Measuring apparatus and information processing system

Abstract

To provide an information processing system, etc. capable of allowing an electromagnetic wave to penetrate into a measurement part easily.SOLUTION: A measuring apparatus includes a radiation unit, a first waveguide, and a measuring unit. The radiation unit is configured to radiate an electromagnetic wave of a microwave band or a millimeter wave band to the first waveguide. The first waveguide includes a first end part and a second end part, is configured to transmit the electromagnetic wave made incident from the first end part, and includes a guide part for guiding the electromagnetic wave to enter a measurement part at an incidence angle θ1(θ1>0°) when the second end part is brought into close contact with the measurement part of a human body. The measuring unit is disposed at a position that the electromagnetic wave entering the measurement part at an incidence angle θ1 reaches through the inside of the human body, and is configured to measure the electromagnetic wave that has reached the position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a measurement device and an information processing system. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which, in a probe having a transmission port, a detection port, and a reference port of a waveguide that transmits electromagnetic waves, a detection port signal and a reference port signal are acquired, a correction signal is generated by calculating the difference between the detection port signal and the reference port signal, and an output is calculated by a nonlinear activation function using the generated correction signal as input data, thereby outputting a glucose concentration. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Re-tabled publication 2020 / 179664 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When electromagnetic waves are emitted into the body to output information indicating blood components such as glucose, as in the technology of Patent Document 1, the more of the electromagnetic waves that are reflected from the surface of the body, the less of the electromagnetic waves that penetrate into the body, and the lower the accuracy of the information.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides an information processing system and the like that can facilitate the penetration of electromagnetic waves into a measurement site. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a measurement device comprising a radiation unit, a first waveguide, and a measurement unit, wherein the radiation unit is configured to radiate electromagnetic waves in the microwave band or millimeter wave band to the first waveguide, the first waveguide has a first end and a second end and is configured to be capable of transmitting electromagnetic waves incident from the first end, and has a guide unit that guides the electromagnetic waves so that they are incident on the measurement site at an incident angle θ1 (θ1>0°) when the second end is brought into close contact with a measurement site on a human body, and the measurement unit is provided at a position where the electromagnetic waves incident on the measurement site at the incident angle θ1 reach the inside of the human body, and is configured to be capable of measuring the electromagnetic waves that have reached the measurement site.

[0007] According to this aspect, it is possible to allow the electromagnetic waves to easily penetrate into the measurement site. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a blood component measuring system 1. [Diagram 2] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a server device 10. FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a user terminal 20. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a path of an electromagnetic wave. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a measurement device 30. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating another example of the hardware configuration of the measurement device 30. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is an activity diagram showing an example of a measurement process. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of the measurement result of the reflected electromagnetic wave S11. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of the measurement result of the reflected electromagnetic wave S11. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a measuring device 30a having a position adjustment function. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a measurement device 30b having an incident angle adjustment function. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a measurement device 30c having a frequency adjustment function. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Various characteristic features shown in the following embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0010] Incidentally, a program for realizing the software appearing in one embodiment may be provided as a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium, or may be provided so as to be downloadable from an external server, or may be provided so that the program is launched on an external computer and its functions are realized on a client terminal (so-called cloud computing).

[0011] In addition, in various information processing according to an embodiment, an input and an output according to the input can be realized. Here, as long as an output is obtained as a result of the input, the form of information referenced in such information processing (hereinafter referred to as reference information) is not limited. The reference information may be, for example, rule-based information such as a database, a lookup table, or a predetermined function (including a judgment formula such as a regression formula constructed by a statistical method), or may be a trained model that has previously trained the correlation between the input and the output, or may be a large-scale language model that can output a desired result by inputting a prompt.

[0012] In one embodiment, the term "unit" may include, for example, a combination of hardware resources implemented by a circuit in the broad sense and software information processing that can be specifically realized by these hardware resources. In one embodiment, various information is handled, and this information is represented by, for example, physical values ​​of signal values ​​representing voltage and current, high and low signal values ​​as a binary bit collection consisting of 0 or 1, or quantum superposition (so-called quantum bits), and communication and calculation can be performed on the circuit in the broad sense.

[0013] Furthermore, a circuit in the broad sense is a circuit realized by at least appropriately combining a circuit, circuitry, a processor, and a memory. The processor may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated circuit. In other words, it includes an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (e.g., a simple programmable logic device (SPLD), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), and a field programmable gate array (FPGA)), etc.

[0014] <Embodiment> 1. System Configuration The system configuration according to the embodiment will be described below. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a blood component measuring system 1. Fig. 1 shows an overview of each device provided in the blood component measuring system 1 and a user who uses these devices. Each overview will be explained as appropriate with reference to other figures.

[0015] The blood component measuring system 1 is an information processing system that executes information processing for measuring blood components in a human body 3. In the example of Fig. 1, the blood component measuring system 1 measures the amount of glucose, which is a blood component, i.e., the blood glucose level. The blood component measuring system 1 includes a communication line 2, a server device 10, a user terminal 20, and a measuring device 30.

[0016] The measuring device 30 is a device that radiates electromagnetic waves to a measurement site 4 of the human body 3 and measures the electromagnetic waves emitted through the inside of the measurement site 4. The measuring device 30 measures, for example, one or both of the amplitude and phase of the electromagnetic waves. Since the measured electromagnetic waves have a correlation with blood components, it is possible to measure the blood components based on the measurement results of the electromagnetic waves. Some blood component measurements impose a burden on the human body 3 by, for example, pricking a needle. In contrast, the measuring device 30 uses electromagnetic waves to perform non-invasive measurement that does not impose a burden on the human body 3. The measuring device 30 transmits measurement data indicating the measurement results of the electromagnetic waves to, for example, the user terminal 20.

[0017] The user terminal 20 is an information processing device for a user of the blood component measurement system 1, and is, for example, a personal computer or a tablet terminal. The user of the user terminal 20 is, for example, a measurement operator who performs the measurement of blood components (the subject of measurement himself or herself or a supporter who supports the measurement, etc.). The user terminal 20 transfers the measurement data transmitted from the measurement device 30 to the server device 10.

[0018] The server device 10 is an information processing device that executes information processing for measuring blood components. The server device 10 measures the blood components of the human body 3 based on, for example, electromagnetic wave measurement data transmitted from the user terminal 20. A method for measuring the blood components will be described in detail later. The server device 10 transmits the measurement results of the blood components to the user terminal 20, and the user terminal 20 displays the measurement results, allowing the user to know the amount of the measured blood components.

[0019] 2. Hardware Configuration The hardware configuration according to the embodiment will be described below. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of server device 10. Server device 10 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, a communication unit 13, and a bus 14. Bus 14 electrically connects each unit included in server device 10.

[0020] (Control unit 11) The control unit 11 is, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) not shown. The control unit 11 realizes various functions related to the blood component measurement system 1 by reading out a predetermined program stored in the storage unit 12. In other words, information processing by software stored in the storage unit 12 is specifically realized by the control unit 11, which is an example of hardware, and can be executed as each functional unit included in the control unit 11. Note that the control unit 11 is not limited to being single, and may be implemented with multiple control units 11 for each function. Also, a combination of these may be used.

[0021] (Storage unit 12) The memory unit 12 stores various information defined by the above description. This can be implemented, for example, as a storage device such as a solid state drive (SSD) that stores various programs and the like related to the blood component measurement system 1 executed by the control unit 11, or as a memory such as a random access memory (RAM) that stores temporarily required information (arguments, arrays, etc.) related to the program calculations. The memory unit 12 stores various programs, variables, etc. related to the blood component measurement system 1 executed by the control unit 11.

[0022] (Communications Department 13) The communication unit 13 is configured to be able to transmit various electrical signals from the server device 10 to external components. The communication unit 13 is also configured to be able to receive various electrical signals from the external components to the server device 10. More preferably, the communication unit 13 has a network communication function, and may be implemented so that various information can be communicated between the server device 10 and external devices via the communication line 2.

[0023] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the user terminal 20. The user terminal 20 includes a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, a communication unit 23, an input unit 24, an output unit 25, and a bus 26. The bus 26 electrically connects the various units included in the user terminal 20. The control unit 21, the storage unit 22, and the communication unit 23 are similar hardware to the control unit 11, the storage unit 12, and the communication unit 13 shown in Fig. 2, although the specifications, models, and the like may be different.

[0024] (Input section 24) The input unit 24 has operation receiving means such as keys, buttons, a touch screen, a mouse, etc., and receives input operations by the user. The input unit 24 may also have a microphone and have a function of receiving voice input by the user.

[0025] (Output section 25) The output unit 25 has a display means such as a display and a sound emitting means such as a speaker, and displays visual information generated in a manner that is visible to the user, such as screens, images, icons, text, etc., on the display surface of the display, and outputs sound including voice.

[0026] Next, a description will be given of the hardware configuration of the measurement device 30. As described above, the path of the electromagnetic wave measured by the measurement device 30 is divided into two paths.

[0027] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the path of an electromagnetic wave. FIG. 4A shows an example in which an electromagnetic wave is incident on a measurement site 4 of a human body 3, and a reflected electromagnetic wave S11 reflected by components such as blood flowing inside the body is measured. FIG. 4B shows an example in which an electromagnetic wave is incident on a measurement site 4 of a human body 3, and a transmitted electromagnetic wave S21 that passes through the body and is emitted from the opposite side is measured. In either case, the electromagnetic wave penetrates into the human body 3 once, is transmitted and scattered, and a part of it is emitted to the outside of the human body 3. The measuring device 30 measures the electromagnetic wave thus emitted. Note that the location of the measurement site 4 on the human body 3 is arbitrary, but when measuring the transmitted electromagnetic wave S21, it is preferable that the measurement site 4 be a site with a small thickness such as an earlobe or a web of a palm.

[0028] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the measurement device 30. In the example of Fig. 5, an example of the hardware configuration for measuring the transmitted electromagnetic wave S21 is shown. The measurement device 30 includes a radiation unit 31, a first waveguide 41 and a second waveguide 42 (when there is no need to distinguish between them, they are referred to as "waveguides 40"), a measurement unit 32, and a communication unit 33.

[0029] The radiation unit 31 includes a signal generator, an amplifier, a transmission antenna, and the like, and radiates electromagnetic waves. The signal generator generates an electrical signal of a specific frequency, and the amplifier amplifies the generated electrical signal. The transmission antenna radiates the amplified electrical signal as an electromagnetic wave. The radiation unit 31 radiates, for example, electromagnetic waves in the millimeter wave band or microwave band. Millimeter waves are electromagnetic waves with a wavelength of 1 mm or more and 10 mm or less, and a frequency of 30 GHz or more and 300 GHz or less. Microwaves are electromagnetic waves with a wavelength of 1 cm or more and tens of cm or less, and a frequency of several hundred MHz or more and 30 GHz or less.

[0030] The waveguide 40 is a structure that confines and transmits electromagnetic waves. The waveguide 40 is configured to be, for example, a rectangular waveguide, a circular waveguide, a coaxial waveguide, or the like. The rectangular waveguide includes, for example, a metal tube with a rectangular cross section, and the circular waveguide includes a metal tube with a circular cross section. The coaxial waveguide includes a so-called coaxial cable. The waveguide 40 is configured to have a size and shape according to the frequency of the electromagnetic wave radiated from the radiation portion 31.

[0031] The first waveguide 41 has a first end 411 and a second end 412. The radiation unit 31 is provided at a position where the electromagnetic wave can be incident from the first end 411 into the inside of the first waveguide 41. The second end 412 has an obliquely cut shape, and when the tip 413 is viewed from the side, the angle formed by the tip 413 is θ2. The measurement of the electromagnetic wave is performed in a state where the second end 412 of the first waveguide 41 is in close contact with the surface 301 of the measurement site 4 of the human body 3, as shown in FIG. 5. The measurement site 4 of the human body 3 is, for example, an earlobe as shown in FIG. 4.

[0032] The electromagnetic wave incident on the inside of first waveguide 41 is transmitted inside first waveguide 41 in transmission direction D1, and is incident on measurement site 4 of human body 3 from second end 412 at incident angle θ1. The relationship between incident angle θ1 and angle θ2 of tip 413 of second end 412 is expressed by the following mathematical formula 1.

[0033]

number

[0034] An electromagnetic wave incident on surface 301 of measurement site 4 is refracted at surface 301, which is the boundary surface between first waveguide 41 and measurement site 4, and is transmitted in transmission direction D2 with a refraction angle θ3. The refraction angle θ3 is approximately expressed by the following formula 2, where θ1 is the incident angle to surface 301, and n1 and n2 are the equivalent refractive indices of first waveguide 41 and measurement site 4 of the human body 3, respectively.

[0035]

number

[0036] Here, "equivalent" means that, for example, human tissue with a spatially complex structure, such as the measurement site 4 of the human body 3, does not have a uniform refractive index, but can be regarded as an object with a uniform refractive index by considering the average while weighting spatially. Similarly, hereinafter, "equivalent" means that even if the structure is spatially complex, it can be regarded as an object with a uniform refractive index in terms of specific properties (refractive index, etc.).

[0037] Electromagnetic waves can be transmitted in any direction since they are scattered and refracted by blood and the like inside the human body 3, but in the example of Fig. 5, it is assumed that the electromagnetic waves are transmitted most in the transmission direction D2. The electromagnetic waves transmitted in the transmission direction D2 are incident on the second waveguide 42, which is in contact with the surface 302 on the opposite side of the measurement site 4, at an incident angle θ4. When the surfaces 301 and 302 are parallel, the incident angle θ4 is equal to the refraction angle θ3.

[0038] The second waveguide 42 has a first end 421 and a second end 422. The second end 422 has a shape cut at an angle, and when the tip 423 is viewed from the side, the angle formed by the tip 423 is θ5. Measurement of the electromagnetic wave is performed in a state where the second end 422 of the second waveguide 42 is in close contact with the surface 302 of the measurement site 4 of the human body 3, as shown in FIG. 5. The electromagnetic wave incident from the second end 422 is refracted at the surface 302, which is the boundary surface between the measurement site 4 and the second waveguide 42, and is transmitted inside the second waveguide 42 in a transmission direction D3 with a refraction angle θ6. The refraction angle θ6 is approximately expressed by the following formula 3, where the incident angle to the second end 422 is θ4, and the equivalent refractive indexes of the measurement site 4 of the human body 3 and the second waveguide 42 are n2 and n3, respectively.

[0039]

number

[0040] When the second end 422 of the second waveguide 42 is brought into close contact with the surface 302 of the measurement site 4, the angle that the transmission direction D3 forms with respect to the surface 302 is equal to the angle θ5 formed by the tip 423. Since there is less loss in the transmission of the electromagnetic wave when the direction of the electromagnetic wave coincides with the transmission direction D3 due to the refraction angle θ6 compared to when they do not coincide, θ5 is an angle that satisfies the following formula 4.

[0041]

number

[0042] The electromagnetic wave incident on the inside of the second waveguide 42 is transmitted through the inside of the second waveguide 42 in the transmission direction D1 and is emitted from the first end 421. The measurement unit 32 is provided at a position where it can measure the electromagnetic wave emitted from the first end 421, and measures the transmitted electromagnetic wave S21 that has been emitted. The measurement unit 32 has, for example, a VNA (vector network analyzer) that measures the amplitude or phase of the transmitted electromagnetic wave S21. The measurement unit 32 supplies measurement data indicating the measurement result to the communication unit 33. The communication unit 33 transmits the supplied measurement data to the user terminal 20 by wireless or wired communication.

[0043] Here, the incidence angle θ1 of the electromagnetic wave onto the surface 301 of the measurement site 4 of the human body 3 and the incidence angle θ4 of the electromagnetic wave emerging from the opposite surface 302 onto the first end 421 of the second waveguide 42 will be described in detail. As described above, assuming that the equivalent refractive indices of the first waveguide 41, the measurement site 4 of the human body 3 and the second waveguide 42 are n1, n2 and n3, respectively, the measurement device 30 is configured such that the incidence angle θ1 satisfies the following formula 5, and the incidence angle θ4 approximately satisfies the following formula 6.

[0044]

number

number

[0045] Each refractive index is expressed by the following Formula 7, Formula 8, and Formula 9 using the dielectric constant ε0 of a vacuum, the equivalent dielectric constant ε1 of the first waveguide 41 (hereinafter also referred to as the “equivalent dielectric constant ε1”), the equivalent dielectric constant ε2 of the measurement site 4 (hereinafter also referred to as the “equivalent dielectric constant ε2”), and the equivalent dielectric constant ε3 of the second waveguide 42 (hereinafter also referred to as the “equivalent dielectric constant ε3”).

[0046]

number

number

number

[0047] Equation 5 and Equation 6 represent the so-called Brewster angle, which is an extension of the conventional Brewster angle by considering the equivalent dielectric constant, and can be called the equivalent Brewster angle. As shown in Equation 7 and Equation 8, the incident angle θ1, which is the equivalent Brewster angle, is determined based on the equivalent dielectric constant ε1 of the first waveguide 41 and the equivalent dielectric constant ε2 of the measurement portion 4. Also, as shown in Equation 8 and Equation 9, the incident angle θ4, which is the equivalent Brewster angle, is determined based on the equivalent dielectric constant ε2 of the measurement portion 4 and the equivalent dielectric constant ε3 of the second waveguide 42. It is known that, when an electromagnetic wave is incident at the Brewster angle on the boundary surface between two transmitting bodies, the p-polarized electromagnetic wave contained in the electromagnetic wave is not reflected at the boundary surface. In other words, the measuring device 30 is configured so that the reflection of the electromagnetic wave at the boundary surface present on the path along which the electromagnetic wave is transmitted is equivalently suppressed.

[0048] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another example of the hardware configuration of the measurement device 30. In the example of FIG. 6, an example of the measurement device 30 when measuring the reflected electromagnetic wave S11 is shown. The measurement device 30 shown in FIG. 6 includes a radiation unit 31, a first waveguide 41, a measurement unit 32, and a communication unit 33. That is, the measurement device 30 shown in FIG. 6 does not include the second waveguide 42 shown in FIG. 5. In the example of FIG. 6, the radiation unit 31 is provided at a position where the electromagnetic wave can be incident from the first end 411 of the first waveguide 41, and the measurement unit 32 is provided at a position where the electromagnetic wave emitted from the first end 411 of the first waveguide 41 can be measured.

[0049] The electromagnetic wave transmitted by the first waveguide 41 is transmitted in a transmission direction D1 as shown in Fig. 6(a), enters the measurement site 4 of the human body 3, is refracted, and is transmitted inside the body in a transmission direction D2. The electromagnetic wave transmitted inside the body is scattered by blood and the like inside the body, and the electromagnetic wave scattered in the direction toward the measurement unit 32 becomes a reflected electromagnetic wave S11 as shown in Fig. 6(b), and is transmitted in a transmission direction D3.

[0050] The reflected electromagnetic wave S11 transmitted in the transmission direction D3 is refracted at the boundary surface between the measurement site 4 and the first waveguide 41, as shown in Fig. 6(b), and is transmitted toward the transmission direction D4. The transmitted reflected electromagnetic wave S11 is incident on the measurement unit 32 via the first waveguide 41. The measurement unit 32 measures the incident reflected electromagnetic wave S11. The communication unit 33 transmits the measurement data supplied from the measurement unit 32 to the user terminal 20 by wireless or wired communication, similar to the example of Fig. 5.

[0051] 3. Information Processing The information processing according to the embodiment will be described below. In the following description, the server device 10, the user terminal 20, and the measurement device 30 are described as the subjects of each information processing, but the information processing is executed by at least one processor included in the blood component measurement system 1, i.e., a processor included in the control unit of each device. The blood component measurement system 1 executes a measurement process to measure blood components in a human body 3, for example.

[0052] Fig. 7 is an activity diagram showing an example of a measurement process. The measurement process is started, for example, when the measurement device 30 shown in Fig. 5 is attached to the measurement site 4 of the human body 3. First, the measurement device 30 radiates an electromagnetic wave (activity A11). The radiated electromagnetic wave penetrates the measurement site 4 of the human body 3 via the first waveguide 41 shown in Fig. 5, and reaches the measurement unit 32 via the second waveguide 42 as a transmitted electromagnetic wave S21 shown in Fig. 4. The measurement device 30 measures the transmitted electromagnetic wave S21 that has arrived (activity A12).

[0053] The measurement device 30 measures one or both of the amplitude and phase of the transmitted electromagnetic wave S21, and generates measurement data indicating the measurement results (activity A13). The measurement device 30 transmits the generated measurement data to the user terminal 20. The user terminal 20 transfers the transmitted measurement data to the server device 10 (activity A14). Upon receiving the transferred measurement data, the server device 10 acquires the measurement results indicated by the received measurement data (activity A21).

[0054] The server device 10 extracts features of the electromagnetic waves from the acquired measurement data (activity A22). The server device 10 extracts one or both of the amplitude and phase of the electromagnetic waves as features that indicate a correlation with the amount of blood components. Here, the server device 10 stores an estimator having a function of estimating blood components. The server device 10 stores, for example, an estimator that performs adaptive estimation using a complex-valued neural network. A complex-valued neural network is a neural network in which inputs, weights, outputs, etc. are expressed by complex numbers, and can efficiently process information that cannot be captured by real numbers.

[0055] The server device 10 inputs the extracted feature amount to the estimator (activity A23). Next, the server device 10 outputs component information indicating the amount of blood component estimated by the estimator (activity A24). The server device 10 outputs the component information to, for example, the user terminal 20. The user terminal 20 displays the output component information (activity A25). The component information thus displayed indicates, for example, the blood glucose level of the human body 3.

[0056] 4. Numerical Analysis Next, the components of the blood component measurement system 1 are simulated, and the results of analyzing the values ​​of the measurement results by the measurement device 30 are described. For the numerical analysis, electromagnetic field simulation software HFSS (manufactured by Ansys, Inc.) based on the finite element method is used. A tissue model showing the biological tissue of an earlobe is used, in which the measurement site 4 of the human body 3 is set to be an earlobe, and there are two 0.2 mm skin layers, three 1.0 mm fat layers, and four 0.4 mm blood layers, with a total thickness of 5.0 mm. The area of ​​the measurement site 4 on the body surface of the human body 3 is 10 mm x 10 mm.

[0057] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another example of the measurement result of the reflected electromagnetic wave S11. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing another example of the measurement result of the reflected electromagnetic wave S11. FIG. 8 shows the magnitude of the amplitude ratio of the measured reflected electromagnetic wave S11 by color intensity, and FIG. 9 shows a color map showing the magnitude of the phase shift of the measured reflected electromagnetic wave S11 by color intensity. The amplitude ratio shown in FIG. 8 is the ratio between the amplitude measured when the blood glucose concentration of the human body 3 is 70 mg / dL and the amplitude measured when the blood glucose concentration of the human body 3 is 150 g / dL. The phase shift shown in FIG. 9 is the phase shift between the phase measured when the blood glucose concentration of the human body 3 is 70 mg / dL and the phase measured when the blood glucose concentration of the human body 3 is 150 g / dL.

[0058] In both the color maps of Figures 8 and 9, the vertical axis indicates the angle of incidence θ1 (unit: deg), and the horizontal axis indicates the frequency of the electromagnetic wave (unit: GHz). In these color maps, the larger the absolute value, both positive and negative, is displayed in a darker color. In Figures 8 and 9, the letters "positive" and "negative" are added to indicate whether the value is positive or negative.

[0059] 8 and 9, the absolute value of the amplitude ratio increases and the phase shift increases in a region R1 where the incident angle θ1 is 58-63 degrees and the frequency is 65-73 GHz, and in a region R2 where the incident angle θ1 is 67-74 degrees and the frequency is 76-90 GHz. In this way, it was shown that the sensitivity to the blood glucose concentration can be improved by appropriately setting the incident angle θ1.

[0060] 5. Summary of configuration As described above, in the case of measuring either the reflected electromagnetic wave S11 or the transmitted electromagnetic wave S21, the measurement device 30 includes the radiation unit 31, the first waveguide 41, and the measurement unit 32, as shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6. The radiation unit 31 is configured to radiate centimeter-band or millimeter-waveband electromagnetic waves to the first waveguide 41. The first waveguide 41 has a first end 411 and a second end 412, and is configured to be able to transmit the electromagnetic waves radiated by the radiation unit 31 and incident from the first end 411.

[0061] The first waveguide 41 has a guide portion that guides the electromagnetic wave so that the electromagnetic wave is incident on the measurement site 4 at an incident angle θ1 (θ1>0) when the second end 412 is brought into close contact with the measurement site 4 of the human body 3. The incident angle θ1 is, for example, an equivalent Brewster's angle determined based on an equivalent dielectric constant ε1 of the measurement site 4 and an equivalent dielectric constant ε2 of the first waveguide 41. According to this embodiment, scattering of the electromagnetic wave on the body surface can be suppressed and the amount of the electromagnetic wave penetrating into the body can be increased, compared to a case in which the incident angle θ1 is not the equivalent Brewster's angle.

[0062] 5 and other figures, the guide portion is second end portion 412 having an angle θ2 formed at its tip, the angle being 90° when combined with incident angle θ1. Second end portion 412 functioning as the guide portion is formed in a shape that allows it to come into close contact with a flat surface, and can come into close contact with measurement site 4. According to this embodiment, the incident angle can naturally become θ1 simply by bringing second end portion 412 into close contact with measurement site 4.

[0063] The measuring unit 32 is provided at a position where the electromagnetic wave incident on the measurement site 4 at an incident angle θ1 reaches the inside of the human body 3, and is configured to be able to measure the electromagnetic wave that reaches the measurement site. In the example of Fig. 5, the measuring unit 32 is provided at a position where the transmitted electromagnetic wave S21 reaches, and in the example of Fig. 6, the measuring unit 32 is provided at a position where the reflected electromagnetic wave S11 reaches. In either case, by setting the incident angle θ1 on the measurement site 4 to, for example, the equivalent Brewster's angle as described above to suppress reflection of the electromagnetic wave on the body surface, it is possible to make it easier for the electromagnetic wave to penetrate the measurement site compared to the case where the electromagnetic wave is perpendicularly incident on the measurement site 4.

[0064] In addition to the equivalent Brewster angle, there are incident angles at which the amplitude ratio and phase shift become large, as shown in Figures 8 and 9. Therefore, by setting the incident angle θ1>0°, it is possible to suppress the reflection of the electromagnetic wave on the body surface and make it easier for the electromagnetic wave to penetrate into the measurement site, compared to the case where the incident angle θ1=0°. More specifically, the incident angle θ1 is, for example, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 9, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89 degrees, and may be within a range between any two of the values ​​exemplified here.

[0065] 5, the measurement device 30 further includes a second waveguide 42 having a first end 421 and a second end 422 and configured to be able to transmit an electromagnetic wave between the first end 421 and the second end 422. The measurement unit 32 is provided at a position where the electromagnetic wave entering from the second end 422 and exiting from the first end 421 reaches when the second end 422 of the second waveguide 42 is in close contact with the position where the electromagnetic wave that has passed through the inside of the human body 3 is exited, and is configured to measure the exited electromagnetic wave.

[0066] The electromagnetic waves that penetrate the measurement site 4 tend to travel in various directions due to refraction, scattering, and the like occurring inside the human body 3, but by providing the second waveguide 42, the traveling direction of the electromagnetic waves that reach the second end 422 can be concentrated in the direction of transmission inside the second waveguide 42. As a result, compared to a case in which the second waveguide 42 is not provided, the transmitted electromagnetic waves S21 that reach the measurement unit 32 can be increased, and the measurement accuracy by the transmitted electromagnetic waves S21 can be improved.

[0067] Moreover, the blood component measuring system 1 includes a measuring device 30, an acquiring unit, and an output unit. The acquiring unit and the output unit are functions realized by a processor included in the blood component measuring system 1, and are realized, for example, by a processor included in the control unit 11 of the server device 10. The server device 10 (an example of an acquiring unit) acquires the measurement results measured by the measuring device 30, for example, in A21 (acquiring step) shown in FIG.

[0068] Furthermore, the server device 10 (an example of an output section) outputs component information indicating the blood components of the subject based on the acquired measurement results, for example, in A22 to A24 (output steps) shown in FIG. 7. In the example of FIG. 7, the server device 10 outputs information indicating the blood glucose level as the component information. The component information is output to, for example, the user terminal 20. According to this embodiment, the measurement device 30 is used to allow electromagnetic waves to easily penetrate the measurement site, and the measurement results are used to improve the measurement accuracy of the blood components.

[0069] The server device 10 (an example of an output unit) is constructed by machine learning using actual measured values ​​of blood components linked to the feature quantities of the measurement results as teacher data. The server device 10, for example, causes an estimator that performs adaptive estimation using a complex-valued neural network as described above to perform machine learning.

[0070] <Example of change: Position adjustment function> 5, the electromagnetic wave incident on the measurement site 4 is refracted and also scattered inside the body, so the position from which a large amount of the transmitted electromagnetic wave S21 is emitted on the opposite side of the measurement site 4 may change. Therefore, a function for adjusting the position of the second waveguide 42 may be provided.

[0071] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing a measuring device 30a having a position adjustment function. The measuring device 30a further includes a position adjustment unit 61 in addition to the units shown in Fig. 5. The position adjustment unit 61 is configured to be able to adjust the relative position between the position where the second end 412 of the first waveguide 41 contacts the measurement site 4 and the position where the second end 422 of the second waveguide 42 contacts the measurement site 4.

[0072] The position adjustment unit 61 has, for example, two arms that respectively hold the first waveguide 41 and the second waveguide 42, and a spring that connects the two arms, and the spring biases the first waveguide 41 and the second waveguide 42 in a direction in which they sandwich the measurement site 4. In addition, the position adjustment unit 61 has a dial that adjusts the angle of the two arms, and by operating the dial, the angle of the two arms is changed, and the relative position of the first waveguide 41 and the second waveguide 42 is also changed.

[0073] According to this embodiment, even if the position from which the transmitted electromagnetic wave S21 is emitted changes as described above, by adjusting the relative positions of the first waveguide 41 and the second waveguide 42 by the position adjustment unit 61, it is possible to make more electromagnetic waves incident on the second waveguide than in the case where the position adjustment unit 61 is not provided. Note that although the position from which the electromagnetic wave is emitted in large quantities cannot be seen visually, the sensitivity of the measurement results increases when the second waveguide 42 is disposed in a position from which the electromagnetic wave is emitted in large quantities, and therefore, by adjusting the position of the second waveguide 42 while observing the measurement results, it is possible to find a position at which more electromagnetic waves can be incident on the second waveguide.

[0074] <Example of change: Incident angle θ1 adjustment function> The appropriate angle as the incident angle θ1 of the electromagnetic wave depends on the dielectric constant ε1 of the measurement site 4, and is therefore subject to changes due to individual differences and physical conditions. Therefore, the measurement device 30 may have an adjustment function that enables adjustment of the incident angle θ1.

[0075] Fig. 11 is a diagram showing a measurement device 30b having an incident angle adjustment function. In addition to the components shown in Fig. 6, the measurement device 30b further includes an angle adjustment unit 62. The angle adjustment unit 62 is configured to be able to adjust the incident angle θ1.

[0076] 11(a), the angle adjustment unit 62 is provided at the second end 412 of the first waveguide 41, and has a structure in which a spacer 414 that adjusts the angle θ2 of the tip 413 of the first waveguide 41 to angle θ2a is attached and fixed to the second end 412 as shown in FIG. When the angle of the tip 413 becomes angle θ2a, the incident angle θ1 becomes θ1a, which is 90° minus θ2a. The spacers 414 are provided for a plurality of angles, and the incident angle θ1 can be adjusted by changing the spacer 414 to be fixed.

[0077] The configuration of the angle adjustment unit 62 is not limited to this. For example, a plurality of components with different angles θ2 may be prepared for the portion including the second end 412 of the first waveguide 41, and the incident angle θ1 may be adjusted by replacing these components. Alternatively, the incident angle θ1 may be adjusted by a structure that deforms the portion including the second end 412 so that the angle θ2 changes. In either case, the blood glucose measurement accuracy can be improved, even if there are individual differences or changes in physical condition, compared to a case where the angle adjustment unit 62 is not provided.

[0078] <Example of change: Frequency adjustment function> 8 and 9, the region where the amplitude ratio and phase shift become large and the measurement sensitivity of the electromagnetic wave becomes high varies depending on the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave. Therefore, the measurement device 30 may have an adjustment function capable of adjusting the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave.

[0079] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a measuring device 30c having a frequency adjustment function. The measuring device 30c further includes a frequency adjustment unit 63 in addition to the units shown in FIG. 6. The frequency adjustment unit 63 is configured to be able to adjust the frequency of the electromagnetic waves emitted by the emission unit 31. The frequency adjustment unit 63 is, for example, electrically connected to the emission unit 31 and has an adjustment dial for adjusting the frequency. When a user performing a measurement operates the adjustment dial to specify a frequency, the frequency adjustment unit 63 supplies a request signal to the emission unit 31 requesting that the electromagnetic waves be output at the specified frequency. The emission unit 31 emits the electromagnetic waves at the frequency indicated by the supplied request signal.

[0080] For example, in the example of Fig. 12(a), the radiation unit 31 radiates electromagnetic waves at a frequency F1. In the example of Fig. 12(b), the frequency adjustment unit 63 supplies a request signal to the radiation unit 31 to set the frequency to F1c, and the radiation unit 31 radiates electromagnetic waves at the frequency F1c. When the frequency of the electromagnetic waves changes, the incident angle θ1 at which the blood glucose measurement sensitivity is improved changes as shown in Figs. 8 and 9. For example, in the region R1 where the frequency is 65 to 73 GHz, the incident angle θ1 is 58 to 63 degrees and the measurement sensitivity is high, and in the region R2 where the frequency is 76 to 90 GHz, the incident angle θ1 is 67 to 74 degrees and the measurement sensitivity is high.

[0081] As shown in the example of Fig. 11, when the incident angle θ1 is adjusted, the frequency at which sensitivity is high changes. In that case, the measurement accuracy of blood components can be improved by adjusting the frequency of the electromagnetic waves by operating the frequency adjustment unit 63. Even if the incident angle θ1 is not adjusted, the frequency at which sensitivity is high may change due to differences or changes in the dielectric constant ε1 of the measurement site 4 of the human body 3. In that case, too, the measurement accuracy of blood components can be improved by adjusting the frequency.

[0082] 10 to 12 are not limited to the above. For example, position adjustment section 61 may be integrated with first waveguide 41 and second waveguide 42, and angle adjustment section 62 may be integrated with first waveguide 41. Furthermore, frequency adjustment section 63 may be integrated with radiation section 31.

[0083] <Example of change: Guide part> In the above example, the second end 412 functions as the guide portion, but this is not limiting. For example, an attachment attached to the second end 412 of the first waveguide 41 may function as the guide portion. This attachment has a socket into which the second end 412 is inserted, and is configured so that the direction of insertion forms an angle θ2 with the body surface of the measurement site 4. In short, whether the configuration is internal or external to the first waveguide 41, it is sufficient that the configuration is capable of realizing the function of guiding the electromagnetic wave to be incident on the measurement site 4 at a predetermined incident angle θ1.

[0084] <Example of change: position of measurement part> The position of the measurement unit 32 is not limited to the positions shown in Figures 5 and 6, and may be a position different from these. In short, the measurement unit 32 may be placed in any direction as long as it is a direction in which electromagnetic waves scattered by blood or the like arrive. However, it is desirable to place the measurement unit 32 in a direction in which as many scattered electromagnetic waves as possible arrive.

[0085] <Example of change: Configuration of communication section> The communication unit 33 is not limited to the above configuration. For example, the communication unit 33 may transmit measurement data directly to the server device 10, instead of to the user terminal 20. Also, the measurement device 30 may be provided with the acquisition unit and output unit provided in the server device 10, thereby making the communication unit 33 unnecessary. In this case, the measurement device 30 can independently measure blood components and output component information indicating the measured blood components, and becomes a device having functions equivalent to the blood component measurement system 1.

[0086] <Example of change: Blood components> The blood components measured by the blood component measuring system 1 are not limited to glucose (sugar). For example, the blood component measuring system 1 may be configured to measure blood lipids or blood salt concentration. By measuring blood lipids, it is possible to predict the risk of cerebrovascular disease and the like by a non-invasive method that places little physical strain on the human body 3. Note that "measurement" of blood components may also be referred to as "measurement," "detection," "sensing," "estimation," and the like.

[0087] <Examples of changes: Variations in composition> The configuration (overall configuration, hardware configuration, functional configuration, etc.) shown in Fig. 1 etc. is an example, and other configurations may be used as long as there is no inconvenience in implementation. For example, the server device 10 may be distributed across two or more devices, and may be provided in the form of SaaS (Software as a Service) or a cloud computing system, etc. In short, as long as the necessary information processing is performed in the entire blood component measurement system 1, the devices that execute this information processing may have any configuration.

[0088] The output destination of information or data (hereinafter referred to as "information, etc.") may be another device, a display, a memory unit (including a built-in memory unit and an external memory unit), an email address, an account of another system, etc. Acquisition of information, etc. includes acquisition of information, etc. generated by the device itself, in addition to acquisition of information, etc. transmitted from another device. Tables, etc. (tables, databases, etc.) in which parameters are associated are not limited to the tables, etc. shown in the figures, and the number of parameters may be reduced or increased. Furthermore, information, etc. corresponding to parameters may be obtained by a formula, a conditional formula, etc. without using a table, etc.

[0089] The above-mentioned aspects of the embodiment are information processing devices such as the server device 10 and the user terminal 20, and information processing systems such as the blood component measurement system 1 including the server device 10 and the user terminal 20, but may also be information processing methods. The information processing method includes the same steps as those executed by the information processing system. The above-mentioned aspects of the embodiment may also be programs. The program causes a computer to execute the same steps as those executed by the information processing system.

[0090] <Additional Notes> Furthermore, it may be provided in the following aspects:

[0091] (1) A measurement device comprising: a radiation unit, a first waveguide, and a measurement unit; the radiation unit is configured to radiate electromagnetic waves in the microwave band or the millimeter wave band to the first waveguide; the first waveguide has a first end and a second end and is configured to be able to transmit the electromagnetic waves incident from the first end; and when the second end is brought into close contact with a measurement site on a human body, the first waveguide has a guide unit that guides the electromagnetic waves so that they are incident on the measurement site at an incident angle θ1 (θ1>0°); the measurement unit is provided at a position where the electromagnetic waves incident on the measurement site at the incident angle θ1 reach the inside of the human body, and is configured to be able to measure the electromagnetic waves that have reached the measurement site.

[0092] According to this aspect, it is possible to allow the electromagnetic waves to easily penetrate into the measurement site.

[0093] (2) The measuring device according to (1) above, wherein the guide portion is the second end portion having at its tip an angle θ2 whose sum with the incident angle θ1 is 90°.

[0094] According to this embodiment, the incident angle can naturally become θ1 simply by bringing the second end into close contact with the measurement site.

[0095] (3) The measurement apparatus according to (1) or (2) above, wherein the incident angle θ1 is an equivalent Brewster's angle determined based on an equivalent dielectric constant ε1 of the first waveguide and an equivalent dielectric constant ε2 of the measurement portion.

[0096] According to this embodiment, scattering of electromagnetic waves on the body surface can be suppressed, and the amount that penetrates into the body can be increased.

[0097] (4) The measuring device according to any one of (1) to (3) above, further comprising a second waveguide, the second waveguide having a first end and a second end and configured to be able to transmit the electromagnetic wave between the first end and the second end, and the measuring unit being provided at a position where the electromagnetic wave entering from the second end and exiting from the first end of the second waveguide reaches when the second end of the second waveguide is in close contact with a position from which the electromagnetic wave that has passed through the inside of the human body is exited, and configured to measure the electromagnetic wave.

[0098] According to this aspect, it is possible to concentrate the traveling direction of the electromagnetic waves emitted from the measurement site, thereby increasing the amount of electromagnetic waves that reach the measurement unit.

[0099] (5) The measurement device according to (4) above, further comprising a position adjustment unit, wherein the position adjustment unit is configured to be able to adjust a relative position between a position where a second end of the first waveguide contacts the measurement site and a position where a second end of the second waveguide contacts the measurement site.

[0100] According to this embodiment, a larger amount of electromagnetic waves can be made incident on the second waveguide.

[0101] (6) The measurement device according to any one of (1) to (5) above, further comprising an angle adjustment unit, the angle adjustment unit being configured to be able to adjust the incident angle θ1.

[0102] According to this embodiment, the accuracy of blood glucose measurement can be improved even if there are individual differences or changes in physical condition.

[0103] (7) The measurement device according to any one of (1) to (6) above, further comprising a frequency adjustment unit, the frequency adjustment unit being configured to be able to adjust the frequency of the electromagnetic wave radiated by the radiation unit.

[0104] According to such an embodiment, the measurement accuracy of blood components can be improved even if there are individual differences or changes in physical condition.

[0105] (8) An information processing system comprising a measuring device according to any one of (1) to (7) above, an acquisition unit, and an output unit, wherein the acquisition unit acquires measurement results measured by the measuring device, and the output unit outputs component information indicating blood components of the human body based on the acquired measurement results.

[0106] According to this aspect, it is possible to allow the electromagnetic waves to easily penetrate into the measurement site.

[0107] (9) In the information processing system described in (8) above, the output unit is constructed by machine learning using actual measured values ​​of blood components linked to the features of the measurement results as training data.

[0108] According to this embodiment, by repeating machine learning, it is possible to output more accurate component information. Of course, this is not the case. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments and modifications may be combined in any desired manner.

[0109] Finally, although various embodiments of the present invention have been described, these are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The new embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. The embodiments and their modifications are within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0110] 1: Blood component measurement system 2: Communication lines 3:Human body 4:Measurement site 10: Server device 11: Control section 20: User terminal 21: Control section 30: Measuring equipment 30a: Measuring device 30b: Measuring device 30c: Measuring device 31: Radiation section 32: Measuring part 33: Communications Department 40: Waveguide 41: First waveguide 42: Second waveguide 61:Position adjustment section 62: Angle adjustment section 63: Frequency adjustment unit 301 :Surface 302 :Surface 411: First end 412: Second end 413: Tip 414: Spacer 421: First end 422: Second end 423: Tip S11: Reflected electromagnetic wave S21: Transmitted electromagnetic wave

Claims

1. A measuring device comprising: The optical fiber includes a radiation unit, a first waveguide, and a measurement unit, The radiator is configured to radiate electromagnetic waves in a microwave band or a millimeter wave band to the first waveguide, the first waveguide has a first end and a second end, is configured to be able to transmit the electromagnetic wave incident from the first end, and has a guide portion that guides the electromagnetic wave so that the electromagnetic wave is incident on the measurement site at an incident angle θ1 (θ1>0°) when the second end is brought into close contact with the measurement site of a human body; The measurement unit is provided at a position where the electromagnetic wave incident on the measurement site at the incident angle θ1 reaches the inside of the human body, and is configured to be able to measure the electromagnetic wave that has reached the measurement site. Measuring equipment.

2. 2. The measuring device according to claim 1, The guide portion is the second end portion having an angle θ2 at a tip end, the sum of which with the incident angle θ1 is 90°. Measuring equipment.

3. 2. The measuring device according to claim 1, The incidence angle θ1 is proportional to the equivalent dielectric constant ε １ and the equivalent dielectric constant ε of the measurement site ２ The equivalent Brewster angle is determined based on Measuring equipment.

4. 2. The measuring device according to claim 1, Further comprising a second waveguide; the second waveguide has a first end and a second end and is configured to be capable of transmitting the electromagnetic wave between the first end and the second end; the measurement unit is provided at a position where the electromagnetic wave, which enters from the second end and exits from the first end of the second waveguide, reaches when the second end of the second waveguide is in close contact with a position where the electromagnetic wave that has passed through the inside of the human body is exited, and is configured to measure the electromagnetic wave. Measuring equipment.

5. 5. The measuring device according to claim 4, Further comprising a position adjustment unit, the position adjustment unit is configured to be able to adjust a relative position between a position where a second end of the first waveguide contacts the measurement site and a position where a second end of the second waveguide contacts the measurement site. Measuring equipment.

6. 2. The measuring device according to claim 1, Further comprising an angle adjustment unit, The angle adjustment unit is configured to be able to adjust the incident angle θ1. Measuring equipment.

7. 2. The measuring device according to claim 1, Further comprising a frequency adjusting unit, The frequency adjustment unit is configured to be able to adjust the frequency of the electromagnetic wave radiated by the radiation unit. Measuring equipment.

8. An information processing system, A measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, an acquisition unit, and an output unit, The acquisition unit acquires a measurement result measured by the measurement device, The output unit outputs component information indicating blood components of the human body based on the acquired measurement results. Information processing system.

9. 9. The information processing system according to claim 8, The output unit is constructed by machine learning using actual measured values ​​of blood components linked to the feature amounts of the measurement results as training data. Information processing system.

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