JP6887927B2 - Biomagnetic measuring device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a biomagnetic measuring device.

Compared to other medical devices, magnetocardiographic measuring devices (hereinafter referred to as magnetocardiographs) are still younger than other medical devices, but the effectiveness of magnetocardiographs is being confirmed as a result of clinical research so far. For example, it is clear that a magnetocardiographic examination using a magnetocardiograph can diagnose the location and severity of heart diseases such as arrhythmia, which could not be discriminated by an electrocardiogram using a conventional electrocardiograph. It is becoming.
On the other hand, in order to pinpoint the location of occurrence more accurately, there are some problems such as the need for data analysis with higher spatial resolution than ever before.
The superconducting quantum interference element (Superconducting Quantum Interference Device: hereinafter referred to as SQUID sensor) used as a measurement sensor in a conventional magnetocardiogram needs to be used in a state of being immersed in liquid He for use in a superconducting state. There is. Therefore, the magnetocardiograph is provided with a dewar for storing the liquid He, and has a structure in which the SQUID sensor is arranged in the dewar. Further, since the SQUID sensor itself is expensive, arranging a large number of SQUID sensors so as to cover the periphery of the object to be measured is a factor that greatly increases the equipment price. Therefore, the minimum required number of SQUID sensors that cover the projected area in one direction of the object to be measured is arranged.

For example, the magnetocardiograph described in Patent Document 1 is known. In the magnetocardiograph described in Patent Document 1, since the Dewar is fixed, the relative position adjustment between the measurement sensor and the subject is performed by the bed arranged below the Dewar. Three marks are attached to the subject's body in advance, and after the subject lies on the bed, the examination is performed so that the three marks of the subject ride on the projected cross beam pattern. It is stated that the technician operates the front-back feed handle and the left-right feed handle to adjust the position of the bed back and forth, left and right, up and down. In addition, it is possible to measure from a plurality of directions by changing the posture of the subject (supine, prone, oblique, sideways, etc.) on the bed.
Further, although it is not a biomagnetic measuring device that measures the magnetism generated by a living body, for example, in Patent Document 2, the cross section of the bed is made circular and the bed is automatically rotated in the circumferential direction to sleep. A nursing bed that enables a person to turn over in a state close to nature is disclosed.

WO 1999/049781 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-258965

When attempting to measure a magnetic field from multiple directions with a magnetocardiograph, the subject needs to change his / her posture multiple times in order to change the measurement direction, and needs to maintain that posture for a certain period of time during the measurement. However, in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, even if the posture of the subject is changed and a plurality of data in each posture are acquired, the relative position information between the subject and the measurement sensor at the time of acquiring each data is obtained. It is difficult to combine and analyze multiple data, and there is room for further improvement.
Further, in the configuration described in Patent Document 2, the measurement sensor for measuring the magnetism generated by the living body is not provided in the first place, and naturally, the relative position information of the subject and the measurement sensor at the time of acquiring each data is associated with each other. No consideration is given to the points.
Therefore, the present invention provides a biomagnetic measuring device that enables analysis by combining each measurement site of a subject and measured data without imposing a burden on the subject.

In order to solve the above problems, the biomagnetic measuring device according to the present invention is a biomagnetic measuring device that measures magnetism emitted by a living body, and is for holding a measurement site of a subject at a predetermined position with respect to a measurement sensor. The body holder is provided with a body holder and a control unit, and the body holder moves back and forth, left and right, up and down with the subject's body axis fixed , rotates around the subject's body axis, and the subject. The control unit rotates around an axis perpendicular to the body axis of the subject, and the control unit rotates the body holder around the axis perpendicular to the body axis of the subject to change the angle of the subject. The magnetic field data is measured a plurality of times by bringing the measurement site close to the measurement sensor, and the magnetic field data measured by the measurement sensor and the position information of the body holder are linked for each of the multiple measurements. It is characterized in that it is stored in a storage unit.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a biomagnetic measuring device that enables analysis by combining each measurement site of a subject and measured data without imposing a burden on the subject.
Issues, configurations and effects other than those described above will be clarified by the description of the following embodiments.

External perspective view of the biomagnetic measuring device. FIG. 3 is a three-view view of the biomagnetic measuring device shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of a body holder constituting the biomagnetic measuring device shown in FIG. It is a three-view view of the body holder shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a three-view view showing a schematic configuration of an operation mechanism of the body holder shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a preparatory operation in the biomagnetic measuring device shown in FIG. The flow chart of the measurement operation in the biomagnetic measuring apparatus shown in FIG. The flow chart of the post-operation in the biomagnetic measuring apparatus shown in FIG. The external perspective view of the biomagnetic measuring apparatus of Example 2. FIG. FIG. 9 is a three-view view of the biomagnetic measuring device shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is an external perspective view of a body holder constituting the biomagnetic measuring device shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a three-view view of the body holder shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a three-view view showing a schematic configuration of an operation mechanism of the body holder shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a preparatory operation in the biomagnetic measuring device shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a measurement operation in the biomagnetic measuring device shown in FIG. The flow chart of the post-operation in the biomagnetic measuring apparatus shown in FIG.

In the present specification, the biomagnetic measuring device includes a cardiac magnetic measuring device (magnetocardiography) and a magnetoencephalographic measuring device (magnetoencephalogram). The body axis refers to the axis from the crown to the toes when the subject is lying down, and the axis from the crown to the waist when the subject is in the sitting position.
Hereinafter, examples of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following, a case where the biomagnetic measuring device of the present invention is applied to a cardiac magnetic measuring device (magnetocardiography) will be described as an example.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of the biomagnetic measuring device of the first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a three-view view of the biomagnetic measuring device shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the biomagnetic measuring device 100 stores a liquid helium (He), a Dewar 1 in which a SQUID sensor is installed, a gantry 2 for fixing and holding the Dewar 1, a body holder 3, and a safety device. It is composed of a sensor 4, a hydraulic drive unit 5, and a control unit 6.
The plurality of SQUID sensors built in the Dewar 1 are arranged and arranged vertically downward, and measure a weak magnetic field (weak magnetism) generated by a measurement object located on the bottom surface side of the Dewar 1. The bottom surface of the Dewar 1 facing the measurement site of the subject as the measurement object is formed of a substantially flat surface. The body holder 3 is arranged below the bottom surface of the Dewar 1. The subject puts the body retainer 3 on the body retainer 3 in a state where the body retainer 3 is positioned in front of the bottom surface of the Dewar 1 (initial position of the body retainer 3), not directly under the bottom surface of the Dewar 1. Get in. The inspection engineer fixes the body of the subject to the body holder 3 and then closes the lid 8 of the body holder 3. The body axis is determined when the subject's body is fixed to the body holder 3. After that, the inspection engineer inputs a start signal from the control unit 6, so that the body holder 3 starts the moving operation, and then the operation transitions to the measurement. Here, the control unit 6 is, for example, a processor such as a CPU, a ROM for storing the program, a storage device such as a RAM for temporarily storing data in the process of executing the program read from the ROM, and the like. It will be realized. Further, the control unit 6 stores the measurement data (magnetic field data) measured by the measurement sensors, which are a plurality of SQUID sensors built in the Dewar 1, and the position information of the body holder 3 in association with each other, which will be described in detail later. It is provided with a storage unit (not shown).

Further, the hydraulic drive unit 5 is connected to the hydraulic motor 10 and the hydraulic cylinder 12 which will be described in detail later via a hydraulic pipe, and is electrically connected to the control unit 6 via a signal line.
As shown in the top view and the side view of FIG. 2, the safety sensors 4 are arranged so as to form a pair and sandwich the Dewar 1. Of the pair of safety sensors 4, one safety sensor 4 is installed on the Dewar 1 side of the gantry 2, and the other safety sensor 4 is positioned so as to sandwich the Dewar 1 by a predetermined distance from the one safety sensor 4. It is installed in. The safety sensor 4 is realized by, for example, an infrared sensor, and as shown in the side view of FIG. 2, irradiates infrared rays downward from the bottom surface of the dewar 1 along the projection line at a predetermined distance, and tentatively, infrared rays are emitted. When blocked, it detects that the measurement site of the subject has reached the relevant position (light projection line). The safety sensor 4 is installed to prevent the measurement site of the subject from coming into contact with the bottom surface of the Dewar 1, and the detection range is set as follows, for example. Generally, the magnetic field attenuates in inverse proportion to the square of the distance from the magnetic field source. Since the magnetic field emitted from the measurement site of the subject, that is, the biological magnetic field is a weak magnetic field, it is installed in the bottom surface of the dewar 1, that is, the dewar 1 in order to measure data having a good S-N ratio. It is necessary to bring the measurement site of the subject close to the measurement sensor. Therefore, the detection range is appropriately set in consideration of the SN ratio and avoidance of contact with the bottom surface of the Dewar 1 at the measurement site of the subject.

The details of the body holder 3 will be described below. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the body holder 3 constituting the biomagnetic measuring device 100 shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a three-view view of the body holder 3 shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a body holder shown in FIG. It is a three-view drawing which shows the schematic structure of the operation mechanism of a tool.
In FIG. 3, the left figure shows the lid closed state of the body holder 3, and the right figure shows the lid open state of the body holder 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the body holder 3 includes a body holder 7, a lid 8, and covers 17 provided at both ends of the body holder 3 in the longitudinal direction. Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the body holder 3 further includes a body holder rotating pedestal 9a, a body holder pedestal 9b, a hydraulic motor 10, a vertically movable link mechanism 11, a hydraulic cylinder 12, and a gear. It has 13, a wheel 14, a potentiometer 15, a rack & pinion mechanism 16, a pedestal holder 18, and a small-diameter gear 19. Each operation is hydraulically driven, and operates with the hydraulic pressure supplied from the hydraulic drive unit 5 (FIG. 2). The hydraulic drive unit 5 does not need to be installed near the body holder 3, and the biomagnetic measuring device 100 is installed and used in a magnetic shield room (hereinafter referred to as MSR) that shields the biomagnetic measuring device 100 from external magnetic noise. May be installed outside the MSR by changing the length of the hydraulic pipe. The plurality of hydraulic motors 10 and hydraulic cylinders 12 arranged on each operating shaft operate with the flood pressure supplied from the hydraulic drive unit 5. Each component constituting the body holder 3 described above is made of a non-magnetic material.

As shown in the side view of FIG. 5, the body holder 3 moves left and right along the rail by driving the wheel 14 and the hydraulic motor 10 (not shown) attached to the wheel 14. At this time, the amount of movement in the left-right direction is counted by the potentiometer 15 at any time, and the counted amount of movement in the left-right direction is transmitted to the control unit 6 (FIG. 2) via a signal line (not shown). As a result, the control unit 6 can constantly monitor the position of the body holder 3 in the left-right direction.
Further, as shown in the side view of FIG. 5, the body holding portion 7 on which the subject gets on is located on the body holder rotating pedestal 9a via a small-diameter gear 19. The body holder rotating pedestal 9a and the body holder pedestal 9b move up and down by the hydraulic cylinder 12 and the link mechanism 11 that can move up and down. At this time, the vertical movement amount is counted by the potentiometer 15, and the counted vertical movement amount is transmitted to the control unit 6 (FIG. 2) via a signal line (not shown). As a result, the control unit 6 can constantly monitor the vertical position of the body holder 3. The lower end of the vertically movable link mechanism 11 is slidably attached to the upper surface of the pedestal holder 18, and the upper end of the vertically movable link mechanism 11 is slidably attached to the lower surface of the body holder pedestal 9b.

As shown in the top view of FIG. 5, the body holder rotating pedestal 9a constituting the body holder 3 also rotates in the Yaw direction by a horizontally installed hydraulic cylinder 12 (not shown). Specifically, as shown in the top view and the front view of FIG. 5, a rack constituting a predetermined arc-shaped rack & pinion mechanism 16 is arranged on the upper surface of the body holder pedestal 9b (FIG. 5). (In the top view of the above, it is shown by a transparent dotted line for convenience of explanation), and the rack and the pinion gear constituting the rack & pinion mechanism 16 arranged on the lower surface of the body holder rotating pedestal 9a facing the rack mesh with each other horizontally. Driven by an arranged hydraulic cylinder 12 (not shown), the body holding portion 7 is configured to be rotatable in the Yaw direction together with the body holder rotating pedestal 9a that holds the body holding portion 7. The movement amount in the Yaw direction is counted by the potentiometer 15, and the counted movement amount in the Yaw direction is transmitted to the control unit 6 (FIG. 2) via a signal line (not shown). As a result, the control unit 6 can constantly monitor the position of the body holding unit 7 constituting the body holding device 3 in the Yaw direction. Further, by driving the rack & pinion mechanism 16 and the hydraulic motor 10 attached to the rack & pinion mechanism 16, as shown in the front view of FIG. 5, the body holding portion 7 constituting the body holding tool 3 performs a front-back movement. The amount of movement in the front-rear direction is counted by the potentiometer 15, and the counted amount of movement in the front-rear direction is transmitted to the control unit 6 (FIG. 2) via a signal line (not shown). As a result, the control unit 6 can constantly monitor the position of the body holding unit 7 constituting the body holding device 3 in the front-rear direction.

As shown in the side view of FIG. 5, the body holding portion 7 is transmitted from the hydraulic motor 10 via the gear 13 to perform a rotational operation in the Roll direction. Specifically, as shown in the top view and the front view of FIG. 4, gears 13 are provided at both ends of the cylindrical body holding portion 7 in the longitudinal direction so as to cover the outer peripheral surface. Further, as shown in the side view of FIG. 5, a small-diameter gear 19 that meshes with the gear 13 is provided on the upper surface of the body holder rotating pedestal 9a. The small-diameter gear 19 is rotationally driven by the hydraulic motor 10, and the rotational force is transmitted to the gear 13 that meshes with the small-diameter gear 19, so that the body holding portion 7 rotates in the Roll direction. The movement amount in the Roll direction is counted by the potentiometer 15, and the counted movement amount in the Roll direction is transmitted to the control unit 6 (FIG. 2) via a signal line (not shown). As a result, the control unit 6 can constantly monitor the position of the body holding unit 7 constituting the body holding device 3 in the Roll direction.
As the potentiometer 15, for example, an encoder or the like is used.

When the above-mentioned safety sensor 4 detects that the measurement site of the subject has invaded (reached) within the detection range, the operation of the hydraulic drive unit 5 is stopped independently of the control unit 6. This makes it possible to prevent the measurement site of the subject from coming into contact with the bottom surface of the Dewar 1.

After the body holder 3 moves directly under the Dewar 1, the control unit 6 and the hydraulic drive unit 5 raise the body holder 3, and the gap between the apex of the body holder 3 and the bottom surface of the Dewar 1 is a predetermined distance or desired. Ascend to a height that is the distance (measurable distance) of. After that, the operation of the body holder 3 is stopped, and the magnetic field measurement is started. The control unit 6 analyzes the measurement result and calculates the electric axis of the magnetic field. The electrical axis refers to the inclination of the stimulus transmitted from the same node of the heart toward the ventricle toward the lower right, and this electrical axis has a normal range, but there may be some variation even among healthy subjects without disease. Are known. To calculate the electric axis of the magnetic field, a current vector is obtained from the magnetic field data (biomagnetic data) measured by the measurement sensor, and the control unit 6 determines the electric axis peculiar to each subject based on the obtained current vector. Ask for. Subsequently, the control unit 6 rotates the body holder 3 in the Yaw direction so that the body axis and the electric axis are aligned or parallel to each other based on the calculated electric axis. After that, the magnetic field is measured again, and the magnetic field data is acquired from the measurement sensor. The acquired magnetic field data is stored in a storage unit such as a memory (not shown) provided in the control unit 6. In addition, the control unit 6 is the value of the potentiometer 15 attached to each operation axis of the body holder 3 at the time of measurement, or the information of the spatial coordinate data calculated from the value, and the magnetic field data acquired from the measurement sensor ( It is stored in a predetermined storage area of the storage unit in association with the biomagnetic data). In other words, the control unit 6 associates the magnetic field data (biomagnetic data) measured by the measurement sensor built in the dewar 1 with the position information of the body holder 3, and stores a predetermined memory in a storage unit (not shown). Store in the area. As a result, the measurement data and the position information of the body holder 3 are linked and stored on a one-to-one basis.

The details of the operation flow of the biomagnetic measuring device 100 of this embodiment will be described below.
6 is a flow chart of a preparatory operation in the biomagnetic measuring device 100 shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 7 is a flow chart of a measuring operation in the biomagnetic measuring device 100 shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 8 is a biomagnetic measurement shown in FIG. It is a flow chart of the post-operation in the apparatus 100.

<Preparatory operation>
First, the preparatory operation will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, in step S101, the subject is in a state where the body holder 3 constituting the biomagnetic measuring device 100 is positioned in front of the bottom surface of the Dewar 1 (initial position of the body holder 3). However, he gets into the body holding portion 7 of the body holding device 3 with the lid 8 opened, and lies on his back on the body holding portion 7. In step S102, the inspection engineer fixes the subject's body to the body holder 3. In step S103, it is confirmed whether or not the subject's body is securely fixed to the body holder 3. As a result of the confirmation, if the fixation to the body holder 3 is incomplete, the process returns to step S102, and if the fixation to the body holder 3 is confirmed, the process proceeds to step S104. At this point, the body axis is determined.

In step S104, the inspection engineer closes the lid 8 constituting the body holder 3. In step S105, it is confirmed whether or not the lid 8 is securely closed. As a result of the confirmation, if the closing method of the lid 8 is incomplete, the process returns to step S104, and if it is confirmed that the lid 8 is securely closed, the process proceeds to step S106.
In step S106, the body holder 3 starts the operation when the inspection engineer inputs a start signal from the control unit 6. The position setting related to various movements of the body holder 3, which will be described later, is set in advance in the control unit 6, and the set information is stored in a predetermined storage area of a storage unit (not shown) of the control unit 6. ..

In step S107, in response to a command from the control unit 6, the hydraulic drive unit 5 supplies the hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic motor 10 attached to the wheel 14 via the hydraulic pipe, thereby driving the hydraulic motor 10 and causing the wheel 14 to drive. It moves in the left-right direction along the rail (left-right movement of the body holder 3). At this time, the amount of movement in the left-right direction is counted by the potentiometer 15 at any time, and the counted amount of movement in the left-right direction is transmitted to the control unit 6 via a signal line (not shown).
In step S108, the control unit 6 compares the received movement amount in the left-right direction with the position information set in the storage unit (not shown), and determines whether or not the body holder 3 has reached directly below the bottom surface of the Dewar 1. judge. As a result of the determination, if the body holder 3 does not reach directly below the bottom surface of the Dewar 1, the process returns to step S107 and the left and right movements of the body holder 3 are repeatedly executed. On the other hand, as a result of the determination, when the body holder 3 reaches directly below the bottom surface of the Dewar 1, the process proceeds to step S109.

In step S109, by driving the rack & pinion mechanism 16 and the hydraulic motor 10 attached to the rack & pinion mechanism 16 in response to a command from the control unit 6, the body holding unit 7 constituting the body holder 3 moves in the front-rear direction (body). Back and forth movement of the holder 3). At this time, the amount of movement in the front-rear direction is counted by the potentiometer 15, and the counted amount of movement in the front-rear direction is transmitted to the control unit 6 via a signal line (not shown).
In step S110, the control unit 6 compares the received movement amount in the front-rear direction with the position information set in the storage unit (not shown), and determines whether or not the body holder 3 has reached directly below the bottom surface of the Dewar 1. judge. As a result of the determination, if the body holder 3 does not reach directly below the bottom surface of the Dewar 1, the process returns to step S109 and the back-and-forth movement of the body holder 3 is repeatedly executed. On the other hand, as a result of the determination, when the body holder 3 reaches directly below the bottom surface of the Dewar 1, the process proceeds to step S111.

In step S111, the hydraulic drive unit 5 supplies the hydraulic pressure to the above-mentioned hydraulic cylinder 12 via the hydraulic pipe in response to a command from the control unit 6, thereby driving the hydraulic cylinder 12 and using a link mechanism 11 capable of moving up and down. The body holder 3 is raised (the body holder 3 is raised). At this time, the vertical movement amount is counted by the potentiometer 15, and the counted vertical movement amount is transmitted to the control unit 6 via a signal line (not shown).
In step S112, the control unit 6 compares the received vertical movement amount with the designated height set in the storage unit (not shown), and determines whether or not the body holder 3 has reached the designated height. As a result of the determination, if the body holder 3 has not reached the designated height, the process returns to step S111 and the ascending operation of the body holder 3 is repeatedly executed. On the other hand, as a result of the determination, when the body holder 3 reaches the designated height, the process proceeds to step S113.

In step S113, measurement (pre-measurement) by the measurement sensor built in the Dewar 1 is executed in response to a command from the control unit 6.
In step S114, the control unit 6 acquires the measurement data (magnetic field data) measured by the measurement sensor via the signal line. The control unit 6 links the acquired measurement data (magnetic field data) with the position information of the body holder 3 (including left / right, front / back, and height information of the body holder 3) to determine a predetermined storage unit (not shown). Store in storage area.
In step S115, the control unit 6 executes data analysis. Specifically, the control unit 6 calculates the electric axis as one of the data analysis. In the calculation of the electric shaft, as described above, a current vector is obtained from the measurement data (magnetic field data) measured by the measurement sensor, and the electric shaft peculiar to the subject is obtained based on the obtained current vector.

In step S116, the hydraulic drive unit 5 supplies the hydraulic pressure to the above-mentioned hydraulic cylinder 12 via the hydraulic pipe in response to a command from the control unit 6, thereby driving the hydraulic cylinder 12 and using a link mechanism 11 capable of moving up and down. The body holder 3 is lowered (lowering action of the body holder 3). At this time, the vertical movement amount is counted by the potentiometer 15, and the counted vertical movement amount is transmitted to the control unit 6 via a signal line (not shown).
In step S117, the control unit 6 compares the received vertical movement amount with the designated height set in the storage unit (not shown), and determines whether or not the body holder 3 has reached the designated height. As a result of the determination, if the body holder 3 has not reached the designated height, the process returns to step S116 and the lowering operation of the body holder 3 is repeatedly executed. On the other hand, as a result of the determination, when the body holder 3 reaches the designated height, the process proceeds to step S118.

In step S118, the hydraulic drive unit 5 supplies the hydraulic pressure to the horizontally installed hydraulic cylinder 12 via the hydraulic pipe in response to a command from the control unit 6, thereby causing the hydraulic cylinder 12 to be installed horizontally. Driven by the rack and pinion mechanism 16, the body holder rotating pedestal 9a and the body holding portion 7 rotate in the Yaw direction (rotating around an axis perpendicular to the body axis). At this time, the movement amount in the Yaw direction is counted by the potentiometer 15, and the counted movement amount in the Yaw direction is transmitted to the control unit 6 via a signal line (not shown).
In step 119, the control unit 6 determines whether or not the electric axis and the body axis calculated in step S115 described above are in the same or parallel state. As a result of the determination, if the electric axis and the body axis are not in the same or parallel state, the process returns to step S118, and the body holder rotating pedestal 9a and the body holding portion 7 repeatedly execute the rotation operation in the Yaw direction. On the other hand, as a result of the determination, if the electric axis and the body axis are in the same or parallel state, the preparatory operation is terminated.

<Measurement operation>
As shown in FIG. 7, in step S121, the hydraulic drive unit 5 drives the hydraulic cylinder 12 up and down by supplying the hydraulic pressure to the above-mentioned hydraulic cylinder 12 via the hydraulic pipe in response to a command from the control unit 6. The body holder 3 is lifted by the movable link mechanism 11 (the body holder 3 is lifted). At this time, the vertical movement amount is counted by the potentiometer 15, and the counted vertical movement amount is transmitted to the control unit 6 via a signal line (not shown).
In step S122, the control unit 6 compares the received vertical movement amount with the designated height set in the storage unit (not shown), and determines whether or not the body holder 3 has reached the designated height. As a result of the determination, if the body holder 3 has not reached the designated height, the process returns to step S121 and the ascending operation of the body holder 3 is repeatedly executed. On the other hand, as a result of the determination, when the body holder 3 reaches the designated height, the process proceeds to step S123.

In step S123, measurement (normal measurement) by the measurement sensor built in the Dewar 1 is executed in response to a command from the control unit 6.
In step S124, the control unit 6 acquires the measurement data (magnetic field data) measured by the measurement sensor via the signal line. The control unit 6 associates the acquired measurement data (magnetic field data) with the position information of the body holder 3 and stores the acquired measurement data (magnetic field data) in a predetermined storage area of a storage unit (not shown).

In step S125, the hydraulic drive unit 5 supplies the hydraulic pressure to the above-mentioned hydraulic cylinder 12 via the hydraulic pipe in response to a command from the control unit 6, thereby driving the hydraulic cylinder 12 and using a link mechanism 11 capable of moving up and down. The body holder 3 is lowered (lowering action of the body holder 3). At this time, the vertical movement amount is counted by the potentiometer 15, and the counted vertical movement amount is transmitted to the control unit 6 via a signal line (not shown).
In step S126, the control unit 6 compares the received vertical movement amount with the designated height set in the storage unit (not shown), and determines whether or not the body holder 3 has reached the designated height. As a result of the determination, if the body holder 3 has not reached the designated height, the process returns to step S125 and the lowering operation of the body holder 3 is repeatedly executed. On the other hand, as a result of the determination, when the body holder 3 reaches the designated height, the process proceeds to step S127.

In step S127, the small-diameter gear 19 rotates by supplying the hydraulic drive unit 5 to the hydraulic motor 10 connected to the above-mentioned small-diameter gear 19 via the hydraulic pipe in response to a command from the control unit 6. By transmitting the rotational force to the gear 13 that is driven and meshes with the small-diameter gear 19, the body holding portion 7 rotates in the Roll direction (rotational operation centered on the body axis). At this time, the movement amount in the Roll direction is counted by the potentiometer 15, and the counted movement amount in the Roll direction is transmitted to the control unit 6 via a signal line (not shown).
In step S128, the control unit 6 compares the received movement amount in the Roll direction with the designated angle set in the storage unit (not shown), and determines whether or not the body holder 3 has reached the designated angle. As a result of the determination, if the body holder 3 has not reached the designated angle, the process returns to step S127 and the Roll operation of the body holder 3 (body holder 7) is repeatedly executed. On the other hand, as a result of the determination, when the body holder 3 reaches the designated angle, the process proceeds to step S129.

In step S129, the hydraulic drive unit 5 supplies the hydraulic pressure to the above-mentioned hydraulic cylinder 12 via the hydraulic pipe in response to a command from the control unit 6, thereby driving the hydraulic cylinder 12 and using a link mechanism 11 capable of moving up and down. The body holder 3 is raised (the body holder 3 is raised). At this time, the vertical movement amount is counted by the potentiometer 15, and the counted vertical movement amount is transmitted to the control unit 6 via a signal line (not shown).
In step S130, the control unit 6 compares the received vertical movement amount with the designated height set in the storage unit (not shown), and determines whether or not the body holder 3 has reached the designated height. As a result of the determination, if the body holder 3 has not reached the designated height, the process returns to step S129 and the ascending operation of the body holder 3 is repeatedly executed. On the other hand, as a result of the determination, when the body holder 3 reaches the designated height, the process proceeds to step S131.

In step S131, measurement (normal measurement) by the measurement sensor built in the Dewar 1 is executed in response to a command from the control unit 6.
In step S132, the control unit 6 acquires the measurement data (magnetic field data) measured by the measurement sensor via the signal line. The control unit 6 associates the acquired measurement data (magnetic field data) with the position information of the body holder 3 and stores the acquired measurement data (magnetic field data) in a predetermined storage area of a storage unit (not shown).

In step S133, the control unit 6 determines whether or not normal measurement has been performed at a specified number of times or a specified angle preset in a storage unit (not shown). As a result of the determination, if the normal measurement at the predetermined number of times or the designated angle is not performed, the process returns to step S125 and the subsequent operations are repeatedly executed. On the other hand, as a result of the determination, when the normal measurement is performed at a predetermined number of times or a specified angle, the measurement operation is terminated.
It is determined whether or not the Roll operation of the body holder 3 in step S127, the ascending operation of the body holder 3 in step S129, and the normal measurement at a predetermined number of times or a specified angle set in advance in step S133 have been performed. Performs the Roll operation and the ascending operation of the body holder 3 in order to measure the magnetic field data (biomagnetic field) for each posture of the subject.

In this way, the biomagnetism measuring device 100 is applied to the magnetocardiography, and the magnetocardiography performs the above-mentioned measurement operation, that is, for measuring a weak biomagnetism at the measurement site (chest) of the subject. By bringing the measurement sensor close to each other and rotating the body holder 3 (Roll operation) while maintaining the state, the magnetic field data for each posture of the subject can be acquired without imposing a burden on the subject. Is possible. In other words, it is possible to perform an analysis combining each measurement site of the subject and the measured data without imposing a burden on the subject.

<Post-operation>
The post-operation executed after the above-mentioned measurement operation is completed will be described. As shown in FIG. 8, in step S141, the hydraulic drive unit 5 drives the hydraulic cylinder 12 up and down by supplying the hydraulic pressure to the above-mentioned hydraulic cylinder 12 via the hydraulic pipe in response to a command from the control unit 6. The body holder 3 is lowered by the movable link mechanism 11 (lowering movement of the body holder 3). At this time, the vertical movement amount is counted by the potentiometer 15, and the counted vertical movement amount is transmitted to the control unit 6 via a signal line (not shown).
In step S142, the control unit 6 compares the received vertical movement amount with the initial position set in the storage unit (not shown), and determines whether or not the body holder 3 has reached the initial position. As a result of the determination, if the body holder 3 has not reached the initial position, the process returns to step S141 and the lowering operation of the body holder 3 is repeatedly executed. On the other hand, as a result of the determination, when the body holder 3 reaches the initial position, the process proceeds to step S143.

In step S143, the small-diameter gear 19 rotates by supplying the hydraulic drive unit 5 to the hydraulic motor 10 connected to the above-mentioned small-diameter gear 19 via the hydraulic pipe in response to a command from the control unit 6. By transmitting the rotational force to the gear 13 that is driven and meshes with the small-diameter gear 19, the body holding portion 7 rotates in the Roll direction (rotational operation centered on the body axis). At this time, the movement amount in the Roll direction is counted and counted by the potentiometer 15, and the counted movement amount in the Roll direction is transmitted to the control unit 6 via a signal line (not shown).
In step S144, the control unit 6 compares the received movement amount in the Roll direction with the initial position set in the storage unit (not shown), and determines whether or not the body holder 3 has reached the initial position. As a result of the determination, if the body holder 3 has not reached the initial position, the process returns to step S143 and the Roll operation of the body holder 3 (body holder 7) is repeatedly executed. On the other hand, as a result of the determination, when the body holder 3 reaches the initial position, the process proceeds to step S145.

In step S145, the hydraulic drive unit 5 supplies the hydraulic pressure to the horizontally installed hydraulic cylinder 12 described above via the hydraulic pipe in response to a command from the control unit 6, thereby causing the hydraulic cylinder 12 to be installed horizontally. Driven by the rack and pinion mechanism 16, the body holder rotating pedestal 9a and the body holding portion 7 rotate in the Yaw direction (rotating around an axis perpendicular to the body axis). At this time, the movement amount in the Yaw direction is counted by the potentiometer 15, and the counted movement amount in the Yaw direction is transmitted to the control unit 6 via a signal line (not shown).
In step S146, the control unit 6 compares the received movement amount in the Yaw direction with the initial position set in the storage unit (not shown), and determines whether or not the body holder 3 has reached the initial position. As a result of the determination, if the body holder 3 has not reached the initial position, the process returns to step S145 and the Yaw operation of the body holder 3 (body holder 7) is repeatedly executed. On the other hand, as a result of the determination, when the body holder 3 reaches the initial position, the process proceeds to step S147.

In step S147, the hydraulic drive unit 5 supplies the hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic motor 10 attached to the wheel 14 via the hydraulic pipe in response to a command from the control unit 6, thereby driving the hydraulic motor 10 and causing the wheel 14 to drive. It moves in the left-right direction along the rail (left-right movement of the body holder 3). At this time, the amount of movement in the left-right direction is counted by the potentiometer 15 at any time, and the counted amount of movement in the left-right direction is transmitted to the control unit 6 via a signal line (not shown).
In step S148, the control unit 6 compares the received left-right movement amount with the initial position set in the storage unit (not shown), and determines whether or not the body holder 3 has reached the initial position. As a result of the determination, if the body holder 3 has not reached the initial position, the process returns to step S147 and the left and right movements of the body holder 3 are repeatedly executed. On the other hand, as a result of the determination, when the body holder 3 reaches the initial position, the process proceeds to step S149.

In step S149, the inspection engineer opens the lid 8 constituting the body holder 3. In step S149, it is confirmed whether or not the lid 8 is securely opened. As a result of the confirmation, if it is confirmed that the lid 8 is incompletely opened, the process returns to step S149, and if it is confirmed that the lid 8 is surely opened, the process proceeds to step S151.
In step S151, the inspection engineer releases the fixation of the subject's body to the body holder 3. In step S152, it is confirmed whether or not the release of the fixation of the subject's body to the body holder 3 has been reliably performed. As a result of the confirmation, if the release of the fixation to the body holder 3 is incomplete, the process returns to step S151, and if the release of the fixation to the body holder 3 is confirmed, the process proceeds to step S153. In step S153, the subject descends from the body holding portion 7 of the body holding tool 3 with the lid 8 opened.

In this embodiment, the case where the hydraulic motor 10 and the hydraulic cylinder 12 are used as the drive actuator is shown, but the drive actuator is not limited to these. For example, a motor, a servo, a spring, or the like may be configured to use another drive actuator as long as the same operation is possible.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a biomagnetic measuring device that enables analysis by combining each measurement site of the subject and the measured data without imposing a burden on the subject. Become.
Further, according to this embodiment, the biological magnetic field can be measured from a plurality of angles with respect to the body axis of the subject, and the distance between the measurement sensor and the subject is maintained at a predetermined distance (the subject's distance from the measurement sensor is maintained). Since the measurement site can be held at a predetermined position), data can be measured with the measurement sensor at each angle and the subject in the closest contact with each other. Since the magnetic field decays in inverse proportion to the square of the distance from the magnetic field source, if the data can be measured close to the body surface of the subject, the magnetic field strength can be measured in a larger state, and data with a good S-N ratio can be obtained. It is possible to obtain it in a stable manner.
In addition, since the measurement data (magnetic field data) measured from multiple directions (multiple angles) is associated with the position information of the body holder at the time of measurement, data analysis using multiple data is easy. And it will be accurate. This leads to an improvement in the spatial resolution of the magnetic field distribution data, and can also contribute to an improvement in the accuracy of identifying a diseased part such as the heart.

Furthermore, after the subject is fixed to the body holder, the subject does not have to turn around and the subject does not need to maintain his / her posture, thus reducing the physical burden on the subject. It becomes possible.
In addition, it is not necessary for the inspection engineer to adjust the position for changing the measurement direction, which reduces the physical burden on the inspection engineer and shortens the inspection time.
In addition, since it is possible to measure magnetic field data by eliminating variations in the electrical axis that differ for each subject, it is possible to compare data between subjects and create a database of disease magnetocardiographic data. The sex spreads.

In this embodiment, the case where the biomagnetic measuring device 100 is applied to the magnetocardiography has been described as an example, but the biomagnetic measuring device 100 can also be applied to the magnetoencephalograph. In this case, the measurement site of the subject becomes a part of the skull or the head, and the bottom surface of the Dewar 1 facing the measurement site of the subject has a curved shape (a concave portion that approximates a sphere). Then, the circumference of the head can be measured by rotating the body holder 3 (Roll operation).

9 is an external perspective view of the biomagnetic measuring device of the second embodiment, and FIG. 10 is a three-view view of the biomagnetic measuring device shown in FIG. The biomagnetic measuring device of this embodiment is different from the above-described first embodiment in the shape of the body holder, the installation position of the paired safety sensor, and the shape of the measuring unit provided in the Dewar. The same components as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the biomagnetic measuring apparatus of the present embodiment will be described below.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the biomagnetic measuring device 200 includes a Dewar 1 that stores liquid helium (He) and contains a SQUID sensor, a gantry 2 that fixes and holds the Dewar 1, a body holder 3a, and safety. It is composed of a sensor 4, a hydraulic drive unit 5, and a control unit 6.
The SQUID sensors built into the Dewar 1 are arranged horizontally and arranged to measure a weak magnetic field (weak magnetism) generated by a measurement object located on the front side of the Dewar 1. That is, the SQUID sensors are horizontally aligned and arranged in the measuring unit 1a provided on the side surface (front side) of the cylindrical Dewar 1 facing the body holder 3a. The surface of the measurement unit 1a provided on the Dewar 1 facing the measurement site of the subject as the measurement object has a circular shape and is formed as a substantially flat surface. The body holder 3a is arranged on the front side of the front of the Dewar 1. The subject gets into the body holder 3a with the body holder 3a placed in front (initial position of the body holder 3a). The inspection engineer fixes the subject's body to the body holder 3a with a belt (not shown). The body axis is determined when the subject's body is fixed to the body holder 3a with a belt in a sitting position. After that, the inspection engineer inputs a start signal from the control unit 6, so that the body holder 3a starts the moving operation, and then the operation transitions to the measurement. Here, the control unit 6 is, for example, a processor such as a CPU, a ROM for storing the program, a storage device such as a RAM for temporarily storing data in the process of executing the program read from the ROM, and the like. It will be realized. Further, the control unit 6 includes measurement data (magnetic field data) measured by a measurement sensor (measurement unit 1a), which is a plurality of SQUID sensors horizontally aligned and installed in the dewar 1, and a body holder 3a, which will be described in detail later. It is provided with a storage unit (not shown) that stores the position information of the above in association with each other.

As shown in the front view and the side view of FIG. 10, the safety sensors 4 are arranged in pairs so as to sandwich the measuring unit 1a on the upper surface in the vertical direction and the lower surface in the vertical direction of the Dewar 1. The safety sensor 4 is realized by, for example, an infrared sensor, and as shown in the side view of FIG. 10, when infrared rays are irradiated between the paired safety sensors 4 along the projection line, and the infrared rays are blocked. , Detects that the measurement site of the subject has reached the relevant position (light projection line). The safety sensor 4 is installed to prevent the measurement site of the subject from coming into contact with the surface of the measurement unit 1a provided on the side surface of the Dewar 1, and the detection range can be set as follows, for example. Is set. Generally, the magnetic field attenuates in inverse proportion to the square of the distance from the magnetic field source. Since the magnetic field emitted from the measurement site of the subject, that is, the biological magnetic field is a weak magnetic field, in order to measure data having a good S / N ratio, the surface of the measurement unit 1a provided on the side surface of the dewar 1 That is, it is necessary to bring the measurement site of the subject close to the measurement sensor that is horizontally aligned and installed in the dewar 1. Therefore, the detection range is appropriately set in consideration of the SN ratio and avoidance of contact with the surface of the measurement unit 1a provided on the side surface of the Dewar 1 of the measurement site of the subject.

The details of the body holder 3a will be described below. 11 is an external perspective view of the body holder 3a constituting the biomagnetic measuring device 200 shown in FIG. 9, FIG. 12 is a three-view view of the body holder 3a shown in FIG. 11, and FIG. 13 is a body holder shown in FIG. It is a three-view drawing which shows the schematic structure of the operation mechanism of the tool 3a.
As shown in FIG. 11, the body holder 3a includes a chair-shaped body holder 7a including a step (footrest), a seat surface, and a backrest, and a body holder rotating pedestal 9c. Further, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the body holder 3a further includes a pedestal holder 18, a hydraulic motor 10, a vertically movable link mechanism 11, a hydraulic cylinder 12, a gear 13a, a potentiometer 15, and a rack and pinion. A mechanism 16 and a pedestal holder 18 are provided. The body holding portion 7a includes a belt (not shown) for fixing the body when the subject sits down. As shown in FIG. 12, in the body holder 3a, the body holder 7a has a back-and-forth motion, a left-right motion, a vertical motion, a Roll rotation motion (rotational motion around an axis perpendicular to the body axis), and a Yaw rotation motion (body). It has a structure that can rotate around the center of the axis. Each operation is hydraulically driven, and operates with the hydraulic pressure supplied from the hydraulic drive unit 5 (FIG. 10). The hydraulic drive unit 5 does not need to be installed near the body holder 3a, and the biomagnetic measuring device 200 is installed and used in a magnetic shield room (hereinafter referred to as MSR) that shields the biomagnetic measuring device 200 from external magnetic noise. May be installed outside the MSR by changing the length of the hydraulic pipe. A plurality of hydraulic motors 10 and hydraulic cylinders 12 arranged on each operating shaft are operated by the flood control supplied from the hydraulic drive unit 5. Each component constituting the body holder 3a described above is made of a non-magnetic material. Further, since the backrest constituting the body holding portion 7a can measure the back surface of the subject, it is desirable to make the height of the backrest as low as possible, and the height of the backrest may be variable. ..

As shown in the side view of FIG. 13, the body holder 3a moves back and forth by driving the hydraulic motor 10 built in the pedestal holder 18. At this time, the amount of movement in the front-rear direction is counted by the potentiometer 15, and the counted amount of movement in the front-rear direction is transmitted to the control unit 6 (FIG. 10) via a signal line (not shown). As a result, the control unit 6 can constantly monitor the position of the body holder 3a in the front-rear direction.
Further, as shown in the side view of FIG. 13, the body holding portion 7a on which the subject rides is located on the body holder rotating pedestal 9c, and the body holder rotating pedestal 9c is the hydraulic pressure built in the pedestal holder 18. The cylinder 12 and the link mechanism 11 that can move up and down perform up and down movement. At this time, the vertical movement amount is counted by the potentiometer 15, and the counted vertical movement amount is transmitted to the control unit 6 via a signal line (not shown). As a result, the control unit 6 can constantly monitor the vertical position of the body holder 3a.

As shown in the top view of FIG. 13, the body holder rotating pedestal 9c constituting the body holder 3a also rotates in the Yaw direction by the horizontally installed hydraulic motor 10. As a result, the body holding portion 7a located on the body holder rotating pedestal 9c rotates in the Yaw direction together with the body holding tool rotating pedestal 9c. At this time, the movement amount in the Yaw direction is counted by the potentiometer 15, and the counted movement amount in the Yaw direction is transmitted to the control unit 6 via a signal line (not shown). As a result, the control unit 6 can constantly monitor the position of the body holding unit 7a constituting the body holding device 3a in the Yaw direction. Further, by driving the rack & pinion mechanism 16 and the hydraulic motor 10 attached to the rack & pinion mechanism 16, the body holding portion 7a constituting the body holding tool 3a moves left and right. The amount of movement in the left-right direction is counted by the potentiometer 15, and the counted amount of movement in the left-right direction is transmitted to the control unit 6 via a signal line (not shown). As a result, the control unit 6 can constantly monitor the position of the body holding unit 7a constituting the body holding device 3a in the left-right direction.

As shown in the front view of FIG. 13, the body holding portion 7a transmits a rotational motion from the hydraulic motor 10 via the gear 13a, and performs a rotary motion in the Roll direction. At this time, the movement amount in the Roll direction is counted by the potentiometer 15, and the counted movement amount in the Roll direction is transmitted to the control unit 6 via a signal line (not shown). As a result, the control unit 6 can constantly monitor the position of the body holding unit 7a constituting the body holding device 3a in the Roll direction.
As the potentiometer 15, for example, an encoder or the like is used.

When the above-mentioned safety sensor 4 detects that the measurement site of the subject has invaded (reached) within the detection range, the operation of the hydraulic drive unit 5 is stopped independently of the control unit 6. This makes it possible to prevent the measurement site of the subject from coming into contact with the measurement unit 1a of the Dewar 1.

The body holder 3a is raised, and the measurement target is raised to a predetermined height that coincides with the measurement unit 1a of the Dewar 1. After that, the body holder 3a is moved to the front of the Dewar 1, and the body surface (measurement site) of the subject stops at a predetermined distance or a desired distance (measurable distance) close to the measurement unit 1a of the Dewar 1. Then start magnetic field measurement. The control unit 6 analyzes the measurement result and calculates the electric axis of the magnetic field. The electrical axis refers to the inclination of the stimulus transmitted from the same node of the heart toward the ventricle toward the lower right, and this electrical axis has a normal range, but there may be some variation even among healthy subjects without disease. Are known. To calculate the electric axis of the magnetic field, a current vector is obtained from the magnetic field data (biomagnetic data) measured by the measurement sensor, and the control unit 6 determines the electric axis peculiar to each subject based on the obtained current vector. Ask for. Subsequently, the control unit 6 rotates the body holder 3a in the Roll direction so that the body axis and the electric axis are aligned or parallel to each other based on the calculated electric axis. After that, the magnetic field is measured again, and the magnetic field data is acquired from the measurement sensor. The acquired magnetic field data is stored in a storage unit such as a memory (not shown) provided in the control unit 6. In addition, the control unit 6 is the value of the potentiometer 15 attached to each operation axis of the body holder 3a at the time of measurement, or the information of the spatial coordinate data calculated from the value, and the magnetic field data acquired from the measurement sensor ( It is stored in a predetermined storage area of the storage unit in association with the biomagnetic data). In other words, the control unit 6 links the magnetic field data (biomagnetic data) measured by the measurement sensor built in the dewar 1 with the position information of the body holder 3, and stores a predetermined storage unit (not shown). Store in the area. As a result, the measurement data and the position information of the body holder 3a are linked and stored on a one-to-one basis.

The details of the operation flow of the biomagnetic measuring device 200 of this embodiment will be described below.
14 is a flow chart of a preparatory operation in the biomagnetic measuring device 200 shown in FIG. 10, FIG. 15 is a flow chart of a measuring operation in the biomagnetic measuring device 200 shown in FIG. 10, and FIG. 16 is a biomagnetic measurement shown in FIG. It is a flow chart of the post-operation in the apparatus 200.

<Preparatory operation>
First, the preparatory operation will be described. As shown in FIG. 14, in step S201, the body holder 3a constituting the biomagnetic measuring device 200 is placed in front of the measuring unit 1a of the Dewar 1 (initial position of the body holder 3a). The examiner gets into the body holding portion 7a of the body holding device 3a and sits on the body holding portion 7a. In step S202, the inspection engineer fixes the body of the subject to the body holding portion 7a with a belt. In step S203, it is confirmed whether or not the body of the subject is securely fixed to the body holding portion 7a. As a result of the confirmation, if the fixation to the body holding portion 7a is incomplete, the process returns to step S202, and if the fixation to the body holding portion 7a is confirmed, the process proceeds to step S204. At this point, the body axis is determined.

In step S204, the inspection engineer inputs a start signal from the control unit 6.
In step S204, it is confirmed whether or not the start signal has been input from the control unit 6. As a result of the confirmation, if the start signal is not input, the process returns to step S204, and if the start signal is input, the process proceeds to step S206.

In step S206, the body holder 3a starts to move. The position setting related to various movements of the body holder 3a, which will be described later, is set in advance in the control unit 6, and the set information is stored in a predetermined storage area of a storage unit (not shown) of the control unit 6. ..
In step S207, the hydraulic drive unit 5 drives the hydraulic motor 10 by supplying hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic motor 10 built in the pedestal holder 18 described above via a hydraulic pipe in response to a command from the control unit 6. , The body holder 3a moves in the front-rear direction (back-and-forth movement of the body holder 3a). At this time, the amount of movement in the front-rear direction is counted by the potentiometer 15 at any time, and the counted amount of movement in the front-rear direction is transmitted to the control unit 6 via a signal line (not shown).

In step S208, the control unit 6 compares the received forward / backward movement amount with the position information set in the storage unit (not shown), and whether or not the body holder 3a has reached immediately before the measurement unit 1a of the Dewar 1. Is determined. As a result of the determination, if the body holder 3a has not reached immediately before the measuring unit 1a of the Dewar 1, the process returns to step S207 and the back-and-forth movement of the body holder 3a is repeatedly executed. On the other hand, as a result of the determination, when the body holder 3a reaches immediately before the measuring unit 1a of the Dewar 1, the process proceeds to step S209.

In step S209, by driving the rack & pinion mechanism 16 and the hydraulic motor 10 attached to the rack & pinion mechanism 16 in response to a command from the control unit 6, the body holding unit 7a constituting the body holder 3a performs a left-right movement (body holding). Left and right movement of tool 3a). At this time, the movement amount in the left-right direction is counted by the potentiometer 15, and the counted movement amount in the front-rear direction is transmitted to the control unit 6 via a signal line (not shown).
In step S210, the control unit 6 compares the received left-right movement amount with the position information set in the storage unit (not shown), and whether or not the body holder 3a has reached immediately before the measurement unit 1a of the Dewar 1. Is determined. As a result of the determination, if the body holder 3a has not reached immediately before the measuring unit 1a of the Dewar 1, the process returns to step S209 and the left and right movements of the body holder 3a are repeatedly executed. On the other hand, as a result of the determination, when the body holder 3a reaches immediately before the measuring unit 1a of the Dewar 1, the process proceeds to step S211.

In step S211, the hydraulic drive unit 5 drives the hydraulic cylinder 12 by supplying hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic cylinder 12 built in the pedestal holder 18 described above via a hydraulic pipe in response to a command from the control unit 6. The body holder 3a is lifted by the link mechanism 11 that can move up and down (the body holder 3a is lifted). At this time, the vertical movement amount is counted by the potentiometer 15, and the counted vertical movement amount is transmitted to the control unit 6 via a signal line (not shown).
In step S212, the control unit 6 compares the received vertical movement amount with the designated height set in the storage unit (not shown), and determines whether or not the body holder 3a has reached the designated height. As a result of the determination, if the body holder 3a has not reached the designated height, the process returns to step S211 and the ascending operation of the body holder 3a is repeatedly executed. On the other hand, as a result of the determination, when the body holder 3a reaches the designated height, the process proceeds to step S213.

In step S213, measurement (pre-measurement) by a measurement sensor installed horizontally aligned with the Dewar 1 is executed in response to a command from the control unit 6.
In step S214, the control unit 6 acquires the measurement data (magnetic field data) measured by the measurement sensor via the signal line. The control unit 6 links the acquired measurement data (magnetic field data) with the position information of the body holder 3a (including front / rear, left / right, and height information of the body holder 7a constituting the body holder 3a). It is stored in a predetermined storage area of a storage unit (not shown).
In step S215, the control unit 6 executes data analysis. Specifically, the control unit 6 calculates the electric axis as one of the data analysis. In the calculation of the electric shaft, as described above, a current vector is obtained from the measurement data (magnetic field data) measured by the measurement sensor, and the electric shaft peculiar to the subject is obtained based on the obtained current vector.

In step S216, the hydraulic drive unit 5 drives the hydraulic cylinder 12 to move up and down by supplying hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic cylinder 12 built in the pedestal holder 18 via a hydraulic pipe in response to a command from the control unit 6. The body holder 3a is lowered by a possible link mechanism 11 (lowering movement of the body holder 3a). At this time, the vertical movement amount is counted by the potentiometer 15, and the counted vertical movement amount is transmitted to the control unit 6 via a signal line (not shown).
In step S217, the control unit 6 compares the received vertical movement amount with the designated height set in the storage unit (not shown), and determines whether or not the body holder 3a has reached the designated height. As a result of the determination, if the body holder 3a has not reached the designated height, the process returns to step S216 and the lowering operation of the body holder 3a is repeatedly executed. On the other hand, as a result of the determination, when the body holder 3a reaches the designated height, the process proceeds to step S218.

In step S218, the hydraulic drive unit 5 drives the hydraulic motor 10 by supplying the hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic motor 10 via the hydraulic pipe in response to a command from the control unit 6, and the hydraulic motor 10 rotates via the gear 13a. Is transmitted, and the body holding portion 7a rotates in the Roll direction (rotating around an axis perpendicular to the body axis). At this time, the movement amount in the Roll direction is counted by the potentiometer 15, and the counted movement amount in the Roll direction is transmitted to the control unit 6 via a signal line (not shown).
In step S219, the control unit 6 determines whether or not the electric axis and the body axis calculated in step S215 described above are in the same or parallel state. As a result of the determination, if the electric axis and the body axis are not in the same or parallel state, the process returns to step S218, and the body holding portion 7a repeatedly executes the rotation operation in the Roll direction. On the other hand, as a result of the determination, if the electric axis and the body axis are in the same or parallel state, the preparatory operation is terminated.

<Measurement operation>
As shown in FIG. 15, in step S221, the hydraulic drive unit 5 supplies the oil pressure to the hydraulic cylinder 12 built in the pedestal holder 18 described above via the hydraulic pipe in response to a command from the control unit 6. , The body holder 3a is lifted by the link mechanism 11 that drives the hydraulic cylinder 12 and can move up and down (the body holder 3a is lifted). At this time, the vertical movement amount is counted by the potentiometer 15, and the counted vertical movement amount is transmitted to the control unit 6 via a signal line (not shown).
In step S222, the control unit 6 compares the received vertical movement amount with the designated height set in the storage unit (not shown), and determines whether or not the body holder 3a has reached the designated height. As a result of the determination, if the body holder 3a has not reached the designated height, the process returns to step S221 and the ascending operation of the body holder 3a is repeatedly executed. On the other hand, as a result of the determination, when the body holder 3a reaches the designated height, the process proceeds to step S223.

In step S223, measurement (normal measurement) by a measurement sensor installed horizontally aligned with the Dewar 1 is executed in response to a command from the control unit 6.
In step S224, the control unit 6 acquires the measurement data (magnetic field data) measured by the measurement sensor via the signal line. The control unit 6 associates the acquired measurement data (magnetic field data) with the position information of the body holder 3a and stores the acquired measurement data (magnetic field data) in a predetermined storage area of a storage unit (not shown).

In step S225, the hydraulic drive unit 5 drives the hydraulic cylinder 12 to move up and down by supplying the hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic cylinder 12 built in the pedestal holder 18 via the hydraulic pipe in response to a command from the control unit 6. The body holder 3a is lowered by a possible link mechanism 11 (lowering movement of the body holder 3a). At this time, the vertical movement amount is counted by the potentiometer 15, and the counted vertical movement amount is transmitted to the control unit 6 via a signal line (not shown).

In step S226, the control unit 6 compares the received vertical movement amount with the designated height set in the storage unit (not shown), and determines whether or not the body holder 3a has reached the designated height. As a result of the determination, if the body holder 3a has not reached the designated height, the process returns to step S225 and the lowering operation of the body holder 3a is repeatedly executed. On the other hand, as a result of the determination, when the body holder 3a reaches the designated height, the process proceeds to step S227.
In step S227, the hydraulic drive unit 5 supplies the hydraulic pressure to the horizontally installed hydraulic motor 10 described above via the hydraulic pipe in response to a command from the control unit 6, thereby causing the hydraulic motor 10 to be installed horizontally. The body holder rotating pedestal 9c and the body holding portion 7a, which are driven and constitute the body holder 3a, rotate in the Yaw direction (rotational movement around the body axis). At this time, the movement amount in the Yaw direction is counted by the potentiometer 15, and the counted movement amount in the Yaw direction is transmitted to the control unit 6 via a signal line (not shown).
In step S228, the control unit 6 compares the received movement amount in the Yaw direction with a designated angle set in a storage unit (not shown), and determines whether or not the body holder 3a has reached the designated angle. As a result of the determination, if the body holder 3a has not reached the designated angle, the process returns to step S227 and the Yaw operation of the body holder 3a (body holder 7a) is repeatedly executed. On the other hand, as a result of the determination, when the body holder 3a reaches the designated angle, the process proceeds to step S229.

In step S229, the hydraulic drive unit 5 drives the hydraulic cylinder 12 by supplying hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic cylinder 12 built in the pedestal holder 18 described above via a hydraulic pipe in response to a command from the control unit 6. The body holder 3a is lifted by the vertically movable link mechanism 11 (the body holder 3a is lifted). At this time, the vertical movement amount is counted by the potentiometer 15, and the counted vertical movement amount is transmitted to the control unit 6 via a signal line (not shown).
In step S230, the control unit 6 compares the received vertical movement amount with the designated height set in the storage unit (not shown), and determines whether or not the body holder 3a has reached the designated height. As a result of the determination, if the body holder 3a has not reached the designated height, the process returns to step S229 and the ascending operation of the body holder 3a is repeatedly executed. On the other hand, as a result of the determination, when the body holder 3a reaches the designated height, the process proceeds to step S231.

In step S231, measurement (normal measurement) by a measurement sensor installed horizontally aligned with the Dewar 1 is executed in response to a command from the control unit 6.
In step S232, the control unit 6 acquires the measurement data (magnetic field data) measured by the measurement sensor via the signal line. The control unit 6 associates the acquired measurement data (magnetic field data) with the position information of the body holder 3a and stores the acquired measurement data (magnetic field data) in a predetermined storage area of a storage unit (not shown).

In step S233, the control unit 6 determines whether or not normal measurement has been performed at a specified number of times or a specified angle preset in a storage unit (not shown). As a result of the determination, if the normal measurement at the predetermined number of times or the specified angle is not performed, the process returns to step S225 and the subsequent operations are repeatedly executed. On the other hand, as a result of the determination, when the normal measurement is performed at a predetermined number of times or a specified angle, the measurement operation is terminated.
It is determined whether or not the Yaw operation of the body holder 3a in step S227, the ascending operation of the body holder 3a in step S229, and the normal measurement at the predetermined number of times or the specified angle in step S233 have been performed. Is performing a Yaw operation and an ascending operation of the body holder 3a in order to measure the magnetic field data (biomagnetic field) for each posture of the subject.

In this way, the biomagnetism measuring device 200 is applied to the magnetocardiography, and the magnetocardiography performs the above-mentioned measurement operation, that is, for measuring a weak biomagnetism at the measurement site (chest) of the subject. By bringing the measurement sensor close to each other and rotating the body holder 3a (Yaw operation) while maintaining the state, the magnetic field data for each posture of the subject can be acquired without imposing a burden on the subject. Is possible. In other words, it is possible to perform an analysis combining each measurement site of the subject and the measured data without imposing a burden on the subject.
Further, for example, when the subject is an elderly person, the elderly person who is the subject can be measured by a measurement sensor while sitting on the body holding portion 7a constituting the body holder 3a. It is possible to prevent the person from being physically burdened.

<Post-operation>
The post-operation executed after the above-mentioned measurement operation is completed will be described. As shown in FIG. 16, in step S241, the hydraulic drive unit 5 supplies the hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic cylinder 12 built in the pedestal holder 18 via the hydraulic pipe in response to a command from the control unit 6. The body holder 3a is lowered by the link mechanism 11 that drives the cylinder 12 and can move up and down (lowering movement of the body holder 3a). At this time, the vertical movement amount is counted by the potentiometer 15, and the counted vertical movement amount is transmitted to the control unit 6 via a signal line (not shown).

In step S242, the control unit 6 compares the received vertical movement amount with the initial position set in the storage unit (not shown), and determines whether or not the body holder 3a has reached the initial position. As a result of the determination, if the body holder 3a has not reached the initial position, the process returns to step S241 and the lowering operation of the body holder 3a is repeatedly executed. On the other hand, as a result of the determination, when the body holder 3 reaches the initial position, the process proceeds to step S243.
In step S243, the hydraulic drive unit 5 drives the hydraulic motor 10 by supplying the oil pressure to the hydraulic motor 10 via the hydraulic pipe in response to a command from the control unit 6, and the hydraulic motor 10 rotates via the gear 13a. Is transmitted, and the body holding portion 7a rotates in the Roll direction (rotating around an axis perpendicular to the body axis). At this time, the movement amount in the Roll direction is counted by the potentiometer 15, and the counted movement amount in the Roll direction is transmitted to the control unit 6 via a signal line (not shown).
In step S244, the control unit 6 compares the received movement amount in the Roll direction with the initial position set in the storage unit (not shown), and determines whether or not the body holder 3a has reached the initial position. As a result of the determination, if the body holder 3a has not reached the initial position, the process returns to step S243 and the Roll operation of the body holder 3a is repeatedly executed. On the other hand, as a result of the determination, when the body holder 3 reaches the initial position, the process proceeds to step S245.

In step S245, the hydraulic drive unit 5 supplies the hydraulic pressure to the horizontally installed hydraulic motor 10 described above via the hydraulic pipe in response to a command from the control unit 6, thereby causing the hydraulic motor 10 to be installed horizontally. The body holder rotating pedestal 9c and the body holding portion 7a, which are driven and constitute the body holder 3a, rotate in the Yaw direction (rotational movement around the body axis). At this time, the movement amount in the Yaw direction is counted by the potentiometer 15, and the counted movement amount in the Yaw direction is transmitted to the control unit 6 via a signal line (not shown).
In step S246, the control unit 6 compares the received movement amount in the Yaw direction with the initial position set in the storage unit (not shown), and determines whether or not the body holder 3a has reached the initial position. As a result of the determination, if the body holder 3a has not reached the initial position, the process returns to step S245 and the Yaw operation of the body holder 3a is repeatedly executed. On the other hand, as a result of the determination, when the body holder 3a reaches the initial position, the process proceeds to step S247.

In step S247, the hydraulic drive unit 5 drives the hydraulic motor 10 by supplying hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic motor 10 built in the pedestal holder 18 described above via a hydraulic pipe in response to a command from the control unit 6. , The body holder 3a moves in the front-rear direction (back-and-forth movement of the body holder 3a). At this time, the amount of movement in the front-rear direction is counted by the potentiometer 15 at any time, and the counted amount of movement in the front-rear direction is transmitted to the control unit 6 via a signal line (not shown).
In step S248, the control unit 6 compares the received movement amount in the front-rear direction with the initial position set in the storage unit (not shown), and determines whether or not the body holder 3a has reached the initial position. As a result of the determination, if the body holder 3a has not reached the initial position, the process returns to step S247 and the back-and-forth movement of the body holder 3a is repeatedly executed. On the other hand, as a result of the determination, when the body holder 3a reaches the initial position, the process proceeds to step S249.

In step S249, the inspection engineer releases the fixing of the subject's body to the body holding portion 7a by the belt. In step S250, it is confirmed whether or not the fixing of the subject's body to the body holding portion 7a by the belt has been reliably released. As a result of the confirmation, if the release of the fixation to the body holding portion 7a is incomplete, the process returns to step S249, and if the release of the fixation to the body holding portion 7a is confirmed, the process proceeds to step S251. In step S251, the subject descends from the body holding portion 7a of the body holding tool 3a.

In this embodiment, the case where the hydraulic motor 10 and the hydraulic cylinder 12 are used as the drive actuator is shown, but the drive actuator is not limited to these. For example, a motor, a servo, a spring, or the like may be configured to use another drive actuator as long as the same operation is possible.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, in addition to the effects of the above-described first embodiment, for example, when the subject is an elderly person, a state of sitting on the body holding portion 7a constituting the body holding device 3a is particularly required. Since it is possible to measure with a measurement sensor, it is possible to prevent the elderly person who is the subject from being physically burdened.
In this embodiment, the case where the biomagnetic measuring device 200 is applied to the magnetocardiography has been described as an example, but the biomagnetic measuring device 200 can also be applied to the magnetoencephalograph. In this case, the measurement site of the subject becomes a part of the skull or the head, and the surface of the measurement section 1a provided on the Dewar 1 facing the measurement site of the subject has a circular shape and a curved shape. (A concave portion that approximates a sphere). Then, the circumference of the head can be measured by rotating the body holder 3a (Yaw operation).

The present invention is not limited to the above-described examples, and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiment has been described in detail in order to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and is not necessarily limited to the one including all the described configurations. Further, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment.

1 ... Dewar 1a ... Measuring unit 2 ... Gantley 3, 3a ... Body holder 4 ... Safety sensor 5 ... Hydraulic drive unit 6 ... Control unit 7, 7a ... Body holder 8 ... Lid 9a, 9c ... Body holder Rotating pedestal 9b ... Body holder pedestal 10 ... Hydraulic motor 11 ... Link mechanism that can move up and down 12 ... Hydraulic cylinders 13, 13a ... Gear 14 ... Wheels 15 ... Potential meter 16 ... Rack & pinion mechanism 17 ... Cover 18 ... Pedestal holder 19 ... Small diameter Gear 19
100, 200 ... Biomagnetic measuring device

Claims (15)

A biomagnetic measuring device that measures the magnetism emitted by a living body.
A body holder for holding the measurement site of the subject in a predetermined position with respect to the measurement sensor ,
Equipped with a control unit
With the subject's body axis fixed , the body holder moves back and forth, left and right, up and down, rotates around the subject's body axis, and rotates around an axis perpendicular to the subject's body axis. ,
By rotating the body holder around an axis perpendicular to the body axis of the subject, the control unit brings the measurement site of the subject close to the measurement sensor while changing the angle, and magnetic field data. Measured multiple times,
A biomagnetic measurement device characterized in that the magnetic field data measured by the measurement sensor and the position information of the body holder are stored in a storage unit in association with each of the plurality of measurements. In the biomagnetic measuring device according to claim 1,
The control unit controls the amount of movement of the body holder in the front-back, left-right, up-down movements, the rotation movement around the body axis of the subject, and the rotation movement around the axis perpendicular to the body axis of the subject. A biomagnetic measuring device for measuring magnetic field data by bringing the measurement site of the subject close to the measuring sensor. In the biomagnetic measuring device according to claim 2.
A dewar that has a cylindrical shape and has a plurality of measurement sensors arranged vertically downward and housed near the bottom surface.
A gantry that fixes and holds the Dewar,
The body holder has at least a cylindrical shape and a body holding portion that can be fixed in a lying state of the subject, and an openable / closable lid that allows the subject to get into the body holding portion. A featured biomagnetic measuring device. In the biomagnetic measuring device according to claim 2.
A dewar that has a cylindrical shape and accommodates a plurality of the measurement sensors in the horizontal direction.
A measuring unit on the side surface of the Dewar, which is provided on the side facing the body holder.
A gantry that fixes and holds the Dewar,
The body holder is a biomagnetic measuring device having at least a chair-shaped body holder capable of fixing a subject in a sitting position. In the biomagnetic measuring apparatus according to claim 3,
It is equipped with a sensor that measures the amount of movement of the body holder, front-back, left-right, up-down movement, rotation movement centered on the body axis of the subject, and rotation movement around an axis perpendicular to the body axis of the subject.
The control unit obtains the position information of the body holder based on the amount of movement measured by the sensor, and stores the obtained position information of the body holder and the magnetic field data measured by the measurement sensor in association with each other. A biomagnetic measuring device characterized by being stored in a unit. In the biomagnetic measuring apparatus according to claim 4,
It is equipped with a sensor that measures the amount of movement of the body holder, front-back, left-right, up-down movement, rotation movement centered on the body axis of the subject, and rotation movement around an axis perpendicular to the body axis of the subject.
The control unit obtains the position information of the body holder based on the amount of movement measured by the sensor, and stores the obtained position information of the body holder and the magnetic field data measured by the measurement sensor in association with each other. A biomagnetic measuring device characterized by being stored in a unit. In the biomagnetic measuring device according to claim 5.
The control unit stores a plurality of designated angles in advance in the storage unit, rotates the body holder around the body axis of the subject at each stored designated angle, and measures the magnetic field data by the measurement sensor. A biomagnetic measuring device characterized by being allowed to rotate. In the biomagnetic measuring apparatus according to claim 6,
The control unit stores a plurality of designated angles in advance in the storage unit, rotates the body holder around the body axis of the subject at each stored designated angle, and measures the magnetic field data by the measurement sensor. A biomagnetic measuring device characterized by being allowed to rotate. In the biomagnetic measuring device according to claim 7.
It is equipped with a pair of safety sensors that are arranged facing each other so as to sandwich the Dewar.
The safety sensor is a biomagnetic measuring device that stops the operation of the body holder so as to prevent the measurement site of the subject from coming into contact with the bottom surface of the Dewar. In the biomagnetic measuring device according to claim 8.
A pair of safety sensors arranged so as to sandwich the measuring unit on the upper surface in the vertical direction and the lower surface in the vertical direction of the Dewar are provided.
The safety sensor is a biomagnetic measuring device that stops the operation of the body holder so as to prevent the measuring portion of the subject from coming into contact with the measuring portion of the Dewar. In the biomagnetic measuring device according to claim 9 or 10.
The control unit calculates an electric axis based on the magnetic field data measured by the measurement sensor, and sets the measurement site of the subject in a state where the electric axis and the body axis of the subject are aligned or parallel to each other. A biomagnetic measuring device characterized in that magnetic field data is measured by the measuring sensor. In the biomagnetic measuring device according to claim 9 or 10.
The control unit is a biomagnetic measurement device characterized in that magnetic field data is measured by the measurement sensor at a measurement site of a subject according to a predetermined number of times preset in the storage unit. In the biomagnetic measuring device according to claim 11,
Equipped with a hydraulic drive unit
The body holder moves back and forth, left and right, up and down, rotates around the subject's body axis, and rotates around an axis perpendicular to the subject's body axis by the flood control supplied from the hydraulic drive unit. A biomagnetic measuring device characterized by. In the biomagnetic measuring device according to claim 12,
Equipped with a hydraulic drive unit
The body holder moves back and forth, left and right, up and down, rotates around the subject's body axis, and rotates around an axis perpendicular to the subject's body axis by the flood control supplied from the hydraulic drive unit. A biomagnetic measuring device characterized by. In the biomagnetic measuring apparatus according to claim 13 or 14.
The body holder is a biomagnetic measuring device characterized in that it is made of a non-magnetic material.

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