Live body stimulation system

Abstract

A live body stimulation system comprising: a body temperature measurement unit (101) for measuring the body temperature of a user; a calculation unit (102) for extracting, from the body temperature of the user, a feature amount generated by the biological clock of the user; a stimulus output unit (104) for applying a stimulus to the body of the user; and a control unit (103) for controlling, on the basis of the feature amount, the stimulus applied to the body of the user by the stimulus output unit (104).

Description

Biostimulation System

[0001] The present invention relates to a biostimulation system that stimulates a living organism to correct its biological clock.

[0002] Shift workers, such as those working in 24-hour factories and medical professionals, who work shifts day and night, are increasingly experiencing disruptions to their biological clocks and developing sleep and wakefulness disorders. It has also long been known that jet lag syndrome, including fatigue and insomnia, occurs when long-distance travel with a time difference occurs at a time that differs from the individual's biological clock before shift work or long-distance travel.

[0003] To address these problems of sleep disorders, wakefulness disorders, and jet lag, it is necessary to correct the body clock so that it matches the time of day when one is active. Methods of correcting the body clock have been proposed, such as exercising, exposing oneself to light, and exposing oneself to darkness during the day (Non-Patent Document 1). However, there is a problem in that the time when the correction method is performed must be appropriately adjusted depending on the discrepancy between the time of day when one is active and the body clock.

[0004] CACzeisler, et al., “Exposure to bright light and darkness to treat physiologic maladaptation to night work”, The New England Journal of Medicine, VOL.322, NO.18, pp.1253-1259, 1990

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a biostimulation system that can appropriately and efficiently correct the biological clock.

[0006] The biostimulation system of the present invention is characterized by comprising a thermometer unit configured to measure a user's body temperature, a calculation unit configured to extract, from the user's body temperature, a feature quantity generated by the user's biological clock, a stimulation output unit configured to apply stimulation to the user's body, and a control unit configured to control the stimulation applied to the user's body by the stimulation output unit based on the feature quantity.

[0007] According to the present invention, the characteristic quantities generated by the user's biological clock are extracted from the user's body temperature measured by the thermometer side unit, and the stimulation output unit controls the stimulation applied to the user's body based on the characteristic quantities, thereby making it possible to appropriately and efficiently correct the user's biological clock.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a biostimulation system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the biostimulation system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an outline of changes in a user's core body temperature over time. FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating changes in a user's core body temperature due to exposure to sunlight. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a biostimulation system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the biostimulation system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a biostimulation system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the biostimulation system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing another configuration of a biostimulation system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a biostimulation system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a biostimulation system according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a computer that realizes the biostimulation systems according to the first to fifth embodiments of the present invention.

[0009] [First embodiment] An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a biostimulation system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The biostimulation system is mounted in an eye mask-like housing 100 that covers the forehead 201 and eyes 202 of a user's head 200. The biostimulation system includes a body temperature measuring unit 101, a calculation unit 102, a control unit 103, and a stimulation output unit 104.

[0010] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the biostimulation system. The body temperature measurement unit 101 measures the body temperature, preferably the core body temperature, of the user wearing the eye mask-like housing 100 (step S100 in FIG. 2). While temperature sensors such as thermocouples, thermistors, and infrared sensors can be used as the body temperature measurement unit 101, it is preferable to use a core body temperature sensor that measures core body temperature, which is particularly affected by the body's biological clock. Core body temperature sensors include those using the heat flow compensation method, the single heat flux method, and the dual heat flux method. In this embodiment, to measure brain temperature as the core body temperature, the body temperature measurement unit 101 is positioned so that it touches the forehead 201, which is close to the user's brain.

[0011] The calculation unit 102 extracts time-varying feature quantities caused by the influence of the body clock from the user's body temperature measured by the body temperature measurement unit 101 (step S101 in FIG. 2). FIG. 3 shows an overview of time-varying changes in the user's core body temperature. Core body temperature repeatedly rises and falls in approximately a 24-hour cycle in accordance with the user's body clock. Examples of feature quantities include the times when the user's core body temperature reaches a minimum and a maximum over a 24-hour period. The measurement results of the body temperature measurement unit 101 may contain noise. Therefore, the calculation unit 102 may extract feature quantities after removing noise from the measurement results of the body temperature measurement unit 101 using known filters, interpolation processing, approximation processing, etc.

[0012] The control unit 103 controls the time at which the stimulation output unit 104 applies stimulation to the user's body based on the feature extracted by the calculation unit 102 (step S102 in FIG. 2). Fig. 4A shows the change in deep body temperature when exposed to sunlight before the time when deep body temperature reaches its minimum, and Fig. 4B shows the change in deep body temperature when exposed to sunlight after the time when deep body temperature reaches its minimum. CBT indicates the deep body temperature before exposure to sunlight, and CBT' indicates the deep body temperature after exposure to sunlight.

[0013] According to Figure 4A, if a person is exposed to sunlight before the time when the core body temperature reaches its minimum, the time when the next core body temperature minimum will be delayed. On the other hand, according to Figure 4B, if a person is exposed to sunlight after the time when the core body temperature reaches its minimum, the time when the next core body temperature minimum will be advanced. By utilizing this property, it is possible to appropriately and efficiently correct the user's biological clock. The actual correction method will be described in detail in the second and subsequent examples.

[0014] The stimulus output unit 104 may be a light-emitting device such as an LED. When applying optical stimuli to the user, the stimulus output unit 104 is placed in front of the user's eyeball. Alternatively, the stimulus output unit 104 may be a vibration generator that applies vibration stimuli to the user, or a heater or Peltier element that applies hot and cold stimuli to the user.

[0015] 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a biostimulation system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The biostimulation system of this embodiment includes a body temperature measuring unit 101, a calculation unit 102, a control unit 103a, a stimulation output unit 104, and a storage unit 105.

[0016] 6 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the biostimulation system of this embodiment. As in the first embodiment, the body temperature measuring unit 101 measures the core body temperature of the user (step S200 in FIG. 6).

[0017] The calculation unit 102 extracts a feature value for each day from the deep body temperature measured by the body temperature measurement unit 101 (step S201 in FIG. 6). The calculation unit 102 stores the extracted feature value in the storage unit 105 (step S202 in FIG. 6). In this embodiment, the time Tmin{n} at which the deep body temperature reaches its minimum is used as the feature value.

[0018] The control unit 103a compares the most recent time Tmin(n) at which the core body temperature reached a minimum with the average value ave(Tmin{n}) of all past times at which the core body temperature reached a minimum, excluding the most recent time Tmin(n). If Tmin(n) - ave(Tmin{n}) > 0, i.e., if the time Tmin(n) is later than the average value ave(Tmin{n}) of all past times (YES in step S203 of FIG. 6), the control unit 103a controls the stimulation output unit 104 to provide the user with a light stimulation at a time later than Tmin(n) (step S204 of FIG. 6).

[0019] If Tmin(n) - ave(Tmin{n}) < 0, i.e., if the time Tmin(n) is earlier than the average value ave(Tmin{n}) of past times (YES in step S205 of Figure 6), the control unit 103a controls the stimulus output unit 104 to provide the user with a light stimulus at a time earlier than the time Tmin(n) (step S206 of Figure 6).

[0020] If Tmin(n)-ave(Tmin{n})=0, that is, if the time Tmin(n) matches the average value ave(Tmin{n}) of past times, the control unit 103a does not provide a stimulus to the user.

[0021] In this way, in this embodiment, the body clock can be corrected in a direction that reduces the deviation between the most recent time Tmin(n) at which the core body temperature reached its minimum and the average value ave(Tmin{n}) of past times.

[0022] 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a biostimulation system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The biostimulation system of this embodiment includes a body temperature measurement unit 101, a calculation unit 102, a control unit 103b, a stimulation output unit 104, and a user input unit 106.

[0023] 8 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the biostimulation system of this embodiment. When a shift in the activity time period is necessary, the user operates the user input unit 106 to input the activity start time Tuser after the shift (step S300 in FIG. 8).

[0024] As in the first embodiment, the body temperature measurement unit 101 measures the user's core body temperature (step S301 in FIG. 8). As in the first embodiment, the calculation unit 102 extracts a feature value from the core body temperature measured by the body temperature measurement unit 101 (step S302 in FIG. 8). In this embodiment, the feature value is the time Tmin{n} when the core body temperature reaches a minimum.

[0025] If Tmin(n) - (Tuser - A) > 0, i.e., if the most recent time Tmin(n) at which the core body temperature reached a minimum is later than the time obtained by subtracting the predetermined time A from the activity start time Tuser (YES in step S303 in FIG. 8), the control unit 103b controls the stimulus output unit 104 to apply the light stimulus to the user at a time later than Tmin(n) (step S304 in FIG. 8). In steps S204 and S304 in the second and third embodiments, the specified delay time d from the time Tmin(n) to the time at which the stimulus is applied to the user is, for example, 2 to 3 hours.

[0026] If Tmin(n) - (Tuser - A) < 0, i.e., if time Tmin(n) is earlier than the activity start time Tuser minus the predetermined time A (YES in step S305 in FIG. 8), the control unit 103b controls the stimulus output unit 104 to provide the user with an optical stimulus at a time earlier than time Tmin(n) (step S306 in FIG. 8). In steps S206 and S306 in the second and third embodiments, the specified advance time b from the time at which the stimulus is provided to the user to time Tmin(n) is, for example, 2 to 3 hours.

[0027] The control unit 103b does not provide stimulation to the user when Tmin(n) - (Tuser - A) = 0, that is, when the time obtained by subtracting the predetermined time A from the activity start time Tuser coincides with the time Tmin(n). The predetermined time A is a constant and represents the time from when the user's core body temperature reaches a minimum to when the activity starts. The predetermined time A is generally set to 2 to 3 hours, but is not limited to this.

[0028] In this way, in this embodiment, the biological clock can be corrected to suit the time when the user wants to start the activity. In the second and third embodiments, when a stimulus is applied to the user later than time Tmin(n), the day on which time Tmin(n) is measured and the day on which the stimulus is applied to the user may be the same day or different days. On the other hand, when a stimulus is applied to the user earlier than time Tmin(n), the day on which time Tmin(n) is measured must be before the day on which the stimulus is applied to the user.

[0029] In this embodiment, the user may be allowed to input information other than the activity start time Tuser. The user can operate the user input unit 106 to input the user's subjective opinion regarding the most recent stimulation, for example, information that the stimulation output time is late or early. When information that the stimulation output time is late is obtained, the control unit 103b shortens the delay time d by a predetermined amount and lengthens the advance time b by a predetermined amount. When information that the stimulation output time is early is obtained, the control unit 103b lengthens the delay time d by a predetermined amount and shortens the advance time b by a predetermined amount.

[0030] Furthermore, the user can input information indicating whether the output time of the stimulus is long or short by operating the user input unit 106. When the control unit 103b receives information indicating that the output time of the stimulus is long, the control unit 103b shortens the prescribed duration of the stimulus by a predetermined amount. When the control unit 103b receives information indicating that the output time of the stimulus is short, the control unit 103b lengthens the duration of the stimulus by a predetermined amount.

[0031] Furthermore, the user can input information indicating whether the stimulus is strong or weak by operating the user input unit 106. When the control unit 103b receives information indicating that the stimulus is strong, the control unit 103b weakens the specified intensity of the stimulus (the amount of light in the case of a light stimulus) by a predetermined amount. When the control unit 103b receives information indicating that the stimulus is weak, the control unit 103b strengthens the intensity of the stimulus by a predetermined amount.

[0032] In this way, the stimulation to be output next time can be adjusted according to the user's input. The user input unit 106 may be configured to allow the user to input information for correcting the time information within the biostimulation system, for example, when the user travels a long distance with a time difference.

[0033] In this embodiment, as in the second embodiment, a storage unit capable of recording feature amounts may be provided. The configuration in this case is shown in Fig. 9. The calculation unit 102 extracts feature amounts for each day from the core body temperature measured by the body temperature measurement unit 101 and stores the extracted feature amounts in the storage unit 105. The control unit 103b may use the most recent data of the feature amounts (time Tmin(n)) stored in the storage unit 105 in the processing of steps S303 to S306.

[0034] 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a biostimulation system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. The biostimulation system of this embodiment includes a body temperature measurement unit 101, a calculation unit 102, a control unit 103, a stimulation output unit 104, and an eyelid opening / closing detection unit 107.

[0035] The eyelid open / close detection unit 107 detects whether the user's eyelids are open or closed. For example, an infrared distance sensor or an image sensor can be used as the eyelid open / close detection unit 107. When the stimulus output unit 104 provides the user with an optical stimulus, the control unit 103 prevents the optical stimulus from being provided to the user when it detects that the user's eyelids are open. Alternatively, when it detects that the user's eyelids are open, the control unit 103 reduces the intensity (amount of light) of the optical stimulus provided to the user by a specified amount.

[0036] In this way, the control unit 103 controls the stimulus output in accordance with the open / closed state of the user's eyelids, thereby preventing the user from feeling uncomfortable when looking directly at the strong light. In the example of Fig. 10, the eyelid open / close detection unit 107 is applied to the first embodiment, but it may also be applied to the second and third embodiments.

[0037] 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a biostimulation system according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. The biostimulation system of this embodiment comprises an eye mask-like housing 100 that covers the forehead 201 and eyes 202 of a user's head 200, and a terminal 110 such as a smartphone carried by the user.

[0038] The housing 100 contains a body temperature measurement unit 101, a stimulation output unit 104, and a wireless communication unit 108. The terminal 110 includes a calculation unit 102, a control unit 103b, a storage unit 105, a user input unit 106, and a wireless communication unit 109.

[0039] The wireless communication unit 108 wirelessly transmits the measurement results of the user's core body temperature by the body temperature measurement unit 101 to the terminal 110. The wireless communication unit 109 receives the measurement results of the core body temperature transmitted from the wireless communication unit 108 and passes them to the calculation unit 102. The wireless communication unit 109 also wirelessly transmits to the wireless communication unit 108 a signal output from the control unit 103b for controlling the stimulation output unit 104. The wireless communication unit 108 receives the control signal transmitted from the wireless communication unit 109 and outputs it to the stimulation output unit 104.

[0040] Thus, in this embodiment, signals are transmitted and received via wireless communication between the body temperature measurement unit 101 and the calculation unit 102, and between the control unit 103b and the stimulation output unit 104. By implementing the calculation unit 102, control unit 103b, storage unit 105, and user input unit 106 in the configuration of the third embodiment on the terminal 110, the size of the eye mask-like housing 100 that the user wears on their head can be made smaller, thereby reducing the burden of wearing it.

[0041] In this embodiment, an example in which wireless communication is applied to the third embodiment has been described, but it may also be applied to the first, second, and fourth embodiments. When applied to the first embodiment, the body temperature measurement unit 101, the stimulation output unit 104, and the wireless communication unit 108 may be provided in the housing 100, and the calculation unit 102, the control unit 103, and the wireless communication unit 109 may be provided in the terminal 110. When applied to the second embodiment, the body temperature measurement unit 101, the stimulation output unit 104, and the wireless communication unit 108 may be provided in the housing 100, and the calculation unit 102, the control unit 103a, the memory unit 105, and the wireless communication unit 109 may be provided in the terminal 110. When applied to the fourth embodiment, the body temperature measurement unit 101, the stimulation output unit 104, the eyelid opening / closing detection unit 107, and the wireless communication unit 108 may be provided in the housing 100, and the calculation unit 102, the control unit 103, and the wireless communication unit 109 may be provided in the terminal 110.

[0042] The calculation unit 102, control units 103, 103a, 103b, storage unit 105, and user input unit 106 described in the first to fifth embodiments can be realized by a computer equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a storage device, and an interface, and a program that controls these hardware resources. An example configuration of this computer is shown in FIG. 12.

[0043] The computer includes a CPU 300, a storage device 301, and an interface device (I / F) 302. In the first and second embodiments, the I / F 302 is connected to the hardware of the body temperature measurement unit 101 and the stimulus output unit 104. In the third embodiment, the I / F 302 is connected to the hardware of the body temperature measurement unit 101, the stimulus output unit 104, and the user input unit 106. In the fourth embodiment, the I / F 302 is connected to the hardware of the body temperature measurement unit 101, the stimulus output unit 104, and the eyelid open / close detection unit 107. In the fifth embodiment, the I / F 302 is connected to the hardware of the user input unit 106 and the wireless communication unit 109. In such a computer, a program for implementing the correction method of the present invention is stored in the storage device 301. The CPU 300 executes the processes described in the first to fifth embodiments in accordance with the program stored in the storage device 301.

[0044] Some or all of the above embodiments can be described as, but are not limited to, the following supplementary notes.

[0045] (Supplementary Note 1) The biostimulation system of the present invention includes a thermometer unit configured to measure a user's body temperature, a calculation unit configured to extract, from the user's body temperature, a feature quantity generated by the user's biological clock, a stimulation output unit configured to apply a stimulation to the user's body, and a control unit configured to control the stimulation applied to the user's body by the stimulation output unit based on the feature quantity.

[0046] (Appendix 2) The biostimulation system described in Appendix 1 further includes a memory unit configured to store the feature amount, and the control unit controls the stimulation applied to the user's body by the stimulation output unit based on the past history of the feature amount stored in the memory unit.

[0047] (Appendix 3) The biostimulation system described in Appendix 1 further includes a user input unit configured to receive information from the user, and the control unit controls the stimulation applied to the user's body by the stimulation output unit based on the information from the user and the feature.

[0048] (Appendix 4) The biostimulation system described in Appendix 1 further includes an eyelid open / close detection unit configured to detect the open / close state of the user's eyelids, the stimulation output unit applies optical stimulation to the user, and the control unit controls the optical stimulation applied to the user by the stimulation output unit depending on the open / close state of the user's eyelids.

[0049] (Appendix 5) In the biostimulation system described in Appendix 2, the thermometer side unit measures the user's deep body temperature, and the control unit compares the most recent time at which the deep body temperature was at its minimum with the average value of past times at which the deep body temperature was at its minimum, and if the most recent time is later than the average value of the past times, controls the stimulation output unit to apply light stimulation to the user at a time later than the most recent time, and if the most recent time is earlier than the average value of the past times, controls the stimulation output unit to apply light stimulation to the user at a time earlier than the most recent time.

[0050] (Appendix 6) In the biostimulation system described in Appendix 3, the thermometer side unit measures the user's core body temperature, the user input unit accepts information from the user regarding the start time of the activity, and the control unit controls the stimulation output unit to apply optical stimulation to the user at a time later than the most recent time at which the core body temperature reached a minimum if the most recent time is later than the time obtained by subtracting a predetermined time from the activity start time, and controls the stimulation output unit to apply optical stimulation to the user at a time earlier than the most recent time if the most recent time is earlier than the time obtained by subtracting the predetermined time from the activity start time.

[0051] (Appendix 7) In the biostimulation system described in Appendix 3, the thermometer side unit measures the user's core body temperature, the user input unit receives information from the user that the stimulation output time is late or early, and the control unit shifts the stimulation output time based on the information from the user.

[0052] (Appendix 8) In the biostimulation system described in Appendix 3, the thermometer side unit measures the user's core body temperature, the user input unit receives information from the user indicating whether the stimulation output time is long or short, and the control unit changes the duration of the stimulation based on the information from the user.

[0053] (Appendix 9) In the biostimulation system described in Appendix 3, the thermometer side unit measures the user's core body temperature, the user input unit receives information from the user indicating whether the stimulation is strong or weak, and the control unit changes the intensity of the stimulation based on the information from the user.

[0054] 100...Housing, 101...Body temperature measurement unit, 102...Calculation unit, 103, 103a, 103b...Control unit, 104...Stimulation output unit, 105...Memory unit, 106...User input unit, 107...Eyelid opening / closing detection unit, 108, 109...Wireless communication unit, 110...Terminal.

Claims

1. A biostimulation system comprising: a thermometer section configured to measure a user's body temperature; a calculation section configured to extract, from the user's body temperature, a feature quantity generated by the user's biological clock; a stimulation output section configured to apply a stimulus to the user's body; and a control section configured to control the stimulus applied to the user's body by the stimulation output section based on the feature quantity.

2. A biostimulation system according to claim 1, further comprising a memory unit configured to store the feature amounts, wherein the control unit controls the stimulation applied to the user's body by the stimulation output unit based on the past history of the feature amounts stored in the memory unit.

3. A biostimulation system according to claim 1, further comprising a user input unit configured to receive information from the user, wherein the control unit controls the stimulation applied to the user's body by the stimulation output unit based on the information from the user and the feature.

4. A biostimulation system according to claim 1, further comprising an eyelid opening / closing detection unit configured to detect whether the user's eyelids are open or closed, wherein the stimulation output unit applies optical stimulation to the user, and the control unit controls the optical stimulation applied to the user by the stimulation output unit according to whether the user's eyelids are open or closed.

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