JP2005040402A - Stimulus-response evaluation device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a stimulus-response evaluation device constituted so as to allow the living body of a person, an animal or the like to be inconscious of the measurement of external stimulation when the response of the living body to external stimulation is measured by converting the breathing action of the living body to an electric signal. <P>SOLUTION: A hermetically sealed pneumatic sound sensor is brought into close contact with the living body or incorporated in each of the legs of a bed or chair to which the weight of the living body is applied to measure the breathing action of the living body in such a state that the living body is inconscious of measurement. The measured result is converted to an electric signal and analyzed to decide the mental state of the living body or the environment in which the living body is placed. Further, the electric signal is used for adjusting an environment adjusting device. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

The present invention relates to an apparatus for detecting the autonomous disturbance that appears in the time difference between breathing strength and breathing time of a living body such as a human being or an animal as an electrical signal and determining the cause.
In addition, other devices are controlled by the detected electrical signal, and are intended to be used for controlling an environment where a living body such as a person or an animal is currently placed.

It is well known that the heartbeat, respiration, blood pressure, and the like of a living body vary due to physical or psychological stimulation applied to the living body.
However, despite many attempts to detect these stimuli from heartbeat and blood pressure fluctuations, few attempts have been made to detect this from breathing.
In general, detection of breathing is performed by attaching a thermistor in the vicinity of the mouth and nose or wearing a belt with a strain gauge on the abdomen or chest, so that the subject is unaware that the subject is being measured. It is because it is made to do.

Since the subject cannot freely control heart rate and blood pressure, even if he / she is aware that it is being measured, the measurement results do not have a decisive effect. So if you are aware that the subject is being measured, you will not get accurate results. In the case of animals, if they are not installed on a familiar body such as a collar or heel, they will lose their calmness due to severe stress, and accurate results cannot be obtained.
1992, published by Bunkodo “Autonomous Nervous Function Test”, first edition, pages 38-40.

  Although the measurement of respiration has the above-mentioned problems, the purpose of the present invention to obtain biological information from respiration is not conscious of or forgetting that a person or animal is being measured. If body motion detection (hereinafter referred to as “unconstrained biological information detection”) is performed in the obtained state, not only the presence / absence and size of the stimulus, but also mental and physical distress ( This is because it is possible to detect the presence / absence and magnitude of internal stimulation such as pain, urinary sensation, and hunger) and how the living body responds (acceptance / rejection) to the stimulation.

For example, a reaction to a sound is intended to know whether the sound is pleasant or unpleasant for the subject.
Also, in response to odors, it tries to distinguish whether the odor is the subject's favorite odor or disliked odor.
That is, it is intended to measure the feelings of sensation and environment.
Moreover, it is not limited to likes and dislikes, but it is intended to measure how much each type of stimulus is recognized.
It is almost impossible to measure the amount of such sensation, disgust, and stimulus recognition from biological information such as heart rate and blood pressure.

Another object of the present invention is to control environmental conditions in which subjects and animals are placed based on the measurement results.
Explaining the example of the sound described above, if it can be confirmed that the sound is pleasant for the subject or animal, control is performed such that the sound continues to be heard or the sound is made stronger. On the contrary, when it is determined that the sound is unpleasant for the subject, control is performed such as stopping the sound or switching to another sound.

In order to achieve the above object, an unconstrained biological information detector such as a hermetic air type sound sensor is attached to a part of the body of a subject or animal that can detect body movement due to respiration, and the body movement is converted into an electrical signal. .
Next, the body motion component due to respiration is separated from the obtained electrical signal, the content of the reaction is judged from this signal, and it is converted into an environmental control signal as necessary, and used for controlling peripheral devices.

According to the present invention, body motion due to respiration of a living body can be converted into an electrical signal, and the sensitivity to a stimulus received by the living body can be known from the waveform.
Further, by converting the waveform into a numerical value and using it as a control signal for a peripheral device, the environment in which the living body is placed can be improved to be favorable for the living body.

Therefore, for example, the following fields can be considered as the application field of the present invention.
(1) Judgment of personal and animal preferences and personality (2) Judgment of human interpersonal relationships and reactions of animals to heterogeneous animals (3) Monitoring of physical condition such as pain, urination, and hunger of humans and animals (4) Setting the environment to suit the taste and personality of people and animals, such as background music selection, volume adjustment, lighting adjustment, temperature / humidity adjustment, etc. (5) Favorability shown by the group by integrating personal data For example, if it is installed at each seat of the movie preview hall, it is possible to obtain materials useful for editing movies and selecting background music.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an example of a sealed air type sound sensor 1 that detects a body movement signal by a change in air pressure, FIG. 1A is a perspective view, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA ′ of FIG. 1A.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 2 denotes an air bag made of a flexible cloth, plastic or the like, and does not necessarily need to be airtight. Rather, it is more suitable that some air flows through the material surface, stitches, and the like.
3 is an internal stuffing such as sponge or cotton for maintaining the cushioning property of the air bag 2.
Reference numeral 4 denotes a vent pipe, and a pressure sensor 5 for detecting the pressure in the air bag is attached to an end of the vent pipe, and an output of the pressure sensor 5 passes through an external measuring device or a transmitter (not shown) by a lead wire or an antenna 6. To be input.

FIG. 2A shows an example in which the sealed air type sound sensor 1 is attached to the chair 20.
A body motion signal accompanying respiration can be detected in most parts of the living body, but it is most efficient to capture it in the chest or back, and in the case of a chair, it is preferable to attach it to a place where the back of the backrest 21 hits.
In addition to the chair, various places such as a bed and a toilet seat are conceivable as the installation place of the sealed air type sound sensor, but it can also be directly attached to the subject's clothes.
The important thing is not to be aware that the subject is being measured.

FIG. 2B shows an example in which the sealed pneumatic sound sensor 1 is attached to a belt in order to attach it to a person or an animal.
In FIG. 2B, 1 is a sealed air type sound sensor, and 6 is a lead wire or an antenna for transmitting a signal detected by the sealed air type sound sensor.
Reference numeral 22 denotes a mounting belt, and a hermetic air type sound sensor 1 is attached to a substantially central portion thereof. The attachment may be secured by stitching or adhesion, but it is preferable that the attachment is detachable with a hook-and-loop fastener such as Velcro (trademark) or a clip.
Attachment stoppers 23 and 24 are attached to both ends of the attachment belt 22.
The mounting fasteners 23 and 24 are not limited to hook-and-loop fasteners such as the illustrated Velcro (trademark), but may be buckle-like metal fittings.
The width and length of the mounting belt 22 can be appropriately selected depending on the part to be attached, and the belt 22 is wrapped around the neck, abdomen, back, arm, tail, and the like.
Also in this case, it is important not to be conscious of the person or animal wearing it, and a familiar belt, collar, collar, etc. are suitable.

FIG. 3 shows another example of the body motion signal detection device used in the present invention.
FIG. 3A is a perspective view, and FIG. 3B shows a longitudinal section thereof.
In FIG. 3, 31 is a bed on which a human body is seated, a leg such as a chair, 32 is a sealed air-type sound sensor of a type different from the bag-shaped one shown in FIG. 1, and 33 is the sealed air-type sound sensor. The floor.
The sealed air type sound sensor 32 is made of a flexible material such as rubber or plastic in a cylindrical shape, and has an indentation 34 into which the leg 31 is inserted, and a cavity 35 inside.
Reference numeral 36 denotes a pressure sensor for detecting a change in air pressure in the cavity 35, and reference numeral 37 denotes a lead wire or an antenna for leading the output of the pressure sensor to the outside.

In the example of FIG. 3, the body movement of the human body on the bed and chair is transmitted to the sealed air type sound sensor 32 through the legs 31 to change the pressure in the cavity 34.
The pressure sensor 35 detects the pressure change and sends it to the outside as a signal.

In the example of FIG. 3, the sealed air type sound sensor 32 is placed on a floor 33, and a leg 31 such as a bed or a chair is placed in a depression 34 thereon. (Not shown) or an intermediate portion.
It is also possible to attach to some or all of the plurality of legs.
The embodiment of FIG. 3 is particularly effective in that the subject is not conscious of being measured.

FIG. 4 is a system diagram of a circuit for detecting a relatively simple reaction such as likes, dislikes, accepts, and rejects among various stimuli given to a living body.
41 is the output of the pressure sensor of the sealed air type sound sensor.
The low-pass filter 42 has a band set so that only a signal having a long period such as a body motion signal accompanying respiration is passed from the output of the pressure sensor.
The signal that has passed through the low-pass filter 42 detects the maximum value and the minimum value of the amplitude maximum value detector 43 and the minimum value detector 44, respectively, and the difference signal is input to the determination unit 45.

The output waveform of the low-pass filter 42 will be described with reference to FIG.
5A and 5B are graphs in which a signal representing respiration that has passed through the low-pass filter 42 is displayed by a waveform analyzer.
The vertical axis represents voltage V and the horizontal axis represents time seconds.
When the voltage is zero, plus indicates inspiration and minus indicates expiration.
FIG. 5A shows a case where a scent (stimulation) preferred by the subject is given at the time indicated by the arrow, and FIG. 5B shows a case where a scent (stimulation) disliked by the subject is given at the time indicated by the arrow.

In general, when the living body is not stimulated at all, spontaneous respiration is performed with a constant rhythm and amplitude generated in the respiratory center of the medulla.
5A and 5B, the left part of the arrow indicates a period without stimulation, and the period and amplitude are kept substantially constant.

On the other hand, when a stimulus is given at the time indicated by the arrow, the waveform changes thereafter (on the right side of the arrow), which is the case of the subject's favorite odor in FIG. 5A and the subject in FIG. 5B. This is very different from the case of the scent that you don't like.
For favorite stimuli coming from outside the body, inspiration is instinctively instinctively made the internal environment follow external stimuli, and the exhalation immediately after is also strengthened.
However, animals are controlled so that they cannot breathe more than necessary (oxygen uptake), and then weaken by reaction.
On the other hand, for an unpleasant stimulus (rejection), the inspiration is weakened so as to separate the internal environment from the external stimulus, the exhalation immediately after is also weakened, and the breathing is strengthened by a reaction after the stimulation is finished. If stimulation continues, supplement oxygen uptake by increasing the number of breaths while weakening breathing.
From this, it can be seen that the living body likes and dislikes the stimulus, that is, acceptance and rejection appear in the intensity (oscillation) of spontaneous breathing.

Accordingly, the sensitivity of the subject can be determined by quantifying and displaying it and displaying it on the determination unit 45.
It is possible to observe up to 160% of acceptance and 70% of rejection in resting breathing.
In addition to the instantaneous value display, the display can be further improved in the accuracy of determination by using an average value display or trend for a certain period.
These numerical values can be recorded and used for comparison with other measurement results.
Furthermore, this can be programmed and used as a control signal for controlling other devices.
In addition, in FIG. 5, an odor was described as an example of an external stimulus. However, in addition to sound, video, light, wind, temperature, humidity, etc., external stimuli may be human-human, animal-animal encounters, and mental agitation. Good things are easy to understand. Depending on the content of the stimulus, a more complicated waveform may be shown.

FIG. 6 shows an example in the case where stimulation by music is given to the subject.
FIG. 6A shows a breathing waveform when the subject is at rest, maintaining a substantially constant amplitude and constant period.
FIG. 6B shows a case where classical music is played as background music in this state, and FIG. 6C shows a case where rock music is played.
In the case of FIG. 6B, no significant change is seen in the amplitude and inspiration period, whereas a unique waveform appears in which the expiration expires.
On the other hand, in FIG. 6C, the amplitude is extremely suppressed, and a unique waveform in which inspiration and expiration are irregularly extended at various points appears.

Since it is known in advance that this subject likes classical music and hates rock music, FIG. 6B shows a response to preferred music and FIG. 6C shows a response to disliked music.
Stimulus acceptance and rejection are clearly manifested as changes in respiratory amplitude.
Therefore, the preference of a subject whose preference for music is unknown can be determined by statistically processing this and digitizing it.
Also, the extent to which the subject perceived the music stimulus in which part of the music or the whole by processing the digitized part of the exhalation of the breath at resting time in a transient or statistical manner and digitizing it. Can be determined.
In general, it seems that 200% of the expiration time at rest is the limit for the long time of involuntary expiration stagnation due to stimulus recognition.
By converting these numerical values into control signals and thereby controlling the apparatus, it becomes possible to provide music that suits the subject's preference.

FIG. 7 shows an example in which the body movement of respiration is measured by attaching a sealed air type sound sensor to the waist part of the human body in the supine position.
The test subject of FIG. 7 is a patient who has persistent pain in a finger part, FIG. 7A shows a painless (resting) state, and FIG. 7B shows a pain occurring.
The waveform at rest in FIG. 7A is slightly different from the waveform at rest of the subject shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, but this is based on the difference in measurement site and individual differences.
The waveform of FIG. 7B has a tendency that the inspiration time is shorter and the expiration time is longer than that of FIG. 7A.
Therefore, the nature and intensity of the pain can be determined by quantifying the difference between the expiration and inspiration time of FIG. 7B over time and statistically based on the difference between the expiration and inspiration time of the waveform of FIG. 7A.
Moreover, it becomes possible to grasp a patient's complaint by recording and recording a numerical value.

FIG. 8 shows a system diagram of a circuit for analyzing the recognition amount of the stimulus as shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C and FIG. 7B.
Reference numeral 801 denotes an output of a pressure sensor of a hermetic air type sound sensor, and the output includes various body motion signals including a signal accompanying respiration and noise.
The output of the pressure sensor 801 is removed from the direct current by the coupling capacitor 802 and input to the low pass filter 803.
The low-pass filter 803 has a band selected so that a breathing signal passes most.
The signal that has passed through the low-pass filter 803 is shaped into a square wave by the comparator 804, differentiated by the differentiator 805, and divided by the rectifiers 806 and 807 into a positive half wave and a negative half wave corresponding to the start and end of expiration and inspiration. Rectified and counted by ON / OFF timers 808 and 809.
The differential outputs of the ON / OFF timers 808 and 809 are digitized by the arithmetic circuit 810 and displayed on the determination unit 811.

The display of the determination unit 811 can obtain a more accurate result by displaying the warm value of the waveform and the average value over a certain period.
Also, by recording this in the storage device, it can be used as a personal history.
Furthermore, it can be output as a control signal for a peripheral device as a signal in which numerical values are programmed.

The present invention can be used in the medical field of humans and animals.
It can also be used in a device that sets a comfortable environment for people and animals.
Furthermore, it can be used for a device for judging the preference or character of a person or animal.

An example of a sealed air sound sensor Example of installing a sealed air type sound sensor Example of installing a sealed air type sound sensor Other examples of sealed sound sensors System diagram of waveform analysis circuit A graph representing the respiratory waveform when a stimulus is applied Breathing waveform by music Patient breathing waveform System diagram of waveform analysis circuit

Explanation of symbols

1 ························································································································· Pressure sensor 6... Lead wire or antenna 20... Chair 21 .. backrest 22. 31... Pressure sensor output 32... Low pass filter 33... Maximum and minimum value detector 44... Minimum detector 45. 801... Pressure sensor 802... Output 803 .. Low pass filter 804 .. Signal 805 .. Differentiator 806 .. Rectifier 807. .... Rectification 808 ... ON / OFF timer 809 ... Count 810 ... Arithmetic circuit 811 ... - the determination unit

Claims (6)

A sealed air type sound sensor attached to a part that is always in close contact with a living body such as a bed, chair or clothes, belt,
A low-pass filter that selectively filters respiratory components from the output of a hermetic air sound sensor,
A detector that detects the maximum and minimum amplitude values from the output of the low-pass filter,
Judgment unit that quantifies and displays the detected maximum and minimum values,
Stimulus reaction evaluation device consisting of A sealed air type sound sensor attached to a part that is always in close contact with a living body such as a bed, chair or clothes, belt,
A low-pass filter that selectively filters respiratory components from the output of a hermetic air sound sensor,
An arithmetic circuit that calculates the difference between the inspiratory time and the expiratory time in one or more respiratory cycles from the output of the low-pass filter;
A judgment unit that displays the calculated difference time in numerical form,
Stimulus reaction evaluation device consisting of A hermetic air type sound sensor attached to the leg of the bed or chair so that the load of at least part of the living body on the bed or chair is applied.
A low-pass filter that selectively filters respiratory components from the output of a hermetic air sound sensor,
A detector that detects the maximum and minimum amplitude values from the output of the low-pass filter,
Judgment unit that quantifies and displays the detected maximum and minimum values,
Stimulus reaction evaluation device consisting of A hermetic air type sound sensor attached to the leg of the bed or chair so that the load of at least part of the living body on the bed or chair is applied.
A low-pass filter that selectively filters respiratory components from the output of a hermetic air sound sensor,
An arithmetic circuit that calculates the difference between the inspiratory time and the expiratory time in one or more respiratory cycles from the output of the low-pass filter;
A judgment unit that displays the calculated difference time in numerical form,
Stimulus reaction evaluation device consisting of A hermetic air sound sensor attached to a part of the animal's collar, heel, etc. that is always in close contact with the animal's body,
A low-pass filter that selectively filters respiratory components from the output of a hermetic air sound sensor,
A detector that detects the maximum and minimum amplitude values from the output of the low-pass filter, a judgment unit that displays the detected maximum and minimum values in numerical values,
Stimulus reaction evaluation device consisting of A hermetic air sound sensor attached to a part of the animal's collar, heel, etc. that is always in close contact with the animal's body,
A low-pass filter that selectively filters respiratory components from the output of a hermetic air sound sensor,
An arithmetic circuit that calculates the difference between the inspiratory time and the expiratory time in one or more respiratory cycles from the output of the low-pass filter;
A judgment unit that displays the calculated difference time in numerical form,
Stimulus reaction evaluation device consisting of

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