Method and apparatus for inspecting biological rhythms

• US 20020156392A1
• Filed: 03/06/2001
• Published: 10/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yoneyama, Mitsuru, Arai, Kuniharu
• Application Number:
  US09/799,027
• Publication Number:
  US 20020156392A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/546
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1038 Measuring plantar pressure during gait
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/112 Gait analysis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/16 Devices for psychotechnics using teaching or educational appliances G09B1/00 - G09B7/00; Testing reaction times ; Devices for evaluating the psychological state
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/221 Ergometry, e.g. by using bicycle type apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/411 Detecting or monitoring allergy or intolerance reactions to an allergenic agent or substance

Abstract

An inspection apparatus for determining a neurological disease at an earlier stage of disease with high probability. The inspection apparatus includes a biological rhythm detector unit for non-invasively measuring biological rhythm information from the acceleration involved in a repetitive rhythmic movement by using a detector attached on a body of a subject, an information collector unit for recording and/or storing the resulting biological rhythm information, and an analyzer for analyzing variation and aging in the physiological function of the subject.

Claims

1. A biological rhythm inspection apparatus comprising:

a biological rhythm detector for non-invasively measuring a muscle activity in a repetitive rhythmic movement caused by a voluntary movement involving a body movement of a subject;

an information collector unit for recording or storing biological rhythm information obtained from the biological rhythm detector; and

an analyzing unit for analyzing a variation or aging in physiological function based on the biological rhythm information.

2. The biological rhythm inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the analyzing unit is an information processing unit.

3. A biological rhythm inspection method comprising the steps of:

measuring a repetitive rhythmic muscle activity caused by a voluntary movement involving a body movement of a subject, by using a biological non-invasive rhythm detector attached on a body of the subject, to obtain biological rhythm information;

comparing the biological rhythm information with reference data; and

analyzing a variation or aging in physiological function of the subject based on the result of the comparison.

4. The biological rhythm inspection method according to claim 3, wherein an acceleration sensor is used as the biological non-invasive rhythm detector.

5. The biological rhythm inspection method according to claim 3, wherein the analyzing step is conducted based on a fractal analysis, an FFT analysis, an autocorrelation function analysis, a nonlinear analysis, a Lyapunov exponent, and/or a scaling analysis.

6. The biological rhythm inspection method according to claim 3, wherein the voluntary movement is a gait movement.

7. The biological rhythm inspection method according to claim 3, wherein the variation or aging in physiological function is a neurological disease.