Biological information processing apparatus and operation program product for the same

• US 7,566,306 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2005
• Issued: 07/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Sensing, Inc. (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Sensing, Inc. (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Ojima, Takanobu, Nagai, Yoshiroh, Norita, Toshio, Fujiwara, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Nasser; Robert L
• Application Number:
  US11/224,813
• Publication Number:
  US 20060229519A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,414 Days
• Field of Search: 600/300, 600/481, 600/483, 600/500
• US Class Current: 600/485
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02007 Evaluating blood vessel condition, e.g. elasticity, compliance
• 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 5/7239 using differentiation including higher order derivatives
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7257 using Fourier transforms

Abstract

A biological information processing apparatus is strong against the noises or disturbances, and can accurately determine an evaluation value or blood vessel age. A pulse wave acquirer acquires pulse wave information of a living body and a frequency analyzer analyzes a pulse wave frequency based on the pulse wave information obtained by the pulse wave acquirer. The characteristic value extractor extracts a characteristic value from pulse wave frequency information obtained by the analysis carried out by the frequency analyzer and a pulse wave property calculator calculates a pulse wave property or blood vessel age based on the characteristic value extracted by the characteristic value extractor.

Claims

1. A biological information processing apparatus comprising:

a pulse wave acquirer which acquires information about a pulse wave of a living body;

a frequency analyzer which analyzes a frequency of the pulse wave based on the pulse wave information acquired by the pulse wave acquirer;

a characteristic value extractor which extracts a characteristic value from the pulse wave frequency information obtained by the frequency analyzer; and

a pulse wave property calculator which calculates a pulse wave property indicative of a functional state of blood vessels based on the characteristic value extracted by the characteristic value extractor;

wherein the pulse wave property calculator carries out data conversion using predetermined conversion information with respect to the characteristic value to thereby calculate the pulse wave property indicative of an age of the blood vessels.

2. The biological information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the frequency analyzer analyzes an acceleration pulse wave having the second derivative of the pulse wave.

3. The biological information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the frequency analyzer extracts partial pulse wave information consisting of information for one beat from the pulse wave information, and analyzes the extracted partial pulse wave information.

4. The biological information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the frequency analyzer obtains a frequency intensity distribution as the pulse wave frequency information, and calculates the characteristic value based on at least two extreme values in the frequency intensity distribution.

5. The biological information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the frequency analyzer calculates the characteristic value based on frequency intensity information obtained by integrating frequency intensities within a predetermined frequency range having a center at the extreme value in the frequency intensity distribution.

6. The biological information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the frequency analyzer carries out analysis based on Fourier transform.

7. The biological information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the frequency analyzer extracts partial pulse wave information consisting of information for one beat from the pulse wave information, and analyzes the extracted partial pulse wave information.

8. The biological information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the frequency analyzer obtains a frequency intensity distribution as the pulse wave frequency information, and calculates the characteristic value based on at least two extreme values in the frequency intensity distribution.

9. The biological information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the frequency analyzer carries out analysis based on Fourier transform.

10. The biological information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the frequency analyzer carries out analysis based on a transient phenomenon model.

12. The biological information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the frequency analyzer carries out an analysis based on an electric circuit model as the transient phenomenon model where the pulse wave is assumed to be an output signal in response to an impulse signal.

13. The biological information processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the frequency analyzer uses actual measurement values at given times in partial pulse wave information to solve a simultaneous equation including unknown frequency intensities in the electric circuit model, thereby calculating the characteristic value.

11. A biological information processing apparatus comprising:

a pulse wave acquirer which acquires information about a pulse wave of a living body;

a frequency analyzer which analyzes a frequency of the pulse wave based on the pulse wave information acquired by the pulse wave acquirer;

a characteristic value extractor which extracts a characteristic value from the pulse wave frequency information obtained by the frequency analyzer; and

a pulse wave property calculator which calculates a pulse wave property based on the characteristic value extracted by the characteristic value extractor;

wherein the frequency analyzer carries out analysis based on a transient phenomenon model.

14. A biological information processing apparatus comprising:

a pulse wave acquirer which acquires information about a pulse wave of a living body;

a frequency analyzer which analyzes a frequency of the pulse wave based on the pulse wave information acquired by the pulse wave acquirer;

a characteristic value extractor which extracts a characteristic value from the pulse wave frequency information obtained by the frequency analyzer; and

a pulse wave property calculator which calculates a pulse wave property indicative of an age of blood vessels based on the characteristic value extracted by the characteristic value extractor;

wherein the frequency analyzer obtains a frequency intensity distribution as the pulse wave frequency information, and calculates the characteristic value based on at least two extreme values in the frequency intensity distribution.

15. A computer readable medium containing a computer executable program for use in a biological information processing apparatus including a pulse wave acquirer for acquiring pulse wave information of a living body, the program comprising computer executable code to cause a computer to execute:

a step of analyzing a pulse wave frequency based on the pulse wave information acquired by the pulse wave acquirer, a step of extracting a characteristic value from the obtained pulse wave frequency information, and

a step of calculating a pulse wave property indicative of a functional state of blood vessels based on the extracted characteristic value,

wherein the step of calculating the pulse wave property includes data conversion using predetermined conversion information with respect to the characteristic value to thereby calculate the pulse wave property indicative of an age of the blood vessels.

16. A biological information processing apparatus comprising:

a pulse wave acquirer which is configured to acquire information about a pulse wave of a living body;

a frequency analyzer which is configured to analyze a frequency of the pulse wave based on the pulse wave information acquired by the pulse wave acquirer;

a characteristic value extractor which is configured to extract a characteristic value from the pulse wave frequency information obtained by the frequency analyzer; and

a pulse wave property calculator which is configured to calculate a pulse wave property indicative of an age of blood vessels in the living body based on the characteristic value extracted by the characteristic value extractor.