KR20190116954A - contactless animal thermometer and method for measure the temperature of animal - Google Patents

Abstract

The task to be solved by the present invention is providing various types of non-contact thermometers for measuring the temperature of an animal and a method for measuring the temperature to overcome the limit of a prior art thermometer and measure the temperature of an animal more accurately and easily. To resolve the problem of a prior art thermometer, the present invention provides a non-contact thermometer for an animal, which comprises: a sensor unit measuring first temperatures of measurement portions by using the wavelength of infrared rays measured by the sensor unit; a control unit calculating a second temperature corresponding to the body temperature of the animal according to a preset temperature correction algorithm; and a display unit displaying the temperature of the animal. Also, provided is a non-contact method for measuring the temperature of an animal, which comprises: a first step of measuring first temperatures of the measurement portions using the wavelength of the infrared rays measured by the sensor unit; and a second step of calculating the second temperature corresponding to the first temperature by using a preset non-contact temperature correction parameter. The second step includes a step of selecting a representative temperature using a plurality of first temperatures.

Description

Contactless animal thermometer and method for measure the temperature of animal}

The present invention relates to a non-contact animal thermometer and an animal body temperature measuring method that can easily and accurately measure the body temperature of the animal, and more specifically, to measure the body temperature of the animal in a non-contact manner using an infrared sensor, animal body hair and The present invention relates to a non-contact animal thermometer and an animal body temperature measuring method that can significantly reduce the effects of disturbances such as movement, thereby increasing the accuracy of the measurement.

Infrared temperature sensors can measure temperature in a non-contact manner and have a relatively high measurement accuracy and are widely used in recent years. In addition, the infrared temperature sensor is increasingly installed in portable electronic devices as well as dedicated devices for measuring the temperature.

The infrared sensor absorbs energy radiated from the object to be measured by the light receiving unit to convert the energy into thermal energy, and converts the temperature rise into an electrical signal to detect the energy. This detection is based on the Stefan-Boltzmann law, where the ambient temperature of the infrared sensor has a significant influence on the temperature measurement of the object being measured.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-228523 discloses a configuration of such an infrared temperature sensor and a method of calculating the temperature. In particular, in the temperature calculation method, a method of correcting a coefficient A for determining the output of an electrical signal by expressing it as a function according to the ambient temperature is disclosed.

Conventional infrared thermometers as described above are used in various industrial fields because they can measure temperature in a non-contact manner, and thus are simpler, hygienic, and can measure the temperature of a high-temperature object than a contact thermometer.

On the other hand, the conventional infrared thermometer sensitively reacts to the temperature of the surrounding object as described above, and when measuring the temperature of the animal is not the skin of the animal but to measure the temperature of the animal hair, etc., it is difficult to measure the accurate body temperature there was.

Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1004651 discloses a "speed-type infrared thermometer" and proposes a thermometer that inserts a probe into a human ear and measures the temperature of the ear canal through an infrared sensor.

As described above, when measuring the body temperature of an animal including a human body, whether or not the body hair has a great influence, and most of the animals covered with body hair were unable to measure body temperature with an infrared thermometer.

Veterinary meaningful rectal temperature measurement method of measuring the body temperature of the animal should measure the rectal temperature of the measurement object directly. The above temperature measurement method has to insert a thermometer directly into the anus, there are risk factors such as unpredictable behavior of the animal to be measured, and there is inconvenience such as the use of disposable products of the thermometer insert for hygiene.

In other words, measurement by a person without adequate knowledge or experience can cause animal injury or inaccurate body temperature measurements. This has been suggested as an alternative to the measurement of the body temperature using infrared rays, but this is not guaranteed because of the bending of the inner ear and the accuracy of the measurement and further cannot be a complete alternative due to the essential condition of contact.

In addition, the emissivity correction constant is different for each animal species, there is a point that it is difficult to accurately measure the temperature for a variety of animals with a conventional human internal infrared thermometer.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is a non-contact thermometer and a temperature measuring method for measuring the body temperature of various kinds of animals in a non-contact manner in order to overcome the limitations of the conventional thermometer as described above more accurately and simply To provide.

The present invention, in order to solve the problem of the conventional thermometer, non-contact animal thermometer, comprising: a sensor unit for measuring the first temperature of the measurement site using the wavelength of the infrared ray measured by the sensor unit; A controller configured to calculate a second temperature corresponding to the body temperature of the animal according to a preset temperature correction algorithm; It provides a non-contact animal thermometer comprising a; and a display unit for displaying the body temperature of the animal.

On the other hand, the body temperature correction algorithm is characterized by calculating the second temperature using a correction constant according to the size of the animal.

In addition, the body temperature correction algorithm is characterized by calculating the second temperature using a correction constant according to the type of animal.

The correction constant is characterized by a non-contact animal thermometer, which is a preset standardized parameter.

And, in order to transmit the measured second temperature, characterized in that it further comprises a communication module for communicating with the mobile device.

On the other hand, in the non-contact animal temperature measuring method, the first step of measuring the first temperature of the measurement site using the wavelength of the infrared ray measured by the sensor unit; And a second step of calculating a second temperature corresponding to the first temperature by using a preset non-contact temperature correction parameter, wherein the second step includes selecting a representative temperature using a plurality of first temperatures. It comprises a non-contact animal temperature measurement method.

The non-contact body temperature correction parameter provides a non-contact animal body temperature measurement method, which is a correction constant according to size or species.

The non-contact body temperature correction parameter is characterized by a non-contact animal body temperature measurement method.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, by using a non-contact method, it is possible to measure the body temperature irrespective of dangerous situations such as unpredictable behavior of the animal, it is possible to repeatedly use hygiene, and to overlay the disposable product unlike the insertion thermometer It is eco-friendly because no process is required.

In addition, accuracy is significantly improved over conventional infrared thermometers, which may help to diagnose the current state of the animal more accurately.

And, by assisting to measure the body temperature of the localized site, there is an effect that can accurately measure the body temperature even if there is shaking or animal movement.

On the other hand, a simple measurement method to help non-experts to accurately measure the body temperature of the pet, it can help to self-diagnose the pet.

1 is a flow chart of a non-contact animal body temperature measurement method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2A and 2B are schematic views of a sensing unit of a non-contact thermometer according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a block diagram of a non-contact animal thermometer according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is an image of the actual product of the non-contact animal thermometer according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a cross-sectional view of the product of the non-contact animal thermometer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this is not intended to limit the techniques described in this document to specific embodiments, and should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, and / or alternatives to the embodiments of this document. . In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar components.

In this document, expressions such as "have," "may have," "include," or "may include" include the presence of a corresponding feature (e.g., numerical, functional, operational, or component such as component). Does not exclude the presence of additional features.

In this document, expressions such as "A or B," "at least one of A or / and B," or "one or more of A or / and B" may include all possible combinations of items listed together. . For example, "A or B," "at least one of A and B," or "at least one of A or B," includes (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, Or (3) both of cases including at least one A and at least one B.

Expressions such as "first," "second," "first," or "second," as used herein, may modify various components, regardless of order and / or importance, and may form a component. It is used to distinguish it from other components and does not limit the components. For example, the first user device and the second user device may represent different user devices regardless of the order or importance. For example, without departing from the scope of rights described in this document, a first component may be named a second component, and similarly, a second component may be renamed to a first component.

One component (eg first component) is "operatively or communicatively coupled with / to" another component (eg second component) or "connected" It is to be understood that when referred to as "connected to", a certain component may be directly connected to the other component or through another component (eg, a third component). On the other hand, when a component (e.g., a first component) is said to be "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another component (e.g., a second component), the component and the It may be understood that no other component (eg, a third component) exists between the other components.

The expression "configured to" as used in this document is, for example, "having the capacity to" depending on the context, for example, "suitable for," ". It may be used interchangeably with "designed to," "adapted to," "made to," or "capable of." The term "configured to" may not necessarily mean only "specifically designed to" in hardware. Instead, in some situations, the expression "device configured to" may mean that the device "can" along with other devices or components. For example, the phrase “processor configured (or configured to) perform A, B, and C” may be implemented by executing a dedicated processor (eg, an embedded processor) to perform its operation, or one or more software programs stored in a memory device. It may mean a general-purpose processor (eg, a CPU or an application processor) capable of performing corresponding operations.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the scope of other embodiments. Singular expressions may include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, may have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art described in this document. Among the terms used in this document, terms defined in the general dictionary may be interpreted as having the same or similar meaning as the meaning in the context of the related art, and ideally or excessively formal meanings are not clearly defined in this document. Not interpreted as In some cases, even if terms are defined in the specification, they may not be interpreted to exclude embodiments of the present disclosure.

Various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the gist of the present invention as claimed in the claims of the present invention, and these modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It should not be understood individually from the perspective.

1 is a flow chart of a non-contact animal body temperature measurement method according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2A and 2B are schematic views of a sensing unit of a non-contact thermometer according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a block diagram of a non-contact animal thermometer according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is an image of the actual product of the non-contact animal thermometer according to an embodiment of the present invention. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the product of the non-contact animal thermometer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an animal thermometer, comprising: a condenser lens for receiving infrared rays irradiated from a measurement site and refracting infrared rays in a predetermined angle range; A sensor for measuring wavelengths of infrared rays entering through the condenser lens; A control unit for calculating a temperature by applying an animal species emissivity correction constant to the wavelength of infrared light measured by the sensor; A display for displaying the temperature calculated by the controller; And an operating unit operable by a user to transmit a predetermined input signal to the control unit.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the temperature can be controlled within ± 0.2 ℃, can be measured within 2 cm from the measurement object, the response time required to complete the temperature measurement can be set to within 2 seconds.

Power is required for the operation of the control unit, display, control panel, etc., and the power can be supplied via wired connection or removable / built-in battery (rechargeable / rechargeable secondary battery, lithium ion battery, EDLC and equivalent components). have. Other accessories are not described in more detail as those skilled in the art can easily be carried out through the specification of the present invention.

The temperature can be measured by using the thermometer according to the present invention to localized areas including the external anal, eye, ear, etc. of the animal. Accuracy can be increased by measuring temperature non-contactly to areas where animal skin is exposed to the outside and where hair is small.

You can measure the body temperature by dropping the external anal (or eyeball, etc.) of the animal you want to measure by about 1 cm, and aiming for about 1.6 seconds until you hear a `` prick '' (measurement sound, vibration, etc.). .

After the first measurement, you can press the control button to clear (initialize) the previous measurement and set it for the next measurement.

The measured data can be linked with computer / tablet / mobile phone applications through wireless / wired communication methods such as Internet / Bluetooth / ZigBee. By interlocking the temperature data by date / time / animal by linkage, it is possible to manage the health of the animals. In the case of raising a plurality of pets, the temperature change of each animal may be confirmed.

Depending on the size and type of the object to be measured (dog, cat, cow, goat, sheep, horse, pig, guinea pig, rabbit, bird, hamster, large, medium, small, breed, etc.) The fixed value of 채 should be taken into account.

The condenser lens may be a spherical lens or a Fresnel lens. The condenser lens keeps the sensor's viewing angle below a certain level.

The narrower the angle range, the higher the accuracy, so the viewing angle of the sensor may be configured to an angle between 12 degrees and 20 degrees. More preferably, it may be formed around 16 degrees.

The measurement angle of the conventional infrared sensor is wide, ranging from 85 degrees to 105 degrees, which is not suitable for use as an animal thermometer.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the sensing unit of the animal thermometer according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2A shows a state where the measurement viewing angle is wide, and FIG. 2B shows a state where the measurement viewing angle is narrowed.

In the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to measure the body temperature of the animal through two types of sensors.

The first type uses a narrow viewing angle sensor, and it is possible to apply narrow viewing angle sensors in three angle ranges (①50 degrees or less, ②30 degrees or less, ③20 degrees or less), and the diameter of the measurement window (lens) is 1 cm or less and 5 mm or less. 1 mm or less, 0.8 mm or less.

The second type uses an infrared array sensor, and according to the array of a plurality of pixels, the temperature can be measured for each preset region. The diameter of the region can be set in various ways, and the performance / specification of the sensor can be classified by the width, diameter or radius (for example, 1 cm or less in diameter, 5 mm or less, 1 mm or less, 0.8 mm or less).

Performance / specifications according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention are shown in Table 1.

Parameter shame unit Size of measurement target 1 ~ 4 ㎜ (mm ^ 2) Signal voltage 890

(마이크로볼트)

(Microbolt) resistance 84 k Ohm Resistance temperature constant 0.02 % / K noise 37

Time constant <13 ms Thermistor resistance 100 k Ohm Thermistor temperature constant 3940 K Angle of view 16º @ 50%
30º @ 10%
34º @ 5% degree Working temperature -20 ~ 120 ℃ Storage temperature -40 ~ 120 ℃

As a sensor, a thermopile sensor (radiation thermometer) may be used.

In the case of operating the operation unit once, the measurement can be performed according to the one-time measurement logic set in the control unit, and in the case of continuously pressing the body temperature measurement button of the operation unit, the body temperature can be measured repeatedly while the button is operated.

The operation unit may include a measurement button, a direction key button for setting, a menu button, a power button, and the like. You can change the setting by pressing the menu button, placing the cursor on the desired menu with the arrow keys, and then operating the measurement button (or the OK button). Through this, by selecting an animal species correction constant, it is possible to measure the temperature more accurately by animal species.

In the setting menu, the viewing angle of the sensor may be adjusted by adjusting the distance between the lens and the sensor, and the range of the abnormal range temperature value described later may be adjusted. If the measurement button is operated once, the number of temperature measurement can be set, and the stored data can be read and the measured values can be checked multiple times. If the output temperature is abnormal due to special ambient conditions (such as not suitable for using an infrared thermometer), it is possible to estimate the normal temperature value by checking all measured values.

In the setting menu, it is possible to set whether to operate the laser point described later. If the body temperature is to be measured through the eye of the animal, the laser point may adversely affect the vision of the animal, so that the laser point may be stopped and the temperature may be measured.

For the convenience of operation, the body temperature may be calculated by measuring the temperature of the measuring part a plurality of times without additional manipulation in one operation of the operation unit, and an appropriate value thereof may be output to the display. When the user wants to obtain a more accurate measurement value, by continuously pressing the operation portion, the measurement value accumulates during the pressing time, thereby outputting a more accurate value.

By accumulating the temperature measurement data during the measurement as described above, even if the body hair of the animal is included in the measurement range due to the movement of the animal or the shaking of the user, it can be excluded by determining it as a temperature value in the abnormal range.

The control unit may further include a gyro sensor. If the measured value of the gyro sensor is out of the predetermined range from the start of the measurement in order to prevent the shaking of the user holding the thermometer and the angle of the sensor from the measurement target area, a warning alert is generated or at that time. It can be measured except the measured temperature value.

In addition to the warning notification for abnormal temperature that is difficult to measure from the animal as described above, it may be provided with an alarm function for the low / high temperature of the animal. If stored in the control unit or out of the normal temperature range set by the user may be notified that there may be an abnormal condition of the animal's health. Typically, the low / high temperature range may be about 36.8 degrees to about 39.5 degrees.

Normal temperatures in dogs are usually slightly higher than in humans (average 37.5 degrees to 38.5 degrees). Healthy dogs can heat up to 39 degrees and vary slightly with age / size / weight. Typically, small varieties have a body temperature of 38.6 degrees to 39.3 degrees and large varieties of 37.4 degrees to 38.6 degrees.

As described above, since the body temperature of the animal can be accurately measured only by using the thermometer on the exposed part of the body without manipulation of the operation unit, the general public raising the pet can accurately measure the body temperature of the animal. . Existing apparatuses and methods for measuring animal body temperature have significant effects over the prior art, since medical knowledge and the like of animals may also be required or injuries may occur when animals are misused.

The sensor measures the wavelength of the infrared light at least eight times, and the controller stores the measured value measured by the sensor, compares the stored measured value with the newly measured measured value and then stores the higher measured value. The maximum value of the plurality of measured temperature values can be output to the display.

The maximum value does not mean only the numerically largest value among the plurality of measured temperature values, but means one of values having an upper value among the plurality of values. For example, if the measured temperature of the dog is 38.0 ° C, 37.5 ° C, 37.1 ° C, 34.2 ° C, 39.0 ° C, 38.9 ° C, 38.7 ° C, 36.3 ° C, Except for the 34.2 ° C, 36.3 ° C that can be seen, the upper value of 39.0 ° C, 38.9 ° C, 38.7 ° C and the like can be said to be included in the range of the maximum value. In other words, even if the second, third, and fourth values are selected instead of the "maximum value", it may be considered that the "maximum value" is selected if the configuration is within the technical scope of the present invention.

It is preferable to measure at least 10 times so that a more accurate value can be measured, and at least 8 times should be measured so that the average value of the temperature can be calculated except for values outside the normal range due to disturbance.

In general, since the measured value due to disturbance such as body hair is measured at a lower value than the body temperature, it is preferable to determine the maximum value of the measured value as the body temperature in order to increase the accuracy.

On the other hand, a laser point for irradiating the laser in a direction parallel to the virtual line extending the lens and the sensor is further included, the laser point may be irradiated in a form surrounding the viewing angle range of the sensor.

The laser point as described above may assist in measuring a temperature at a more accurate point by projecting a laser surrounding the measurement range of the measurement target portion.

The virtual line may be a line corresponding to the viewing angle range of the sensor. When the laser point is irradiated in a range corresponding to the viewing angle range of the sensor, the user can measure the temperature of the precise point by referring to the laser point that accurately surrounds the viewing angle range of the sensor (area of the measurement target area).

If the distance between the sensor and the measurement target is greater, the disturbance may increase, and thus, the distance sensor may be further included in a direction parallel to the imaginary line extending the lens and the sensor because it needs to be measured with an appropriate distance value. have. When the distance between the thermometer (lens or temperature sensor) and the measurement target part is measured using an infrared sensor or an ultrasonic sensor, if the distance is out of a predetermined range, a warning notification is issued or the temperature value measured at that time is measured. Can be measured.

As a method of alert notification, a sound effect or a voice guidance may be output through a speaker, or a phrase or an icon may be displayed on a display.

In addition, the sensing step of receiving the infrared light irradiated from the skin of the animal in the sensor having a predetermined viewing angle; A calculation step of calculating a temperature by applying an animal species emissivity correction constant after the sensing step; After the calculating step, except for the temperature value out of a predetermined range of the plurality of temperature value, the output step of outputting the maximum value on the display; provides an animal body temperature measurement method comprising a.

In an embodiment of the present invention, an accurate temperature is selected using a plurality of measured values. For example, the median value, the average value, the highest value, and the second to highest value can be measured and selected as the final temperature value for outputting a specific value. In a preferred embodiment, the second to highest value can be measured.

The animal body temperature measuring method as described above may be configured to implement a device (animal thermometer).

Since animals have different emissivity correction constants for different species (dogs, cats, cows, goats, sheep, horses, pigs, guinea pigs, rabbits, birds, hamsters, etc.), conventional infrared thermometers can accurately measure the temperature of each animal. Although not possible, in the present invention, by selecting the type of the animal to be measured through the operation unit can be measured more accurate temperature. To this end, the controller stores an emissivity correction constant for each animal type and converts an infrared sensor measurement value into a temperature by applying an emissivity correction constant according to the selected species.

In the above description, the process of excluding a temperature value deviating from a predetermined range among the plurality of temperature values may be performed at once after a plurality of sensing steps are performed, or may be performed at each sensing step once.

In the output step, after storing the temperature value, if there is a next measured value, the stored temperature value is compared with the newly measured temperature value, the higher temperature value is stored and the lower temperature value is discarded, and the measured temperature value is After saving all, you can output the maximum value except the abnormal temperature value as the temperature value.

In the above description, a temperature value (or an abnormal range temperature value) out of a predetermined range may mean a value deviating from -3% or more and + 10% or more from an average value of measured values. The lower limit of the range is for the purpose of reliably excluding the case where the temperature value is lower due to hair, etc., and when a temperature value higher than the body temperature is measured, it rarely occurs except when the high temperature heating element around the animal is incorrectly measured. In this case, the upper limit can be set to about 10%.

In other words, in the technical idea of the present invention, in which the temperature of the localized region is measured a plurality of times and the maximum value of the temperature is determined as the body temperature, an excessively low temperature may sometimes occur due to hair growth. When the excessively high is rarely measured, such an abnormal range temperature value has a technical meaning.

In the sensing step, at least eight measurements may be made during a time between 1.6 seconds and 7 seconds.

In a preferred embodiment, 12 to 16 measurements are possible for 1.6 seconds.

In general, the first measurement time is about 0.74 seconds, and when repeated measurement, only the thermopile sensor needs to be measured repeatedly, so it takes about 0.1 seconds. Therefore, it may take about 1.6 seconds to 7 seconds to finally determine the body temperature after repeated measurements about eight times. In theory, the maximum number of measurements over seven seconds could be about 63 times.

The time between 1.6 seconds and 7 seconds means a time at which the actual sensing, measurement, and calculation process is performed, and the calculation output time is given by giving a time delay before, during, or after the sensing, measuring, or calculation process. It will also be within 7 seconds to fall within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention.

The number of times of measuring the temperature during one operation of the operation unit may be set according to a user's need, and the control unit may store the corresponding number of times through the operation unit. Therefore, when it is used in hospitals or public facilities or when it is necessary to measure the temperature of many objects quickly due to animal infectious diseases, it is possible to set the measurement frequency small and make the measurement speed faster. Is more important, you can set the number of measurements to make more accurate temperature measurements.

* Explanation of the sign

1: sensor

2: control unit

3: Lens, measurement window

a, b: area to be measured

A: Lens-measurement area distance

B: diameter of measurement target

Claims (8)

In the non-contact animal thermometer,
A sensor unit measuring a first temperature of a measurement unit by using the wavelength of infrared rays measured by the sensor unit;
A controller configured to calculate a second temperature corresponding to the body temperature of the animal according to a preset temperature correction algorithm; And
Non-contact animal thermometer comprising a display unit for displaying the body temperature of the animal. The method of claim 1,
The body temperature correction algorithm is a non-contact animal thermometer for calculating the second temperature using a correction constant according to the size of the animal. The method of claim 1,
The body temperature correction algorithm is a non-contact animal thermometer for calculating the second temperature using a correction constant according to the type of animal. The method of claim 1,
The method according to claim 3 or 4,
Wherein said correction constant is a preset standardized parameter. The method of claim 1,
The animal thermometer further comprises a communication module for communicating with the mobile device, in order to transmit the measured second temperature. In the non-contact animal body temperature measurement method,
A first step of measuring a first temperature of the measurement part by using the infrared wavelength measured by the sensor part; And
A second step of calculating a second temperature corresponding to the first temperature by using a preset non-contact temperature correction parameter,
The second step comprises the step of selecting a representative temperature using a plurality of first temperature, non-contact animal temperature measuring method. The method of claim 6,
The non-contact body temperature correction parameter is a non-contact animal body temperature measurement method according to the size or species. The method of claim 6,
And said non-contact temperature correction parameter is standardized.

Images