JPH0470902B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a device for measuring the skin temperature of a fingertip, and more specifically, the skin temperature is measured using a radiation thermometer while applying a cooling load of cold air to the fingertip. It is designed to measure temperature.

(Prior Art) It is known that the use of vibrating devices such as chain saws, pitching hammers, brush cutters, various keyboards, and motorcycles can cause vibration problems in the hands and fingers. Vibration disorders appear as blood circulation disorders at the fingertips, and blood circulation disorders appear as abnormal skin temperatures at the fingertips. When treating a patient suffering from such a blood circulation disorder, it is first necessary to diagnose the presence or absence of the blood circulation disorder and its degree. As a method for diagnosing a blood circulation disorder, a method is conventionally known in which, for example, a thermocouple is brought into contact with the skin of a fingertip and the temperature thereof is measured.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) However, the conventional method has large measurement errors due to external factors such as how the temperature sensor part of the thermocouple is attached to the fingertip, the level of environmental temperature, and the presence or absence of air volume. This created a problem that made it difficult to accurately measure skin temperature.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a device that can accurately measure the skin temperature of a finger tip without being influenced by external factors. More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device that can accurately measure temperature changes in response to a cooling load on a fingertip.

(Means for Solving the Problems) For this purpose, the present invention provides a finger tip f in the gas constant temperature bath 2.
Insert the finger tip f against the cooling load caused by cold air.
This device measures changes in skin temperature using a non-contact thermometer.

(Function) According to the present invention, the temperature change in the skin temperature of the finger tip f against the cooling load of cold air can be accurately measured without being influenced by external factors, and the presence or absence of blood circulation disorder can be determined from the result. can be diagnosed.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described along with the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a fingertip skin temperature measurement device according to the present invention, in which 1 and 2 are high temperature and low temperature insulating air constant temperature baths, 3 and 4 are these constant temperature baths 1, 2, and 3, respectively. 2 is a radiation thermometer as a non-contact type thermometer installed on the side, 5 is a radiation thermometer 3, 4
6 is a temperature converter connected to the temperature converter 5.
A recorder 6a is connected to the recording paper.

Next, while referring to Figure 2,
Explain the details.

Reference numeral 7 denotes a casing provided at the lower part of the thermostatic oven 1, and a motor 8 is disposed inside the casing, and an air stirring fan 9 driven by the motor 8 is disposed at the lower part of the thermostatic oven 1. ing. Reference numeral 10 indicates a heater consisting of an electric heating coil, and reference numeral 11 indicates an alternating current power supply section thereof.The thermostatic oven 1 is maintained at a constant temperature at an arbitrary temperature between 20 DEG C. and 35 DEG C. by the radiant heat of the heater 10. The temperature of this constant temperature bath 1 is 20℃ to 35℃ above.
Although the temperature is not limited to between 20°C and 35°C, if the temperature is too high, there is a risk of measurement errors due to sweating, so a temperature of about 20°C to 35°C is desirable.

Reference numeral 12 denotes an insertion part for the hand H which is opened in the upper part of the thermostatic oven 1, and a soft heat-insulating cover material 13 made of sponge is attached to this insertion part 12.
The central portion of the cover material 13 is cut into a slit, and the hand H can be freely inserted and removed through the cut portion (slit) 13a. When the hand H is inserted, the cover material 13 comes into close contact with the hand to maintain the airtightness of the thermostatic chamber 1 and prevent outside air from flowing in unnecessarily.

Reference numeral 14 is a positioning part for the finger tip f provided in the thermostatic chamber 1, and is made of a rod-shaped body, and as shown in FIG.
By lightly holding this positioning part 14 at , the fingertip part f is positioned within the field of view of the radiation thermometer 3. 15 is a condensing lens.

Next, details of the low-temperature air constant temperature chamber 2 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6.

16 is an opening/closing door provided in the front of the thermostatic chamber 2;
7 is its handle. Reference numeral 18 indicates an insertion portion for the hand H which is opened in the side wall on the opposite side of the door 16, 19 indicates a heat insulating cover material, and 19a indicates a cut portion (slit) thereof. 20 is a vibrator attached to the inner wall surface. The rear end of this vibrator 20 protrudes to the outside of the thermostatic chamber 2, and vibrates when the switch section 21 is operated. This switch section 21 is a multi-stage type,
The strength of vibration can be changed. Reference numeral 22 denotes a positioning part for the finger tip f formed in a bulge at the tip of the vibrator 20. As shown in FIG. When abutting, the fingertip f is positioned within the field of view of the radiation thermometer 4. 23 is an elastic ring.

24 is a cover tube installed vertically at the bottom of the vibrator 20, 25 is a cover tube installed upright on the bottom surface of the constant temperature bath 2, and a coil spring 26 is housed inside the cover tube. 27 is a limit switch provided at the bottom of the vibrator 20, and 28 is this limit switch 27.
This is a sounding device for notification that is electrically connected to, and generates a sound when the limit switch 27 is pressed. 6th
As shown in the figure, when the finger tip f is placed on the positioning part 22 and the vibrator 20 is strongly pushed up against the spring force of the spring 26, the limit switch 27 is turned on and the sound generator 28 generates a sound. 20 is pressed with a predetermined strength.

In this way, this device can measure the skin temperature while simultaneously applying a vibration load and a weight load to the fingertip f by pressing the positioning part 22 with the fingertip f. Of course, it is also possible to apply only a vibration load without applying a weight load to the finger tip f by simply placing the finger tip f lightly on the positioning section 22, or alternatively, the switch section 21 is turned off and the vibrator 20 is vibrated. Alternatively, neither a vibration load nor a weight load may be applied to the finger tip f.
Furthermore, only weight load may be applied.
In this way, it is arbitrarily determined whether to apply a vibration load or a weight load to the finger tip f.

In FIGS. 5 and 6, 30 is a casing provided above the constant temperature bath 2, and a cooler 31 is disposed inside the casing. 32 is a ventilation tube, and a fan 33 is disposed inside the ventilation tube. 3
4 is an opening/closing damper for the ventilation tube 32, and 35 is a driving solenoid. This fan 33 blows cold air toward the finger tip f side positioned by the positioning part 22. The constant temperature bath 2 maintains a constant temperature state at an arbitrary temperature between -7°C and 13°C. The temperature of this constant temperature bath 2 should be considerably lower than the temperature of the high temperature constant temperature bath 1, and the temperature is not limited to -7°C to 13°C,
If the temperature falls below -7℃, there will be problems such as increased physical pain for the person being measured, and if the temperature rises above 13℃, there will be problems such as the temperature difference with thermostatic chamber 1 becoming too small. A temperature of about -7°C to 13°C is desirable. In any case, it is desirable that the temperature of the low-temperature thermostat 2 be at or close to the outdoor temperature in winter, and therefore it should not be lower than -7°C.
This does not prohibit keeping the temperature at a constant temperature of 13°C or higher.

This device has the above-mentioned configuration, and the method of using this device will be explained next.

First, the hand H is inserted into the thermostatic chamber 1 kept at a constant high temperature (32° C. in this example), and the hand H is placed on the positioning part 14 so that the fingertip f is the measurement field of the radiation thermometer 3. (See Figure 2). For this positioning, the above positioning portion 14 and other positioning portions having arbitrary shapes and structures are useful. The tip of the finger is usually the second finger (index finger) or the third finger.
The palmar tip of the finger (middle finger) is selected. In this state, wait until the skin temperature of the finger tip f reaches a constant temperature, and then measure the skin temperature in a high temperature state unique to the person. In this case, since the hand H is inserted into the thermostatic chamber 1, the skin temperature can be accurately measured without being affected by external factors such as the temperature of the outside air or the amount of air. Furthermore, more accurate measurements can be expected by rotating the fan 9 so that the air near the fingertip f constantly flows without stagnation.

FIG. 7a shows an example of the temperature curve recorded on the recorder 6 when the hand H is inserted into the thermostatic bath 1 kept at 32°C. The measured temperature before inserting the hand H is constant (approximately 32°C), but as soon as the fingertip F enters the field of view of the radiation thermometer 3, the temperature gradually begins to rise and reaches approximately 35°C after approximately 1 minute and 30 seconds. This temperature is maintained thereafter, but when the hand H is removed from the thermostatic oven 1 after 2 minutes, the measured value returns to the temperature inside the thermostatic oven 1, that is, about 32°C.

In this manner, the skin temperature of the finger tip f in the high-temperature constant temperature bath 1 is initialized. This initialization of the skin temperature is performed in order to make the conditions for the next measurement using the low-temperature constant temperature bath 2 constant. After the skin temperature is brought to the initial temperature (approximately 35° C. in this embodiment as described above), the hand H is then inserted into the low-temperature constant temperature bath 2 in the same manner (see FIG. 6). This constant temperature bath 2 is kept at a low temperature (5° C. in this embodiment), and a radiation thermometer 4 measures the drop in skin temperature while applying a cooling load to the fingertip f for a certain period of time. In this case too,
Since the hand H is inserted into the thermostatic bath 2, the skin temperature can be accurately measured without being influenced by external factors. Furthermore, more accurate measurements can be made by driving the fan 33 to prevent air from stagnation near the finger tip f.

FIG. 7b shows an example of the temperature curve when the hand H is inserted into the constant temperature bath 2 kept at 5°C in this way, and the measured temperature before inserting the hand H is at a low temperature (approximately 5°C).
℃), but as soon as the fingertip f enters the field of view of the radiation thermometer 4, the temperature rises rapidly to nearly 35℃, and then slowly decreases as the fingertip f cools down to about 5℃. After ~6 minutes, the temperature drops to about 10°C, but when the hand H is removed from the thermostatic oven 2 after about 6 minutes and 30 seconds, the temperature inside the thermostatic oven 2, that is, about 5°C, is measured again.

In this case, the finger tip f is directly aligned with the positioning part 2.
Alternatively, the skin temperature drop characteristic may be measured when vibration is applied to the finger tip f by driving the vibrator 20 to vibrate the positioning part 24. Measurement may also be carried out in the case where the part f is strongly pressed against the positioning part 22 and the vibrator 20 is pushed down against the spring force of the spring 26, and a weight load and a vibration load are simultaneously applied to the fingertip part f, as described above. As such, the loads such as vibration loads and weight loads to be applied to the finger tip f can be freely determined.

Further, the means for applying a vibration load or a weight load to the finger tip f is not limited to the above-mentioned means; for example, a heavy vibrator may be held in the hand H and the weight and vibration of the vibrator may be applied at the same time. You can do it like this.
By applying various loads to the finger tip f and making measurements in this way, you can measure conditions that are closer to the conditions in which vibrating equipment such as chain saws and pitching hammers are used, and moreover, in the winter temperature atmosphere where vibration problems are most noticeable. Skin temperature can be measured inside.

When the cooling load by the constant temperature bath 2 is finished in this manner, the hand H is quickly inserted into the high temperature constant temperature bath 1 again, and the recovery characteristics of the skin temperature of the finger tip f are measured. Figure 7c shows an example of the temperature curve measured when the hand H is reinserted into the thermostatic chamber 1 in this manner, and the measured value changes from a low temperature (approximately 32°C) as soon as the hand H is inserted. The temperature drops rapidly to about 10°C, but after that, the hand H is slowly warmed up, and after about 4 minutes, the temperature rises to about 35°C. When the hand H is removed from the thermostatic chamber 1 after about 4 minutes and 30 seconds, the measured value is is about 32℃ again. As described above, by measuring the decreasing characteristics of skin temperature when a cooling load is applied to the fingertips and the recovery characteristics when the cooling load is removed, it is possible to accurately diagnose the presence or absence of blood circulation disorder and its degree. be able to.

The above example is a high temperature constant temperature bath 1 and a low temperature constant temperature bath 2.
Although a means for diagnosing a vibration disorder of the fingertip f by using both of the above has been described, it is also possible to diagnose using only the low temperature constant temperature bath 2 without using the high temperature constant temperature bath 1. FIG. 8 shows the decreasing characteristics of the skin temperature of the finger tip f when the hand H is inserted into the low-temperature constant temperature bath 2 without initializing the skin temperature with the constant temperature bath 1. is close to the decreasing characteristic shown in FIG. 7b. In this case, the skin temperature is initialized by the room temperature in the room where the skin temperature is measured.
As described above, there are various possible methods for measuring the temperature of the finger tip f, and it is possible to freely decide how to use these thermostatic chambers 1 and 2, and the manner in which they are used is free. .

Further, the specific configuration of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and various modifications are possible. For example, an imaging device may be used in place of the recorder 6, and the insertion portion and positioning It goes without saying that various shapes and structures of the parts and their formation positions can be considered other than those of the above-mentioned embodiments.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, according to the present invention, it is possible to apply a cooling load to the fingertip and measure the temperature characteristics of the skin temperature of the fingertip without being influenced by external factors. I can,
Based on this data, it is possible to diagnose the presence or absence of a blood circulation disorder and its degree. Furthermore, it has various effects such as being able to perform measurement and diagnosis in a relatively short time.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The figure shows an embodiment of the present invention.
The figure is a perspective view of the finger tip skin temperature measurement device, Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a high temperature gas constant temperature bath, Figure 3 is a perspective view of a low temperature gas constant temperature bath, Figure 4 is a plan view, and Figure 5 is a perspective view of a fingertip skin temperature measuring device. 6 and 6 are cross-sectional views, FIGS. 7a, b, and c are temperature characteristic diagrams, and FIG. 8 is a temperature characteristic diagram. 1... High temperature gas constant temperature bath, 2... Gas constant temperature bath,
4... Radiation thermometer (non-contact thermometer), 18...
Insertion part, 14... Positioning part, 31... Cooler,
33...Air blowing means.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A gas constant temperature bath 2 in which the insertion part 18 of the fingertip part f is formed, a cooler 31 that cools the gas in this gas constant temperature bath 2, and a skin flap of the fingertip part f inserted from the insertion part 18. A non-contact thermometer 4 for measuring temperature, a positioning section 22 for positioning the finger tip f in the field of view of the non-contact thermometer 4, and a positioning section 22 for positioning the cold air cooled by the cooler 31. and a blowing means 33 for blowing air toward the fingertip f side.