JPH0833613A - Vital signal sampling and analyzing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide apparatus means for sampling the vital signals of a patient without restraint and consciousness in daily living environment, analyzing and diagnosing these signals and using the results thereof for health control and for control of recovery after diseases. CONSTITUTION:Electrical conductivity is applied to the surface of a seat 1 of a western style pot by sticking silver plated copper foil coated with adhesives on its rear surface to hatched parts 2a, 2b, 2c as shown in Fig. Electrocardiogram signals are sampled by these parts as different electrodes and indifferent electrodes and are suitably amplified; thereafter, the signals are analyzed by analyzing and evaluating procedures in conformity with the first induction of standard 12 inductions.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention collects and analyzes a patient's biological signal in a daily living environment without restraint or unconsciousness.
It is intended to provide a device means for contributing to health management such as diagnosis and management of recovery after illness.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been a concept of performing unconstrained or unconscious biometric measurement in the daily living environment of a patient. That is, there is an idea to arrange the device in various places in the patient's house and maintain and execute the measurement without disturbing the life of the patient as much as possible (for example, in Reference Document 2).
Everything such as toilets and mattresses has been mobilized and tried as an intervening means (for example, reference document 3).

In other words, no matter what part of the body surface is observed, as long as the electromotive force vector can be seen from the electrode pair, the degree of attenuation along the way will be any kind of "electrocardiogram".
It is well known that signals are observed (Fig. 1), but until now it has been thought that such anomalous induction signals are unusable.

A few practical exceptions are measurement of maternal heart rate from maternal electrocardiographic signals in maternal abdominal wall-guided fetal electrocardiography, or recognition of electrocardiographic components mixed in signals of electroencephalogram, myoelectric potential, and eye potential. It can only be seen later in adaptive correlation removal.

As seen in Reference (3), an underwater electrode is placed inside the bathtub, away from the body surface of the patient to be observed, specifically on the wall of the bathtub, and the electrocardiogram of the patient is not contacted. Efforts are being made to measure it. However, in this method, as in the case of collecting the electrocardiogram of the fetus in the uterus through amniotic fluid and the abdominal wall, the attenuation and the primary coupling between the leads intervene in the signal transmission path in an unspecified manner, and the electrode group However, the expected angle of view of the patient cannot be strictly specified or fixed, and the measurement cannot be performed correctly.

In References (1) and (2), the idea that various measuring means are brought into the toilet and the patient tries to perform these measurements during stool is described together with some embodiments. There is. In a commercial example of a similar concept known by the trade name "My Care",
The patient is sitting on a Western-style toilet and uses the armpit with electrodes to bring the bioelectrode into contact with both hands. However, such a structure inevitably requires a dedicated toilet, requires major remodeling of the toilet or separate installation, and does not require major remodeling of existing equipment in daily home or work environments, which in turn results in installation costs. It is not something that can be implemented without requiring a large investment amount. Moreover, a certain degree of discomfort is inevitable for the patient, and in short, it becomes a "crazy toilet".

[0007]

As described above, according to the present invention, the biological signals of a patient are unconstrained or unconsciously collected in the environment of daily living, and are analyzed and diagnosed for health management.
In addition, it is intended to provide such a device means to be mounted inside the toilet in order to contribute to the management of recovery after illness, but in this case, it does not cause a major remodeling of the toilet, and it is special for the patient. To do this is completely unconscious of being a toilet.

[0008]

The present invention is characterized in that a bioelectrode is arranged on the toilet seat of a Western-style toilet bowl. That is, the Seki electrode is arranged on each of the left and right branches of the toilet seat of the Western style toilet, and the indifferent electrode is further arranged on each of the branches, and the Seki electrode and the Seki electrode are connected to the differential amplifier so as to form a bipolar induction. It is characterized in that the electrocardiographic vector is observed from the lower surface of the buttocks of the patient by the electrode pair by coupling to the input terminal and the ground potential of the circuit.

According to empirical observation, a waveform very similar to that of the first lead of the standard 12 leads is obtained from the electrode pair having the above arrangement with an amplitude of about 1/10, so that it is obtained at the output terminal of the differential amplifier. The biological signal to be obtained is further amplified by about 10 times and then introduced into a known electrocardiographic signal analyzer to be analyzed by a single-channel analysis procedure according to the first lead of standard 12 leads or similar. Also features.

In addition to the above, a pressure switch is further provided on the toilet seat, and the switch is configured to activate the device only when the patient sits on the toilet seat, or to permit activation of the device.

In addition to the above, a radio telemeter transmitter for transmitting the biomedical signal, a transmitting antenna and battery power supply means therefor are arranged on the toilet seat, and a radio wave is emitted only when the patient sits on the toilet seat. It is also characterized in that the electric circuits of these toilet seats are electrically insulated from the outside world. The embodiment having this structure is like a replacement part for a toilet seat of a normal Western-style toilet, and even an inexperienced person can easily install this device in a toilet at home.

[0012]

[Example] Considering the purpose of collecting electrocardiographic signals by classifying them into the following three stages, it can be seen that the upper level can include all the lower levels, and that there is a degeneracy of the required information amount in this order. It a. Waveform measurement without prior knowledge or without waiting, diagnosis (= original electrocardiographic measurement) b. Finding lesions by tracking changes in the waveform of a person over time (= home-based medical care, patient-led autonomous medical care) c. Heart rate measurement, heart rate trigger extraction, and time series immediate detection of arrhythmia. (Same as above, support for other purposes)

The fact that there is a degeneracy of the required amount of information implies that it can withstand the use of a signal with a poor S / N, and there is room for adoption of irregular induction. If we understand irregular induction as all possible electrode arrangements that are not usually defined and utilized, there is a great deal of freedom in the possible induction or electrode arrangement depending on the sense of purpose.

The present invention constitutes an at-home unrestrained electrocardiogram measurement system using a toilet seat as an example belonging to the above category b.

For better understanding, consider some examples of anomalous induction. See standard limb induction as a starting point. Then, let us look at the fourth, fifth and sixth leads arbitrarily named here by the inventor with the same electrode arrangement. The definition is as shown in FIG. The observation target is the inventor himself. In practice, instead of the limbs, a close range equivalent point on the body surface was used as is often done.

The waveforms will be presented below. FIG. 3 shows the standard limb induction, and the gain is 1000 times amplified as viewed from the electrodes, and is drawn on a recorder having a sensitivity of 1 v / cm as viewed from the electrodes. Here, since the inventor's heart has a large left axis displacement, it does not have a so-called textbook waveform,
In the following, attention should be paid to the extent to which the irregular lead waveform differs from the standard lead waveform, including the amplitude.

FIG. 4 shows the fourth, fifth, and sixth leads arbitrarily decided by the inventor as described above. The gain (scale factor) is the same. Note that each waveform is an independent sample in terms of time, and is not time-aligned in the vertical direction.

Therefore, when the sixth lead is drawn with the gain doubled, it is essentially similar to the first lead as shown in FIG. 5, except that there is a dip at point S. Looks like. Its own S / N is very good.

When the electrode arrangement is gradually moved downward while observing the 6th lead, a signal substantially the same as that between the lower abdomen and the left abdomen is obtained in the hip-to-hip lead, and the dip at the S point is reduced. The similarity with 1-lead is improved (Fig. 6). Further down, between the thighs (Fig. 7), between the shins (Fig. 8)
However, the level does not reach the same level unless the gain is increased 10 times (= 10,000 times viewed from the electrode), but the shape of the waveform itself falls within the category of the sixth lead described here, and is still in the regular first lead. Very similar.

For this signal waveform, therefore, a waveform diagnostic standard similar to the conventionally known waveform diagnostic standard for the first lead can be applied only by additionally considering that a scale factor of 10 is required. it is conceivable that.

If electrodes are attached to the surfaces of the left and right arms of the toilet seat, and the user sits down on them to make electrical contact so that they can make a toilet, and relax a little, the same purpose can be applied here as shown in FIG. A signal corresponding to the sixth lead is obtained. This is similar to the previous thigh-to-thigh guidance, but the condition is a little worse because the thigh is seen from the back side. But as long as the patient is relaxed, there is less interference with myoelectric signals.

Since nobody wears clothes on this part when sitting on the toilet seat, there is no special procedure for contacting the electrode on the opposite surface, and unconscious measurement according to Ishijima and Togawa et al. (Reference 3). Can be. Strictly speaking, this 6th lead waveform diagnostics is a future subject, but there is no difficulty in observing rhythm strips, capturing and diagnosing sudden waveforms, and accumulating typical examples of individual waveforms and detecting changes based on them. I can say no.

First, an outline of an example of a workpiece of a toilet seat with electrodes
It is shown in FIG. In this case, the toilet seat (1) used is a general-purpose one, and is made of a general plastic material.
As shown in the figure, the shaded areas (2a, 2b, 2c) on this surface
Conductivity is given by, for example, sticking a silver-plated copper foil coated with an adhesive on the back surface, and these are used as a quiet electrode and a quiet electrode.
In order to match the polarity with the first induction, the right thigh is connected to the first stage differential amplifier (not shown) so that the right thigh becomes positive and the left becomes negative. The above is merely an example, and the shapes, materials, and realization methods of the electrodes are not limited to these, and there are numerous possibilities. Contains a large amount of metallized or conductive filler,
The purpose can be achieved by mainly using or in combination with a plastic material having conductivity, or by making each of the arms of the toilet seat with separate metal parts. Further, it is not necessary to be concerned with the specific form of the toilet seat, and if the electrode pair for collecting the biomedical signal is configured in some form in the part where the hips are placed for the toilet in the toilet, the toilet seat electrode of the present invention You have to understand when it falls into the category.

The configuration after the first-stage differential amplifier may be entirely known general-purpose components other than the addition of the above gain.

However, it is a preferred embodiment that the first stage amplifier is attached to the back surface of the toilet seat and the signal amplified or impedance-buffered with the slave device is used to reduce the intrusion of noise and interference.

Further, it is a further preferred embodiment to transmit the data between the first stage amplifier which receives the toilet seat electrode and the slave device by a wireless telemeter system. In such a configuration, electrical isolation is naturally ensured and electrical safety for the patient is maintained. The telemeter transmitter including the first stage amplifier is in this case arranged behind the toilet seat with a battery as a power supply. As a 1-channel radio telemeter transmitter for electrocardiographic signals, a well-known general-purpose one may be used, and either an analog FM / FM transmission type or a digital transmission type may be adopted.

Although not shown, a pressure switch is provided on the back surface of the toilet seat so that the patient actually sits on the toilet seat and the system is activated or activated only when the weight of the patient is leaning on the toilet seat. It is preferable to permit. In the case of the telemeter system, it may be a preferred embodiment that the power is turned on and transmission is started by this, and the slave device is activated when the radio wave starts to be received.

Such a pressure switch uses a pressure-sensitive conductive rubber or the like to replace a column having a very short height interposed between the toilet bowl and the toilet seat on the back surface of the toilet seat, or to easily install it together with it. Can be realized.

[0029]

As is clear from the above description,
According to the present invention, unconscious and unrestrained biometric measurement can be carried out in a patient's home on a daily basis, and equipment investment therefor can be small, which is preferable.

[0030]

[References]

(1) Ishijima, Togawa, "Unconscious measurement of loaded / unloaded electrocardiogram" IEICE Technical Report MBE93-46 (1993-06) (2) Igarashi et al., "At-home measurement of blood pressure and blood oxygen saturation" TECHNICAL REPORT MBE93-49 (1993-06) (3) Arifuku, Haraga, “The Possibility of a Biometric Information Collection Device to be Installed in Sanitary Equipment” The 6th Annual Meeting of the ME Society of Japan, 2-10-1
3.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanation of how a bioelectrode pair looks into an electromotive force vector of an electrocardiographic signal.

FIG. 2 is an explanation of the definitions from the first lead to the sixth lead.

FIG. 3 First, second and third leads, Gain = x1,1 mV /
cm, 25 mm / sec.

FIG. 4 Leads 4, 5, and 6, Gain = x1

FIG. 5: 6th lead, Gain = x2

[Fig. 6] Guidance between hips, Gain = x2

FIG. 7: Induction between thighs, Gain = x10

FIG. 8: Inter-shin guidance, Gain = x10

FIG. 9: Toilet seat induction, Gain = X10

FIG. 10 shows an outline of an example of a workpiece of a toilet seat with electrodes.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An apparatus for collecting and analyzing a biomedical signal, wherein a bioelectrode is arranged on a toilet seat of a Western-style toilet. 2. Seki electrodes are arranged on the left and right branches of the toilet seat of a Western-style toilet, and indifferent electrodes are arranged on either of the branches, so that the seki electrodes and the indifferent electrodes form bipolar induction. The biological signal sampling and analyzing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the biological signal collecting and analyzing apparatus is coupled to the input terminal of the differential amplifier and the ground potential of the circuit. 3. The biological signal obtained at the output terminal of the differential amplifier is further amplified about 10 times and then introduced into a known electrocardiographic signal analyzer, which is equivalent to the first lead of the standard 12 leads or similar. The biological signal acquisition / analysis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the biological signal acquisition / analysis apparatus is configured to be analyzed by the single channel analysis procedure. 4. A toilet seat having a pressure switch for activating the device only when the patient is seated on the toilet seat.
Alternatively, the biological signal collecting / analyzing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the biological signal collecting / analyzing apparatus is configured to permit activation of the apparatus. 5. A wireless telemeter transmitter for transmitting the biomedical signal, a transmitting antenna and battery power supply means therefor are arranged on the toilet seat, and the radio wave is emitted only when the patient sits on the toilet seat. The biological signal collecting and analyzing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the electric circuits of these toilet seats are configured to be electrically insulated from the outside world.