Home monitoring system and patient support system using instillation auxiliary tool

Abstract

To provide a home monitoring system and a patient support system using an instillation auxiliary tool for instillation of a drug solution in an instillation container, to the cornea of a patient's eye.SOLUTION: In a home monitoring system S, an instillator (instillation auxiliary tool) 1101 is connected to the Internet 1109 by one of a plurality of connection means. Data acquired by a drop passage sensor, an anterior eye part imaging camera, a G sensor, and a right / left eye detecting sensor, and data obtained by evaluating an instillation state on the basis of these pieces of data, are accumulated in a portable terminal 1104, a cloud service 1105 on the Internet and a stationary server 1110 via the connection means. Then, by incorporated analysis software, data analysis can be executed by statistical processing, by artificial intelligent or deep learning, and it is possible to determine and execute an efficient support method for subsequent prediction and improvement of adherence of a patient.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 15

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a home monitoring system and a patient support system that use an eye drop assistant that drops a medicinal solution from an eye drop container onto the cornea of ​​a patient's eye. [Background technology]

[0002] In many eye diseases, the first choice of treatment is to instill a medicinal solution onto the corneal surface, and regular, continuous instillation of a prescribed amount leads to effective treatment.

[0003] In normal eye drops, a patient is placed in an eye dropper container with the liquid medicine on the cornea while facing upward.

[0004] However, even healthy adults can fail to drip a single drop of medicinal liquid onto the correct position on the cornea, and it is even more difficult and burdensome for the elderly and disabled. In addition, it is not uncommon to instill not just one eye drop, but three or four, making instillation of eye drops a complicated process for patients.

[0005] Furthermore, administering eye drops is a cumbersome task for patients, and because they must continue to administer the drops at the same time every day for a long period of time, there are many cases where patients give up administering the drops and drop out of treatment, and are unable to maintain their will to actively participate in treatment (adherence).

[0006] In order to solve these problems, an eye drop assistant device has been disclosed that solves the issues of stability of the drop position and amount during eye drop application, and allows eye drop application to be performed more easily and reliably.

[0007] For example, the eye drop assistant devices described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose a configuration that enables an eye drop container to be stably placed in a predetermined position in front of a patient's eye and enables eye drops to be administered from diagonally above the patient's eye.

[0008] The eye drop assistant devices described in Patent Documents 3 and 4 use a manual pump or a piezoelectric micropump to eject medicinal liquid horizontally, enabling eye drops to be administered while the patient's gaze is kept horizontal, and the amount ejected each time is kept constant.

[0009] The droplet generating device described in Patent Document 5 discloses a configuration in which a medicinal liquid is sprayed in fine mist form and ejected horizontally, thereby enabling a fixed amount of instillation to be administered to the patient's eye while the patient's gaze is kept horizontal.

[0010] Patent Document 6 discloses a monitoring system that uses wireless communication functions such as WiFi to send eye drop data obtained from sensors in an eye drop assistant to an external smartphone, allowing doctors and patients themselves to check the eye drop history via the Internet. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0011] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2020-81321 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication 2019-118760 [Patent Document 3] Patent Publication No. 2016-202584 [Patent Document 4] Patent Publication 2018-196534 [Patent Document 5] Patent Publication No. 2016-154868 [Patent Document 6] WO2019-176902 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0012] However, the above-mentioned conventional techniques still have many problems. For example, in the configurations disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the eye drops fall from above the eye, so the patient must look diagonally upwards, which places strain on the neck. Furthermore, there is a problem that the amount of eye drops is determined by the patient's operation and is not stable.

[0013] In the configurations disclosed in Patent Document 3 and Patent Document 4, in the case of Patent Document 3, the medicinal liquid is temporarily held in a predetermined position in the auxiliary tool and then discharged, and in the case of Patent Document 4, a tube is inserted into the eye drop container to introduce the medicinal liquid to the discharge pump, and the medicinal liquid is further sent to a micropump and discharged by the micropump. Therefore, in both configurations, there is a possibility that the medicinal liquid may come into contact with parts in the auxiliary tool and become contaminated, and further, when multiple eye drops are used, there is an issue that changing and setting the eye drop container is a time-consuming task.

[0014] In the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 5, the liquid medicine must be stored in a tank housing in the eye dropper, and a normal eye dropper container cannot be used as is. In addition, the liquid medicine may be contaminated because it comes into contact with the tank housing and the piezoelectric ejector. Furthermore, when multiple eye drops are used, a drop generating device is required for each drug, which is costly.

[0015] The configuration disclosed in Patent Document 6 discloses a monitoring system that allows doctors and patients to check the history of eye drops and warns patients if they forget to apply eye drops. However, it does not disclose any means of supporting patients to maintain or improve their awareness of continuing to apply eye drops (adherence), leaving the question of how to support patients and improve their adherence.

[0016] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide a home monitoring system and a patient support system that use an eye drop assistant device that detects and evaluates a patient's eye drop status and shares the data between a doctor and the patient, thereby improving the patient's adherence. [Means for solving the problem]

[0017] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a home monitoring system that uses an eye drop assistant for administering a medicinal solution in an eye drop container to a patient's eye.

[0018] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a patient support system that uses an eye drop assistant for administering a medicinal solution in an eye drop container to a patient's eye. Effect of the Invention

[0019] In the home monitoring system using the eye drop aid according to the present invention, the eye drop aid comprises an air fan, an air chamber which serves as an air chamber for the airflow discharged from the air fan, a cylindrical air duct connected to the air chamber, an eye drop container fixing attachment which fixes the nozzle of the eye drop container facing downward on the upper wall of the horizontal air duct to which the eye drop container is replaceably attached, an eye drop container pressing mechanism which presses a predetermined position on the side of the eye drop container attached to the eye drop container fixing attachment, and a trigger arm which controls the operation of the eye drop container pressing mechanism. A liquid medicine introduction hole is formed in the upper wall of the air duct to introduce the liquid medicine droplets dropped from the nozzle of the eye drop container attached to the eye drop container fixing attachment into the air duct. With this configuration, a patient using the eye drop aid according to the present invention does not need to look up when applying the liquid medicine in the eye drop container, and can apply an appropriate amount of liquid medicine in a comfortable horizontal position. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which an eyedropper including an eyedrop auxiliary tool according to a first embodiment of the present invention is used. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a graph of air volume vs. static pressure characteristics of a fan. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an eye drop container. [Diagram 5]FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of the eye drop container fixing attachment of the eye drop auxiliary device taken along line BB', and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of the eye drop container fixing attachment of the eye drop auxiliary device taken along line AA'. [Figure 6] FIG. 2A is a side view of the eye drop auxiliary device with the eye drop container fixing attachment removed, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the eye drop auxiliary device with the eye drop container fixing attachment removed. [Figure 7] FIG. 2A is an external view showing an example of a pressing mechanism for manually pressing the eye drop container; FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a pressing mechanism for manually pressing the eye drop container; [Figure 8] 13 is a diagram showing an example of a pressing mechanism for electrically pressing the eye drop container. FIG. [Figure 9] 4A to 4C are diagrams for explaining the operation of an air fan provided in the eye drop auxiliary tool. [Figure 10] 13A to 13C are diagrams showing an example of an inflow control valve for manually controlling the inflow of air into an air duct provided in the eye drop assistant device. [Figure 11] 13(a) and 13(b) are diagrams showing an example of an inflow control valve that electrically controls the inflow of air into an air duct provided in the eye drop assistant device. FIG. [Figure 12] 4A to 4C are diagrams showing an example of left / right eye detection means provided in the eye drop auxiliary tool. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the eye drop auxiliary device. [Figure 14] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an eyedropper according to a modified example of the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram showing an example of an external communication means and a network system connected to an eye drop auxiliary according to embodiment 2 of the present invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a patient support system using an external device. [Figure 17] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a patient support system via a network system. [Figure 18] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the patient support software. [Figure 19]FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an eye drop instruction screen. [Figure 20] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of an encouraging message. [Figure 21] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a graph showing the relationship between test results, scores, and various events. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] (Embodiment 1) An eye drop auxiliary according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 13. In the first embodiment, the eye drop auxiliary drops droplets of eye drop liquid to be dropped into a patient for the treatment of eye disease or the like into an air current flowing horizontally or diagonally upward within 20 degrees from the horizontal, and the drag of the air current moves the droplets of eye drop liquid approximately horizontally to deliver them to the patient's eye.

[0022] Here, the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in the following order. (1) Basic configuration of a drug solution delivery means for delivering eye drops dropped from an eye drop container horizontally to a patient's eye (2) Configuration of eye drop container fixing attachment (3) Configuration of eye drop container pressing mechanism (4) Configuration and operation of air flow generating means using air fans (5) Structure and operation of the valve that controls the air flow into the air duct (6) Automatic detection of the patient's left and right eyes (7) Configuration of the electrical system of the eye drop assistant (functional block diagram of the eye drop assistant)

[0023] (1) Basic configuration of a drug solution delivery means for delivering eye drops dropped from an eye drop container horizontally to a patient's eye First, the basic configuration of a drug solution delivery means for delivering eye drops dropped from an eye drop container horizontally to a patient's eye will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. In this embodiment, the state in which the eye drop container 106 is attached to the eye drop assistant 100 will be referred to as the eye dropper 1, and the state in which the eye drop container 106 is removed from the eye dropper 1 will be referred to as the eye drop assistant 100.

[0024] 1 shows a perspective view of the eye dropper 1 according to the first embodiment in use, and when administering eye drop, the patient holds the grip 109 of the eye drop assistant 100 with either the left or right hand and holds the eye drop assistant 100 in a substantially horizontal position. Next, the patient presses the trigger arm 107 with a finger to administer the medicinal liquid in the eye drop container to the patient's eye at his or her own timing.

[0025] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the eye dropper 1 according to the first embodiment, showing an example of a basic configuration in which an air flow is generated, a medicinal solution is dispensed, and the medicinal solution is moved by the combined force of the drag of the air flow and gravity to reach the patient's corneal surface.

[0026] 2 is a fan driven by a motor, and the airflow blown from its air outlet 101a flows into the air chamber 102, and the airflow that flows from the air outlet 102a of the air chamber 102 to the air inlet 104a of the air duct 104 is discharged upward and to the side from the exhaust port 104b arranged near the eyepiece port 104d on the opposite side to the air inlet 104a of the air duct 104. An inflow control valve 103 for controlling the opening and closing of the airflow is arranged between the air chamber 102 and the air duct 104. Furthermore, a medicine introduction hole 104c for introducing medicine droplets dropped from an eye drop container 106 into the air duct 104 is formed on the upper surface of the air duct 104 between the inlet 104a and the exhaust port 104b of the air duct 104. The eye drop container fixing attachment 105 is connected to the medicine introduction hole 104c, and the eye drop container 106 is fixed to the eye drop container fixing attachment 105 so that the medicine drop port 106a of the eye drop container 106 is on the lower side, and the medicine drop port 106a is arranged near the medicine introduction hole 104c of the air duct 104. A drop particle passage sensor may be arranged on the upper part of the eye drop port 104d, and it can detect whether the medicine drop particles moving horizontally through the air duct 104 have passed through the eye drop port 104d normally. The patient may fixate the patient's eye by looking at the fixation target LED 116 through the eyepiece 110 and the air duct 104 via the half mirror 117. When the camera 111 is photographed with infrared light, the half mirror 117 may be a cold mirror. The air fan 101 is not limited to a means for rotating a fan by a motor, and may be another air blowing means.

[0027] The volume of the air chamber 102 is sufficient to function as a plenum air chamber, and is set to 5×10 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180 190 200 210 220 230 240 250 260 270 280 290 300 310 320 330 290 340 290 350 290 360 290 370 290 380 390 400 410 420 430 440 450 460 470 480 490 500 510 520 530 -5 m 3 From 40×10 -5 m 3 It is preferable to adjust the air temperature within the above range, taking into consideration the capacity of the air fan 101.

[0028] The air blowing performance of air fan 101 is generally indicated by maximum air volume and maximum static pressure, with the air volume being maximum when there is no airflow resistance and the air pressure is zero, and the air pressure when the air volume is zero when the air outlet is sealed is the maximum static pressure. The characteristics of air fan 101 are shown as air volume-static pressure characteristics (PQ characteristics) on a graph as shown in Figure 3, with the horizontal axis representing air volume and the vertical axis representing static pressure, as shown by a curve connecting maximum air volume point 1501 on the horizontal axis to maximum static pressure point 1502 on the vertical axis.

[0029] Here, the calculation of the flow velocity of the air flow in the air duct 104 will be described. The liquid medicine dropped by the liquid medicine dropping mechanism accelerates downward due to gravity, and also accelerates horizontally due to the air flow in the air duct 104. The gravitational acceleration is 9.8 m / sec 2 Since the acceleration is constant, in order for the liquid medicine to fly horizontally, the horizontal acceleration must be sufficiently higher than the acceleration of gravity, and the drag force generated by the air flow in the air duct 104 must act to accelerate the droplets of the liquid medicine horizontally at an acceleration sufficiently higher than the acceleration of gravity. The flow rate of the air flow to generate the drag force required for acceleration by such an air flow is preferably calculated by calculating the drag coefficient CD from the droplet Reynolds number, which can be calculated from the diameter of the droplet of the liquid medicine and the relative velocity of the air flow to the droplet, and then calculating the flow rate of the air flow from the drag coefficient CD and the force F required for acceleration.

[0030] The drag force that particles in a fluid receive from the fluid is usually divided into three regions. When the relative velocity between the fluid and the particles is very small and the particle size is also small, that is, when the Reynolds number is 2 or less, it is treated as the Stokes region. When the relative velocity between the fluid and the particles is very high and the particle size and Reynolds number are both 500 to 100,000, it is treated as the Newtonian region. The region between the above two regions, where the Reynolds number is between 2 and 500, is called the Allen region.

[0031] The resistance coefficient CD of the drag force that the particle receives from the fluid in the three regions is expressed by the following [Equation 2] to [Equation 4]. [Number 2] Stokes domain JPEG2024020115000002.jpg18127[Number 3] Allen domain JPEG2024020115000003.jpg17127[Number 4] Newtonian region JPEG2024020115000004.jpg19127Here, CD: Drag coefficient, Rep: Reynolds number

[0032] The drag force F and the Reynolds number Rep that the droplets of the chemical solution moving inside the air duct 104 experience due to the air flow are expressed by the following [Equation 5] and [Equation 6]. [Number 5] JPEG2024020115000005.jpg13127Here, F: drag force acting on the particle, CD: drag coefficient, ρ: air density 1.2, U: relative velocity between the fluid and the droplet, Dp: diameter of the droplet [Number 6] JPEG2024020115000006.jpg15127Here, Rep: Reynolds number, U: relative velocity between the fluid and the droplet, Dp: diameter of the droplet, ρ: air density 1.2, μ: air viscosity 0.000018

[0033] In order to calculate the drag force that sufficiently accelerates a droplet of medicinal liquid horizontally, the diameter and mass of the droplet must be calculated assuming that the droplet is a sphere. Eye drop containers 106 are commercially available in various shapes from eye drop manufacturers, but the average volume of a single drop of medicinal liquid dispensed from eye drop container 106 is generally about 0.04 ml. Calculating backwards from the formula for the volume of a sphere, the diameter of a single droplet dispensed from eye drop container 106 is 4.24 mm. If the relative speed between the air flow and the droplet is 2 m / sec, the Reynolds number is 565.3 from [Equation 6], and if the relative speed is 2 m / sec or more, CD falls into the Newtonian region shown in [Equation 4]. In this case, CD is a constant value of 0.44, so from [Equation 5], the drag force F is F = 1.49 x 10 -5 The result is N.

[0034] To make the droplets fly horizontally, they must be subjected to a gravitational acceleration of 9.8m / sec 2 It is necessary to accelerate the droplets at a higher rate. The density of the liquid is 1000, which is almost the same as that of water. The mass is calculated based on the volume of the droplets and is 4×10 -5kg, even if the acceleration is the same as the gravitational acceleration of 9.8 m / sec, the drag force F is 3.92 × 10 -4 N, and the relative velocity between the air flow and the droplets is 2 m / sec, resulting in 1.49 × 10 -5 A drag force greater than N is required. Therefore, the air flow velocity needs to be even higher relative velocity, and the Reynolds number becomes even higher, so the drag coefficient CD can be considered in the Newtonian range. From this point on, the drag coefficient CD experienced by the droplet will be treated as CD = 0.44, which is in the Newtonian range of [Equation 4].

[0035] For example, if the opening height of the air duct 104 is 14 mm, the horizontal distance from the liquid medicine drop port 106a of the eye drop container 106 to the eyepiece port 104d of the air duct 104 is 30 mm, and the air duct 104 is arranged so that its angle is horizontal, the liquid medicine droplet will reach the corneal apex by moving 30 mm horizontally while falling 7 mm, which is half of the vertical dimension of 14 mm. When liquid medicine is dropped from the eye drop container 106, the initial velocity of the droplet is naturally 0 m / sec in both the falling direction and the horizontal direction, so the movement distance x is x=1 / 2at 2 (a: acceleration, t: time). The horizontal distance traveled is 30 / 7 times the vertical distance traveled, so the horizontal acceleration is also 30 / 7 times, and the gravitational acceleration is 9.8m / sec 2 Therefore, 9.8×30 / 7 is the horizontal acceleration of 42m / sec 2 It is necessary. [Number 7] Formula for uniformly accelerated motion JPEG2024020115000007.jpg15127Here, x: distance traveled, v0: initial velocity, a: acceleration, t: time

[0036] Droplets of chemical solution accelerate horizontally at an acceleration of 42m / sec 2 The airflow force required to obtain this is 4×10 -5 kg is 1.68 x 10 -3N, and substituting this into [Equation 5] to back-calculate the relative flow velocity U of the airflow is 21.2 m / sec, and the Reynolds number of the droplets at that time is 5992 from [Equation 6]. Since U in [Equation 5] is the relative velocity, the actual flow velocity in the air duct needs to be increased by the amount of the increase in the velocity of the droplets of the chemical solution, but in [Equation 7], the initial velocity is 0 m / sec, the travel distance is 30 mm, and the acceleration is 42 m / sec 2 Substituting this, time t is calculated to be approximately 0.0378 sec, and the horizontal movement speed vh of the droplets of the liquid medicine at that time is 1.59 m / sec. Therefore, it is preferable to adjust the air flow speed in air duct 104 to be in the range of 21.2 m / sec to 22.79 m / sec. Summarizing the above equations, the horizontal relative speed U of the droplets of the liquid medicine and the air flow speed in air duct 104 can be obtained from the following [Equation 8]. [Number 8] JPEG2024020115000008.jpg26127Here, U is the relative velocity between the air flow velocity in the air duct and the droplet of medicinal liquid, L is the horizontal distance from the drop nozzle of the eye drop container to the center of the air duct eyepiece opening (cornea), H is the vertical distance from the drop nozzle of the eye drop container to the center of the air duct eyepiece opening (cornea) (the difference in height between the drop nozzle and the center of the eyepiece opening), m is the mass of the droplet of medicinal liquid, ρ is the density of air, and d is the diameter of the droplet of medicinal liquid.

[0037] The flow velocity required for the air flow inside air duct 104 to move droplets of medical solution through eyepiece opening 104d of air duct 104 to the cornea varies depending on the vertical dimension of air duct 104 and the distance from medical solution drip opening 106a of eyedropper container 106 to eyepiece opening 104d of air duct 104. The larger the vertical dimension, the smaller the acceleration can be, and the greater the distance to eyepiece opening 104d, the greater the acceleration must be. Applicable sizes for the air duct 104 as a component of the eye drop aid 100 are an opening height of about 10 mm to 25 mm and a horizontal distance of about 20 mm to 50 mm from the liquid medicine drop port of the eye drop container 106 to the eyepiece 104d, taking into account the size of the eye drop container 106 and the shape of the patient's face, and a distance of more than 50 mm from the liquid medicine drop port 106a of the eye drop container 106 to the eyepiece 104d is undesirable because the required flow rate of the air flow becomes significantly large. From this dimensional configuration range, the flow rate of the air flow required to blow the liquid medicine droplets to a specified position can be adjusted within a range of 12.97 m / sec to 32.42 m / sec, and the required flow rate of the air flow can be adjusted within a range of 10 m / sec to 40 m / sec because it is also affected by the internal shape and angle of the air duct 104, temperature, air pressure, etc.

[0038] Next, the air volume performance required for the air fan 101 will be described. The airflow blown by the air fan 101 flows into the air chamber 102, and when the inflow control valve 103 is closed, the air flow stops and the air pressure in the air chamber 102 rises, and after a certain time has passed, the air pressure in the air chamber 102 is pressurized to near the maximum static pressure of the air fan 101. When the inflow control valve 103 opens in response to the operation of the trigger arm 107, the air in the air chamber 102 flows into the air duct 104 at once, and the flow rate of the airflow rises to the maximum flow rate in a short time, and then converges over time to a steady air volume determined by the balance between the blowing capacity of the air fan 101 and the pressure loss Q of the airflow inside the air chamber 102 and the air duct 104. The pressure loss P is expressed by the pressure loss coefficient C and the air volume Q in the following [Equation 9]. [Number 9] JPEG2024020115000009.jpg11127Here, P: pressure loss, C: pressure loss coefficient, Q: air volume

[0039] If the air duct 104 is a cylinder, the inner diameter will be 14 mm if the opening height is 14 mm, and the distance from the inlet 104a to the outlet 104b is 50 mm, the air flow pressure loss of the air duct 104 is calculated. As mentioned above, the air flow speed in the air duct 104 for delivering droplets of the liquid medicine to the cornea is adjusted in the range of 21.2 m / sec to 22.79 m / sec if the horizontal distance from the liquid medicine drop port 106a of the eye drop container 106 to the cornea is 30 mm. The air chamber 102 has a large space, so the pressure loss is ignored. The average flow speed Um of the air flow in the air duct 104 is 22 m / sec, and the dynamic viscosity coefficient ν of air is 1.582×10 -5 (1 atmosphere, 25 degrees C), the Reynolds number Rep of the air duct 104 is Rep = 19469 according to the following [Equation 10]. When the Reynolds number Rep is 2310 or more, it is in the turbulent flow region, so the pipe friction coefficient μ is calculated from Prandtl's empirical formula to be approximately 0.025. [Number 10] JPEG2024020115000010.jpg14127Here, Rep: Reynolds number, Um: mean flow velocity, d: inner diameter of the pipe (inner diameter of the air duct), ν: dynamic viscosity coefficient

[0040] The friction coefficient μ of the air duct 104 is 0.025, and the density γ of the air is 1.2 kg / m 3 , the gravitational acceleration g is 9.8 m / sec 2 Then, from the following [Equation 11], the pressure loss in the air duct 104 is about 103.2 Pa (1.032 x 10 -4 MPa). [Number 11] JPEG2024020115000011.jpg14127Here, ΔP: pressure loss, μ: friction coefficient of the pipe, l: length of the pipe, d: diameter of the pipe, γ: density of air, Um: mean flow velocity, g: gravitational acceleration

[0041] To make the average flow velocity of the air in the air duct 104 22 m / sec, the air volume flowing into the air duct 104 is 0.203 m 3 The pressure loss of the air duct 104 is 103.2 Pa, so the performance required of the air fan 101 is an air volume of 0.203 m 3 An air fan 101 with a wind pressure of 103.2 Pa or more at 100 / min is required.

[0042] The volume of the air chamber 102 in the first embodiment is set to about 7×10 -5 m 3 Then, the air volume required to increase the air pressure in the air chamber 102 by 103.2 Pa within 0.1 seconds is 0.085 m 3 / sec or more, but the air volume required to ensure the required flow rate in the air duct 104 is 0.203 m 3 This is not a problem as it is much smaller than / min.

[0043] Considering the appropriate size of the air duct 104 in the present embodiment 1, the appropriate size is an inner diameter of 10 mm to 25 mm, a moving distance from the liquid medicine dropping port 106a of the eye drop container 106 to the cornea of ​​20 mm to 50 mm, and a distance from the inlet 104a of the air duct 104 to the exhaust port 104b of 40 mm to 70 mm, considering the operation and ease of holding of the eye drop assistant 100. From this range, the average flow velocity required in the air duct 104 when the inner diameter of the air duct 104 is 25 mm and the horizontal moving distance from the liquid medicine dropping port 106a to the cornea is 20 mm is the lowest, about 12.97 m / sec. Similarly, when the inner diameter is 10 mm and the distance is 50 mm, the average flow velocity is the highest, about 32.4 m / sec. Furthermore, when the required air volume for each is calculated, it is 0.382 m / sec when the inner diameter is 25 mm and the horizontal moving distance to the cornea is 20 mm. 3 / min, and when the inner diameter is 10 mm and the horizontal movement distance to the cornea is 50 mm, it is 0.153 m 3When the distance from the inlet 104a to the outlet 104b of the air duct 104 is set to between 40 mm and 70 mm, the pressure loss is calculated as 16.1 Pa when the distance is 40 mm, assuming an inner diameter of 25 mm and a horizontal movement distance of the droplets of 20 mm, and 483 Pa when the distance is 70 mm, assuming an inner diameter of 10 mm and a horizontal movement distance of the droplets of 50 mm.

[0044] As described above, the air blowing capacity required for air fan 101 must be equal to or greater than the air volume and pressure loss calculated from the average flow velocity in air duct 104 and the cross-sectional area perpendicular to the air flow in air duct 104, but it is possible to reduce the air volume of air fan 101 because the air pressure in air chamber 102 is increased to near the maximum static pressure of air fan 101 by inflow control valve 103, temporarily obtaining an air volume higher than the air blowing capacity of air fan 101. Note that although a sirocco fan (centrifugal fan) is used for air fan 101 in this embodiment 1, an axial fan may also be used depending on the required air blowing capacity.

[0045] (2) Configuration of eye drop container fixing attachment Next, the configuration of the eyedrop container fixing attachment will be described with reference to Figures 4 to 6. The eyedrop container fixing attachment 105 removably mounts an eyedrop container 106 to the eyedrop container fixing attachment 105, and is further removably fixed to a predetermined position on the upper part of the air duct 104. By using this eyedrop container fixing attachment 105, the medicinal liquid drip port 106a of the eyedrop container 106 is positioned appropriately with respect to the air duct 104, and the medicinal liquid can be dripped into the air duct 104.

[0046] A number of different types of eyedrop container fixing attachments 105 may be prepared according to the shapes and dimensions of the eyedrop containers 106, but the eyedrop containers 106 have their liquid medicine outlets 106a arranged in the same position for all of the eyedrop containers 106. In order to press the eyedrop containers 106 at an appropriate position, the attachments 105 have a pressing position adjustment mechanism for applying the force from the pressing portion 108a of the pressing point adjustment arm 108 to the appropriate position of the eyedrop containers 106.

[0047] FIG. 4 shows an example of a general eye drop container 106. A general eye drop container 106 for eye drops prescribed in an ophthalmic facility or the like includes a liquid medicine filling container 401 for filling the eye drop liquid, a removable cap 402, a threaded portion 403 for screwing the cap, and an eye drop nozzle 404 for dripping the eye drop liquid. The tip of the eye drop nozzle 404 has a drip port 405, the liquid medicine filling container 401 is cylindrical or has a cylindrical shape with a dimple on the side, and the eye drop nozzle 404 is fitted to the inside of the threaded portion 403. The sizes of each vary depending on the manufacturer and the type of liquid medicine, with the liquid medicine filling container 401 having a diameter of 18 mm to 24 mm and a height of 20 mm to 30 mm, the threaded portion 403 having an outer diameter of 11 mm to 17 mm and a height of 13 mm to 16 mm, and the eye drop nozzle 404 having a diameter of about 4 mm to 6 mm and a height of about 9 mm to 11 mm.

[0048] 5 is an example of a configuration diagram of the eye drop container fixing attachment 105. The eye drop container fixing attachment 105 is provided with a side support guide 302 and a rear support guide 303 that support the side and rear of the eye drop container 106 inside the eye drop container insertion body 301 (set plate 305), and the left and right side support guides 302a and 302c are pressed inward by left and right support guide pressing leaf springs 302b and 302d, respectively, to fix the eye drop container 306 from the side. The spring constant and deflection range of the support guide pressing leaf springs 302b and 302d are determined so that the side support guides 302a and 302c can be pressed from 18 mm to 24 mm according to the diameter of the medicine container of the eye drop container 306. The rear support guide is adjusted by a rear position adjustment plunger 303a according to the diameter of the medicine container of the eye drop container 306. The eyedrop container fixing attachment 105 fixes and becomes one unit with the eyedrop container 306 by means of side support guides 302 and rear support guides 303. A lower opening 301a is opened at the bottom of the eyedrop container insertion barrel 301, into which a threaded portion 306a and an eyedrop nozzle 306b of the eyedrop container 306 are inserted. The diameter of the lower opening 301a is larger than the diameter of the cap of the eyedrop container 306, so that the cap can be attached to the eyedrop container 306 even when the eyedrop container 306 is still attached to the eyedrop container fixing attachment 105.

[0049] As shown in Figure 2, eye drop container 106 is pressed by pressing portion 108a of pressure point adjustment arm 108 from the air fan 101 side of eye drop container fixing attachment 105 to drip the medicinal solution, but since the pressing position varies depending on the diameter and height of eye drop container 106, it is necessary to position pressing portion 108a appropriately to match eye drop container 106.

[0050] 5, the pressing rod pressing action point 107b of the pressing rod 107a integral with the trigger arm 107 is fixed, and the eyedrop container fixing attachment 105 can press an appropriate position according to the size of the eyedrop container 106 via a pressing position adjustment mechanism 304. The pressing position adjustment mechanism includes a first pressing means (309, 310, 311) capable of adjusting the vertical position of the pressing position of the eyedrop container 106 and the pressing width of the eyedrop container 106, and a second pressing means (303a) located opposite the first pressing means (309, 310, 311) and capable of adjusting the pressing width of the eyedrop container 106. In the example of FIG. 5, a pressing plunger 309 is inserted into a slit 311 of the pressing point adjustment arm 108 that rotates around an adjustment arm rotation shaft 308 arranged on the upper part of the eyedrop container fixing attachment 105 and is fixed by a double nut 310. The rear nut 310b is prevented from rotating, and the pressing plunger 309 is screwed into the rear nut 310b until the pressing amount is appropriate. The pressing plunger 309 is moved along the slit 311 so that the height position of the pressing plunger 309 is the appropriate height position of the eye drop container 306, and the front nut 310a is tightened and fixed. When the pressing action point 107b of the pressing rod 107a contacts and presses a predetermined position of the pressing point adjustment arm 108, the pressing plunger 309 connected to the pressing point adjustment arm 107 presses a predetermined position of the eye drop container 306. This allows the pressing position to be the appropriate position even if the shape and size of the eye drop container 306 are different, and a constant amount of the liquid medicine can be reliably dripped from the eye drop container 306.

[0051] FIG. 6 shows the state where the eye drop container fixing attachment 105 is removed. The eye drop container fixing attachment 105 is provided with a set plate 305 for easily replacing the eye drop container fixing attachment 105 for patients who instill multiple medicines. As shown in FIG. 6(a), the eye drop container fixing attachment 105 is easily fixed to the upper part of the air duct 104 by simply inserting the set plate 305 that connects the eye drop container fixing attachment 300 to the air duct 104 of the eye drop assistant 100 into the set guide 312 for the attachment set provided on the side of the air duct 104. Therefore, when using a different eye drop, the eye drop container 106 can be easily replaced by previously attaching the eye drop container 106 to the different eye drop fixing attachment 105. Thus, the eye drop container fixing attachment 105 is provided with the set plate 305 that allows the eye drop container 106 to be attached downward, and a pressing position adjustment mechanism that adjusts the pressing position of the eye drop container 106. Support guides (side support guide 302 and rear support guide 303) that press and support the sides of the eye drop container 106 are arranged on the inner surface of the set plate 305, and the lower end of the set plate 305 is removably fitted into a set guide 312 formed on the outer wall of the air duct 104. An open space S1 is provided in the lower area of ​​the set plate 305 to enable the cap of the eye drop container 106 to be opened and closed when the eye drop container 106 is attached.

[0052] Furthermore, the eye drop container fixing attachment 105 may be provided with a tag, an electronic chip such as an RFID, a barcode, or a QR code (registered trademark) (which serve as identifiers for identifying at least one of the types of the eye drop container 106 and the eye drop container fixing attachment 105) to attach a unique tag or ID, or a shape-based identification means such as a notch in the attachment 105. The eye drop aid 100 in FIG. 2 is provided with a tag reading sensor 114 such as a sensor, an RFID reading chip, or a camera for reading these tags and IDs. If the eye drop aid 100 is provided with this identification means for these tags and IDs, it is possible to record which eye drops have been applied each time by reading the tags of the eye drop container fixing attachments 105, provided that the tags of the eye drop container fixing attachments 105 and the types of eye drops applied thereto are registered in advance.

[0053] (3) Configuration of eye drop container pressing mechanism Next, the configuration of the eye drop container pressing mechanism will be described with reference to Figures 7 and 8. The eye drop container pressing mechanism may be configured so that the pressing action point of the pressing rod directly presses the eye drop container, but Figures 7 and 8 show an example of a pressing mechanism in which the pressing rod presses the eye drop container via a pressing position adjustment mechanism of the eye drop container fixing attachment in order to optimize the pressure on the eye drop container according to the shape of the eye drop container, thereby causing the eye drop liquid to drip into the air duct. Here, Figure 7 shows an example of manual pressing, and Figure 8 shows an example of an eye drop container pressing mechanism that presses electrically.

[0054] In the eye drop container pressing mechanism using a manual mechanism shown in Figure 7, trigger arm 107 rotates around trigger arm rotation axis 501 located above air duct 104, and when trigger arm 107 is pulled toward eyepiece opening 104d via manual point 502, which is applied by the finger of the patient or an eye drop assistant, eye drops are dropped from eye drop container 106. The air flow in air duct 104 causes the droplets to move approximately horizontally toward eyepiece opening 104d until they reach the cornea and are applied to the eye.

[0055] In the case of Fig. 7, the eyedrop container pressing mechanism includes a trigger arm rotation shaft 501 which serves as the rotation shaft of the trigger arm 107, and a pressing rod 107a which is connected to the trigger arm 107 and acts in a direction pressing the eyedrop container 106 from the side via the trigger arm rotation shaft 501 when the trigger arm 107 is pulled. The pressing rod 107a is disposed at an appropriate height between the trigger arm rotation shaft 501 and the air duct 104, and the trigger arm 107 and the pressing rod 107a operate together. When the trigger arm 107 is pulled toward the eyepiece port 104d, the pressing action point 107b of the pressing rod 107a also moves toward the eyepiece port. When the pressing point 107b comes into contact with the pressing rod pressing position of the pressing point adjustment arm 108 arranged on the eyedrop container fixing attachment 105, a force is applied by the pressing rod 107a toward the eyepiece port 104d, and the eyedrop container 106 is pressed via the pressing point adjustment arm 108. Since the movement range of the trigger arm 107 is mechanically limited, the pressing point adjustment arm 108 which is integrated with the trigger arm 107 also moves only to a limited position, and always presses the eyedrop container 106 to a certain position and does not press it any further. As a result, the medicinal solution dripped from the eyedrop container 106 is always a constant amount and is dropped into the patient's eye. When the pressing rod 107a returns, the pressing pressure applied to the eyedrop container 106 is released and the eyedrop container 106 returns to its original shape. Since the eye drop container 106 is always fixed facing downward, the liquid medicine in the eye drop container 106 also collects at the bottom of the eye drop container 106 and in the eye drop nozzle, and the air in the container collects at the top of the eye drop container 106. Therefore, when starting to apply eye drops, the amount of liquid medicine that is pressed is always dripped, and a constant amount of liquid medicine (one drop) is always dripped.

[0056] FIG. 8 shows a mechanism for pressing the eyedrop container 106 by an electric mechanism, in which a pressing rod 605 is driven by an electromagnetic solenoid 606. The eyedrop container pressing mechanism in this case includes an electromagnetic solenoid (electric driving means) 606 that is driven by electricity in conjunction with a trigger arm 601, and a pressing rod 605 that acts in a direction to press the eyedrop container 609 from the side using the electromagnetic solenoid 606 when the trigger arm 601 is pulled. The pressing rod 605 can be driven electrically by a configuration using an electric motor or an electromagnetic actuator such as an electromagnetic solenoid or a voice coil motor. In the case of an electromagnetic actuator, linear motion is possible and the pressing rod 605 can be directly driven, but in the case of a motor, a link mechanism or a cam mechanism for converting rotational motion into linear motion is required via a reduction gear. FIG. 8 shows an example in which a pressing rod 605 is arranged on the shaft of an electromagnetic solenoid 606, and the pressing rod 605 directly drives a pressing point adjustment arm 610 of the eyedrop container fixing attachment.

[0057] A predetermined angular position of the trigger arm 601 is detected by a trigger arm position sensor 602. The trigger arm position sensor 602 is a reflective photointerrupter and is arranged so as to detect a reflective tape 603 for the photointerrupter attached to the trigger arm 601, and is configured to detect a predetermined angular position of the trigger arm 601. The initial angular position where the trigger arm 601 is not operated is defined as a "trigger arm start position", and the angular position where the trigger arm 601 is pulled to a predetermined position toward the eyepiece port 604a of the air duct 604 and the pressing rod 605 integrated with the trigger arm 601 starts pressing the eyedrop container 609 via the eyedrop container pressing mechanism is defined as a "trigger arm pressing position". When the trigger arm 601 reaches the trigger arm pressing position, the electromagnetic solenoid 606 is turned ON and the pressing rod 605 starts pressing. Since the stroke of the electromagnetic solenoid 606 is constant, the pressing amount is also constant. A pressure rod 605 driven by an electromagnetic solenoid 606 presses an eyedropper container 609 via a pressure point adjustment arm 610 to drip the liquid medicine. Since the range of motion of the pressure rod 605 is constant, the eyedropper container 609 is always pressed to a constant position, and the amount of liquid medicine dripped is also constant. When an operator releases the trigger arm 601, the trigger arm 601 is returned to the trigger arm start position by a trigger arm return spring 608 arranged coaxially with the trigger arm rotation shaft 607, and when the trigger arm position sensor 602 detects that the trigger arm has returned to the trigger arm start position, the electromagnetic solenoid 606 is turned OFF, the pressure on the eyedropper container 609 is released, and the eyedropper container 609 returns to its original shape.

[0058] In FIG. 8, a droplet passage sensor 611 is provided at the upper part near the eyepiece 604a, and detects whether the droplets of liquid medicine dropped from the eyedropper 609 have passed through the eyepiece 604a normally and transmits the data to the control unit. This droplet passage sensor 611 allows the pressing mechanism to operate properly and makes it possible to confirm whether the eyedrop liquid medicine has passed through the eyepiece 604a normally. The droplet passage sensor 611 in FIG. 8 is composed of a reflective photointerrupter and detects when the reflected light from the bottom surface of the air duct 604 does not return to the sensor due to reflection or refraction on the surface of the droplet when the droplet passes through. The droplet passage sensor 611 can also be detected by a transmission type photointerrupter or ultrasonic sensor, and can also be placed on the side of the air duct 604.

[0059] (4) Configuration and operation of air flow generating means using air fans Next, the configuration and operation of the air flow generating means using the air fan will be described with reference to Fig. 9. The drive and voltage of the air fan 101 shown in Fig. 9 are controlled by the control unit 113, and the control unit 113 recognizes the start of the eye drop operation by the operator based on a signal from a trigger arm position sensor 701, a signal from a contact sensor 703 arranged on the operation part of the trigger arm 107, or a signal from an eyepiece detection contact sensor arranged near the eyepiece port 104d of the air duct 104 to detect whether the patient's eye is placed on the eyepiece 110 of the eye drop auxiliary tool 100, and operates the air fan 101. Thereafter, the air fan 101 continues to operate until the trigger arm 107 returns to its original position, at which point it stops. The trigger arm 107 is configured to always return to its original position by a spring force, so when the operator of the eye drop auxiliary tool 100 releases the trigger arm 107, the trigger arm 107 automatically returns to its starting position, and the trigger arm position sensor 701 detects that the trigger arm 107 has returned to its starting position and stops the air fan 101. Furthermore, FIG. 13 described later is an example of the electrical system configuration of the eye drop assistant 100, and the air fan 1804 is controlled by an air fan control section 1801a provided in the control unit 1801, and the ON / OFF and driving voltage are controlled manually or automatically.

[0060] With the above configuration, the air fan 101 operates only when the eye drops are applied, so that no unnecessary air flows into the air chamber 102 or the air duct 104, and the driving voltage can be controlled to provide an optimal amount of air discharge for horizontally moving the droplets of the medicine, minimizing power consumption and extending the life of the motor. In addition, when the patient's eye contacts the eyepiece 110 or the operator starts to pull the trigger arm 107, the air fan 101 starts to operate and sends air to the air chamber 102, and the air fan 101 has a blowing capacity that can raise the air pressure in the air chamber 102 to a predetermined pressure within the time until the operator pulls off the trigger arm 107 and the eye drops are dropped from the eye drop container 106. In normal operation, the elapsed time of this operation is 0.3 seconds or more, which is sufficient time to raise the pressure in the air chamber 102 to an appropriate pressure.

[0061] (5) Structure and operation method of the valve that controls the air flow into the air duct Next, the configuration and operation method (valve drive mechanism) of the valve that controls the air inflow into the air duct will be described with reference to Figures 10 and 11. Figures 10 and 11 show the configuration of an inflow control valve that controls the air inflow into air duct 802, with Figure 10 being an example of the configuration of an inflow control valve with a manual mechanism and Figure 11 being an example of the configuration of an inflow control valve with an electric mechanism.

[0062] In the configuration of the inflow control valve with a manual mechanism shown in Fig. 10, a swing check valve 801 is disposed immediately after the inlet 802a of an air duct 802 as an inflow control valve to control the inflow of air from an air chamber 803. The swing check valve 801 has a rotation reset arm 801a and a rotation stop arm 801b that are linked by a rotation shaft 806 and are disposed outside the air duct 802. When the swing check valve 801 is closed, the claw portion 804a of the rotation stopper 804 engages with the rotation stop arm 801b, and the claw portion 804a is pushed upward by the spring 804b, so that the valve is braked so as not to open. The swing check valve 801 is normally closed, so that even if the air fan starts blowing, the air flow remains in the air chamber, increasing the air pressure in the air chamber. The rotating stopper 804 operates in conjunction with the movement of the trigger arm 805, and when the operator pulls the trigger arm 805 toward the eyepiece port 802b of the air duct 802 and the trigger arm 805 moves to a position where the eye drop container is pressed through the eye drop container pressing mechanism and the eye drop medicine is dispensed, the release cam 805a attached to the trigger arm 805 presses the claw portion 804a of the rotating stopper 804 downward, moving in the brake release direction and releasing the brake on the swing type check valve 801, and the valve opens suddenly due to the high air pressure in the air chamber 803 and the air flow flows into the air duct. The air flow in the air duct 802 generated by this operation passes through the air duct 802 at a high flow rate and sends the medicine droplets dispensed from the eye drop container toward the patient's cornea.

[0063] A valve reset bar 805b for returning the swing type check valve 801 to the closed position is attached to the trigger arm 805, and this valve reset bar 805b acts on the rotation reset arm 801a of the swing type check valve 801 in the direction in which the swing type check valve 801 closes when the trigger arm returns to the starting position. When the operator releases the trigger arm 805, the trigger arm 805 returns to the starting position by the spring force, and the valve reset bar 805b pushes the cam 801c, and the swing type check valve 801 also returns to the closed position via the rotation reset arm 801a. The claw portion 804a of the rotation stopper 804 has a gentle tapered shape so as not to interfere with the closing movement of the swing type check valve 801, and when the swing type check valve 801 returns to the completely closed position, the claw portion 804a hooks on the upper side of the swing type check valve 801, and the swing type check valve 801 maintains the closed state.

[0064] Such a manually operated inflow control valve generates a high-speed air flow in the air duct 802, ensuring that droplets of the liquid medicine are delivered to the cornea, and when the instillation operation is completed, the inflow control valve is automatically closed, completing the reset operation for the next instillation operation. The example in Fig. 10 uses a swing-type check valve, but valve mechanisms such as butterfly valves, ball valves, reed valves, and diaphragms may also be used.

[0065] In the configuration of the inflow control valve by the motor mechanism shown in Fig. 11, the inflow control valve is a swing type check valve 901, and is connected to the rotating shaft of the swing type check valve 901 via a motor 902 and a worm gear 903. The swing type check valve 901 can detect the open / closed state of the swing type check valve 901 by a valve position sensor 904 that detects the open / closed state of the valve. The motor 902 is controlled by a control unit 906, and the control unit 906 is connected to a valve position sensor 904 that detects the open / closed state of the swing type check valve 901 and a trigger arm position sensor 905 that detects the position of the trigger arm. When the trigger arm 805 is in the trigger arm start position, the swing type check valve 901 rotates the motor 902 until the swing type check valve 901 is in a closed position, and closes the swing type check valve 901. When the operator pulls trigger arm 805 toward the eyepiece port of the air duct and moves it to the trigger arm pressing position where the eye drops are dispensed, the control unit 906 drives the motor 902 to open the swing type check valve 901. When the operator releases the trigger arm 905 and it returns to the trigger arm start position, the control unit 906 reversely drives the motor 902 to rotate the swing type check valve 901 to a position where it closes, and maintains that position.

[0066] The inflow control valve of such an electric mechanism generates a high-speed air flow in the air duct 802, which reliably delivers the droplets of the liquid medicine to the cornea, and when the instillation operation is completed, the inflow control valve is automatically closed, completing the reset operation for the next instillation operation. The example in Figure 11 uses a swing-type check valve, but valve mechanisms such as butterfly valves, ball valves, reed valves, and diaphragms may also be used.

[0067] (6) Automatic detection of the patient's left and right eyes (means for detecting left and right eyes) Next, automatic detection of the left and right eyes of a patient will be described with reference to FIG. 12. Eye drops are administered to patients in various patterns depending on the type, severity, and symptoms of their eye disease. Some patients administer multiple eye drops, have different prescriptions for eye drops for the left and right eyes, and administer them at different times. Patients must manage which type of eye drops, when, and how many times they administer them, but forgetting to administer eye drops or making mistakes often occurs in daily life. Therefore, recording the type of eye drops administered and when they were administered to each of the left and right eyes as an eye drop history is an effective means for patients and caregivers who manage eye drops. By connecting the eye drop assistant to an external device such as a mobile terminal or a computer and recording the eye drop history on the external device, it becomes possible to effectively manage treatment such as administering eye drops. Therefore, automatically detecting which eye drop is administered to the left or right eye is extremely important in keeping and managing records of treatment.

[0068] Fig. 12 shows an example of a detection method (left / right eye detection means) for automatically detecting which eye the eyedropper is placed on. Examples of commonly used methods for detecting which eye is the left or right eye include a method for analyzing an image of the patient's face or eye taken with a camera to determine whether it is the left or right eye, and a method for detecting the position of the eyedropper relative to the chin rest when the patient's face is fixed to the chin rest, but a simpler method is preferable for a portable eyedropper 1. The example in Fig. 12 shows a method for detecting which side of the eyedropper the patient's nose is located near when the patient places the eyelid of the patient's eye on the eyepiece of the eyedropper, and determining the side of the eyedropper that the patient's nose is located near.

[0069] When the eyepiece of the eyedropper is placed in contact with the eyelid of the patient's eye, the patient's nose is located slightly below the side of the air duct of the eyedropper auxiliary. In Fig. 12, a left reflective optical sensor 1003a and a right reflective optical sensor 1003b are disposed at the bottom of both sides of the air duct 1001 of the eyedropper. When the nose is near the sensor, these reflective optical sensors 1003 detect the presence of the nose by receiving infrared light that is irradiated by the reflective optical sensor 1003 and reflected or scattered by the surface of the patient's nose and returned to the reflective optical sensor 1003.

[0070] The left reflective optical sensor 1003a and the right reflective optical sensor 1003b are connected to the control unit 1004 and transmit detected signals. If there is no nose detection signal from either sensor, or if detection signals are transmitted from both sensors, the control unit 1004 determines that the eye drop aid is not in a specified position or is blocked by the operator's hand or the like, and determines that the right eyelid is in contact with the eyepiece 1002 if a detection signal is transmitted only from the left reflective optical sensor 1003a, and determines that the left eyelid is in contact with the eyepiece 1002 if a detection signal is transmitted only from the right reflective optical sensor 1003b.

[0071] The information on the left or right eye determined by the control unit 1004 is transmitted to an external device such as a smartphone via a communication means and is effectively utilized as information on the evaluation of the eye drop state and the eye drop history. In addition, if the eye drop container pressing mechanism or the inflow control valve of the eye drop assistant is electrically operated, it is possible to determine whether or not to perform the eye drop operation based on the information from this automatic left or right eye detection function, so that the eye drop is surely administered.

[0072] The above-mentioned left / right eye detection system allows the eye drop aid to easily detect which eye is placed on the eye and optimize the operation of the eye drop aid, and the detection information transmitted by the communication means enables the patient support software in the external device or the patient support system on the Internet to evaluate the eye drop status and record the eye drop history. In the first embodiment, a reflective optical sensor is used as the nose detection sensor, but the sensor may be an ultrasonic sensor, a capacitance sensor, a pyroelectric sensor, or the like.

[0073] (7) Configuration of the electrical system of the eye drop assistant (functional block diagram) Next, the configuration (functional block diagram) of the electrical system of the eye drop auxiliary device will be described with reference to Fig. 13. Fig. 13 shows an example of the electrical system configuration in the case of an electrically-operated pressing mechanism and an inflow control valve in the eye drop auxiliary device 100. An electromagnetic solenoid 1803 is used as the electrically-operated eye drop container pressing mechanism, and a valve drive by a motor 1805 is used for inflow control.

[0074] The control unit 1801 provided in the eye drop aid 100 is configured to control the entire system and to control the drive of the air fan 1804, the solenoid 1803, and the motor 1805. The sensor unit 1802 is equipped with a sensor communication board 1802a, a trigger arm position sensor 1802b, a valve position sensor 1802c, an eye sensor 1802d, a medicine drop particle passage sensor 1802e, a contact sensor 1802f, a left / right eye detection sensor 1802g, and a tag reading sensor 1802h, and the sensor communication board 1802a is configured to convert the values ​​of each sensor into digital values ​​and communicate with the control unit.

[0075] That is, the eye drop aid 100 can detect whether the liquid medicine has reached the cornea normally by arranging a droplet passing sensor 1802e capable of detecting droplets of liquid medicine passing through the air duct 104 at a predetermined position in the air duct 104. In addition, by arranging a trigger arm position detection sensor 1802b that detects the position of the trigger arm 107, a valve position sensor 1802c that detects the opening and closing angle of the inflow control valve, a G sensor that detects the inclination and movement of the eye drop aid 100, and a left / right eye detection sensor 1802g that detects whether the patient's left or right eye is placed on the eye drop aid 100, it is possible to evaluate whether the patient's eye drop aid 100 has been operated properly, whether the patient's eyes have been dropped properly, or whether there is any abnormality in the operation of the eye drop aid 100. Furthermore, by placing a camera 1809 (imaging means) capable of photographing the patient's eye inside the air chamber 102 or near the inlet 104a of the air duct 104, the open eyelid state and position when the eye drops are delivered to the patient's eye, as well as the adhesion state of the eye drops delivered to the cornea, can be evaluated from the captured image.

[0076] The drug droplet passing sensor 1802e arranged in the air duct 104 is detected by an optical transmission or reflection type sensor or an ultrasonic sensor. The trigger arm position detection sensor 1802b is detected by a potentiometer or encoder linked to the trigger arm 107, an optical transmission or reflection type sensor that detects an optical slit or reflector, a magnetic sensor, or the like. The valve position sensor 1802c is preferably a switch linked to the valve, a potentiometer or encoder linked to the valve's rotary shaft, or a transmission or reflection type optical sensor that directly detects the open / closed state. In addition, this electrical system can omit functional parts that are not necessary depending on the system configuration, for example, when the eye drop assistant 100 is a manual eye drop container pressing mechanism and an inflow control valve.

[0077] Furthermore, the control unit 1801 is equipped with an air fan control section 1801a, and is capable of calculating the relative flow velocity of the air flow in the air duct 104 to the liquid medicine droplets, which is necessary for horizontally moving the liquid medicine droplets dropped from the eye drop container 106 into the air duct 104, using the above (Equation 8), and controlling the voltage sent to the air fan 101 based on the obtained relative flow velocity so that the flow velocity in the air duct 104 is 10 m / sec or more and 40 m / sec or less.

[0078] The control unit 1801 can store image data transmitted from an anterior eye photographing camera (imaging means) 1809, and communicates data with external devices such as smartphones, personal computers, and tablet PCs by short-distance communication such as WiFi or Bluetooth (registered trademark) via a communication unit (communication means) 1808. The communication unit 1808 transmits various detection data to an external terminal via a wired / wireless network. The camera 1809 is disposed in the air chamber 102 or near the inlet 104a of the air duct 104, and photographs the ocular surface via the air duct 104. Since an opening / closing valve disposed in the air duct 104 blocks the inlet 104a, it is preferable that the blocking wall is made of a transparent material that transmits light so that the patient's eye can be photographed.

[0079] In this way, the eye drop aid 100 according to the first embodiment can constitute an external communication means, and is connected to an external device such as an external smartphone, personal computer, tablet PC, or Wi-Fi terminal via the communication unit 1808, and transmits data detected by the above-mentioned sensors 1802b to 1802h arranged in the eye drop aid 100, the state of eye drop, evaluation results, and images of the patient's eye taken by the camera 1809. The transmitted data and images are also sent to a server or cloud system on the Internet via a smartphone or personal computer, and these data can be shared, viewed, and evaluated by patients, supporters such as the patient's family and caregivers, and medical institutions, thereby realizing a home monitoring system that can support the treatment of patients.

[0080] The control unit 1801 controls the system using data values ​​and image data sent from the sensor unit 1802 and the anterior eye photographing camera 1809, and also sends data on the state of the eye drop aid 100 and the patient's eye drop state to a patient support system using an external device and a network system, thereby providing data and information that are useful for supporting the patient's treatment.

[0081] As described above, the invention according to the first embodiment is an eye drop auxiliary device 100 for administering a medicinal solution in an eye drop container to a patient's eye, and comprises an air fan 101, an air chamber 102 which serves as an air chamber for the air flow discharged from the air fan 101, a cylindrical air duct 104 connected to the air chamber 102, an eye drop container fixing attachment 105 to which an eye drop container 106 is replaceably attached and which fixes the nozzle of the eye drop container 106 facing downward to the upper wall of the air duct 106 which is held in a horizontal position, an eye drop container pressing mechanism 108 which presses a predetermined position on the side of the eye drop container 106 attached to the eye drop container fixing attachment 105, and a trigger arm 107 which controls the operation of the eye drop container pressing mechanism 108. One end of the opening of the cylindrical air duct 104 serves as an inlet 104a through which airflow discharged from the air fan 101 flows in via the air chamber 102, while the other end of the opening serves as an eyepiece port 104d that comes into contact with the periphery of the patient's eyelid. An upper wall of the air duct 104 is formed with a medicine introduction hole 104c for introducing medicine droplets dropped from a nozzle of an eyedropper container 106 attached to an eyedropper container fixing attachment 105 into the air duct 106.

[0082] With this configuration, when instilling the liquid medicine in the eye drop container 106, the patient using the eye drop assistant 100 does not need to look up, and the appropriate amount of liquid medicine can be instilled into the patient's eye in a comfortable sideways position. That is, the patient can instill the liquid medicine while looking horizontally without looking up, simply by pulling the trigger arm 107 of the eye drop assistant 100, and the liquid medicine passes through without contact with the parts of the eye drop assistant 100, so the liquid medicine is delivered to the patient's eye without being contaminated by the parts of the eye drop assistant 100, and the above-mentioned liquid medicine instillation mechanism can reliably drip a fixed amount of the liquid medicine, and the patient can instill the liquid medicine simply, reliably, and safely in a comfortable position.

[0083] In addition, the eye drop container fixing attachment 105 can be easily attached to and detached from the eye drop auxiliary tool 100, so that a patient who applies multiple eye drops can change eye drops and apply them without any complicated operations.

[0084] (Modification) Next, an eye drop aid according to a modification of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 14. The eye drop aid 100 according to this modification is configured without the air chamber 102. In the eye drop aid 100 according to the first embodiment, the air chamber 102 is disposed between the air fan 101 and the air duct 104 because the air flow in the air duct 104 becomes uniform and smooth when the air flow is introduced into the air duct 104 through the air chamber 102. However, in this modification, the air outlet of the air fan 101 is directly connected to the air duct 104, and this configuration can achieve the same effects as those of the first embodiment, while also making the device more compact, lightweight, and inexpensive.

[0085] The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention. For example, the use example shown in FIG. 1 is one example, and the eye drop auxiliary tool 100 may be fixed and placed on a height-adjustable support and applied with the eye drop applied while being kept horizontal. For example, since the size of the eye drop container 106 varies depending on the type of drug, manufacturer, etc., it is possible to use a dedicated eye drop container fixing attachment 105 that is different for each size of eye drop container instead of using the complex mechanisms of the eye drop container pressing mechanism and pressing position adjustment mechanism described above. In this case, it is easy to use because there is no need to fine-tune the pressing position of the eye drop container fixing attachment 105 every time the eye drop container 106 is attached. In other words, if different eye drop containers 106 of different sizes are attached to the dedicated eye drop container fixing attachment 105 in advance and stored with the cap closed, even a patient who uses multiple eye drops can easily replace the eye drops by simply replacing the eye drop container fixing attachment 105.

[0086] (Embodiment 2) Hereinafter, the second embodiment of the eye drop aid according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 15 to 21. The second embodiment is a home monitoring system and a patient support system that uses a detection means for detecting data on the state of eye drop from a drop sensor for the drug solution, an anterior eye image capturing camera, a G sensor, a left / right eye detection sensor, an eye sensor, and the like arranged in the eye drop aid 100 described in the first embodiment, an evaluation means for evaluating the state of eye drop based on the obtained detection data, and a communication means for communicating the detection data and the evaluation data by the evaluation means with a smartphone, tablet PC, personal computer, and the like, to allow the doctor and the patient to share the data, observe the state of eye drop treatment, and encourage the patient to continue the eye drop treatment. Note that the same reference numerals are used for the same components as those in the first embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0087] Here, the second embodiment of the present invention will be described in the following order. (8) External communication means and network system configuration (9) Operation of patient support software that assists in administering eye drops (10) Functions and operations of the patient support software other than when administering eye drops (11) Operation of dedicated software executed on the in-hospital terminal device (12) Operation of dedicated software executed on the supporter's mobile device

[0088] (8) External communication means and network system configuration Fig. 15 shows the overall configuration of a home monitoring system S for supporting patient treatment. An eyedropper 1101 is connected to the Internet 1109 by one of a number of connection means. The connection means may be via a router 1102 connected to a wired local area network (LAN), via a wireless router 1103 using short-range wireless such as wireless LAN or Bluetooth, or via mobile communication such as a mobile terminal 1104, such as a smartphone, to connect to the Internet (WAN).

[0089] Data obtained from the drop passing sensor, the anterior eye image capturing camera, the G sensor, the left / right eye detection sensor, and the like arranged in the eye dropper 1101, as well as data evaluating the eye drop status based on these data, are stored via the connection means in the mobile terminal 1104, the cloud service 1105 on the Internet, and the fixed server 1110. This eye drop status data is stored together with information on the date and time when the eye drop was administered, information on the eye drop, and the like.

[0090] The date and time information of the eye drop application is obtained from the clock of the eye dropper assistant or the clock of the mobile terminal connected to the eye dropper. The eye drop information is identified by the eye dropper 1101 automatically identifying the eye drop inserted in the eye drop container fixing attachment, or by the user selecting the eye drop information using the function of the software installed in the mobile terminal 1104, and is stored together with the data.

[0091] Meanwhile, medical professionals such as doctors and pharmacists, and supporters 1108 such as family members and caregivers can view, evaluate, and analyze the data accumulated in the cloud service 1005 or fixed server 1110 at any time via terminal devices 1007 such as smartphones, personal computers, and tablet terminals connected to the Internet 1109, and can support the treatment of patients.

[0092] In addition, the cloud service 1105 and the fixed server 1110 are equipped with software for analyzing accumulated data, making it possible to analyze data through statistical processing, analyze data and make future predictions through artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning, and determine and implement effective support methods to improve patient adherence.

[0093] The data stored in the cloud service 1105 or the fixed server 1110 can be composed of data on multiple patients, and with the patient's consent, it is possible to use big data composed of data on multiple patients to improve the accuracy of the analysis, prediction, and proposals.

[0094] These analysis data can be viewed on the terminal device 1107 as data used by medical personnel 1108 for diagnosis and determining treatment plans, and can also be viewed on the eyedropper 1101, the patient's mobile terminal 1104, the supporter's terminal device 1107, etc. Also, the analysis data can be used to change the operation of software running on the patient's mobile terminal 1104 in order to improve the patient's adherence.

[0095] FIG. 16 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a patient support system using an external device. The eye drop assistant 1201 includes a drop control unit 1201a that pressurizes a part of the eye drop container in conjunction with the drive of an air fan when the patient operates a trigger arm to drop one drop of medicinal liquid, an eye drop state detection unit 1201b that detects data showing the state of eye drop from a drop particle passage sensor, an anterior eye image capturing camera, a G sensor, a left / right eye detection sensor, and the like arranged in the eye drop assistant, an eye drop evaluation unit 1201c that analyzes the data and evaluates the state of eye drop, and a communication unit 1201d that transmits the data, analysis results, evaluation results, and the like to a mobile terminal and receives information, instructions, and the like from the mobile terminal. This communication unit is a module that enables wired connection such as USB or wired LAN, and short-distance wireless connection such as Bluetooth, WiFi, and wireless LAN.

[0096] The patient mobile terminal 1202 includes a control unit 1202a that uses a processor such as a CPU and a memory to control the components of the patient mobile terminal 1202 to realize various functions, a storage unit 1202b that is a memory such as a RAM and stores data received from the eye drop auxiliary device, a communication unit 1202c that realizes communication with a communication network such as the Internet and communication with the eye drop auxiliary device, a screen display unit 1202d such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL display, and an operation input unit 1202e such as a touch panel, etc. Furthermore, the patient mobile terminal 1202 includes an adherence analysis support unit 1202f that encourages the patient to continue eye drop treatment based on eye drop information and eye drop schedule input and saved by the patient himself / herself in the mobile terminal, eye drop implementation information received and saved from the eye drop auxiliary device, and various data including eye drop status.

[0097] In addition, the eye drop aid 1201 may be equipped with a screen display unit, an operation input unit, a memory unit, and an adherence analysis support unit so that the eye drop aid 1201 alone can encourage the continuation of eye drop treatment even when the eye drop aid 1201 is not connected to the mobile terminal 1202.

[0098] FIG. 17 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a patient support system via a network system. The eye drop assistant 1301 includes a drop control unit 1301a that pressurizes a part of the eye drop container in conjunction with the drive of an air fan by the patient operating a trigger arm to drop one drop of medicinal liquid, an eye drop state detection unit 1301b that detects data indicating the state of eye drop from a drop particle passage sensor, an anterior eye image capturing camera, a G sensor, a left / right eye detection sensor, and the like arranged in the eye drop assistant, an eye drop evaluation unit 1301c that analyzes the data and evaluates the state of eye drop, and a communication unit 1301d that transmits the data, analysis results, evaluation results, and the like to a fixed server 1303 or a mobile terminal via a wide area network and receives information, instructions, and the like from the fixed server 1303 or a mobile terminal via the wide area network. This communication unit is a module that enables wired connection such as USB or wired LAN, and short-distance wireless connection such as Bluetooth, WiFi, and wireless LAN.

[0099] The patient mobile terminal 1302 includes a control unit 1302a that uses a processor such as a CPU and a memory to control the components of the patient mobile terminal 1302 to realize various functions, a storage unit 1302b that is a memory such as a RAM and stores data received from the eye drop auxiliary, a communication unit 1302c that realizes communication with a communication network such as the Internet and communication with the eye drop auxiliary, a screen display unit 1302d such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL display, and an operation input unit 1302e such as a touch panel, etc. Furthermore, the patient mobile terminal 1302 includes an adherence analysis support unit 1302f that encourages the continuation of eye drop treatment based on eye drop information, eye drop plan, and treatment plan that the patient inputs and saves directly to the mobile terminal or that a doctor or pharmacist provides via the Internet, and various data including eye drop implementation information and eye drop status received and stored from the eye drop auxiliary.

[0100] In addition, even if the eye drop aid 1301 is not connected to the patient's mobile terminal 1302 but is directly connected to a fixed server via the Internet, the eye drop aid may be equipped with a screen display unit, an operation input unit, a memory unit, and an adherence analysis support unit so that the eye drop aid can encourage the continuation of eye drop treatment by itself.

[0101] FIG. 17 shows an example in which the patient mobile terminal 1302 is connected to the Internet via a home LAN, but it is also possible to use the patient support system by connecting to a LAN at a remote location, including a care facility.

[0102] The fixed server 1303 includes a communication unit 1303a that receives information such as sensor data, analysis results, and evaluation results transmitted by the eye drop assistant 1031, eye drop information and eye drop plans input from the patient's mobile terminal or the doctor's or pharmacist's terminal, and eye drop status data such as daily eye drop status and eye drop implementation status that are automatically recorded from the eye drop assistant to the patient's mobile terminal, a control unit 1303b that returns response information when a request is received from the patient's mobile terminal 1032 or the in-hospital terminal device 1304, and a control unit 1303b that performs statistical processing, AI, and the like on the various data received by the transmission and reception unit. The system includes an adherence analysis support unit 1303c that performs analysis using deep learning or the like to predict the progression of a disease, or determines and executes an effective support method for improving adherence of a patient, and a storage unit 1303d that is a database that accumulates various data received by the transmission / reception unit, analysis results by the adherence analysis support unit 1303c, patient (user contract holder) information (user contract holder ID, password, medical institution / medical worker in charge, date of birth, sex, health care information, scheduled date and time of visit, measurement results of various testing devices, etc.) and the like. In the example of Fig. 17, a fixed server is used, but a cloud service or the like may be used.

[0103] The in-hospital terminal device 1304 includes an operation input unit 1304a such as a keyboard that receives input from a doctor, a software execution unit 1304b that executes dedicated software on a web browser or the like, a request generation unit 1304c that acquires the eye drop status data of the target patient, analysis results by AI or the like, and eye drop plans, etc., via the operation input unit 1304a, a communication unit 1304d that receives the data of the target patient stored in the fixed server 1303 and transmits to the fixed server the results of tests performed on the in-hospital testing equipment, eye drop plans, treatment plans, comments, etc. created by the doctor, a screen display unit 1304e, and a memory unit 1304f.

[0104] The supporter mobile terminal 1305 is equipped with an operation input unit 1305a such as a touch panel that allows the supporter to input messages for the patient, a software execution unit 1305b that executes dedicated software using a web browser or the like, a request generation unit 1305c that obtains eye drop status data of the target patient, analysis results by AI or the like, eye drop plans, etc. via the operation input unit 1305a, a communication unit 1305d, a screen display unit 1305e such as an LCD panel or an organic EL display, and a memory unit 1305f.

[0105] (9) Operation of patient support software that assists in administering eye drops Fig. 18 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of patient support software that supports the administration of eye drops. The patient support software supports the patient in continuing eye drop treatment and functions as software for supporting the maintenance and improvement of adherence. As a pre-processing of the flowchart, a user (patient, supporter, medical personnel) installs the patient support software via the Internet or the like in a patient mobile terminal used in the patient support system.

[0106] When the patient support system is operated via a network system as shown in FIG. 17, the user obtains a user contract ID from the fixed server, sets a password, etc., and records the information in the memory of both the patient's mobile terminal and the fixed server. In addition, other patient (user contract) information (name, date of birth, sex, race, supporter's name, supporter's unique ID, responsible medical institution / pharmacy, responsible doctor, etc.) is also recorded. The supporter's unique ID is a unique ID assigned when the patient support software is installed on the supporter's mobile terminal or the like to provide support, and is used for exchanging messages via the Internet and accessing the fixed server to view patient data. The data recorded in the fixed server is linked to the user contract ID. In addition, the patient support software and the eye drop assistant are connected via WiFi or the like, and the unique ID of the eye drop assistant is recorded in the memory of the patient's mobile terminal.

[0107] In S1401, basic information on eye drops is registered. The basic information on eye drops includes the name of the eye drop, the eye to be dropped (right eye, left eye, both eyes), the number of drops per day, the number of drops per drop, the time of drop (time period), the date of prescription, and the doctor and pharmacist in charge. Methods for acquiring this information include reading a QR code (registered trademark) provided by a pharmacy with the camera of the patient's mobile terminal or the camera of an eye drop assistant, reading a barcode on the eye drop with the camera of the patient's mobile terminal or the camera of an eye drop assistant, or a camera or a barcode reader provided on an eye drop container fixing attachment, and acquiring information on the corresponding eye drop via the Internet, reading a QR code (registered trademark) issued by dedicated software executed on a hospital terminal with the camera of the patient's mobile terminal or the camera of an eye drop assistant, registering the basic information on eye drops directly from dedicated software executed on a hospital terminal and registering it on a fixed server via the Internet, directly inputting the information using the input function of the patient support software by the user, or a combination of these methods.

[0108] Furthermore, an eye drop container containing a registered eye drop can be attached to the eye drop container fixing attachment 105 and inserted into the eye drop assistant, and the acquired information on the unique tag of the eye drop container fixing attachment can be registered in association with the basic information on the eye drop. This makes it possible to automatically identify the type of eye drop inserted, and prevents mistakes such as mistaking eye drops for eye drops.

[0109] In S1402, when the set time arrives, an eye drop plan for that day is created based on the basic information on eye drop, and is displayed on the screen of the patient's mobile terminal to inform the patient. At this time, a voice or an alarm may be sounded to alert the patient. The eye drop time setting may be changed temporarily or permanently on this screen.

[0110] In S1403, when it is time to instill the eye drops, a message urging the patient to instill the eye drops is displayed on the screen of the patient's mobile terminal in S1404, and the message is notified by voice or alarm sound. At this time, the message may be automatically sent to a registered supporter. When the user turns on the power of the eye drop assistant in S1405 and communication between the eye drop assistant and the patient's mobile terminal is established, the process proceeds to step S1406 for executing the eye drop assistant process. During this time, it is possible to easily understand the current situation and guide the user to operate smoothly by displaying on the screen how to turn on the eye drop assistant, or by expressing the state until communication between the eye drop assistant and the patient's mobile terminal is established using illustrations, animations, voice, etc. Furthermore, in order to improve familiarity and increase the patient's motivation for eye drop treatment, the eye drop assistant may be expressed using personified or biomimetic illustrations, animations, voice, etc.

[0111] In S1406, the patient is assisted in administering eye drops correctly and effectively using the eye drop assistant. Information about the eye drops to be administered and the target eye are displayed on the screen of the patient's mobile terminal in an easy-to-understand manner using images and illustrations, and the user is prompted to insert the eye drop container fixing attachment into the eye drop assistant. If it is determined that the remaining amount of eye drops to be administered is low or nonexistent based on the volume of the eye drops and the administration history, it is also possible to instruct the user to check the remaining amount of eye drops or to replace the eye drop bottle with a new one. If multiple eye drops are administered in the same time period, all eye drop information may be displayed. If the order of administration is fixed, it is desirable to highlight the eye drops to be administered from other eye drops by using a color, size, icon display, etc. When a user inserts eye drops attached to the eye drop container fixing attachment into the eye drop assistant, the RFID tag is read and compared with the basic eye drop information to identify the inserted eye drops, and the information on the inserted eye drops is displayed on the screen, or if the inserted eye drops are not the ones that should be instilled, a warning is issued to encourage the user to replace them with the correct eye drops. If the eye drop container fixing attachment is equipped with a camera for photographing the eye drops or a barcode reader for identification, it is possible to determine the operation using the eye drop information determined from the camera image or the barcode.

[0112] When the patient support software confirms that the eye drops to be administered have been correctly set in the eye drop assistant, it displays on the screen illustrations, animations, etc., how to administer the eye drops using the eye drop assistant. In particular, to prevent the user from mistaking the target eye (left or right eye) for administering eye drops, it is desirable to prevent confusion between the left and right eyes by displaying an illustration of a face holding the eye drop assistant to the target eye.

[0113] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of an eye drop instruction screen. Here, an example is shown in which multiple eye drops are to be applied at the same time. The eye drops 1501 to be applied at present are displayed in a large and highlighted manner together with the name and photo of the eye drop, and the information 1502 of the other eye drops are displayed in a small and inconspicuous manner. In addition, the number of eye drops to be applied at the same time is displayed in 1503, so that the progress can be understood. The front face illustration 1504 is arranged in a mirror-inverted manner so that the patient's own face is reflected in a mirror when looking at the screen, so that the patient can operate it by imitating what he sees, and it is possible to prevent confusion between the left and right eyes. Instead of the front face illustration 1504, or to overlap with the front face illustration, a video of the patient's own face photographed in real time by a front camera 1508 mounted on the screen side of the smartphone may be displayed. In this case, the video is displayed in a mirror-inverted manner so that the patient looks at the smartphone screen and is reflected in a mirror, that is, the right eye is displayed on the right side of the screen and the left eye is displayed on the left side of the screen. By arranging a target eye indicator 1505 with an arrow or the like on the side of the target eye of the front face illustration 1504 or the real-time video of the patient's face, and further displaying an illustration 1506 of an eye drop assistant as if it is being placed against the target eye, it is possible to clearly show at a glance which eye the patient should place the eye drop assistant on. Operation instructions for the patient and the current progress status are displayed in a message field 1507.

[0114] When the patient places the eye drop assistant in place, the automatic left / right eye detection function of the eye drop assistant can detect whether the eye is placed in place, but if the detected eye does not match the target eye, a warning display or sound can be used to inform the user that the eye drop assistant is placed in place in the wrong eye, or the eye drop operation of the eye drop assistant can be automatically stopped if the eye drop assistant is in place. Since it is difficult to visually confirm the instructions on the mobile device screen during the time from placing the eye drop assistant in place on the target eye to administering the eye drop, it is advisable to provide voice guidance.

[0115] When the user administers instillation in S1407, the patient support software receives and analyzes data on the state of the eye instillation, such as data obtained from various sensors in the eye instillation aid, images of the anterior segment of the eye, and evaluation results of the state of the eye instillation obtained by analyzing this data, and determines in S1408 whether the instillation was successful.

[0116] There is no particular limit to the method for determining whether or not the instillation was successful, but one example is a method that combines information from a number of sensors provided in the instillation aid with a number of time-series images of the anterior eye. For example, if there is no reaction from the drop-passing sensor within a certain period of time after the patient performs the instillation act, it can be determined that the instillation has failed. On the other hand, even if there is a reaction from the drop-passing sensor, if it is determined from the value of the G sensor that the inclination of the drop-passing aid is large at a certain level and the eye drops do not reach the target eye, it can be determined that the instillation has failed. If it is determined from the values ​​of the drop-passing sensor and the G sensor that the eye drops have reached the position of the target eye, it can be determined whether or not the eye drops have been delivered to the cornea or conjunctiva by analyzing a number of time-series images (videos) of the anterior eye taken by the photographing means. For example, it can be determined whether or not the eyelids are correctly opened by performing preprocessing using various image filters, etc., to identify the presence and position of the pupil and iris, and if the eye drops are delivered to the target eye with the eyelids open, it can be determined that the instillation has been successful. In addition to the general filtering method using image processing such as contour extraction, a method of determining the success or failure of eye instillation using artificial intelligence or deep learning that has learned image patterns of success and failure of eye instillation may also be used.

[0117] If it is determined that the instillation was successful, the process proceeds to S1409. If it was not successful, the user is notified of this and the process returns to S1406.

[0118] If all eye drops to be administered at the same time are completed in S1409, the process proceeds to S1410, where information on administering eye drops during the flow (date and time of administering eye drops, administered eye drops, data on the state of administering eye drops, administering location, etc.) is recorded. If all eye drops have not yet been administered, the process returns to S1406 to administer the next eye drops. When administering multiple eye drops consecutively in a short period of time, the eye drops may flow out of the eye and the effect of the eye drops may not be fully achieved. For this reason, an appropriate waiting time may be set in the second or subsequent eye drop administration support process. In addition, in order to encourage the patient to close his or her eyes and wait so that the administered eye drops can take effect, the patient may be guided to the method using illustrations, animations, or audio. Furthermore, in order to encourage the patient to remove the eye drop container fixing attachment from the eye drop assistant and close the cap and put it away every time one eye drop is administered, the patient may be guided using illustrations, animations, audio, etc.

[0119] In S1411, the eye drop status, such as whether the eye drops are being administered according to the eye drop plan, is evaluated based on the accumulated daily eye drop administration information, and the patient's motivation and adherence to the eye drop treatment is scored and notified. Advice and messages are provided to improve the score, and information is provided regarding the disease being treated and the eye drop treatment, thereby performing support processing to maintain and improve the patient's adherence and motivate them to continue treatment.

[0120] Furthermore, in the case of a patient support system via a network system, it is also possible to notify registered supporters such as family members and caregivers that eye drops have been administered. Notification can be sent by installing a dedicated app for the patient support software on the supporter's mobile device, and automatically notifying the patient that eye drops have been administered from the patient's mobile device via the message function built into the dedicated app, or by using a registered SNS. The supporter who receives the notification can send a message back.

[0121] An element of gamification may be incorporated to motivate the user to improve the score. As long as the method motivates the user to improve the score and continue the treatment, the method is not limited. For example, by linking the score to the growth and condition of characters such as animals and plants, the user can look forward to seeing positive changes such as the character growing, becoming lively, and becoming happy when eye drop treatment is continued correctly, which motivates the user to continue the eye drop treatment. Conversely, if the score drops and the plant dies and loses vitality, the user is motivated to resume eye drop treatment in order to improve the score so that the character will be revived. In addition, the game may be operated so that the user can progress every time the score increases. For example, when the score or the number of days of continued eye drop application meets a standard, the game can proceed to the next stage, or items that can be used in the game can be acquired. Furthermore, the user may be able to share the progress of the game and information on acquired items with registered supporters' families, friends, etc. In addition, the user may be able to exchange the score and accumulated points for real-world products and services. In addition, the details of the adherence analysis support processing that is performed are recorded, and the relationship between the details of the processing and subsequent changes in the patient's behavior can be analyzed, and this can be used to determine more effective support processing methods.

[0122] In S1412, it is automatically determined whether all eye drops scheduled for today have been completed. If they have been completed, the process ends, and if they have not been completed, the process waits until the next eye drop time.

[0123] (10) Functions and operations of the patient support software other than when administering eye drops The adherence analysis support process is executed not only when administering eye drops as shown in Figure 19, but also at various other times to provide daily support for maintaining and improving patient adherence and motivating them to continue treatment.

[0124] One example of the support method is to provide an encouraging message. FIG. 20 is an example of an encouraging message display screen. The screen displays a score 1601, an encouraging message 1602, and the like. The contents of the message can be determined according to the score, the state of eye drops, the state of visits to the hospital, and the like, and it is desirable to use as positive expressions as possible. In addition to text and audio messages, it is also possible to create a more familiar message by using expressions such as 1603, in which a character talks to the patient with a facial expression that matches the contents of the message. In addition, knowledge and information on the target disease that is effective for maintaining and improving adherence can be provided according to the score, state of eye drops, state of visits to the hospital, and the period since the start of treatment, as in 1604, and when the patient taps a button or the like to open and confirm the contents (detailed contents), points are awarded and the score is increased. The contents of 1604 are not limited to the patient's own eye drop history, the progress of test results such as intraocular pressure, and treatment plans, as long as the contents help the patient understand their own condition, characteristics of the disease, and goals, and lead to maintaining and improving adherence and motivation to continue treatment.

[0125] The timing of the message notification may be determined to be more effective based on the patient's reaction history to past messages. For example, the time and place where the patient is most likely to tap 1604 and check the content may be analyzed from the past reaction history. It is also possible to generate an effective message for the encouraging message content 1602 that leads to a positive behavioral change toward eye drop treatment based on the past reaction history.

[0126] In addition to when the detailed content is confirmed, points are given when administering eye drops, visiting the hospital, and receiving medicine, and the score is increased. The size of the points may be changed according to the importance and effect. Furthermore, if it is determined that there is a decrease in adherence or a decrease in willingness to continue eye drop treatment, the score may be decreased. Decreasing adherence or willingness may be judged based on a decrease in the rate of administering eye drops, when the eye drop time is not kept, or when visits to the hospital are delayed.

[0127] When the scheduled visit date and time approaches, a message is displayed informing the patient of the scheduled visit date and time, the name of the hospital, the doctor in charge, etc., to prevent the patient from forgetting to visit. The scheduled visit date and time can be set in a number of ways, including reading a QR code (registered trademark) containing a medical appointment issued by dedicated software running on a hospital terminal during the patient's previous visit using the camera on the patient's mobile terminal or the camera on the eye drop assistant, by the doctor directly registering the code using dedicated software running on the hospital terminal and then registering the code on a fixed server via the Internet, or by the user directly inputting the code using the input function of the patient support software.

[0128] The system may estimate the date when the eye drops will run out based on the volume of eye drops in the eye drop information, the number of eye drops prescribed, and the eye drop history, and if the estimated date is approaching but the planned visit date has not been set, a message urging the patient to visit the hospital by the estimated date may be displayed. At the same time, a function for setting the planned visit date and a function for making a reservation for a visit via the Internet may be operated.

[0129] The patient support software on the patient's mobile device makes it possible to view at any time the status of eye drops, test results from tonometer and visual field tests, score status, remaining amount of eye drops, eye drop information, scheduled visit dates, detailed content about the target disease and eye drops, and past message exchanges.

[0130] The results of various tests can be displayed in a graph or table together with the status of eye drops, the progress of scores, events such as hospital visits and changes in eye drops, and the like, to make the relationship between the results and scores and various events easier to understand. FIG. 21 is an example of a graph showing the relationship between the test results, scores, and various events. In this example, from the top, the visual field sensitivity 1701 obtained by a visual field test, the intraocular pressure value 1702 measured by a tonometer, the progress of scores 1703 obtained by the patient support software, and events 1704 such as the date of hospital visit, the start of eye drops, and changes in eye drops are displayed in chronological order. For visual field sensitivity, an approximation line (in this example, a dashed line 1705) of multiple measured values ​​in an arbitrary period is displayed together with each data value to show the degree of sensitivity decrease during that period, and the change in the degree of sensitivity decrease for each period is displayed in an easy-to-understand manner. For intraocular pressure values, the set target intraocular pressure is displayed on the graph (horizontal dotted line 1706 at the bottom), making the goal of treatment clear. For the score, the height and color of a bar graph 1707 may be used to express the level of adherence or willingness to continue treatment. Tapping on the data on the graph may take you to a screen where you can view more detailed data.

[0131] From this example graph, we can see that when eye drop treatment is started, the intraocular pressure drops to a certain extent, and the progression of visual field is suppressed compared to before eye drop treatment, but the target intraocular pressure has not been reached. If the eye drop is changed on the second visit after starting eye drop treatment and eye drop treatment is continued correctly (as can be determined from the continued high score), the target intraocular pressure is reached and the progression of visual field is further suppressed at the next visit. If the score drops after that, it can be seen that the intraocular pressure is increasing. By checking this graph, patients can understand the effects and goals of eye drop treatment and the significance of continuing it, and it also motivates them to maintain and improve adherence and continue treatment. Furthermore, if eye drop treatment is forgotten repeatedly and the score drops, or if test values ​​such as intraocular pressure worsen, the patient support software can automatically issue an alert to inform the patient or supporter, and can deliver advice for improvement and messages that motivate the patient to continue eye drop treatment. Furthermore, an alert can be issued on the in-hospital terminal device, allowing the doctor in charge to support the patient remotely.

[0132] In addition, patients can record comments at any time. Comments can include any symptoms or side effects of concern, or questions or concerns about the disease or eye drops. By sharing these comments with medical professionals such as doctors and pharmacists, they can become the basis for receiving accurate advice the next time the patient visits the hospital. In addition, the patient support system can analyze the content of the comments and automatically provide the necessary knowledge and information.

[0133] These features enable the patient support software to stay with patients on a daily basis, help them continue their eye drop treatment, and assist in maintaining and improving adherence.

[0134] (11) Operation of dedicated software executed on the in-hospital terminal device Dedicated software running on in-hospital terminal devices works to support medical professionals such as doctors and pharmacists not only when patients visit the hospital, but also on a daily basis, supporting patients so that they can continue their eye drop treatment themselves.

[0135] Here, an example of the operation at the time of a visit will be described. After the patient visits the hospital and undergoes a medical interview, the necessary tests (refraction test, visual acuity test, intraocular pressure measurement, visual field test, fundus examination, etc.) are performed, and then the doctor examines the patient. When the doctor designates the patient in the examination room, the dedicated software reads out the daily eye drop status and scores of the patient from the fixed server, and by displaying various data, the doctor can grasp the patient's daily eye drop treatment status. In addition, the test results of the day are recorded in the fixed server, and the latest test results can be viewed from the patient's mobile terminal and the supporter's mobile terminal. As in Figure 21, it is also possible to display the correlation in an easy-to-understand manner using graphs and tables together with the eye drop status, score trends, events such as visits to the hospital and changes in eye drops, etc.

[0136] Based on the patient data displayed on the dedicated software, doctors can give advice to patients, or change eye drops or eye drop plans as necessary. In addition, doctors can set basic information about the prescribed eye drops (name of eye drop, target eye (right eye, left eye, both eyes), number of times to apply eye drops per day, number of drops per application, time of application (time of day), prescription date, etc.) and record it on a fixed server.

[0137] In addition, the next visit is scheduled and recorded on the fixed server.

[0138] Finally, visit points are automatically awarded and sent to the patient's mobile device along with a message. Messages can be generated automatically by the patient support software based on daily eye drop usage and test results, by the doctor selecting from multiple automatically generated comments, or by the doctor entering them directly. The message can also be automatically sent to a designated supporter. Delivered messages are recorded on a fixed server and can be viewed at any time from the patient's mobile device, etc.

[0139] The basic information on eye drops can be set using dedicated software running on the pharmacy's terminal device and can be recorded on a fixed server. It is also possible to read the QR code (registered trademark) issued by the pharmacy for registering the electronic medicine notebook with a camera mounted on the patient's mobile terminal and record it on the fixed server via the patient support software. When the dedicated software runs on the pharmacy's terminal device and the pharmacy is registered as the responsible pharmacy, the pharmacist can view data such as the patient's eye drop status and can provide various advice based on the data.

[0140] Medical professionals such as doctors and pharmacists can check the patient's daily eye drop status and intraocular pressure measurement results recorded in the fixed server at any time, not just when the patient visits the hospital, via dedicated software running on the terminal device. In addition, medical professionals can send messages to the patient's mobile terminal as necessary. Furthermore, if there is an abnormality in the patient's eye drop score or intraocular pressure measurement value, the dedicated software can automatically issue an alert to notify the doctor. With these functions, medical professionals can grasp the status of the patient's eye drop treatment even when the patient is not visiting the hospital, and can accurately support the maintenance and improvement of the patient's adherence and continuation of treatment, and can also support the patient remotely to prevent the deterioration of the patient's condition.

[0141] (12) Operation of dedicated software executed on the supporter's mobile device Dedicated software running on the supporter's mobile device allows the supporter, such as a family member or caregiver, to keep track of the patient's ongoing eye drop treatment on a daily basis, and by deepening the supporter's own understanding of the patient's illness, the supporter works to support the patient and enable them to continue eye drop treatment.

[0142] Through dedicated software running on the terminal device, the supporter can check the patient's daily eye drop status and test results such as intraocular pressure, which are recorded on the fixed server, at any time. In addition, messages can be exchanged between the patient and the supporter as necessary.

[0143] In addition, the patient support software can send notifications to the supporter's mobile device each time the patient administers daily eye drops or visits the hospital. It is also possible to view knowledge and information about the target disease. These functions enable support staff to grasp the status of the patient's eye drop treatment and provide accurate support for maintaining and improving the patient's adherence and continuing treatment.

[0144] The patient support system may utilize health care information (activity information such as walking / running distance, number of steps, calories burned, sleep information, body measurement data such as weight, height, BMI, blood pressure, heart rate, blood sugar level, etc.) stored in the patient's mobile terminal, etc., and analyze the eye drop status and various test results, etc., to analyze the causal relationship between the progression of the target disease and various data, and perform processing to propose effective lifestyle habits for suppressing the progression of the target disease, maintain and improve adherence, and motivate patients to continue the eye drop treatment. In addition, the eye drop status, various test results, and health care information of multiple patients may be accumulated in a fixed server to build big data, and artificial intelligence and deep learning technologies using the data may be used to build and execute processing to elucidate more accurate progression suppression methods, maintain and improve adherence, and motivate patients to continue the treatment. Furthermore, the patient's health care information such as blood pressure and activity information can be displayed simultaneously with test results such as intraocular pressure and visual field, scores, events, etc. in the graph of FIG. 21, and the patient himself may check the graph and data to improve his lifestyle. In addition, by having a doctor check the patient's condition, it will be possible for them to give advice on lifestyle habits that may be effective.

[0145] The patient support system may be equipped with a function to register medication information (medicine name, medication time, dosage, etc.) for not only eye drops but also other oral medications, patches, supplements, etc. for improving blood pressure and blood sugar levels, display messages to prevent forgetting to take medication, record medication history, analyze medication status, and encourage patients to maintain and improve adherence and motivate them to continue treatment. In addition, it is possible to simultaneously display the medication status and scores for medications and supplements other than eye drops on the graph in Figure 21, so that patients themselves can understand the relationship between eye drop treatment and other oral medications and supplements by checking the graph and data, and doctors in charge can analyze these data to help them decide on a treatment plan and give advice to patients.

[0146] As described above, the present embodiment 2 is a patient support system for the eye dropper installed in a patient's home or a care facility, and an external device that communicates with the communication means provided in the eye drop assistant 100 similar to that of the above-mentioned embodiment 1 provides treatment support such as notifying the registered patient of the date and time of eye drop administration and the eye drop schedule, tracking and storing the history of the eye drop administration act, and notifying the patient of deviations from the treatment plan, and can further quantify the patient's eye drop status and willingness to participate in treatment from the stored data and eye drop history, and provide this information on the display screen or through audio of the external device.

[0147] In addition, the external device communicatively connected to the eye drop auxiliary tool 100 is connected to a fixed server or cloud system on the Internet and other Internet terminals, and the numerical data and image data stored in the external device are stored in the fixed server or cloud system on the Internet and analyzed, and the analysis results, eye drop treatment history, eye drop status, and evaluation score of the patient's willingness to receive treatment are shared with the external device and other Internet terminals, and the patient's treatment outcome is improved together with the patient, doctor, caregiver, etc. In other words, the patient's eye drop status is detected and evaluated, and the data is shared between the doctor and the patient, improving the patient's adherence.

[0148] In addition, the software installed in the external device provides instructions and information to the patient, such as notification of eye drop time, warning of forgetting to drop, daily eye drop and medication schedule, eye drop history, consultation instructions, past data and history at medical institutions, medical information, etc. In addition, to motivate the patient to continue treatment, the patient's condition and motivation are scored and evaluated and displayed based on the eye drop status, eye drop continuity, data from medical institutions, data linked with other diagnostic devices, etc. Furthermore, advice for improving the score and image-based incentives are displayed to increase the patient's motivation to continue treatment.

[0149] Furthermore, by connecting to external devices such as smartphones, personal computers, and tablet PCs via external communication means and sharing and analyzing patient data, a home monitoring system can be constructed that allows medical institutions, patients, and their supporters to check the patient's treatment continuation status and will and support the patient. Furthermore, software installed in the external device can support the patient's daily treatment activities such as eye drops and medication, and can provide appropriate advice and encouragement to improve the patient's motivation to continue treatment according to the patient's treatment participation status.

[0150] In other words, the home monitoring system according to the second embodiment can construct a support system that supports patients by providing them with patient data, medication history, types of medication and information, doctor's instructions, appointment scheduling, predictions of future disease trends using an AI system, and regular advice and encouragement to increase motivation to continue treatment.

[0151] The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention. In order to achieve the object of the present invention, the present invention can be realized as a method having characteristic constituent means included in the home monitoring system and the patient support system as steps, or as a program including those characteristic steps. The program can be stored in a ROM or the like, or can be distributed via a recording medium such as a USB memory or a communication network. [Explanation of symbols]

[0152] 1 Eyedropper 100 Eye drop aids 101 Air Fan 102 Air Chamber 103 Inflow control valve 104 Air Duct 104a Inlet 104b Exhaust port 104c Chemical introduction hole 104d Eyepiece 105 Eye drop container fixing attachment 106 Eye drop container 106a Chemical solution drip port 107 Trigger Arm 107a,605 Pressing rod (eye drop container pressing mechanism) 108 Pressure point adjustment arm 109 Grip (operating means) 302 Side support guide (support guide) 303 Rear support guide (support guide) 303a Plunger (second pressing means) 305 Set Plate 309 Pressing plunger (first pressing means) 310 Double nut (first pressing means) 310a Nut front (first pressing means) 310b Nut rear (first pressing means) 311 Slit (first pressing means) 312 Set guide groove 501 Trigger arm rotation axis 606 Solenoid (electric drive means) 801 Spring check valve (inflow control valve) 1003 Reflective optical sensor (means for detecting left or right eye) 1801a Air fan control unit (air fan control means) S1 open space S Home Monitoring System

Claims

1. A home monitoring and patient support system comprising an eye dropper in a patient's home, a patient mobile terminal communicatively connected to the eye dropper, and a fixed server connected to the patient mobile terminal via a wide area network, The eye dropper includes an eye dropper assistant and an eye dropper container, The eye drop auxiliary tool is Air fans and a cylindrical air duct communicating with the air fan and through which the air flow discharged from the air fan flows; an eyedropper fixing attachment to which the eyedropper is replaceably attached and which fixes the nozzle of the eyedropper to an upper wall of the horizontally positioned air duct with the nozzle of the eyedropper facing downward; an eyedrop container pressing mechanism that presses a predetermined position on a side surface of the eyedrop container attached to the eyedrop container fixing attachment; a trigger arm for controlling the operation of the eye drop container pressing mechanism, One end of the opening of the cylindrical air duct serves as an inlet through which the air flow discharged from the air fan flows, while the other end of the opening serves as an eyepiece port with which the patient's eyelids come into contact, an upper wall of the air duct is formed with a medicine introduction hole for introducing medicine droplets dropped from a nozzle of the eye drop container attached to the eye drop container fixing attachment into the air duct; The eye drop auxiliary tool further comprises: a drip control unit that pressurizes a part of the eye drop container in conjunction with driving of the air fan when a patient operates the trigger arm to drip one drop of medicinal solution; an eye drop state detection unit that detects data indicating the state of eye drop from a sensor that detects the state of eye drop and / or a camera that photographs the patient's eye; an eye drop evaluation unit that evaluates the state of eye drop application based on the data obtained from the eye drop state detection unit; a communication unit that transmits data obtained by the eye drop status detection unit and analysis and evaluation results by the eye drop evaluation unit to the fixed server and / or the patient portable terminal, and receives information from the fixed server and / or the patient portable terminal.

2. The patient mobile terminal a control unit that controls components of the patient mobile terminal to realize various functions; A storage unit which is a memory and stores data received from the eye drop auxiliary tool; a communication unit that realizes communication connection to a communication network and communication with the eye drop assistant; A screen display unit; an operation input unit; The home monitoring and patient support system of claim 1 further comprising an adherence analysis support unit that works to ensure continuation of eye drop treatment based on eye drop information, eye drop plans, treatment plans, and various data received from the eye drop auxiliary device.

3. The home monitoring and patient support system described in Claim 2, characterized in that the screen display unit displays at least one of notifications of the registered patient's scheduled date and time of eye administration and / or scheduled date and time of visit, tracking and history of eye administration and / or visit, and notifications for treatment support to warn of deviations from the patient's treatment plan and / or to prevent forgetting to visit the hospital.

4. The eye drop aid further comprises:

2. The home monitoring and patient support system of claim 1, further comprising an eye detection means for detecting whether the nose and / or cheek is located on the left or right side of the air duct using a detection sensor located near the eyepiece of the air duct, thereby determining whether the eyepiece is in contact with the left or right eye.

5. A program for use on a patient mobile terminal provided in the home monitoring and patient support system according to claim 1, a registration step for registering basic information on the patient's eye drops; an eye drop schedule notification step of creating an eye drop schedule for the day based on the basic eye drop information registered in the registration step at a set time, and displaying the schedule on the screen of the patient's mobile terminal; an instillation start notification step of displaying a message prompting the patient to instill the eye drops on the screen of the patient's portable terminal and notifying the patient by voice and / or alarm sound when the time for instillation arrives; a communication step of establishing communication with the eye drop assistant; an eye drop support processing step of supporting the patient to perform a correct and effective eye drop operation using the eye drop support device; an eye drop administration information storage step for recording information on the eye drop administration performed and transmitted from the eye drop administration auxiliary device; an adherence analysis support step for evaluating the patient's eye drop status; A program comprising:

6. The program described in Claim 5, characterized in that in the adherence analysis support step, the eye drop status is evaluated based on accumulated daily eye drop administration information to determine whether eye drops are being administered according to the eye drop administration plan, the patient's motivation and adherence to eye drop treatment are scored and notified, advice is provided to improve the score, messages are displayed, and information is provided regarding the disease being treated and the eye drop treatment.

7. The eye drop aid is provided with an eye detection means for detecting whether the nose and / or cheek is located on the left or right side of the air duct using a detection sensor located near the eyepiece opening of the air duct, and determining whether the eyepiece opening is in contact with the left or right eye; The program 6. The program according to claim 5, further comprising a step of controlling screen display, voice instructions, and eye drop operation in accordance with discrimination information detected by said left / right eye detection means.

8. A program for use with an eye drop aid provided in the home monitoring and patient support system according to claim 1, a drip control step in which a patient operates the trigger arm to pressurize a part of the eye drop container in conjunction with driving of the air fan, thereby dripping one drop of medicinal solution; an eye drop state detection step of detecting data indicating the state of eye drop from a sensor that detects the state of eye drop and / or a camera that photographs the patient's eye; an eye drop evaluation step of evaluating an eye drop state based on the data obtained in the eye drop state detection step; and a communication step of transmitting data obtained in the eye drop status detection step and analysis results and evaluation results in the eye drop evaluation step to the fixed server and / or the patient portable terminal, and receiving information from the fixed server and / or the patient portable terminal.

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