JP2011047710A - Contact pressure measuring instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a contact pressure measuring instrument for highly accurately measuring a contact pressure between a patient and bedclothes based on their positional relation. <P>SOLUTION: This contact pressure measuring instrument includes: a contact pressure sensor 20 equipped with a plurality of sensor elements 22 filled with air for applying an air pressure to the exterior via tubes 23 connected thereto when being pressed; and a body comprising a liquid crystal display 31 with the pressure sensor 20 connected thereto wherein a typical outline view of the pressure sensor 20 is displayed on the crystal display 31 when a power supply is turned on while respective contact pressures are displayed in display positions corresponding to the states of disposition of the sensor elements 22 when a contact pressure is applied to the pressure sensor 20. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a contact pressure measuring device that can easily measure the contact pressure between each part of a body such as a patient sleeping on a bed and bedding.

  In recent years, nursing and care for bedridden patients in facilities and hospitals have been increasing with the aging of the population. In such situations, patients are often subjected to sustained compression for extended periods of time and are at risk of pressure sores (bed sores). Various pressure ulcer prevention tools such as air mattresses are currently distributed domestically and internationally based on the idea of preventing pressure sores by reducing the pressure.

  In addition to such measures, various contact pressure measuring devices have been developed because it is necessary to know how much pressure is actually applied to which part of the patient. For example, there are ones in which a large number of pressure-sensitive sensors are spread over the entire surface of a bed, and signals from these sensors are analyzed by a computer to display pressure distributions in different colors. Such a device is used for research purposes, and is a custom-made device that is remarkably expensive and large-sized, and requires advanced knowledge and technology when used.

  For this reason, it can be said that it is difficult to know in detail what kind of pressure the patient's body surface is subjected to in an actual nursing care site, and further, the degree of improvement in pressure environment due to the use of a pressure ulcer prevention device. For this reason, staff engaged in nursing, etc. have few ways of knowing the risk of developing pressure ulcers due to invisible pressure, and have caused or worsened pressure ulcers that can be prevented in nature. This is the current situation.

  In order to solve this problem, a contact pressure measuring device that measures the contact pressure generated between the patient's body surface and the bedding with a simple structure as shown in Patent Document 1 has been proposed.

  This contact pressure measuring device sandwiches the foamed plastic that returns to its original shape when the pressure is released between two air-impermeable sheets without pressing, and the air-impermeable from the vicinity of the foamed plastic. A tube extending to the outside of the sheet, and a contact pressure sensor configured by adhering the foamed plastic and the air-impermeable sheet around the tube to each other; and a tip portion of the tube of the contact pressure sensor The pressure detector arranged in the position and the pressure signal of the pressure detector are output as they are when the signal from the pressure detector is single, and the average value or maximum value of these signal values in the case of multiple signals And a display unit that digitally displays an output signal of the conversion circuit.

JP2000-111420A

  In the contact pressure measuring device described in Patent Document 1, when there is a single contact pressure sensor, it is unknown whether the numerical value indicated by the contact pressure sensor indicates the value of the highest contact pressure between the patient and the bedding. In addition, when there are a plurality of contact pressure sensors, either the average value or the maximum value of these sensor signals is output, so that which part of the patient receives the maximum contact pressure in the same manner. It wasn't clear whether it was.

  In addition, since the 2 mm thick urethane foam that returns to its original shape when the pressure is released is sandwiched between the air-impermeable sheets without pressing, the internal pressure can be increased by using the contact pressure sensor for a long time. In some cases, it was difficult to maintain measurement accuracy due to deterioration of the urethane foam sealed in the container or breakage of the contact pressure sensor.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and provides a contact pressure measuring device capable of measuring contact pressure between a patient and bedding with high accuracy based on the positional relationship.

  The contact pressure measuring device according to claim 1 includes a contact pressure sensor having a plurality of sensor elements that apply air pressure to the outside through a tube connected when air is sealed inside and pressed, and a liquid crystal display. When the contact pressure sensor is connected and the power is turned on, an external schematic diagram of the contact pressure sensor is displayed on the liquid crystal display, and when the contact pressure is applied to the contact pressure sensor, And a main body that displays each contact pressure at a display position corresponding to the arrangement state of each sensor element.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the contact pressure measuring device according to the first aspect, one sensor element of the contact pressure sensor is arranged at the center, and another sensor element is arranged on a circumference surrounding the sensor element. It is characterized by.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the contact pressure measuring device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the main body has a guidance button, and when the guidance button is turned on after the power is turned on, the guidance mode is set and displayed on the liquid crystal display. The contact pressure of each sensor element is displayed in a concentric pattern according to its strength at the display position corresponding to the arrangement state of each sensor element on the schematic external view, and the sensor element showing the highest contact pressure is displayed. The contact pressure is displayed as a numerical value on the liquid crystal display.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the contact pressure measuring device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the main body has a start button, and when the start button is turned on after the power is turned on, the normal mode is set and a predetermined time has elapsed. Later, among the sensor elements, the contact pressure of the sensor element that is the highest contact pressure is displayed as a numerical value on the liquid crystal display.

  Furthermore, the invention according to claim 5 is the contact pressure measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the main body has a non-volatile memory and a memory button, and the memory button is pressed after the contact pressure is measured. When turned ON, the numerical value is stored, the contact pressure to each sensor element is sequentially stored by a predetermined operation, and the contact pressure to each sensor element by another predetermined operation is displayed on the liquid crystal display as a graph over time. The feature is that it can be displayed.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the contact pressure sensor includes a plurality of sensor elements, and the contact pressure to each sensor element is displayed in a schematic external view of the contact pressure sensor displayed on the liquid crystal display. It becomes clear which part has the largest contact pressure. In addition, since the sensor element is also filled with air, it does not cause deterioration due to long-term use, such as urethane foam, or folds, and stable measurement can be performed over a long period of time.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, since one sensor element of the contact pressure sensor is arranged at the center and another sensor element is arranged on the circumference surrounding the sensor element, by looking at the contact pressure of each sensor element, It becomes easy to visually understand which part of the patient's body has high contact pressure and which direction is low.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the guidance button is turned on after the power is turned on, the guidance mode is set, and the contact pressure to each sensor element corresponds to the strength at the display position corresponding to the arrangement state of each sensor element on the liquid crystal display. The contact pressure of the sensor element showing the highest contact pressure is displayed as a numerical value in a concentric pattern, so if you move the contact pressure sensor so that the sensor element in the center shows the highest value It can be seen that the position of the contact pressure sensor is the most suitable measurement position.

  According to the invention of claim 4, when the start button is turned on after the power is turned on, the normal mode is set, and the contact pressure of the sensor element that becomes the maximum contact pressure of each sensor element after a lapse of a predetermined time is displayed as a numerical value. Contact pressure can be measured. Further, as described in the third aspect of the invention, if the position of the contact pressure sensor is set to the most suitable measurement position and then the start button is turned on, the maximum value of the contact pressure at that position is plotted. be able to.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when the memory button is turned on after the contact pressure is measured, the numerical value is stored, the contact pressure of each sensor element is sequentially stored by a predetermined operation, and each memory operation is performed by another predetermined operation. Since the contact pressure of the sensor element can be displayed on the liquid crystal display as a graph with the passage of time, the change in the contact pressure for a certain part of the patient can be observed with the passage of time. You can know the timing.

  In addition, it is said that the risk line for the occurrence of pressure ulcer is 32mmHg, so it turns out that it is necessary to take immediate measures such as changing the mat when contact pressure is applied more than this. To do. This makes it possible to prevent pressure ulcers from occurring and to prevent deterioration of pressure ulcers that have already occurred.

It is an external view which shows embodiment which concerns on this invention and shows the state which connected the contact pressure sensor to the main body. (A) is explanatory drawing of the place which connects a contact pressure sensor (not shown) to a main body via a coupler, (b) is a figure which shows the state which locked the coupler with the locking mechanism with respect to the main body. The coupler mechanism which consists of the coupler convex part connected with the coupler concave part provided in the main body and a contact pressure sensor is shown, (a) shows before the coupling | bonding, (b) is a figure which shows a coupling | bonding state. It is a block diagram which shows the electric circuit of a main body. It is a flowchart when measuring a contact pressure. In the guidance mode, the contact pressure to each sensor element shown on the main unit liquid crystal display is illustrated, and the contact pressure to each sensor element changes as indicated by the arrow by moving the contact pressure sensor FIG.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a contact pressure measuring device according to the present invention. A contact pressure measuring device 10 includes a contact pressure sensor 20 sandwiched between a patient and bedding and a liquid crystal display 31 as shown in the figure. The contact pressure sensor 20 and the main body 30 are connected by a coupler 50.

  The contact pressure sensor 20 is formed of an outer bag 21 having a substantially rhombus on the outside, and a balloon-shaped sensor element 22 is accommodated therein. The sensor element 22 is obtained by welding two air-impermeable sheets having a thickness of about 0.3 mm with the periphery of the tube 23 sandwiched therebetween. In this embodiment, the contact pressure sensor 20 has five sensor elements 22, one at the center (number 1) and another sensor element 22 (number 2, on the circumference surrounding it). 3, 4, 5) are arranged. In addition, a polyurethane film or a vinyl chloride film can be used for the air impermeable sheet of the sensor element 22, and the thickness can be appropriately set within a range of 0.02 mm to 0.5 mm. The tube 23 is made of polyurethane having a pressure resistance of about 1 mmφ.

  Each tube 23 communicates with each sensor element 22, extends from the outer bag 21, and is connected to the coupler 50. On the other hand, the main body 30 has a plastic casing 32, and a liquid crystal display 31 is disposed on the surface thereof. A start button 33, a guidance button 34 indicated by a G mark, a power switch 35, a memory button 36, a feed button 37, and the like are provided below the liquid crystal display 31.

  Further, when the power switch 35 is turned on, a schematic view of the contact pressure sensor 20 is displayed on the liquid crystal display 31, and the number of each sensor element 22 is displayed corresponding to the arrangement state. Here, since the contact pressure sensor 20 has a substantially rhombus shape, the appearance schematic diagram shows the rhombus line and a number corresponding to the arrangement state of the five sensor elements 22 housed therein. Is. Other displays displayed on the liquid crystal display 31 will be described later.

  The coupler structure for connecting the contact pressure sensor 20 and the main body 30 is a cylindrical tube made up of five hard tubes provided at the tip of a tube 23 connected to the sensor element 22 as shown in FIG. 51. A plug-like coupler 50 in which 51 is arranged in a parallel state, and a fitting hole 38 provided on the main body side facing the cylindrical tube 51 of the coupler 50 and into which the cylindrical tube 51 is fitted in a watertight state. And a socket part.

FIG. 2B shows a concave groove (not shown) in which a lock claw 52 provided on the back surface of the coupler 50 is provided on the back surface of the main body 30 when the coupler 50 is fitted and connected to the socket portion of the main body 30. A lock mechanism that locks and retains is shown. When the lock is released, the lock claw 52 is lifted and removed from the concave groove against the force of the spring applied to the claw 52, and the coupler 50 is pulled out from the main body 30. In addition, the code | symbol 39 in a figure has shown the lid | cover for attaching / detaching the battery (006P) of the main body 30. FIG. Instead of the battery, power can be supplied by an AC adapter.

  The coupler structure will be further described. As shown in FIG. 3A, the coupler 50 includes five hard cylindrical tubes 51 arranged in parallel, and the tubes 23 extending from the sensor elements 22 are respectively connected to the cylindrical tubes 51. It is connected. On the other hand, the main body 30 is provided with five fitting holes 38 at positions facing the respective cylindrical tubes 51. An O-ring 38 a is disposed at the entrance of each fitting hole 38 and forms a watertight state with respect to the fitting of the cylindrical tube 51.

In addition, a pressure sensor 40 (for example, a silicon pressure sensor) that measures air pressure is fixedly disposed at the end of each fitting hole 38, and the cylindrical tube 51 is placed in the fitting hole 38. When inserted, a predetermined amount of air in the fitting hole 38 flows into the sensor element 22 through the tube 23, and an amount of air necessary for measuring the contact pressure is enclosed in the sensor element 22. It is like that. Actually, by connecting the coupler 50 to the main body 30, the amount of air enclosed in the sensor element 22 is 0.7 ml, and the signal from the pressure sensor 40 at that time is set to display 0.0 mmHg. Yes. FIG. 3B shows a state in which the coupler 50 is completely fitted into the main body 30.

  Next, an electric circuit provided in the main body 30 is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the main body 30 is provided with a pressure sensor 40 at the end of each fitting hole 38, and an output signal of the pressure sensor 40 is A / D converted by an A / D converter 41. The output converted into a digital signal is converted into a voltage by the digital / voltage converter 42, and the converted voltage value is converted into a pressure value by the voltage / pressure converter 43, and the liquid crystal is output via the LCD output unit 44. It is displayed on the display 31 as a numerical value (unit: mmHg) or an image.

The memory 45 is a non-volatile memory and can store pressure data acquired by operating the memory button 36. SW1 to SW5 are switches corresponding to the start button 33, the guidance button 34, the power switch 35, the memory button 36, and the feed button 37.

  Then, the usage method of this contact pressure measuring apparatus 10 is demonstrated with reference to FIG. First, after the contact pressure sensor 20 is set in the main body 30 via the coupler 50, when the power switch 35 is turned on, a schematic diagram of the appearance of the substantially rhombic contact pressure sensor 20 is displayed on the liquid crystal display 31, as shown in FIG. In addition, a number is displayed at a position corresponding to each sensor element 22, and 0.0 mmHg is displayed on the lower side. This shows a state in which no pressure is applied to the contact pressure sensor 20.

  Next, when the contact pressure sensor 20 is sandwiched between the bedding and the measurement site of the patient and the guidance button 34 is turned on, the contact pressure to each sensor element 22 is displayed at the display position corresponding to the arrangement state of each sensor element 22 on the liquid crystal display 31. At the same time, a graphic is displayed and a “guidance” mark is displayed in the liquid crystal display 31 to enter the guidance mode.

  In the graphic display, as shown in FIG. 6A, the strength of the contact pressure applied to the five sensor elements 22 is displayed in a four-stage concentric circle graph. The single circle is less than 30.0 mmHg, the double circle is less than 60.0 mmHg, the triple circle is less than 90.0 mmHg, and the quadrant is 91.0 mmHg or more, and they are displayed in order from the outside.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 6B, the contact pressure sensor 20 is moved so that the sensor element 22 showing the highest contact pressure becomes the sensor element 22 of No. 1 (center sensor element), Thereafter, when the start button 33 is turned on, “normal” is displayed in the liquid crystal display 31, the normal mode is entered, and the value at which the contact pressure reaches the maximum after a lapse of a certain time is measured. At this time, the maximum contact pressure is displayed as a numerical value (unit: mmHg) on the liquid crystal display 31.

  Also at this time, the measured value for each sensor element 22 is displayed in the number of circles, and the number and graph of the sensor element 22 that has measured the maximum value flashes. The measurement value for every 22 can be viewed as a numerical value (unit: mmHg).

  In order to memorize the measured value, the memory button 36 is pressed after the measurement, and the memory number at the upper right of the measured value blinks twice, and the data is stored in the memory 45. It is possible to continue measurement after memory.

  In addition, after the power switch 35 is turned on, the guidance button 34 is turned on to enter the guidance mode, and when the start button 33 is pressed for a long time (2 seconds or longer), the long term mode is set. The contact pressure is sequentially measured at intervals of 0.8 seconds, and the measurement results are displayed on the liquid crystal display with graphs and numerical values. To end the long term mode, the power switch 35 is turned off or the start button 33 is pressed again to return to the normal mode. Although the measurement interval is set to 0.8 seconds, this is merely an example, and an optimal interval may be set.

Next, the memory function will be further described.
There are 25 memory maximum values stored in the memory 45, the latest measurement value is the memory number 01, and the memory number is sequentially lowered from the new measurement value to the old measurement value. In order to recall the memory, the memory button 36 is pressed for 2 seconds or longer in the normal mode (in the state where the “normal” mark is displayed). Then, the latest measured value (memory number 01) is displayed, “Memory 01” is displayed in the liquid crystal display 31 and blinks. Each time the feed button 37 is pressed, the previous measured value is displayed. Note that the memory number can be fast-forwarded when the feed button 37 is pressed and held. Then, the transition from the memory mode to the normal mode is performed by pressing the start button 33.

  When the memory button 36 is pressed again while the memory number is displayed by the above operation, the flashing of the memory number stops and the number of the sensor element 22 and the pie chart flash. And the measured value of each sensor element 22 is displayed in order in the order of pressing the feed button 37. When the power switch 35 is turned on while pressing the “memory button” in the power switch OFF state, all data stored in the memory 45 can be erased.

  In the claims and the above embodiments, the power switch, the start button, the guidance button, the memory button, the feed button, and the like are referred to. It is not limited, and includes those for performing similar operations.

  In the above embodiment, the contact pressure measuring device has been described for measuring the contact pressure between a patient and bedding. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the contact pressure between other objects can be measured. it can. For example, when an object is placed on a flat surface, a contact pressure sensor is sandwiched between them to measure the position where the center of gravity is applied, or to check whether the object is horizontal.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Contact pressure measuring device 20 Contact pressure sensor 21 External body 22 Sensor element 23 Tube 30 Main body
31 Liquid crystal display 32 Housing 33 Start button 34 Guidance button 35 Power switch 36 Memory button 37 Feed button 38 Fitting hole 38a O-ring 40 Pressure sensor 50 Coupler 51 Cylindrical tube 52 Lock claw

Claims (5)

A contact pressure sensor having a plurality of sensor elements that apply air pressure to the outside through a tube connected when air is sealed inside and pressed;
When the contact pressure sensor is connected and the power supply is turned on, a schematic external view of the contact pressure sensor is displayed on the liquid crystal display, and when the contact pressure is applied to the contact pressure sensor, the appearance A main body in which each contact pressure is displayed at a display position corresponding to the arrangement state of each sensor element on the schematic diagram;
A contact pressure measuring device comprising:   2. The contact pressure measuring device according to claim 1, wherein one sensor element of the contact pressure sensor is arranged at a central portion, and another sensor element is arranged on a circumference surrounding the sensor element.   The main body has a guidance button. When the guidance button is turned on after the power is turned on, the guidance mode is set, and each sensor element is displayed at a display position corresponding to the arrangement state of each sensor element on the schematic external view displayed on the liquid crystal display. The contact pressure of the sensor element is displayed in a concentric pattern according to its strength, and the contact pressure of the sensor element showing the highest contact pressure is displayed as a numerical value on the liquid crystal display. 3. The contact pressure measuring device according to 1 or 2.   The main body has a start button. When the start button is turned on after the power is turned on, the normal mode is set, and the contact pressure of the sensor element that is the highest contact pressure among the sensor elements is displayed on the liquid crystal display after a predetermined time has elapsed. The contact pressure measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the contact pressure measuring device is used.   The main body has a non-volatile memory and a memory button. When the memory button is turned on after measuring the contact pressure, the numerical value is stored, and the contact pressure to each sensor element is sequentially stored by a predetermined operation. 5. The contact pressure measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the contact pressure to each sensor element can be displayed on the liquid crystal display as a graph with time by the predetermined operation. .

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