JP2005287656A - Acupuncture treatment training system using force tactile sense - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve acupuncture treatment skill by enabling a trainee to determine whether the angle, speed, strength, and depth of an acupuncture needle (needle body) which is stabbed into an acupuncture point are appropriate or not. <P>SOLUTION: The training system comprises a computer system 5 creating the acupuncture point of a human body and the needle body in a virtual space, making them to be able to be displayed, and memorizing the basic technique of acupuncture treatment to stimulates the acupuncture point with the needle body; an operation means 8 operating the needle body; a force tactile sense acquisition means 9 acquiring force tactile sense information from the operation of the operation means 8; a force tactile sense memorizing means M1 memorizing expert's force tactile information acquired by the force tactile sense acquisition means 9; and a band determination means 4 determining a band to show a range in which the force tactile sense information is concentrated on the basis of the expert's force tactile sense information memorized in the force tactile sense memory means M1. The training system displays a training process of the acupuncture treatment to stimulate the acupuncture point with the needle body based on the force tactile sense information acquired when an operator T operates the operation means 8, and varies the visualized mode of the force tactile sense information according to the situation whether the treatment is performed within a determined band or not. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an acupuncture training system using force and tactile sensation configured such that a trainee can operate an operation means to perform acupuncture training in which a virtual acupuncture needle is used to stimulate a virtual acupuncture point.

  Acupuncture is a typical oriental medicine practice that was born in ancient China and has undergone a unique development. The acupuncture treatment is a treatment method for stimulating a predetermined acupoint corresponding to a disease or symptom with an acupuncture needle (needle) for the purpose of enhancing human natural healing power. Acupuncture points, also called “points”, are at the heart of the meridians. The acupuncture points are places of the human body to strike the heel, and there are hundreds of places throughout the body. The meridian “meridian” means a meridian, and the “medium” means a connection between the meridian and the meridian or a thin meridian other than the meridian. Since it has been found that there is a certain relationship between illness (or symptoms) and acupuncture points (or meridians), it is very important to choose a suitable acupoint to cure the illness.

It is known that acupuncture points do not exist randomly in the human body, but exist in order along a certain meridian. Each acupuncture point that exists from the tip of the head to the sole of the foot has a name, and each acupuncture point is associated with each organ of the human body. However, acupuncture points do not actually have holes, are not marked, and are very small points. Therefore, those who are going to learn acupuncture from now on have a hard time figuring out which name has an acupuncture point at which position in the human body. In order to alleviate this difficulty, a light display element that represents the position of an acupuncture point is conventionally provided on the surface of a doll model that imitates the human body, and acupoints (including names) and meridians can be acquired by turning on the light display element. A technique is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 1).
JP 2003-310707 A (page 3-4, FIG. 1-2)

  However, even if it is possible to learn which name acupuncture point exists at which position in the human body, in order to cure the disease or symptom, it is necessary to perform a treatment to stimulate the matching acupuncture point with acupuncture needle (needle). It is possible to perform a surgical training using a doll, a mannequin, or the like, but it is impossible to determine whether the angle, speed, strength, and depth of the heel (needle) to be inserted into the acupuncture point are appropriate. Therefore, when actually treating a patient, the treatment with acupuncture (needle) became inappropriate, and the therapeutic effect as expected could not be seen, which hindered the improvement of acupuncture .

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and improves acupuncture by making it possible to determine whether the angle, speed, strength, and depth of an acupuncture needle (needle) to be inserted into an acupuncture point are appropriate. In order to achieve this, an acupuncture training system using a force-tactile sensation configured to perform acupuncture training that stimulates a virtual acupuncture point with a virtual needle body is provided.

(1) Means for solving a problem (hereinafter, simply referred to as “solution means”) 1 is a schematic representation of a human acupuncture point and a needle as shown in FIG. A computer device 5 configured to be capable of storing a basic technique of acupuncture for stimulating the acupuncture point with the needle,
Operating means 8 for operating the needle body;
Force / tactile sense acquisition means 9 for acquiring force / tactile information by operation of the operation means 8;
Force / tactile sense storage means M1 for storing force / tactile sense information of a skilled person (for example, a skilled practitioner such as Dr. Tsuji) acquired by the force / tactile sense obtaining means 9;
Band determining means 4 for determining a band representing a range in which the force / haptic information is concentrated based on the force / haptic information of the skilled person stored in the force / haptic storage means M1;
Based on the force / tactile information acquired by the force / tactile sense acquisition means 9 when the operator T operates the operation means 8, the acupuncture training process for stimulating the acupuncture point with the needle body is displayed, and the band The gist is that the visualization form of the force / tactile force information is made different depending on whether or not the treatment is performed within the band determined by the determination means 4.

  According to the solution 1, the computer device 5 creates the acupuncture points and needles of the human body in the virtual space, so that the acupuncture points and needles (鍼) that can be seen through the display 2 by the operator T, skilled personnel, etc. Both are virtual.

  First, a skilled person operates the operating means 8 as the operator T, and virtually performs a treatment for stimulating the acupuncture point with a needle. The force / tactile sensation information obtained by the operation is acquired by the force / tactile sensation acquisition unit 9 and the acquired force / tactile sensation information is stored in the force / tactile sensation storage unit M1. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the force / tactile information corresponds to one or more pieces of information among an angle θ, a velocity V, a force F, a depth D, etc. Accordingly, the operator T can determine in real time what angle, speed, strength, depth, etc., the needle body operated through the operating means 8 has.

  Based on the force / tactile sense information of the skilled person stored in the force / tactile sense storage means M1, the band determining means 4 is a band representing a range where force / tactile information is concentrated (a so-called safety zone, and hereinafter simply referred to as “force degree band”). .) The determination method is arbitrary. For example, the range in which the number of times of force / tactile information expressed in a graph or the like is concentrated may be determined by visual observation. If force / tactile information follows a normal distribution, the average value ± σ, You may determine in the range shown by value +/- 2 (sigma), average value +/- 3 (sigma) ((sigma) means a standard deviation).

  Next, when the trainee operates the operating means 8 as the operator T, the acupuncture training for stimulating the acupuncture points with the needles in the virtual space is performed. Specifically, the computer device 5 displays a process of inserting / removing a needle into / from a human acupuncture point in the virtual space or stimulating it on the display 2 based on the virtual reality technology. Further, the computer device 5 determines that the force, direction, etc. exerted on the operation means 8 are within the force band based on the information on the force applied to the operation means 8 (that is, the force / tactile information acquired by the force / haptic acquisition means 9). Depending on whether or not the force haptic information is visualized, the visualization form is changed. As an example of changing the visualization form depending on the color, if the trainee's force / tactile information is in the safety zone, it is displayed in green, and if not, it is displayed in another color (red, blue, etc.). Other visualization forms include the length of a vector (including a simple line segment), numerical information display, graphic display, and the like. The trainer (operator T) who has recognized the content of the force / tactile information can easily grasp at a glance how much force is applied to handle the needle.

The basic techniques for acupuncture include needle entry (inserting the tip of the needle body from the epidermis layer to the dermis layer), piercing (pulling the needle body upward or inserting it downward), twisting (grabbing the needle body) And moving up and down), staying needle (putting a certain time after piercing the acupuncture point), taking out the needle (extracting the needle body subcutaneously) and the like. All of these basic techniques may be stored, and one or more arbitrarily selected basic techniques may be stored. In addition, since the angle, speed, strength, and depth of the needle entry differ depending on the position of the acupuncture point, illness, etc., it is desirable to store such information.
Whether or not an operation suitable for each technique (that is, treatment training) is performed can be easily understood because the force / tactile information is visualized. The trainer (operator T) can understand how much force and in which direction the force should be applied to stimulate the acupoint with the needle. Acupuncture training can be virtually repeated, so that acupuncture can be improved. Since dolls and mannequins are not required as in the past, training costs can be reduced.

  A needle body (acupuncture) generally used in acupuncture treatment is mainly referred to as “acupuncture needle” and has a diameter of about 0.2 millimeters and a length of about 4 to 5 centimeters. Considering the disease, symptoms, body type, age, gender, etc., use an acupuncture needle with an appropriate diameter and length. For this reason, it is desirable to prepare a needle body suitable for the symptom, body type, age, sex, etc., that is, a needle body combining a plurality of diameters and a plurality of lengths in the virtual space. When the needle is inserted into the acupuncture point, the patient feels numbness, swelling, dullness, etc., called “sounding”. When the crack reaches the painful site through the meridians, it improves the natural healing power and relieves symptoms.

(2) The solution means 2 is an acupuncture training system utilizing the force-tactile sensation described in the solution means 1, and the computer device 5 includes a relation storage means M2 for storing the meridian points and meridians in the human body in relation to each other. The gist is that the meridian for the acupuncture points stored in the relation storage means M2 is presented to clarify the organ that acts, and the acupuncture training for stimulating the acupuncture points with the needles can be performed.

  According to the solution means 2, the memorizing point and meridian in the human body are stored in the relationship storage means M2. When performing training for stimulating acupuncture points with needles, meridians for acupuncture points are presented, and the organs that act by stimulation are clarified, so the trainer (operator T) can learn meridians and organs through acupuncture training Can also learn. In addition, if it comprises so that the name for every acupuncture point may be displayed, the said name can also be learned now through training.

(3) Solution means 3 is a learning and training system for acupuncture using the force-tactile sensation described in Solution means 1 or 2, and is a database DB for registering a disease or symptom and acupuncture points in association with computer apparatus 5 And acupuncture points suitable for curing diseases or symptoms registered in the database DB, and acupuncture training for stimulating the acupuncture points with a needle body.

According to the solution 3, the disease or symptom and acupuncture points are registered in the database DB in association with each other. When the trainee (operator T) inputs a disease or symptom, the database DB is searched based on the input disease or the like, and the searched acupuncture points are presented. Thus, the trainer can learn the optimal acupoints to cure the disease or symptoms through acupuncture training.
In this example, an acupuncture point is searched based on a disease or symptom, but conversely, a disease or symptom can also be searched based on an acupuncture point. Therefore, it is also possible to learn through the training which disease or symptom is effective for the acupuncture point that performs training with stimulation with a needle.

(4) The solving means 4 is an acupuncture learning training system using the force-tactile sensation described in any one of the solving means 1 to 3, wherein the computer device 5 includes a region and a needle represented by a predetermined range in the acupuncture point The contact detection means 6 for detecting contact with the body, and whether the contact between the part and the needle body is detected by the contact detection means 6 when the needle body has reached a depth reaching the part is notified. The gist is to have different notification means 7.

  It can be seen that stimulating acupuncture needles by reaching the acupuncture points represented within a predetermined range (hereinafter simply referred to as “stimulation site”) increases human natural healing power and improves the disease or symptom. ing. The stimulation site is extremely small, and the depth, size, and the like vary depending on the acupuncture point. According to the solution means 4, when the needle body entered to a depth at which the needle body operated by the trainee (operator T) reaches the stimulation site, whether or not the stimulation site and the needle body are contacted by the contact detection unit 6. However, the content notified by the notification means 7 is varied. The detection of the contact is determined by, for example, whether or not the tip position of the needle body has reached a predetermined part of the solid model. For the notification, for example, a sound (for example, a sound, a sound effect, etc.) is output, or a figure, an image, a character, or the like is displayed. When the contact is made specifically, the notification means 7 notifies that the needle has been properly inserted, punctured, or the like. If no contact is made, the patient is informed of the pain. If the operation means 8 is operated to that extent, it can be seen whether the needle body reaches the stimulation site or is stimulated. Therefore, the trainer improves the accuracy of the acupuncture treatment by repeatedly performing the training.

(5) The solving means 5 is an acupuncture learning training system using the force / tactile sensation described in any one of the solution means 1 to 4, and when the force / haptic information is visualized in a vector expression, The gist is to change the form of the vector according to the magnitude of the force sense of touch.

  According to the solving means 5, the computer device 5 changes the form of the vector in accordance with the content of the force / tactile information (that is, the needle body angle θ, velocity V, force F, depth D, etc.). The form of the vector only needs to allow the operator T to recognize the change, and corresponds to, for example, length, thickness, color, and the like. For example, if the operating force increases, the vector is lengthened or thickened, or gradually changed from blue to red. Conversely, if the operating force is reduced, the vector is shortened, made thinner, or gradually changed from red to blue. The same applies when the direction of the operating force changes. The trainer (operator T) who has recognized that the vector form has changed can determine in real time whether the magnitude, direction, and the like of the force applied when stimulating the acupuncture point with the needle are appropriate.

(6) The solving means 6 is an acupuncture learning training system using the force-tactile sensation described in any one of the solving means 1 to 5, and includes a posture detecting means 1 for detecting the posture of the operator T. The gist is to display the acupuncture points and needles visible to the operator T based on the posture detected by the posture detection means 1.

  When the posture of the operator T (especially the posture of the head) changes, the angle at which the acupuncture point (or human body) or the needle body is viewed also changes, so the appearance changes. According to the solution means 6, the posture detection means 1 detects the posture of the operator T. In the example shown in FIG. 1, a magnetic sensor device 3 having a magnetic generator 3a for generating magnetism and a magnetic sensor 3b attached to the head of the operator T is used. That is, since the current flows when the magnetic sensor 3b is placed in the magnetic field generated by the magnetic generator 3a, the posture detection means 1 determines the posture of the operator T (in this example, the position of the head and the rotation angle) from the intensity of the current. Etc.). The computer device 5 displays acupuncture points, needles, and the like that are visible to the operator T based on the posture detected by the posture detection means 1. Therefore, treatment training can be performed in the same way as when treating an actual patient. In this example, the posture of the operator T is detected by the magnetic sensor device 3, but the posture of the operator T may be detected by another device (for example, an optical sensor device using infrared light, laser light, or the like). .

  According to the present invention, it is possible to determine whether the angle, speed, strength, and depth of the needle body (acupuncture needle) to be inserted into the acupuncture point is appropriate, so that the acupuncture treatment technique can be improved by performing repeated training. Can do.

  Next, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to examples.

  The present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 2, the structural example of the acupuncture training system concerning this invention is shown with a perspective view. FIG. 3 shows the overall procedure of the acupuncture training process for acupuncture training. FIG. 4 shows a procedure of the power band determination process for determining the power band. FIG. 5 shows a procedure of a technique training process in which a trainee performs acupuncture training. FIG. 6 shows the procedure of the visualization information display process for displaying the visualization information during the surgical training. 7 to 13 show examples of contents displayed on the display. Note that step S38 in FIG. 4 corresponds to the band determining means 4, and step S48 in FIG.

  The acupuncture training system shown in FIG. 2 includes a computer main body 20 with a built-in memory 28, an operation device 24 having a force / tactile sensor 26, a stereoscopic head mounted display 12 (so-called head-up display), and a magnetic source. 16, 3D magnetic sensor 10, measuring device 14 and the like. The computer main body 20 and the display 12 correspond to the computer device 5. The memory 28 corresponds to the force / tactile sense storage means M1, the relation storage means M2, and the database DB. The operating device 24 corresponds to the operating means 8. The magnetic source 16 and the three-dimensional magnetic sensor 10 correspond to the magnetic sensor device 3. The measuring device 14 corresponds to the posture detecting means 1. The monitor 18 is a display attached to the computer main body 20.

  In the memory 28, shape data relating to a human body, acupuncture points, meridians, needles, etc. to be created in the virtual space, relationship data relating the meridian points and meridians in the human body, and the force detected by the force / tactile sensor 26 by the operation of the operator T Various data such as tactile information and posture information obtained by the measuring device 14 described later are stored (recorded). The memory 28 is a recording medium that can record and read these data, and uses, for example, a ROM, a RAM, a hard disk, a magneto-optical disk, or the like.

  The operation device 24 includes an operation lever 22 and a force / tactile sensor 26. When the operation lever 22 corresponding to the operation means 8 is operated, the needle body moves in the virtual space. The operation device 24 outputs information on the position and posture of the operation lever 22 when the operator T is operated (that is, device information) to the computer main body 20, and the force / tactile sensor 26 detects the force applied during the operation. And output to the computer main body 20 as force / tactile information. The force / tactile sensor 26 corresponds to the force / tactile acquisition unit 9.

  The computer main body 20 is configured such that when the operator T operates the operation lever 22, acupuncture training for stimulating acupuncture points of a human body with a needle in a virtual space can be performed. Specifically, a process of performing treatment by stimulating acupoints of a human body created in a virtual space with a needle based on information (device information, force / tactile information, etc.) applied to an operation lever 22 operated by an operator T In addition, contents such as relation data, force / tactile information, and posture information are displayed on the display 12.

  The magnetic generation source 16 corresponding to the magnetic generator 3a and the three-dimensional magnetic sensor 10 corresponding to the magnetic sensor 3b are each configured by three coils orthogonal to each other in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions. The magnetism generation source 16 generates magnetism (magnetic field) by passing an electric current through the coil. When the three-dimensional magnetic sensor 10 is placed in the magnetism thus generated, a current flows, and the intensity of the current is determined by the distance and angle from the magnetic source 16. The measuring device 14 solves simultaneous equations based on the current values flowing through the magnetic source 16 and the three-dimensional magnetic sensor 10, thereby obtaining the three-dimensional position coordinates of the three-dimensional magnetic sensor 10 (that is, the head of the operator T). And determine Euler angles (roll, pitch, yaw). Thus, since the posture of the operator T (that is, the three-dimensional coordinate position, the rotation angle, the elevation angle, etc.) is known, the measuring device 14 outputs the posture information to the computer main body 20.

  The acupuncture training process for realizing the present invention in the acupuncture training system utilizing the force / tactile sensation configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 3, based on the data on the human body, acupuncture points, meridians, needles, etc. stored in the memory 28 in the beginning, the human body (whole body, each part), acupoints, meridians, needles, hands of the operator T are stored in the virtual space. [Step S10]. The preparation time does not matter, but it is necessary to finish preparation before starting acupuncture training at the latest. The human body (whole body and each part), acupuncture points, meridians, needles, etc., created in the virtual space are realized by a solid model (solid model). For solid models of the human body, it is desirable to create bones, blood vessels, organs, muscles (muscle fibers), and the like.

  Along with the creation of the above solid model, it corresponds to the basic techniques of acupuncture (ie, needle entry, puncture, torsion, needle retention, needle extraction, etc.), the position and name of acupuncture points in the human body, the position of meridians and related organs, diseases or symptoms Each piece of information related to the acupuncture points is stored in the memory 28 [step S12]. For example, since there are hundreds of acupuncture points in the human body, it is desirable to memorize all of them. However, only the main acupuncture points may be memorized. For example, when memorizing about Goya, Labor Palace, and Uchinoseki, information as shown in the following relationship table is memorized.

[Relationship table of acupuncture points, meridians, positions, corresponding diseases, etc.]
┏━━━━━━━┯━━━━┯━━━━━━━━━━━┯━━━━━━━━━━┓
┃ Meridian name │ Meridian │ Position in human body │ Corresponding disease or symptom ┃
┣━━━━━━━┿━━━━┿━━━━━━━━━━━┿━━━━━━━━━━┫
┃Godani │ Large intestine │ Valley between thumb and index finger │ Deterioration of large intestine, blood pressure ┃
ご │ │Slight forefinger of bone │ is unstable, cold ┃
┠───────┼────┼───────────┼──────────┨
┃ 工 宮 │Shinpaku │Finger in the center of the palm │Fatigue of the heart (mental work) ┃
ろ う (roux) │ │ If you hold it, the tip of your middle finger is your hand │ ┃
┃ │ │ Where to hit the palm │ ┃
┠───────┼────┼───────────┼──────────┨
┃ Inner Seki │ Heart Wrap │ Wrist on the palm side │ Anorexia, soft stool, upper stomach
┃ (Nothing) │ From the center of │ to the elbow
┃ │ │Three finger widths │ ┃
┗━━━━━━━┷━━━━┷━━━━━━━━━━━┷━━━━━━━━━━┛

  The memory 28 is preferably registered in the form of a database DB. In particular, when it is constructed with a relational database, it is easy to extract the data correlation. In relational databases, any item such as acupuncture points, meridians, positions, and illnesses can be used as keys, and data can be easily combined and extracted. For example, according to the above relationship table, if the meridian is searched using the meridian as a key, the labor palace and the inner customs can be easily extracted.

  Prior to the training of the trainer, a power band determination process is executed in order to acquire data related to the operating force when the skilled person stimulates the acupuncture point with the needle [step S14]. A specific procedure of the power band determination process will be described with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 4, an expert (operator T) moves the needle body to perform acupuncture treatment in a virtual space by operating the operation lever 22 [step S30]. It is desirable to input the diameter and length of the needle to be used in accordance with the disease, symptom, body type, age, sex, etc., and store them in the memory 28. Subsequently, the operation force applied to basic techniques such as needle entry, stabbed, twisting, and needle extraction is acquired from the force / tactile sensor 26 and stored in the memory 28 [step S32], and the magnitude of the force is based on the stored operation force. The force / tactile information such as the force (the forces in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions) and rotational torque is stored in the memory 28 [step S34]. The steps S30, S32, and S34 are repeated until various information about all the basic techniques for acupuncture is obtained [step S36]. When all the information has been acquired (YES in step S36), the power band of the skilled person involved in acupuncture is determined based on the information and stored in the memory 28 [step S38].

 The power band determined in step S38 corresponds to a so-called safety zone because it is the amount of treatment by the skilled worker. The method for determining the force band is arbitrary, but for example, it may be determined by visually observing a range where the number of times of force / tactile information represented in a graph or the like is concentrated. When the range is represented by σ, average value ± 2σ, average value ± 3σ (σ means standard deviation), or when the force / tactile information does not follow the normal distribution, the force / tactile information is a predetermined number of times (for example, It may be determined within a range of 5 times or 10 times or more.

  Since an environment in which acupuncture training can be performed is established when the skill band of the skilled person is determined, after returning to FIG. The training result notifying process is executed to notify [step S18]. Below, the content example of a specific procedure is demonstrated about technique training processing and training result alerting | reporting processing.

  The technique training process shown in FIG. 5 includes a confirmation training step (steps S40 to S50) in which training is performed while confirming force-tactile information based on the operation force of the expert, and a trial training step in which training is performed to test the technique acquired by the trainee. (Steps S52 to S58).

  In the confirmation training step, visualization information display processing is executed in order to display the visualization information during the surgical training [step S40]. A specific example of the procedure for the visualization information display process will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the visualization information display process shown in FIG. 6, various information such as the content of the force applied to the needle body, such as the human body and the acupuncture point performing the treatment, is displayed and notified to the trainer (operator T). First, the position and name of the acupuncture point in the human body, the position of the meridian, the related organ, the acupoint corresponding to the disease or symptom, etc. are displayed [step S70]. A vector obtained by synthesizing the forces of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis components in the direction opposite to the force applied by the expert is displayed [step S72]. A torque curve in the same rotational direction as the torque applied by the expert is displayed [step S74]. Information on the force and torque applied to the needle is displayed [step S76]. In steps S72 and S74, it is desirable to change the length (or thickness), the color, etc. according to the magnitude of the force vector and the rotational torque.

If the operating force (the magnitude of the force vector, rotational torque, etc.) increases, for example, the vector is lengthened (thickened) or gradually changed from blue to red. On the other hand, if the operating force decreases, for example, the vector is shortened (thinned) or gradually changed from red to blue. On the premise of changing in this way, for example, if the operating force of the trainee is within the skill level of the skilled person, the vector is displayed in green, and if it is smaller than the upper limit value of the power level, the vector is displayed in red. Thus, the operator T who has recognized the color of the vector can grasp at a glance whether or not the operation force is appropriate.
In this example, the angle θ and the force F of the needle body can be illustrated by a vector, but may be represented by a numerical value, a figure, or the like. Further, if the speed V of the needle body and the depth D from the skin surface are represented so as to be associated with (or independently of) the vector, the speed V and the depth D can be easily understood.

  When the display of the visualization information is finished, the process returns to FIG. 5, the posture information of the trainer (operator T) is acquired from the measurement device 14 and stored in the memory 28 [step S42], and the trainer operates the operation lever 22. Thus, the needle body is moved to perform acupuncture treatment in the virtual space [step S44]. At this time, if the posture information stored in step S42 changes, the appearance of the human body (whole body or each part), acupuncture points, meridians, needles, the hand of the operator T, etc. is changed and displayed on the display 12. Then, the force / tactile information of the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis is acquired from the force / tactile sensor 26 and stored in the memory 28 [step S46], and the needle body is stimulated while the needle body is moved to perform the treatment. It is notified whether or not the part has been reached [step S48]. A method for detecting whether or not the needle has reached the stimulation site will be described later. While the confirmation training step is performed, the procedures of steps S40, S44, S46, and S48 are repeated [step S50]. When the confirmation training step is completed (YES in step S50), the process proceeds to the trial training step.

  In the contact detection in step S48, in the virtual space, the needle body, the stimulation part (that is, the part represented in the predetermined range in the acupuncture point) and the like are all made of a solid model, and therefore the tip position of the needle body is stimulated in the solid model. Judgment is made based on whether or not the part has been reached. For the notification, for example, a sound (for example, a sound, a sound effect, etc.) is generated, or a figure (◯, X, etc.), a character (“arrival at stimulation site”, etc.) is displayed.

  In the trial training step, when the trainee (operator T) moves the needle body in the virtual space in the state where the visualization information is not displayed as in step S44 [step S54], the force / tactile information is displayed as in step S46. Store in the memory 28 [step S56]. While performing the trial training step, the procedures of steps S54 and S56 are repeated [step S58]. When the trial training step is completed (YES in step S58), the trainer's power band is determined based on the information stored in steps S46 and S56 and stored in the memory 28 [step S60].

  Returning to FIG. 3 after completing the training of acupuncture treatment by the trainer, the power bands stored in step S38 of FIG. 4 and step S60 of FIG. 5 are displayed on the display 12 (or monitor 18) [step S18]. . Although the display format is not limited, it is desirable to display the size and direction of the force applied to the operation lever 22 or the rotational torque in a format that can be easily compared. For example, the display in a graph format or the size display of a figure is applicable. The trainer who sees the comparison content displayed in this way can easily grasp how much the magnitude of the force and the rotational torque are different from those of the expert. Instead of (or in addition to) the display in step S18, the power bands before and after the confirmation training step are displayed on the display 12 or the like [step S20]. The trainer who sees the comparison contents displayed in this way can easily understand the progress of the treatment acquisition since the change in the magnitude of the force and the rotational torque before and after the training can be known.

  A display example realized by the display 12 (or the monitor 18) by executing the procedure shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 will be described with reference to FIGS. The content shown in FIGS. 9 to 12 is an example of one screen at a certain point in time, and the appearance changes almost in real time when the operator T operates the operation lever 22 or the posture of the operator T changes. To do.

  First, FIG. 7 is an example of displaying the position and name of the acupuncture point (step S70 in FIG. 6). FIG. 7A shows a display example of “Aitani”, FIG. 7B shows a display example of “Rugaku”, and FIG. 7C shows a display example of “naiseki”. In this way, the part of the human body where the acupuncture points exist is schematically displayed, and the position is represented by a black dot “●” and the acupuncture point name is displayed, so that the trainee can learn the position and name of the acupuncture point through training. In particular, if an indicator that makes it easy to find the position of the acupuncture point, such as the characters “three fingers” shown in FIG. 7C, is displayed together with it, the trainer (particularly a beginner) can easily find the acupuncture point.

  FIG. 8 is an example of displaying a method for specifying the position of the acupuncture point (step S70 in FIG. 6). In the example of FIG. 7C described above, the specifying method is indicated by characters, but in FIG. 8, a method for specifying the left hand valley with the right thumb is illustrated and the corresponding disease or symptom is also displayed. When it is difficult to represent the position of the acupuncture point by characters, it is easy to specify by showing the figure.

  FIG. 9 is an example of displaying the basic posture when the needle body is inserted into the acupuncture point of the human body 36 (step S70 in FIG. 6). In this example, the main body portion of the needle body 32 is held by the right hand 34, and the tip portion of the needle body 32 is held by the left hand 30 so as not to pierce parts other than the acupuncture points.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of displaying the training of needle entry, which is one of the basic techniques (steps S72 and S76 in FIG. 6). When the trainee (operator T) operates the operation lever 22 to insert the tip of the needle body from the epidermis layer into the dermis layer in the virtual space, the insertion direction and the magnitude of the force are displayed as a vector V4. Along with the vector V4, the operation force of the expert is displayed as the vector V2. Since the force detected by the force tactile sensor 26 in addition to the operation lever 22 by the operator T is equal to the force to stab or pull out, the force is in the direction opposite to the vectors V2 and V4. Since the display is unnatural if displayed in this direction, the vectors V2 and V4 are both expressed by the force in the direction opposite to the force applied to the operation lever 22. The same applies to FIGS. 11 and 12 described later. Further, in order to make it easier to understand the force adjustment, the color of the vector V4 changes depending on whether or not it is within the skill level of the skilled person. In this example, since the needle entry is performed with a strong force outside the skill level of the skilled person, the vector V4 is displayed in red. Since the trainer can perform acupuncture training while comparing both vectors, the trainer can easily learn the direction, speed, and strength of needle insertion.

  FIG. 11 is an example of displaying a state of training torsion, which is one of the basic techniques (steps S74 and S76 in FIG. 6). When the trainee (operator T) operates the operation lever 22 to switch the needle body alternately in the forward and reverse directions in the virtual space to rotate, the rotation direction, the rotational speed, and the magnitude of the force together with the vector V2 described above. Etc. are displayed by vector V4. In this example, since the torsion is performed within the skill band of the expert, the vector V4 is displayed in blue.

  FIG. 12 is an example of displaying a state of training a needle which is one of basic techniques (steps S74 and S76 in FIG. 6). When the trainee (operator T) operates the operation lever 22 and extracts the needle body from the subcutaneous space in the virtual space, the vector V2 is displayed together with the vector V2 described above, and the vector V4 displays the extraction direction, speed, force magnitude, and the like. In this example, the vector V4 is displayed in yellow because the direction is slightly shifted from the direction extracted by the expert.

  FIG. 13 is an example in which the training result is displayed after finishing the training for acupuncture (step S18 in FIG. 3). In FIG. 13, the distribution relating to the magnitude of the force applied during the treatment is represented by a bar graph, and the upper side of the drawing is the data of the skilled person, and the lower side of the drawing is the data of the trainee. Further, a power band Z based on the force tactile information of the skilled person is represented by a broken line. Comparing the two bar graphs, it can be seen that the trainer is applying a stronger force overall than the skilled person. In this way, by comparing with the force applied by the skilled person, the trainee can grasp whether the force applied when performing the acupuncture treatment is large or small. In this example, the display format is divided into upper and lower parts, but the display form may be a single display. For example, expert data is represented by a line graph, and trainee data is represented by a bar graph. This makes it easier to compare.

According to the embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) A computer main body 20 (computer device 5) in which acupuncture points and needles of a human body are made in a virtual space so that they can be displayed on the display 12, and a basic technique of acupuncture for stimulating the acupuncture points with the needles is stored Obtained by the operation lever 22 (operation unit 8) for operating the needle body, the force / tactile sensor 26 (force / tactile acquisition unit 9) for acquiring force / tactile information by the operation of the operation lever 22, and the force / tactile sensor 26. A memory 28 (force / tactile sense storage means M1) for storing force / tactile information of the skilled person is provided {see FIG. 2}. Based on the force / tactile information of the skilled person stored in the memory 28, the force band (that is, the band representing the range where the force / tactile information is concentrated) was determined {band determining means 4; see step S38 in FIG. 4}. Based on the force / tactile information acquired by the force / tactile sensor 26 when the operator T operates the operation lever 22, the acupuncture training process for stimulating the acupuncture point with the needle is displayed and within the skill level of the skilled person The visualization form of the force / tactile force information is changed depending on whether the treatment is performed or not (see steps S72, S74, and S76 in FIG. 6). Therefore, the trainer (operator T) who has recognized the force / tactile force information that changes the length and color of the vector, how much force is used to handle the needle, and what angle, strength, etc. You will be able to see at a glance whether you are present.

(2) The memory 28 associates and stores meridian points and meridians in the human body {refer to the relationship table}, and presents meridian points for acupoints when performing training for stimulating acupuncture points with needles, and acts by stimulation (See step S70 in FIG. 6, FIG. 8). Therefore, the trainer (operator T) can learn the meridians and organs through acupuncture training.

(3) A disease or symptom and an acupuncture point are associated and registered in the database DB (in the memory 28), and an acupuncture point suitable for curing the disease or symptom registered in the database DB is presented {step S70 in FIG. 6 , See FIG. Therefore, the trainer (operator T) can also learn which acupuncture points are optimal for curing the disease or symptom, and which disease or symptom is effective for the training subject.

(4) Detect whether or not the needle body and the stimulation site are in contact {contact detection means 6; see step S48 in FIG. 5}, and contact the needle body and the stimulation site when the depth reaches the stimulation site. Depending on whether or not, the content of the notification is changed {notification means 7; see step S48 in FIG. 5}. It can be understood how much the operating lever 22 is operated to reach the stimulation site or to stimulate the needle. Therefore, the trainee (operator T) repeats the training to improve the accuracy of acupuncture.

(5) When the force / tactile information is displayed as a vector, the computer main body 20 changes the form of the vector according to the magnitude of the force / tactile information or the like {see FIGS. 10 to 12}. The trainer (operator T), who has recognized that the shape of the vector has changed, determines in real time whether or not the direction and magnitude of the force applied when performing the basic technique of acupuncture using a needle body is appropriate. become able to.

(6) A measuring device 14 that detects the posture of the operator T is provided, and a human body, acupuncture points, meridians, needles, and the hand of the operator T that are visible to the operator T are displayed based on the posture detected by the measuring device 14 {See FIGS. 10-12}. When the posture of the operator T (especially the posture of the head) changes, the angle at which the human body, acupuncture points, meridians, needles, the hand of the operator T, etc. change also changes, so the appearance changes. Since acupuncture points, needles, and the like that can be seen by the operator T are displayed based on the posture detected by the measuring device 14, treatment training can be performed with the same appearance as when treating an actual patient.

Other examples

  As mentioned above, although the best form for implementing this invention was demonstrated according to the Example, this invention is not limited to the said Example at all. In other words, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, the following forms may be realized.

(1) In the above-described embodiment, only notification is made according to whether or not the needle body and the stimulation site are in contact (see step S48 in FIG. 5). In addition to this form, display may be performed in which the human body portion of the virtual patient is reflexively moved in accordance with the portion with which the needle body is in contact. In reality, when the needle contacts the nerve, pain occurs in the patient. Therefore, the patient may reflexively move the contacted part or face from pain. Therefore, the virtual patient can be trained to cope with the reflex action by causing the virtual patient to perform the same action as the actual patient.

(2) Instead of (or in addition to) the reflective operation described above, blood vessels and blood in the human body are created in a solid model in a solid model, and when the operator T operates the operation lever 22, the needle body becomes a blood vessel. It may be configured to display blood when the value is reached. Whether or not the needle body has damaged the blood vessel is prepared by creating a single colorless triangular polygon separately from the needle body prepared in the virtual space, and the tip position of the needle body in the solid model is located at the blood vessel site. It is done depending on whether it has reached. If virtual blood is first placed far away from the virtual space, and the blood is simply moved to the contact site when contact is detected, display can be performed without impairing real-time properties. The operator T who has recognized the display of blood can know the occurrence of a treatment error with a sense of reality similar to that of the actual treatment, so that the danger at the time of treatment can be learned practically.
The production in the virtual space is not limited to the solid model, but can be performed using polygons. When the simplest triangular polygon among the polygons is used for display or contact determination is performed, the amount of calculation can be greatly reduced, so that real-time performance can be improved.

(3) In the above-described embodiment, the force distribution applied by the operator T is displayed as a training result {see step S18 in FIG. 3, FIG. 13}. Instead of (or in addition to) this form, a time-series change in force applied by the operator T may be displayed. In this way, the operator T can know how much strength is applied at what timing. In particular, if the time-series changes of the force applied by the skilled worker are displayed together, the trainer can easily grasp whether the force applied at each timing is stronger (larger) than the skilled worker.

(4) In the above-described embodiment, the magnetic sensor device 3 detects the posture of the operator T {see FIG. 2}, but other devices (for example, an optical sensor device using infrared light, laser light, or the like). Thus, the posture of the operator T may be detected.
Moreover, although the trial training step was performed after the confirmation training step {see FIG. 5}, the confirmation training step may be performed after the trial training step, and the confirmation training step and the trial training step are alternately repeated. Also good.
In any modification, the same effect as the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

(5) In the above-described embodiment, in order to enable training in an environment similar to that of an actual acupuncture treatment, it is displayed in an expression form that can be seen from the operator T (expert or trainer) {FIG. 10 See FIG. 12}. Instead of (or in addition to) this expression form, the human body model created in the virtual space may be displayed in a translucent manner so that the appearance or angle of inserting the needle body (鍼) can be confirmed. Furthermore, the human body model may be configured to be switched between opaque and translucent by operating a button switch. According to the expression form, the operator T can easily grasp the positional relationship between the needle body and the bone, blood vessel, organ, muscle (muscle fiber), and the like.

It is a block diagram showing the outline of the present invention typically. It is a perspective view which shows the structural example of an acupuncture training system. It is a flowchart showing the procedure of an acupuncture training process. It is a flowchart showing the procedure of a band determination process. It is a flowchart showing the procedure of technique training processing. It is a flowchart showing the procedure of a visualization information display process. It is a figure which shows the example of a display on a display. It is a figure which shows the example of a display on a display. It is a figure which shows the example of a display on a display. It is a figure which shows the example of a display on a display. It is a figure which shows the example of a display on a display. It is a figure which shows the example of a display on a display. It is a figure which shows the example of a display on a display.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Posture detection means 2 Display 3 Magnetic sensor apparatus 3a Magnetic generator 3b Magnetic sensor 4 Band decision means 5 Computer apparatus 6 Contact detection means 7 Notification means 8 Operation means 9 Force / tactile sense acquisition means D Depth DB database F Power level M1 Force / haptic storage Means M2 Relationship storage means T Operator (expert, trainer, etc.)
V Speed θ Angle 10 Three-dimensional magnetic sensor (magnetic sensor device)
12 Display (computer device, indicator)
14 Measuring device (Attitude detection means)
16 Magnetic source (magnetic sensor device)
20 Computer body (computer device)
22 Operation lever (operation means)
24 operation device 26 force tactile sensor (force tactile acquisition means)
28 memory (force / tactile sensation storage means, relation storage means, database)
32 Needle (Acupuncture)
36 human body V2, V4 vector

Claims (6)

A computer device that stores acupuncture and acupuncture in which acupuncture and needles of a human body are created in a virtual space and can be displayed;
Operating means for operating the needle body;
Force / tactile sense obtaining means for obtaining force / tactile sense information by operation of the operation means;
Force / tactile sense storage means for storing the force / tactile sense information of the skilled person acquired by the force / haptic sense acquisition means;
Band determining means for determining a band representing a range in which the force / haptic information is concentrated based on the force / haptic information of the skilled person stored in the force / haptic storage means;
Based on the force / tactile sense information acquired by the force / tactile sense acquisition means when the operator operates the operation means, the acupuncture training process for stimulating the acupuncture point with the needle body is displayed, and the band determining means A learning and training system for acupuncture using force / tactile sensation, wherein the visualization form of the force / tactile force information is made different depending on whether or not the treatment is performed within the determined band. A learning and training system for acupuncture using force-tactile sensation according to claim 1,
The computer device includes a relationship storage means for storing acupoints and meridians in the human body in association with each other,
Utilizing force haptics, characterized by presenting meridians for acupuncture points stored in the relation storage means and clarifying the organs that act, and training for acupuncture to stimulate the acupuncture points with needles Acupuncture learning training system. A learning and training system for acupuncture using the force-tactile sensation according to claim 1 or 2,
The computer device has a database that registers illness or symptoms and acupuncture points
Acupuncture using force-tactile sensation characterized by presenting acupuncture points suitable for curing diseases or symptoms registered in the database and performing acupuncture training for stimulating the acupuncture points with needles Learning training system. A learning and training system for acupuncture using force-tactile sensation according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The computer device includes contact detection means for detecting contact between a part represented by a predetermined range in the acupuncture point and the needle body, and when the needle body enters the depth reaching the part, the contact detection means causes the contact between the part and the needle body. A learning and training system for acupuncture using force-tactile sensation characterized by having a notification means for changing notification contents depending on whether or not contact is detected. A learning and training system for acupuncture using force-tactile sensation according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
An acupuncture learning training system using force-tactile sensation characterized by changing the form of a vector according to the magnitude of the force-tactile sensation when visualizing force-tactile information in vector representation. A learning and training system for acupuncture using force-tactile sensation according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
Equipped with posture detection means for detecting the posture of the operator's head,
An acupuncture learning training system using force / tactile sensation, which displays acupuncture points and needles visible to the operator based on the posture detected by the posture detection means.

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