Feces color detection device

Abstract

A plurality of color sensing sections are attached to a toilet seat so as to test a health state or a fecal occult blood portion every time by capturing the feces surface color during defecation. Before feces which have been excreted from a body sink into a water-seal portion, the circumference of the feces is optically captured to detect the color of the surface of the feces. By monitoring changes in color, the health state of the defecator is monitored. In particular, by checking the presence/absence of an occult blood portion, the present invention assists in early detection of colorectal cancer and allows a fecal occult blood test to be performed in a hygienic manner without burdening the user.

1 . A feces color detection device comprising:
 a color sensing unit provided on a toilet seat or an upper portion of a toilet bowl and configured to capture an image of feces; and   a color detection unit configured to detect a color of the feces based on output signals of the color sensing unit, the feces color detection device further comprising:   at least two different illuminators configured to illuminate the feces, including a second illuminator emitting light of a wavelength from 600 nm to 800 nm and a first illuminator emitting light of a wavelength outside the wavelength region of the second illuminator.   
     
     
         2 . The feces color detection device according to  claim 1 , wherein the color sensing unit includes an illuminator configured to illuminate the feces, a color image-capturing camera configured to capture an image of the feces, and a control section configured to control the illuminator and the color image-capturing camera. 
     
     
         3 . The feces color detection device according to  claim 2 , wherein the color image-capturing camera is a linear sensor of which light-receiving pixels are arranged in a linear array. 
     
     
         4 . The feces color detection device according to  claim 1 , wherein the color sensing unit is provided on a bottom surface of the toilet seat. 
     
     
         5 . The feces color detection device according to  claim 1 , further comprising a color indicator unit configured to indicate a result of the color detection unit. 
     
     
         6 . The feces color detection device according to  claim 1 , wherein the wavelength of the first illuminator is 600 nm or less and 800 nm or more, and the wavelength of the second illuminator includes 670 nm. 
     
     
         7 . The feces color detection device according to  claim 6 , wherein the color detection unit further comprises a differential signal generation unit configured to generate a differential signal between a first image-capturing signal obtained with light emitted from the first illuminator and a second image-capturing signal obtained with light emitted from the second illuminator. 
     
     
         8 . The feces color detection device according to  claim 1 , further comprising a motion detection unit configured to detect a dropping motion of the feces. 
     
     
         9 . The feces color detection device according to  claim 1 , further comprising a recording unit configured to record the color detection results as time-series data. 
     
     
         10 . The feces color detection device according to  claim 1 , comprising the toilet seat, and the toilet seat further comprising a pressure sensor configured to measure a body weight. 
     
     
         11 . The feces color detection device according to  claim 1 , further comprising an excreting part washing unit, and a washed position adjustment unit configured to adjust a position to be washed by the excreting part washing unit based on calculated position information, the position information representing a position of an excreting part based on a plurality of image-capturing signals captured by a plurality of the sensing units.