Meiji Co., Ltd.

The University of Tokyo

Osaka University

Yoshio Toyama

Tetsu Kamiya

Yukihiro Michiwaki

Yusuke Takei

Kiyoshi Matsumoto

Isao Shimoyama

Kentaro Noda

Keigo Hanyuu

Rika Murakami

Toshihiro Ohmori

Takashi Tachimura

A swallowing simulation apparatus that facilitate approximately reproducing an actual phenomenon of swallowing and allows quantifying a physical quantity related to a behavior and a physical property of an orally-ingested product is provided. The swallowing simulation apparatusA comprises a head-and-neck modeling unitconfigured to form a dynamic three-dimensional model of the head-and-neckthat includes head-and-neck organs, an organ movement setting unitconfigured to set movements of the respective head-and-neck organs in the dynamic three-dimensional model of the head-and-neck, an orally-ingested-product physical-property setting unitconfigured to set an orally-ingested product as an analysis target and a physical property of the orally-ingested product, an input unitconfigured to input a pseudo-orally-ingested productformed by modeling the orally-ingested product to an oral cavity, a movement analysis unitconfigured to analyze the movements of the respective head-and-neck organs in the dynamic three-dimensional model of the head-and-neckand a behavior of the pseudo-orally-ingested productduring swallowed in a three-dimensional space using a particle method, and a display unitconfigured to display an analysis result of the movements of the respective head-and-neck organs and the behavior of the pseudo-orally-ingested product during swallowed that are analyzed by the movement analysis uniton a movement screen.

Swallowing simulation apparatus and method

A swallowing simulation apparatus comprises a computer that stores swallowing simulation software that when executed results in an oral cavity model and a pseudo-food product which are analyzed in a swallowing simulation. The analysis is used to evaluate ease of eating and/or drinking.

To propose an oral cavity sensor capable of analyzing tongue movements in more detail than before. In an oral cavity sensor () which is even provided with a sensor element () having a mechanical configuration capable of measuring each of external force components in three axis directions, the sensor element () can be protected by an elastic body (), and the whole of the elastic body () is covered with the coating film () made of a biocompatible material. Thereby, the sensor element () and the elastic body () can be safely attached in an oral cavity (MT) of a subject (EXA), and can measure each of the external force components in the three axis directions. As a result, on the basis of the external force components in the three axis directions, complicated tongue movements at the time of mastication or swallowing in the oral cavity (MT) can be analyzed in more detail than before.

Oral cavity sensor

Growing community of inventors

Odawara, Japan

Yoshio Toyama