JP2008259746A - Device for measuring ventral girth - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide technology for easily and accurately measuring the whole periphery of the belly. <P>SOLUTION: This device for measuring ventral girth includes: a body 2 having a holding part; a frame bod 3 fixed to the body; a measuring belt 4 to be wound round the belly of a person to be measured; and an indicating means 23 indicating the ventral girth of the person to be measured based on the length of the measuring belt in its part wound round the belly of the person to be measured. One end of the measuring belt is fixed to the body or the frame body, and at least a part is supported to the frame body by an elastic support member 5 to form a ring. When the other end is pulled, the measuring belt is wound round the belly of the person to be measured. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an abdominal circumference measuring device.

  Metabolic syndrome is a state in which visceral fat obesity and hyperglycemia / hypertension / hyperlipidemia are combined, and increases the incidence of arteriosclerotic diseases (myocardial infarction, cerebral infarction, etc.). In this way, the concept that visceral fat accumulation is the main factor of pathogenesis is used. In order to determine whether it falls under the metabolic syndrome, it is ideal to measure the visceral fat area by CT or MRI, but it is not easy to perform such measurement in a general ward or a medical examination. Therefore, recently established diagnostic criteria stipulate the measurement of waist (waist) at the umbilical position in the standing position as a simple means to replace the visceral fat area measurement.

  For these reasons, abdominal girth measurement by majors has been carried out frequently at medical sites. However, a person with a large abdominal circumference who is suspected of visceral fat accumulation has a drooping abdomen (umbilical position) in a standing position, making correct measurement difficult. Also, it is difficult to wrap the measure around the abdomen so that it is horizontal to the ground, and measurement errors are likely to occur due to the proficiency of the measurer. In addition, it is not easy for the measurer to wrap the measure alone against the subject having a large abdomen.

Devices that automatically measure abdominal circumference have been proposed as conventional techniques that focus on these problems (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). In Patent Document 3, the length of at least a part of the periphery of the abdomen is measured using a support body made of a substantially U-shaped flexible member and a belt body that is elastically connected at an end thereof. A health management guideline advice device including abdominal circumference measurement means is disclosed.
JP 2002-345882 A International Publication No. 01/076485 Pamphlet JP 2004-135698 A

  However, although the techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 both have an automatic abdominal girth reading function, it is necessary for the measurer to wrap the measure around the abdomen. Therefore, it is not possible to eliminate the difficulty of the measurer alone winding the measure around the subject having a large abdominal circumference or the difficulty of setting the measure horizontally at the correct height.

  Further, in the health management guideline advice device disclosed in Patent Document 3, since only a part of the abdominal circumference (abdominal circumference) can be measured, when calculating the body fat percentage or the like using this, an accurate body Fat percentage may not be calculated.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above-mentioned problems, and the object of the present invention is to provide a technique that enables a measurer to easily and accurately measure the entire circumference of the abdomen. is there.

In order to achieve the above object, an abdominal girth measuring apparatus according to the present invention includes a main body having a gripping part, a frame fixed to the main body, a measurement band supported by the frame and wrapped around the abdomen of the measurement subject, Is provided. Here, one end of the measurement band is fixed to the main body or the frame, and at least one place is supported on the frame by a stretchable support portion to form an annular shape. And it is wound around a measurement subject's abdomen by pulling the other end side of a measurement belt.

  With such a configuration, the measurement band can be easily moved to the measurement position of the abdominal circumference from the state where the abdominal circumference measurement device according to the present invention is arranged so that the measurement subject is positioned in the annular measurement band. Can be made. Then, the measurement band can be wound around the abdomen of the measurement subject by pulling the end of the measurement band that is not fixed.

  Therefore, it is not necessary to turn the arm around the measurement subject's abdomen and wrap the measurement band. Further, the entire circumference of the measurement subject's abdomen can be measured by simply pulling the end of the measurement strip and winding the measurement strip around the measurement subject's abdomen. Furthermore, since the measurement band is supported by the frame body, it is easy to wrap around the abdomen horizontally at the correct measurement position (height). As described above, since the abdominal circumference measuring apparatus according to the present invention is easy to handle, it is possible to perform accurate abdominal circumference measurement with little error regardless of the proficiency level of the measurer.

  The frame in the present invention may have any shape as long as it can support the measurement band in an annular shape, but for example, an annular shape is preferable.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the abdominal circumference measuring apparatus according to the present invention further includes display means for displaying the abdominal circumference measured based on the length of the measurement band of the portion wrapped around the abdomen of the measurement subject. In addition, it is also preferable to have an output means for outputting to an external computer or the like instead of displaying the abdominal circumference. Moreover, this display and output may display or output the length of the measurement band itself of the portion wound around the measurement subject's abdomen.

  The measurement band in the present invention is preferably provided with a scale indicating the distance from one end fixed to the main body or the frame. In this case, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the scale of the measurement band is pointed out and the abdominal circumference of the measurement subject is displayed as the display means.

  The tension for winding the measurement band around the measurement subject's abdomen may be performed by the measurement person pulling by hand, or may be performed by being pulled by the apparatus. For example, the waist measurement apparatus according to the present invention preferably further includes a winding means for winding (pulling) the other end side of the measurement band to wind the measurement band around the measurement subject's abdomen. The winding means may be configured to be manually operated by a measurer to wind up the measurement band, or may be configured to be electrically wound up on the measurement band.

  When the abdominal girth measuring apparatus according to the present invention has a winding means, based on the length of the measurement band wound by the winding means, the length of the measurement band wound around the abdomen of the measurement subject is calculated. It is preferable to acquire. Specifically, since the circumference of the measurement band in a state before being wound is known, the length of the portion wound around the abdomen of the measurement subject can be reduced by reducing the length wound by the winding means from here. The length of the measurement band can be acquired. And a display means displays a measurement subject's abdominal circumference based on this length.

  In addition, this invention can be grasped | ascertained as an abdominal circumference measuring apparatus which has at least one part of the said means. The present invention can also be understood as an abdominal girth measurement method including at least a part of the above processing, or a program for realizing the method. Each of the above means and processes can be combined with each other as much as possible to constitute the present invention.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to easily and accurately wrap a measurement band around the abdomen of a measurement subject, and therefore, it is possible to easily and accurately measure the entire circumference of the abdominal circumference.

  Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments suitable for the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the components described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to those unless otherwise specified. .

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an abdominal girth measuring apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the abdominal girth measuring apparatus 1 is roughly composed of a main body 2, a fixed frame (frame body) 3, and a belt (measurement band) 4.

  The fixed frame 3 has an annular shape, and has a diameter of about 50 cm and a circumference of about 150 cm. The fixed frame 3 is composed of a flexible metal or resin member. Further, the fixed frame 3 is fixed to the main body 2 having the grip portion 21 and can be easily moved by holding the grip portion 21 of the main body 2.

  The belt 4 corresponds to the measurement zone of the present invention. A material that does not expand and contract, such as glass fiber, is used for the belt 4. In the present embodiment, the belt 4 has a belt shape, but may have a string shape.

  One end 4 a of the belt 4 is fixed to the main body 2. The belt 4 is supported by the fixed frame 3 at least at one place by the belt support portion 5. In the present embodiment, the belt 4 is supported on the fixed frame 3 by the three belt support portions 5. The other end of the belt 4 is fixed to the belt winding device 22 of the main body 2. In this way, the belt 4 forms an annular shape by being fixed and supported by the main body 2 and the fixed frame 3.

  The belt support 5 is a member that supports the belt 4 to the fixed frame 3. The belt support 5 is made of a stretchable material such as rubber. Thus, since the belt support portion 5 has elasticity, when the belt 4 is wound up as will be described later, the belt 4 moves away from the fixed frame 3 and becomes smaller in diameter, and is placed on the abdomen of the measurement subject (measurement subject). Wrapped.

  Next, each part of the main body 2 will be described. The main body 2 includes a gripping part 21, a belt winding device 22, a display part 23, a winding control switch 24 and a release switch 25.

  The belt winding device 22 corresponds to the winding means of the present invention. The belt winding device 22 is a device that winds the end of the belt 4 to reduce the diameter of the belt 4 and winds the belt 4 around the abdomen of the subject (measurement subject). The belt winding device 22 has a rotating body 22a, and winds the belt 4 by rotating the rotating body 22a electrically. In addition, it is good also as a structure which winds the belt 4 by rotating this rotary body 22a manually.

  Moreover, the length of the wound belt 4 can be measured by measuring the number of rotations of the rotating body 22a. By subtracting the wound length from the length of the belt 4 before winding, the circumference of the belt after winding, that is, the waist circumference of the subject can be acquired.

  In addition, in order to prevent the rotating body 22a from rotating reversely during the waist measurement and the belt 4 from loosening, the belt take-up device 22 has a stopper mechanism (not shown) that prevents the rotating body 22a from reversing. Is provided.

  The display unit 23 displays the subject's abdominal circumference measured as described above. Although it is displayed in centimeters in the figure, it is sufficient to display the decimal part as necessary.

  The winding control switch 24 is a switch for controlling the belt winding device 22, and the belt winding device 22 winds the belt 4 only while being pressed.

  The release switch 25 is a switch for releasing the stopper mechanism that prevents the above-described reverse rotation of the rotating body 22a. When the release switch 25 is pressed after the measurement is completed, the stopper mechanism is released, and the belt 4 is widened by the tension of the belt support portion 5 and the winding around the abdomen is released. Note that when the release switch 25 is pressed, the rotating body 22a may be reversely rotated to loosen the belt 4.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing functional blocks of the main body 2. When receiving an input from the winding control switch 24 or the release switch 25, the control unit 101 controls the belt winding unit 102 of the belt winding device 22 accordingly. The belt winding unit 102 rotates the rotating body 22a to wind the belt 4 and the like. When the rotating body 22 a is rotated by the belt winding unit 102, the amount of rotation is acquired by the abdominal circumference reading unit 106. The abdominal circumference reading unit 106 reads the rotation amount of the rotating body 22a using a rotary encoder. The rotary encoder may be a contactless type such as an optical sensor or a magnetic sensor, or may be a mechanical contact type. Thus, since the winding amount of the belt 4 is known, the length of the belt wound around the abdomen of the subject can be calculated.

  The abdominal circumference measured by the abdominal circumference reading unit 106 is input to the control unit 101. The control unit 101 displays this on the display unit 23.

  Next, a method for using the abdominal girth measuring apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment and an operation during use will be described. 3 and 4 are diagrams illustrating a method of using the abdominal girth measuring apparatus 1. At the start of measurement, the subject is allowed to stand inside the fixed frame 3 and the belt 4 as shown in FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 3C, the measurer holds the grasping portion 21 of the main body 2 and lifts the entire abdominal girth measuring apparatus 1 to the measurement position (umbilical position). Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 3B, the abdominal girth measuring device 1 may be passed through the subject's head and moved to the measurement position. When the abdominal circumference measuring device 1 is moved to the measurement position, the fixed frame 3 is leveled. As a result, the belt 4 can be wound horizontally around the correct measurement position of the abdomen of the person to be measured.

  When the abdominal circumference measuring device 1 is moved to the measurement position, the belt 4 is not wound up and the circumference thereof is substantially the same as the circumference of the fixed frame 3 as shown in FIG. In this state, the belt 4 may be slack.

  Then, the winding control switch 24 is pressed in a state where the distal end portion 2a of the main body 2 is pressed against the abdomen 100 of the subject, and the winding of the belt 4 is started. When the belt 4 is wound up, its diameter and circumference are shortened. At this time, since the belt support portion 5 has elasticity, the belt support portion 5 extends to correspond to the change in the circumferential length of the belt 4 as shown in FIG. The measurer visually determines how the belt 4 is wrapped around the abdomen, and releases the take-up control switch 24 when the condition is suitable for measurement. The winding of the belt 4 is stopped by releasing the winding control switch 24. Since the rotating body 22a is provided with a reverse rotation prevention mechanism, the belt 4 is held in a wound state. In this state, the measurement of the abdominal circumference is completed by reading the numerical value displayed on the display unit 23.

  After the measurement of the abdominal circumference, when the release switch 25 is pressed, the reverse rotation prevention mechanism of the rotating body 22a is released, so that the belt 4 can be removed from the abdomen of the subject.

As described above, by using the abdominal circumference measuring apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the belt 4 can be wound around the entire abdomen of the subject, and the entire circumference of the abdomen can be measured.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, the measurer can easily wrap the belt around the abdomen of the subject without turning his hand around the abdomen of the subject. Therefore, even a subject with a large abdominal girth that is suspected of having metabolic syndrome, the measurer can easily perform the measurement alone.

  Moreover, since the belt 4 is supported by the fixed frame 3, the fixed frame 3 may be set at the umbilical position in order to set the belt 4 at the correct measurement position (umbilical position). Further, in order to wind the belt 4 horizontally around the abdomen, the fixed frame 3 may be kept horizontal. That is, the measurer can perform accurate measurement only by setting the fixed frame 3 horizontally at the umbilical position of the subject (FIG. 3C).

  Thus, by using the abdominal circumference measuring apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the measurer can easily and accurately measure the entire circumference of the abdomen of the subject.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the second embodiment, there is no winding mechanism for the belt 4, and the measurer pulls the end of the belt 4 to wrap the belt 4 around the abdomen of the subject. In the present embodiment, one end of the belt 4 passes through the rotating body 26 and is drawn out from the belt drawer portion 27 on the side of the main body 2. When the measurer pulls this end, the belt 4 is wound around the abdomen of the subject. At this time, the rotation of the rotating body 26 is detected, and the abdominal circumference is displayed on the display unit 23 according to the length of the wound belt 4, as in the first embodiment.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the present embodiment, the measurer pulls the belt 4 in the same manner as in the second embodiment, but the abdominal circumference display method is different. In the present embodiment, the scale is swayed on the belt 4. This scale is a value corresponding to the distance from the fixed end side of the belt 4. The belt drawer 27 on the side of the main body 2 is provided with a scale indicator 28 that indicates the measured waist circumference. By reading the scale of the belt 4 indicated by the scale instruction unit 28, the waist circumference of the subject can be read. That is, the scale instruction unit 28 corresponds to the display unit of the present invention.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  In any of the above embodiments, the abdominal girth measuring apparatus 1 is provided with the display unit 23 to display the measured abdominal girth. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the abdominal circumference measuring device 1 is connected to an external computer or the like, and the measurement data is output to the outside.

  The abdominal circumference of the subject calculated from the winding amount of the belt 4 by the belt winding device 22 is output to the computer 30 via the output cable 29. The computer 30 may display the received waist measurement data on a display or the like, or may store the data in a storage device.

Note that the output cable 29 corresponding to the output means of the present invention may be any concrete one, but a USB cable, a LAN cable, or the like can be adopted. In addition to wired connection, measurement data can also be output to the computer 30 by radio connection using radio waves.

(Modification)
The above embodiment is merely an example of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the technical idea.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the fixed frame 3 can be substantially U-shaped. The shape of the fixed frame 3 does not need to be annular, and any shape may be used as long as the belt 4 can be annular. Therefore, as shown in the figure, the fixed frame 3 may be substantially U-shaped, and the belt 4 may be annular by providing the belt support portion 5 at the tip of the fixed frame.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 9, one end 4 a of the belt 4 may be fixed to the fixed frame 3. In such a case, the abdominal circumference measurement is performed by pressing the portion 3a of the fixed frame on which the belt 4 is not provided against the abdomen of the subject. And the display part 23 displays the value which added the length L of the part 3a of the fixed frame to the length of the belt 4 as a subject's abdominal circumference.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the abdominal girth measuring apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the functional block of the abdominal circumference measuring apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the method to match an abdominal girth measuring device with a measurement position. It is a figure explaining operation | movement when winding the belt of an abdominal circumference measurement apparatus around an abdomen. It is a figure which shows the structure of the abdominal girth measuring apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the abdominal girth measuring apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the abdominal circumference measuring apparatus which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the modification of an abdominal girth measuring apparatus. It is a figure which shows the modification of an abdominal girth measuring apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Abdominal circumference measurement apparatus 2 Main body 3 Fixing frame 4 Belt 5 Belt support part 21 Gripping part 22 Belt winding apparatus 23 Display part 24 Winding control switch 25 Release switch

Claims (8)

A main body having a gripping portion;
A frame fixed to the body;
A measurement band supported by the frame and wound around the abdomen of the measurement subject;
With
One end of the measurement band is fixed to the main body or the frame body, and at least one place is supported by the frame body by a stretchable support portion to form an annular shape, and the other end side is pulled. Is wrapped around the subject's abdomen,
An abdominal girth measuring device.   The abdominal girth measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the frame has an annular shape.   The abdominal circumference measuring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising display means for displaying an abdominal circumference measured based on a length of a measurement band of a portion wound around the abdomen of the measurement subject.   The abdominal girth measuring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising output means for outputting the length of the measurement band wound around the abdomen of the measurement subject or the abdominal circumference measured based on the length of the measurement band. . The measurement band has a scale indicating a distance from the one end fixed to the main body or the frame,
The other end side of the measurement band is pulled by the measurer, and is wound around the abdomen of the measurement subject,
The abdominal girth measuring apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the display means displays the abdominal girth of the measurement subject by pointing to the scale of the measurement band.   The abdominal girth measuring apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising winding means for winding the measurement band around the measurement subject's abdomen by winding the other end side of the measurement band.   The abdominal girth measuring apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the length of the measurement band wound around the measurement subject's abdomen is acquired based on the length of the measurement band wound by the winding unit.   The abdominal girth measuring apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the winding means is electric.

Images