JP5553315B2 - Doppler sensor - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a Doppler sensor or the like used for measurement related to urine.

  Urodynamics (Urodynamics) and related urodynamic measurements are important measurements that provide information not only for urology, but also for medicine related to the general condition. In other words, this measurement is based on the process of urine storage, urination, the amount of urine present in the bladder, the time course of discharge (urination volume) in the urination movement starting from the micturition reflex, the discharge speed (urine speed), and the time of the discharge speed Although the progress is included, the discharge speed and the instantaneous value of the discharge amount, and the time lapse of the discharge amount by integration of the discharge amount instantaneous value are important measurement items.

  These urodynamics parameters are measured in addition to the primitive method of measuring the time course of the weight of the excreted urine (instead of the volume) with a urine container. Recently, as seen in Patent Documents 1 and 2 and Non-Patent Document 1, etc., urine water droplets scattered and dropped in the air are observed by electromagnetic waves or air ultrasonic waves, and in particular, they are measured or estimated by adding Doppler shifts of their reflected waves. Techniques have been proposed and some have been experimentally implemented.

JP 2010-223772 A (first page, FIG. 1 etc.) Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-100377 (first page, FIG. 1 etc.)

SPIE volume 1039, pp385-386 (13th IRMMW session F1.8, Dec.1988)

  However, all of these Doppler urodynamics measurements are equipped with a measuring means on the side of the toilet (urinal). There was a problem that he had to go to a certain toilet or urine to urinate. This is not suitable for the idea of measuring the dynamics under the condition while maintaining the natural daily life of the subject. True urodynamics to understand a patient's condition may be measured only in such natural daily life. In other words, conventionally, there has been a problem that the subject cannot appropriately measure urination in a natural and low-stress situation that is close to everyday life.

  The Doppler sensor of the present invention is a Doppler sensor used for measurement related to urine released from the external urethral orifice toward the outside of the body, and includes a housing having a structure that can be attached to a finger, and a housing. A transmission unit that transmits wave energy from a side different from the finger side of the housing, and a reflection of wave energy transmitted by the transmission unit on the side different from the finger side of the housing. A Doppler sensor including a receiving unit that receives a wave.

  With this configuration, the subject can appropriately measure urination by attaching the housing of the Doppler sensor to the finger.

  The Doppler sensor of the present invention is a Doppler sensor further comprising a Doppler processing unit that acquires a Doppler shift component using the wave energy transmitted by the transmission unit and the reflected wave received by the reception unit in the Doppler sensor. .

  With this configuration, a Doppler shift component can be acquired and analysis regarding urination can be performed.

  Further, the Doppler sensor of the present invention selectively extracts a Doppler shift component corresponding to the visual line velocity of urine released from the external urethral orifice to the outside of the Doppler shift component acquired by the Doppler processing unit in the Doppler sensor. The Doppler sensor further includes a filter unit.

  With such a configuration, it is possible to selectively acquire only the Doppler shift component corresponding to the line-of-sight speed and perform the analysis on urination with high accuracy.

  The Doppler sensor of the present invention is a Doppler sensor further comprising an analysis unit that acquires urine flow rate information, which is information related to the urine discharge speed, using the Doppler shift component in the Doppler sensor.

  With this configuration, information used for evaluating the urine flow rate can be output.

  In the Doppler sensor of the present invention, in the Doppler sensor, the analysis unit acquires urine flow rate information and the acquisition time of the reflected wave for each of the reflected waves received at different times by the receiving unit, and the urine flow rate It is a Doppler sensor that acquires a urinary flow velocity curve in which information is associated with a time axis.

  With this configuration, it is possible to output information indicating changes in the urine flow rate.

  The Doppler sensor according to the present invention is a Doppler sensor further comprising an analysis unit that acquires instantaneous urine flow rate information that is information related to an instantaneous value of the urine flow rate using information indicating the intensity of the Doppler shift component in the Doppler sensor. is there.

  With this configuration, it is possible to output information used for instantaneous urine flow rate evaluation.

  The Doppler sensor according to the present invention is a Doppler sensor in which, in the Doppler sensor, the analysis unit integrates instantaneous urine flow rate information to acquire information on the total amount of discharged urine.

  With this configuration, information used for evaluating the total amount of urine output can be output.

  The Doppler sensor of the present invention is a Doppler sensor further comprising an output unit that outputs a Doppler shift component as sound in the Doppler sensor.

  With this configuration, it is possible to represent the urine discharge status by voice.

  According to the Doppler sensor according to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately measure urination.

The schematic diagram which shows an example of the structure of the Doppler sensor concerning embodiment of this invention Block diagram showing the configuration of the measurement system Flow chart explaining operation of the Doppler sensor Schematic diagram showing how the measurement system is used The figure which shows an example of a spectrum time series figure (Drawing 5 (a)), a signal intensity distribution on a frequency axis (Drawing 5 (b)), and a urine flow velocity curve (Drawing 5 (c)) of the Doppler sensor. The figure which shows the modification of the Doppler sensor

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a Doppler sensor and the like will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, since the component which attached | subjected the same code | symbol in embodiment performs the same operation | movement, description may be abbreviate | omitted again.

(Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the structure of a Doppler sensor according to the present embodiment. The Doppler sensor 1 is used for measurement relating to urine released from the external urethral orifice toward the outside of the body. The Doppler sensor is, for example, a sensor that detects an object moving in a direction away from the Doppler sensor or in a direction approaching the Doppler sensor using the Doppler effect.

  The Doppler sensor 1 has a housing 10 that can be attached to a finger. The Doppler sensor 1 includes a transmission unit 11, a reception unit 12, and a circuit 30 in a housing 10. In addition, here, as an example, a signal line 57 for outputting information acquired by the Doppler sensor 1 is connected to the circuit 30.

  The material of the housing 10 is not limited. The structure that can be attached to the receiver 12 or the finger of the circuit 30 is, for example, a structure having a shape on a ring as shown in FIG. Moreover, the structure which has the clip etc. which can be pinched | interposed and stopped by a finger | toe, the band tied to a finger | toe, the belt wound around a finger | toe, etc. may be sufficient. In this specific example, a case where the casing 10 includes a ring portion 19 for passing a finger will be described as an example. The ring portion 19 may have a notch or the like in part.

  The transmission unit 11 outputs wave energy. Wave energy is sound waves or electromagnetic waves. The transmitter 11 is provided in the housing 10 so that wave energy can be transmitted from a side different from the finger side of the housing 10 while being attached to the finger. For example, the transmission unit 11 is provided in the housing 10 such that a portion (for example, an emission surface) to which wave energy is transmitted is located on a side different from the finger side of the housing 10. It is preferable that the transmission unit 11 is stored in the housing 10 except at least a part to be transmitted.

  The receiving unit 12 receives the reflected wave energy transmitted by the transmitting unit 11. For example, the receiving unit 12 receives a reflected wave of wave energy reflected by urine released toward the outside of the body. The receiving unit 12 is provided on the housing 10 so that the reflected wave of the wave energy transmitted by the transmitting unit 11 can be received on a side different from the finger side of the housing 10 in a state where the receiving unit 12 is attached to the finger. Yes. For example, the receiving unit 12 is provided in the housing 10 so that a part (for example, a receiving surface) that receives wave energy is located on a side different from the finger side of the housing 10. The wave energy of the transmission unit 11 and the part that receives the wave and the part that receives the reflected wave of the reception unit 12 are arranged adjacent to each other in substantially the same direction, so that the reflected wave is appropriately received. It is preferable to make it possible. It is preferable that the receiving unit 12 is stored in the housing 10 except for at least a part to be transmitted. The receiving unit 12 may have a homodyne detector.

  In the present embodiment, for example, visible or near-infrared coherent light can be used as wave energy. In this case, the transmission unit 11 and the reception unit 12 are each realized by a laser diode that emits visible or near-infrared light and a photodiode that receives light of these wavelengths. In addition, it is preferable that the transmitting unit 11 and the receiving unit 12 be provided with support means for supporting emission or reception of visible or near-infrared coherent light, such as a lens or a converging reflector.

  As wave energy, for example, an electromagnetic wave in a millimeter wave or terahertz wave region can be used. In this case, the transmission unit 11 and the reception unit 12 can be realized by a Gunn diode, an integrated oscillation circuit, and a Schottky barrier diode, respectively. In addition to these unique antennas, these elements and circuits are preferably provided with support means such as a horn, a lens, and a converging reflector.

  Further, as wave energy, for example, airborne ultrasonic waves can be used. In this case, each of the transmission unit 11 and the reception unit 12 can use an electroacoustic transducer that uses a piezoelectric material such as PZT, PVDF, or VDF-TrFE. These converters are preferably provided with support means such as a focusing reflector.

  In the case of electromagnetic waves and in the case of airborne ultrasonic waves, the frequency region where the wavelength in the space is several millimeters is most preferable for this purpose in view of the distribution of the size of urine droplets to be measured. This is in the region of several tens of KHz for airborne ultrasonic waves and several tens of GHz for electromagnetic waves. As an example, the wavelengths of 50 GHz millimeter waves and 50 kHz airborne ultrasonic waves are both about 6 mm, which are in the most suitable region for the purposes of the present application. Particularly in the case of airborne ultrasonic waves, a frequency range of 20 KHz to 200 KHz is preferable.

  The circuit 30 includes, for example, a later-described Doppler processing unit 13, a filter unit 14, an analysis unit 15, an output unit 16, and the like. Note that instead of the circuit 30, a dedicated integrated circuit having a similar function, a CPU, a memory, or the like having a similar function may be provided. The circuit 30 is preferably provided in the housing 10. The transmitter 11 and the receiver 12 and the circuit 30 are connected by wiring or the like.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the measurement system in the present embodiment.
The measurement system 100 includes a Doppler sensor 1 and a measurement device 2.

The Doppler sensor 1 includes a transmission unit 11, a reception unit 12, a Doppler processing unit 13, a filter unit 14, an analysis unit 15, and an output unit 16.
The measuring device 2 includes an information receiving unit 21, a storage unit 22, and a storage unit 23.

  The Doppler processing unit 13 acquires a Doppler shift component using the wave energy transmitted by the transmission unit 11 and the reflected wave received by the reception unit 12. The Doppler shift component to be acquired here is obtained by removing the frequency component of the wave energy transmitted from the transmitter 11 from the reflected wave. Such selective acquisition of frequency components is a common wisdom in Doppler receivers in general. For example, after detecting a reflected wave signal using a transmission signal, a DC or very low frequency component is removed by a low cut filter. Can be done. There are various variations in this processing, but the method of specifically receiving only the component having the Doppler shift at this stage is within the scope of the degree of freedom of implementation of the present invention. Absent.

  The filter unit 14 selectively extracts, from the Doppler shift component acquired by the Doppler processing unit 13, a Doppler shift component corresponding to the line-of-sight velocity of urine released from the external urethral orifice to the outside of the body. The selective extraction of the Doppler shift component corresponding to the urine line-of-sight velocity means that the frequency band corresponding to the line-of-sight velocity is selectively extracted from the Doppler shift component acquired by the Doppler processing unit 13. That is, it may be considered to selectively extract a pre-designated frequency band (a frequency band considered to correspond to the line-of-sight speed). This is a concept including selectively excluding frequency bands that do not correspond to the line-of-sight speed. Note that the frequency band corresponding to the line-of-sight speed here does not necessarily mean that it does not necessarily include frequencies other than the frequency band corresponding to the line-of-sight speed, and is clearly determined not to correspond to the line-of-sight speed. It may be considered as a frequency band excluding a certain frequency band. The line-of-sight velocity is a velocity component along the line-of-sight direction, and is usually a velocity component along the depth direction. The line-of-sight direction here may be considered as a direction in which wave energy is transmitted from the transmission unit 11 or a direction in which the reception unit 12 receives a reflected wave. For example, it may be considered that the urine is discharged from the mouth of the external urethra. The range of the urine velocity must be considered from several centimeters per second including the case of spontaneously falling droplets, but it is at most about 1 m per second at the maximum. In a wave having a wavelength of 6 mm, the Doppler shift value range exhibited is about 300 Hz with a maximum value that does not consider the oblique line to the measurement line of sight, and about several Hz with a minimum value. However, this late end is not very important for urine measurements. Therefore, in the case where airborne ultrasonic waves are used as wave energy, the filter unit 14 is positioned below the audio frequency region of about 15 Hz to 300 Hz as a filter that selectively extracts a Doppler shift component that matches the line-of-sight velocity of urine. A band-pass filter for a frequency band may be used. That is, for example, the filter unit 14 may be a bandpass filter that extracts a frequency band within a range of 15 Hz to 300 Hz from a Doppler shift component acquired by the Doppler processing unit 13. In this case, the following signal analysis and signal measurement devices and techniques can also be basically performed with the aid of devices and techniques widely used in the audio domain. As a result, it is possible to selectively acquire information on the line-of-sight speed. The required specification for the Doppler filter depends on the wavelength of the wave used as wave energy in the air, and therefore the same for both electromagnetic waves and airborne ultrasonic waves if the wavelength is the same.

  The analysis unit 15 acquires urine flow rate information, which is information related to the urine discharge speed, using the Doppler shift component. The urine flow rate information may be, for example, the value of the urine discharge speed, or may be information that indicates whether the discharge speed is high speed or low speed by using an index such as a character or a score. Further, since the Doppler shift component changes according to the urine discharge speed, the urine flow rate information may be a Doppler shift component (for example, a frequency at which the intensity reaches a peak). The urine flow rate information may be considered as information for evaluating the urine flow rate. The Doppler shift component here is, for example, a Doppler shift component acquired by the Doppler processing unit 13 or a Doppler shift component selectively extracted by the filter unit 14. The Doppler shift component selectively extracted by the filter unit 14 is specifically a Doppler shift component corresponding to the urine line-of-sight direction. In the present embodiment, the analysis unit 15 uses the filter unit 14 as the Doppler shift component. It is preferable to use the Doppler shift component extracted by. The same applies to the following. For example, the analysis unit 15 may include a Doppler shift component acquired by the Doppler processing unit 13 (or a Doppler shift component corresponding to the visual velocity of urine released from the external urethral opening selectively extracted by the filter unit 14 toward the outside of the body). The main component of the frequency is acquired, and urine flow velocity information is acquired using this frequency. The main component of the Doppler shift component is, for example, a frequency at which the intensity of the Doppler shift component peaks. However, the main component of the Doppler shift component may be acquired by other methods. The main component may be considered as a representative value. For example, the analysis unit 15 calculates the urine discharge speed using the frequency and the frequency transmitted by the transmission unit 11 as urine flow velocity information. In particular, the analysis unit 15 may acquire urine flow rate information using a frequency that is a main component of a high frequency band among Doppler shift components.

  Moreover, the analysis part 15 may acquire the instantaneous urine flow rate information which is the information regarding the instantaneous value of a urine flow rate using the information which shows the intensity | strength of a Doppler shift component. The Doppler shift component here is, for example, a Doppler shift component acquired by the Doppler processing unit 13 or a Doppler shift component selectively extracted by the filter unit 14. For example, the analysis unit 15 detects the intensity of the frequency of the main component (representative value) of the Doppler shift components, and uses this intensity to acquire instantaneous urine flow information that is information related to the instantaneous value of the urine flow. Also good. The frequency of the main component is, for example, a frequency at which the intensity reaches a peak. In this case, the analysis unit 15 may detect the intensity of the peak of the Doppler shift component and acquire instantaneous urine flow rate information using this intensity. The instantaneous urine flow rate information may be, for example, the instantaneous value of the urine flow rate itself. For example, it is obvious in principle that the intensity of the Doppler shift component reflects the quantity of the reflection source (in this case, urine) fairly faithfully, in consideration of the spatial sensitivity distribution of the Doppler sensor 1. It well represents the instantaneous value of the urine flow rate in the region where the reflected wave is accepted. For this reason, an arithmetic expression (for example, a proportional expression) indicating a correspondence relationship between the urine flow rate and the intensity value is obtained in advance by an experiment or the like. You may make it acquire the instantaneous urine flow volume corresponding to intensity | strength by calculation. Further, when acquiring the instantaneous urine flow rate information, the intensity of the Doppler shift component may be corrected with the line-of-sight velocity calculated using the frequency corresponding to the intensity. In addition, the instantaneous urine flow rate information may be information representing the instantaneous urine flow rate with an index such as “high” or “low”. Further, since the intensity of the Doppler shift component changes corresponding to the amount of urine discharged, the instantaneous urine flow rate information may be the value of the peak intensity acquired above. The instantaneous urine flow rate information may be considered as information used for evaluating the instantaneous value of the urine flow rate.

  The analysis unit 15 may integrate the instantaneous urine flow rate information acquired by the analysis unit 15 to acquire information on the total amount of discharged urine. Information on the total amount of urine flow is the same information as the instantaneous urine flow information. Information on the total amount of urine flow may be considered as information used for evaluating the total amount of urine flow. The total amount of urine discharged is, for example, the total amount of urine discharged within a predetermined period. For example, the analysis unit 15 acquires instantaneous urine flow rate information at each time using a Doppler shift component (which may be extracted by the filter unit 16) acquired for reflected waves acquired at a plurality of different times, Information on the total amount of urine flow is obtained by integrating the instantaneous urine flow information. The plurality of times are preferably a plurality of continuous times within a period from the start of urine discharge to the end of discharge.

  The analysis unit 15 acquires the urine flow rate information and the acquisition time of the reflected wave for each of the reflected waves received by the reception unit 12 at different times, and associates the urine flow rate information with the time axis. A urine flow velocity curve may be acquired. For example, the analysis unit 15 uses the Doppler shift components acquired for the reflected waves acquired at a plurality of different times, respectively, and the urine flow rate information and the acquisition time of the reflected wave used to acquire the urine flow rate information. And using this information, a urine flow velocity curve, which is a graph of urine flow velocity information with the acquisition time as a time axis, is acquired. This Doppler shift component may be a Doppler shift component extracted by the filter unit 14. When acquiring the urine flow velocity curve, smoothing processing, noise removal processing, approximation processing, or the like may be performed on a graph plotting urine flow velocity information and acquisition time.

  For example, the analysis unit 15 receives the main component (for example, peak frequency) of the Doppler shift component acquired by the Doppler processing unit 13 (or the Doppler shift component acquired by the filter unit 14) at a plurality of times. Obtain each reflected wave. The main component here may be the main component of the high frequency band.

  The analysis unit 15 outputs, for example, the highest output among the main components of the high frequency band, for example, each frequency in the high frequency band, from the Doppler shift component extracted by the filter unit 14 among the Doppler shift components acquired by the Doppler processing unit 13. The frequency indicating the intensity is acquired. Here, this frequency is used as urine flow velocity information. This process is repeated for Doppler shift components obtained for reflected waves received at a plurality of times. The plurality of times are preferably a plurality of continuous times within a period from the start of urine discharge to the end of discharge. Then, urine flow velocity information that is a frequency at which the intensity reaches a peak, and information on the time at which the reflected wave corresponding to each Doppler shift component is acquired are acquired. Then, the acquired frequency and time information are sequentially stored in a storage medium (not shown). Then, using these accumulated information, a urine flow velocity curve, which is a time-series graph in which a time axis is associated with a frequency value, is acquired. Since the frequency which is the urine flow rate information corresponds to the urine flow rate, the change in the urine flow rate can be known from this urine flow velocity curve.

  The output unit 16 outputs information obtained using the reflected wave received by the receiving unit 12. The information obtained by using the reflected wave may be, for example, information itself indicating the reflected wave received by the output unit 16, or a Doppler shift component acquired by the Doppler processing unit 13 using the reflected wave, or a filter unit. 14 may be a Doppler shift component corresponding to the line-of-sight speed of urine acquired (extracted). Further, it may be urine flow rate information acquired by the analysis unit 15, instantaneous urine flow rate information, information on the total amount of urine flow rate, a urine flow rate curve, or the like. Output here means display on a display, projection using a projector, printing on a printer, transmission to an external device, storage in a recording medium, processing result to another processing device or other program, etc. It is a concept that includes the delivery of For transmission to an external device, wired communication or wireless communication may be used.

  The output unit 16 may output the Doppler shift component as sound. For example, the Doppler shift component acquired by the Doppler processing unit 13 (or the Doppler shift component acquired by the filter unit 14) may be output as sound. For example, when the wave energy is aerial ultrasonic waves in the audio frequency domain, this Doppler shift component may be output as it is as an audio waveform, or processing such as amplification may be performed as necessary. Further, even if the wave energy is not in the audio frequency domain, the frequency may be shifted to the audio frequency domain and output. For example, the output unit 16 uses an output device such as a speaker or headphones to make it audible and output it. Human hearing can sometimes have better judgment than any electronic analysis, and in some cases, subjective analysis is the most convenient, just listening.

  The output unit 16 may be considered as including or not including an output device such as a display or a speaker. The output unit 16 can be realized by driver software for an output device or driver software for an output device and an output device. The output unit 16 may be considered as a physical interface for outputting information.

  The information receiving unit 21 receives information transmitted from the output unit 16 of the Doppler sensor 1. The information receiving unit 21 is usually realized by a wireless or wired communication means.

  The accumulating unit 22 accumulates the information received by the information receiving unit 21 in the storage unit 23.

  The storage unit 23 accumulates information received by the information receiving unit 21. The storage unit 23 is realized by a volatile or non-volatile storage medium or the like.

  The measuring device 2 may include an information output unit (not shown) for outputting information stored in the storage unit 23 in response to an instruction from a user or the like. This output is the same as the output of the output unit 16 described above.

  Next, the operation of the Doppler sensor 1 will be described using the flowchart of FIG.

  (Step S301) The transmission unit 11 transmits wave energy.

  (Step S302) The receiving unit 12 receives a reflected wave of wave energy.

  (Step S303) The receiving unit 12 acquires the reception time of the reflected wave from a clock or the like (not shown).

  (Step S304) The Doppler processing unit 13 acquires the Doppler shift component using the wave energy transmitted by the transmission unit 11 and the reflected wave received by the reception unit 12.

  (Step S305) The filter unit 14 performs a filter process on the Doppler shift component. For example, a Doppler shift component in a frequency band designated in advance is extracted.

  (Step S306) The analysis unit 15 acquires urine flow rate information from the Doppler shift component extracted by the filter unit 14. For example, the analysis unit 15 acquires the frequency at which the intensity in the frequency distribution of the Doppler shift component peaks as urine flow rate information.

  (Step S307) The analysis unit 15 acquires instantaneous urine flow rate information, which is information related to the instantaneous value of the urine flow rate, from the Doppler shift component extracted by the filter unit 14. For example, the analysis unit 15 uses the maximum intensity value in the frequency distribution of the Doppler shift component, an index indicating the maximum intensity value, or the urine flow obtained by converting the maximum intensity as the instantaneous urine flow information. You may get it.

  (Step S308) The analysis unit 15 stores the urine flow rate information acquired in Step S306 and the instantaneous urine flow rate information acquired in Step S307 in association with the time acquired in Step S303 in a storage medium (not shown) or the like. .

  (Step S309) The transmission unit 11 determines whether or not to end measurement related to urine. For example, when an operation for ending the measurement is received from the subject or the like, it is determined to end the measurement. If the measurement is to end, the process proceeds to step S310, and if not, the process returns to step S301.

  (Step S310) The analysis unit 15 sequentially reads out the urine flow rate information stored in association with the time in Step S308 in order of time, and acquires the urine flow velocity curve in which the urine flow rate information and the time are associated with each other.

  (Step S311) The analysis unit 15 integrates the plurality of instantaneous urine flow information accumulated in association with the time in Step S308, and acquires information on the total amount of urine flow.

  (Step S312) The output unit 16 outputs a urine flow velocity curve and information related to the total amount of urine flow. Then, the process ends.

  In addition, although the example which acquires urine flow velocity information and instantaneous urine flow rate information at any time whenever a reflected wave is acquired is described here, a reflected wave and an acquisition time of the reflected wave are acquired every time a reflected wave is acquired. Are stored in a storage medium or the like not shown, and after the measurement regarding urination is completed, all the sets of the reflected wave and the acquisition time are sequentially read out, and the read reflected wave is The processing from step S304 to step S308 may be repeated, and then the processing after step S310 may be performed.

  In the above description, for convenience of explanation, the case where the Doppler sensor 1 performs time-sharing operation by a plurality of processing steps has been described. However, in the present embodiment, the Doppler sensor 1 does not necessarily perform time-sharing operation as described above. There is no need to do. In the present embodiment, regardless of whether the Doppler sensor 1 is a digital circuit or an analog circuit, operations corresponding to the above-described operations (or a part thereof) may be performed in parallel. For example, when the Doppler sensor 1 is composed of an analog circuit, the operations corresponding to the above processing steps may be performed in parallel. For example, the transmission unit 11 and the reception unit 12 of the Doppler sensor 1 may be configured to continuously and continuously perform a process for transmitting wave energy and a process for receiving wave energy.

  Hereinafter, a specific example of the measurement system of the present embodiment will be described. Here, in particular, a process for measuring urination with the Doppler sensor 1 and outputting a urine flow velocity curve will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a situation in which the measurement system 100 according to the present embodiment is used. The Doppler sensor 1 has a ring shape, and in a state where the external genitalia 51 is held, the part that transmits the wave energy of the transmission unit 11 and the part that receives the reflected wave of the reception unit 12 change the urination direction. It is fitted to the index finger or the like of the hand 55 holding the subject's external genitalia 51 so as to face. The output unit 16 of the Doppler sensor 1 and the information receiving unit 21 of the measuring device 2 are connected by a signal line 57 by wire. For example, the signal line 57 is moored by the mooring means 56 on the wrist of the subject.

  When the subject urinates, the wave energy 53 output from the transmitter 11 of the Doppler sensor 1 is reflected by the discharged urine 52, and the reflected wave 54 is received by the receiver 12. The output from the transmission unit 11 and the reception by the reception unit 12 are repeatedly performed, for example, at a predetermined or indefinite interval specified in advance. Each time the reflected wave 54 is received, the Doppler processing unit 13 acquires the Doppler shift component using the frequency of the wave energy 53 and the frequency of the reflected wave 54. And the filter part 14 can acquire the Doppler shift component corresponding to a visual line speed by extracting the Doppler shift component of the frequency band designated beforehand.

  Next, the analysis unit 15 performs frequency analysis on the Doppler shift component extracted by the filter unit 14. Specifically, a signal intensity distribution (for example, spectrum) for each frequency of the Doppler shift component is acquired. From the result of frequency analysis of the Doppler shift component, the line-of-sight speed and its distribution can be known.

  Next, the analysis unit 15 acquires a urinary flow velocity curve that is a time series graph of the urine flow velocity using the obtained frequency analysis result and the like. The calculation for deriving the urinary flow velocity curve can be applied in the same way as when evaluating and analyzing the blood flow in the body using the Doppler signal in terms of method and technology, and the general-purpose technology can be used almost as it is. Is possible. However, as one preferred embodiment of the present invention, spectrum information analysis processing adapted to the state of collective running of the target urine droplet group is performed as described below.

  FIG. 5A is a Doppler spectrum time series diagram obtained with respect to one process of urination by the Doppler sensor 1 using 40 KHz aerial ultrasonic waves CW (continuous wave). When the signal intensity distribution on the frequency axis (that is, the Doppler spectrum, which is the spectrum of the Doppler shift component) is schematically written at one time A on the time axis, an example is shown in FIG. In this, from the low frequency range (LF) to the intermediate frequency range (MF), the artifact or Doppler expected angle is a component (the line of sight and the traveling of the droplet are separated from each other in parallel). It is a component that interferes with the evaluation of the urinary flow velocity. It is a component that exists significantly in the high frequency region (HF) among them that represents the net of the urine flow, and the position of the local peak (black arrow 50) in that region may be obtained as a representative value. Therefore, in the signal processing for that purpose, first, the value below the level indicated by the dotted line B is removed so as to ignore the noise level and below, and then the exclusion region is gradually and gradually removed from the lower side of the frequency axis. The rounding processing and peak detection processing to remove the jaggedness of the graph are performed while increasing the frequency, and the processing is terminated when the position of the peak being detected is stable, and the frequency of the peak position detected at that stage is The representative value (principal component) of the Doppler shift frequency at time A is used. Then, a representative value of the frequency is acquired for each time other than time A. Then, a graph in which the time axis and the representative value are associated with each other is obtained using the information having the time acquired in this way and the representative frequency. Then, after performing smoothing processing and coefficient multiplication as necessary, this is used as an estimated value of the urinary flow velocity curve. FIG. 5C schematically shows an example of the urine flow velocity curve. That is, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the procedure for estimating the urinary flow velocity curve by identifying the principal component of the high velocity region while adaptively removing the low region in the Doppler spectrum in each scene in this way. Is attached. Note that this processing is merely an example, and appropriate processing may be appropriately performed according to the purpose.

  The output unit 16 transmits information indicating the urine flow velocity curve acquired by the analysis unit 15 as described above to the measurement device 2.

  When the information receiving unit 21 of the measuring device 2 receives the information indicating the urine flow velocity curve, the accumulating unit 22 accumulates the information indicating the received urine flow velocity curve in the storage unit 23.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the subject can measure the urine discharged with the Doppler sensor 1 attached to the finger, the examination can be performed without moving to a place such as a toilet for examination. For example, the subject can appropriately perform measurement related to urination in a natural and low-stress situation that is close to daily life, and can appropriately perform measurement related to urination.

  In particular, according to the implementation of the present invention, the urinary fluid dynamics can be measured at the individual level with a simple device that can be held by the individual, which is preferable from the viewpoint of self-management medicine or preventive medicine.

  In the above embodiment, the Doppler sensor 1 acquires a Doppler shift component, extracts a component in a specific frequency band from the Doppler shift component, urinary flow rate information, instantaneous urine flow rate information, and the total amount of urine flow rate. The information regarding the urine flow velocity curve is acquired, but some or all of these processes may be performed by the measuring device 2. For example, instead of providing the Doppler processing unit 13, the filter unit 14, and the analysis unit 15 that perform these processes in the Doppler sensor 1, these processes are performed in the measuring apparatus 2. You may do it. Also. In this case, the output unit 16 appropriately includes information such as the frequency of wave energy transmitted by the transmission unit 11, the reflected wave received by the reception unit 12, the Doppler shift component acquired by the Doppler processing unit 13, and the filter unit 14. The extracted Doppler shift components and the like may be sequentially transmitted to the measuring device 2.

  In the present embodiment, the above-described processing may be performed in real time using the reflected wave received by the Doppler sensor 1, or may be temporarily provided inside the Doppler sensor 1. The reflected wave or the like may be accumulated in a storage medium (not shown) or the storage unit 23 or the like of the measurement apparatus 2 and processed after the measurement of the reflected wave or the like is completed.

  In addition, since the connection between the Doppler sensor 1 and the measurement device 2 is a wireless connection, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom of process assignment and the like. In addition, since the reflected wave and the Doppler shift component received by the receiving unit 12 are waveform signals, these waveform signals are transferred from the Doppler sensor 1 to the distant measuring device 2 using an audio channel such as a mobile phone. It is also possible to transmit and process, and it is possible to know the time curve of urine volume, the estimated value of the total discharge amount, and the like. However, as often seen in mobile phones, when automatic signal level adjustment, spectrum adaptive processing, and spectrum re-editing processing are involved in the middle of the audio signal handling route, appropriate considerations are necessary according to each condition. It is necessary to pay a certain amount of attention.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a modification of the Doppler sensor 1 according to the present embodiment. In this Doppler sensor, a push button switch 18 is provided on the side, and an instruction to start measurement is given to the transmitter 11, the receiver 12, etc. of the Doppler sensor 1 by pressing the switch 18 so as to be sandwiched between adjacent fingers. You may make it give. That is, an instruction to urinate from now on can be transmitted to the transmission unit 11, the reception unit 12, and the like.

  In the above embodiment, the Doppler sensor 1 may use ultrasonic waves or may use electromagnetic waves. The Doppler sensor 1 may be either the pulse Doppler method using pulse wave transmission or the CW Doppler method using continuous wave (CW) transmission, since they are the same in principle. However, according to a preferred arrangement, in the case of the pulse Doppler system, the electronic circuits such as the transmission unit 11 and the reception unit 12 are complicated, but the transmission and reception of wave energy are performed with one antenna or a transducer. Since it can be performed in a divided manner, it may be useful for reducing the size of the device or saving the physical quantity of the device.

  Also, in millimeter waves, when a self-excited oscillation circuit that has a self-detecting action, in particular a soft oscillation circuit (marginal oscillator) set near the oscillation start limit, is used as a circuit for both transmission and reception, integrated with the antenna, transmission and reception and Doppler are used. This is also a preferred embodiment because the amount of antennas, horns, lenses, reflectors, and electronic circuitry required for detection can be reduced to the limit.

  In the above-described specific example, the case where the Doppler sensor 1 is used by being attached to the finger of the hand holding the male external genitalia 51 (or a finger nearby thereof) has been described. The same effect can be obtained simply by placing the fitted finger in the vicinity of the mouth of the external urethra (not shown).

  In each of the above embodiments, each component such as the Doppler processing unit 13, the filter unit 14, the analysis unit 15, and the storage unit 22 may be configured by dedicated hardware, or a configuration that can be realized by software. The element may be realized by executing a program. For example, each component can be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible, and it goes without saying that these are also included in the scope of the present invention.

  As described above, the Doppler sensor according to the present invention is suitable as a sensor or the like used for measuring the flow rate or flow rate of urine, and in particular, a Doppler sensor or the like used for measuring a urine that a subject emits. Useful as.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Doppler sensor 2 Measuring apparatus 10 Case 11 Transmission part 12 Reception part 13 Doppler processing part 14 Filter part 15 Analysis part 16 Output part 18 Button switch 19 Ring part 21 Information receiving part 22 Storage part 23 Storage part 30 Circuit 100 Measurement system

Claims (11)

A Doppler sensor used to measure urine released from the external urethral orifice toward the outside of the body,
A housing having a structure attachable to a finger;
A transmitter that is provided in the housing and transmits wave energy from a side different from the finger side of the housing;
A Doppler sensor comprising: a receiving unit that is provided in the casing and receives a reflected wave of wave energy transmitted from the transmitting unit on a side different from the finger side of the casing. The Doppler sensor according to claim 1, further comprising a Doppler processing unit that acquires a Doppler shift component using wave energy transmitted by the transmission unit and a reflected wave received by the reception unit. 3. The Doppler sensor according to claim 2, further comprising a filter unit that selectively extracts a Doppler shift component corresponding to a line-of-sight velocity of urine released from the external urethral opening to the outside of the body from a Doppler shift component acquired by the Doppler processing unit. . 4. The Doppler sensor according to claim 2, further comprising an analysis unit that acquires urine flow velocity information, which is information relating to a urine discharge rate, using the Doppler shift component. 5. The analysis unit acquires the urine flow rate information and the acquisition time of the reflected wave for each of the reflected waves received at different times by the receiving unit, and associates the urine flow rate information with a time axis. The Doppler sensor according to claim 4 which acquires a flow velocity curve. 4. The Doppler sensor according to claim 2, further comprising an analysis unit that obtains instantaneous urine flow rate information, which is information related to an instantaneous value of the urine flow, using information indicating the intensity of the Doppler shift component. The Doppler sensor according to claim 6, wherein the analysis unit integrates the instantaneous urine flow rate information to obtain information on the total amount of discharged urine. The Doppler sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the wave energy is an electromagnetic wave in a millimeter wave or terahertz wave region. The Doppler sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the wave energy is an aerial ultrasonic wave having a frequency of 20 kHz to 200 kHz. The Doppler sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the wave energy is visible or near-infrared coherent light. The Doppler sensor according to claim 2, further comprising an output unit that outputs the Doppler shift component as sound.