JP2019180608A - Biological information acquisition device, application program, and biological information acquisition method - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a biological information acquisition device that can reduce the size and weight of the entire device in a configuration that measures and manages biological information using a smartphone or the like. Kind Code: A1 Abstract: A biological information acquisition apparatus is connected to a sensor unit for measuring predetermined biological information, a processor for sampling a value measured by the sensor unit at a predetermined sampling cycle, and a predetermined portable device. And a communication interface unit 13 provided with a connector unit that is compatible with the above cable. The biological information acquisition device operates by power supplied from a predetermined portable device via a power supply line included in a cable, and transmits the sampled value to the predetermined portable device. [Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a biological information acquisition device, an application program, and a biological information acquisition method, and more particularly, to a biological information acquisition device, an application program, and a biological information acquisition method that operate in cooperation with a mobile device.

  Patent Documents 1-3 disclose a configuration in which a measuring device and a smartphone are combined. Patent Document 1 discloses an example of a biological signal analyzer that analyzes a biological signal detected by an independently separated device such as a smartphone or a smart watch. According to the document, the communication unit that transmits the first biological signal from the device that has detected the first biological signal of the subject, and at least one biological signal detection unit that detects the second biological signal from the subject are included. . The biological signal analyzer is described as acquiring biological information using the first biological signal and the second biological signal.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a configuration in which a biological information measuring device that measures biological information can be arbitrarily combined with a mobile phone, and a plurality of types of biological information measuring devices can share one mobile phone. According to this document, this biological information measuring apparatus includes a measuring unit 11 that measures blood pressure and an interface 12 that can perform bidirectional communication between a device communication interface 22 attached to the mobile phone 2. . The document also describes a function of using the operation unit 24 of the mobile phone 2 for operations related to measurement in the biological information measuring device 1 and a function of using the display unit 23 of the mobile phone 2 for display related to measurements in the biological information measuring device 1. Is mentioned. It is described that these functions are added to the mobile phone 2 by a program separately set as an application in the memory 25 of the mobile phone 2.

  Patent Document 3 discloses a biological risk management adapter in which an arbitrary measurement item can be selected and measured, and transmitted to a medical institution using a mobile phone as a medium to receive a specialist's preliminary examination. According to the document, this biological risk management adapter is composed of an apparatus body and various optional measuring instruments. The apparatus main body includes an electrocardiogram / heart rate measurement unit, a display unit, a data processing unit, an external input terminal for connecting a measuring instrument, a modem unit, a digital output terminal 6 and an analog output terminal 7. The measuring instruments are composed of a KSG blood pressure measuring instrument, a body temperature measuring instrument, an arterial blood oxygen saturation measuring instrument, a urine component measuring instrument, and a occult blood reaction measuring instrument each having a probe for each output. KSG is an abbreviation for Korotkoff Sound Graph.

JP 2017-18595 A JP 2004-147705 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-178801

  The following analysis is given by the present invention. In the configuration of Patent Documents 1 to 3, a device that functions as a single measuring device is used as the measuring device. Such a measuring device includes an operation unit, a display unit, and other mechanical elements corresponding to measurement items (see measuring means 11 in Patent Document 2, FIGS. 3 and 5-8 in Patent Document 3). Further, although not explicitly disclosed in Patent Documents 1-3, a battery for supplying power to these devices and a configuration for charging the devices are also required in order to perform measurement outside the office. For this reason, since a measuring apparatus main body becomes large and a weight also increases, there exists a problem that portability will be impaired. Even when a smart watch or the like is used as a measuring device, frequent charging is required so that these devices function during measurement.

  It is an object of the present invention to provide a biological information acquisition apparatus, an application program, and a biological information acquisition method that can contribute to downsizing and weight reduction of the entire apparatus in a configuration for measuring and managing biological information using a smartphone or the like. To do.

  According to the first aspect, the sensor unit for measuring predetermined biological information, the processor for sampling the value measured by the sensor unit at a predetermined sampling period, and the cable for connecting to a predetermined portable device A communication interface unit including a connector unit that operates with electric power supplied from the predetermined portable device via a power supply line included in the cable, and the value after the sampling with respect to the predetermined portable device. Is provided.

  According to a second aspect, the application program operates on a predetermined portable device, and causes the predetermined portable device to transmit a measurement instruction for the above-described biological information acquisition device and receive the measurement instruction from the biological information acquisition device. An application program that performs predetermined information processing on data is provided.

  According to the third aspect, the sensor unit for measuring predetermined biological information, the processor for sampling the value measured by the sensor unit at a predetermined sampling period, and the cable for connecting to a predetermined portable device A biometric information acquisition device including a communication interface unit including a connector unit that receives power from the predetermined portable device via a power supply line included in the cable, and the supplied power The step of measuring predetermined biological information by the sensor unit, the step of sampling the value measured by the sensor unit with the power supplied from the predetermined portable device at a predetermined sampling period, and via the cable, Transmitting a value after the sampling to the predetermined portable device.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, in the structure which measures and manages biometric information using a smart phone etc., it becomes possible to reduce the whole apparatus size and weight.

It is a figure which shows the structure of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the detailed structure of the biometric information acquisition apparatus of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of the measurement operation | movement by the biometric information acquisition apparatus of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the measurement of the blood-pressure value by an oscillometric method. It is a figure which shows the structure of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the detailed structure of the biometric information acquisition apparatus of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the detailed structure of the biometric information acquisition apparatus of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

  First, an outline of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, a sensor unit 11 that measures predetermined biological information, and a value (analog value) measured by the sensor unit 11 is sampled at a predetermined sampling period. Thus, a biological information acquisition device is provided that includes a processor 12 that converts the digital value into a digital value and a communication interface unit 13 that includes a connector unit that is compatible with a cable for connecting to a predetermined portable device. The biometric information acquisition apparatus is operated by power supplied from the predetermined portable device via a power supply line included in the cable, and transmits the sampled value to the predetermined portable device. A broken line PL in FIG. 1 represents a power line.

  According to the biological information acquisition apparatus 10 as described above, a configuration is obtained in which various types of biological information can be acquired (sensing) and transmitted to the mobile device simply by connecting to the mobile device. For example, when a pressure sensor is mounted as the sensor unit 11, the processor 12 can perform sampling (digitization) of the pressure value by introducing the pressure from the cuff (Manchette) to the pressure port. The biometric information acquisition apparatus 10 transmits the biometric information data obtained by the above-described process to a predetermined portable device via the communication interface unit 13. For example, the blood pressure value can be measured by operating a blood pressure measurement program based on the oscillometric method in a predetermined portable device.

[First Embodiment]
Next, a first embodiment of the present invention capable of measuring blood pressure using a smartphone as a portable device will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

  Referring to FIG. 2, the biological information acquisition apparatus 100 connected to the mobile device 200 via a cable 210 is shown. In addition, the biological information acquisition apparatus 100 can be connected to a cuff 300 that can be pressurized and depressurized by a pump 500 and a valve 510.

  The mobile device 200 is a device such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a personal computer. Further, the portable device 200 can download and install application programs corresponding to various measurement items described later. The operation of this application program will be described later together with the operation of the biological information acquisition apparatus 100.

  In addition, as a cable 210 for connecting the portable device 200 and the biological information acquisition apparatus 100, a USB cable typified by micro-USB (Universal Serial Bus) or a lightning cable used in a device of Apple (registered trademark). ("Lighting" is a registered trademark) can be preferably used. Of course, these cables are just examples, and may be standards that allow communication between the portable device 200 and the biological information acquisition device 100 and supply of power from the portable device 200 to the biological information acquisition device 100. There is no particular limitation.

  In the present embodiment, the cuff 300 is described as a type that is wound around the arm of the measurement subject. However, a finger cuff that is wound around the measurement subject's finger may be used. In addition, the “user” in the following description may be the person to be measured, or may be a person who performs another measurement such as a doctor or a medical worker.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a detailed configuration of the biological information acquisition apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3, a configuration including a pressure sensor 110 including a pressure port 111 for connecting a communication pipe (tube) extending from the cuff 300, an AD conversion unit 120, and a communication interface unit 130 is illustrated. ing.

  As the pressure sensor 110, a semiconductor pressure sensor using a semiconductor piezoelectric effect (also referred to as a piezo effect) can be preferably used.

  The AD conversion unit 120 converts the pressure value output from the pressure sensor 110 into a digital signal and outputs the digital signal to the communication interface unit 130 side. The AD converter 120 samples the pressure value at a predetermined sampling rate, then performs quantization and encoding, and outputs a serial signal representing the pressure value. Such an AD conversion unit 120 can be configured by various microprocessors capable of executing AD conversion processing including sampling. Note that the sampling rate in the AD conversion unit 120 may be determined by a balance with the power consumption in addition to the rate necessary for blood pressure measurement by the pulse group.

  The communication interface unit 130 includes a connector unit 131 that fits a connector in the cable 210 for connecting to the portable device 200. In order to transmit data to the mobile device 200 side, the communication interface unit 130 converts the serial signal output from the AD conversion unit 120 into a signal (for example, USB) that is compatible with the communication interface between the mobile device 200 and the biological information acquisition device 100. Signal).

  Moreover, the broken line PL in FIG. 3 is a power supply line. When the portable device 200 and the biological information acquisition apparatus 100 are connected via the connector part 131 of the communication interface part 130, the power sent via the power line in the cable 210 is transmitted to the communication interface part 130 and AD. It is supplied to the conversion unit 120 and the pressure sensor 110. Thereby, the biometric information acquisition apparatus 100 can operate without a battery. Of course, a rechargeable battery may be arranged in the biometric information acquisition apparatus 100 to hold the measurement date and time, or may function as a standby power supply for supplying power to the processor. Such a configuration including a standby power supply is particularly preferably employed when a sensor with high power consumption is used.

  Further, a rechargeable battery having a large charge capacity may be adopted, and the biological information acquisition apparatus 100 itself may have a function such as a mobile battery. Although omitted in the example of FIG. 3, it goes without saying that a protection circuit for current or voltage may be added.

  By connecting the biological information acquisition apparatus 100 to the cuff 300 and the portable device 200, an indirect (non-invasive) sphygmomanometer is configured. Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a measurement operation performed by the biological information acquisition apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of this invention. Referring to FIG. 4, first, portable device 200 and biological information acquisition apparatus 100 are connected using cable 210. Thereby, supply of electric power is started from the portable device 200 to the biometric information acquisition apparatus 100 side (step S001).

  Next, in the portable device 200, a previously installed blood pressure measurement application program (hereinafter referred to as “blood pressure measurement application”) is activated (step S002).

  Next, the portable device 200 outputs guidance information for guiding the user to prepare for blood pressure measurement using the function of the activated blood pressure measurement application (step S003). For example, the portable device 200 outputs, as guidance information, a message instructing to attach a communication pipe (tube) extending from the cuff 300 to the pressure port of the pressure sensor. Further, the following blood pressure measurement procedure may be output as the guidance information. The guidance information may be output in text or voice. For example, the guidance information may be output as a text message to a display device provided in the mobile device 200. For example, guidance information may be output from a speaker provided in the mobile device 200.

  When the user connects the tube to the (pressure) port of the pressure sensor (step S004), air is supplied to the cuff 300 by the pump 500 and reaches a predetermined measurement start pressure (step S005), the preparation for measurement is completed. . In order to inform the user that the pressure of the cuff 300 has reached a predetermined measurement start pressure, the current pressure value is displayed on the display unit or the like of the portable device 200 as shown in step S006-1 in FIG. You may let them.

  When receiving the measurement start operation from the user (step S007), the portable device 200 requests the biological information acquisition apparatus 100 to transmit data. Thereafter, pressure value data is transmitted from the biological information acquisition apparatus 100 (step S006-2).

  On the other hand, when the user performs the release operation of the valve 510, the air in the cuff 300 starts to escape at a predetermined speed (step S008). The speed of decompression here is preferably a speed of about 2 mmHg per beat, for example.

  Thereafter, the biological information acquisition apparatus 100 transmits a value sampled at a predetermined sampling rate to the mobile device 200. The blood pressure measurement application operating on the portable device 200 takes out the pulse wave amplitude shown in FIG. 5 from the sampled value and measures the blood pressure (step S009).

  Here, the principle of blood pressure measurement by the blood pressure measurement application will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining measurement of blood pressure values by the oscillometric method. The cuff pressure in FIG. 5 indicates the cuff pressure after pressurization in step S005. When the valve release operation is performed, the pressure in the cuff 300 decreases, and the pressure value transmitted from the biological information acquisition apparatus 100 to the portable device 200 also decreases. The pulse wave amplitude in the lower part of FIG. 5 represents the amplitude of the pressure pulse wave that appears in the process of the cuff pressure phenomenon. The time when the amplitude of the pressure pulse wave suddenly increases corresponds to the timing of the k sound generation in the Korotkoff method, and the cuff pressure at that time can be determined as “maximum blood pressure (systolic blood pressure)”. The time when the amplitude of the pressure pulse wave suddenly decreases corresponds to the timing of the k sound disappearance in the Korotkoff method, and the cuff pressure at that time can be determined as “minimum blood pressure (diastolic blood pressure)”. .

  In a more desirable form, when the blood pressure measurement application detects the maximum blood pressure (systolic blood pressure), a pseudo k sound may be output from a speaker of the mobile device 200 or the like. It is also preferable to continue outputting some sound after detecting the maximum blood pressure (systolic blood pressure) and stop outputting the sound when the minimum blood pressure (diastolic blood pressure) is detected. As a result, it is possible to effectively notify the user that the measurement has been correctly completed.

  The blood pressure measurement application operating on the mobile device 200 displays the blood pressure measurement result including the maximum blood pressure and the minimum blood pressure on a display device of the mobile device (step S010). The blood pressure measurement application may output advice for prevention of lifestyle-related diseases for the measurement subject according to the measurement result. In addition, the blood pressure measurement application may transmit the measurement value to the cloud side and manage it as health management data on the cloud side or manage it as one of anonymous statistical data.

  In the above procedure, the blood pressure measurement application may determine that the measurement has been completed on the condition that the blood pressure value has decreased to a predetermined level or that the pulse group has been in a steady state for a certain period of time. Further, when the pressure rises again in the above process, the blood pressure measurement application may perform a reset process on the assumption that a reset operation has been performed, and may start measurement when the pressure drops again.

  Note that the procedure shown in FIG. 4 is merely an example, and various modifications can be made. For example, in the example of FIG. 4, it is described that the blood pressure measurement application is activated after the portable device 200 and the biological information acquisition apparatus 100 are connected. However, after the blood pressure measurement application is activated, You may make it connect with the information acquisition apparatus 100. FIG.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, a simple sphygmomanometer can be configured by suitably combining a mobile device typified by a smartphone and the equipment on the cuff 300 side. As is clear from the configuration illustrated in FIG. 3, the biological information acquisition apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment can be configured by, for example, a pressure sensor, a general-purpose processor, and a USB serial conversion module. Therefore, the biometric information acquisition apparatus 100 of this embodiment has a cost advantage as compared with existing dedicated devices.

  Further, as is clear from the above description, the sphygmomanometer configured using the biological information acquisition apparatus 100 can operate only with the power supplied from the portable device in the configuration using the cuff 300 and the air balloon. It is. The portable device 200 represented by a smartphone can be charged from a PC, a mobile battery, etc. in addition to a commercial power source and an in-vehicle USB port, and thus is freed from the problem of the power source of the biological information acquisition apparatus 100. Further, with respect to the cuff 300, by using a finger cuff or the like, the portability can be further improved.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention in which pressurization of the cuff 300 is automated will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6, the difference from the first embodiment is that a motor 600 is attached to a pump 500 that pressurizes the cuff 300, and the pressurizing operation of the cuff 300 is automated.

  The motor 600 is operable by receiving power from the power supply port 115 of the biological information acquisition apparatus 100a.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a detailed configuration of the biological information acquisition apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The difference from the biological information acquisition apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 3 is that the biological information acquisition apparatus 100 a includes a power feeding port 115.

  The power supply port 115 is connected to a power line PL that supplies power from the portable device 200 to the AD converter 120 and the pressure sensor 110, and by inserting a power plug 610 on the motor 600 side, power is supplied to the motor 600 side. Supply is possible.

  In the operation of this embodiment, an operation of inserting the power plug 610 on the motor 600 side into the power feeding port 115 in step S001 of FIG. 4 is added. In the present embodiment, cuff pressurization by the motor 600 is performed in step S005 of FIG. Others are the same as those in the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  According to this embodiment, cuff pressurization can be performed automatically. Note that the blood pressure measurement application or the biological information acquisition device 100a that has received an instruction from the blood pressure measurement application may control cuff pressurization or opening / closing of the valve 510 by the motor 600. In this way, blood pressure measurement can be automated.

[Third Embodiment]
In the first and second embodiments described above, an example in which a blood pressure value is measured using a pressure sensor as the sensor unit has been described. However, a sensor that acquires other biological information is mounted as the sensor unit. Is also possible. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration of the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 8, the difference from the first embodiment is that an electrocardiogram measuring electrode 700 is connected instead of the cuff 300 and the pump 500 so that it can operate as an electrocardiograph.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the biological information acquisition apparatus 100b according to the present embodiment. The sensor unit 110a includes a connector for connecting a cable for connecting the electrode 700 for electrocardiogram measurement.

  Further, the electrocardiogram waveform data converter 121 amplifies the biological signal (electric signal) input from the electrode 700 and removes noise, then performs AD conversion processing and outputs electrocardiogram waveform data.

  Therefore, the communication interface unit 130 of the present embodiment uses the serial signal output from the electrocardiogram waveform data conversion unit 121 as a signal suitable for a communication interface between the portable device 200 and the biological information acquisition apparatus 100b, such as a USB signal. The function to convert to.

  An electrocardiogram waveform display application program is installed in the portable device 200. This electrocardiogram waveform display application program displays an electrocardiogram waveform on the display device of the portable device 200 (see FIG. 8).

  The electrocardiogram waveform that can be created by the biological information acquisition apparatus 100b according to the present embodiment depends on the number of electrodes 700 connected to the biological information acquisition apparatus 100b and the function of the electrocardiogram waveform display application program. Quite simply, a portable electrocardiograph having two positive and negative electrodes can be configured by the biological information acquiring apparatus 100b of the present embodiment. That is, the biological information acquisition apparatus 100b of this embodiment can be used as an event electrocardiograph that is used as necessary in daily life.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and further modifications, substitutions, and adjustments are possible without departing from the basic technical idea of the present invention. Can be added. For example, the network configuration, the configuration of each element, and the expression form of a message shown in each drawing are examples for helping understanding of the present invention, and are not limited to the configuration shown in these drawings.

  For example, in each of the embodiments described above, an example in which a smartphone is used as the mobile device has been described. However, other mobile devices having a power feeding function may be used.

  In addition, for example, in each of the above-described embodiments, the biological information acquisition device of the present invention has been described with reference to an example of configuring a blood pressure monitor or an electrocardiograph in combination with a portable device. However, it is not limited to these. For example, a thermometer can be configured by connecting a temperature sensor and reading a value with an application program on the portable device side. Similarly, if a heart rate sensor is connected, a heart rate monitor can be configured.

  It should be noted that the disclosures of the above patent documents are incorporated herein by reference. Within the scope of the entire disclosure (including claims) of the present invention, the embodiments and examples can be changed and adjusted based on the basic technical concept. In addition, various combinations or selections of various disclosed elements (including each element of each claim, each element of each embodiment or example, each element of each drawing, etc.) are possible within the scope of the disclosure of the present invention. It is. That is, the present invention of course includes various variations and modifications that could be made by those skilled in the art according to the entire disclosure including the claims and the technical idea. In particular, with respect to the numerical ranges described in this document, any numerical value or small range included in the range should be construed as being specifically described even if there is no specific description.

10, 100, 100a, 100b Biometric information acquisition device 11, 110a Sensor unit 12 Processor 13 Communication interface unit 200 Portable device 210 Cable 300 Cuff (Manchette)
500 Pump 510 Valve 110 Pressure Sensor 111 Pressure Port 115 Power Supply Port 120 AD Converter 121 Electrocardiogram Waveform Converter 130 Communication Interface 131 Connector Unit 600 Motor 610 Power Plug 700 Electrode

Claims (9)

A sensor unit for measuring predetermined biological information;
A processor that samples a value measured by the sensor unit at a predetermined sampling period;
A communication interface unit including a connector unit adapted to a cable for connecting to a predetermined portable device,
Actuated by electric power supplied from the predetermined portable device via a power supply line included in the cable, and transmit the value after sampling to the predetermined portable device;
A biological information acquisition apparatus characterized by the above.   The biological information acquisition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least processing in the sensor unit and the processor is performed by electric power supplied from the predetermined portable device.   The measurement of the value of the predetermined biological information and the transmission of the measured value to the predetermined portable device are performed in accordance with an instruction from an application program that operates on the predetermined portable device. Biological information acquisition device. The sensor unit is a pressure sensor having a pressure port connectable with a cuff that is manually or automatically pressurized or depressurized,
The biometric information acquisition device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a blood pressure value during the decompression operation of the cuff is transmitted via the communication interface unit. The sensor unit includes a connector to which an electrode for electrocardiogram measurement can be connected,
The processor generates electrocardiographic waveform data from an electrical signal input from the electrode,
The biological information acquisition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electrocardiographic waveform data is transmitted to the predetermined portable device via a communication interface unit. further,
The biological information acquisition apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a standby power supply that supplies power to at least the sensor unit and the processor. An application program that operates on a predetermined mobile device,
In the predetermined portable device,
Sending a measurement instruction to the biometric information acquisition device according to claim 1;
An application program that performs predetermined information processing on data received from the biometric information acquisition apparatus. An application program that operates on the predetermined portable device,
Using the data received from the biological information acquisition device according to claim 4, blood pressure measurement is performed by an oscillometric method,
An application program that causes the predetermined portable device to output a predetermined pseudo Korotkoff sound when determining at least the systolic blood pressure. A sensor unit for measuring predetermined biological information;
A processor that samples a value measured by the sensor unit at a predetermined sampling period;
A biometric information acquisition device including a communication interface unit including a connector unit adapted to a cable for connecting to a predetermined portable device,
Receiving power from the predetermined portable device via a power supply line included in the cable;
The sensor unit measuring predetermined biological information by the supplied power;
Sampling a value measured by the sensor unit with a power supplied from the predetermined portable device at a predetermined sampling period;
Transmitting the sampled value to the predetermined portable device via the cable;
A biometric information acquisition method including:

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