Biological information system, information processing apparatus, information processing method, program, and storage medium

Abstract

To provide a living body information system, information processor, and information processing method making it possible to reduce the work time to be consumed in order to identify a cause of an abnormality in a transmitter.SOLUTION: A living body information system 1 includes a transmitter 2 that acquires living body information data representing living body information on a subject P, a server 5 accommodated in a communication network 7, and a receiver 4 connected to the transmitter 2 so that the receiver can communicate with the transmitter and connected to the server 5 so that the receiver can communicate with the server. The transmitter 2 transmits the living body information data to the receiver 4. The receiver 4 transmits radio wave intensity information to the server 5 at predetermined intervals. When a battery of the transmitter 2 is worn out, the receiver transmits battery wear-out information to the server 5. When the receiver cannot receive the living body information data from the transmitter 2, the receiver transmits transmitter abnormality information to the server 5. In response to the transmitter abnormality information received from the receiver 4, the server 5 identifies a cause of an abnormality in the transmitter 2 on the basis of the radio wave intensity information and whether the battery wear-out information has been received or not.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a biological information system, an information processing apparatus, and an information processing method. Further, the present disclosure relates to a program for causing a computer to execute the information processing method and a computer-readable storage medium storing the program. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a biological information system, an information processing apparatus, and an information processing method capable of automatically identifying the cause of an abnormality in a transmitter.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a patient monitoring system including a wireless telemeter that acquires biological information (for example, electrocardiogram, blood oxygen saturation, etc.) of a patient and a central monitor that receives the biological information from the wireless telemeter.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in the patient monitoring system disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is assumed that an abnormality occurs on the wireless telemeter side corresponding to the transmitter. For example, a situation where the central monitor cannot acquire the biological information of the patient from the wireless telemeter is assumed. When an abnormality occurs in the wireless telemeter, it is common for the staff of the medical device manufacturer that manages the wireless telemeter to go to the hospital and manually identify the cause of the abnormality of the wireless telemeter.

[0005] On the one hand, as causes of anomalies in transmitters such as wireless telemeters, multiple causes are assumed, including battery depletion of the transmitter, deterioration of the radio wave transmission environment around the transmitter, and malfunction of the transmitter itself. Therefore, it is generally difficult for staff to quickly identify the cause of the transmitter anomaly manually. Furthermore, in recent years, the number of transmitters used in hospitals has been increasing, and it has become increasingly important to quickly identify the cause of the transmitter anomaly. Thus, there is room for consideration of a method for shortening the working time spent on identifying the cause of the transmitter anomaly.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a biological information system, an information processing apparatus, and an information processing method capable of shortening the working time spent on identifying the cause of an anomaly in a transmitter.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] A biological information system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: a transmitter configured to acquire biological information data indicating biological information of a subject; a server disposed on a communication network; a receiver communicably connected to the transmitter and communicably connected to the server through the communication network; and includes. The transmitter transmits the biological information data to the receiver. The receiver transmits radio wave intensity information indicating the reception intensity of radio waves transmitted or received by the transmitter to the server at a predetermined period, when the battery of the transmitter is depleted, transmits battery depletion information indicating the depletion of the battery of the transmitter to the server, when the biological information data cannot be received from the transmitter, transmits transmitter anomaly information indicating an anomaly of the transmitter to the server. The server identifies the cause of the anomaly of the transmitter based on the radio wave intensity information and the presence or absence of reception of the battery depletion information in response to reception of the transmitter anomaly information from the receiver.

[0008] According to the above configuration, when the server receives transmitter abnormality information indicating an abnormality of the transmitter from the receiver, it can automatically identify the cause of the transmitter abnormality based on the presence or absence of reception of radio wave intensity information and battery consumption information. Thus, it is possible to provide a biological information system capable of shortening the working time spent for identifying the cause of the transmitter abnormality.

[0009] An information processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present disclosure is communicably connected via a communication network to a receiver communicably connected to a transmitter configured to acquire biological information data indicating biological information of a subject. The information processing apparatus includes a processor and a memory storing computer-readable instructions. When the computer-readable instructions are executed by the processor, the information processing apparatus receives radio wave intensity information indicating the reception intensity of radio waves transmitted or received by the transmitter at a predetermined period, when the battery of the transmitter is depleted, receives battery consumption information indicating the depletion of the battery of the transmitter, when the receiver cannot receive the biological information data from the transmitter, receives transmitter abnormality information indicating an abnormality of the transmitter, in response to the reception of the transmitter abnormality information, identifies the cause of the abnormality of the transmitter based on the radio wave intensity information and the presence or absence of reception of the battery consumption information.

[0010] According to the above configuration, when the information processing apparatus receives transmitter abnormality information indicating an abnormality of the transmitter from the receiver, it can automatically identify the cause of the transmitter abnormality based on the presence or absence of reception of radio wave intensity information and battery consumption information. Thus, it is possible to provide an information processing apparatus capable of shortening the working time spent for identifying the cause of the transmitter abnormality.

[0011] An information processing method according to an aspect of the present disclosure is Receiving, at a predetermined period, from a receiver communicably connected to the transmitter, radio wave intensity information indicating the reception intensity of radio waves transmitted or received from a transmitter configured to acquire biometric information data indicating biometric information of a subject; Receiving, from the receiver, battery consumption information indicating consumption of the battery of the transmitter when the battery of the transmitter is depleted; Receiving, from the receiver, transmitter abnormality information indicating an abnormality of the transmitter when the receiver cannot receive the biometric information data from the transmitter; Identifying a cause of the abnormality of the transmitter based on the radio wave intensity information and the presence or absence of reception of the battery consumption information in response to reception of the transmitter abnormality information from the receiver; including, and executed by a processor.

[0012] According to the above method, since the cause of the abnormality of the transmitter is automatically identified based on the radio wave intensity information and the presence or absence of reception of the battery consumption information, it is possible to shorten the working time spent for identifying the cause of the abnormality of the transmitter, and an information processing method can be provided.

[0013] Also, a program for causing a computer to execute the above information processing method may be provided. Further, a computer-readable medium storing the program may be provided.

Effects of the Invention

[0014] According to the present disclosure, a biometric information system, an information processing apparatus, and an information processing method capable of shortening the working time spent for identifying the cause of the abnormality of the transmitter can be provided.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] (First Embodiment) Hereinafter, the biological information system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter simply referred to as this embodiment) will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the outline of the biological information system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the biological information system 1 includes a transmitter 2, a medical telemeter system 3, a receiver 4, and a server 5. In the biological information system 1 according to this embodiment, the transmitter 2, the medical telemeter system 3, and the receiver 4 are installed in the same medical facility, while the server 5 is installed outside the medical facility. That is, the installation location of the server 5 is not particularly limited as long as the server 5 can communicate with the receiver 4 via the communication network 7.

[0017] The transmitter 2 is configured to acquire biometric information data indicating the biometric information of the subject P (patient). The transmitter 2 is a stationary or portable biometric monitor (e.g., a medical telemeter, etc.) for acquiring and displaying the biometric information data of the subject P. The transmitter 2 is communicably connected to the receiver 4 via a medical telemeter system 3 (an example of an in-hospital network). In particular, the transmitter 2 is configured to transmit the biometric information data of the subject P to the receiver 4 via the medical telemeter system 3. The receiver 4 is, for example, a central monitor and is configured to display the biometric information data of the subject transmitted from each of a plurality of transmitters. In this example, for the sake of convenience of explanation, only a single transmitter 2 carried by one subject P is shown in the figure, but actually, a plurality of transmitters 2 may be carried by a plurality of subjects. In this case, each transmitter 2 transmits the biometric information data of the subject to the receiver 4 via the medical telemeter system 3.

[0018] The receiver 4 is communicably connected to a server 5 arranged on a communication network 7 via a gateway 6. The communication network 7 is, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), or the Internet.

[0019] Next, the hardware configuration of the transmitter 2 will be described below with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the transmitter 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the transmitter 2 includes a control unit 20, a storage device 21, a wireless communication unit 25, a display unit 22, an input operation unit 26, a biometric information sensor 24, a sensor interface 23, a battery 29, and a battery control unit 28. These components other than the biometric information sensor 24 and the battery 29 are communicably connected to each other via a bus 27.

[0020] The control unit 20 includes a memory and a processor. The memory is configured to store computer-readable instructions (programs). For example, the memory is composed of a ROM (Read Only Memory) storing various programs and the like, a RAM (Random Access Memory) having a plurality of work areas storing various programs and the like to be executed by the processor, and the like. The processor is composed of, for example, at least one of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The CPU may be composed of a plurality of CPU cores. The GPU may be composed of a plurality of GPU cores. The processor may be configured to expand a program specified from various programs incorporated in the storage device 21 or the ROM onto the RAM and execute various processes in cooperation with the RAM.

[0021] The storage device 21 is, for example, a storage device (storage) such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a flash memory, and is configured to store programs and various data. The storage device 21 may store biometric information data generated based on the biometric signal output from the biometric sensor 24.

[0022] The wireless communication unit 25 includes a wireless communication module (antenna and RF circuit) corresponding to the medical telemeter system 3. The wireless communication unit 25 is configured to wirelessly transmit a biometric information signal including biometric information data toward the receiving antenna 31 of the medical telemeter system 3 on the channel assigned to the transmitter 2.

[0023] The display unit 22 is configured to display biometric information data and is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL panel. The input operation unit 26 is, for example, a touch panel, operation buttons, etc. arranged superimposed on the display unit 22. The input operation unit 26 is configured to receive the input operation of the subject P and generate an operation signal corresponding to the input operation. The operation signal generated by the input operation unit 26 is transmitted to the control unit 20 via the bus 27.

[0024] The biometric sensor 24 is configured to acquire biometric information (for example, electrocardiogram, pulse wave, blood pressure, body temperature, respiration, etc.) of the subject P. The biometric sensor 24 may include, for example, at least one of an electrocardiogram sensor, a pulse wave sensor, a blood pressure sensor, a body temperature sensor, and a respiration sensor. The sensor interface 23 is configured to control the driving of the biometric sensor 24 and process the biological signal output from the biometric sensor 24. The sensor interface 23 may include a driving circuit configured to transmit a driving signal to the biometric sensor 24 and an analog processing circuit configured to process the biological signal (analog signal) output from the biometric sensor 24. The analog processing circuit may include, for example, a filter processing circuit that removes noise components from the biological signal output from the biometric sensor 24, a signal amplification circuit that amplifies the biological signal, and an AD conversion circuit that converts the biological signal from an analog signal to a digital signal. The control unit 20 is configured to generate biometric information data (for example, electrocardiogram data, pulse wave data, oxygen saturation data, heart rate data, blood pressure data, body temperature data, respiration waveform data, etc.) based on the biological signal transmitted from the sensor interface 23.

[0025] The battery 29 functions as a power source configured to supply power to each component of the transmitter 2 and is, for example, a lithium ion battery. The battery control unit 28 includes a circuit configured to convert the voltage of the battery 29 into the voltage required for each component of the transmitter 2. The battery control unit 28 may transmit a signal indicating the remaining level of the battery 29 (for example, a signal indicating the voltage level of the battery 29) to the control unit 20.

[0026] After generating the biological information data of the subject P, the transmitter 2 is configured to wirelessly transmit a biological information signal including the biological information data of the subject P and channel information indicating the channel of the transmitter 2 toward the receiving antenna 31 of the medical telemetry system 3. Note that the transmitter 2 may transmit the signal indicating the biological information data of the subject P and the signal indicating the channel information indicating the channel of the transmitter 2 separately.

[0027] Next, the medical telemetry system 3 will be briefly described. The medical telemetry system 3 includes at least a receiving antenna 31, a coaxial cable 32, a mixer (not shown), an amplifier, and a power supply. The receiving antenna 31 is configured to receive a biological information signal indicating the biological information data wirelessly transmitted from the transmitter 2. The coaxial cable 32 is configured to transmit the biological information signal (high-frequency signal) received by the receiving antenna 31 to the receiver 4.

[0028] The receiver 4 includes a control unit composed of a memory and a processor, a storage device, a display unit, an input interface, an input operation unit, a network interface, and an interface for the medical telemetry system. The receiver 4 receives the biological information signal through the interface for the medical telemetry system. Then, the receiver 4 is configured to demodulate the received biological information signal and display the biological information data on the display unit. For example, the receiver 4 can display a biological information waveform (e.g., an electrocardiogram waveform, a pulse wave, etc.) on the display unit based on the biological information data included in the biological information signal.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 3, the server 5 (an example of an information processing apparatus) is communicably connected to the receiver 4 via the communication network 7. The server 5 includes a control unit 50, a storage device 51, a network unit 52, and an input operation unit 53. These components are communicably connected to each other via a bus 54. The control unit 50 includes a memory and a processor. The memory includes a RAM and a ROM. The processor includes at least one of a CPU, an MPU, and a GPU. A computer-readable instruction (program) for executing a series of processes shown in FIG. 4 is stored in the memory, and when the computer-readable instruction is executed by the processor, the server 5 executes a series of processes shown in FIG. 4.

[0030] The storage device 51 is configured by, for example, an HDD or an SSD. A database including a transmitter information table 120 shown in FIG. 5 is stored in the storage device 51. The server 5 is configured to update the transmitter information table 120 stored in the storage device 51 when receiving radio field intensity information and event information from the receiver 4 via the communication network 7. Incidentally, the server 5 may update the transmitter information table 120 in response to a user input operation on the input operation unit 53. The network unit 52 includes a communication module for connecting the server 5 to the communication network 7. The input operation unit 53 is a mouse, a keyboard, or the like. The input operation unit 53 is configured to receive an input operation of an operator and generate an operation signal corresponding to the input operation. Incidentally, in this example, a single server 5 is illustrated, but the server 5 may be configured by a plurality of servers.

[0031] FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a transmitter information table 120 associated with the transmitter 2. Note that when there are a plurality of transmitters 2 in the biological information system 1 shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of transmitter information tables 120 each associated with one of the plurality of transmitters 2 may be stored in the storage device 51. The transmitter information table 120 includes time information, radio wave intensity information, event information, and transmitter channel information indicating the channel of the transmitter 2. In addition, although not shown, the transmitter information table 120 may include the biological information of the subject. In the transmitter information table 120, these pieces of information are associated with each other. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the channel of the transmitter 2 is 5001. Further, the server 5 is configured to update the transmitter information table 120 after receiving the radio wave intensity information of the transmitter 2 from the receiver 4 at 30-minute intervals. Note that in this example, the server 5 receives the radio wave intensity information of the transmitter 2 from the receiver 4 at 30-minute intervals and updates the transmitter information table 120, but the update time interval is not limited to 30 minutes and may be any time interval between 1 minute and 1 day. The radio wave intensity information of the transmitter 2 is information indicating the reception intensity of the radio wave (biological information signal) transmitted from the transmitter 2 and received by the reception antenna 31 of the medical telemetry system 3. Here, the reception intensity may also be referred to as RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator).

[0032] The intensity of the biological information signal received by the reception antenna 31 is considered to be substantially the same as the intensity of the biological information signal received by the receiver 4 through the coaxial cable 32. Therefore, the receiver 4 acquires the radio wave intensity information of the transmitter 2 based on the intensity of the biological information signal (high-frequency signal) of the transmitter 2 received through the coaxial cable 32. Then, the receiver 4 transmits the radio wave intensity information of the transmitter 2 to the server 5 via the communication network 7.

[0033] Further, when the server 5 receives battery consumption information indicating the consumption of the battery 29 of the transmitter 2 from the receiver 4, it is configured to update the transmitter information table 120. In the example shown in FIG. 5, when the server 5 receives battery consumption information from the receiver 4 at 17:30, the battery consumption information is input as event information at 17:30 into the transmitter information table 120. Note that the server 5 may update the transmitter information table 120 to include battery consumption information in response to a user input operation on the input operation unit 53.

[0034] For example, when the control unit 20 of the transmitter 2 determines that the battery 29 is being consumed based on a signal indicating the remaining level of the battery 29 (e.g., a signal indicating the voltage level of the battery 29) transmitted from the battery control unit 28, the transmitter 2 may transmit battery consumption information indicating the consumption of the battery of the transmitter 2 to the receiver 4 via the medical telemetry system 3. Thereafter, the receiver 4 may transfer the battery consumption information to the server 5 via the communication network 7. Here, when the control unit 20 determines that the battery 29 will run out in the remaining T hours (e.g., T = 10) based on the signal indicating the remaining level of the battery 29, the control unit 20 may transmit the battery consumption information to the receiver 4. In particular, when the remaining level of the battery 29 is less than a predetermined threshold value, the control unit 20 may transmit the battery consumption information to the receiver 4. Here, the predetermined threshold value corresponds to the remaining level of the battery 29 when the drivable time of the battery 29 is the remaining T hours.

[0035] Further, the transmitter 2 may transmit remaining level information indicating the remaining level of the battery 29 to the receiver 4 at a predetermined time interval. Thereafter, the receiver 4 may determine whether the battery 29 is being consumed from the received remaining level information, and when it determines that the battery 29 will run out in the remaining T hours, the receiver 4 may transmit the battery consumption information to the server 5. In particular, when the remaining level of the battery 29 is less than a predetermined threshold value, the receiver 4 may transmit the battery consumption information to the server 5.

[0036] In addition, when the server 5 receives transmitter abnormality information indicating an abnormality of the transmitter 2 from the receiver 4, the server 5 is configured to update the transmitter information table 120. In the example shown in FIG. 5, when the server 5 receives transmitter abnormality information at time 19:00, the transmitter abnormality information is input as event information at time 19:00 in the transmitter information table 120. For example, when the receiver 4 cannot receive a biological information signal indicating biological information data from the transmitter 2, the receiver 4 transmits transmitter abnormality information indicating an abnormality of the transmitter 2 to the server 5.

[0037] Next, with reference to FIG. 4, the process of determining the cause of the abnormality of the transmitter 2 according to the first embodiment will be described below. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the process of determining the cause of the abnormality of the transmitter 2 according to the first embodiment. It is assumed that the series of processes shown in FIG. 4 are automatically executed by the control unit 50 of the server 5. In the present embodiment, when an abnormality occurs in the transmitter 2, the server 5 arranged outside the medical facility can automatically determine the cause of the abnormality of the transmitter 2 by referring to the transmitter information table 120.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 4, in step S1, the control unit 50 of the server 5 receives transmitter abnormality information from the receiver 4 via the communication network 7. Next, the control unit 50 determines whether battery consumption information has been received from the receiver 4 by referring to the transmitter information table 120 (step S2). When the control unit 50 determines that battery consumption information has been received from the receiver 4 (YES in step S2), the control unit 50 determines that the abnormality of the transmitter 2 is caused by the consumption of the battery 29 of the transmitter 2 (step S3).

[0039] On the other hand, when the control unit 50 determines that it has not received the battery consumption information from the receiver 4 (NO in step S2), it refers to the transmitter information table 120 to determine whether the intensity of the radio wave transmitted from the transmitter 2 when the transmitter abnormality information is received (hereinafter, the radio wave intensity of the transmitter 2) is normal (step S4). When the control unit 50 determines that the radio wave intensity of the transmitter 2 when the transmitter abnormality information is received is abnormal (NO in step S4), it determines that the abnormality of the transmitter 2 is caused by the radio wave environment of the transmitter 2 (step S5). On the other hand, when the control unit 50 determines that the radio wave intensity of the transmitter 2 when the transmitter abnormality information is received is normal (YES in step S4), it determines that the abnormality of the transmitter 2 is caused by the transmitter 2 itself (step S6).

[0040] In an example of the transmitter information table 120 shown in FIG. 5, the server 5 has received the transmitter abnormality information at the time 19:00. In this case, the server 5 determines whether the radio wave intensity of the transmitter 2 at the time 19:00 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. For example, when the predetermined threshold value is 5, the radio wave intensity of the transmitter 2 at the time 19:00 is 9, which is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold value of 5. Therefore, the server 5 determines that the radio wave intensity of the transmitter 2 when the transmitter abnormality information is received is normal, and then determines that the abnormality of the transmitter 2 is caused by the transmitter 2 itself.

[0041] In this way, the control unit 50 determines whether the radio wave intensity of the transmitter 2 when the transmitter abnormality information is received is normal based on the comparison between the radio wave intensity of the transmitter 2 when the transmitter abnormality information is received and the predetermined threshold value.

[0042] When the abnormality of the transmitter 2 is caused by the radio wave environment, it is assumed that the transmitter 2 is not within the radio wave reception range of the reception antenna 31 or that a radio wave obstacle is arranged on the path between the transmitter 2 and the reception antenna 31. On the other hand, when the abnormality of the transmitter 2 is caused by the transmitter 2 itself, an abnormality of the biological information sensor 24 or the control unit 20 provided in the transmitter 2 is assumed.

[0043] According to the present embodiment, when the server 5 installed outside the medical facility receives the transmitter abnormality information indicating the abnormality of the transmitter 2 from the receiver 4, based on the presence or absence of reception of the radio wave intensity information and the battery consumption information, the abnormality of the transmitter 2 is caused by the consumption of the battery 29 of the transmitter 2, an abnormality caused by the radio wave environment around the transmitter 2, or an abnormality caused by the transmitter 2 itself can be automatically identified. In this way, it is possible to provide a biological information system 1 that can shorten the working time spent in identifying the cause of the abnormality of the transmitter 2 wirelessly connected to the medical telemetry system 3. In particular, while the number of transmitters 2 used in the medical facility is increasing, there is a current situation where the staff of the medical device manufacturer that manages the transmitter 2 directly visits the medical facility and manually identifies the cause of the malfunction of the transmitter 2. In such a situation, since the server 5 can automatically identify the cause of the abnormality of the transmitter 2 based on the transmitter information table 120, the work load of the staff of the medical device manufacturer is significantly reduced, and the cause of the abnormality of the transmitter 2 wirelessly connected to the medical telemetry system 3 can be quickly identified.

[0044] Also, in the present embodiment, various types of information included in the transmitter information table 120 are transmitted from the receiver 4 to the server 5, but the present embodiment is not limited to this. For example, these types of information other than the transmitter abnormality information may be directly transmitted to the server 5 from the transmitter 2 without passing through the receiver 4.

[0045] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the determination process of step S4 is executed after the determination process of step S2, but the determination process of step S4 may be executed before the determination process of step S2. For example, when the previous abnormality of the transmitter 2 is caused by the radio wave environment, by executing the determination process of step S4 prior to the determination process of step S2, the server 5 can more efficiently determine the cause of the abnormality of the transmitter 2.

[0046] (Second Embodiment) Next, a biological information system 10 according to a second embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter simply referred to as this embodiment) will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the outline of the biological information system 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 6. As shown in FIG. 6, the biological information system 10 includes a transmitter 2a, a wireless LAN access point 8 (hereinafter referred to as wireless AP 8), a receiver 4, and a server 5. In the biological information system 10 according to this embodiment, it is assumed that the transmitter 2a, the wireless AP 8, and the receiver 4 are installed within the same medical facility, while the server 5 is installed outside the medical facility. That is, the installation location of the server 5 is not particularly limited as long as the server 5 can communicate with the receiver 4 via the communication network 7. The biological information system 10 according to the second embodiment is different from the biological information system 1 according to the first embodiment in that the transmitter 2 is communicably connected to the receiver 4 via the wireless AP 8. Hereinafter, the differences between the biological information system 10 and the biological information system 1 will be mainly described.

[0047] The transmitter 2a is configured to acquire biological information data indicating the biological information of the subject P. The transmitter 2a is a stationary or portable biological information monitor for acquiring and displaying the biological information data of the subject P. The transmitter 2a is communicably connected to the receiver 4 via the wireless AP 8. For example, a wireless connection between the transmitter 2 and the wireless AP 8 is established based on a wireless LAN standard such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) (particularly, an international standard defined by IEEE802.11). The transmitter 2a is configured to transmit the biological information data of the subject P to the receiver 4 via the wireless AP 8 and the switching hub 9. Further, the receiver 4 is communicably connected to a server 5 disposed on the communication network 7 via a gateway 6.

[0048] Similarly in this example, for convenience of explanation, only a single transmitter 2a carried by one subject P is shown in the figure, but actually, a plurality of transmitters 2a may be carried by a plurality of subjects. In this case, each transmitter 2a transmits the biological information data of the subject to the receiver 4 via the wireless AP 8.

[0049] The transmitter 2a shall have the same configuration as the transmitter 2 shown in FIG. 2. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the transmitter 2a includes a control unit 20, a storage device 21, a wireless communication unit 25, a display unit 22, an input operation unit 26, a biological information sensor 24, a sensor interface 23, a battery 29, and a battery control unit 28. On the other hand, while the transmitter 2 according to the first embodiment is wirelessly connected to the medical telemetry system 3, the transmitter 2a according to this embodiment is wirelessly connected to the wireless AP 8. For this reason, the wireless communication unit 25 of the transmitter 2a includes a wireless communication module (antenna and RF circuit) compatible with the wireless LAN standard. The wireless communication unit 25 is configured to transmit a biological information signal (radio wave) including the biological information data of the subject P toward the wireless AP 8 in a frequency band of, for example, 2.4 GHz band or 5 GHz band.

[0050] The wireless AP 8 is communicably connected to the transmitter 2a through an association between the wireless AP 8 and the transmitter 2a. The wireless AP 8 transmits a biological information signal including the biological information data transmitted from the transmitter 2a to the receiver 4 via the switching hub 9. Further, the wireless AP 8 is configured to transmit information related to the wireless AP 8 (particularly, various information included in the wireless LAN access point information table 140 shown in FIG. 9) to the server 5 arranged on the communication network 7 via the gateway 6.

[0051] The receiver 4 is communicably connected to the server 5 arranged on the communication network 7 via the gateway 6 and is also communicably connected to the in-hospital network constructed by a LAN or the like. In this embodiment, the receiver 4 receives a biological information signal from the transmitter 2a via the wireless AP 8.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 3, a server 5 (an example of an information processing apparatus) includes a control unit 50, a storage device 51, a network unit 52, and an input operation unit 53. In the present embodiment, a database including a transmitter information table 130 shown in FIG. 8 and a wireless LAN access point information table 140 (hereinafter, wireless AP information table 140) shown in FIG. 9 is stored in the storage device 51 of the server 5. The server 5 is configured to update the transmitter information table 130 stored in the storage device 51 when receiving radio field intensity information and event information from the receiver 4 via the communication network 7. A computer-readable instruction (program) for executing a series of processes shown in FIG. 7 is stored in the memory of the server 5. When the computer-readable instruction is executed by the processor, the server 5 executes a series of processes shown in FIG. 7.

[0053] FIG. 8 illustrates an example of the transmitter information table 130 associated with the transmitter 2a. When there are a plurality of transmitters 2a in the biological information system 10, a plurality of transmitter information tables 130 each associated with one of the plurality of transmitters 2a may be stored in the storage device 51. The transmitter information table 130 further includes, in addition to time information, radio field intensity information, event information, and transmitter channel information, MAC address information of the transmitter 2a, IP address information of the transmitter 2a, SSID information, and MAC address information of the wireless AP 8. In the transmitter information table 130, these pieces of information are associated with each other. Here, the SSID information is information indicating the SSID set in the transmitter 2a. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the server 5 is configured to receive the radio field intensity information of the transmitter 2a from the receiver 4 every 30 minutes and then update the transmitter information table 130. In this example, the server 5 receives the radio field intensity information of the transmitter 2a from the receiver 4 every 30 minutes and updates the transmitter information table 130. However, the update time interval is not limited to 30 minutes and may be any time interval between 1 minute and 1 day. The radio field intensity information of the transmitter 2a is information indicating the reception intensity of the radio wave transmitted from the wireless AP 8 and received by the transmitter 2a.

[0054] In this regard, the transmitter 2a identifies the reception intensity (RSSI) of the radio wave transmitted from the wireless AP 8 and then transmits radio wave intensity information to the receiver 4. Thereafter, the receiver 4 transmits the radio wave intensity information to the server 5 via the communication network 7. Further, the server 5 is configured to update the transmitter information table 130 when receiving battery consumption information indicating the consumption of the battery 29 of the transmitter 2a from the receiver 4. In the example shown in FIG. 8, when the server 5 receives the battery consumption information from the receiver 4 at time 17:30, the battery consumption information is input as event information at time 17:30 into the transmitter information table 130. As already described in the first embodiment, the battery consumption information may be generated on the transmitter 2a side or on the receiver 4 side.

[0055] Further, the server 5 is configured to update the transmitter information table 130 when receiving transmitter abnormality information indicating an abnormality of the transmitter 2a from the receiver 4. In the example shown in FIG. 8, when the server 5 receives the transmitter abnormality information at time 19:00, the transmitter abnormality information is input as event information at time 19:00 into the transmitter information table 130. For example, when the receiver 4 cannot receive a biological information signal indicating biological information data from the transmitter 2a, the receiver 4 transmits transmitter abnormality information indicating an abnormality of the transmitter 2a to the server 5.

[0056] Further, the transmitter 2a transmits transmitter channel information, MAC address information of the transmitter 2a, IP address information of the transmitter 2a, SSID information, and MAC address information of the wireless AP 8 to the receiver 4. Thereafter, the receiver 4 transfers these information to the server 5.

[0057] FIG. 9 shows an example of a wireless AP information table 140 associated with the wireless AP 8. Note that when there are a plurality of wireless APs 8 in the biological information system 10, a plurality of wireless AP information tables 140 each associated with one of the plurality of wireless APs 8 may be stored in the storage device 51. The wireless AP information table 140 includes time information, radio wave intensity information (an example of the second radio wave intensity information) of the wireless AP 8, MAC address information of the wireless AP 8, SSID information of the wireless AP 8, and reception channel information of the wireless AP 8. Here, the radio wave intensity information of the wireless AP 8 is information indicating the intensity of a signal (radio wave) emitted from the wireless AP 8. The SSID information is information indicating the SSID of the wireless AP 8. In the example shown in FIG. 9, the server 5 is configured to update the wireless AP information table 140 after receiving the radio wave intensity information, MAC address information, SSID information, and reception channel information from the wireless AP 8 at 30-minute intervals. Note that in this example, the server 5 receives the radio wave intensity information, MAC address information, SSID information, and reception channel information of the transmitter 2 from the wireless AP 8 at 30-minute intervals and updates the wireless AP information table 120. However, the update time interval is not limited to 30 minutes and may be any time interval between 1 minute and 1 day.

[0058] Next, with reference to FIG. 7, the process of determining the cause of an abnormality in the transmitter 2a according to the second embodiment will be described below. FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the process of determining the cause of an abnormality in the transmitter 2a according to the second embodiment. It is assumed that the series of processes shown in FIG. 7 are automatically executed by the control unit 50 of the server 5. In this embodiment, when an abnormality occurs in the transmitter 2a, the server 5 arranged outside the medical facility can automatically determine the cause of the abnormality in the transmitter 2a by referring to both the transmitter information table 130 and the wireless AP information table 140.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 7, in step S10, the control unit 50 of the server 5 receives transmitter abnormality information from the receiver 4 via the communication network 7. Next, the control unit 50 determines whether it has received battery consumption information from the receiver 4 by referring to the transmitter information table 130 (step S11). When the control unit 50 determines that it has received battery consumption information from the receiver 4 (YES in step S11), it determines that the abnormality of the transmitter 2a is due to the consumption of the battery 29 of the transmitter 2a (step S12).

[0060] On the other hand, when the control unit 50 determines that it has not received battery consumption information from the receiver 4 (NO in step S11), it determines whether the radio wave intensity I1 related to the transmitter 2a when receiving the transmitter abnormality information is normal by referring to the transmitter information table 130, and determines whether the radio wave intensity I2 related to the wireless AP 8 when receiving the transmitter abnormality information is normal by referring to the wireless AP information table 140 (step S13). Here, the radio wave intensity I1 related to the transmitter 2a is the reception intensity of the radio wave transmitted from the wireless AP 8 and received by the transmitter 2a. In the transmitter information table 130 shown in FIG. 8, information indicating the radio wave intensity I1 is stored at 30-minute intervals. On the other hand, the radio wave intensity I2 related to the wireless AP 8 is the intensity of the radio wave emitted from the wireless AP 8. In the wireless AP information table 140 shown in FIG. 9, information indicating the radio wave intensity I2 is stored at 30-minute intervals.

[0061] When the control unit 50 determines that the radio wave intensity I1 related to the transmitter 2a is abnormal while the radio wave intensity I2 related to the wireless AP 8 is normal, it determines that the abnormality of the transmitter 2a is caused by the radio wave environment of the transmitter 2a (step S14). In an example of the transmitter information table 130 shown in FIG. 8, transmitter abnormality information is received by the server 5 at 19:00. In this case, the server 5 determines whether the radio wave intensity I1 related to the transmitter 2a at 19:00 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. For example, when the predetermined threshold value is 5, since the radio wave intensity of the transmitter 2 at 19:00 is 0, it is smaller than the predetermined threshold value. Therefore, the server 5 determines that the radio wave intensity I1 when receiving the transmitter abnormality information is abnormal. Further, in an example of the wireless AP information table 140 shown in FIG. 9, it is determined whether the radio wave intensity I2 (signal intensity of the wireless AP 8) related to the wireless AP 8 changes significantly at 19:00 when the transmitter abnormality information is received by the server 5. In the example shown in FIG. 9, since the radio wave intensity I2 does not change significantly, the control unit 50 determines that the radio wave intensity I2 when receiving the transmitter abnormality information is normal.

[0062] Also, when the control unit 50 determines that the radio wave intensity I2 related to the wireless AP 8 is abnormal while the radio wave intensity I1 related to the transmitter 2a is normal, it determines that the abnormality of the transmitter 2a is caused by the wireless AP 8 (step S15). When the abnormality of the transmitter 2a is caused by the wireless AP 8, a failure or the like of the wireless AP 8 is assumed.

[0063] Also, when the control unit 50 determines that both the radio wave intensity I1 related to the transmitter 2a and the radio wave intensity I2 related to the wireless AP 8 are normal, it determines that the abnormality of the transmitter 2a is caused by the transmitter 2a itself (step S16). That is, when the remaining battery level of the transmitter 2a is sufficient and there is no abnormality in the radio wave environment of the transmitter 2a or the wireless AP 8, an abnormality of the biological information sensor 24 or the control unit 20 provided in the transmitter 2a is assumed.

[0064] Furthermore, when the control unit 50 determines that both the radio wave intensity I1 related to the transmitter 2a and the radio wave intensity I2 related to the wireless AP 8 are abnormal, it determines that the abnormality of the transmitter 2a is caused by the wireless AP 8 and / or the radio wave environment of the transmitter 2a (step S17). In this case, the staff of the medical device manufacturer that manages the transmitter 2a may further examine whether the abnormality of the transmitter 2a is caused by the wireless AP 8 or the radio wave environment of the transmitter 2a by moving the placement location of the transmitter 2a.

[0065] According to the present embodiment, when the server 5 installed outside the medical facility receives the transmitter abnormality information indicating the abnormality of the transmitter 2a from the receiver 4, based on the radio wave intensity information related to the transmitter 2a, the radio wave intensity information related to the wireless AP 8, and whether the battery consumption information is received, it can automatically identify whether the abnormality of the transmitter 2a is an abnormality caused by the consumption of the battery 29 of the transmitter 2a, an abnormality caused by the radio wave environment around the transmitter 2a, an abnormality caused by the transmitter 2a itself, or an abnormality caused by the wireless AP 8. Thus, it is possible to provide the biological information system 10 capable of shortening the working time spent to identify the cause of the abnormality of the transmitter 2a wirelessly connected to the wireless AP 8. In particular, while the number of transmitters 2a used in the medical facility is increasing, there is a current situation where the staff of the medical device manufacturer that manages the transmitter 2a directly visits the medical facility to manually identify the cause of the malfunction of the transmitter 2a. In such a situation, since the server 5 can automatically identify the cause of the abnormality of the transmitter 2a based on both the transmitter information table 130 and the wireless AP information table 140, the workload of the staff of the medical device manufacturer is significantly reduced, and it becomes possible to quickly identify the cause of the abnormality of the transmitter 2a wirelessly connected to the wireless AP 8.

[0066] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the server 5 automatically identifies whether the abnormality of the transmitter 2a is due to the depletion of the battery 29 of the transmitter 2a, an abnormality in the radio wave environment around the transmitter 2a, an abnormality in the transmitter 2a itself, or an abnormality in the wireless AP 8 by referring to both the transmitter information table 130 and the wireless AP information table 140. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the server 5 may automatically identify whether the abnormality of the transmitter 2a is due to the depletion of the battery 29 of the transmitter 2a, an abnormality in the radio wave environment around the transmitter 2a, or an abnormality in the transmitter 2a itself by referring to only the transmitter information table 130. In this case, while an abnormality in the wireless AP 8 is not considered as a cause of the abnormality of the transmitter 2a, it is advantageous in that the server 5 does not need to hold the wireless AP information table 140.

[0067] Also, in the present embodiment, various types of information included in the transmitter information table 130 are transmitted from the receiver 4 to the server 5. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this. For example, these types of information other than the transmitter abnormality information may be directly transmitted to the server 5 from the transmitter 2a without passing through the receiver 4.

[0068] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the determination process of step S13 is executed after the determination process of step S11. However, the determination process of step S13 may be executed before the determination process of step S11. For example, when the previous abnormality of the transmitter 2a is due to the radio wave environment, by executing the determination process of step S13 prior to the determination process of step S11, the server 5 can more efficiently determine the cause of the abnormality of the transmitter 2a.

[0069] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been explained. However, the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed in a limited manner by the description of the present embodiment. The present embodiment is an example, and it is understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications of the embodiments are possible within the scope of the invention described in the claims. The technical scope of the present invention should be determined based on the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalent scope.

Description of Symbols

[0070] 1, 10: Biological information system 2, 2a: Transmitter 3: Medical telemetry system 4: Receiver 5: Server 6: Gateway 7: Communication network 8: Wireless LAN access point (Wireless AP) 9: Switching hub 20: Control unit 21: Storage device 22: Display unit 23: Sensor interface 24: Biological information sensor 25: Wireless communication unit 26: Input operation unit 28: Battery control unit 29: Battery 31: Receiving antenna 32: Coaxial cable 50: Control unit 51: Storage device 52: Network unit 53: Input operation unit 120, 130: Transmitter information table 140: Wireless LAN access point information table (Wireless AP information table)

Claims

1. A transmitter configured to acquire biometric information data indicating biometric information of a subject, A server arranged on a communication network, A receiver communicably connected to the transmitter and communicably connected to the server through the communication network, Comprising: The transmitter transmits the biometric information data to the receiver, The receiver, Transmits radio wave intensity information indicating the reception intensity of radio waves transmitted or received by the transmitter to the server at a predetermined period, When the battery of the transmitter is depleted, transmits battery depletion information indicating the depletion of the battery of the transmitter to the server, When the biometric information data cannot be received from the transmitter, transmits transmitter abnormality information indicating an abnormality of the transmitter to the server, The server, in response to receiving the transmitter abnormality information from the receiver, based on the radio wave intensity information and the presence or absence of reception of the battery depletion information, determines whether the abnormality of the transmitter is due to depletion of the battery of the transmitter, an abnormality due to the radio wave environment around the transmitter, or an abnormality due to the transmitter itself. A biometric information system.

2. The receiver transmits the battery depletion information to the server when the remaining level of the battery of the transmitter is less than a predetermined threshold. The biometric information system according to claim 1.

3. The receiver transfers the battery depletion information to the server after receiving the battery depletion information from the transmitter, or The receiver transmits the battery depletion information to the server based on the remaining level information after receiving the remaining level information indicating the remaining level of the battery from the transmitter. The biometric information system according to claim 2.

4. The receiver is communicably connected to the transmitter through a medical telemetry system, The radio wave intensity information indicates the reception intensity of the radio waves transmitted from the transmitter and received by the reception antenna of the medical telemetry system, The receiver, Receives the biometric information data from the transmitter through the medical telemetry system, Acquires the radio wave intensity information from the high-frequency signal received through the medical telemetry system and then transmits the radio wave intensity information to the server. The biometric information system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The receiver, communicably connected to the transmitter via a wireless LAN access point, the radio wave intensity information indicates the reception intensity of the radio wave transmitted from the wireless LAN access point and received by the transmitter, the receiver, receives the biological information data and the radio wave intensity information from the transmitter through the wireless LAN access point, transmits the radio wave intensity information to the server, The biological information system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

6. The server, further receives second radio wave intensity information indicating the intensity of the radio wave transmitted from the wireless LAN access point, identifies the cause of the abnormality of the transmitter based on the radio wave intensity information, the second radio wave intensity information, and the presence or absence of reception of the battery consumption information, The biological information system according to claim 5.

7. The server, based on the radio wave intensity information, the battery consumption information, and the second radio wave intensity information, determines whether the abnormality of the transmitter is an abnormality caused by the consumption of the battery of the transmitter, an abnormality caused by the radio wave environment around the transmitter, an abnormality caused by the transmitter itself, or an abnormality caused by the wireless LAN access point, The biological information system according to claim 6.

8. An information processing apparatus communicably connected via a communication network to a receiver communicably connected to a transmitter configured to acquire biological information data indicating biological information of a subject, the information processing apparatus, a processor, a memory storing computer-readable instructions, and, when the computer-readable instructions are executed by the processor, the information processing apparatus, receives radio wave intensity information indicating the reception intensity of radio waves transmitted or received by the transmitter at a predetermined period, when the battery of the transmitter is depleted, receives battery depletion information indicating the depletion of the battery of the transmitter, when the receiver cannot receive the biological information data from the transmitter, receives transmitter abnormality information indicating an abnormality of the transmitter, in response to the reception of the transmitter abnormality information, based on the radio wave intensity information and the presence or absence of reception of the battery depletion information, determines whether the abnormality of the transmitter is an abnormality caused by the depletion of the battery of the transmitter, an abnormality caused by the radio wave environment around the transmitter, or an abnormality caused by the transmitter itself, Information processing apparatus.

9. The information processing apparatus, Further receiving second radio wave intensity information indicating the intensity of radio waves transmitted from a wireless LAN access point communicably connected to the transmitter and the receiver, Identifying the cause of the abnormality of the transmitter based on the radio wave intensity information, the second radio wave intensity information, and the presence or absence of reception of the battery consumption information, The information processing apparatus according to claim 8.

10. Receiving, at a predetermined period, from a receiver communicably connected to the transmitter, radio wave intensity information indicating the reception intensity of radio waves transmitted or received from a transmitter configured to acquire biological information data indicating biological information of a subject, When the battery of the transmitter is depleted, receiving from the receiver battery consumption information indicating the depletion of the battery of the transmitter, When the receiver cannot receive the biological information data from the transmitter, receiving from the receiver transmitter abnormality information indicating an abnormality of the transmitter, In response to receiving the transmitter abnormality information from the receiver, identifying whether the abnormality of the transmitter is an abnormality caused by depletion of the battery of the transmitter, an abnormality caused by the radio wave environment around the transmitter, or an abnormality caused by the transmitter itself based on the radio wave intensity information and the presence or absence of reception of the battery consumption information, An information processing method executed by a processor, including the above steps.

11. Further including the step of receiving second radio wave intensity information indicating the intensity of radio waves transmitted from a wireless LAN access point communicably connected to the transmitter and the receiver, In the step of identifying the cause of the abnormality of the transmitter, the cause of the abnormality of the transmitter is identified based on the radio wave intensity information, the second radio wave intensity information, and the presence or absence of reception of the battery consumption information, The information processing method according to claim 10.

12. A program for causing a computer to execute the information processing method according to claim 10 or 11.

13. A computer-readable storage medium storing the program according to claim 12.

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