# US 11,443,717 B2 · Biometric information display device, biometric information display method, and computer-readable recording medium, extracting current components at positions along a neural pathway based on current information reconstructed based on magnetic field measurement data generated by subject

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- Number: US 11,443,717 B2
- Document ID: US11443717B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/953,861
- Filed: 2020-11-20
- Published: 2021-05-27
- Granted: 2022-09-13
- Earliest claimed: 2019-11-25
- Assignees: Ricoh Company, Ltd.; National University Corporation Tokyo Medical and Dental University
- Applicants: Yoichiro Takahashi; Taishi Watanabe; Shigenori Kawabata
- Inventors: Yoichiro Takahashi; Taishi Watanabe; Shigenori Kawabata
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11443717B2

## CPC

- A61B 5/248: specially adapted for magnetoneurographic [MNG] signals, e.g. magnetospinographic [MSG] signals
- G09G 5/37: Details of the operation on graphic patterns (G09G5/38 takes precedence)
- A61B 5/0035: {adapted for acquisition of images from more than one imaging mode, e.g. combining MRI and optical tomography}
- A61B 5/055: involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
- A61B 5/388: Nerve conduction study, e.g. detecting action potential of peripheral nerves
- A61B 5/4041: {Evaluating nerves condition}
- A61B 5/4893: {Nerves}
- A61B 5/7278: {Artificial waveform generation or derivation, e.g. synthesizing signals from measured signals}
- A61B 5/742: {using visual displays (displays for heart-related electrical signals, e.g. ECG, A61B5/339)}
- A61B 5/743: {Displaying an image simultaneously with additional graphical information, e.g. symbols, charts, function plots}
- A61B 6/032: {Transmission computed tomography [CT]}
- A61B 6/12: Arrangements for detecting or locating foreign bodies
- A61B 6/463: {characterised by displaying multiple images or images and diagnostic data on one display}
- A61B 6/467: {characterised by special input means}
- A61B 6/5247: {combining images from an ionising-radiation diagnostic technique and a non-ionising radiation diagnostic technique, e.g. X-ray and ultrasound}
- A61N 1/0456: {Specially adapted for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation [TENS]}
- G06T 11/00: Two-dimensional [2D] image generation
- A61B 5/0022: {Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet}
- A61B 5/243: specially adapted for magnetocardiographic [MCG] signals
- A61B 5/245: specially adapted for magnetoencephalographic [MEG] signals
- A61B 5/6824: {Arm or wrist}
- A61B 5/6825: {Hand}
- A61B 5/7267: {involving training the classification device}
- G09G 2380/08: Biomedical applications
- G16H 30/20: for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
- G16H 30/40: for processing medical images, e.g. editing
- G16H 40/63: for local operation
- G16H 50/20: for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
- G16H 50/70: for mining of medical data, e.g. analysing previous cases of other patients
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)
- G09G: ARRANGEMENTS OR CIRCUITS FOR CONTROL OF INDICATING DEVICES USING STATIC MEANS TO PRESENT VARIABLE INFORMATION (arrangements for transferring data between digital computers and displays G06F3/14; static indicating arrangements comprising an association of a number of separate sources or light control cells G09F9/00; static indicating arrangements comprising integral associations of a number of light sources H01J, H01K, H10H, H05B33/12; scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission, details thereof H04N1/00)
- A61N: ELECTROTHERAPY; MAGNETOTHERAPY; RADIATION THERAPY; ULTRASOUND THERAPY (measurement of bioelectric currents A61B; surgical instruments, devices or methods for transferring non-mechanical forms of energy to or from the body A61B18/00; anaesthetic apparatus in general A61M; incandescent lamps H01K; infrared radiators for heating H05B)
- G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
- G16H: HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA

## Abstract

A biometric information display device includes a display controller configured to display a morphological image indicative of a morphology of a subject, on a display, an input controller configured to receive a designation of a specified position on the morphological image, a pathway generating section configured to generate a pathway based on the specified position on the morphological image, and a current extracting section configured to extract current components at a plurality of positions along the pathway, based on current information reconstructed based on magnetic field measurement data generated by the subject. The display controller displays the current components extracted along the pathway on the display.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A biometric information display device comprising:
a display controller configured to display a morphological image indicative of a morphology of a subject, on a display;
an input controller configured to receive a designation of a specified position on the morphological image, and to receive a number of first virtual electrodes and a distance between two adjacent first virtual electrodes; and
an operation controller configured to perform a process including
generating a neural pathway based on the specified position on the morphological image,
generating a plurality of first virtual electrodes on the neural pathway, and a second virtual electrode and a third virtual electrode on both sides of the neural pathway at each first virtual electrode of the plurality of the first virtual electrodes, based on the number of first virtual electrodes and the distance between the two adjacent first virtual electrodes, to generate a plurality of second virtual electrodes and a plurality of third virtual electrodes, and
extracting current components at each first virtual electrode of the plurality of first virtual electrodes, each second virtual electrode of the plurality of second virtual electrodes, and at each third virtual electrode of the plurality of third virtual electrodes, based on current information reconstructed based on magnetic field measurement data generated by the subject,
wherein the display controller displays current waveforms representing a time variation of the respective current components of the plurality of first virtual electrodes, the plurality of second virtual electrodes, and the plurality of third virtual electrode, on the display,
wherein the input controller further receives
a designation of a specified time range of one of the current waveforms of the plurality of first virtual electrodes, the plurality of second virtual electrodes, and the plurality of third virtual electrodes displayed on the display, and
a designation of two specified current waveforms among the current waveforms of the plurality of first virtual electrodes, the plurality of second virtual electrodes, and the plurality of third virtual electrodes displayed on the display, and
the operation controller performs the process further including
calculating a conduction velocity of a stimulus within the subject, based on a time variation of a feature point of the one of the current waveforms within the specified time range, and calculating the conduction velocity between two virtual electrodes corresponding to the two specified current waveforms, based on a difference between appearance times of feature points of the two specified current waveforms, and the neural pathway between the two virtual electrodes.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The biometric information display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein
the generating the neural pathway resets positions of the plurality of first virtual electrodes, the plurality of second virtual electrodes, and the plurality of third virtual electrodes, based on a change in at least one of the number of the plurality of first virtual electrodes and the distance between the two adjacent first virtual electrodes, and
the extracting reextracts the current components of the plurality of first virtual electrodes, the plurality of second virtual electrodes, and the plurality of third virtual electrodes at the reset positions.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The biometric information display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein
the display controller displays the current waveforms of the plurality of first virtual electrodes, the plurality of second virtual electrodes, and the plurality of third virtual electrodes on the display using a common time base,
the input controller receives positions of two straight lines perpendicular to the common time base displayed in a display region of the current waveforms on the display, and
the specified time range is a range sandwiched between the two straight lines received by the input controller.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The biometric information display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein
the display controller displays the conduction velocity calculated by the calculating on the display in correspondence with the current waveforms used to calculate the conduction velocity.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The biometric information display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the morphological image is one of an X-ray image, a computed tomography image, and a magnetic resonance image.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The biometric information display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the generating the neural pathway generates the neural pathway using a Bezier curve according to a plurality of specified positions designated on the morphological image.

### Claim 7

A biometric information display method to be implemented in a biometric information display device that includes a display controller configured to display a morphological image indicative of the morphology of a subject, and an input controller configured to receive a designation of a specified position on the morphological image, and to receive a number of first virtual electrodes and a distance between two adjacent first virtual electrodes, the biometric information display method comprising:
generating a neural pathway based on the specified position on the morphological image;
generating a plurality of first virtual electrodes on the neural pathway, and a second virtual electrode and a third virtual electrode on both sides of the neural pathway at each first virtual electrode of the plurality of the first virtual electrodes, based on the number of first virtual electrodes and the distance between the two adjacent first virtual electrodes, to generate a plurality of second virtual electrodes and a plurality of third virtual electrodes;
extracting current components at each first virtual electrode of the plurality of first virtual electrodes, each second virtual electrode of the plurality of second virtual electrodes, and at each third virtual electrode of the plurality of third virtual electrodes, based on current information reconstructed based on magnetic field measurement data generated by the subject;
displaying current waveforms representing a time variation of the respective current components of the plurality of first virtual electrodes, the plurality of second virtual electrodes, and the plurality of third virtual electrode, on a display
receiving a designation of a specified time range of one of the current waveforms of the plurality of first virtual electrodes, the plurality of second virtual electrodes, and the plurality of third virtual electrodes displayed on the display;
receiving a designation of two specified current waveforms among the current waveforms of the plurality of first virtual electrodes, the plurality of second virtual electrodes, and the plurality of third virtual electrodes displayed on the display; and
calculating a conduction velocity of a stimulus within the subject, based on a time variation of a feature point of the one of the current waveforms within the specified time range, and calculating the conduction velocity between two virtual electrodes corresponding to the two specified current waveforms, based on a difference between appearance times of feature points of the two specified current waveforms, and the neural pathway between the two virtual electrodes.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The biometric information display method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the morphological image is one of an X-ray image, a computed tomography image, and a magnetic resonance image.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The biometric information display method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the generating the neural pathway generates the neural pathway using a Bezier curve according to a plurality of specified positions designated on the morphological image.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The biometric information display method as claimed in claim 7, wherein
the generating the neural pathway resets positions of the plurality of first virtual electrodes, the plurality of second virtual electrodes, and the plurality of third virtual electrodes, based on a change in at least one of the number of the plurality of first virtual electrodes and the distance between the two adjacent first virtual electrodes, and
the extracting reextracts the current components of the plurality of first virtual electrodes, the plurality of second virtual electrodes, and the plurality of third virtual electrodes at the reset positions.

### Claim 11

A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having stored therein a display program which, when executed by a computer of a biometric information display device that includes a display controller configured to display a morphological image indicative of the morphology of a subject, and an input controller configured to receive a designation of a specified position on the morphological image, and to receive a number of first virtual electrodes and a distance between two adjacent first virtual electrodes, causes the computer to perform a process comprising:
generating a neural pathway based on the specified position on the morphological image;
generating a plurality of first virtual electrodes on the neural pathway, and a second virtual electrode and a third virtual electrode on both sides of the neural pathway at each first virtual electrode of the plurality of the first virtual electrodes, based on the number of first virtual electrodes and the distance between the two adjacent first virtual electrodes, to generate a plurality of second virtual electrodes and a plurality of third virtual electrodes;
extracting current components at each first virtual electrode of the plurality of first virtual electrodes, each second virtual electrode of the plurality of second virtual electrodes, and at each third virtual electrode of the plurality of third virtual electrodes, based on current information reconstructed based on magnetic field measurement data generated by the subject;
displaying current waveforms representing a time variation of the respective current components of the plurality of first virtual electrodes, the plurality of second virtual electrodes, and the plurality of third virtual electrode, on a display
receiving a designation of a specified time range of one of the current waveforms of the plurality of first virtual electrodes, the plurality of second virtual electrodes, and the plurality of third virtual electrodes displayed on the display;
receiving a designation of two specified current waveforms among the current waveforms of the plurality of first virtual electrodes, the plurality of second virtual electrodes, and the plurality of third virtual electrodes displayed on the display; and
calculating a conduction velocity of a stimulus within the subject, based on a time variation of a feature point of the one of the current waveforms within the specified time range, and calculating the conduction velocity between two virtual electrodes corresponding to the two specified current waveforms, based on a difference between appearance times of feature points of the two specified current waveforms, and the neural pathway between the two virtual electrodes.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium as claimed in claim 11, wherein the morphological image is one of an X-ray image, a computed tomography image, and a magnetic resonance image.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium as claimed in claim 11, wherein the generating the neural pathway generates the neural pathway using a Bezier curve according to a plurality of specified positions designated on the morphological image.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium as claimed in claim 11, wherein
the generating the neural pathway resets positions of the plurality of first virtual electrodes, the plurality of second virtual electrodes, and the plurality of third virtual electrodes, based on a change in at least one of the number of the plurality of first virtual electrodes and the distance between the two adjacent first virtual electrodes, and
the extracting reextracts the current components of the plurality of first virtual electrodes, the plurality of second virtual electrodes, and the plurality of third virtual electrodes at the reset positions.