Notification device, notification method, and program

The notification device addresses the limitations of subjective and wearable-based heatstroke management by predicting thermal load exposure times and providing countermeasures using acquired data, enhancing worker safety in high-heat environments.

JP7605287B2Active Publication Date: 2024-12-24NIPPON TELEGRAPH & TELEPHONE CORP
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2023501944
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2021-02-26
Publication Date
2024-12-24
Estimated Expiration
2041-02-26

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing methods for managing heatstroke risk in workers rely on subjective information or wearable devices, which can overlook changes in physical condition and are cumbersome to implement.

Method used

A notification device that predicts biological information, such as core body temperature, without the need for wearable devices, by using acquired physical and environmental data to estimate thermal load exposure times and provide countermeasure information.

Benefits of technology

Enables effective heatstroke prevention by predicting thermal load exposure times and providing timely countermeasures without the need for wearable devices, thereby improving worker safety in high-heat environments.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Patent Text Reader

Abstract

This notification device comprises: a calculation parameter acquisition unit (1) that acquires information about environmental conditions, work conditions, and physical features of a measurement target person; a biological information prediction unit (2) that, on the basis of information acquired by the calculation parameter acquisition unit (1), predicts biological information of the measurement target person at each time when work is carried out under conditions specified by the work conditions and the environmental conditions; a time prediction unit (3) that predicts the time at which the biological information predicted by the biological information prediction unit (2) exceeds a prescribed threshold; and a heat risk notification unit (4) that, based on the time predicted by the time prediction unit (3), notifies a work manager or the measurement target person about heat countermeasure information.
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Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a notification device, a notification method, and a program for providing information useful for preventing heatstroke in a person being measured. [Background technology]

[0002] The number of deaths and injuries due to heatstroke in the workplace in 2019 was 790, the second highest number after 2018's 1,178 deaths and injuries when compared to the incidence over the past 10 years (2010-2019). By industry, there were 147 deaths and 172 deaths in the construction industry and manufacturing, indicating that the number of heatstroke cases is high in industries that are easily exposed to direct sunlight or hot and humid environments (see Non-Patent Document 1).

[0003] In such workplaces, there are cases where workers manage themselves, the work manager manages the workers' time, and the work manager checks the workers' physical condition, etc. However, work management that relies only on subjective information such as self-reporting may overlook changes in the workers' physical condition caused by the stress they receive from the hot environment.

[0004] In addition, as a method of managing health that does not rely on subjective information, there are cases where the work manager encourages workers to replenish fluids and salt and to take breaks based on the heat index WBGT (Wet Bulb Globe Temperature). However, WBGT is merely a value calculated based on outdoor observation points in a specific area, and is a reference value that does not reflect environmental changes that correspond to the individual behavior of workers. Therefore, it can be said that there is a risk that health management methods based on WBGT will overlook changes in workers' health, just like the subjective information mentioned above.

[0005] On the other hand, one method of managing physical condition that focuses on an individual's biological information is to monitor the worker's core body temperature. For example, the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (AGCIH) sets the core body temperature as the standard for ceasing work in the heat when it is 38.5°C or higher for heat-acclimated individuals and 38°C or higher for non-acclimated individuals (see Non-Patent Document 2).

[0006] Indicators that focus on biological information are useful for monitoring the risk of heat stroke for each individual. However, there is a problem in that measuring biological information requires each individual to wear a measuring device such as a wearable device. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0007] [Non-Patent Document 1] “2019 Status of Fatal and Injury Accidents Due to Heat Stroke in the Workplace”, Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, [Retrieved October 30, 2020],<https: / / www.mhlw.go.jp / content / 11303000 / 000612135.pdf> [Non-Patent Document 2] “Moral thoughts on heat stroke prevention in the workplace (part 2)”, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Japan Occupational Health and Safety Organization, [Retrieved October 30, 2020],<https: / / www.jniosh.johas.go.jp / publication / mail_mag / 2013 / 61-column.html> Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide information useful for preventing heatstroke in a person being measured, without the person having to wear measuring equipment such as a wearable device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The notification device of the present invention includes a calculation parameter acquisition unit configured to acquire information on the physical characteristics, work conditions, and environmental conditions of a subject to be measured; a biological information prediction unit configured to predict biological information of the subject to be measured at each time when the subject works under conditions specified by the work conditions and the environmental conditions based on the information acquired by the calculation parameter acquisition unit; a time prediction unit configured to predict the time at which the biological information predicted by the biological information prediction unit will exceed a predetermined threshold; and a heat risk notification unit configured to notify a work manager or the subject to be measured of heat countermeasure information based on the time predicted by the time prediction unit. The biological information is the deep body temperature of the subject, and the time prediction unit adopts a corresponding deep body temperature threshold from among pre-stored deep body temperature thresholds of a person not acclimatized to heat and deep body temperature thresholds of a person acclimatized to heat, depending on the presence or absence of heat acclimatization included in the information on the physical characteristics of the subject, and predicts a time when the deep body temperature predicted by the biological information prediction unit will exceed the adopted deep body temperature threshold, and the heat countermeasure information includes information notifying the time predicted by the time prediction unit as a time when the subject will be exposed to excessive thermal load. It is characterized by the above. In one configuration example of the notification device of the present invention, the information on the physical characteristics is information on the height, weight, age, and sex of the person to be measured. and the information on the presence or absence of heat acclimation. The information on working conditions includes information on the clothing and METs value of the person being measured, and the information on environmental conditions includes information on the temperature and humidity at the site where the person being measured works on the day of work.

[0010] Also In one configuration example of the notification device of the present invention, the heat countermeasure information includes bio-information predicted by the bio-information prediction unit in addition to information on the time when the person being measured will be exposed to excessive thermal load.

[0011] In addition, the present invention A notification method for providing information for preventing heatstroke in a subject by a computer having a CPU and a storage device, comprising: The method includes a first step of acquiring information on the physical characteristics, working conditions, and environmental conditions of a person to be measured; a second step of predicting, based on the information acquired in the first step, the biological information of the person to be measured at each time when the person works under conditions specified by the working conditions and the environmental conditions; a third step of predicting the time at which the biological information predicted in the second step will exceed a predetermined threshold; and a fourth step of notifying a work manager or the person to be measured of heat countermeasure information based on the time predicted in the third step. and having the CPU execute the program stored in the storage device, the biological information being the deep body temperature of the subject, the third step including a step of adopting a corresponding deep body temperature threshold from among pre-stored deep body temperature thresholds of a person not acclimatized to heat and a deep body temperature threshold of a person acclimatized to heat, depending on the presence or absence of heat acclimatization included in the information on the physical characteristics of the subject, and predicting the time at which the deep body temperature predicted by the second step will exceed the adopted deep body temperature threshold, and the heat countermeasure information includes information for notifying the time predicted by the third step as the time at which the subject will be exposed to excessive thermal load. It is characterized by the above. The program of the present invention is characterized in that it causes a computer to execute each of the above steps. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the present invention, by providing a calculation parameter acquisition unit, a biological information prediction unit, a time prediction unit, and a heat risk notification unit, it is possible to predict the biological information of the subject after the start of work before the start of work, predict the time when the subject will be exposed to excessive heat load, and notify the work manager and the subject himself / herself of heat countermeasure information based on the prediction result, without having the subject wear a measuring device such as a wearable device. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to implement measures that are useful for preventing heatstroke in the subject. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a notification device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the notification device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a biological information prediction unit of the notification device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a deep body temperature predicting unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a deep body temperature predicting unit according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a two-part, two-layer model of the subject's body and the amount of heat flowing in and out of each part and layer of the subject. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the core body temperature predicting unit in the main calculation according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the operation at the time of preliminary calculation I of the deep body temperature predicting section according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the operation at the time of preliminary calculation II of the deep body temperature predicting section according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the operation at the time of preliminary calculation III of the deep body temperature predicting section according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the third control unit during main calculation of the deep body temperature predicting unit according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a computer that realizes the notification device according to the first to third embodiments of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] [First Example] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a notification device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The notification device of this embodiment includes a calculation parameter acquisition unit 1, a bio-information prediction unit 2, a time prediction unit 3, and a heat risk notification unit 4.

[0015] 2 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the notification device of this embodiment. The calculation parameter acquisition unit 1 of the notification device acquires in advance information on the physical characteristics of the subject, information on the working conditions of the subject, and information on the environmental conditions of the subject, which are necessary for predicting biological information (FIG. 2, step S1).

[0016] The information on the physical characteristics of the subject includes the subject's height, weight, sex, age, and whether or not they have been acclimatized to heat. The information on the subject's working conditions includes the subject's clothing, exercise load information (METs: metabolic equivalents), etc. The information on the subject's environmental conditions includes the temperature, humidity, wind speed, and heat of evaporation of water at the work site on the day of work.

[0017] The above information required for predicting the biological information may be input by the work manager or the operator of the notification device. In addition, the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1 may acquire information on the physical characteristics of the subject from a terminal such as a smartphone of the subject connected to the notification device of this embodiment via a network. If a dedicated application is installed in advance on the terminal carried by the subject, the information on the physical characteristics of the subject can be acquired through this application.

[0018] Similarly, the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1 may acquire information on the working conditions of the person to be measured from the terminal of the person to be measured. At this time, the person to be measured may operate the terminal he / she owns to select from among options the clothes to be worn on the day of work and the work content. The content selected by the person to be measured is transmitted to the notification device. The calculation parameter acquisition unit 1 may select information on the working conditions corresponding to the content notified by the person to be measured from information prepared in advance.

[0019] Information on the environmental conditions of the subject may be actually measured by a measurement unit provided in the bio-information prediction unit 2 as described below, or predicted values ​​of temperature, humidity, and wind speed may be obtained from an external weather prediction system.

[0020] Next, the biometric information prediction unit 2 of the notification device predicts the biometric information of the subject at each time when the subject performs work under conditions specified by the work conditions and environmental conditions, based on the information acquired by the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1 (Figure 2, step S2).

[0021] 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the biological information prediction unit 2. The biological information prediction unit 2 is made up of a deep body temperature prediction unit 20 and a water loss prediction unit .

[0022] The deep body temperature prediction unit 20 predicts the deep body temperature of the subject at each time in the future when the subject works under conditions specified by the work conditions and the environmental conditions, based on the physical characteristics of the subject and the information on the work conditions and the environmental conditions pre-stored in the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1. A specific example of the deep body temperature prediction unit 20 will be described later.

[0023] The fluid loss prediction unit 21 predicts the fluid loss of the subject at each time point in the future when the subject works under conditions specified by the work conditions and the environmental conditions, based on the physical characteristics of the subject and the information on the work conditions and the environmental conditions pre-stored in the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1. A specific example of the fluid loss prediction unit 21 will be described later.

[0024] The biological information prediction unit 2 may predict only the deep body temperature of the subject using the deep body temperature prediction unit 20, may predict only the amount of fluid loss of the subject using the fluid loss prediction unit 21, or may predict both the deep body temperature and the amount of fluid loss.

[0025] Next, the time prediction unit 3 predicts the time when the biological information predicted by the biological information prediction unit 2 will exceed a predetermined threshold value (Step S3 in FIG. 2).

[0026] The deep body temperature threshold is pre-stored in the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1. The deep body temperature prediction unit 20 of the biological information prediction unit 2 can obtain a predicted value of the deep body temperature of the measurement subject at each future time. Therefore, the time prediction unit 3 can predict the time when the deep body temperature of the measurement subject will exceed the deep body temperature threshold.

[0027] In addition, the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1 may store two types of core body temperature thresholds, one for a person who is not acclimatized to heat and the other for a person who is acclimatized to heat. According to Non-Patent Document 2, the core body temperature threshold for a person who is not acclimatized to heat is 38°C, and the core body temperature threshold for a person who is acclimatized to heat is 38.5°C. When information on the presence or absence of heat acclimatization is stored in the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1 as information on the physical characteristics of the measurement subject, the time prediction unit 3 may adopt a core body temperature threshold corresponding to the presence or absence of heat acclimatization of the measurement subject.

[0028] Furthermore, the water loss threshold (limit sweat rate) is pre-stored in the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1. A predicted value of the water loss amount of the measurement subject at each future time can be obtained by the water loss prediction unit 21 of the biological information prediction unit 2. Therefore, the time prediction unit 3 can predict the time at which the integrated value of the measurement subject's water loss amount will exceed the water loss threshold.

[0029] As in the case of core body temperature, the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1 may store two types of water loss thresholds: one for a person who is not acclimatized to heat and the other for a person who is acclimatized to heat. According to Non-Patent Document 2, the water loss threshold for a person who is not acclimatized to heat is 1 L / h, and the water loss threshold for a person who is acclimatized to heat is 1.25 L / h. When information on the presence or absence of heat acclimatization is stored in the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1 as information on the physical characteristics of the person to be measured, the time prediction unit 3 may adopt a water loss threshold corresponding to the presence or absence of heat acclimatization of the person to be measured.

[0030] The time prediction unit 3 may also calculate a percentage by converting the integrated water loss value into an integrated weight value and dividing the value by the subject's body weight, and predict the time when the calculated value will exceed a water loss threshold per body weight. According to Non-Patent Document 2, the water loss threshold per body weight (weight loss rate) is 1.5%.

[0031] Next, the heat risk notification unit 4 notifies the work manager or the measurement subject of heat countermeasure information based on the time predicted by the time prediction unit 3 (FIG. 2, step S4). The heat countermeasure information includes information notifying the time predicted by the time prediction unit 3 as the time when the measurement subject will be exposed to excessive heat load.

[0032] As described above, when the core body temperature and water loss of the subject are predicted by the biological information prediction unit 2, two times, the time when the core body temperature of the subject exceeds the core body temperature threshold and the time when the integrated value of the water loss of the subject exceeds the water loss threshold, are predicted by the time prediction unit 3. In this case, the heat risk notification unit 4 may notify the work manager or the subject himself / herself of the earlier of the two times predicted by the time prediction unit 3 as the time when the subject will be exposed to excessive heat load.

[0033] In addition, if no time prediction result is obtained from the time prediction unit 3, i.e., if it is presumed that there will be no time at which the subject's biological information exceeds the threshold, the heat risk notification unit 4 may notify the work manager or the subject that there will be no time at which the subject will be exposed to excessive thermal load.

[0034] An example of the timing of the prediction and notification is the timing before the subject starts work on the day of work. In addition to the above-mentioned time, the heat countermeasure information to be notified may include biological information such as deep body temperature and water loss, a message indicating that the subject is exposed to excessive heat load, a message encouraging the subject to take a break, and a message encouraging the subject to drink water or move to a cool place.

[0035] The heat risk notification unit 4 may transmit heat countermeasure information to a terminal such as a smartphone carried by the work manager or a smartphone carried by the person being measured via a wired or wireless network.

[0036] As described above, in this embodiment, without the subject having to wear a measuring device such as a wearable device, the biological information of the subject after the start of work can be predicted before the start of work, the time when the subject will be exposed to excessive heat load can be predicted, and heat countermeasure information based on the prediction result can be notified to the work manager and the subject himself / herself. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to implement measures that are useful for preventing heatstroke in the subject while working.

[0037] [Second Example] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. This embodiment describes a specific example of the deep body temperature prediction unit 20 of the first embodiment, and is based on the configuration disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-065823.

[0038] 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the core body temperature prediction unit 20 of this embodiment. The core body temperature prediction unit 20 of this embodiment is composed of a measurement unit 201, a first calculation unit 202, and a second calculation unit 203.

[0039] The measurement unit 201 measures the temperature in the vicinity of the subject (the temperature of the subject's atmosphere). The first calculation unit 202 calculates the amount of heat Q [W] generated by the work of the subject based on information pre-stored in the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1. Specifically, the first calculation unit 202 acquires the METs of the subject pre-stored in the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1, and calculates the amount of heat Q [W] as follows. Q=METs×1.05×weight×4184÷3600 ···(1)

[0040] Weight is the weight [kg] of the subject and is stored in the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1. Next, the second calculation unit 203 predicts the deep body temperature of the subject from the heat quantity Q [W] calculated by the first calculation unit 202, the amount of heat exchange between the subject and the atmosphere of the subject calculated from the air temperature measured by the second measurement unit 102, and the amount of sweat evaporation calculated from the amount of sweat lost by the subject.

[0041] Hereinafter, a more detailed explanation will be given of the prediction of the deep body temperature in the second calculation unit 203. The second calculation unit 203 predicts the deep body temperature T [° C.] of the measurement subject at a future time t by the following formula (2).

[0042]

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[0043] Q(t) [W] is the amount of heat calculated by the first calculation unit 202. a [°C] is the temperature measured by the measuring unit 201. sw(t) [W] is the amount of heat lost by the evaporation of sweat from the subject at time t. T0 [°C] is the initial value of the deep body temperature of the subject. S[m 2 ] is the subject's body surface area. H[W / (m 2 C[J / (kg·℃)] is the heat transfer coefficient between the subject's skin and the atmosphere. C[J / (kg·℃)] is the specific heat of the subject. T -1 [℃] is the subject's deep body temperature at a time Δt [s] before time t.

[0044] In equation (2), "∫ S H×{(T -1 -T0)+(30.0-T a )}dS" represents heat exchange with the atmosphere. The second term on the right side of equation (2) corresponds to the rise in the deep body temperature of the subject over Δt. The initial value T0 [℃] of the deep body temperature of the subject is stored in advance in the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1 as a value actually measured when the subject is at rest. The body surface area S [m 2 ] is expressed as follows: S=height 0.725 ×weight 0.425 x7.184x10 -3 (3)

[0045] The formula for calculating the body surface area S in formula (3) is known as the Duboi formula. Height is the height [cm] of the subject, which is stored in advance in the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1. In addition, the heat transfer coefficient H [W / (m 2 The specific heat of the subject C [J / (kg·°C)] and the specific heat of the subject C [J / (kg·°C)] are also stored in advance in the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1 as information on the physical characteristics.

[0046] The amount of heat lost through evaporation of the subject's sweat at time t, sw(t) [W], is given by the following equation: sw(t) = [α 11 {β11 (T -1 -T0)-β 10}+α 10 ] +[α 21 tanh{β 21 (T -1 -T0)-β 20}+α 20 ] ··(4)

[0047] In equation (4), the constant α 10 ,α 11 ,α 20 ,α 21 ,β 10 ,β 11 ,β 20 ,β 21 These constants are set according to the subject's tendency to sweat, and are stored in advance in the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1 as information on the subject's physical characteristics.

[0048] In this way, the deep body temperature prediction unit 20 of this embodiment can predict the deep body temperature T [° C.] of the subject for each future time.

[0049] In this embodiment, the measurement unit 201 measures the temperature in the vicinity of the subject, but the temperature T a A predicted value of [°C] may be obtained and used.

[0050] [Third Example] Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. This embodiment describes a specific example of the core body temperature prediction unit 20 and the water loss prediction unit 21 of the first embodiment, and describes a configuration different from that of the second embodiment.

[0051] 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the deep body temperature prediction unit 20 of this embodiment. The deep body temperature prediction unit 20 of this embodiment includes a first measurement unit 211 that measures the temperature near the subject, a second measurement unit 212 that measures the humidity near the subject, a heat generation amount calculation unit 213 that calculates the heat generation amount of each of the trunk (first part) and extremities (second part) due to the movement of the subject based on the setting that the subject is in a resting state during the first and second preliminary calculations, and calculates the heat generation amount based on the information of the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1 during the main calculation, and a metabolism calculation unit 214 that calculates the metabolism amount of the trunk skin layer of the subject, the metabolism amount of the trunk deep layer, the metabolism amount of the extremity skin layer, and the metabolism amount of the extremity deep layer based on the skin temperature and deep temperature at the time immediately before calculated by the temperature calculation unit 220 during the first and second preliminary calculations and during the main calculation.

[0052] The deep body temperature prediction unit 20 is provided with a heat transfer / heat radiation amount calculation unit 215 (first heat exchange amount calculation unit) which calculates a first amount of heat exchange between the skin and the outside air in each of the trunk and limbs of the subject based on the temperature corresponding to the temperature neutral range and the skin temperature at the immediately preceding time calculated by the temperature calculation unit 220 during the first preliminary calculation, and calculates the first amount of heat exchange based on information from the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1 and the skin temperature at the immediately preceding time calculated by the temperature calculation unit 220 during the second preliminary calculation and main calculation, and a skin evaporation amount calculation unit 216 which calculates an amount of skin evaporation in each of the trunk and limbs of the subject based on a fixed value of temperature corresponding to the temperature neutral range and a fixed value of humidity and the skin temperature and deep temperature at the immediately preceding time calculated by the temperature calculation unit 220 during the first preliminary calculation, and calculates the amount of skin evaporation based on information from the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1 and the skin temperature and deep temperature at the immediately preceding time calculated by the temperature calculation unit 220 during the second preliminary calculation and main calculation.

[0053] Further, the deep body temperature prediction unit 20 has an exhaled vapor loss setting unit 217 (fourth heat exchange amount setting unit) for setting a fourth heat exchange amount between the outside air and the deep part of the subject, and calculates a second heat exchange amount between the deep part and the skin in each of the trunk and extremities of the subject based on the setting that the subject is in a resting state during the first and second preliminary calculations and the skin temperature and deep temperature at the immediately preceding time calculated by the temperature calculation unit 220, and calculates a second heat exchange amount between the deep part and the skin in each of the extremities of the subject based on the information of the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1 and the skin temperature and deep temperature at the immediately preceding time calculated by the temperature calculation unit 220 during the main calculation. Based on this, the device is provided with a heat exchange amount calculation unit 218 (second heat exchange amount calculation unit) that calculates a second heat exchange amount, a heat exchange amount calculation unit 219 (third heat exchange amount calculation unit) that calculates a third heat exchange amount between the trunk and the extremities in a deep part of the subject based on the skin temperature and deep temperature at the immediately previous time calculated by the temperature calculation unit 220 during the first and second preliminary calculations and during the main calculation, and a temperature calculation unit 220 that calculates the skin temperature and deep temperature of the trunk and the extremities of the subject based on the heat amount calculated by the heat amount calculation unit 221.

[0054] Furthermore, the deep body temperature prediction unit 20 sets the state of the measurement subject to a resting state instead of using the information of the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1 during the first preliminary calculation, sets a fixed value of temperature and a fixed value of humidity corresponding to a temperature neutral range instead of using the information of the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1, and causes the heat amount calculation unit 221 to calculate the heat amount and the temperature calculation unit 220 to calculate the skin temperature and deep body temperature. a second control unit 223 which sets the calculation results of the temperature calculation unit 220 during the first preliminary calculation as the initial values ​​of the skin temperature and deep temperature of the trunk and the four limbs, causes the heat quantity calculation unit 221 to calculate the heat quantity, and causes the temperature calculation unit 220 to calculate the skin temperature and deep temperature; and a third control unit 224 which sets the calculation results of the temperature calculation unit 220 during the second preliminary calculation as the initial values ​​of the skin temperature and deep temperature of the trunk and the four limbs, causes the heat quantity calculation unit 221 to calculate the heat quantity based on information from the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1, and causes the temperature calculation unit 220 to calculate the skin temperature and deep temperature.

[0055] The heat generation amount calculation unit 213, the metabolic rate calculation unit 214, the heat transfer / heat radiation amount calculation unit 215, the skin evaporation rate calculation unit 216, the exhaled breath evaporation rate setting unit 217, the heat exchange rate calculation unit 218 and the heat exchange rate calculation unit 219 constitute a heat amount calculation unit 221 which calculates the amount of heat flowing in and out of the deep parts and the skin of the first and second parts of the subject.

[0056] The first measuring unit 211 measures the temperature in the vicinity of the subject (air temperature of the subject's atmosphere). The second measuring unit 212 measures the humidity in the vicinity of the subject (humidity of the subject's atmosphere).

[0057] The heat quantity calculation unit 221 calculates the quantity of heat flowing into and out of the deep parts of the trunk (first region) and limbs (second region) and the skin of the subject based on information pre-stored in the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1, the temperature near the subject, and the humidity near the subject. The temperature calculation section 220 calculates the skin temperature and deep temperature of each of the trunk and extremities of the subject based on the heat quantity calculated by the heat quantity calculation section 221 .

[0058] The first control unit 222 sets the state of the person to be measured as a resting state during the first preliminary calculation, sets fixed values ​​of temperature and humidity corresponding to the temperature neutral range instead of the information stored in the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1 or the measurement results of the measurement units 211, 212, causes the heat calculation unit 221 to calculate the heat, and causes the temperature calculation unit 220 to calculate the skin temperature and deep temperature.

[0059] The second control unit 223 sets the state of the person to be measured to a resting state during the second preliminary calculation, sets the calculation results of the temperature calculation unit 220 during the first preliminary calculation as the initial values ​​of the skin temperature and deep temperature of each of the trunk and limbs, and causes the heat quantity calculation unit 221 to calculate the heat quantity and the temperature calculation unit 220 to calculate the skin temperature and deep temperature.

[0060] The third control unit 224 sets the calculation results of the temperature calculation unit 220 during the second preliminary calculation as the initial values ​​of the skin temperature and deep temperature of the trunk and limbs, respectively, during this calculation, and causes the heat quantity calculation unit 221 to calculate the heat quantity based on the information stored in the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1 or the measurement results of the measurement units 211, 212, and causes the temperature calculation unit 220 to calculate the skin temperature and deep temperature.

[0061] [Core body temperature prediction method: Calculation method for core body temperature change at each time step] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 6, the body of the subject is considered to be composed of two parts, the trunk U and the limbs L, and each of the two parts, the trunk U and the limbs L, has two layers, the deep layer C and the skin layer S. That is, the body of the subject is composed of the trunk deep layer UC, the trunk skin layer US, the limb deep layer LC, and the limb skin layer LS. In this embodiment, the amount of heat that changes from moment to moment and flows in and out of each part and layer of the subject is calculated based on the acquired temperature and humidity and information previously stored in the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1, and the temperature change of each part and layer of the subject is predicted from the change in the amount of heat.

[0062] In this embodiment, a method for calculating the change in deep body temperature for each time step is described. As described above, in this embodiment, a calculation example is described in which the body of the subject is considered to be composed of two parts, the trunk and the limbs, but the trunk may be replaced with the upper body and the limbs with the lower body. In other words, the body of the subject may be considered to be composed of any two parts, the first part and the second part.

[0063] Equations (5) to (8) show examples of equations for predicting the temperature change of the trunk skin layer US, the trunk deep layer UC, the limb skin layer LS, and the limb deep layer LC of the subject, respectively. US [t] is the temperature of the trunk skin layer US at time t [℃], T UC [t] is the temperature of the deep layer UC of the trunk at time t [℃], T LS [t] is the temperature of the extremity skin layer LS at time t [℃], T LC [t] is the temperature [℃] of the deep layer LC of the limb at time t.

[0064]

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[0065]

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[0066]

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[0067]

number

[0068] Q 1,U is the amount of heat generated by the subject's body U during work [W], and Q 1,L is the amount of heat generated by the limb L due to work [W]. Q 2,US is the metabolic rate of the subject's trunk skin layer US [W], Q 2,UC is the metabolic rate of the deep trunk layer UC [W], Q 2,LS is the metabolic rate of the skin layer of the limbs LS [W], Q 2,LC Q is the metabolic rate of the deep layer LC of the limbs [W]. 3,U (1) Heat exchange quantity: Heat transfer and radiation quantity between the skin and the outside air at the trunk U of the subject [W], Q 3,L (First heat exchange amount) is the amount of heat transfer and radiation [W] between the skin in the limb L and the outside air.

[0069] Q 4,U is the skin evaporation rate at the subject's trunk U, and Q 4,L Q5 (fourth heat exchange volume) is the subject's exhaled breath evaporation volume [W]. Q 6,U (2nd heat exchange amount) is the heat exchange amount between the deep part and the skin in the trunk U of the subject [W], Q 6,L(2nd heat exchange amount) is the heat exchange amount [W] between the deep part and the skin in the limb part L. Q7 (3rd heat exchange amount) is the heat exchange amount [W] between the trunk and the limbs in the deep part of the subject.

[0070] W.C. US is the heat capacity of the subject's trunk skin layer US [J / ℃], WC UC is the heat capacity of the deep trunk layer UC [J / ℃], WC LS is the heat capacity of the skin layer LS of the limbs [J / ℃], WC LC is the heat capacity of the deep layer LC of the limb [J / ℃]. Δt is the calculation step time, for example, 1 [s] or less. In addition, the average skin temperature T at time t+Δt sk [t+Δt], and deep body temperature T[t+Δt] are expressed by equations (9) and (10).

[0071]

number

[0072]

number

[0073] sf_conf_US is the ratio [%] of the surface area of ​​the trunk U to the total body surface of the subject, and sf_conf_LS is the ratio [%] of the surface area of ​​the limbs L to the total body surface. Heat capacity WC US ,WC UC ,WC LS ,WC LC The ratios sf_conf_US, sf_conf_LS are all known values, and values ​​appropriate to the actual situation may be used. These values ​​are stored in advance in the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1 as information on the physical characteristics of the subject.

[0074] The operation of the deep body temperature prediction unit 20 of this embodiment includes a main calculation and a preliminary calculation performed prior to the main calculation, but the basic main calculation will be described first. Figure 7 is a flowchart explaining the operation of the deep body temperature prediction unit 20 of this embodiment during the main calculation.

[0075] The first measuring unit 211 measures the temperature near the subject (air temperature of the subject's atmosphere) (FIG. 7, step S101). The second measuring unit 212 measures the humidity near the subject (humidity of the subject's atmosphere) (FIG. 7, step S102).

[0076] [Calculation of heat generation Q1 due to work] Next, the heat generation amount calculation unit 213 calculates the heat generation amount Q in the deep layer of the trunk U due to the work of the subject based on the information stored in advance in the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1. 1,U [W], the amount of heat generated in the deep layers of the limbs L due to work Q 1,L [W] is calculated as in equations (11) and (12) (step S103 in FIG. 7).

[0077]

number

[0078]

number

[0079] Equations (11) and (12) are based on the literature "2006 Exercise Guidelines for Health Promotion - Prevention of Lifestyle-Related Diseases," Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, 2006,<https: / / www.mhlw.go.jp / shingi / 2006 / 07 / dl / s0719-3c.pdf> " is disclosed.

[0080] weight is the weight [kg] of the subject, ex_conf_U is the ratio [%] of the muscle mass of the trunk U to the whole body of the subject, and ex_conf_L is the ratio [%] of the muscle mass of the limbs L to the whole body. Weight, ratios ex_conf_U, ex_conf_L, and METs [t] are all known values, and actual values ​​may be used, and are stored in advance in the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1 as information on the physical characteristics of the subject.

[0081] [Calculation of metabolic rate Q2] Next, the metabolic rate calculation unit 214 calculates the predicted value T sk Based on the predicted value of the deep body temperature T[t][℃] and the metabolic rate Q of the trunk skin layer of the subject, 2,US [W], metabolic rate Q of the deep trunk layer UC 2,UC [W], metabolic rate Q of the extremity skin layer LS 2,LS [W], metabolic rate of the deep layer LC of the limbs Q 2,LC [W] is calculated according to equations (13) to (16) (step S104 in FIG. 7).

[0082]

number

[0083]

number

[0084]

number

[0085]

number

[0086] Equations (13) to (16) are disclosed in the document “Ronald J Spiegel, “A Review of Numerical Models for Predicting the Energy Deposition and Resultant Thermal Response of Humans Exposed to Electromagnetic Fields”, IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, Volume 32, Issue 8, 1984”.

[0087] A skinis a metabolic constant, and volume_US is the trunk skin layer US volume [m 3 ], volume_LS is the volume of the extremity skin layer LS [m 3 ], weight_U is the weight of the subject's trunk U [kg], and weight_L is the weight of the limb L [kg]. skin The volumes volume_US, volume_LS, and weights weight_U, weight_L are all known values, and actual values ​​may be used; these are stored in advance in the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1 as information on the physical characteristics of the subject.

[0088] T sk0 is the reference temperature for the average skin temperature at which the subject begins to sweat, and T0 is the reference temperature for the deep body temperature at which the subject begins to sweat. As described later, the initial value of the average skin temperature T sk [0], the initial value of the deep body temperature T[0], the initial value of the temperature of the trunk skin layer US T US [0], the initial temperature of the deep trunk layer UC, T UC [0], the initial temperature of the extremity skin layer LS, T LS [0], the initial temperature of the deep layer LC of the limbs T LC [0] is set by the first control unit 222, the second control unit 223, and the third control unit 224. In the first calculation at time t=0, T sk [t]=T sk [0], T[t]=T[0], T US [t]=T US [0], T UC [t]=T UC [0], T LS [t]=T LS [0], T LC [t]=T LC [0].

[0089] Moreover, the metabolic rate calculation section 214 calculates M in the formulas (14) and (16) as shown in the formula (17).

[0090]

number

[0091] Equation (17) is disclosed in the literature "AA Ganpule, et al., "Interindividual variability in sleeping metabolic rate in Japanese subjects", European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, volume 61, 2007". weight_C is the deep body weight of the subject [kg], height is the height of the subject [cm], and age is the age of the subject. sexcoef is a constant that is 0.5473 when the subject is male and 0.5473 x 2 when the subject is female.

[0092] activity_level is the physical activity level, A coef are parameters for metabolic adjustment. Weight weight_C, height height, age age, constant sexcoef, parameter A coef are all known values, and values ​​appropriate to the actual situation may be used, and are stored in advance in the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1 as information on the physical characteristics of the subject. The constant activity_level is also stored in advance in the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1 as information on the working conditions of the subject.

[0093] As an example of setting activity_level, if the subject spends most of their time sitting and mainly doing static activities, it should be set to about 1.5. If the subject works mainly sitting but also moves around in the workplace, works while standing, or serves customers, or if their work includes commuting, shopping, housework, light sports, etc., activity_level should be set to about 1.75. If the subject works in a job that involves a lot of moving around and standing, or if they have active leisure activities such as sports, activity_level should be set to about 2.0. In this way, activity_level can be set appropriately according to the work situation of the subject.

[0094] [Calculation of heat transfer and radiation Q3 between the skin and the outside air] Next, the heat transfer / heat radiation amount calculation unit 215 calculates the temperature T a [t][℃] and the predicted value T of the average skin temperature of the subject at time t calculated by the temperature calculation unit 220. sk [t][℃] and predicted temperature of trunk skin layer US T US [t][℃] and predicted temperature of the extremity skin layer LS T LS Based on [t][℃], the amount of heat transfer and radiation Q between the skin and the outside air in the trunk U of the subject is calculated. 3,U [W], Heat transfer and radiation between the skin and the air in the limbs L, Q 3,L [W] is calculated (step S105 in FIG. 7). a When measuring [t][℃], the amount of heat transfer and radiation Q 3,U ,Q 3,L is expressed as equations (18) and (19).

[0095]

number

[0096]

number

[0097] The proportions sf_conf_US and sf_conf_LS are as described above. fcl_US is a constant representing the heat transfer efficiency of clothing to the trunk U, fcl_LS is a constant representing the heat transfer efficiency of clothing to the limbs L, and coverage is the proportion [%] of the limbs L that are covered by clothing. The constants fcl_US and fcl_LS and the proportion coverage are all known values ​​and are stored in advance in the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1 as information on the working conditions of the subject.

[0098] HS is the heat exchange coefficient between the measurement subject and the air [W / ° C.]. The heat transfer / heat radiation amount calculation unit 215 calculates the heat exchange coefficient HS [W / ° C.] by the formula (20).

[0099]

number

[0100] sf is the subject's body surface area [m 2 The heat transfer and radiation amount calculation unit 215 calculates the body surface area sf [m 2 ] can be calculated from the subject's weight [kg] and height [m]. Body surface area sf [m 2 There are prediction formulas such as the DuBois formula and the Fujimoto formula for calculating [ ].

[0101] H cm is the convection heat transfer coefficient [W / ℃ / m 2 ], H r is the radiation heat transfer coefficient [W / ℃ / m 2 The heat transfer and heat radiation amount calculation unit 215 calculates the convection heat transfer coefficient H cm [W / ℃ / m 2 ], radiation heat transfer coefficient H r [W / ℃ / m 2 ] are calculated using equations (21) and (22), respectively.

[0102]

number

[0103]

number

[0104] Equations (21) and (22) are disclosed in the literature "D. Fiala, et al., "A computer model of human thermoregulation for a wide range of environmental conditions: the passive system", Journal of Applied Physiology, 1985". air is the wind speed [m / s]. The heat transfer and heat radiation amount calculation unit 215 calculates the wind speed V airFor [m / s], an actual measured value measured by an anemometer or the like may be used, or a known value of the wind speed inside the clothing disclosed in a literature or the like may be used. In this embodiment, the wind speed V air As [m / s], a value stored in advance in the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1 is used.

[0105] [Calculation of skin transpiration Q4] Next, the skin evaporation calculation unit 216 calculates the temperature T a [t][℃], the relative humidity [t][%] in the vicinity of the subject measured by the second measuring unit 212, and the predicted value T of the average skin temperature at time t calculated by the temperature calculation unit 220. sk Based on the predicted value of the deep body temperature T[t][℃] and the measured subject's body trunk U, the skin transpiration Q 4,U [W], skin evaporation amount Q in the limbs L 4,L [W] is calculated using equations (23) and (24), respectively (step S106 in FIG. 7).

[0106]

number

[0107]

number

[0108] sw_conf_US is the ratio [%] of the amount of sweating of the trunk U to the entire body surface of the subject, and sw_conf_LS is the ratio [%] of the amount of sweating of the limbs L to the entire body surface. The ratios sw_conf_US and sw_conf_LS are known values, and it is sufficient to use values ​​that are appropriate to the actual situation, and they are stored in advance in the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1 as information on the physical characteristics of the subject. sw is the amount of skin evaporation [W] of the entire body. The skin evaporation calculation unit 216 can calculate the amount of skin evaporation sw [W] by equation (25).

[0109]

number

[0110] min(E,E max ) is E and E max This means that the smaller of the two is adopted. E is the sum [W] of the insensible transpiration and the sensible transpiration in the skin of the subject. The skin transpiration amount calculation unit 216 can calculate the sum E [W] of the insensible transpiration and the sensible transpiration by the formula (26).

[0111]

number

[0112] PI is the insensible evaporation [W] in the subject's skin, Q ev is the heat of evaporation of water [J / g]. The insensible evaporation loss PI [W] is a known value, and an actual value may be used. It is stored in advance in the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1 as information on the physical characteristics of the subject. The heat of evaporation of water Q ev [J / g] is a known value and is stored in advance in the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1 as information on the environmental conditions of the measurement subject. swrate is the sensible transpiration [g / min]. The skin transpiration calculation unit 216 can calculate the sensible transpiration swrate [g / min] by equation (27).

[0113]

number

[0114] Equation (27) is disclosed in the document "D. Fiala, et al., "Computer prediction of human thermoregulatory and temperature responses to a wide range of environmental conditions", International Journal of Biometeorology, volume 45, 2001". aij,bij (i = 1, 2, j = 0, 1) are sweating coefficients. The sweating coefficients aij,bij are known values, and values ​​that are actually appropriate to the subject's tendency to sweat may be used, and are stored in advance in the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1 as information on the subject's physical characteristics. Specifically, the sweating coefficients aij,bij may be set as shown in equation (28) according to three levels: low (hard to sweat), normal (normal), and high (easy to sweat).

[0115]

number

[0116] On the other hand, E max is the maximum heat of evaporation [W]. The skin evaporation calculation unit 216 calculates the temperature T a [t][℃] and the second measurement unit 212 measures the relative humidity [t][%] outside the clothing of the person being measured, the maximum heat of evaporation E max [W] can be calculated using equation (29).

[0117]

number

[0118] The ratios sw_conf_US, sw_conf_LS, and coverage are as described above. fpcl_US is a constant representing the heat transfer efficiency of clothing in the trunk U of the subject, fpcl_LS is a constant representing the heat transfer efficiency of clothing in the limbs L, and E max _ coefis a constant related to the maximum heat of vaporization. max _ coef are all known values, and values ​​appropriate to the actual situation may be used. These are stored in advance in the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1 as information on the working conditions of the person to be measured.

[0119] H c is the heat transfer by convection depending on the air velocity [W m 2 / °C. The skin evaporation calculation unit 216 calculates the heat transfer H c [W m 2 / °C] can be calculated using equation (30).

[0120]

number

[0121] Equations (29) and (30) are disclosed in the document "I. Laakso, et al., "Dominant factors affecting temperature rise in simulations of human thermoregulation during RF exposure", Physics in Medicine and Biology, Volume 56, 2011". s is the saturated water vapor pressure [kPa] in the skin layer of the measurement subject. s [kPa] can be calculated using equation (31).

[0122]

number

[0123] P a is the saturated water vapor pressure [kPa] in the atmosphere in which the humidity is measured. The skin evaporation calculation unit 216 calculates the saturated water vapor pressure P a [kPa] can be calculated using equation (32).

[0124]

number

[0125] [Determination of expiratory transpiration rate Q5] Next, the breath evaporation rate setting unit 217 sets the breath evaporation rate Q5 [W] of the subject as shown in formula (33) (step S107 in FIG. 7). The breath evaporation rate Q5 [W] corresponds to the amount of heat exchanged between the outside air and the deep part of the subject.

[0126]

number

[0127] [Calculation of heat exchange amount Q6 between deep tissue and skin] Next, the heat exchange amount calculation unit 218 calculates the predicted value T of the temperature of the trunk skin layer US at time t calculated by the temperature calculation unit 220 using the information previously stored in the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1. US [t][℃] and the predicted temperature of the deep trunk layer UC T UC [t][℃] and predicted temperature of the extremity skin layer LS T LS [t][℃] and predicted temperature of the deep layer LC of the limbs T LC [t][℃] and predicted mean skin temperature T sk Based on [t][℃] and the predicted value of deep body temperature T[t][℃], the amount of heat exchange Q between the deep part and the skin in the trunk U of the subject is calculated. 6,U [W], the amount of heat exchange between the deep tissue and the skin in the limbs L, Q 6,L [W] is calculated using equations (34) and (35), respectively (step S108 in FIG. 7).

[0128]

number

[0129]

number

[0130] The ratios sf_conf_US and sf_conf_LS are as described above. hx is the heat exchange coefficient between the skin and the deep part of the measurement subject. The heat exchange amount calculation unit 218 can calculate the heat exchange coefficient hx by the formula (36).

[0131]

number

[0132] METs[t] is as described above. a, b, e, hx0, hx1, and hx_max are parameters related to the heat exchange coefficient. The parameters a, b, e, hx0, hx1, and hx_max are known values, and values ​​that correspond to the actual conditions may be used. They are stored in advance in the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1 as information on the physical characteristics of the subject.

[0133] [Calculation of heat exchange amount Q7 between the trunk and the limbs] Next, the heat exchange amount calculation unit 219 calculates the predicted value T of the temperature of the deep layer UC of the trunk at time t calculated by the temperature calculation unit 220. UC [t][℃] and temperature T of the deep layer LC of the limbs LC [t][℃] and predicted mean skin temperature T sk Based on [t][℃] and the predicted value T[t][℃] of the deep body temperature, the amount of heat exchange Q7[W] between the trunk U and the limbs L in the deep part of the subject is calculated using equation (37) (Figure 7, step S109).

[0134]

number

[0135] Here, hcc is the heat exchange coefficient between the trunk U and the limbs L deep within the subject. The heat exchange amount calculation unit 219 can calculate the heat exchange coefficient hcc by equation (38).

[0136]

number

[0137] f and hcc0 are parameters related to the heat exchange coefficient. The parameters f and hcc0 are known values, and values ​​appropriate to the actual conditions may be used. They are stored in advance in the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1 as information on the physical characteristics of the subject. hcc_T is the temperature contribution of the heat exchange coefficient hcc, and hcc_M is the METs contribution of the heat exchange coefficient hcc. The heat exchange amount calculation unit 219 can calculate the temperature contribution hcc_T of the heat exchange coefficient hcc by the formula (39).

[0138]

number

[0139] hcc_Tmax is a prescribed upper limit value of hcc_T. Furthermore, the heat exchange amount calculation unit 219 can calculate the METs contribution hcc_M of the heat exchange coefficient hcc by using the formula (40).

[0140]

number

[0141] hcc_Mmax is the prescribed upper limit value of hcc_M. hcc1 is a parameter related to the heat exchange coefficient. The upper limits hcc_Tmax, hcc_Mmax, and parameter hcc1 are all known values, and values ​​that correspond to the actual conditions may be used. They are stored in advance in the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1 as information on the physical characteristics of the subject. aveMETs[t] is the time average value of the METs number, and in this embodiment, the same value as METs[t] may be used. The parameters a and b are as described above.

[0142] In this way, the heat quantity calculation unit 213, the metabolic quantity calculation unit 214, the heat transfer / heat radiation quantity calculation unit 215, the skin evaporation quantity calculation unit 216, the exhaled air evaporation quantity setting unit 217, the heat exchange quantity calculation unit 218, and the heat exchange quantity calculation unit 219 calculate the heat quantity Q 1,U ,Q 1,L ,Q 2,US ,Q 2,UC ,Q 2,LS ,Q2,LC ,Q 3,U ,Q 3,L ,Q 4,U ,Q 4,L ,Q5,Q 6,U ,Q 6,L , Q7 can be calculated.

[0143] The temperature calculation unit 220 calculates a predicted value T US [t][℃] and metabolic rate Q of the trunk skin layer US 2,US [W] and the amount of heat transfer and radiation Q between the skin and the air in the trunk U 3,U [W] and the skin transpiration rate Q in the trunk U 4,U [W] and the amount of heat exchange between the deep tissue and the skin in the trunk U, Q 6,U Based on [W] and Δt, the predicted value of the trunk skin layer US temperature T US [t+Δt][° C.] is calculated using equation (5) (step S110 in FIG. 7).

[0144] The temperature calculation unit 220 calculates a predicted value T UC [t][℃] and the amount of heat generated in the deep layers of the trunk U, Q 1,U [W] and the metabolic rate Q of the deep trunk layer UC 2,UC [W], expiratory transpiration Q5[W], and heat exchange between the deep tissue and the skin in the trunk U, Q 6,U Based on the heat exchange amount Q7[W] between the trunk U and the limbs L in the deep part, the predicted temperature T of the trunk deep layer UC after Δt is UC [t+Δt][° C.] is calculated using equation (6) (step S111 in FIG. 7).

[0145] The temperature calculation unit 220 calculates a predicted value T LS [t][℃] and metabolic rate Q of the extremity skin layer LS 2,LS [W] and the amount of heat transfer and radiation Q between the skin and the air in the limb L 3,L [W] and the skin evaporation rate Q in the limbs L 4,L [W] and the amount of heat exchange between the deep tissue and the skin in the limbs L, Q 6,LBased on [W] and Δt, the predicted temperature of the extremity skin layer LS after LS [t+Δt][° C.] is calculated using equation (7) (step S112 in FIG. 7).

[0146] The temperature calculation unit 220 calculates a predicted value T LC [t][℃] and the heat generation Q in the deep layer of the limb L 1,L [W] and metabolic rate Q of the deep layer LC of the limbs 2,LC [W] and the amount of heat exchange between the deep tissue and the skin in the limbs L, Q 6,L Based on the heat exchange amount Q7[W] between the trunk U and the extremities L in the deep part, the predicted temperature T of the extremities deep layer LC after Δt is LC [t+Δt][° C.] is calculated using equation (8) (step S113 in FIG. 7).

[0147] Thus, the predicted temperature T US [t+Δt],T UC [t+Δt],T LS [t+Δt],T LC [t+Δt] can be calculated sequentially. Then, the temperature calculation unit 220 calculates the predicted value T sk [t+Δt][°C] is calculated using equation (9) (step S114 in FIG. 7). The temperature calculation unit 220 also calculates the predicted value T[t+Δt][°C] of the deep body temperature after Δt using equation (10) (step S115 in FIG. 7).

[0148] The core body temperature prediction unit 20 performs the above steps S101 to S115 for each time Δt. In the calculation for the time after Δt, the T calculated in the previous round is used as the US [t+Δt],T UC [t+Δt],T LS [t+Δt],T LC [t+Δt],T sk [t+Δt], T[t+Δt] are respectively US [t],T UC [t],T LS [t],T LC [t],T sk[t], T[t], and then the processes of steps S101 to S115 may be performed.

[0149] Next, a description will be given of the preliminary calculations that are performed before the main calculations in steps S101 to S115. In this embodiment, the initial temperatures of each part and each layer of the subject in the measurement environment are predicted by the following preliminary calculations, and then the deep body temperature of the subject is predicted for each future time Δt by the main calculations described in steps S101 to S115.

[0150] [Preliminary calculation for predicting initial temperatures in each part and layer I] 8 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the deep body temperature prediction unit 20 in this embodiment during preliminary calculation I. In preliminary calculation I (first preliminary calculation), the above heat quantity is calculated and the temperature of each part and each layer is calculated for a certain period of time under the conditions that the deep body temperature of the subject is constant in a thermal environment of isothermal temperature and humidity equivalent to a temperature neutral range, the subject is at rest, and the subject is not wearing clothes.

[0151] Specifically, the first control unit 222 detects the temperature T a [t] = 30[℃], relative humidity [t] = 0.5 near the subject, initial temperature of the subject's trunk skin layer US T US [0]=35[℃], initial temperature of the deep trunk layer UC T UC [0] = 37.2[℃], the initial temperature of the extremity skin layer LS T LS [0] = 35[℃], initial temperature value T LC Set [0] = 37.2 [°C] (Step S200 in FIG. 8).

[0152] In addition, the first control unit 222 sets the constant fcl_US representing the heat transfer efficiency through clothing to the trunk U, the constant fcl_LS representing the heat transfer efficiency through clothing to the limbs L, the constant fpcl_US representing the heat transfer efficiency through clothing to the trunk U, and the constant fpcl_LS representing the heat transfer efficiency through clothing to the limbs L to all 1 (fcl_US = fcl_LS = fpcl_US = fpcl_LS = 1), and sets METs[t] and aveMETs[t] to 1 (Figure 8 step S200).

[0153] Furthermore, the first control unit 222 sets the value calculated by setting t+Δt=0 in the formulas (9) and (10) as the initial value T of the average skin temperature. sk [0][℃], the initial value of the deep body temperature is set as T[0][℃], and the reference temperature T sk0 =Tsk[0][° C.], T0=T[0][° C.] (FIG. 8, step S200). The first control unit 222 sets the parameters other than the values ​​set in step S200 to the values ​​explained in steps S103 to S115.

[0154] The operations (steps S201 to S213 in FIG. 8) of the heat generation amount calculation unit 213, the metabolic rate calculation unit 214, the heat transfer / heat radiation amount calculation unit 215, the skin evaporation rate calculation unit 216, the exhaled air evaporation rate setting unit 217, the heat exchange rate calculation unit 218, the heat exchange rate calculation unit 219, and the temperature calculation unit 220 are similar to those of steps S103 to S115. Settings different from those of steps S103 to S115 are as described in step S200.

[0155] The first control unit 222 executes the processes of steps S201 to S213 for each time Δt from t=0 until a certain calculation time t=t1 is reached (YES in step S214 in FIG. 8). The calculation time t1 is the predicted value T sk It is sufficient to set it to a value where [t+Δt][℃] becomes steady state.

[0156] [Preliminary calculations for predicting initial temperatures at each part and layer II] FIG. 9 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the core body temperature prediction unit 20 in the present embodiment in preliminary calculation II. In preliminary calculation II (first preliminary calculation), the temperature T US [t+Δt],T UC [t+Δt],T LS [t+Δt],T LC [t+Δt],T sk The final values ​​of [t+Δt] and T[t+Δt] are used as the initial values ​​for the temperature of each part and each layer, and the process of calculating the above heat quantities and calculating the temperature of each part and each layer is performed for a certain period of time under the conditions that the subject is at rest in a thermal environment with isothermal temperature and humidity equivalent to the temperature neutral range, and is not wearing any clothes.

[0157] Specifically, the first control unit 222 detects the temperature T a [t] = 30[℃], relative humidity [t] = 0.5 near the subject, and T US The final value of [t+Δt] is measured. The initial value of the temperature of the trunk skin layer US of the subject T US [0], T in preliminary calculation I UC The final value of [t+Δt] is the initial temperature value T UC [0], T in preliminary calculation I LS The final value of [t+Δt] is the initial temperature of the extremity skin layer LS, T LS [0], T in preliminary calculation I LC The final value of [t+Δt] is the initial temperature value T LC Let it be [0] (Step S300 in FIG. 9).

[0158] In addition, the first control unit 222 sets the constant fcl_US representing the heat transfer efficiency through clothing to the trunk U, the constant fcl_LS representing the heat transfer efficiency through clothing to the limbs L, the constant fpcl_US representing the heat transfer efficiency through clothing to the trunk U, and the constant fpcl_LS representing the heat transfer efficiency through clothing to the limbs L to all 1 (fcl_US = fcl_LS = fpcl_US = fpcl_LS = 1), and sets METs[t] and aveMETs[t] to 1 (step S300 in Figure 9).

[0159] Furthermore, the first control unit 222 sets the value calculated by setting t+Δt=0 in the formulas (9) and (10) as the initial value T of the average skin temperature. sk [0] as the initial value T[0] of the deep body temperature (step S300 in FIG. 9). The first control unit 222 sets the parameters other than the values ​​set in step S300 to the values ​​explained in steps S103 to S115. sk0 , T0 is left at the value set in step S200.

[0160] The operations (steps S301 to S313 in FIG. 9) of the heat generation amount calculation unit 213, the metabolic rate calculation unit 214, the heat transfer / heat radiation amount calculation unit 215, the skin evaporation rate calculation unit 216, the exhaled air evaporation rate setting unit 217, the heat exchange rate calculation unit 218, the heat exchange rate calculation unit 219, and the temperature calculation unit 220 are similar to those of steps S103 to S115. Settings different from those of steps S103 to S115 are as described in step S300.

[0161] The first control unit 222 executes the processes of steps S301 to S313 for each time Δt from t=0 until a certain calculation time t=t2 is reached (YES in step S314 in FIG. 9). The calculation time t2 may be set to a value at which the predicted value T[t+Δt][°C] of the core body temperature reaches a steady state.

[0162] [Preliminary calculation for predicting initial temperatures at each part and layer III] FIG. 10 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the core body temperature prediction unit 20 in the present embodiment in preliminary calculation III. In preliminary calculation III (second preliminary calculation), the temperature T US [t+Δt],T UC [t+Δt],T LS [t+Δt],T LC [t+Δt],T sk The final values ​​of [t+Δt] and T[t+Δt] are used as the initial values ​​for the temperature of each part and each layer, and the process of calculating the above heat quantities and calculating the temperature of each part and each layer is carried out for a certain period of time under the conditions that the subject is at rest and wearing clothes.

[0163] Specifically, the second control unit 223 calculates T US The final value of [t+Δt] is measured. The initial value of the temperature of the trunk skin layer US of the subject T US [0], T in Preliminary Calculation II UC The final value of [t+Δt] is the initial temperature value T UC [0], T in Preliminary Calculation II LS The final value of [t+Δt] is the initial temperature of the extremity skin layer LS, T LS [0], T in Preliminary Calculation II LC The final value of [t+Δt] is the initial temperature value T LC Let it be [0] (Step S400 in FIG. 10).

[0164] The second control unit 223 sets METs[t] and aveMETs[t] to 1. Furthermore, the second control unit 223 sets the value calculated by setting t+Δt=0 in the formulas (9) and (10) as the initial value T of the average skin temperature. sk [0], the initial value of the core body temperature T[0] is set, and the reference temperature T sk0 =Tsk[0][° C.], T0=T[0][° C.] (FIG. 10, step S400). Second control unit 223 sets the parameters other than the values ​​set in step S400 to the values ​​explained in steps S103 to S115.

[0165] The first measuring unit 211 measures the temperature near the subject (air temperature of the subject's atmosphere) (FIG. 10, step S401). The second measuring unit 212 measures the humidity near the subject (humidity of the subject's atmosphere) (FIG. 10, step S402).

[0166] The operations (steps S403 to S415 in FIG. 10) of the heat generation amount calculation unit 213, the metabolic rate calculation unit 214, the heat transfer / heat radiation amount calculation unit 215, the skin evaporation rate calculation unit 216, the exhaled air evaporation rate setting unit 217, the heat exchange rate calculation unit 218, the heat exchange rate calculation unit 219, and the temperature calculation unit 220 are similar to those of steps S103 to S115. Settings different from those of steps S103 to S115 are as described in step S400.

[0167] The second control unit 223 executes the processes of steps S401 to S415 for every Δt from t=0 until a certain calculation time t=t3 is reached (YES in step S416 in FIG. 10). The calculation time t3 may be set to a value at which the predicted value T[t+Δt][°C] of the core body temperature reaches a steady state.

[0168] In the preliminary calculation III, the heat transfer / heat radiation amount calculation unit 215 calculates the temperature T a When measuring [t][℃], equations (18) and (19) can be used.

[0169] [Main calculation] In this calculation, the temperature T calculated by preliminary calculation III US [t+Δt],T UC [t+Δt],T LS [t+Δt],T LC [t+Δt],T sk The final values ​​of [t+Δt] and T[t+Δt] are set as the initial values ​​of the temperatures of each part and each layer, and the processes of steps S101 to S115 are performed.

[0170] FIG. 11 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the third control unit 224 in the main calculation. Prior to the main calculation, the third control unit 224 US The final value of [t+Δt] is measured. The initial value of the temperature of the trunk skin layer US of the subject T US [0], T in Preliminary Calculation III UC The final value of [t+Δt] is the initial temperature value T UC [0], T in Preliminary Calculation III LS The final value of [t+Δt] is the initial temperature of the extremity skin layer LS, T LS [0], T in Preliminary Calculation III LC The final value of [t+Δt] is the initial temperature value T LC Let it be [0] (Step S500 in FIG. 11).

[0171] Furthermore, the third control unit 224 sets the value calculated by setting t+Δt=0 in the formulas (9) and (10) as the initial value T of the average skin temperature.sk [0], and set it as the initial value T[0] of the deep body temperature (FIG. 11, step S500). sk0 , T0 are left at the values ​​set in step S400. Then, the third control unit 224 starts the processes of steps S101 to S115.

[0172] As described above, in this embodiment, not only the information previously stored in the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1 and the temperature near the subject, but also the humidity near the subject are measured to calculate the amount of heat flowing in and out of each part and each layer of the subject, and the deep body temperature of the subject is predicted from the calculated amount of heat, so that the deep body temperature can be predicted with higher accuracy than in the second embodiment. Also, in this embodiment, preliminary calculations are performed prior to the main calculations, so that the initial values ​​of the temperatures of each part and each layer can be set.

[0173] The skin transpiration calculation unit 216 may be used as the water loss prediction unit 21 described in the first embodiment. That is, the sum E[W] of the insensible transpiration and the sensible transpiration calculated by the skin transpiration calculation unit 216 is the water loss of the subject during work.

[0174] In this embodiment, the first measuring unit 211 measures the temperature near the subject, and the second measuring unit 212 measures the humidity near the subject. a A predicted value of [t][°C] and a predicted value of the relative humidity [t][%] in the vicinity of the subject may be obtained and used.

[0175] The calculation parameter acquisition unit 1, the biological information prediction unit 2, the time prediction unit 3, and the heat risk notification unit 4 in the first to third embodiments can be realized by a computer equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a storage device, and an interface, and a program that controls these hardware resources. An example of the configuration of this computer is shown in FIG.

[0176] The computer includes a CPU 300, a storage device 301, and an interface device (I / F) 302. The I / F 302 is connected to the hardware of the circuit section of the calculation parameter acquisition unit 1, the hardware of the circuit section of the biological information prediction unit 2, the hardware of the circuit section of the heat risk notification unit 4, and the like. In such a computer, a heat risk notification program for realizing the notification method of this embodiment is stored in the storage device 301. The CPU 300 executes the processes described in the first to third embodiments according to the program stored in the storage device 301. It is also possible to provide the program via a network. [Industrial Applicability]

[0177] The present invention can be applied to a technology for preventing heat stroke. [Explanation of symbols]

[0178] 1...calculation parameter acquisition unit, 2...biological information prediction unit, 3...time prediction unit, 4...heat risk notification unit, 20...core body temperature prediction unit, 21...water loss prediction unit, 201...measurement unit, 202...first calculation unit, 203...second calculation unit, 211...first measurement unit, 212...second measurement unit, 213...heat generation amount calculation unit, 214...metabolism amount calculation unit, 215...heat transfer / heat radiation amount calculation unit, 216...skin evaporation amount calculation unit, 217...exhalation evaporation amount setting unit, 218...heat exchange amount calculation unit, 219...heat exchange amount calculation unit, 220...temperature calculation unit, 221...heat generation amount calculation unit, 222...first control unit, 223...second control unit, 224...third control unit.

Claims

1. A calculation parameter acquisition unit configured to acquire information on the physical characteristics, working conditions, and environmental conditions of a subject; a biological information prediction unit configured to predict biological information of the subject at each time when the subject performs work under conditions specified by the work conditions and the environmental conditions, based on the information acquired by the calculation parameter acquisition unit; a time prediction unit configured to predict a time when the biological information predicted by the biological information prediction unit will exceed a predetermined threshold; a heat risk notification unit configured to notify a work manager or the measurement subject of heat countermeasure information based on the time predicted by the time prediction unit; The biological information is a deep body temperature of the measurement subject, The time prediction unit adopts a corresponding deep body temperature threshold from among pre-stored deep body temperature thresholds of a person not acclimatized to heat and deep body temperature thresholds of a person acclimatized to heat, according to information on the presence or absence of heat acclimatization included in the information on the physical characteristics of the measurement subject, and predicts a time when the deep body temperature predicted by the biological information prediction unit will exceed the adopted deep body temperature threshold; The heat countermeasure information includes information for notifying the time predicted by the time prediction unit as the time when the person to be measured will be exposed to excessive thermal load.

2. 2. The notification device according to claim 1, The physical characteristic information includes information on the height, weight, age, and sex of the subject, and information on the presence or absence of heat acclimation, The information on the working conditions includes information on the clothing and METs value of the subject, The notification device, wherein the information on environmental conditions includes information on temperature and humidity at the site where the subject person works on the day of the work.

3. 2. The notification device according to claim 1, The heat countermeasure information includes bio-information predicted by the bio-information prediction unit in addition to information on the time when the subject of measurement will be exposed to excessive thermal load.

4. A notification method for providing information for preventing heatstroke in a subject by a computer having a CPU and a storage device, comprising: A first step of acquiring information on the physical characteristics, working conditions, and environmental conditions of a subject; A second step of predicting biological information of the subject at each time when the subject performs work under conditions specified by the work conditions and the environmental conditions based on the information acquired in the first step; a third step of predicting a time when the biological information predicted in the second step will exceed a predetermined threshold; a fourth step of notifying a work manager or the person being measured of heat countermeasure information based on the time predicted in the third step, in accordance with a program stored in the storage device; The biological information is a deep body temperature of the measurement subject, The third step includes a step of adopting a corresponding deep body temperature threshold from among pre-stored deep body temperature thresholds of a person who is not heat acclimatized and a person who is heat acclimatized, according to information on the presence or absence of heat acclimatization included in the information on the physical characteristics of the measurement subject, and predicting the time when the deep body temperature predicted by the second step will exceed the adopted deep body temperature threshold; A notification method characterized in that the heat countermeasure information includes information notifying the time predicted by the third step as the time when the measurement subject will be exposed to excessive thermal load.

5. A program for causing a computer to execute the steps recited in claim 4.

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