Method and system for measuring strength and change of nutrient gas

Abstract

The invention discloses a method and a system for deducing the ying qi intensity and change of meridians and collaterals by measuring infrared heat radiation and body surface temperature, which are characterized in that tissues are heated to a set temperature on a human body meridian walking path, and then infrared heat radiation is measured to calculate an infrared shielding proportion, so that the numerical representation of the ying qi intensity can be obtained. The nutrient qi intensity of a plurality of channels and collaterals of a human body is measured at the same time, and the relative nutrient qi intensity of different channels and collaterals can be obtained by comparing the obtained results. The corresponding nutrient gas measuring system comprises at least two pairs of infrared temperature sensors and contact type temperature sensors, a CPU and a storage device, and the infrared temperature sensors and the contact type temperature sensors can be paired to measure the temperature of the same part. According to the method and the system, the relative strength and fluctuation condition of nutrient qi of different meridians and collaterals can be measured, so that an auxiliary basis is provided for syndrome differentiation of six meridians and collaterals.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of traditional Chinese medicine, and in particular to a method and system for inferring the strength and change of meridian vital energy by measuring infrared thermal radiation and body surface temperature. Background Art

[0002] Over the years, people have conducted extensive and in-depth research on meridians, including research on the meridians themselves and research on using meridian information to assist in diagnosis. The methods used include resistance / conductance method, high-frequency vibration sound method, spectroscopy, laser intensity method, isotope tracer method, etc. However, these methods have corresponding disadvantages, such as the resistance / conductance method has unstable numerical values, the high-frequency vibration sound method will damage the meridians, and the spectroscopy / laser intensity method has little difference between normal people and patients. In addition, most of the existing research methods regard the meridians and blood as a whole, without distinguishing between Ying Qi and Wei Qi, which causes the measurement results (such as the measurement results in the resistance / conductance method) to be affected by both at the same time, causing confusion.

[0003] Using body surface temperature or infrared thermal imagers to study meridians is another important branch, and many achievements have been made. For example, Shengsuke Serizawa, Fenglan Yu and others found that the temperature of acupoints is generally higher than that of non-acupoints. Xu Jinsen, Xianglong Hu and others used infrared thermal imaging to obtain high temperature lines along the meridians after heating the acupoints, proving the existence of meridians from a new perspective. Zhang Dong, Liu Ruiting and others used infrared thermal imagers to measure and found that acupuncture at Hegu would cause the temperature of Yingxiang acupoint to rise, while Ma Huimin and others found that after acupuncture at Quchi, the infrared temperature of Quchi, Wenliu and Shousanli would decrease. However, these studies are still far from the purpose of auxiliary diagnosis. In addition, later studies generally use infrared thermal imagers, believing that infrared temperature is an accurate representation of temperature, while ignoring the influence of emissivity. However, according to the method of the present invention, it can be seen that the infrared radiation intensity on the meridians and acupoints of the human body changes with the exudation of nutrient qi (if the concept of emissivity is mechanically applied, the emissivity will change), so the infrared thermal imager can only obtain approximate information, but cannot accurately reflect the condition of the human body. In addition, it is difficult for an infrared thermal imager to provide a curve showing the temperature change over time at a certain location, which can provide very rich information.

[0004] Measuring the temperature of acupoints to measure the strength of qi and blood in the meridians or whether there is a disease (auxiliary diagnosis) is another direction. Hui Yuanhuizhang found that if the temperature difference of the same acupoint on the left and right exceeds 0.5 degrees, the patient will feel uncomfortable. Zhao Rongzhu, Gao Yanbin and others found that the temperature difference of the same acupoint on the left and right of patients with gastric disease and diabetes is indeed higher than that of normal people. Li Zishuang, Lin Huilan and others found that the temperature of liver shu and Taichong in patients with liver disease is higher than that of healthy people. At present, the main idea of ​​auxiliary diagnosis is to use a thermistor or thermocouple to measure the skin surface temperature, or to use an infrared thermal imager to measure the temperature, and then compare the temperature of the same acupoint on the left and right sides. If the temperature difference is too large (such as more than 0.5 degrees), the corresponding meridian / internal organ has problems. However, this evaluation method and conclusion are too simple to be combined with the Eight Principles or Six Meridians of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and therefore difficult to be practical. Summary of the invention

[0005] A technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a method and system for measuring the strength and change of meridian vital energy by simultaneously measuring infrared heat radiation temperature and body surface temperature. Although the method and system cannot directly obtain information on whether a person is healthy or not (most people are in a sub-healthy state, with insufficient meridian vital energy and blood), nor can they obtain disease diagnosis results (or prescriptions), they can provide more auxiliary (intermediate) information for users' reference.

[0006] A method for measuring the strength of Ying Qi comprises: selecting a location on the path of human meridians and heating the surrounding tissues to a set temperature, then measuring the infrared thermal radiation at the location to calculate the infrared shielding ratio, and obtaining a numerical representation of the strength of Ying Qi.

[0007] According to an embodiment of the present invention, further, multiple meridians of the human body are measured simultaneously, and then the multiple results obtained are compared to obtain the relative strength of the nutrient qi between different meridians.

[0008] A method for measuring the strength of Ying Qi comprises: selecting a site near the path of human meridians, measuring the temperature of a certain depth under the skin of the site with a piercing temperature sensor, and then measuring the infrared thermal radiation of the site to calculate the infrared shielding ratio to obtain a numerical representation of the strength of Ying Qi.

[0009] A method for measuring the strength of Ying Qi comprises: selecting a part on the path of human meridians, measuring the body surface temperature using a contact temperature sensor, and simultaneously measuring the infrared temperature of the same part using an infrared temperature sensor, and then calculating the difference between the two temperatures to obtain a numerical representation of the strength of Ying Qi.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present invention, further, the contact temperature sensor is in direct contact with the human body when in use.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present invention, further, multiple meridians of the human body are measured simultaneously, and then the multiple results obtained are compared to obtain the relative strength of the nutrient qi between different meridians.

[0012] A system for measuring the strength and changes of human vital energy includes: at least two pairs of infrared temperature sensors and contact temperature sensors, a CPU and a storage device, and each contact temperature sensor is paired with an infrared temperature sensor to simultaneously measure two temperatures of a part.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present invention, further, the contact temperature sensor is used to measure human body surface temperature.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the present invention, further, the contact temperature sensor is in direct contact with a human body when in use.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present invention, further, the storage device simultaneously stores two types of temperature data and their time stamps, and the stored data lasts for more than 30 minutes.

[0016] According to an embodiment of the present invention, further, the system also includes a Bluetooth or WIFI communication module to communicate with a smart phone.

[0017] The method and system described in the present invention can intuitively see the sudden changes of the nutritive qi over time, and then infer whether the user has blood stasis or phlegm and fluid blockage of qi and blood. It can be inferred whether there is a situation where qi and blood cannot be connected through the obvious abnormality of the relationship between infrared / body surface temperature. In addition, by analyzing the fluctuation of nutritive qi and comparing the strength of nutritive qi / defensive qi in different meridians, it can also provide auxiliary basis for six meridians differentiation. Therefore, it has significant progress and practical value. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a waveform diagram showing changes in body surface temperature and unchanged infrared radiation obtained using the Yingqi measurement system of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2 This is an abnormal (burr) waveform diagram caused by poor flow of qi and blood in the meridians obtained using the Yingqi measurement system of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 3 This is an abnormal (reversed) waveform diagram caused by meridian blockage obtained using the Ying Qi measurement system of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 4A human body surface layered model diagram is provided to facilitate understanding of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 5 4 is a structural diagram of a gas measurement system according to the present invention.

[0024] Figure 6 2 is a structural diagram of a Wei Qi measurement system according to the present invention.

[0025] Figure 7 Structural diagram of the heated medium and its associated structures used in the Weiqi measurement system.

[0026] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the temperature rise curve obtained by using the Wei Qi measurement system of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0029] Before explaining the specific implementation methods, the three basic principles used in the present invention are first explained: First, the Qi running inside and outside the meridians includes Ying Qi and Wei Qi, that is, the veins of "Ying Qi running in the veins and Wei Qi running outside the veins" are meridians (channels) rather than blood vessels. Second, while Ying Qi is running in the meridians, there will be a small amount of exudation. The more vigorous the Ying Qi is, the more exudation there will be (but there will be more exudation after the meridians are blocked). When Ying Qi exudes, it will generate heat and the products will affect (block) infrared radiation. Third, Wei Qi outside the meridians has a warming effect. If the Wei Qi is strong, the speed of heat dissipation through convection and conduction will be slow, and the temperature of the corresponding part of the human body (especially the internal temperature) will be higher, but Wei Qi basically does not affect the propagation of infrared rays.

[0030] The following analysis (materials) can be provided for the basis of the three principles: First, according to the implementation method of the present invention, in human body tests (especially around the turning point of the twelve hours), the body surface temperature often changes while the infrared radiation remains unchanged ( Figure 1 ), this phenomenon can be well explained by Wei Qi, that is, at this time, the body's heat production and internal temperature remain unchanged, and Wei Qi basically does not block infrared rays, so the infrared radiation remains unchanged. However, changes in Wei Qi cause changes in the speed of heat dissipation, so the body surface temperature changes accordingly. Secondly, for patients with blood stasis or phlegm and fluid, it is often seen Figure 2The waveform of infrared radiation shows a sharp change (burr) while the surface temperature does not change much. When measuring on the hand, it is often the case that some fingers have burrs while the adjacent fingers do not, which can rule out the change in infrared radiation caused by changes in blood flow rate. This waveform cannot be explained by Wei Qi, but can only be explained by the mechanism of Ying Qi causing fever. In other words, for these patients, Ying Qi flows no longer smoothly but intermittently, and Ying Qi also intermittently seeps out and generates fever, which will cause a sudden change in infrared radiation. The explanation that Ying Qi seeps out and generates fever is also consistent with the existing research results that the temperature on the meridian line is higher than that around the meridian. Again, according to the explanation of Ying Qi seeping out and generating fever, during acupuncture, the body temperature of the upstream of the Ying Qi running direction against the meridian (such as Hegu is the upstream when Quchi is acupunctured) should rise (because the Ying Qi's forward path is blocked and Ying Qi seeps out). However, existing studies have shown that during acupuncture, the infrared radiation (infrared temperature) of the upstream of the Ying Qi running direction against the meridian will decrease. Therefore, the most reasonable explanation is that the product of Ying Qi seeping out and generating fever will shield the infrared radiation. The test conducted according to the implementation method of the present invention also shows that when the finger tissue is fixed at the temperature of the constant temperature water tank, the difference in infrared radiation below the set temperature is greater for healthy people with strong Qi and blood (compared with people with weak Qi and blood). This phenomenon also confirms the explanation that the Yingqi seepage blocks the infrared radiation. Finally, if we agree with the above inference, we must also agree that the Yingqi and Weiqi are running inside and outside the meridians at the same time, and the veins of "Yingqi running in the veins and Weiqi running outside the veins" are meridians (meridians) rather than blood vessels.

[0031] According to the above principle, we can construct Figure 4 The meridian model shown in the figure. The model includes the body layer, meridian layer, Yingqi exudation layer, Weiqi layer and epidermis (the Yingqi exudation layer and Weiqi layer are actually integrated with each other rather than clearly separated). In the model, the body layer is the heat source, and its heat in the limbs mainly comes from tissues such as blood and muscles (but also includes the heat of the Yingqi exudation layer); the meridian layer is a thin line with a diameter of one or several millimeters, corresponding to the meridians of the human body; the Yingqi exudation layer will generate heat and accumulate to increase the temperature of the body layer, and at the same time it will block the infrared rays emitted by the body layer (of course, this layer itself also emits infrared rays, but its value is relatively small, so the proportion of these infrared rays blocked can be ignored); the Weiqi layer plays a role in keeping warm. The stronger the Weiqi, the less heat is lost through convection conduction (that is, the manifestation of the role of Weiqi warming the flesh), and the corresponding body layer temperature and surface temperature are higher, but the Weiqi layer does not affect the transmission of infrared radiation.

[0032] It should be noted that this model is an equivalent model, that is, the model is mainly given for the purpose of facilitating the understanding of the subsequent invention method, and its structure is completely different from the physiological skin model. A certain layer in this model cannot and should not be equated with a certain structure in human tissue.

[0033] Based on the above principles and models, the method and system of the present invention are given below: A method for measuring the strength of Ying Qi, comprising: Select a location on the human meridian path and heat the surrounding tissues to a set temperature. Then measure the infrared thermal radiation at that location to calculate the infrared shielding ratio, and you can get a numerical representation of the strength of the Ying Qi.

[0034] In the specific implementation, you cannot use heat sources such as infrared lamps for heating, otherwise it will cause uneven hot and cold in different parts of the human body. The recommended method is to soak your hands in a constant temperature water tank. The recommended temperature is 38 degrees, which is higher than the temperature of the hands and will not cause sweating to affect the proportion of infrared shielding. After heating for a period of time (such as 15 minutes) to ensure that the temperature field of various parts of the hand is uniform, you can place miniature infrared temperature sensors on the meridian paths of each finger to measure infrared radiation. The measurement results show that the infrared temperature To measured by each sensor is different, but generally lower than 38 degrees. At this time, the shielding ratio can be obtained using the following formula: k=(38-To) / 38=1-To / 38 (1) The k obtained here is a value between 0 and 1, and the larger the value, the stronger the corresponding Ying Qi. However, for the sake of simplicity, you can also directly use the temperature difference to measure the strength of Ying Qi, that is, calculate: ΔTo=38-To (2) The greater the temperature difference, the stronger the corresponding Ying Qi. This is also the practice used in the following text, that is, using the temperature difference to represent the strength of Qi and blood.

[0035] In addition to measuring on fingers, the above method can also be applied to other parts of the limbs. In this case, the constant temperature water tank can be replaced with other constant temperature heating devices covering the measured part. However, this method cannot be applied to the trunk because there are many other heat sources inside (internal organs, etc.), and it is difficult to ensure constant temperature inside.

[0036] According to an embodiment of the present invention, further, the infrared temperature sensor uses a waterproof structure.

[0037] There are many ways to achieve a waterproof structure, such as using glue to seal around the sensor housing, or using a rubber seal. Because of the waterproof structure, the infrared temperature sensor can be used submerged in water. Therefore, a certain part of the human body can be immersed in a constant temperature water tank together with the infrared temperature sensor. After a period of time, the infrared radiation temperature of the meridian part can be measured in the water tank (without taking the measured part out of the water tank). According to formula (1), the shielding coefficient of the nutritive qi seepage can be obtained, and the strength of the nutritive qi can be evaluated based on this.

[0038] On the surface, this method of keeping the object under test at a constant temperature and then measuring the infrared radiation intensity is somewhat similar to the method of measuring emissivity. However, the two should not be confused. Because emissivity is only applicable to objects of a single material (such as metal, plastic, cement, etc.), and the human body is a complex organism, and infrared radiation is affected by many factors such as blood flow rate, Ying Qi, Wei Qi strength, and whether sweating occurs, so the concept of emissivity should not be used, and it is not expected that there is a fixed ratio between infrared radiation and surface temperature.

[0039] It is worth noting that there are alternative methods to achieve the purpose of this embodiment. For example, the infrared temperature sensor may not have a strict waterproof design, but the tester can stick the sensor to the finger, wear waterproof gloves, and then immerse the hand in a constant temperature water tank. This alternative design is actually the same as the embodiment, except that the waterproof structure is extended to include the tester's hand and the sensor.

[0040] According to an embodiment of the present invention, further, the strength of the nutrient qi can be measured simultaneously on multiple meridians of the human body, and then the relative strength of the nutrient qi between different meridians can be obtained by comparing the multiple temperature differences obtained.

[0041] When measuring and comparing at the same time, it is most convenient to measure multiple meridians at multiple fingers. This is because the anatomical structures of multiple fingers are similar and comparable. After obtaining the relative strength, it can be used as intermediate information for auxiliary diagnosis. In fact, when Chinese medicine prescribes prescriptions, it is often not based on the absolute strength of the Yingqi (long-term patients may have weaker Yingqi in all meridians than normal people), but on the relative strength. If the Yingqi corresponding to the liver and kidney is weaker, targeted treatment can be given. However, at this time, the strength of the Qi and blood of the meridians should not be directly linked to the name of the disease or the prescription, but the doctor must make a judgment based on various other symptoms.

[0042] As mentioned above, the constant temperature method cannot be used for the trunk and other locations, but workarounds can be used: A method for measuring the strength of Ying Qi comprises: measuring the temperature at a certain depth under the skin near the path of human meridians with a piercing temperature sensor, and then measuring the infrared thermal radiation at that location to calculate the infrared shielding ratio, thereby obtaining a numerical representation of the strength of Ying Qi.

[0043] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a piercing temperature sensor (for example, a thermal resistor can be installed at the top of an acupuncture needle) can be used to measure the temperature deep in the human skin (the Acupuncture Society provides different piercing depths for each acupoint, and this depth can be used for measurement) to replace the constant temperature of 38 degrees in formula (1), and then substitute the infrared temperature measured at the same location to obtain the shielding coefficient k of the nutrient gas exudation layer. It should be noted during implementation that the piercing position should avoid the meridians, but be as close to the meridians as possible. This is because the nutrient gas exudation is not limited to the meridians directly above, but will diffuse to the vicinity. Therefore, measurement in the near area has a similar effect. At the same time, avoiding the meridians can prevent damage caused by blocking the circulation of qi and blood. However, this method is not only invasive, but also may disrupt the circulation of qi and blood if the meridians are accidentally pierced during implementation, so it is not a recommended practice.

[0044] A method for measuring the strength of Wei Qi comprises: attaching a heated medium covered with an insulating layer to a meridian site of a human body, recording a temperature rise curve of the medium, and then calculating indicators such as the medium temperature rise rate to evaluate the strength of Wei Qi at the corresponding site.

[0045] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a double-layer hemispherical structure with a vacuum in the middle can be constructed (this structure is actually a common structure in daily life, such as a double-layer stainless steel bowl or a thermos cup), and then water and a thermal resistor / thermocouple temperature sensor are placed in the structure. Before the test begins, a constant temperature water tank is used to ensure that the water is at a certain temperature (such as 28 degrees). When the test begins, the structure is covered over the tested part, and the human body will heat the water through convection / radiation / conduction at the same time. The recorded temperature curve will be similar to the charging curve of the RC circuit ( Figure 8 ). At this time, the temperature rise rate (for example, the rising slope in the first 10 seconds) can be used to characterize the strength of the Wei Qi. The faster the temperature rise rate, the weaker the Wei Qi.

[0046] It should be noted that there are many other indicators that can be used to characterize the strength of Wei Qi. For example, assuming that the final value of the heating curve is Tf, the time to reach a temperature of 0.63 (Tf-28) (similar to the RC charging time) can also be used as an indicator. The shorter the time, the weaker the Wei Qi. Of course, there are more indicators that can be used. Other indicators can also be calculated based on the heating curve to evaluate the strength of Wei Qi.

[0047] According to one embodiment of the present invention, metal may also be selected as the heated medium. In this case, there is no problem of different heat transfer rates caused by different convection velocities (caused by different medium placement directions), and the measurement result will be more accurate.

[0048] When making the aforementioned measurements, one should also be aware that Wei Qi often undergoes sudden changes at the intersection of the twelve hours, so the measurements should be avoided at the intersection of the hours (unless one specifically wants to understand the sudden changes in Wei Qi caused by the Meridian Flow), and the measurement results must be used in consideration of the time of measurement to be meaningful.

[0049] However, because the human body is a very complex organism, many factors are difficult to accurately control (such as food intake, mood, etc.), and even with strict test conditions, the heating rate obtained by this method may vary over a large range. In other words, it is difficult to directly compare the Wei Qi strength values ​​obtained by different people at different times. Therefore, the best embodiment is to compare the heating rate values ​​of different meridians at the same time in the same individual, so as to obtain the relative strength of the Wei Qi of different meridians.

[0050] According to an embodiment of the present invention, further, multiple meridians of the human body can be measured simultaneously, and then the relative strength of Wei Qi between different meridians can be obtained by comparing the multiple results obtained.

[0051] When measuring and comparing at the same time, it is most convenient to measure multiple meridians at multiple fingers. This is because the anatomical structures of multiple fingers are similar and comparable. After obtaining the relative strength, it can be used for auxiliary diagnosis and treatment. In fact, when Chinese medicine prescribes prescriptions, it is often not based on the absolute strength of Wei Qi (long-term patients may have weaker Wei Qi in all meridians than normal people), but on relative strength. However, at this time, the strength of Qi and blood in any meridian should not be directly linked to the name of the disease or the prescription syndrome, but the doctor must make a judgment based on various other symptoms.

[0052] A system for measuring the strength and changes of human vital energy, comprising: at least two pairs of infrared temperature sensors and contact temperature sensors, a CPU and a storage device, wherein the contact temperature sensor is in direct contact with the human body and the infrared temperature sensor and the contact temperature sensor can be paired to measure the temperature of the same part.

[0053] Figure 5 The overall structure diagram of the system includes a CPU, a storage device, and a sensor. The CPU obtains the infrared temperature To and the body surface temperature Ta measurement results from the sensor through communication or A / D conversion, and stores them in the storage device. When the user queries, the CPU obtains the current value or historical curve of the infrared temperature and the body surface temperature from the storage device, and provides them to the user in pairs at the same time.

[0054] If the human body has a phenomenon that the qi and blood in the meridians cannot be connected (such as heart-kidney disharmony or syncope), the infrared temperature of the upstream meridian may be significantly low for a long time while the body surface temperature is significantly high (manifested as the ΔTa=To-Ta corresponding to a certain meridian will be significantly different from other meridians). Because this is a qualitative change, the characteristics will be more obvious, so this system can be used to observe it intuitively. However, since this method requires comparison between multiple meridians, the system must provide multiple pairs of sensors.

[0055] Since the infrared temperature is lower when the Ying Qi seeps out more (due to shielding), and the body surface temperature will be higher due to the Ying Qi seeping out, if it is believed that the strength of the Wei Qi in each meridian is relatively balanced, the difference between the infrared temperature To and the body surface temperature Ta, ΔTa=To-Ta, can approximately characterize the strength of the Ying Qi (especially the relative strength between multiple meridians). In general, the stronger the Ying Qi, the smaller the corresponding ΔTa (in some cases, the measured infrared temperature is lower than the body surface temperature, but this rule still holds true). Of course, since the body surface temperature and ΔTa are also significantly affected by the Wei Qi, and the Wei Qi does not go up and down at a certain time and often does not follow its path, it is necessary to be very careful when applying this rule. However, coincidentally, in most cases, insufficient Wei Qi will also reduce the body surface temperature and increase the ΔTa value, so if you see that the ΔTa value of a meridian is significantly greater than that of other meridians, you can suspect that its Ying Qi or Wei Qi is weak. Since you can save tedious steps such as constant temperature water tanks, you can use the ΔTa indicator for preliminary screening or rough judgment.

[0056] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the contact temperature sensor may also be a piercing temperature sensor (for example, a thermal resistor may be installed at the top of an acupuncture needle). In other words, the temperature deep in the human skin can be measured (the Acupuncture Society provides different piercing depths for each acupuncture point, and this depth can be used for measurement) to replace the constant temperature of 38 degrees in formula (1), and then the infrared temperature measured at the same part can be substituted to obtain the shielding coefficient k of the Yingqi exudation layer according to formula (1). Based on this, the strength of Yingqi can be evaluated.

[0057] According to an embodiment of the present invention, further, the infrared temperature sensor uses a waterproof structure.

[0058] There are many ways to achieve a waterproof structure, such as using three-proof paint or glue to seal around the sensor and electronic components, or using a rubber seal. Because of the waterproof structure, the infrared temperature sensor can be used submerged in water. Therefore, a certain part of the human body can be soaked in a constant temperature water tank (recommended to be 38 degrees), and after a period of time, the infrared radiation temperature of the meridian part can be measured in the water tank. According to formula (1), the shielding coefficient of the nutritive qi seepage can be obtained, and the strength of the nutritive qi can be evaluated based on this.

[0059] It is worth noting that there are alternative methods to achieve the purpose of this embodiment. For example, the infrared temperature sensor may not have a strict waterproof design, but the tester can stick the infrared temperature sensor to his finger, wear waterproof gloves, and then immerse his hand in a constant temperature water tank. This alternative design is actually the same as the embodiment, except that the waterproof structure is extended to include the tester's hand and the sensor.

[0060] Since the human body is a very complex organism, many parameters cannot be precisely controlled, so the absolute value of the Ying Qi strength index measured in the above process may be difficult to directly compare with the standard value. It is more meaningful to measure the relative strength of multiple meridian results at the same time. Therefore, the system must provide multiple pairs of infrared temperature sensors and contact temperature sensors at the same time.

[0061] According to an embodiment of the present invention, further, the storage device simultaneously stores two types of temperature data and their time stamps and the storage time is more than 30 minutes.

[0062] After long-term storage of temperature trends, the system can be used to monitor sudden changes and periodic fluctuations in Ying Qi. As mentioned above, if the user has problems such as blood stasis or phlegm, the flow of Qi and blood will suddenly be blocked and then unblocked, and the infrared temperature sensor history curve will have burrs. At this time, the current temperature reading alone will not reveal the problem, but the trend chart will provide very obvious information. In addition, for some patients (such as Shaoyang meridian syndrome), their infrared temperature and body surface temperature will fluctuate repeatedly during measurement, so it is not possible to use only the infrared / body surface temperature value at a certain moment, but a trend chart over a period of time must be used in combination. Therefore, the storage device must be able to store historical information for a long enough time (at least 5 minutes, recommended to be more than half an hour).

[0063] According to one embodiment of the present invention, further, the contact temperature sensor can be integrated into the infrared temperature sensor. Both 90615 and 90632 of Melexis provide such a structure. When 90615 and 90632 are close to the skin, the object temperature To measured is the infrared temperature, and the ambient temperature Ta obtained during the measurement is the body surface temperature. If 90615 is used, it should be noted that unreasonable infrared data may appear during the transition process of the body surface / ambient temperature change, because the temperature field inside 90615 is not yet uniform. Therefore, these unreasonable data must be carefully excluded to avoid getting wrong conclusions. In addition, the thickness of the 90615 jacket can be less than the silicone ring of 90615, so that the sensor can be prevented from shifting while ensuring that 90615 is in reliable contact with the skin. The CPU and storage device can directly use the CPU and memory of Arduino DUE. At this time, the CPU uses the SMBUS protocol to communicate with 90615 or 90632, and obtains the infrared temperature and body surface temperature at the same time, and stores them in the memory.

[0064] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the system may further include a Bluetooth or WIFI communication module for communicating with a smart phone. With the communication function, the historical records (trend charts) in the storage device can be uploaded to the mobile phone when the mobile phone software calls, and then displayed on the mobile phone. This approach can utilize the display / storage / analysis functions of the mobile phone, significantly extend the storage time, and reduce the size and cost of the test device, which is the recommended best embodiment.

[0065] According to one embodiment of the present invention, there may be no connection (communication line / power line) between the CPU and the sensor. In this case, a battery and a communication circuit need to be installed in the sensor. This approach currently significantly increases the size and cost of the sensor and reduces the long-term recording time, which is an obvious disadvantage. However, as time goes by and technology advances, these disadvantages may no longer be a problem, and therefore it is also a possible embodiment.

[0066] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the storage device may also be a storage device of a smart phone. In this case, the CPU directly provides the collected data to the smart phone through communication, and the smart phone is responsible for long-term storage of the two measured temperature curves and displaying them to the user.

[0067] A system for measuring the strength of Wei Qi includes: a CPU, a storage device, at least two media that can be heated by human body contact, and corresponding temperature sensors, wherein the CPU records the temperature rise curve of the heated medium, and then calculates indicators such as the temperature rise rate to evaluate the strength of Wei Qi in the corresponding part. Figure 6 Such a system is presented. Figure 7 This is a detailed structural diagram of the heated medium, temperature sensor and insulation layer.

[0068] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the heated medium may be a small amount of water (or a flowable medium such as alcohol). Then place a thermal resistor / thermocouple temperature sensor around the water in the structure. Before the test begins, use a constant temperature water bath to ensure that the water is at a certain temperature (such as 28 degrees). When the test begins, cover the structure to the tested part, and the human body will heat the water through convection / radiation / conduction at the same time. The recorded temperature curve will be similar to the charging curve of the RC circuit. At this time, the heating rate (for example, the rising slope in the first 10 seconds) can be used to characterize the strength of the Wei Qi. The faster the heating rate, the weaker the Wei Qi.

[0069] It should be noted that there are many other indicators that can be used to characterize the strength of Wei Qi. For example, assuming that the final value of the heating curve is Tf, the time to reach a temperature of 0.63 (Tf-28) (similar to the RC charging time) can also be used as an indicator. The shorter the time, the weaker the Wei Qi. Of course, there are more indicators that can be used. Other indicators can also be calculated based on the heating curve to evaluate the strength of Wei Qi.

[0070] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the heated medium may also be a metal (such as aluminum, copper, tin, stainless steel or a mixed structure) or other non-flowable material, and the thermal resistor / thermocouple temperature sensor is placed in the middle of the heated medium. The advantage of this test method is that the heated medium will not have internal convection, so the heat transfer rate (from the human body to the medium) will not change due to the placement direction of the sensor, thereby affecting the measurement result.

[0071] According to one embodiment of the present invention, further, the heated medium is covered with an insulating layer. The insulating layer can use a double-layer hemispherical structure with a vacuum in the middle (this structure is actually a common structure in daily life, such as a double-layer stainless steel bowl or a thermos cup). After covering the insulating layer, the measurement result will be more accurate.

[0072] Since the human body is a very complex organism, many parameters cannot be precisely controlled, so the absolute value of the Wei Qi strength index measured in the above process may be difficult to directly compare with the standard value. It is more meaningful to measure the relative strength of multiple meridian results at the same time. Therefore, the system must provide multiple sets of heated media and temperature sensors at the same time.

[0073] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the system may further include a Bluetooth or WIFI communication module for communicating with a smart phone. With the communication function, the historical records (trend charts) in the storage device can be uploaded to the mobile phone when the mobile phone software calls, and then displayed on the mobile phone. This approach can utilize the display / storage / analysis functions of the mobile phone, significantly extend the storage time, and reduce the size and cost of the test device, which is the recommended best embodiment.

[0074] According to one embodiment of the present invention, there may be no connection (communication line / power line) between the CPU and the sensor. In this case, a battery and a communication circuit need to be installed in the sensor. This approach currently significantly increases the size and cost of the sensor and reduces the long-term recording time, which is an obvious disadvantage. However, as time goes by and technology advances, these disadvantages may no longer be a problem, and therefore it is also a possible embodiment.

[0075] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the storage device may also be a storage device of a smart phone. In this case, the CPU directly provides the collected data to the smart phone through communication, and the smart phone is responsible for long-term storage of the two measured temperature curves and displaying them to the user.

[0076] There are many occasions where the method and system of the present invention can be used. For example, when a patient is suspected of having blood stasis or phlegm, the Ying Qi can be continuously monitored. When the ambient temperature is precisely controlled, the Ying Qi (infrared temperature) in the meridians of a normal person is stable, and the fluctuations over time are very small within an hour. This is the embodiment of the Yin Ping in the Neijing "Yin Ping Yang Mi". If the corresponding infrared temperature appears Figure 2 The burrs shown in the figure indicate that the patient has blood stasis or phlegm in the meridians ( Figure 2 This is the result of observation on the middle section of the little finger of the hand Shaoyin at Mao time after blood stasis in the Foot Yangming Meridian. Note that because the Qi and blood weaken at Chen time, the burrs disappear immediately after entering Chen time). However, it should be noted that you must not drink alcohol before the test (otherwise there will be similar curves), and even if there is blood stasis / phlegm, burrs cannot be observed everywhere at all times. Because according to the meridian flow, different meridians alternate between the decline and prosperity of Qi and blood in the twelve hours. In general, the place that needs to be blocked is downstream of the meridians where Qi and blood are strong, and the meridians near the blockage point are observed to see clear results.

[0077] In addition, it should be known that if the meridians are blocked to the point of being completely blocked, no burrs can be seen, but if you observe at the right time according to the meridian flow, you will observe that at certain moments, the contact temperature measurement temperature (surface temperature) upstream of the blockage point rises while the infrared temperature drops (and vice versa for downstream). This is because the heat generated by the infiltration of the nutrient qi increases significantly, so the temperature of the inner layer and the surface of the body rises, but the shielding coefficient also increases as the nutrient qi infiltrates, so the infrared temperature drops. Figure 3 A measured waveform is given. The simple infrared temperature change cannot be used to judge whether the meridian is blocked, but when combined with the temperature of contact temperature measurement, when the two change in opposite directions, the probability of blockage is very high.

[0078] In addition to blood stasis / phlegm and fluid that can cause meridian blockage, there are other reasons that can cause qi and blood to not flow (such as heart-kidney disharmony or syncope), which may not occur at this time. Figure 3 The waveform shown in the figure shows a change, but the infrared temperature of the upstream meridian may be significantly low for a long time while the body surface temperature is significantly high. When measuring multiple meridians (especially multiple fingers) at the same time, the performance of the abnormal meridian will be significantly different from that of other meridians. At this time, it is not difficult to make a judgment based on other symptoms.

[0079] Of course, according to TCM theory, blood stasis or phlegm (or meridian obstruction) does not directly correspond to any specific disease (for example, blood stasis may cause insomnia, coronary heart disease, tumors and many other diseases, but these diseases may also be caused by other reasons), nor does it correspond to any specific prescription or treatment method (for example, blood stasis may be treated with Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction or Guizhi Fuling Pills). Therefore, the method and system of the present invention can certainly provide valuable tips, but it is neither a diagnostic method nor a treatment method for the disease.

[0080] In addition to determining meridian blockage, the method and system of the present invention can also be used to assist in the six meridian syndrome differentiation. The six meridian syndrome differentiation is a diagnosis and treatment system proposed by the medical saint Zhang Zhongjing. Using the six meridian syndrome differentiation not only achieves twice the result with half the effort, but the corresponding classic prescriptions are often as effective as drums. However, the current method of summarizing diseases and syndromes into a certain meridian syndrome mainly relies on the clustering of multiple symptoms after comprehensive analysis. For example, sweating more may be a symptom of the Taiyang meridian or a symptom of the Yangming meridian, but combined with the floating pulse, there is a high probability that it is a symptom of the Taiyang meridian; combined with thirst, there is a high probability that it is a symptom of the Yangming meridian. In other words, the relationship between symptoms and the six meridians is not one-to-one, but many-to-many. Symptoms and disease classification (not specific disease location but six major categories such as Taiyang, Shaoyang, etc.) cannot be decoupled. Although the "Six-section Zang-Xiang Theory" has provisions such as "If Renying is one-strong, the disease is in Shaoyang, if it is two-strong, the disease is in Taiyang, if it is three-strong, the disease is in Yangming, and if it is four-strong or above, it is Geyang. If Cunkou is one-strong, the disease is in Jueyin, if it is two-strong, the disease is in Shaoyin, if it is three-strong, the disease is in Taiyin, and if it is four-strong or above, it is Guanyin", it is difficult to be practical. By using the method and system of the present invention, the strength and changes of the Ying Qi / Wei Qi of each of the six meridians of the hands and feet can be intuitively seen, and decoupling can be achieved, that is, it can help doctors of classical prescriptions to first classify the disease into one of the six meridians (or its combined diseases / concurrent diseases). For example, if the Ying Qi (infrared temperature) of the patient's Shaoyang meridian on the hand is seen to fluctuate continuously under the premise of accurately controlling the ambient temperature, it can be guessed that it is a Shaoyang syndrome, because Shaoyang is the pivot, and the Qi and blood will constantly go back and forth between the Taiyang and Yangming. Similarly, if the Yangming Ying Qi / Wei Qi is seen to be very strong, significantly stronger than other meridians, it can be guessed that it is a Yangming meridian syndrome. This approach can provide highly specific auxiliary information in addition to a lot of undecoupled information, and therefore has unique value.

[0081] When assisting the Six-Channel Diagnosis and Treatment, it should also be noted that the Ying Qi and Wei Qi of the human body fluctuate constantly throughout the day (but are basically stable within an hour). If a comparison is to be made to determine the Six-Channel classification, the time when the Six-Channel is about to be resolved (and when it is about to be activated) given in the Treatise on Febrile Diseases should also be considered, and measurements should be taken at appropriate times. It is not advisable to stick to one's ways and expect to get clear results at any time. In addition, it should be noted that the Six-Channel classification obtained by combining the present method and system does not directly correspond to any specific disease, nor to any specific prescription or treatment method. Therefore, the method and system of the present invention can certainly provide valuable hints, but they are neither a diagnostic method nor a treatment method for diseases.

Claims

1. A method for measuring the strength of Ying Qi, characterized by: A site is selected along the human meridian path and the surrounding tissues are heated to a set temperature. The infrared thermal radiation of the site is then measured to calculate the infrared shielding ratio, thereby obtaining a numerical representation of the strength of the Ying Qi.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: By measuring multiple meridians in the human body simultaneously and comparing the multiple results, we can obtain the relative strength of the nutrient qi between different meridians.

3. A method for measuring the strength of Ying Qi, characterized in that: A site is selected near the path of the human meridians, and the temperature at a certain depth under the skin of the site is measured with a piercing temperature sensor. The infrared thermal radiation of the site is then measured to calculate the infrared shielding ratio, thereby obtaining a numerical representation of the strength of the nutrient qi.

4. A method for measuring the strength of Ying Qi, characterized in that: A location is selected along the path of the human meridians, and the body surface temperature is measured using a contact temperature sensor. At the same time, an infrared temperature sensor is used to measure the infrared temperature of the same location. The difference between the two temperatures is then calculated to obtain a numerical representation of the strength of the Ying Qi.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that: The contact temperature sensor is in direct contact with the human body when in use.

6. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that: By measuring multiple meridians in the human body simultaneously and comparing the multiple results, we can obtain the relative strength of the nutrient qi between different meridians.

7. A system for measuring the strength and changes of human vital energy, characterized by: The system comprises at least two pairs of infrared temperature sensors and contact temperature sensors, a CPU and a storage device, and each contact temperature sensor is used in pairs with an infrared temperature sensor to simultaneously measure two temperatures of a part.

8. The system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The contact temperature sensor is used to measure the surface temperature of a human body.

9. The system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The contact temperature sensor is in direct contact with the human body when in use.

10. The system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The storage device simultaneously stores two types of temperature data and their time stamps, and the stored data lasts for more than 30 minutes.

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