Information Acquisition System

Abstract

To acquire biological information of a desired part in a body of an object person without approximating the object person.SOLUTION: An information acquisition system comprises: a terminal device including an operation section for receiving information indicating a position in a body of an object person from a user, so as to output biological information corresponding to the position received by the operation section based on the biological information obtained by a plurality of sensors whose position is nearly fixedly kept with respect to the body of the object person; and a relay device including a signal synchronization section for acquiring a synchronized biological signal from a first sub-system ad a second sub-system by outputting a synchronous signal to the first sub-system which acquires the biological information from a part of the sensors and the second sub-system which acquires the biological information from the other sensors. The terminal device acquires the biological information from the relay device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information acquisition system. Mu's Regarding technology. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, auscultation using a stethoscope has been widely used to acquire acoustic signals from living bodies. Specific examples of stethoscopes include a stethoscope that has a tube connected to a chest piece to guide sound to the ear, and an electronic stethoscope that has an acoustic sensor attached to the chest piece to electrically guide sound to the ear (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0003] [Non-Patent Document 1] Shuang Leng and 5 others, “The electronic stethoscope”, BioMedical Engineering Online (2015), DOI 10.1186 / s12938-015-0056-y Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In conventional auscultation, the medical professional must stand opposite the patient and place the stethoscope on the desired part of the patient's body. Therefore, auscultation is performed in close proximity to the patient. This problem is not limited to examinations using a stethoscope, but is a common issue in all tasks involving obtaining information about the patient's body (biometric information). In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a technology that can acquire biometric information of a desired part of a subject's body without approaching the subject. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One aspect of the present invention is a terminal device that includes an operation unit that receives information from a user indicating a position on a subject's body, and outputs biometric information corresponding to the position received by the operation unit based on biometric information obtained by a plurality of sensors that maintain their positions approximately fixedly relative to the subject's body.

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is an information acquisition system comprising a holder and a terminal device, wherein the holder comprises a holder body and a plurality of sensors whose positions are maintained in an approximately fixed manner on the holder body, the terminal device comprises an operation unit that receives information from a user indicating a position on the subject's body, and the terminal device outputs biometric information corresponding to the position received by the operation unit based on biometric information obtained by the plurality of sensors whose positions are maintained in an approximately fixed manner on the subject's body.

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is an information processing method having the steps of: a computer having an operation unit that receives, from a user, information indicating a position on a subject's body, receiving the information indicating the position in response to the user's operation on the operation unit; and a computer outputting biometric information corresponding to the position received by the operation unit based on biometric information obtained by a plurality of sensors that maintain their positions approximately fixedly relative to the subject's body. One aspect of the present invention is an information acquisition system comprising: a terminal device having an operation unit that receives information indicating a position on a subject's body from a user, and that outputs biometric information corresponding to the position received by the operation unit based on biometric information obtained by a plurality of sensors that are maintained in approximately fixed positions relative to the subject's body; and a relay device having a signal synchronization unit that outputs synchronization signals to a first subsystem that acquires biometric information from some of the plurality of sensors and a second subsystem that acquires biometric information from other sensors, and thereby acquires synchronized biometric signals from the first subsystem and the second subsystem, wherein the terminal device acquires the biometric information from the relay device. One aspect of the present invention is an information acquisition system comprising: a terminal device that includes an operation unit that receives information indicating a position on a subject's body from a user, and that outputs biometric information corresponding to the position received by the operation unit based on biometric information obtained by a plurality of sensors that are maintained in approximately fixed positions relative to the subject's body; a signal generating device that outputs a signal in a manner that can be detected by the sensors; and a relay device that measures the signal transmission time from the signal generating device to each of the plurality of sensors by comparing the signal output from the signal generating device with the signals output from the plurality of sensors, thereby estimating the position of each sensor; wherein the plurality of sensors acquire the signal output from the signal generating device and output information corresponding to the signal to the relay device. One aspect of the present invention is a terminal device that includes an operation unit that receives information from a user indicating a position on a subject's body, and a model information storage unit that pre-stores model information indicating the three-dimensional arrangement of structures on the subject's body, and that acquires biometric information about the subject's body based on signals obtained by a plurality of sensors that maintain their positions approximately fixedly relative to the subject's body and the model information, and outputs the biometric information corresponding to the position received by the operation unit. One aspect of the present invention is a terminal device that includes an operation unit that receives information from a user indicating a position on a subject's body, and a signal processing unit that estimates whether a signal component of each signal obtained by a plurality of sensors that maintain their positions approximately fixed relative to the subject's body is inside or outside the subject's body, and suppresses and outputs signal components that are estimated to have a signal source outside the body, and outputs biometric information corresponding to the position received by the operation unit based on biometric information corresponding to the signals output by the signal processing unit. One aspect of the present invention is a terminal device that includes an operation unit that receives information from a user indicating a position on a subject's body, receives a specification of a depth region of the body based on the strength of force applied to the operation unit, and outputs biometric information corresponding to the position and depth received by the operation unit based on biometric information obtained by multiple sensors that maintain their positions approximately fixedly relative to the subject's body. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain biometric information of a desired part of a subject's body without approaching the subject. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of a first embodiment of an information acquisition system 100 according to the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of a second embodiment of an information acquisition system 100 according to the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of a third embodiment of an information acquisition system 100 according to the present invention. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing a specific example of a holder 10 used in an information acquisition system 100 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of a fifth embodiment of an information acquisition system 100 according to the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of a sixth embodiment of the information acquisition system 100 of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of a seventh embodiment of the information acquisition system 100 of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of an eighth embodiment of an information acquisition system 100 according to the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of an information acquisition system 100 according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10]FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of an information acquisition system 100 according to a tenth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a specific example of an operation screen used in the operation unit (202, 210) of the terminal device 20 in the first to tenth embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0011] [First embodiment] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the system configuration of a first embodiment of an information acquisition system 100 of the present invention. The information acquisition system 100 in the first embodiment includes a holder 10 and a terminal device 20. The holder 10 includes a plurality of sensors 101 and an output unit 102. The holder 10 maintains a substantially fixed relative distance between the body of a person (hereinafter referred to as "subject") from whom bodily information is to be acquired and each of the sensors 101.

[0012] For example, the holder 10 may be a device worn on the subject's body. Specifically, the holder 10 may be configured using an item such as a helmet, sunglasses, glasses, a headband, a mask, a bracelet, a ring, ankle bands, a corset, or shoes. The holder 10 may also be clothing worn by the subject. Specifically, the holder 10 may be configured using an item such as a jacket, underwear, a T-shirt, a jacket, a dress shirt, trousers, pants, a hat, socks, gloves, or a belt. The holder 10 may also be an item that is used by coming into contact with a part of the subject's body. Specifically, the holder 10 may be configured using an item such as a bed, a sofa, a chair, a wall, or a specific board (a board against which the subject presses their body). The holder 10 may be configured using any item that can maintain a substantially fixed relative distance between the subject's body and each sensor 101.

[0013] The position of the sensor 101 is substantially fixed in the holder 10. Any sensor may be used as the sensor 101 as long as it is a sensor that can obtain information about the subject's body (hereinafter referred to as "biometric information"). For example, a sensor for measuring an electrocardiogram, a sensor for measuring blood pressure (e.g., a pressure sensor), or a sensor for measuring sound (e.g., an acoustic sensor) may be used as the sensor 101. When an electrocardiogram is measured, the biometric information is information indicating the waveform of the electrocardiogram. When blood pressure is measured, the biometric information is information indicating the blood pressure. When sound is measured, the biometric information is information indicating the sound.

[0014] Only one type of sensor 101 may be used for one holder 10, or multiple types of sensors 101 may be used. In the following description, an embodiment in which an acoustic sensor is used as the sensor 101 will be described.

[0015] The sensor 101 outputs information indicating surrounding acoustic signals (hereinafter referred to as "acoustic information") to the output unit 102. The sensor 101 may, for example, convert surrounding acoustic signals into electrical signals and output the electrical signals to the output unit 102. In this case, the electrical signals are a specific example of acoustic information.

[0016] The output unit 102 outputs the acoustic information output from each sensor 101 to the terminal device 20 so that the sensor 101 that obtained the acoustic information can be identified. The output unit 102 may output the acoustic information by wired communication using a cable, for example, or by wireless communication. The output unit 102 may output the electrical signal output from the sensor 101 as is, for example, without performing any modulation processing. In this case, the output unit 102 may output the electrical signal using a cable assigned to each sensor 101. The output unit 102 may output the acoustic information using a wired communication protocol such as USB. The output unit 102 may output the acoustic information using a wireless communication protocol such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or infrared communication.

[0017] The terminal device 20 may be configured using a general-purpose information device such as a wearable device such as a smartphone, a tablet, or a smart watch, a game console, or a television receiver, or may be configured as a dedicated device. The terminal device 20 includes an input unit 201, an operation unit 202, and an output unit 203.

[0018] The input unit 201 acquires acoustic information output from the output unit 102. The input unit 201 may have any configuration as long as it can acquire acoustic information corresponding to an output mode (e.g., a communication protocol) used when the output unit 102 outputs the acoustic information. The input unit 201 outputs acoustic information corresponding to an instruction from the operation unit 202 from among the acquired acoustic information. For example, when a sensor 101 is directly designated by the operation unit 202, the input unit 201 selects acoustic information output by the designated sensor 101 and outputs the selected acoustic information to the output unit 203. For example, when a position of a body part or the like is designated by the operation unit 202, the input unit 201 selects acoustic information output by the sensor 101 corresponding to the designated position and outputs the selected acoustic information to the output unit 203. The sensor 101 corresponding to the designated position may be, for example, the sensor 101 closest to the designated position, or one or more sensors 101 located within a predetermined distance from the designated position. When a plurality of sensors 101 are selected, the input unit 201 may output a statistical value (for example, an average value) of the acoustic information, or may combine and output the plurality of pieces of acoustic information.

[0019] The operation unit 202 is configured using existing input devices such as a keyboard, a pointing device (mouse, tablet, etc.), buttons, a touch panel, etc. When the operation unit 202 is configured using a keyboard or a pointing device, the terminal device 20 is also provided with a display device that displays an operation screen to be operated.

[0020] The operation unit 202 is operated by a person (hereinafter referred to as the "user") who wishes to acquire acoustic information when inputting the user's instructions to the terminal device 20. The operation unit 202 may be an interface for connecting an input device to the terminal device 20. In this case, the operation unit 202 inputs an input signal generated by the input device in response to the user's input to the terminal device 20. The operation unit 202 may be configured using a microphone and a voice recognition device. In this case, the operation unit 202 performs voice recognition on words spoken by the user and inputs character string information of the recognition result to the terminal device 20. The operation unit 202 may be configured in any manner as long as it is capable of inputting user instructions to the terminal device 20. Note that the user's instructions input to the operation unit 202 include information that at least directly or indirectly indicates the position of the subject's body. For example, the user's instructions may be configured in a form indicating the name of a body part of the subject, a form indicating a position in a generalized model of the subject's body, or a form specifying one or more sensors 101.

[0021] The output unit 203 outputs the information output from the input unit 201 to another device. The output unit 203 may output the acoustic information to another device using, for example, wired communication or wireless communication, or may record the acoustic information in a connected storage device. The output unit 203 may be configured in any way as long as it is capable of outputting the acoustic information to the outside of the terminal device 20.

[0022] In the information acquisition system 100 of the first embodiment configured as described above, the user can acquire biometric information at a desired position on the subject's body by operating the operation unit 202 of the terminal device 20. The acquired biometric information is based on biometric information acquired by the multiple sensors 101 provided in the holder 10, and the user does not need to directly move the sensors 101 with their hands or the like. This makes it possible for the user to acquire biometric information at a desired position on the subject's body without coming close to the subject.

[0023] The information acquisition system 100 may also be used in a medical setting where the subject is a patient and the user is a medical professional. In particular, by configuring the holder 10 so that it can be worn by the patient themselves, the medical professional can auscultate biometric information (for example, the sound of each part on the body surface) of each part of the patient by arbitrarily specifying it, without having to be in close contact with the patient. In the above description, the process of selecting and outputting acoustic information corresponding to an instruction from the operation unit 202 from among the acquired acoustic information is performed by the input unit 201, but the process equivalent to such selection may be performed by the output unit 203 instead of the input unit 201. In this case, information indicating the operation content accepted by the operation unit 202 may be output to the output unit 203 instead of the input unit 201.

[0024] [Second embodiment] 2 is a diagram showing an example of the system configuration of a second embodiment of the information acquisition system 100 of the present invention. The information acquisition system 100 in the second embodiment differs from the information acquisition system 100 in the first embodiment in that the terminal device 20 further includes a signal processing unit 204. In accordance with this difference in configuration, the input unit 201 may output the acoustic information obtained from the output unit 102 to the signal processing unit 204 as is.

[0025] The signal processing unit 204 performs signal processing using the multiple pieces of acoustic information input by the input unit 201 and outputs the acoustic information obtained by the signal processing to the output unit 203. The signal processing unit 204 may be configured using a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory. In this case, the processor functions as the signal processing unit 204 by executing a program. Note that all or part of the functions of the signal processing unit 204 may be realized using hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The above program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include portable media such as a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM, a CD-ROM, and a semiconductor storage device (e.g., a solid-state drive (SSD)), and storage devices such as a hard disk and a semiconductor storage device built into a computer system. The above program may be transmitted via a telecommunications line.

[0026] The signal processing unit 204 outputs acoustic information to the output unit 203 in accordance with a user instruction input via the operation unit 202. For example, acoustic information of one or more sensors 101 estimated to be spatially closest to the body part indicated by the user instruction input via the operation unit 202 may be selected, and the selected acoustic information may be output as main acoustic information to the output unit 203. In this case, the signal processing unit 204 may have information indicating where each sensor 101 in the holder 10 is located relative to the subject's body. For example, if it is predetermined how the holder 10 will be used by the subject (for example, when worn), the correspondence between each sensor 101 and a position on the subject's body is determined in advance.

[0027] The process of outputting the selected acoustic information as the main acoustic information is, for example, a process of increasing the relative difference in signal strength between the selected acoustic information and the other acoustic information and outputting the information. For example, the signal processing unit 204 may amplify the main acoustic information and suppress the other acoustic information before outputting the information to the output unit 203. For example, the signal processing unit 204 may simply output only the main acoustic information to the output unit 203. The signal processing unit 204 may perform signal processing in any manner as long as the main acoustic information is acquired in a manner that allows it to be used by a user. The use by a user may be, for example, medical diagnosis or analysis.

[0028] For example, the signal processing unit 204 may generate directional acoustic information by forming beams in accordance with the position of a body part indicated by a user instruction input via the operation unit 202. More specifically, signal processing may be performed so that acoustic information received from the direction indicating the body part indicated by the user instruction becomes a stronger signal than acoustic information received from other directions. Furthermore, signal processing may be performed not only for the direction but also so that acoustic information generated in a specific region in that direction becomes a stronger signal than acoustic information generated in other regions.

[0029] The signal processing unit 204 may generate the acoustic information to be output by performing sound field estimation. Specifically, this is as follows. The signal processing unit 204 estimates acoustic information that would be acquired by the sensor 101 if it were assumed that the sensor 101 is placed in an area including the body position indicated by the user's instruction. This processing may be performed, for example, by estimating sound sources and then multiplying the result by a transfer function from each sound source to a location specified by the user, thereby estimating acoustic information at the specified location. The signal processing unit 204 outputs the estimated acoustic information to the output unit 203.

[0030] In the information acquisition system 100 according to the second embodiment configured as described above, the user can acquire biometric information at a desired position on the subject's body by operating the operation unit 202 of the terminal device 20. In particular, when the signal processing unit 204 performs processing to form beamforming, it is possible to acquire acoustic information generated in a specific direction or a specific area.

[0031] For example, the above-mentioned signal processing can be used to estimate and listen to sounds inside the subject's body. For example, in the case of the heart, by focusing on the valves inside the heart and focusing on the heart murmurs occurring near the valves, it is possible to listen to the level and nature of the murmurs. This is an excellent effect that is difficult to achieve with conventional stethoscopes.

[0032] [Third embodiment] 3 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of an information acquisition system 100 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The information acquisition system 100 according to the third embodiment differs from the information acquisition system 100 according to the second embodiment in that the terminal device 20 further includes a sound output unit 205 instead of the output unit 203. The sound output unit 205 is an example of a specific aspect of the output unit 203. In accordance with this difference in configuration, the signal processing unit 204 outputs acoustic information to the sound output unit 205 instead of the output unit 203.

[0033] The sound output unit 205 outputs acoustic information so that the user can hear the acoustic information output by the signal processing unit 204. For example, the sound output unit 205 may be configured as a speaker built into the terminal device 20. For example, the sound output unit 205 may be configured as an output interface that outputs an acoustic signal to a speaker (including headphones and earphones) serving as an external device connected to the terminal device 20.

[0034] In the information acquisition system 100 of the third embodiment configured as described above, the user can hear the sound of a desired part of the subject from the terminal device 20 via the sound output unit 205.

[0035] [Fourth embodiment] 4 is a diagram showing a specific example of the holder 10 used in the fourth embodiment of the information acquisition system 100 of the present invention. The information acquisition system 100 of the fourth embodiment is the same as the information acquisition system 100 of the third embodiment, except for the configuration of the holder 10. Note that the specific example of the configuration of the holder 10 described below does not necessarily have to be limited to use in the third and fourth embodiments, and can also be applied to the first and second embodiments, and can also be applied to the fifth to eleventh embodiments described below.

[0036] In FIG. 4, the holder 10 is configured using an article that can be worn by the subject. In particular, in FIG. 4, the holder 10 is configured as clothing (more specifically, a T-shirt). A plurality of sensor fixing devices 111 are provided on the fabric 110 of the clothing, and a housing 112 of the sensor 101 is attached to each sensor fixing device 111. The sensor fixing device 111 may be configured using, for example, a grommet. The housing 112 is fitted into the grommet and is approximately fixed to a predetermined position on the fabric 110 of the clothing. The sensor 101 is attached to a part of the housing 112. A hole that passes through from the inside to the outside is provided in a part of the housing 112, and a cord 114 of the sensor 101 is connected to the output unit 102 through the hole. Power may be supplied to the sensor 101 via the cord 114.

[0037] By configuring the holder 10 as clothing in this way, it is possible to easily place multiple sensors 101 at predetermined positions on the subject's body. In addition, since the subject can place the sensors 101 in appropriate positions simply by wearing the holder 10 configured as clothing, there is no need for a person with detailed knowledge (for example, a medical professional or user) to give instructions face-to-face to the subject.

[0038] [Fifth embodiment] 5 is a diagram showing an example of the system configuration of an information acquisition system 100 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. The information acquisition system 100 according to the fifth embodiment differs from the information acquisition system 100 according to the third embodiment in that it further includes a relay device 30 and that the terminal device 20 includes a communication unit 206 instead of the input unit 201. In accordance with this difference in configuration, the output unit 102 outputs an acoustic signal to the relay device 30. Furthermore, the signal processing unit 204 acquires acoustic information from the communication unit 206.

[0039] The relay device 30 is communicatively connected to the output unit 102 of the holder 10. In this respect, the configuration between the relay device 30 and the output unit 102 may be the same as the configuration between the input unit 201 and the output unit 102 in the first to third embodiments. The relay device 30 performs data communication with the terminal device 20. The data communication between the relay device 30 and the terminal device 20 may be performed via a data communication network such as a local area network (LAN) or the Internet. The relay device 30 may digitize the acoustic signal output from the sensor 101 as linear PCM with a sampling frequency of 48 kHz and a quantization precision of 16 bits, and transmit the digitized signal using the Internet Protocol.

[0040] In the information acquisition system 100 of the fifth embodiment configured as described above, the user can acquire biometric information of a desired part of the subject's body even if the subject and the user are separated by a longer distance.

[0041] [Sixth embodiment] 6 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of a sixth embodiment of the information acquisition system 100 of the present invention. The information acquisition system 100 in the sixth embodiment differs from the information acquisition system 100 in the fifth embodiment in that the relay device 30 includes a signal synchronization unit 301 and a communication unit 302.

[0042] The signal synchronization unit 301 acquires acoustic information output from the output unit 102 of the holder 10. The configuration between the signal synchronization unit 301 and the output unit 102 may be the same as the configuration between the input unit 201 and the output unit 102 in the first to third embodiments. The signal synchronization unit 301 ensures synchronization of the signals obtained from the sensors 101.

[0043] When there are a large number of sensors 101, a configuration may be adopted in which signals output from the sensors 101 are divided and acquired by multiple subsystems. When such a configuration is adopted, the subsystems may be driven by individual clocks. When configured in this way, it may be difficult to ensure strict synchronization among all the sensors 101. If synchronization is not ensured, it may cause problems in subsequent signal processing.

[0044] The signal synchronizer 301 can solve such problems. For example, the signal synchronizer 301 may periodically output the same synchronization signal to all the subsystems. Each subsystem synchronizes based on the synchronization signal output from the signal synchronizer 301. The synchronization signal may be output from the signal synchronizer 301 in a frequency band or time interval that does not interfere with the observation of the target signal (for example, a signal of acoustic information).

[0045] A method may be adopted in which multiple subsystems have flags that can be referenced by each other, thereby synchronizing the acquired acoustic information signal with real time. This configuration can also be applied when multiple sensors 101 output different types of signals (for example, when some sensors 101 output acoustic signals and other sensors 101 output electrocardiogram signals).

[0046] In the information acquisition system 100 of the sixth embodiment configured in this manner, even when a large number of sensors 101 are provided on the holder 10, it is possible to improve the accuracy of the acquired information.

[0047] [Seventh embodiment] 7 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of a seventh embodiment of the information acquisition system 100 of the present invention. The information acquisition system 100 in the seventh embodiment differs from the information acquisition system 100 in the sixth embodiment in that it further includes a signal generating device 40 and that the relay device 30 further includes a signal adjusting unit 303.

[0048] The signal generating device 40 includes a signal output unit 401. The signal generating device 40 generates a predetermined signal (a known signal) and outputs the signal from the signal output unit 401 in a manner that can be sensed by the sensor 101. For example, if the sensor 101 is an acoustic sensor, the signal output unit 401 is configured using a device that generates sound, such as a speaker. The signal output from the signal output unit 401 is acquired by the sensor 101, which then outputs information (acoustic information) corresponding to the predetermined signal. Specific examples of the predetermined signal include an impulse signal, a chirp signal, and band noise.

[0049] The signal conditioning unit 303 measures the signal transmission time from the signal generation source (signal output unit 401) to each sensor 101 by comparing the received signal with the signal generated by the signal generating device 40. The signal conditioning unit 303 estimates the position of each sensor 101 based on the measurement result. The signal conditioning unit 303 determines whether the position of each sensor 101 is maintained within a normal range based on the position estimation result.

[0050] Furthermore, the signal conditioning unit 303 applies a filter having the inverse characteristics of the measured frequency characteristics to the output signal of each sensor 101. By such processing, it is possible to compensate for the transfer characteristics. A plurality of signal output units 401 may be provided. Furthermore, the signal output unit 401 may be provided in the holder 10.

[0051] In the information acquisition system 100 of the sixth embodiment configured as described above, if a positional deviation occurs in the sensor 101, it is possible to detect the positional deviation. For example, if the signal adjustment unit 303 includes a device that outputs sound, light, images, text, vibration, or the like, the signal adjustment unit 303 may output a message indicating that the sensor 101 is not maintained within a normal range. This configuration allows the subject to set the position of the sensor 101 more accurately, making it possible to acquire information with higher accuracy.

[0052] [Eighth embodiment] 8 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of an eighth embodiment of the information acquisition system 100 of the present invention. The information acquisition system 100 in the eighth embodiment differs from the information acquisition system 100 in the seventh embodiment in that the terminal device 20 further includes a model information storage unit 207 and an arrival time determination unit 208.

[0053] The interior of a living body, such as a subject's body, is not filled with a uniform substance but is composed of many structures with different physical properties. Each of these structures has different signal transmission speeds and transmission characteristics. On the other hand, living organisms share common structures to a certain extent depending on their species. Therefore, in the eighth embodiment, the structures of the living body of the subject are modeled and used. For example, when auscultating the human chest, the human chest contains skin and subcutaneous tissue, ribs, bones, blood vessels, organs, and the like, all arranged in a predetermined manner, and the acoustic transmission characteristics of each structure can be assumed to be known. Therefore, information indicating the three-dimensional arrangement of the structures is defined in advance as model information and stored in the model information storage unit 207. The model information storage unit 207 may store model information for each combination of human generation and gender, for example. Note that the subject in the present invention is not necessarily limited to humans. Therefore, the model information storage unit 207 may store model information for each biologically distinct species (e.g., cats, dogs, horses, and cows).

[0054] The arrival time determination unit 208 acquires (for example, by product-sum calculation) the signal transmission speed from an arbitrary position of the subject to another arbitrary position based on structures present on the route and their transmission characteristics, using the model information stored in the model information storage unit 207. By using the information acquired in this way, the accuracy of signal processing by the signal processing unit 204 can be improved.

[0055] The information acquisition system 100 of the eighth embodiment configured in this manner is capable of performing signal processing with high accuracy while taking into consideration the structure of the target living body, and collecting biometric information at the desired location.

[0056] [Ninth embodiment] 9 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of a ninth embodiment of the information acquisition system 100 of the present invention. The information acquisition system 100 in the ninth embodiment differs from the information acquisition system 100 in the eighth embodiment in that the terminal device 20 further includes a non-target signal determination unit 209.

[0057] The non-target signal determination unit 209 uses beamforming technology to estimate whether the signal source of the signal to be processed is inside or outside the subject's body. For example, if the signal to be processed is an acoustic signal, sound source location estimation may be performed based on the signal arrival time. The non-target signal determination unit 209 determines that a signal whose source exists outside the subject's body is a non-target signal (noise), suppresses this signal component, and outputs the signal. The non-target signal determination unit 209 may process a signal that satisfies a predetermined condition (for example, a signal whose amplitude is greater than a predetermined size) and determine whether the signal is a non-target signal.

[0058] The information acquisition system 100 of the ninth embodiment configured as above makes it possible to collect biological signals at a target position after suppressing signals (noise) from signal sources outside the subject's body.

[0059] [Tenth embodiment] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of a tenth embodiment of the information acquisition system 100 of the present invention. The information acquisition system 100 in the tenth embodiment differs from the information acquisition system 100 in the ninth embodiment in that the terminal device 20 further includes an operation unit 210, a designated area determination unit 211, and a signal adjustment unit 212.

[0060] The operation unit 210 detects the strength of the force (magnitude of pressure) applied during an operation by a user (e.g., when specifying a target position). For example, when a target position is specified by pointing a finger at the screen of a tablet terminal, the pressure of the fingertip is detected. The operation unit 210 outputs the detected pressure to the specified area determination unit 211 and the signal adjustment unit 212.

[0061] The designated area determination unit 211 accepts the designation of an area in the depth direction of the living body based on the detected pressure. For example, the designated area determination unit 211 may determine that the greater the detected pressure, the deeper the area designated, and that the smaller the detected pressure, the closer the area (area closer to the surface) designated. For example, when designating a target position by pointing at the screen of a tablet device, it may be difficult to intuitively designate a position in the depth direction because the screen is a two-dimensional plane. In response to this, the designated area determination unit 211 realizes intuitive designation of a position in the depth direction based on the magnitude of the detected pressure.

[0062] The signal adjustment unit 212 adjusts the signal transmission characteristics (for example, frequency characteristics and acoustic transmission characteristics) based on the magnitude of the detected pressure. Generally, in conventional auscultation, the audible sound quality varies depending on the pressure applied when the chest piece is applied to the body. Therefore, the user applies the chest piece with various pressures when determining the disease or pathological condition of a subject. Similarly, by changing the acoustic transmission characteristics, such as frequency characteristics, depending on the pressure applied by the fingertip, it is possible to achieve an operability similar to that of a conventional stethoscope. Note that the characteristics of the change may be measured by using an actual stethoscope to measure the change in transmission characteristics associated with pressure changes, and the signal adjustment unit 212 may store this information in advance.

[0063] In the information acquisition system 100 of the tenth embodiment configured in this manner, by detecting the pressure when specifying a target position, it becomes possible to adjust the signal transmission characteristics and intuitively specify a three-dimensional target position.

[0064] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a specific example of an operation screen used on the operation unit (202, 210) of the terminal device 20 in the first to tenth embodiments. In FIG. 11, an image schematically showing the upper half of a human body is displayed on the right side of the operation screen. The first display area 51 displays an image schematically showing the front side of the upper half of the human body, and the second display area 52 displays an image schematically showing the back side of the upper half of the human body. The user can specify a target area from which a signal is to be acquired by pointing to the position of the human body in the first display area 51 or the second display area 52. The acquired information is displayed on the left side of the operation screen. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, an electrocardiogram waveform and an audio signal waveform may be displayed. By specifying a point or area on the audio signal waveform, the audio signal may be reproduced as sound from the sound output unit 205. The user may record text indicating the findings. This allows other medical professionals to check the biometric information and findings together.

[0065] (Variation) Each device may be mounted separately in multiple housings. For example, terminal device 20 may be mounted separately in multiple housings. Holder 10 and relay device 30 may be configured integrally. Holder 10 and signal generating device 40 may be configured integrally. Holder 10, relay device 30, and signal generating device 40 may be configured integrally.

[0066] Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described above in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and includes designs within the scope of the gist of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0067] The present invention is applicable to techniques for acquiring biological information. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 100...information acquisition system, 10...holding device, 101...sensor, 102...output unit, 111..., 112..., 113..., 114..., 20...terminal device, 201...input unit, 202...operation unit, 203...output unit, 204...signal processing unit, 205...sound output unit, 206...communication unit, 207...model information storage unit, 208...arrival time determination unit, 209...non-target signal determination unit, 210...operation unit, 211...designated area determination unit, 212...signal adjustment unit, 30...relay device, 301...signal synchronization unit, 302...communication unit, 303...signal adjustment unit, 40...signal generator, 401...signal output unit

Claims

1. a terminal device including an operation unit that receives information indicating a position on the subject's body from a user, and that outputs biometric information corresponding to the position received by the operation unit based on biometric information obtained by a plurality of sensors that are maintained in substantially fixed positions on the subject's body; a first subsystem that acquires biological information from some of the plurality of sensors, and a second subsystem that acquires biological information from a sensor different from a sensor used in the first subsystem; and a relay device including a signal synchronization unit that outputs a synchronization signal to the first subsystem and the second subsystem to acquire synchronized biological signals from the first subsystem and the second subsystem; The terminal device acquires the biometric information from the relay device.

2. a terminal device including an operation unit that receives information indicating a position on the subject's body from a user, and that outputs biometric information corresponding to the position received by the operation unit based on biometric information obtained by a plurality of sensors that are maintained in substantially fixed positions on the subject's body; a signal generating device that outputs a signal that can be sensed by the sensor; a relay device that measures a signal transmission time from the signal generator to each of the plurality of sensors by comparing the signal output from the signal generator with signals output from the plurality of sensors, and estimates the position of each sensor; the plurality of sensors acquire the signals output from the signal generating device and output information corresponding to the signals to the relay device; The relay device includes a signal synchronization unit that outputs a synchronization signal to a first subsystem that acquires biological information from some of the plurality of sensors and a second subsystem that acquires biological information from a sensor different from a sensor used in the first subsystem, thereby acquiring synchronized biological signals from the first subsystem and the second subsystem. The terminal device acquires the biometric information from the relay device. An information acquisition system.

3. a terminal device comprising: an operation unit that receives information indicating a position on the subject's body from a user; and a model information storage unit that stores in advance model information indicating a three-dimensional arrangement of structures on the subject's body, the terminal device acquiring biometric information on the subject's body based on signals obtained by a plurality of sensors that are maintained in substantially fixed positions on the subject's body and the model information, and outputting the biometric information corresponding to the position received by the operation unit; a first subsystem that acquires biological information from some of the plurality of sensors, and a second subsystem that acquires biological information from a sensor different from a sensor used in the first subsystem; and a relay device including a signal synchronization unit that outputs a synchronization signal to the first subsystem and the second subsystem to acquire synchronized biological signals from the first subsystem and the second subsystem; The terminal device acquires the biometric information from the relay device.

4. a terminal device comprising: an operation unit that receives information indicating a position on the subject's body from a user; and a signal processing unit that estimates whether a signal component of each signal obtained by a plurality of sensors that are maintained at substantially fixed positions on the subject's body is inside or outside the subject's body, and suppresses and outputs signal components that are estimated to have a signal source outside the body, based on biometric information corresponding to the signal output by the signal processing unit; and a first subsystem that acquires biological information from some of the plurality of sensors, and a second subsystem that acquires biological information from a sensor different from a sensor used in the first subsystem; and a relay device including a signal synchronization unit that outputs a synchronization signal to the first subsystem and the second subsystem to acquire synchronized biological signals from the first subsystem and the second subsystem; The terminal device acquires the biometric information from the relay device.

5. a terminal device including an operation unit that receives information indicating a position on the subject's body from a user, receives designation of a depth direction area of ​​the body based on the strength of a force applied to the operation unit, and outputs biometric information corresponding to the position and depth received by the operation unit based on biometric information obtained by a plurality of sensors that maintain substantially fixed positions on the subject's body; a first subsystem that acquires biological information from some of the plurality of sensors, and a second subsystem that acquires biological information from a sensor different from a sensor used in the first subsystem; and a relay device including a signal synchronization unit that outputs a synchronization signal to the first subsystem and the second subsystem to acquire synchronized biological signals from the first subsystem and the second subsystem; The terminal device acquires the biometric information from the relay device.

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