U.S. patent application number 17/083545 was filed with the patent office on 2021-02-11 for biological information measurement device and system.
This patent application is currently assigned to Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba. The applicant listed for this patent is Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba. Invention is credited to Takaya MATSUNO, Masataka OSADA, Takashi SUDO.
Application Number | 20210038168 17/083545 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005181315 |
Filed Date | 2021-02-11 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20210038168 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
SUDO; Takashi ; et
al. |
February 11, 2021 |
BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION MEASUREMENT DEVICE AND SYSTEM
Abstract
According to one embodiment, a biological information
measurement device includes: a biological information measurer
configured to carry out intermittent measurement of biological
information of a user; a motion information measurer configured to
measure motion information of the user; a feature calculator
configured to calculate a feature from the motion information; a
behavior state determiner configured to determine a behavior state
of the user on the basis of the feature; and a measurement interval
controller configured to select one intermittent measurement from a
plurality of intermittent measurements having different measurement
intervals on the basis of the determined behavior state of the user
and control the biological information measurer.
Inventors: |
SUDO; Takashi; (Fuchu,
JP) ; MATSUNO; Takaya; (Kunitachi, JP) ;
OSADA; Masataka; (Kawasaki, JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba |
Minato-ku |
|
JP |
|
|
Assignee: |
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
Minato-ku
JP
|
Family ID: |
1000005181315 |
Appl. No.: |
17/083545 |
Filed: |
October 29, 2020 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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15444620 |
Feb 28, 2017 |
10849569 |
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17083545 |
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PCT/JP2015/076103 |
Sep 15, 2015 |
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15444620 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61B 5/6843 20130101;
A61B 5/4818 20130101; A61B 5/7285 20130101; A61B 7/04 20130101;
A61B 5/0022 20130101; A61B 2562/0204 20130101; A61B 5/4803
20130101; A61B 5/0205 20130101; A61B 5/1118 20130101; A61B 5/7264
20130101; A61B 5/165 20130101; A61B 5/6826 20130101; A61B 5/0261
20130101; A61B 5/4812 20130101; A61B 5/02427 20130101; A61B 7/003
20130101; A61B 5/6831 20130101; A61B 5/14552 20130101; A61B
2562/0219 20130101; A61B 5/6824 20130101; A61B 5/1123 20130101;
A61B 5/4809 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A61B 5/00 20060101
A61B005/00; A61B 5/026 20060101 A61B005/026; A61B 5/0205 20060101
A61B005/0205; A61B 5/11 20060101 A61B005/11; A61B 5/1455 20060101
A61B005/1455; A61B 5/16 20060101 A61B005/16; A61B 7/00 20060101
A61B007/00; A61B 7/04 20060101 A61B007/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 22, 2014 |
JP |
2014-192209 |
Sep 22, 2014 |
JP |
2014-192750 |
Claims
1. A biological information measurement device comprising: a
biological information measurer configured to carry out
intermittent measurement of biological information of a user; a
motion information measurer configured to measure motion
information of the user; a behavior state determiner configured to
determine a behavior state of the user on the basis of the motion
information; and a measurement interval controller configured to
control a measurement interval of the intermittent measurement
based on the behavior state.
2. The device according to claim 1, comprising: the behavior state
determiner determines whether the user is awake or sleeping on the
basis of the motion information; and the measurement interval
controller controls the measurement interval of the intermittent
measurement based on a result of determination of whether the user
is awake or sleeping.
3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the measurement
interval controller determines a first measurement interval if the
user is awake, determines a second measurement interval if the user
is sleeping, the second measurement interval is shorter than the
first measurement interval.
4. The device according to claim 3, wherein the second measurement
interval is equal to or less than ten seconds.
5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the biological
information is SpO.sub.2.
6. The device according to claim 5, wherein the biological
information measurer further includes a pulse wave measurer
configured to carry out intermittent measurement of a pulse wave of
the user, and a measurement interval of the pulse wave and the
measurement interval of SpO.sub.2 are independent from each
other.
7. The device according to claim 6, further comprising: a ring-like
band having a bellows portion formed in a shape of bellows adapted
to be extended and contracted; the biological information measurer
being provided on an inner circumference of the band.
8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the bellows portion has
a wiring connection provided such that the wiring connection is
inclined with respect to a direction of extension and
contraction.
9. A biological information measurement device comprising: an
SpO.sub.2 measurer configured to carry out intermittent measurement
of SpO.sub.2 of a user; a motion information measurer configured to
measure motion information of the user; a behavior state determiner
configured to determine a behavior state of the user on the basis
of the motion information; a reference value acquirer configured to
acquire a reference value of the SpO.sub.2 of the user during a
first period in which the behavior state indicates that the user is
in a shallow sleep or during a second period in which the behavior
state indicates that a body motion amount of the user is equal to
or smaller than a predetermined value, wherein the SpO.sub.2
measurer calculates variation of the SpO.sub.2 with respect to the
reference value after the reference value is acquired.
10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the variation of the
SpO.sub.2 is a decrease rate of the SpO.sub.2.
11. The device according to claim 10, the SpO.sub.2 measurer
calculates the decrease rate of the SpO.sub.2 during a period in
which the user is sleeping.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of and claims the benefit
of priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 120 of U.S. application Ser. No.
15/444,620 filed Feb. 28, 2017, which is a continuation of
International Application No. PCT/JP2015/076103 filed Sep. 15,
2015, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein
by reference. U.S. application Ser. No. 15/444,620 claims the
benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 119 from Japanese
Application Nos. 2014-192209 and 2014-192750 both filed Sep. 22,
2014.
FIELD
[0002] Embodiments described herein relate to a biological
information measurement device and a biological information
measurement system.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Conventionally, in medical institutions and other relevant
entities, measurement of arterial oxygen saturation (SpO.sub.2) has
been performed to discover sleep apnea syndrome (SAS), respiratory
failure (asthma, etc.), and the like. In the trend in recent years
of downsizing of a measurement device (pulse oxymeter) that
measures SpO.sub.2, there have been increasing needs for personal,
daily, constant use of the measurement device.
[0004] In order to meet the needs, wearable devices that are
capable of measuring SpO.sub.2 such as a ring-type device have been
proposed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a functional
configuration of a biological information measurement device in
accordance with a first embodiment;
[0006] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a hardware
configuration of the biological information measurement device of
FIG. 1;
[0007] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the
biological information measurement device of FIG. 1;
[0008] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating one example of
the biological information measurement device of FIG. 1;
[0009] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating another example
of the biological information measurement device of FIG. 1;
[0010] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating yet another
example of the biological information measurement device of FIG.
1;
[0011] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a functional
configuration of a biological information measurement device in
accordance with a second embodiment;
[0012] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explanation of one example of a
reference value acquisition period;
[0013] FIG. 9 is a diagram for explanation of another example of
the reference value acquisition period;
[0014] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the
biological information measurement device of FIG. 7;
[0015] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a result of
measurement by the biological information measurement device of
FIG. 7;
[0016] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration
of a biological information measurement device in accordance with a
third embodiment;
[0017] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explanation of an example of a
method of determining a target of measurement;
[0018] FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the
biological information measurement device of FIG. 12;
[0019] FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram illustrating a hardware
configuration of a biological information measurement device in
accordance with a fourth embodiment;
[0020] FIG. 16A and FIG. 16B each is a schematic diagram
illustrating a result of measurement of SpO.sub.2;
[0021] FIG. 17 is a partial enlarged view illustrating a wiring
connection of a bellows portion;
[0022] FIG. 18 is a block diagram illustrating a functional
configuration of a biological information measurement device in
accordance with a fifth embodiment;
[0023] FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram for explanation of the
operation of a sound information acquirer;
[0024] FIG. 20 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware
configuration of the biological information measurement device of
FIG. 18;
[0025] FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the
biological information measurement device of FIG. 18;
[0026] FIG. 22 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a
biological information measurement system in accordance with the
fifth embodiment;
[0027] FIG. 23 is a block diagram illustrating a functional
configuration of the biological information measurement system of
FIG. 22;
[0028] FIG. 24 is a block diagram illustrating a functional
configuration of a biological information measurement device in
accordance with a sixth embodiment;
[0029] FIG. 25 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the
biological information measurement device of FIG. 24;
[0030] FIG. 26 is a block diagram illustrating a functional
configuration of a biological information measurement device in
accordance with a seventh embodiment; and
[0031] FIG. 27 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the
biological information measurement device of FIG. 26.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0032] According to one embodiment, a biological information
measurement device includes: a biological information measurer
configured to carry out intermittent measurement of biological
information of a user; a motion information measurer configured to
measure motion information of the user; a feature calculator
configured to calculate a feature from the motion information; a
behavior state determiner configured to determine a behavior state
of the user on the basis of the feature; and a measurement interval
controller configured to select one intermittent measurement from a
plurality of intermittent measurements having different measurement
intervals on the basis of the determined behavior state of the user
and control the biological information measurer.
[0033] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below
with reference to the drawings.
First Embodiment
[0034] A biological information measurement device (hereinafter
referred to as "measurement device") and a biological information
measurement program (hereinafter referred to as "measurement
program") in accordance with a first embodiment are described with
reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.
[0035] First, a functional configuration of the measurement device
in accordance with this embodiment is described with reference to
FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram that illustrates the
functional configuration of the measurement device in accordance
with this embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the measurement
device includes a motion information measurer 1, a feature
calculator 2, a behavior state determiner 3, a measurement interval
controller 4, and an SpO.sub.2 measurer 5.
[0036] The motion information measurer 1 is configured to measure
motion information indicative of a motion of a user. The motion
information represents, by way of example and is not limited to,
acceleration and angular velocity. The motion information measurer
1 includes a motion information sensor adapted to detect the motion
information such as an acceleration sensor and an angular velocity
sensor (gyro sensor), and calculates the motion information from an
output signal that is output from the motion information sensor.
The motion information measurer 1 operates continuously or
intermittently at time intervals of not more than 10 seconds while
the measurement device is operating, and measures the motion
information. Also, it should be noted that one or more pieces of
motion information may be measured by the motion information
measurer 1.
[0037] The feature calculator 2 is configured to calculate one or
more features from the motion information measured by the motion
information measurer 1. The feature is, by way of example and not
limited to, an amount of motion of a body (which is hereinafter
referred to as "body motion amount").
[0038] The behavior state determiner 3 is configured to determine a
behavior state of the user on the basis of the feature calculated
by the feature calculator 2. The behavior state determined by the
behavior state determiner 2 includes, by way of example and is not
limited to, sleeping, waking, complete standstill (measurement
device not being attached), walking, running, riding on a train,
car, or bus, bicycling, being aboard an airplane, being aboard a
ship, swimming, playing tennis, taking part in an individual sport,
taking part in a team sport, dining, drinking and eating, doing
desk work, lying in a supine position, and being seated.
[0039] The measurement interval controller 4 is configured to
select one intermittent measurement from among multiple
intermittent measurements having different measurement intervals on
the basis of the behavior state of the user determined by the
behavior state determiner 3, and control the measurement interval
of SpO.sub.2 by the SpO.sub.2 measurer 5. The method of controlling
the measurement interval will be described later.
[0040] The SpO.sub.2 measurer 5 (biological information measurer)
is configured to intermittently measure (or carry out intermittent
measurement of) SpO.sub.2 of the user at predetermined time
intervals. The measurement interval of the SpO.sub.2 measurer 5 is,
as described above, controlled by the measurement interval
controller 4. The SpO.sub.2 measurer 5 includes an SpO.sub.2 sensor
and calculates SpO.sub.2 from the output signal of the SpO.sub.2
sensor.
[0041] The SpO.sub.2 sensor includes an R light source adapted to
emit a red light (R light), an IR light source adapted to emit an
infrared light (IR light), and a light reception section. The R
light source and the IR light source are, by way of example, LEDs,
which irradiate the measurement site of SpO.sub.2 (an arm, a
finger, etc. of the user) with the R light and the IR light,
respectively. The light reception section is, by way of example, a
photoelectric element adapted to receive the light transmitted
through or reflected by the measurement site and output a signal in
accordance with the intensity of the received light.
[0042] Hemoglobin to which oxygen is bound (HbO.sub.2) and
hemoglobin to which oxygen is not bound (Hb) have different
absorbance values with respect to the R light and the IR light. As
a consequence, the SpO.sub.2 measurer 5 is allowed to calculate
SpO.sub.2 by obtaining a ratio between the extinction degrees of
the R light and the IR light from the output signal that is output
from the light reception section.
[0043] Next, the hardware configuration of the measurement device
in accordance with this embodiment is described with reference to
FIG. 2. The measurement device in accordance with this embodiment
includes a computer device 100. The output signals that are output
from the motion information sensor, the SpO.sub.2 sensor, and the
like are input to the computer device 100 and subjected to a
predetermined process or processes.
[0044] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the computer device 100 includes a
central processing unit (CPU) 101, an input interface 102, a
display device 103, a communication device 104, a main storage
device 105, and an external storage device 106, which are
interconnected via a bus 107.
[0045] The CPU 101 executes the measurement program on the main
storage device 105. The above-described respective functional
features described with reference to FIG. 1 are implemented by the
CPU 101 executing the measurement program.
[0046] The input interface 102 is used to input operation signals
from an input device such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a touch panel
into the measurement device. The scheme of the input interface 102
includes, by way of example and is not limited to, USB and
Ethernet. The motion information sensor and the SpO.sub.2 sensor
may be connected to the computer device 100 via the input interface
102.
[0047] The display device 103 is configured to display videos based
on the video signals output from the measurement device. The
display device is, by way of example and is not limited to, a
liquid crystal display (LCD), a cathode-ray tube (CRT), and a
plasma display panel (PDP). Information regarding the measured
SpO.sub.2, measurement time, and the like can be displayed by the
display device 103.
[0048] The communication device 104 is a device for the measurement
device to perform wired or wireless communications with an external
device or devices. The information regarding the measured
SpO.sub.2, the measurement time, and the like can be transmitted to
the external device or devices via the communication device 104.
The external devices include, by way of example and are not limited
to, a smartphone and a server. Output signals of the motion
information sensor, the SpO.sub.2 sensor, and the like may be input
to the computer device 100 via the communication device 104.
[0049] The main storage device 105 is configured to store, when the
measurement program is executed, the measurement program, data
necessary for execution of the measurement program, data generated
by the execution of the measurement program, and the like. The
measurement program is deployed onto the main storage device 105
and thus executed. The main storage device 105 includes, by way of
example and is not limited to, RAM, DRAM, and SRAM.
[0050] The external storage device 106 is configured to store the
measurement program, the data necessary for execution of the
measurement program, the data generated by the execution of the
measurement program, and the like. The program and the data are
read out into the main storage device 105 when the measurement
program is executed. The external storage device 106 includes, by
way of example and is not limited to, a hard disc, an optical disc,
flash memory, and a magnetic tape.
[0051] It should be noted that the measurement program may be
stored installed in advance onto the computer 100 or stored in a
storage medium such as CD-ROM. Also, the measurement program may be
uploaded onto the Internet.
[0052] Next, the operation of the measurement device in accordance
with this embodiment is specifically described with reference to
FIG. 3. It is assumed in the following explanations that the motion
information represents the acceleration, the feature is the body
motion amount, and two behavior states, i.e., sleeping and waking
are considered. Nevertheless, as discussed in the foregoing, the
motion information, the body motion amount, and the behavior
state(s) are not limited to the considered ones. FIG. 3 is a
flowchart that illustrates the operation of the measurement device
in accordance with this embodiment.
[0053] As illustrated in FIG. 3, when the measurement processing by
the measurement device is started, the motion information measurer
1 measures the acceleration of the user in the step S1.
Specifically, the motion information measurer 1 calculates the
acceleration of the user from the output signal of the acceleration
sensor. The acceleration sensor is, by way of example and not
limited to, a uniaxial, biaxial, triaxial, or n-axial (where "n" is
a natural number) acceleration sensor. It should be noted that the
measurement processing by the measurement device is started by way
of example at the timing at which the power supply of the
measurement device is turned on or upon reception of a start signal
from the user.
[0054] In the step S2, the feature calculator 2 calculates the body
motion amount of the user from the acceleration measured by the
motion information measurer 1. The feature calculator 2 calculates,
as the body motion amount, for example, composite acceleration such
as two-axis and three-axis accelerations and an average value of
the composite accelerations.
[0055] In the step S3, the behavior state determiner 3 determines
the behavior state of the user from the body motion amount
calculated by the feature calculator 2. Specifically, the behavior
state determiner 3 determines whether or not the user is sleeping
or awake. The behavior state determiner 3 can determine whether or
not the user is sleeping, for example, by using a maximum value, an
average value, an integrated value, pattern, and the like of the
body motion amount.
[0056] When the behavior state determiner 3 has determined that the
user is awake (NO in the step S4), the process goes to the step S5.
When the behavior state determiner 3 has determined that the user
is sleeping (YES in the step S4), the process goes to the step
S6.
[0057] If the user is awake, the measurement interval controller 4
sets the measurement interval of the SpO.sub.2 measurer 5 to the
measurement interval during waking (first measurement interval) in
the step S5. The measurement interval during waking is, for
example, any appropriate interval not shorter than one minute and
not longer than 60 minutes.
[0058] Control of the measurement interval by the measurement
interval controller 4 may be performed by controlling the detection
interval of the SpO.sub.2 sensor or may be performed by controlling
the interval at which SpO.sub.2 is calculated from the output
signal of the SpO.sub.2 sensor.
[0059] In contrast, if the user is sleeping, the measurement
interval controller 4 sets the measurement interval of the
SpO.sub.2 measurer 5 to the measurement interval during sleeping
(second measurement interval) in the step S6. The measurement
interval during sleeping is an interval that is shorter than the
measurement interval during waking and is any appropriate interval
not shorter than one second and not longer than 10 seconds. Setting
the measurement interval during sleeping in this manner makes it
possible to perform accurate diagnosis of SAS, the reason for which
is as follows.
[0060] A method that uses apnea hypopnea index (AHI) is known as
the method for diagnosis of SAS. AHI is the number of apneas or
hypopneas per hour. Apnea is suspension of breathing for 10 seconds
or more. Hypopnea is 3% (or greater) reduction in SpO.sub.2
continued for at least 10 seconds. Apneas and hypopneas can be
detected by measuring SpO.sub.2.
[0061] If the measurement interval during sleeping is longer than
10 seconds, it may happen that apnea and/or hypopnea occur during
the waiting period of the measurement, which means that they cannot
be detected. In contrast, if the measurement interval during
sleeping is equal to or shorter than 10 seconds, it is possible to
measure SpO.sub.2 at least once while the apnea and the hypopnea
are occurring. In other words, it is made possible to suppress the
possibility of failure to detect apneas and hypopneas. As a result,
accurate measurement of AHI and accurate diagnosis of SAS can be
performed by setting the measurement interval during sleeping to be
equal to or shorter than 10 seconds.
[0062] It should be noted that the measurement interval during
sleeping should be preferably set to be, for example, 10 seconds.
The measurement interval in this context is a non-operating time of
the SpO.sub.2 sensor, and is not the time in which the SpO.sub.2
sensor operates to calculate SpO.sub.2. Since SpO.sub.2 is to be
calculated during the SpO.sub.2 sensor operating time, the
SpO.sub.2 sensor operates for example for five seconds and
calculates SpO.sub.2 using the pulse during the five seconds. By
virtue of this, it is made possible to increase accuracy of
diagnosis of SAS and reduce the power consumption of the
measurement device.
[0063] As another method of setting the operating time (measurement
time) and the non-operating time (measurement interval) of the
SpO.sub.2 sensor, the following method may be considered. First,
the time corresponding to consecutive 3 to 7 pulses of a wearer is
calculated from the number of pulses of the wearer per
predetermined time, and the calculated time is defined as the
operating time. Further, the non-operating time is defined as a
period of time one-and-a-half to two-and-a-half times as long as
the operating time. By virtue of this, it is made possible to
achieve accurate measurement that takes into account the individual
differences of wearers.
[0064] After the measurement interval controller 4 has set the
measurement interval in the step S5 or S6, the process goes to the
step S7.
[0065] In the step S7, the SpO.sub.2 measurer 5 determines whether
or not the current time is the measurement timing of SpO.sub.2. If
the current time is the measurement timing (YES in the step S7),
the process goes to the step S8. If it is not the measurement
timing (NO in the step S7), the process goes to the step S9.
[0066] When the measurement timing has arrived, the SpO.sub.2
measurer 5 measures SpO.sub.2 in the step S8. Specifically, the
SpO.sub.2 measurer 5 irradiates the measurement site with the R
light and the IR light by the SpO.sub.2 sensor; acquires a signal
from the light reception section that receives the transmitted or
reflected light thereof; and calculates SpO.sub.2 from the acquired
signal.
[0067] Following the step S8, or when the measurement timing has
not arrived in the step S7, the process goes to the step S9.
[0068] In the step S9, the measurement device determines whether or
not the measurement processing should be terminated. If the
measurement processing should be terminated (YES in the step S9),
the measurement device stops the operation of the above-described
respective functional features and terminates the measurement
processing. The measurement processing by the measurement device is
terminated, by way of example, at the timing at which the power
supply to the measurement device is turned off or upon reception of
an end signal from the user.
[0069] In contrast, when the measurement processing should not be
terminated (NO in the step S9), the process goes back to the step
S1. Thereafter, the measurement device repeats the above-describe
processing steps S1 to S9 until the measurement processing is
terminated.
[0070] As has been described in the foregoing, since the
measurement device in accordance with this embodiment
intermittently measures SpO.sub.2, it is made possible to reduce
its power consumption. As a result, it is made possible to achieve
extended continuous operation of the measurement device and
downsizing of the battery.
[0071] Also, since the measurement device measures SpO.sub.2 at the
measurement intervals not longer than 10 seconds while the user is
sleeping, it is made possible to detect apneas and hypopneas
occurring during sleeping without overlooking any one of them.
Accordingly, use of the measurement device allows for accurate
diagnosis of SAS.
[0072] It should be noted that the measurement device in accordance
with this embodiment may be configured as one single wearable
device or may be configured as a system constituted by multiple
devices interconnected by wired or wireless connections.
[0073] When the measurement device is to be configured as a system
constituted by multiple devices, the system can be configured, for
example, by a sensor unit 20 and an information processing terminal
30. The sensor unit 20 is configured by way of example by a
wearable device of bracelet type, finger ring type, or sticker
type. Also, the information processing terminal 30 is configured by
way of example by a sensor hub, smartphone, or dedicated
terminal.
[0074] As illustrated in FIG. 4, it is preferable that the sensor
unit 20 includes the motion information measurer 1, the feature
calculator 2, and the SpO.sub.2 measurer 5. Also, it is preferable
that the information processing terminal 30 includes the behavior
state determiner 3 and the measurement interval controller 4. In
this case, the information processing terminal 30 determines the
behavior state of the user on the basis of the feature received
from the sensor unit 20, and generates the control signal of the
measurement interval of SpO.sub.2 on the basis of the behavior
state. The sensor unit 20 of the measurement interval of SpO.sub.2
is thus controlled by the control signal received by the sensor
unit 20 from the information processing terminal 30. By virtue of
this configuration, it is made possible to reduce the power
consumption of the sensor unit 20.
[0075] Also, the system may be configured, as illustrated in FIG.
5, by a first sensor unit 20a that includes the motion information
measurer 1 and the feature calculator 2, a second sensor unit 20b
that includes the SpO.sub.2 measurer 5, and the information
processing terminal 30 that includes the behavior state determiner
3 and the measurement interval controller 4. When the system is
configured in this manner, it is made possible to attach the motion
information measurer 1 and the SpO.sub.2 measurer at their
respective locations appropriate for their measurements.
[0076] Further, as illustrated in FIG. 6, it is also possible to
configure the system by the information processing terminal 30 that
includes the motion information measurer 1, the feature calculator
2, the behavior state determiner 3, and the measurement interval
controller 4; and the sensor unit 20 that includes the SpO.sub.2
measurer 5.
[0077] It should be noted that a program or programs that realizes
the respective functional features of the behavior state determiner
3 and the measurement interval controller 4 may be installed on the
information processing terminal 30 in advance, or the program(s)
may be downloaded via the Internet.
Second Embodiment
[0078] The measurement device and the measurement program in
accordance with a second embodiment are described with reference to
FIGS. 7 to 11. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram that illustrates the
functional configuration of the measurement device in accordance
with this embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the measurement
device further includes a reference value acquirer 6. The
functional feature of the reference value acquirer 6 is realized by
the computer device 100 executing the measurement program. The
remaining features are the same as those in the first
embodiment.
[0079] The reference value acquirer 6 is configured to acquire a
reference value of SpO.sub.2 of the user. The reference value of
SpO.sub.2 is the SpO.sub.2 of the user in the normal state. The
decrease rate of SpO.sub.2 used in detection of apnea and hypopnea
can be calculated as a decreasing rate with reference to the
reference value.
[0080] The reference value acquirer 6 is configured to acquire as
the reference value the SpO.sub.2 measured by the reference value
acquisition period. The reference value acquisition period is a
period of time predefined in advance as a period that is suitable
for acquisition of the reference value. The reference value
acquisition period is specified based on at least either of the
behavior state and the feature of the user.
[0081] The reference value acquisition period is, for example, a
period during which the behavior state of the user is determined as
"sleeping" by the behavior state determiner 3. This is because the
body motion of the user occurs less frequently while the user is
sleeping, and such a period of time is suitable for the acquisition
of the reference value.
[0082] Also, it is preferable that the reference value acquisition
period is a period of the first shallow sleep after the user
falling asleep among the periods in which the behavior state is
determined as "sleeping." This is because SpO.sub.2 tends to be
easily decreased in the period of shallow sleep (the circled
periods in FIG. 8) whilst SpO.sub.2 rarely exhibit extreme decrease
in the period of the first shallow sleep after the user falling
asleep (the period indicated by the arrow in FIG. 8). If the period
of the first shallow sleep after the user falling asleep is defined
to be the reference value acquisition period, then it is preferable
that the behavior state determiner 3 determines both the shallow
sleep and the deep sleep respectively as the behavior states. The
shallow sleep corresponds to, for example, REM sleep and the deep
sleep corresponds to, for example, Non-REM sleep.
[0083] Further, the reference value acquisition period may be a
period in which the body motion amount is equal to or smaller than
a predetermined value among the periods in which the behavior state
of the user is determined as "waking" by the behavior state
determiner 3. This is because a period in which the body motion
amount is small (the period indicated by the arrow in FIG. 9) is
suitable for acquisition of reference value even when the user is
awake.
[0084] Still further, the reference value acquisition period may be
a period in which the behavior state of the user determined by the
behavior state determiner 3 is a behavior state in which the body
motion is expected to be less frequent. The behavior state in which
the body motion is less frequent includes, by way of example and is
not limited to, walking, riding on a train, car, or bus, being
aboard an airplane, being aboard a ship, dining, drinking and
eating, doing desk work, lying in a supine position, and being
seated.
[0085] Next, the operation of the measurement device in accordance
with this embodiment is specifically described with reference to
FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a flowchart that illustrates the operation of
the measurement device. The steps S1 to S9 in FIG. 10 are the same
as those in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, after the
step S8, the process goes to the step S10.
[0086] In the step S10, the reference value acquirer 6 acquires at
least either of the feature and the behavior state, and determines
whether or not the current time is within the reference value
acquisition period. If the current time is not within the reference
value acquisition period (NO in the step S10), the process goes to
the step S9.
[0087] In contrast, if the current time is within the reference
value acquisition period (YES in the step S10), the reference value
acquirer 6 acquires the SpO.sub.2 measured in the step S8 from the
SpO.sub.2 measurer 5. The reference value acquirer 6 stores the
acquired SpO.sub.2 as the reference value. After that, the process
goes to the step S9.
[0088] FIG. 11 is a diagram that illustrates an example of the
results of measurement of SpO.sub.2 by the measurement device.
Referring to FIG. 11, each measurement result includes the time at
which the measurement was performed (which is hereinafter referred
to as "measurement time), the behavior state at the measurement
time, the measured SpO.sub.2 (SpO.sub.2 value), the reference value
(reference SpO.sub.2), and a reference value flag. The reference
value flag indicates whether or not SpO.sub.2 measured at that time
is a reference value. The measurement device stores the measurement
results as described here associated with the respective
measurement times.
[0089] As has been described in the foregoing, the measurement
device in accordance with this embodiment can acquire the reference
value of SpO.sub.2 on the basis of the feature and the behavior
state. Since the decrease rate of SpO.sub.2 with reference to the
reference value is used as the decrease rate of SpO.sub.2 when
performing diagnosis of SAS, it is made possible to more accurately
determine the apnea and hypopnea which tend to exhibit individual
differences. As a result, it is made possible to further increase
the accuracy of diagnosis of SAS by using the measurement device in
accordance with this embodiment.
Third Embodiment
[0090] The measurement device and the measurement program in
accordance with a third embodiment are described with reference to
FIGS. 12 to 14. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram that illustrates the
functional configuration of the measurement device in accordance
with this embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 12, the measurement
device further includes a measurement target selector 7 and a pulse
wave measurer 8. The functional features of the pulse wave measurer
7 and the measurement target selector 8 are realized by the
computer device 100 executing the measurement program. The
remaining features are the same as in the first embodiment.
[0091] The pulse wave measurer 7 is configured to measure pulse
waves of the user intermittently with predetermined time intervals.
The measurement interval of the pulse wave measurer 7 can be
specified as appropriate. The measurement interval of the pulse
wave should desirably be specified independently of the measurement
interval of SpO.sub.2. The examples of the measurement interval of
the pulse wave may involve the following methods. According to one
exemplary method, a 30-second sleep period is defined following the
measurement that lasts for 30 seconds, and the pulse wave in one
minute is calculated from the doubled measurement result value.
According to another exemplary method, four-minute sleep period is
defined following the measurement that lasts for one minute, and
the measurement result is defined on an as-is basis as the pulse
wave in the entire five minutes. According to still another
exemplary method, a nine-minute sleep period is defined after the
measurement that lasts one minute, and the measurement result is
defined on an as-is basis as the pulse wave in the entire 10
minutes. These modes of setting of the measurement period and the
sleep period may be designed as appropriate in accordance with the
applications of the biological information measurement device. The
pulse wave measurer 7 includes a pulse wave sensor and generates
the pulse wave from the output signal of the pulse wave sensor. The
pulse wave measurer 7 may calculate the pulse from the generated
pulse wave.
[0092] The pulse wave sensor includes a G light source adapted to
emit a green light (G light) and a light reception section. G light
source is by way of example an LED and is adapted to irradiate the
measurement site with the G light. The light reception section is
by way of example a photoelectric element and is adapted to receive
the light transmitted through or reflected by the measurement site
and output a signal in accordance with its intensity. The light
reception section of the pulse wave sensor may be shared with the
SpO.sub.2 sensor to be used on an as-is basis as the light
reception section of the latter sensor.
[0093] The measurement target selector 8 is configured to select a
target of measurement to be measured by the measurement device on
the basis of at least either of the feature and the behavior state
of the user. In this embodiment, there are two targets of
measurement, i.e., SpO.sub.2 and pulse wave. The measurement target
selector 8 causes the SpO.sub.2 measurer 5 to operate when
SpO.sub.2 is selected as the target of measurement. The measurement
target selector 8 causes the pulse wave measurer 7 to operate when
the pulse wave is selected as the target of measurement.
Accordingly, the target of measurement selected by the measurement
target selector 8 is measured according to the measurement device
in accordance with this embodiment.
[0094] The measurement target selector 8 selects the target of
measurement, for example, on the basis of the body motion amount.
Specifically, the measurement target selector 8 compares a first
threshold and a second threshold (which is larger than the first
threshold) of the body motion amount with the body motion amount
calculated by the feature calculator 2, and selects the target of
measurement. The first threshold is an upper limit value of the
body motion amount at which SpO.sub.2 can be accurately measured,
and the second threshold is an upper limit of the body motion
amount at which the pulse wave can be accurately measured. The
reason why the second threshold is larger than the first threshold
is that the pulse wave is more robust to the body motion than
SpO.sub.2, in other words, decrease in the measurement accuracy of
the pulse wave due to the body motion is less serious than that of
SpO.sub.2.
[0095] In the following explanations, the fact that the body motion
amount is equal to or smaller than the first threshold is stated
as: "The body motion amount is small." Also, the fact that the body
motion amount is larger than the first threshold and equal to or
smaller than the second threshold is stated as: "The body motion
amount is of the intermediate level." Further, the fact that the
body motion amount is larger than the second threshold is stated
as: "The body motion amount is large."
[0096] As illustrated in FIG. 13, the measurement target selector 8
selects SpO.sub.2 as the target of measurement when the body motion
amount calculated by the feature calculator 2 is small, and selects
the pulse wave as the target of measurement when the body motion
amount is of the intermediate level, and does not select any target
of measurement when the body motion amount is large.
[0097] By selecting the target of measurement in this manner, the
SpO.sub.2 measurer 5 does not operate in a period of time in which
the measurement accuracy of SpO.sub.2 is low, and the pulse wave
measurer 7 does not operate in the period of time in which the
measurement accuracy of the pulse wave is low. As a result, it is
made possible to reduce the power consumption of the measurement
device.
[0098] It should be noted that the measurement target selector 8
may select the SpO.sub.2 and the pulse wave as the targets of
measurement when the body motion amount is small. This is because
the pulse wave is allowed to be accurately measured when the body
motion amount is small.
[0099] Also, the measurement target selector 8 may select the
target of measurement on the basis of the behavior state. For
example, the behavior state whose body motion amount is small; a
behavior state whose body motion amount is of the intermediate
level; and the behavior state whose body motion amount is large may
be specified for the measurement target selector 8, and the
measurement target selector 8 may compare the specified behavior
state with the behavior state determined by the behavior state
determiner 3 and thus select the target of measurement.
[0100] Specifically, the measurement target selector 8 selects
SpO.sub.2 as the target of measurement when the behavior state
determined by the behavior state determiner 3 is the behavior state
whose body motion amount is small; selects the pulse wave as the
target of measurement when the behavior state is the behavior state
whose body motion amount is of the intermediate level; and does not
select any target of measurement when the behavior state is the
behavior state whose body motion amount is large.
[0101] Behavior state whose body motion amount is small include,
for example, sleeping, riding on a train, car, or bus, being aboard
an airplane, being aboard a ship, dining, drinking and eating,
doing desk work, lying in a supine position, and being seated. The
behavior state whose body motion amount is of the intermediate
level includes, for example, walking and bicycling. The behavior
state whose body motion amount is large includes, for example,
running, swimming, playing tennis, taking part in an individual
sport, and taking part in a team sport. It should be noted that the
classification of the behavior states is not limited to this.
[0102] Next, the operation of the measurement device in accordance
with this embodiment is specifically described with reference to
FIG. 14. It is assumed in the following explanations that the
measurement target selector 8 selects the target of measurement on
the basis of the body motion amount. FIG. 14 is a flowchart that
illustrates the operation of the measurement device in accordance
with this embodiment. The steps S1, S2, and S9 in FIG. 14 are the
same as those in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, after
the step S2, the process goes to the step S12.
[0103] In the step S12, the measurement target selector 8
determines the magnitude of the body motion amount calculated by
the feature calculator 2. When the measurement target selector 8
determines that the body motion amount is small (small body motion
amount), the process goes to the step S13. When the measurement
target selector 8 determines that the body motion amount is of an
intermediate level (medium body motion amount), the process goes to
the step S15. When the measurement target selector 8 determines
that the body motion amount is large (large body motion amount),
the process goes to the step S17.
[0104] If the body motion amount is small, the measurement target
selector 8 selects SpO.sub.2 as the target of measurement in the
step S13 and causes the SpO.sub.2 measurer 5 to operate. At this
point, the measurement target selector 8 does not cause the pulse
wave measurer 7 to operate.
[0105] After that, the measurement processing of SpO.sub.2 is
executed in the step S14. The measurement processing of SpO.sub.2
in the step S14 corresponds to the processing steps S3 to S8 in the
first embodiment. After completion of the measurement processing of
SpO.sub.2, the process goes to the step S9.
[0106] If the body motion amount is of the intermediate level, the
measurement target selector 8 selects the pulse wave as the target
of measurement in the step S15 and causes the pulse wave measurer 7
to operate. At this point, the measurement target selector 8 does
not cause the SpO.sub.2 measurer 5 to operate. After that, the
pulse wave measurer 7 measures the pulse wave in the step S16.
After the measurement of the pulse wave, the process goes to the
step S9.
[0107] If the body motion amount is large, the measurement target
selector 8 does not select any target of measurement in the step
S17. At this point, the measurement target selector 8 does not
cause the SpO.sub.2 measurer 5 or the pulse wave measurer 7 to
operate. After that, the process goes to the step S9.
[0108] As has been described in the foregoing, according to the
measurement device in accordance with this embodiment, it is made
possible to measure not only SpO.sub.2 but also the pulse wave.
Also, since the SpO.sub.2 measurer 5 and the pulse wave measurer 7
are not operated if the measurement accuracy of SpO.sub.2 and the
pulse wave is low, the power consumption can be reduced.
[0109] It should be noted that the measurement device in accordance
with this embodiment can be configured such that it includes
another biological information measurer adapted to measure
biological information such as heart rate and body temperature in
addition to or in place of the pulse wave measurer 7.
Fourth Embodiment
[0110] The measurement device in accordance with the fourth
embodiment is described with reference to FIG. 15 to FIG. 17. The
measurement device in accordance with this embodiment is configured
as one single wearable device attached to an arm, finger, or the
like of a user. The functional features of the measurement device
are the same as those in the first embodiment. Here, FIG. 15 is a
schematic diagram that illustrates a hardware configuration of a
measurement device 10 in accordance with this embodiment. As
illustrated in FIG. 15, the measurement device 10 includes a band
11, a housing 12, and an SpO2 sensor 13.
[0111] The band 11 is a ring-shaped member for attaching the
measurement device 10 to an attachment location (arm, finger, and
the like of the user). The user wears the measurement device 10
with his/her arm, finger, or the like passed through the band 11.
The band 11 includes a bellows portion (or accordion fold portion)
14.
[0112] The bellows portion 14 is a bellows-like section formed in a
part of the band 11. The bellows portion 14 is adapted to be
extended and contracted in the circumferential direction of the
band 11 and at least one bellows portion 14 is provided in the band
11. When the user wears the measurement device 10, the bellows
portion 14 causes the band 11 to be tightened to the attachment
location of the user. As a result, the band 11 is secured to the
attachment location of the user.
[0113] The housing 12 is secured to a part of the band 11 and the
individual components of the measurement device 10 are accommodated
therein. For example, although not shown, the battery of the
measurement device 10 and the computer device 100 realizing the
individual functional features of the measurement device 10 are
incorporated in the housing 12. As illustrated in FIG. 15, a
display device 103 of the computer device 100 is arranged on the
outer side with respect to the band 11 such that the user can view
the display device 103 while the user wears the measurement device
10.
[0114] Also, a motion information sensor 15 such as an acceleration
sensor is provided on the housing 12. The motion information sensor
15 is connected inside of the housing 12 to the computer device 100
via a wiring connection. The functional features of the motion
information measurer 1 are realized by cooperation of the motion
information sensor 15 and the computer device 100.
[0115] The SpO.sub.2 sensor 13 is a reflection-type SpO.sub.2
sensor and provided on the inner circumference side of the band 11.
As a result, when the user wears the measurement device 10, the
SpO.sub.2 sensor 13 is brought into proximity to the attachment
location of the user, so that it is made possible to measure
SpO.sub.2 by a reflected light.
[0116] Here, FIG. 16 is a diagram that illustrates an example of
the result of measurement of the reflection type SpO.sub.2 sensor.
FIG. 16(a) is the result of measurement of SpO.sub.2 measured on
the palm side of the finger whilst FIG. 16(b) is the result of
measurement of SpO.sub.2 measured on the back side of the finger.
As can be appreciated from FIG. 16, SpO.sub.2 measured on the palm
side of the finger allows for more accurate detection of the heart
rate than SpO.sub.2 measured on the back side of the finger and
leads to clear comprehension of the ratio of the extinction degrees
of the R light and the IR light. This also applies to a case where
SpO.sub.2 is measured on an arm.
[0117] As a consequence, it is preferable that the measurement
device 10 is attached such that the SpO.sub.2 sensor 13 is
positioned on the palm side of the finger or arm. It is also
preferable that the measurement device 10 is worn by the user such
that the housing 12 is positioned on the back side of the finger or
arm so as to ensure increased visibility of the display device 103.
In view of these aspects, as illustrated in FIG. 15, it is
preferable that the SpO.sub.2 sensor 13 is provided on the opposite
side of the band 11 with respect to the housing 12. By virtue of
this, it is made possible to simultaneously increase the
measurement accuracy of SpO.sub.2 and the visibility of the display
device 103.
[0118] When the SpO.sub.2 sensor 13 is arranged in this manner, the
SpO.sub.2 sensor 13 is connected to the computer device 100 via the
wiring connection provided inside of the band 11. The SpO.sub.2
measurer 5 is configured by the cooperation of the SpO.sub.2 sensor
13 and the computer device 100.
[0119] Here, FIG. 17 is a partial enlarged view that illustrates
the wiring connection 16 provided in the bellows portion 14 among
the wiring connections of the SpO.sub.2 sensor 13. Referring to
FIG. 17, the arrow indicates the direction of extension and
contraction of the bellows portion 14. As illustrated in FIG. 17,
the wiring connection 16 is provided so as to be inclined with
respect to the direction of extension and contraction of the
bellows portion 14. When the wiring connection 16 is provided in
this manner, the load acting upon the wiring connection 16 when the
bellows portion 14 is extended is reduced compared with a case
where the wiring connection 16 is provided in parallel with the
direction of extension and contraction, so that it is made possible
to prevent breakage of the wiring connection 16 due to the
extension and contraction of the bellows portion 14.
[0120] As has been described in the foregoing, according to the
measurement device 10 in accordance with this embodiment, the band
11 can be secured to the attachment location by the bellows portion
14. In other words, the SpO.sub.2 sensor 13 can be secured to the
measurement site such as an arm and finger. As a result, in
contrast to the state of the art pulse oxymeter, it is not
necessary to attach a probe at the end of the finger and movement
of the finger is not restricted by the presence of the probe when
the measurement device 10 is attached. Accordingly, in accordance
with this embodiment, the comfort at the time of attachment of the
measurement device 10 can be increased.
[0121] Next, an embodiment of biological information measurement
device (hereinafter referred to as "measurement device") is
described, which acquires utterance information or the like as the
biological information.
Fifth Embodiment
[0122] The biological information measurement device (hereinafter
referred to as "measurement device") and the biological information
measurement system (hereinafter referred to as "measurement
system") in accordance with a fifth embodiment are described with
reference to FIGS. 18 to 23. The processing device and the
measurement system in accordance with this embodiment calculate the
utterance information regarding an utterance of a user on the basis
of sound information collected by a microphone.
[0123] First, a functional configuration of the measurement device
in accordance with the fifth embodiment is described with reference
to FIG. 18. The measurement device in accordance with this
embodiment is configured by a device that can be attached to or
carried by a user such as wearable devices and smartphones. FIG. 18
is a block diagram that illustrates the functional configuration of
the measurement device.
[0124] As illustrated in FIG. 18, the measurement device includes a
motion information measurer 41, a sleep determiner 42, a first
behavior state determiner 43, an acquisition interval controller
44, a sound information acquirer 45, a voice information detector
46, a non-voice feature calculator 47, a second behavior state
determiner 48, a sound feature calculator 49, and an utterance
information calculator 50.
[0125] The motion information measurer 41 is configured to acquire
the motion information of the user. The motion information
represents, by way of example and is not limited to, acceleration
or angular velocity. The motion information measurer 41 includes a
motion information sensor adapted to detect the motion information
such as an acceleration sensor and an angular velocity sensor (gyro
sensor), and acquires the motion information from the output signal
of the motion information sensor. The motion information measurer
41 is configured to operate continuously or intermittently with
predetermined time intervals while the measurement device is
operating and acquire the motion information. Also, one or more
pieces of the motion information may be acquired by the motion
information measurer 41.
[0126] The sleep determiner 42 (feature calculator) is configured
to determine whether or not the user is sleeping on the basis of
the motion information of the user acquired by the motion
information measurer 41. The sleep determiner 42 calculates, for
example, the feature such as the body motion amount of the user
from the motion information, and is capable of determining whether
or not the user is sleeping on the basis of the calculated
feature.
[0127] The first behavior state determiner 43 is configured to
determine the behavior state of the user on the basis of the motion
information of the user acquired by the motion information measurer
41. The first behavior state determiner 43 acquires the result of
determination by the sleep determiner 42 and determines the
behavior state of the user only when the user is awake.
Accordingly, the first behavior state determiner 43 does not
operate when it has been determined by the sleep determiner 42 that
the user is sleeping.
[0128] The first behavior state determiner 43 calculates the
feature such as the body motion amount of the user, for example,
from the motion information, and determines the behavior state of
the user on the basis of the average value, variance value, maximum
value, pattern, and the like of the calculated feature. The
behavior state determined by the first behavior state determiner 43
includes, by way of example and is not limited to, sleeping,
waking, complete standstill (processing device not being attached),
walking, running, riding on a train, car, or bus, bicycling, being
aboard an airplane, being aboard a ship, swimming, playing tennis,
taking part in an individual sport, taking part in a team sport,
dining, drinking and eating, doing desk work, lying in a supine
position, and being seated.
[0129] The acquisition interval controller 44 is configured to
obtain the results of determination of the sleep determiner 42 and
the first behavior state determiner 43 from among multiple
intermittent acquisitions having different measurement intervals,
select one intermittent acquisition on the basis of the result of
determination, and control the operation of the sound information
acquirer 45 and the like. Specifically, the acquisition interval
controller 44 stops the operation of the sound information acquirer
45 when the behavior state of the user acquired from the sleep
determiner 42 and the first behavior state determiner 43 is the
non-utterance state. By virtue of this, it is made possible to
reduce the power consumption of the measurement device.
[0130] The non-utterance state is a behavior state specified in
advance in which the user does not make any utterance or a behavior
state that is not suitable for sound collection. The non-utterance
state includes, by way of example and is not limited to, sleeping,
complete standstill (processing device not being attached),
running, bicycling, swimming, playing tennis, taking part in an
individual sport, and taking part in a team sport.
[0131] In contrast, the utterance state is a behavior state
specified in advance in which the user makes an utterance or a
behavior state suitable for sound collection. The utterance state
includes, by way of example and is not limited to, waking, walking,
riding on a train, car, or bus, being aboard an airplane, being
aboard a ship, dining, drinking and eating, doing desk work, lying
in a supine position, and being seated. It should be noted that the
utterance state may be specified as a behavior state that is not
the non-utterance state.
[0132] Also, the acquisition interval controller 44 may control the
operation of at least any one of the sound information acquirer 45,
the voice information detector 46, the non-voice feature calculator
47, the second behavior state determiner 48, the sound feature
calculator 49, and the utterance information calculator 50 on the
basis of the behavior state of the user. Specifically, it is
preferable that the acquisition interval controller 44 stops the
operation of the above-described respective features if the
behavior state of the user is the non-utterance state. By virtue of
this, it is made possible to further reduce the power consumption
of the measurement device.
[0133] The sound information acquirer 45 includes a microphone and
is configured to intermittently acquire (perform intermittent
acquisition of) the sound information around the user wearing or
carrying the measurement device at predetermined time intervals.
The sound information acquired by the sound information acquirer 45
includes information of sound which is a voice of a human (voice
information) and information of sound other than voice (non-voice
information). The acquisition interval for acquisition of the sound
information by the sound information acquirer 45 can be specified
as appropriate such as one-second interval and one minute interval.
It should be noted that the sound information acquirer 45 may
include an AD converter, a filter, an amplifier, and the like.
[0134] Here, FIG. 19 is a diagram that illustrates an example of
the operation of the sound information acquirer 45. Referring to
FIG. 19, the acquisition interval controller 44 controls the
operation of the sound information acquirer 45 by controlling
turning on and off of the microphone. Also, "running" and
"sleeping" are specified as the non-utterance states, and the
acquisition interval controller 44 turns the microphone off when
the user is running or sleeping. Movement speed or movement
intensity may be used to discriminate running from walking. When
the sound information acquirer 45 is controlled in this manner, the
microphone can be turned off in the intervals indicated by the
dotted lines in FIG. 19. Accordingly, it is made possible to reduce
the power consumption of the measurement device compared with a
case where the microphone is simply intermittently operated. It
should be noted that, when the behavior state is specified in
accordance with the range of the feature such as the body motion
amount as illustrated in FIG. 19, the acquisition interval
controller 44 may control the operation of the sound information
acquirer 45 in accordance with the feature.
[0135] The voice information detector 46 is configured to detect
the voice information from the sound information acquired by the
sound information acquirer 45. The voice information detector 46
detects the voice information, for example, by voice activity
detection (VAD). The sound information consists of the voice
information and the non-voice information. Accordingly, when the
voice information detector 46 detects the voice information, the
sound information other than the voice information is detected as
the non-voice information.
[0136] The non-voice feature calculator 47 calculates the feature
of the non-voice information detected by the voice information
detector 46 (hereinafter referred to as "non-voice feature"). The
non-voice feature includes, by way of example and is not limited to
pitch, frequency, intensity, envelope, sound spectrogram, and the
like of voice. The non-voice feature is selected in accordance with
the behavior state determined by the second behavior state
determiner 48.
[0137] The second behavior state determiner 48 determines the
behavior state of the user on the basis of the non-voice feature
calculated by the non-voice feature calculator 47. Specifically,
the second behavior state determiner 48 determines the behavior
state of the user from the sounds around the user. For example, "A
Real-time Living Activity Recognition System by Using Sensors on a
Mobile Phone" (Ouchi et al., Journal of Information Processing
Society of Japan (June, 2012) or the like is relied on. The
behavior state determined by the second behavior state determiner
48 includes, but is not limited to, cleaning a bathroom, opening
and closing a refrigerator, brushing teeth, vacuuming, watching TV,
shaving, using a hair dryer, ironing, and washing dishes.
[0138] The sound feature calculator 49 is configured to calculate
the feature of the voice information detected by the voice
information detector 46 (hereinafter referred to as "sound
feature"). The sound feature includes, by way of example and is not
limited to, frequency, intensity, and sound spectrogram. The sound
feature is selected in accordance with the utterance information
calculated by the utterance information utterance information
calculator 50.
[0139] The utterance information calculator 50 is configured to
calculate utterance information on the basis of the sound feature
calculated by the sound feature calculator 49. The utterance
information includes, but is not limited to, a user utterance
amount and a user utterance time.
[0140] The utterance information calculator 50 may store in
advance, for example, an acoustic model generated from the feature
of the voice of the user and carry out detection of voice intervals
for the utterances of the user from the voice information on the
basis of the acoustic model. For example, "Speaker Change Detection
and Speaker Clustering Using VQ Distortion Measure" (Nakagawa et
al., Journal of Institute of Electronics, Information and
Communication Engineers D-II (November 2002) or the like may be
relied on to carry out discrimination of speakers based on the
feature and the acoustic model to determine whether or not any
other person is included or only the utterances of the user
himself/herself is included, and thereby separates the speaker's
voice activities from each other. By virtue of this, voice
information can be classified into the utterances of the user and
the utterances of a person or persons other than the user (other
persons). In this case, the utterance information calculator 50 may
calculate the user utterance amount, the user utterance time, the
utterance amount of the other person(s), the utterance time of the
other person(s), conversation time, and proportion of the
utterances of the user as the utterance information.
[0141] Also, the utterance information calculator 50 may store the
acoustic models of the user for each behavior state of the user.
Such acoustic models include, for example, an acoustic model of the
user who is on the phone, an acoustic model of the user having
face-to-face conversations with someone, and an acoustic model of
the user watching TV. Since a distinctive aspect of watching TV is
that it involves various music sounds and sound effects, the
acoustic model is created using these features. By using the
acoustic models created on a per-behavior-state basis, it is made
possible to acquire the states in which the user made his/her
utterance (e.g., having conversations and speaking to
himself/herself).
[0142] Next, a hardware configuration of the measurement device in
accordance with the fifth embodiment is described with reference to
FIG. 20. The measurement device in accordance with this embodiment
includes a computer device. Output signals of the motion
information sensor, the microphone, and the like are input to the
computer device and subjected to a predetermined process or
processes. FIG. 20 is a block diagram that illustrates the
configuration of the computer device.
[0143] As illustrated in FIG. 20, the computer device includes a
central processing unit (CPU) 101, an input interface 102, a
display device 103, a communication device 104, a main storage
device 105, and an external storage device 106, which are
interconnected via a bus 107.
[0144] The CPU 101 executes a voice information processing program
(hereinafter referred to as "processing program") in the main
storage device 105. The above-described respective functional
features are implemented by the CPU 101 executing the processing
program.
[0145] In this embodiment, it is preferable that the computer
device includes two CPUs 101, i.e., the first processor P1 and the
second processor P2. As illustrated in FIG. 18, the first processor
P1 is a CPU that configures the sleep determiner 42, the first
behavior state determiner 43, and the acquisition interval
controller 44 whilst the second processor P2 is a CPU that
configures the voice information detector 46, the non-voice feature
calculator 47, the second behavior state determiner 48, the sound
feature calculator 49, and the utterance information calculator
50.
[0146] By virtue of this configuration, when the behavior state of
the user is the non-utterance state, the acquisition interval
controller 44 is allowed to stop the operation of the second
processor P2. As a result, it is made possible to effectively
reduce the power consumption by configuring all the functional
features by one single CPU 101 compared with a case where processes
of the individual functional features configuration are
stopped.
[0147] The input interface 102 is used to input operation signals
from an input device such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a touch panel
into the processing device. The scheme of the input interface 102
includes, by way of example and is not limited to, USB and
Ethernet. The motion information sensor, the microphone, and the
like may be connected to the computer device via the input
interface 102.
[0148] The display device 103 is configured to display videos based
on the video signals output from the processing device. The display
device is, by way of example and is not limited to, a liquid
crystal display (LCD), a cathode-ray tube (CRT), and a plasma
display panel (PDP). The utterance information and information such
as the behavior state acquired by the computer device can be
displayed by the display device 103.
[0149] The communication device 104 is a device for the computer
device to perform wired or wireless communications with external
devices. The utterance information and information such as the
behavior state acquired by the computer device can be transmitted
to the external device or devices via the communication device 104.
The external devices include, by way of example and are not limited
to, a smartphone and a server. The output signals of the motion
information sensor, the microphone, and the like may be input to
the computer device via the communication device 104.
[0150] The main storage device 105 is configured to store, when the
processing program is executed, the processing program, data
necessary for execution of the processing program, data generated
by the execution of the processing program, and the like. The
processing program is deployed onto the main storage device 105 and
thus executed. The main storage device 105 includes, by way of
example and is not limited to, RAM, DRAM, and SRAM.
[0151] The external storage device 106 is configured to store the
processing program, the data necessary for execution of the
processing program, the data generated by the execution of the
processing program, and the like. The program and the data are read
out into the main storage device 105 when the processing program is
executed. The external storage device 106 includes, by way of
example and is not limited to, a hard disc, an optical disc, flash
memory, and a magnetic tape.
[0152] It should be noted that the processing program may be
installed in advance onto the computer device or stored in a
storage medium such as CD-ROM. Also, the processing program
uploaded to the Internet may be downloaded as required.
[0153] Next, the operation of the measurement device in accordance
with this embodiment is specifically described with reference to
FIG. 21. It is assumed in the following explanations that the
motion information is acceleration and that the body motion amount
is calculated from the acceleration as the feature. Meanwhile, as
has been discussed in the foregoing, the motion information and its
feature are not limited to them. FIG. 21 is a flowchart that
illustrates the operation of the measurement device.
[0154] As illustrated in FIG. 21, when the processing of the sound
information by the measurement device is started, then initial
settings are made to the acquisition interval of the sound
information and the like in the step S1. The processing of the
measurement device is, for example, started at the timing at which
the power supply of the measurement device is turned on or upon
reception of the start signal from the user.
[0155] Next, the motion information measurer 41 acquires the
acceleration of the user in the step S2. Specifically, the motion
information measurer 41 calculates the acceleration of the user
from the output signal of the acceleration sensor. The acceleration
sensor is, by way of example and not limited to, a uniaxial,
biaxial, or triaxial acceleration sensor.
[0156] In the step S3, the sleep determiner 42 calculates the body
motion amount of the user from the acceleration acquired by the
motion information measurer 41. The sleep determiner 42 calculates,
as the body motion amount, for example, a two-axis or three-axis
composite acceleration, the average value of the composite
acceleration, or the number of times of the composite acceleration
exceeding a particular threshold. The sleep determiner 42
determines whether or not the user is sleeping on the basis of the
calculated body motion amount. The result of determination is
transmitted to the acquisition interval controller 44. When the
user is sleeping (YES in the step S3), the process goes to the step
S4. When the user is awake (NO in the step S3), the process goes to
the step S6.
[0157] When the user is sleeping, the acquisition interval
controller 44 turns the microphone off in the step S4 and thereby
stops the operation of the sound information acquirer 45. Also, the
acquisition interval controller 44 stops the operation of the
second processor P2. Specifically, the acquisition interval
controller 44 stops the operation of the voice information detector
46, the non-voice feature calculator 47, the second behavior state
determiner 48, the sound feature calculator 49, and the utterance
information calculator 50.
[0158] After that, the measurement device determines whether or not
the processing should be terminated in the step S5. The processing
by the measurement device is terminated, for example, at the timing
at which the power supply of the measurement device is turned off
or upon reception of an end signal from the user (YES in the step
S5). When the processing is not terminated (NO in the step S5), the
process goes back to the step S2.
[0159] In contrast, if the user is awake, the first behavior state
determiner 43 calculates the body motion amount of the user from
the acceleration acquired by the motion information measurer 41 in
the step S6, and determines the behavior state of the user on the
basis of the body motion amount. The result of determination is
transmitted to the acquisition interval controller 44.
[0160] In the step S7, the acquisition interval controller 44
determines whether or not the behavior state of the user is a
non-utterance state. When the behavior state of the user is a
non-utterance state (YES in the step S7), the process goes to the
step S4. When behavior state of the user is not a non-utterance
state (NO in the step S7), the process goes to the step S8.
[0161] In the step S8, the sound information acquirer 45 acquires
the sound information at a predetermined acquisition timing.
Specifically, the sound information acquirer 45 collects sounds by
the microphone, subjects the output signal of the microphone to a
predetermined process or processes such as AD conversion, and
generates the sound information.
[0162] Next, in the step S9, the voice information detector 46
detects voice information from the sound information. When the
voice information has been detected by the voice information
detector 46 (YES in the step S10), the process goes to the step
S11. When the voice information has not been detected (NO in the
step S10), the process goes to the step S13.
[0163] When the voice information has been detected, the sound
feature calculator 49 calculates the sound feature from the voice
information in the step S11.
[0164] In addition, in the step S12, the utterance information
calculator 50 determines the speaker from the sound feature, and
calculates the utterance information such as the user's utterance
time and the utterance amount as well as the utterance time and the
utterance amount of a third party. The utterance information
obtained in accordance with the above processing is displayed, for
example, on the display device 103. After that, the process goes to
the step S5.
[0165] In contrast, when the voice information has not been
detected, the non-voice feature calculator 47 calculates the
non-voice feature from the non-voice information in the step
S13.
[0166] In addition, the second behavior state determiner 48
determines the behavior state of the user from the non-voice
feature in the step S14. The behavior state of the user thus
obtained is displayed, for example, on the display device 103.
After that, the process goes to the step S5.
[0167] The measurement device repeats the above processing steps S1
to S14 for each acquisition interval of the sound information until
the processing is completed.
[0168] As has been described in the foregoing, according to the
measurement device in accordance with this embodiment, the
microphone intermittently operates and the microphone does not
operate when the behavior state of the user is the non-utterance
state. Here, the power consumption of the measurement device is
discussed.
[0169] For example, in the case of computer device (including the
motion information sensor) that is capable of operating for
fourteen days with a 200 mAh battery, the power consumed by the
computer device is 595 .mu.A per hour (=200 mAh/14 days.times.24
hours). It is supposed here that the measurement device is
configured by this computer device and a microphone whose power
consumption is 700 .mu.A. If the microphone is continuously
operated, the operating time of the measurement device will be 6.43
days.
[0170] In contrast, if the microphone is only intermittently
operated for a 1/5 hour, the operating time of the measurement
device will be 11.33 days. When the operation of the microphone is
stopped while the user is sleeping and the sleeping time is 8 hours
per day, then the operating time of the measurement device will be
12.10 days. When the operation of the microphone is stopped at the
time of the non-utterance state during waking, the operating time
of the measurement device will be further made longer than 12.10
days.
[0171] In this manner, according to this embodiment, the power
consumption of the measurement device can be reduced and the
operating time can be extended. By virtue of this, it is made
possible to achieve downsizing of the battery and the measurement
device.
[0172] Also, the measurement device in accordance with this
embodiment is capable of readily continuously acquiring utterance
information such as the user's utterance time, utterance amount,
and the conversation time. The utterance information acquired by
the measurement device can be used in mental healthcare and
prevention of dementia for elderly people.
[0173] Although, the non-voice feature calculator 47 and the sound
feature calculator 49 operate in a mutually exclusive manner in the
above explanations, they may operate simultaneously when the sound
information includes both the voice activity and the non-voice
activity.
[0174] Further, the measurement device may include a stress
estimator 51 configured to estimate stress of the user on the basis
of the utterance information calculated by the utterance
information calculator 50. The stress estimator 51 may estimate the
stress of the user from the utterance information only or may
estimate the stress of the user by correcting, by the utterance
information, the stress estimated by autonomic nerve analysis using
the number of pulses obtained from a not-shown photoelectric pulse
wave sensor and a heart rate obtained from an electrocardiogram
sensor.
[0175] In the above explanations, descriptions have been made based
on the case where the measurement device is configured by one
single device. Meanwhile, the measurement device can be configured
as a measurement system 200 constituted by multiple devices. Here,
the measurement system 200 in accordance with this embodiment is
described with reference to FIGS. 22 and 23. FIG. 22 is a schematic
configuration diagram that illustrates an example of the
measurement system 200 in accordance with this embodiment.
[0176] As illustrated in FIG. 22, the measurement system 200
includes a sensor node terminal 201, a host terminal 202, and a
server 203. The sensor node terminal 201, the host terminal 202,
and the server 203 are interconnected by wired or wireless
connection so that communications can be performed among them.
[0177] The sensor node terminal 201 (biological information
measurement device) is by way of example a wearable terminal of
finger ring type, bracelet type, sticker type, or the like and
configured to acquire the motion information of the user, sound
information around the user, and/or other relevant information. As
illustrated in FIG. 23, the sensor node terminal 201 includes the
motion information measurer 41, the sleep determiner 42, the first
behavior state determiner 43, the acquisition interval controller
44, the sound information acquirer 45, the sound information
detector 46, the non-voice feature calculator 47, and the sound
feature calculator 49. The sensor node terminal 201 transmits to
the host terminal 202 a non-voice feature calculated by the
non-voice feature calculator 47 and the sound feature calculated by
the sound feature calculator 49.
[0178] The host terminal 202 is by way of example a smartphone, on
which an application that calculates the utterance information is
installed. As illustrated in FIG. 23, the host terminal 202
includes the second behavior state determiner 48 and the utterance
information calculator 50. The host terminal 202 acquires the
utterance information and the behavior state of the user on the
basis of the voice information and the non-voice information
received from the sensor node terminal 201 and transmits them to
the server 203.
[0179] The server 203 is by way of example a cloud server that
provides health care services. As illustrated in FIG. 23, the
server 203 includes a stress estimator 51. The server 203 stores
the behavior state and the utterance information received from the
host terminal 202 and estimates the stress of the user from the
utterance information. The server 203 transmits to the host
terminal 202 pieces of information such as history information of
the stored behavior state and utterance information, the estimated
stress, and the advice for the user.
[0180] As has been described in the foregoing, according to the
sensor node terminal 201 in accordance with this embodiment, the
microphone intermittently operates and the microphone does not
operate when the behavior state of the user is the non-utterance
state. Accordingly, according to this embodiment, it is made
possible to reduce the power consumption of the sensor node
terminal 201, thereby ensuring a longer operating time. By virtue
of this, it is also made possible to achieve downsizing of the
battery and the sensor node terminal 201.
[0181] It should be noted that the functional features of the
sensor node terminal 201, the host terminal 202, and the server 203
of the measurement system 200 in accordance with this embodiment
are not limited to those of FIG. 23. For example, the voice
information detector 46, the non-voice feature calculator 47, and
the sound feature calculator 49 may be provided not in the sensor
node terminal 201 but in the host terminal 202. Also, the stress
estimator 51 may be provided not in the server 203 but in the host
terminal 202. Further, the host terminal 202 may not be provided
and the server 203 may include the second behavior state determiner
48 and the utterance information calculator 50.
Sixth Embodiment
[0182] The measurement device in accordance with a sixth embodiment
is described with reference to FIGS. 24 and 25. FIG. 24 is a block
diagram that illustrates a functional configuration of the
measurement device in accordance with this embodiment. As
illustrated in FIG. 24, the measurement device includes the voice
information detector 46 that controls the sound information
acquirer 45 and further includes an emotion recognizer 52. The
remaining features are the same as those in the fifth
embodiment.
[0183] In this embodiment, when the voice information detector has
detected the voice information from the sound information, the
voice information detector 46 shortens the acquisition interval of
the sound information by the sound information acquirer 45 compared
with a case where the voice information is not detected. By virtue
of this, the voice information when the user makes an utterance can
be efficiently acquired.
[0184] The emotion recognizer 52 is configured to carry out emotion
recognition of the user's emotion on the basis of the sound feature
for the emotion recognition calculated by the sound feature
calculator 49. The emotion recognizer 52 assigns to the voice
information labels such as delight, anger, sorrow, and pleasure of
the user; the level of excitement; and forcefulness of the voice.
For example, with regard to forcefulness of voice, "Examination
Regarding Voice Forcefulness Parameter Focusing on Waveform
Features" (Sugiura et al, Journal of the Acoustical Society of
Japan (September 2008) or the like may be relied on. It is
preferable that the emotion recognizer 52 is configured by the
second processor P2.
[0185] Next, the operation of the measurement device in accordance
with this embodiment is described with reference to FIG. 25. FIG.
25 is a flowchart that illustrates the operation of the measurement
device in accordance with this embodiment. As illustrated in FIG.
25, the operation of the measurement device in accordance with this
embodiment further includes the steps S15, S16, and S17. The
remaining processing steps are the same as those in the fifth
embodiment.
[0186] In this embodiment, when the voice information has been
detected from the sound information (YES in the step S10), the
process goes to the step S16. In the step S16, the sound
information detector 6 controls the acquisition interval of the
sound information by the sound information acquirer 45 such that
the acquisition interval is set to the short acquisition interval
for the case where the voice information is detected.
[0187] In addition, after the sound feature calculator 49 has
calculated the sound feature (step S11), the emotion recognizer 52
carries out emotion recognition of the emotion of the user from the
calculated sound feature in the step S17, and the process goes to
the step S12.
[0188] In contrast, when the voice information has not been
detected from the sound information (NO in the step S10), the
process goes to the step S15. In the step S15, the sound
information detector 6 controls the acquisition interval of the
sound information by the sound information acquirer 45 such that
the acquisition interval is set to the long acquisition interval
for the case where the voice information is not detected (a case
where non-voice information is detected). After that, the process
goes to the step S13.
[0189] As has been described in the foregoing, when the voice
information has been detected, the measurement device in accordance
with this embodiment shortens the acquisition interval of the sound
information. By virtue of this, the voice information can be
efficiently acquired. Also, recognition of the emotion of the user
can be carried out by the emotion recognizer 52.
[0190] It should be noted in this embodiment that the processing of
the step S16 can be performed at any appropriate timing anywhere in
the section from the step S10 to the step S5 when the voice
information has been detected from the sound information. Also, the
processing of the step S17 can be performed at any appropriate
timing anywhere in the section from the step S11 to the step
S5.
[0191] Further, the measurement system 200 in accordance with this
embodiment may include the host terminal 202 that includes the
emotion recognizer 52 or the server 203 that includes the emotion
recognizer.
Seventh Embodiment
[0192] The measurement device in accordance with the seventh
embodiment is described with reference to FIG. 26. FIG. 26 is a
block diagram that illustrates the functional configuration of the
measurement device in accordance with this embodiment. As
illustrated in FIG. 26, the measurement device further includes a
sleep state determiner 53 and a snoring detector 54. The remaining
features are the same as those in the fifth embodiment.
[0193] The sleep state determiner 53 is configured to determine the
depth of the user's sleep on the basis of the motion information of
the user acquired by the motion information measurer 41. The sleep
state determiner 53 by way of example calculates the feature such
as the body motion amount of the user from the motion information
and can determine whether the sleep of the user is shallow or deep
on the basis of the calculated feature.
[0194] The sleep state determiner 53 acquires the result of
determination of the sleep determiner 42 and determines the depth
of the user's sleep only when the user is sleeping. Accordingly,
the sleep state determiner 53 does not operate when it has been
determined by the sleep determiner 42 that the user is awake. It is
preferable that the sleep state determiner 53 is configured by the
first processor P1.
[0195] In the fifth embodiment, the acquisition interval controller
44 stops the sound information acquirer 45 and the second processor
P2 when the user is sleeping. Meanwhile, in this embodiment, the
acquisition interval controller 44 causes the sound information
acquirer 45, the voice information detector 46, the sound feature
calculator 49, and the snoring detector 54 to operate when the
sleep state determiner 53 has determined that the user's sleep is
shallow though the user is sleeping.
[0196] The snoring detector 54 is configured to detect snoring of
the user on the basis of the sound feature for the sound feature
calculator 49 to detect the calculated snoring. As such a sound
feature, formant frequency, envelope, peak frequency, and the like
may be mentioned. It is preferable that the snoring detector 54 is
configured by the second processor P2.
[0197] Next, the operation of the measurement device in accordance
with this embodiment is described with reference to FIG. 27. FIG.
27 is a flowchart that illustrates the operation of the measurement
device in accordance with this embodiment. As illustrated in FIG.
27, the operation of the processing device in accordance with this
embodiment further includes the steps S18 to S23. The remaining
processing steps are the same as those in the fifth embodiment.
[0198] In this embodiment, when the user is sleeping (YES in the
step S3), the process goes to the step S18. In the step S18, the
sleep state determiner 53 determines the depth of the sleep of the
user. When the sleep of the user is deep (YES in the step S18), the
process goes to the step S4. When the sleep of the user is shallow
(NO in the step S18), the process goes to the step S19.
[0199] In the step S19, the sound information acquirer 45 acquires
the sound information at a predetermined acquisition timing.
Specifically, the sound information acquirer 45 collects sounds by
the microphone, subjects the output signal of the microphone to a
predetermined process or processes such as AD conversion, and
generates the sound information.
[0200] Next, in the step S20, the voice information detector 46
detects voice information from the sound information. When the
voice information has not been detected by the voice information
detector 46 (NO in the step S21), the process goes to the step S5.
When the voice information has been detected (YES in the step S21),
the process goes to the step S22.
[0201] When the voice information has been detected, the sound
feature calculator 49 calculates the sound feature for detecting
snoring from the voice information in the step S22.
[0202] In addition, the snoring detector 54 detects snoring from
the sound feature in the step S23. After that, the process goes to
the step S5.
[0203] As has been described in the foregoing, the measurement
device in accordance with this embodiment detects the snoring of
the user from the sound feature when the user's sleep is shallow. A
patient of sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) snores using his/her vocal
cord. As a result, diagnosis of sleep apnea syndrome can be
performed by using the measurement device in accordance with this
embodiment to detect snoring of the user and collect the sounds of
the snoring.
[0204] It should be noted that the measurement system 200 in
accordance with this embodiment may include the host terminal 202
that includes the snoring detector 54 or the server 203 that
includes the snoring detector 54.
[0205] The present invention is not limited to the above described
embodiments as they are, and constituent elements can be
substantiated with deformation within a range not deviating from
the gist thereof in a practical phase. Various inventions can be
formed by appropriate combinations of the plurality of constituent
elements disclosed in the above described embodiments. For example,
some constituent elements can be deleted from all the constituent
elements shown in the embodiments, and the elements across the
different embodiments can be appropriately combined.
* * * * *