deep body temperature measured by the first pair and information indicating the deep body temperature measured by the second pair from the output means;
Based on the temperature relationship measured by the first temperature sensor of each of the first thermal resistor, the second thermal resistor, and the third thermal resistor, the first pair and the first Selecting means for selecting one of the two pairs;
Calculation means for calculating the deep body temperature based on information indicating the deep body temperature measured by the pair selected by the selection means;
And a display means for displaying the deep body temperature calculated by the calculation means.