JP5263878B2 - Biological information acquisition device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To detect the exhalation discharged from a tracheostoma of a person having the larynx enucleated. <P>SOLUTION: A sensor 21 is connected to a support part 22 via an arm 23, and the support part 22 is attached to a belt 13 in such a way as to insert the belt 13 into an insertion part 22A. The arm 23 is composed of a flexible member, and the position of the sensor 21 from the support part 22 can be optionally changed. The support part 22 is movably attached to the belt 13 worn in the neck of the user. Since the position of the sensor 21 from the support part 22 can be optionally changed, the user moves the sensor 21 to be located in front of the tracheostoma H of the user by appropriately adjusting the wearing position of the belt 13, the attaching position of the support part 22 and the position of the sensor 21 from the support part 22. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a biological information acquisition apparatus.

  Healthy individuals generate sounds by vibrating their vocal cords when their exhalation passes through the larynx (glottis), and changing the frequency components of the sound with articulators such as the tongue, chin, and lips, and various utterances It is carried out. The sound generated by the vibration of the vocal cords is called “glottal sound source” because it is the sound that is the basis of the utterance.

  In contrast, a larynx extractor who has removed the larynx is normally unable to utter by his own intention, but if the articulator remains, the artificially created sound is generated by the glottal sound source. It is possible to speak in spite of incompleteness by generating it in the mouth instead of or sending it into the mouth.

  One of the devices that artificially create sound that can replace such glottal sound sources is the electric artificial larynx. The electroartificial larynx generates a sound that substitutes for the glottal sound source mechanically or electromechanically, and guides the sound into the oral cavity through vibration of the jaw, etc. Support.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a general electric artificial larynx 101. The casing 111 of the electric artificial larynx 101 has a substantially cylindrical shape that fits in the palm of the user. At one end of the casing 111, a diaphragm 112 for generating a sound that is the source of a voice is disposed so as to be exposed. The diaphragm 112 vibrates by driving a built-in voice coil motor in accordance with the operation of the push button 113.

  The user holds the casing 111 of the electric artificial larynx 101 with his / her palm, presses the diaphragm 112 against his / her jaw, and operates the push button 113. In response to the operation of the push button 113, the voice coil motor is driven to vibrate the diaphragm 112, and the vibration is transmitted from the user's jaw to the oral cavity to generate sound.

  By the way, in this kind of electric artificial larynx, a sensor for detecting the pressure of exhaled air exhaled from the trachea of the laryngectomy is used, and the vibration period of the diaphragm is set according to the detected value of the sensor. There is something to change (Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a usage example of the electric artificial larynx 122 using the expiration sensor 121 that detects the pressure of the expiration exhaled from the trachea hole H. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the expiration sensor 121.

  The exhalation sensor 121 is attached by, for example, a belt (not shown) or the like so as to cover the tracheal hole H of the laryngectomy person. The breath sensor 121 detects the strength of the breath from the pressure of the breath exhaled from the trachea hole H of the laryngectomy person, and supplies the detection result to the electric artificial larynx 122 via the cable 124.

  The exhalation sensor 121 is mainly composed of a sensor pad 131 formed from a semi-circular soft resin, an air valve 132, and a sensor box 133 in which a detector is housed. The detection body detects the strength of the breath from the breath guided from the guide hole 134 provided in the sensor pad 131.

The electric artificial larynx 122 basically has the same configuration as that of the electric artificial larynx 101 of FIG. Change the period.
Republished patent WO99 / 12501

  However, the trachea hole H is a hole provided for breathing. When the sensor pad 131 of the exhalation sensor 121 is attached so as to directly cover the trachea hole H as described above, the trachea hole H is interposed via the air valve 132. Even if the air flow is secured, the user may find it difficult to breathe and feel painful.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a condition, and makes it possible to detect the exhalation exhaled from the trachea of a laryngectomy person so that it may not be breathing.

  The biological information acquisition apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention provides biological information acquisition for supplying biological information to an electric artificial larynx that controls vibration of a diaphragm for generating a sound that is a source of voice according to biological information. A device, a support unit attached to the human body or an electric artificial larynx, a sensor unit for measuring the volume of exhaled air from the trachea of the human body, a deformable arm, the sensor unit and the support unit, And an arm for connecting the position of the sensor unit from the support unit in a changeable manner.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to detect the exhaled air exhaled from the trachea of the laryngectomy so that it is not difficult to breathe, and it is not necessary to cover the trachea, so that the apparatus can be miniaturized.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The electric artificial larynx according to the present embodiment artificially generates a sound as a voice in the oral cavity of the laryngectomy, or guides the artificially generated sound into the oral cavity. As a result, the frequency component of the sound is changed through the articulators such as the tongue, jaw, and lips, and is emitted from the user's mouth.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a biological information acquisition unit 11 and an electric artificial larynx 12 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of its use.

  The biometric information acquisition unit 11 is attached to a human body and acquires biometric information. The biological information acquisition unit 11 includes a sensor unit 21, a support unit 22, and an arm 23.

  The sensor unit 21 is connected to the support unit 22 via an arm 23, and the support unit 22 is attached to the belt 13 so as to pass the belt 13 through the through portion 22A. The arm 23 is composed of a flexible (that is, deformable) member, and the position of the sensor unit 21 from the support unit 22 can be arbitrarily changed by deforming the arm 23.

  That is, the support portion 22 is movably attached to the belt 13 attached to the user's neck, and the position of the sensor portion 21 from the support portion 22 can be arbitrarily changed. By appropriately adjusting the position, the mounting position of the support part 22 and the position of the sensor part 21 from the support part 22, the user can position the sensor part 21 in front of the user's trachea H. Can be moved.

  An air flow meter 41 is stored in the storage unit 31 of the sensor unit 21. The storage portion 31 is provided with an air receiving portion 32 that receives exhaled air from the tracheal hole H and a guide hole 33 that guides the exhaled air that hits the air receiving portion 32 to the air flow meter 41. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which exhaled air from the trachea hole H is guided to the anemometer 41 through the wind receiving part 32 and the guide hole 33 in the sensor part 21 positioned in front of the user's trachea hole H. is there. The arrows in the figure indicate the flow of exhalation.

  The air flow meter 41 measures the flow rate of exhaled air that has entered from the guide hole 33, and supplies a signal indicating the measured flow rate to the electric artificial larynx 12 via the cable 14.

  The electric artificial larynx 12 has a substantially cylindrical shape that fits in the palm of the user. At one end of the electric artificial larynx 12, a diaphragm 51 for generating a sound that is the source of a voice is disposed so as to be exposed. The diaphragm 51 vibrates when the built-in voice coil motor is driven in accordance with the operation of the push button 52, but the frequency of vibration changes depending on the volume of the breath detected by the biometric information acquisition unit 11. Has been made.

  As described above, the biological information acquisition unit 11 and the electric artificial larynx 12 are configured and used.

  That is, as described above, since the vibration cycle of the diaphragm 51 is changed according to the volume of the exhaled air acquired by the biological information acquiring unit 11, for example, the voice generated by the electric artificial larynx 12 is suppressed. The user's utterance can be made more natural.

  As described above, since the sensor unit 21 is configured to be disposed in front of the trachea hole H without being sealed, it is possible to detect exhalation without causing the user to feel stuffy. Further, since it is not necessary to cover the trachea, the apparatus can be miniaturized.

  In the above description, the case where the support portion 22 is attached to the human body by the belt 13 has been described as an example. For example, the support portion 22 is attached to the electric artificial larynx 12 (for example, the side surface of the electric artificial larynx 12 with a belt or the like). It is also possible that the user grasps the electric artificial larynx 12 so that the sensor unit 21 is located in front of the trachea hole H. In this case, the arm 23 can be made shorter than the example of FIG. 2, for example, and the connection place and method of the arm 23 to the support 22 part and the sensor part 21 are also different from those of the example of FIG. Can be.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the biometric information acquisition part and electric artificial larynx to which this invention is applied. It is a figure which shows the usage example of the biometric information acquisition part and electric type artificial larynx to which this invention is applied. It is a figure which shows a mode that the expiration | expired_air from a trachea hole is guided to an anemometer through a wind receiving part and a guide hole. It is a figure which shows the example of a general electric artificial larynx. It is a figure which shows the usage example of the electric artificial larynx using the expiration sensor which detects the pressure of the expiration exhaled from a trachea. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the breath sensor of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Biometric information acquisition part, 12 Electric artificial larynx, 13 Belt, 21 Sensor part, 22 Support part, 23 Arm, 31 Storage part, 32 Wind receiving part, 33 Guide hole, 41 Anemometer

Claims (1)

In the biological information acquisition device for supplying the biological information to the electric artificial larynx that controls the vibration of the diaphragm for generating the sound that is the source of the voice according to the biological information,
A support part attached to the human body or the electric artificial larynx,
A sensor unit for measuring the volume of exhaled air from the trachea of the human body;
A biometric information acquisition apparatus comprising: a deformable arm, the arm connecting the sensor unit and the support unit so that the position of the sensor unit from the support unit can be changed.

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