Finger movement measurement processing device, method, and computer program

Abstract

To provide a finger movement measurement processing device, a method, and a computer program that enable a current state or a degree of recovery of finger movement impairment to be objectively and quantitatively grasped by a simple measurement.SOLUTION: A finger movement measurement processing device 1 of the present invention has: a measurement part 10 that measures finger tapping movement; and a processor 30 that processes measurement data from the measurement part 10. The processor 30 has: an extraction calculation circuit 33 that extracts and / or calculates a feature amount correlated with a predetermined state of finger movement impairment from the measurement data; a time-series data generation circuit 34 that generates time-series data in a graph of the feature amount; and a display 37 that displays the feature amount and / or the time-series data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a finger movement measurement processing device, method, and computer program for measuring the movements of the fingers of a subject and processing the measurement data. [Background technology]

[0002] Various treatments have been used for motor disorders of the upper limbs, especially the fingers.

[0003] For example, in the case of arthropathy of the fingers, particularly arthropathy of the CM joint of the thumb, conservative treatments that have been effective include splint therapy, which uses a splint (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2) to immobilize the CM joint of the thumb in a limited manner to rest and immobilize it, thereby suppressing excessive movement of the affected area and reducing inflammatory symptoms while not interfering with use in ADL (Activities of Daily Living); manual therapy, which strengthens the first dorsal interosseous muscle and the opponens pollicis; and injection therapy, which uses steroid injections to reduce inflammation. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-218781 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-034783 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The aforementioned splint therapy, manual therapy, or injection therapy is selected after a comprehensive assessment based primarily on interviews and questionnaires to obtain evaluation data on various evaluation items for thumb CM joint arthritis, including ROM (Range of Motion) (the palmar radial abduction / adduction angle of the thumb MP joint, IP joint, and CM joint), pinch (tip, palmar pulp, and lateral key pinch), pain intensity (visual analogue scale (VAS) at rest, VAS during movement), disability (Hand 20, Q-DASH), and fear of movement (TSK-11).

[0006] However, such evaluation methods using interviews and questionnaires are often based on the patient's subjective and psychological factors and may also involve judgments based on the doctor's subjective factors, making it difficult to accurately grasp the patient's current state of finger movement disorder and accurately determine the appropriate treatment for that state. Furthermore, even during the continuation of each treatment, patients are unable to objectively grasp the degree of their own recovery, and anxiety and doubts about the treatment may lead to a decrease in motivation for treatment.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a finger movement measurement processing device, method, and computer program that enable the current state and degree of recovery of finger movement disorders to be grasped objectively and quantitatively through simple measurements. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a finger movement measurement and processing device that measures the movement of a subject's fingers and processes the measurement data, comprising: The device includes a measuring unit that measures finger tapping motion, which is an opening and closing motion of two fingers, and a processor that processes measurement data obtained by the measurement unit, The processor: an extraction and calculation circuit for extracting and / or calculating a feature quantity correlated with a predetermined finger movement disorder from the measurement data; a time-series data generating circuit for generating time-series data of the feature quantity obtained by the extraction operation circuit in the form of a graph; a display that displays the feature obtained by the extraction operation circuit and / or the time-series data generated by the time-series data generation circuit; The present invention is characterized by having the following.

[0009] According to the above-mentioned configuration of the present invention, not only are feature quantities correlated with the state of a specific finger movement disorder extracted and / or calculated from the measurement data of the measurement unit that measures the subject's finger tapping movement extracted and / or calculated, but also time-series data of the feature quantities are graphed and displayed on a display, so that not only the state of the subject's specific finger movement disorder at the current time (at the time of measurement by the measurement unit) but also the state of the subject's specific finger movement disorder that changes over time can be quantitatively and visually grasped clearly at a glance. In other words, according to the present invention, the current state of the specific finger movement disorder and the degree of recovery of motor function can be objectively and quantitatively grasped through simple measurements, which can contribute to improving the subject's motivation during treatment.

[0010] In the above configuration, the measurement unit that measures the finger tapping motion, which is the opening and closing movement of two fingers, may use any measurement method as long as it can measure the finger tapping motion. For example, it may be a measurement method using magnetic sensors attached to two fingers, a measurement method that processes image data obtained by photographing the finger movements, or a measurement method based on the detection of the finger movements tapping on the touch panel.

[0011] In the above configuration, "time-series data" refers to data obtained by observing temporal changes continuously or discontinuously at regular intervals (for example, for each measurement performed at intervals). In the above configuration, "finger movement disorder status" refers to all conditions related to finger movement disorder at the time of measurement by the measurement unit, such as pain and motor ability, including the level of indices evaluating finger movement disorder, including ROM (Range of Motion) (the palmar radial abduction / adduction angles of the thumb MP joint, IP joint, and CM joint), Pinch (Tip (finger tip pinch), Palmar (Pulp) (palmar pulp pinch), Key (Lateral) (finger lateral pinch)), pain intensity (VAS (Visual Analogue Scale) at rest, VAS during movement), disability (Hand 20, Q-DASH), and kinesiophobia (TSK-11). Therefore, in the above-described configuration of the present invention, the extraction / calculation circuit can extract and / or calculate, for example, feature quantities correlated with finger pain from the measurement data. More specifically, feature quantities correlated with pain due to arthritis of the CM joint of the thumb can be extracted and / or calculated from the measurement data. Examples of such feature quantities include at least one of the following: the time the subject hesitates during a tapping motion; the maximum finger-to-finger opening width during finger tapping; the average value of the maximum finger-to-finger opening width within a predetermined time; the maximum finger-to-finger opening speed during finger tapping; the average value of the maximum finger-to-finger opening speed within a predetermined time; the number of tappings (the total number of finger taps within a predetermined time); the opening width ratio (the maximum finger-to-finger opening width on the affected side divided by the maximum finger-to-finger opening width on the healthy side); and the opening speed ratio (the maximum finger-to-finger opening speed on the affected side divided by the maximum finger-to-finger opening speed on the healthy side). Research by the present inventors has revealed that, among these feature quantities, the time the subject hesitates during a tapping motion has a particularly strong correlation with the TSK value.

[0012] Here, "the time during which the subject hesitates to perform the tapping motion" refers to the time during which the subject hesitates to perform the tapping motion and the movement of the fingers stops, resulting in a freezing phenomenon, and refers to the time during which the two fingers are in contact with each other or the time during which the relative movement of the two fingers stops. Furthermore, in the above configuration, "maximum opening width" refers to the maximum separation distance between the two fingers at any given time, and "the average value of maximum opening width within a specified time" refers to the average value of the maximum points of the distance between the two fingers within a specified time. Furthermore, in the above configuration, "maximum opening speed" refers to the maximum speed at which the two fingers separate from each other at any given time, and "the average value of maximum opening speed within a specified time" refers to the average value of the maximum points of the speed at which the two fingers separate from each other within a specified time.

[0013] In the above configuration, the time-series data generation circuit may generate display data for displaying a plurality of feature quantities on a display in a manner that allows the feature quantity to be distinguished from other feature quantities, making it possible to clearly and easily grasp the feature quantity at a glance.

[0014] In the above configuration, the time-series data generating circuit may generate display data for displaying the target reference line superimposed on the time-series data on a display. This allows the difference between the current state of the finger movement disorder and the target state to be clearly understood, which may contribute to improving the subject's motivation for treatment.

[0015] In the above configuration, the time-series data generating circuit may generate display data for simultaneously displaying past history data for the same feature on a display, thereby enabling the degree of recovery from a given finger movement disorder to be visually and easily grasped at a glance.

[0016] In the above configuration, the measurement unit may measure finger tapping movements, which are opening and closing movements of two fingers, for both the healthy and affected fingers of the subject, and the time-series data generation circuit may generate display data for displaying the measurement data for both the healthy and affected fingers of the subject side side by side on a display. This allows visual presentation of data comparing the healthy and affected sides of the subject, making it easier to set goals in line with the finger motor ability of each individual subject and also enabling accurate understanding of the degree of recovery from finger motor disorders.

[0017] In addition, in the above configuration, the finger movement measurement processing device may further have a command input unit for inputting a command specifying a predetermined finger movement disorder and / or its state, and the extraction and calculation circuit may extract and / or calculate a feature quantity corresponding to the command from the measurement data. This allows the user of the device to specify a predetermined finger movement disorder and / or its state, making it possible to extract and / or calculate a feature quantity suitable for various finger movement disorders and their states.

[0018] In addition to the above-mentioned finger movement measurement processing device, the present invention also provides a finger movement measurement processing method that incorporates the features of the device (for example, by processing by a computer according to a predetermined algorithm, etc.), and a computer program that causes a computer to execute the method. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] The finger movement measurement processing device, finger movement measurement processing method, and computer program of the present invention make it possible to objectively and quantitatively grasp the current state and degree of recovery of finger movement disorders through simple measurements. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a finger movement measuring and processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing both hands of a subject with tapping sensors attached to the thumbs and index fingers. [Figure 3] 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a finger movement measurement processing method according to one embodiment of the present invention that can be executed by the finger movement measurement processing device of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 1 is an example of finger tapping movement waveform data (time series data) showing the change over time in the distance between two fingers (opening width between two fingers) obtained by measurement using a tapping sensor. [Figure 5] This is an example of finger tapping movement waveform data (time series data) obtained by measurement using a tapping sensor, showing the change over time in the speed (opening speed and closing speed between two fingers) when two fingers move apart or approach each other. [Figure 6] (a) is an example of finger tapping movement waveform data (time series data) obtained by measurement using a tapping sensor, showing the change over time in the inter-finger distance (opening width between the two fingers) of the affected finger. (b) is an example of finger tapping movement waveform data (time series data) obtained by measurement using a tapping sensor, showing the change over time in the inter-finger distance (opening width between the two fingers) of the healthy finger. [Figure 7] (a) is a graph showing time series data on movement hesitation time as a feature, (b) is a graph showing time series data on maximum opening width as a feature, and (c) is a graph showing time series data on maximum opening speed as a feature. [Figure 8] (a) is a graph showing time series data on the movement hesitation time ratio as a feature quantity, (b) is a graph showing time series data on the maximum opening width ratio as a feature quantity, and (c) is a graph showing time series data on the maximum opening speed ratio as a feature quantity. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, by providing the following technologies, highly advanced technology contributes to the development of medical care and the realization of a healthy society. The realization of this finger movement measurement processing device (method and computer program) contributes to "9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, promote innovation and build resilient infrastructure" of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) advocated by the United Nations.

[0022] In addition, in the following embodiments, a finger movement measurement processing device (method) will be described, but the present invention may also be configured as a computer program that enables a computer to perform the processing executed by the finger movement measurement processing device (method).

[0023] 1 shows a schematic configuration of a finger movement measurement processing device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, this finger movement measurement processing device 1 includes a measurement unit 10 having a tapping sensor 2 that magnetically detects finger tapping movement, which is the opening and closing movement of two fingers of a subject, and a processor 30 that processes measurement data obtained by measurement by the measurement unit 10.

[0024] The measurement unit 10 measures finger motion data based on the relative distance between a pair of a transmitter coil and a receiver coil attached to a finger (or other movable part) of a living body, and obtains time-series information on the subject's finger motion, for example, by itself or in cooperation with an extraction calculation circuit and / or a time-series data generation circuit described below, so that the subject's motion information regarding at least one of distance, speed, acceleration, and jerk (acceleration differentiated with respect to time) can be obtained as time-series data (waveform data). Examples of such time-series (waveform) data are shown in Figures 4 to 6.

[0025] 4 shows an example of finger tapping movement waveform data indicating the change over time in the distance between the two fingers (opening width between the two fingers) obtained by measurement using the tapping sensor 2. From this waveform data, it is possible to obtain the maximum point P1 of the distance between the two fingers at any time, and therefore the maximum opening width W, which is the maximum separation distance between the two fingers at any time, the average value of the maximum opening width W within a predetermined time, the time T (contact time between the two fingers) during which the subject hesitates to continue the tapping movement and stops moving the fingers, and the average value thereof.

[0026] FIG. 5 shows an example of finger tapping movement waveform data obtained by measurement using the tapping sensor 2, showing the change over time in the speed (opening speed and closing speed) of two fingers moving apart or approaching each other. Here, positive values ​​indicate the speed (opening speed) when the two fingers move apart, and negative values ​​indicate the speed (closing speed) when the two fingers move towards each other. From this waveform data, a maximum point P2 of the opening speed (opening speed) and a maximum point P3 of the closing speed between the two fingers at any given time can be obtained. Therefore, it is possible to obtain the maximum opening speed V, which is the maximum speed of separation between the two fingers at any given time, the average value of the maximum opening speed V within a given time, the maximum closing speed, which is the maximum speed of approximation between the two fingers at any given time, and the average value of the maximum closing speed within a given time. Of course, such waveform data can be obtained for the fingers on both the healthy and affected sides of the subject.

[0027] 6 shows a comparison of the waveform data of FIG. 4 between the healthy side and the affected side. FIG. 6(a) shows an example of finger tapping movement waveform data showing the change over time in the inter-finger distance (opening width between the two fingers) of the fingers on the affected side, obtained by measurement with the tapping sensor 2, and FIG. 6(b) shows an example of finger tapping movement waveform data showing the change over time in the inter-finger distance (opening width between the two fingers) of the fingers on the healthy side, obtained by measurement with the tapping sensor 2. It can be seen that while freezing phenomenon A is observed over a certain period of time in the data from the affected side, there is almost no clear freezing phenomenon observed on the healthy side.

[0028] Referring again to FIG. 1, the measurement unit 10 includes a tapping sensor 2, first and second switching circuits 4 and 5, an AC generator 6 for generating AC, an amplifier / filter circuit 7, an A / D converter 8, a detector 9, a downsampler 10 for downsampling, and a controller 11 for controlling the operation of these components.

[0029] The tapping sensor 2 is composed of a pair of a transmitter coil 2A (2A') and a receiver coil 2B (2B') (or multiple rows of coil pairs), and is attached to the fingers (e.g., nails) of the subject's hand 100 (100A, 100A') using, for example, double-sided tape or a fixing band, as shown in FIG. 2. Specifically, in FIG. 2, a pair of a transmitter coil 2A and a receiver coil 2B is attached to the thumb 100a and index finger 100b of the subject's right hand 100A, and a pair of a transmitter coil 2A' and a receiver coil 2B' is attached to the thumb 100a and index finger 100b of the subject's left hand 100A' (the fingers on which the coils are attached may be reversed, or other fingers may be attached). In this case, the transmitter coil 2A (2A') emits a magnetic field, and the receiver coil 2B (2B') receives (detects) the magnetic field emitted by the transmitter coil 2A (2A').

[0030] One AC generator 6 is connected to the transmitter coil 2A (2A') via a first switching circuit 4. Through the switching operation of the first switching circuit 4, AC current (e.g., a 20 kHz current) from the AC generator 6 flows sequentially through the transmitter coil 2A (2A'), causing the transmitter coil 2A (2A') to generate an AC magnetic field through which the AC current flows. The AC generator 6 generates an AC current of a predetermined frequency, and the timing at which the current flows is controlled by a controller 11. The signal generated by the AC generator 6 is used as a reference signal for the detection operation of the detector 9.

[0031] The controller 11 generates a synchronization signal for controlling the first and second switching circuits 4 and 5. This synchronization signal enables the first switching circuit 4 and the second switching circuit 5 to be switched simultaneously, and they operate sequentially for each pair of the transmitting coil 2A (2A') and the receiving coil 2B (2B').

[0032] The receiving coil 2B (2B') is also connected to an amplifier / filter circuit 7 via a second switching circuit 5, and the output signal from the amplifier / filter circuit 7 is converted into a digital signal by an A / D converter 8, which is then transmitted to a detector 9. The conversion of analog data into digital data by the A / D converter 8 facilitates subsequent processing (downsampling, etc.). The detector 9 also performs processing to remove a predetermined period of the AC magnetic field waveform (noise portion) detected by the receiving coil 2B (2B') immediately after switching by the second switching circuit 5.

[0033] In addition, the time of the deletion process in the AC magnetic field waveform of each receiving coil 2B (2B') is precisely controlled by the controller 11. After this deletion process, the detector 9 performs full-wave rectification and filtering (mainly processing using a low-pass filter (LPF)) using the reference signal described above. Finally, the digital signal processed by the detector 9 is converted (downsampled) by the downsampler 10 into coarse data with a sampling frequency (e.g., 200 Hz) that is approximately 1 / 1000 (a predetermined ratio) of the sampling frequency (e.g., 200 kHz) of the A / D converter 8. This makes it possible to reduce the overall data volume. Therefore, the output signal can be transmitted at high speed as data from multiple receiving coils even with limited communication capacity. In other words, because the amount of data received by the communication interface 12 of the measurement unit 10 from the downsampler 10 is small, finger movement data related to multiple receiving coils can be transferred to the processor 30 (via the communication interface 31 of the processor 30) wirelessly or via a wired connection at once.

[0034] The processor 30, which processes the measurement data obtained by the measurement unit 10, has an extraction calculation circuit 33 that extracts and / or calculates feature quantities correlated with the state of a predetermined finger movement disorder from the detection information detected by the tapping sensor 2, specifically, from the measurement data output from the measurement unit 10, which measures the finger tapping movement between two fingers of the subject using the tapping sensor 2, and a time series data generation circuit 34 that generates graphed time series data of the feature quantities obtained by the extraction calculation circuit 33.

[0035] The finger hypermobility evaluation device 1 further includes a display 37 that displays various data including the feature values ​​obtained by the extraction calculation circuit 33 and / or the time-series data generated by the time-series data generation circuit 34, a memory 36 that stores the various data, and an operation input interface 38 that can input necessary data and commands to the processor 30 by operation. Here, the operation input interface 38 also functions as a command input unit that can input commands that specify a predetermined finger movement disorder and / or its state, and the extraction calculation circuit 33 extracts and / or calculates feature values ​​corresponding to the commands input from the operation input interface 38 from the measurement data.

[0036] In this embodiment, the time-series data generating circuit 34 of the processor 30 also has a function of generating various display data for displaying the generated time-series data on the display 37 in various display modes. Specifically, the time-series data generating circuit 34 can generate display data for displaying multiple feature quantities on the display 37 in a manner that allows them to be distinguished from one another. Specifically, for example, as shown in FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b), display data may be generated in which the position of the maximum point (maximum opening width) P1 of the distance between the two fingers is indicated by a symbol such as a star, or the tapping movement hesitation time T is indicated by a thick line. Alternatively, display data may be generated in which each feature quantity included in the time-series data is displayed in a different color to distinguish it from one another. Furthermore, the time-series data generating circuit 34 of this embodiment can also generate display data for displaying a target reference line, which indicates a state (e.g., a value) that the subject should aim for in order to recover from his or her finger movement disorder, superimposed on the time-series data and displayed on the display 37. Specifically, for example, as shown in (a) of Fig. 6, display data may be generated in which a target line L indicating the target value of the inter-finger distance is superimposed on the waveform data of the affected side. Note that the value indicated by this target line L (inter-finger distance; maximum mouth opening width) may be, for example, the average value of the maximum mouth opening width on the subject's healthy side (see (b) of Fig. 6).

[0037] Furthermore, the time-series data generating circuit 34 of this embodiment can generate display data for simultaneously displaying past history data for the same feature on the display 37. Specifically, for example, as shown as an example in Figs. 7 and 8, display data may be generated in which feature data from the initial medical examination and, for example, the fourth medical examination (4w) are simultaneously displayed. Alternatively, display data may be generated in which data from all medical examinations are simultaneously displayed and graphed. Here, Fig. 7(a) shows a simultaneous display of history data for movement hesitation time T, Fig. 7(b) shows a simultaneous display of history data for maximum mouth opening width W, and Fig. 7(c) shows a simultaneous display of history data for maximum mouth opening velocity V. Fig. 8(a) shows a simultaneous display of history data for movement hesitation time T on the affected side, P The value of the movement hesitation time T H The ratio of movement hesitation time R divided by the value of T (TP / T H ) and the maximum opening width W P The value of the maximum opening width W on the healthy side H Opening width ratio R divided by the value of W (=W P / W H ) and the maximum opening speed V P The value of the maximum opening speed of the healthy side V H Opening speed ratio R divided by the value of V (=V P / V H ) and historical data for the

[0038] Furthermore, when the measurement unit 10 measures finger tapping movements, which are opening and closing movements of two fingers on both the healthy and affected sides of the subject, the time-series data generating circuit 34 of this embodiment can also generate display data for displaying the measurement data of the fingers on both the healthy and affected sides of the subject side side by side on the display 37. Specifically, for example, the display data as shown in (a) and (b) of Figure 6 described above may be generated.

[0039] In the above configuration, the processor 30 is composed of a CPU, etc., and executes programs such as an operating system (OS) and various operation control applications stored in the memory 36, thereby performing operation control processing for the various circuits 33, 34 described above and controlling the startup operations of various applications.

[0040] Memory 36 is configured with a flash memory or the like, and stores programs such as an operating system and applications for controlling the operation of various processes such as images, audio, documents, displays, measurements, etc. Memory 36 also stores information data such as base data required for basic operations by the operating system and file data used by various applications.

[0041] The processing by the processor 30 may be stored as one application, and the measurement of finger movements and the calculation and analysis of various feature quantities may be performed by activating the application. Alternatively, an external server device with high computing performance and large capacity may receive the measurement results from the information processing terminal and calculate and analyze the feature quantities.

[0042] The operation input interface 38 generally uses input means such as a keyboard, key buttons, touch keys, etc., but may also use gesture operation or voice input, for example, to set and input the information that the subject should enter.

[0043] The communication interface 31 may not only receive measurement results from the measurement unit 10 but also wirelessly communicate with a server device or the like located in a different location via short-range wireless communication, wireless LAN, or base station communication. In this case, measurement data and analyzed and calculated features may be transmitted and received via the transmitting / receiving antenna 39 to and from the server device or the like. While short-range wireless communication may be performed using, for example, an electronic tag, this is not limiting. Wireless LANs such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), IrDA (Infrared Data Association, registered trademark), Zigbee (registered trademark), HomeRF (Home Radio Frequency, registered trademark), or Wi-Fi (registered trademark) may also be used, as long as they are capable of wireless communication when located near other information terminals. Long-range wireless communication, such as W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) or GSM (Global System for Mobile communications, registered trademark), may be used for base station communication. It is also possible to detect the positional relationship and orientation between terminals using an ultra-wideband (UWB) wireless system. Although not shown, the communication interface 31 may use other methods such as optical communication or acoustic communication as a means of wireless communication. In that case, instead of the transmitting and receiving antenna 39, a light emitting / receiving unit and an acoustic wave output / input interface are used, respectively.

[0044] In this embodiment, the measurement unit 10 and the processor 30 have each of the aforementioned components individually, but they may also be provided with a functional unit that integrates at least some or all of these components.In short, any configuration is acceptable as long as the functions of each of these components are ensured.

[0045] The finger movement measurement and processing device 1 configured as described above is non-invasive and has a compact design that is small, lightweight, and highly biosafe, allowing for measurement and evaluation in a short measurement time with minimal burden on the subject.

[0046] Next, an example of the operation of the finger movement measurement processing device 1 configured as described above (finger movement measurement processing method) will be described in more detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0047] FIG. 3 shows an example of processing steps (steps S1 to S8 of the finger movement measurement processing method) executed by the finger movement measurement processing device 1 (steps S2 and onward show an example of processing steps executed by the processor 30). As shown in the figure, in the finger movement measurement processing device 1 (finger movement measurement processing method) of this embodiment, first, the measurement unit 10 measures the finger tapping movement performed by the subject (measurement step S1). Specifically, the measurement unit 10 magnetically measures (detects) the finger tapping movement, which is the opening and closing movement of the subject's two fingers, using the tapping sensor 2. During this measurement process, the processor 30 acquires detection data (measurement data) from the tapping sensor 2 (step S2).

[0048] When the subject's finger tapping movement is measured by the measurement unit 10 and the measurement data is received by the processor 30, the extraction and calculation circuit 33 of the processor 30 extracts and / or calculates feature quantities correlated with the state of a predetermined finger movement disorder from the received measurement data. In this case, if a command specifying the predetermined finger movement disorder and / or its state is input from the operation input interface 38 serving as a command input unit (YES in step S3), the extraction and calculation circuit 34 extracts and / or calculates feature quantities corresponding to the command from the measurement data (extraction and calculation step S5). On the other hand, if no command is input from the operation input interface 38 (NO in step S3), the extraction and calculation circuit 34 extracts and / or calculates predetermined feature quantities from the measurement data (extraction and calculation step S4). For example, in one example of this embodiment in which the feature quantities to be extracted and / or calculated are predetermined, the predetermined finger movement disorder is arthritis of the CM joint of the thumb, and the state of the predetermined finger movement disorder is pain. The extraction and calculation circuit 34 extracts and / or calculates feature quantities including at least one of the following that correlate with the pain of arthritis of the CM joint of the thumb, for example, the time the subject hesitates to perform the tapping movement, the maximum opening width between the two fingers when tapping the fingers, the average value of the maximum opening width within a predetermined time, the maximum opening speed between the two fingers when tapping the fingers, the average value of the maximum opening speed within a predetermined time, the number of tappings which is the total number of finger taps within a predetermined time, the opening width ratio obtained by dividing the value of the maximum opening width on the affected side by the value of the maximum opening width on the healthy side, and the opening speed ratio obtained by dividing the value of the maximum opening speed on the affected side by the value of the maximum opening speed on the healthy side.

[0049] After the feature quantities have been extracted and / or calculated by the extraction and calculation circuit 34 in this manner, the time-series data generation circuit 34 then generates time-series data in the form of graphs of the feature quantities in accordance with the extracted and / or calculated feature quantities (time-series data generation step S6). Thereafter, for example, when a display mode is selected (or instructed) through the operation input interface 38 (YES in step S7), display data (time-series data) of the selected (instructed) corresponding display mode is output from the time-series data generation circuit 34 and displayed on the display 37 (display step S8). Specifically, for example, time series data such as that shown in FIG. 6(a) or FIG. 6(b) in which multiple feature quantities are displayed so as to be distinguishable from one another is displayed on the display 37, or time series data such as that shown in FIG. 6(a) in which the target reference line L is superimposed is displayed on the display 37, or time series data such as that shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 in which past history data for the same feature quantities are simultaneously displayed on the display 37, or time series data such as that shown in FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b) in which measurement data for both the healthy and affected left and right fingers of the subject are displayed side by side is displayed on the display 37.

[0050] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can include various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those including all of the described configurations. Furthermore, it is possible to replace part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, or to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, it is possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations.

[0051] Furthermore, the above-described configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, etc. may be partially or entirely implemented in hardware, for example, by designing them as integrated circuits. The above-described configurations, functions, etc. may also be implemented in software, with a processor interpreting and executing a program that implements each function. Information such as the programs, tables, and files that implement each function may be stored in a memory, a recording device such as a hard disk or SSD (Solid State Drive), or a recording medium such as an IC card, SD card, or DVD, or may be stored in a device on a communication network.

[0052] In addition, the control lines and information lines shown are those that are considered necessary for the explanation, and do not necessarily show all the control lines and information lines in the product. In reality, it can be assumed that almost all components are interconnected. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 2 Tapping Sensor 10 Measurement section 30 processors 33 Extraction calculation circuit 34 Time series data generation circuit

Claims

1. A finger movement measurement and processing device that measures the movement of a subject's fingers and processes the measurement data, The device includes a measuring unit that measures finger tapping motion, which is an opening and closing motion of two fingers, and a processor that processes measurement data obtained by the measurement unit, The processor: an extraction and calculation circuit for extracting and / or calculating a feature quantity correlated with a predetermined finger movement disorder from the measurement data; a time-series data generating circuit for generating time-series data of the feature quantity obtained by the extraction operation circuit in the form of a graph; a display that displays the feature obtained by the extraction operation circuit and / or the time-series data generated by the time-series data generation circuit; A finger movement measurement and processing device comprising:

2. 2. The finger movement measuring and processing device according to claim 1, wherein the finger movement disorder is a pain in the finger.

3. 3. The finger movement measuring and processing device according to claim 2, wherein the finger movement disorder is arthropathy of the thumb CM joint.

4. 4. The finger movement measurement processing device according to claim 3, wherein the feature amount obtained from the extraction calculation circuit includes at least one of a time period during which the subject hesitates to perform a tapping movement, a maximum opening width between two fingers when tapping, an average value of the maximum opening width within a predetermined time period, a maximum opening speed between two fingers when tapping, an average value of the maximum opening speed within a predetermined time period, a tapping count which is the total number of finger taps within a predetermined time period, an opening width ratio obtained by dividing the value of the maximum opening width on the affected side by the value of the maximum opening width on the healthy side, and an opening speed ratio obtained by dividing the value of the maximum opening speed on the affected side by the value of the maximum opening speed on the healthy side.

5. 2. The finger movement measuring and processing device according to claim 1, wherein the time-series data generating circuit generates display data for displaying a plurality of feature quantities on the display in a manner that allows them to be distinguished from one another.

6. 2. The finger movement measuring and processing device according to claim 1, wherein the time-series data generating circuit generates display data for displaying the target reference line on the display by superimposing the target reference line on the time-series data.

7. 2. The finger movement measuring and processing device according to claim 1, wherein the time-series data generating circuit generates display data for simultaneously displaying past history data for the same feature amount on the display.

8. the measuring unit measures finger tapping movements, which are opening and closing movements of two fingers, for both the healthy side and the affected side of the subject's left and right fingers; the time-series data generating circuit generates display data for displaying the measurement data of both the healthy and affected fingers of the subject side side by side on the display; 2. The finger movement measuring and processing device according to claim 1.

9. 2. The finger movement measurement processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a command input unit for inputting a command specifying the specified finger movement disorder and / or its state, wherein the extraction calculation circuit extracts and / or calculates a feature corresponding to the command from the measurement data.

10. A finger movement measurement processing method for measuring the movement of a subject's fingers and processing the measurement data, comprising: a measuring step of measuring finger tapping movement, which is an opening and closing movement of two fingers; an extraction and calculation step of extracting and / or calculating a feature quantity correlated with a predetermined finger movement disorder from the measurement data obtained by the measurement step; a time-series data generating step of generating graphed time-series data of the feature quantities obtained by the extracting and calculating step; a display step of displaying on a display the feature values ​​obtained by the extraction calculation step and / or the time series data generated by the time series data generation step; A finger movement measurement processing method comprising:

11. The finger movement measuring and processing method according to claim 10, wherein the finger movement disorder is a pain in the finger.

12. The finger movement measuring and processing method according to claim 11, wherein the finger movement disorder is arthropathy of the CM joint of the thumb.

13. 13. The finger movement measurement processing method according to claim 12, wherein the feature amount obtained from the extraction calculation step includes at least one of a time period during which the subject hesitates to perform the tapping movement, a maximum opening width between two fingers when tapping, an average value of the maximum opening width within a predetermined time period, a maximum opening speed between two fingers when tapping, an average value of the maximum opening speed within a predetermined time period, a tapping count which is the total number of finger taps within a predetermined time period, an opening width ratio obtained by dividing the value of the maximum opening width on the affected side by the value of the maximum opening width on the healthy side, and an opening speed ratio obtained by dividing the value of the maximum opening speed on the affected side by the value of the maximum opening speed on the healthy side.

14. 11. The finger movement measuring and processing method according to claim 10, wherein the time-series data generating step generates display data for displaying a plurality of feature quantities on the display in a manner that allows them to be distinguished from one another.

15. 11. The finger movement measuring processing method according to claim 10, wherein the time-series data generating step generates display data for displaying the target reference line on the display by superimposing the target reference line on the time-series data.

16. 11. The finger movement measuring processing method according to claim 10, wherein the time-series data generating step generates display data for simultaneously displaying past history data for the same feature amount on the display.

17. The measuring step measures finger tapping movements, which are opening and closing movements of two fingers, for both the healthy and affected fingers of the subject, the time-series data generating step generates display data for displaying the measurement data of both the healthy and affected fingers of the subject side side by side on the display; 11. The finger movement measurement processing method according to claim 10.

18. The finger movement measurement processing method according to claim 10, characterized in that the extraction and calculation step extracts and / or calculates features corresponding to a command specifying the specified finger movement disorder and / or its condition from the measurement data in response to input of the command.

19. A computer program for processing measurement data obtained by measuring finger tapping movement, which is an opening and closing movement of two fingers, an extraction and calculation step of extracting and / or calculating a feature amount correlated with a predetermined finger movement disorder from the measurement data; a time-series data generating step of generating graphed time-series data of the feature quantities obtained by the extracting and calculating step; a display step of displaying on a display the feature values ​​obtained by the extraction calculation step and / or the time series data generated by the time series data generation step; A computer program characterized by causing a computer to execute the above.

20. 20. The computer program of claim 19, wherein the finger movement disorder condition is finger pain.

21. 21. The computer program according to claim 20, wherein the finger movement disorder is arthropathy of the CM joint of the thumb.

22. 22. The computer program according to claim 21, wherein the feature amount obtained from the extraction calculation step includes at least one of a time period during which the subject hesitated to perform the tapping movement, a maximum opening width between two fingers during finger tapping, an average value of the maximum opening width within a predetermined time period, a maximum opening speed between two fingers during finger tapping, an average value of the maximum opening speed within a predetermined time period, a tapping count which is the total number of finger taps within a predetermined time period, an opening width ratio obtained by dividing the value of the maximum opening width on the affected side by the value of the maximum opening width on the healthy side, and an opening speed ratio obtained by dividing the value of the maximum opening speed on the affected side by the value of the maximum opening speed on the healthy side.

23. 20. The computer program according to claim 19, wherein the time-series data generating step generates display data for displaying a plurality of feature quantities on the display in a manner that allows them to be distinguished from one another.

24. 20. The computer program according to claim 19, wherein the time-series data generating step generates display data for displaying the target reference line on the display by superimposing the target reference line on the time-series data.

25. 20. The computer program according to claim 19, wherein said time-series data generating step generates display data for simultaneously displaying past history data for the same feature on said display.

26. The measuring step measures finger tapping movements, which are opening and closing movements of two fingers, for both the healthy and affected fingers of the subject, the time-series data generating step generates display data for displaying the measurement data of both the healthy and affected fingers of the subject side side by side on the display; 20. A computer program according to claim 19.

27. 20. The computer program according to claim 19, wherein the extraction and calculation step extracts and / or calculates a feature corresponding to a command from the measurement data in response to an input of a command specifying the specified finger movement disorder and / or its condition.

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