JP6078381B2 - Defecation and urination discrimination device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a defecation and urination discrimination apparatus.

  There is known a defecation and urine discrimination device that is provided inside a diaper, pants, and the like and discriminates whether the excreta is feces or urine.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, after detecting that the temperature has risen from the signal output from the temperature sensor, the stool that determines whether stool or urine has been excreted based on the speed at which the temperature falls A urination discrimination device is disclosed. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a defecation / urine determination device that includes a urine detection unit and a stool detection unit and determines whether either stool or urine is excreted.

JP 2011-87824 A JP 2011-87825 A

  However, when a suction device is provided for sucking excreted stool and urine, in the defecation / urine determination device described in Patent Document 1, the temperature is likely to fluctuate due to the flow of air during the suction operation by the suction device. It was difficult to make an accurate discrimination. Moreover, in the defecation / urine determination device described in Patent Document 2, since the urine detection unit and the stool detection unit are separated, the cost of the device increases, and it is difficult to provide an inexpensive system.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to perform defecation or urination discrimination inexpensively and accurately in a defecation and urination discrimination device having a suction device.

The main invention for achieving the above object is:
An excrement receiving member for receiving excrement facing the body;
A suction device that is detachably provided on the excrement receiving member and sucks excrement excreted by the excrement receiving member;
A temperature sensor that outputs temperature data corresponding to the temperature of the excrement;
Before the suction operation in which the suction device sucks the excrement stops, and before the suction operation stops by acquiring the temperature data output from the temperature sensor after the suction operation stops. A control unit for determining a temperature change pattern after stopping and determining whether the excrement is feces or urine based on the change pattern;
A defecation / urine determination device.

  Other features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, in the defecation and urination discrimination | determination apparatus which has a suction device, the discrimination | determination of defecation or urination can be performed cheaply and correctly.

It is a lineblock diagram of excrement automatic processing device 100 concerning this embodiment. 3 is a plan view showing an inner surface side of the excrement receiving member 102. FIG. It is a figure which shows the cut surface which follows the AA line of FIG. It is a figure which shows the cut surface which follows the BB line of FIG. It is a top view of the detection part 150 used in FIG.2, FIG.3, FIG.4. 6A is a diagram showing a cut surface along the line AA in FIG. 5. 6B is a diagram showing a cut surface along the line BB in FIG. 5. FIG. 6C is a diagram illustrating a cut surface along the line CC in FIG. 5. It is a figure for demonstrating the mode of the temperature change detected at the time of urination and defecation. It is a flowchart explaining the whole flow of the defecation urination discrimination | determination operation | movement. It is a figure showing an example of the temperature data detected by a temperature sensor for every 10 seconds before and behind suction operation stop. It is the figure which plotted the temperature data of FIG. 9 on the graph.

  At least the following matters will become clear from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

  An excrement receiving member that receives excrement facing the body, a suction device that is detachably provided on the excrement receiving member, and sucks excrement excreted by the excrement receiving member, and a temperature of the excrement A temperature sensor that outputs temperature data according to the temperature data, and the temperature data output from the temperature sensor before and after the suction operation in which the suction device sucks the excrement stops and after the suction operation stops. A control unit that obtains and obtains a temperature change pattern before and after the suction operation stops, and determines whether the excrement is feces or urine based on the change pattern; A defecation / urination determination apparatus comprising:

  According to such a defecation / urine determination device, it is possible to determine defecation / urination using a temperature change caused by an operation of sucking excrement using the suction device. In addition, the determination can be performed using only the temperature sensor. Therefore, the determination of defecation or urination can be performed inexpensively and accurately.

In the defecation / urination determination apparatus, the control unit determines that the defecation has been performed when the amount representing the change pattern is smaller than a predetermined threshold, and the amount representing the change pattern is the threshold value. In the above case, it is desirable to determine that the urination has been performed.
According to such a defecation / urine determination device, it is possible to accurately determine defecation / urination by quantifying the temperature change patterns before and after stopping the suction operation and comparing them numerically.

In this defecation / urine determination device, the temperature sensor intermittently outputs a plurality of the temperature data within a predetermined time before and after the suction operation stops, and the control unit outputs A plurality of the temperature data is used to calculate a temperature gradient representing a ratio of a temperature change with respect to a time change in a certain period within the predetermined time, the temperature gradient calculated for the certain period, and The ratio of the change in the temperature gradient with respect to the time change in the predetermined time using the temperature gradient calculated for each of the plurality of periods that are equal in length and different in timing within the predetermined time period. And calculating the change pattern based on the rate of change in the temperature gradient with respect to the time change.
According to such a defecation / urine determination device, since an average temperature change during a certain period is calculated, even if temperature data including an error is included in the period, the influence of the error is relatively detected. Can be made smaller. Also, by calculating the temperature gradient, which is the rate of temperature change with respect to time change, and by calculating the rate of change in temperature gradient with respect to time change, the effects of errors, etc. are reduced, and stool urination is accurately identified. Can be performed.

In this defecation / urine determination device, the suction device starts the suction operation when the amount of increase in the temperature data output by the temperature sensor per unit time is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. It is desirable to stop the suction operation after a predetermined time has elapsed from the start.
According to such a defecation / urine determination device, the presence / absence of excretion is accurately determined, and when excretion is performed, the suction operation can be started immediately.

Such a defecation / urine determination device has a plurality of the temperature sensors, and at least one of the plurality of temperature sensors is disposed in a region inside the container that receives excrement by the excrement receiving member. Is desirable.
According to such a defecation / urine determination device, it is possible to acquire temperature data suitable for determining excrement using a plurality of temperature sensors. In particular, it becomes easy to measure the behavior of the temperature change during excretion by using a temperature sensor disposed in the region inside the container that receives the excrement.

In this defecation / urine determination device, the control unit uses the temperature data output by a temperature sensor arranged in an area inside the container among the plurality of temperature sensors to determine whether the excrement is stool. It is desirable to determine whether it is urine or urine.
According to such a defecation / urine determination device, the temperature data is acquired from the temperature sensor arranged at a position where the behavior of the temperature change during the defecation can be accurately measured, thereby accurately determining the defecation / urination. be able to.

In the defecation / urine determination device, it is preferable that the temperature sensor is provided at a position facing the body via a sheet material.
According to such a defecation / urine determination device, the temperature can be measured at a position close to the excrement, and thus accurate temperature data can be acquired.

In this defecation / urine determination device, it is desirable that no other member is provided between the sheet material and the temperature sensor.
According to such a defecation and urine discrimination device, since extra members such as a spacer and a filter are not provided, the touch when the defecation and urine discrimination device is worn is good and can be worn without a sense of incongruity.

=== About the structure of the excrement automatic processing apparatus ===
An excretion automatic processing apparatus as an example of a defecation / urine determination apparatus will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an excrement automatic processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. The excrement automatic processing apparatus 100 includes a excrement receiving member 102 that is partially broken, and a vacuum suction device 100a as a excrement suction apparatus to which the excrement receiving member 102 is detachably connected. Including a controller 101. The excrement receiving member 102 has an inner surface facing the skin of the wearer (not shown) and an outer surface side opposite to the wearer's clothing. It is worn with the indicated pants 300 and the inner surface is in close contact with the skin by the pants 300. The pants 300 has a front waistline region 301, a back waistline region 302, and a crotch region 303, and uses, for example, a mesh-type fabric so that the outer surface side can be easily seen through. Preferably there is. The excrement receiving member 102 is worn using an appropriate member such as an open diaper, a pant-type diaper, a diaper cover, and an incontinence patient pant, which are fixed with a tape, in addition to the illustrated pant 300. be able to.

  The excrement automatic processing apparatus 100 is an apparatus that can collect and process the urine excreted by the wearer in the excrement receiving member 102. The excrement receiving member 102 includes a container portion 102a and a detection portion 150. The container part 102a can receive excreted feces and urine from the wearer's anus facing the skin in the vicinity of the urethral opening, and the detection part 150 detects that the feces or urine has been excreted. Thermistor 145 is detected (see FIG. 5). The vacuum suction device 100a includes a joint member 104 connected to the container portion 102a, a waste tube 106, a waste tank 106a, a pump unit 108, an electrical wiring 116, and the like.

  The pump unit 108 includes a control circuit 108a as a control unit that processes an electric signal sent from the detection unit 150 via the electric wiring 116, a suction pump 108b whose operation is controlled by the control circuit 108a, and the like.

  In the excrement receiving member 102, the excrement tube 106 is connected to the excretion discharge opening 114 formed in the peripheral wall portion of the container 112 of the container portion 102a through the joint member 104. Electric power supply electrodes 143a, 143b, 143c, and 143d (see FIG. 5) for supplying electric power to the thermistor 145 of the detection unit 150 and the electric wiring 116 are electrically connected to the tip of the electric wiring 116 extending from the pump unit 108. A clip 120 is attached.

  In such an excrement automatic processing apparatus 100, when feces or urine is excreted, a detection signal is sent from the thermistor 145 of the detection unit 150 to the pump unit 108, and the suction pump 108b is operated to allow air in the excretion tank 106a to flow. By sucking, the excrement is sucked into the inside of the container 112 provided in the excrement receiving member 102, and the sucked excrement is further sucked through the joint member 104 and the excrement tube 106, and the excrement It can be collected in the tank 106a. When it is determined that the excrement is feces based on the signal output from the thermistor 145, the caregiver can be informed of the presence of the feces by blinking the alarm lamp 504 serving as a notification unit.

  As shown in FIG. 1, when the excrement receiving member 102 is worn, the clip 120 is positioned on the ventral side. The container portion 102a provided in the excrement receiving member 102 extends in the vertical direction in the wearer's body, and its inner side faces the wearer's urethral opening and its surrounding skin, and its lower end is a crotch region. It is worn in a state where it gently curves along the inner surface of 303 and extends toward the anus and behind the body. In particular, when it is assumed that the pants 300 are worn when the wearer is bedridden, the excrement receiving member 102 is formed so as to be located in a part of the crotch region 303 that is close to the rear waistline region 302. It is preferable. Therefore, the excreta receiving member 102 can receive not only urine but also excreted stool.

  2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 4, FIG. 2 is a top view which shows the inner surface side of the excretion receiving member 102, FIG. 3 is a figure which shows the cut surface which follows the AA line of FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a cut surface along the line BB in FIG. 2, and in FIGS. 3 and 4, the members that should overlap in the thickness direction R of the excrement receiving member 102 are mutually exclusive except for a part. It is shown in a spaced state. The thickness direction R is also the depth direction of the container portion 102a.

  The excrement receiving member 102 has a length direction P that coincides with the longitudinal direction of the wearer's body and a width direction Q that is orthogonal to the length direction P, and is wide in the vicinity of both ends of the length direction P. The width is narrow at the center. The excrement receiving member 102 also has a thickness direction R, and in order from the lower side in FIG. 3 (clothing side when worn), the container 112, the liquid-permeable breathable sheet 124, the diffusion sheet 126, and the cushion sheet. 128, a plurality of sheet-like members including a detection unit 150 (thermistor 145) and a liquid-permeable skin application sheet 134 as a sheet material overlap, and the skin application sheet 134 overlaps with a pair of leakage barriers 136. The air-impermeable sheet 124 and the diffusion sheet 126 are integrated with the container 112 to form a container portion 102a.

  The container 112 has a tray shape, is formed of a soft elastic material such as soft polyethylene or silicon rubber, and has flexibility to bend in both the length direction P and the width direction Q. It is made to withstand the deformation caused by the negative pressure acting when the excrement is aspirated at 108b. The breathable sheet 124 is bonded to the peripheral flange portion 152 of the container 112 by bonding or welding at the bonding portion 112a. The depth direction of the container 112 is the same as the thickness direction R.

The non-breathable sheet 124 has high liquid permeability but does not allow air to pass through at all or covers the opening at the top of the container 112 as shown in FIG. The container 112 having the non-breathable sheet 124 easily becomes negative pressure when the suction pump 108b of the pump unit 108 is actuated, and can excrete excreta quickly. Air-impermeable sheet 124, for example, an SMS nonwoven fabric consisting of 22 g / ^{m 2} spunbond nonwoven fabric and 10 g / ^{m 2} meltblown non-woven fabric and 22 g / ^{m 2} spunbond nonwoven, preferably hydrophilic treatment with a surfactant Can be used. The air permeability of the non-breathable sheet 124 is 0-100 cc / cm ² / sec in a wet state when measured according to method A of the air permeability measurement method defined in Section 6.27.1 of JIS L 1096. Preferably, it is in the range of 0 to 50 cc / cm ² / sec. Moreover, in a dry state, it is 20 to 200 cc / cm ² / second, preferably 20 to 100 cc / cm ² / second, and more preferably 20 to 50 cc / cm ² / second. The wet state when measuring the air permeability means a state where the moisture content of the non-breathable sheet 124 calculated by the following formula (1) is 100% or more, and the dry state means the non-breathable property. The state of the sheet 124 when the sheet 124 is left in a room at 20 ° C. and RH 50% for 24 hours or more is meant.
Moisture content = (wet sheet weight−dry sheet weight) / (dry sheet weight) Formula (1)

  The diffusion sheet 126 is formed of a liquid-permeable sheet piece such as a nonwoven fabric containing hydrophilic fibers, for example, rayon fibers. When urine is excreted, the urine is transferred to the surface (skin) side of the breathable sheet 124. It is used to quickly diffuse and make the breathable sheet 124 wet over a large area. When the air-impermeable sheet 124 becomes wet, it becomes easy to suck the urine into the container 112 under a negative pressure. It is preferable that the diffusion sheet 126 is intermittently joined to the non-breathable sheet 124 so as not to impede mutual liquid permeability.

The cushion sheet 128 is formed of a liquid-permeable sheet piece such as a thermal bond nonwoven fabric having a basis weight of 20 to 30 g / m ² , for example, and can quickly infiltrate urine. The excrement such as urine present in the adhesive sheet 124 is prevented from flowing back toward the detection unit 150. The cushion sheet 128 also has a carrier member for placing the sheet-like member at a predetermined position in the excrement receiving member 102 in the manufacturing process of the excrement receiving member 102 if the detection unit 150 is previously overlapped with the cushion sheet 128. Become. The cushion sheet 128 is preferably joined to the diffusion sheet 126 intermittently so as not to impede mutual liquid permeability.

  The detection unit 150 is a temperature sensor for detecting temperature data corresponding to the temperature of excrement. As the temperature sensor, use of a thermocouple, a resistance temperature detector, or the like is conceivable, but among them, an NTC type thermistor (hereinafter referred to as a thermistor) whose resistance value decreases in proportion to the temperature rise is preferable. Here, as the thermistor suitable for the excrement automatic processing apparatus 100, a chip thermistor for surface mounting that has a small heat capacity and is easily influenced by the surrounding temperature is preferable. For example, thermistor TH05-3H103FR manufactured by Mitsubishi Materials Corporation is an example. As mentioned. Details of the structure of the detection unit 150 will be described later. The detection unit 150 can be bonded to the cushion sheet 128.

The skin contact sheet 134 is a sheet material provided on the surface (skin) side of the detection unit 150, and when the excrement receiving member 102 is worn, the skin is faced to the wearer's urethral opening and the skin in the vicinity thereof. To touch. This skin contact sheet 134 is formed of a sheet piece having flexibility and liquid permeability, such as a thermal bond nonwoven fabric having a basis weight of 15 to 25 g / m ² , for example. It is preferable that the skin resting sheet 134 can permeate urine instantaneously at the initial stage of urination, like the cushion sheet 128. The skin application sheet 134 may be hydrophilic or water repellent.

  In addition, in the excrement automatic processing apparatus 100 of this embodiment, no other member is provided between the skin contact sheet 134 and the detection unit 150. In a conventional defecation / urine determination device, an electrode (detector) is provided on a member corresponding to the excrement receiving member 102, and urination is detected by a change in electrical resistance when excrement comes into contact with the electrode. Is known (for example, the invention of JP 2011-87825 A). In such a defecation / urine determination device, it is common to provide a spacer, a filter, or the like between the electrode and the skin rest sheet 134. This is because, if excrement such as urine permeates and the skin contact sheet 134 in a wet state is always in contact with the electrode, it may cause a malfunction, and accurate detection may not be possible. Therefore, it is necessary to suppress the occurrence of malfunctions by providing a spacer, a filter, and the like so that the skin contact sheet 134 and the detection unit are separated from each other.

  On the other hand, in the excrement automatic processing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, since feces and urination can be discriminated by temperature measurement using a temperature sensor (thermistor), the skin rest sheet 134 and the detection unit 150 are not necessarily separated from each other. It is not necessary to be in such a state, and spacers and filters are not necessary. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, in the excrement automatic processing apparatus 100, no other member is provided between the skin rest sheet 134 and the temperature sensor. In other words, the detection unit 150 can be disposed directly below the skin patch sheet 134. Thereby, the distance between the detection unit 150 and the excrement (feces and urine excreted by the skin pad 134) is reduced, and the temperature of the excrement can be measured more accurately. In addition, when the wearer wears the pants 300, the presence of spacers, filters, and the like hardly causes problems such as deterioration of the touch, and can be worn without a sense of incongruity.

  The breakwater 136 is a pair of left and right as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 and prevents urine from leaking from the excrement receiving member 102 by flowing in the width direction Q on the skin rest sheet 134. can do. 3 has an outer edge 136c positioned on the outer side of the excrement receiving member 102 joined to the skin rest sheet 134, while an inner edge 136d positioned on the inner side has a skin rest sheet 134. The elastic member 136b such as rubber thread is attached in a state where the elastic member 136b is extended in the length direction P. A sheet 136 a forming a pair of leakage barriers 136 covers the bottom of the container 112. When the excrement receiving member 102 is worn and curved in the length direction P as shown in FIG. 1 and the elastic member 136 b contracts, the inner edge 136 d of the leakage breaker 136 is separated from the skin pad 134. Stand up like so. The sheet 136a in the breakwater 136 is preferably liquid-impervious, and a flexible thermoplastic synthetic resin film, a composite sheet of the film and a nonwoven fabric, or the like can be used therefor. When the excrement receiving member 102 is seen in a plan view, the leakage barrier 136 (see FIG. 2) is covered at the upper end portion and the lower end portion with the first end sheet 138 and the second end sheet 140, respectively. Yes.

  FIG. 5 is a plan view of the detection unit 150 used in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4. FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating an AA cross section of FIG. 5. 6B is a diagram illustrating a BB cross section of FIG. 5. FIG. 6C is a diagram illustrating a CC cross section of FIG. 5.

  The detection unit 150 includes an insulating film unit 260 formed of a synthetic resin film, and a plurality of (three in FIG. 5) thermistors 145a, 145b, 145c as temperature sensors mounted on one surface of the film unit 260. And power supply electrodes 143a, 143b, 143c, 143d for supplying power to the thermistor, and an insulating coating 170 covering most of these electrodes. The film portion 260 has a strip shape extending in the length direction P, and has an upper end portion 266 for gripping with the clip 120 on the upper side in FIG. At the upper end 266, the ends of the power supply electrodes 143a, 143b, 143c, and 143d are exposed. The power supply electrodes 143a, 143b, 143c, and 143d extend from the upper end 266 to the lower end 268 along the length direction P of the detection unit 150, and a thermistor is provided at the lower end of each electrode.

As shown in FIG. 5, the detection unit 150 of the present embodiment includes a lower end 2 along the length direction P.
Three thermistors 145a, 145b, and 145c are provided in this order from the 68 side upward. The thermistor 145a is provided so as to bridge between the lower ends of the power supply electrodes 143a and 143b (see FIG. 6A). The thermistor 145a is disposed in an area inside the container 112 of the excrement receiving member 102, and is located near the anus when the wearer wears the pants 300. That is, the thermistor 145a is provided in the vicinity of the position for receiving defecation, and makes it easy to detect the temperature of the discharged feces. The thermistor 145b is provided so as to bridge between the lower ends of the power supply electrodes 143b and 143d (see FIG. 6B). The thermistor 145b is disposed in the region of the container 112 of the excrement receiving member 102 or in the vicinity thereof. The thermistor 145c is provided so as to bridge between the lower ends of the power supply electrodes 143b and 143c (see FIG. 6C). When the wearer wears the pants 300, the thermistor 145c is provided in the vicinity of the position where the urine is received and makes it easy to detect the temperature of the discharged urine. The surface of each thermistor is covered with a protective sheet (not shown).

  The arrangement and number of thermistors provided in the detection unit 150 are not limited to the example shown in FIG. 5 and can be changed as appropriate according to the detection target, detection conditions, and the like. In the present embodiment, three thermistors are arranged as shown in FIG. 5 so that excrement can be accurately and efficiently discriminated.

  In the detection unit 150, a polyester film having a thickness of 50 to 100 μm is preferably used for the film unit 260. The power supply electrodes 143a, 143b, 143c, and 143d have a required shape formed on the film portion 260 by etching a metal foil such as copper or aluminum or printing using a conductive ink. Each electrode is made to have a width of, for example, 0.3 to 2 mm and a resistance of several tens of ohms or less, and an exposed region of the insulating film is made to have an appropriate width at the tip (lower end) so that the thermistor can be mounted. It has been. The thermistor is mounted on the exposed region by solder, conductive paste or the like.

  When the detection unit 150 and the controller 101 are electrically connected via the clip 120, a weak current capable of operating the thermistors 145a to 145c is generated from the power supply 116a (see FIG. 1) included in the controller 101. The power is supplied to the power supply electrodes 143a to 143d, and is supplied to each thermistor through each electrode.

=== Description of Defecation and Urination Determination Operation ===
Then, the operation | movement which discriminate | determines whether excrement is feces or urine using the excrement automatic processing apparatus 100 is demonstrated.

<Principle of defecation / urination discrimination operation>
First, the principle of the defecation / urine determination operation performed in this embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the state of temperature change detected during urination and defecation. In FIG. 7, the state of the temperature change with respect to the time change detected continuously from the excretion receiving member 102 worn by a person who can recognize defecation and urination is continuously shown. In addition, the measurement of the temperature in FIG. 7 was performed using the thermistor 145a.

  When temperature measurement is started at time t1, a temperature slightly lower than the wearer's body temperature is measured, so 32 ° C. is output as the temperature immediately after the start of measurement. In the state where defecation and urination are not performed, the measured temperature is maintained as it is, and therefore, a large temperature change is not seen from time t1 to time t2.

  Subsequently, urination is performed at time t2. When urination is performed, the thermistor 145a temporarily detects a sudden rise in temperature. In FIG. 7, the temperature rises rapidly to about 36.degree. Further, when defecation is performed at time t4, which will be described later, an increase in temperature is temporarily detected. This is because the feces or urine close to body temperature is discharged, and the measured temperature rises to about 36 ° C. (temperature close to human average body temperature).

  In the excrement automatic processing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, when a sudden temperature change due to urination / defecation is detected, the vacuum suction apparatus 100a starts a suction operation for sucking excrement. In the suction operation, air existing between the wearer's skin and the excrement receiving member 102 is sucked together with the excrement. Since the portion of the thermistor 145a is cooled by the air flow generated at this time, the measured temperature gradually decreases with time. In FIG. 7, the suction operation is started after the time t2 has elapsed, and the temperature continues to decrease while the suction operation is continued. When the suction operation is stopped after a lapse of a predetermined time from the start of the suction operation, the air flow is also stopped, so that the temperature drop is also stopped. In FIG. 7, the suction operation by the vacuum suction device 100a is stopped at time t3, and the temperature drop is also stopped.

  When the excrement is urine, when the suction operation is stopped, the measured temperature rises with time. This is considered to be because the thermistor 145a is no longer cooled due to the stop of the air flow, and instead the influence of the body temperature of the wearer is increased inside the excrement receiving member 102. In FIG. 7, it can be seen that the temperature rises between time t3 and time t4.

  Next, defecation is performed at time t4. Similar to the case where urination is performed, a rapid increase in temperature is detected when defecation is performed. Then, the suction operation by the vacuum suction device 100a is started again at the timing when such a rapid temperature change is detected. When the excreta is feces, unlike the case of urine described above, a large temperature change is not detected even after the suction operation is started. This is considered to be because the stool remains on the surface of the excrement receiving member 102, the air flow between the wearer's skin and the excrement receiving member 102 is blocked by the stool, and the thermistor 145a is hardly cooled. It is done.

  Then, the suction operation is stopped at time t5 when a predetermined time has elapsed after the start of the suction operation. After the suction operation is stopped (that is, after time t5), a large temperature change is not detected.

  In FIG. 7, it can be seen that the behavior of the temperature change before and after the suction operation by the vacuum suction device 100a is largely different between the case where the excreta is urine and the case where it is feces. That is, when the excrement is urine, the temperature decreases before the suction operation is stopped, and the temperature increases greatly after the suction operation is stopped. On the other hand, when the excrement is feces, a large temperature change is not detected before and after the suction operation is stopped.

  In this embodiment, paying attention to the difference in the nature of such temperature change, a change pattern of temperature from before the suction operation stops to after it stops is obtained, and excrement is feces based on the change pattern. Whether it is urine or urine is determined. Hereinafter, a specific operation for performing the determination will be described.

<Specific description of defecation / urine determination operation>
FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the overall flow of the defecation / urine determination operation performed in the present embodiment.

  First, the temperature sensor (thermistors 145a to 145c) provided in the detection unit 150 measures the temperature inside the excretion receiving member 102, and detects a change in the measured temperature (S101). The temperature change referred to here is a rapid temperature change when urination or defecation is performed in FIG. When detecting a change in temperature, a change in electrical resistance output from the thermistors 145a to 145c is measured continuously or intermittently and output as temperature change data with respect to a time change. By the way, in order to accurately detect the behavior of the temperature change, it is desirable to shorten the temperature measurement interval as much as possible and increase the number of data points per unit time as much as possible. However, if the temperature measurement interval is shortened, power consumption in the temperature sensor increases. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the temperature is intermittently measured at intervals of 1 second in consideration of the balance between the accuracy of the measurement data and the power consumption. A method for ensuring the accuracy of the measurement data will be described later.

  In the temperature measurement, the temperature data output by the thermistor 145a arranged in the region inside the excrement receiving member 102 among the thermistors 145a to 145c may be preferentially used. Since the thermistor 145a is arranged in the vicinity of the wearer's anus, the difference between the temperature change pattern when stool is present and the temperature change pattern when no stool is present as described in FIG. 7 is most easily detected. It is. Furthermore, temperature measurement can be performed with higher accuracy by using the thermistor 145c disposed at a position where urination is easily detected with high accuracy and the thermistor 145b disposed between the thermistor 145a and the thermistor 145c.

  Next, it is determined from the detected temperature change whether or not excretion (urination or defecation) has been performed (S102). As described with reference to FIG. 7, when excretion is performed, the detected temperature rises rapidly. Therefore, the control circuit 108a determines the presence or absence of excretion based on the detected increase in temperature data. In this embodiment, it is determined that excretion has been performed when the temperature increase amount per unit time is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and no excretion is performed when the temperature increase amount per unit time is less than the predetermined value. It is determined that The “predetermined value” serving as a criterion for determination is set in advance through experiments or the like.

  As a result, when it is determined that excretion has not been performed (No in S102), detection of temperature change (S101) is continued. On the other hand, when it is determined that excretion has been performed (Yes in S102), the control circuit 108a starts the suction operation of sucking excrement by operating the suction pump 108b (S103).

  The suction operation is continued for a predetermined time (for example, 2 minutes). Then, the control circuit 108a stops the suction operation after a predetermined time has elapsed (S104). The temperature measurement at 1 second intervals is continued during this time.

  The control circuit 108a obtains temperature data output from the temperature sensor before the suction operation stops and after the suction operation stops, and the temperature change pattern from before the suction operation stops to after it stops. Ask for. Then, based on the change pattern, it is determined whether the excrement is feces or urine (S105). An algorithm for determining whether the excrement is feces or urine performed in this embodiment will be described later.

  When it is determined that the excrement is feces (Yes in S105), the alarm lamp 504 is blinked to notify a caregiver that the defecation has been performed (S106). Thereby, it becomes possible to remove the feces excreted in the pants 300 at an early stage. On the other hand, if it is determined that the excrement is not stool (No in S105), it means that the excrement was urine, and thus the determination operation is terminated without blinking the alarm lamp 504.

<Decision algorithm for defecation and urination>
An example of an algorithm for determining whether to defecate or urinate based on a temperature change pattern before and after stopping the suction operation will be described.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of temperature data detected by the temperature sensor every 10 seconds before and after the suction operation is stopped. FIG. 10 is a diagram in which the temperature data of FIG. 9 is plotted on a graph. In FIG. 9, the time when the operation of the suction pump 108b is stopped is set to 0 second, the time before the suction pump stops is displayed as a minus, and the time after the suction pump stops is displayed as a plus.

  Plot data indicated by white circles in FIG. 10 is temperature data detected by the temperature sensor every second. From the figure, it can be seen that the temperature data fluctuates greatly before and after the suction pump 108b is stopped. However, in this embodiment, since temperature measurement is performed at a relatively long interval of 1 second, there is no guarantee that the plotted data accurately represents the behavior of the actual temperature change. For example, when a temperature different from the actual temperature is measured due to the influence of an error, it is difficult to accurately represent the temperature change pattern. Therefore, in the present embodiment, by calculating the average temperature change during a certain period (for example, 5 seconds) within the measurement time, the influence of error or the like is reduced as much as possible to obtain an accurate temperature change pattern.

First, the control circuit 108a refers to a plurality of continuous temperature data in a certain period of the detected temperature data, and calculates the ratio of the temperature change with respect to the time change in the period as the “temperature gradient”. For example, the temperature gradient b is calculated by the following equation (2) from five temperature data detected in 5 seconds from time -10 seconds to time -6 seconds in FIG. In equation (2), b represents the slope of the regression line of a 5-point plot.

In Equation (2), x represents temperature, and x _avg represents the average temperature for 5 seconds. Further, y represents time, and _yavg represents an average time for 5 seconds.

  After calculating a temperature gradient b (= −0.05) from five temperature data detected in 5 seconds from time −10 seconds to time −6 seconds, subsequently, from time −9 seconds to time −5 seconds. The temperature gradient b (= −0.05) is calculated from the five temperature data detected during the five seconds until. Similarly, the temperature gradient for 5 seconds is sequentially calculated while shifting by 1 second.

  The temperature gradient calculated in this way every 5 seconds is represented in a plot indicated by white squares in FIG. In FIG. 10, the temperature gradient until time 0 second is substantially constant, does not change, rises rapidly from time 0 second, and shows a peak at time +4 seconds. That is, it can be seen that the ratio of the temperature change to the time change is large between the time 0 second and the time +4 seconds. In the present embodiment, since the temperature gradient is calculated by averaging the temperature change in a certain period (5 seconds in the above example), the temperature change in the period including the data at time 0 second when the temperature greatly changes. Is particularly large.

  Then, using the calculated temperature gradient b, a ratio b2 of the temperature gradient change with respect to the time change is further calculated. In the calculation of the change rate b2, the magnitude of the temperature gradient is substituted for x in the equation (2) instead of the temperature, and the temperature with respect to the time change for a period having the same length as the above-described certain period (that is, 5 seconds). Find the rate of change in the slope of. The larger the average temperature change in a period, the greater the rate of change in temperature slope with respect to time change in that period. Accordingly, by examining the magnitude of the rate of change in the temperature gradient with respect to the time change in a certain period, the temperature change pattern during that period can be obtained.

  The plot shown by the black triangle in FIG. 10 is the ratio of the change in the temperature gradient with respect to the time change. Also in this case, a peak is shown at time +4 seconds, and it can be seen that the rate of change in temperature gradient with respect to time change increases between time 0 seconds and time +4 seconds. Whether the excreta is feces or urine is determined based on the magnitude of the ratio of the change in temperature gradient with respect to the calculated time change. In this embodiment, when the magnitude of the rate of change in temperature gradient with respect to time change is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, that is, when the temperature change pattern is greater than or equal to a certain magnitude, it is determined that excrement is urine. Is done. As described with reference to FIG. 7, when the excrement is urine, the temperature change is particularly large before and after time 0 seconds when the suction operation stops.

  As a specific determination method, for example, a predetermined threshold value is set, and when the rate of change in the calculated temperature gradient is greater than or equal to the predetermined value, it is determined that urine has been excreted. When the calculated rate of change in the temperature gradient is less than the predetermined value, it is determined that feces have been excreted. In the case of FIG. 10, the ratio of the change in the temperature gradient with respect to the time change shows a value larger than the threshold value (displayed by a broken line in the figure). Therefore, in this case, it is determined that the excreta was urine. By quantifying the temperature change patterns before and after stopping the suction operation and comparing them numerically, it is possible to accurately determine defecation and urination.

  Further, in the algorithm of the present embodiment, an average temperature change during a certain period (5 seconds in the case of FIG. 9) is calculated, and therefore temperature data including an error is included at a certain time during the period. Even so, the effect of error is relatively small. In addition, since the temperature gradient b, which is the rate of temperature change with respect to time change, is calculated, and the rate b2 of temperature gradient change with respect to time change is calculated, the effect of errors and the like is less likely to be reflected in the results. . Accordingly, it is possible to accurately determine defecation and urination even using temperature data measured at a relatively long interval of 1 second.

  However, the algorithm for determining defecation and urination is not limited to the method described above. For example, if a large number of temperature data can be acquired by shortening the temperature measurement interval (measurement time interval), it will be easier to remove the effects of errors and improve accuracy. The temperature change pattern can be obtained with high accuracy by differentiating with. Also, draw a graph of temperature change before and after stopping the suction operation, and directly measure the difference between the slope when the temperature drops and the slope when the temperature rises (that is, the angle between the slope when the temperature drops and the slope when the temperature rises) By doing so, a method of quantifying the temperature change pattern is also conceivable.

=== Other Embodiments ===
As described above, the excrement automatic processing apparatus as the defecation / urine determination apparatus according to the present invention has been described based on the above embodiment, but the above-described embodiment of the present invention is for facilitating the understanding of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from the gist thereof, and the present invention includes the equivalents thereof.

100 Excrement automatic processing device (defecation urination discrimination device),
100a vacuum suction device, 101 controller,
102 excrement receiving member, 102a container part, 104 joint member,
106 waste tube, 106a waste tank, 108 pump unit,
108a control circuit (control unit), 108b suction pump,
112 container, 112a joint part, 114 opening for excrement discharge,
116 electrical wiring, 116a power supply,
120 clips, 124 breathable sheet, 126 diffusion sheet,
128 cushion sheet, 134 skin rest sheet (sheet material),
136 breakwater, 136a sheet, 136b elastic member,
136c outer edge, 136d inner edge, 138 end sheet,
140 end sheet, 143a power supply electrode, 143b power supply electrode,
143c power supply electrode, 143d power supply electrode,
145 thermistor, 145a thermistor, 145b thermistor,
145c thermistor,
150 detector,
152 peripheral flange, 170 insulating coating,
260 film part, 266 upper end part, 268 lower end part,
300 pants, 301 front waist area, 302 rear waist area, 303 inseam area,
504 Alarm lamp (notification part)

Claims (8)

An excrement receiving member for receiving excrement facing the body;
A suction device that is detachably provided on the excrement receiving member and sucks excrement excreted by the excrement receiving member;
A temperature sensor that outputs temperature data corresponding to the temperature of the excrement;
Before the suction operation in which the suction device sucks the excrement stops, and before the suction operation stops by acquiring the temperature data output from the temperature sensor after the suction operation stops. A control unit for determining a temperature change pattern after stopping and determining whether the excrement is feces or urine based on the change pattern;
A defecation and urination discrimination device comprising: The defecation and urination determination device according to claim 1,
The controller is
When the amount representing the change pattern is smaller than a predetermined threshold, it is determined that the defecation has been performed,
A defecation / urination determination device, wherein when the amount representing the change pattern is equal to or greater than the threshold value, it is determined that the urination has been performed. A defecation and urination determination device according to claim 1 or 2,
The temperature sensor intermittently outputs a plurality of the temperature data within a predetermined time from before the suction operation is stopped to after the stop.
The controller uses the plurality of output temperature data to calculate a temperature gradient representing a temperature change ratio with respect to a time change in a certain period within the predetermined time,
Using the temperature gradient calculated for the certain period and the temperature gradient calculated for each of a plurality of periods that are equal in length and different in timing within the predetermined period, Calculate the rate of change in the temperature gradient with respect to the time change within a predetermined time,
The defecation and urination determination apparatus, wherein the change pattern is obtained based on a rate of change in the temperature gradient with respect to the time change. The defecation and urination discrimination device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The suction device starts the suction operation when an increase amount per unit time of the temperature data output by the temperature sensor is a predetermined value or more,
A defecation / urination determination device, wherein the suction operation is stopped after a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the suction operation. A defecation and urination determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A plurality of the temperature sensors;
At least one of the plurality of temperature sensors is disposed in a region inside a container that receives excrement by the excrement receiving member. The defecation and urination determination device according to claim 5,
The control unit determines whether the excrement is feces or urine using the temperature data output from a temperature sensor arranged in an area inside the container among the plurality of temperature sensors. A defecation and urination discrimination device characterized by: A defecation and urination determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The defecation and urination determination device, wherein the temperature sensor is provided at a position facing the body via a sheet material. The defecation / urine determination device according to claim 7,
A defecation / urine determination device, wherein no other member is provided between the sheet material and the temperature sensor.