JP2017164405A - Blood pressure information estimation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To highly accurately estimate blood pressure information even when a measurable part is limited to one side of a face or the like.SOLUTION: The blood information estimation device includes: a measurement area specification part 32 for specifying a measurement area on a body surface displacing with dilation/contraction of the blood vessel of a living body; a sensor unit 10 for contactlessly acquiring distance information to a measurement point within the measurement area; a distance variation calculation part 33 that calculates a variation in a distance to the measurement point caused by a time course, on the basis of the distance information acquired by the sensor unit 10; and a blood pressure information estimation part 35 for estimating blood pressure information of the living body on the basis of the variation in the distance calculated by the distance variation calculation part 33.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a blood pressure information estimation device that estimates blood pressure information of a living body without contact.

  Conventionally, pulse wave information at a plurality of measurement parts of a living body is optically acquired, a pulse wave propagation time between measurement parts is calculated based on a time difference of the pulse wave information, and a blood pressure of the living body is calculated based on the pulse wave propagation time. An apparatus that estimates information is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, blood pressure information of a living body is estimated in a non-contact manner by optically acquiring pulse wave information at a plurality of measurement sites of the living body.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2015-54223

  By the way, for example, when a living body (human being) is sleeping while being covered with bedding in a lateral position, only one side of the face is exposed. Therefore, in the method of acquiring pulse wave information at a plurality of measurement sites and estimating the blood pressure information of a living body using the information, as in the device described in Patent Document 1, when the measurable location is only on one side of the face The distance between the plurality of measurement sites is reduced. For this reason, the time difference of pulse wave information does not become sufficient, and it is difficult to estimate blood pressure information accurately.

  A blood pressure information estimation device according to an aspect of the present invention provides a measurement region specifying unit that specifies a measurement region on a living body surface that is displaced as a blood vessel of a living body expands and contracts, and distance information to a measurement point in the measurement region without contact. A sensor unit to acquire, a distance change amount calculation unit that calculates a change amount of the distance to the measurement point with the passage of time based on the distance information, and blood pressure information estimation that estimates blood pressure information of the living body based on the change amount of the distance And a section.

  According to the present invention, the distance information to the measurement point in the measurement area on the surface of the living body that is displaced according to the expansion and contraction of the blood vessel of the living body is acquired without contact, and the distance to the measurement point with the passage of time is obtained based on the distance information. Since the amount of change is calculated and the blood pressure information of the living body is estimated based on the amount of change, the blood pressure information can be accurately estimated even when the measurable location is limited to only one side of the face.

1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of a blood pressure information estimation device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Schematic which shows the example of application of the blood-pressure information estimation apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing of the blood-pressure information estimation apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The block diagram which shows the structure of the control part which comprises the blood-pressure information estimation apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows an example of the blood vessel running of the face of the biological body which the sensor control part of FIG. 4 specifies. The figure for demonstrating a change when the blood vessel of a biological body expands / contracts. The figure which shows an example of the measurement area which the measurement area specific | specification part of FIG. 4 specifies. The figure which shows an example of the short time of the swelling volume of the measurement area | region which the distance variation | change_quantity calculation part of FIG. 4 calculates. The figure which shows an example of the extended time of the bulging volume of the measurement area | region which the distance variation | change_quantity calculation part of FIG. 4 calculates. The flowchart which shows an example of the process performed with the blood pressure information estimation apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an overall configuration of a blood pressure information estimation device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an application example of the blood pressure information estimation device 100. The blood pressure information estimation device 100 is used to estimate blood pressure information of a living body (human), particularly a sleeping living body.

  First, an application example of the blood pressure information estimation device 100 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the blood pressure information estimation device 100 is installed toward the face of the measurement target (living body) 200. The blood pressure information estimation device 100 measures the distance d to the measurement target 200 and estimates blood pressure information of the measurement target 200 based on the distance d.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the blood pressure information estimation device 100 includes a substantially bulb-shaped housing 1. The housing 1 has a conductive base portion 2 in which a screw portion 2a is formed at one end portion. For example, the screw portion 2 a is screwed into the socket 103 at the tip of the stand 102 attached to the wall surface 101, and power is supplied to the blood pressure information estimation device 100 via the base portion 2. The stand 102 has a movable part 104 that can be bent, and the direction of the blood pressure information estimation apparatus 100 can be adjusted via the movable part 104. The stand 102 may be a ceiling-mounted type, a self-standing type, a clamp type, or the like in addition to the wall-mounted type, and a shape that is easy to install on the bedside is suitable. A cover 3 made of a translucent resin material is attached to the other end of the housing 1.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the blood pressure information estimation device 100. As shown in FIG. 3, a sensor unit 10, a lighting unit 20, and a control unit 30 are arranged in the housing 1, and electric power is supplied to the outside through the base unit 2 and a cable (not shown). Is done.

  The sensor unit 10 is an infrared distance sensor that detects the distance to the measurement target 200 by irradiating the measurement target 200 (FIG. 2) with infrared rays and receiving the reflected light, and the infrared LED (light emitting diode) 11. And an infrared camera 12. The infrared LED 11 irradiates infrared rays in a near infrared band (biological window) that easily penetrates a living body, for example, infrared rays having a wavelength of about 850 nm. The infrared camera 12 has a lens portion that transmits infrared rays in the near infrared band.

  The infrared camera 12 includes a zoom lens in the lens unit, and can perform optical zooming 5 to 10 times, for example. The number of pixels of the infrared camera 12 is, for example, 12 million pixels (3,000 × 4,000 pixels). By zooming, if the imaging area is 600 × 800 mm, which is sufficiently wider than a general pillow around the face of the measurement target 200 during sleep, specifically, the face of the measurement target 200, 5 × 5 in 1 mm square You can take measurement points. This is a sufficient number for calculating the bulge volume on the skin surface accompanying the dilation of the blood vessel described later. The number of pixels of the infrared camera 12 may be larger or smaller than 12 million pixels in consideration of required accuracy, processing capability of the control unit 30, and the like.

  As the illumination unit 20, for example, high brightness white LEDs arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the housing 1 can be used. Although the lighting unit 20 is not directly related to blood pressure information estimation, it can support comfortable wake-up by performing lighting and dimming at a timing at which it is easy to wake up based on blood pressure information. The blood pressure information estimation device 100 does not necessarily have to include the illumination unit 20, and the device shape is not limited to a substantially bulb shape.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the control unit 30. The control unit 30 includes a sensor control unit 31, a measurement region specifying unit 32, a distance change amount calculation unit 33, a communication control unit 34, and a blood pressure information estimation unit 35. The sensor unit 10 and the communication module 40 are connected to the control unit 30. The communication module 40 includes a transmission / reception antenna and is disposed in the housing 1. The communication module 40 operates with electric power supplied via the base unit 2 and enables wireless communication between the control unit 30 and an external device. The control unit 30 is configured by a computer including an arithmetic processing unit having a CPU, ROM, RAM, and other peripheral circuits.

  The sensor control unit 31 controls the operation of the sensor unit 10. That is, the infrared LED 11 is turned on to start infrared irradiation, and the infrared camera 12 is turned on to receive infrared reflected light at a constant cycle. The light receiving period of the infrared camera 12 is preferably about 30 to 60 frames / second, for example, but may be longer or shorter in consideration of the processing capability of the control unit 30. The sensor control unit 31 controls the operation of the sensor unit 10 to zoom the infrared camera 12. Zooming may be performed automatically by recognizing the face, pillow, or the like of the measurement target 200, or according to the zoom magnification or zoom range set by the user, which is input via an external device described later. You may do it.

  The measurement region specifying unit 32 specifies the measurement target 200 based on the distance d (FIG. 2) to the measurement target 200 detected by the sensor unit 10. That is, based on the distance d to each measurement point on the measurement object 200 detected by the sensor unit 10, the skeleton (joint) of the measurement object 200 is recognized and the skeleton position is specified, and the face of the measurement object 200 is identified. A reference plane (a plane that serves as a reference for the swelling of the skin surface accompanying the expansion of a blood vessel described later) is specified.

  The measurement region specifying unit 32 recognizes the travel (position) of the blood vessel in the vicinity of the body surface of the measurement target 200 based on the reflected light from the measurement target 200 acquired by the sensor unit 10. That is, based on the reflected light from the measurement target 200 acquired by the sensor unit 10, a place where infrared rays are absorbed by hemoglobin in blood is recognized as a blood vessel, and the blood vessel running of the measurement target 200 is specified. Note that this method actually recognizes veins near the body surface, not arteries, but since the arteries and veins are generally parallel, the travel of the arteries can be estimated from the travel of the veins. Can do.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of blood vessel running on the face of the measurement target 200 specified by the measurement region specifying unit 32, and FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining changes when the blood vessels of the measurement target 200 are expanded or contracted. Since the superficial temporal artery shown in FIG. 5 is in the superficial part and has a skull (frontal bone or temporal bone) directly underneath, as shown in FIG. Easy to displace. In other words, in the vicinity of the superficial temporal artery, the amount of change (the height of the bulge with respect to the reference plane) Δd of the distance d to the measurement object 200 increases.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the measurement region 320 specified by the measurement region specifying unit 32. The measurement region specifying unit 32 specifies the measurement region 320 based on the skeleton position of the measurement target 200 and the blood vessel running. As the measurement region 320, a region in which displacement due to blood vessel expansion / contraction is easily measured is suitable, for example, a region near the superficial temporal artery is suitable. In FIG. 7, an area of about 10 mm × 20 mm on the eyebrows is shown as an example of the measurement area 320, but the position of the measurement area 320 is not limited to this, and the size may be larger or smaller, and the shape may be It is not limited to a rectangle.

  Since the blood vessel running pattern does not change greatly depending on the measurement target 200, if the measurement region 320 candidate for a general blood vessel running pattern is set in advance, the measurement region 320 can be quickly identified based on the specified blood vessel running. Can do. If two left and right positions as shown in FIG. 7 are set as candidates for the measurement region 320, the measurement target 200 may turn over and the measurable location (the location where the infrared camera 12 can be photographed) changes. Even if it exists, the measurement can be reliably continued. Furthermore, if a plurality of candidates are set, the measurement can be continued more reliably even when the measurable location changes depending on the shield such as the hair.

  In the present embodiment, since the blood vessel travel of the measurement target 200 is easily specified by the sensor unit 10 that uses infrared rays in the near infrared band, the measurement region 320 is specified based on this, but the blood vessel travel is not necessarily specified. do not have to. That is, the region where the displacement due to the expansion / contraction of the blood vessel is large may be specified as the measurement region 320 based on only the distance information to the measurement target 200 without specifying the blood vessel traveling of the measurement target 200.

  The distance change amount calculation unit 33 measures the measurement specified by the measurement region specifying unit 32 based on the distance d to the measurement target 200 detected by the sensor unit 10 and the reference plane specified by the measurement region specifying unit 32. A change amount (bulge height relative to the reference plane) Δd (FIG. 6) of the distance d to each measurement point in the region 320 is calculated, and a bulge volume ΔV of the measurement region 320 is calculated based on the calculated amount.

  Specifically, a change amount Δd of the distance d to each measurement point in the measurement region 320 with respect to a reference surface corresponding to the skin surface at the time of blood vessel contraction (time = 0) after the start of measurement is calculated. The bulging volume ΔV of the measurement region 320 is calculated by integrating the amount of change Δd of the distance d to all the measurement points. In the present embodiment, the number of measurement points in the measurement region 320 is 5,000, and the area per measurement point is 0.04 square mm. Therefore, the bulge volume ΔV is up to 5,000 measurement points. This is a value obtained by multiplying the total sum of the change amounts Δd of the distance d by 0.04 square mm.

  Since the change amount of the distance d includes the change amount accompanying the movement of the measurement target 200 in addition to the change accompanying the blood vessel enlargement / reduction, only the change amount accompanying the blood vessel enlargement / reduction is extracted by fast Fourier transform. For example, only a change amount of a cycle of about 60 to 100 times per minute, which is a cycle corresponding to a pulse, is extracted and set as a change amount (bulge height) Δd of the distance d, and this is integrated to be accumulated in the measurement region 320. The bulging volume ΔV is calculated.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a short time of the bulging volume ΔV of the measurement region 320 calculated by the distance change amount calculation unit 33. The peak of the bulging volume ΔV shown in FIG. 8 is associated with the expansion and contraction of the blood vessel when the pulse wave passes, and can be measured and calculated at a cycle of about 60 to 100 times per minute.

  The difference ΔVS between the peak value and the base value of the bulge volume ΔV shown in FIG. 8 corresponds to the bulge amount accompanying the expansion and contraction of the blood vessel when the pulse wave passes, and has a correlation with the pulse pressure in the blood pressure information. The peak value in FIG. 8 corresponds to the maximum blood pressure, and the base value corresponds to the minimum blood pressure. The measurement and calculation of the swelling volume ΔV and the difference ΔVS between the peak value and the base value may be performed continuously, but may be performed intermittently, for example, every 5 minutes. In this case, the value of the difference ΔVS between the peak value and the base value can be, for example, an average value or a maximum value of the values measured and calculated in one minute.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the bulge volume ΔV of the measurement region 320 calculated by the distance change amount calculation unit 33 for a long time. The rhombus plot shown in FIG. 9 is the peak value of the bulge volume ΔV in FIG. 8, and the square plot is the base value of the bulge volume ΔV in FIG. The transition ΔVL of the bulging volume ΔV shown in FIG. 9 is associated with the expansion and contraction of the blood vessel when the blood pressure fluctuates. For example, it is measured and observed in a long cycle such as 7 hours while the measurement target 200 is sleeping. can do.

  The transition ΔVL of the bulging volume ΔV shown in FIG. 9 corresponds to the transition of the bulging amount accompanying the expansion and contraction of the blood vessel when the blood pressure varies, and has a correlation with the blood pressure variation in the blood pressure information. The transition ΔVLH of the peak value of the bulging volume ΔV corresponds to the fluctuation of the systolic blood pressure, and the transition ΔVLL of the base value of the bulging volume ΔV corresponds to the fluctuation of the diastolic blood pressure. In addition, since the state of the measurement region 320 differs depending on the measurement target 200, depending on the measurement target 200, the displacement of the measurement region 320 may not be measured until a specific blood pressure is reached. Even in such a case, whether or not a hypertension state has occurred in the measurement object 200 can be monitored based on whether or not the measurement region 320 is displaced.

  In the example shown in FIG. 9, the base value of the bulge volume ΔV after 1 hour from the start of measurement is a negative value. This means that the skin surface at the time of blood vessel contraction 1 hour after the start of measurement is lower than the skin surface at the time of blood vessel contraction immediately after the start of measurement (reference surface), that is, the amount of bulge is reduced. Such a change in the base value of the bulge volume ΔV due to the change in the minimum blood pressure of the measurement target 200 can be measured in a state where the bulge is present even when the blood vessel contracts (a state where the blood vessel is always raised).

  The communication control unit 34 controls the communication module 40 so that the control unit 30 and the external device communicate wirelessly. As the external device, for example, a personal computer or a smartphone can be used. By communicating with an external device, various settings and setting changes such as measurement start and end of the blood pressure information estimation apparatus 100, zoom magnification, and zoom range can be easily performed.

  The blood pressure information estimation device 100 can preset the maximum blood pressure and the minimum blood pressure of the measurement target 200 at the start of measurement as reference values via an external device. That is, the user actually measures the blood pressure of the measurement target 200 with a cuff sphygmomanometer or the like and inputs the blood pressure to the blood pressure information estimation apparatus 100 via an external device.

  The blood pressure information estimation unit 35 estimates the blood pressure information of the measurement target 200 based on the reference value input via the external device and the bulge volume ΔV calculated by the distance change amount calculation unit 33. That is, the peak value and base value of the bulge volume ΔV measured and calculated at the start of measurement are calibrated with the systolic blood pressure and the diastolic blood pressure input as reference values, and based on the bulge volume ΔV measured and calculated thereafter. Blood pressure information (maximum blood pressure, minimum blood pressure, pulse pressure) is estimated.

  As illustrated in FIG. 9, the blood pressure information estimation device 100 according to the present embodiment can monitor the blood pressure fluctuation of the measurement target 200 via the transition ΔVL of the bulging volume ΔV in the measurement region 320. For example, it is possible to monitor blood pressure fluctuation while the measurement object 200 is sleeping for several days, and to actually measure blood pressure particularly during a time zone in which the blood pressure rises based on the result. Furthermore, if the maximum blood pressure and the minimum blood pressure at this time are also input as reference values, the accuracy in estimating blood pressure information can be improved.

  The blood pressure information estimation unit 35 estimates blood pressure information based on the bulging volume ΔV, but one point in the measurement region 320 may be greatly displaced depending on the measurement target 200. In such a case, instead of the bulging volume ΔV, the blood pressure information may be estimated based on the amount of change in the distance d (the bulging height with respect to the reference plane) Δd.

  The blood pressure information estimated by the blood pressure information estimation unit 35 is transmitted to the external device via the communication module 40, displayed on the display of the external device, and stored in the memory of the external device. The blood pressure information can be transmitted to a plurality of external devices. For example, it can be transmitted to a computer of a medical institution or a family smartphone.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing executed by the control unit 30. This process is started when a measurement start command is input by the user via an external device, and is repeatedly executed at predetermined time intervals until a measurement end command is input. The user may set the measurement time in advance and input only the measurement start command via the external device, or may set the measurement start time and the measurement end time in advance.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 10, first, in step S <b> 1, the operation of the sensor unit 10 is controlled to irradiate infrared rays from the infrared LED 11, and the reflected light is received by the infrared camera 12. The camera 12 is zoomed and measurement is started.

  Next, in step S <b> 2, the skeleton position, the reference plane, and the blood vessel running of the measurement target 200 are specified by the processing in the measurement region specifying unit 32. Next, in step S3, the measurement region 320 is specified. As shown in FIG. 7, the measurement region 320 can be specified on the right side or the left side of the face of the measurement target 200. Therefore, the measurement region 320 can be specified on the measurable side according to the sleeping posture of the measurement target 200.

  Next, in step S4, a change in distance d to each measurement point in the measurement region 320 (bulge height with respect to the reference plane) Δd is calculated by processing in the distance change amount calculation unit 33. In step S5, measurement is performed. The bulging volume ΔV of the region 320 is calculated.

  Next, in step S <b> 6, the blood pressure information of the measurement target 200 is estimated by the processing in the blood pressure information estimation unit 35. Next, in step S <b> 7, the blood pressure information of the measurement target 200 is transmitted to the external device by the processing in the communication control unit 34.

According to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The blood pressure information estimation device 100 includes a measurement region specifying unit 32 that specifies a measurement region 320 on the surface of the measurement target 200 that is displaced in accordance with expansion and contraction of the superficial temporal artery (an example of a blood vessel) of the measurement target (living body) 200; The sensor unit 10 that acquires the distance information to the measurement point in the measurement region 320 specified by the measurement region specifying unit 32 in a non-contact manner, and the distance d to the measurement point based on the distance information acquired by the sensor unit 10 A distance change amount calculation unit 33 that calculates a change amount Δd with time, and a blood pressure information (maximum blood pressure) of the measurement target 200 based on the change amount Δd with time of the distance d calculated by the distance change amount calculation unit 33. , A blood pressure information estimation unit 35 for estimating a minimum blood pressure and a pulse pressure (FIGS. 3 and 4). Thereby, blood pressure information can be accurately estimated even when the measurable location is limited to only one side of the face, such as sleeping while the measurement target 200 is covered with bedding in a lateral position. . In addition, since the measurement object 200 does not give a sense of incongruity due to the contact of the measurement device and the measurement device does not drop off, stress-free and reliable measurement is possible.

  (2) The sensor unit 10 has an infrared camera 12 including a zoom lens. For this reason, unlike in the case of millimeter wave radar, laser radar, etc., optical zooming can be performed. Therefore, the resolution of the infrared camera 12 does not need to be particularly high. For example, even if the number of pixels is about 12 million pixels, the number of measurement points (measurement data) sufficient to calculate the bulge volume on the skin surface accompanying the dilation of the blood vessel by enlarging the bulge portion near the blood vessel by zooming. ) Can be secured. Therefore, since an inexpensive camera is used as compared with a millimeter wave radar or a laser radar, the entire apparatus can be configured at a low cost.

  (3) The sensor unit 10 further includes an infrared LED 11 (an example of an irradiation unit) that emits infrared light, the infrared camera 12 receives infrared reflected light emitted by the infrared LED 11, and the measurement region specifying unit 32 is The blood vessel running (blood vessel position) is specified based on the image signal acquired by the infrared camera 12, and the measurement region 320 is specified based on the blood vessel running. Therefore, the measurement region 320 can be specified easily and accurately, and blood pressure information can be estimated with high accuracy. Further, since an inexpensive infrared light source is used, the entire apparatus can be configured at low cost.

  (4) Since the measurement area specifying unit 32 specifies the measurement area 320 on at least one of the right side and the left side of the face of the measurement target 200, the measurement target 200 turns over and can be measured (a position where the infrared camera 12 can be photographed). ), It is possible to reliably continue estimation of blood pressure information.

  (5) The sensor unit 10 acquires distance information to a plurality of measurement points in the measurement region 320 specified by the measurement region specifying unit 32 in a non-contact manner, and the distance change calculation unit 33 is measured by the measurement region specifying unit 32. The bulge volume ΔV of the measurement region 320 is calculated on the basis of the change amount Δd with the passage of time of the distance d to the plurality of measurement points specified by. For this reason, even if the displacement of the measurement region 320 accompanying the expansion / contraction of the blood vessel is minute, the blood pressure information can be accurately estimated via the bulge volume ΔV that is an integrated value.

  (6) The measurement region specifying unit 32 further specifies the position of the skeleton and the reference plane based on the distance information acquired by the sensor unit 10, and the distance change amount calculating unit 33 is the distance acquired by the sensor unit 10. Based on the information and the reference plane, a change amount Δd with the passage of time of the distance d to the measurement point is calculated. That is, since the bulge amount (bulge height, bulge volume) with respect to the reference plane is calculated, the amount of change associated with the movement of the measurement object 200 other than the variation associated with the expansion / contraction of the blood vessel can be ignored. For this reason, blood pressure information can be accurately estimated even when the measuring object 200 moves.

  (7) External device (setting unit) for setting actually measured systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure (an example of a reference value of blood pressure information) with respect to the amount of change Δd with the passage of time of the distance d calculated by the distance change amount calculating unit 33 The blood pressure information estimation unit 35 is based on the change amount Δd with the passage of time of the distance d calculated by the distance change amount calculation unit 33 and the maximum blood pressure and the minimum blood pressure set by the external device. Thus, blood pressure information of the measuring object 200 is estimated. Thereby, not only can the relative fluctuation of blood pressure be monitored, but also the absolute value of blood pressure can be estimated. Furthermore, the blood pressure information estimation accuracy can be improved by actually measuring the blood pressure in a time zone in which the blood pressure fluctuation increases and performing calibration using the blood pressure value at that time.

  (8) Since the blood pressure information includes the pulse pressure, the maximum blood pressure, and the minimum blood pressure of the measurement target 200, the blood pressure information can be easily compared with the measurement values obtained by other measurement devices or used as a health barometer.

  In the above embodiment, an external device such as a personal computer or a smartphone is used as the setting unit, measurement start and end of the blood pressure information estimation apparatus 100, various settings such as zoom magnification and zoom range, setting changes, input of reference values, blood pressure information It was configured to display. However, such a configuration is simply to make the configuration of the blood pressure information estimation apparatus 100 main body as simple as possible. Accordingly, there is no problem even if a setting unit, a display, or the like is provided in the main body of the blood pressure information estimation apparatus 100 to display various settings and blood pressure information without using an external device. That is, the setting unit may be provided in a device other than the external device (for example, the blood pressure information estimation device 100 main body).

  The above description is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications unless the features of the present invention are impaired. The constituent elements of the embodiment and the modified examples include those that can be replaced while maintaining the identity of the invention and that are obvious for replacement. That is, other forms conceivable within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention are also included in the scope of the present invention. Moreover, it is also possible to arbitrarily combine one or more of the above-described embodiments and modified examples.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Sensor unit, 11 Infrared LED, 12 Infrared camera, 30 Control part, 31 Sensor control part, 32 Measurement area specific part, 33 Distance change amount calculation part, 34 Communication control part, 35 Blood pressure information estimation part, 100 Blood pressure information estimation apparatus , 200 Measurement object, 320 Measurement area

Claims (8)

A measurement area specifying unit for specifying a measurement area on the surface of the living body that displaces as the blood vessels of the living body expand or contract;
A sensor unit that obtains non-contact distance information to a measurement point in the measurement region identified by the measurement region identification unit;
A distance change amount calculation unit that calculates a change amount with the passage of time of the distance to the measurement point based on the distance information acquired by the sensor unit;
A blood pressure information estimation unit, comprising: a blood pressure information estimation unit that estimates blood pressure information of a living body based on a change amount of the distance with the passage of time calculated by the distance change amount calculation unit. In the blood pressure information estimation device according to claim 1,
The blood pressure information estimation apparatus, wherein the sensor unit includes a camera including a zoom lens. In the blood pressure information estimation device according to claim 2,
The sensor unit further includes an irradiation unit that irradiates infrared rays,
The camera receives reflected infrared light irradiated by the irradiation unit,
The blood pressure information estimation apparatus, wherein the measurement region specifying unit specifies a position of a blood vessel based on an image signal acquired by the camera and specifies the measurement region based on the position of the blood vessel. In the blood pressure information estimation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The blood pressure information estimation device, wherein the measurement region specifying unit specifies the measurement region on at least one of a right side and a left side of a face of a living body. In the blood pressure information estimation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The sensor unit obtains distance information to a plurality of measurement points in the measurement region specified by the measurement region specifying unit in a non-contact manner,
The distance change amount calculation unit calculates a bulge volume of the measurement region based on a change amount with the passage of time of the distances to the plurality of measurement points specified by the measurement region specification unit. Blood pressure information estimation device. In the blood pressure information estimation device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The measurement region specifying unit further specifies a position of a skeleton and a reference plane based on the distance information acquired by the sensor unit;
The distance change amount calculation unit calculates a change amount with the passage of time of the distance to the measurement point based on the distance information acquired by the sensor unit and the reference plane. apparatus. In the blood pressure information estimation device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A setting unit that sets a reference value of the blood pressure information with respect to a change amount of the distance calculated with the passage of time calculated by the distance change amount calculation unit;
The blood pressure information estimation unit estimates living body blood pressure information based on a change amount of the distance with time calculated by the distance change amount calculation unit and the reference value set by the setting unit. An apparatus for estimating blood pressure information. In the blood pressure information estimation device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The blood pressure information estimation apparatus, wherein the blood pressure information includes a pulse pressure, a maximum blood pressure, and a minimum blood pressure of a living body.

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