JP2024009608A - Biological information recording device and method used therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a biological information recording device capable of taking measures against computer viruses with a small circuit load by effectively utilizing information of the biological information recording device.

SOLUTION: A biological information recording device includes: a measurement unit configured to measure biological information; a file storage unit configured to store a measurement data file including data of measurement results by the measurement unit, and allow access to the measurement data file from an external information processing device; a determination unit configured to determine the validity of a file including the measurement data file stored in the file storage unit; and a control unit configured to disable reading of the file from the file storage unit by the external information processing device when the determination unit obtains a determination result indicating that an invalid file exists in the file storage unit.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

COPYRIGHT: (C)2024,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention particularly relates to a biometric information recording device that stores recorded biometric information in a readable manner in an external information processing device, and a method used therein.

In recent years, many small and portable biological information recording devices such as Holter electrocardiograms have been developed. Many biometric information recording devices of this type temporarily store measured biometric information in a file format in a memory or the like, and then transfer this biometric information to an external information processing device at a predetermined timing. The predetermined timing is, for example, the timing when an external information processing device such as a personal computer is connected to the biological information recording device via a USB cable or the like.

The configuration of the Holter electrocardiograph is described in Patent Document 1, for example.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-043068

By the way, since biometric information recording devices are capable of data connection with external information processing devices, there is a risk of infection by computer viruses. Biometric information recording devices such as Holter electrocardiographs are extremely compact so as not to be a burden on the subject, and the circuit size is also limited. Therefore, many biological information recording devices of this type are not protected against computer viruses. Note that in this specification, hereinafter, a "computer virus" will be simply referred to as a "virus."

One way to remove viruses is to download a general virus removal program and remove the virus. It is not practical to apply processing.

Furthermore, biological information recording devices are often used in situations where medical institutions such as hospitals lend them to patients. In this case, if a medical institution attempts to remove viruses from the biometric information recording device, the medical institution must perform virus scanning and removal every time the biometric information recording device is returned from a patient, which is extremely troublesome.

In reality, due to such circumstances, virus countermeasures are entrusted to an external information processing device to which the biometric information recording device is connected. However, the connected information processing device does not necessarily have anti-virus protection.

Further, an external information processing device to which biometric information is transferred from the biometric information recording device is often connected to an in-hospital network where personal information must never be leaked due to a virus. Considering this, it is preferable that some kind of anti-virus measures be taken in the biometric information recording device.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and provides a biological information recording device and method that can effectively utilize the information of the biological information recording device and implement virus countermeasures with a small circuit load. .

One aspect of the biological information recording device of the present invention is
a measurement unit that measures biological information;
a file storage unit that stores a measurement data file including data of measurement results by the measurement unit, and allows access to the measurement data file from an external information processing device;
a determination unit that determines the validity of a file containing the measurement data file stored in the file storage unit;
a control unit that disables reading of files from the file storage unit by the external information processing device when the determination unit obtains a determination result indicating that an invalid file exists in the file storage unit;
Equipped with.

One aspect of the method used in the biological information recording device of the present invention is
A method used in a biological information recording device that allows access to files from an external information processing device,
a step of measuring biological information;
storing a measurement data file containing measurement result data;
determining the validity of a file containing the stored measurement data file;
If a determination result indicating that an invalid file exists is obtained, disabling the reading of the file by the external information processing device;
including.

According to the present invention, it is possible to take anti-virus measures with a small circuit load by effectively utilizing the information of the biological information recording device.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the overall configuration of the Holter electrocardiograph according to the embodiment, and is a diagram showing how the Holter electrocardiograph is attached to the electrocardiogram sensor sheet. FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the Holter electrocardiograph as seen from the front side, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the Holter electrocardiograph as seen from the back side. Diagram showing how a Holter electrocardiograph is connected to an external information processing device via a USB cable Block diagram showing the configuration of a Holter electrocardiograph Flowchart showing the processing procedure of virus countermeasure processing according to the embodiment A flowchart showing an example of detailed processing contents of the unknown file detection judgment processing (step S12) in FIG. 5

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

In the embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a Holter electrocardiograph will be described. However, the present invention is applicable not only to Holter electrocardiographs but also to various biological information recording devices. In particular, it is suitable for a small and wearable biological information recording device.

<Overall configuration>
1 and 2 are diagrams for explaining the overall configuration of a Holter electrocardiograph 100 according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing how the Holter electrocardiograph 100 is attached to an electrocardiogram sensor sheet 200, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the external configuration of the Holter electrocardiograph 100.

As shown in FIG. 1, the Holter electrocardiograph 100 is removably attached to a sensor sheet 200 for measuring an electrocardiogram. The sensor sheet 200 is attached to the subject's body (chest in the case of FIG. 1). The sensor sheet 200 is provided with electrodes 211, 212, 213 for measuring an electrocardiogram, and a connector 220 to which the Holter electrocardiograph 100 is attached. In the case of FIG. 1, three electrodes 211, 212, and 213 are provided, and among the three electrodes 211, 212, and 213, electrodes 211 and 212 are related electrodes, and electrode 213 is an indifferent electrode. It is.

Connector 220 mechanically and electrically connects sensor sheet 200 and Holter electrocardiograph 100. Each electrode 211, 212, 213 and the connector 220 are electrically connected by wiring, and when the Holter electrocardiograph 100 is attached to the connector 220, the terminals of the connector 220 and the terminals of the Holter electrocardiograph 100 are connected. The Holter electrocardiograph 100 is electrically connected to each electrode 211, 212, and 213 by being electrically connected.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of Holter electrocardiograph 100 viewed from the front side, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view of Holter electrocardiograph 100 viewed from the back side. On the front side of the Holter electrocardiograph 100, an event button 101, LED lamps 102a, 102b, 102c, etc. are provided. The event button 101 is a button that is pressed by the patient when, for example, the patient has chest pain, and the occurrence of some action or symptom by the patient is thereby recorded in the Holter electrocardiograph 100 as an event. Among the LED lamps 102a, 102b, and 102c, for example, the LED lamp 102a emits green light, the LED lamp 102b emits orange light, and the LED lamp 102c emits green light.

A record button 103 is provided on the side of the Holter electrocardiograph 100, and when the user operates the record button 103, the Holter electrocardiograph 100 starts measuring and recording an electrocardiogram. Incidentally, even if the recording button 103 is not operated for, for example, 15 minutes after the Holter electrocardiograph 100 is powered on, recording of the electrocardiogram is automatically started. This prevents recording omissions due to forgetting to press the recording button 103. Furthermore, in order to end the recording, it is sufficient to press and hold the record button 103 and the event button 101 at the same time.

A connector 110 is provided on the back side of the Holter electrocardiograph 100. The connector 110 includes an electrode terminal section 111 and a USB terminal section 112.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the Holter electrocardiograph 100. The Holter electrocardiograph 100 includes a battery 121, an electrode terminal section 111, a USB terminal section 112, an electrode interface (I/F) 114, a USB I/F 115, a CPU 122 as an arithmetic control section, a USB controller 123, and an internal memory. 124, a wireless section 125, a USB connection detection section 126, operation buttons (event button 101, record button 103), and an LED lamp 102.

As the battery 121, a small battery such as a button battery is used to make the Holter electrocardiograph 100 smaller and lighter.

The CPU 122 controls the overall operation of the Holter electrocardiograph 100 based on a software program stored in a built-in memory (FRAM (registered trademark)) 122a built into the CPU 122. The CPU 122 controls, for example, an electrocardiogram measurement operation, a light emitting operation of the LED lamp 102, and a wireless operation by the wireless unit 125 according to a software program. The CPU 122 has a function as a measurement unit 122b that measures biological information (in the case of this embodiment, an electrocardiogram).

When a USB cable is connected to the USB terminal section 112, the USB controller (or USB driver) 123 transfers data to and from the connected electronic device in accordance with the USB standard and uses bus power. Power is supplied from the electronic device to the Holter electrocardiograph 100.

Internal memory 124 stores measurement data files.

The USB controller 123 and the internal memory 124 serve as a file storage unit that stores measurement data files including measurement result data by the measurement unit 122b, and can freely read and write files from an external information processing device. Has a function. In this embodiment, the file storage unit complies with the USB mass storage class standard.

The USB connection detection unit 126 detects whether an external information processing device is connected via a USB cable based on the voltage of the USB connection terminal unit 112. That is, when the voltage of the USB connection terminal section 112 is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value, it is detected that an external information processing device is connected via the USB cable.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing how the Holter electrocardiograph 100 is connected to an external information processing device 200 via a USB cable 300. The information processing device 200 is, for example, a personal computer or a server. The information processing device 200 is connected to, for example, a hospital network.

<Virus countermeasures>
Virus countermeasures by the Holter electrocardiograph 100 of this embodiment will be explained in detail.

Virus countermeasures are mainly implemented by the CPU 122.

The CPU 122 functions as a measurement unit 122b that measures biological information, as a determination unit 122c that determines the validity of files including measurement data files stored in the internal memory 124, and as a determination unit 122c that determines the validity of files including measurement data files stored in the internal memory 124. The control unit 122d has a function of disabling reading of the file from the internal memory 124 by the external information processing device 200 when a judgment result indicating that an invalid file exists in the internal memory 124 is obtained.

5 and 6 are flowcharts showing the processing procedure of the virus countermeasure processing according to the present embodiment, which is performed by the CPU 122.

First, in step S11, when the CPU 122 detects that the USB cable 300 is connected based on the detection result of the USB connection detection unit 126, the process moves to step S12.

In step S12, the CPU 112 determines whether an unknown file has been detected. Specifically, the determination unit 122c of the CPU 112 determines whether or not there is an unknown file among the files containing the measurement data file stored in the internal memory 124. The determination processing by the determination unit 122c will be described in detail later using FIG. 6.

If an unknown file is not detected (step S12; NO), the CPU 112 moves to step S15, enables the USB function, and in the subsequent step S16, sets the information processing device 200 in a state where it can access the files in the internal memory 124. do. Specifically, in step S15, the CPU 112 turns on the communication IC of the USB I/F 115 via the USB controller 123, thereby allowing the information processing device 200 to recognize the Holter electrocardiograph 100. In other words, the files in the internal memory 124 are made accessible. In the following step S16, the CPU 122 displays that the USB connection is in progress. Specifically, the CPU 122 causes one of the LEDs 102a to 102c to emit light. Furthermore, if the Holter electrocardiograph has a display screen, it may display on the screen that the USB connection is in progress.

On the other hand, if an unknown file is detected in step S12 (step S12; YES), the CPU 112 moves to step S13 and disables the USB function. Specifically, in step S13, the CPU 112 turns off the power to the communication IC of the USB I/F 115 via the USB controller 123, thereby making it impossible for the information processing device 200 to recognize the Holter electrocardiograph 100. In other words, the file in the internal memory 124 is inaccessible. This disables reading of files from the internal memory 124.

In the following step S14, the CPU 122 displays an error. For example, the CPU 122 causes one of the LEDs 102a to 102c to emit light as an error indication. Further, if the Holter electrocardiograph has a display screen, an error display may be performed by displaying on the screen that there is a high possibility of virus infection.

In this way, when the Holter electrocardiograph 100 of the present embodiment detects an unknown file, it makes the file inaccessible from the external information processing device 200 and prohibits reading of the file. This makes it possible to prevent the virus from spreading from the Holter electrocardiograph 100 to the information processing device 200.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of detailed processing contents of the unknown file detection/judgment process (step S12) of FIG. 5.

First, in step S21, the determining unit 122c obtains current file system information from the internal memory 124.

In subsequent step S22, the determining unit 122c determines whether the file system information acquired in step S21 is different from the file system information at the time of recording. explain in detail. The fact that the current file system information is different from the file system information at the time of recording (more precisely, at the time of recording biometric information) means that some kind of file operation such as adding or modifying a file was performed between the time of recording and the present time. It means that. This file operation may be caused by a virus.

Taking this into consideration, the determining unit 122c makes the determination in step S22, and if there is no difference between them, determines that there is no unknown file (step S22; NO). On the other hand, if there is a difference (step S22; YES), the determining unit 122c moves to step S23.

In step S23, the determining unit 122c determines whether the difference is in the permitted file. The permitted file is, for example, a file that is also updated from the information processing device 200. If the file with the difference is not a permitted file (step S23; NO), the determining unit 122c determines that an unknown file has been detected. On the other hand, if the difference is in the permitted file (step S23; YES), the determining unit 122c moves to step S24.

In step S24, the determining unit 122c determines whether the device information in the file matches the own device. Device information is information indicating which device created the file. Here, if the device information of the file does not match the own device (step S24; NO), the determining unit 122c determines that an unknown file has been detected. On the other hand, if the device information of the file matches the own device (step S24; YES), the determining unit 122c determines that there is no unknown file.

If an unknown file exists, there is a high possibility that the computer is infected with a virus. Based on such consideration, the Holter electrocardiograph 100 of the present embodiment prohibits reading of the file from the external information processing device 200 when an unknown file is detected even when there is a USB connection. This is to prevent the spread of the virus.

<Summary>
As explained above, according to the biological information recording device (Holter electrocardiograph 100) of the present embodiment, the measurement unit 122b that measures biological information (electrocardiogram) and the measurement unit 122b that includes the data of the measurement results by the measurement unit 122b. Data files are stored in a file storage section (USB controller 123, internal memory 124) and a file storage section (internal memory 124), which can be accessed from the external information processing device 200. If the determination unit 122c determines the validity of a file containing a measured data file and the determination unit 122c determines that an invalid file exists in the file storage unit (internal memory 124), the external The control unit 122 disables reading of files from the file storage unit (internal memory 124) by the information processing device 200.

This makes it possible to effectively utilize the information of the biological information recording device (Holter electrocardiograph 100) to take anti-virus measures with a small circuit load.

The above-described embodiments are merely examples of implementation of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed as limited by these embodiments. That is, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from its gist or main features.

In the above embodiment, a case has been described in which reading of the file from the external information processing device 200 is prohibited when an unknown file is detected. However, the present invention is not limited to this. If it is determined that there is a file that is not the same, reading of the file from the external information processing device 200 may be prohibited.

For example, in the following cases, reading files from the file storage unit (internal memory 124) may be disabled.
(1) If there is a file with an unauthorized name in the file storage,
(2) If there are more files than expected in the file storage,
(3) If there is a measurement data file whose update date and time differs from the measurement date and time among the measurement data files stored in the file storage unit,
Or
(4) When there is a measurement data file whose data amount is outside the predetermined range among the measurement data files stored in the file storage unit. Here, the predetermined range may be, for example, the file size at the time of recording or a reasonable amount of data assumed from the amount of biological information.

Here, the Holter electrocardiograph is capable of making the validity judgment as in the embodiment described above (judgment based on the presence or absence of an unknown file) and the judgments as described in (1) to (4) above. This is because in a measurement data file recorded by a biological information recording device such as 100, the file recording history, name, measurement date and time, and data amount are recorded as file system information. In other words, it is easy to judge the validity of a measurement data file of biological information, and the present invention makes effective use of this to judge the presence or absence of invalid data with a small amount of processing and reduce the circuit load. It can be said that the increase in

In addition to the above-described embodiment, even if the control unit (CPU 122) obtains a judgment result from the judgment unit 122c indicating that an invalid file exists in the file storage unit (internal memory 124), A mode (hereinafter, this mode will be referred to as "forced USB connection mode") may be provided in which the external information processing device 200 is allowed to read the file storage section (internal memory 124) by user operation.

In this way, even if it is known that the file is infected with a virus, it is possible to read the measurement data file that absolutely needs to be read, and the measurement data can be saved. For example, if the external information processing device 200 is a standalone dedicated computer isolated from the network or has a virus removal function, by executing the forced USB connection mode, virus infection can be prevented while Measurement data can now be saved.

If the forced connection mode is executed by a simple operation by a general user, the risk of virus spread increases, so it is preferable that the forced connection mode is executed after a special operation. In the case of this embodiment, the Holter electrocardiograph 100 allows the user to select whether to perform the forced USB mode on the condition that the USB cable 300 is connected while the event button 101 is pressed. It has become. By doing this, only a person who knows this operation, such as a person who maintains the Holter electrocardiograph 100, can execute the forced USB connection mode, thereby preventing virus infection and saving measurement data. become able to.

In addition to the above-described embodiments, the control unit (CPU 122) also stores a 0-byte file with the same name as the system folder for drive management stored in the file storage unit (internal memory 124) from the external information processing device 200. A dummy file may also be created. This file is created, for example, every time measurement data is recorded. In this way, a folder for drive management such as System Volume Information will not be created by the external information processing device 200, making it easier to determine whether an unknown file exists.

In the above embodiment, a case has been described in which the biological information recording device (Holter electrocardiograph 100) is connected to the external information processing device 200 via USB, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the recorded biological information can be connected to the external information processing device 200. The present invention is widely applicable to biometric information recording devices that are readably stored in information devices. Of course, the biological information recording device is not limited to the Holter electrocardiograph 100.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is useful as a biometric information recording device that stores recorded biometric information in a readable manner in an external information processing device, and a method used therein.

100 Holter electrocardiograph 102 LED lamp 101, 103 operation button 111 electrode terminal section 112 USB terminal 122 CPU
123 USB controller 124 Internal memory 126 USB connection detection section 200 Information processing device 300 USB cable

Claims (6)

a measurement unit that measures biological information;
a file storage unit that stores a measurement data file including data of measurement results by the measurement unit, and allows access to the measurement data file from an external information processing device;
a determination unit that determines the validity of a file containing the measurement data file stored in the file storage unit;
a control unit that disables reading of files from the file storage unit by the external information processing device when the determination unit obtains a determination result indicating that an invalid file exists in the file storage unit;
A biological information recording device comprising: The judgment unit is
If there is a file with a name that is not permitted in the file storage section,
If there are more files than the expected number in the file storage unit,
If there is a measurement data file whose update date and time differs from the measurement date and time among the measurement data files stored in the file storage unit,
Or
When there is a measurement data file whose data amount is outside the predetermined range among the measurement data files stored in the file storage unit,
obtaining a determination result indicating that an invalid file exists in the file storage unit;
The biological information recording device according to claim 1. The control unit may cause the external information processing device to control the file storage unit by a user operation even if the determination unit obtains a determination result indicating that an invalid file exists in the file storage unit. has a mode that allows reading of
The biological information recording device according to claim 1. The file storage unit allows file access from the information processing device in accordance with USB mass storage class standards;
The biological information recording device according to claim 1. The control unit creates a 0-byte dummy file with the same name as a system folder for drive management stored in the file storage unit from the external information processing device.
The biological information recording device according to claim 1. A method used in a biological information recording device that allows access to files from an external information processing device,
a step of measuring biological information;
storing a measurement data file containing measurement result data;
determining the validity of a file containing the stored measurement data file;
If a determination result indicating that an invalid file exists is obtained, disabling reading of the measurement data file by the external information processing device;
method including.

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