RESPIRATORY SIGNAL PROCESSING APPARATUS, RESPIRATORY SIGNAL PROCESSING METHOD, AND PROGRAM

• US 20120157857A1
• Filed: 12/08/2011
• Published: 06/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Abe, Mototsugu, Myoga, Chika, Nishiguchi, Masayuki
• Application Number:
  US13/314,369
• Publication Number:
  US 20120157857A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/484
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/003 Detecting lung or respiration noise

Abstract

A respiratory signal processing apparatus includes a pulse-based component detection unit configured to detect a pulse-based component from a first signal acquired from a living being, and a pulse-based component removal unit configured to remove the detected pulse-based component from a second signal acquired from the living being, the second signal including respiratory sounds.

Claims

1. A respiratory signal processing apparatus comprising:

a pulse-based component detection unit configured to detect a pulse-based component from a first signal acquired from a living being; and

a pulse-based component removal unit configured to remove the detected pulse-based component from a second signal acquired from the living being, the second signal including respiratory sounds.

2. The respiratory signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first signal and the second signal are measured respiratory signals obtained by measuring same respiratory sounds, and

wherein the pulse-based component detection unit includes

a candidate pulse-based component detection unit configured to detect, as a candidate pulse-based component period, a period including a local maximum value in the first signal,

a score calculation unit configured to calculate a likelihood-of-pulse score for the candidate pulse-based component period, and

a characteristic-of-pulse determination unit configured to determine that a signal included in a detection period is the pulse-based component, the detection period being a candidate pulse-based component period for which the likelihood-of-pulse score satisfies a certain threshold.

3. The respiratory signal processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the pulse-based component removal unit includes

a signal reduction unit configured to reduce the detected pulse-based component in the first signal,

a waveform synthesis unit configured to generate a composite waveform from a signal near the detection period, and

a waveform addition unit configured to add the composite waveform to the first signal.

4. The respiratory signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a time synchronization unit,

wherein the first signal is a measured heartbeat signal obtained by measuring a heartbeat waveform of the living being,

wherein the second signal is a measured respiratory signal obtained by measuring respiratory sounds of the living being,

wherein the time synchronization unit is configured to synchronize the measured respiratory signal and the measured heartbeat signal with each other,

wherein the pulse-based component detection unit detects the pulse-based component by estimating heart sounds from the measured heartbeat signal, and

wherein the pulse-based component removal unit removes the pulse-based component by removing the estimated heart sounds from the synchronized measured respiratory signal.

5. The respiratory signal processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a breathing period detection unit configured to detect a breathing period on the basis of a measured respiratory signal in which the heart sounds have been removed;

a heartbeat period detection unit configured to detect a heartbeat period on the basis of the measured heartbeat signal; and

a coefficient update unit configured to update a filter coefficient,

wherein the pulse-based component detection unit is a finite impulse response filter, and

wherein the coefficient update unit updates a filter coefficient of the finite impulse response filter during a period that is not the breathing period but is the heartbeat period.

6. The respiratory signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a time-to-frequency conversion unit configured to convert the second signal in which the pulse-based component has been removed to generate a frequency spectrum signal for each time segment;

a tone-based component detection unit configured to detect a tone-based component from the frequency spectrum signal;

a tone-based component removal unit configured to remove the detected tone-based component from the frequency spectrum signal; and

a frequency-to-time conversion unit configured to inversely convert the frequency spectrum signal in which the tone-based component has been removed.

7. The respiratory signal processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the tone-based component detection unit includes

a spectral peak detection unit configured to detect a peak in the frequency spectrum signal for each time segment,

a spectral peak tracking unit configured to track over time segments a peak in the frequency spectrum signal for each time segment, and

a characteristic-of-tone determination unit configured to determine whether or not the tone-based component exists in accordance with a peak tracked by the spectral peak tracking unit.

8. A respiratory signal processing apparatus comprising:

a time-to-frequency conversion unit configured to convert a measured respiratory signal obtained by measuring respiratory sounds of a living being to generate a frequency spectrum signal for each time segment;

a tone-based component detection unit configured to detect a tone-based component from the frequency spectrum signal;

a tone-based component removal unit configured to remove the detected tone-based component from the frequency spectrum signal; and

a frequency-to-time conversion unit configured to inversely convert the frequency spectrum signal in which the tone-based component has been removed.

9. A respiratory signal processing method comprising:

detecting, as a candidate pulse-based component period, a period including a local maximum value in a measured respiratory signal obtained by measuring respiratory sounds of a living being;

calculating a likelihood-of-pulse score for the candidate pulse-based component period;

determining, as the pulse-based component, a signal included in a detection period, the detection period being a candidate pulse-based component period for which the likelihood-of-pulse score satisfies a certain threshold;

reducing the detected pulse-based component in the measured respiratory signal;

generating a composite waveform from a signal near the detection period; and

adding the composite waveform to the measured respiratory signal to remove the detected pulse-based component.

10. A respiratory signal processing method comprising:

converting a measured respiratory signal obtained by measuring respiratory sounds of a living being to generate a frequency spectrum signal for each time segment;

detecting a tone-based component from the frequency spectrum signal;

removing the detected tone-based component from the frequency spectrum signal; and

performing frequency-to-time conversion by inversely converting the frequency spectrum signal in which the tone-based component has been removed.

11. A respiratory signal processing method comprising:

synchronizing a measured respiratory signal and a measured heartbeat signal with each other, the measured respiratory signal being obtained by measuring respiratory sounds of a living being, the measured heartbeat signal being obtained by measuring a heartbeat waveform of the living being;

estimating heart sounds from the measured heartbeat signal; and

removing the estimated heart sounds from the synchronized measured respiratory signal.

12. A program for causing a computer to execute:

detecting, as a candidate pulse-based component period, a period including a local maximum value in a measured respiratory signal obtained by measuring respiratory sounds of a living being;

calculating a likelihood-of-pulse score for the candidate pulse-based component period;

determining, as the pulse-based component, a signal included in a detection period, the detection period being a candidate pulse-based component period for which the likelihood-of-pulse score satisfies a certain threshold;

reducing the detected pulse-based component in the measured respiratory signal;

generating a composite waveform from a signal near the detection period; and

adding the composite waveform to the measured respiratory signal to remove the detected pulse-based component.

13. A program for causing a computer to execute:

converting a measured respiratory signal obtained by measuring respiratory sounds of a living being to generate a frequency spectrum signal for each time segment;

detecting a tone-based component from the frequency spectrum signal;

removing the detected tone-based component from the frequency spectrum signal; and

performing frequency-to-time conversion by inversely converting the frequency spectrum signal in which the tone-based component has been removed.

14. A program for causing a computer to execute:

synchronizing a measured respiratory signal and a measured heartbeat signal with each other, the measured respiratory signal being obtained by measuring respiratory sounds of a living being, the measured heartbeat signal being obtained by measuring a heartbeat waveform of the living being;

estimating heart sounds from the measured heartbeat signal; and

removing the estimated heart sounds from the synchronized measured respiratory signal.