BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE AND BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD

• US 20170303862A1
• Filed: 10/08/2015
• Published: 10/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: NAKAMURA, Tsuyoshi, TEZUKA, Tadanori, MATSUO, Masatoshi, KUMAMOTO, Yoshinori
• Granted Patent: US 10,238,345 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0077 Devices for viewing the surface of the body, e.g. camera, magnifying lens
• 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 5/0245 by using sensing means generating electric signals, i.e. ECG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/117 Identification of persons methods or arrangements for recognising patterns, e.g. fingerprints, G06F18/00, G06V40/00; identification of persons by analysing their voice or speech G10L17/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7246 using correlation, e.g. template matching or determination of similarity
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7275 Determining trends in physiological measurement data; Predicting development of a medical condition based on physiological measurements, e.g. determining a risk factor
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/11 Region-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/40 for processing medical images, e.g. editing
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

A biological information processing device includes an image input unit that inputs image data, a selection unit, an estimation unit, a detection unit, and an output unit. The selection unit selects image ranges of processing targets from the input image data. The estimation unit estimates pulse rates of the processing targets corresponding to the image ranges on the basis of image data of the selected image ranges of the processing targets. The detection unit performs relative comparison between the estimated pulse rates of the processing targets and thus detects a target which will possibly be abnormal or a target requiring special attention. The output unit outputs information regarding the detected target which will possibly be abnormal or the detected target requiring special attention.

Claims

1. A biological information processing device comprising:

an image inputter configured to input image data;

a selector configured to select image ranges of processing targets from the image data which is input from the image inputter;

an estimator configured to estimate pulse rates of the processing targets corresponding to the image ranges on the basis of image data of the image ranges of the processing targets selected by the selector;

a detector configured to perform relative comparison between the pulse rates of the processing targets estimated by the estimator and thus detect a target which will possibly be abnormal or a target requiring special attention; and

an outputter configured to output information regarding the target which will possibly be abnormal or the target requiring special attention detected by the detector.

2. The biological information processing device of claim 1,

wherein the detector is further configured to:

compare the pulse rates of the plurality of processing targets estimated by the estimator with each other in order, and

detects detect a processing target corresponding to the highest pulse rate as the target which will possibly be abnormal or the target requiring special attention.

3. The biological information processing device of claim 2, further comprising:

holder configured to hold a threshold value used for determination of the target which will possibly be abnormal or the target requiring special attention,

wherein the detector is further configured to;

update the highest pulse rate among the pulse rates of the processing targets estimated by the estimator as the threshold value, and

hold the threshold value in the holder.

4. The biological information processing device of claim 1,

wherein the detector is further configured to:

calculate an average value of the pulse rates of the processing targets estimated by the estimator, and

detects detect the processing target corresponding to a pulse rate higher than the calculated average value of the pulse rates as the target which will possibly be abnormal or the target requiring special attention.

5. The biological information processing device of claim 4, further comprising:

a holder configured to hold a threshold value used for determination of the target which will possibly be abnormal or the target requiring special attention,

wherein the detector is further configured to;

update the average value of the pulse rates of the processing targets estimated by the estimator as the threshold value, and

hold the threshold value in the holder.

6. The biological information processing device of claim 1, further comprising:

an extractor configured to extract signals indicating a predetermined range of the image data which is input from the image inputter; and

a plurality of filters configured to respectively output signals corresponding to different coefficients among the signals indicating the predetermined range extracted by the extractor by using the different coefficients,

wherein the estimator is provided in plurality,

wherein the plurality of estimators are provided to respectively correspond to the plurality of filters, and estimate pulse rates of the person on the basis of output signals of at least one cycle from the corresponding filters and input intervals of frames of the image data corresponding to the output signals of at least one cycle, and

wherein the biological information processing device further includes an outputter configured to;

select any one of the plurality of pulse rates estimated by the plurality of estimators according to the output signals from the plurality of filters, and

output the selected pulse rate.

7. The biological information processing device of claim 6,

wherein each of the plurality of estimators includes:

a verifier configured to exclude, as an invalid duration, a duration of the output signal satisfying a predetermined condition in the output signal of at least one cycle from one of the plurality of filters respectively corresponding to the plurality of estimators; and

a pulse estimator configured to;

estimate a pulse rate of the person on the basis of an output signal of at least one cycle from which the invalid duration is excluded from the verifier, and input intervals of frames of the image data corresponding to the output signal of at least one cycle from the verifier.

8. The biological information processing device of claim 7, further comprising:

a determiner configured to determine an output signal of at least one cycle from verifier, having the smallest number of invalid durations, on the basis of the output signal of at least one cycle from the verifier, from which a duration of an output signal from each of the plurality of filters, satisfying the predetermined condition, is excluded,

wherein the outputter is further configured to select a pulse rate of the person estimated by the pulse estimator according to an output signal of at least one cycle from the verifier, having the smallest number of invalid durations.

9. The biological information processing device of claim 6,

wherein each of the plurality of estimators further includes an interpolator configured to interpolate a difference between time points at which an output signal becomes a predetermined value on the basis of the output signal of at least one cycle from one of the plurality of filters respectively corresponding to the plurality of estimators, and outputs an interpolated output signal.

10. A biological information processing method in a biological information processing device, the method comprising:

inputting image data;

selecting image ranges of processing targets from the input image data;

estimating pulse rates of the processing targets corresponding to the image ranges on the basis of image data of the selected image ranges of the processing targets;

performing relative comparison between the estimated pulse rates of the processing targets and thus detecting a target which will possibly be abnormal or a target requiring special attention; and

outputting information regarding the detected target which will possibly be abnormal or the detected target requiring special attention.

11. The biological information processing method of claim 10 further comprising:

extracting signals indicating a predetermined range of the input image data;

outputting signals corresponding to different coefficients among the extracted signals indicating the predetermined range by using a plurality of filters having the different coefficients;

estimating pulse rates of the processing targets on the basis of output signals of at least one cycle from the plurality of respective filters and input intervals of frames of the image data corresponding to the output signals of at least one cycle; and

selecting any one of the plurality of estimated pulse rates according to the output signals from the plurality of filters, and outputting the selected pulse rate.