ANALYSIS DEVICE AND ANALYZING METHOD FOR AUTONOMIC NERVE STATE

• US 20100036267A1
• Filed: 08/06/2009
• Published: 02/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: National Taiwan University (Government of The Republic of China)
• Original Assignee: National Taiwan University (Government of The Republic of China)
• Inventors: Kao, Yu-Chieh, Liao, Wen-Chien, Lin, Chii-Wann, Jaw, Fu-Shan
• Application Number:
  US12/536,898
• Publication Number:
  US 20100036267A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/500
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0252 using ambient temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02405 Determining heart rate variability
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02416 using photoplethysmograph signals, e.g. generated by infrared radiation A61B5/14552 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4035 Evaluating the autonomic nervous system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6826 Finger
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6838 Clamps or clips

Abstract

A detecting device for detecting an autonomic nervous state of an examinee includes a measuring unit, an analog-to-digital converting (ADC) unit and a digital processing unit. The measuring unit measures a vital sign of the examinee to output a vital sign signal. The ADC unit is coupled to the measuring unit for receiving and converting the vital sign signal from analog to digital to output a digitalized vital sign signal. The digital processing unit is coupled to the ADC unit for receiving and processing the digitalized vital sign signal to obtain a detecting result. The detecting result represents the autonomic nervous state and organic states of the examinee.

Claims

1. A detecting device for detecting an autonomic nervous state of an examinee, comprising:

a measuring unit measuring a vital sign of the examinee to output a vital sign signal;

an analog-to-digital converting (ADC) unit coupled to the measuring unit for receiving the vital sign signal, and converting the vital sign from analog to digital to output a digitalized vital sign signal; and

a digital processing unit coupled to the ADC unit for receiving the digitalized vital sign signal and processing the digitalized vital sign signal to obtain a detecting result, the detecting result representing the autonomic nervous state and organic states of the examinee.

2. The detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the digital processing unit performs a frequency calculation and a frequency domain transform on the digitalized vital sign signal to obtain a vital sign time-frequency spectrum as the detecting result, and in the vital sign time-frequency spectrum, a sympathetic nervous state and a parasympathetic nervous state of an autonomic nerve are corresponding to a very low frequency and a low frequency, respectively.

3. The detecting device according to claim 2, wherein the digital processing unit performs a short-time Fourier transform (STFT) or a Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT) on the digitalized vital sign signal to obtain the vital sign time-frequency spectrum.

4. The detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the digital processing unit performs a frequency calculation and an entropy analysis on the digitalized vital sign signal to obtain an entropy analyzing result as the detecting result, and in the entropy analyzing result, a sympathetic nervous state and a parasympathetic nervous state of an autonomic nerve are corresponding to a very low frequency and a low frequency, respectively.

5. The detecting device according to claim 4, wherein after the digital processing unit performs the entropy analysis, a mean square error calculation is carried out to obtain the entropy analyzing result.

6. The detecting device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a recording unit storing a plurality of reference results,

wherein the digital processing unit is coupled to the recording unit for reading the reference results, and compares the detecting result and the reference results to determine whether the autonomic nervous state is abnormal or improved.

7. The detecting device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a body having a concave, wherein the measuring unit is disposed in the concave, and when a finger of the examinee places into the concave and contacts with the measuring unit, the measuring unit measures the pulse of the examinee to output the vital sign signal,

wherein the measuring unit is an infrared measurement device.

8. The detecting device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a heating unit disposed in the body to warm up the finger of the examinee.

9. An analysis device for analyzing an autonomic nervous state used with a measuring device, the measuring device measuring a vital sign of an examinee to output a vital sign signal, the analysis device comprising:

an analog-to-digital converting (ADC) unit receiving the vital sign signal from the measuring device and converting the vital sign signal from analog to digital to output a digitalized vital sign signal; and

a digital processing unit coupled to the ADC unit for receiving the digitalized vital sign signal and processing the digitalized vital sign signal to obtain a detecting result, the detecting result representing the autonomic nervous state and organic states of the examinee.

10. The analysis device according to claim 9, wherein the digital processing unit performs a frequency calculation and a frequency domain transform on the digitalized vital sign signal to obtain a vital sign time-frequency spectrum as the detecting result, wherein in the vital sign time-frequency spectrum, a sympathetic nervous state and a parasympathetic nervous state of an autonomic nerve are corresponding to a very low frequency and a low frequency, respectively.

11. The analysis device according to claim 10, wherein the digital processing unit performs the short-time Fourier transform or the Hilbert-Huang transform on the digitalized vital sign signal to obtain the vital sign time-frequency spectrum.

12. The analysis device according to claim 9, wherein the digital processing unit performs a frequency calculation and an entropy analysis to obtain an entropy analyzing result as the detecting result and in the entropy analysis, a sympathetic nervous state and a parasympathetic nervous state of an autonomic nerve is corresponding to a very low frequency and a low frequency, respectively.

13. The analysis device according to claim 12, wherein after the digital processing unit performs the entropy analysis on the digitalized vital sign signal, a mean square error calculation is carried out to obtain the entropy analyzing result.

14. The analysis device according to claim 9, further comprising:

a recording unit storing a plurality of reference results,

wherein the digital processing unit is coupled to the recording unit for reading the reference results and compares the detecting result and the reference results to determine whether the autonomic nervous state is abnormal or improved.

15. An analyzing method of an autonomic nervous state, comprising:

receiving a vital sign signal from a measuring device, the measuring device measuring a vital sign of an examinee to output the vital sign signal;

converting the vital sign signal from analog to digital to output a digitalized vital sign signal; and

processing the digitalized vital sign signal to obtain a detecting result, the detecting result representing the autonomic nervous state and organic states of the examinee.

16. The analyzing method according to claim 15, wherein the step of processing the digitalized vital sign signal comprising:

performing a frequency calculation and a frequency domain transform to obtain a vital sign time-frequency spectrum as the detecting result, wherein in the vital sign time-frequency spectrum, a sympathetic nervous state and a parasympathetic nervous state of an autonomic nerve is corresponding to a very low frequency and a low frequency, respectively.

17. The analyzing method according to claim 16, wherein the frequency domain transform is a short-time Fourier transform or a Hilbert-Huang transform.

18. The analyzing method according to claim 15, wherein the step of processing the digitalized vital sign signal comprising:

performing a frequency calculation and an entropy analysis on the digitalized vital sign signal to obtain an entropy analyzing result as the detecting result, wherein in the entropy analyzing result, a sympathetic nervous state and a parasympathetic nervous state of an autonomic nerve are corresponding to a very low frequency and a low frequency, respectively.

19. The analyzing method according to claim 18, further comprising:

performing a mean square error calculation to obtain the entropy analyzing result after an entropy analysis is carried out on the digitalized vital sign signal.

20. The analyzing method according to claim 15, further comprising:

reading a plurality of reference results; and

comparing the detecting result and the reference results to determine whether the autonomic nervous state is abnormal or improved.