Biomagnetic Measurement Device

Abstract

Provided is a biomagnetism measurement device designed with sufficient consideration for the fact that optimal positioning of sensors with respect to a subject under measurement varies depending on the purpose of the measurement. A biomagnetism measurement device according to the present invention has a configuration described below. That is, the biomagnetism measurement device according to the present invention comprises: a group of magnetic sensors that are positioned on the outside of a subject under measurement and that measures biomagnetism of the subject; and a computing device (12) that obtains, on the basis of information indicating what is being determined in the measurement, a positioning pattern of the group of magnetic sensors corresponding to what is being determined in the measurement.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a biomagnetic measuring device. [Background technology]

[0002] Biomagnetic measurement devices that can detect weak magnetism emitted from a subject and visualize, for example, the distribution of the magnetic field are expected to be able to perform measurements for a variety of purposes. Such biomagnetic measurement devices are equipped with multiple sensors and obtain the distribution of the magnetic field in the subject based on the signals output from each sensor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-148409 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, conventional biomagnetic measurement devices do not fully consider the fact that the optimal placement of the sensor with respect to the subject differs depending on the purpose of the measurement.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a biomagnetic measuring device in which the arrangement of sensors is taken into consideration according to the purpose of measurement. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following configuration. That is, the biomagnetic measuring device of the present invention comprises a group of magnetic sensors that are placed outside the subject's body and measure the subject's biomagnetism, and a calculation device that acquires the arrangement pattern of the magnetic sensor group corresponding to the content of the measurement based on information indicating the content of the measurement. Effect of the Invention

[0007] The biomagnetic measurement device of the present invention includes a calculation device that acquires an arrangement pattern of the magnetic sensor group corresponding to the content of the measurement based on information indicating the content of the measurement. In the biomagnetic measurement device of the present invention, the arrangement of the sensors is fully taken into consideration according to the purpose of the measurement. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration of a biomagnetic measuring device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating input of information indicating the content of a measurement in the embodiment. [Diagram 3] 13 is a table referred to by a configuration information output unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] 13 is a table referred to by a configuration information output unit according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] 11A and 11B are schematic diagrams illustrating output of a layout pattern according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] 13A and 13B are schematic diagrams illustrating output of a layout pattern according to a modified example. [Figure 7] 1A to 1C are schematic diagrams showing examples of arrangement patterns. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, a biomagnetic measuring device according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The biomagnetic measuring device 1 according to the embodiment includes a helmet 2 that covers the head of the subject, and a plurality of sensors 3 that are inserted into any of a plurality of through holes 2a provided in the helmet 2. The sensor 3 is highly sensitive enough to detect biomagnetism, and is detachable from the helmet 2. Specifically, the sensor 3 can be, for example, an optical pumping module that can sense biomagnetism at room temperature. In addition, other configurations such as a diamond quantum sensor may be used for the sensor 3. The through holes 2a of the helmet 2 are numbered for the need of distinction. Similarly, the sensors 3 are also numbered for the need of distinction. EXAMPLES

[0010] The biomagnetic measurement device 1 includes an input unit 11 that allows a user to input information indicating the content of the measurement and clinical information of the subject, a calculation unit 12 that acquires the information indicating the content of the measurement and the arrangement pattern of the sensors 3 corresponding to the clinical information of the subject, a storage unit 13 that stores a table to be referred to when the calculation unit 12 operates, and a monitor 14 that displays the arrangement pattern. In addition, the biomagnetic measurement device 1 includes an image generation unit 21 that images the output of each sensor 3. Images such as magnetoencephalograms generated by the image generation unit 21 are displayed on the above-mentioned monitor 14.

[0011] The arithmetic unit 12 and the image generating unit 21 are configured by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that executes various processes. The components are realized by executing a program. Each component may be realized by a single CPU, or may be realized by multiple independent processors. The storage unit 13 stores various information necessary for the operation of the biomagnetic measurement device 1, including but not limited to the above-mentioned tables. Each component 12, 21 operates by acquiring this information.

[0012] The biomagnetic measurement device 1 is characterized in that it can perform measurements for a variety of purposes. When measuring biomagnetism, the arrangement of the sensor 3 appropriate for the measurement changes depending on the purpose of the measurement, so the biomagnetic measurement device 1 according to the embodiment makes the position of the sensor 3 variable so that the arrangement of the sensor 3 relative to the subject can be changed. That is, the sensor 3 in the embodiment is inserted into the through hole 2a of the helmet 2 depending on the purpose of the measurement. In this way, each sensor 3 can be appropriately arranged according to the purpose of the measurement.

[0013] When simply attaching each sensor 3 to the helmet 2, there are many possible ways. However, when performing a specific measurement, the image generating unit 21 operates on the premise that each sensor 3 is arranged on the helmet 2 based on, for example, only one of the multiple attachment methods. Since only one sensor 3 can be inserted into each through hole 2a, when performing a specific measurement, it is assumed that a sensor 3 with a number corresponding to the number of the through hole 2a is inserted into the through hole 2a. Furthermore, when performing a measurement different from the specific measurement, the image generating unit 21 may operate on the premise that each sensor 3 is arranged in each through hole 2a based on an attachment method different from that used for the specific measurement. The correspondence between the numbers of the through holes 2a and the numbers of the sensors 3 in this attachment method is not necessarily the same as the correspondence when performing the above-mentioned specific measurement.

[0014] The configuration of the embodiment is such that, when information indicating the content of the measurement is acquired, the attachment method of each sensor 3 corresponding to the content of the measurement can be displayed on the display screen 14a of the monitor 14. Hereinafter, the operation of the biomagnetic measurement device 1 when displaying the attachment method of the sensor 3 on the display screen 14a will be described.

[0015] First, before attaching each sensor 3 to the helmet 2, the user inputs information indicating the content of the measurement to the biomagnetic measurement device 1 through the input unit 11. At this time, the user inputs information regarding the content of the measurement to the biomagnetic measurement device 1 while referring to the display screen 14a of the monitor 14. At this time, the display screen 14a displays a setting screen consisting of an item 31a of "number of sensors to be used", an item 31b of "task" which is the content of the measurement, an item 31c of "head size" which is clinical information of the subject, and an item 31d of "head shape" which is clinical information of the subject, as shown in FIG. 2. The number of sensors to be used, the task, the head size, and the head shape are examples of information indicating the content of the measurement in this embodiment that affect the method of attaching the sensor 3 to the helmet 2. An input box 32a in which the user can input specific information about the item is displayed around the item 31a of "number of sensors to be used" on the display screen 14a. Similarly, an input box 32b into which the user can input information about the task is displayed around the "TASK" item 31b on the display screen 14a, an input box 32c into which the user can input information about the head size is displayed around the "HEAD SIZE" item 31c on the display screen 14a, and an input box 32d into which the user can input information about the head shape is displayed around the "HEAD SHAPE" item 31d on the display screen 14a.

[0016] The tasks of this embodiment will be described. When measuring the biomagnetism of a subject using the biomagnetic measurement device 1, a specific task may be imposed on the subject. Specific examples of tasks include, for example, opening and closing the eyelids of the subject during measurement, watching a specific video, or listening to a specific sound. A task is a type of measurement when a specific task is imposed. Therefore, a corresponding task is set for each task.

[0017] The information indicating the content of the measurement will be described below. The information regarding the number of sensors input by the user to the biomagnetic measurement device 1 through the input unit 11 indicates the number of sensors to be used during measurement, and the user can increase or decrease the number of sensors to be used in the measurement according to the purpose of the measurement.

[0018] The task-related information that the user inputs into the biomagnetic measuring device 1 through the input unit 11 indicates a task corresponding to the task to be performed during measurement, and the user can select the number of sensors to be used in the measurement according to the purpose of the measurement.

[0019] The information on the head size and head shape that the user inputs to the biomagnetic measurement device 1 through the input unit 11 indicates, for example, the type of helmet used for the measurement.

[0020] As a specific configuration of the input boxes 32a, 32b, 32c, and 32d, the user may input various information through a keyboard attached to the input unit 11, or the user may select a desired item from a pull-down menu displayed in the input boxes 32a, 32b, 32c, and 32d through a pointing device attached to the input unit 11.

[0021] The Confirm button 33 displayed on the display screen 14a is used after the user has completed inputting each item. When the Confirm button 33 is operated, the user's input operation is completed, and information indicating the measurement content input by the user is sent to the calculation device 12.

[0022] <Operation of Calculation Device 12> The arithmetic device 12 receives information indicating the content of the measurement, and outputs information regarding a method of attaching the sensor 3 suitable for the measurement. FIG. 3 shows a table T1 that the arithmetic device 12 refers to during operation. In this embodiment, for the sake of convenience, it is assumed that the user can only select a task. Based on the acquired information regarding the task, the arithmetic device 12 outputs a method of attaching the sensor 3 corresponding to the task. The attachment method corresponds to the arrangement pattern of the present invention.

[0023] Table T1 referred to by the arithmetic device 12 associates various tasks with the optimal attachment methods of the sensor 3. For example, when the user selects task 1 through the input unit 11, the arithmetic device 12 recognizes that the appropriate attachment method of the sensor 3 for this task is attachment method 1.

[0024] Table T2 explained in Fig. 4 is also a table referred to by the computing device 12. After recognizing the appropriate sensor attachment method, the computing device 12 then refers to table T2 to grasp the correspondence between the sensor number specifically indicating the recognized attachment method and the attachment position number identifying each of the through holes 2a of the helmet 2. In this example, attachment method 1 is the appropriate selection, so the table in Fig. 4 shows the correspondence related to attachment method 1. However, in reality, the storage unit 13 stores a table similar to that in Fig. 4 for all of the attachment methods shown in table T1, and the computing device 12 operates by referring to one of these multiple tables that indicates the attachment method corresponding to the task selected by the user.

[0025] As for the setting items other than the tasks described in FIG. 2, the storage unit 13 stores an association table equivalent to table T1, as in the case of tasks. Therefore, the arithmetic device 12 of this embodiment can grasp the appropriate attachment method for items other than tasks by performing the same operation as in the case of tasks. Since table T2 is created for each attachment method and stored in the storage unit 13, once the arithmetic device 12 acquires the attachment method, it can recognize the correspondence between the appropriate sensor number and the attachment position number by performing the same operation as in the case of tasks. Note that table T2 may be provided with an item related to the type of helmet 2, so that the arithmetic device 12 recognizes the appropriate type of helmet 2 in response to the user's settings of "head size" and "head shape."

[0026] The arithmetic device 12 transmits information relating to the acquired correspondence relationship to the monitor 14. The monitor displays the contents of table T2 on a display screen 14a as shown in Fig. 5. The user refers to the displayed contents and inserts each of the sensors 3 into the through-holes 2a of the helmet 2. In this way, the biomagnetic measurement device 1 in the embodiment can appropriately position the sensors 3 used for measurement in accordance with the contents of the measurement.

[0027] <Effects of the configuration of the embodiment> The configuration and effects of the biomagnetic measurement device 1 in this embodiment will be described below. (1) The biomagnetic measurement device in this example includes a group of magnetic sensors that are placed outside the subject's body and measure the subject's biomagnetism, and a calculation device 12 that acquires the placement pattern of the magnetic sensor group that corresponds to the content of the measurement based on information indicating the content of the measurement.

[0028] As described above, by providing a calculation device 12 that obtains the arrangement pattern of the magnetic sensor group corresponding to the content of the measurement based on information indicating the content of the measurement, a biomagnetic measurement device 1 can be provided that can optimize the arrangement of the sensors according to the purpose of the measurement.

[0029] (2) In the biomagnetic measuring device described in (1), the computing device 12 includes a display unit that displays the acquired arrangement pattern.

[0030] As described above, by providing a display unit that displays the arrangement pattern acquired by the arithmetic device 12, it is possible to provide a biomagnetic measurement device 1 that allows the user to easily understand the arrangement pattern.

[0031] (3) In the biomagnetic measuring device according to (1) or (2), the arithmetic unit 12 obtains the arrangement pattern based on information indicating the content of the measurement or clinical information of the subject.

[0032] As described above, if the calculation device 12 obtains a placement pattern based on information indicating the content of the measurement or the clinical information of the subject, a biomagnetic measurement device 1 can be provided that can instantly obtain the optimal placement of the sensors 3, which varies depending on the content of the measurement and the clinical information of the subject.

[0033] (4) The biomagnetic measuring device according to any one of (1) to (3), further comprising an input unit 11 for receiving information indicating the content of the measurement from a user.

[0034] As described above, if the input unit 11 that receives information indicating the content of the measurement from the user is provided, the user can instantly obtain the arrangement of the sensors 3 that matches the content of the measurement.

[0035] (5) In the biomagnetic measuring device described in (1) to (4), a helmet 2 is further provided which holds a magnetic sensor 3 and is worn by the subject, and the information regarding the arrangement pattern is information regarding a method of attaching the sensor 3 to the helmet 2.

[0036] As described above, if the information regarding the placement pattern is information regarding the method of attaching the sensor 3 to the helmet 2 that will be fitted to the subject and in which the sensor 3 is arranged, the user can instantly understand how to attach the sensor 3 to the helmet 2.

[0037] (6) In the biomagnetic measuring device described in (5), the information on the arrangement pattern includes information on the correspondence between a specific sensor 3 and a specific mounting position on the helmet 2.

[0038] As described above, if the information regarding the placement pattern includes information regarding the correspondence between a specific sensor 3 and a specific mounting position on the helmet 2, the user can instantly understand the correspondence between the sensor number and the mounting position number.

[0039] (7) The biomagnetic measurement device according to any one of (1) to (6), further comprising a drive unit that receives the arrangement pattern acquired by the arithmetic unit 12 and moves the sensor 3. This example will be described in detail later.

[0040] As described above, if a driving unit is provided that receives the placement pattern output from the computing device 12 and moves the sensor 3, the placement of the sensor 3 can be optimized for the purpose of measurement without the user having to manually move the sensor 3.

[0041] (8) The biomagnetic measuring device according to any one of (1) to (7), further comprising a storage unit 13 for storing a table in which information indicating the content of the measurement is associated with the arrangement pattern.

[0042] As described above, if the memory unit 13 is provided for storing a table in which information indicating the content of measurement and the arrangement pattern are associated, the operation of the calculation device 12 becomes more reliable.

[0043] <Other Examples> It should be noted that the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present invention includes the claims and all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims. For example, the present invention can be modified as follows.

[0044] (1) In the above embodiment, the sensor 3 is attached to the helmet 2 manually by the user, but this can also be made automatic. The biomagnetic measurement device 1 configured in this way is provided with a mechanism for inserting the sensor 3 into the through-hole 2a of the helmet 2. That is, according to this modification, a drive unit for driving the sensor 3 is provided, and the drive unit receives information relating to the method of attaching the sensor 3 output from the calculation device 12 and moves the sensor 3. In this modification, it is not necessarily necessary to display information relating to the method of attaching the sensor 3 on the display screen 14a of the monitor 14.

[0045] (2) In the above embodiment, the correspondence between the sensor number and the mounting position number is displayed on the display screen 14a of the monitor 14, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The present invention can also be applied to a configuration in which it is not necessary to distinguish the sensors 3. When each sensor 3 of this modified example is inserted into the through hole 2a in the helmet 2, it is configured to obtain the mounting position number of the inserted through hole 2a based on the identification unit provided in the through hole 2a. Each sensor 3 grasps its own position in the helmet 2 according to the obtained mounting position number, and outputs information about the mounting position number to the image generation unit 21. A sensor number is assigned to each sensor 3 so that the image generation unit 21 can distinguish between them, and each sensor 3 transmits its own sensor number to the image generation unit 21 along with the mounting position number. This allows the image generation unit 21 to grasp the correspondence between the sensor number and the mounting position number and operate. A tag (for example, a barcode) or the like can be applied as the identification unit provided in the through hole 2a. In this example, the sensor 3 has a scanner that reads barcodes, and operates by reading the barcode provided on the inner wall of the through hole 2a.

[0046] In this example, since there is no need to distinguish between the sensors 3 and attach them to the helmet 2, the contents of the table displayed on the display screen 14a of the monitor 14 are sufficient to include only information regarding the attachment positions, as shown in Fig. 6. Accordingly, the table stored in the storage unit 13 is similar to this, and is similar to table T2 shown in Fig. 4 with the item for sensor number omitted.

[0047] (3) In the setting screen for the measurement contents described in FIG. 2 of the above embodiment, for example, the task may be omitted. In other words, the present invention is also applicable to an apparatus that measures biomagnetism in a stable state where no task is imposed on the subject. The same applies to the other items "number of sensors to be used," "head size," and "head shape" shown in FIG. 2. In addition, the measurement contents may be set by adding setting items not shown in FIG. 2, such as "symptoms."

[0048] (4) In the above embodiment, the contents of table T2 stored in memory unit 13 are displayed on display screen 14a of monitor 14, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The computing device 12 may edit table T2 based on information such as "head size" and "head shape" and transmit the edited table to monitor 14. By configuring in this way, it becomes unnecessary to prepare tables in advance for all conceivable cases, and a biomagnetic measurement device with excellent flexibility can be provided.

[0049] (5) In the above embodiment, the contents of table T2 stored in memory unit 13 are displayed on display screen 14a of monitor 14, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The shape of helmet 2 and the position of through-hole 2a in helmet 2 may be stored in memory unit 13, and computing device 12 may generate a table based on information such as "head size" and "head shape." By configuring in this way, it becomes unnecessary to prepare tables in advance for all conceivable cases, and a biomagnetic measurement device with excellent flexibility can be provided.

[0050] (6) In FIG. 1, the sensors 3 are not attached to all the through holes 2a. This shows the state of attachment of the sensors 3 when performing a certain task, etc., and it is also possible to attach the sensors 3 to all the through holes 2a and perform measurements depending on the task, etc. Even if the sensors 3 are not attached to all the through holes 2a, the positions of the through holes 2a into which the sensors 3 are not inserted may not be as shown in FIG. 1 depending on the task, etc. In addition, the number of the through holes 2a in the helmet 2, the number of the sensors 3, etc. are all examples. FIG. 7 shows the positions of the through holes 2a and the sensors 3 when looking down at the top of the subject's head, and illustrates the arrangement of the sensors 3 in task A and the arrangement of the sensors in task B. That is, in task A, the sensors 3 are arranged in a two-dimensional matrix of 3×3 on the left and right sides of the helmet 2. On the other hand, in task B, the sensors 3 are arranged at the top of the helmet 2 and at the front, back, left and right positions surrounding the top of the head, and the sensors 3 are arranged at the rear of the helmet 2 and at the front, back, left and right positions surrounding the rear.

[0051] (7) The above-described embodiment is configured to be related to magnetoencephalography, but the present invention can also be applied to devices capable of generating images other than magnetoencephalography, such as magnetocardiograms. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 3 Sensor (magnetic sensor) 11 Input section 12 Location information output section

Claims

1. A group of magnetic sensors arranged outside the subject's body to measure the biomagnetism of the subject; A biomagnetic measurement device comprising a calculation device that acquires an arrangement pattern of the magnetic sensor group corresponding to the content of the measurement based on information indicating the content of the measurement.

2. 2. The biomagnetic measuring device according to claim 1, A biomagnetic measuring device comprising a display unit that displays the arrangement pattern acquired by the arithmetic unit.

3. 2. The biomagnetic measuring device according to claim 1, The computing device is a biomagnetic measurement device that acquires the arrangement pattern based on clinical information of the subject, which is information indicating the content of the measurement.

4. 2. The biomagnetic measuring device according to claim 1, A biomagnetic measurement device comprising an input unit that receives information indicating the content of the measurement from a user.

5. 2. The biomagnetic measuring device according to claim 1, a support body that holds the magnetic sensor and is attached to the subject; A biomagnetic measurement device, wherein the information regarding the arrangement pattern is information regarding a mounting method for mounting the magnetic sensors on the support.

6. 6. The biomagnetic measuring device according to claim 5, A biomagnetic measurement device, wherein the information regarding the arrangement pattern includes information regarding a correspondence relationship between a specific magnetic sensor and a specific mounting position on the support body.

7. 2. The biomagnetic measuring device according to claim 1, A biomagnetic measurement device comprising a drive unit that receives the arrangement pattern acquired by the computing device and moves the magnetic sensor.

8. 2. The biomagnetic measuring device according to claim 1, A biomagnetic measurement device comprising a storage unit that stores a table in which information indicating the content of the measurement and the arrangement pattern are associated with each other.

Images