JP2022187287A - Information processing device, information processing system, information processing method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a technology to evaluate a falling risk of a subject under an environment where a load for suppressing a brain function such as noise and vibration is present.SOLUTION: An information processing device of one embodiment of the present invention includes: a first monitoring unit for monitoring a brain blood flow of a subject using a first brain blood flow measuring device for measuring the brain blood flow of the subject; a second monitoring unit for monitoring centroid oscillation of the subject using a centroid oscillation measuring device for measuring the centroid oscillation of the subject; and a determination unit for determining a brain blood flow threshold used for evaluating a falling risk of the subject. The brain function of the subject is suppressed using a suppression unit. The determination unit determines the brain blood flow of the subject at the time when the centroid oscillation of the subject exceeds a predetermined centroid oscillation threshold as the brain blood flow threshold.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD Embodiments of the present invention relate to an information processing device, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program.

In the work at the construction site, the brain function of the worker is suppressed by the noise and vibration generated by the construction. Since brain function plays a major role in center-of-gravity balance control, it is conceivable that suppression of brain function increases the risk of workers falling. A worker's fall can lead to a fall from height.

At a construction site, it is difficult to measure a worker's center-of-gravity sway, which is directly related to the worker's fall risk. Therefore, it is difficult to quantitatively evaluate the fall risk of workers working at construction sites.

Masahito Mihara et al., “Role of the prefrontal cortex in human balance control”, NeuroImage 43(2):329-336, 2008.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a technique that makes it possible to evaluate the fall risk of a subject in an environment where there is a load such as noise or vibration that suppresses brain function.

An information processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes a first monitoring unit that monitors the cerebral blood flow of the subject using a first cerebral blood flow measurement device that measures the cerebral blood flow of the subject; A second monitoring unit that monitors the body sway of the subject using a body sway measuring device that measures the body sway of the subject, and determines a cerebral blood flow threshold used to evaluate the subject's fall risk. a determiner, wherein brain function of the subject is inhibited using a suppression device, the determiner determining the cerebral blood flow of the subject when the body sway of the subject exceeds a predetermined body sway threshold; Flow is determined as the cerebral blood flow threshold.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the technique which makes it possible to evaluate the fall risk of the test subject in the environment where the load which suppresses a brain function exists is provided.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an information processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows a situation in which the threshold determination system shown in FIG. 1 is applied. FIG. 3 shows a situation in which the warning system shown in FIG. 1 is applied. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the information processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the warning device shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing a threshold determination method executed by the information processing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a warning method performed by the warning device shown in FIG.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In an environment where there is a load such as noise and vibration at a construction site, human brain function is suppressed due to the effect of the load. When brain function is strongly suppressed, a person loses balance and is more likely to fall. That is, when brain function is strongly suppressed, the risk of falls increases. The degree of cerebral function inhibition is related to cerebral blood flow. For example, the more severely inhibited brain function, the less cerebral blood flow. Therefore, by measuring cerebral blood flow, it is possible to estimate the degree of cerebral function inhibition. The effects of brain function inhibition on balance control vary from person to person. Therefore, simply measuring cerebral blood flow cannot evaluate the fall risk.

In the embodiment of the present invention, information indicating the relationship between cerebral blood flow and postural stability is generated in advance for the subject himself/herself who is subject to fall risk evaluation. This makes it possible to evaluate the fall risk of a subject when the subject is in an environment where loads such as noise and vibration exist.

[composition]
FIG. 1 schematically shows an information processing system 10 according to one embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 1 , the information processing system 10 includes a cerebral blood flow meter 11 , a stabilometer 12 , a suppression device 13 , an information processing device 14 , a cerebral blood flow meter 16 , and a warning device 17 . A cerebral blood flow meter is also called a cerebral blood flow measurement device, and a stabilometer is also called a stabilometer. The cerebral blood flowmeter 11, the stabilometer 12, the suppression device 13, and the information processing device 14 constitute a threshold determination system 15 that determines a cerebral blood flow threshold used for evaluating the risk of falling of the subject. The cerebral blood flow meter 16 and warning device 17 evaluate the subject's fall risk using the cerebral blood flow threshold determined by the threshold determination system 15, and output a warning in response to the evaluation result that the fall risk is high. configure a warning system 18 to The threshold determination system 15 and warning system 18 are used in different phases. For example, the threshold determination system 15 is applied to subjects prior to working on a site, such as a construction site, and the warning system 18 is applied to subjects working on the site.

A cerebral blood flow meter 11 measures the cerebral blood flow of the subject. For example, the cerebral blood flow meter 11 is a wearable device worn on the subject's head, as shown in FIG. As the cerebral blood flowmeter 11, for example, a cerebral blood flowmeter based on NIRS (near infrared spectroscopy) can be used. NIRS is a non-invasive measurement method using near-infrared light. Specifically, NIRS irradiates the subject's scalp with near-infrared light from a light source, detects the near-infrared light that is scattered inside the subject's head with a photodetector and exits the subject's scalp, The cerebral blood flow of the subject is calculated from the light intensity detected by the photodetector.

The stabilometer 12 measures the sway of the subject's center of gravity (movement of the center of gravity). For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the stabilometer 12 measures the sway of the subject in a static standing position. As an example, the stabilometer 12 includes a stage on which the subject sits, a load sensor that detects loads applied to a plurality of points on the stage, and a processing circuit that calculates the position of the center of gravity of the subject based on output signals from the load sensors. and including. The stabilometer 12 may measure the sway of the subject's center of gravity in other postures such as a static sitting position.

The inhibitor 13 inhibits brain function of the subject. For example, the suppression device 13 may include a speaker to provide acoustic stimulation to the subject, as shown in FIG. Specifically, the suppression device 13 emits a sound according to a predetermined frequency, loudness and time variation. Note that the method of suppressing brain function of a subject is not limited to acoustic stimulation.

The information processing device 14 determines a cerebral blood flow threshold based on the signal output from the cerebral blood flow meter 11 and the signal output from the stabilometer 12 . The information processing device 14 includes a monitoring unit 141 , a monitoring unit 142 , a driving unit 143 , a determining unit 144 and a storage unit 145 . The information processing device 14 may be a computer such as a personal computer (PC).

The monitoring unit 141 uses the cerebral blood flowmeter 11 to monitor the cerebral blood flow of the subject. For example, the monitoring unit 141 generates time-series data of the subject's cerebral blood flow from the output signal of the cerebral blood flow meter 11 . The time-series data of cerebral blood flow may be subjected to predetermined processing including noise removal. Processing may further include smoothing, such as moving averages.

The monitoring unit 142 uses the stabilometer 12 to monitor the subject's stabilisation. For example, the monitoring unit 142 may generate the time-series data of the sway of the subject from the output signal of the stabilometer 12, and the time-series data of the sway of the body may be subjected to a predetermined process including noise removal. Processing may further include smoothing, such as moving averages.

The driving unit 143 drives the suppression device 13 to suppress brain function of the subject. For example, the driver 143 applies an acoustic signal to the speaker of the suppression device 13 . The driver 143 may adjust the sound emitted from the suppression device 13 so that the acoustic stimulation becomes progressively more intense for the subject. Note that the suppressing device 13 may be manually operated without being connected to the information processing device 14 .

The determining unit 144 receives time-series data of cerebral blood flow from the monitoring unit 141 and receives time-series data of body sway from the monitoring unit 142 . The determining unit 144 identifies the cerebral blood flow of the subject when the subject's body sway exceeds a predetermined body sway threshold, and determines the identified cerebral blood flow as the cerebral blood flow threshold. Sway is related to postural stability. Large swing of the center of gravity indicates low postural stability. A sway above the sway threshold corresponds to a high fall risk, and a sway below the sway threshold corresponds to a low fall risk. The determination unit 144 stores the determined cerebral blood flow threshold in the storage unit 145 .

A cerebral blood flow meter 16 measures the cerebral blood flow of the subject. The cerebral blood flowmeter 16 can have the same configuration as the cerebral blood flowmeter 11 . For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the cerebral blood flow meter 16 is worn on the head of a subject working at a construction site or the like.

The warning device 17 evaluates the subject's fall risk based on the signal output from the cerebral blood flow meter 16 and the cerebral blood flow threshold determined by the information processing device 14, and outputs a warning according to the evaluation result. The warning device 17 includes a monitoring section 171 , a determination section 172 , an output section 173 and a storage section 174 . Alert device 17 may be a portable computer. Note that the warning device 17 may be formed integrally with the cerebral blood flow meter 16 .

The storage unit 174 stores the cerebral blood flow threshold determined by the information processing device 14 . The cerebral blood flow threshold may be provided from the information processing device 14 to the warning device 17 by data transmission between the information processing device 14 and the warning device 17 . Alternatively, the cerebral blood flow threshold may be provided from the information processing device 14 to the warning device 17 by removable media such as a USB memory.

The monitoring unit 171 uses the cerebral blood flowmeter 16 to monitor the cerebral blood flow of the subject. For example, the monitoring unit 171 generates time-series data of the subject's cerebral blood flow from the output signal of the cerebral blood flow meter 16 . The time-series data of cerebral blood flow may be subjected to predetermined processing including noise removal. Processing may further include smoothing, such as moving averages.

The determination unit 172 receives time-series data of cerebral blood flow from the monitoring unit 171 . The determination unit 172 determines whether or not the cerebral blood flow of the subject is below the cerebral blood flow threshold. For example, the determining unit 172 detects a transition of the cerebral blood flow of the subject from a state higher than the cerebral blood flow threshold to a state lower than the cerebral blood flow threshold. A comparison is made between the blood flow measurement value and the cerebral blood flow threshold. The determination unit 172 gives a notification signal to the output unit 173 when the cerebral blood flow of the subject falls below the cerebral blood flow threshold.

The output unit 173 outputs a warning when the subject's cerebral blood flow falls below the cerebral blood flow threshold. For example, the output unit 173 outputs a warning in response to receiving the notification signal from the determination unit 172 . A warning is a signal that the subject is at high risk of falling. The output unit 173 may generate a stimulus, such as sound or vibration, that can be perceived by the subject or surroundings. Alternatively or additionally, the output unit 173 may transmit information indicating that the subject's fall risk is high to a terminal device held by the subject or another person.

FIG. 4 schematically shows a hardware configuration example of the information processing device 14. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the information processing device 14 includes a processor 41, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 42, a program memory 43, a storage device 44, and an input/output interface 45 as hardware components. Processor 41 is communicatively connected to RAM 42 , program memory 43 , storage device 44 and input/output interface 45 .

The processor 41 includes a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). RAM 42 includes volatile memory such as SDRAM. RAM 42 is used by processor 41 as a working memory. Program memory 43 stores programs executed by processor 41, including a threshold determination program. The program includes computer-executable instructions. For example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) is used as the program memory 43 . A partial area of the storage device 44 may be used as the program memory 43 .

The processor 41 expands the program stored in the program memory 43 into the RAM 42, interprets and executes the program. When executed by the processor 41 , the threshold determination program causes the processor 41 to perform a series of processes described with respect to the information processing device 14 .

The storage device 44 includes a non-volatile memory such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive). A storage device 44 stores data such as cerebral blood flow thresholds.

The input/output interface 45 includes a communication module for communicating with an external device and a plurality of terminals for connecting peripheral devices. Communication modules include wired modules and/or wireless modules. Examples of peripheral devices include a cerebral blood flow meter 11, a stabilometer 12, and a restraint device 13. The processor 41 receives data from the cerebral blood flow meter 11 and the stabilometer 12 via the input/output interface 45 . The processor 41 outputs drive signals to the suppression device 13 via the input/output interface 45 . Processor 41 may transmit information indicating the cerebral blood flow threshold to warning device 17 via input/output interface 45 .

Note that the processor 41 may include a dedicated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (field-programmable gate array) instead of or in addition to the general-purpose processor.

FIG. 5 schematically shows a hardware configuration example of the warning device 17. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the warning device 17 includes a processor 51, a RAM 52, a program memory 53, a storage device 54, an input/output interface 55, and an output device 56 as hardware components. Processor 51 is communicatively connected to RAM 52 , program memory 53 , storage device 54 , input/output interface 55 and output device 56 .

Processor 51 includes a general-purpose processor such as a CPU. RAM 52 includes volatile memory such as SDRAM. RAM 52 is used by processor 51 as a working memory. Program memory 53 stores programs executed by processor 51, including an alert program. The program includes computer-executable instructions. A ROM, for example, is used as the program memory 53 . A partial area of the storage device 54 may be used as the program memory 53 .

The processor 51 expands the program stored in the program memory 53 to the RAM 52, interprets and executes the program. The alert program, when executed by processor 51 , causes processor 51 to perform a series of processes described with respect to alert device 17 .

The storage device 54 includes non-volatile memory such as HDD or SSD. The storage device 54 stores data such as cerebral blood flow thresholds.

The input/output interface 55 includes a communication module for communicating with an external device and a plurality of terminals for connecting peripheral devices. Communication modules include wired modules and/or wireless modules. Examples of peripherals include a cerebral blood flow meter 16 . Processor 51 receives data from cerebral blood flowmeter 16 via input/output interface 55 . The processor 51 may receive information indicating the cerebral blood flow threshold from the information processing device 14 via the input/output interface 55 .

Output device 56 includes a display device, a speaker, and a vibrator. Processor 51 may use output device 56 to output the alert. Processor 51 may send information to an external device via input/output interface 55 to output an alert.

Note that the processor 51 may include a dedicated circuit such as an ASIC or FPGA instead of or in addition to the general-purpose processor.

The program may be provided to the information processing device 14 or the warning device 17 while being stored in a computer-readable recording medium. In this case, the information processing device 14 or the warning device 17 has a drive for reading data from the recording medium, and acquires the program from the recording medium. Examples of recording media include magnetic disks, optical disks (CD-ROM, CD-R, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, etc.), magneto-optical disks (MO, etc.), and semiconductor memories. Also, the program may be distributed through a network. Specifically, the program may be stored in a server on the network, and the information processing device 14 or warning device 17 may download the program from the server.

[motion]
Next, operations of the information processing system 10 will be described.

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates a method for determining a threshold for cerebral blood flow of a subject, which is performed by the information processing device 14 . The flow shown in FIG. 6 is executed for the subject himself/herself who is subject to fall risk evaluation. When the flow shown in FIG. 6 is executed, the subject wears the cerebral blood flow meter 11 on the head and maintains a standing and still state on the stabilometer 12 as shown in FIG.

In step S61, the monitoring unit 141 uses the cerebral blood flowmeter 11 to measure the cerebral blood flow of the subject, and the monitoring unit 142 uses the stabilometer 12 to measure the sway of the subject. The processing of step S61 is performed without driving the suppression device 13 . That is, the cerebral blood flow and center-of-gravity sway of the subject under normal conditions are measured. The monitoring unit 141 obtains the measured value output from the cerebral blood flow meter 11 as the cerebral blood flow Yn of the subject under normal conditions, and the monitoring unit 142 obtains the measured value output from the stabilometer 12 as the center of gravity of the subject under normal conditions. It is obtained as perturbation Vn.

In step S62, the drive unit 143 drives the suppression device 13 to suppress brain function of the subject. For example, the driver 143 applies the acoustic signal to the loudspeaker of the suppression device 13 .

In step S63, the monitoring unit 141 uses the cerebral blood flowmeter 11 to measure the cerebral blood flow of the subject, and the monitoring unit 142 uses the stabilometer 12 to measure the sway of the subject. Cerebral blood flow and center-of-gravity sway of the subject are measured while the subject receives stimulation that suppresses brain function. The information processing device 14 obtains the measured value output from the cerebral blood flowmeter 11 as the cerebral blood flow Ys of the subject in the state of brain function suppression, and obtains the measurement value output from the stabilometer 12 in the state of brain function suppression. of the subject's center of gravity Vs.

In step S64, the determining unit 144 compares the subject's postural sway Vs with a predetermined postural sway threshold value Vth. If the subject's body sway Vs is equal to or less than the body sway threshold Vth (step S64; No), the flow returns to step S62.

In step S62, the driving unit 143 may drive the suppression device 13 to suppress brain function more strongly. For example, the drive unit 143 increases the sound emitted from the suppression device 13 . In step S63, the monitoring unit 141 newly obtains the measured value output from the cerebral blood flow meter 11 as the cerebral blood flow Ys, and the monitoring unit 142 obtains the measured value output from the stabilometer 12 as the stabilometer Vs. newly obtained as In step S64, the determination unit 144 compares the newly obtained sway Vs with the sway threshold Vth. When the center-of-gravity sway Vs exceeds the center-of-gravity sway threshold value Vth (step S64; Yes), the flow proceeds to step S65. In this manner, the processes of steps S62 and S63 are repeated until the subject's body sway Vs exceeds the body sway threshold value Vth.

In step S65, the information processing device 14 determines the cerebral blood flow Ys of the subject as a cerebral blood flow threshold Yth unique to the subject. Thus, the cerebral blood flow Ys of the subject when the subject's body sway Vs exceeds the body sway threshold Vth is determined as the cerebral blood flow threshold Yth.

FIG. 7 schematically shows a method of warning a subject of high risk of falling carried out by the warning device 17 . The flow shown in FIG. 7 is executed for a subject who is working at a site such as a construction site, and the cerebral blood flow threshold Yth specific to the subject determined by the method shown in FIG. 6 is used. When executing the flow shown in FIG. 7, the subject wears the cerebral blood flow meter 16 on the head as shown in FIG.

In step S71, the monitoring unit 171 uses the cerebral blood flowmeter 16 to measure the cerebral blood flow of the subject. Specifically, the monitoring unit 171 obtains the measured value output from the cerebral blood flow meter 16 as the subject's cerebral blood flow Yx.

In step S72, the determination unit 172 compares the cerebral blood flow Yx of the subject with the cerebral blood flow threshold Yth. If the cerebral blood flow Yx is greater than or equal to the cerebral blood flow threshold Yth (step S72; No), the flow returns to step S71. In step S71, the monitoring unit 171 newly obtains the measured value output from the cerebral blood flowmeter 16 as the cerebral blood flow Yx.

If the cerebral blood flow Yx falls below the cerebral blood flow threshold Yth (step S72; Yes), the flow proceeds to step S73. In step S73, the output unit 173 outputs a warning. For example, the output unit 173 drives a speaker or a vibrator to notify with sound or vibration that the subject is at high risk of falling.

[effect]
In the threshold determination system 15, the information processing device 14 uses the cerebral blood flow meter 11 to monitor the cerebral blood flow of the subject, and the stabilometer 12 to monitor the subject's sway. The information processing device 14 uses the suppressing device 13 to suppress brain function of the subject until the subject's sway exceeds the sway threshold, and measures cerebral blood flow when the sway of the subject exceeds the sway threshold. The value is determined as the cerebral blood flow threshold. As a result, a cerebral blood flow threshold can be obtained for a subject whose fall risk is to be evaluated. The cerebral blood flow threshold obtained for a subject makes it possible to assess the subject's fall risk by measuring the subject's cerebral blood flow in the field.

The suppressor 13 generates acoustic stimuli to suppress brain function of the subject. Acoustic stimulation is preferable in that it has little or no influence on the measurement of body sway of the subject. For example, when vibration is used as a stimulus to suppress brain function of the subject, the stabilometer 12 detects the vibration as noise, making it difficult to accurately measure the subject's sway.

In the warning system 18, the warning device 17 monitors the subject's cerebral blood flow using the cerebral blood flowmeter 16, and the subject's cerebral blood flow exceeds the cerebral blood flow threshold determined for the subject by the threshold determination system 15. Output a warning in response to falling below. This makes it possible to present to the subject or others that the subject has a high risk of falling.

[Modification]
In the embodiment described above, fall risk is assessed on two levels (high/low). In other embodiments, more than two levels of fall risk may be assessed. When evaluating fall risk on three levels, the information processing device 14 uses two stabilizing thresholds to determine two cerebral blood flow thresholds. The warning device 17 is activated when the subject's cerebral blood flow falls below the first cerebral blood flow threshold and when the subject's cerebral blood flow falls below the second cerebral blood flow threshold (lower than the first cerebral blood flow threshold). Output warnings in different ways at different times. For example, the alert device 17 provides an alert to the subject in response to the subject's cerebral blood flow falling below a first cerebral blood flow threshold, and the subject's cerebral blood flow falling below a second cerebral blood flow threshold. Subjects and others are alerted in response.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made in the implementation stage without departing from the scope of the invention. Further, each embodiment may be implemented in combination as appropriate, in which case the combined effect can be obtained. Furthermore, various inventions are included in the above embodiments, and various inventions can be extracted by combinations selected from the disclosed plurality of components. For example, even if some components are deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment, if the problem can be solved and effects can be obtained, the configuration in which these components are deleted can be extracted as an invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Information processing system 11... Cerebral blood flow meter 12... Stabilization device 13... Suppression device 14... Information processing device 141, 142... Monitoring part 143... Driving part 144... Determination part 145... Storage part 15... Threshold determination system 16... Cerebral blood flow meter 17 Warning device 171 Monitoring unit 172 Judgment unit 173 Output unit 174 Storage unit 18 Warning system 41, 51 Processor 42, 52 RAM
43, 53 ... program memory 44, 54 ... storage device 45, 55 ... input/output interface 56 ... output device

Claims (7)

a first monitoring unit that monitors the cerebral blood flow of the subject using a first cerebral blood flow measuring device that measures the cerebral blood flow of the subject;
a second monitoring unit that monitors the sway of the subject using a sway measuring device that measures the sway of the subject;
a determination unit that determines a cerebral blood flow threshold used to assess the subject's risk of falling;
with
The cerebral function of the subject is suppressed using a suppression device, and the determination unit determines the cerebral blood flow of the subject when the sway of the subject exceeds a predetermined sway threshold. determine as
Information processing equipment. wherein the suppressing device generates an acoustic stimulus to suppress the brain function of the subject;
The information processing device according to claim 1 . An information processing device according to claim 1 or 2;
the first cerebral blood flow measurement device;
the center-of-gravity sway measuring device;
the suppressor; and
An information processing system comprising a second cerebral blood flow measuring device for measuring the cerebral blood flow of the subject;
a warning device that outputs a warning in response to a measured value output from the second cerebral blood flow measuring device falling below the cerebral blood flow threshold;
The information processing system according to claim 3, further comprising: monitoring the cerebral blood flow of the subject using a first cerebral blood flow measuring device that measures the cerebral blood flow of the subject;
monitoring the body sway of the subject using a body sway measuring device that measures the body sway of the subject;
Determining a cerebral blood flow threshold used to assess the subject's fall risk;
with
Cerebral function of the subject is inhibited using a restraining device, and determining the cerebral blood flow threshold comprises determining the cerebral blood flow of the subject when the sway of the subject exceeds a predetermined sway threshold. as the cerebral blood flow threshold,
Information processing methods. 6. The information processing method according to claim 5, further comprising outputting a warning in response to said cerebral blood flow of said subject falling below said cerebral blood flow threshold. A program for causing a computer to function as each unit included in the information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

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