U.S. patent application number 09/841470 was filed with the patent office on 2002-01-10 for o-ring test device.
Invention is credited to Awanohara, Yoshinori, Kinoshita, Satoshi, Seto, Takeshi, Shishihara, Yo, Takagi, Kunihiko.
Application Number | 20020002867 09/841470 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 18639133 |
Filed Date | 2002-01-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020002867 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Shishihara, Yo ; et
al. |
January 10, 2002 |
O-ring test device
Abstract
In the present device, means for generating external force
tending to open the O-ring formed by the thumb and another finger
of the examinee is composed of a pair of artificial finger sections
including two artificial fingers 8A and 8B. The artificial fingers
8A and 8B include two slender tubes 12 and 14 having corrugated
wall faces, core members 16 for maintaining the parallel
arrangement of the tubes 12 and 14, and thin bag-like covering
members 18 consisting of a high polymer for covering the outer
periphery of the tubes 12 and 14. Pump sections 10 for controlling
movement of low viscosity hydraulic oil serving as a fluid sealed
in fluid chambers 12a and 14a are integrally connected to base ends
of the artificial fingers 8A and 8B.
Inventors: |
Shishihara, Yo; (Ina-shi,
JP) ; Takagi, Kunihiko; (Nagano-ken, JP) ;
Seto, Takeshi; (Tokyo-to, JP) ; Kinoshita,
Satoshi; (Matsumoto-shi, JP) ; Awanohara,
Yoshinori; (Nagano-ken, JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
HARNESS, DICKEY & PIERCE, PLC
P.O. BOX 828
BLOOMFIELD HILLS
MI
48303
US
|
Family ID: |
18639133 |
Appl. No.: |
09/841470 |
Filed: |
April 24, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
73/849 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61B 5/415 20130101;
A61B 5/225 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
73/849 |
International
Class: |
G01N 003/20 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Apr 28, 2000 |
JP |
2000-129935 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An O-ring test device for testing an O-ring formed by a thumb
and another finger consisting of voluntary muscles of an examinee
and for measuring body information according to a change in muscle
strength of the voluntary muscles with external force tending to
open the O-ring opposed against the muscle strength of the
voluntary muscles of the examinee, the O-ring test device
comprising: at least two artificial fingers engaging with the thumb
and another finger forming the O-ring, having at least two
fluid-sealed fluid chambers arranged parallel to each other, and
generating the external force tending to open the O-ring by being
bent and deformed by the movement of the fluid between the fluid
chambers; a pump for moving the fluid between the plurality of
fluid chambers; a pressure detector for detecting pressure values
in the artificial fingers when the external force is being
generated; a pump driver for controlling a drive of the pump; a
contact-separation detector for detecting contact-separation status
of the thumb and another finger; and a muscle strength
change-calculator for calculating a change in muscle strength of
the voluntary muscles before and after the separation of the thumb
and another finger detected by the contact-separation detector
based on the output of the pressure detector.
2. An O-ring test device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising
a display for displaying the result of the muscle strength
change-calculator.
3. An O-ring test device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pump is
integrally connected to the base ends of the artificial
fingers.
4. An O-ring test device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the pump
includes a diaphragm defining a pump fluid chamber between the pump
and ends of the artificial fingers; a piezoelectric element stacked
on the diaphragm; and a valve part for setting a direction of
movement of the fluid between the fluid chambers of one finger.
5. An O-ring test device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
artificial fingers have a construction in which at least two
slender tubes capable of expansion and contraction and having a
fluid chamber accommodating therein a fluid are arranged in
parallel to each other, and a flexible core member for controlling
the lengthwise expansion of the tubes is provided between the
tubes.
6. An O-ring test device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the tubes
of the artificial fingers contacting the thumb and another finger
forming the O-ring are formed of flexible elastic materials.
7. An O-ring test device as claimed claim 1, wherein the fluid
sealed in the fluid chambers is liquid, and the outer periphery of
the artificial fingers is covered by an outer periphery-covering
member having a liquid absorption function.
8. A test device for testing an O-ring formed by a thumb and a
finger of an examinee comprising: at least two artificial fingers
engaging with the thumb and the finger forming the O-ring; each of
said artificial fingers having at least two tubes disposed therein;
a pump fluidly communicating with said tubes; a pressure sensor
coupled to said artificial fingers for sensing pressure values in
said artificial fingers; a contact-separation sensor adjacent said
thumb and said finger for detecting a contact-separation status of
said thumb and said finger; and a muscle strength change-sensor
coupled to said examinee and said contact-separation sensor for
calculating a change in muscle strength of said examinee before and
after separation of said thumb and said finger detected by said
contact-separation sensor.
9. The test device of claim 8, wherein said pump includes a
diaphragm defining a pump fluid chamber between the pump and ends
of the artificial fingers; and a piezoelectric element stacked on
the diaphragm.
10. The test device of claim 9, wherein said pump includes a valve
part for setting a direction of movement of said fluid between said
fluid chambers of said finger.
11. The test device of claim 8, wherein said tubes further comprise
expandable and contractable members including a fluid chamber
therein accommodating a fluid.
12. The test device of claim 10, wherein a flexible core member is
disposed between said tubes for controlling a lengthwise expansion
of said tubes.
13. The test device of claim 11, wherein the tubes of the
artificial fingers contacting the thumb and the finger forming the
O-ring are formed of flexible elastic material.
14. The test device of claim 8, wherein an outer periphery of the
artificial fingers is covered by a liquid absorbing member.
15. The test device of claim 8, wherein said tubes are arranged
parallel to each other.
16. The test device of claim 15, wherein said tubes contain a
plurality of fluid chambers.
17. The test device of claim 8, wherein said muscle strength
change-sensor calculation is based on an output of said pressure
sensor.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Technical Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to an O-ring test device for
measuring various human body information, such as a
body-compatibility determination, an abnormal area determination,
and information identification.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] Hitherto, in medical diagnosis, a technique called "a
bi-digital O-ring test" (hereinafter, referred to as "an O-ring
test") has been known as a method for diagnosing an abnormal area
of an examinee (patient) (U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,107). In this test,
one finger satisfying the condition of being one of the second,
third, fourth, and fifth fingers is placed against the first finger
(thumb) of one hand of the examinee, a ring (O-ring) is formed by
the two fingers, and the examinee is allowed to apply force to the
fingers continuously. An examiner (measurer) opens the two fingers
from both sides with examiner's fingers. The strength of the
fingers of the examinee tending to maintain the two fingers as they
are against the examiner is determined.
[0005] This O-ring test is a living body sensor test making use of
the muscular tonus condition. If the muscle strength of the fingers
becomes weakened in a state where an arbitrary organ representation
point is pointed to by the examinee, the O-ring opens. This means
that the organ is abnormal. Conversely, when the O-ring is strong
enough not to open, this means that the organ is normal.
Incidentally, the meaning of the above is reversed only in the case
of the thymus gland. This can find the abnormal areas of the
body.
[0006] In addition, if the same technique is performed by having a
sample of a particular material in the examinee's hand, the muscle
strength of the fingers of the examinee will become weakened and
the O-ring will open if the same material in the examinee's hand
exists inside the body of the examinee. When the material exists,
the muscle strength of the fingers becomes weakened and the O-ring
opens. This has been interpreted to be a phenomenon resulting from
the resonance of the substances, and is called a resonance test. By
making use of this method, the distribution of bacteria, viruses,
cancer, metabolic substances in a living body, hormones, nerve
transmission substances, heavy metals, drugs, and the like in the
living body can be determined, and diseases can be diagnosed.
Incidentally, this O-ring test is an auxiliary diagnostic method
that is conducted before the diagnosis made by using the latest
normal medical equipment.
[0007] Incidentally, in the above-described O-ring test, there is a
possibility that uncertain factors will enter into the fingers of
the examiner tending to open the O-ring. That is, although the
examiner must produce external force for opening the O-ring with a
fixed power and the same rhythm every time, the examiner may
conduct the O-ring test with non-uniform force. In addition, even
if the examiner has the intention of applying the force uniformly
to the fingers, since there is no objective indicator, effects due
to suggestion or other conscious effects may appear.
[0008] Thus, as a device for conducting the O-ring test by an
object other than the fingers of the examiner, devices disclosed in
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 07-163552
(hereinafter, referred to as a first conventional art) and in
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 08-38463
(hereinafter, referred to as a second conventional art) have been
known.
[0009] The first conventional art discloses a device in which a bag
means is inserted in an O-ring formed by the thumb and another
finger of an examinee, the bag means is expanded by a control of
injecting means to generate external force tending to open the
O-ring, and then contact-separation state of the fingers forming
the O-ring is detected by contact-separation detecting means based
on the inflow and outflow state of gas, and a change in muscle
strength of voluntary muscles before and after the detection of the
separation of the fingers (the thumb and another finger) is
secondarily measured based on the output of pressure detecting
means.
[0010] The second conventional art discloses a device in which a
pair of rings are engaged with the thumb and another finger of the
examinee forming the O-ring, external force tending to open the
O-ring is generated on the pair of rings by the power of an
electric motor, the external force is measured based on the output
of the external force detecting means, and the measurement result
of the external force given to the thumb and another finger just
before the detection of the separation of the thumb and another
finger measured for the examinee before the O-ring test are
comparatively operated by measuring means.
[0011] Since the external force for opening the O-ring is imparted
by the bag means in the first conventional art and by the pair of
rings in the second conventional art instead of the fingers of the
examiner (measurer) into which uncertain factors enter, these
conventional arts can impart fixed external force to the
O-ring.
[0012] In the first conventional art, however, since the gas is
injected to the bag means inserted in the O-ring so as to open the
O-ring by the expansion of the bag means, unlike an original O-ring
test for opening two fingers of the O-ring by the fingers of the
examiner, the function of the O-ring test may not be sufficiently
exhibited.
[0013] In addition, in the second conventional art, since the pair
of rings locally come into contact with the thumb and another
finger of the examinee forming the O-ring and do not come into
contact softly, unlike human fingers, an uncomfortable sensation is
given to the examinee. In addition, since the electric motor is
used in the conventional art, electromagnetic waves generated by
the electric motor exerts an influence on the vital reaction,
whereby the result of the O-ring test may not be obtained
accurately, and the device may be a large test device.
[0014] The present invention has been achieved in consideration of
the above circumstances, and an object is to provide a compact
O-ring test device which softly contacts the thumb and another
finger of an examinee forming the O-ring like human fingers to
generate external force in a direction to open the O-ring, and
which can obtain the results of an O-ring test by preventing the
influence of the device on a vital reaction.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0015] In order to solve the above problems, there is provided an
O-ring test device for forming an O-ring by a thumb and another
finger consisting of voluntary muscles of an examinee, and for
measuring body information according to a change in muscle strength
of the voluntary muscles with external force tending to open the
O-ring opposed against the muscle strength of the voluntary muscles
of the examinee, the O-ring test device including: at least two
artificial fingers engaging with the thumb and another finger
forming the O-ring, having at least two fluid-sealed fluid chambers
arranged parallel to each other, and generating the external force
tending to open the O-ring by being bent and deformed by the
movement of the fluid between the fluid chambers; pump means for
moving the fluid between the plurality of fluid chambers; pressure
detecting means for detecting pressure values in the artificial
fingers when the external force is being generated; pump driving
means for controlling the drive of the pump means;
contact-separation detecting means for detecting contact and
separation of the thumb and another finger; and a muscle strength
change-calculating means for calculating a change in muscle
strength of the voluntary muscles before and after the separation
of the thumb and another finger detected by the contact-separation
detecting means based on the output of the pressure detecting
means.
[0016] In addition, there is provided an O-ring test device further
including display means for displaying the result of the muscle
strength change-calculating means.
[0017] In addition, there is provided an O-ring test device wherein
the pump means is integrally connected to the base ends of the
artificial fingers.
[0018] In addition, there is provided an O-ring test device wherein
the pump means includes a diaphragm defining a pump fluid chamber
between the pump means and ends of the artificial fingers; a
piezoelectric element stacked on the diaphragm; and a valve part
for setting a direction of movement of the fluid between the fluid
chamber of one tube and the fluid chamber of the other tube.
[0019] In addition, there is provided an O-ring test device wherein
the artificial fingers have a construction in which at least two
slender tubes capable of expansion and contraction and having a
fluid chamber accommodating therein a fluid are arranged in
parallel to each other, and a flexible core member for controlling
the lengthwise expansion of the tubes is provided between the
tubes.
[0020] In addition, there is provided an O-ring test device wherein
the tubes of the artificial fingers contacting the thumb and
another finger forming the O-ring are formed of flexible elastic
materials.
[0021] Furthermore, there is provided an O-ring test device wherein
the fluid sealed in the fluid chambers is liquid, and the outer
periphery of the artificial fingers is covered by an outer
periphery-covering member having a liquid absorption function.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] FIG. 1 is a view showing the general configuration of an
O-ring test device according to the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 2 is a view showing artificial fingers and pump means
constituting the O-ring test device.
[0024] FIG. 3 is a view showing a device body of the O-ring test
device.
[0025] FIG. 4 is a view showing the general configuration of an
O-ring test device in another embodiment in which the construction
of an artificial finger is different.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0026] The embodiment of an O-ring test device according to the
present invention will be described below with reference to the
drawings.
[0027] FIG. 1 shows an O-ring test device of a first embodiment.
The device includes a contact-separation detecting sensor 2 clipped
to tips of a thumb and another finger of an examinee forming an
O-ring, a pair of artificial finger sections 4, each base end
thereof being supported on a fixed section D made of soft rubber so
as to generate external force tending to open the O-ring, and a
device body 6 for controlling the drive of the pair of artificial
finger sections 4, and for calculating and displaying a change in
muscle strength of voluntary muscles of the thumb and another
finger when the external force is generated.
[0028] As shown in FIG. 2, artificial finger sections 4 include two
artificial fingers 8A and 8B, and pump sections 10 which are
integrally connected to base ends of the artificial fingers 8A and
8B, and which controls movement of low viscosity hydraulic oil
serving as a fluid sealed in the artificial fingers 8A and 8B.
[0029] The artificial fingers 8A and 8B include two slender tubes
12 and 14 having corrugated wall faces, core members 16 for
maintaining the parallel arrangement of the tubes 12 and 14, and
thin bag-like covering members 18 consisting of a high polymer for
covering the outer periphery of the tubes 12 and 14.
[0030] The tubes 12 and 14 are formed of flexible elastic
materials, and have fluid chambers 12a and 14a inside thereof to
seal hydraulic oil, such as liquid silicone, therein. In addition,
the core members 16 are, for example, flexible steel members, and
allow the widthwise expansion of the tubes 12 and 14 while
controlling the lengthwise expansion.
[0031] Each pump section 10 adopts a piezoelectric diaphragm pump,
and includes a cylindrical pump section case 20 integrally
connected to the lower part of the artificial fingers 8A and 8B
while being maintained fluid-tight, an active valve 22 serving as a
valve part provided in the pump section case 20 for partitioning
the fluid chambers 12a and 14a of the tubes 12 and 14, a diaphragm
26 defining a pump fluid chamber (not shown) in a space under the
active valve 22, and a piezoelectric element 28 stacked on the
lower surface of the diaphragm 26.
[0032] The pump section case 20 is buried in the above-described
fixed section D. In addition, the piezoelectric element 28 is a
known piezoelectric actuator consisting of an element having a
so-called piezoelectric effect. While there are various materials
having the piezoelectric effect, ranging from crystals to high
polymers, a typical material for the piezoelectric actuator is lead
zirconate titanate (PZT), which is one of the piezoelectric
ceramics. By changing a voltage applied to the piezoelectric
element 28, the piezoelectric element 28 is extended, whereby the
shape of the diaphragm 26 is changed to vary internal pressure of
the pump fluid chamber.
[0033] Although it is not shown in the figure, the active valve 22
is a device including, for example, a solenoid-type switching valve
for setting a direction of movement of the hydraulic oil between
the two fluid chambers, and is operated by an open-close
controlling current transmitted from the device body 6.
[0034] Here, the tubes 12 and 14 are provided with pressure sensors
30 for detecting fluid pressure of the fluid chambers 12a and 14a,
and detected information of the fluid pressure is transmitted to
the device body 6 at any time.
[0035] On the other hand, the device body 6 includes a
microcomputer 32, a driver 34, a display 36, and a control panel
(not shown) as shown in FIG. 3.
[0036] The microcomputer 32 includes an input interface circuit 32a
having the A/D converting function for reading detection signals
from the contact-separation sensor 2 and a plurality of pressure
sensors 30 as detection values, a processing unit 32b for
performing a predetermined processing for controlling the drive of
the pump sections 10 in accordance with a predetermined program and
for calculating a change in muscle strength of voluntary muscles, a
storage unit 32c, such as a RAM or a ROM, an output interface
circuit 32d for outputting open-close controlling signals for the
active valves 22 obtained by the processing unit 32b and voltage
controlling signals for the piezoelectric elements 28, active valve
driving circuits 32e for outputting open-close controlling current
to the active valves 22 based on the open-close controlling signals
output from the output interface circuit 32d, and terminal voltage
controlling circuits 32f for outputting terminal voltages to the
piezoelectric elements 28 based on the voltage controlling signals
output from the output interface circuit 32d. Here, a pressure
value of the fluid chamber 12a, which is changed when the O-ring
test is started, and a storage table of the muscle strength of the
voluntary muscles of the examiner forming the O-ring corresponding
to the pressure value are stored in the storage device 32c.
[0037] In addition, display data is supplied to the driver 34 from
the microcomputer 32, whereby the driver 34 drives the display 36
based on the display data, and displays the results of the O-ring
test.
[0038] Next, the procedure for conducting the O-ring test, and
operations of the members will be described briefly with reference
to FIGS. 1 to 3.
[0039] First, it is assumed that an examinee forms an O-ring by the
thumb and the forefinger, as shown in FIG. 1.
[0040] Next, the examiner operates the control panel to instruct
the start of the O-ring test. This allows the microcomputer 32 to
output open-close controlling signals from the active valve driving
circuits 32e to control open and close of the active valves 22 for
every predetermined time so that a communication state of the fluid
chamber 12a and the pump fluid chamber and a communication state of
the fluid chamber 14a and the pump fluid chamber are repeated. At
the same time, when the fluid chamber 14a communicates with the
pump fluid chamber, the piezoelectric elements 28 are extended by
the terminal voltage output from the terminal voltage controlling
circuits 32f, and the diaphragm 26 is elastically deformed downward
to decrease the internal pressure of the pump fluid chamber to
thereby allow the hydraulic oil in the fluid chamber 14a to flow
into the pump fluid chamber. In addition, when the fluid chamber
12a communicates with the pump fluid chamber, output of the
terminal voltage from the terminal voltage control circuits 32f is
stopped, and the diaphragm 26 is elastically returned to the
original state to increase the internal pressure of the pump fluid
chamber to thereby allow the hydraulic oil in the pump fluid
chamber to flow into the fluid chamber 12a. The pump sections 10
repeat these actions to move the hydraulic oil from the fluid
chamber 14a of the tube 14, which is not in contact with the
fingers forming the O-ring, to the fluid chamber 12a of the tube
12, which is in contact with the fingers, whereby the tube 14,
which is not in contact with the fingers contracts, and the tube
12, that is in contact with the fingers expands.
[0041] Since the lengthwise expansion of the tube 12 is controlled
by the core member 16, the tube 12 expands in the width direction
while bending the core member 16, and the artificial fingers 8A and
8B are bent and deformed.
[0042] Then, the microcomputer 32 monitors the detection values of
the pressure sensors 30, and determines that the greatly bent and
deformed artificial fingers 8A and 8B has generated external force
tending to open the O-ring when the pressure in the fluid chamber
12a increases rapidly. The microcomputer 32 starts to monitor the
detection value from the contact-separation sensor 2, stores the
gradually increasing pressure values of the pressure sensors 30 in
the storage unit 32c, and continues to display the pressure values
on the display 36.
[0043] When the microcomputer 32 confirms the separation of the
thumb and the forefinger forming the O-ring by the detection value
from the contact-separation sensor 2, the microcomputer 32
calculates a change in muscle strength of the voluntary muscles of
the thumb and the forefinger of the examinee based on the storage
table stored in the storage unit 32c and the pressure value, and
displays the change on the display 36.
[0044] According to the O-ring test device constructed as described
above, the pump sections 10 are controlled to bend and deform the
artificial fingers 8A and 8B of the pair of artificial finger
sections 4, the external force tending to open the O-ring is
generated, and then the contact-separation state of the thumb and
the forefinger is monitored by the contact-separation sensor 2, and
the change in the voluntary muscles before and after the separation
of the thumb and the forefinger can be calculated based on the
output of the pressure sensors 30, and the change can be displayed
on the display 36. Therefore, the results of the O-ring test can be
obtained accurately only by the examiner.
[0045] In this embodiment, since an electric motor or the like,
which is apt to generate electromagnetic waves, is not used, unlike
in the conventional art, there is no external cause for exerting an
influence on the vital reaction of the examinee, and the results of
the O-ring test can be obtained more accurately.
[0046] In addition, since the core members 16 constituting the
artificial fingers 8A and 8B maintain the parallel arrangement of
the tubes 12 and 14 while flexing so that the lengthwise expansion
of the tubes 12 and 14 is controlled and only the widthwise
expansion is allowed, the artificial fingers 8A and 8B can be
securely bent and deformed like human fingers.
[0047] In addition, since the tube 12 contacting the fingers of the
examinee is formed of a flexible material, no uncomfortable
sensation is given to the examinee who conducts the O-ring
test.
[0048] In addition, since the covering member 18 is formed of a
high polymer, the hydraulic oil is absorbed by the covering member
18 and does not leak to the outside even if the hydraulic oil leaks
from the tubes 12 and 14.
[0049] In addition, since the pump sections 10 are integrally
provided to the base ends of the artificial fingers 8A and 8B, and
a large device, such as an electric motor, is not used, a compact
configuration of the device can be achieved. FIG. 4 shows another
embodiment of a pair of artificial finger sections.
[0050] Each of the pair of artificial finger sections 50 of this
embodiment includes one artificial finger 52. The artificial finger
52 has the same construction as the artificial finger 8A of the
first embodiment, and generates external force tending to open an
O-ring by being bent and deformed.
[0051] When the pair of artificial finger sections 50 are
controlled in a manner similar to the components of the first
embodiment, similar action and effect can be obtained and one
artificial finger 52 is controlled. Therefore, the control can be
simplified.
[0052] As described above, the pump means is controlled to bend and
deform at least two artificial fingers, the external force tending
to open the O-ring is generated, and then the contact-separation
state of the thumb and another finger is monitored by the
contact-separation detecting means, and the muscle strength
change-calculating means calculates the change in the muscle
strength of the voluntary muscles before and after the separation
of the thumb and another finger based on the detection value of the
pressure detecting means. Therefore, the results of the O-ring test
can be obtained accurately.
[0053] In addition, since the change in the muscle strength of the
voluntary muscles calculated by the muscle strength
change-calculating means can be seen by the display means, the
results of the O-ring test can be obtained accurately only by the
examiner.
[0054] In addition, a small pump part is integrally provided to the
base ends of the artificial fingers, so that a compact
configuration of the device can be achieved. Since an electric
motor, which is apt to generate electromagnetic waves, is not used
as the driving means, there is no external cause for exerting an
influence on the vital reaction of the examinee, and the results of
the O-ring test can be obtained more accurately.
[0055] In addition, since the core member maintains the parallel
arrangement of the tubes while flexing so that the lengthwise
expansion of the tubes is controlled and only the widthwise
expansion is allowed, the artificial fingers can be securely bent
and deformed like human fingers.
[0056] In addition, no uncomfortable sensation is given to the
examiner who conducts the O-ring test.
[0057] Furthermore, even if the fluid leaks from the tubes, the
fluid is absorbed by the outer periphery-covering member and does
not leak to the outside.
* * * * *