JPH07184865A - Radiation thermometer - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Object] An object of the present invention is to provide a radiation thermometer having a simple structure and capable of accurately measuring a body temperature. [Structure] Two windows 4a and 4b are provided at positions on the side surface of the probe 1 where external light does not reach when the probe 1 is inserted into an ear canal, and visible windows 3a and 3b are provided inside thereof. 3b is arranged. When the probe 1 is properly inserted into the ear canal, the windows 4a and 4b are hidden in the ear canal, so that the visible light sensors 3a and 3b hardly detect external light. When no light is detected by the visible light sensors 3a and 3b, the CPU determines that the probe 1 is properly inserted into the ear canal and starts the measurement of the body temperature by the infrared sensor 2.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a radiation thermometer for measuring body temperature from the amount of infrared rays emitted from the eardrum of the ear.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Mercury thermometers, electronic thermometers using temperature sensors, etc. are known. However, these thermometers provide accurate temperature immediately after starting measurement due to the thermal response characteristics of mercury or the temperature sensor. It cannot be detected.

Therefore, a radiation thermometer has been proposed which measures the body temperature by detecting the amount of infrared radiation emitted from a portion of the body where the temperature is relatively stable, such as the eardrum of the ear, to measure the body temperature. This radiation thermometer, for example, inserts a probe incorporating an infrared sensor into the ear canal and measures the body temperature by detecting the amount of infrared radiation radiated from the eardrum.
It has the feature of being able to instantly measure accurate body temperature.

[0004]

In the above radiation thermometer, the user usually operates the switch to start measuring the body temperature, and if the switch is operated before the probe is fully inserted into the ear canal. There is a problem that an accurate temperature cannot be measured. On the other hand, if the user operates the switch after confirming whether the probe can be inserted correctly, not only is the operation troublesome, but it takes time to measure the body temperature, and the radiation can be measured instantly. There is a problem that the advantage of the thermometer is lost.

As a means for solving such a problem,
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-242,431 discloses a probe having a probe that is fitted onto a temperature sensor and configured to move forward and backward, and a switch that opens and closes in conjunction with the movement of the probe, and the probe is inserted into an ear canal. A radiation thermometer is described which allows the probe to be retracted and turned on at times to automatically measure body temperature. This radiation thermometer eliminates the need for the user to operate the switch when measuring the body temperature. However, there is a problem in that the structure becomes complicated because the probe has a structure capable of moving forward and backward.

An object of the present invention is to provide a radiation thermometer having a simple structure and capable of accurately measuring body temperature.

[0007]

The radiation thermometer of the present invention comprises:
A probe, an infrared sensor provided inside the probe, an optical sensor provided at a position where light from the outside does not reach when the probe is inserted into the ear canal, and an infrared ray based on a signal detected by the optical sensor The sensor is constituted by a control means for controlling whether or not the body temperature is measured.

The optical sensor is designed such that the light from the outside does not reach the optical sensor only when the probe is sufficiently inserted into the ear canal, and the light from the outside does not reach the optical sensor when the probe is not sufficiently inserted into the ear canal. It is provided at a predetermined position on the outer peripheral portion of the probe so as to reach the sensor.

[0009]

According to the present invention, whether or not the probe is inserted into the ear canal is determined based on whether or not the external light is detected by the optical sensor, and the measurement of the body temperature is started based on the determination result. Therefore, the body temperature is automatically measured when the probe is inserted into the ear canal without operating a switch or the like.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a cross section of a probe 1 and a schematic configuration of a main body 5 of a radiation thermometer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, an infrared sensor 2 for detecting infrared rays emitted from the eardrum is provided inside the probe 1. Two windows 4a and 4b are provided at the top and bottom, respectively, at a position slightly to the right of the center of the probe 1 in FIG. 1, that is, at a position hidden in the ear canal when the probe 1 is fully inserted into the ear canal. Visible light sensors 3a and 3b are arranged inside 4a and 4b.

The visible light sensors 3a and 3b have windows 4a and 4b.
It is a sensor that detects visible light incident from the windows 4a and 4a when the probe 1 is sufficiently inserted into the ear canal.
Since b is hidden in the ear canal, light from the outside is visible to the visible light sensor 3
It is hardly detected in a and 3b. On the other hand, when the insertion of the probe 1 is insufficient, the windows 4a and 4b are not completely covered, so that the light from the outside is exposed to the visible light sensor 3a,
It is detected at 3b. When the visible light sensors 3a and 3b detect visible light of a certain level or higher, it is determined that the probe 1 is not sufficiently inserted into the ear canal and the body temperature is not measured. When almost no visible light is detected, the probe is judged to have been sufficiently inserted into the ear canal and the measurement of the body temperature is started.

By thus arranging the visible light sensor at a position where the light from the outside does not reach only when the probe 1 is sufficiently inserted into the ear canal, it is only possible to detect whether or not the probe is inserted into the ear canal. Instead, it is possible to detect whether or not the probe 1 is sufficiently inserted into the ear canal.

On the side surface of the body 4 of the radiation thermometer, there are provided a power switch 5 for turning the power on and off, and a display section 6 including a liquid crystal display device for displaying the temperature detected by the infrared sensor 2. Although not shown, inside the main body,
A printed circuit board on which an amplifier circuit for amplifying an output signal of the sensor, a CPU, etc. are mounted is stored.

FIG. 2 is a circuit block diagram of the radiation thermometer of the embodiment. In the figure, an analog signal detected by the infrared sensor 2, that is, a signal corresponding to the amount of infrared rays emitted from the eardrum is amplified by an amplifier circuit 11 and converted into a digital signal by an A / D converter 13. Further, an analog signal detected by the visible light sensors 3a and 3b, that is, a signal corresponding to visible light incident from the windows 4a and 4b provided on the side surface of the probe 1 is amplified by another amplifier circuit 12, It is converted into a digital signal in the D converter 13.

The digital signal A / D converted by the A / D converter 13 is output to the CPU 14, and the CPU 14 judges whether or not the probe 1 is sufficiently inserted into the ear canal.
A process of calculating the body temperature from the amount of infrared rays detected by the infrared sensor 2 and the like are performed.

The memory 15 stores a correspondence table showing the relationship between the amount of infrared rays and the body temperature.
The body temperature is calculated from the amount of infrared rays detected by the infrared sensor 2 by referring to this correspondence table and displayed on the display unit 6. Further, the CPU 14 causes the buzzer 16 when the body temperature measurement is completed.
Sound to notify the user.

Next, the operation of the radiation thermometer of the embodiment having the above configuration will be described. When the probe 1 is not inserted into the ear canal, light having a brightness determined by the environmental conditions at that time (for example, several hundred lux to several thousand lux in a room) passes through the windows 4a and 4b of the probe 1 and is visible. It reaches the optical sensors 3a and 3b. When the signal levels detected by the visible light sensors 3a and 3b are above a certain level, the CPU 14 determines that the probe 1 is not inserted into the ear canal and does not measure the body temperature by the infrared sensor 2.

On the other hand, when the probe 1 is fully inserted into the ear canal, the external light hardly enters through the windows 4a and 4b of the probe 1, and therefore the visible light sensors 3a and 3b.
The visible light that reaches the position is several lux or less, and the detection signal levels of the visible light sensors 3a and 3b are close to zero. When the detection signal levels of the visible light sensors 3a and 3b are less than a certain value, the CPU 15 determines that the probe 1 is sufficiently inserted into the ear canal and starts the body temperature measurement by the infrared sensor 2. Then, the body temperature is calculated from the amount of infrared rays detected by the infrared sensor 2, and the calculated body temperature is displayed on the display unit 6.

As described above, in this embodiment, the visible light sensors 3a and 3b are provided integrally with the probe 1, and the visible light sensors 3a and 3b detect whether visible light of a certain level or higher is detected. , It is determined whether or not the probe 1 is inserted into the ear canal. Then, the visible light sensors 3a, 3
When the level of visible light detected in b is less than a certain value,
It is determined that the probe 1 has been inserted into the ear canal, and the measurement of the body temperature is started. This allows the user to
Accurate body temperature can be measured simply by inserting the probe 1 into the ear canal without operating a switch or the like.

In the above embodiment, the windows 4a and 4b are provided on the side surface of the probe 1 and the visible light sensors 3a and 3b are arranged inside the probe 1. However, the windows 4a and 4b are not provided on the side surface of the probe 1. The visible light sensors 3a and 3b may be directly arranged, or an optical sensor other than the visible light sensor may be used. The windows 4a and 4b may be made of a material that transmits visible light. Further, the position where the optical sensor is arranged is not limited to the outer peripheral portion of the probe 1 and may be inside the probe 1.

[0022]

According to the present invention, it is possible to determine whether or not the probe is inserted in the ear canal by detecting the external light with the optical sensor, and the body temperature is automatically measured based on the determination result. Can be started.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a cross section of a probe unit and a schematic configuration of a main body of a radiation thermometer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a circuit block diagram of an embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 probe 2 infrared sensor 3a, 3b visible light sensor 14 CPU

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A probe, an infrared sensor built in the probe, an optical sensor provided at a position where external light does not reach when the probe is inserted into an ear canal, and a signal detected by the optical sensor. And a control means for controlling whether or not the infrared sensor measures the body temperature based on the radiation thermometer. 2. The radiation thermometer according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the optical sensors are arranged on an outer peripheral portion of the probe. 3. The radiation thermometer according to claim 1, wherein the optical sensor is a visible light sensor that detects visible light.