Biological signal measuring apparatus

• US 9,125,605 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2012
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nihon Kohden Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nihon Kohden Corporation
• Inventors: Tone, Katsuhide, Suzuki, Katsuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): WINAKUR, ERIC FRANK
• Application Number:
  US13/606,265
• Publication Number:
  US 20130066177A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,096 Days
• Field of Search: 600/310, 600/322, 600/323, 600/330, 600/336
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0209 adapted for power saving
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14551 for measuring blood gases
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7203 for noise prevention, reduction or removal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7257 using Fourier transforms

Abstract

The calculation amount of the whole can be reduced. A biological signal measuring apparatus includes a biological signal measuring unit which measures a biological signal; and a calculation processing unit which performs calculation processes on the measured biological signal, wherein the calculation processing unit has: a first calculation processing unit which performs calculation processes required for calculating the biological signal, and which is independently controllable; and a second calculation processing unit which performs a specific calculation process, and which is independently controllable, and, when the first calculation processing unit satisfies given conditions, the second calculation processing unit is caused to perform the specific calculation process.

Claims

1. A biological signal measuring apparatus including:

a biological signal measuring sensor configured to measure a biological signal;

a first processor configured to perform a first processing on the measured biological signal,

a second processor configured to perform a second processing on the measured biological signal,

wherein the first processor and the second processor are independently controllable to execute the first processing and the second processing, and

the first processor is further configured to determine at least one of the measured biological signal satisfies a given condition and a load of the first processor performing the first processing exceeds a given level, and control the second processor to perform the second processing based on a result of the determination.

2. The biological signal measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a processing efficiency of the second processor performing the second processing is higher than a processing efficiency of the first processor performing the second processing.

3. The biological signal measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second processing comprises at least one of a simple process, a routine process, and a parallel process.

4. The biological signal measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second processing is a calculation process specialized for elimination of at least one of body motion noise and extraneous light noise in the measured biological signal.

5. The biological signal measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the given condition comprises at least one of reduction of a quality of the measured biological signal, detection of a body motion, and detection of extraneous light.

6. The biological signal measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in the second processor, a unit data length for the second processing is shorter than a unit data length for the first processing performed by the first processor.

7. The biological signal measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first processor is further configured to supply a result of the first processing to the second processor.

8. The biological signal measuring apparatus according to claim 7, wherein, in a case where the load of the first processor performing the first process exceeds the given level, the first processor is further configured to supply a result of the first processing to the second processor.

9. The biological signal measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first processor further comprises:

a disturbance detector configured to detect a disturbance cause of noises in a result of measurement of the biological signal, and

wherein in a case where the disturbance detector detects the disturbance cause, the first processor is further configured to control the second processor to perform the second processing.

10. The biological signal measuring apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the disturbance detector comprises at least one of an acceleration sensor configured to detect a body motion and an optical sensor configured to detect extraneous light.

11. The biological signal measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first processor is further configured to determine an optimum result of the first processing and the second processing and output the optimum result to a display.

12. The biological signal measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the biological signal measuring sensor comprises:

a light emitter configured to illuminate living tissue containing arterial blood flow, with light beams of two different wavelengths at different timings; and

a light receiver configured to receive the light beams that are emitted from the light emitter and transmitted through or reflected from the living tissue, and configured to convert the light beams to an electric signal corresponding to intensities of the received light beams of the respective wavelengths, and

wherein the first processor is further configured to calculate a ratio of pulsation components of an absorbance due to the arterial blood flow with respect to the light beams of two wavelengths, from data which are produced based on the electric signal, and calculate an oxygen saturation of arterial blood based on the ratio of pulsation components.

13. The biological signal measuring apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the light beams of two different wavelengths include a red light beam and an infrared light beam.

14. The biological signal measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second processor comprises a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

15. A pulse oximeter comprising:

a biological signal measuring sensor configured to measure a biological signal;

a first processor configured to calculate oxygen saturation of arterial blood from the measured biological signal,

a second processor configured to remove noise from the measured biological signal,

wherein the first processor and the second processor are independently controllable to calculate the oxygen saturation of arterial blood and remove noise from the measured biological signal, and

the first processor is further configured to determine that noise exists in the measured biological signal and a load of the first processor calculating the oxygen saturation of arterial blood, control the second processor to remove the noise from the measured biological signal based on a result of the determination that noise exists in the measured biological signal and that the load of the first processor exceeds a threshold load level, and calculate the oxygen saturation of arterial blood based on the measured biological signal from which the noise is removed by the second processor.

16. A biological signal measuring apparatus including:

a biological signal measuring sensor configured to measure a biological signal;

a first processor configured to analyze the measured biological signal,

a second processor configured to remove noise from the measured biological signal,

wherein the first processor and the second processor are independently controllable to execute the first processing and the second processing, and

the first processor is further configured to determine that the measured biological signal includes noise and that a load of the first processor analyzing the measured biological signal exceeds a given level, and control the second processor to remove the noise from the measured biological signal based on a result of the determination.