SIGNAL PROCESSING DEVICE, PULSE WAVE MEASURING APPARATUS, AND SIGNAL PROCESSING METHOD

• US 20140288885A1
• Filed: 03/14/2014
• Published: 09/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: MORITA, Masanori
• Application Number:
  US14/214,259
• Publication Number:
  US 20140288885A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/191
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02416 using photoplethysmograph signals, e.g. generated by infrared radiation A61B5/14552 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7203 for noise prevention, reduction or removal
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 29/26 Measuring noise figure; Measuring signal-to-noise ratio
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 35/02 of auxiliary devices, e.g. of instrument transformers according to prescribed transformation ratio, phase angle, or wattage rating

Abstract

A signal processing device includes: a first acquisition unit that acquires a first signal indicating a pulse wave of a living body from a first measuring unit that measures the pulse wave; a second acquisition unit that acquires a second signal indicating the pulse wave of the living body from a second measuring unit that measures the pulse wave at different sensitivities from the first measuring unit; an estimation unit that estimates a ratio of sensitivity of the first measuring unit to sensitivity of the second measuring unit from a first spectrum of the first signal and a second spectrum of the second signal; and a subtraction unit that subtracts the second spectrum from the first spectrum so as to cancel noise included in the first spectrum and the second spectrum, using the ratio estimated by the estimation unit.

Claims

1. A signal processing device comprising:

a first acquisition unit that acquires a first signal indicating a pulse wave of a living body from a first measuring unit that measures the pulse wave;

a second acquisition unit that acquires a second signal indicating the pulse wave of the living body from a second measuring unit that measures the pulse wave at different sensitivities from the first measuring unit;

an estimation unit that estimates a ratio of sensitivity of the first measuring unit to sensitivity of the second measuring unit from a first spectrum of the first signal and a second spectrum of the second signal; and

a subtraction unit that subtracts the second spectrum from the first spectrum so as to cancel noise included in the first spectrum and the second spectrum, using the ratio estimated by the estimation unit.

2. The signal processing device according to claim 1, wherein the estimation unit estimates a ratio of an integration value of the first spectrum in a predetermined frequency band to an integration value of the second spectrum in the frequency band, as the sensitivity ratio.

3. The signal processing device according to claim 2, wherein the frequency band is a frequency band corresponding to the pulse wave.

4. The signal processing device according to claim 3, wherein the frequency band is within the range between 0.5 Hz and 3.5 Hz.

5. The signal processing device according to claim 1, wherein the estimation unit estimates a ratio of a spectral intensity of a predetermined frequency band in the first spectrum to a spectral intensity of the frequency band in the second spectrum, as the sensitivity ratio.

6. The signal processing device according to claim 5, wherein the estimation unit estimates a ratio of a spectral intensity of a frequency band that shows a spectral intensity which is equal to or greater than a threshold value in any one of the first spectrum and the second spectrum, to a spectral intensity of the frequency band of the other spectrum, as the sensitivity ratio.

7. The signal processing device according to claim 5, wherein the estimation unit estimates a ratio of a spectral intensity of a frequency band which shows a spectral intensity selected in order from strong to weak in any one of the first spectrum and the second spectrum, to a spectral intensity of the frequency band in the other spectrum, as the sensitivity ratio.

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

a storage unit that stores a standard value which becomes a standard as the ratio of the sensitivity of the first measuring unit to the sensitivity of the second measuring unit; and

a determination unit that determines whether or not there is any noise exceeding a determined proportion in the first spectrum and the second spectrum based on the ratio estimated by the estimation unit and the standard value stored in the storage unit,

wherein the subtraction unit does not perform subtraction in a case where the determination unit determines that there is no noise exceeding the determined proportion in the first spectrum and the second spectrum.

9. The signal processing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a division unit that performs clustering of sets of frequencies and spectral intensities obtained from the first spectrum of the first signal and the second spectrum of the second signal and divides the respective first spectrum and the second spectrum into a plurality of frequency bands based on a result of the clustering,

wherein the estimation unit estimates the ratio of the sensitivity of the first measuring unit to the sensitivity of the second measuring unit per frequency band divided by the division unit with respect to the first spectrum and the second spectrum,

wherein the subtraction unit subtracts the second spectrum from the first spectrum per the frequency band so as to cancel the noise included in the first spectrum using the ratio estimated by the estimation unit, and

wherein the signal processing device further comprises a synthesis unit that synthesizes the subtraction result per the frequency band obtained from the subtraction unit and obtains a plurality of spectra of the frequency bands.

10. The signal processing device according to claim 9, wherein the division unit divides the first spectrum and the second spectrum into two frequency bands respectively.

11. The signal processing device according to claim 9, further comprising:

a storage unit that stores a standard value which becomes a standard as the ratio of the sensitivity of the first measuring unit to the sensitivity of the second measuring unit; and

a determination unit that determines whether or not there is any noise exceeding a determined proportion in the first spectrum and the second spectrum based on the ratio estimated by the estimation unit and the standard value stored in the storage unit,

wherein the subtraction unit does not perform subtraction in a case where the determination unit determines that there is no noise exceeding the determined proportion in each of the spectra.

12. A pulse wave measuring apparatus comprising:

a first measuring unit that measures a pulse wave of a living body;

a second measuring unit that measures the pulse wave of the living body at different sensitivities from the first measuring unit;

a first acquisition unit that acquires a first signal indicating the pulse wave from the first measuring unit;

a second acquisition unit that acquires a second signal indicating the pulse wave from the second measuring unit;

an estimation unit that estimates a ratio of sensitivity of the first measuring unit to sensitivity of the second measuring unit from a first spectrum of the first signal and a second spectrum of the second signal; and

a subtraction unit that subtracts the second spectrum from the first spectrum so as to cancel the noise included in the first spectrum and the second spectrum, using the ratio estimated by the estimation unit.

13. A signal processing method comprising:

acquiring, by a first acquisition unit, a first signal indicating a pulse wave of a living body from a first measuring unit that measures the pulse wave;

acquiring, by a second acquisition unit, a second signal indicating the pulse wave of the living body from a second measuring unit that measures the pulse wave at different sensitivities from the first measuring unit;

estimating, by an estimation unit, a ratio of sensitivity of the first measuring unit to sensitivity of the second measuring unit from a first spectrum of the first signal and a second spectrum of the second signal; and

subtracting, by a subtraction unit, the second spectrum from the first spectrum so as to cancel noise included in the first spectrum and the second spectrum, using the ratio estimated by the estimation unit.