US 12,329,534 B2
Biological examination device and biological information analysis method
Yasuaki Nakamura, Tokyo (JP); Akihiko Kandori, Tokyo (JP); and Tomohiko Mizuguchi, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to MAXELL, LTD., Kyoto (JP)
Appl. No. 17/923,401
Filed by MAXELL, LTD., Kyoto (JP)
PCT Filed Apr. 23, 2021, PCT No. PCT/JP2021/016425
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 4, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/225081, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 11, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 2020-082583 (JP), filed on May 8, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0131401 A1, Apr. 27, 2023
Int. Cl. A61B 5/00 (2006.01); A61B 5/05 (2021.01); A61B 5/11 (2006.01); A61B 7/00 (2006.01); A61B 7/02 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 5/4205 (2013.01) [A61B 5/05 (2013.01); A61B 5/1122 (2013.01); A61B 5/7278 (2013.01); A61B 5/7425 (2013.01); A61B 5/743 (2013.01); A61B 7/008 (2013.01); A61B 7/023 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A biological examination apparatus comprising:
a larynx portion displacement detector including a first electrode and a second electrode arranged to sandwich a thyroid cartilage of an examinee from opposite sides, wherein the larynx portion displacement detector is configured to transmit and receive a signal and detect changes in a distance between the first electrode and the second electrode based on the received signal, and wherein the changes in the distance correspond to physical movement of the thyroid cartilage in an up-down direction and a front-back direction during swallowing;
a swallowing sound detector configured to detect a swallowing sound of the examinee during the swallowing; and
a processor configured to:
receive detection data from the larynx portion displacement detector and convert the detection data into distance information representing the physical movement of the thyroid cartilage;
apply a model function to the distance information to separate the physical movement of the thyroid cartilage into an up-down motion component and a front-back motion component, wherein the motion function is configured to extract directional movement features specific to swallowing behavior;
generate two-dimensional trajectory data based on the up-down motion component and the front-back motion component, wherein the two-dimensional trajectory data graphically represents a movement trajectory of the thyroid cartilage during swallowing in both the up-down direction and the front-back direction directions, and wherein the two-dimensional trajectory data simultaneously shows the movement of the thyroid cartilage in the up-down direction and the front-back direction of the thyroid cartilage by one trajectory graph based on the up-down motion component and the front-back motion component;
generate a swallowing sound waveform indicating a temporal change in an amplitude of the swallowing sound based on detection data from the swallowing sound detector; and
generate identification display data for associating the swallowing sound waveform with the two-dimensional trajectory data, wherein the processor is configured to identify and display each trajectory data value, which is a data point included in the two-dimensional trajectory data, on the one trajectory graph in a manner corresponding to the amplitude of the swallowing sound.