JP7032765B2 - Chewing or swallowing detector - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a technique for detecting chewing or swallowing.

Recent studies have revealed that mastication has many positive effects, such as promoting brain activation. If there is a device that detects mastication, it is possible to promote an increase in the number of times of mastication, and it is promoted to improve the physical and mental health of a person.

In addition, swallowing is a physical function that is highly related to mastication. The ability to swallow declines due to aging, etc., but the decline in ability is suppressed by conscious swallowing on a daily basis. Therefore, as with mastication, if there is a device that detects swallowing, conscious swallowing can be promoted, and the promotion of physical and mental health of a person is promoted.

For example, Patent Document 1 describes a mastication count recording device in which a tension detection sensor is attached to a person's cheek, the number of mastications is counted based on the detection result of the tension detection sensor, and the counted number is recorded and displayed.

Further, Patent Document 2 describes a swallowing function evaluation training device in which a piezo film is attached to a human pharynx and the number of times the intensity of an electric signal emitted from the piezo film exceeds a predetermined threshold value is measured.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 07-171136 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-217525

The waveform of the signal output by the displacement sensor attached to the cheek or the like with one chewing may include a plurality of undulations. Therefore, if mastication is detected simply because the amplitude of the waveform indicated by the output signal of the displacement sensor exceeds the upper limit threshold value or the amplitude falls below the lower limit threshold value, mastication that is not actually performed is erroneously detected. It may happen. The same applies to swallowing.

In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a means for correctly detecting chewing or swallowing.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention smoothes the waveform indicated by the output signal of the displacement sensor and the acquisition unit that acquires the output signal of the displacement sensor attached to a predetermined portion of the human head or neck. The designated smoothing section and the designated displacement sensor when the person chews or swallows during a designated period and the person continues to chew or swallow after the designated period . The threshold value is determined based on the output signal of the period, and after the threshold value is determined, the waveform indicated by the output signal of the specified period of the displacement sensor is compared with the waveform smoothed by the smoothing unit and the threshold value. Based on the above, while detecting chewing or swallowing during the specified period retroactively, the waveform indicated by the output signal of the displacement sensor after the specified period is smoothed by the smoothing unit and the above. As the first aspect, a detection device including a detection unit for detecting chewing or swallowing after a designated period based on a comparison result with a threshold value is provided.

According to the detection device according to the first aspect described above, chewing or swallowing performed during the period for determining the threshold value is also detected .

In the detection device according to the first aspect described above, a configuration including a counting unit for counting the number of times of chewing or swallowing detected by the detecting unit may be adopted as the second aspect.

According to the detection device according to the second aspect described above, the number of times of chewing or swallowing can be facilitated.

In the detection device according to the first or second aspect, the smoothing section smoothes the waveform indicated by the output signal of the displacement sensor by a filter that attenuates high frequency components, as a third aspect. It may be adopted.

According to the detection device according to the third aspect described above, the waveform indicated by the output signal of the displacement sensor is smoothed by software processing.

In the detection device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the acquisition unit acquires the output signal of the microphone that picks up the voice emitted by the person, and the detection unit acquires the output signal of the microphone. A configuration in which the vocalization period of the person is specified using the above-mentioned, and chewing or swallowing is not detected during the vocalization period may be adopted as the fourth aspect.

According to the detection device according to the fourth aspect described above, the inconvenience that chewing or swallowing is erroneously detected during vocalization is avoided.

In the detection device according to the fourth aspect, the configuration in which the microphone is provided and the microphone is a bone conduction microphone may be adopted as the fifth aspect.

According to the detection device according to the fifth aspect described above, the vocalization period can be correctly specified even in a noisy environment.

In the detection device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the detection device includes a signal separation means for separating the sound signal included in the output signal of the displacement sensor from the output signal, and the detection unit separates the signal. A configuration in which the vocalization period of the person is specified by using the sound signal separated by the means and chewing or swallowing is not detected during the vocalization period may be adopted as the sixth aspect.

According to the detection device according to the sixth aspect described above, the inconvenience that chewing or swallowing is erroneously detected during vocalization is avoided.

In the detection device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the configuration including the displacement sensor may be adopted as the seventh aspect.

According to the detection device according to the seventh aspect described above, the user does not need to separately prepare a displacement sensor.

In the detection device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects described above, a configuration in which a communication means for communicating with the server device via a network is provided may be adopted as the eighth aspect.

According to the detection device according to the eighth aspect described above, the administrator or the like can remotely confirm the operating status of the detection device and the chewing or swallowing detected by the detection device.

Further, the present invention acquires the output signal of the first displacement sensor attached to the predetermined portion of the human head and the output signal of the second displacement sensor attached to the predetermined portion of the neck of the person. The acquisition unit, the smoothing unit that smoothes the waveform indicated by the output signal of the first displacement sensor and the waveform indicated by the output signal of the second displacement sensor by low-pass filters having different cutoff frequencies, and the first unit. The period during which the person is swallowing is specified using the output signal of the displacement sensor of 2, and the chewing is not detected for the period during which the swallowing is performed, and the period during which the swallowing is performed is excluded. Chewing is detected based on the waveform indicated by the output signal of the first displacement sensor smoothed by the smoothing unit for a period, and the output signal of the second displacement sensor smoothed by the smoothing unit indicates. A detection device including a detection unit that detects swallowing based on a waveform is provided as a ninth aspect.

According to the detection device according to the ninth aspect described above, it is possible to detect chewing and swallowing performed as a series of operations in parallel.

The detection device according to the ninth aspect is provided with a counting unit that counts the number of times of chewing and swallowing detected by the detecting unit, and the counting unit is said to be after the period during which the swallowing is performed. A configuration in which the chewing detected by the detection unit is recounted from 1 may be adopted as the tenth aspect.

According to the detection device according to the tenth aspect described above, it is possible to know the state of chewing performed for each swallowing.

Further, the present invention comprises a process of acquiring an output signal of a displacement sensor attached to a predetermined portion of a person's head or neck to a computer, and a process of smoothing the waveform indicated by the output signal of the displacement sensor. , Based on the output signal of the displacement sensor for the specified period when the person chews or swallows during the specified period and the person continues to chew or swallow after the specified period. After determining the threshold value, the designation is based on the comparison result between the waveform smoothed by the smoothing process and the threshold value, which is indicated by the output signal of the displacement sensor for the specified period. The chewing or swallowing during the specified period is detected retroactively, and the waveform indicated by the output signal of the displacement sensor after the specified period is compared with the smoothed waveform by the smoothing process and the threshold value. Based on the result, a program for executing a process for detecting chewing or swallowing after the specified period is provided as an eleventh embodiment.
Further, according to the present invention, the output signal of the first displacement sensor attached to a predetermined portion of the human head and the output of the second displacement sensor attached to the predetermined portion of the neck of the person are output to the computer. The process of acquiring a signal, the process of smoothing the waveform indicated by the output signal of the first displacement sensor and the waveform indicated by the output signal of the second displacement sensor by low-pass filters having different cutoff frequencies, and the process of smoothing the first. The process of specifying the period during which the person is swallowing using the output signal of the displacement sensor of No. 2 and the first displacement smoothed without detecting chewing during the period during which the person is swallowing. Based on the waveform indicated by the output signal of the sensor, the process of detecting chewing for the period excluding the period during which swallowing is performed, and the swallowing is detected based on the waveform indicated by the smoothed output signal of the second displacement sensor. A program for executing the processing is provided as a twelfth aspect.

According to the program according to the eleventh aspect described above, the detection device of the first aspect is realized by the computer. Further, according to the program according to the twelfth aspect described above, the detection device of the ninth aspect is realized by the computer.

According to the present invention, chewing or swallowing is correctly detected.

The external view of the mastication detection device which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The figure which showed the use state of the mastication detection device which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The figure which showed the functional structure of the control unit of the mastication detection device which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The figure which showed the output signal of the displacement sensor acquired by the chewing detection device which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The figure which showed the output signal of the displacement sensor after the mastication detection device which concerns on 1st Embodiment smoothed. The figure for demonstrating the method of determining the threshold value used for the detection of mastication in the mastication detection apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The figure for demonstrating the process which the mastication detection apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment detects mastication. The figure exemplifying the screen which the mastication detection device which concerns on 1st Embodiment displays while counting the number of times of mastication. The external view of the mastication / swallowing detection device which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. The figure which showed the use state of the mastication / swallowing detection device which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. The figure which showed the functional structure of the control unit of the mastication / swallowing detection device which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. The figure which showed the output signal of the displacement sensor acquired by the mastication / swallowing detection device which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. The figure which showed the output signal of the displacement sensor after the mastication / swallowing detection device which concerns on 2nd Embodiment smoothes. The figure exemplifying the screen which the mastication / swallowing detection device which concerns on 2nd Embodiment displays during the counting of the number of times of mastication and swallowing. The figure for demonstrating the operation of the mastication detection device or the mastication / swallowing detection device which concerns on one modification. The figure for demonstrating the operation of the mastication detection device or the mastication / swallowing detection device which concerns on one modification.

[First Embodiment]
The mastication detection device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is an external view of the mastication detection device 1. The mastication detection device 1 includes a main body 11, a displacement sensor 12 wiredly connected to the main body 11, and a microphone 13 wiredly connected to the main body 11.

The main body 11 includes a speaker 111, a display 112, a button group 113, and a control unit 114. The speaker 111 produces a guide sound, which will be described later. The display 112 is, for example, a liquid crystal display and displays various information such as the counted number of chews.

The button group 113 has a plurality of buttons and accepts operations by the user. FIG. 1 illustrates a case where the button group 113 has a total of five buttons, that is, a “SELECT” button, an “UP” button, a “DOWN” button, a “START” button, and a “STOP” button. The number and arrangement of buttons may be changed arbitrarily.

The control unit 114 is, for example, a computer including a memory, a processor that processes data according to a program stored in the memory, and an input / output interface for inputting / outputting data between an external device. However, the control unit 114 may be configured as a dedicated device having an integrated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array).

The displacement sensor 12 is attached to a predetermined portion of the user's head, and outputs a signal having an amplitude corresponding to the displacement (distortion amount) due to the change in shape that occurs at the predetermined position when the user chews. The appropriate portion as the predetermined portion to which the displacement sensor 12 is attached is, for example, the vicinity of the temporomandibular joint of the cheek, but any portion of the head may be used as long as the shape changes due to mastication.

The microphone 13 picks up the voice emitted by the user and outputs a signal indicating the picked up user's voice. The microphone 13 is, for example, a bone conduction microphone, which is attached to a predetermined portion of the user's head and picks up the vibration of the voice emitted by the user and transmitted to the surface of the face through the skull. A suitable part as a predetermined part to which the microphone 13 is attached is, for example, the vicinity of the temple, but any part may be used as long as it vibrates due to the voice of the user.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which the displacement sensor 12 and the microphone 13 are attached to the user's head. The displacement sensor 12 and the microphone 13 are attached to the user's face with, for example, medical tape.

When the user chews with the displacement sensor 12 attached to the head, the displacement sensor 12 outputs a signal indicating a change in shape that occurs on the surface of the head due to chewing. However, the signal output by the displacement sensor 12 indicates not only mastication but also a change in shape that occurs on the surface of the head while the user speaks. Therefore, the mastication detection device 1 does not detect mastication during a period in which a signal indicating voice is output from the microphone 13 (hereinafter, referred to as “speaking period”). The specification of the vocalization period will be described later.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the control unit 114. For example, when the control unit 114 is a computer, among the components shown in FIG. 3, the acquisition unit 1141 is mainly realized by the input / output interface, the storage unit 1146 is mainly realized by the memory, and the other components are mainly realized by the memory. It is realized by data processing by the processor according to the stored program.

Hereinafter, the components included in the control unit 114 will be described. The acquisition unit 1141 acquires a signal from an external device. The acquisition unit 1141 has a displacement signal acquisition unit 11411 that acquires a signal indicating displacement output from the displacement sensor 12 (hereinafter, referred to as “displacement signal”), and a signal indicating sound output from the microphone 13 (hereinafter, “sound”). It has a sound signal acquisition unit 11412 for acquiring (referred to as "signal") and an operation signal acquisition unit 11413 for acquiring a signal (hereinafter referred to as "operation signal") indicating an operation performed by the user output from the button group 113.

The smoothing unit 1142 smoothes the waveform indicated by the displacement signal (output signal of the displacement sensor 12) acquired by the displacement signal acquisition unit 11411 in substantially real time. The smoothing unit 1142 has a filter, and smoothes the waveform by attenuating the high frequency component of the waveform indicated by the displacement signal by the filter.

The voice filter unit 1143 performs a filter process in which the sound signal (output signal of the microphone 13) acquired by the sound signal acquisition unit 11412 is passed through the frequency component of the human voice and the other frequency components are attenuated. By this filter processing, the voice filter unit 1143 generates a sound signal containing a large amount of voice components emitted by the user.

The detection / counting unit 1144 has a detection unit 11441 for detecting chewing and a counting unit 11442 for counting the number of times of chewing detected.

First, the detection unit 11441 detects the peak and bottom of the waveform indicated by the displacement signal smoothed by the smoothing unit 1142. More specifically, in the detection unit 11441, when the displacement signal increases from a value smaller than the upper limit threshold value to a value larger than the upper limit threshold value and then decreases to a value smaller than the upper limit threshold value, the period during which the displacement signal exceeds the upper limit threshold value. Is detected as a period showing a peak.

Further, when the displacement signal decreases from a value larger than the lower limit threshold value to a value smaller than the lower limit threshold value and then increases to a value larger than the lower limit threshold value, the detection unit 11441 indicates the bottom period during which the displacement signal is below the lower limit threshold value. Detect as a period. Then, when the detection unit 11441 detects one bottom after detecting one peak, it detects one chewing. Hereinafter, one peak constituting one chewing and the bottom appearing after that are referred to as "a set of peak and bottom".

FIG. 4 shows an example of the waveform shown by the displacement signal before smoothing is performed. The waveform shown in FIG. 4 is a waveform when the user chews twice with the displacement sensor 12 attached to a predetermined portion of the head. FIG. 5 shows an example of the waveform shown by the displacement signal after being smoothed by the smoothing unit 1142. The horizontal axis of FIGS. 4 and 5 indicates time, and the vertical axis indicates the amplitude of the displacement signal. Further, the broken line T _U in FIGS. 4 and 5 indicates an upper limit threshold value (hereinafter, upper limit threshold value T _U ), and the broken line T _L indicates a lower limit threshold value (hereinafter, lower limit threshold value T _L ). Then, in FIGS. 4 and 5, P ₁ , P ₂ , ... Is a period in which the displacement signal shows a peak, and B ₁ , B ₂ , ... Is a period in which the displacement signal shows a bottom.

In the example of FIG. 4, P ₂ and B ₁ are the first peak and bottom set, P ₄ and B ₂ are the second peak and bottom set, and P ₆ and B ₃ are the third peak and bottom set. Will be. This third set of peaks and bottoms is manifested by noise generated during the second chewing, for example due to something touching the displacement sensor 12. In this case, two sets of peaks and bottoms appear in the waveform indicating the second mastication, and erroneous detection of mastication occurs.

On the other hand, in the example of FIG. 5, P ₂ and B ₁ are the first peak and bottom set, and P ₅ and B ₂ are the second peak and bottom set. Therefore, the detection unit 11441 can correctly detect mastication.

The counting unit 1142 counts the number of chewing performed after the "START" button is pressed, for example, by sequentially adding the chewing correctly detected by the detecting unit 11441 as described above.

In the above description, for convenience, the threshold values (upper limit threshold _TU and lower limit threshold _TL ) are assumed to be fixed values. However, the range in which the amplitude of the displacement signal changes with the chewing of the user differs depending on the characteristics of the chewing of the user, the position where the displacement sensor 12 is attached, the method of attaching, and the like, so that the same threshold value is not always an appropriate threshold value. do not have. Therefore, the detection unit 11441 of the mastication detection device 1 has a function of automatically adjusting a threshold value (upper limit threshold value T _U and lower limit threshold value T _L ) in order to detect mastication.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a method of determining a threshold value by the detection unit 11441. The horizontal axis of FIG. 6 indicates time, and the vertical axis indicates the amplitude of the displacement signal. Graph E ₁ of FIG. 6 is a displacement signal after the smoothing shown in FIG. In Graph E ₂ of FIG. 6, the peak value on the positive side (the most recent maximum value of the amplitude) of the displacement signal shown in Graph E ₁ is decreased by a predetermined time constant in a region of a predetermined value L _U or more. Indicates a value. In Graph E ₃ of FIG. 6, the peak value on the negative side (the nearest minimum value of the amplitude) of the displacement signal shown in Graph E ₁ is increased by a predetermined time constant in a region of a predetermined value _LL or less. Indicates a value.

When the detection unit 11441 acquires the smoothed displacement signal (value indicated by graph E ₁ ) from the smoothing unit 1142, the value indicated by graph E 2 and the value indicated by graph E ₂ are substantially real-time based on the acquired displacement signal. Calculate the value shown in graph _E3 . Subsequently, the detection unit ₁₁₄₄₁ calculates a value obtained by multiplying the value shown in the graph E ₂ by a predetermined ratio (for example, 0.8) as the upper limit threshold value TU. Further, the detection unit ₁₁₄₄₁ calculates a value obtained by multiplying the value shown in the graph E ₃ by a predetermined ratio (for example, 0.8) as the lower limit threshold value TL. Graph E ₄ shows the upper limit threshold value T _U calculated by the detection unit 11441, and graph E ₅ shows the lower limit threshold value T _L calculated by the detection unit 11441.

In FIG. 6, P ₁ , P ₂ , ... Are periods during which the displacement signal specified using the time-varying upper limit threshold _TU calculated as described above shows a peak. Further, B ₁ , B ₂ , ... Are periods in which the displacement signal specified by using the lower limit threshold value _TL that changes with time calculated as described above indicates the bottom.

The description of the functional configuration of the control unit 114 will be continued with reference to FIG. The guide unit 1145 instructs the speaker 111 (pronunciation device) to pronounce a sound that guides the timing of mastication. The storage unit 1146 stores various data. The data stored in the storage unit 1146 includes, for example, data indicating the upper limit threshold value T _U and the lower limit threshold value T _L determined by the detection unit 11441, data indicating the number of chews counted by the counting unit 11442, and the like.

The display instruction unit 1147 instructs the display 112 to display various information such as the number of chews counted by the detection / counting unit 1144.

Subsequently, the operation of the mastication detection device 1 will be described. When the user operates, for example, the "SELECT" button, "UP" button, "DOWN" button, etc. to set the target number of chewing times, chewing speed, etc., and then operates the "START" button, the chewing detection device 1 is activated. The guide sound starts to be pronounced at a tempo according to the set chewing speed. Specifically, the guide unit 1145 starts instructing the speaker 111 to pronounce the guide sound, and the speaker 111 starts the pronunciation of the guide sound.

At the same time, the displacement signal acquisition unit 11411 starts acquiring the displacement signal output from the displacement sensor 12, and the sound signal acquisition unit 11412 starts acquiring the sound signal output from the microphone 13.

The user chews according to the guide sound emitted from the speaker 111. The displacement signal showing the waveform corresponding to the chewing by the user is smoothed by the smoothing unit 1142 and passed to the detection / counting unit 1144.

The detection unit 11441 of the detection / counting unit 1144 receives a smoothed displacement signal from the smoothing unit 1142, and also receives a sound signal containing a large amount of voice components emitted by the user from the voice filter unit 1143. Based on the smoothed displacement signal received from the smoothed unit 1142, the detection unit ₁₁₄₄₁ has a time-varying upper limit threshold TU and a time-varying upper limit TU as illustrated in Graphs E ₄ and E ₅ of FIG. 6 in substantially real time. The lower limit threshold _TL is continuously calculated, and the period during which the smoothed displacement signal acquired from the smoothing unit 1142 shows a peak and the period showing a bottom are specified.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a process in which the detection / counting unit 1144 counts the number of times of chewing. FIG. 7A is a graph showing a period (P ₁ , P ₂ , ...) Showing a peak detected by the detection unit 11441 and a period (B ₁ , B ₂ , ...) Showing a bottom. Further, FIG. 7B shows a change over time in the volume of the sound indicated by the filtered sound signal received by the detection unit 11441 from the voice filter unit 1143. The horizontal axis of FIGS. 7 (A) and 7 (B) indicates time. Further, the vertical axis of FIG. 7B shows the volume.

The detection unit 11441 specifies a period in which the volume shown in FIG. 7B exceeds a predetermined threshold value _TS as a period during which the user is speaking, that is, a vocalization period. In the example of FIG. 7B, the period C is the vocalization period.

The detection unit 11441 detects the case where the peak and the bottom shown in FIG. 7A appear as a set in parallel with the specification of the vocalization period as mastication. However, the detection unit 11441 does not detect mastication during the vocalization period. In the example of FIG. 7, the detection unit 11441 detects one mastication for each of the set of peak P ₂ and bottom B ₁ and the set of peak P ₆ and bottom B ₅ that appear in a period other than the vocalization period C. .. That is, the set of peak P ₃ and bottom B ₂ and the set of peak P ₄ and bottom B ₃ appearing in the vocalization period C are not detected as mastication.

The counting unit 11442 counts the number of chews detected by the detecting unit 11441 as described above.

As a method in which the detection unit 11441 does not detect mastication during the vocalization period, a case where a peak and bottom set appears regardless of whether or not it is a vocalization period is once detected as mastication, and then appears in the vocalization period among those sets. A method of canceling the detection may be adopted for the set. Further, the method in which the detection unit 11441 detects mastication regardless of whether or not it is in the vocalization period and the counting unit 11442 does not count the mastication in the vocalization period is also synonymous with the method in which the detection unit 11441 does not detect mastication in the vocalization period. Is.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a screen displayed by the display 112 according to the instruction of the display instruction unit 1147 while the number of chewing counts is being counted. The user chews until the number of times set as a target is reached while observing the number of times of chewing (cumulative value) and the remaining number of times displayed on the display 112.

According to the above-mentioned mastication detection device 1, the user can obtain the motivation to perform the target number of chews at the target speed. As a result, the user's mastication is promoted and the physical and mental health of the user is improved.

[Second Embodiment]
Hereinafter, the mastication / swallowing detection device 2 according to an embodiment different from the above-described embodiment of the present invention will be described. The mastication / swallowing detection device 2 is different from the mastication detection device 1 in that it detects swallowing performed by the same person in parallel with mastication. The mastication / swallowing detection device 2 does not have a function of not detecting mastication during the voice period.

The mastication / swallowing detection device 2 has a part of its configuration and operation in common with the mastication detection device 1. Therefore, the points where the mastication / swallowing detection device 2 is different from the mastication detection device 1 will be mainly described below, and the points that the mastication / swallowing detection device 2 has in common with the mastication detection device 1 will be omitted as appropriate. do. Further, in the figures used in the following description, the same reference numerals are used for common or corresponding components included in the mastication detection device 1 and the mastication / swallowing detection device 2.

FIG. 9 is an external view of the mastication / swallowing detection device 2. The mastication / swallowing detection device 2 includes a displacement sensor 23 in place of the microphone 13 included in the mastication detection device 1.

The displacement sensor 23 is attached to a predetermined portion of the neck of the user, and outputs a signal having an amplitude corresponding to the displacement (distortion amount) due to the change in shape that occurs at the predetermined position when the user swallows. A suitable site for attaching the displacement sensor 23 is, for example, the vicinity of the pharynx, but any site of the neck may be used as long as the shape changes due to swallowing.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state in which the displacement sensor 12 is attached to the head of the user and the displacement sensor 23 is attached to the neck of the same user. The displacement sensor 12 and the displacement sensor 23 are attached to the user's body by, for example, medical tape.

When the user performs mastication and swallowing as a series of operations with the displacement sensor 12 and the displacement sensor 23 attached to the body, a signal indicating a change in shape occurring on the surface of the head due to mastication is output from the displacement sensor 12. The displacement sensor 23 outputs a signal indicating a change in shape that occurs on the surface of the neck due to swallowing.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the control unit 114. The mastication / swallowing detection device 2 does not include the voice filter unit 1143 included in the mastication detection device 1. Further, the acquisition unit 1141 included in the mastication / swallowing detection device 2 does not have the sound signal acquisition unit 11412 possessed by the acquisition unit 1141 of the mastication detection device 1.

Further, the displacement signal acquisition unit 11411 of the chewing / swallowing detection device 2 acquires the first displacement signal acquisition unit 114111 for acquiring the displacement signal output from the displacement sensor 12 and the displacement signal output from the displacement sensor 23. It has a second displacement signal acquisition unit 114112.

Further, the smoothing unit 1142 included in the chewing / swallowing detection device 2 smoothes the waveform indicated by the displacement signal (output signal of the displacement sensor 12) acquired by the first displacement signal acquisition unit 114111 in substantially real time. It has a first smoothing unit 11421 and a second smoothing unit 11422 that smoothes the waveform indicated by the displacement signal (output signal of the displacement sensor 23) acquired by the second displacement signal acquisition unit 114112 in substantially real time. ..

Both the first smoothing unit 11421 and the second smoothing unit 11422 perform a low-pass filter process for attenuating the high frequency component of the waveform indicated by the displacement signal. The displacement signal is smoothed by this low-pass filter processing. However, the cutoff frequency of the low-pass filter processing performed by the first smoothing unit 11421 and the cutoff frequency of the low-pass filter processing performed by the second smoothing unit 11422 are different. The average mastication cycle is shorter than the average swallowing cycle. Therefore, the cutoff frequency of the second smoothing unit 11422 is set lower than the cutoff frequency of the first smoothing unit 11421.

FIG. 12 is a graph illustrating the waveform of the displacement signal acquired by the displacement signal acquisition unit 11411. The upper graph of FIG. 12 exemplifies the waveform of the displacement signal acquired by the first displacement signal acquisition unit 114111, and the lower graph of FIG. 12 exemplifies the waveform of the displacement signal acquired by the second displacement signal acquisition unit 114112. ing.

Further, FIG. 13 is a graph illustrating the waveform of the displacement signal smoothed by the smoothing unit 1142. The upper graph of FIG. 13 exemplifies the waveform of the displacement signal smoothed by the first smoothing unit 11421, and the lower graph of FIG. 13 shows the waveform of the displacement signal smoothed by the second smoothing unit 11422. Illustrate.

The description of the functional configuration of the control unit 114 will be continued with reference to FIG. The detection unit 11441 included in the mastication / swallowing detection device 2 is smoothed by the first detection unit 114411 and the second smoothing unit 11422 that detect mastication using the displacement signal smoothed by the first smoothing unit 11421. It has a second detection unit 114412 that detects swallowing using the displacement signal.

The procedure for the second detection unit 114412 to detect swallowing is the same as the procedure for the first detection unit 114411 to detect mastication, except that the upper limit threshold value and the lower limit threshold value used are different.

The second detection unit 114412 identifies the period during which swallowing is performed in association with the detection of swallowing. The first detection unit 114411 does not detect mastication during the period during which swallowing is being performed, as specified by the second detection unit 114412. This is because it is usually impossible to chew and swallow at the same time.

The counting unit 11442 included in the mastication / swallowing detection device 2 has a first counting unit 114421 that counts the number of times of mastication detected by the first detection unit 114411 and a second counting unit 114421 that counts the number of times of swallowing detected by the second detection unit 114412. It has a counting unit 114422.

The data indicating the number of swallows counted by the first counting unit 114421 and the data indicating the number of chewing times counted by the second counting unit 114422 are sequentially overwritten on the storage unit 1146.

The control unit 114 of the mastication / swallowing detection device 2 includes a calculation unit 2148 as a functional component unit that the control unit 114 of the mastication detection device 1 does not have. The calculation unit 2148 performs a predetermined calculation using the number of chews counted by the first count unit 114421 and the number of swallows counted by the second count unit 114422.

In the following description, the calculation performed by the calculation unit 2148 shall be a process of dividing the number of chews at the time when swallowing is detected by the number of swallows up to that point. By this calculation, the average number of chews for each swallow is calculated. The data indicating the average number of chews for each swallow calculated by the calculation unit 2148 is overwritten in the storage unit 1146 each time swallowing is detected.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a screen displayed by the display 112 of the mastication / swallowing detection device 2 while the number of times of mastication and swallowing is counted. The user chews until the number of times set as a target is reached while observing the number of times of chewing (cumulative value) and the remaining number of times displayed on the display 112. During that time, when the user swallows, the display of the number of swallows (cumulative value) and the average number of chews for each swallow is also updated.

According to the above-mentioned chewing detection device 1, the user can consciously swallow as well as chew. As a result, the deterioration of the swallowing function of the user is suppressed, and the physical and mental health of the user is maintained.

[Modification example]
The first embodiment and the second embodiment described above can be variously modified within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. An example of these variations is shown below. In addition, these modified examples may be combined appropriately.

(1) In the first embodiment described above, the microphone 13 is a bone conduction microphone. The type of the microphone 13 is not limited to the bone conduction microphone, and a normal microphone (a microphone that picks up the sound transmitted through the air) may be adopted. However, when the microphone 13 is a bone conduction microphone, it is desirable because it picks up the user's voice well and does not pick up the surrounding sound very much.

(2) In the above-described embodiment, the guide unit 1145 instructs the speaker 111 to pronounce the guide sound. Alternatively or additionally, the guide unit 1145 may instruct the light emitting device to emit the guide light. The display 112 may be used as the light emitting device, or the chewing detection device 1 includes a light emitting device having a light emitting element such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode), and the light emitting device emits light according to the instruction of the guide unit 1145. You may.

(3) In the above-described embodiment, the smoothing unit 1142 smoothes the displacement signal by a filter that attenuates high frequency components. The method in which the smoothing unit 1142 smoothes the displacement signal is not limited to the method using a filter for attenuating high frequency components. For example, the smoothing unit 1142 may output the moving average value of the displacement signal as a smoothed displacement signal.

(4) In the first embodiment described above, the microphone 13 is attached to the user's face. The method of attaching the microphone 13 to the user is not limited to pasting. For example, the microphone 13 may be fixed in a state of being pressed against the surface of the user's face by a headband or the like.

(5) In the first embodiment described above, the displacement signal output from the displacement sensor 12 may be input to the main body 11 after mixing the sound signal output from the microphone 13. In this case, the control unit 114 includes a signal separation means that filters the signal acquired by the acquisition unit 1141 and separates the displacement signal and the sound signal from the signal. Then, the smoothing unit 1142 smoothes the displacement signal separated by the signal separation means. Further, the detection unit 11441 specifies the utterance period based on the sound signal separated by the signal separation means. In this modification, the main body 11 may have at least one input terminal.

(6) In the first embodiment described above, the detection unit 11441 specifies the vocalization period based on the output signal of the microphone 13. Instead of this, the detection unit 11441 may specify the utterance period based on the sound signal included in the output signal of the displacement sensor 12. In this case, the control unit 114 includes a signal separation means that filters the displacement signal acquired by the displacement signal acquisition unit 11411 and separates the sound signal included in the displacement signal from the displacement signal. Then, the detection unit 11441 specifies the utterance period based on the sound signal separated by the signal separation means. In this modification, the microphone 13 is not required.

(7) In the first embodiment described above, the displacement sensor 12 and the microphone 13 are wiredly connected to the main body 11. Alternatively, both or one of the displacement sensor 12 and the microphone 13 may be wirelessly connected to the main body 11. Further, in the second embodiment described above, the displacement sensor 23 may be wirelessly connected to the main body 11.

(8) In the above-described embodiment, the automatic adjustment of the threshold value for specifying the period during which the smoothed displacement signal shows the peak and the bottom is continuously performed. Instead, a fixed threshold may be used (see FIG. 5).

(9) The method of calculating the upper limit threshold value TU and the lower limit threshold value _TL performed by the detection unit ₁₁₄₄₁ is not limited to the method exemplified in the first embodiment described above, and may be applied to the past output signal (displacement signal) of the displacement sensor 12. Various methods of determining the threshold value based on it can be adopted. For example, the maximum value in the period of the peak that appeared in the past displacement signal is calculated as the upper limit threshold _TU by weighted averaging using the weight that decreases according to the elapsed time, and the bottom that appears in the past displacement signal. A method of calculating the minimum value in the period by weighted averaging using a weight that decreases with the elapsed time as the lower limit threshold value _TL may be adopted.

(10) When the detection unit 11441 determines the threshold value (upper limit threshold value and lower limit threshold value) based on the output signal output from the displacement sensor 12 or the displacement sensor 23 during the period specified by the user or the like, the detection unit 11441 concerned. Even if a configuration is adopted in which chewing or swallowing performed during a specified period, that is, a period in which the displacement signal is monitored to determine a threshold value, is detected and the counting unit 11442 counts the number of times of chewing or swallowing. good.

FIG. 15 is a graph for explaining the operation of the mastication detection device 1 or the mastication / swallowing detection device 2 in this modified example. The graph of FIG. 15 schematically shows the displacement signal output from the displacement sensor 12 before and after the start of mastication. The user presses the "START" button of the button group 113 with a finger at the time point t1, and starts chewing while maintaining that state. Subsequently, the user releases the "START" button at the time point t2 after finishing chewing at least once. The period A shown in FIG. 15 is the period (designated period) in which the user has pressed the "START" button.

The detection unit 11441 specifies the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the displacement signal in the period A triggered by the release of the finger from the "START" button, and the predetermined ratio of less than 1 to the upper limit value (for example, 0.7). Is determined as the upper limit threshold value, and a value obtained by multiplying the lower limit value by a predetermined ratio of less than 1 (for example, 0.7) is determined as the lower limit threshold value. In FIG. 15, those thresholds are determined at time point t3. After that, the detection unit 11441 promptly detects mastication during the period A. As a result, immediately after the user releases the "START" button, the display 112 shows the number of chews performed during the period A. That is, the detection unit 11441 determines the threshold value for detecting mastication at the time point t3, and then retroactively detects the mastication indicated by the displacement signal used for determining the threshold value. After that, the number of chews performed after the time point t2 is added to the number of chews performed in the period A.

According to this modification, since the chewing performed within the period required for determining the threshold value is also detected, for example, when chewing to reach the target number of times, it is not necessary to perform extra chewing to determine the threshold value. desirable.

The above is a description of the detection of mastication, but this modification can be similarly adopted for the detection of swallowing.

(11) In the second embodiment described above, the mastication / swallowing detection device 2 does not specify the vocalization period, but the mastication / swallowing detection device 2 includes a microphone 13 and the like like the mastication detection device 1. A configuration may be adopted in which the vocalization period is specified and chewing or swallowing is not detected during the vocalization period.

(12) In the second embodiment described above, when the second detection unit 114412 detects swallowing, the number of chews counted by the first count unit 114421 is reset to 0, and then detected by the first detection unit 114411. A configuration may be adopted in which the number of times of chewing is recounted from 1.

FIG. 16 is a graph for explaining the operation of the mastication / swallowing detection device 2 in this modified example. The upper graph of FIG. 16 is output from the displacement sensor 12 and shows the displacement signal smoothed by the first smoothing unit 11421, and the lower graph of FIG. 16 is output from the displacement sensor 23 and is the second smoothing unit. The displacement signal smoothed by 11422 is shown, and the horizontal axis (time axis) is aligned.

First, the first counting unit 114421 first counts the number of chewing detected by the first detecting unit 114411 from 1 in the period B. After that, when swallowing is detected by the second detection unit 114412 in the period C, the first count unit 114421 resets the number of chews counted in the period B to 0, and in the period D following the period C, the first detection unit 114421. The number of chews detected by 114411 is recounted from 1. The first count unit 114421 performs the same processing in the period (period E, F ...) Following the period D.

According to this modification, the achievement of the set target number of chews for each swallow is promoted.

(13) The specific numerical values and calculation formulas used in the description of the above-described embodiment are merely examples, and various other numerical values and calculation formulas may be adopted.

(14) In the first embodiment described above, the chewing detection device 1 includes a displacement sensor 12 and a microphone 13. Instead of this, the mastication detection device 1 does not have at least one of the displacement sensor 12 and the microphone 13, and at least one of the displacement sensor and the microphone that the mastication detection device 1 does not have is connected to the mastication detection device 1. It may be adopted.

Further, in the second embodiment described above, the mastication / swallowing detection device 2 includes a displacement sensor 12 and a displacement sensor 23. Instead, the mastication / swallowing detection device 2 does not have at least one of the displacement sensor 12 and the displacement sensor 23, and at least one of the displacement sensors that the mastication / swallowing detection device 2 does not have with respect to the mastication / swallowing detection device 2. A connected configuration may be adopted.

Further, the main body 11 of the mastication detection device 1 or the mastication / swallowing detection device 2 does not have at least one of the speaker 111 and the display 112, and at least one of the speaker and the display that the main body 11 does not have is connected to the main body 11. May be adopted.

(15) In the present invention, in addition to the device exemplified by the mastication detection device 1 or the mastication / swallowing detection device 2 described above, the computer executes a process performed by the device exemplified by the mastication detection device 1 or the mastication / swallowing detection device 2. By making the device, a computer provides a program for realizing the device. The program may be distributed in a state of being recorded on a recording medium, or may be distributed in a form of being distributed to a computer via a network such as the Internet.

(16) The mastication detection device 1 or the mastication / swallowing detection device 2 described above may include a communication unit and perform data communication with the server device via a network. In this case, for example, the administrator or the like confirms and manages the operating status of a plurality of mastication detection devices 1 or mastication / swallowing detection devices 2 remotely used by different users via a server device, mastication or swallowing detection results, and the like. can do.

(17) In the first embodiment described above, the chewing detection device 1 counts the number of chewing times by the counting unit 11442. Further, in the second embodiment described above, the mastication / swallowing detection device 2 counts the number of times of mastication and the number of times of swallowing by the counting unit 11442. A configuration may be adopted in which the mastication detection device 1 or the mastication / swallowing detection device 2 does not have a counting unit 11442 and detects mastication or swallowing, but does not count the number of times.

In this modification, the storage unit 1146 stores, for example, data indicating the timing at which chewing or swallowing is detected in time series. This data is used, for example, by a doctor or the like for guidance on mastication or swallowing.

(18) The mastication / swallowing detection device 2 according to the second embodiment described above may be modified to detect only swallowing without detecting mastication.

(19) In the description of the mastication detection device 1 according to the first embodiment described above, when the detection unit 11441 first detects the peak from the displacement signal and then detects the bottom, it may detect one mastication. Explained as an example. Which of the peak and the bottom corresponding to one chew appears first depends on the direction in which the displacement sensor is attached to the head. Therefore, when the detection unit 11441 detects the peak first, when it detects the peak and the set of the bottom following the peak, it detects one chewing, and when it detects the bottom first, the peak is detected. When the bottom and the set of peaks following the bottom are detected, one chewing is detected. The same applies to the case where the detection unit 11441 of the mastication / swallowing detection device 2 according to the second embodiment detects mastication and the case where the detection unit 11441 of the mastication / swallowing detection device 2 according to the second embodiment detects swallowing. Is.

(20) In the above-described embodiment, the mastication detection device 1 or the mastication / swallowing detection device 2 includes a speaker 111, and guides the mastication timing by the sound emitted by the speaker 111. The mastication detection device 1 or the mastication / swallowing detection device 2 may not include the speaker 111. In this case, the mastication detection device 1 or the mastication / swallowing detection device 2 may or may not guide the mastication timing by, for example, blinking dots on the display 112.

1 ... chewing detection device, 2 ... chewing / swallowing detection device, 11 ... main body, 12 ... displacement sensor, 13 ... microphone, 23 ... displacement sensor, 111 ... speaker, 112 ... display, 113 ... button group, 114 ... control unit, 1141 ... Acquisition unit 1142 ... Smoothing unit, 1143 ... Audio filter unit, 1144 ... Detection / counting unit, 1145 ... Guide unit, 1146 ... Storage unit, 1147 ... Display instruction unit, 2148 ... Calculation unit, 11411 ... Displacement signal acquisition Unit, 11412 ... Sound signal acquisition unit, 11413 ... Operation signal acquisition unit, 11421 ... First smoothing unit, 11422 ... Second smoothing unit, 11441 ... Detection unit, 11442 ... Count unit, 114111 ... First displacement signal acquisition unit , 114112 ... 2nd displacement signal acquisition unit, 114411 ... 1st detection unit, 114412 ... 2nd detection unit, 114421 ... 1st count unit, 114422 ... 2nd count unit.

Claims (12)

An acquisition unit that acquires the output signal of a displacement sensor attached to a predetermined part of the human head or neck,
A smoothing unit that smoothes the waveform indicated by the output signal of the displacement sensor,
When the person chews or swallows during the specified period and the person continues to chew or swallow after the specified period, the threshold value is based on the output signal of the displacement sensor during the specified period. Is determined, and after the threshold value is determined, the waveform indicated by the output signal of the displacement sensor for the specified period is specified by the smoothing unit based on the comparison result between the smoothed waveform and the threshold value . While detecting chewing or swallowing during the period retroactively, the waveform indicated by the output signal of the displacement sensor after the specified period is based on the comparison result between the waveform smoothed by the smoothing unit and the threshold value. , A detection device including a detection unit that detects chewing or swallowing after the specified period . The detection device according to claim 1, further comprising a counting unit that counts the number of times of chewing or swallowing detected by the detecting unit. The detection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the smoothing unit smoothes a waveform indicated by an output signal of the displacement sensor by a filter that attenuates a high frequency component. The acquisition unit acquires the output signal of the microphone that picks up the voice emitted by the person.
The detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the detection unit identifies the vocalization period of the person by using the output signal of the microphone, and does not detect chewing or swallowing during the vocalization period. Equipped with the microphone
The detection device according to claim 4, wherein the microphone is a bone conduction microphone. A signal separation means for separating a sound signal included in the output signal of the displacement sensor from the output signal is provided.
The detection unit identifies the vocalization period of the person by using the sound signal separated by the signal separation means, and does not detect chewing or swallowing during the vocalization period according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The detection device described. The detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising the displacement sensor. The detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a communication means for communicating with the server device via a network. An acquisition unit that acquires the output signal of the first displacement sensor attached to a predetermined portion of the human head and the output signal of the second displacement sensor attached to the predetermined portion of the neck of the person.
A smoothing unit that smoothes the waveform indicated by the output signal of the first displacement sensor and the waveform indicated by the output signal of the second displacement sensor by low-pass filters having different cutoff frequencies.
The period during which the person is swallowing is specified by using the output signal of the second displacement sensor, and the period during which the chewing is performed is the period during which the chewing is not detected . The chewing is detected based on the waveform indicated by the output signal of the first displacement sensor smoothed by the smoothing section for the period excluding the above, and the output signal of the second displacement sensor smoothed by the smoothing section is detected. A detection device equipped with a detection unit that detects swallowing based on the waveform indicated by. It is provided with a counting unit that counts the number of times of chewing and swallowing detected by the detection unit.
The detection device according to claim 9, wherein the counting unit recounts the chewing detected by the detection unit from 1 after the period during which the swallowing is performed. On the computer
The process of acquiring the output signal of the displacement sensor attached to a predetermined part of the human head or neck, and
The process of smoothing the waveform indicated by the output signal of the displacement sensor and
When the person chews or swallows during the specified period and the person continues to chew or swallow after the specified period, the threshold value is based on the output signal of the displacement sensor during the specified period. After determining the threshold value, the designation is made based on the comparison result between the threshold value and the waveform smoothed by the smoothing process of the waveform indicated by the output signal of the displacement sensor for the specified period. A comparison result between the waveform smoothed by the smoothing process and the threshold value while detecting mastication or swallowing during the period retroactively and the waveform indicated by the output signal of the displacement sensor after the specified period. A program for executing a process for detecting mastication or swallowing after the specified period based on the above . On the computer
A process of acquiring an output signal of a first displacement sensor attached to a predetermined part of a person's head and an output signal of a second displacement sensor attached to a predetermined part of the person's neck.
A process of smoothing the waveform indicated by the output signal of the first displacement sensor and the waveform indicated by the output signal of the second displacement sensor by low-pass filters having different cutoff frequencies.
A process of specifying the period during which the person is swallowing using the output signal of the second displacement sensor, and
Chewing is not detected for the period during which the swallowing is performed, and mastication is detected for the period excluding the period during which the swallowing is performed based on the waveform indicated by the smoothed output signal of the first displacement sensor. Processing and
A program for executing a process of detecting swallowing based on the waveform indicated by the smoothed output signal of the second displacement sensor.

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