Patent Application
20160223548
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2015-017456 filed on Jan. 30, 2015, 2015-191422 filed on Sep. 29, 2015 and 2015-191423 filed on Sep. 29, 2015, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a biological information measurement system, and more particularly to a biological information measurement system that measures physical condition of a test subject on the basis of defecation gas discharged in a bowl of a toilet installed in a toilet installation room.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a mortality rate caused by cancer extremely decreases due to evolution of a diagnosis technique for serious illness, such as cancer, and of a technique of cancer treatment, with evolution of medical technology. However, presenting to a hospital at regular intervals for diagnosis to prevent cancer burdens a patient. In contrast, many patients actually present to a hospital after realizing wrong physical condition, and thus unfortunately still many people have cancer. In addition, no practical device for preventing cancer has been developed yet, so that it cannot be said that cancer prevention is sufficiently achieved.
In light of the circumstances, the present inventors have studied for a long time with a strong desire for manufacturing a device that is really required in the market, such as a device capable of more simply and easily diagnosing serious illness, such as cancer, at home without presenting to a hospital, to achieve prevention or early treatment of serious illness.
The present applicants have developed devices, such as: a device that is mounted in a seat of a Western-style toilet to collect defecation gas discharged into a bowl when a test subject defecates to acquire the amount of stool discharged on the basis of a concentration of carbon dioxide contained in the defecation gas as a biological information index (refer to Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent No. 5131646); and a device in which a deodorizing device assembled in a seat of a flush toilet sucks defecation gas that is discharged together when a test subject defecates so that a carbon dioxide gas sensor measures a concentration of carbon dioxide of the gas sucked to allow intestinal conditions of a test subject to be estimated on the basis of the measured concentration of carbon dioxide (refer to Patent Literature 2: Japanese Patent No. 5019267). Unfortunately, these devices estimate only current intestinal conditions, so that it is impossible to achieve a purpose of the present inventors to enable serious illness, such as cancer, to be simply and easily diagnosed, as well as to enable a risk state of the serious illness to be simply and easily acquired. In addition, there is also known a fart detector in which gas sensor is arranged so as to be brought into contact with air near an excretory organ of a human to detect a fart on the basis of a peak value of output of the gas sensor (refer to Patent Literature 3: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-90812). In the fart detector, a tube inserted into an excretory organ of a patient staying in bed in a diaper or underwear worn by the patient is drawn, and air is sucked through the tube by a suction pump to collect a fart of the patient. In addition, the fart detector only distinguishes a fart and urination on the basis of a half-value width of a peak value of output of the gas sensor so that a doctor checks whether a fart is discharged after an appendix operation, or time to replace a diaper is detected, whereby it is impossible to achieve the purpose of the present inventors. Meanwhile, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2014-160049 (Patent Literature 4) discloses a portable type apparatus for measuring a risk of colorectal cancer that includes a sensor for measuring methyl mercaptan gas from components of a fart discharged by a test subject, a calculation unit for calculating a concentration of the methyl mercaptan gas measured by the sensor, and a display, to estimate a risk of acquiring colorectal cancer.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-43182 (Patent Literature 5) describes a biological monitoring device. In the biological monitoring device, a fabric T-bandage to which gas sensor is attached is provided so that the gas sensor is arranged near an anus to detect a fart discharged from the anus. A signal from the gas sensor is transmitted to a processor to be stored in a memory. It is also known that data stored in a memory is compared with previous data, and that a warning is displayed in a display device if there is abnormality, such as a large difference.
Japanese Patent No. 3525157 (Patent Literature 6) describes a method of measuring components of flatus. In the method of measuring components of flatus, a sampling tube is arranged at a portion in a seat of a toilet. When a person to be measured turns on a main switch of a device, a suction pump is operated to suck gas near an anus. An index gas detector always measures a concentration of carbonic acid gas in the gas sucked, and a control/arithmetic processing unit recognizes that a flatus has been diffused if the concentration measured steeply increases. If a flatus is diffused, another suction pump starts operating to allow a part of gas sucked to be inserted into a sample measuring tube. An inserted sample is fed into a column so that gas components are separated to be ionized. It is also known that the amount of ionization is converted into an electric signal so that a concentration of gas components of a detection object in the flatus is measured.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2014-206945 (Patent Literature 7) describes a health information utilization system. In the health information utilization system, personal health information on health management, inputted from a terminal device, is individually stored in a database of each of a plurality of data centers, and an analysis server device reads out the personal health information to analyze it. A big data creation server device searches the personal health information under a specific condition to create big data and store it. The health information utilization system allows health content based on knowledge in a special field to be browsed at a terminal device, and stores the personal health information in the plurality of data centers to manage it, as well as allows a health determination result acquired by applying automatic determination processing to the personal health information, and a health determination result acquired by determination processing applied by an expert, to be browsed at a terminal. The system described above is also known.
In order to develop a device capable of diagnosing serious illness, such as cancer, in recent years, it has been known that there is a correlation between disease of colorectal cancer and components of flatus contained in a fart and a stool, as described in Patent Literature 4 describe above, for example. Specifically, colorectal cancer patients have more methyl mercaptan gas containing a sulfur component, in components of flatus, as compared with healthy people.
Components of flatus are discharged along with a stool, as a fart and defecation gas, during defecation. Thus, the present inventors, as published in Nihon Keizai Shimbun issued Jan. 5, 2015, have studied on the assumption that measuring a specific gas, such as methyl mercaptan gas, in a fart and defecation gas, discharged during defecation, enables colorectal cancer in the intestine to be found out, as with Patent Literature 4 above, and the like. However, a measuring device capable of accurately measuring only this specific gas, such as methyl mercaptan gas, is very expensive and large in size. In addition, methyl mercaptan gas is contained in minute amount in defecation gas, and is contained in less amount than the minute amount in a stage before getting cancer. As a result, it is very difficult to measure the methyl mercaptan gas, and thus the present inventors have been faced with a problem in which it is not realistic in cost and size that at least this kind of gas analyzer capable of accurate measurement is assembled in a household toilet device to be widely used as a consumer product.
However, the present inventors continue to study by having strong feeling for necessity of providing a device that is capable of allowing general consumers to readily purchase it, and capable of simply and easily performing diagnosis at home, in order to reduce the number of people who have a serious illness, such as cancer, as far as possible, and then finally find out a technical solution for realizing the device.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a biological information measurement system that is capable of allowing general consumers to readily purchase it, and capable of measuring defecation gas at home to prevent people from having a serious disease, such as cancer, or encouraging people to present to a hospital to receive treatment under a moderate condition, the biological information measurement system being really required in the market, having high practicality.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a biological information measurement system that is capable of detecting odiferous gas in defecation gas with sufficient accuracy by using an inexpensive gas sensor that is generally used.
In order to solve the problem described above, the present invention is a biological information measurement system that measures physical condition of a test subject on the basis of defecation gas discharged into a bowl of a flush toilet provided in a toilet installation space, and the biological information measurement system includes: a suction device that sucks gas in the bowl into which the defecation gas is discharged by the test subject; a gas detector provided with a gas sensor that is sensitive to hydrogen gas and odiferous gas containing a sulfur component, which are included in the defecation gas sucked by the suction device; a control device that controls the suction device and the gas detector; a data analyzer that analyzes the physical condition of the test subject on the basis of detection data detected by the gas detector; and an output device that outputs an analysis result acquired by the data analyzer, and in the biological information measurement system, the gas sensor is configured to detect gas while heated to a predetermined temperature, and a detecting portion of the gas sensor detects gas at an oxidation-reduction temperature at which the detecting portion reacts to the hydrogen gas by an oxidation-reduction reaction, as well as at an oxidation-reduction reduced temperature at which an oxidation-reduction reaction to the hydrogen gas is deteriorated to relatively raise sensitivity of the detecting portion to the odiferous gas, and also the data analyzer acquires content or concentration of the odiferous gas on the basis of detection data acquired by the gas sensor.
Heretofore, there has been actually no effective device other than diagnosis at hospital for checking whether people have serious illness, such as cancer, or for checking people for prevention of serious illness. In contrast, according to the present invention, general consumers can simply and easily purchase the device to perform measurement at home. In addition, it is possible to allow a test subject to be prevented from having a serious disease, such as cancer, or to present to a hospital to receive treatment under a moderate condition, by only performing an excretory act as usual to measure defecation gas discharged during defecation without making an effort to perform additional measurement action. In this way, the present invention achieves an excellent effect of enabling a device that is really required in the market to be realized and a diagnosis system having high practicality to be provided.
Before advantageous effects of the present invention is specifically described, a technical idea of allowing a system to be widely used at standard home as a consumer product will be described. Key point of the idea are reverse thinking and effective simplified knowledge acquired by understanding characteristics of serious illness, such as cancer, and using the characteristics.
Specifically, one of key points of a system of the present invention is acquired by reverse thinking of a device installed at each home by which people are not diagnosed as having serious illness, such as cancer. That is, a test subject of general consumers really wants to know whether to be in a stage before having cancer (hereinafter this stage is referred to as ahead-disease), instead of whether to have cancer, to recognize an increasing a risk of cancer to improve a future life for preventing having cancer. Thus, it is thought that a device capable of allowing health people to accurately recognize a risk of cancer to improve physical condition for preventing having cancer is worth to a device required at standard home.
Another key point of the system of the present invention is acquired by a simplified idea that a device capable of diagnosing a specific kind of cancer, such as a rectal cancer, or diagnosing an increasing risk of a specific kind of cancer, is unnecessary. The idea is acquired from characteristics of a test subject who is anxious about any kind of cancer instead of about a specific kind of cancer, such as a rectal cancer. Thus, the inventors have simply thought that accuracy of measurement capable of identifying a kind of cancer is unnecessary, on the basis of an assumption that it is quite unnecessary to identify a kind of cancer instead of an assumption that device has a commercial value if diagnosing a specific kind of cancer.
Yet another key point of the system of the present invention is acquired by a simplified idea that extremely low diagnosis accuracy for each excretory act may be allowed. The idea is acquired on the basis of characteristics of cancer that develops for a long time, such as a few years, so that an occasion of diagnosis occurs for a long time by year. Thus, it is found that influence of even low diagnosis accuracy at one time does not substantially matter if a device is provided to allow healthy people to reduce their risk for having cancer, by themselves, whereby an effective simplified idea based on the matter found becomes one of the keys.
Specific effects of a system in accordance with the present invention configured on the basis of the knowledge and the effective simplified idea described above will be described below.
In the present invention, since defecation gas discharged into a bowl of a toilet is measured to analyze physical condition of a test subject, it is possible to perform diagnosis by allowing a test subject to only defecate as usual without requiring an effort to perform measurement action. Requiring no effort allows the test subject to have no burden, so that it is possible to continue measurement for a long time to reliably acquire information on a change in health condition, and on a state where a risk of cancer is increasing.
In addition, in the present invention, no sensor for measuring methyl mercaptan gas at a pinpoint is used, and a sensor that is widely sensitive also to odiferous gas other than the methyl mercaptan gas, in defecation gas, is used. If the sensor for measuring methyl mercaptan gas at a pinpoint is used, it is possible to reliably detect a colorectal cancer because there is a correlation between the amount of methyl mercaptan gas and a colorectal cancer, and also to reliably find that a risk of cancer is increasing from the amount thereof. However, it is found that it is impossible to determine that a risk of cancer is increasing unless a risk of cancer increases to some extent to increase the amount of methyl mercaptan gas, whereby the sensor is unsuitable for the present invention having an object to prevent people from having cancer.
In contrast, the sensor that is widely sensitive to odiferous gas is capable of detecting not only a state where a risk of cancer is increasing, but also a risk of cancer from wrong physical condition. Specifically, first if a risk of cancer increases, a very strong odiferous gas containing a sulfur component, such as methyl mercaptan gas or hydrogen sulfide, increases in amount. Then, the sensor that is widely sensitive to odiferous gas is capable of detecting increase of this kind of gas. As described later, although the amount of odiferous gas temporarily increases due to change of physical condition by day, a state of having an increased very strong odiferous gas containing a sulfur component, such as methyl mercaptan gas or hydrogen sulfide, continues for a long time if people have cancer. Thus, even if a sensor that is widely sensitive to odiferous gas other than methyl mercaptan gas in defecation gas is used, it is possible to determine that there is a high possibility of disease of cancer to cause a risk of cancer to increase if the amount of gas is high for a long time. Accordingly, the sensor that is widely sensitive also to odiferous gas serves also as a sensor for measuring methyl mercaptan gas at a pinpoint in this point.
The present invention uses a general semiconductor gas sensor that is sensitive not only to methyl mercaptan gas but also to odiferous gas other than methyl mercaptan gas, in defecation gas, so that only the amount of odiferous gas in the defecation gas can be detected, but the amount of methyl mercaptan gas cannot be measured, whereby it is impossible to accurately identify a state of cancer. However, the present inventors find out that using gas detector that is sensitive not only to methyl mercaptan gas, but also to odiferous gas other than methyl mercaptan gas, in defecation gas, allows a device to effectively serve as a device for preventing a state where a risk of cancer increases in healthy people, and a risk, such as having cancer. Specifically, healthy people have a small total amount of methyl mercaptan gas and odiferous gas other than the methyl mercaptan gas. In contrast, a total amount of methyl mercaptan gas and odiferous gas other than the methyl mercaptan gas temporarily increases due to deterioration of intestinal environment other than having cancer. The deterioration of intestinal environment is specifically caused by the following, such as excessive obstipation, a kind of meal, lack of sleep, crapulence, excessive drinking, or excessive stress. It can be said that each of these causes is a bad living habit. The bad living habit will result in cancer, however, there is no means of recognizing a risk of cancer state even if the risk of cancer increases, and thus many people continue the bad living habit on the basis of a convenient assumption that the many people themselves survive.
In this way, performing the bad living habit as described above increases all or any one of odiferous gases in defecation gas, such as methyl mercaptan, hydrogen sulfide, acetic acid, trimethylamine, or ammonia. In contrast, the present invention analyzes physical condition on the basis of detection data acquired by gas detector that detects not only methyl mercaptan gas, but also odiferous gases other than methyl mercaptan gas, such as hydrogen sulfide, acetic acid, trimethylamine, or ammonia, in defecation gas. Thus, an analysis result based on a total amount of the odiferous gas in the defecation gas reflects a result caused by a wrong physical condition and a bad living habit, of a test subject, so that the analysis result is usable as an index based on objective data for improving a physical condition and a living habit in which this kind of risk of cancer may increase, or is usable as an effective index for maintaining a health condition to reduce a risk of having cancer, whereby it is found that the analysis result acts on the object of improving a living habit and reducing a risk of cancer in an extremely effective manner to achieve an excellent effect.
In this way, the present invention measures methyl mercaptan gas and odiferous gas other than the methyl mercaptan gas to enable measurement capable of notifying a state where a risk of cancer may increase, and a suitable warning of having cancer if this kind of state continues for a long time, to a test subject. The so-called reverse thinking allows knowledge suitable for the object of reducing people having cancer to be found out.
In addition, since the present invention uses a general semiconductor gas sensor that is widely sensitive to not only methyl mercaptan gas but also to odiferous gas other than the methyl mercaptan gas, a device can be manufactured at low cost, thereby enabling the device to be provided as a consumer product. Accordingly, it is possible to sufficiently satisfy a request of test subjects that diagnosis can be simply and easily performed at home to prevent having a serious disease, such as cancer, or they can be urged to present to a hospital to receive treatment under a moderate condition.
While some semiconductor gas sensors using reductive reaction that is widely and generally used are capable of detecting odiferous gas as described above, these sensors are sensitive also to hydrogen gas of reducing gas. Here, even high concentration of odiferous gas, such as methyl mercaptan gas, contained in defecation gas is the order of a few tens ppb to a few hundred ppb, however, concentration of hydrogen gas is the order of a few hundred ppm, whereby there is 1000 to 10000 times difference in concentration. If odiferous gas is a detection object, existence of hydrogen gas contained in defecation gas is a very large noise source with respect to measurement. According to the present invention configured as described above, gas sensor detects gas at an oxidation-reduction reduced temperature at which an oxidation-reduction reaction to hydrogen gas is deteriorated to relatively raise sensitivity of the detecting portion to the odiferous gas, and thus even in an environment in which there are extremely large amount of the hydrogen gas to be noise, it is possible to detect odiferous gas with sufficient accuracy by using a general gas sensor. That is, although gas components contained in defecation gas and concentration of each of the components are different depending on a test subject and physical condition thereof, the present inventors reveal in their study that gas components that can be contained in defecation gas and concentration of the gas components is limited within a predetermined range. As a result, the present inventors find that, as far as detecting gas components of defecation gas, it is possible to acquire content or concentration of odiferous gas with sufficient accuracy by setting temperature of a detecting portion at the oxidation-reduction reduced temperature at which an oxidation-reduction reaction to hydrogen gas is deteriorated to relatively raise sensitivity of the detecting portion to the odiferous gas.
In the present invention, it is preferable that the gas sensor includes a first detecting portion that is formed of a material sensitive to the hydrogen gas and the odiferous gas to be heated to the oxidation-reduction reduced temperature, and a second detecting portion that is formed of a material sensitive to the hydrogen gas but insensitive to the odiferous gas, or of a material more insensitive to the odiferous gas than the first detecting portion, to be heated to an oxidation-reduction temperature higher than the oxidation-reduction reduced temperature.
According to the present invention configured in this way, the first detecting portion to be heated to the oxidation-reduction reduced temperature is formed of a material different from that of the second detecting portion to be heated to the oxidation-reduction temperature, so that it is possible to easily form a detecting portion that has a high sensitivity to the odiferous gas, and a low sensitivity to the hydrogen gas.
In the present invention, it is preferable to further include a test subject identification device for identifying a test subject who uses the flush toilet, a storage device that stores detection data detected by the gas detector for each test subject identified by the test subject identification device, and it is preferable that the data analyzer acquires a relative relationship between a first index based on detection data on the odiferous gas stored in the storage device, and a second index based on detection data on healthy-state gas, such as hydrogen gas, carbon dioxide gas, or methane gas, to analyze physical condition of the test subject on the basis of a tendency of time-dependent change of the relative relationship acquired in excretory acts of multiple times.
According to the present invention configured in this way, physical condition of a test subject is analyzed on the basis of a tendency of time-dependent change in excretory acts of multiple times of the relationship between the first index based on the odiferous gas and the second index based on the healthy-state gas. As a result, only enabling a relative relationship between the odiferous gas and the healthy-state gas to be acquired is enough to analyze physical condition, so that high accuracy is not required to enable a general gas sensor that is sensitive also to hydrogen gas to be used to analyze physical condition of a test subject.
In the present invention, it is preferable that the control device is configured to allow the first detecting portion to be heated to a temperature higher than the oxidation-reduction reduced temperature so that sensor cleaning of the first detecting portion is performed when the gas detector performs no detection of defecation gas.
In the present invention, temperature of the first detecting portion is set at the oxidation-reduction reduced temperature to perform measurement, so that odiferous gas components are adsorbed on the detecting portion during the measurement to cause the components to be easily deposited thereon due to incomplete combustion, whereby the components may be a noise source in subsequent measurement. According to the present invention configured as described above, the sensor cleaning of heating the first detecting portion to a temperature higher than the oxidation-reduction reduced temperature is performed to enable adsorbed materials deposited to be effectively removed to prevent noise from occurring.
In the present invention, it is preferable to further include an entrance detection sensor that detects entrance of a test subject into the toilet installation space, and it is preferable that the control device allows the sensor cleaning to be performed before detection of defecation gas is started after entrance of a test subject.
In the present invention, temperature of the first detecting portion during a waiting period is reduced to reduce deposition of odiferous gas components, however, if the temperature is reduced too much, it takes a time to raise the detecting portion to the oxidation-reduction reduced temperature after entrance of a test subject, whereby it is impossible to smoothly perform measurement of physical condition. Thus, even during a waiting period, it is impossible to completely prevent deposition of the odiferous gas components on the first detecting portion. According to the present invention configured as described above, the sensor cleaning is performed before gas detection is started after entrance of a test subject, so that it is possible to sufficiently prevent measurement accuracy from deteriorating while enabling smooth measurement of physical condition. Since temperature is reduced during a waiting period to reduce deposition of odiferous gas components, it is possible to perform sufficient cleaning in a short time before gas detection is started.
In the present invention, it is preferable that the control device allows temperature of the first detecting portion to be maintained at a temperature of 420° C. or higher for a predetermined time during the sensor cleaning.
According to the present invention configured in this way, temperature of the first detecting portion is maintained at a temperature of 420° C. or higher for a predetermined time during the sensor cleaning, so that it is possible to sufficiently oxidize and remove odiferous gas components adsorbed on the detecting portion during gas detection and a waiting period.
In the present invention, it is preferable that the gas sensor is arranged in gas passage for measurement through which defecation gas sucked in flows, and that the control device includes a sensor temperature control device that controls temperature of the first detecting portion, and the control device operates the suction device, or operates a blower during the sensor cleaning is performed by the sensor temperature control device to allow air to flow into the gas passage for measurement to blow an air flow on the first detecting portion.
During the sensor cleaning, the first detecting portion is raised to a high temperature so that hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan, remaining on the detecting portion, are removed, and if they remain on the periphery, there is a possibility that they are finally oxidized to create sulfur dioxide. However, according to the present invention configured as described above, during the sensor cleaning, air is allowed to flow into the gas passage for measurement to blow an air flow on the first detecting portion, so that hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan are prevented from remaining on a peripheral portion of the sensor. Even if sulfur dioxide is created, it is possible to prevent the sulfur dioxide from accumulating on a sensor portion by blowing away the sulfur dioxide by an air flow before the sulfur dioxide is firmly adsorbed. In addition, it is expected that the air flow promotes desorption of an odor component other than the sulfur dioxide, so that it is possible to prevent accumulation on the first detecting portion and in the gas passage, and to further improve cleaning performance, whereby measurement at high accuracy is continuously achieved.
In the present invention, it is preferable that the gas sensor is arranged in gas passage for measurement through which defecation gas sucked in flows, and that the control device includes a sensor temperature control device that controls temperature of the first detecting portion, and the sensor temperature control device performs the sensor cleaning at a timing, such as: after cleaning of the flush toilet has been finished after an excretory act; after a test subject has left the toilet installation space; or after concentration of odiferous gas in the gas passage for measurement has decreased to a predetermined value or less.
According to the present invention configured in this way, the sensor cleaning is performed after cleaning of the toilet has been finished, or after leaving from the toilet installation room, or after concentration of odiferous gas has decreased, so that it is possible to reliably prevent a state in which the sensor cleaning is performed at a high temperature so that a risk of creating sulfur dioxide is conversely increased. Particularly, in a case where the present invention is configured to directly measure concentration of odiferous gas and perform the sensor cleaning when the concentration decreases, even if a hydrogen sulfide gas and methyl mercaptan gas continuously is emitted even after a test subject has left the toilet installation room, due to adhesion of a stool in the bowl, and the like, performance of the sensor cleaning can be prevented. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent a risk of measurement from increasing.
In the present invention, it is preferable that the control device allows temperature of the first detecting portion to decrease to a temperature lower than the oxidation-reduction reduced temperature when the gas detector does not perform detection of defecation gas.
In the first detecting portion that performs measurement at the oxidation-reduction reduced temperature, odiferous gas containing accumulated sulfur components is deposited on the detecting portion due to incomplete combustion. If this deposition is accumulated, the deposition becomes a noise source with respect to measurement to deteriorate detection accuracy. According to the present invention configured as described above, when gas detection is not performed, temperature of the first detecting portion is reduced to a temperature lower than the oxidation-reduction reduced temperature. Accordingly, it becomes hard to allow a combustion reaction to occur on the detecting portion, so that a product of a deposit due to incomplete combustion is prevented. As a result, it is possible to prevent a deposit from being created during a maximum waiting period to enable measurement accuracy to be sufficiently prevented from being deteriorated.
In the present invention, it is preferable to further include a contact time extension device that extends a period in which defecation gas sucked by the suction device is in contact with the first detecting portion.
In the present invention, temperature of the first detecting portion is set at the oxidation-reduction reduced temperature to perform gas detection, and thus if measurement is performed by the detecting portion at a temperature at which oxidation-reduction reaction is started to be deteriorated, responsiveness of the first detecting portion decreases. According to the present invention configured as described above, the contact time extension device extends a period in which defecation gas is in contact with the first detecting portion. Accordingly, even if responsiveness of the detecting portion decreases, it is possible to sufficiently detect odiferous gas with a trace amount in the defecation gas.
In the present invention, it is preferable that the contact time extension device is a storage device that stores defecation gas sucked in a space in which the first detecting portion is arranged, for a predetermined time, or is a circulating device that circulates the sucked defecation gas in a flow channel in which the first detecting portion is arranged.
According to the present invention configured in this way, the storage device stores defecation gas for a predetermined time, or the circulating device circulates defecation gas in a flow channel, to extend contact time of defecation gas with the first detecting portion. As a result, it is possible to easily extend the contact time with a simple structure.
In the present invention, it is preferable that the first detecting portion is formed of a material containing tungsten trioxide, as well as the second detecting portion is formed of a material containing tin dioxide, and the oxidation-reduction reduced temperature is within a range from 280° C. to 360° C., as well as the oxidation-reduction temperature is 370° C. or higher.
According to the present invention configured in this way, temperature of the second detecting portion made of the material containing tin dioxide is set at 370° C. or higher, hydrogen gas causes a sufficient oxidation-reduction reaction, so that it is possible to accurately detect the hydrogen gas. Meanwhile, temperature of the first detecting portion made of the material containing tungsten trioxide is set within a range from 280° C. to 360° C., so that it is possible to detect odiferous gas with sufficient accuracy while the oxidation-reduction reaction of the hydrogen gas is inhibited.
In the present invention, it is preferable that the control device allows the first detecting portion to be maintained at a fixed temperature within a range from 280° C. to 360° C. during detection of defecation gas.
According to the present invention configured in this way, the first detecting portion is maintained at a fixed temperature within a range from 280° C. to 360° C., so that it is possible to acquire steady detection data while influence of temperature and humidity in a measurement environment is sufficiently reduced.
In the present invention, it is preferable that the control device allows temperature of each of the first detecting portion and the second detecting portion to decrease to a temperature of 300° C. or lower when the gas detector does not perform detection of defecation gas.
According to the present invention configured in this way, temperature of each of the first detecting portion and the second detecting portion is reduced to a temperature of 300° C. or lower when the gas detection is not performed, so that it is possible to sufficiently reduce accumulation of a product caused by incomplete combustion of odiferous gas components during a waiting period.
In the present invention, it is preferable that the control device allows temperature of the first detecting portion to decrease to a temperature of 215° C. or lower when the gas detector does not perform detection of defecation gas.
According to the present invention configured in this way, temperature of the first detecting portion is reduced to a temperature of 215° C. or lower when the gas detection is not performed, so that it is possible to sufficiently reduce accumulation of a product caused by incomplete combustion of odiferous gas components on the detecting portion during a waiting period to a very trace amount.
The biological information measurement system of the present invention is capable of notifying wrong physical condition in a state of ahead-disease to a test subject without applying an unnecessary mental burden to a test subject while enabling physical condition to be measured on a daily basis.
According to the biological information measurement system of the present invention, it is possible to detect odiferous gas in defecation gas with sufficient accuracy by using an inexpensive gas sensor that is generally used.
One embodiment of a biological information measurement system of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to drawings.
As shown in
The biological information measurement system 1 of the present embodiment analyzes physical condition including determination of cancer on the basis of odiferous gas containing a sulfur component, particularly a methyl mercaptan (CH3SH) gas, in defecation gas discharged from a test subject during defecation. In addition, the biological information measurement system 1 of the present embodiment measures also healthy-state gas along with odiferous gas to improve analysis accuracy of physical condition on the basis of a correlation between the gases. The healthy-state gas originates from intestinal fermentation, and increases as an intestinal health degree increases. The healthy-state gas is specifically carbon dioxide, hydrogen, methane, short-chain fatty acid, and the like. In the present embodiment, a carbon dioxide gas and hydrogen gas, which are easy to be measured and are large in amount to enable reliability of measurement of a health index to be maintained at a high level, are measured as healthy-state gas. Each of the devices 10 on a test subject side is configured to display an analysis result during defecation of a test subject or immediately after the defecation. In contrast, the server 12 collects measurement results of a large number of test subjects to enable more detailed analysis by comparison with another test subject, and the like. In this way, in the biological information measurement system 1 of the present embodiment, the device 10 on a test subject side installed in the toilet installation room R performs a simple analysis, and the server 12 preforms a more detailed analysis.
Here, a measurement principle of physical condition in the biological information measurement system 1 of the present embodiment will be described. Documents and the like report that if people have cancer of digestive system, particularly colorectal cancer, odiferous gas containing a sulfur component, such as methyl mercaptan or hydrogen sulfide, are discharged from an affected portion simultaneously with defecation. The digestive system includes the esophagus, stomach, duodenum, small intestine, large intestine, liver, the pancreas, and gallbladder. Although the large intestine also can be classified into the appendix, caecum, rectal, and colon, hereinafter the four portions are collectively called the large intestine. Cancer changes little on a daily basis, and gradually develops. If the cancer develops, the amount of odiferous gas containing a sulfur component, particularly methyl mercaptan, increases. That is, if the amount of odiferous gas containing a sulfur component increases, it can be determined that the cancer develops. In recent years, a concept of “ahead-disease” has spread, so that there is spread a concept of preventing a disease by improving physical condition at the time when the physical condition is deteriorated before falling sick. Thus, it is required to detect cancer, particularly progressive cancer, such as colorectal cancer, before having cancer, to improve physical condition.
Here, defecation gas discharged during defecation includes nitrogen, oxygen, argon, water vapor, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, methane, acetic acid, trimethylamine, ammonia, propionic acid, methyl disulfide, methyl trisulfide, and the like, along with hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan. Among them, it is required to measure odiferous gas containing a sulfur-based component, particularly methyl mercaptan to determine disease of cancer. Each of the propionic acid, methyl disulfide, and methyl trisulfide, contained in defecation gas, is a very trace amount as compared with the methyl mercaptan, so that each of them does not matter to analysis of physical condition, such as determination of cancer, whereby it is possible to ignore them. However, it cannot be said that each of other gas components is a negligible trace amount. In order to accurately determine cancer, it is generally thought to use a sensor capable of detecting only odiferous gas containing a sulfur component. Unfortunately, the sensor for detecting only odiferous gas containing a sulfur component is large in size and very expensive, so that it is difficult to be configured as an apparatus for household use.
In contrast, the present inventors have diligently studied to reach an idea that a semiconductor gas sensor that detects not only methyl mercaptan in defecation gas, but also odiferous gas including another odiferous gas, is used to enable an apparatus for household use to be configured at low cost. Specifically, the present inventors determine to use a general semiconductor gas sensor that is sensitive not only to a sulfur-containing gas containing a sulfur component, but also to another odiferous gas, as a sensor for detecting gas.
If a risk of cancer increases, a very strong odiferous gas containing a sulfur component, such as methyl mercaptan gas, increases in amount. Then, a sensor, such as a semiconductor gas sensor that is widely sensitive to odiferous gas is capable of always detecting increase of this kind of gas. Unfortunately, as described later, a sensor, such as a semiconductor gas sensor that is widely sensitive to odiferous gas, detects also another odiferous gas, such as hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan, acetic acid, trimethylamine, or ammonia, which increases when people have wrong physical condition caused by a bad living habit. However, cancer is a disease developing for a long time, or a few years, so that a state of having an increased very strong odiferous gas containing a sulfur component, such as methyl mercaptan gas or hydrogen sulfide, continues for a long time if people have cancer. Thus, even if a general semiconductor gas sensor that is widely sensitive to not only a sulfur-containing gas containing a sulfur component, but also to another odiferous gas is used, it is possible to determine that there is a high possibility of disease of cancer to cause a risk of cancer to increase if the amount of gas is high for a long time.
In addition, a semiconductor sensor using an oxidation-reduction reaction detects not only methyl mercaptan gas, but also odiferous gas, such as acetic acid, trimethylamine, or ammonia, in defecation gas. However, the present inventors have discovered from experimental results that a mixed amount of odiferous gas, such as hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan, acetic acid, trimethylamine, or ammonia, tends to increase if a bad living habit causes physical condition to be deteriorated, and tends to decrease if physical condition is good. Specifically, healthy people have a small total amount of methyl mercaptan gas and odiferous gas other than the methyl mercaptan gas. In contrast, a total amount of methyl mercaptan gas and odiferous gas other than the methyl mercaptan gas temporarily increases due to deterioration of intestinal environment caused by excessive obstipation, a kind of meal, lack of sleep, crapulence, excessive drinking, excessive stress, and the like.
Acetic acid in defecation gas tends to increase not only when physical condition is deteriorated due to diarrhea, and the like, but also when physical condition is good. That is, this tendency does not always agree with tendency of the amount of methyl mercaptan and another odiferous gas with change in physical condition described above. However, the amount of acetic acid contained in defecation gas is very small as compared with methyl mercaptan. Thus, even if the amount of acetic acid increases when physical condition is good, the amount of the increase is very small as compared with decrease in the amount of another odiferous gas. In addition, the amount of increase of acetic acid when physical condition is deteriorated due to diarrhea, and the like, is very large as compared with the amount of increase thereof when physical condition is good. Accordingly, the amount of odiferous gas contained in defecation gas tends to increase as a whole if physical condition is deteriorated due to a bad living habit, and tends to decrease if physical condition is good. Then, deterioration of intestinal environment due to this kind of bad living habit results in having cancer, so that the amount of odiferous gas contained in defecation gas is a suitable index to improve physical condition when people are still in a state before having cancer.
In the present embodiment, physical condition is analyzed on the basis of detection data acquired by a semiconductor sensor that is sensitive not only to methyl mercaptan gas, but also to odiferous gas other than the methyl mercaptan gas, such as hydrogen sulfide, acetic acid, trimethylamine, ammonia, in defecation gas. Accordingly, it is possible to acquire an analysis result to which a result of a wrong physical condition and a bad living habit is reflected, and the analysis result is available as an index based on objective data for improving physical condition and a living habit that may increase a risk of cancer.
In addition, defecation gas contains not only odiferous gas, but also H2 and methane, so that if a semiconductor gas sensor is used for a gas sensor, the gas sensor reacts also to H2 and methane. Further, if a measuring device using a semiconductor gas sensor is set at each home, the sensor may react to an aromatic and a perfume.
In contrast, the present inventors, as described later in detail, achieve a method of removing influence of hydrogen and methane from detection data of a semiconductor gas sensor by using a hydrogen sensor, a methane sensor, and a column, and a method of removing influence of an aromatic and a perfume as noise by detecting defecation act. Accordingly, influence of hydrogen and methane, as well as influence of an aromatic and a perfume, is removed from data detected by the semiconductor gas sensor to enable the amount of only odiferous gas in defecation gas to be estimated.
The amount of methyl mercaptan and another odiferous gas contained in defecation gas is very small as compared with H2 and methane. Accordingly, even if a semiconductor gas sensor is used, the amount of the mixed odiferous gas may not be accurately measured.
In contrast, the present inventors have paid attention to that healthy people have acidic intestinal environment, and that cancer patients have intestinal environment in which odiferous gas containing a sulfur component occurs to increase in amount, so that the intestinal environment becomes alkaline to reduce bifidobacteria, and the like, in amount, whereby the amount of healthy-state gas of ferment-base components, such as CO2, H2, or fatty acid, reliably and continuously decreases inversely with increase of the amount of odiferous gas.
Accordingly, the inventors have thought that even if measurement accuracy at each measurement is not always high, monitoring a correlation between the amount of odiferous gas, such as methyl mercaptan and the amount of healthy-state gas components, such as CO2, or H2 during defecation every day may enable occurrence of advanced cancer to be detected.
Then, the present inventors have measured the amount of healthy-state gas and odiferous gas contained in defecation gas acquired from each of healthy people less than sixties, healthy people in sixties to seventies, patients having early cancer, and patients having advanced cancer, and then a result shown in
In addition,
As is evident from the measurement data shown in
When measured defecation gas, the present inventors found that the amount of defecation gas discharged with the first excretory act was large, and a large amount of odiferous gas was also contained in a case where an excretory act was performed multiple times during one defecation (action of discharging a fart once or a stool once). Thus, in the present embodiment, health condition of a test subject is analyzed on the basis of defecation gas acquired first to accurately measure odiferous gas in trace amount. Accordingly, although measurement may be affected by a stool and a fart discharged by the first excretory act when the amount of gas discharged during the second excretory act or later is measured, this influence can be reduced.
The biological information measurement system 1 of the present embodiment is formed on the basis of the measurement principle described above. In the description below, odiferous gas includes methyl mercaptan gas of odiferous gas containing a sulfur component, and odiferous gas, such as hydrogen sulfide other than the methyl mercaptan, methyl mercaptan, acetic acid, trimethylamine, or ammonia.
Next, a specific configuration of the biological information measurement system 1 of the present embodiment will be described in detail.
As shown in
As shown in
The measuring device 6 includes a CPU 22a, and the control device 22 provided with a storage device 22b. The control device 22 is connected to a hydrogen gas sensor 24, an odiferous gas sensor 26, a carbon dioxide sensor 28, a humidity sensor 30, a temperature sensor 32, an entrance detection sensor 34, a seating detection sensor 36, a defecation/urination detection sensor 38, a toilet lid opening/closing device 40, a nozzle driving device 42, a nozzle cleaning device 44, a toilet cleaning device 46, a toilet disinfection device 48, an aromatic sprayer 50 of an aromatic injection device, a deodorizing air supply device 52, the suction device 18, a sensor heater 54, a transmitter-receiver 56, and a duct cleaner 58. As described later, the hydrogen gas sensor and the odiferous gas sensor may be formed into an integrated sensor.
The temperature sensor 32 measures temperature of a detecting portion of the odiferous gas sensor 26, and the like. The humidity sensor 30 measures humidity of gas sucked from the inside of the bowl 2a. Sensitivity of these sensors slightly varies depending on temperature of the detecting portion. Likewise, humidity change due to urination, and the like, affects sensitivity of the sensors. In the present embodiment, the amount of odiferous gas is very small in amount, so that the CPU 22a on a toilet side controls the sensor heater 54 described later, and a humidity adjuster 59 (refer to
The entrance detection sensor 34 is an infrared ray sensor, for example, and detects entrance and leaving of a test subject into and from the toilet installation room R.
The seating detection sensor 36 is an infrared ray sensor, a pressure sensor, or the like, for example, and detects whether a test subject sits on the seat 4 or not.
In the present embodiment, the defecation/urination detection sensor 38 is composed of a microwave sensor, and is configured to detect a state of defecation, such as whether a test subject has discharged urine or a stool, whether a stool floats or sinks in seal water, or whether a stool is a diarrhea state or not. Alternatively, the defecation/urination detection sensor 38 may be composed of a CCD, and a water level sensor that measures transition of seal water.
The toilet lid opening/closing device 40 is provided to open and close a toilet lid on the basis of a detection signal of the entrance detection sensor 34, and the like, and according to a situation.
The nozzle driving device 42 is used to clean anus, and cleans anus of a test subject after defecation. The nozzle driving device 42 is configured to drive a nozzle to clean the flush toilet 2.
The nozzle cleaning device 44 cleans a nozzle of the nozzle driving device 42, and in the present embodiment, is configured to create hypochlorous acid from tap water to clean the nozzle with the hypochlorous acid created.
The toilet cleaning device 46 discharges water or tap water stored in a cleaning water tank (not shown) into a toilet to clean the inside of the bowl 2a of the flush toilet 2. Although the toilet cleaning device 46 is usually operated by a test subject while operating the remote control 8 to clean the inside of the bowl 2a, as described later, it is automatically operated by the control device 22 according to a situation.
The toilet disinfection device 48, for example, creates disinfecting water, such as hypochlorous acid water, from tap water, and sprays the disinfecting water created onto the bowl 2a of the flush toilet 2 to disinfect the bowl 2a.
The aromatic sprayer 50 sprays a predetermined aromatic into the toilet installation room R to prevent a test subject from spraying an arbitrary aromatic into the toilet installation room R to prevent an odor component that may be a disturbance with respect to measurement from being sprayed. Providing the aromatic sprayer 50 enables the predetermined aromatic in predetermined amount that does not affect measurement to be sprayed in a predetermined period according to a situation, and then the biological information measurement system 1 is able to recognize that the aromatic is sprayed. Accordingly, a disturbance with respect to measurement of physical condition is reduced to stabilize analysis results, so that the aromatic sprayer 50 serves as output result stabilizing means (circuit).
The suction device 18 is provided with a fan for sucking gas in the bowl 2a of the flush toilet 2, and the sucked gas is deodorized by a deodorant filter after flowing through a detecting portion of the odiferous gas sensor 26, and the like. Details of a configuration of the suction device 18 will be described later.
The deodorizing air supply device 52 discharges air that is deodorized after being sucked by suction device 18 into the bowl 2a.
The sensor heater 54 is provided to apply thermal activation to a detecting portion of the odiferous gas sensor 26, and the like. Maintaining a detecting portion at a predetermined temperature enables each sensor to accurately detect a predetermined gas component.
The duct cleaner 58 is provided to clean the inside of a duct 18a attached to the suction device 18 with hypochlorous acid acquired by electrolysis of tap water, or the like, for example.
In the present embodiment shown in
Next, as shown in
In the present embodiment, the input device 64 and the display device 68 are configured as a touch panel to accept various kinds of input, such as identification information on a test subject, including a name of the test subject, and the like, as well as to display a variety of information items, such as measurement results of physical condition.
The speaker 70 is configured to output various kinds of alarm, message, and the like, issued by the biological information measurement system 1.
In the test subject identification device 62, identification information on a test subject, including a name of the test subject, and the like, is previously registered. When a test subject uses the biological information measurement system 1, names of registered test subjects are displayed in the touch panel, and then the test subject selects his or her own name.
The transmitter-receiver 66 on a remote control 8 side is communicatively connected to the server 12 through a network. The terminal 14 for a test subject is composed of a device capable of displaying data received by a smartphone, a tablet PC, a PC, or the like, for example.
The server 12 includes a defecation gas database. The defecation gas database records measurement data including the amount of odiferous gas and healthy-state gas in each excretory act, and reliability data, along with a measurement date and time, by being associated with identification information on each test subject using the biological information measurement system 1. The server 12 also stores a diagnosis table, and includes a data analysis circuit.
In addition, the server 12 is connected to the medical facility terminal 16 installed in a hospital, a health organization, and the like, through a network. The medical facility terminal 16 is composed of a PC, for example, to enable data recorded in the database of the server 12 to be browsed.
Subsequently, with reference to
First, in the biological information measurement system 1 of the present embodiment, a semiconductor gas sensor is used in the gas detector 20 as a gas sensor to detect odiferous gas and hydrogen gas. In addition, a solid electrolyte type sensor is used in the gas detector 20 to detect carbon dioxide.
The semiconductor gas sensor includes a detecting portion composed of a metal oxide film containing tin dioxide, and the like. If the detecting portion is exposed to reducing gas while being heated at a few hundred degrees, oxidation-reduction reaction occurs between oxygen adsorbed in a surface of the detecting portion and the reducing gas. The semiconductor gas sensor electrically detects change in resistance of the detecting portion by the oxidation-reduction reaction to enable reducing gas to be detected. Reducing gas that a semiconductor gas sensor can detect includes hydrogen gas, and odiferous gas. In the present embodiment, although a semiconductor gas sensor is used in both a sensor for detecting odiferous gas, and a sensor for detecting hydrogen gas, material of each of detecting portions of the respective sensors is adjusted so that a detecting portion used in the odiferous gas sensor reacts strongly to odiferous gas, and a detecting portion used in the hydrogen gas sensor reacts strongly to hydrogen gas.
In this way, although the present embodiment uses a “semiconductor gas sensor” as an “odiferous gas sensor”, as described above, the “semiconductor gas sensor” is a general type that is sensitive not only to methyl mercaptan gas of a detection object, but also widely to odiferous gas other than that. That is, it is very difficult to manufacture a gas sensor that is sensitive only to methyl mercaptan gas, and even if the gas sensor can be manufactured, the gas sensor becomes very large in size and expensive. If this kind of large and expensive gas sensor is used, the gas sensor is feasible for a medical device used in advanced clinical examination, but it is impossible to manufacture a biological information measurement system at a cost enabling the system to be sold as a consumer product. The biological information measurement system of the present embodiment uses a simple and general gas sensor that is sensitive also to another odiferous gas other than methyl mercaptan gas of a detection object, as the “odiferous gas sensor”, to be feasible as a consumer product. As described above, although the gas sensor used in the present embodiment is sensitive to methyl mercaptan gas, as well as to odiferous gas other than the methyl mercaptan gas, the gas sensor is referred to as an “odiferous gas sensor” in the present specification, for convenience. The “odiferous gas sensor” used in the present embodiment is sensitive to odiferous gas that representatively includes methyl mercaptan gas, hydrogen sulfide gas, ammonia gas, and alcoholic gas.
Although the “odiferous gas sensor” used in the biological information measurement system 1 of the present embodiment is sensitive to methyl mercaptan gas of an object, as well as to odiferous gas other than that, a variety of devices described later enable even this kind of gas sensor to be used for measurement with necessary and sufficient accuracy as a consumer product. Specifically, the devices include a device to improve a measurement environment in a space of a toilet installation room where a variety of odiferous gases exist, a device for data processing of extracting data on defecation gas by assuming defecation act of a test subject from a detection signal provided by a gas sensor, a device to prevent an excessive mental burden from being applied to a test subject even if detection data with a large error is acquired, and the like. Each of the devices will be described later in detail.
In the present embodiment, a semiconductor gas sensor is used as a sensor for detecting odiferous gas and hydrogen gas, and a solid electrolyte sensor is used as a sensor for detecting carbon dioxide. A carbon dioxide sensor is not limited to the sensor above, and an infrared sensor or the like may be available. The sensor for detecting carbon dioxide may be eliminated.
As shown in
The suction device 18 includes the duct 18a directed downward, an air intake passage 18b directed substantially in a horizontal direction, and a suction fan 18c arranged downstream of the air intake passage 18b. In the duct 18a, the duct cleaner 58, and the humidity adjuster 59, are provided.
The gas detector 20 includes a filter 72 arranged inside the air intake passage 18b of a gas passage for measurement, the odiferous gas sensor 26, the hydrogen gas sensor 24, and the carbon dioxide sensor 28. As shown in
In addition, the deodorant filter 78 is provided downstream of the odiferous gas sensor 26, so that the suction device 18 also serves as a deodorizing device by allowing the deodorant filter 78 to deodorize sucked gas.
Further, the humidity adjuster 59 is provided downstream of the deodorant filter 78. The humidity adjuster 59 is filled with a desiccant, and if it is required to reduce humidity in the bowl 2a, moisture is removed from air circulating in the bowl 2a by switching a flow channel so that the air passing through the deodorant filter 78 passes through the filled desiccant. Accordingly, the humidity in the bowl 2a is maintained at a proper value to maintain detection sensitivity of each gas sensor at an almost constant level. Thus, the humidity adjuster 59 serves as output result stabilizing means for preventing humidity change in the bowl 2a.
The suction fan 18c sucks stink gas containing odiferous gas, and the like, in the bowl 2a of the flush toilet 2, at a constant speed to deodorize the stink gas, and then returns the gas into the bowl 2a. The duct 18a for deodorization opens in the bowl 2a while its suction port is directed downward to prevent a splash of urine or the like from entering the inside of the duct 18a. Molecular weight of odiferous gas, such as methyl mercaptan, and of hydrogen gas, is small enough to allow the gases to rise immediately after defecation. In contrast, in the present embodiment, odiferous gas and hydrogen gas discharged is sucked by suction fan 18c through an inlet of the duct 18a, opening in the bowl 2a, so that it is possible to reliably guide the gases into the gas detector 20. In this way, the suction device 18 is operated before a test subject starts defecation, and brings gas at a constant flow velocity into contact with each gas sensor during defecation of the test subject. Accordingly, it is possible to acquire a steady measurement value. Thus, the suction device 18, and the control device 22 that allows the suction device 18 to operate, serve as output result stabilizing means.
The filter 72 does not have a deodorizing function, and is configured so as to allow odiferous gas, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide to pass therethrough, as well as to prevent foreign material, such as urine, and a cleaner from passing therethrough. For this kind of filter 72, a member for mechanically collecting the foreign material without using chemical reaction, such as a fine net-like member, is available. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the odiferous gas sensor 26, the hydrogen gas sensor 24, and the carbon dioxide sensor 28, from being contaminated by a urinary calculus, or the like.
The sensor heater 54 is provided upstream of each gas sensor, and downstream of the filter 72. As described above, the odiferous gas sensor 26 and the hydrogen gas sensor 24, each of which is a semiconductor gas sensor, are capable of detecting hydrogen and odiferous gases while each of their detecting portions is heated to a predetermined temperature. The sensor heater 54 is provided to heat the detecting portions of the odiferous gas sensor 26 and the hydrogen gas sensor 24. The carbon dioxide sensor 28 is also required to heat its solid electrolyte to a predetermined temperature, so that the sensor heater 54 is provided. The sensor heater 54 also serves as a stink removing device for thermally removing stink gas components attached to each of the sensors.
The sensor heater 54 also serves as means for removing a deposit attached to each sensor. Although foreign material is removed from gas passing through the filter 72, the sucked gas contains various stink gas components. Such stink gas components are attached to each gas sensor, and may cause noise when odiferous gas in trace amount is measured. In contrast, the sensor heater 54 heats a detecting portion of a sensor to enable stink gas attached to the sensor to be thermally removed without providing an additional device. The control device 22 controls the sensor heater 54 before a test subject starts defecation act so as to allow temperature of each gas sensor to be constant. That is, the control device 22 controls the sensor heater 54 so as to prevent temperature of each gas sensor from decreasing due to contact of an air flow. Accordingly, it is possible to maintain sensitivity of each gas sensor at a predetermined value during defecation of a test subject to enable a measurement error of each gas sensor to be reduced. Thus, the control device 22 and the sensor heater 54 serve as output result stabilizing means for stabilizing analysis results to be outputted.
The deodorant filter 78 is a catalytic filter that absorbs stink gas, such as odiferous gas. The deodorant filter 78 removes gas, such as odiferous gas, from air, and the air is returned to the bowl 2a. Then, if odiferous gas or the like is contained in the gas returned into the bowl 2a, the odiferous gas or the like flows into the bowl 2a may be sucked through the duct 18a again to be detected by the odiferous gas sensor 26 again. Thus, in the present embodiment, the deodorant filter 78 is arranged downstream of the odiferous gas sensor 26 to reliably remove odor components, such as odiferous gas, from gas returned into the bowl 2a.
If a test subject sits on the seat 4, a portion above the bowl 2a is closed by his or her underwear, or the like. If the inside of the bowl 2a is placed under negative pressure, stink gas components attached to a body, clothes, and the like, of the test subject, may be sucked into the bowl 2a. In the biological information measurement system 1 of the present embodiment, sensitivity of the odiferous gas sensor 26 is set very high to detect only a trace amount of odiferous gas contained in defecation gas, so that even stink gas components attached to a body, clothes, and the like, of a test subject, may be a disturbance with respect to measurement. In contrast, in the present embodiment, gas after deodorized is returned into the bowl 2a, so that the inside of the bowl 2a is not placed under negative pressure to enable gas components attached to a body, clothes, and the like, of a test subject, to be prevented from being sucked into the bowl 2a.
Many people have no methane producer that produce methane in their intestines, or have very low amount thereof if existing, so that many people have a very low amount of methane contained in defecation gas. Thus, in the present embodiment, the hydrogen sensor 24 and the carbon dioxide sensor 26 are provided as a healthy-state gas sensor. However, a few people have a very large amount of methane producer in their intestines. Defecation gas of people having a very large amount of intestinal methane producer as described above contains a large amount of produced methane, but contains a low amount of produced hydrogen. Thus, if only the hydrogen sensor 24 and the carbon dioxide sensor 26 are provided, defecation gas of people having a very large amount of intestinal methane producer is unfavorably determined that there is a small amount of discharged healthy-state gas. In the present embodiment, although the hydrogen sensor 24 and the carbon dioxide sensor 26 are provided as a healthy-state gas sensor to fit with many people, a methane gas sensor instead of the hydrogen sensor 24 may be provided to fit with people having a large amount of methane gas. In addition, it is more preferable to provide the methane gas sensor in addition to the hydrogen sensor 24 and the carbon dioxide sensor 26 in advance to be able to correspond to any test subject.
If sucked defecation gas is returned into the bowl 2a as it is, measurement accuracy by the odiferous gas sensor 26 decreases. In contrast, in the present embodiment, sucked defecation gas is deodorized by the deodorant filter 78 to be returned into the bowl to enable the amount of odiferous gas and hydrogen to be accurately measured. In addition, although the deodorant filter 78 as above is required to be arranged downstream of each sensor, if the deodorant filter 78 as above is provided downstream of each sensor, the sensor may be directly contaminated by foreign material. In contrast, in the present embodiment, the filter 72 without a deodorizing function is provided upstream of a sensor to enable contamination of the sensor by foreign material to be reduced without affecting measurement of odor components.
If gas is sucked into the bowl 2a, pressure in the bowl 2a decreases, and thus stink gas components attached to a body and clothes of a test subject may flow into the bowl 2a. In contrast, in the present embodiment, air after odor components have been deodorized is returned into the bowl 2a, so that stink gas components attached to a body and clothes of a test subject are prevented from flowing into the bowl 2a to enable accurate measurement.
A configuration in which air after being deodorized to remove odor components is returned into the bowl 2a is not essential. If the configuration in which air after being deodorized to remove odor components is returned into the bowl 2a as above is not used, stink gas components attached to a body and clothes of a test subject may flow into the bowl 2a. However, as described later with reference to
Next, with reference to
The biological information measurement system 1 of the present embodiment analyzes physical condition including determination of cancer on the basis of a correlation between odiferous gas and healthy-state gas, in defecation gas discharged by a test subject during defecation. In each device on a test subject side, it is preferable that an analysis result is displayed during defecation, or in a short time until leaving a toilet installation room after one defecation period has been finished. However, if analysis is performed in a short time, analysis accuracy may decrease. It is difficult that the suction device 18 sucks the whole of defecation gas discharged by a test subject, and a condition where the inside of a toilet or a toilet installation room is very unsanitary, or a measurement environment with a strong aromatic, becomes a disturbance that affects measurement accuracy so that it may decrease. Thus, when physical condition including whether there is a disease or not is notified to a test subject in each device on a test subject side, in consideration of a mental burden of the test subject, it is devised that not only an absolute amount of odiferous gas having a strong relationship with cancer, but also change in physical condition of a test subject, or change in intestinal conditions, is strongly notified to the test subject, on the basis of time-dependent results acquired by measurement performed during defecation act performed many times for a long time. In addition, also in consideration of a measurement error during each defecation act, in the present embodiment, it is devised that physical condition is notified to a test subject on the basis of measurement results during one defecation act so that the physical condition to be notified to the test subject does not largely changes. The device is based on using characteristics of disease of cancer that develops for a long time, because if the amount of odiferous gas having a strong relationship with cancer is largely changed for a short time, it is not caused by a strong relationship with cancer, but largely caused by a result of a bad living habit or influence of noise, whereby a large change in physical condition may apply unnecessary mental anxiety to the test subject.
In the light of the above matter, in the present embodiment, the device 10 on a test subject side simply analyzes health condition on the basis of measurement results of defecation gas discharged first in one defecation act, or defecation gas discharged during the first excretory act to display an analysis result of the health condition. In contrast, the server 12 is capable of a detailed analysis on the basis of a total amount of gas discharged during one defecation act by comparing it with that of other test subjects, and the like. Then, in the biological information measurement system 1 of the present embodiment, the device 10 on a test subject side installed in the toilet installation room R performs a simple analysis, and the server 12 performs a more detailed analysis.
As shown in
Step S1 of improving environment before measurement is performed before a test subject enters the toilet installation room R. The entrance detection sensor 34 (refer to
In step S1 of improving environment before measurement, the control device 22 on a seat side allows the sensor heater 54, the suction device 18, and the toilet lid opening/closing device 40, to switch to a measurement waiting mode to control them. The sensor heater 54 is controlled in the measurement waiting mode on the basis of temperature measured by the temperature sensor 32 so that temperature of a detecting portion of the odiferous gas sensor 26 becomes waiting temperature (such as 200° C.) lower than temperature when measurement is performed. The suction device 18 is controlled in the measurement waiting mode so that a flow rate of sucked air becomes minimum. The toilet lid opening/closing device 40 is controlled in the measurement waiting mode so that a toilet lid is closed.
In step S1 of improving environment before measurement, although the detecting portion of the odiferous gas sensor 26 is at a temperature lower than an optimum temperature because the sensor heater 54 is in the measurement waiting mode, it is possible to measure concentration of odiferous gas. If there is an occurrence source of stink gas in the bowl 2a, such as a case where there is a stool attached to the flush toilet 2, or the like, concentration of gas measured by the odiferous gas sensor 26 becomes a predetermined value or more. The control device 22 allows toilet cleaning to be performed if the concentration of gas measured by the odiferous gas sensor 26 exceeds a predetermined value in step S1 of improving environment before measurement. Specifically, the control device 22 performs as follows: allows the nozzle driving device 42 to discharge cleaning water through a nozzle to clean the bowl 2a; allows the toilet cleaning device 46 to discharge water stored in a cleaning water tank into the bowl 2a to clean the inside of the bowl 2a; or allows the toilet disinfection device 48 to create disinfecting water, such as hypochlorous acid water, from tap water, or the like to spray disinfecting water created onto the bowl 2a to disinfect the bowl 2a.
If the concentration of gas measured by the odiferous gas sensor 26 is a predetermined value or more, the control device 22 also enables the suction device 18 to discharge gas in the bowl 2a to reduce concentration of gas. Gas sucked by the suction device 18 is deodorized by the deodorant filter 78, so that the suction device 18 and the deodorant filter 78 serve as a deodorizing device. The suction device 18 sucks gas while the toilet lid is opened to enable not only the inside of the bowl 2a but also the inside of the toilet installation room R to be deodorized, so that the suction device 18 and the deodorant filter 78 can also serve as a toilet installation room deodorizing device. Preferably, if the suction device 18 and the deodorant filter 78 serve as a deodorizing device, the amount of gas to be sucked by the suction device 18 is increased as compared with when measurement of physical condition is performed during defecation of a test subject.
Alternatively, the control device 22 may be configured so as to be able to control a ventilator (not shown) provided in the toilet installation room R to allow the ventilator to operate to reduce concentration of gas. In this way, concentration of odiferous gas remaining in the bowl 2a is reduced to reduce influence of residual gas noise caused by the gas remaining. Thus, cleaning or disinfection of the bowl 2a by the nozzle driving device 42, and the toilet cleaning device 46 or the toilet disinfection device 48, as well as ventilation and deodorizing inside the bowl 2a or the toilet installation room R, performed in step S1 of improving environment before measurement, serves as noise-responding means (circuit) for reducing influence of residual gas noise, and residual gas removal means for reducing concentration of residual odiferous gas. The noise-responding means performed when a test subject does not enter the toilet installation room R, or in a period other than during defecation of a test subject, serves as first noise-responding means, as well as the residual gas removal means.
In step S1 of improving environment before measurement, if the amount of gas measured by the odiferous gas sensor 26 is not less than a predetermined value even if the toilet cleaning described above is performed, the control device 22 allows the transmitter-receiver 56 to transmit a cleaning warning command signal. When the transmitter-receiver 66 on the remote control 8 side receives the cleaning warning command signal, the display device 68 or the speaker 70 notifies a test subject that toilet cleaning should be performed.
In addition, in step S1 of improving environment before measurement, the control device 22 allows cleaning of suction environment to be performed at regular intervals. Specifically, the control device 22 allows the duct cleaner 58 to operate to spray cleaning water into the duct 18a of the suction device 18 to clean the duct 18a, and the like. Further, the sensor heater 54 heats each of detecting portions of the hydrogen gas sensor 24, the odiferous gas sensor 26, and the carbon dioxide sensor 28, to a high temperature of a cleaning temperature, to perform sensor cleaning of burning stink gas components attached to a surface of each of the detecting portion of the gas sensors 24, 26, and 28.
Next, when the entrance detection sensor 34 detects entrance of a test subject, the control device 22 transmits a signal of starting step S2 of preparing starting measurement to the transmitter-receiver 66 on the remote control 8 side through the transmitter-receiver 56, and then step S2 of preparing starting measurement is performed in synchronization with the remote control side.
In step S2 of preparing starting measurement, first, the test subject identification device 62 built in the remote control 8 identifies a test subject. Specifically, in the biological information measurement system 1, a resident of a house in which the system is installed is registered, and a registered resident is displayed as a candidate of the test subject. That is, as shown in
In addition, in step S2 of preparing starting measurement, the data analyzer 60, as shown in
In step S2 of preparing starting measurement, the control device 22 on a toilet side allows the sensor heater 54, the suction device 18, and the toilet lid opening/closing device 40 to switch to a measurement mode. The sensor heater 54 is controlled in the measurement mode on the basis of temperature measured by the temperature sensor 32 so that temperature of a detecting portion of the odiferous gas sensor 26 becomes detecting temperature (such as 350° C.) suitable for measurement. The suction device 18 is controlled in the measurement mode so that a flow rate of sucked air is increased to the extent that defecation gas does not leak to the outside of the bowl 2a to be constantly maintained at the extent so as not to vary. The toilet lid opening/closing device 40 is controlled in the measurement mode so that a toilet lid is opened.
If concentration of odiferous gas detected by the odiferous gas sensor 26 is high in step S2 of preparing starting measurement, the control device 22 allows the toilet disinfection device 48 to disinfect the inside of the bowl 2a.
In step S2 of preparing starting measurement, if humidity measured by the humidity sensor 30 is unsuitable for measurement of defecation gas by the odiferous gas sensor 26, the control device 22 transmits a signal to the humidity adjuster 59 to control it so that humidity in the bowl becomes a proper value.
In the step of preparing starting measurement, when the seat 4 is cleaned with a sheet or spraying, by using alcoholic disinfectant, the odiferous gas sensor 26 reacts to alcohol to suddenly increase concentration of gas. In this way, if concentration of gas measured by the odiferous gas sensor 26 suddenly increases, the data analyzer 60 allows the display device 68 to display a warning.
The data analyzer 60 stores a measurement value measured by the odiferous gas sensor 26, as an environment reference value of a noise level to be a basis of measurement of defecation gas. The data analyzer 60 then determines whether the measurement of defecation gas is possible or not on the basis of the environment reference value. If the data analyzer 60 determines that measurement of a noise level being performed, or the measurement of defecation gas is impossible, the display device 68 is allowed to display a message, such as “During measurement preparation. Wait for a while if possible”, as shown in a lower section of
In this way, in step S2 of preparing starting measurement, a level of noise composed of noise caused by odiferous gas remaining before a test subject enters the toilet installation room, noise of a test subject caused by odiferous components attached to the test subject who enters the toilet installation room, and the like, is determined before the test subject sits on a seat so that the level is stored as a reference value of noise caused by an environment and a test subject, as well as possibility of measurement is determined.
Next, when the seating detection sensor 36 detects that a test subject sits on a seat, the control device 22 transmits a signal of starting step S3 of setting measurement reference values to the data analyzer 60 through the transmitter-receiver 56, and then step S3 of setting measurement reference values is performed in synchronization with the data analyzer 60. If the seating detection sensor 36 repeats detection and non-detection predetermined times, this state is caused by influence of cleaning of the seat by the test subject, whereby it is desirable to return to S1 in this kind of state.
In step S3 of setting measurement reference values, the data analyzer 60 determines noise of stink gas attached to a test subject, or a level of noise caused by a test subject, on the basis of a measurement value measured by the odiferous gas sensor 26. That is, if a measurement value measured by the odiferous gas sensor 26 is insufficiently reduced and is unstable, it is determined that there is a possibility that disinfection is performed by using alcoholic disinfectant or the like to continue the display, “During measurement preparation. Wait for a while if possible”, shown in the lower section of
In addition, in step S3 of setting measurement reference values, the data analyzer 60, as described later, sets a reference value for estimating the amount of gas, on the basis of concentration of gas measured by the odiferous gas sensor 26.
Next, the data analyzer 60, as described later, determines that a test subject performs an excretory act if a measurement value measured by the odiferous gas sensor 26 largely rises from the reference value. The data analyzer 60 performs step S4 of measurement from when determining that the test subject performs an excretory act until when the seating detection sensor 36 detects that the test subject leaves the seat.
In step S4 of measurement, the control device 22 allows a storage device to store detection data for each test subject identified by test subject identification device 62, the detection data being measured by the hydrogen gas sensor 24, the odiferous gas sensor 26, the carbon dioxide sensor 28, the humidity sensor 30, the temperature sensor 32, the entrance detection sensor 34, the seating detection sensor 36, and the defecation/urination detection sensor 38. The control device 22 transmits these measurement values stored in the storage device to the data analyzer 60 through the transmitter-receiver 56, after step S4 of measurement is finished. In the present embodiment, although the measurement values are transmitted to the data analyzer 60 from the control device 22 after step S4 of measurement is finished, besides this, the measurement values may be transmitted in real time in parallel with measurement.
The control device 22 starts measurement of defecation gas even if a test subject inputs no information identifying the test subject into the test subject identification device 62. After then, if the test subject inputs information on the test subject during one defecation, detection data detected before the information is inputted is stored in the storage device in association with the inputted information on the test subject. This is a practical device corresponding to characteristics of defecation, in which a test subject is first allowed to perform no various kinds of input in an urgent situation of defecation, and to perform the input after calming down. In addition, if the test subject inputs no information on the test subject even if a predetermined time has elapsed after measurement has been started, the display device 68 and the speaker 70 output a message for urging the test subject to perform the input to notify the test subject. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a test subject from omitting input.
At the same time, as with step S3 of setting measurement reference values, the data analyzer 60 determines whether measurement is possible or not. If the data analyzer 60 determines that the measurement is possible, the data analyzer 60 allows the display device 68 to display a message that the measurement being performed to the test subject, such as “Subject: Mr. Taro Toto (identification information on a test subject)”, and “Measurement is ready. Measurement being performed”, as shown in the lower section of
Next, when the seating detection sensor 36 detects that a test subject leaves the seat, the control device 22 transmits a signal of starting step S5 of medical examination to the data analyzer 60 through the transmitter-receiver 56. When receiving the signal, the data analyzer 60 starts step S5 of medical examination.
The data analyzer 60 first calculates reliability of measurement that is described later, on the basis of a measurement value measured by each sensor.
On the other hand, if no information identifying a test subject is inputted after the test subject has left the seat, the control device 22 prohibits cleaning of the flush toilet 2. That is, if no information for identifying a test subject is inputted, the control device 22 does not allow the flush toilet 2 to discharge cleaning water and allows a message urging the test subject to perform input to be displayed even if the test subject operates a cleaning button (not shown) of the remote control 8. Accordingly, it is possible to strongly urge a test subject to input information for identifying a test subject.
The data analyzer 60, as described later in detail, also estimates the amount of odiferous gas and hydrogen gas (healthy-state gas).
In step S5 of medical examination, the data analyzer 60 performs calculation of results of a medical examination to analyze physical condition of a test subject on the basis of time-dependent change in a plurality of detection data items that is detected in defecation performed multiple times in a predetermined period and that is stored in a storage device, as well as performs time-dependent diagnosis based on stored values, and then selects advice contents based on the time-dependent diagnosis. The data analyzer 60, as shown in a third section from the top of
In a portion below that of the result of a medical examination, there is displayed the amount of healthy-state gas, such as hydrogen gas, or carbon dioxide gas, as well as the amount of wrong physical condition state gas, such as odiferous gas, in the measurement in this time. In a portion below that of the advice, measurement results of previous four times measurements are displayed together. If a test subject presses a button of “detailed screen” in a display screen, there is displayed a table showing change in physical condition of a test subject for the last one month. This display will be described later. In this way, analysis results displayed in the display device 68 of the remote control 8 include only a state of physical condition, an advice, and change in physical condition (history of measurement data), and include no notification related to a determination result of disease of cancer, such as displayed in the medical facility terminal 16. These analysis results may be notified in the terminal 14 for a test subject.
As shown in a lowermost section of
Next, when the entrance detection sensor 34 detects that a test subject leaves the toilet installation room R, the control device 22 transmits a signal of transmitting data to the data analyzer 60 through the transmitter-receiver 56. When receiving the signal, the data analyzer 60 performs step S6 of communication.
In step S6 of communication, the data analyzer 60 transmits the following to the server 12 through a network: information for distinguishing a test subject identified by the test subject identification device 62; data measured by various sensors; calculated reliability; information on a measurement date and time; stool condition information on at least one of the amount of stool and a state of the stool acquired by the defecation/urination detection sensor 38; and notifying data including defecation history information. The server 12 records the information received in a database.
The control device 22 also performs step S7 of improving environment after measurement after the entrance detection sensor 34 has detected that a test subject has left the toilet installation room R.
The control device 22 allows the odiferous gas sensor 26 to measure concentration of gas in step S7 of improving environment after measurement. If concentration of gas measured by the odiferous gas sensor 26 is larger than a predetermined value even if a predetermined time has elapsed after a defecation period has been finished, the control device 22 determines that there is a stool attached to the bowl 2a of the flush toilet 2 to allow the toilet cleaning device 46 to discharge cleaning water stored in a cleaning water tank into the bowl 2a to clean the inside of the bowl 2a, or to allow the toilet disinfection device 48 to create disinfecting water, such as hypochlorous acid water, from tap water, or the like to spray disinfecting water created onto the bowl 2a to disinfect the bowl 2a.
The additional toilet cleaning by the toilet cleaning device 46, as well as the disinfection of the bowl 2a by the toilet disinfection device 48, serves as residual gas removal means for reducing concentration of remaining odiferous gas. Preferably, toilet cleaning performed automatically by the residual gas removal means is set so that its cleaning capability is higher than that of usual toilet cleaning performed by allowing a test subject to operate a cleaning switch (not shown) of the remote control 8. Specifically, it is preferable that the toilet cleaning performed by the residual gas removal means is set to have a high frequency of discharge of cleaning water into the bowl 2a, or flow velocity of the cleaning water is set high. The disinfection of the bowl 2a performed by the residual gas removal means is set so that its disinfection capability is higher than that of usual disinfection of the bowl performed by allowing a test subject to operate a disinfection switch (not shown) of the remote control 8. Specifically, the disinfection of the bowl performed by the residual gas removal means is set so that water for disinfection of higher concentration as compared with usual disinfection is sprayed, or a large amount of water for disinfection is sprayed.
If concentration of gas measured by the odiferous gas sensor 26 is more than a predetermined value even if a predetermined time has elapsed after a defecation period has been finished, the residual gas removal means determines that there is a contamination in the duct 18a to allow the duct cleaner 58 to operate. The duct cleaner 58 cleans the inside of a duct 18a attached to the suction device 18 with hypochlorous acid acquired by electrolysis of tap water, or the like.
If concentration of gas measured by the odiferous gas sensor 26 does not decrease sufficiently and is still more than the predetermined value even if the cleaning and the disinfection processing, described above, are performed, the residual gas removal means allows the display device 68 to display a message of encouraging cleaning of the flush toilet 2.
Then, in step S7 of improving environment after measurement, the control device 22 allows the sensor heater 54, the suction device 18, and the toilet lid opening/closing device 40 to switch to the measurement waiting mode to finish one measurement.
Next, with reference to
As shown in
The physical condition display table sets regions of a plurality of stages corresponding to whether physical condition is good or wrong, in accordance with a relationship between the index related to healthy-state gas and the index related to odiferous gas, such as: a “disease suspicion level 2”, a “disease suspicion level 1”, an “insufficient physical condition level 2”, an “insufficient physical condition level 1”, and a “good physical condition”. As shown in
As above, in the present embodiment, two indexes of the index related to the amount of odiferous gas and the index related to the amount of healthy-state gas are used, so that it is possible to evaluate physical condition of a test subject and change in physical condition thereof in more detail. For example, even in a case where the amount of healthy-state gas showing a good physical condition is large, if the amount of odiferous gas is also large, evaluation is not the level of the best physical condition (the upper-right region in the physical condition display table). Conversely, even in a case where the amount of healthy-state gas showing a good physical condition is very low, if the amount of odiferous gas is low, evaluation is not the level of the worst physical condition (the lower-left region in the physical condition display table).
For example, a boundary line between the “insufficient physical condition level 1” and the “insufficient physical condition level 2” showing a worse state than that of the level 1 is drawn rising diagonally up and to the right so that as the amount of the index related to healthy-state gas in the horizontal axis increases, the index related to the amount of odiferous gas in the vertical axis also increases, and the “insufficient physical condition level 2” showing a state where physical condition is wrong is distributed on a side of the boundary line where the index related to the amount of odiferous gas is large. The boundary line is set in this way, so that in the present embodiment, even if the amount of the index related to healthy-state gas in the horizontal axis is the same value, evaluation of physical condition varies depending on a value of the index related to the amount of odiferous gas in the vertical axis. In order to acquire the same evaluation, it is required that as a value of the amount of odiferous gas in the vertical axis increases, a value of the amount of healthy-state gas in the horizontal axis also increases.
The storage device on the remote control 8 side stores advices corresponding to the states of physical condition. Specifically, there are stored advices, such as: “Present to a hospital” corresponding to a state of physical condition, the “disease suspicion level 2”; “Recommend presenting to a hospital” corresponding to a state of physical condition, the “disease suspicion level 1”; “Concern for disease increases. Reduce stress and improve a living habit immediately” corresponding to a state of physical condition, the “insufficient physical condition level 2”; “Intestinal environment is wrong. Make an effort to have a healthy living” corresponding to a state of physical condition, the “insufficient physical condition level 1”; and “Physical condition is good” corresponding to a state of physical condition, the “good physical condition”. In the physical condition display table, plotted points showing physical condition of a test subject, as well as an advice corresponding to a region where the latest plotted point is positioned is displayed.
However, the display device 68 of the remote control 8 does not plot each of analysis results acquired by the data analyzer 60 as it is in the physical condition display table, and plots each of the analysis results at a position to which each of them is displaced after predetermined correction has been applied to each of them. It is assumed that the biological information measurement system 1 of the present embodiment detects disease, such as colorectal cancer, and this kind of disease does not steeply develop in a few days. Meanwhile, the biological information measurement system 1 of the present embodiment sucks defecation gas from the bowl 2a of the flush toilet 2 installed in the toilet installation room R to analyze the sucked gas, and it is impossible to collect all of the defecation gas. In addition, there is a possibility that various factors, such as that a test subject wears perfume, and that gas to which the odiferous gas sensor 26 is sensitive, such as odiferous gas, remains in the toilet installation room R, may cause an error in measurement results of physical condition.
Thus, if physical condition displayed on the basis of one measurement result of a test subject greatly inclines toward wrong physical condition, an unnecessary mental burden is applied to a test subject. In addition, if a measurement result of physical condition greatly varies for each measurement, it results in losing confidence of a test subject in a measurement result of physical condition. Thus, the biological information measurement system 1 of the present embodiment allows the data analyzer 60 to apply correction to an analysis result to prevent a measurement result to be displayed from greatly varying for each measurement. However, detection data stored in the storage device of the remote control 8 and detection data transmitted to the server 12 to be stored, to which no correction is applied, are stored along with reliability of the detection data. It is preferable that the storage device of the remote control 8 stores a coordinate of a display after correction in consideration of a next display. All of detection data acquired by the biological information measurement system 1 of the present embodiment in this way does not have high reliability. However, if data on daily defecation act is continuously acquired for a long period to be accumulated in the storage device of the remote control 8 and the server 12, it is possible to detect change in physical condition of a test subject for a long period. As a result, it is possible to call attention to a test subject before physical condition of the test subject is greatly deteriorated, to prevent the test subject from having a serious disease, such as colorectal cancer.
Correction applied to detection data in this way serves as output result stabilizing means for preventing an index of physical condition of a test subject to be outputted to the display device 68 from varying toward a wrong physical condition due to a detection error, and the like.
In the present embodiment, it is not always required to apply correction to detection data to be stored in the storage device of the remote control 8, and also detection data after the correction may be stored.
Next, with reference to
First, as shown in
If a very large noise is applied to the latest measurement of physical condition to very greatly shift the latest plotted point, it is thought that physical condition displayed may be greatly displaced toward the wrong physical condition side even if the correction described in
In addition, if displacement of the latest data exceeding this kind of 40% continues twice, a range in which the latest data can be displaced is eased to 60%. Accordingly, for example, if the coordinate value of the center G of an area is represented as (x, y), a range of coordinate values at which the latest data can be plotted is changed to that represented as (0.4x to 1.6x, 0.4y to 0.6y). Because it is thought that if a large displacement of the latest data as above occurs at high frequency, it is not a mere measurement error, but a reflection of some sort of change in physical condition of a test subject.
Next, with reference to
The diagnosis table displayed in the medical facility terminal 16 is different from the physical condition display table displayed in the display device 68 of a test subject as described above. As shown in
In a diagnosis table on the server side, set in this way, previous measurement data on a test subject is plotted in a time-dependent manner on the basis of a position of a plotted point to perform determination of disease of cancer, such as: “Large suspicion of colorectal cancer”, “Large suspicion of early colorectal cancer”, and “Suspicion of early colorectal cancer”. No correction as well as no limit is applied to a plotted point displayed in the diagnosis table on the server side, so that a doctor checks data displayed for diagnosis along with its reliability in a comprehensive manner. Since a diagnosis table and a determination result displayed in the medical facility terminal 16 are set based on the premise that a doctor refers to them, a name of disease, development thereof, and the like, are more specifically displayed. If plotted points are positioned, for example, in regions related disease of cancer, such as the “Large suspicion of colorectal cancer”, “Large suspicion of early colorectal cancer”, and “Suspicion of early colorectal cancer”, for a long time, a message of a high possibility of disease is displayed. A doctor is able to check plotted points shown, reliability of measurement, and the like, for diagnosis in a comprehensive manner to notify a test subject of a state of the physical condition. The medical facility terminal 16 is configured to be capable of also displaying reliability calculated by referring to a database, data measured by various sensors, information on stool condition related to at least one of the amount of stool and condition of stool, and defecation history information, along with a diagnosis table in which previous measurement data is plotted in a time-dependent manner.
A large number of devices 10 on a test subject side are connected to the server 12, a large number of measurement data items of test subjects are accumulated in the server 12. In addition, a database on the server 12 side also accumulates data on disease condition acquired from a result of detailed examination of a test subject, performed in a medical facility, after the test subject has had a medical examination in the medical facility on the basis of certain measurement data. Thus, it is possible to accumulate data acquired by associating data measured by the biological information measurement system 1 of the present embodiment with actual disease condition, on the server 12 side. The diagnosis table on the server side is sequentially updated on the basis of measurement data on a large number of test subjects accumulated in this way, so that it is possible to perform diagnosis with higher accuracy on the basis of the updated diagnosis table. It is also possible to update the physical condition display table on the basis of the data accumulated on the server side. The physical condition display table updated on the basis of the data on the server side is downloaded into each of the devices 10 on a test subject side through the Internet to be displayed in the display device 68 of the remote control 8. Even if the physical condition display table is updated, a message to be shown to a test subject is corrected to an appropriate content in the physical condition display table that is to be directly presented to the test subject.
Next, with reference to
Estimation of the amount of gas based on a detection signal of each of the sensors is performed by the data analyzer 60 serving as physical condition state discrimination means for discriminating a physical condition state, that is, by a CPU built in the remote control 8 and a storage device, or by a CPU of the server 12 and a storage device. In the data analyzer 60, there are preset a starting threshold value of a rate of change in the amount of gas for determining starting time of an excretory act, read out from storage means of the remote control 8, and a stability threshold value with respect to the amount of gas, capable of allowing stable measurement to be performed. The term, an excretory act, here includes a fart.
First, at time t1 of
When the entrance detection sensor 34 detects entrance of the test subject at the time t1, the odiferous gas sensor 26 and the suction device 18 are in a startup state. Accordingly, temperature of the sensor heater 54 of the odiferous gas sensor 26 increases, as well as a rotation speed of the fan of the suction device 18 increases to suck gas at a predetermined flow rate. As a result, a detection value by the temperature sensor 32 temporarily greatly increases, and then converges to a proper temperature (after the time t1 of
Next, when the seating detection sensor 36 detects that the test subject sits on the seat 4 at time t2 of
In an example shown in
When the excretory act is performed, the data analyzer 60 estimates the amount of odiferous gas discharged from the test subject on the basis of a fluctuation range of an increment of a detection value of the odiferous gas sensor 26 from the reference value of residual gas (a hatched area in a graph of detection values of the odiferous gas sensor 26). That is, the data analyzer 60 sets a value of detection data at the starting point of the defecation period of the test subject as the reference value of a noise level caused by the test subject to estimate the amount of odiferous gas by the first excretory act on the basis of a variation of detection data detected by the odiferous gas sensor from the reference value. In this way, since the data analyzer 60 estimates the amount of odiferous gas on the basis of a difference in detection data from a reference value, it is possible to reduce influence of noise caused by the test subject. Thus, a circuit that is built in data analyzer 60 to perform this calculation serves as a noise reduction circuit, as well as serves as second noise-responding means for reducing influence of test subject noise. If a noise level caused by the test subject is a predetermined value or more, the data analyzer 60 allows the display device 68 to notify the fact. Detailed estimation of the amount of odiferous gas will be described later. Likewise, the data analyzer 60 estimates the amount of hydrogen gas discharged from the test subject on the basis of an increment of a detection value of the hydrogen gas sensor 24 from a reference value of residual gas. After an excretory act of the test subject has been performed (after the time t5 of
In this way, if the test subject performs excretory acts multiple times after entering the toilet installation room, or if the amount of gas of a predetermined threshold value or more is detected multiple times, the amount of defecation gas by an excretory act of each time is estimated in like manner. When the amount of defecation gas of the second excretory act or later are calculate, the reference value may be changed for each excretory act in consideration of influence of floating stool in seal water in the bowl, and the like.
Subsequently, the seating detection sensor 36 detects that the test subject leaves the seat at the time t7 of
Each of the remote control 8 and the server 12 determines physical condition of the test subject on the basis of the amount of defecation gas measured in this way. In this case, it is desirable to enable measurements of physical condition to be displayed on the remote control 8 side during a defecation period, or immediately after the defecation period has been finished. Then, if excretory acts are performed multiple times, stools accumulate in the bowl 2a to reduce accuracy of measurement of the amount of defecation gas, based on odiferous gas. Meanwhile, in the first excretory act, defecation gas reaching the most downstream portion of the large intestine is discharged, so that it is possible to acquire most useful information for measurement of physical condition to increase reliability of the measurement. Based on the fact, on the remote control 8 side, when the amount of defecation gas (the amount of odiferous gas and hydrogen gas) by the first excretory act is estimated, physical condition of a test subject is measured on the basis of only the amount of defecation gas by the first excretory act to be displayed in the display device 68 of the remote control 8. Alternatively, it is also possible to measure a state of physical condition by allowing a weighting of a measurement value based on detection data on an initial excretory act in one defecation act to be higher than a weighting for a later excretory act.
In contrast, on the server 12 side, it is desirable to accurately perform determination by using a total amount of defecation gas by excretory acts of multiple times. Thus, on the server 12 side, a state of physical condition of a test subject is determined on the basis of a total amount of defecation gas by excretory acts of multiple times (a total amount of odiferous gas and hydrogen gas), or more preferably, on the basis of a total amount of defecation gas by every excretory act included in one defecation period from sitting on a seat to leaving the seat. Although determination of a state of physical condition of a test subject on the server 12 side does not always require a total amount of defecation gas by every excretory act included in one defecation period, it is preferable that the determination is based on a total amount of defecation gas by every excretory act included in defecation periods of multiple times.
In the example shown in
The amount of odiferous gas is estimated on the basis of a difference from a reference value that is set by using the amount of residual gas before an excretory act, so that it is desirable that there is no large change in the reference value. Thus, if a rate of change of detection values detected by the odiferous gas sensor 26 before a starting point of an excretory act (or a rate of change of a reference value of an inclination of the auxiliary line A) is a predetermined threshold value or less, the data analyzer 60 allows notification means composed of the display device 68 of the remote control 8 or the speaker 70 to notify the fact that estimation of the amount of defecation gas has high accuracy.
Meanwhile, if a spray aromatic is sprayed immediately before an excretory act, or a disinfecting sheet of an alcoholic toilet seat disinfectant or a disinfect spray is used, a detection value detected by the odiferous gas sensor 26 before the excretory act greatly varies. If a value in this kind of state is set as a reference value, it is impossible to estimate an accurate amount of odiferous gas. Thus, if a reference value of a noise level caused by a test subject is a predetermined value or more, or a rate of change of the reference value is a predetermined threshold value or more, the data analyzer 60 allows the notification means composed of the display device 68 of the remote control 8 or the speaker 70 to notify the fact that estimation of the amount of defecation gas has low accuracy. If an excretory act is performed even if this kind of notification is performed, no measurement for analysis of physical condition is performed, or reliability of measurement is reduced.
Next, with reference to
First, after the entrance detection sensor 34 has detected entrance of a test subject at time t10 of
Subsequently, after the seating detection sensor 36 has detected that a test subject has sat on the seat at time t13, if the test subject operates the cleaning switch (not shown) of the remote control 8 to perform cleaning of the flush toilet 2, a disinfecting sheet floating in seal water in the bowl 2a is discharged to allow a detection value of the odiferous gas sensor 26 to steeply decrease. If an alcoholic disinfectant is used, the odiferous gas sensor 26 generally operates as above.
If a detection value of the odiferous gas sensor 26 steeply increases to a predetermined value or more, in a period after the entrance detection sensor 34 has detected entrance of a test subject, and before the seating detection sensor 36 detects that the test subject sits on the seat, a seat disinfection detection circuit built in the data analyzer 60 determines that the test subject disinfects the seat 4, or the like, by using an alcoholic disinfectant. The present inventors find out that it is possible to detect an act of disinfecting the seat 4 of a specific act performed by a test subject in the toilet installation room R from a detection signal of each of the entrance detection sensor 34, the seating detection sensor 36, and the odiferous gas sensor 26.
If no cleaning of the flush toilet 2 is performed for a predetermined time after the seat disinfection detection circuit has detected use of an alcoholic disinfectant and a test subject has sat on the seat, a disinfect noise-responding circuit built in the data analyzer 60 transmits a signal to the toilet cleaning device 46 to automatically perform toilet cleaning. In addition, if the seat disinfection detection circuit detects use of an alcoholic disinfectant, the disinfect noise-responding circuit allows the suction fan 18c to increase its rotation speed. Accordingly, the amount of gas sucked by the suction device 18 increases to allow alcohol components volatilized while the seat is disinfected to be actively deodorized by the deodorant filter 78, thereby enabling a detection value of the odiferous gas sensor 26 to be reduced. That is, if the seat disinfection detection circuit detects a disinfectant, the disinfect noise-responding circuit allows a deodorizing device to operate to reduce influence of noise caused by an alcoholic disinfectant.
In a state where the seat disinfection detection circuit detects use of an alcoholic disinfectant, and a detection value of the odiferous gas sensor 26 increases, the disinfect noise-responding circuit stops measurement of physical condition, and allows the display device 68 to display a message of waiting for defecation to notify a test subject of the message. Then, the disinfect noise-responding circuit allows the display device 68 to display a message of waiting for defecation until the measurement of physical condition becomes possible, to notify the test subject of the message. Accordingly, influence of noise caused by the alcoholic disinfectant is reduced. Meanwhile, a detection value of the odiferous gas sensor 26, which steeply increases by use of the alcoholic disinfectant, starts decreasing when the test subject finishes disinfection.
If a noise level detected by the odiferous gas sensor 26 is reversed to a downward tendency, the disinfect noise-responding circuit allows the display device 68 to delete the message of waiting for defecation displayed therein to notify the fact that the measurement becomes possible. That is, in a state where a noise level caused by an alcoholic disinfectant is in a downward tendency, it is possible to detect a rising edge of a detection value of the odiferous gas sensor 26, in the downward tendency. The data analyzer 60 detects a time point when a detection value of the odiferous gas sensor 26 in the downward tendency rises, as discharge of defecation gas by a test subject. In a state where the noise level detected by the odiferous gas sensor 26 decreases at a predetermined rate of change or more, the disinfect noise-responding circuit stops the measurement of physical condition to continue to display the message of waiting for defecation, because in a state where the noise level steeply decreases, a rise of a detection value by discharge of defecation gas is masked so that it is impossible to accurately detect discharge of defecation gas. In addition, it is desirable to stop the measurement in a state where a reference value greatly decreases, because a calculation error also may increase.
If a noise level is a predetermined value or more due to use of an alcoholic disinfectant, the disinfect noise-responding circuit stops measurement of physical condition, or reduces reliability of measurement. As described above, if the reliability of measurement is reduced, a plotted point in the physical condition display table described in
Meanwhile, if many stools are attached to the flush toilet 2, or a large amount of aromatics are used, an absolute value of the amount of gas detected by the odiferous gas sensor 26 increases, so that a detection value of the sensor may be saturated in some cases, or measurement accuracy may be out of a high measurement accuracy band. In this kind of state, it is difficult to accurately estimate a trace amount of odiferous gas. Thus, the data analyzer 60 performs no measurement of physical condition, or reduces reliability of measurement also in a case where an absolute amount of a reference value is a predetermined threshold value or more.
In the database of the server 12, as described above, measurement data on the amount of odiferous gas and the amount of healthy-state gas of an additional test subject is sequentially accumulated. In addition, in the database of the server 12, a medical examination result for cancer acquired when a test subject has a medical examination at a medical facility is stored from the medical facility terminal 16 by being associated with identification information on the test subject. The server 12 updates a stored diagnosis table on the basis of this kind of medical examination result for cancer, and change in history of change in the amount of odiferous gas and healthy-state gas.
The server 12 also stores attribute information on a test subject, such as weight, age, or sex, and a plurality of physical condition display tables classified according to a tendency of history of change in measurement data on odiferous gas and healthy-state gas.
If more detailed analysis of physical condition is requested in the device 10 on a test subject side, identification information on a test subject as well as attribute information on the test subject, such as weight, age, or sex, is registered in the server 12. When measurement data on a test subject requesting such detailed analysis is accumulated in the server 12, the server 12 selects a physical condition display table of conditions close to attribute information on the test subject, and history of change in measurement data. The server 12 then transmits the selected physical condition display table to the device 10 on a test subject side through a network. When receiving an additional physical condition display table from the server 12, the device 10 on a test subject side changes a physical condition display table that is already stored to the received physical condition display table. Accordingly, it is possible to perform accurate analysis of physical condition in accordance with the attribute of the test subject and the history of measurement data in the device 10 on a test subject side.
Although the embodiment described above is configured to store history of measurement data also in the device 10 on a test subject side, besides this, the measurement data may be stored in only the database of the server 12 so that the device 10 on a test subject side reads out history of previous measurement data from the database of the server 12 to perform calculation of results of medical examination and time-dependent diagnosis in step S5 of medical examination.
Here, a method of calculating reliability in step S5 of medical examination in
Output of each of the hydrogen gas sensor 24, the odiferous gas sensor 26, the carbon dioxide sensor 28, the humidity sensor 30, the temperature sensor 32, the entrance detection sensor 34, the seating detection sensor 36, and the defecation/urination detection sensor 38, provided in the measuring device 6, is transmitted to the data analyzer 60 of the remote control 8.
The data analyzer 60 of the remote control 8 previously stores a plurality of reliability correction tables for calculating the reliability.
The semiconductor gas sensor used as the odiferous gas sensor 26 detects even stink noise (environmental noise) other than defecation gas attached to a test subject. If the amount of stink gas components attached to a test subject (the amount of noise) is large, it can be said that reliability of measurement is low. Thus, as shown in
When a test subject urinates, humidity in the bowl 2a rises to increase humidity of gas reaching a detecting portion of the odiferous gas sensor 26. If humidity of gas reaching the odiferous gas sensor 26 increases, resistance of the odiferous gas sensor 26 changes to reduce its sensor sensitivity. In addition, if urine splashes on stool attached to the inside of the bowl 2a, the stool attached softens from a dry state so that much defecation gas may be temporarily discharged again from the stool attached while the urine splashes into the bowl 2a. The defecation gas discharged from the stool attached may be detected by the odiferous gas sensor as noise when defecation gas discharged from a test subject is measured. Thus, as shown in
The semiconductor gas sensor used as the odiferous gas sensor 26 detects odiferous gas in a state where its detecting portion formed of tin dioxide on the basis of an oxidation-reduction reaction between oxygen adsorbed in a surface of the detecting portion and reduction gas. Thus, if temperature of the detecting portion is higher or lower than a predetermined temperature range, sensor sensitivity decreases. For this reason, as shown in
As described above, if an excretory act is performed multiple times during one defecation period, the amount of defecation gas itself is large at the first excretory act (the amount of odiferous gas also increases), whereby accuracy of analysis in an early excretory act is higher than that in a later excretory act in the defecation period. Thus, as shown in
As shown in
When the test subject enters the toilet installation room at the time t1, detection data detected by the odiferous gas sensor 26 increases due to stink noise attached to the test subject, and then converges to a constant value. Subsequently, the seating detection sensor 36 detects that the test subject sits on the seat, at the time t2. The data analyzer 60 of the remote control 8 acquires a correction value corresponding to detection data measured by the odiferous gas sensor 26 in a non-defecation period before the seating detection sensor 36 detects that the test subject sits on the seat. In the present embodiment, a correction value of noise of stink gas attached to a test subject is 0.7.
Next, if the test subject urinates in a defecation period after the seating detection sensor 36 has detected that the test subject has sat on the seat, at the time t3, a detection value by the humidity sensor 30 rises. It is preferable that detection of the rise in humidity by the humidity sensor 30 may be performed based on, for example, humidity before a defecation period, or before the seating detection sensor 36 detects that the test subject sits on the seat. If the humidity sensor 30 detects the rise of detection data in this way, the data analyzer 60 acquires a correction value corresponding to the detection data that rises, for a period in which the detection data rises, with reference to the correction table for humidity. In the present embodiment, a partial correction value in a period in which detection data by the humidity sensor 30 rises (or from the time t3 to the time t4) is 0.6.
Subsequently, if a test subject performs an excretory act at the time t5, and the time t6, to cause a rate of change in difference between detection data detected by the odiferous gas sensor 26 and a reference value to be a predetermined value or more, the data analyzer 60 calculates the amount of gas with the excretory act. Accordingly, the data analyzer 60 acquires the following correction values according to a frequency of excretory acts in the defecation period with reference to a correction table for frequency of excretory acts: a correction value in a period corresponding to the first excretory act (or from time t5 to time t5′) is 1.5; and a correction value in a period corresponding to the second excretory act (or time t6 to time t6′) is 1.0.
The data analyzer 60 calculates reliability of measurement of gas detection with each excretory act on the basis of the whole correction value and the partial correction value, estimated in this way. In the present embodiment, reliability is based on 3, and reliability of measurement for each excretory act is calculated as the product of multiplying all corresponding partial correction values by the product of three times all whole correction values. Specifically, reliability of measurement of the first excretory act is acquired as follows: 3 (reference value)×0.9 (temperature correction value)×0.7 (test subject attached noise correction value×1.5 (frequency correction value)=2.84. Reliability of measurement of the second excretory act is acquired as follows: 3 (reference value)×0.9 (temperature correction value)×0.7 (test subject attached noise correction value)×1.0 (frequency correction value)=1.89.
The reliability calculated in this way is then displayed in the display device 68 of the remote control 8 as described with reference to
It is also possible to correct detection data of the odiferous gas sensor 26 and the hydrogen gas sensor 24 on the basis of the reliability of measurement calculated in this way. Specifically, if the reliability of measurement is high, actual detection value is used, however, if the reliability of measurement is low, a detection value is corrected so as to be a value close to a previous detection value. For example, there is description below of a case where a detection value detected additionally is corrected so as to be close to previous measurement data stored in the storage device of the remote control 8 when physical condition is analyzed on the basis of detection data on defecation gas with the first excretory act, in the device 10 on a test subject side. As described above, it is calculated that the reliability with the first excretory act is 2.84.
The data analyzer 60 determines the amount of correction of a measurement value on the basis of the reliability calculated in this way.
In the example described above, the reliability of measurement of the first excretory act is 2.84. Thus, as described with reference to
Correction based on this kind of reliability may be performed on the server 12 side. If analysis of physical condition is performed on the server 12 side, for example, a detection value of odiferous gas and a detection value of hydrogen gas in an excretory act in which the reliability is a predetermined value or more in one defecation period is totaled so that analysis of physical condition may be performed on the basis of the totaled data. In addition, it is not always required to apply correction based on reliability of measurement to detection data to be stored in the storage device of the remote control 8, and also detection data after the correction may be stored.
The correction table is not limited to the correction table for noise of stink gas attached to a test subject, the correction table for temperature, and the correction table for humidity, described above. Each of
For example, if there is stink noise (environmental noise) other than defecation gas, such as an aromatic, in the toilet installation room, the odiferous gas sensor 26 may detect the stink noise to cause accuracy of measurement to be reduced. Then, the data analyzer 60 corrects reliability to evaluate influence of environmental noise. The amount of this kind of environmental noise can be evaluated on the basis of detection data detected by the odiferous gas sensor 26 before the entrance detection sensor 34 detects entrance of a test subject, for example.
In a case where detection data of the odiferous gas sensor 26 greatly varies when a reference value is set, such as a case where a spray aromatic is used, for example, and in a case where an inclination of a reference value set when the amount of gas is estimated is large, accuracy of the amount of gas estimated decreases. Then, the data analyzer 60 corrects reliability with reference to a correction table for stabilizing a reference value to evaluate influence of this kind of failure condition of stability of a reference value (referred to as stability failure of a reference value). The stability of a reference value can be evaluated on the basis of an inclination with respect to a time axis of the reference value in a non-defecation period, and a fluctuation of a detection value of the odiferous gas sensor 26 when the reference value is set, for example.
In a case where the seat is cleaned with a disinfecting sheet, for example, the odiferous gas sensor 26 detects even components, such as alcohol, contained in the disinfecting sheet. Although influence of the components, such as alcohol, contained in the disinfecting sheet, causes the odiferous gas sensor 26 to measure a large value immediately after the disinfecting sheet has been used, a value measured by the odiferous gas sensor 26 decreases for a short time because alcoholic has high volatility. Then, the data analyzer 60 corrects reliability depending on influence of seat disinfection, with reference to a correction table for cleaning of disinfecting toilet seat. Using of a disinfecting sheet can be detected by detecting, for example, a great variation of detection data of the odiferous gas sensor 26 from a predetermined value after the entrance detection sensor 34 has detected entrance of a test subject, and before the seating detection sensor 36 detects that the test subject sits on the seat.
Since a trace amount of odiferous gas is contained in defecation gas, analysis of physical condition can be more accurately performed with increase of odiferous gas discharged in a defecation period. Then, the data analyzer 60 corrects reliability on the basis of a total amount of odiferous gas, with reference to a correction value table for a total amount of defecation gas. The total amount of defecation gas can be evaluated from a total of the amount of gas estimated on the basis of detection data of the odiferous gas sensor in a defecation period.
When a fart occurs, a large amount of defecation gas is discharged into a bowl as compared with that during defecation, so that defecation gas by a fart is suitable for analysis of physical condition. Thus, if a fart from a test subject is detected, the data analyzer 60 corrects reliability during the fart on the basis of the amount of defecation gas contained in the fart, with reference to a correction value table for a fart. With respect to a fart act, it is possible to determined that a fart act is performed when it is detected that a difference between a detection value of the odiferous gas sensor 26 and a reference value steeply rises at a rate of change of a predetermined value or more after the seating detection sensor 36 has detected that a test subject has sat on the seat. In addition, a period from a time point, from which the difference described above steeply rises, until a detection value of the gas sensor 26 returns to the reference value again, may be set as a fart period. In order to more accurately detect that a fart act is performed, it is required to detect that detection data of the odiferous gas sensor 26 steeply rises at a rate of change of the predetermined value or more, and to allow a seal-water-amount sensor, or the like, to detect that no stool is discharged into the bowl.
If there are a large amount of stool in each excretory act, the amount of defecation gas increases to enable analysis of physical condition to be more accurately performed, however, if there a little amount of stool in the each excretory act, the amount of defecation gas decreases to reduce accuracy of the analysis of physical condition. Thus, the data analyzer 60 corrects reliability on the basis of the amount of stool during the each excretory act, with reference to a correction value table for the amount of stool. The amount of stool can be evaluated by a seal-water-amount sensor (device of measuring the amount of stool) for detecting change in the amount of seal water, in the defecation/urination detection sensor 38, for example.
For example, if stool is a diarrhea state, discharge time is too short to allow a sensor to sufficiently detect defecation gas. In addition, if stool after defecation floats in seal water, defecation gas is discharged from the stool floating in the seal water to deteriorate detection accuracy of defecation gas. Then, the data analyzer 60 corrects reliability depending on a kind of stool of each excretory act, with reference to a correction table for a kind of stool. The kind of stool can be detected on the basis of detection results acquired by using a CCD, a microwave sensor, or the like, of the defecation/urination detection sensor 38, as a stool state detector. In addition, providing a CCD, a microwave sensor, or the like, in the bowl, as a floating detector, enables floating of stool to be detected.
Usually, healthy people have defecation about once every day. In contrast, if gastrointestinal condition becomes worse due to food poisoning, or the like, defecation may be performed several times in a day. In this case, even if defecation is performed, the amount of defecation gas discharged during the defecation is also small. In addition, if frequency of defecation is low due to obstipation, or the like, the amount of defecation gas increases due to increase in creation time of odor components, or increase in the amount of stool. If an interval of defecation increases too much, accuracy of analysis of physical condition is deteriorated. Then, the data analyzer 60 corrects reliability on the basis of an interval of defecation, with reference to a correction table for an interval of defecation. The interval of defecation can be determined on the basis of a date and time of the previous defecation stored in the data analyzer 60, and the defecation history information inputted in step S2 of preparing starting measurement.
In determination of physical condition based on defecation gas, if gastrointestinal condition becomes worse due to crapulence of the previous day, or the like, for example, a state of physical condition is determined to be worse than a state of actual physical condition. Thus, a result of analysis of physical condition varies depending on daily living. Accordingly, for example, if a day with bad physical condition due to crapulence, or the like, expectedly continues when analysis of physical condition by the biological information measurement system of the present embodiment is started, only an analysis result of bad physical condition is displayed even if history of the physical condition is displayed. As a result, there is a possibility that a medical facility, or the like, cannot perform accurate determination of disease. Then, the data analyzer 60 corrects reliability depending on the number of previous measurement data items stored in the device on a test subject side, with reference to a correction table for the amount of accumulated data.
If the filter 72 provided in the duct 18a is clogged, a flow rate of air sucked into the duct 18a is reduced. For this reason, if a flow rate of gas to be fed to the odiferous gas sensor 26 and the hydrogen gas sensor 24 varies, detection data of the odiferous gas sensor 26 and the hydrogen gas sensor 24 may vary depending on the flow rate. In addition, if velocity of gas to be fed to the odiferous gas sensor 26 and the hydrogen gas sensor 24 is high, a period in which the gas is in contact with the sensors is so short that a detecting portion of each of the sensors does not sufficiently react to the gas. Thus, it is desirable that a flow rate of air fed to the odiferous gas sensor 26 and the hydrogen gas sensor 24 is constant. Then, the data analyzer 60 corrects reliability depending on a flow rate of gas (velocity of gas) to be fed to the odiferous gas sensor 26 and the hydrogen gas sensor 24, with reference to a correction value table for a flow rate of air. The flow rate of gas can be estimated on the basis of electric current and voltage, applied to the suction fan 18c provided in a deodorizing device, for example.
Defecation gas contains CO2 gas as well as hydrogen gas, as healthy-state gas. Thus, if a CO2 gas sensor detects a large amount of CO2, it means that a sensor device reliably detects defecation gas. Then, the data analyzer 60 corrects reliability on the basis of detection data on CO2 detected by the carbon dioxide sensor 28, with reference to a correction table for CO2.
In a case where analysis of physical condition is performed by using detection data of the hydrogen gas sensor as detection data on healthy-state gas, a correction table for H2 that is set so that a correction value increases with increase in a detection value detected by the hydrogen gas sensor 24 may be used instead of the correction table for CO2.
Defecation gas contains methane as well as hydrogen gas, as healthy-state gas. Thus, a methane gas sensor that is strongly sensitive to methane gas is provided in the duct 18a of the deodorizing device, for example, and if the methane gas sensor detects a large amount of methane, it means that a large amount of defecation gas is discharged. Then, the data analyzer 60 corrects reliability on the basis of the amount of methane gas detected by the methane gas sensor, with reference to a correction table for methane gas.
In the present embodiment, although reliability is corrected to be set high if a detection value of each of CO2 and methane is high, besides this, it is also possible to perform correction so that a detection value of hydrogen gas increases if a detection value of each of CO2 and methane is high.
If there is cancer in the intestines, hydrogen sulfide gas as well as odiferous gas is contained in defecation gas. Thus, a hydrogen sulfide gas sensor that is strongly sensitive to hydrogen sulfide gas is provided in the duct 18a of the deodorizing device, for example, and reliability is corrected on the basis of detection data on hydrogen sulfide gas detected by the hydrogen sulfide gas sensor.
Next, with reference to
In the embodiments of the present invention, a semiconductor gas sensor is used for both the hydrogen gas sensor 24 and the odiferous gas sensor 26, and tin dioxide and tungsten trioxide are used for a detecting portion of the hydrogen gas sensor 24 and a detecting portion of odiferous gas sensor 26, respectively. An upper section of
If hydrogen gas is brought into contact with the detecting portion in this kind of state, an oxidation-reduction reaction occurs between the oxygen in the surface of the detecting portion and the hydrogen. As a result, the oxygen adsorbed by the negative charge is removed by the hydrogen (refer to the upper left-hand section of
While a strong oxidation-reduction reaction occurs when the tin dioxide used in the detecting portion of the hydrogen gas sensor 24 is brought into contact with hydrogen gas, no oxidation-reduction reaction substantially occurs when the tin dioxide is brought into contact with S-base gas, such as hydrogen sulfide, or methyl mercaptan gas. Thus, the hydrogen gas sensor 24 using the tin dioxide is substantially sensitive only to hydrogen gas. Meanwhile, while a strong oxidation-reduction reaction occurs when the tungsten trioxide used in the detecting portion of the odiferous gas sensor 26 is brought into contact with S-base gas, no strong reaction occurs when the tungsten trioxide is brought into contact with hydrogen gas. Thus, it is possible to detect S-base gas with a gas sensor using tungsten trioxide. That is, tungsten trioxide constituting the first detecting portion provided in the odiferous gas sensor 26, and tin dioxide constituting the second detecting portion provided in the hydrogen gas sensor 24, each have different sensitivity to S-base gas and to hydrogen gas (relative sensitivity to hydrogen gas and to S-base gas). While the first detecting portion of the odiferous gas sensor 26 is sensitive to S-base gas and hydrogen gas, the second detecting portion of the hydrogen gas sensor 24 is sensitive to hydrogen gas, and is substantially insensitive to S-base gas to have sensitivity to S-base gas lower than that of the first detecting portion.
However, as described above, concentration of S-base gas, such as hydrogen sulfide, or methyl mercaptan gas, contained in defecation gas is 1/1000 to 1/10000 of concentration of hydrogen. Thus, even if the odiferous gas sensor 26 is slightly sensitive to hydrogen gas, it is difficult to detect concentration of S-base gas with sufficient accuracy if defecation gas is measured. The present inventors facing this kind of difficulty find that if temperature of the detecting portion of the odiferous gas sensor 26 is set lower than normal temperature of a detecting portion of a semiconductor gas sensor (such as 200° C.), sensitivity of the odiferous gas sensor 26 to hydrogen gas decreases. In a lower section of
As shown in the lower left-hand section of
The present inventors performed the following experiment to determine a more appropriate temperature of the detecting portion of the odiferous gas sensor 26 by using the principal described above. First, air in which a hydrogen gas of 300 ppm was mixed was brought into contact with the odiferous gas sensor 26 in which its detecting portion is set at a variety of temperatures, and then an output signal from a sensor (response value) at each of the temperatures was recorded. Likewise, also with respect to air in which an S-base gas of 150 ppb was mixed, an output signal (response value) for each of the temperatures was recorded. Then, 300 ppm of hydrogen gas is concentration of hydrogen gas that is assumed to be contained in defecation gas of healthy people, and 150 ppb of odiferous gas is concentration of S-base gas that is assumed to be contained in defecation gas of colorectal cancer patients.
As shown in
However, if the detecting portion is set at excessively low temperature, an output signal of the odiferous gas sensor 26 tends to vary with change in temperature and humidity of defecation gas to be brought into contact with the detecting portion, and responsiveness of output of a signal also decreases, whereby it is difficult to acquire stable detection data. Thus, in the present embodiment, an oxidation-reduction reduced temperature, which is a temperature of the detecting portion of the odiferous gas sensor 26, is set at about 350° C. Preferably, the temperature of the detecting portion of the odiferous gas sensor 26 is set within a range from about 280° C. to about 360° C. Meanwhile, in the present embodiment, an oxidation-reduction temperature, which is a temperature of the detecting portion of the hydrogen gas sensor 24, is at about 370° C. that is generally used as a temperature of a detecting portion of a semiconductor gas sensor. Preferably, the temperature of the detecting portion of the hydrogen gas sensor 24 is set at about 370° C. or higher. In this way, temperature of the second detecting portion (oxidation-reduction temperature) is set higher than temperature of the first detecting portion (oxidation-reduction reduced temperature).
Next, with reference to
The present inventors performed the following experiment to remove influence of hydrogen gas on the odiferous gas sensor 26. First, air in which S-base gas and hydrogen gas were mixed at a predetermined concentration was allowed to flow into a gas passage for measurement in which the odiferous gas sensor 26 was arranged, and an output signal of the odiferous gas sensor 26 was recorded.
That is, like the gas detector 20 shown in
For example, if a concentration of hydrogen gas acquired by the hydrogen gas sensor 24 is 300 ppm, the broken line in
Although the calibration curves in
In
In a variation described in
In a variation described in
As above, although calculation of concentration of S-base gas using the odiferous gas sensor 26 and the hydrogen gas sensor 24 is described with reference to
In
Next, with reference to
As described above, in the biological information measurement system 1 of the embodiments of the present invention, noise caused by hydrogen gas is reduced on the basis of calibration curves of a conversion table so that concentration of S-base gas is estimated with high accuracy. However, the calibration curves are created on the basis of a result of measurement of a mixed gas under conditions of predetermined temperature and humidity. Thus, in actual measurement of defecation gas in the biological information measurement system 1, the gas is detected in an environment different from the conditions under which the calibration curves are created. In this case, compatibility between an output signal of each of the odiferous gas sensor 26 and the hydrogen gas sensor 24, and the calibration curves, decreases to reduce accuracy of estimated concentration of S-base gas. Particularly, estimation of concentration of S-base gas is performed on the basis of output signals of both of the odiferous gas sensor 26 and the hydrogen gas sensor 24, so that the estimation is easily affected by change in measurement environment. Thus, it is important to maintain compatibility with the calibration curves. In the present embodiment, a compatibility maintenance circuit 60b (refer to
Next, as shown in
In the example described above, although temperature dependence of each of the odiferous gas sensor 26 and the hydrogen gas sensor 24 is only corrected, an output signal of each of the sensors also depends on humidity in measurement environment. Thus, it is preferable that a “variation ratio” described in
Next, with reference to
An output signal of each of the odiferous gas sensor 26 and the hydrogen gas sensor 24 also varies depending on time-dependent change in the sensors.
In addition, time-dependent change in each gas sensor varies depending on an environment in which the sensor is provided. If a gas sensor is provided in an environment in which there is a large amount of odiferous gas components, or the like, its time-dependent change accelerates to cause variation of an output signal to early occur. Each of
The compatibility maintenance circuit 60b acquires concentration of odiferous gas in the atmosphere, in a waiting period in which no measurement of defecation gas is performed, for each predetermined period, to calculate an average value of the acquired concentration of odiferous gas for a long period. The average concentration of odiferous gas in the waiting period is applied to
In addition,
The compatibility maintenance circuit 60b multiplies an output signal of each of the odiferous gas sensor 26 and the hydrogen gas sensor 24 by all correction ratios determined on the basis of
The correction by the compatibility maintenance circuit 60b described above on the basis of
The biological information measurement system 1 of the present embodiment includes the toilet disinfection device 48 (refer to
Since the amount of hydrogen gas that occurs when a predetermined amount of hypochlorous acid water is created is almost constant, it is possible to perform calibration by allowing the odiferous gas sensor 26 to measure hydrogen gas discharged along with the hypochlorous acid water. In the present embodiment, disinfection by the toilet disinfection device 48 is performed every time after a test subject has used the flush toilet 2, and it is preferable that calibration of the odiferous gas sensor 26 is performed when the flush toilet 2 is not used, such as midnight, separately from the disinfection of the surface of the bowl. That is, there is a high possibility that a large amount of odiferous gas may remain in the toilet installation room immediately after the flush toilet 2 has been used, and thus it is unsuitable for calibration of the odiferous gas sensor 26. In contrast, if the flush toilet 2 is not used for a long time, there is a little amount of residual odiferous gas to enable the calibration to be performed in a state with less noise, whereby it is suitable for the calibration. In addition, performing the calibration separately from usual disinfection of the surface of the bowl enables hypochlorous acid water at higher concentration than that of hypochlorous acid water used for the usual disinfection to be created, thereby enabling a large amount of hydrogen to be created. If the calibration is performed when a test subject is absence, such as midnight, separately from the usual disinfection, it is possible to avoid a risk in which a test subject touches hypochlorous acid water to cause rough skin even if hypochlorous acid water at high concentration is created.
Further, it is possible to perform electrolysis twice to create hypochlorous acid water at different concentration levels so that the calibration is performed twice by using hydrogen gas at different concentration levels created at the each electrolysis. In this way, performing the calibration by using two kinds of gas with different concentration levels enables the gas sensors to be more accurately calibrated. To create hydrogen at higher concentration, aqueous solution created by mixing sodium chloride, or like, in tap water is prepared so that hydrogen gas created when electrolysis is applied to the aqueous solution also can be used for the calibration of the gas sensors.
Thus, in the present embodiment, the toilet disinfection device 48 serves as a device for creating gas for calibration, as well as serves as a deterioration measuring device that measures a deterioration level of a gas sensor (its detecting portion) by using the created gas, when no measurement of defecation gas is performed. As a variation, the device for creating gas for calibration also may be configured to include a chamber (not shown) that contains gas for calibration so that a predetermined amount of the gas for calibration is discharged from the chamber at regular intervals to enable calibration of a gas sensor to be performed by using the discharged gas. Alternatively, liquid that creates the gas for calibration when poured into seal water in the flush toilet 2 may be contained in a tank (not shown) so that the gas for calibration is created by using the liquid at regular intervals to enable calibration of a gas sensor to be performed. In any one of the cases, it is preferable that the calibration of a gas sensor is performed in a time period in which no measurement of defecation gas is performed and the flush toilet 2 is not used for a long time, such as midnight.
In the biological information measurement system of the first embodiment described with reference to
As shown in
The device body 180, as with the first embodiment, includes a hydrogen gas sensor, an odiferous gas sensor, a carbon dioxide sensor, a humidity sensor, a temperature sensor, an entrance detection sensor, a seating detection sensor, a defecation/urination detection sensor, a suction device, a sensor heater, and a transmitter-receiver. Gas sucked through the duct 118a is deodorized and is discharged through a deodorized air outlet provided in a bottom face of the device body 180. In the duct 118a, there are provided the hydrogen gas sensor, the odiferous gas sensor, the carbon dioxide sensor, the humidity sensor, the temperature sensor, the sensor heater, and a fan. Arrangement of the sensors in the duct 118a is the same as that of the first embodiment, so that description thereof is omitted. According to this kind of configuration, the measuring device 106 of the present embodiment is also capable of acquiring detection data corresponding to the amount of odiferous gas, hydrogen gas, and carbon dioxide, contained in defecation gas, by using the odiferous gas sensor, the hydrogen gas sensor, and the carbon dioxide sensor.
It is desirable that the seat 104 to be used along with the measuring device 106 of the present embodiment is a seat with a cleaning function that includes a toilet lid opening/closing device, a nozzle driving device, a nozzle cleaning device, a toilet cleaning device, and a toilet disinfection device, the seat being capable of communicating with the measuring device 106. Using the measuring device 106 along with this kind of seat enables various cleaning operations and disinfecting operation to be performed when stink gas is detected.
In the first embodiment, as shown in
Next, with reference to
As shown in
The main passage 318a includes a vertical portion with an inlet opening downward, and a horizontal portion extending horizontally from an upper end of the vertical portion, and then the carbon dioxide sensor 328 is arranged inside the horizontal portion. A fin 322 for stirring air flow is provided in the inlet of the main passage 318a so that each component contained in defecation gas is sucked into the suction device 318 while uniformly distributed. In addition, a filter 372 is arranged in an upstream end of the horizontal portion of the main passage 318a so as to traverse the horizontal portion to prevent entry of a splash of urine, or the like. Further, a deodorant filter 378 is provided downstream of the filter 372, and the carbon dioxide sensor 328 is provided downstream of the deodorant filter 378, as well as a main suction fan 330 for the main passage 318a is provided downstream of the carbon dioxide sensor 328. In the main passage 318a, as with the first embodiment (refer to
Meanwhile, the bypass passage 318b branches from the main passage 318a at a portion downstream of the filter 372 and upstream of the deodorant filter 378 to extend horizontally. A flow channel changeover valve 332 is provided in an inlet of the bypass passage 318b to switch between inflow and stop of gas flowing into the main passage 318a into the bypass passage 318b. In the bypass passage 318b of a gas passage for measurement, in the order from an upstream side, there are provided a filter 336, the odiferous gas sensor 326, the hydrogen gas sensor 324, and a bypass suction fan 334. The flow channel changeover valve 332 may be removed. In addition, sensor heaters 354a and 354b are attached to the odiferous gas sensor 326 and the hydrogen gas sensor 324 to heat detecting portions 326a and 324a of the respective sensors to a predetermined temperature. A first detecting portion or a detecting portion 326a of the odiferous gas sensor 326, as well as a second detecting portion or a detecting portion 324a of the hydrogen gas sensor 324, is configured to detect gas while heated to the predetermined temperature by the sensor heaters 354a and 354b, respectively.
If the suction device 318 is used as a deodorizing device, the main suction fan 330 is operated, and the bypass suction fan 334 is stopped, and also the flow channel changeover valve 332 is closed. Accordingly, gas in the bowl 2a is sucked from the inlet of the main passage 318a to pass through the main passage 318a to be deodorized by the deodorant filter 378, and after deodorized, the gas is discharged. If measurement of defecation gas sucked by the suction device 318 is performed, the main suction fan 330 and the bypass suction fan 334 are operated and the flow channel changeover valve 332 is opened. Accordingly, gas sucked from the inlet of the main passage 318a is distributed to the main passage 318a and the bypass passage 318b at a predetermined ratio to flow into the inside of each of the passages. The gas sucked from the inlet of the main passage 318a is stirred by the fin 322 for stirring air flow, so that defecation gas with almost the same components flows into the main passage 318a and the bypass passage 318b.
The defecation gas sucked into the main passage 318a is measured for concentration (content) of carbon dioxide by the carbon dioxide sensor 328 after passing through the filter 372 and the deodorant filter 378. Since carbon dioxide is not adsorbed and removed by the filter 372 and the deodorant filter 378, a measurement value is not affected by the filters. A part of the defecation gas sucked into the main passage 318a is distributed to the bypass passage 318b after passing through the filter 372, and reaches the odiferous gas sensor 326 and the hydrogen gas sensor 324 through the filter 336, and then concentration (amount) of odiferous gas as well as concentration (amount) of hydrogen gas is measured. Here, the odiferous gas sensor 326 and the hydrogen gas sensor 324 are provided in the bypass passage 318b of a common gas passage for measurement, and the odiferous gas sensor 326 is provided upstream of the hydrogen gas sensor 324. Since the odiferous gas sensor 326 on an upstream side is provided upstream of the hydrogen gas sensor 324, the odiferous gas sensor 326 is not affected by a detecting portion of the hydrogen gas sensor 324, at a high temperature, to be able to detect a trace amount of odiferous gas contained in the defecation gas. Odiferous gas as well as hydrogen gas is not adsorbed and removed by the filters 372 and 336, so that a measurement value is not affected by the filters.
Subsequently, with reference to
First, in step S1 of improving environment before measurement, the main suction fan 330 and the bypass suction fan 334 are stopped, because air is actively taken in the main passage 318a and the bypass passage 318b when no deodorization and no measurement of gas are performed to prevent a detecting portion of each gas sensor from being unnecessarily contaminated by odiferous gas, and the like, remaining in the toilet installation room. In addition, in step S1 of improving environment before measurement, temperature of each of a sensor heater 354a for the odiferous gas sensor 326, and a sensor heater 354b for the hydrogen gas sensor 324 is set at a waiting temperature of 200° C. by a sensor temperature control device (not shown) built in the control device 22 (refer to
Next, if a test subject enters the toilet installation room, processing proceeds to step S2 of preparing starting measurement. When the processing proceeds to step S2 of preparing starting measurement, the control device 22 transmits a signal to each of the main suction fan 330 and the bypass suction fan 334 to allow the fans to operate. Accordingly, the suction device 318 sucks air in the bowl 2a, and then the air at a predetermined flow rate flows into the main passage 318a and the bypass passage 318b. The flow rate at the time is preset at an appropriate flow rate suitable for measurement of defecation gas so that a flow rate can be sufficiently stable by the time of start of the measurement.
Meanwhile, the sensor temperature control device increases electric current flowing into the sensor heaters 354a and 354b to increase temperature of the respective detecting portions 326a and 324a of the odiferous gas sensor 326 and the hydrogen gas sensor 324, respectively, to a cleaning temperature of 450° C. The cleaning temperature is set higher than a temperature for detection of temperature of each of the detecting portion during measurement. Air in the toilet installation room contains a trace amount of an aromatic, and aromatic hydrocarbon contained in exhaust fumes of automobiles, such as benzene, toluene, or xylene, as well as linear hydrocarbon, such as methane, and thus a trace amount of these substances is attached to each of the detecting portions even during a waiting period. Then, the temperature of each of the detecting portions increases to the cleaning temperature to rapidly remove and burn a trace amount of the substances attached to the detecting portions to enable the detecting portions to be cleaned. Preferably, the cleaning temperature is set at 420° C. or higher. In addition, the sensor temperature control device maintains temperature of each of the detecting portions at the cleaning temperature for a predetermined time, and then reduces the temperature of each of the detecting portions to a temperature for detection. Accordingly, the temperature of each of the detecting portions becomes a predetermined temperature for detection to be stable until a test subject sits on the seat 4 (refer to
In the present embodiment, the detecting portion 324a of the hydrogen gas sensor 324 is made of tin dioxide, and its temperature for detection is set at about 370° C., as well as the detecting portion 326a of the odiferous gas sensor 326 is made of tungsten trioxide, and its temperature for detection is set at about 350° C. The temperature for detection is set relatively low so that as each of the detecting portions is heated, an internal wall surface of the bypass passage 318b in a periphery of the detecting portions is heated enough to enable sulfur dioxide to be prevented from being created on the internal wall surface. Preferably, the temperature for detection is set at 410° C. or lower. In particular, with respect to the detecting portion 326a made of tungsten trioxide of the odiferous gas sensor 326, it is preferable that its temperature for detection is set at a constant temperature within a range from about 280° C. to about 360° C., and that its cleaning temperature is set at 420° C. or higher. That is, since the odiferous gas sensor is generally sensitive also to hydrogen gas, hydrogen gas may cause a measurement error if contained in gas to be measured. With respect to the odiferous gas sensor 326 including the detecting portion 326a made of tungsten trioxide, used in the present embodiment, the present inventors find that if temperature of the detecting portion 326a is set at a relatively low temperature within a range from about 280° C. to about 360° C., its sensitivity to hydrogen gas is deteriorated to enable odiferous gas to be measured with high accuracy.
When a test subject sits on the seat 4, or the seating detection sensor 36 (refer to
When the test subject starts defecation (detection data acquired by the odiferous gas sensor 326 rises from the reference value), the processing proceeds to step S4 of measurement. In step S4 of measurement, gas containing defecation gas is allowed to flow into the main passage 318a and the bypass passage 318b at a predetermined flow rate to be brought into contact with a detecting portion of each of the hydrogen gas sensor 324, the odiferous gas sensor 326, and the carbon dioxide sensor 328, the detecting portion being heated to a predetermined temperature, and then measurement is performed. After step S4 of measurement has started, and until subsequent step S5 of medical examination is finished, a flow rate of air of each of the fans, as well as temperature of the detecting portion of each of the gas sensors, is still maintained at a predetermined value. When the test subject leaves the seat 4, the processing proceeds to step S5 of medical examination, and then in step S5 of medical examination, measurement results of defecation gas are displayed in the display device 68 (refer to
Subsequently, when the processing proceeds to step S6 of communication, the control device 22 transmits a signal to the bypass suction fan 334 to stop it. Accordingly, defecation gas remaining in the bowl 2a is prevented from being fed to the hydrogen gas sensor 324 and the odiferous gas sensor 326 to contaminate them, even if measurement is finished. Meanwhile, the main suction fan 330 is still operated to suck defecation gas remaining in the bowl 2a into the main passage 318a to continue deodorizing by using the deodorant filter 378.
When the test subject leaves the toilet installation room, the processing proceeds to step S7 of improving environment after measurement, and then the control device 22 performs blowing control of transmitting a signal to the bypass suction fan 334 to operate it at a maximum flow rate of air. This operation is performed to allow fresh air to be brought into contact with the respective detecting portions 324a and 326a of the hydrogen gas sensor 324 and the odiferous gas sensor 326 to blow away foreign material, and the like, attached to each of the detecting portions, while defecation gas remaining in the bowl 2a is sufficiently removed.
When a predetermined time has elapsed after the bypass suction fan 334 has been started at the maximum flow rate of air, the sensor temperature control device increases electric current to be carried to the sensor heaters 354a and 354b to increase temperature of the respective detecting portions 324a and 326a of the odiferous gas sensor 326 and the hydrogen gas sensor 324 to a cleaning temperature of 450° C. Then, the temperature of each of the detecting portions increases to the cleaning temperature to rapidly remove and burn a trace amount of the substances attached to the detecting portions during measurement of defecation gas to enable the detecting portions to be cleaned. At the time, even if temperature of an internal wall surface of the bypass passage 318b increases as each of the detecting portions 324a and 326a is heated, no sulfur dioxide is created on the wall surface because clean air is taken into the bypass passage 318b. If concentration of odiferous gas measured by the odiferous gas sensor 326 does not sufficiently decrease even if a predetermined time has elapsed after the bypass suction fan 334 has been started, the sensor temperature control device does not increase temperature of the sensor heater so that no sensor cleaning is performed. Accordingly, temperature of the detecting portions is prevented from increasing to allow sulfur dioxide to be created on the internal wall surface of the bypass passage 318b, while concentration of odiferous gas in the gas passage for measurement does not sufficiently decrease.
In the present embodiment, the sensor temperature control device maintains temperature of each of the detecting portions at a cleaning temperature for about five minutes longer than a period of the sensor cleaning performed in step S2 of preparing starting measurement. In addition, substances attached to the detecting portions are removed and burned while the bypass suction fan 334 supplies an air flow, so that removed residue substances are blown away from the detecting portions. Subsequently, the sensor temperature control device reduces temperature of each of the detecting portions to a waiting temperature of 200° C., and then stops the bypass suction fan 334 to finish step S7 of improving environment after measurement. After step S7 of improving environment after measurement has been finished, the processing returns to step S1 of improving environment before measurement. The main suction fan 330 is stopped after a predetermined time has elapsed after the test subject has left the seat 4. In this way, the sensor cleaning is performed before and after every measurement of defecation gas. In addition, the sensor cleaning to be performed after step S4 of measurement may be performed after a test subject has left the toilet installation room, or after concentration of odiferous gas in the bypass passage 318b has decreased to a predetermined value or less.
Then, strong sensor cleaning is performed at a predetermined time in step S1 of improving environment before measurement. In the strong sensor cleaning, first each of the main suction fan 330 and the bypass suction fan 334 is operated at a maximum flow rate of air. While these fans are operated, the sensor temperature control device increases temperature of the respective detecting portions 326a and 324a of the odiferous gas sensor 326 and the hydrogen gas sensor 324 to a cleaning temperature of 450° C., and maintains the temperature for fifteen minutes, and then reduces the temperature thereof to a waiting temperature of 200° C. After the temperature of each of the detecting portions has been reduced to the waiting temperature, the main suction fan 330 and the bypass suction fan 334 are stopped to finish the strong sensor cleaning. The strong sensor cleaning, for example, may be set so as to be automatically performed once a day when a test subject barely uses the toilet installation room, such as midnight. The strong sensor cleaning is performed for a longer time than a period of sensor cleaning to be performed before and after step S4 of measurement to more strongly remove substances attached to the detecting portions and the like, so that it is preferable that the strong sensor cleaning is performed in a time period in which the toilet installation room is used at a low frequency so as not to obstruct use of the toilet installation room. In addition, the strong sensor cleaning is performed under conditions where air in the bypass passage 318b is clean, and thus even if temperature of an internal wall surface in a periphery of the detecting portions increases by heating of each of the detecting portions, no sulfur dioxide is created on the internal wall surface.
Although the strong sensor cleaning is performed for a longer time than a period of usual sensor cleaning in the present embodiment, the strong sensor cleaning may be performed at a temperature higher than that of the usual sensor cleaning. In addition, in the present embodiment, although temperature of each of the detecting portions is increased after an interval after the bypass suction fan 334 has been started during the sensor cleaning after step S4 of measurement, and during the strong sensor cleaning, startup of the fan, and rise of temperature of each of the detecting portions, may be simultaneously performed. In step S1 of improving environment before measurement in the present embodiment, although the main suction fan 330 and the bypass suction fan 334 are stopped to stop an air flow, for example, the fans may be operated at a flow rate of air lower than that in step S4 of measurement. Further, in the present embodiment, although the main suction fan 330 and the bypass suction fan 334, constituting a part of the suction device 318, are operated during sensor cleaning to blow an air flow on each of the detecting portions, another blower may be provided separately from the suction device 318 to blow an air flow on each of the detecting portions during the sensor cleaning.
Next, with reference to
As shown in
The main passage 418a includes a vertical portion with an inlet opening downward, and a horizontal portion extending horizontally from an upper end of the vertical portion, and then the hydrogen gas sensor 424 and the carbon dioxide sensor 428 are arranged inside the horizontal portion. In addition, a sensor heater 454b is attached to the hydrogen gas sensor 424 to heat a detecting portion 424a thereof to a predetermined temperature. A fin 422 for stirring air flow is provided in an inlet of the main passage 418a so that each component contained in defecation gas is sucked into the suction device 418 while uniformly distributed. Further, a filter 472 is arranged in an upstream end of the horizontal portion of the main passage 418a so as to traverse the horizontal portion to prevent entry of a splash of urine, or the like. Furthermore, a deodorant filter 478 is provided downstream of the filter 472, and the hydrogen gas sensor 424 and the carbon dioxide sensor 428 are provided downstream of the deodorant filter 478, as well as a main suction fan 430 for the main passage 418a is provided downstream of the hydrogen gas sensor 424 and the carbon dioxide sensor 428. In the main passage 418a, as with the first embodiment (refer to
Meanwhile, the bypass passage 418b branches from the main passage 418a at a portion downstream of the filter 472 and upstream of the deodorant filter 478 to extend horizontally. A flow channel changeover valve 432 is provided in an inlet of the bypass passage 418b to switch between inflow and stop of gas flowing into the main passage 418a into the bypass passage 418b. In the bypass passage 418b of a gas passage for measurement, in the order from an upstream side, there are provided a filter 436, the odiferous gas sensor 426, and a bypass suction fan 434. The flow channel changeover valve 432 may be removed. In addition, a circulating flow channel 438 is provided in the bypass passage 418b so as to connect an upstream side of the odiferous gas sensor 426 and a downstream side of the bypass suction fan 434. Then, a flow channel changeover valve 440 is provided in an inlet of the circulating flow channel 438 positioned in the downstream side of the bypass suction fan 434.
The flow channel changeover valve 440 is configured to be able to switch a flow channel between a discharge position at which defecation gas passing through the bypass suction fan 434 is directly discharged, and a circulating position at which defecation gas is not discharged to flow into the circulating flow channel 438. If the flow channel changeover valve 440 is switched to the circulating position, defecation gas flowing into the bypass passage 418b returns to the upstream side of the odiferous gas sensor 426 again through the circulating flow channel 438 after passing through odiferous gas sensor 426, thereby circulating through the bypass passage 418b. In addition, a sensor heater 454a is attached to the odiferous gas sensor 426 to heat a detecting portion 426a thereof to a predetermined temperature. A first detecting portion or the detecting portion 426a of the odiferous gas sensor 426 is configured to detect gas while heated to the predetermined temperature by the sensor heater 454a.
As described in the first embodiment, the detecting portion 426a of the odiferous gas sensor 426 is maintained at a temperature lower than that of the detecting portion 424a of the hydrogen gas sensor 424 to reduce sensitivity of the detecting portion 426a to hydrogen gas. If the detecting portion 426a is set at a low temperature in this way, responsiveness of the gas sensor may decrease (a rising edge of an output signal may become sluggish). In the present embodiment, the circulating flow channel 438 is provided to allow sucked defecation gas to circulate through the odiferous gas sensor 426, and thus it is possible to reliably detect odiferous gas in defecation gas even if the responsiveness decreases.
Since defecation gas is circulated through the circulating flow channel 438, the flow channel changeover valve 440, and the bypass suction fan 434, these components serve as a circulating device. In addition, circulating defecation gas extends a period in which defecation gas is in contact with the detecting portion of the odiferous gas sensor 426, so that the circulating flow channel 438, the flow channel changeover valve 440, and the bypass suction fan 434, also serve as a contact time extension device.
Alternatively, in the device shown in
If the suction device 418 is used as a deodorizing device, the main suction fan 430 is operated, and the bypass suction fan 434 is stopped, and also the flow channel changeover valve 432 is closed. Accordingly, gas in the bowl 2a is sucked from the inlet of the main passage 418a to pass through the main passage 418a to be deodorized by the deodorant filter 478, and after deodorized, the gas is discharged. If measurement of defecation gas sucked by the suction device 418 is performed, the main suction fan 430 and the bypass suction fan 434 are operated, and the flow channel changeover valve 432 is opened, as well as the flow channel changeover valve 440 is switched to the circulating position. Accordingly, gas sucked from the inlet of the main passage 418a is distributed to the main passage 418a and the bypass passage 418b at a predetermined ratio to flow into the inside of each of the passages, and the gas flowing into the bypass passage 418b circulates through the bypass passage 418b through the circulating flow channel 438. The gas sucked from the inlet of the main passage 418a is stirred by the fin 422 for stirring air flow, so that defecation gas with almost the same components flows into the main passage 418a and the bypass passage 418b.
The defecation gas sucked into the main passage 418a is measured for concentration (content) of carbon dioxide by the carbon dioxide sensor 428 and for concentration (content) of hydrogen gas by the hydrogen gas sensor 424, after passing through the filter 472 and the deodorant filter 478. Since carbon dioxide as well as hydrogen is not adsorbed and removed by the filter 472 and the deodorant filter 478, a measurement value is not affected by the filters. A part of the defecation gas sucked into the main passage 418a is distributed to the bypass passage 418b after passing through the filter 472, and reaches the odiferous gas sensor 426 through the filter 436, and then concentration (amount) of odiferous gas is measured. Odiferous gas is not adsorbed and removed by the filters 472 and 436, so that a measurement value is not affected by the filters.
According to the biological information measurement system 1 of the embodiments of the present invention, the odiferous gas sensor 26 detects gas at an oxidation-reduction reduced temperature (about 280° C. to about 360° C.) at which an oxidation-reduction reaction to a hydrogen gas is deteriorated to relatively raise sensitivity of the detecting portion to the odiferous gas (refer to
Then, according to the biological information measurement system 1 of the present embodiment, the detecting portion of the odiferous gas sensor 26 to be heated to the oxidation-reduction reduced temperature is formed of a material different from that of the detecting portion of the hydrogen gas sensor to be heated to the oxidation-reduction temperature, so that it is possible to easily form a detecting portion that has a high sensitivity to odiferous gas, and a low sensitivity to hydrogen gas.
In addition, according to the biological information measurement system 1 of the present embodiment, physical condition of a test subject is analyzed on the basis of a tendency of time-dependent change in excretory act of multiple times of a relationship between a first index based on odiferous gas and a second index based on healthy-state gas (refer to
According to the biological information measurement system 1 of the present embodiment, during a waiting period during (“step of improving environment before measurement” in
In addition, according to the biological information measurement system 1 of the present embodiment, sensor cleaning (during “step of preparing starting measurement” and “step of improving environment after measurement” in
Further, according to the biological information measurement system 1 of the present embodiment, the sensor cleaning is performed before gas detection is started after entrance of a test subject (during the “step of preparing starting measurement” in
Furthermore, according to the biological information measurement system 1 of the present embodiment, the contact time extension device extends a period in which a defecation gas is in contact with the detecting portion 426a of the odiferous gas sensor 426 (
Then, according to the biological information measurement system 1 of the present embodiment, the storage device (the bypass passage 418b, the flow channel changeover valve 432, the circulating flow channel 438, and the flow channel changeover valve 440, in
In addition, according to the biological information measurement system 1 of the present embodiment, the detecting portion 326a of the odiferous gas sensor 326 and the detecting portion 324a of the hydrogen gas sensor 324 (refer to
Further, according to the biological information measurement system 1 of the present embodiment, while sensor cleaning is performed (step S2 of preparing starting measurement, and step S7 of improving environment after measurement, in
As above, the preferable embodiments of the present invention are described, and in the embodiments described above, healthy-state gas as well as odiferous gas, in defecation gas, is detected to determine a state of physical condition of a test subject on the basis of a relationship between those kinds of gas. In contrast, as a variation, the present invention may be configured to analyze physical condition of a test subject on the basis of only estimated concentration or content of odiferous gas in defecation gas.
In the embodiments described above, although a detecting portion to be set at an oxidation-reduction temperature, and a detecting portion to be set at an oxidation-reduction reduced temperature, are separately provided, for example, the present invention also may be configured to store defecation gas to be measured so that temperature of a single detecting portion provided in the defecation gas can be switched between the oxidation-reduction temperature and the oxidation-reduction reduced temperature.
Although the embodiments described above of the present invention are provided to suck defecation gas discharged into a bowl of a toilet for analysis, defecation gas also can be collected from a portion other than a bowl of a toilet if physical condition of a test subject, such as a bedridden patient, is analyzed. For example, in the embodiment shown in
In the embodiments described above, although healthy-state gas, such as hydrogen gas, methane gas, or carbon dioxide gas, is detected, research by the present inventors reveals that while many test subjects include hydrogen gas in defecation gas as healthy-state gas but no methane gas, a part of test subjects includes methane gas in defecation gas but no hydrogen gas. Thus, if healthy-state gas is measured, it is preferable to provide a gas detector capable of detecting both hydrogen gas and methane gas. In a case of a device targeting a specific test subject who is known for what kind of healthy-state gas is discharged, the device may be configure to be able to detect only any one of kinds of gas.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-017456 | Jan 2015 | JP | national |
| 2015-191422 | Sep 2015 | JP | national |
| 2015-191423 | Sep 2015 | JP | national |
