Apparatus for monitoring degree of mental tension

• US 4,896,675 A
• Filed: 02/16/1989
• Issued: 01/30/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Shimono, Futomi, Ohsuga, Mieko
• Primary Examiner(s): Jaworski, Francis
• Assistant Examiner(s): MANUEL, GEORGE C
• Application Number:
  US07/311,708
• Time in Patent Office: 348 Days
• Field of Search: 128/671, 128/670, 128/905, 128/668, 128/700, 128/702, 128/703, 128/704, 128/708
• US Class Current: 600/484
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/486 Bio-feedback A61B5/375 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/905 Feedback to patient of biological signal other than brain electric signal

Abstract

An apparatus for monitoring mental tension comprises a first measuring unit for measuring a periodic wave related to a contraction activity of the heart of a person to be monitored; a detecting unit for detecting special waves which periodically appear in the periodic wave measured by the first measuring unit; a second measuring unit for measuring the interval at which the special wave are generated; a first processor for providing, as tension index values, a mean value of an interval train of the special waves and the magnitude of a respiration component of the fluctuation of the interval train; and a display unit for displaying the resulting tension index values.

Claims

1. An apparatus for monitoring mental tension, comprising:

first measuring means for measuring a periodic wave related to a contraction activity of the heart of a person to be monitored;

detecting means for detecting special waves which periodically appear in said periodic wave measured by said first measuring means;

second measuring means for measuring an interval at which said special waves are generated;

first processing means for providing as tension index values, a mean value of an interval train of said special waves and magnitude of a respiration component of fluctuation of said interval train; and

display means for displaying said tension index values.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

second processing means for providing at least one frequency of respiration component of said fluctuation and the magnitude of a low frequency component of the fluctuation of said interval train as a reliability evaluation value for evaluating reliability of said tension index values; and

output means for outputting said reliability evaluation value.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further having respiration stabilizing means for stabilizing the respiration of the person being monitored, thereby raising the reliability of said tension index values.