Biological information providing apparatus

Abstract

SOLUTION: Provided is a biological information providing apparatus including: a first biological information output unit and a second biological information output unit each including: a biological signal measurement unit which measures a biological signal through a pair of electrodes in contact with a living body, a bioimpedance signal measurement unit which measures a bioimpedance generated between the pair of electrodes to output a bioimpedance signal corresponding to the bioimpedance, a noise signal generation unit which generates, from the bioimpedance signal, a noise signal indicating a noise component included in the biological signal, and a biopotential signal output unit which removes a component of the noise signal from the biological signal to output a resultant signal as a biopotential signal; and a determination unit which outputs a determination signal on the basis of a predetermined condition.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a bioinformation providing device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 describes "an electrode system for reducing motion artifacts that occur due to the movement of electrodes placed on a patient's skin when a medical professional diagnoses the patient using an electrocardiogram or the like." [Prior art document] [Patent Documents] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003 / 0171661 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] It is desirable to reduce power consumption in a bioinformation providing device that detects myoelectric signals using an EMG sensor with multiple channels. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] In a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a bioinformation providing device including a first bioinformation output unit and a second bioinformation output unit, each having a biosignal measuring unit that measures a biosignal through a pair of electrodes in contact with a living body, a bioimpedance signal measuring unit that measures a bioimpedance occurring between the pair of electrodes and outputs a bioimpedance signal corresponding to the bioimpedance, a noise signal generating unit that generates a noise signal indicating a noise component contained in the biosignal from the bioimpedance signal, and a biopotential signal output unit that removes the noise signal component from the biosignal and outputs the biopotential signal, and a discrimination unit that outputs a discrimination signal based on a predetermined condition. The second bioinformation output unit further includes a control unit that controls the noise signal generated by the noise signal generating unit of the first bioinformation output unit to be input to the biopotential signal output unit of the second bioinformation output unit when the discrimination signal indicates a first discrimination result, and controls the noise signal generated by the noise signal generating unit of the second bioinformation output unit to be input to the biopotential signal output unit of the second bioinformation output unit when the discrimination signal indicates a second discrimination result.

[0005] In the bioinformation providing device, the noise signal generating unit may include an adaptive filter that generates the noise signal based on the bioimpedance signal and a coefficient, and the biopotential signal output unit may add the biosignal and the noise signal and output the result as the biopotential signal.

[0006] In the bioinformation providing device, when the discrimination signal indicates the first discrimination result, the control unit may control at least one of the AC signal supply unit and the noise signal generating unit of the second bioinformation output unit so as to reduce power consumption in at least one of the bioimpedance signal measuring unit and the noise signal generating unit of the second bioinformation output unit.

[0007] In any of the bioinformation providing devices, the control unit may reduce the power consumption by performing at least one of stopping the supply of the bioimpedance signal by the bioimpedance signal measuring unit and stopping the generation of the noise signal by the noise signal generating unit.

[0008] In any of the bioinformation providing devices, the bioimpedance signal measuring unit may include an AC signal supply unit that supplies an AC signal between a pair of electrodes in contact with the living body, and the control unit may reduce the power consumption by stopping the AC signal supply unit from supplying the AC signal.

[0009] In any of the bioinformation providing devices, the determination unit may receive the bioimpedance signals of the first bioinformation output unit and the second bioinformation output unit or the biopotential signals of the first bioinformation output unit and the second bioinformation output unit, and may output a determination signal based on the input bioimpedance signals or the biopotential signals.

[0010] In any of the bio-information providing devices, the discrimination unit may output the discrimination signal indicating the first discrimination result in accordance with the predetermined condition when the similarity between the bio-impedance signal of the first bio-information output unit and the bio-impedance signal of the second bio-information output unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined similarity, and may output the discrimination signal indicating the second discrimination result in accordance with the predetermined condition when the similarity between the bio-impedance signal of the first bio-information output unit and the bio-impedance signal of the second bio-information output unit is smaller than the predetermined similarity.

[0011] In any of the bioinformation providing devices, the discrimination unit may output the discrimination signal indicating the first discrimination result in accordance with the predetermined condition when the similarity between the biopotential signal of the first bioinformation output unit and the biopotential signal of the second bioinformation output unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined similarity, and may output the discrimination signal indicating the second discrimination result in accordance with the predetermined condition when the similarity between the biopotential signal of the first bioinformation output unit and the biopotential signal of the second bioinformation output unit is smaller than the predetermined similarity.

[0012] In any of the bio-information providing devices, the discrimination unit may acquire index information indicating the magnitude of vibration of the living body, and if the index information indicates that the magnitude of vibration of the living body is equal to or greater than a predetermined magnitude, output the discrimination signal indicating the first discrimination result in accordance with the predetermined condition, and if the index information indicates that the magnitude of vibration of the living body is smaller than the predetermined magnitude, output the discrimination signal indicating the second discrimination result in accordance with the predetermined condition.

[0013] In any of the bioinformation providing devices, the discrimination unit may acquire at least one of position information of the bioinformation, vibration information including the magnitude of the vibration of the bioinformation, and acceleration information of the bioinformation as the index information.

[0014] Any of the bioinformation providing devices may be operable in a first mode in which the second bioinformation output unit outputs the biopotential signal with a first reliability and a second mode in which the second bioinformation output unit outputs the biopotential signal with a second reliability higher than the first reliability. The discrimination unit may output the discrimination signal indicating the first discrimination result in accordance with the predetermined condition when the bioinformation providing device operates in the first mode, and may output the discrimination signal indicating the second discrimination result in accordance with the predetermined condition when the bioinformation providing device operates in the second mode.

[0015] In any of the bioinformation providing devices, the second bioinformation output unit includes an amplifier unit that amplifies or attenuates the noise signal that is input to the biopotential signal output unit of the second bioinformation output unit with an amplification factor based on the level ratio between the bioimpedance signal measured by the bioimpedance signal measuring unit of the first bioinformation output unit and the bioimpedance signal measured by the bioimpedance signal measuring unit of the second bioinformation output unit, and then outputs the noise signal to the biopotential signal output unit of the second bioinformation output unit.

[0016] Any of the bioinformation providing devices may include a plurality of the second bioinformation output units. In any of the bioinformation providing devices, the discrimination unit may output the discrimination signal to each of the plurality of second bioinformation output units in accordance with the predetermined condition.

[0017] Any of the bioinformation providing devices may further include a band that holds the pair of electrodes of the first bioinformation output unit and the plurality of second bioinformation output units and is to be attached to the living body.

[0018] Any of the bioinformation providing devices may include a plurality of the first bioinformation output units and a plurality of the second bioinformation output units. At least one second bioinformation output unit among the plurality of second bioinformation output units may be associated with each of the plurality of first bioinformation output units. When the discrimination signal indicates the first discrimination result, the control unit of each of the plurality of second bioinformation output units may control the noise signal generated by the noise signal generating unit of the first bioinformation output unit associated with itself to be input to its own biopotential signal output unit.

[0019] Any of the bioinformation providing devices may further include a band that holds the pair of electrodes of each of the plurality of first bioinformation output units and the plurality of second bioinformation output units and is attached to the living body.

[0020] In any of the bioinformation providing devices, the first bioinformation output unit may further include a first phase delay unit for synchronizing the biopotential signal output by the biopotential signal output unit of the second bioinformation output unit with the biopotential signal output by its own biopotential signal output unit, and the second bioinformation output unit may further include a second phase delay unit for synchronizing the first signal with the noise signal generated by the noise signal generating unit of the first bioinformation output unit.

[0021] In a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a bioinformation providing device including a plurality of bioinformation output units, each having a biosignal measuring unit that measures a biosignal through a pair of electrodes in contact with the same living body, a bioimpedance signal measuring unit that measures a bioimpedance occurring between the pair of electrodes and outputs a bioimpedance signal corresponding to the bioimpedance, a noise signal generating unit that generates a noise signal indicating a noise component contained in the biosignal from the bioimpedance signal, and a biopotential signal output unit that removes the noise signal component from the biosignal and outputs the biopotential signal, and an identification information output unit that groups the plurality of bioinformation output units based on a similarity of the bioimpedance signals of the plurality of bioinformation output units and outputs identification information that identifies a specific bioinformation output unit for each group. Each of the plurality of bioinformation output units further includes a control unit that controls the bioinformation output unit to input a noise signal generated by the noise signal generating unit of the specific bioinformation output unit indicated in the identification information to its own biopotential signal output unit if the specific bioinformation output unit indicated in the identification information is not the specific bioinformation output unit, and to input a noise signal generated by the noise signal generating unit of its own biopotential signal output unit if the specific bioinformation output unit indicated in the identification information is the specific bioinformation output unit.

[0022] In a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a bioinformation providing device including a plurality of bioinformation output units, each having a biosignal measuring unit that measures a biosignal through a pair of electrodes in contact with the same living body, a bioimpedance signal measuring unit that measures a bioimpedance occurring between the pair of electrodes and outputs a bioimpedance signal corresponding to the bioimpedance, a noise signal generating unit that generates a noise signal indicating a noise component contained in the biosignal from the bioimpedance signal, and a biopotential signal output unit that removes the noise signal component from the biosignal and outputs the biopotential signal, and an identification information output unit that outputs identification information that identifies a specific bioinformation output unit among the plurality of bioinformation output units based on a predetermined condition. Each of the plurality of bioinformation output units further includes a control unit that controls the bioinformation output unit to input the noise signal generated by the noise signal generating unit of the specific bioinformation output unit indicated by the identification information to its own biopotential signal output unit if the specific bioinformation output unit indicated by the identification information is not the specific bioinformation output unit, and to input the noise signal generated by the noise signal generating unit of its own biopotential signal output unit if the specific bioinformation output unit indicated by the identification information is the specific bioinformation output unit.

[0023] The bioinformation providing device may be operable in a first mode in which the plurality of bioinformation output units output the biopotential signals with a first reliability, and a second mode in which the plurality of bioinformation output units output the biopotential signals with a second reliability higher than the first reliability. When operating in the first mode, the identification information output unit may output the identification information to each of the plurality of bioinformation output units, and when operating in the second mode, the control unit may control the control unit to input a noise signal generated by its own noise signal generating unit to its own biopotential signal output unit.

[0024] Any of the bioinformation provision devices may be operable in a first mode in which the plurality of bioinformation output units output the biopotential signals with a first reliability, a second mode in which the plurality of bioinformation output units output the biopotential signals with a second reliability higher than the first reliability, and a third mode in which the plurality of bioinformation output units output the biopotential signals with a third reliability higher than the second reliability. The plurality of bioinformation output units may be grouped into a first number of first groups and also into a second number of second groups greater than the first number. When the bioinformation provision device operates in the first mode, the identification information output unit may output the identification information indicating a specific bioinformation output unit for each of the first group to each of the plurality of bioinformation output units, and when the bioinformation provision device operates in the second mode, the identification information output unit may output the identification information indicating a specific bioinformation output unit for each of the second group to each of the plurality of bioinformation output units. When the bioinformation providing device operates in the third mode, the control unit may perform control so that the noise signal generated by its own noise signal generating unit is input to its own biopotential signal output unit.

[0025] In a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a bioinformation output circuit comprising: a biosignal measuring unit that measures a biosignal through a pair of electrodes in contact with the same living body; a bioimpedance signal measuring unit that measures the bioimpedance generated between the pair of electrodes and outputs a bioimpedance signal corresponding to the bioimpedance; a noise signal generating unit that generates a noise signal from the bioimpedance signal indicative of noise components contained in the biosignal; a biopotential signal output unit that removes the noise signal components from the biosignal and outputs it as a biopotential signal; and a control unit that controls the biopotential signal output unit to input an input external noise signal to the biopotential signal output unit when a discrimination signal output by a discrimination unit based on predetermined conditions indicates a first discrimination result, and to input the noise signal generated by the noise signal generating unit to the biopotential signal output unit when the discrimination signal indicates a second discrimination result.

[0026] The above summary of the invention does not list all of the features of the present invention, and subcombinations of these features may also be inventions. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] 1 is an example of a schematic diagram illustrating bioimpedance BioZ generated in a living body 500. FIG. [Figure 2] 1 is an example of a schematic cross-sectional view of a living body 500 with a plurality of electrodes 150 attached to the wrist. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 shows an example of a block diagram of a configuration of a bioinformation providing device. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the determination unit 50. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the bioinformation output unit 100 which is the main bioinformation output unit. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the biometric information output unit 200 which is a replica biometric information output unit. [Figure 7] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the determination unit 50 that is different from that shown in FIG. 4. [Figure 8] 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the determination unit 50 that is different from those in FIGS. 4 and 7. [Figure 9] 1 shows an example of a block diagram of a configuration of a bioinformation providing device in which a bioinformation output unit 300 serving as a main bioinformation output unit has a different configuration from that of a bioinformation output unit 100. FIG. [Figure 10] 1 shows an example of a block diagram of a bioinformation providing device configured to include a bioinformation output unit 400. FIG. [Figure 11A] An example of grouping of the electrodes 150A to 150N connected to the biological information output section 400 is shown. [Figure 11B] An example of grouping of the electrodes 150A to 150N connected to the biological information output section 400 is shown. [Figure 11C] An example of grouping of the electrodes 150A to 150N connected to the biological information output section 400 is shown. [Figure 11D]An example of grouping of the electrodes 150A to 150N connected to the biological information output section 400 is shown. [Figure 12] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the discriminator 50 in the embodiment of FIG. 10. [Figure 13] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the bioinformation output section 400 in the embodiment of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] The present invention will be described below through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention according to the claims. Furthermore, not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0029] In this specification, when referring to variations of the same element, they may be referred to by an alphabetical designation, such as electrode 150A, electrode 150B, etc. Alternatively, these components may be referred to collectively, such as electrode 150.

[0030] Wristband controllers or myoelectric prosthetic hands are known that predict human movements by detecting myoelectric potentials generated immediately before a human moves, and then control an object in accordance with the predicted human movements. Devices such as wristband controllers that detect the movements of living organisms, such as humans, are equipped with biosensors such as power-saving sensors, and sense bioinformation such as myoelectric potentials or bioimpedance to predict bioinformation about the living organism, such as the movements of the living organism.

[0031] 1 is an example of a schematic diagram illustrating the bioimpedance BioZ generated in a living body 500. The living body 500 includes an epidermis layer 502, a dermis and subcutaneous layer 504, and a muscle layer 506.

[0032] In this embodiment, the living body 500 is a human being. However, the living body 500 may be another animal. When the living body 500 is another animal, the skin structure may vary depending on the type of the living body 500.

[0033] In measuring bioimpedance BioZ, a pair of electrodes 150 are brought into contact with and fixed on the living body 500, and a constant current is passed between the electrodes. Here, the pair of electrodes 150 may be brought into contact with and fixed on the same living body 500. In this case, by reading the potential difference generated between the pair of electrodes 150, the bioimpedance BioZ based on the body composition of the living body 500 can be read.

[0034] Furthermore, for example, when the living body 500 activates a muscle, an action potential is generated by electrical excitation of cells in the muscle layer 506 of the living body 500. Measurement of such an action potential is affected by impedances resulting from the epidermal layer 502, as well as the dermis and subcutaneous layer 504.

[0035] Epidermal layer 502 is the epidermis of living body 500. For example, if living body 500 is a human, epidermal layer 502 is a portion of the skin other than the palms of the hands or the soles of the feet, having an average thickness of about 0.2 mm.

[0036] The epidermis layer 502 is connected to the electrode 150 at a half-cell potential V HC and the half-cell potential V HC A variable resistor R connected in series with ESI and variable capacitance C ESI The half-cell potential V HC is the electrostatic potential that occurs at the contact point between the electrode 150 and the skin layer 502. HC The component contributes to the measurement of bioimpedance BioZ as a component with a frequency of, for example, 20 Hz or less. In bioimpedance BioZ, the contribution of the contact impedance between the electrode 150 and the skin of the living body 500, i.e., the electrode 150 and the epidermis layer 502, is large. Furthermore, the epidermis layer 502 is HC A variable resistor R connected in series with ESI and variable capacitance C ESI The variable resistor R ESI and variable capacitance C ESIfluctuates significantly based on the condition of the skin surface and changes in the contact state between the electrode 150 and the skin. This is manifested in the bioimpedance BioZ as a variation in the contact impedance between the electrode 150 and the skin of the living body 500. When the skin surface is dry, these impedances increase by as much as 10 times, and are therefore represented as variable resistance and capacitance in the equivalent circuit.

[0037] The dermis and subcutaneous layer 504 is a layer such as the dermis layer, subcutaneous tissue, and fascia. In measuring bioimpedance, the dermis and subcutaneous layer 504 has a resistance R body The dermis and subcutaneous layer 504 contributes to the electrical conductivity of the skin. The dermis layer of the dermis and subcutaneous layer 504 is a part of the skin through which capillaries, lymphatic vessels, nerves, etc. pass, and is formed inside the epidermis layer 502. For example, if the living body 500 is a human, the dermis layer is a part having an average thickness of about 2 mm. Of the dermis and subcutaneous layer 504, subcutaneous tissue is formed further inside the dermis layer. The subcutaneous tissue is a part that supports the epidermis layer 502 and the dermis layer, and is a part having an average thickness of about 2 mm to about 9 mm. The subcutaneous layer mainly contains fat cells, and includes large blood vessels, etc. Furthermore, the dermis and subcutaneous layer 504 includes fascia between the subcutaneous tissue and the muscle layer 506. The fascia is about 1 mm thick, and although it is not as large as the skin, it is a part that generates electrical resistance. The resistance R of the dermis and subcutaneous layer 504 body is the resistance value obtained by adding up the electrical resistances of these multiple layers.

[0038] In the end, in the impedance measurement of the bio500, what contributes to the bioimpedance BioZ is the variable resistor R connected in parallel. ESI and variable capacitance C ESI and resistance R body This becomes:

[0039] The muscle layer 506 is a layer that includes multiple muscle fibers 508. The muscle fibers 508 are tissues that are activated by electrical signals transmitted through nerves 510. When the muscle fibers 508 move, an action potential is generated within the muscle fibers 508. In the muscle layer 506, a potential V is generated that is the sum (compound) of the action potentials of multiple muscle fibers as multiple muscles are activated. EMG (compound action potential VEMG ) occurs. In measuring myoelectric signals, such compound action potentials V EMG Measurements are taken.

[0040] Such an action potential V EMG is a potential generated by the activity of the living body, and is therefore a potential difference that can occur between the pair of electrodes 150 attached to the living body 500 even when no current is applied from the outside. However, since a myoelectric signal is a signal with a low potential, if bioimpedance BioZ is measured at the same time as measuring such a myoelectric signal, a signal that applies a potential difference between the pair of electrodes 150 is output from outside the living body 500.

[0041] A myoelectric signal is an example of a "biopotential signal." A myoelectric signal may have an amplitude peak in a frequency band higher than 20 Hz and equal to or lower than 4 kHz, for example. As another example, a biopotential signal may be a signal indicating an electric potential generated by the activity of a living organism, such as an electrocardiogram, an electroencephalogram, or a nystagmus. Note that these biopotential signals are merely examples, and biopotential signals are not limited to these signals as long as they are signals based on the action potential of the living organism 500 generated by the activity of the living organism 500.

[0042] Here, in measuring bioimpedance BioZ, when the living body 500 moves, the electrode 150 may shift relative to the living body 500, or the living body 500 may vibrate, resulting in motion artifacts (MA) occurring at the contact points between the electrode 150 and the living body 500, which may be generated as measurement noise. In measuring bioimpedance BioZ, it is known that the fluctuation component of bioimpedance BioZ includes a component proportional to MA.

[0043] The MA generated when the living body 500 moves often has a peak below 20 Hz, for example, if the living body 500 is a human. The influence of such MA can be blocked by a high-pass filter. However, even if the frequency band in which the MA peak appears is 20 Hz or less, if the peak value of MA is large, the influence of the MA lingering from the peak may appear in the frequency band above 20 Hz.

[0044] On the other hand, the vibrations occurring in the living body 500 are, for example, vibrations occurring in a moving body such as a train, bus, or airplane on which a human is riding. The MA occurring when the living body 500 is riding on the moving body can be directly mixed as noise in a frequency band of, for example, 50 Hz or more and less than 200 Hz. In this case, the MA is known to contribute as a fluctuation in the capacitive component, and C ESI Furthermore, the variation in bioimpedance BioZ due to MA may have a frequency greater than a predetermined frequency (for example, 20 Hz).

[0045] Therefore, the variable capacitance C ESI In the measurement of MA, by blocking components in an appropriate frequency range and amplifying the blocked components, it becomes possible to read the fluctuation of the capacitive element proportional to MA, and thus to read the fluctuation of the bioimpedance due to MA. In the following, we will explain how to measure the variable capacitance C proportional to MA. ESI The configuration of the bioinformation providing device capable of reading the fluctuations in blood pressure will be described in detail below.

[0046] 2 is an example of a schematic cross-sectional view of a wrist of a living body 500 to which multiple electrodes 150 are attached. A bioinformation output unit 100 is connected to each pair of the multiple electrodes 150. In this embodiment, a case in which the living body 500 is a human will be described as an example. Surface muscles 520 of the wrist that are closer to the surface of the wrist and deep muscles 530 that are muscles deeper than the surface of the wrist are shown.

[0047] Wearing a bracelet-type electromyographic sensor on a human wrist or forearm enables gesture recognition. When a hand muscle is moved, the location where an action potential occurs is identified, thereby identifying which part of the muscle moved and identifying the hand gesture. To identify the location where the action potential occurred, multiple electrodes 150 are arranged in pairs around the wrist. The bioinformation output unit 100 connected to the multiple electrodes 150 is configured as a sensor array, so that the active part can be identified from the action potential at the part corresponding to the activity of the living body 500 detected by the multiple sensors. Specifically, the distance from the multiple sensors to the muscle where the action potential is occurring, the direction from the sensor to the muscle, etc. are identified to identify which muscle is moving. In this embodiment, the multiple electrodes 150 are arranged, for example, N pairs of electrodes 150, spaced apart at predetermined intervals around the circumference of the wrist.

[0048] In the figure, an example is shown in which multiple electrodes 150 are placed around the wrist or forearm, but as another example, multiple electrodes 150 may be placed around the thigh. By placing multiple electrodes 150 around the thigh, deterioration of the muscle at the position where the myoelectric potential is generated can be detected, and the detection results can be used for applications such as sports engineering and rehabilitation.

[0049] A bioinformation output unit 100 is connected to each pair of the multiple electrodes 150. For example, the bioinformation output unit 100A is connected to the pair of electrodes 150A, and the bioinformation output unit 100B is connected to the pair of electrodes 150B. In this way, the bioinformation output unit 100N is connected to the Nth pair of electrodes 150N. The bioinformation output unit 100 detects bioinformation from each pair of the multiple electrodes 150, and identifies the site where an action potential is generated by analyzing the distance and angle from the electrode 150 to the active site and / or the correlation between the electrode 150 and the active site from the detected bioinformation.

[0050] When the wrist of the living body 500 is moved, the superficial muscles 520 (for example, the flexor pollicis longus) contract and an action potential is generated in the superficial muscles 520. When the fingers of the living body 500 are moved, a site more distal to the measurement site is moved, so that the deep muscles 530 (for example, the flexor digitorum superficialis) located deeper contract and an action potential is generated in the deep muscles 530. In this way, by wearing a bracelet-type electromyography sensor on the wrist or forearm and identifying the locations where action potentials are generated in different sites in the wrist, the gesture of the fingers can be identified.

[0051] As an example of measurement other than myoelectric potential, measurement of electroencephalograms is an example where it is effective to place and measure multiple electrodes 150. Since brain function often differs depending on the location within the brain, identifying the location within the brain from which the electroencephalogram originates can be useful for analyzing the electroencephalograms.

[0052] Fig. 3 shows an example of a block diagram of the configuration of a bioinformation providing device. The bioinformation providing device includes a bioinformation output unit 100, one or more bioinformation output units 200, and a discrimination unit 50. In this embodiment, the bioinformation output unit 100A is connected to a pair of electrodes 150A, and the bioinformation output unit 200B is connected to a pair of electrodes 150B. In the figure, N pairs of electrodes 150 are shown, as in the embodiment of Fig. 2. The bioinformation output unit 200N is connected to the electrode 150N.

[0053] In this embodiment, the bioinformation output unit 100 and the bioinformation output unit 200 have different internal configurations, and therefore different reference numerals are assigned to the respective bioinformation output units. The bioinformation output unit 100 includes a biosignal measurement unit 10, a bioimpedance signal measurement unit 20, a noise signal generation unit 30, and a biopotential signal output unit 12. The bioinformation output unit 200 includes the biosignal measurement unit 10, the bioimpedance signal measurement unit 20, the noise signal generation unit 30, a control unit 40, and a biopotential signal output unit 212. Due to the difference in function between the bioinformation output unit 100 and the bioinformation output unit 200, the bioinformation output unit 100 may be referred to as a "main bioinformation output unit" or a "first bioinformation output unit." On the other hand, the bioinformation output unit 200 may be referred to as a "replica bioinformation output unit 200" or a "second bioinformation output unit."

[0054] The biological signal measurement unit 10 measures a biological signal through a pair of electrodes 150 that are in contact with the living body 500. The biological signal measurement unit 10 measures a compound action potential V EMG The signal may be amplified and output as a biosignal after analog-to-digital conversion.

[0055] The bioimpedance signal measuring unit 20 measures the bioimpedance occurring between the pair of electrodes 150 and outputs a bioimpedance signal corresponding to the bioimpedance BioZ. The bioimpedance signal measuring unit 20 outputs the bioimpedance signal to the noise signal generating unit 30 and the discriminator 50. The bioimpedance signal measuring unit 20 includes an AC signal output unit 22.

[0056] The AC signal output unit 22 applies an AC signal to the pair of electrodes 150 so that the bioimpedance signal measurement unit 20 can measure the bioimpedance BioZ. For example, the AC signal output unit 22 includes a DC constant voltage or constant current source and a mixer for generating an AC constant voltage signal. As another example, the AC signal output unit 22 includes a square wave or sine wave AC power source and a resistor for limiting the amplitude of the signal.

[0057] The AC signal output section 22 may apply an AC signal as a differential signal to the pair of electrodes 150. In this case, the bioimpedance signal measurement section 20 measures the bioimpedance BioZ by detecting the impedance with respect to the differential signal. In another example, the AC signal output section 22 applies a signal having a waveform with a sine wave or square wave-like potential difference from a predetermined reference potential to one of the pair of electrodes 150. In this case, the bioimpedance signal measurement section 20 may include an amplifier and a single-ended to differential conversion circuit, and extract a differential signal from the single-ended signal to measure the bioimpedance.

[0058] The noise signal generating unit 30 generates a noise signal representing noise components contained in the bioimpedance signal from the bioimpedance signal. The noise signal generating unit 30 generates a signal proportional to the MA by multiplying the bioimpedance signal by a coefficient. Here, the noise signal generating unit 30 may be an adaptive filter that adapts the coefficient through feedback control in response to the output from the bioinformation output unit 100A and outputs a filtered signal. Therefore, the noise signal generating unit 30 may include an adaptive filter that generates a noise signal based on the bioimpedance signal and the coefficient. In myoelectric measurement, the motion artifact MA is a noise component contained in a component that is a composite of action potentials from multiple muscle fibers constituting the living body 500. The adaptive filter reduces fluctuations in the output from the biosignal measuring unit 10 due to factors such as the type of MA, and converges the output of the biopotential signal output unit 12 to a signal that reflects the desired bioinformation.

[0059] In a bioinformation providing device configured as described above, the greater the number of bioinformation output units 100 and bioinformation output units 200, the more likely it is that which part of the muscle has moved can be identified with higher accuracy from the biopotential signals output from each unit. On the other hand, the power consumption increases as each of the bioinformation output units 100 and 200 operates. Therefore, it is desirable to reduce the power consumption in a bioinformation providing device including the bioinformation output units 100 and 200.

[0060] Here, the noise signal includes noise components generated by vibrations occurring in the living body 500. Such noise components are components contained in the biosignals of the bioinformation output unit 100 and the bioinformation output unit 200 and may be similar. Furthermore, the accuracy required to identify which muscle part has moved varies depending on the application. In other words, high accuracy may not be necessary. Therefore, in the bioinformation providing device according to this embodiment, the noise signal used by the bioinformation output unit 100 and the bioinformation output unit 200 is shared according to predetermined conditions, taking into account the required accuracy, etc., thereby reducing power consumption for generating the noise signal. Here, in terms of sharing a noise-related signal, the signal shared by the bioinformation output unit 100 and the bioinformation output unit 200 may be the output of the bioimpedance signal measurement unit 20, which is correlated with the noise signal. However, when the noise signal is shared, compared to when the output of the bioimpedance signal measurement unit 20 is shared, there is no need to operate the noise signal generation unit 30 in each bioinformation output unit 200, which may result in greater power consumption reduction.

[0061] To implement this, the noise signal generating unit 30 of the bioinformation output unit 100 outputs a noise signal to a signal line connected to the bioinformation output unit 200. A bus, a hub, or the like may be connected to this signal line, and the bioinformation output unit 200 may selectively acquire the noise signal from the bioinformation output unit 100.

[0062] The discrimination unit 50 outputs a discrimination signal for discriminating whether or not the noise signal used by the bioinformation output unit 100 and the bioinformation output unit 200 is to be shared based on a predetermined condition. The discrimination unit 50 may output a discrimination signal indicating a first discrimination result or a second discrimination result in accordance with the predetermined condition. The discrimination unit 50 includes an operation mode switching unit 52 and an index information acquisition unit 54.

[0063] The discrimination unit 50 may output a discrimination signal indicating a first discrimination result or a second discrimination result based on a condition of the similarity of the bioimpedance signals as a predetermined condition. Specifically, for example, the discrimination unit 50 receives bioimpedance signals from the bioimpedance signal measurement units 20 of the bioinformation output unit 100A and the bioinformation output units 200B to 200N. The discrimination unit 50 compares the bioimpedance signals of the bioinformation output unit 100A with those of the bioinformation output units 200B to 200N and determines whether they have a similarity equal to or greater than a predetermined similarity. Since the MA depends on the contact state between the electrode 150 and the living body 500, a similarity of the bioimpedance signals equal to or greater than the predetermined similarity indicates that the similarity of the contact state between the electrode 150 and the living body 500 is equal to or greater than a certain level.

[0064] The discrimination unit 50 may determine the similarity by comparing the spectral components of the bioimpedance signals. The discrimination unit 50 compares the time signal components to frequency components using a method such as fast Fourier transform (FFT). The discrimination unit 50 may determine the similarity by comparing the spectral shape or intensity of each frequency component. Alternatively, the discrimination may be based on comparing the positions of peaks or inflection points of the time component signals using a method such as a cross-correlation function. For example, if the absolute value of the difference between these positions is within a predetermined value, it can be determined that the similarity is equal to or greater than a predetermined level. Alternatively, the signal slope, degree of fluctuation, and overall shape of the signal components in the bioimpedance signals can be compared using a method such as a correlation function. For example, the difference between the signal slopes can be calculated, and if the difference is within a predetermined value, it can be determined that the similarity is equal to or greater than a predetermined level.

[0065] When the similarity between the bioimpedance signal of the bioinformation output section 100 and the bioimpedance signal of the bioinformation output section 200 is equal to or greater than a predetermined similarity, the discrimination section 50 may output a discrimination signal indicating a first discrimination result to the control section 40 of the bioinformation output section 200 in accordance with a predetermined condition. On the other hand, when the similarity between the bioimpedance signal of the bioinformation output section 100 and the bioimpedance signal of the bioinformation output section 200 is smaller than the predetermined similarity, the discrimination section 50 may output a discrimination signal indicating a second discrimination result in accordance with a predetermined condition.

[0066] In this embodiment, bioimpedance signals are input to the discrimination unit 50 from the bioimpedance signal measurement unit 20 of the bioinformation output unit 100 and the bioinformation output unit 200. The discrimination unit 50 determines the similarity of the contact state between the electrode 150 and the living body 500 based on the similarity of the input bioimpedance signals.

[0067] In another example, each of the bioinformation output section 100 and the bioinformation output section 200 inputs the noise signal generated from the noise signal generating section 30 to the discriminating section 50. In this case, the discriminating section 50 may compare the similarity of the noise signals to determine the similarity of the contact state between the electrode 150 and the living body 500.

[0068] As another example, biopotential signals reflecting bioinformation output from the bioinformation output units 100 and 200 may be input to the discrimination unit 50. The bioinformation output units 100 and 200, connected to electrodes 150 arranged circumferentially around a living body part such as the wrist, form a sensor array. Although the biopotential signals output by the bioinformation output units 100 and 200 are angle-dependent, they are signals from the equally spaced electrodes 150, and noise reduction is performed on each. Therefore, if there is similarity in the noise signals, there will also be a correlation between the biopotential signals. Alternatively, if the influence of MA remains in the biopotential signals, the similarity of the influence of MA can be confirmed by comparing the similarity of the biopotential signals. This may allow the bioinformation output unit 200 to determine whether to use the noise signal from the bioinformation output unit 100. Therefore, the discrimination unit 50 can also determine whether the bioinformation output unit 200 should use the noise signal from the bioinformation output unit 100 by comparing the similarity of the biopotential signals.

[0069] That is, the discrimination section 50 may output the discrimination signal indicating a first discrimination result in accordance with a predetermined condition when the similarity between the biopotential signal of the bioinformation output section 100 and the biopotential signal of the bioinformation output section 200 is equal to or greater than a predetermined similarity. The discrimination section 50 may output a discrimination signal indicating a second discrimination result in accordance with a predetermined condition when the similarity between the biopotential signal of the bioinformation output section 100 and the biopotential signal of the bioinformation output section 200 is smaller than the predetermined similarity. The discrimination section 50 may output discrimination signals indicating the first discrimination result and the second discrimination result to the control section 40 of the bioinformation output section 200.

[0070] Therefore, in order to make this determination, the bioimpedance signals of the bioinformation output sections 100 and 200 or the biopotential signals of the bioinformation output sections 100 and 200 may be input to the determination section 50. The determination section 50 may output a determination signal based on the input bioimpedance signals or biopotential signals.

[0071] The discrimination unit 50 may output a discrimination signal indicating a first discrimination result or a second discrimination result based on the condition of the magnitude of vibration as a predetermined condition. Specifically, the index information acquisition unit 54 acquires at least one of position information of the living body 500, vibration information including the magnitude of vibration of the living body 500, and acceleration information of the living body 500 as index information.

[0072] In this case, the index information acquisition unit 54 includes a combination of at least one of a GPS, an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), an acceleration sensor, a magnetic sensor, a gyroscope, and the like for acquiring position information, movement information, vibration information, and / or acceleration information. For example, if the index information acquisition unit 54 includes a GPS, it can read geographical position information and movement information such as riding a vehicle, walking, and stationary state. For example, if the index information acquisition unit 54 includes a gyroscope, it can detect the axis on which the bioinformation providing device is rotating and estimate the movement state. For example, if the index information acquisition unit 54 includes a magnetic sensor, it can detect geomagnetism and estimate the movement direction of the bioinformation providing device. Note that the biovibration information includes, for example, information on the magnitude of the vibration of the bioinformation providing device and / or information on the frequency of the vibration.

[0073] As a predetermined condition, the discrimination unit 50 may output a discrimination signal indicating a first discrimination result when the index information indicates that the magnitude of the vibration of the living body is equal to or greater than a predetermined magnitude, and may output a discrimination signal indicating a second discrimination result according to the predetermined condition when the index information indicates that the magnitude of the vibration of the living body is smaller than the predetermined magnitude. For example, when the magnitude of the vibration of the living body 500 is greater than the predetermined magnitude, the living body 500 may be traveling by train. When traveling by train, MA is patterned, and by removing similar noise signals from the main biological information output unit and the replica biological information output unit, it is easy to remove the influence of MA from the biopotential signal. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the vibration is large, the discrimination unit 50 outputs a discrimination signal indicating a first discrimination result and causes the replica biological information output unit to use the noise signal output by the noise signal generation unit 30 of the main biological information output unit.

[0074] However, the determination based on the vibration magnitude in this embodiment is merely an example, and the determination unit 50 may determine the first determination result and the second determination result by analyzing various patterns in the bioimpedance signal. For example, the determination unit 50 may measure the bioimpedance signal for a predetermined period, and when repeated vibrations with a predetermined amplitude and period appear a predetermined number of times or more, detect that the user is in a vehicle and output a determination signal indicating the first determination result. In this case, when repeated vibrations with a predetermined amplitude and period do not appear in the bioimpedance signal a predetermined number of times or more, the determination unit 50 may output a determination signal indicating the second determination result.

[0075] The discrimination unit 50 may output a discrimination signal indicating a first discrimination result or a second discrimination result based on a condition corresponding to the operation mode of the bioinformation providing device, which condition is based on a reliability required for the bioinformation, as a predetermined condition. Specifically, in a first operation mode in which a biopotential signal is output with a first reliability as a predetermined condition for the reliability required for the bioinformation, the discrimination unit 50 may output a discrimination signal indicating the first discrimination result. In a second operation mode in which a biopotential signal is output with a second reliability as a predetermined condition for the reliability required for the bioinformation, which is higher than the first reliability, the discrimination unit 50 may output a discrimination signal indicating the second discrimination result. The operation mode switching unit 52 may switch between these operation modes.

[0076] When higher reliability is required, the number of measurement points for measuring noise signals can be increased, and noise signals based on bioimpedance signals measured at each position of the electrodes 150B to 150N can be used. In other words, reliability can be improved by having more replica bioinformation output units (i.e., bioinformation output units 200) use the noise signals output by their own noise signal generation units 30 to remove the effects of MA. This is a trade-off with reducing power consumption by having more replica bioinformation output units use the noise signals output by the noise signal generation units 30 of the main bioinformation output unit. Therefore, the discrimination unit 50 can output a discrimination signal in which the number and combination of positions of replica bioinformation output units that use the noise signals output by their own noise signal generation units 30 are adjusted according to the desired reliability and reduction in power consumption.

[0077] The biopotential signal output unit 12 removes noise signal components from the biosignal and outputs it as a biopotential signal. Specifically, the biopotential signal output unit 12 includes a subtractor 14 that subtracts the noise signal from the biosignal. The biopotential signal output unit 12 also includes a first phase delay unit 16 to match the phase with the biopotential signal output from the bioinformation output unit 200 (described below), which is another channel. The first phase delay unit 16 adjusts the phase of the signal from which the noise has been removed by the subtractor 14, and outputs the phase-adjusted signal as the biopotential signal from the bioinformation output unit 100A. In this way, the biopotential signal output unit 12 may add or subtract the biosignal and the noise signal and output the result as a biopotential signal.

[0078] The subtractor 14 outputs a signal obtained by subtracting the noise signal from the input biological signal. Specifically, the subtractor 14 subtracts a component proportional to MA from the biological signal input by the biological signal measurement unit 10, thereby outputting a signal from which the influence of MA has been removed.

[0079] The first phase delay unit 16 synchronizes the biopotential signal output by the biopotential signal output unit 212 of the bioinformation output unit 200 with the biopotential signal output by the biopotential signal output unit 12 of the bioinformation output unit 100A. As will be described later, the second phase delay unit 18 receives a noise signal from the bioinformation output unit 100A and delays the phase to adjust the phase with the biopotential signal of the bioinformation output unit 200. As a result, the biopotential signal output from the bioinformation output unit 200 becomes a delayed signal, so the first phase delay unit 16 adjusts the phase by delaying the biopotential signal output from the bioinformation output unit 100A with respect to the biopotential signal output from the bioinformation output unit 200.

[0080] For example, if the bioinformation output unit 100A is implemented as an integrated circuit (IC) operating under a reference clock, the first phase delay unit 16 can be implemented using a flip-flop. This is because a flip-flop has the property of a sequential circuit that retains timing information indicated by a specific clock and outputs a signal based on that information from the timing indicated by the next clock. Alternatively, the first phase delay unit 16 can be implemented using a first-in-first-out (FIFO) memory that stores data in a fixed order and has the property that the first input data is the first output data. Alternatively, the first phase delay unit 16 may be implemented using a timer. In this way, the first phase delay unit 16 can be implemented using an appropriate delay circuit. Using the first phase delay unit 16 compensates for phase differences in output signals between different ICs, improving the accuracy of gesture recognition using myoelectric signals. Note that the first phase delay unit 16 is an optional component when there is not a large phase difference between the biopotential signals output by the bioinformation output unit 100 and the bioinformation output unit 200.

[0081] The biological information output section 200 is common to the biological information output section 100 in that it includes a biological signal measurement section 10, a bioimpedance signal measurement section 20, and a noise signal generation section 30. Therefore, hereinafter, the control section 40 and the biopotential signal output section 212 included in the biological information output section 200B will be described.

[0082] The control unit 40 controls the noise signal to be output to the biopotential signal output unit 212 based on the discrimination signal input from the discrimination unit 50. Specifically, when the discrimination signal indicates a first discrimination result, the control unit 40 inputs the noise signal generated by the noise signal generation unit 30 of the bioinformation output unit 100A to the biopotential signal output unit 212 of the bioinformation output unit 200. When the discrimination signal indicates a second discrimination result, the control unit 40 controls the noise signal generated by the noise signal generation unit 30 of the bioinformation output unit 200 to be input to the biopotential signal output unit 212 of the bioinformation output unit 200. In this way, when the discrimination unit 50 determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied and outputs a discrimination signal indicating the first discrimination result, the bioinformation output unit 200 serving as the replica bioinformation output unit removes the influence of MA from the biopotential signal by using the noise signal of the bioinformation output unit 100A serving as the main bioinformation output unit (which is an example of an “external noise signal” input from outside the replica bioinformation output unit). The replica biometric information output unit of this embodiment is referred to as a "replica" because it may perform noise removal using a noise signal generated by the main biometric information output unit rather than a noise signal generated by itself.

[0083] Furthermore, when the discrimination signal indicates the first discrimination result, the control unit 40 controls at least one of the bioimpedance signal measuring unit 20 and the noise signal generating unit 30 of the bioinformation output unit 200 so as to reduce power consumption in at least one of the bioimpedance signal measuring unit 20 and the noise signal generating unit 30 of the bioinformation output unit 200. For example, the control unit 40 reduces power consumption by executing at least one of stopping the supply of biosignals by the bioimpedance signal measuring unit 20 and stopping the generation of noise signals by the noise signal generating unit 30. As another example of the control unit 40 reducing power consumption when the discrimination signal indicates the first discrimination result, in a case where the bioimpedance signal measuring unit 20 includes an AC signal output unit 22, the control unit 40 may reduce power consumption by stopping the supply of AC signals by the AC signal output unit 22.

[0084] As yet another example, the control unit 40 may operate the bioimpedance signal measurement unit 20 and the noise signal generation unit 30 intermittently. Here, "operating intermittently" means causing the target device or circuit to switch between normal operation and standby operation at predetermined time intervals. This allows the control unit 40 to reduce power consumption compared to when the bioimpedance signal measurement unit 20 and the noise signal generation unit 30 operate continuously.

[0085] As yet another example, the control unit 40 may slow down the operation of the bioimpedance signal measuring unit 20 and the noise signal generating unit 30. This means that the control unit 40 delays the timing of switching operations and / or the time required for switching in circuits that involve switching operations, such as switching circuits or logic circuits, included in the bioimpedance signal measuring unit 20 and the noise signal generating unit 30. This suppresses the operating current associated with signal switching, thereby reducing power consumption.

[0086] This is because the bioinformation output unit 200, which serves as a replica bioinformation output unit, uses the noise signal of the bioinformation output unit 100A, which serves as the main bioinformation output unit, and therefore does not need to generate a noise signal in the bioinformation output unit 200. In this case, the operations of the bioimpedance signal measurement unit 20 and the noise signal generation unit 30 on the bioinformation output unit 200 side can be omitted, and power consumption can be reduced by stopping at least one of these elements. The control unit 40 includes a control unit 42, an acquisition unit 43, a phase adjustment unit 44, a selector 46, and an amplification unit 48.

[0087] When a discrimination signal is input from the discrimination section 50 to the control section 40, the control unit 42 controls the bioimpedance signal measurement section 20, the noise signal generation section 30, the selector 46, and the amplification section 48. Specifically, it outputs signals for carrying out the following controls.

[0088] When the discrimination signal indicates the first discrimination result, the control unit 42 outputs a signal to stop the operation of at least one of the bioimpedance signal measuring section 20 and the noise signal generating section 30. In this case, the control unit 42 may also output a signal to stop the operation of the AC signal output section 22. The control unit 42 outputs a signal to the selector 46 to cause the selector 46 to select the noise signal of the bioinformation output section 200, which is a replica bioinformation output section. In addition, the control unit 42 outputs a signal to control the amplifier 48 to amplify the noise signal at an appropriate gain when the noise signal of the replica bioinformation output section is output to the biopotential signal output section 212.

[0089] On the other hand, when the discrimination signal indicates a second discrimination result, the control unit 42 does not output a signal to stop the operation of the bioimpedance signal measuring unit 20, the AC signal output unit 22, and the noise signal generating unit 30. In this case, the control unit 42 does not output a signal to stop the operation of the AC signal output unit 22 either. The control unit 42 outputs a signal to the selector 46 to cause the selector 46 to select the noise signal of the bioinformation output unit 100A, which is the main bioinformation output unit. Furthermore, when the noise signal of the main bioinformation output unit is output to the biopotential signal output unit 212, the control unit 42 outputs a signal to control the amplifier 48 to amplify the noise signal at an appropriate gain.

[0090] The acquiring unit 43 acquires the noise signal output by the noise signal generating unit 30 of the bioinformation output unit 100 from the signal line. The acquiring unit 43 may periodically acquire the noise signal from the bioinformation output unit 100. The noise signal output by the bioinformation output unit 100 may be provided with information that can identify the noise signal as being output by the bioinformation output unit 100 using header information or the like. The acquiring unit 43 may be configured to determine that the noise signal is a signal from the bioinformation output unit 100 based on the header or the like.

[0091] Here, if the bioinformation output unit 100A and the bioinformation output unit 200 are provided in different ICs, the bioinformation output unit 100A and the bioinformation output unit 200 may be synchronized with different reference clocks. When data is passed from the bioinformation output unit 100A to the bioinformation output unit 200, the phase adjustment unit 44 compensates for the timing by transferring the data synchronized by the bioinformation output unit 100A to the clock system of the bioinformation output unit 200. In this case, a signal delay of about 1 / fs may occur when data is acquired relative to the sampling frequency fs. For example, the phase adjustment unit 44 is implemented using a delay circuit such as a flip-flop.

[0092] The selector 46 selects the noise signal to be input to the amplifier 48 based on the signal from the control unit 42. The selector 46 may switch the noise signal to be input to the amplifier 48 according to the level of the signal from the control unit 42. The selector 46 switches the noise signal to be input to the amplifier 48 between the noise signal input from the noise signal generating unit 30 of the bioinformation output unit 200 and the noise signal input from the bioinformation output unit 100A via the acquiring unit 43 and the phase adjusting unit 44 according to the level of the signal from the control unit 42.

[0093] The amplifier 48 switches the amplification factor of the noise signal to be output to the biopotential signal output section 212 in response to a signal from the control unit 42. For example, the contact state between the living body 500 and the electrode 150 to which the bioinformation output section 100, which is the main biosignal output section, is connected may differ from the contact state between the living body 500 and the electrode 150 to which the bioinformation output section 200, which is the replica biosignal output section, is connected. This appears as a difference in the level of the bioimpedance signal input to the discrimination section 50. Therefore, the control unit 42 controls the amplifier 48, based on the signal from the discrimination section 50, to amplify the noise signal by an amplification factor of the noise signal corresponding to the level ratio of the bioimpedance signals.

[0094] As described above, the bioinformation output section 200 includes an amplifier 48 that amplifies or attenuates a noise signal input to the biopotential signal output section 212 of the bioinformation output section 200 with an amplification factor based on the level ratio between the bioimpedance signal measured by the bioimpedance signal measuring section 20 of the bioinformation output section 100 and the bioimpedance signal measured by the bioimpedance signal measuring section of the bioinformation output section 200, and then outputs the amplified signal to the biopotential signal output section 212 of the bioinformation output section 200. As a result, even when the biopotential signal output section 212 removes the influence of MA from the biosignal based on noise signals of different ICs, it can amplify and remove the influence of the signal component proportional to MA to an appropriate amplitude. Note that the amplifier 48 can be omitted if the level difference between the biopotential signal and the noise signal of the bioinformation output section 100 and the bioinformation output section 200 is not large.

[0095] The biopotential signal output unit 212 includes a second phase delay unit 18 and a subtractor 14. The second phase delay unit 18 synchronizes the biosignal from the biosignal measurement unit 10 of the bioinformation output unit 200 with the noise signal generated by the noise signal generation unit 30 of the bioinformation output unit 100A. By providing the second phase delay unit 18, the biosignal and the noise signal proportional to MA are synchronized, thereby improving the effect of suppressing the influence of noise proportional to MA on the biopotential signal. Like the first phase delay unit 16, the second phase delay unit 18 may be implemented using a flip-flop, a FIFO, and / or a timer. Note that the second phase delay unit 18 is an optional component when the phase difference between the biosignal and the noise signal proportional to MA is not large.

[0096] The configurations of the bioinformation output unit 100A and the bioinformation output units 200B to 200N have been described above. In this embodiment, one bioinformation output unit 100A serving as a main bioinformation output unit and N-1 bioinformation output units 200B to 200N are provided for each pair of N electrodes 150. However, the number of main bioinformation output units 100 provided is not limited to one, as long as it is one or more. When the number of electrode pairs is N, the number of bioinformation output units 100 serving as main bioinformation output units may be any number from 1 to N. After selecting the number of main bioinformation output units, the number of bioinformation output units 200 serving as replica bioinformation output units may be provided in a number that satisfies the relationship (number of replica bioinformation output units) = N - (number of main bioinformation output units). In this case, the control unit 40 of the replica bioinformation output unit may be connected to the noise signal generation unit 30 of any of the main bioinformation output units whose noise signals are similar.

[0097] The bioinformation providing device may include a main bioinformation output unit and a plurality of replica bioinformation output units, and may include a band for holding a pair of electrodes 150 for each of these and attaching it to the living body 500. The band may hold the pair of electrodes 150 at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the wrist of the living body 500. The band can be used to maintain the positions of the electrodes 150 and the contact state between the living body 500 and the electrodes 150.

[0098] The bioinformation providing device may also include a plurality of main bioinformation output units. In this case, the bioinformation providing device may include a plurality of main bioinformation output units and a plurality of replica bioinformation output units, and a replica bioinformation output unit may be assigned to each of the plurality of main bioinformation output units based on the similarity of bioimpedance signals derived in advance through an experiment, a calibration process, or the like. Since the closer the distance between the electrodes 150, the higher the similarity of noise signals tends to be, a predetermined number of generated information output units may be set as mains among the equally spaced generated information output units.

[0099] In this case, at least one of the multiple replica bioinformation output units may be associated with each of the multiple main bioinformation output units. That is, the control units 40 of the multiple bioinformation output units 200 are connected to the bioimpedance signal measurement units 20 of the multiple bioinformation output units 100, respectively. This connection may be made via a signal line including the aforementioned bus or the like. When the discrimination signal indicates the first discrimination result, the control unit 40 of each of the multiple bioinformation output units 200 may control the noise signal generated by the noise signal generation unit 30 of the bioinformation output unit 100 associated therewith to be input to its own biopotential signal output unit 212. In this case, the bioinformation providing device may include a band that holds pairs of electrodes 150 for each of the multiple main bioinformation output units and the multiple replica bioinformation output units and is attached to the living body 500. The band may hold the pairs of electrodes 150 at equal intervals around the circumference of the wrist of the living body 500. The band can be used to maintain the positions of the electrodes 150 and the contact state between the living body 500 and the electrodes 150.

[0100] Next, operations of the discrimination unit 50, main biometric information output unit, and replica biometric information output unit will be described for several embodiments with reference to Fig. 4 to Fig. 7. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the discrimination unit 50. The operation of the discrimination unit 50 in this embodiment includes steps S102 to S110.

[0101] The discrimination unit 50 receives bioimpedance signals from the bioinformation output unit 100 and the bioinformation output unit 200 (S102). The discrimination unit 50 determines whether the similarity between the bioimpedance signal of the bioinformation output unit 100A, which is the main bioinformation output unit, and the bioinformation output unit 200, which is the replica bioinformation output unit, is equal to or greater than a predetermined similarity (S104). The operation of the discrimination unit 50 branches depending on whether the similarity is equal to or greater than the predetermined similarity (S106). If the similarity is equal to or greater than the predetermined similarity, the operation of the discrimination unit 50 proceeds to S108, and if the similarity is less than the predetermined similarity, the operation of the discrimination unit 50 proceeds to S110.

[0102] If the similarity is equal to or greater than a predetermined similarity, the discrimination unit 50 outputs a discrimination signal indicating a first discrimination result to the control unit 40 of the bioinformation output unit 200 (S108). On the other hand, if the similarity is smaller than the predetermined similarity, the discrimination unit 50 outputs a discrimination signal indicating a second discrimination result to the control unit 40 of the bioinformation output unit 200 (S110). After performing these discrimination operations, the operation of the discrimination unit 50 ends. The discrimination unit 50 may periodically repeat the discrimination of the similarity. By such repeated discrimination, the discrimination unit 50 may set the operation of the bioinformation output unit 100 and the bioinformation output unit 200 to a more appropriate mode based on the noise correlation, and gradually transition to the optimal mode.

[0103] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the main biological information output unit 100. The operation of the biological information output unit 100 of this embodiment includes steps S202 to S208.

[0104] The bioinformation output unit 100 supplies power to the bioimpedance signal measuring unit 20 and the noise signal generating unit 30 (S202). The bioimpedance signal measuring unit 20 outputs a bioimpedance signal to the discriminator 50 (S204). This enables the discriminator 50 to perform discrimination based on the bioimpedance signal and to output a signal for determining the amplification factor of the amplifier 48 of the bioinformation output unit 200, which is a replica bioinformation output unit.

[0105] Next, the noise signal generating unit 30 generates a noise signal indicating the influence of MA based on the bioimpedance signal, and outputs the generated noise signal to the biopotential signal output unit 12 of the bioinformation output unit 100 itself and to the control unit 40 of the bioinformation output unit 200 (S206). Next, the biopotential signal output unit 12 outputs the biopotential signal from which the noise signal components have been removed based on the noise signal output by the noise signal generating unit 30, as a signal indicating bioinformation (S208). After step S208, the operation of the bioinformation output unit 100 ends.

[0106] 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the replica biometric information output unit 200. The operation of the biometric information output unit 200 of this embodiment includes steps S302 to S320.

[0107] The bioinformation output unit 200 supplies power to the bioimpedance signal measuring unit 20 and the noise signal generating unit 30 (S302). The bioimpedance signal measuring unit 20 outputs a bioimpedance signal to the discriminating unit 50 to perform discrimination based on the bioimpedance signals of the bioinformation output unit 100 and the bioinformation output unit 200 (S304). Next, the control unit 40 receives a discrimination signal from the discriminating unit 50 (S306). The operation of the bioinformation output unit 200 branches based on the discrimination result indicated by the discrimination signal (S308). If the discrimination result indicated by the discrimination signal is the first discrimination result, the control unit 40 causes the operation of the bioinformation output unit 200 to proceed to S310, and if the similarity is less than a predetermined similarity, the operation of the bioinformation output unit 200 proceeds to S316.

[0108] When the discrimination signal received from the discrimination unit 50 indicates the first discrimination result, the control unit 40 powers down the bioimpedance signal measurement unit 20 and the noise signal generation unit 30 (S310). This reduces power consumption in the bioinformation output unit 200. Next, the control unit 40 inputs the noise signal from the bioinformation output unit 100A, which is the main bioinformation output unit, to the biopotential signal output unit (S312). Based on the noise signal from the bioinformation output unit 100A, which is the main bioinformation output unit, the biopotential signal output unit 212 outputs the biopotential signal from which the noise signal component has been removed as a signal indicating bioinformation (S314).

[0109] If the discrimination signal received from the discrimination unit 50 indicates the first discrimination result, the control unit 40 does not power down the bioimpedance signal measurement unit 20 and the noise signal generation unit 30 (S316). Next, the control unit 40 inputs the noise signal output by the noise signal generation unit 30 of the bioinformation output unit 200 itself to the biopotential signal output unit 212 (S318). The biopotential signal output unit 212 outputs the biopotential signal, from which the noise signal components have been removed, as a signal indicating bioinformation based on the noise signal from the noise signal generation unit 30 of the bioinformation output unit 200 itself (S320). After steps S314 and S320, the operation of the bioinformation output unit 200 ends. If the discrimination unit 50 periodically and repeatedly discriminates the similarity, the control unit 40 may also periodically and repeatedly receive the discrimination signal. The control unit 40 may control the operation of the bioinformation output unit 200 to a more appropriate mode based on the repeatedly received discrimination signal, or may gradually transition the operation of the bioinformation output unit 200 to the optimal mode.

[0110] Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the discriminator 50 that is different from Fig. 4. The operation of the discriminator 50 of this embodiment includes steps S402 to S408.

[0111] The discrimination unit 50 sets the operation mode to either the first mode or the second mode based on the reliability required for the biometric information output by the biometric information output unit 200, which is the replica biometric information output unit (S402). The discrimination unit 50 discriminates whether the biometric information output unit 200 is operating in the first mode or the second mode (S404). If the biometric information output unit 200 is operating in the first mode, the discrimination unit 50 outputs a discrimination signal indicating a first discrimination result to the biometric information output unit 200 (S406). On the other hand, if the biometric information output unit 200 is operating in the second mode, the discrimination unit 50 outputs a discrimination signal indicating a second discrimination result to the biometric information output unit 200 (S408). After performing these discrimination operations, the operation of the discrimination unit 50 ends.

[0112] Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the discriminator 50 that is different from Fig. 4 and Fig. 7. The operation of the discriminator 50 of this embodiment includes steps S502 to S508.

[0113] The index information acquisition unit 54 of the discrimination unit 50 acquires index information indicating the magnitude of vibration of the living body 500. Based on the acquired index information, the discrimination unit 50 determines whether the magnitude of the vibration of the living body 500 is equal to or greater than a predetermined magnitude (S502).

[0114] The operation branches depending on whether the vibration is equal to or greater than a predetermined magnitude (S504). If the vibration is equal to or greater than the predetermined magnitude, the operation of the discrimination unit 50 proceeds to S506. If the similarity is less than the predetermined magnitude, the operation of the discrimination unit 50 proceeds to S508. If the vibration is equal to or greater than the predetermined magnitude, the discrimination unit 50 outputs a discrimination signal indicating a first discrimination result to the control unit 40 of the bioinformation output unit 200 (S506). On the other hand, if the similarity is less than the predetermined similarity, the discrimination unit 50 outputs a discrimination signal indicating a second discrimination result to the control unit 40 of the bioinformation output unit 200 (S508). After performing these discrimination operations, the operation of the discrimination unit 50 ends. The index information acquisition unit 54 may periodically and repeatedly discriminate the magnitude of the vibration of the living body 500. By making such repeated judgments, the index information acquisition unit 54 may set the operation of the bioinformation output unit 100 and the bioinformation output unit 200 to a more appropriate mode based on the magnitude of vibration of the living body 500, and gradually transition to the optimal mode.

[0115] 9 shows an example of a block diagram of a bioinformation providing device in which the configuration of a bioinformation output unit 300, which is a main bioinformation output unit, is different from that of the bioinformation output unit 100. The following description will focus on the differences from the configuration of the bioinformation providing device in FIG.

[0116] The bioinformation providing device includes a bioinformation output unit 300 which is a main bioinformation output unit, bioinformation output units 200B to 200N which are replica bioinformation output units, and a discrimination unit 50. The bioinformation providing device in the figure differs from the bioinformation providing device in Fig. 3 only in the configuration of the bioinformation output unit 300 which is the main bioinformation output unit.

[0117] The bioinformation output section 300 includes a biosignal measurement section 10, a bioimpedance signal measurement section 20, a noise signal generation section 30, and a biopotential signal output section 312. The biopotential signal output section 312 includes a first phase delay section 316a and a second phase delay section 316b.

[0118] Unlike the first phase delay unit 16 of the biological information output unit 100, the first phase delay unit 316a and the first phase delay unit 316b are provided in the previous stage (input side) of the subtractor 14. As a result, the first phase delay unit 316a and the first phase delay unit 316b delay the phases of the biological signal output by the biological signal measurement unit 10 and the noise signal output by the noise signal generation unit 30 in the previous stage before they are input to the subtractor 14.

[0119] Even when the first phase delay unit 316a and the first phase delay unit 316b are provided in the stage preceding the subtractor 14, the first phase delay unit 316a and the first phase delay unit 316b can adjust the phase of the biopotential signal output from the bioinformation output unit 300A and the biopotential signal output from the bioinformation output unit 200. By using the first phase delay unit 316a and the first phase delay unit 316b, the phase difference in the output signals between different ICs is compensated for, improving the accuracy of gesture recognition using myoelectric signals.

[0120] 10 shows an example of a block diagram of a bioinformation providing device including a bioinformation output unit 400. The bioinformation providing device of this embodiment includes the bioinformation output unit 400 and a determination unit 50.

[0121] In the bioinformation output unit 400 of this embodiment, it is not predetermined whether it operates as a main bioinformation output unit or a replica bioinformation output unit, and its role changes dynamically based on the determination by the determination unit 50. The main bioinformation output unit and the replica bioinformation output unit belong to groups with similar MA components, and one main bioinformation output unit is set in each group. The bioinformation output unit 400 includes a biosignal measurement unit 10, a bioimpedance signal measurement unit 20, a noise signal generation unit 30, a control unit 440, and a biopotential signal output unit 412.

[0122] The noise signal generating unit 30 and the control unit 440 may be connected to a bus for transmitting and receiving noise signals. Therefore, one replica biological information output unit among the plurality of replica information output units is associated with each main biological information output unit via the bus. In this embodiment, when the discrimination signal indicates the first discrimination result, the control unit 440 of each replica biological information output unit controls so that the noise signal generated by the noise signal generating unit 30 of the main biological information output unit associated with itself is input to its own biopotential signal output unit 412.

[0123] The control unit 440 controls the noise signal to be input to the biopotential signal output unit 412 based on the signal indicating the identification information received from the discrimination unit 50. When the bioinformation output unit 400 in which the control unit 440 is provided is the main bioinformation output unit, the control unit 440 controls the noise signal output by the noise signal generation unit 30 of the bioinformation output unit 400 to be output to the biopotential signal output unit 412 and the bus. On the other hand, when the bioinformation output unit 400 in which the control unit 440 is provided is a replica bioinformation output unit, the control unit 440 acquires, from the bus, the noise signal output from the main bioinformation output unit of the group to which the bioinformation output unit 400 itself belongs. Next, the control unit 440 controls the noise signal of the main bioinformation output unit to be output to the biopotential signal output unit 412.

[0124] Therefore, under the control of the control unit 440, when the main biological information output unit indicated in the identification information is not itself, the plurality of biological information output units 400 inputs the noise signal generated by the noise signal generating unit 30 of the main biological information output unit indicated in the identification information to its own biopotential signal output unit 412. On the other hand, when the main biological information output unit indicated in the identification information is itself, the plurality of biological information output units 400 inputs the noise signal generated by its own noise signal generating unit 30 to its own biopotential signal output unit 412. The control unit 440 includes a control unit 42, a selector 46, an amplifier 48, a switch 62, a phase adjuster 64, an acquirer 66, and a phase adjuster 68.

[0125] In this embodiment, the discrimination signal received by the control unit 42 from the discrimination unit 50 includes identification information indicating whether the biometric information output unit 400 is a main biometric information output unit or a replica biometric information output unit. Based on the identification information, the control unit 42 controls the biometric information output unit 400 to operate as either the main biometric information output unit or a biometric information output unit.

[0126] The switch 62 is a switch that switches whether or not the noise signal generating unit 30 outputs a noise signal to the bus. The switch 62 is switched on and off by the control unit 42, and is turned on when the bioinformation output unit 400 is the main bioinformation output unit, and is turned off when the bioinformation output unit 400 is the replica bioinformation output unit.

[0127] The phase adjustment unit 64 has a configuration equivalent to the first phase delay unit 316b in the embodiment of Fig. 9. The combination of the phase adjustment unit 15 and the phase adjustment unit 64 performs phase adjustment similar to that performed by the first phase delay units 316a and 316b in the embodiment of Fig. 9.

[0128] When the biometric information output unit 400 is a replica biometric information output unit, the acquisition unit 66 acquires, from the bus, a noise signal from the main biometric information output unit of the group to which the biometric information output unit 400 belongs. The noise signal may be accompanied by information that enables identification of which main biometric information output unit has output the noise signal. Therefore, the acquisition unit 66 can selectively acquire the noise signal from the main biometric information output unit of the group to which the biometric information output unit 400 belongs. The acquisition unit 66 has a configuration corresponding to the acquisition unit 43 in the embodiments of FIGS. 3 and 9.

[0129] The phase adjustment unit 68 has a configuration equivalent to the phase adjustment unit 44 in the embodiment of Fig. 9. Therefore, the phase adjustment unit 68 performs timing compensation associated with the change of clock systems between the ICs of the main biological information output unit and the replica biological information output unit when data synchronized in the main biological information output unit is passed to the replica biological information output unit.

[0130] When the biometric information output unit 400 is the main biometric information output unit, the selector 46 outputs a signal obtained by phase-adjusting the noise signal output from the noise signal generation unit 30 of the biometric information output unit 400 itself using the phase adjustment unit 64 to the amplification unit 48. On the other hand, when the biometric information output unit 400 is the replica biometric information output unit, the selector 46 outputs a signal obtained by phase-adjusting the noise signal output from the main biometric information output unit using the phase adjustment unit 68 to the amplification unit 48.

[0131] The amplifier 48 amplifies the signal to be output to the biopotential signal output unit 412 based on the gain adjusted by the control unit 42. A signal based on the amplitude level ratio of the bioimpedance signals of the main bioinformation output unit and the replica bioinformation output unit is input to the control unit 42 from the discrimination unit 50. In particular, when the bioinformation output unit 400 is a replica bioinformation output unit, the control unit 42 adjusts the gain of the amplifier 48 based on the level ratio.

[0132] The biopotential signal output unit 412 adjusts the phase of the biosignal output by the biosignal measurement unit 10, removes noise signal components proportional to MA from the biosignal, and outputs a biopotential signal indicating bioinformation. The biopotential signal output unit 412 includes a phase adjustment unit 15 and a subtractor 14.

[0133] When the bioinformation output unit 400 is the main bioinformation output unit, the phase adjustment unit 15 functions as a configuration similar to that of the first phase delay unit 316a in the embodiment of Fig. 9. When the bioinformation output unit 400 is the replica bioinformation output unit, the phase adjustment unit 15 functions as a configuration similar to that of the second phase delay unit 18 in the embodiment of Fig. 9.

[0134] The subtractor 14 subtracts the signal output by the amplifier 48 from the phase-adjusted biosignal output by the phase adjuster 15. This allows the biopotential signal output unit 412 to output the bioelectronic signal, from which the influence of MA has been removed, as a signal indicating bioinformation.

[0135] The discrimination section 50 of this embodiment outputs identification information for identifying a main biological information output section among the plurality of biological information output sections 400 based on a predetermined condition.

[0136] As a predetermined condition, the discrimination section 50 may output identification information indicating the main bioinformation output section and the replica bioinformation output section based on the similarity of the bioimpedance signals. The discrimination section 50 may group the bioinformation output sections 400 based on the similarity of the bioimpedance signals of the bioinformation output sections 400, and output identification information identifying the main bioinformation output section for each group. Alternatively, the discrimination section 50 may group the bioinformation output sections 400 based on the similarity of the noise signals generated by the noise signal generators 30 of the bioinformation output sections 400, and output identification information identifying the main bioinformation output section for each group. Furthermore, the discrimination section 50 may output identification information indicating the main bioinformation output section and the replica bioinformation output section based on the similarity of the signals of the biopotential signal output sections.

[0137] As a predetermined condition, the discrimination unit 50 may output identification information indicating the main biometric information output unit and the replica biometric information output unit based on a condition corresponding to an operating mode based on the reliability required for the biometric information. The biometric information providing device may be operable in a first mode in which the biometric information output unit 400 outputs a biopotential signal with a first reliability and a second mode in which the biometric information output unit 400 outputs a biopotential signal with a second reliability higher than the first reliability. In this case, when the biometric information providing device operates in the first mode, the discrimination unit 50 may output identification information for identifying the main biometric information output unit and the replica biometric information output unit to each of the biometric information output units 400. On the other hand, when the biometric information providing device operates in the second mode, the control unit 440 may control the biometric information output unit 400 to input a noise signal generated by its own noise signal generating unit 30 to its own biopotential signal output unit 412.

[0138] As another example, the bioinformation providing device may be operable in a first mode in which a biopotential signal is output with a first reliability, a second mode in which a biopotential signal is output with a second reliability higher than the first reliability, and a third mode in which a biopotential signal is output with a third reliability higher than the second reliability. The plurality of bioinformation output units 400 may be divided into a first number of first groups and also into a second number of second groups greater than the first number. In this case, when the bioinformation providing device operates in the first mode, the discrimination unit 50 may output identification information indicating a main bioinformation output unit for each first group to each of the bioinformation output units 400. On the other hand, when the bioinformation providing device operates in the second mode, the discrimination unit 50 may output identification information indicating a main bioinformation output unit for each second group to each of the bioinformation output units 400. When the bioinformation providing device operates in the third mode, the control unit 440 may control the noise signal generated by the noise signal generating unit 30 of the bioinformation output unit 400 itself to be input to the biopotential signal output unit 412 of the bioinformation output unit 400 itself.

[0139] Here, a case will be described in which the plurality of bioinformation output units 400 are grouped into a first number of first groups when the bioinformation providing device is in a first mode in which it outputs biopotential signals with a first reliability. Of the first, second, and third reliability levels, the first reliability level is the lowest. As already mentioned, there is a trade-off between increasing the number of main bioinformation output units (increasing the number of groups) to improve the reliability of the bioinformation and having more replica bioinformation output units use the noise signals of the main bioinformation output units to reduce power consumption. Therefore, in the case of the first reliability level, the bioinformation output units 400 are grouped into the fewest number of groups. In this case, the number of main bioinformation output units that generate their own noise signals is reduced, thereby minimizing power consumption.

[0140] In the second mode in which the biological information output units 400 are divided into the second number of groups, the number of main biological information output units that use the noise signals generated by their own noise signal generating units 30 is greater than when the biological information output units 400 are divided into the first number of groups. Therefore, the reliability of noise removal is improved, but power consumption is greater than when the biological information output units 400 are divided into the first number of groups.

[0141] In the third mode, a noise signal generated by the bioinformation output unit 400 itself is input to the bioinformation output unit 400. This means that the bioinformation output unit 400 is operated as a main bioinformation output unit. In this case, the reliability of the operation of removing noise from the bioinformation increases, but the power consumption of the bioinformation output unit 400 increases.

[0142] Although the present embodiment refers to three operation modes, the number of operation modes is not limited to three. In other words, the bioinformation providing device may have four or more operation modes according to the reliability. By switching the operation mode according to the reliability required for the bioinformation, the bioinformation providing device can achieve a desired balance between power consumption and reliability.

[0143] In this embodiment, the discrimination unit 50 functions as an "identification information output unit" that outputs identification information for identifying whether the biometric information output unit 400 is a main biometric information output unit or a replica biometric information output unit. The main biometric information output unit corresponds to a "specific biometric information output unit" in a group to which one or more biometric information output units 400 belong.

[0144] 11A shows an example of grouping of electrodes 150A to 150N connected to a bioinformation output section 400. In the drawing, the bioinformation output sections 400A to 400N connected to pairs of N electrodes 150 are classified into groups each including one of the sections.

[0145] In each group, one biological information output unit 400 is classified as a main biological information output unit. In this embodiment, since each group includes only one biological information output unit 400, all of the biological information output units 400 are classified as main biological information output units. Therefore, each biological information output unit 400 outputs a biopotential signal indicating biological information from which the influence of MA has been removed, based on the noise signal output by its own noise signal generating unit 30.

[0146] 11B shows an example of grouping of the electrodes 150A to 150N connected to the bioinformation output section 400. In this embodiment, the bioinformation output sections 400A to 400N connected to pairs of N electrodes 150 are classified into groups each including two of them.

[0147] In this example, since the MA measured by adjacent electrodes tend to be similar, pairing is performed with adjacent electrodes 150. Since each group includes one main biological information output unit, for example, when N is an even number, N / 2 biological information output units 400 are classified as main biological information output units, and N / 2 biological information output units 400 are classified as replica biological information output units. Similarly, in this example, when N is an odd number, for example, (N+1) / 2 units are classified as main biological information output units, and (N-1) / 2 units are classified as replica biological information output units.

[0148] The biological information output unit 400 classified as a replica biological information output unit acquires a noise signal from a main biological information output unit that belongs to the same group as the replica biological information output unit 400. The biological information output unit 400 classified as a replica biological information output unit outputs a biopotential signal indicating biological information from which the influence of MA has been removed, based on the noise signal from the main biological information output unit.

[0149] Fig. 11C shows an example of grouping of the electrodes 150A to 150N connected to the bioinformation output unit 400. In the example of Fig. 11A, the number of replica bioinformation output units included in each group is 0, and in the example of Fig. 11B, the number of replica bioinformation output units included in each group is 1. Therefore, in both the examples of Fig. 11A and Fig. 11B, the number of replica bioinformation output units included in each group is the same.

[0150] However, the number of replica biometric information output units included in each group may differ. In the embodiment of FIG. 11C, the number of replica biometric information output units included in each group differs. In the figure, electrodes 150A, 150B, and 150C are included in one group, and one of biometric information output unit 400A, biometric information output unit 400B, and biometric information output unit 400C is classified as a main biometric information output unit, and the other two are classified as replica biometric information output units. Therefore, the number of replica biometric information output units included in this group is two.

[0151] Next, in a group including electrodes 150D and 150E, either bioinformation output unit 400D or bioinformation output unit 400E is classified as a main bioinformation output unit, and the other bioinformation output unit 400D or bioinformation output unit 400E is classified as a replica bioinformation output unit. Therefore, the number of replica bioinformation output units included in this group is one.

[0152] As described above, the number of replica bioinformation output units differs between the group including electrodes 150A, 150B, and 150C and the group including electrodes 150D and 150E. The classification of the main bioinformation output units and the replica bioinformation output units may be based on the similarity of the bioimpedance signals. The discrimination unit 50 divides the bioinformation output units 400 into groups when it is possible to divide the groups into groups with a similarity equal to or greater than a predetermined similarity. The fact that the numbers of replica devices included in the groups are different indicates that the number of bioinformation output units 400 included in one group does not need to be specified in advance.

[0153] 11D shows an example of grouping of electrodes 150A to 150N connected to the bioinformation output section 400. In the drawing, the bioinformation output sections 400A to 400N connected to N pairs of electrodes 150 are classified into one group that includes all of them.

[0154] In this embodiment, one of the bioinformation output units 400A to 400N (for example, the bioinformation output unit 400A) operates as the main bioinformation output unit. In this case, which of the bioinformation output units 400A to 400N operates as the main bioinformation output unit may be determined based on the bioimpedance signal output by the bioimpedance signal measurement unit 20. For example, when that bioinformation output unit 400 is selected as the main bioinformation output unit, the determination may be based on the one that minimizes the sum of the squares of the quantified differences in the bioimpedance signals between the main replicas. For example, when the bioinformation output unit 400A operates as the main bioinformation output unit, the remaining N-1 bioinformation output units 400, i.e., the bioinformation output units 400B to 400N, operate as replica bioinformation output units.

[0155] Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the discriminator 50 in the embodiment of Fig. 10. The operation of the discriminator 50 in this embodiment includes steps S602 to S618.

[0156] The discrimination unit 50 sets the operation mode of the biometric information providing device to either the first mode or the second mode (S602). The discrimination unit 50 discriminates the current operation mode in which the replica biometric information output unit is operating (S604). The process branches depending on whether the current operation mode in which the replica biometric information output unit is operating is the first operation mode or the second operation mode (S606). If the current operation mode is the first operation mode, the operation of the discrimination unit 50 proceeds to S608, and if the current operation mode is the second operation mode, the operation of the discrimination unit 50 proceeds to S616.

[0157] If the current operating mode is the first operating mode, the discrimination unit 50 receives bioimpedance signals from the bioimpedance signal measurement units 20 of the bioinformation output units 400 (S608). Next, the discrimination unit 50 discriminates the similarity of the bioimpedance signals (S610). The operation of the discrimination unit 50 branches depending on whether the similarity is equal to or greater than a predetermined similarity (S612). If the similarity is equal to or greater than the predetermined similarity, the operation of the discrimination unit 50 proceeds to S614, and if the similarity is less than the predetermined similarity, the operation of the discrimination unit 50 proceeds to S616.

[0158] If the similarity is equal to or greater than a predetermined similarity, the plurality of biometric information output units 400 are divided into groups based on the similarity, and each group is distinguished into a main biometric information output unit and a replica biometric information output unit (S614). On the other hand, if the similarity is less than the predetermined similarity, the discrimination unit 50 determines that each of the biometric information output units 400 should operate as a main biometric information output unit (S616). Based on the determination in S614 or S616, the discrimination unit 50 outputs identification information to the biometric information output unit 400 (S618). After performing these discrimination operations, the operation of the discrimination unit 50 ends.

[0159] Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the bioinformation output section 400 in the embodiment of Fig. 10. The operation of the bioinformation output section 400 in this embodiment includes steps S702 to S720.

[0160] The bioinformation output unit 400 supplies power to the bioimpedance signal measuring unit 20 and the noise signal generating unit 30 (S702). The bioimpedance signal measuring unit 20 outputs a bioimpedance signal to the discriminating unit 50 to discriminate the similarity of the bioimpedance signals (S704). The control unit 440 of the bioinformation output unit 400 receives identification information from the discriminating unit 50 (S706). The operation of the bioinformation output unit 400 branches depending on whether the information indicated in the identification information indicates that the bioinformation output unit 400 itself is a replica biosignal output unit (S708). If the information indicated in the identification information indicates that the bioinformation output unit 400 itself is a replica biosignal output unit, the operation of the bioinformation output unit 400 proceeds to S710. If the information indicated in the identification information does not indicate that the bioinformation output unit 400 itself is a replica biosignal output unit, the operation of the bioinformation output unit 400 proceeds to S716.

[0161] If the information indicated in the identification information indicates that the bioinformation output unit 400 itself is a replica bioinformation signal output unit, the control unit 440 powers down the bioimpedance signal measurement unit and the noise signal generation unit (S710). The control unit 440 inputs the noise signal from the bioimpedance signal measurement unit 20 of the main bioinformation output unit of the same group to its own biopotential signal output unit 412 (S712). The bioinformation output unit 400, which is a replica bioinformation signal output unit, outputs a biopotential signal indicating bioinformation from which the noise signal component has been removed, based on the noise signal from the main bioinformation output unit of the same group (S714).

[0162] If the information indicated in the identification information does not indicate that the bioinformation output unit 400 itself is a replica bioinformation signal output unit, i.e., if it indicates that it is a main bioinformation output unit, the control unit 440 does not power down the bioimpedance signal measurement unit 20 and the noise signal generation unit 30 (S716). The control unit 440 outputs a noise signal to the biopotential signal output unit 412 of the bioinformation output unit 400 itself and to the other bioinformation output units 400 that are replica bioinformation output units belonging to the same group (S718). The bioinformation output unit 400 that is the main bioinformation output unit outputs bioinformation indicating bioinformation from which the noise signal component has been removed based on the noise signal from its own noise signal generation unit 30 (S720). After steps S714 and S720, the operation of the bioinformation output unit 200 ends.

[0163] As described above, according to the bioinformation providing device of this embodiment, the power consumption of the bioinformation providing device can be reduced by appropriately sharing the noise signals used by each bioinformation output unit according to predetermined conditions.

[0164] Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made to the above embodiments. It is clear from the claims that such modifications and improvements can also be included within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0165] It should be noted that the execution order of each process, such as operations, procedures, steps, and stages, in the devices, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, specifications, and drawings is not specifically stated as "before," "prior to," etc., and that the processes can be performed in any order unless the output of a previous process is used in a later process. Even if the operational flow in the claims, specifications, and drawings is described using "first," "next," etc. for convenience, this does not mean that the processes must be performed in this order. [Explanation of symbols]

[0166] 10. Biosignal measurement unit 12 Bioelectric potential signal output unit 14 Subtractor 16 First phase delay section 18 Second phase delay section 20 Bioimpedance signal measurement unit 22 AC signal output section 30 Noise signal generator 40 Control Unit 42 Control Unit 43 Acquisition Department 44 Phase adjustment section 46 Selector 48 Amplification section 50 Discrimination part 62 Switch 64 Phase adjustment section 66 Acquisition Department 68 Phase adjustment section 100 Biometric information output unit 150 electrodes 200 Biometric information output unit 212 Bioelectric potential signal output unit 300 Biometric information output unit 312 Bioelectric potential signal output unit 316 First phase delay unit 400 Biometric information output unit 412 Bioelectric potential signal output unit 440 Control Unit 500 living organisms 502 Epidermal layer 504 Dermis and subcutaneous layer 506 Muscle layer 508 Muscle Fibers 510 Nerves 520 Superficial muscles 530 deep muscles

Claims

1. a biosignal measurement unit that measures a biosignal through a pair of electrodes that contact the same living body; a bioimpedance signal measuring unit that measures the bioimpedance occurring between the pair of electrodes and outputs a bioimpedance signal corresponding to the bioimpedance; a noise signal generating unit that generates a noise signal indicating a noise component included in the bioimpedance signal from the bioimpedance signal; a biopotential signal output unit that removes the noise signal component from the biosignal and outputs the result as a biopotential signal; a first biological information output unit and a second biological information output unit having the first biological information output unit and the second biological information output unit; a discrimination unit that outputs a discrimination signal based on a predetermined condition; Equipped with The second biological information output unit When the discrimination signal indicates a first discrimination result, the noise signal generated by the noise signal generating unit of the first biological information output unit is input to the biological potential signal output unit of the second biological information output unit; A bioinformation providing device further having a control unit that controls the noise signal generated by the noise signal generating unit of the second bioinformation output unit to be input to the biopotential signal output unit of the second bioinformation output unit when the discrimination signal indicates a second discrimination result.

2. The noise signal generating unit an adaptive filter that generates the noise signal based on the bioimpedance signal and a coefficient; The biopotential signal output unit The biosignal and the noise signal are added together and output as the biopotential signal. The bioinformation providing device according to claim 1 .

3. 2. The bioinformation providing device of claim 1, wherein the control unit controls at least one of the bioimpedance signal measuring unit and the noise signal generating unit of the second bioinformation output unit so as to reduce power consumption in at least one of the bioimpedance signal measuring unit and the noise signal generating unit of the second bioinformation output unit when the discrimination signal indicates the first discrimination result.

4. The bioinformation providing device of claim 3, wherein the control unit reduces the power consumption by performing at least one of stopping the supply of the bioimpedance signal by the bioimpedance signal measuring unit and stopping the generation of the noise signal by the noise signal generating unit.

5. the bioimpedance signal measurement unit includes an AC signal supply unit that supplies an AC signal between a pair of electrodes that are in contact with the living body; The bioinformation providing device according to claim 4 , wherein the control unit reduces the power consumption by stopping the supply of the AC signal by the AC signal supply unit.

6. the bioimpedance signals of the first bioinformation output unit and the second bioinformation output unit or the biopotential signals of the first bioinformation output unit and the second bioinformation output unit are input to the determination unit, The discrimination unit outputs a discrimination signal based on the input bioimpedance signal or the input biopotential signal. The bioinformation providing device according to claim 1 .

7. The determination unit outputting the determination signal indicating the first determination result in accordance with the predetermined condition when the similarity between the bioimpedance signal of the first bioinformation output unit and the bioimpedance signal of the second bioinformation output unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined similarity; 2. The bioinformation providing device according to claim 1, wherein when the similarity between the bioimpedance signal of the first bioinformation output unit and the bioimpedance signal of the second bioinformation output unit is smaller than the predetermined similarity, the discrimination signal indicating the second discrimination result is output in accordance with the predetermined condition.

8. The determination unit outputting the determination signal indicating the first determination result in accordance with the predetermined condition when a similarity between the biopotential signal of the first bioinformation output unit and the biopotential signal of the second bioinformation output unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined similarity; 2. The bioinformation providing device according to claim 1, wherein when the similarity between the biopotential signal of the first bioinformation output unit and the biopotential signal of the second bioinformation output unit is smaller than the predetermined similarity, the discrimination signal indicating the second discrimination result is output in accordance with the predetermined condition.

9. The determination unit acquiring index information indicating the magnitude of vibration of the living body; When the index information indicates that the magnitude of the vibration of the living body is equal to or greater than a predetermined magnitude, outputting the discrimination signal indicating the first discrimination result in accordance with the predetermined condition; The bioinformation providing device according to claim 1, wherein when the index information indicates that the magnitude of the vibration of the living body is smaller than the predetermined magnitude, the discrimination signal indicating the second discrimination result is output in accordance with the predetermined condition.

10. The determination unit The bioinformation providing device according to claim 9 , wherein at least one of position information of the living body, vibration information including the magnitude of the vibration of the living body, and acceleration information of the living body is acquired as the index information.

11. the bioinformation providing device is operable in a first mode in which the second bioinformation output unit outputs the biopotential signal with a first reliability, and a second mode in which the second bioinformation output unit outputs the biopotential signal with a second reliability higher than the first reliability, The determination unit When the bioinformation providing apparatus operates in the first mode, the determination signal indicating the first determination result is output in accordance with the predetermined condition; The bioinformation providing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein when the bioinformation providing apparatus operates in the second mode, the determination signal indicating the second determination result is output in accordance with the predetermined condition.

12. 2. The bioinformation providing device according to claim 1, wherein the second bioinformation output unit includes an amplifier unit that amplifies or attenuates the noise signal that is input to the biopotential signal output unit of the second bioinformation output unit with an amplification factor based on the level ratio between the bioimpedance signal measured by the bioimpedance signal measuring unit of the first bioinformation output unit and the bioimpedance signal measured by the bioimpedance signal measuring unit of the second bioinformation output unit, and then outputs the noise signal to the biopotential signal output unit of the second bioinformation output unit.

13. the bioinformation providing device includes a plurality of the second bioinformation output units, The bioinformation providing device according to claim 1 , wherein the determining unit outputs the determination signal to each of the second bioinformation output units in accordance with the predetermined condition.

14. The bioinformation providing device according to claim 13 , further comprising a band that holds the pair of electrodes of the first bioinformation output unit and each of the plurality of second bioinformation output units and is to be attached to the living body.

15. the bioinformation providing device includes a plurality of the first bioinformation output units and a plurality of the second bioinformation output units, each of the plurality of first biological information output units is associated with at least one second biological information output unit among the plurality of second biological information output units; 13. The bioinformation providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the control unit of each of the plurality of second bioinformation output units controls the noise signal generated by the noise signal generating unit of the first bioinformation output unit associated with itself to be input to its own biopotential signal output unit when the discrimination signal indicates the first discrimination result.

16. The bioinformation providing device according to claim 15 , further comprising a band that holds the pair of electrodes of each of the plurality of first bioinformation output units and the plurality of second bioinformation output units and is to be attached to the living body.

17. The first biological information output unit a first phase delay unit for synchronizing the biopotential signal output by the biopotential signal output unit of the second bioinformation output unit with the biopotential signal output by its own biopotential signal output unit; The second biological information output unit 13. The bioinformation providing device according to claim 1, further comprising a second phase delay unit for synchronizing the biosignal with the noise signal generated by the noise signal generating unit of the first bioinformation output unit.

18. a biosignal measurement unit that measures a biosignal through a pair of electrodes that contact the same living body; a bioimpedance signal measuring unit that measures the bioimpedance occurring between the pair of electrodes and outputs a bioimpedance signal corresponding to the bioimpedance; a noise signal generating unit that generates a noise signal indicating a noise component included in the bioimpedance signal from the bioimpedance signal; a biopotential signal output unit that removes the noise signal component from the biosignal and outputs the result as a biopotential signal; a plurality of bioinformation output units each having an identification information output unit that groups the plurality of bioinformation output units based on the similarity of the bioimpedance signals of the plurality of bioinformation output units, and outputs identification information that identifies a specific bioinformation output unit for each group; Equipped with The plurality of biological information output units include: If the specific biological information output unit indicated in the identification information is not the device itself, the device inputs a noise signal generated by the noise signal generating unit of the specific biological information output unit indicated in the identification information to the device's own biological potential signal output unit; A bioinformation providing device further having a control unit that controls, when the specific bioinformation output unit indicated in the identification information is itself, to input a noise signal generated by its own noise signal generating unit to its own biopotential signal output unit.

19. a biosignal measurement unit that measures a biosignal through a pair of electrodes that contact the same living body; a bioimpedance signal measuring unit that measures the bioimpedance occurring between the pair of electrodes and outputs a bioimpedance signal corresponding to the bioimpedance; a noise signal generating unit that generates a noise signal indicating a noise component included in the bioimpedance signal from the bioimpedance signal; a biopotential signal output unit that removes the noise signal component from the biosignal and outputs the result as a biopotential signal; a plurality of bioinformation output units each having an identification information output unit that outputs identification information for identifying a specific biometric information output unit among the plurality of biometric information output units based on a predetermined condition; Equipped with The plurality of biological information output units include: If the specific biological information output unit indicated in the identification information is not the device itself, the device inputs a noise signal generated by the noise signal generating unit of the specific biological information output unit indicated in the identification information to the device's own biological potential signal output unit; A bioinformation providing device further having a control unit that controls, when the specific bioinformation output unit indicated in the identification information is itself, to input a noise signal generated by its own noise signal generating unit to its own biopotential signal output unit.

20. the bioinformation providing device is operable in a first mode in which the plurality of bioinformation output units output the biopotential signals with a first reliability, and a second mode in which the plurality of bioinformation output units output the biopotential signals with a second reliability higher than the first reliability, When operating in the first mode, the identification information output unit outputs the identification information to each of the plurality of biometric information output units; The bioinformation providing device according to claim 19 , wherein, when operating in the second mode, the control unit controls the noise signal generated by its own noise signal generating unit to be input to its own biopotential signal output unit.

21. the bioinformation providing device is operable in a first mode in which the plurality of bioinformation output units output the biopotential signals with a first reliability, a second mode in which the plurality of bioinformation output units output the biopotential signals with a second reliability higher than the first reliability, and a third mode in which the plurality of bioinformation output units output the biopotential signals with a third reliability higher than the second reliability, the plurality of biological information output units are grouped into a first number of first groups and also grouped into a second number of second groups that is greater than the first number, The identification information output unit When the bioinformation providing device operates in the first mode, the identification information indicating a specific bioinformation output unit for each of the first group is output to each of the plurality of bioinformation output units; When the bioinformation providing device operates in the second mode, the identification information indicating a specific bioinformation output unit for each of the second group is output to each of the plurality of bioinformation output units; The bioinformation providing device according to claim 19 , wherein, when the bioinformation providing device operates in the third mode, the control unit controls the noise signal generated by its own noise signal generating unit to be input to its own biopotential signal output unit.

22. a biosignal measurement unit that measures a biosignal through a pair of electrodes that contact the same living body; a bioimpedance signal measuring unit that measures the bioimpedance occurring between the pair of electrodes and outputs a bioimpedance signal corresponding to the bioimpedance; a noise signal generating unit that generates a noise signal indicating a noise component included in the bioimpedance signal from the bioimpedance signal; a biopotential signal output unit that removes the noise signal component from the biosignal and outputs the result as a biopotential signal; When a discrimination signal output from the discrimination unit based on a predetermined condition indicates a first discrimination result, the input external noise signal is input to the biopotential signal output unit; a control unit that controls the noise signal generated by the noise signal generating unit to be input to the biopotential signal output unit when the discrimination signal indicates a second discrimination result; A biological information output circuit comprising:

Images