JP2009075088A - Health condition measuring device and measuring method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a health condition measuring device and method capable of measuring a pH value of feces at a defecation time simply in the noncontact state without taking the feces, and thereby knowing a human health condition by estimating an enteric pH value. <P>SOLUTION: This health condition measuring device M for measuring a pH value of feces in the noncontact state at the defecation time has a gas sensor 5 for measuring the concentration of a prescribed component in gas discharged at the defecation time, a storage device 7 for storing beforehand prescribed component concentration-pH value conversion data, and a control part 8 for operating a pH estimation value of the feces by applying the prescribed component concentration measured by the gas sensor to the prescribed component concentration-pH value conversion data. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a health condition measuring apparatus and a measuring method that can estimate the pH value in excrement, which is one of the promising indicators for judging the health condition in the intestine, without contact.

  Measuring the pH value of stool is one of the indicators for knowing the health condition of the human intestine. Specifically, excreted stool is collected and measured by bringing the electrode into contact with a pH electrode diluted with water or the like, and the pH value in the intestine is estimated from the pH value in the stool.

  Although it does not relate to excrement, there are, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 as techniques for measuring the pH value in a non-contact manner. Patent Document 1 relates to a method for discharging particles containing a pH indicator to the surface of a sample and measuring the pH of the sample surface based on the discolored state of the particles.

  Patent Document 2 discloses that a color change-type pH indicator dye is uniformly mixed and photographed in a measurement object, and the obtained color image is signaled and compared with a calibration curve prepared in advance for the measurement object. In this method, the pH value is estimated and displayed on the display.

  On the other hand, there are Patent Documents 3 to 6 as techniques for knowing the state of the intestines using gas components discharged together with excrement. Patent Document 3 is the applicant's invention relating to an intestinal state notification device and method. In this device, the hydrogen gas in the excretion gas from the excrement is measured by the gas sensor, and the intestinal state information corresponding to the signal value output from the gas sensor is extracted from the auxiliary information for determining the intestinal health level and notified to the user. To do. The intestinal state information includes the total number of various bacteria present in the intestine, the number of bifidobacteria, the number of bad bacteria, the ratio of the number of bifidobacteria in the total number of enteric bacteria, or the total number of enteric bacteria. The ratio of the number of bad bacteria is used.

  Further, the excretion gas measuring device and method of Patent Document 4 is also the invention of the present applicant, which detects hydrogen gas or methane gas in the excretion gas with a gas sensor, estimates the number of bifidobacteria, and determines the intestinal health level. It is.

  Moreover, the health measuring apparatus of patent document 5 deodorizes the odor which generate | occur | produced at the time of excretion with an oxidation catalyst, and detects an odor component density | concentration from the oxidation current required at that time.

Furthermore, the living body monitor device of Patent Document 6 is equipped with a gas sensor on a cloth T-band, detects the gas released from the anus with the gas sensor, converts it into data, and compares the data stored in the memory with past data. However, a warning is displayed on the display device when an abnormality is recognized such as when the difference is large.
The intestinal gas component measurement method and the radiation detection method disclosed in Patent Document 7 detect carbon dioxide, methane, and hydrogen out of the intestinal gas discharged outside the body, but quantitatively measure them. Do not mean.
JP-A-1-96535 JP 2001-343328 A JP 2005-315836 A JP 2005-29049 A JP-A-8-211048 JP-A-9-43182 Japanese Patent No. 3525157

  Sampling at the time of defecation requires a stool examination, which is troublesome to collect, and the pH electrode must be washed each time it is measured. In addition, it is necessary to stably store the stool from collection to measurement, otherwise the pH value of the stool immediately after defecation is due to the metabolism of intestinal bacteria contained in the stool. There are also problems such as being unable to measure accurately due to deviation from the above.

  In addition, the technique for measuring the pH value in a non-contact manner is as described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, both of which require an operation of attaching or mixing a pH indicator to the sample, and thus measuring the pH value of excreta. It was difficult to adopt.

  In order to solve the above problems, the health condition measuring apparatus of the present invention is a health condition measuring apparatus for measuring the pH value of stool in a non-contact manner during defecation, and the concentration of a predetermined component in the gas coexisting during defecation. A gas sensor that measures the predetermined component concentration-pH value converted data, and a predetermined component concentration measured by the gas sensor is applied to the predetermined component concentration-pH value converted data, And a controller that calculates the estimated pH value.

  The predetermined component is preferably carbon dioxide. Further, as the predetermined component concentration-pH value conversion data, conversion data of carbon dioxide concentration and carboxylic acid concentration contained in feces, and conversion data of carboxylic acid concentration and pH value can be used. As acetic acid or total carboxylic acid can be used. Here, the total carboxylic acid refers to all carboxylic acids produced by the metabolism of intestinal bacteria and includes, for example, formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid and the like.

  In addition, as the predetermined component concentration-pH value conversion data, conversion data between the carbon dioxide concentration and the amount of water contained in the stool, and conversion data between the amount of water and the pH value can also be used.

  As the predetermined component concentration-pH value conversion data, conversion data for directly converting the carbon dioxide concentration into a pH value can also be used. By directly converting, conversion errors do not accumulate, so that the measurement accuracy of the fecal pH value is relatively improved.

  Further, conversion data for directly converting hydrogen concentration into pH value can be used as hydrogen as the predetermined component and as the predetermined component concentration-pH value conversion data. Since hydrogen is one of the main components of the combined gas, it is possible to estimate that the measurement accuracy of the concentration does not decrease and the conversion error does not accumulate, and the measurement accuracy of the fecal pH value is relatively improved.

  In addition, conversion data that directly converts ammonia concentration to pH value can be used as ammonia as the predetermined component and as the predetermined component concentration-pH value conversion data. Since ammonia is one of the main components of the combined gas, it is possible to estimate that the measurement accuracy of the concentration does not decrease and the conversion error does not accumulate, and the measurement accuracy of the fecal pH value is relatively improved.

  The gas sensor may be anything as long as it can detect at least the output corresponding to the maximum concentration of the predetermined component in the present invention. Furthermore, you may provide the defecation detection means linked with the said gas sensor. As a result, the stool is detected and the data of the gas sensor is surely captured, so that erroneous information is not conveyed to the user.

  The health condition measuring device of the present invention can be built into a sanitary washing toilet seat device attached to a Western-style toilet, can be built into a toilet seat of a Western-style toilet, or can be retrofitted to an existing Western-style toilet. It is also possible to make it portable so that the pH value can be easily measured regardless of where the toilet enters.

  The health condition measuring method of the present invention is a health condition measuring method that measures the pH value of stool without contact during defecation, and this method uses a gas sensor to determine the concentration of a predetermined component in the gas that is coexisted during defecation. Then, the predetermined component concentration-pH conversion data stored in advance in the storage device is called, and the estimated pH value of the stool is calculated from the predetermined component concentration and the conversion data in the control unit.

  According to the health condition measuring apparatus and the health condition measuring method of the present invention, the pH value of feces, that is, the pH value in the intestine can be easily measured without directly touching the excrement. Therefore, it is possible to constantly check the physical condition in daily life, which has been difficult in the past.

  In the present invention, the use of the fecal pH value for the determination of the health condition has the following reason. That is, it has been shown epidemiologically that the risk of colorectal cancer increases when the pH of the stool is inclined to the alkali side, and it is considered that the intestine should be kept acidic. The pH of the stool in the high risk group for colorectal cancer (European and American food: high protein high fat diet) is 6.9 to 7.8, and the pH in the low risk group (Japanese food: high fiber high carbohydrate diet) is 6.1 to 6. The fecal pH is considered to be a good indicator of the intestinal state.

  Thus, keeping the pH value in the intestine weakly acidic is important for maintaining health, but it is very difficult to constantly check the pH value in daily life. Therefore, the health condition measuring apparatus and the health condition measuring method of the present invention that can easily know the pH value without any load during daily defecation are useful.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 1A to 1C are examples showing a procedure for estimating the pH value in the stool from the detected gas concentration, and FIG. 1A shows the concentration of carbon dioxide in the gas generated during defecation as a gas sensor. It is a graph which shows the example measured by. The time (seconds) on the horizontal axis represents the time required for defecation, t1 is the start of defecation, and t2 is the end of defecation. The defecation time here is the time when the output of the gas sensor is stored. The vertical axis represents the output voltage V (Volt) of the gas sensor. Since the gas sensor used in this example outputs the output voltage V corresponding to the carbon dioxide concentration (Vol%), the carbon dioxide concentration in the gas corresponds to this change in output voltage.

  Here, depending on the type of gas sensor, it may be affected by changes in the measurement environment such as gas concentration and temperature in the measurement atmosphere. Therefore, in normal measurement, the output voltage value at the reference environmental conditions is the reference output. As the value (Vb value), the amount of change from this value is adopted as the measured value. In this example, the sensor output voltage value Vb1 at the start of defecation t1 is adopted as the reference value, and the maximum value in the measured value group Vx of the sensor output voltage V is Vmax as described later. Vmax−Vb1 is a sensor output maximum value Vp (hereinafter referred to as a peak value) in the gas concentration measurement. Therefore, in this example, the concentration value corresponding to the peak value Vp in the figure is the maximum concentration in the carbon dioxide concentration measurement.

Here, the gas sensor according to the present invention may be anything as long as it can detect at least the output corresponding to the highest concentration of the predetermined component according to the present invention.
According to our experiment, the pH value of feces, which is one of the intestinal condition parameters of the present invention, more accurately reflects the intestinal condition as the feces when the amount of defecation is large, and It has been confirmed that the Vp value of the gas sensor output appears when the amount of defecation is the largest. Therefore, if the corresponding gas concentration at this time, in other words, when the Vp value is recorded, a more accurate rot component concentration can be estimated.

  Note that the carbon dioxide concentration (sensor output) data can be prevented from being mixed by deleting the concentration before the next use of the apparatus or by transferring the data to another storage unit. it can.

  FIG. 1B is a graph model showing the correlation between the carbon dioxide concentration corresponding to the maximum value (Vp value) of the output voltage of the carbon dioxide sensor and the acetic acid concentration in the stool. As will be described in detail in Examples described later, it has been found that there is a correlation as shown in this figure between the acetic acid concentration in the stool and the carbon dioxide concentration in the gas that is generated together with the feces.

  The reason for this is not clear, but carbon dioxide is a component of acetic acid, butyric acid, propionic acid, etc. when indigestible polysaccharides such as dietary fiber that escaped digestion in the small intestine are metabolized by intestinal bacteria in the large intestine. Carboxylic acid is produced at the same time. From this, it is presumed that there is a correlation between carbon dioxide and the total carboxylic acid concentration produced in the intestine. In addition, since acetic acid accounts for 50 to 70% of the total carboxylic acid produced in the intestine, it is estimated that the acetic acid concentration is also correlated with the carbon dioxide concentration.

  Here, the acetic acid concentration corresponding to the carbon dioxide concentration indicated by the Vp value of the output of the carbon dioxide sensor obtained by a certain measurement was defined as Cac. In addition to the total carboxylic acid concentration and acetic acid concentration, it has been found that the amount of water in the stool correlates with the concentration of carbon dioxide in the gas, and this amount of water should be used in the same way as the carboxylic acid concentration. You can also.

  FIG. 1C is a graph model showing the correlation between the acetic acid concentration and the pH value. It was found that the correlation between the fecal acetic acid concentration and the pH value showed an almost linear relationship, although the data was somewhat disturbed by the influence of other acids and bases. Therefore, a pH value corresponding to the acetic acid concentration Cac, that is, a pH value corresponding to the Vp value of the carbon dioxide concentration can be obtained.

  The pH of the stool is affected by the concentration of organic acids produced in the intestine. Dietary fiber that has escaped digestion in the small intestine is metabolized by intestinal bacteria in the large intestine to produce carboxylic acids such as acetic acid, butyric acid, and propionic acid. It is presumed that there is a negative correlation that the pH decreases as the carboxylic acid concentration in the stool increases. Similar to the acetic acid concentration, the total carboxylic acid concentration or water content can also be used.

  From this graph, the output peak value Vp of the gas sensor is obtained, and the carbon dioxide concentration corresponding to the Vp is applied to a graph representing the relationship between the carbon dioxide concentration and acetic acid to obtain Cac, and then the graph representing the relationship between acetic acid and pH. It can be seen that a pH value corresponding to Cac can be obtained. In other words, it is shown that the pH of the corresponding stool can be measured by measuring the carbon dioxide concentration in the combined gas. Daily health status can be managed by displaying the obtained pH value and showing it to the person himself / herself, or by accumulating it in the storage unit and calling it appropriately to display the time-series pH value.

  The health condition measuring device of the present invention can be built in, for example, a sanitary washing toilet seat device attached to a Western-style toilet, can be built in a toilet seat of a Western-style toilet, or can be retrofitted to an existing Western-style toilet. It is also possible to make it portable so that the pH of the stool can be easily measured regardless of where the toilet enters.

  FIG. 2 is an external view (partial perspective) showing an example of a sanitary washing toilet seat device attached to a Western-style toilet with a built-in health condition measuring device M of the present invention. A deodorizing fan exhaust passage 4 is installed using a space provided between a sanitary washing toilet seat device 2 incorporating a health condition measuring device attached to the toilet 1 and the top of the periphery of the toilet bowl 3. A carbon dioxide sensor 5 and an odor sensor 6 as defecation detection means are attached in the exhaust passage 4 for the deodorizing fan. In addition, the storage device 7 and the control unit 8 are integrated and incorporated in the rear part of the sanitary washing toilet seat device 2, and the pH data display unit 9 as a calculation result is incorporated in the operation unit 10 of the sanitary washing toilet seat device. ing.

  That is, the configuration of the health condition measuring device M includes a carbon dioxide sensor 5, an odor sensor 6, a storage device 7, a control unit 8, and a pH data display unit 9. Data exchange between the carbon dioxide sensor 5 and the odor sensor 6 and the control unit 8 is performed by connection, and data exchange between the control unit 8 and the display unit 9 is performed by infrared rays.

FIG. 3 is an example showing a procedure of a health condition measuring method using the health condition measuring apparatus (mounted on the sanitary washing toilet seat apparatus) of the present invention. The operation of the user (hereinafter referred to as “user”) is on the left, the processing performed by the health condition measurement device (including the processing of the sanitary washing toilet seat device) is in the center, and the operation of the odor sensor that is a defecation detection means Are sorted and displayed on the right side.
This figure will be described below. The user enters the toilet, defecates, and then exits, but since the health condition measuring device of the present invention is attached to the toilet, the estimated pH value in the body is displayed before leaving the room. Thus, if you know the physical condition of the day, or if you have continuously measured, you can know the change in physical condition over time.

  When the user enters the room, the entry is detected by the human body detection sensor. Then, the power switch of the health condition measuring device is turned on and the gas sensor and the odor sensor are activated. When the human body detection sensor is not used, the user may manually turn on the health measurement device.

  When the user is seated, the seating sensor detects the seating, and the gas component concentration measurement operation for measuring the concentration of the predetermined component of the combined gas by the gas sensor and the odor sensor and storing the measurement result is started. The user may press the measurement start switch without using the seating sensor.

  Here, the time of both sensors at the start of operation is t1, the output voltage value of the gas sensor corresponding to that time is called V1, and the signal value of the odor sensor is called Vs1.

  Until the user starts and finishes defecation, both sensors detect the data Vx and Vsx at regular time intervals tx and write them in the storage unit.

After the defecation is finished, the user presses the washing button of the sanitary washing toilet seat device and starts washing. At this time, the measurement operation of the gas component concentration of the health condition measuring apparatus is terminated in conjunction with the pressing operation of the washing button, and the operation is shifted to the estimation operation of the fecal pH value based on the obtained measurement result. And the time t2 at the time of the end of the defecation and the detection data V2, Vs2 at that time of each sensor are stored. When considering that the washing button may be used before or during defecation, the user may manually terminate the gas component concentration measurement operation without interlocking with the depressing operation of the washing button. .
Further, on the odor sensor side, Vsmax that is the maximum value in the range of t1 to t2 is searched, and whether or not the value is higher than the threshold value (Vc) is compared. If Vsmax ≦ Vc, it is determined that there is no defecation and the records of the odor sensor and the gas sensor are deleted. If Vsmax> Vc, it is determined that there is defecation.

When it is determined that there is defecation, the control unit searches the maximum value Vmax of the carbon dioxide concentration in the range of t1 to t2. A value obtained by subtracting the minimum value Vbl of the carbon dioxide concentration from the value of Vmax or Vmax is recorded in the storage unit as a measured value (peak value Vp).
As described above, it is possible to surely distinguish between when urinating and when stool, and defecation can be detected without fail. Moreover, when a person stays for a long time, the output of the sensor may fluctuate due to exhalation, but it can be distinguished from the case where it is not such defecation.
The acetic acid concentration Cac corresponding to the peak value Vp is identified based on the correlation data as shown in FIG. 1B, and the pH value corresponding to the acetic acid concentration Cac is determined based on the correlation data in FIG. Identify. The identified pH value is written in the storage unit, and the identification result is notified to the user by display or the like.
When the user leaves the seat, the seating sensor senses it. When the user leaves the room, the human body detection sensor detects the exit. The switch of the health condition measuring device is turned off when a sitting or leaving room is detected.
4 (a) to 4 (c) are schematic diagrams showing an example of a health condition measuring apparatus (Western toilet retrofit type) according to the present invention. (A) is an external view of a Western-style toilet, and the health condition measuring device 11 is attached to the outer surface of the toilet bowl 3. Moreover, (b) is an AA arrow view of (a), Comprising: The health condition measuring apparatus 11 was provided using the space provided between the toilet seat 2 and the top of the toilet bowl 3 periphery. It is fixed to the toilet bowl 3 by a hook-type suction fan passage 12. Inside the health condition measuring device 11, an intake fan 13, a carbon dioxide sensor 5, an integrated storage device 7 and a control unit 8 are incorporated.

  In (c), the state (plan view) of the health condition measuring device 11 attached to the toilet bowl as viewed from the user sitting on the toilet seat 2 is shown. The upper surface of the health condition measuring device 11 is a control panel, and is provided with a user operation button 14 and a pH data display unit 15.

  FIG. 5 is an example showing a procedure of a health condition measuring method using the health condition measuring apparatus (Western toilet retrofit type) of the present invention. The user's actions are displayed on the left side while the processes performed by the health condition measuring device are distributed on the right side.

  First, the user enters the room and turns on an operation start switch among the user operation buttons. Then, the suction fan of the health condition measuring apparatus is activated, the gas sensor is activated and the display screen is activated, and the storage of the output from the gas sensor is also initiated. The operation start switch also has a function of terminating the operation when the device is pressed during operation. Here, the detection time of the gas sensor at the start of operation is t1, and the output voltage value of the gas sensor corresponding to that time is called V1.

  Until the user starts and finishes defecation, the gas sensor detects the data Vx at regular time intervals tx and writes them in the storage unit.

  After the defecation ends, the user turns on the defecation end switch among the user operation buttons. By this operation, the gas component concentration measurement end process and the next fecal pH value calculation process are started. That is, the detection time t2 and the signal value V2 of the gas sensor corresponding thereto are written, and the writing of the signal value Vx of the gas sensor for each time tx that has been continued from the detection time t1 is completed. Next, the controller searches for the maximum value Vmax in the recorded gas sensor output signal value Vx group in the range of t1 to t2. A value obtained by subtracting the minimum value Vbl of the carbon dioxide concentration from Vmax is recorded in the storage unit as a measured value (peak value Vp).

  The total carboxylic acid concentration Ccb corresponding to the peak value Vp is identified based on the correlation data between the carbon dioxide concentration and the total carboxylic acid concentration, as shown in FIG. 1 (b), and is shown in FIG. 1 (c). The pH value corresponding to the total carboxylic acid concentration Ccb is identified based on the same correlation data between the total carboxylic acid concentration and the pH value. The identified pH value is written in the storage unit, and the identification result is notified to the user by display or the like.

  Thereafter, when the user presses the operation end switch among the user operation buttons, the operation of the health condition measuring apparatus ends. Thereby, the operations of the gas sensor, the display screen, and the suction fan are also terminated.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a health condition measuring apparatus (portable type) according to the present invention, where (a) is a front view, (b) is a side view, and (c) is a perspective external view. As shown in (a), the portable health condition measuring apparatus is divided into a main body 16 and a detection section 17, and a pH data display section 9, an operation start switch 18 and a measurement switch 19 are arranged on the surface of the main body 16. Has been. In addition, as shown in (b), the health condition measuring apparatus is designed to be thin so that it is convenient to carry and use.
As shown in (c), the health condition measuring apparatus has an intake port 17a at the front end of the detection unit 17, an intake fan 13, a carbon dioxide sensor 5, an integrated storage device 7 and control inside the main body 16. The unit 8, the position detection means 21, and the battery 20 are incorporated.

  FIG. 7 is an example showing a procedure of a health condition measuring method using the health condition measuring apparatus (portable type) of the present invention. The user's operation is displayed on the left side, and the process by the health condition measuring device is displayed on the right side.

  First, the user enters the room and turns on the operation switch of the health condition measuring device. Then, since this type of health condition measuring device uses a battery as a portable power source, the power is first turned on to activate the suction fan, and then the gas sensor and the display screen are also activated. Furthermore, an ultrasonic sensor that constitutes position detecting means and detects the distance between the human body and the air inlet 17a is activated. This position detection means has a function to notify the user when the user changes the position of the intake port 17a as appropriate and the ultrasonic sensor detects the optimum position in the measurement of the gas component concentration set in advance. It is provided. Next, the user starts defecation by notification of the optimum position detection, and storage of the gas sensor output is started. Here, the detection time of the gas sensor at the start of storage is t1, and the output voltage value of the gas sensor corresponding to that time is called V1.

  Until the user starts and finishes defecation, the gas sensor detects data Vx every predetermined time tx (for example, 1 second) and writes them in the storage unit.

  After the defecation ends, the user turns on the defecation end switch. By this operation, the gas sensor and the suction fan are stopped, the detection time t2 at this time and the signal value V2 of the corresponding gas sensor are written and written to the storage unit, and a series of gas component concentration measurement processing is completed. To do. Next, the control unit starts the fecal pH value estimation process based on the measurement result, and first searches for the maximum value Vmax of the gas sensor output in the range of t1 to t2 in the stored measurement result. A value obtained by subtracting the minimum value Vbl of the carbon dioxide concentration from the value of Vmax or Vmax is recorded in the storage unit as a measured value (peak value Vp).

  The water content Br corresponding to the peak value Vp is identified based on the correlation data between the carbon dioxide concentration and the water content in the stool, and the pH value corresponding to the water content Br is determined based on the correlation data between the water content and the pH value. Identify. The identified pH value is written in the storage unit, and the identification result is notified to the user by display or the like.

Thereafter, when the user presses the operation switch again, the operation of the health condition measuring apparatus is completed and the power is turned off. The end of the display screen may be erased when the operation switch is pressed, or a display screen end button may be provided separately.
(Example)
Examples in which the correlation between the carbon dioxide concentration in the combined gas and the pH value is examined are shown below.
Example 1 (Incorporation type in sanitary washing toilet seat device)
In this example, the health condition measuring device of the type incorporated in the sanitary washing toilet seat device shown in FIG. 2 was used, and the operation was performed substantially in accordance with the procedure shown in FIG. FIG. 8A is a conceptual diagram showing a procedure for estimating the pH value from the carbon dioxide concentration employed in this example, and FIGS. 8B and 8C are converted data. As shown to (a), the acetic acid density | concentration of feces was estimated using the measured value of the carbon dioxide density | concentration in the gas which accompanies at the time of a defecation, and also pH value was estimated from the acetic acid density | concentration. FIG. 8B is data obtained by examining the correlation between the carbon dioxide concentration (expressed in volume%) in the gas generated during defecation and the acetic acid concentration (μmol / g) in the stool collected at that time. Here, the carbon dioxide concentration is obtained from the peak value Vp of the output voltage of the gas sensor that measures carbon dioxide. Although there was variation in data, it was found that there was an almost linear correlation. FIG. 8C is data showing a correlation between the acetic acid concentration in the stool and the pH value of the stool. Although this data also varies, an almost linear correlation can be recognized.

FIG. 9A is a conceptual diagram of a procedure for further estimating the intestinal age from the stool pH value obtained above, and FIG. 9B is a diagram showing conversion data. Although there was some variation in the data, an almost linear correlation was observed. Here, the intestinal age is the age determined by the state of the intestine, for example, the age determined based on the pH in the intestine. For example, the intestinal state corresponding to a certain intestinal age (intestinal pH in this case) is the average intestinal state (intestinal pH in this case) of a plurality of users whose intestinal age and actual age are the same. ). The meaning of the intestinal pH may be difficult for the user to understand, but the user's age can be determined by making correspondence with the intestinal age obtained from the fecal pH reflecting the intestinal pH. Because you can feel the gap, it will be easier to understand your health.
Example 2 (Western style toilet retrofit type)
In this example, a Western toilet retrofit type health condition measuring apparatus shown in FIG. 4 was used, and the operation was performed substantially according to the procedure shown in FIG. FIG. 10A is a conceptual diagram showing a procedure for estimating the pH value from the carbon dioxide concentration employed in this example, and FIGS. 10B and 10C are converted data. As shown in (a), the total carboxylic acid concentration in the stool (indicated as T-VFA in the figure) is estimated using the carbon dioxide in the gas that is generated during defecation. The pH value was estimated. The total carboxylic acid contains the most acetic acid, but also contains propionic acid, butyric acid, and the like.

FIG. 10 (b) shows the carbon dioxide concentration (expressed in volume%) in the gas coexisting during defecation obtained in the same manner as described above, and the total carboxylic acid concentration (μmol / g) in the stool collected at that time. It is the data which investigated the correlation. Although there was variation in data, it was found that there was an almost linear correlation. FIG. 10C is data showing the correlation between the total carboxylic acid concentration in feces and the pH value of feces. Although there was variation in this data, an almost linear correlation could be recognized.
Example 3 (portable type)
In this example, the portable health condition measuring apparatus shown in FIG. 6 was used, and the operation was performed substantially in accordance with the procedure shown in FIG. FIG. 11A is a conceptual diagram showing the procedure for estimating the pH value from the carbon dioxide concentration employed in this example, and FIGS. 11B and 11C are converted data. As shown to Fig.11 (a), the water content of the stool was estimated using the carbon dioxide in the gas emitted at the time of defecation, and also the pH value was estimated from the water content. FIG. 11 (b) shows the correlation between the carbon dioxide concentration (expressed in volume%) in the gas that is generated during defecation and the amount of water (%) in the stool collected at that time. The data examined. Correlation was observed although there was variation in data. FIG. 11C shows data indicating the correlation between the amount of water in the stool and the pH value of the stool. Although there was variation in this data, an almost linear correlation was observed.

  According to each of the above examples, it is sufficiently possible to estimate the fecal pH value from the carbon dioxide concentration in the combined gas through the acetic acid concentration, total carboxylic acid concentration or water content in the stool. Is understood.

  Furthermore, it was investigated whether the pH value of feces could be estimated directly from the carbon dioxide concentration in the combined gas during defecation. As a result, as shown in FIG. 12, the correlation between the carbon dioxide concentration in the gas and the pH value of the stool is recognized, and the pH value of the stool can be estimated directly by measuring the carbon dioxide concentration of the combined gas. I found out. That is, according to the present invention, it is also possible to directly determine the fecal pH value by measuring the concentration of carbon dioxide in the combined gas as a predetermined component.

In the following, an embodiment of a health condition measuring apparatus that directly determines the fecal pH value by measuring the carbon dioxide concentration in the combined gas will be described.
Example 4
When estimating the fecal pH directly from the carbon dioxide concentration, the device configuration and device operation are the same as when estimating the fecal pH from the carbon dioxide concentration via the carboxylic acid concentration. The only difference is the data processing procedure for estimating the pH. Therefore, description of the apparatus configuration in the present embodiment is omitted, and only the data processing procedure is described. First, the carbon dioxide concentration in the combined gas is measured by a carbon dioxide gas sensor. Next, the carbon dioxide gas concentration (Vol%) corresponding to the output value is obtained from a calibration curve obtained in advance from the peak value Vp of the carbon dioxide gas sensor output. Next, the pH corresponding to the carbon dioxide gas concentration obtained using the correspondence data (based on the correlation of FIG. 12) between the carbon dioxide gas concentration (Vol%) and the fecal pH stored in advance in the storage unit. The value is obtained and used as an estimated value of the fecal pH. The estimated pH value of the stool is written in the storage unit, and the estimation result is notified to the user by display or the like.

  In this case, carbon dioxide in the combined gas by the carbon dioxide gas sensor is provided as a device configuration including a defecation detection means for detecting the defecation of the subject and using the defecation detection signal of the defecation detection means as a trigger signal for starting the carbon dioxide gas sensor. It is also possible to reduce the apparatus operation load on the subject when measuring the concentration.

  In addition, the health condition measuring device of the present invention may be built in a sanitary washing toilet seat device attached to a Western-style toilet bowl, built in a toilet seat of a Western-style toilet bowl, or retrofitted to an existing Western-style toilet bowl. Furthermore, it is possible to adopt a portable type as described above.

  In addition, it was investigated whether the pH value of feces could be estimated directly from the hydrogen concentration in the combined gas at the time of defecation. As a result, the relationship between the output (peak value: Vp) of the hydrogen gas sensor and the pH value as shown in FIG. 13 was obtained. Since the hydrogen gas sensor used at this time has a correspondence between the output peak value (Vp) and the hydrogen concentration, as in the case of the carbon dioxide concentration, the hydrogen concentration in the gas, the pH value, Thus, it was found that the pH value of the stool at that time can be estimated by measuring the hydrogen concentration in the combined gas. That is, according to the present invention, it is possible to directly determine the fecal pH value by measuring the concentration of hydrogen in the combined gas as a predetermined component.

In the following, an embodiment of the health condition measuring apparatus of the present invention for directly determining the fecal pH value by measuring the hydrogen concentration in the combined gas will be described.
(Example 5)
When the fecal pH is estimated directly from the hydrogen concentration, the gas sensor is a hydrogen sensor and the sensor output is the hydrogen concentration, but other device configurations and operations are directly based on the carbon dioxide concentration described above. Since it is the same as the case of estimating the pH and the data processing procedure is the one in which the carbon dioxide concentration is replaced with the hydrogen concentration, the following description will focus on the different parts.

  First, the hydrogen concentration in the combined gas is measured by a hydrogen gas sensor. Next, as in the case of carbon dioxide, the hydrogen gas concentration (Vol%) is obtained from the hydrogen gas sensor output. Next, using the correspondence data (based on the correlation diagram of FIG. 13) between the hydrogen gas concentration (Vol%) and fecal pH stored in advance in the storage unit, the pH value corresponding to the obtained hydrogen gas concentration is obtained. Estimated pH of feces. The estimated pH value is written in the storage unit, and the estimation result is notified to the user by display or the like.

  Furthermore, it was investigated whether the pH value of defecation can be estimated directly from the ammonia concentration in the combined gas at the time of defecation. As a result, the relationship between the output (peak value: Vp) of the ammonia gas sensor and the pH value as shown in FIG. 14 was obtained. Since the ammonia gas sensor used at this time has a correspondence between the output peak value (Vp) and the ammonia concentration, the ammonia concentration in the gas and the pH value are similar to those in the case of the carbon dioxide concentration. Correlation was also observed, and it was found that the pH value of the stool at that time could be estimated by measuring the ammonia concentration in the combined gas. That is, according to the present invention, it is possible to directly determine the fecal pH value by measuring the concentration of ammonia in the combined gas as a predetermined component.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the health condition measuring apparatus of the present invention for directly determining the pH value of feces by measuring the ammonia concentration in the combined gas will be described.
(Example 6) When the fecal pH is estimated directly from the ammonia concentration, the gas sensor is an ammonia sensor and the sensor output is the ammonia concentration, but the operation of the apparatus is directly from the carbon dioxide concentration. This is the same as the case of estimating the pH, and the data processing procedure also replaces the carbon dioxide concentration with the ammonia concentration. Therefore, although these descriptions are omitted, the apparatus configuration may be slightly different from that in the case of measuring the carbon dioxide concentration, and will be described below.

  As an example of selecting ammonia as a predetermined component in the combined gas in the present invention and measuring the pH value of the stool, an example in which the health condition measuring device of the present invention is mounted on a sanitary washing toilet seat device Is shown in FIG. FIG. 15 is a view showing the arrangement of the ammonia gas sensor in the passage for the deodorizing fan when the health condition measuring device of the present invention is mounted on the sanitary washing toilet seat device shown in FIG. When the gas sensor of the health condition measuring apparatus of the present invention is an ammonia gas sensor and the place where the gas sensor is installed is in a deodorizing apparatus constituting another apparatus, as shown in the figure, the ammonia gas sensor is a deodorizing means (for example, deodorizing means). , Installed upstream of the deodorant cartridge). This is because ammonia is an odorous gas that gives an unpleasant odor to the user of the sanitary washing toilet seat device, and is a target to be removed by the deodorizing device provided therewith, so it is measured before being removed. .

  Since carbon dioxide and hydrogen among the predetermined components are not deodorized by the deodorizer, the carbon dioxide gas sensor or the hydrogen gas sensor may be installed either upstream or downstream of the deodorizing means.

  In addition, in the case of the health condition measuring apparatus using hydrogen or ammonia as a predetermined component as described above, it is also possible to link the measurement start operation of the predetermined component concentration in the combined gas with a defecation detection means for detecting the defecation of the subject. Alternatively, the device configuration may be built in a sanitary washing toilet seat device attached to a Western-style toilet, built in a toilet seat of a Western-style toilet, or retrofitted to an existing Western-style toilet, and as described above. It is possible to adopt a portable type device configuration as in the case of using carbon dioxide as a predetermined component.

(A)-(c) is a figure which shows the procedure for estimating the pH value of feces from the detected gas concentration which concerns on this invention (Partial perspective) external view showing an example of a health condition measuring apparatus (mounted on a sanitary washing toilet seat apparatus) of the present invention The figure which shows the procedure of the health condition measuring method using the health condition measuring apparatus (installed in the sanitary washing toilet seat apparatus) of this invention Schematic diagram showing an example of a health condition measuring apparatus (Western style toilet retrofit type) of the present invention The figure which shows the procedure of the health condition measuring method using the health condition measuring apparatus (Western style toilet bowl retrofit type) of this invention An example of the health condition measuring apparatus (portable type) of the present invention is shown, (a) is a front view, (b) is a side view, and (c) is a perspective external view. The figure which shows the procedure of the health condition measuring method using the health condition measuring apparatus (portable type) of this invention The procedure which estimates the pH value of the defecation at that time from the carbon dioxide concentration in combined gas which was employ | adopted in Example 1 is shown, (a) is a conceptual diagram, (b), (c) is a figure which shows conversion data. The procedure which estimates intestinal age from pH value is shown, (a) is a conceptual diagram, (b) is a figure which shows conversion data. The procedure which estimates the pH value of the defecation at that time from the carbon dioxide concentration in combined gas which was employ | adopted in Example 2 is shown, (a) is a conceptual diagram, (b), (c) is a figure which shows conversion data. The procedure which estimates the pH value of the defecation at that time from the carbon dioxide concentration in combined gas which was employ | adopted in Example 3 is shown, (a) is a conceptual diagram, (b), (c) The figure which shows conversion data The figure which shows the conversion data in the case of estimating the pH value of the defecation at that time directly from the carbon dioxide concentration in combined gas which was employ | adopted in Example 4 The figure which shows the experimental data in the case of estimating the pH value of the defecation at that time directly from the ammonia concentration in combined gas which was employ | adopted in Example 5 The figure which shows the experimental data in the case of estimating the pH value of the defecation at that time directly from the hydrogen concentration in combined gas which was employ | adopted in Example 6 The figure which shows the installation form of the ammonia gas sensor at the time of incorporating the health condition measuring apparatus of this invention in the apparatus provided with the deodorizing apparatus which deodorizes the coexisting gas at the time of the defecation employ | adopted in Example 6

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Toilet bowl, 2 ... Sanitary washing toilet seat device, 3 ... Toilet bowl, 4 ... Deodorizing fan exhaust passage, 5 ... Carbon dioxide sensor, 6 ... Odor sensor, 7 ... Storage device, 8 ... Control part, 9 ... pH data display , 10 ... Sanitary washing toilet seat device operation unit, 11 ... Health condition measuring device (retrofitting type Western toilet), 12 ... Inhalation fan passage, 13 ... Inhalation fan, 14 ... User operation button, 16 ... Health condition measuring device (Portable type) main body, 17 ... detection unit, 18 ... operation switch, 19 ... defecation end switch, 20 ... battery, 21 ... position detecting means, 50 ... deodorizing device, 51 ... deodorizing ventilation path, 52 ... suction fan, 53 ... Ammonia gas sensor, 54 ... deodorizing cartridge, M ... health condition measuring device.

Claims (13)

A health condition measuring device for measuring the pH value of stool without contact at the time of defecation,
A gas sensor for measuring the concentration of a predetermined component in the gas coexisting during defecation;
A storage device that stores the predetermined component concentration-pH value conversion data in advance;
Applying a predetermined component concentration measured by the gas sensor to the predetermined component concentration-pH value conversion data, and calculating a pH estimated value of the stool;
A health condition measuring device characterized by comprising: The health condition measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined component is carbon dioxide. 3. The predetermined component concentration-pH value conversion data comprises conversion data of carbon dioxide concentration and carboxylic acid concentration contained in feces, and conversion data of carboxylic acid concentration and pH value. The health condition measuring device as described. 4. The health condition measuring apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the carboxylic acid is acetic acid or total carboxylic acid. The said predetermined component concentration-pH value conversion data consists of conversion data of a carbon dioxide concentration and the amount of water contained in feces, and conversion data of a water amount and a pH value according to claim 2. Health condition measuring device. The health condition measuring apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined component concentration-pH value conversion data is obtained by directly converting a carbon dioxide concentration into a pH value. 2. The health condition measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined component is hydrogen, and the predetermined component concentration-pH value conversion data directly converts a hydrogen concentration into a pH value. 2. The health condition measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined component is ammonia, and the predetermined component concentration-pH value conversion data directly converts the ammonia concentration into a pH value. 9. The health condition measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gas sensor detects the highest concentration among the measured concentrations of the predetermined component as the predetermined component concentration. 10. The health condition measuring apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a defecation detection unit that operates in conjunction with the gas sensor. 11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is built in a sanitary washing toilet seat device attached to a Western-style toilet, is built into a toilet seat of a Western-style toilet, or is retrofitted to an existing Western-style toilet. The health condition measuring apparatus according to item 1. It is a portable type, The health condition measuring apparatus of any one of Claim 1 thru | or 11 characterized by the above-mentioned. A health condition measuring method for measuring the pH value of a stool without contact at the time of defecation, which measures the concentration of a predetermined component in the gas coexisting at the time of defecation using a gas sensor, and then stores in advance a storage device A health condition measuring method characterized in that the predetermined component concentration-pH conversion data stored in the table is called, and the estimated pH value of the stool is calculated from the predetermined component concentration and the conversion data in the control unit.

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