JP7726705B2 - non-contact thermometer - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a non-contact thermometer that measures the temperature of the human body.

Traditionally, body temperature has been measured using a thermometer that is held under the arm or in the mouth, but when taking a temperature test for purposes such as preventing infectious diseases, it is preferable for the person taking the temperature to be at a distance from the person being measured, and a measuring device that does not come into contact with the person's body is used.

In recent years, in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, facilities with an unspecified number of people entering and exiting the facility have set up areas for temperature checks and are conducting simple temperature checks on facility users. These temperature checks often use handheld devices that can be held by the person taking the temperature.

This handy non-contact thermometer has a temperature measurement unit that is pointed towards the human body (person being measured), and is equipped with a temperature measurement means that uses an infrared temperature sensor to detect infrared rays emitted by the human body (detecting the amount of infrared rays), and a distance measurement means that uses a distance sensor to detect the distance between the temperature measurement unit and the human body.When taking a temperature, the temperature measurement unit is positioned a predetermined distance from the surface of the human body (usually the forehead).

When measuring body temperature using a non-contact thermometer, the person measuring the temperature must visually determine the appropriate distance between the temperature measurement unit and the person's forehead. Patent Document 1 discloses a method for making it easier to measure body temperature by maintaining an appropriate distance between the thermometer's temperature measurement unit and the human body.

Specifically, Patent Document 1 relates to an infrared thermometer, and describes a device that uses an infrared distance unit to sound an alarm when the subject's forehead is positioned appropriately from the body temperature measurement unit.

Patent Document 2 also relates to an infrared thermometer. The infrared thermometer in this document repeatedly compares the distance measured by optical means with a preset distance when the temperature measurement operation starts, and calculates the temperature of the measurement area only when the infrared temperature sensor reaches the correct position setting.

Furthermore, the processing device automatically intervenes in the calculation of the temperature of the measurement area as soon as it recognizes that the infrared temperature sensor is in the correct position. Alternatively, when the operator is informed by a signal that the correct position has been reached, the processing device can be manually intervened by operating a keypad or the like. (Patent Document 2, paragraph 0038)

The patent also shows that if the measured distance does not fall within the set error range, the infrared thermometer itself issues an optical/acoustic error notification and does not take into account the signal from the infrared temperature sensor (intensity transducer) that detects infrared radiation emitted by the human body. (Patent Document 2, 0038, Figure 5)

JP 2018-004519 A Special Publication No. 2002-502023

As mentioned above, handheld non-contact thermometers measure body temperature by maintaining a predetermined distance between the temperature measurement unit and the surface of the subject's body. However, because the person measuring the thermometer holds and operates it, the distance between the temperature measurement unit and the subject's body can easily deviate from the predetermined distance.

In non-contact thermometers, if the temperature measurement unit is not positioned at a specified distance from the surface of the human body, an error is notified without displaying the body temperature value, as described in Patent Document 2.

On the other hand, handheld non-contact thermometers are also often used in non-medical facilities. Furthermore, the person taking the temperature often does not know how a non-contact thermometer works, and is unfamiliar with how to operate it.

As a result, if an inexperienced user measures a person from an inappropriate distance, even if the person appears healthy, if an error message displays simply as the string "Err," the user may mistakenly conclude that the non-contact thermometer is malfunctioning.

In light of the above-mentioned circumstances, the present invention aims to make it easier for the person taking the measurement to remember that they should adjust the distance between the non-contact thermometer and the human body when the distance between the non-contact thermometer and the human body being measured is inappropriate, and to enable proper body temperature measurement using a non-contact thermometer.

(Invention of Claim 1)
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and provides a non-contact thermometer that measures the temperature of a human body by arranging an infrared temperature sensor in the temperature measurement unit and a distance measurement unit that measures the distance between the temperature measurement unit and the human body by arranging a distance sensor in the temperature measurement unit, and measures the temperature by measuring the distance between the temperature measurement unit and the human body without coming into contact with the human body.
a control means for determining whether or not the distance measured by the distance measuring means satisfies a predetermined distance condition;
The above problem is solved by providing a non-contact thermometer characterized by having a display means that flashes the measured body temperature measured by the body temperature measuring means when the measurement distance does not satisfy the distance condition.

(Invention of Claim 2)
In the present invention, it is preferable that the display means displays the error information in a lit state after the blinking display has ended.

(Invention of Claim 3)
In the present invention, it is preferable that the display means illuminates the measured body temperature when the measured distance satisfies the distance condition.

(Invention of Claim 4)
In addition, the present invention includes a button switch and a power supply device that supplies power to the body temperature measuring means, the distance measuring means, the display means, and the control means for a certain period of time from when the button switch is pressed,
When the button switch is pressed during the display operation of the display means, the control means
canceling the operation control of the display means that was performed before the button switch was pressed;
It is preferable that the above determination be made for the distance measured by the distance measuring means after the button switch is pressed.

(Invention of Claim 5)
In addition, in the present invention, it is preferable that the power supply device stops supplying power to the body temperature measuring means, distance measuring means, display means, and control means when a certain period of time has passed since the button switch was pressed.

(Effect of the invention of claim 1)
According to the invention of claim 1, if the person taking the temperature is standing at an inappropriate distance, the temperature measured by the temperature measuring means is displayed, albeit in a flashing manner, so that the person taking the temperature can quickly ascertain that the temperature measuring means is functioning correctly.
Furthermore, the person taking the measurement can easily understand from the blinking display of the body temperature that the distance between the body temperature measurement unit and the human body is inappropriate.

This has the effect of preventing the person taking the measurement from mistakenly thinking that the non-contact thermometer is malfunctioning due to the operation of the display means that indicates when the temperature measurement unit is at an inappropriate distance from the human body.

(Effect of the invention of claim 2)
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the display means displays the error information in a lit state after the flashing display has ended, which has the effect of clearly suggesting to the measurer that he or she should try the measurement again.

(Effect of the invention of claim 3)
According to the invention of claim 3, the body temperature measured at an appropriate distance is displayed as a light, making it easier to check the body temperature value, and even if the person taking the measurement is unfamiliar with operating a non-contact thermometer, they can take an appropriate temperature measurement.

(Effect of the invention of claim 4)
According to the invention of claim 4, a new body temperature measurement is performed by pressing the button switch, so that temperature measurement work for a plurality of subjects can be performed smoothly and continuously.

(Effect of the invention of claim 5)
According to the invention of claim 5, even if the non-contact thermometer is left turned on after the temperature measurement is completed, the power supply to the temperature measurement means, distance measurement means, display means and control means will be stopped after a certain period of time has passed, thereby preventing waste of power (batteries, etc.).

1A and 1B show a non-contact thermometer according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is a plan view of the non-contact thermometer, and FIG. 1B is a front view of the non-contact thermometer. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a non-contact thermometer according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a display surface of a display unit. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a control flow.

Next, the present invention will be described based on the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 4. Figure 1 shows the shape of a non-contact thermometer 1, and Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of the configuration of the non-contact thermometer 1. The non-contact thermometer 1 shown comprises a case 2 and a body temperature measuring unit 3 disposed at the tip of the case 2. Specifically, the non-contact thermometer 1 is held by the person taking the measurement via the case 2, and the body temperature measuring unit 3 is pointed toward the forehead of the person being measured without making contact with the forehead to measure the temperature.

The shape of the case 2 shown in the embodiment is an example, and the shape of the case 2 may be a pen shape, a gun shape, or a shape that is bent in a roughly V shape. In other words, the shape of the non-contact thermometer 1 is not limited to that shown in the embodiment.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the non-contact thermometer 1 comprises a body temperature measurement means 4 that measures the body temperature of the human body (person being measured), a distance measurement means 5 that measures the distance between the body temperature measurement unit 3 and the surface of the human body, a display means 6 formed using a liquid crystal display device, a power supply unit 7 that supplies power, and a button switch 8 that is an operating means handled by the person taking the measurement. Furthermore, the non-contact thermometer 1 is provided with a control means 9 that is connected to and controls the body temperature measurement means 4, distance measurement means 5, display means 6, power supply unit 7, and button switch 8.

(Temperature measurement means)
The body temperature measurement means 4 comprises an infrared temperature sensor 10 disposed in the body temperature measurement section 3 and facing outward through the opening 3a. The infrared temperature sensor 10 detects infrared rays emitted by the human body. The measurement value measured by the infrared temperature sensor 10 is transmitted to the control means 9. The body temperature measurement means 4 also measures the temperature of the environment in which the non-contact thermometer 1 is used (i.e., the environment in which the temperature is measured). The measurement value is transmitted to the control means 9. Finally, the control means 9 measures the body temperature of the person being measured based on both measurement values received from the infrared temperature sensor 10.

When the body temperature measurement means 4 measures the temperature of the environment in which the device is used, the control means 9 acquires the temperature of the environment by switching to a method different from the conversion method used to obtain the body temperature of the human body from the amount of infrared light detected by the infrared temperature sensor 10.

(Distance measuring means)
Furthermore, a distance sensor 11, which serves as distance measurement means 5, is disposed in the body temperature measurement unit 3 and faces the outside through the opening 3b. The distance sensor 11 has a mechanism for measuring distance by detecting the phase difference between emitted light and its reflected light, and is a sensor that outputs an infrared signal (IR signal) from the light-emitting element side, inputs the reflected signal to the light-receiving element, and detects the phase difference of the light to measure distance.

The distance measurement means 5 then measures the distance between the body temperature measurement unit 3 and the subject's forehead during temperature measurement, and transmits the measured distance as a signal to the control means 9.

(Display means)
The display means 6 is made up of a liquid crystal display device with a backlight that emits light in multiple colors, and is attached to the flat (top) surface of the case 2 so that the display surface 12 faces outward, as shown in Fig. 1. Also, as shown in Fig. 3, a temperature display section 13 capable of displaying letters, symbols, numbers, and units is provided in a portion of the display surface 12, and the measured body temperature of the subject is displayed in numbers on the temperature display section 13, for example.

As shown in Figure 3, the display surface 12 further includes a body temperature measurement mode display section 16, an object surface temperature measurement mode display section 17, and a battery remaining capacity display section 18. Note that the layout of information displayed on the display surface 12 is not limited to the example embodiment shown.

(Control means)
The control means 9 is a calculation processing unit (e.g., a CPU) incorporated inside the case 2 as shown in Figure 2. The control means 9 also executes various processes based on control programs and data stored in storage means (memory) such as ROM and RAM (not shown). For example, as described above, the control means 9 measures the body temperature of the subject based on the infrared rays emitted by the human body and the temperature of the surrounding environment received from the infrared temperature sensor 10, and displays the measured body temperature on the display means 6.

The control means 9 also receives the measured distance measured by the distance measurement means 5 as a signal and determines whether the measured distance between the body temperature measurement unit 3 and the measurement object satisfies predetermined distance conditions.

When the measurement distance meets the predetermined distance conditions, the control means 9 causes the measured body temperature to be displayed on the temperature display unit 13 of the display means 6, and also operates to store the measured body temperature as the temperature measurement result in the memory (information storage portion) provided in the control means 9.

Furthermore, as explained in the control flow below, when the measured distance does not satisfy the distance condition, the temperature display section 13 of the display means 6 flashes the body temperature measured when the measured distance did not satisfy the distance condition until the elapsed time value of the timer provided in the control means 9 reaches a predetermined value (i.e., for a predetermined time).

By displaying the measured body temperature in this way while flashing, the person taking the measurement can be made to recognize that the non-contact thermometer 1 is operating properly and that no electrical or mechanical malfunctions have occurred (avoiding the mistaken conclusion that a malfunction has occurred). Furthermore, the flashing display makes it easy to understand that the distance conditions between the body temperature measurement unit 3 and the person being measured's forehead are not appropriate.

The display means 6 does not flash the above-mentioned display for more than a predetermined period of time, and after the period of time has elapsed, the temperature display unit 13 is controlled to display the word "Err" and illuminate it.

In this way, the control means 9 controls the operation so that the body temperature measured when the measurement distance does not satisfy the distance condition is displayed in a flashing manner, and after the flashing display ends, the word "Err" is displayed in a lit state in the temperature display section 13. Because the error message using the word "Err" is continuously displayed in the temperature display section 13, it is possible to clearly inform the person taking the measurement that they need to take the measurement again.

(button switch)
The button switch 8 is attached to the case 2 and can be operated by pressing it with the fingertips of the hand holding the non-contact thermometer 1. The button switch 8 is connected to the control means 9 in the case 2, and the control means 9 receives a signal when the button switch 8 is pressed.

(power supply)
Furthermore, the power supply device 7 incorporated inside the case 2 is also connected to the control means 9 as described above. The power supply device 7 is configured to supply and stop power supply via the control means 9, and when the button switch 8 is pressed, power is supplied to the body temperature measuring means 4, distance measuring means 5 and display means 6 for a certain period of time from the time the button switch 8 is pressed, and power supply is stopped if the button switch 8 is not pressed for the next operation for a certain period of time.

As a method for the non-contact thermometer 1 itself to measure a fixed period of time, for example, a timer is provided in the control means 9, and measurement can be performed by the timer reaching a predetermined value from the time it receives a signal from pressing the button switch 8. When the button switch 8 is pressed, the timer's value at that time is canceled and the timer is then advanced.

As described above, pressing the button switch 8 supplies power to the body temperature measurement means 4, distance measurement means 5, display means 6, and control means 9. The control means 9 then causes the body temperature measurement means 4 to measure the body temperature, the distance measurement means 5 to measure the distance to the object, makes the above-mentioned determination, and causes the display means 6 to display the measured body temperature and, if necessary, to display the above-mentioned error.

When taking the temperature of a person being measured with this non-contact thermometer 1, the button switch 8 is pressed. If the button switch 8 is pressed while the display means 6 is lighting or flashing the measured body temperature or while lighting or displaying error information, the control means 9 cancels the operational control of the display means 6 that was in place before the button switch 8 was pressed. Therefore, the body temperature can be measured regardless of the state of the button switch 8 before it was pressed.

The control means 9 is configured to make the above-mentioned judgment based on the distance measured by the distance measuring means 5 after the button switch 8 is pressed.

(flowchart)
Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the control flow of the control means 9 of the non-contact thermometer 1. Among the multiple control programs provided in the control means 9 of the non-contact thermometer 1, there is a body temperature measurement mode as a control program corresponding to temperature measurement, and this body temperature measurement mode is shown in Figure 4.

[Step 01 (S01), Step 02 (S02)]
In this body temperature measurement mode, when the button switch 8 is pressed, the power supply device 7 supplies power to the body temperature measurement means 4, distance measurement means 5, display means 6, and control means 9, and the display surface 12 of the display means 6 is fully lit for a predetermined period of time. Power supply is shown in the flowchart as the full display being lit (S01, S02).

Check if body temperature measurement mode is OK [Step 03 (S03) - Step 05 (S05)]
Next, a human-shaped icon (body temperature measurement mode display section 16) is lit on the display surface 12 of the display means 6 to indicate that the body temperature measurement mode has been selected (S03), and then a determination is made as to whether there has been no operation for 30 seconds, including actions such as switching to another mode (S04), and if the determination is Yes, power supply to the body temperature measurement means 4, distance measurement means 5, display means 6, and control means 9 is stopped (S05).

[Step 06 (S06)]
If the determination in (S04) is No, the control flow connects to the determination (S06) of whether the button switch 8 has been pressed, and if the determination in (S06) is No, the control flow connects to the input side of the determination in (S04). Also, this (S06) stage is assumed to be when the person measuring presses the button switch 8 with the body temperature measurement unit 3 of the non-contact thermometer 1 facing the forehead of the person not being measured.

● Start temperature measurement [Step 07 (S07), Step 08 (S08)]
In this step (S07), the body temperature measuring means 4 measures the body temperature of the subject based on the amount of infrared radiation emitted from the subject's forehead and the temperature of the surrounding environment.

After the above (S07), a determination is made as to whether the distance between the non-contact thermometer 1 and the subject's forehead is, for example, within 3 cm (S08). The part of the control flow shown as determining whether the distance is within 3 cm corresponds to the determination made by the control means 9 described above.

[Step 09 (S09)]
If the determination in (S08) above is Yes, the control flow proceeds to the next (S09), which is a step in which an operation is performed to notify the user that the temperature has been measured correctly.

In this step (S09), power is supplied to the sound generator (not shown) of the non-contact thermometer 1, causing the buzzer to sound, and the measured body temperature is displayed on the temperature display unit 13. If the temperature measurement result is 38°C or higher, the control means 9 turns on the red backlight of the display means 6. The temperature measurement result is also saved (stored) in memory.

The red backlight remains on until a certain period of time has elapsed, or until button switch 8 is pressed to start the next measurement.

Once step (S09) is completed, the control flow connects to the input side of the decision in step (S04) above.

[Step 10 (S10)]
If the determination in (S08) above is No, the flow of control proceeds to (S10), which is the operation performed when it is determined that the temperature measurement was performed without satisfying the distance condition between the non-contact thermometer 1 and the subject's forehead.

To inform the person taking the temperature that it was not measured correctly, in (S10), the control means 9 controls a sound generator (not shown) to sound a buzzer. The control means 9 also causes the temperature display unit 13 to flash the body temperature (temperature measurement result) measured at an inappropriate distance. At this time, the temperature measurement result display flashes for 3 seconds every 0.5 seconds. If the temperature measurement result is 38°C or higher, the red backlight will light up for 3 seconds, or will remain lit until the button switch 8 is pressed to start the next measurement.

After the temperature measurement result flashes, an error message (e.g., "Err") indicating that the temperature was not measured correctly is displayed on the temperature display unit 13. While the temperature measurement result is flashing or while the "Err" message is displayed, pressing the button switch 8 allows you to proceed to the next measurement. In other words, the control flow connects to the input side of the judgment in (S04) above.

Note that since the temperature was not measured correctly, the temperature measurement result is not stored in memory. Once step (S10) is completed, the control flow connects to the input side of the judgment at step (S04).

1... Non-contact thermometer 2... Case 3... Body temperature measurement section 4... Body temperature measurement means 5... Distance measurement means 6... Display means 7... Power supply device 8... Button switch 9... Control means 10... Infrared temperature sensor 11... Distance sensor 12... Display surface 13... Temperature display section 16... Body temperature measurement mode display section 17... Object surface temperature measurement mode display section 18... Remaining battery level display section

Claims (5)

A non-contact thermometer is provided with a body temperature measuring means for measuring the body temperature of a human body by arranging an infrared temperature sensor in the body temperature measuring section, and a distance measuring means for measuring the distance between the body temperature measuring section and the human body by arranging a distance sensor in the body temperature measuring section, and measures the body temperature by measuring the distance between the body temperature measuring section and the human body without contacting the body,
a control means for determining whether or not the distance measured by the distance measuring means satisfies a predetermined distance condition;
A non-contact thermometer comprising a display means for flashing the measured body temperature measured by the body temperature measuring means when the measured distance does not satisfy the distance condition. The non-contact thermometer of claim 1, wherein the display means displays the error information in a lit state after the flashing display ends. A non-contact thermometer as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the display means illuminates the measured body temperature when the measurement distance satisfies the distance condition. The device comprises a button switch and a power supply device that supplies power to the body temperature measuring means, the distance measuring means, the display means, and the control means for a certain period of time from when the button switch is pressed,
When the button switch is pressed during the display operation of the display means, the control means
canceling the operation control of the display means that was performed before the button switch was pressed;
4. The non-contact thermometer according to claim 1, wherein the determination is made based on a distance measured by the distance measuring means after the button switch is pressed. The non-contact thermometer of claim 4, wherein the power supply device stops supplying power to the body temperature measuring means, distance measuring means, display means, and control means when a certain period of time has elapsed since the button switch was pressed.