JP2013123493A - Information processing apparatus, stethoscope, control method for information processing apparatus, control program, and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To effectively utilize resources without spoiling convenience of an operator.SOLUTION: The stethoscope 1 includes a condition agreement decision section 203, a communication control section 204 or a storage control section 205. In this case, the condition agreement decision section 203 decides that living body sounds are included in the sound conforming to a fact that a sound shown by acquired sound information satisfies specified conditions. The communication control section 204 starts the transmission process of the acquired sound information to a terminal device 60 when the inclusion of the living body sounds in the sound shown by the acquired sound information has been ascertained. The storage control section 205 starts the storage process of the acquired sound information to a storage section 40 when the inclusion of the living body sounds in the sound shown by the acquired sound information has been ascertained.

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus that performs processing on a body sound acquired from a subject.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, electronic stethoscopes that can collect a body sound (breathing sound, heart sound, etc.) from a living body (patient) and record the collected body sound as a digital signal (body sound information) have become widespread. By recording biological sound information electronically with an electronic stethoscope, a variety of diagnostic forms are realized, which are different from conventional diagnostic forms in which a doctor makes a diagnosis on the spot using a stethoscope for a patient. It is possible. Further, the electronic stethoscope has a power supply circuit for realizing various processes such as electronic recording of the body sound information and transmission to a processing device that performs processes (analysis, display, etc.) on the body sound information. ing.

  Various techniques exist for electronic stethoscopes in order to realize the above-described diagnostic form.

  Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose an auscultation system in which a stethoscope is provided with an on / off switch for a nurse or the like to control the start and end of recording of auscultation sounds. In this auscultation system, a nurse or the like operates an on / off switch when he or she puts a stethoscope on an appropriate position of a patient and determines that the sound is good. In the auscultation system of Patent Literature 1, a recording process of auscultation sound is started with this operation as a trigger. Further, in the auscultation system of Patent Document 2, the auscultation sound is compressed and encoded using this operation as a trigger, and the compressed auscultation sound is stored in a recording medium or transmitted to a remote place.

  Patent Document 3 discloses an electronic biosensor that controls the power supplied to the components of the self-sensor by distinguishing use / non-use of the self-sensor. The electronic biosensor includes (1) mechanical displacement of the ear tube, (2) contact (or proximity) between a clinician and the housing of the electronic biosensor, (3) a diaphragm surface of the electronic biosensor, and a patient Sensors that detect contact (or proximity) with each other. In the electronic biosensor, electric power is supplied to the above-described components by using displacement and / or contact detection by these sensors as a trigger (sleep mode is released).

  The electronic biosensor includes a feature detector that detects a feature of a sensor signal detected by the sensor. In this case, power is supplied to the above-described components, triggered by detection of a transient part and a non-transient part of the sensor signal by the feature detector.

JP 2001-327488 A (published November 27, 2001) JP 2001-333899 A (published on December 4, 2001) Special table 2010-522039 (announced July 1, 2010)

  However, in the auscultation systems of Patent Documents 1 and 2, auscultation sound recording or compression encoding processing is performed using a switching operation of an on / off switch by a nurse or the like as a trigger. That is, in these auscultation systems, the operator determines the timing for acquiring a body sound. This requires the operator to operate the on / off switch after determining whether or not it is a biological sound in a situation where it is desired to acquire the biological sound, which may impair the convenience of the operator. That is, data unnecessary for clinicians and nurses cannot be automatically excluded, and predetermined processing (for example, transmission processing of biological sound information to an external device, storage processing in a storage unit) cannot be performed. .

  The electronic biosensor disclosed in Patent Document 3 determines the power supply start timing based on contact with a clinician or a patient and a transient / non-transient state of a sensor signal. For this reason, when power is supplied to each component, it is assumed that a predetermined process for the acquired sound is started. Therefore, the process is performed even in a state where no body sound is included. there is a possibility. For example, when power supply is started, when communication is possible (for example, the transceiver on state of Patent Document 3), the acquired sound does not include a body sound, and the sound information is external There is a possibility of starting transmission processing to the device. Further, when the communication is not possible, it is necessary to cause the operator to perform an operation for setting the state, so that the convenience of the operator may be impaired.

  As described above, in the techniques of Patent Literatures 1 to 3, predetermined processing such as transmission processing to the outside or storage processing to the storage unit is performed using the acquired sound as a trigger when a body sound is included. Do not mean. For this reason, transmission / storage processing may be performed even for data unnecessary for clinicians, nurses and the like. Further, since the transmission / storage processing for such unnecessary data is excluded, there is a possibility that the convenience of the operator is impaired.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus, a stethoscope, and an information processing apparatus that can effectively use resources without impairing the convenience of the operator. The present invention provides a control method, a control program, and a recording medium.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the information processing apparatus according to the present invention is based on the fact that the sound indicated by the acquired sound information acquired by the own apparatus satisfies at least one predetermined condition. When the determination unit determines that the sound is included, and the determination unit determines that the sound represented by the acquired sound information includes the biological sound, the acquired sound information is transmitted to an external device. Or a control means for starting storage processing in the storage unit.

  Further, in order to solve the above-described problem, the control method of the information processing device according to the present invention is based on the fact that the sound indicated by the acquired sound information acquired by the own device satisfies at least one predetermined condition. When it is determined by the determination step that the sound includes biological sound and the sound indicated by the acquired sound information includes the biological sound by the determination step, And a control step of starting a transmission process to an external device or a storage process to a storage unit.

  According to the above configuration, the determination unit determines that the sound includes biological sound based on the sound indicated by the acquired sound information satisfying at least one predetermined condition. The predetermined condition is a condition for determining that the body sound is included in the sound indicated by the acquired sound information. Thereby, the information processing apparatus can determine whether the acquired sound includes a biological sound.

  In addition, when the control unit determines that the sound indicated by the acquired sound information includes a biological sound, the control unit transmits the acquired sound information (biological sound information) to the external device or stores it in the storage unit. To start. That is, the process for transmitting or storing the body sound information is started only when the above determination is used as a trigger, that is, when the acquired sound is assumed to include the body sound. Therefore, the information processing apparatus can prevent transmission or storage of sounds unnecessary for the operator or the like (sounds that do not include biological sounds), and thus causes the operator to perform processing for eliminating the sounds. Therefore, it is possible to reduce power consumption, storage capacity, and the like for unnecessary sound processing.

  Therefore, the information processing apparatus of the present invention has an effect that resources can be effectively used without impairing the convenience of the operator. The information processing apparatus control method according to the present invention also has the above-described determination step and control step, and therefore has the same effect as the information processing apparatus.

  In the information processing apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that the predetermined condition is that the frequency of the sound indicated by the acquired sound information is included in a predetermined frequency range.

  According to the above configuration, the frequencies of biological sounds, particularly respiratory sounds and heart sounds are included in a predetermined frequency range (for example, a range of 1 kHz or less), so that the sound indicated by the acquired sound information is within the frequency range. In this case, there is a high possibility that biological sound is included in the sound. Therefore, by using the frequency of the sound indicated by the acquired sound information as the predetermined condition, it is possible to reliably determine whether or not a biological sound is included in the sound indicated by the acquired sound information.

  In the information processing apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that the predetermined condition is that a sound indicated by the acquired sound information has a predetermined periodicity.

  According to the above configuration, since the body sound, in particular, the respiratory sound and the heart sound have periodicity, the sound indicated by the acquired sound information has a predetermined periodicity (for example, a period of about 1 second or several seconds). If there is, there is a high possibility that the sound includes biological sound. Therefore, by using the periodicity of the sound indicated by the acquired sound information as the predetermined condition, it is possible to reliably determine whether the sound indicated by the acquired sound information includes a biological sound.

  In the information processing apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that the control unit includes a notification control unit that notifies that the acquired sound information is being transmitted or stored.

  According to the above configuration, since it is possible to notify that the transmission process or the storage process is being performed, the operator can check whether the process is being performed.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the stethoscope according to the present invention includes the information processing apparatus described above.

  According to the above configuration, it is possible to realize a stethoscope capable of effectively utilizing resources without impairing the convenience of the operator.

  Also included in the technical scope of the present invention are a control program for operating the information processing apparatus, the control program for causing the computer to function as each of the means, and a computer-readable recording medium on which the control program is recorded. It is.

  According to the control program, the information processing apparatus can be realized on the computer by realizing the means described above with the computer. Further, according to the recording medium, the control program read from the recording medium can be realized on a general-purpose computer.

  In the information processing apparatus according to the present invention, as described above, the sound indicated by the acquired sound information acquired by the own apparatus satisfies at least one predetermined condition, and the sound includes a biological sound. And when the determination means determines that the biological sound is included in the sound indicated by the acquired sound information, the acquired sound information is transmitted to an external device or a storage unit. And a control means for starting the storage process.

  In addition, as described above, the control method of the information processing device according to the present invention is based on the fact that the sound indicated by the acquired sound information acquired by the own device satisfies at least one predetermined condition, When it is determined by the determination step that determines that the body sound is included in the sound indicated by the acquired sound information by the determination step, the acquired sound information is transmitted to the external device. A control step of starting a transmission process or a storage process in a storage unit.

  Therefore, the information processing apparatus and the control method thereof according to the present invention have an effect that resources can be effectively used without impairing the convenience for the operator.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the main control part with which the stethoscope which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention is provided. It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of the biological sound measuring system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of a structure of the chestpiece with which the said stethoscope is equipped, and a holding part. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the chestpiece with which the said stethoscope is equipped, and a holding part. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of a process in the said stethoscope.

  One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those shown in the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

[Outline of biological sound measurement system 100]
First, the outline of the biological sound measurement system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of the biological sound measurement system 100. As shown in FIG. 2, the body sound measurement system 100 includes a stethoscope (information processing device, electronic stethoscope) 1 and a terminal device (external device) 60.

  When the operator holds the grip portion 3 and touches the chest piece 2 of the subject (living body) 50 to be measured, the body sound emitted by the subject 50 can be acquired. The type of biological sound is not particularly limited, and is, for example, a heart sound, a respiratory sound, or an intestinal sound.

  In the present embodiment, when the stethoscope 1 determines that the acquired sound includes a biological sound (a sound (desired sound) necessary for management, diagnosis, etc. by an operator or a doctor), Using the determination as a trigger, acquired sound information indicating the acquired sound (that is, acquired sound information (body sound information) indicating a sound including a body sound) is transmitted to the terminal device 60. In this case, the terminal device 60 manages the biological sound information. Or the stethoscope 1 stores the acquisition sound information which shows the sound containing a biological sound in the memory | storage part 40 (refer FIG.1 and FIG.4) with which the stethoscope 1 is provided by making the said determination into a trigger.

  The terminal device 60 is a device that manages body sound information acquired by the stethoscope 1. The terminal device 60 is, for example, a personal computer, a smartphone, or a personal digital assistant (PDA), but is not particularly limited.

  The stethoscope 1 and the terminal device 60 may be configured to be able to perform data communication with each other. That is, in this embodiment, the case of performing wireless communication is mainly described, but the data communication may be performed via a wireless medium or a wired medium.

  In addition, this data communication may use short-range communication (infrared communication, electromagnetic wave communication, etc.) or a communication network (LAN (Local Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), etc.). Also good. In the case of data communication using short-range communication, the terminal device 60 is realized as a smartphone used by the operator of the stethoscope 1 that directly contacts the chestpiece 2 with the subject 50, for example. On the other hand, in the case of data communication using a communication network, the terminal device 60 includes, for example, a personal computer installed in a room (space) different from the operator of the subject 50 and the stethoscope 1, the subject 50 and the operator. It is realized as a personal computer installed in a remote place away from the place.

[Overall configuration of stethoscope 1]
As shown in FIG. 2, the stethoscope 1 includes a chest piece 2, a grip portion 3, a cable 4, and an earphone 5.

  The chestpiece 2 is a sound collection unit that abuts on the surface of the subject 50 and acquires a body sound emitted from the inside of the body. In addition, the chestpiece 2 acquires sounds other than the body sound when the surface of the subject 50 is not touched, such as a sound emitted by the operator of the stethoscope 1 from the time when the power of the stethoscope 1 is turned on. It is also possible.

  Sound (including biological sound) acquired by the chest piece 2 is transmitted as an electric signal to the earphone 5 via the cable 4, and the biological sound is converted into an acoustic signal by the earphone 5.

  The grip 3 is a member for gripping when the operator uses the stethoscope 1, and is attached to the chest piece 2 and the cable 4.

[Configuration of Chest Piece 2 and Gripping Unit 3]
Next, based on FIG. 3, the whole structure of the chestpiece 2 and the holding part 3 is demonstrated. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the chest piece 2 and the grip portion 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the chest piece 2 is connected to the grip portion 3 and includes a diaphragm surface 21, a vibration sensor 22, a substrate 23, a push switch 24, and a contact sensor 25. The chestpiece 2 includes a battery that supplies power to each unit, but the battery is not shown because it is not related to the feature of the present invention.

  When the subject 50 emits a biological sound by breathing or the like, the diaphragm surface 21 slightly vibrates in accordance with the wavelength of the biological sound. The minute vibration of the diaphragm surface 21 is propagated to the vibration sensor 22 through the atmosphere. Further, even when the diaphragm surface 21 is not touching the subject 50, the peripheral sound of the stethoscope 1 is acquired and vibrated minutely in accordance with the wavelength of the acquired sound.

  The vibration sensor 22 detects minute vibrations of the diaphragm surface 21 and converts the detected minute vibrations into electric signals. In the example shown in FIG. 3, a sensor having a piezoelectric diaphragm is used as the vibration sensor 22. This piezoelectric diaphragm is composed of two layers of a piezoelectric ceramic (upper side) and a metal plate (lower side). More specifically, the piezoelectric ceramic is sandwiched between two layers of electrodes, but the electrodes are omitted in FIG. The configuration of the vibration sensor 22 is not limited to that shown in FIG.

  The vibration sensor 22 may include a filter (low-pass filter) that cuts high-frequency sound (for example, sound exceeding 1 kHz). Since most body sounds have a frequency of 1 kHz or less, a body sound with less noise can be obtained by cutting sounds exceeding 1 kHz.

  The electrical signal generated by the vibration sensor 22 is transmitted to the earphone 5 via the cable 4 and is output to the digital signal converter 26.

  The board 23 includes an electronic circuit that processes an electrical signal transmitted from the vibration sensor 22. On the board, a digital signal conversion unit 26, a communication unit 27, and a time measuring unit 30 that are part of the hardware logic are included. A storage unit 40 and a temporary storage unit 41 (see FIG. 4) are formed. Note that these members may be incorporated into the grip portion 3 via the electronic circuit of the substrate 23.

  The push switch 24 is realized by a spring type button, for example, and is movable in a substantially vertical direction of the diaphragm surface 21. Specifically, the push switch 24 protrudes slightly (about a few millimeters) from the diaphragm surface 21, and is pushed when the diaphragm surface 21 physically touches the subject 50, and is separated from the subject 50. Will be in a non-pressed state. The push switch 24 transmits an event detection signal to the main control unit 20 (see FIGS. 1 and 4) when pressed or not pressed. Thereby, the stethoscope 1 can detect the contact of the object (usually the subject 50) to the diaphragm surface 21.

  The arrangement of the push switch 24 is not limited to this. For example, the push switch 24 may be provided inside the diaphragm surface 21 (around the vibration sensor 22), and in accordance with the deformation of the diaphragm surface 21 when contacting the subject 50. It may be configured to be in a pressed state. In addition, even if it is not a mechanical structure like the push switch 24, it may be configured to detect that the diaphragm surface 21 has touched the object. For example, instead of the push switch 24, an optical sensor such as an illuminance sensor, a photo interrupter, or an infrared sensor may be provided on the diaphragm surface 21 or the periphery thereof. In addition, a sensor that senses pressure, temperature, capacitance, or ultrasonic waves may be substituted.

  The contact sensor 25 is realized by an optical sensor such as an illuminance sensor, a photo interrupter, or an infrared sensor, and is provided on a part of the surface of the grip portion 3. In FIG. 3, the contact sensor 25 is provided at a position of the grip portion 3 where the thumb of the right hand of the operator is easy to touch. The contact sensor 25 transmits an event detection signal to the main control unit 20 when, for example, an operator's finger touches the surface of the contact sensor 25 or moves away from the surface. As a result, the stethoscope 1 can detect whether or not the operator has gripped by detecting the contact of the object (usually the operator) with the grip portion 3.

  As with the push switch 24, the contact sensor 25 only needs to be able to detect contact with the grip portion 3. Therefore, any position on the surface of the grip portion 3 that is highly likely to be touched by the operator. May be arranged. Further, instead of the contact sensor 25, it may be realized by a slide-type switch or various sensors such as pressure, temperature, capacitance, or ultrasonic wave.

  Next, the detail of the member with which the chestpiece 2 or the holding part 3 is provided is demonstrated based on FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the chest piece 2 and the grip portion 3.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in addition to the above-described members, the chest piece 2 or the gripping unit 3 includes a main control unit 20, a digital signal conversion unit 26, a communication unit 27, a display unit 28, a speaker 29, a timing unit 30, and a storage unit. 40 and a temporary storage unit 41.

  The main control unit 20 controls the components of the stethoscope 1 by executing a control program stored in the storage unit 40, for example. The main control unit 20 performs various processes by reading out and executing the program stored in the storage unit 40 in a temporary storage unit 41 configured by, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory) or the like as necessary. Further, the processing of the main control unit 20 may be realized by a digital signal processor (DSP). The specific configuration and processing of the main control unit 20 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  The digital signal converter 26 converts the electrical signal converted by the vibration sensor 22 into a digital signal, and transmits the acquired sound to the main controller 20 as acquired sound information. The digital signal converter 26 may convert the acquired sound information into sound data of a predetermined file format. Examples of the file format include MP3, WAV, WMA, MP2, AC3, OGG, RA, and AAC.

  The digital signal converter 26 performs gain control and DC control on the electric signal. This contributes to an improvement in the accuracy and accuracy of signal processing in the main control unit 20 described below. Therefore, the main control unit 20 determines whether or not a body sound is included in the sound indicated by the acquired sound information. This can be performed with high accuracy, and the main controller 20 or the terminal device 60 can appropriately display the waveform of the body sound.

  The communication unit 27 functions as a transmission unit that transmits acquired sound information to the terminal device 60 when the main control unit 20 determines that a body sound is included in the acquired sound. In addition, the communication unit 27 may have a function as a reception unit so that the setting conditions and the like of the stethoscope 1 can be changed via the terminal device 60. Thereby, data communication with the terminal device 60 becomes possible.

  The display unit 28 is, for example, a liquid crystal display. Under the control of the presentation control unit 206 (see FIG. 1), a screen showing a waveform of a biological sound, a diagnosis result estimated from the waveform, and the operator of the stethoscope 1 are displayed. A screen for indicating a predetermined measurement position (measurement point), a message indicating that acquired sound information is being transmitted / stored, or that transmission / storage has been interrupted to the operator of the stethoscope 1 A screen for displaying an error message is displayed.

  The speaker 29 outputs a warning sound for notifying the operator of the stethoscope 1 as voice data or notifying that transmission / storage has been interrupted to the operator of the stethoscope 1 under the control of the presentation control unit 206. To do.

  By providing the display unit 28 and the speaker 29, an operator, a doctor, and the like can grasp the health condition of the subject 50 and can grasp whether or not the processing on the biological sound information is appropriately performed.

  Note that a lighting unit such as an LED may be provided, and notification that the transmission / storage is being performed or that the transmission / storage has been interrupted may be made by changing the emission color, lighting state (flashing), or the like. For example, when data communication with the terminal device 60 is performed by wireless communication, it may be controlled to emit blue light during connection establishment and red light during data transmission.

  The timer 30 measures a predetermined time and a predetermined time under the control of the timer controller 214 (see FIG. 1).

  The storage unit 40 records (1) a control program for each unit, (2) an OS program, (3) an application program, and (4) various data to be read when the program is executed by the main control unit 20. Is. The storage unit 40 is configured by a nonvolatile storage device such as a hard disk or a flash memory. In particular, the storage unit 40 stores biological sound information, a model waveform of biological sound, and the like.

  The temporary storage unit 41 is configured by a volatile storage device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), and is used for temporarily holding data in the course of the main control unit 20 executing the various programs described above. Used as a work area. That is, the temporary storage unit 41 has a function as a buffer. In particular, the temporary storage unit 41 starts the transmission process to the terminal device 60 or the storage process to the storage unit 40 for the digital signal as the acquired sound information acquired by the main control unit 20 from the digital signal conversion unit 26. Used when determining whether or not to do.

[Specific Configuration of Main Control Unit 20]
Next, a specific configuration of the main control unit 20 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the main control unit 20 included in the stethoscope 1.

  The main control unit 20 according to the present embodiment includes a body sound in the sound indicated by the digital signal (acquired sound information) acquired through the digital signal conversion unit 26 based on satisfying a predetermined condition. The process of transmitting the acquired sound information to the terminal device 60 or storing the stored sound information in the storage unit 40 is triggered by the determination that the sound has been determined. In order to realize this processing, the main control unit 20, as shown in FIG. 1, includes a sound information acquisition unit 201, an event detection unit 202, a condition match determination unit (determination unit) 203, and a communication control unit (control unit) 204. A storage control unit (control unit) 205 and a presentation control unit (notification control unit) 206.

  The sound information acquisition unit 201 acquires acquired sound information (digital signal generated by the digital signal conversion unit 26) indicating the sound acquired by the chest piece 2 and temporarily stores it in the temporary storage unit 41. In addition, the sound information acquisition unit 201 transmits an acquisition notification signal for notifying that the acquired sound information has been acquired to the condition match determination unit 203. Thereby, it is possible to perform processing on the acquired sound information in the condition matching determination unit 203.

  The event detection unit 202 generates an event detection signal generated at the timing when the push switch 24 is pressed or not pressed and the timing when the object touches or does not contact the contact sensor 25. Received from each. Thereby, the stethoscope 1 can detect that the operator has gripped the grip portion 3 and that the chestpiece 2 has been in contact with the subject 50 (that is, contact with the object). In addition, it is possible to detect that the chestpiece 2 has been released from the subject 50 and that the operator has released his / her hand from the grip portion 3 (that is, non-contact with the object). That is, by providing the event detection unit 202, the stethoscope 1 can grasp the expected usage status of the operator.

  When the event detection unit 202 receives an event detection signal indicating contact with an object from the push switch 24 and the contact sensor 25, the event detection unit 202 sets an event generation signal for notifying that the event detection signal has been received as a condition. It transmits to the coincidence determination unit 203. Based on this, the condition matching determination unit 203 can perform a determination process as to whether or not a body sound is included in the sound indicated by the acquired sound information.

  On the other hand, when the event detection unit 202 receives an event detection signal indicating that the object is not in contact with the object from the push switch 24 and the contact sensor 25, the event detection unit 202 notifies that the event detection signal has been received. An event occurrence signal is transmitted to the communication control unit 204 or the storage control unit 205. As a result, the communication control unit 204 or the storage control unit 205 can also determine whether the acquired sound information is transmitted or stored.

  When the event detection unit 202 receives an event detection signal from either the push switch 24 or the contact sensor 25, the event detection unit 202 transmits the event occurrence signal to the condition match determination unit 203, the communication control unit 204, or the storage control unit 205. May be.

  Further, the event detection unit 202 can distinguish between an event detection signal from the push switch 24 and an event detection signal from the contact sensor 25. The event detection unit 202 can also distinguish the timing at which the push switch 24 is pressed or not pressed and the timing at which the touch sensor 25 is contacted or not contacted. The processing for enabling this distinction is not particularly limited. For example, the push switch 24 and the contact sensor 25 include, in the event detection signal, (1) information indicating that it is a signal from itself, and (2) Information indicating that pressing or non-pressing, contact or non-contact is made is added.

  When the condition matching determination unit 203 receives the acquisition notification signal from the sound information acquisition unit 201 and / or receives the event occurrence signal from the event detection unit 202, the condition match determination unit 203 temporarily stores the acquired sound information acquired by the sound information acquisition unit 201. Get from. Then, based on the fact that the sound indicated by the acquired sound information satisfies the predetermined condition, it is determined that the sound includes a biological sound.

  In order to realize this process, the condition coincidence determination unit 203 includes a periodicity confirmation unit 211, a frequency band confirmation unit 212, a waveform confirmation unit 213, and a time measurement control unit 214 that function as a determination unit. These members will be described later.

  In addition, the condition match determination unit 203 transmits a result notification signal indicating the determination result to the communication control unit 204 or the storage control unit 205. Thereby, according to the determination result of the condition matching determination part 203, the transmission process or storage process of biological sound information can be performed.

  When the communication control unit 204 receives the result notification signal from the condition matching determination unit 203, the communication control unit 204 acquires the acquired sound information from the temporary storage unit 41 and transmits the acquired sound information to the terminal device 60 by controlling the communication unit 27. To do. In other words, when the condition matching determination unit 203 determines that the sound indicated by the acquired sound information includes a biological sound, the communication control unit 204 transmits the acquired sound information to the terminal device 60. Is something that starts.

  When the storage control unit 205 receives the result notification signal from the condition match determination unit 203, the storage control unit 205 acquires the acquired sound information from the temporary storage unit 41 and stores the acquired sound information in the storage unit 40. In other words, the storage control unit 205 stores the acquired sound information in the storage unit 40 when the condition matching determination unit 203 determines that the sound indicated by the acquired sound information includes a biological sound. Is something that starts.

  For example, when the stethoscope 1 is used in the online mode, the communication control unit 204 uses the condition matching determination unit 203 as a trigger to determine that the acquired sound information satisfies the predetermined condition. The transmission process to the terminal device 60 is automatically started, and the biological sound is transmitted to the terminal device 60 in real time.

  In general, the storage capacity of the storage unit 40 of the stethoscope 1 is small, and for example, a biological sound for several cycles can be recorded only about several times (a sound of about 4 to 8 seconds is about eight times). Therefore, when using in the offline mode, the body sound information can be managed by the terminal device 60 having a larger storage capacity than the stethoscope 1, so that the less storage capacity of the stethoscope 1 can be effectively utilized. it can.

  Moreover, since only the biological sound information is transmitted to the terminal device 60, it is possible to prevent adverse effects caused by transmitting the acquired sound information that does not include the biological sound. That is, by managing sound information that is not required by the operator (or a doctor at a remote location, etc.) with the terminal device 60, it is possible to prevent wasteful consumption of the storage capacity of the storage unit of the terminal device 60, and By transmitting the sound information to the terminal device 60, it is possible to prevent wasteful consumption of the power of the stethoscope 1.

  On the other hand, when the stethoscope 1 is used in the offline mode, the storage control unit 205 uses the storage control unit 205 as a trigger when the condition matching determination unit 203 determines that the acquired sound information satisfies the predetermined condition. The storing process to 40 is automatically started.

  In general, it is necessary to manage the body sound information after specifying the subject 50 and the measurement position (position where the chest piece 2 abuts), and the management is performed by the terminal device 60. When the place of use (measurement place) of the stethoscope 1 and the installation place of the terminal device 60 are close, for example, the operator inputs information indicating the subject 50 and the measurement position to the terminal device 60 while the stethoscope 1 is being used. The body sound information acquired in step 1 can be managed. However, when the stethoscope 1 is used in a remote place away from the installation location of the terminal device 60, the operator cannot directly input information indicating the subject 50 and the measurement position to the terminal device 60. There is a possibility that the association with the biological sound information cannot be performed. In the offline mode, since the body sound can be recorded while inputting information indicating the subject 50 and the measurement position to the stethoscope 1, the measurement location and the installation location of the terminal device 60 are separated. Appropriate information management can be performed even in situations.

  Similarly to the above, since only the body sound information is stored in the storage unit 40, by storing the acquired sound information that does not include the body sound (sound information that is not required by the operator, the doctor, etc.), It is possible to prevent wasteful consumption of storage capacity.

  In the offline mode, for example, the biological sound information may be transmitted to the terminal device 60 when the operator operates the communication button provided in the stethoscope 1 after the storage process.

  In addition, each of the communication control unit 204 and the storage control unit 205 transmits a processing notification signal indicating that the transmission process to the terminal device 60 or the storage process to the storage unit 40 is being performed to the presentation control unit 206.

  Further, the communication control unit 204 and the storage control unit 205 may transmit a completion notification signal indicating that each processing has been completed to the presentation control unit 206. In this case, for example, when the communication control unit 204 and the storage control unit 205 receive an event occurrence signal indicating that the object is not in contact with the diaphragm surface 21 and / or the contact sensor 25, the time measurement control unit 214. In addition, a timing start signal indicating that timing is to be started is transmitted. When receiving the timing start signal, the timing control unit 214 controls the timing unit 30 to measure a certain time (for example, 3 seconds). Then, when the communication control unit 204 and the storage control unit 205 receive a time measurement completion signal indicating that the time measurement is completed from the time measurement control unit 214, the communication control unit 204 and the storage control unit 205 determine that the measurement of the body sound is completed, and perform the transmission process or the storage process. To complete.

  The presentation control unit 206 informs the display unit 28 and / or the speaker 29 that the transmission processing or the storage processing is being performed while receiving the processing notification signal from the communication control unit 204 or the storage control unit 205. Let me know. Thereby, the operator can confirm whether the transmission process or the storage process is performed smoothly.

  In addition, when receiving the completion notification signal from the communication control unit 204 or the storage control unit 205, the presentation control unit 206 may cause the display unit 28 and / or the speaker 29 to notify the completion notification signal. . In addition, the presentation control unit 206 determines that the transmission process or the storage process is interrupted when a certain period of time has elapsed without receiving the process notification signal before receiving the completion notification signal. An error message indicating that the above process is not normally performed may be notified to the display unit 28 and / or the speaker 29. Also in these cases, the operator can surely grasp the state of the transmission process or the storage process of the acquired sound information.

[Configuration of Condition Match Determination Unit 203]
As described above, the condition coincidence determination unit 203 determines whether or not a body sound is included in the sound indicated by the acquired sound information. Examples of the predetermined condition as the determination criterion include the following four conditions. That is, for example, if the condition match determination unit 203 determines that at least one of the following (1) to (4) is satisfied, the sound indicated by the acquired sound information includes a body sound. judge. In addition, as long as it can be determined whether the sound which the acquisition sound information shows includes the body sound, it is not restricted to the following conditions (1)-(4), Other conditions may be used.
(1) The sound indicated by the acquired sound information has a predetermined periodicity.
(2) The frequency of the sound indicated by the acquired sound information is included in the predetermined frequency range.
(3) The waveform of the sound indicated by the acquired sound information is compared with the waveform model having the characteristics of the biological sound stored in the storage unit 40, and the matching score (specific value) is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.
(4) A predetermined time has elapsed after receiving an event detection signal indicating that the object has been contacted from the push switch 24 and the contact sensor 25.

  Note that the predetermined condition, the predetermined periodicity, the predetermined frequency range, the predetermined threshold, and the predetermined time are such that each member of the condition coincidence determination unit 203 includes the body sound in the sound indicated by the acquired sound information. A value and a range for determining this are shown.

  The condition coincidence determination unit 203 includes a periodicity confirmation unit 211, a frequency band confirmation unit 212, a waveform confirmation unit 213, and a timing control unit 214 as members for performing each of the above determinations.

  The periodicity confirmation unit 211 determines whether the waveform of the sound indicated by the acquired sound information has a predetermined periodicity in order to determine whether or not the above (1) is satisfied as a predetermined condition. To do.

  For example, if the body sound is a breathing sound and a heart sound, the waveform of the sound has a predetermined periodicity. Although there are individual differences among the subjects 50, in general, periodicity is recognized in the waveform of each sound within a range of about 3 to 5 seconds for breathing sounds and about 1 second for heart sounds. On the other hand, in the case of a sound that is not a biological sound (for example, when the subject 50 is not touched), it can be said that there is almost no periodicity within the above range. For this reason, the periodicity confirmation unit 211 can determine whether or not a biological sound is included in the sound by determining the presence or absence of the periodicity of the sound indicated by the acquired sound information.

  For example, the periodicity confirmation unit 211 determines whether or not the waveform of the sound indicated by the acquired sound information has periodicity using an autocorrelation function. An autocorrelation function is a measure of how similar a waveform of a signal is to a waveform obtained by shifting the waveform in time (how similar is the signal itself). This is effective for determining the presence or absence of periodicity. By using this autocorrelation function, for example, the presence of a periodic signal buried in noise can be determined.

  The autocorrelation function is expressed by the following equation, for example.

  In the above equation, p (t) is a sound time function (signal, waveform), τ is a delay time, and T is an integration interval. When the waveform p (t) having the length of the integration interval T is cut out, a waveform delayed by time τ is indicated by p (t + τ). When the waveforms p (t) and p (t + τ) have a certain relationship (for example, the same periodicity), G (τ) takes a non-zero value. In particular, when the waveforms p (t) and p (t + τ) have large amplitudes and the waveforms p (t) and p (t + τ) have similar repetitive components, the correlation value G (τ) of the two waveforms is growing. On the other hand, in the case of a completely random (disordered) waveform, G (τ) is zero.

  The periodicity confirmation unit 211 acquires the acquired sound information (for example, biological sound for several cycles) stored in the temporary storage unit 41, calculates an autocorrelation function for the sound waveform indicated by the acquired sound information, The autocorrelation function has a peak in the period of the biological sound to be measured, and the half width is, for example, in the range of 10 to 20% of the period (3 to 5 seconds for respiration, about 1 second for heart, etc.). In the case, it is determined that there is a predetermined periodicity.

  In order to determine whether or not (2) is satisfied as a predetermined condition, the frequency band confirmation unit 212 determines whether or not the frequency of the sound indicated by the acquired sound information is included in the predetermined frequency range. judge. As described above, in general, most biological sounds have most of energy at a frequency of 1 kHz or less. Therefore, in the case of a waveform having most energy in other frequency bands (frequency band exceeding 1 kHz), it can be determined that the sound having the waveform does not contain a biological sound.

  The frequency band confirmation unit 212 acquires acquired sound information (for example, for 3 to 5 seconds) stored in the temporary storage unit 41, and calculates the frequency of the sound indicated by the acquired sound information. Then, when the frequency is, for example, 1 kHz or less, the frequency band confirmation unit 212 determines that the frequency of the sound is included in the predetermined frequency range.

  In the above description, the threshold is set to 1 kHz. However, the threshold is not particularly limited as long as it can be determined that the sound includes a biological sound. For example, in the case of a normal breathing sound, most of the energy is concentrated at 400 Hz or less, so the threshold value may be 400 Hz.

  In order to determine whether or not (3) is satisfied as a predetermined condition, the waveform confirmation unit 213 determines the sound indicated by the acquired sound information (for example, 3 to 5 seconds) stored in the temporary storage unit 41. The waveform is compared with the model waveform of the body sound stored in the storage unit 40, and it is determined whether or not the matching score is a predetermined threshold value (for example, 50% or more). And when it determines with the matching score being more than a threshold value, it determines with the sound which the acquisition sound information shows contains the biological sound. The model waveform of the body sound is stored in the storage unit 40 as, for example, a waveform for each body sound, that is, a waveform indicating the characteristics of each of the breathing sound, the heart sound, and the intestinal sound.

  In order to determine whether or not the condition (4) is satisfied as a predetermined condition, the timing control unit 214 receives an event detection signal indicating that the object has been contacted from the push switch 24 and the contact sensor 25. After receiving, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time has passed.

  The timing control unit 214 uses both an event detection signal indicating that there is contact from the contact sensor 25 and an event detection signal indicating that the push switch 24 is in a pressed state as an event generation signal. It is determined whether or not the data is received from the detection unit 202. When it is determined that both of them have been received, the timing control unit 214 controls the timing unit 30 to start timing for a predetermined time (for example, 3 seconds). It is determined that the sound indicated by the information includes a biological sound.

  The fact that the push switch 24 is in a pressed state is highly likely that the diaphragm surface 21 is touching the subject 50, and that the contact sensor 25 is detecting contact with the part, the operator There is a high possibility that the grip portion 3 is gripped. That is, when the event detection signal is received from the push switch 24 and the contact sensor 25, it is highly likely that the operator acquires a body sound from the subject 50 using the stethoscope 1. Therefore, after a predetermined time has elapsed from this state, there is a high possibility that a body sound is included in the sound indicated by the acquired sound information. For these reasons, when the condition (4) is satisfied, the timing control unit 214 determines that the sound indicated by the acquired sound information includes a biological sound.

  In addition, when the timing control unit 214 receives a timing start signal from the communication control unit 204 or the storage control unit 205 when the transmission process or the storage process is completed, the timing control unit 214 causes the timing unit 30 to count a certain time. When the timing is completed, a timing completion signal is transmitted to the communication control unit 204 or the storage control unit 205.

  The periodicity confirmation unit 211, the frequency band confirmation unit 212, the waveform confirmation unit 213, and the timing control unit 214 all determine whether or not the predetermined condition is satisfied, and all the determination results are the predetermined When it indicates that the condition is satisfied, the condition match determination unit 203 determines that the sound indicated by the acquired sound information includes a biological sound. The determination process is not limited to this, and the condition match determination unit 203 includes a body sound in the sound indicated by the acquired sound information as long as at least one of the four conditions is satisfied but at least one of the conditions is satisfied. May be determined.

  In addition, it is not necessary to determine all of the above four conditions. For example, only the frequency band confirmation unit 212 may determine whether or not a body sound is included in the sound indicated by the acquired sound information. Further, whether or not a body sound is included in the sound may be determined based on whether or not two or three of the four conditions are satisfied. If the condition match determination unit 203 does not determine whether or not all the conditions are satisfied, a member that performs the determination (any of the periodicity confirmation unit 211, the frequency band confirmation unit 212, and the waveform confirmation unit 213). Only have to have.

  Also, information indicating the priority order is associated with the four conditions, and the condition match determination unit 203 determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied when the condition with a high priority is satisfied. May be. For example, when the higher priority is set in the order of (1) to (4) and one or two of the conditions are satisfied, it may be determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied.

[Process flow in stethoscope]
Next, it is a flowchart which shows an example of the process flow (control method of the stethoscope 1) in the stethoscope 1 based on FIG.

  First, when the power supply of the stethoscope 1 is turned on, power supply to each unit included in the chestpiece 2 or the gripping unit 3 is started, and sound acquisition by the chestpiece 2 is started (S1). That is, the sound information acquisition unit 201 starts acquiring the acquired sound as acquired sound information, temporarily stores the acquired sound information in the temporary storage unit 41, and transmits an acquisition notification signal to the condition match determination unit 203. .

  In this state, when the operator acquires the body sound of the subject 50 using the stethoscope 1, the operator first holds the grip portion 3 of the stethoscope 1. At this time, the contact sensor 25 detects contact to the location and transmits an event detection signal to the event detection unit 202 (S2).

  When the operator makes contact with the diaphragm surface 21 at a predetermined measurement position of the subject 50, the push switch 24 is pressed. Thereby, the push switch 24 detects the contact of the diaphragm surface 21 to the measurement position, and transmits an event detection signal indicating that the diaphragm switch 21 is depressed to the event detection unit 202 (S3). That is, acquisition of sound (body sound) from the subject 50 is started. In the processes of S2 and S3, the event detection unit 202 transmits an event occurrence signal corresponding to each event detection signal to the condition match determination unit 203.

  The condition coincidence determination unit 203 determines whether the sound indicated by the acquired sound information satisfies the predetermined condition described above (S4, determination step). If it is determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied (YES in S4), it is determined that the sound includes a biological sound, and a result notification signal is transmitted to the communication control unit 204 or the storage control unit 205. When the communication control unit 204 and the storage control unit 205 receive the communication signal as a result, the communication control unit 204 and the storage control unit 205 start the acquisition sound information transmission process or storage process (S5, control step). Thereby, useless transmission processing or storage processing of acquired sound information (acquired sound information not including biological sound) that is not required by an operator, a doctor, or the like can be prevented.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the predetermined condition is not satisfied (NO in S4), the condition matching determination unit 203 determines that the sound indicated by the acquired sound information does not include a biological sound, and is stored in the temporary storage unit 41. The acquired sound information used in the process of S4 is discarded (S8). Thereby, useless consumption of the storage capacity of the temporary storage unit 41 can be prevented, and high-speed processing can be realized.

  While the acquisition sound information is transmitted or stored, the communication control unit 204 and the storage control unit 205 transmit a processing notification signal to the presentation control unit 206. By receiving the processing notification signal, the presentation control unit 206 notifies the display unit 28 and / or the speaker 29 of a message indicating that transmission processing or storage processing is in progress (S6). Thereby, the operator can confirm whether the transmission process or the storage process of the body sound information is normally performed.

  Thereafter, when the measurement of the body sound is completed, the chest piece 2 is released from the subject 50, and the operator also releases the hand from the grip portion 3. Therefore, the event detection unit 202 receives an event detection signal indicating that the object is not in contact with the object from the push switch 24 and / or the contact sensor 25, and transmits an event generation signal corresponding to the event detection signal to the communication control unit 204. Alternatively, it is transmitted to the storage control unit 205.

  When the communication control unit 204 and the storage control unit 205 receive the event occurrence signal, the communication control unit 204 and the storage control unit 205 transmit a time measurement start signal to the time measurement control unit 214 to time a certain time (for example, 3 seconds). In other words, in order to confirm the completion of the measurement, the timing control unit 214 determines whether or not a certain time has elapsed since the contact of the chestpiece 2 with the subject 50 is lost (S7).

  The timing control unit 214 determines that a certain period of time has not elapsed until it receives a timing completion signal indicating that the timing has been completed (NO in S7). In this case, the transmission process of the communication control unit 204 or the storage process of the storage control unit 205 is continued. On the other hand, when a certain time has elapsed (YES in S7), the communication control unit 204 and the storage control unit 205 determine that the measurement of the body sound is completed by receiving the time measurement completion signal from the time measurement control unit 214, Complete the send or store process.

  In general, the stethoscope 1 acquires a biological sound according to a measurement scenario indicating the order of a plurality of measurement positions, which is determined based on the attributes (age, sex, past history, symptoms, etc.) of the subject 50. This measurement scenario is managed by the terminal device 60 or the storage unit 40. In this case, the movement of the chest piece 2 from the measurement position to the next measurement position is about a fraction of a second. Accordingly, in the process of S7, the determination of the completion of the measurement of the body sound is made based on whether or not the time longer than the movement time has elapsed, whereby the body sounds acquired from a plurality of measurement positions according to one measurement scenario are obtained. It can be transmitted or stored as a single file.

  As described above, in the stethoscope according to the present embodiment, when the condition matching determination unit 203 determines that the sound indicated by the acquired sound information includes a biological sound, the terminal device 60 of the biological sound information is displayed. The transmission process to the storage unit or the storage process to the storage unit 40 is started.

  Therefore, the stethoscope 1 can prevent transmitting or storing a sound unnecessary for an operator, a doctor, or the like (a sound that does not include a biological sound). In other words, the operator performs a process for eliminating the sound (for example, the operator determines whether a biological sound is included in his / her ear and operates an operation button for performing a transmission process or a storage process). Therefore, it is possible to reduce power consumption, storage capacity, and the like for unnecessary sound processing. Therefore, the stethoscope 1 can effectively use resources without impairing the convenience of the operator.

  In addition, since the transmission process is started according to the above determination, the amount of acquired sound information to be transmitted can be reduced and the transmission time can be shortened.

[Modification]
Note that the stethoscope 1 and the terminal device 60 according to the present embodiment may be configured as follows.

(Modification of stethoscope 1 and terminal device 60)
The main control unit 20, the communication unit 27, the display unit 28, the speaker 29, the time measuring unit 30, the storage unit 40, and the temporary storage unit 41 are not necessarily provided in the stethoscope 1, and are different from the stethoscope 1. It may be realized by the apparatus. For example, the other device may be a terminal device (information processing device) 60, or may be a device that can be connected to a stethoscope 1 different from the terminal device 60. That is, it can be said that the stethoscope 1 according to the present embodiment has a configuration such as the main control unit 20 described above.

  For example, the main control unit 20 may be provided in the terminal device 60, and the above processing may be realized by the terminal device 60. In this case, the stethoscope 1 transmits the digital signal converted by the digital signal conversion unit 26 to the terminal device 60. That is, the stethoscope 1 transmits all of the acquired sounds to the terminal device 60 as acquired sound information regardless of the presence or absence of a body sound. Then, the terminal device 60 determines the transmission timing to another external device (for example, the biological sound information management device other than the terminal device 60) or the storage timing to the own device based on the determination result of the condition match determination unit 203. To do. Thereby, the resource of the terminal device 60 can be used effectively.

  Moreover, in this Embodiment, although the holding part 3 becomes the structure independent of the chest piece 2, it does not need to have the holding part 3 not only this but. In this case, each member provided in the grip portion 3 is provided on the substrate of the chest piece 2, for example. Further, the contact sensor 25 is provided on a part of the surface of the chest piece 2.

(Modification of the above process)
When the condition coincidence determination unit 203 does not use the above condition (4) as the predetermined condition, it is not necessary to perform the procedure in which the process in S4 is performed after the processes in S2 and S3. In this case, the condition match determination unit 203 transmits a result notification signal that the sound indicated by the acquired sound information does not include a biological sound to the communication control unit 204 or the storage control unit 205.

  Further, the determination of the completion of the measurement of the body sound may not be performed according to the determination result by the process of S7. For example, after the process of S5, the process returns to the process of S4, and when it is determined that the predetermined condition is not satisfied, the transmission process or the storage process of the acquired sound information may be completed.

  If the processing is performed as described above when acquiring a body sound from a plurality of measurement positions, since the determination processing by the condition matching determination unit 203 is performed every time measurement is performed, the processing amount of the stethoscope 1 increases. There is a possibility, but if the measurement scenario indicates that the body sound is acquired only from one measurement position, this possibility does not arise. Therefore, in the case of acquisition from only one measurement position, the process of S4 is performed again after the start of the transmission process or storage process of the acquired sound information, so that the transmission process and the storage process of the sound information not including the body sound are performed. Can be prevented more reliably.

  Further, when acquiring body sounds from a plurality of measurement positions, in order to reduce the amount of processing, for example, measurements after the number of measurements that can be determined to be highly likely to be in a body sound acquisition state (for example, three For the measurement after the eye measurement position, the determination process by the condition match determination unit 203 may be simplified. For example, for the measurement after the third measurement position, the condition match determination unit 203 determines only whether an event occurrence signal indicating contact of the subject 50 has been received, and if there is such contact, the acquired sound The sound indicated by the information may be determined to include a biological sound.

[Supplement]
Finally, each block of the stethoscope 1, particularly the sound information acquisition unit 201, the event detection unit 202, the condition coincidence determination unit 203 (periodicity confirmation unit 211, frequency band confirmation unit 212, waveform confirmation unit 213, and timing control unit 214) The communication control unit 204, the storage control unit 205, and the presentation control unit 206 may be configured by hardware logic, or may be realized by software using a CPU as follows.

  That is, the stethoscope 1 includes a CPU (central processing unit) that executes instructions of a control program for realizing each function, a ROM (read only memory) that stores the program, a RAM (random access memory) that expands the program, A storage device (recording medium) such as a memory for storing the program and various data is provided. The object of the present invention is to provide a recording medium in which a program code (execution format program, intermediate code program, source program) of a control program for the stethoscope 1 which is software for realizing the above-described functions is recorded so as to be readable by a computer. This can also be achieved by supplying the stethoscope 1 and reading and executing the program code recorded on the recording medium by the computer (or CPU or MPU).

  Examples of the recording medium include a tape system such as a magnetic tape and a cassette tape, a magnetic disk such as a floppy (registered trademark) disk / hard disk, and a compact disk-ROM / MO / MD / digital video disk / compact disk-R. A disk system including an optical disk, a card system such as an IC card (including a memory card) / optical card, or a semiconductor memory system such as a mask ROM / EPROM / EEPROM / flash ROM can be used.

  The stethoscope 1 may be configured to be connectable to a communication network, and the program code may be supplied via the communication network. The communication network is not particularly limited. For example, the Internet, intranet, extranet, LAN, ISDN, VAN, CATV communication network, virtual private network, telephone line network, mobile communication network, satellite communication. A net or the like is available. Also, the transmission medium constituting the communication network is not particularly limited. For example, even in the case of wired such as IEEE 1394, USB, power line carrier, cable TV line, telephone line, ADSL line, etc., infrared rays such as IrDA and remote control, Bluetooth ( (Registered trademark), 802.11 wireless, HDR, mobile phone network, satellite line, terrestrial digital network, and the like can also be used. The present invention can also be realized in the form of a computer data signal embedded in a carrier wave in which the program code is embodied by electronic transmission.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope shown in the claims. That is, embodiments obtained by combining technical means appropriately modified within the scope of the claims are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  The present invention is suitable for stethoscopes, information management devices for biological sound information indicating biological sounds, and the like, because resources can be effectively utilized in acquiring biological sounds without impairing the convenience of the operator.

1 Stethoscope (information processing device)
60 Terminal device (information processing device)
203 Condition match determination unit (determination means)
204 Communication control unit (control means)
205 Storage control unit (control means)
206 Presentation control unit (notification control means)
211 Periodicity confirmation unit (determination means)
212 Frequency band confirmation unit (determination means)
213 Waveform confirmation unit (determination means)
214 Timekeeping control unit (determination means)

Claims (8)

Determination means for determining that the sound indicated by the acquired sound information acquired by the own device satisfies at least one predetermined condition and that the sound includes a biological sound;
When the determination means determines that the body sound is included in the sound indicated by the acquired sound information, transmission processing of the acquired sound information to an external device or storage processing to the storage unit is started. An information processing apparatus comprising: a control unit;   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition is that a frequency of a sound indicated by the acquired sound information is included in a predetermined frequency range.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition is that a sound indicated by the acquired sound information has a predetermined periodicity.   The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising notification control means for notifying that the control means is performing transmission processing or storage processing of the acquired sound information.   A stethoscope comprising the information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A determination step of determining that the sound included in the acquired sound information acquired by the own device includes a biological sound based on satisfying at least one predetermined condition;
When it is determined by the determination step that the sound indicated by the acquired sound information includes the biological sound, transmission processing of the acquired sound information to an external device or storage processing of the storage unit is started. And a control step for controlling the information processing apparatus.   A control program for operating the information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control program causes a computer to function as each of the means. A computer-readable recording medium on which the control program according to claim 7 is recorded.

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