JP7296595B2 - COGNITIVE FUNCTION EVALUATION DEVICE, COGNITIVE FUNCTION EVALUATION SYSTEM, COGNITIVE FUNCTION EVALUATION METHOD, AND PROGRAM - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a cognitive function evaluation device, a cognitive function evaluation system, a cognitive function evaluation method, and a program capable of evaluating a person's cognitive function.

Conventionally, as a test to evaluate cognitive function, the revised Hasegawa simple intelligence rating scale (HDS-R), MMSE (Mini -Mental State Examination), CDR (Clinical Dementia Rating), etc. These are performed by doctors, clinical psychologists, etc. who have undergone a certain training for the person to be evaluated at a medical institution.

Further, Patent Literatures 1 and 2 disclose a cognitive function evaluation apparatus that calculates a feature amount from voice data of an evaluator and evaluates the cognitive function of the evaluator from the feature amount.

Japanese Patent No. 6268628 Japanese Patent No. 6337362

The cognitive function evaluation apparatuses described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are required to accurately evaluate the cognitive function of the person being evaluated.

Therefore, the present invention provides a cognitive function evaluation device and the like that can accurately evaluate the cognitive function of an evaluator.

A cognitive function evaluation apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention collects second audio data for testing of an evaluator before obtaining first audio data of an evaluator for evaluating cognitive function. An acquisition unit that acquires data from the device, and an information processing unit that performs information processing for bringing the volume of the first audio data closer to a predetermined volume range based on the acquired second audio data.

A cognitive function evaluation system according to an aspect of the present invention includes the cognitive function evaluation device and the sound collector.

A cognitive function evaluation method according to an aspect of the present invention collects second audio data for testing of an evaluator before obtaining first audio data of an evaluator for evaluating cognitive function. and an information processing step of performing information processing for bringing the volume of the first audio data closer to a predetermined volume range based on the acquired second audio data.

A program according to an aspect of the present invention is a program that causes a computer to execute the cognitive function evaluation method.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION The cognitive function evaluation apparatus etc. of this invention can evaluate a person's cognitive function with high precision.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a cognitive function evaluation system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a characteristic functional configuration of the cognitive function evaluation system according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the operation of the cognitive function evaluation device according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the procedure of volume test processing. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a test instruction image. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a first image indicating that the volume of the person to be evaluated is appropriate. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a second image instructing the person to be evaluated to speak in a low voice. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a third image instructing the person to be evaluated to speak loudly. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of an image instructing the person to be evaluated to move away from the sound collecting device and speak. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an image instructing the person to be evaluated to approach the sound collector and speak. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an image instructing the person to be evaluated to move the sound collector away from the person to be evaluated and to speak. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of an image instructing the person to be evaluated to bring the sound collector closer to the person to be evaluated and to speak. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the configuration of the cognitive function evaluation system when the sound collector is connected to the electric driving device. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the procedure of cognitive function evaluation processing. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an outline of a method of acquiring the voice of the person being evaluated by the cognitive function evaluation device according to the embodiment. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of an image corresponding to the evaluation result. FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining formants calculated by a calculation unit from voice data. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing scores obtained by the evaluators when they take the MoCA test. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing the configuration of a cognitive function evaluation system according to Modification 1 of the embodiment. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing the configuration of a cognitive function evaluation system according to Modification 2 of the embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples. Numerical values, shapes, materials, components, arrangement positions and connection forms of components, steps, order of steps, and the like shown in the following embodiments are examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. Further, among the constituent elements in the following embodiments, constituent elements not described in independent claims will be described as optional constituent elements.

Each figure is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily strictly illustrated. Moreover, in each figure, the same code|symbol is attached|subjected to substantially the same structure, and the overlapping description may be abbreviate|omitted or simplified.

Moreover, in the following embodiments, expressions indicating directions are used. For example, "parallel" means not only being completely parallel, but also being substantially parallel, that is, including a deviation of, for example, several percent.

(Embodiment)
[Configuration of cognitive function evaluation system]
A configuration of a cognitive function evaluation system according to an embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a cognitive function evaluation system according to an embodiment.

The cognitive function evaluation system 200 is a device for evaluating the cognitive function of the person U to be evaluated from the voice uttered by the person U to be evaluated. Cognitive function refers to the ability to perceive, remember, and judge. As a specific example, the cognitive function evaluation device 100 evaluates whether a person has dementia (dementia patient).

Dementia indicates a symptom in which the cognitive function described above is lowered. One specific example of dementia is Alzheimer's disease (AD). Since dementia has no subjective symptoms, the dementia patient's family or a third party encourages the dementia patient to see a doctor at a hospital, and the dementia patient receives a doctor's examination. In addition, by taking a batch test for diagnosing dementia such as the MoCA (Montreal Cognitive Assessment) test, the person U to be evaluated can confirm whether or not the person U has dementia.

However, the MoCA test takes about 15 minutes. In addition, in order to diagnose changes in the person U to be evaluated over time, the MoCA test needs to be performed multiple times at intervals of days to determine whether the person U has dementia. . That is, the MoCA test requires a long period of time to diagnose whether the person to be evaluated U has dementia.

By the way, it is known that there is a difference in speech between a dementia patient and a non-dementia person (healthy person) even if the same words are uttered.

The cognitive function evaluation system 200 is a device that accurately evaluates the cognitive function of the person U to be evaluated by analyzing the voice of the person U to be evaluated.

As shown in FIG. 1, the cognitive function evaluation system 200 includes a cognitive function evaluation device 100, a sound collector 300, a display device 400, and an input device 500.

The cognitive function evaluation device 100 is a computer that acquires voice data representing the voice uttered by the person U to be evaluated using the sound collector 300 and evaluates the cognitive function of the person U to be evaluated from the acquired voice data.

The sound collecting device 300 is a microphone that detects a voice uttered by the person U to be evaluated and outputs voice data representing the detected voice to the cognitive function evaluation device 100 . A sound insulation wall 310 and/or a pop guard 320 may be arranged around the sound collector 300 in order to accurately detect the voice uttered by the person U to be evaluated.

The display device 400 displays images based on image data output from the cognitive function evaluation device 100 . The display device 400 is specifically a monitor device configured by a liquid crystal panel, an organic EL panel, or the like. As the display device 400, an information terminal such as a television, a smartphone, or a tablet terminal may be used.

The input device 500 is a user interface device that receives operations from the person U to be evaluated, a doctor who evaluates cognitive function, or a doctor's assistant. Input device 500 is realized by, for example, a mouse and a keyboard.

The cognitive function evaluation device 100, the sound collector 300, and the display device 400 may be able to transmit and receive audio data or image data, and may be wired or wirelessly connected. good.

The cognitive function evaluation device 100 analyzes the voice of the person U based on the voice data detected by the sound collection device 300, evaluates the cognitive function of the person U based on the analysis result, and presents the evaluation result. Image data for displaying an image is output to display device 400 . By doing so, the cognitive function evaluation device 100 can notify the degree of cognitive function to a patient with dementia who does not have subjective symptoms, and therefore can prompt the patient with dementia to see a doctor, for example. In other words, the cognitive function evaluation device 100 can assist the dementia patient to receive a medical examination by a doctor by notifying the cognitive function degree to the dementia patient who does not have subjective symptoms.

Note that the cognitive function evaluation device 100 is, for example, a personal computer, but may be a server device.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a characteristic functional configuration of the cognitive function evaluation device 100 according to the embodiment. Cognitive function evaluation device 100 includes acquisition unit 110 , calculation unit 120 , evaluation unit 130 , output unit 140 , storage unit 150 , and instruction unit 160 .

The acquisition unit 110 acquires audio data detected by the sound collector 300 . In addition, the acquisition unit 110 acquires various kinds of information input from the input device 500 to the cognitive function evaluation device 100 according to the operation of the input device 500 . The acquisition unit 110 is, for example, a communication interface that performs wired communication or wireless communication.

The calculation unit 120 is a processing unit that analyzes the voice data of the person to be evaluated U acquired by the acquisition unit 110 . Calculation unit 120 is specifically realized by a processor, a microcomputer, or a dedicated circuit.

The calculation unit 120 calculates feature amounts from the audio data acquired by the acquisition unit 110 . Here, the feature amount is a numerical value indicating the feature of the voice of the person U, which is calculated from the voice data used by the evaluation unit 130 to evaluate the cognitive function of the person U. For example, the feature amount is based on formants obtained from the vowel portion of the speech data obtained by the obtaining unit 110 . More specifically, the feature quantity is variation in the first formant, variation in the second formant, variation in the ratio of the first formant and the second formant, and the like. In the following embodiments, formant means the frequency of formant. Variability is represented, for example, by standard deviation. Formants will be supplemented later.

The evaluation unit 130 compares the feature amount calculated by the calculation unit 120 with the reference data 151 stored in the storage unit 150, and evaluates the cognitive function of the person U to be evaluated. The evaluation unit 130 is specifically implemented by a processor, microcomputer, or dedicated circuit.

The output unit 140 outputs the evaluation result of the cognitive function of the person U evaluated by the evaluation unit 130 to the display device 400 . The output unit 140 is, for example, a communication interface that performs wired communication or wireless communication.

The storage unit 150 is a storage device that stores reference data 151 indicating the relationship between feature amounts and human cognitive functions. The reference data 151 is referred to by the evaluation unit 130 when the degree of cognitive function of the person U to be evaluated is evaluated. The storage unit 150 is implemented by, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a semiconductor memory, a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or the like.

The storage unit 150 also stores a program executed by the calculation unit 120 and the evaluation unit 130, and image data indicating the evaluation result used when outputting the evaluation result of the cognitive function of the person U to be evaluated. there is The storage unit 150 also stores an instruction image, which will be described later.

The instructing unit 160 instructs to quickly pronounce a phrase in which predetermined syllables are repeated. Specifically, instruction unit 160 acquires image data of an instruction image for instructing rapid pronunciation of a phrase in which predetermined syllables are repeated, stored in storage unit 150, and outputs the image data. Output to the display device 400 via the output unit 140 . In this way, the instruction unit 160 causes the display device 400 to display an instruction image, thereby instructing to quickly pronounce a phrase in which predetermined syllables are repeated.

The instruction unit 160 is specifically implemented by a processor, microcomputer, or dedicated circuit.

The test processing unit 170 performs information processing related to volume test processing, which will be described later. Specifically, the test processing unit 170 is implemented by a processor, microcomputer, or dedicated circuit.

Note that the calculation unit 120, the evaluation unit 130, the instruction unit 160, and the test processing unit 170 may be implemented by a single processor, microcomputer, or dedicated circuit having the respective functions. or by a combination of two or more of the dedicated circuits.

[Operation of cognitive function evaluation device]
Next, the operation of the cognitive function evaluation device 100 will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the operation of the cognitive function evaluation device 100. FIG.

First, the cognitive function evaluation device 100 performs a volume test process (S10), and then performs a cognitive function evaluation process (S11). The volume test process is a process of making the person U to practice speaking and optimizing the volume of the person U's speech before the cognitive function evaluation process. In other words, the test here means trial.

If the voice of the person U to be evaluated is extremely low, the voice of the person to be evaluated U may be buried in the surrounding noise, or the voice data of the person to be evaluated U may be affected by the white noise of the electric signal. The accuracy of cognitive function evaluation may decrease for the following reasons. In addition, if the voice of the person to be evaluated U is extremely loud, it may exceed the dynamic range of the sound collecting device 300 and the waveform of the voice data may be distorted, thereby degrading the accuracy of the cognitive function evaluation. .

Therefore, the cognitive function evaluation apparatus 100 performs the cognitive function evaluation process after optimizing the speech volume of the person to be evaluated U by performing the volume test process.

[Procedure for volume test processing]
Next, a specific procedure of volume test processing executed by the cognitive function evaluation device 100 will be described. FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the procedure of volume test processing.

First, the acquisition unit 110 acquires the identification information of the person to be evaluated U input to the cognitive function evaluation device 100 according to the operation of the input device 500 (S20). The input device 500 is operated by the person U, a doctor who evaluates cognitive function, a doctor's assistant, or the like.

Next, the instructing unit 160 instructs to speak a test sentence (step S21). The instruction unit 160 acquires the image data of the image for instructing the test to the person to be evaluated U, stored in the storage unit 150 , and outputs the image data to the display device 400 via the output unit 140 . Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the display device 400 displays an image 410 for test instructions to the person U to be evaluated. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a test instruction image. In the image of FIG. 5, it is instructed to utter the name of the person to be evaluated U, but the test text to be uttered is not particularly limited, and may be the weather of the day or the like. The test sentences are, for example, sentences different from the sentences (phrases) used for the actual evaluation.

Next, the acquiring unit 110 acquires the voice data for the test of the person to be evaluated U who received the instruction in step S21 via the sound collecting device 300 (step S22).

Next, the test processing unit 170 calculates the volume of the test audio data acquired by the acquisition unit 110 (step S23). The volume is calculated, for example, based on the average amplitude of the waveform of the audio data over a certain period, but may be determined based on the peak amplitude of the waveform of the audio data.

Next, the test processing unit 170 determines whether or not the volume calculated in step S23 is within a predetermined volume range (step S24). The predetermined volume range is empirically or experimentally determined and stored in the storage unit 150 in advance.

When the test processing unit 170 determines that the calculated volume is within the predetermined volume range (Yes in step S24), the test processing unit 170 presents the first image to the evaluated person U as information indicating that the volume is appropriate. (step S25). Specifically, the test processing section 170 acquires the image data of the first image stored in the storage section 150 and outputs the image data to the display device 400 via the output section 140 . Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the first image 420 is displayed on the display device 400 . FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a first image 420 indicating that the volume of speech of the person U to be evaluated is appropriate. The first image 420 includes an illustration of a happy child, character information indicating that the volume is appropriate, and volume information (volume value and barometer). should be included. Further, whether or not the speech volume is appropriate may be indicated by blinking of a light emitting device realized by a light emitting element such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode).

When the test processing unit 170 determines that the calculated volume is outside the predetermined volume range (No in step S24), it determines whether the calculated volume is greater than the predetermined volume range (step S26). ).

When the test processing unit 170 determines that the volume is higher than the predetermined volume range (Yes in step S26), the test processing unit 170 uses the second image as the information instructing the person U to speak in a low voice. It is presented to the evaluator U (step S27). Specifically, the test processing unit 170 acquires the image data of the second image stored in the storage unit 150 and outputs the image data to the display device 400 via the output unit 140 . Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the second image 430 is displayed on the display device 400 . FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a second image 430 instructing the person U to speak in a low voice. The second image 430 includes an illustration of a child covering his ears, text information instructing him to speak in a soft voice, and volume information (volume value and barometer). At least a part should be included.

When the test processing unit 170 determines that the volume is lower than the predetermined volume range (No in step S26), the test processing unit 170 uses the third image as information for instructing the person U to speak loudly. It is presented to the evaluator U (step S28). Specifically, the test processing unit 170 acquires the image data of the third image stored in the storage unit 150 and outputs the image data to the display device 400 via the output unit 140 . Then, as shown in FIG. 8, the third image 440 is displayed on the display device 400 . FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a third image 440 instructing the person U to speak loudly. The third image 440 includes an illustration of a child making a gesture of inaudibility, character information instructing to speak loudly, and volume information (volume value and barometer). at least part of various information. Note that the third image 440 may include an illustration of a child talking with his mouth wide open.

In this way, the cognitive function evaluation apparatus 100 performs information processing to bring the volume of the actual evaluation audio data after the test close to a predetermined volume range based on the acquired test audio data. . Specifically, when it is determined that the volume of the voice data is larger than a predetermined volume range, the cognitive function evaluation apparatus 100 presents information to the person U to be evaluated, instructing them to speak in a low voice, When it is determined that the volume of the voice data is smaller than a predetermined volume range, the evaluated person U is presented with information instructing to speak loudly. As a result, it is suppressed that the actual evaluation is performed while the volume is outside the appropriate range, so the evaluation accuracy of the cognitive function is improved.

After steps S25, S27, and S28, the test processing unit 170 processes the identification information of the person U acquired in step S20, the first image 420, the second image 430, and the third image. The history information is stored in association with the image identification information indicating which of the images 440 has been presented (step S29). In other words, the test processing section 170 stores history information indicating what kind of image was presented to the person U to be evaluated.

As a result, when performing the volume test process next time, the test processing unit 170 refers to the history information in the storage unit 150 after the process of step S20, thereby omitting the processes of steps S21 to S24 and step S26. By doing so, it is possible to present the same image as the image presented during the volume test processing this time. That is, when the test processing unit 170 evaluates the cognitive function of the person to be evaluated U after the specific content of the information processing performed for adjusting the volume (what kind of image was presented) is stored, Then, the same information processing as that of the information processing unit stored in the storage unit 150 is performed.

[Modified example of volume test processing]
In steps S27 and S28 of the flowchart of FIG. 4, the test processing section 170 presented an image (information) for instructing the person U to adjust the speech volume. However, in steps S<b>27 and S<b>28 , the test processing section 170 may present an image (information) that instructs the person U to be evaluated to adjust the positional relationship between the person U to be evaluated and the sound collector 300 .

For example, when the sound collecting device 300 is fixed and does not move, the test processing unit 170 presents the evaluator U with an image instructing the person U to move away from the sound collecting device 300 and speak in step S27. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of an image instructing the person U to be evaluated to move away from the sound collector 300 and speak.

Similarly, when the sound collecting device 300 is fixed and does not move, the test processing unit 170 presents the evaluator U with an image instructing the person to approach the sound collecting device 300 and speak in step S28. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an image instructing the person U to approach the sound collector 300 and speak.

Further, when the sound collecting device 300 has a mechanism that allows manual position adjustment, the test processing unit 170 moves the sound collecting device 300 away from the person U to be evaluated and displays an image instructing the person to speak. presented to person U. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an image instructing the person U to move the sound collecting device 300 away from the person U to speak.

Similarly, if the sound collecting device 300 has a mechanism that allows manual position adjustment, the test processing unit 170 brings the sound collecting device 300 closer to the person U to be evaluated and sends an image instructing the person to speak. Present to evaluator U. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of an image instructing the person U to bring the sound collecting device 300 closer to the person U to speak.

Further, when the sound collecting device 300 is connected to an electric driving device for adjusting the position of the sound collecting device 300, the test processing unit 170 drives the electric driving device based on the determination result to collect the sound. Alignment of device 300 may be performed. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the configuration of the cognitive function evaluation system 200 when the sound collector 300 is connected to an electric driving device.

For example, in step S27, the test processing unit 170 outputs a first control signal to the electric driving device 600 for moving the sound collector 300 away from the person U to be evaluated, and in step S28, moves the sound collector 300 to the person to be evaluated. A second control signal for approaching U is output to electric drive device 600 .

In this case as well, if the identification information of the person to be evaluated U and how the electric driving device 600 was driven are stored as history information in step S29, the process can be omitted when performing the next volume test process. That is, the test processing unit 170 evaluates the cognitive function of the person U after the specific content of the information processing performed for adjusting the volume (how the electric driving device 600 was driven) is stored. , the same information processing as that of the information processing unit stored in the storage unit 150 is performed.

[Procedure of cognitive function evaluation processing]
Next, a specific procedure of cognitive function evaluation processing executed by the cognitive function evaluation device 100 will be described. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the procedure of cognitive function evaluation processing. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an outline of a method of acquiring the voice of the person U to be evaluated by the cognitive function evaluation apparatus 100. As shown in FIG.

First, the instruction unit 160 instructs to quickly pronounce a phrase in which predetermined syllables are repeated (step S100). As shown in FIG. 15(a), for example, in step S100, the doctor D or the like asks the person U to be evaluated, "The instructions are displayed on the terminal, so could you speak as instructed?" shout out. The instruction unit 160 acquires image data of an image for instruction to the person to be evaluated U, stored in the storage unit 150 , and outputs the image data to the display device 400 via the output unit 140 . Then, as shown in FIG. 15(b), the display device 400 displays an image 460 for instructing the person U to be evaluated. Since the image 460 for instructing the person U to be evaluated is displayed in this way, noise is less likely to enter the voice data than when the doctor D gives instructions to the person U to be evaluated with his own voice. Become.

Specifically, the instruction image 460 is an image that instructs the person U to be evaluated to pronounce a predetermined syllable repeatedly repeatedly. In this way, a configuration in which the person to be evaluated quickly pronounces a phrase in which predetermined syllables are repeated is suitable for calculating formant variations.

A predetermined syllable is composed of, for example, a stop consonant and a vowel following the stop consonant. By configuring the predetermined syllables in this manner, the cognitive function of the person to be evaluated U can be evaluated with high accuracy. In Japanese, such predetermined syllables are, for example, "pa", "ta", and "ka". Stop consonants include plosives and affricates. Plosives and affricates are sounds made by completely closing the vocal tracts in both the mouth and nose, increasing the pressure inside them, and then opening them.

In the instruction image 410, an instruction is given to pronounce a predetermined syllable for five seconds or longer. That is, the instructing unit 160 instructs to pronounce a phrase in which predetermined syllables are repeated for 5 seconds or longer, and as a result, the acquiring unit 110 can acquire speech data that continues for 5 seconds or longer. As a result, the cognitive function evaluation apparatus 100 can acquire speech data of sufficient length to calculate the variation of the first formant.

Next, the acquiring unit 110 acquires the voice data of the person U who received the instruction in step S100 via the sound collecting device 300 (step S101). As shown in (c) of FIG. 15, in step S101, for example, the person to be evaluated U may say "Papapapapa...", "Tatatatata...", or "Kakakakakaka..." phrase toward the sound collector 300 . The acquisition unit 110 acquires these phrases uttered by the person to be evaluated U as voice data.

Next, the calculation unit 120 calculates feature amounts from the audio data acquired by the acquisition unit 110 (step S102). In step S102, for example, the calculation unit 120 identifies a vowel portion of the speech data and calculates a formant-based feature amount obtained from the spectrum of the identified vowel portion. Specifically, the calculation unit 120 calculates, as a feature amount, the variation in the first formant obtained from the spectrum of the identified vowel portion. For example, when the speech data contains n predetermined syllables (n is a natural number), n first formants are obtained, and all or part of them are used to calculate the variation of the first formants. .

Note that the calculation unit 120 may calculate the variation of the second formant obtained from the spectrum of the specified vowel portion as the feature quantity. Further, the calculation unit 120 may calculate, as a feature amount, variation in the ratio of the first formant and the second formant obtained from the spectrum of the specified vowel portion.

Next, the evaluation unit 130 evaluates the cognitive function of the person U to be evaluated from the feature amount calculated by the calculation unit 120 in step S102 (step S103). In step S104, the evaluation unit 130, for example, evaluates the cognitive function of the person U based on the variation in the first formant calculated by the calculation unit 120 in step S102 and the reference data 151 stored in the storage unit 150. .

Next, the output unit 140 outputs the evaluation result of the cognitive function of the person U evaluated by the evaluation unit 130 (step S104). In step S<b>104 , for example, the output unit 140 acquires image data of an image corresponding to the evaluation result evaluated by the evaluation unit 130 in step S<b>103 from the storage unit 150 and transmits the acquired image data to the display device 400 .

The display device 400 acquires the image data output by the output unit 140 and displays an image based on the image data. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of an image corresponding to the evaluation result. An image 450 shown in FIG. 16 indicates that the cognitive function of the person to be evaluated U tends to decline.

By displaying the evaluation result as an image in this way, the person U to be evaluated can easily confirm the evaluation result of the cognitive function. In addition, when the person U is evaluating cognitive function using the cognitive function evaluation device 100 at home or the like, the cognitive function evaluation device 100 provides the person U with a doctor or the like by displaying an image. It is also possible to encourage medical examination.

[Formant]
The formants are supplemented below. FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining formants calculated by the calculation unit 120 from voice data. Specifically, FIG. 17 is a graph showing a spectrum obtained by converting audio data whose horizontal axis is time into frequency. Note that the vertical axis in FIG. 17 is the amplitude.

As indicated by broken lines in FIG. 17, a plurality of peaks are confirmed in the data obtained by converting the horizontal axis of the audio data into frequency. Among the plurality of peaks, the frequency of the lowest peak is the first formant F1. Also, the second formant F2 has a peak frequency that is the second lowest after the first formant F1. Also, the frequency of the peak with the next lowest frequency after the second formant F2 is the third formant F3.

The first formant F1 is the first peak frequency seen counting from the low-frequency side of human speech, and is known to easily reflect features related to tongue movement. In addition, dementia patients often cannot move their tongue well compared to healthy people. Therefore, it is considered that the first formant F1 is likely to differ between healthy subjects and dementia patients. Therefore, the cognitive function of the person to be evaluated U can be evaluated with high accuracy by using the quantity related to the first formant as a feature quantity for evaluation of the cognitive function.

The second formant F2 is the peak frequency that appears second from the low frequency side of human speech. It is known that the influence of In addition, dementia patients often lose their motor function to maintain the position of the tongue and jaw compared to healthy people. Therefore, it is considered that the second formant F2 is likely to differ between healthy subjects and dementia patients. Therefore, the cognitive function of the person to be evaluated U can be evaluated with high accuracy by using the quantity related to the second formant as a feature quantity for evaluation of the cognitive function.

The calculation unit 120 extracts a vowel part from the speech data acquired by the acquisition unit 110 by a known method, converts the extracted vowel part speech data into amplitude with respect to frequency, and calculates the spectrum of the vowel, Calculate formants. The formant amplitude is, for example, the peak intensity at the frequency of each formant shown in FIG.

It should be noted that the graph shown in FIG. 17 is calculated by converting the audio data into amplitude data with respect to frequency and finding the envelope of the data. For example, cepstrum analysis, linear predictive coding (LPC), etc. are employed for calculating the envelope.

[Specific evaluation method]
In general, whether or not the person U to be evaluated has dementia is diagnosed by having the person U to undergo the MoCA test. The MoCA test is a batch test for diagnosing dementia, and can identify whether the assessee U has dementia. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing scores obtained by the person to be evaluated U when taking the MoCA test.

The inventors recruited multiple evaluators, including normal controls (NC), mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia (AD), and performed the MoCA test. The number of subjects (Number of subjects) for NC was 90, the number of subjects for MCI was 94, and the number of subjects for AD was 93.

From FIG. 18, it can be confirmed that NC, MCI, and AD have different MoCA score average values (MoCA average scores) and score ranges (MoCA score ranges). Specifically, the mean NC MoCA score was 27.4, the mean MCI MoCA score was 22.1, and the mean AD MoCA score was 16.2. . By using the correlation between the results of the MoCA test or the like obtained in this way and the variation of the first formant F1 as the reference data 151, the cognitive function evaluation apparatus 100 can, from the voice of the person U to be evaluated and the reference data 151, The cognitive function of the person U to be evaluated can be evaluated.

Specifically, in the reference data 151, there is a tendency that the greater the variation in the first formant, the lower the cognitive function. Therefore, based on the reference data 151, the evaluation unit 130 evaluates that the cognitive function is low as the variation in the first formants is large.

As described above, as the feature amount, in addition to the variation in the first formant, the variation in the second formant or the variation in the ratio of the first formant and the second formant may be used. Also in this case, the evaluation unit 130, for example, evaluates that the cognitive function is low as the variation in the second formant is large, and that the cognitive function is low as the variation in the ratio of the first formant and the second formant is large. .

In addition, the relationship between the variation in the reference data and cognitive function is based on the data analysis of the above-mentioned appraisers gathered by the inventors at the present time, but in the future, data analysis of more appraisers will be conducted. , the evaluation criteria may change due to data analysis with revised conditions. Therefore, it is possible that the greater the variation in the first formant, the higher the cognitive function. The same applies to variations in the second formant or variations in the ratio of the first formant and the second formant.

[Another example of feature quantity]
In the above-described embodiment, the calculation unit 120 calculates feature amounts based on formants, but may calculate feature amounts other than this.

For example, the calculator 120 may calculate the variation per unit time of the fundamental frequency of the audio data as the feature quantity. Fundamental frequency here means the frequency of the sound source. In other words, it means the pitch of the voice uttered by the person U to be evaluated. Fluctuation of the fundamental frequency per unit time means the amount of change of the fundamental frequency per unit time.

In this case, the evaluation unit 130, for example, evaluates that the cognitive function is lower as the variation per unit time of the fundamental frequency of the voice data is larger, but the cognitive function is lower as the variation per unit time of the fundamental frequency of the voice data is greater. It can be evaluated as highly functional. It should be noted that detailed evaluation criteria in this case may be appropriately determined experimentally or empirically, similarly to the reference data 151 described above.

Further, the calculation unit 120 may calculate the variation width per unit time of the fundamental frequency of the audio data as the feature amount. The fluctuation amount of the fundamental frequency per unit time means the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of the fundamental frequency in the unit time.

In this case, the evaluation unit 130, for example, evaluates that the cognitive function is lower as the amount of change per unit time of the fundamental frequency of the audio data increases, but the larger the amount of change per unit time in the fundamental frequency of the audio data is, the lower the cognitive function becomes. , may be rated as having high cognitive function. It should be noted that detailed evaluation criteria in this case may be appropriately determined experimentally or empirically, similarly to the reference data 151 described above.

[Effects, etc.]
As described above, the cognitive function evaluation apparatus 100 collects the second speech data of the person U for testing before acquiring the first speech data of the person U for evaluating the cognitive function. It includes an acquisition unit 110 that acquires from the sound device 300, and a test processing unit 170 that performs information processing for bringing the volume of the first audio data closer to a predetermined volume range based on the acquired second audio data. The test processing section 170 is an example of an information processing section.

Such a cognitive function evaluation device 100 evaluates the cognitive function after optimizing the speech volume of the person U to be evaluated by the above information processing, so that the cognitive function of the person U to be evaluated is evaluated with high accuracy. be able to.

Further, for example, the test processing section 170 presents information instructing the person U to adjust the speech volume as the information processing. For example, when the test processing unit 170 determines that the volume of the second audio data is higher than the predetermined volume range, the test processing unit 170 presents information instructing the person U to speak in a low voice, When it is determined that the volume of the voice data is smaller than a predetermined volume range, the evaluated person U is presented with information instructing to speak loudly.

Such a cognitive function evaluation apparatus 100 instructs the person U to adjust the speech volume and then evaluates the cognitive function. It increases the possibility of being able to assess the cognitive function of U. That is, the cognitive function evaluation device 100 can evaluate the cognitive function of the person U to be evaluated with high accuracy.

Further, for example, the test processing unit 170 presents information instructing the person U to be evaluated to adjust the positional relationship between the person U to be evaluated and the sound collecting device 300 as the information processing.

For example, when the sound collecting device 300 is fixed, the test processing unit 170 moves away from the sound collecting device 300 and speaks when it is determined that the volume of the second audio data is higher than the predetermined volume range. is presented to the evaluator U, and when it is determined that the volume of the second audio data is smaller than the predetermined volume range, the evaluator is presented with information instructing to approach the sound collecting device 300 and speak. Present to evaluator U.

Further, for example, when the position of the sound collector 300 can be manually adjusted, the test processing unit 170 determines that the sound volume of the second audio data is larger than the predetermined volume range. is presented to the person U to be evaluated, and when it is determined that the volume of the second audio data is smaller than the predetermined volume range, the sound collector 300 is turned on. The evaluated person U is presented with information instructing the person to speak while approaching the evaluated person U.

Such a cognitive function evaluation apparatus 100 instructs the person U to adjust the positional relationship between the person U to be evaluated and the sound collector 300, and then evaluates the cognitive function. The cognitive function of the person U to be evaluated can be evaluated with high accuracy without requiring adjustment of the volume. It may be difficult for elderly people to adjust the speech volume, and the configuration for instructing adjustment of the positional relationship between the person to be evaluated U and the sound collector 300 is useful in such cases.

Further, for example, the sound collecting device 300 is connected to an electric driving device 600 for adjusting the position of the sound collecting device 300, and the test processing unit 170 performs control for driving the electric driving device 600 as the information processing. Output a signal.

Such a cognitive function evaluation device 100 automatically adjusts the positional relationship between the person U to be evaluated and the sound collecting device 300, and then evaluates the cognitive function. The cognitive function of the person to be evaluated U can be evaluated with high accuracy without requiring the person to take action.

Also, for example, the cognitive function evaluation device 100 further includes a storage unit 150 . After performing the information processing, the test processing unit 170 stores the content of the information processing in the storage unit 150 in association with the identification information of the person U to be evaluated. When evaluating the cognitive function, information processing having the same content as the information processing stored in the storage unit 150 is performed.

Such a cognitive function evaluation apparatus 100 can shorten the time required for evaluating the cognitive function by substantially omitting the second and subsequent volume tests.

The cognitive function evaluation system 200 also includes a cognitive function evaluation device 100 and a sound collector 300 .

Such a cognitive function evaluation system 200 evaluates the cognitive function after optimizing the speech volume of the person to be evaluated U by the above information processing, so that the cognitive function of the person to be evaluated U is evaluated with high accuracy. be able to.

In addition, in the cognitive function evaluation method executed by a computer such as the cognitive function evaluation device 100, before acquiring the first voice data of the person U to be evaluated for evaluating the cognitive function, an acquisition step of acquiring the second audio data from the sound collecting device 300; and an information processing step of performing information processing for bringing the volume of the first audio data closer to a predetermined volume range based on the acquired second audio data. including.

Such a cognitive function evaluation method evaluates the cognitive function of the person U to be evaluated after optimizing the speech volume of the person to be evaluated U by the information processing described above. can be done.

(Modification)
Next, cognitive function evaluation systems according to modified examples 1 and 2 of the embodiment will be described. Note that the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations as in the embodiment, and redundant description may be omitted or simplified.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing the configuration of a cognitive function evaluation system according to Modification 1 of the embodiment.

A cognitive function evaluation system 200a according to Modification 1 of the embodiment includes a cognitive function evaluation device 100, a sound collector 300, and a display device 400, similarly to the cognitive function evaluation system 200 according to the embodiment. The cognitive function evaluation system 200 may include a pop guard 320 to cover the sound collector 300, for example.

Further, the cognitive function evaluation system 200a employs a sound collector 300 having directivity. Here, the sound collection device 300 and the display device 400 are arranged in the direction in which the sound collection device 300 exhibits the maximum sensitivity (the sound collection direction V2 shown in FIG. 19) and in the normal direction of the display surface 401 in which the display device 400 displays task information. V1 are arranged so as to coincide with each other. Specifically, the sound collector 300 and the display device 400 are arranged on a fixed object such as a desk so that the normal direction V1 and the sound collection direction V2 are parallel. Note that the sound collector 300 and the display device 400 may be fixed to a construction material or the like. Further, the cognitive function evaluation system 200a may include fixtures for fixing the positional relationship between the sound collector 300 and the display device 400 .

By doing this, even when the person to be evaluated U speaks while looking at the display device 400, the sound collecting direction V2 and the speaking direction are more likely to match. Therefore, by setting the positional relationship as in the cognitive function evaluation system 200a, the sound collector 300 can easily detect the voice of the person U to be evaluated accurately.

Next, a cognitive function evaluation system according to Modification 2 of the embodiment will be described.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing the configuration of a cognitive function evaluation system according to Modification 2 of the embodiment.

A cognitive function evaluation system 200b according to Modification 2 of the embodiment includes a cognitive function evaluation device 100, a sound collector 300a, and a display device 400, like the cognitive function evaluation system 200 according to the embodiment.

The sound collector 300 a is a microphone that detects the voice uttered by the person U to be evaluated and outputs voice data representing the detected voice to the cognitive function evaluation device 100 , similarly to the sound collector 300 . Moreover, the sound collector 300a has directivity, like the sound collector 300 in the cognitive function evaluation system 200 according to the embodiment.

In the cognitive function evaluation system 200b, the sound collector 300a and the display device 400 are integrally formed. Specifically, the sound collector 300a and the display device 400 are arranged in the same housing. In the manufacturing process for integrally forming the sound collecting device 300a and the display device 400, if the normal direction V1 and the sound collecting direction V2 are formed to match, the person U can use the cognitive function evaluation system 200b. When using, the deviation of the normal direction V1 and the sound collection direction V2 is suppressed.

(Other embodiments)
Although the cognitive function evaluation system and the like according to the embodiment and modification 1 and modification 2 of the embodiment have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

In the above embodiment, the cognitive function evaluation device evaluates NC, MCI, or AD as a specific example of cognitive function evaluation. However, the cognitive function evaluation device is not limited to evaluation of NC, MCI, or AD. For example, the degree of drunkenness of the person U to be evaluated may be evaluated.

Moreover, in the above embodiments, Alzheimer's dementia was given as a specific example of symptoms of cognitive function decline. However, cognitive function refers to the ability to perceive, remember, and judge, and dementia refers to the symptoms of cognitive decline described above. That is, the degree of cognitive function evaluated by the cognitive function evaluation device is not limited to Alzheimer's dementia, and may be, for example, vascular dementia.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, in order to evaluate the degree of cognitive function of the person to be evaluated U, the storage unit 150 stores in advance the data indicating the relationship between the score of the MoCA test and the formant-based feature amount as the reference data 151. I remember. However, the reference data is not limited to data showing the relationship between the MoCA test and the formant features, as long as the data can be used to evaluate the degree of cognitive function by matching with the formant features. For example, the reference data may be data indicating the relationship between scores such as MMSE (Mini-Mental State Examination) and features such as formants.

Further, the specific contents of the cognitive function evaluation process in the above embodiment are examples. The cognitive function evaluation process may be a process of evaluating the cognitive function based on the voice data of the person to be evaluated. For example, the cognitive function evaluation method described in Patent Literature 2 may be used.

Further, the present invention may be implemented as a program that causes a computer to execute the steps executed by the cognitive function evaluation device. Also, the present invention may be implemented as a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM in which the program is recorded. Also, the present invention may be realized as information, data or a signal indicating the program. These programs, information, data and signals may then be distributed over a communication network such as the Internet.

In the above embodiment, the cognitive function of the person to be evaluated was evaluated by calculating only the voice data obtained from the person to be evaluated as the feature amount. may be implemented. For example, it is known that there is a correlation between cognitive function and walking data related to walking such as stride length, stride interval, and walking speed. By combining the speech data of the person evaluated in the above embodiment and the walking data of the person to be evaluated and using them for evaluation of cognitive function, the cognitive function of the person to be evaluated can be evaluated with higher accuracy.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, a plurality of feature amounts calculated by the calculation unit are exemplified. The evaluation unit may evaluate the cognitive function of the person being evaluated from a plurality of different feature amounts calculated by the calculation unit. In addition, the evaluation unit may evaluate the cognitive function of the person to be evaluated by weighting each feature amount. The coefficients used in the weighting performed by the evaluator may be determined arbitrarily.

In addition, forms obtained by applying various modifications to each embodiment that a person skilled in the art can think of, or realized by arbitrarily combining the constituent elements and functions of each embodiment without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Also included in the present invention.

100 Cognitive Function Evaluation Device 110 Acquisition Unit 170 Test Processing Unit (Information Processing Unit)
200, 200a, 200b Cognitive function evaluation system 300, 300a Sound collector 600 Electric drive device U Evaluate person

Claims (5)

an acquisition unit that acquires, from a sound collecting device, second voice data for testing of the evaluator before acquiring first voice data of the evaluator for evaluating cognitive function;
an information processing unit that performs information processing for bringing the volume of the first audio data closer to a predetermined volume range based on the acquired second audio data,
The second voice data for testing is obtained by uttering a sentence different from the actual sentence used for evaluation of the cognitive function,
The information processing unit
Presenting information instructing the person to be evaluated to adjust a speech volume as the information processing,
An illustration of a child covering his ears as information instructing the person to be evaluated to speak in a lower voice when the volume of the second audio data is determined to be higher than the predetermined volume range. Present an image containing
When the volume of the second audio data is determined to be lower than the predetermined volume range, a gesture of inaudible sound is provided as information for instructing the person to be evaluated to speak louder than before. present an image containing an illustration of a child
Cognitive function evaluation device. Furthermore, it has a storage unit,
The information processing unit
after performing the information processing, storing the content of the information processing in the storage unit in association with the identification information of the person to be evaluated;
2. The cognitive function according to claim 1 , wherein when evaluating the cognitive function of the person to be evaluated after the content of the information processing is stored, information processing having the same content as the information processing stored in the storage unit is performed. Evaluation device. A cognitive function evaluation device according to claim 1 or 2 ;
A cognitive function evaluation system comprising the sound collector. A computer-implemented cognitive function assessment method comprising:
an obtaining step of obtaining, from a sound collecting device, second audio data for testing of the evaluator before obtaining the first audio data of the evaluator for evaluating cognitive function;
an information processing step of performing information processing for bringing the volume of the first audio data closer to a predetermined volume range based on the acquired second audio data,
The second voice data for testing is obtained by uttering a sentence different from the actual sentence used for evaluation of the cognitive function,
In the information processing step,
Presenting information instructing the person to be evaluated to adjust a speech volume as the information processing,
An illustration of a child covering his ears as information instructing the person to be evaluated to speak in a lower voice when the volume of the second audio data is determined to be higher than the predetermined volume range. Present an image containing
When the volume of the second audio data is determined to be lower than the predetermined volume range, a gesture of inaudible sound is provided as information for instructing the person to be evaluated to speak louder than before. present an image containing an illustration of a child
Cognitive function evaluation method. A program for causing a computer to execute the cognitive function evaluation method according to claim 4 .

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