Health management system and health management method

Abstract

This health management system executes a bathing determination process, a first acquisition process, a second acquisition process, a pulse data acquisition process, a determination process, and an output process. The bathing determination process is for determining bathing and bathing completion of a subject. The first acquisition process is for acquiring, as a first oxygen saturation level, the result of measurement of the blood oxygen saturation level of the subject during a first measurement period. The second acquisition process is for acquiring, as a second oxygen saturation level, the blood oxygen saturation level of the subject during a second measurement period. The pulse data acquisition process is for acquiring the pulse rate of the subject. The determination process is for making a determination related to the state of health based cardiac failure in the subject, on the basis of the value of the first oxygen saturation level, the value of the second oxygen saturation level, and a change in the pulse rate. The output process is for outputting the result of determination in the determination process.

Description

Health management system and health management method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a health management system and a health management method.

[0002] The heart failure monitoring device described in Patent Document 1 includes a blood oxygen saturation measurement unit, an oxygen saturation fluctuation range calculation unit, and a heart failure warning unit. The blood oxygen saturation measurement unit is capable of measuring the subject's blood oxygen concentration over time. The oxygen saturation fluctuation range calculation unit calculates the amount of change in the blood oxygen concentration measured by the blood oxygen saturation measurement unit. The heart failure warning unit outputs a signal indicating an alarm about the onset of heart failure when the amount of change exceeds a predetermined reference value.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-216113

[0004] A subject's blood oxygen saturation level may change depending on the subject's activity. Furthermore, the way in which the subject's blood oxygen saturation level changes may also vary depending on the type of activity the subject is engaged in. If this point is not taken into consideration and a determination is made based on a comparison of the amount of change in blood oxygen concentration with a reference value, as in the heart failure monitoring device described in Patent Document 1, it is difficult to accurately detect changes in health related to heart failure.

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the present disclosure provides a health management system that executes a bathing determination process that determines whether a subject has started bathing and finished bathing; a first acquisition process that defines at least a portion of the bathing period from when it is determined in the bathing determination process that bathing has started to when it is determined that bathing has finished as a first measurement period, and acquires the measurement result of the subject's blood oxygen saturation during the first measurement period as a first oxygen saturation; a second acquisition process that defines at least a portion of the non-bathing period from when it is determined in the bathing determination process that bathing has finished to when it is determined that bathing has started as a second measurement period, and acquires the subject's blood oxygen saturation during the second measurement period as a second oxygen saturation; a pulse data acquisition process that acquires the subject's pulse rate; a determination process that makes a determination regarding the subject's condition based on heart failure based on the value of the first oxygen saturation, the value of the second oxygen saturation, and changes in the pulse rate; and an output process that outputs the determination result of the determination process.

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, the present disclosure provides a health management method in which a computer executes a bathing determination process for determining when a subject starts bathing and when he or she finishes bathing; a first acquisition process for setting at least a portion of the bathing period from when it is determined in the bathing determination process that the start of bathing has occurred until it is determined that the bathing has ended as a first measurement period, and acquiring the measurement result of the subject's blood oxygen saturation during the first measurement period as a first oxygen saturation; a second acquisition process for setting at least a portion of the non-bathing period from when it is determined in the bathing determination process that the end of bathing has occurred until it is determined that the bathing has occurred as a second measurement period, and acquiring the subject's blood oxygen saturation during the second measurement period as a second oxygen saturation; a pulse data acquisition process for acquiring the subject's pulse rate; a determination process for making a determination regarding the subject's condition based on heart failure based on the value of the first oxygen saturation, the value of the second oxygen saturation, and changes in the pulse rate; and an output process for outputting the determination result of the determination process.

[0007] According to the above configuration, changes in the condition related to heart failure can be detected more accurately.

[0008] FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of a health management system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 shows the average blood oxygen saturation levels of subjects without a history of heart failure. FIG. 3 shows the average blood oxygen saturation levels of subjects with a history of heart failure. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing the processing of the health management system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a graph showing the standard deviation of biological information for 30 minutes after the end of bathing when the subject is a heart failure patient who has not been readmitted to hospital. FIG. 6 is a graph showing the standard deviation of biological information for 30 minutes after the end of bathing when the subject is a heart failure patient who has been readmitted to hospital. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing the processing of the health management system according to a second embodiment. FIG. 8 shows the overall configuration of a health management system according to a third embodiment. FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram showing the processing of the health management system according to the third embodiment.

[0009] Hereinafter, first and second embodiments of the health management system will be described with reference to the drawings. (First Embodiment) <Overall Configuration> The health management system 10 is a system for determining the condition of a subject who is a heart failure patient, based on heart failure.

[0010] 1, the health management system 10 includes a biosensor 20, a bathing detection sensor 30, a mobile terminal 40, a server 50, and an external terminal 60. The mobile terminal 40, the server 50, and the external terminal 60 are all examples of computers.

[0011] The biosensor 20 is capable of measuring blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate as the subject's bioinformation BI. In this embodiment, the biosensor 20 is a pulse oximeter. Preferably, the pulse oximeter calculates the blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate from the transmittance of red light and infrared light when the subject is irradiated with the light. Preferably, the biosensor 20 can be attached to the subject's fingertip or wrist.

[0012] Although not shown, the biosensor 20 includes a memory unit and a communication unit. The memory unit and communication unit may be configured as a single chip or module, or as separate chips or modules. The memory unit may include a read-only ROM, a readable / writable non-volatile memory, a readable / writable volatile memory, etc. This also applies hereinafter.

[0013] The storage unit stores the detected biometric information BI. The communication unit is capable of communicating with an external device. The communication method used by the communication unit is, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark). The biometric sensor 20 is capable of transmitting the biometric information BI stored in the storage unit to the external device via the communication unit.

[0014] When the power of the biosensor 20 is on, the biosensor 20 measures the bioinformation BI at a predetermined interval, for example, every three minutes. That is, the biosensor 20 detects the subject's blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate at the predetermined interval. The biosensor 20 stores the measured bioinformation BI in a memory unit. Then, the biosensor 20 transmits the bioinformation BI to the mobile terminal 40 each time it measures the bioinformation BI.

[0015] In this embodiment, the bathing detection sensor 30 is a human presence sensor that detects the presence or absence of a person in the bathroom. The human presence sensor is, for example, a pyroelectric infrared sensor that detects temperature changes of a heat source within the detection area. The human presence sensor may also be incorporated into a light bulb or the like in the bathroom. Although not shown, the bathing detection sensor 30 is equipped with a communication unit. The communication unit is capable of communicating with external devices. The communication method of the communication unit is, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0016] When the bathing detection sensor 30 detects that a person is in the bathroom, it transmits a detection signal to the mobile terminal 40. When the bathing detection sensor 30 detects that no one is in the bathroom, it transmits a non-detection signal to the mobile terminal 40. The bathing detection sensor 30 can transmit the detection signal and non-detection signal to the mobile terminal 40 via the communication unit.

[0017] In this embodiment, the mobile terminal 40 is a smartphone. The mobile terminal 40 is, for example, owned by the subject. Although not shown in the figure, the mobile terminal 40 includes a storage unit, a first communication unit, and a second communication unit. In this embodiment, the communication method of the first communication unit is Bluetooth (registered trademark). The communication method of the second communication unit is a method using a mobile phone communication network. Therefore, the communication range of the second communication unit of the mobile terminal 40 is wider than the communication range of the first communication unit.

[0018] The mobile terminal 40 can acquire the biometric information BI from the biometric sensor 20 via the first communication unit. The mobile terminal 40 can also acquire the detection signal and non-detection signal from the bathing detection sensor 30 via the first communication unit. The mobile terminal 40 can also store the biometric information BI, the detection signal, and the non-detection signal in the memory unit.

[0019] The mobile terminal 40 can transmit the biometric information BI, the detection signal, and the non-detection signal stored in the memory unit of the mobile terminal 40 to the server 50 via the second communication unit. Although not shown, the server 50 has a control unit, a memory unit, and a communication unit. Specifically, the control unit is a CPU. The communication unit uses a mobile phone communication network as its communication method. The server 50 executes various processes by executing programs stored in the memory unit. The server 50 can also transmit signals to the mobile terminal 40 by executing communication processes.

[0020] The server 50 is capable of executing a bathing determination process. The bathing determination process is a process for determining whether a subject has started bathing and whether the subject has finished bathing. Specifically, the server 50 determines that the subject has started bathing by acquiring a detection signal. Furthermore, the server 50 determines that the subject has finished bathing by acquiring a non-detection signal. As described above, the detection signal is a signal transmitted from the bathing detection sensor 30 when it detects that a person is in the bathroom. Furthermore, the non-detection signal is a signal transmitted from the bathing detection sensor 30 when it detects that no person is in the bathroom. Therefore, the bathing determination process is a process in which the bathing detection sensor 30 determines that the subject has started bathing based on the detection of a person, and then determines that the subject has finished bathing based on the detection of no longer detecting a person after the bathing start is determined. Note that "executable by the server 50" means that the control unit of the server 50 is capable of executing the process. The same applies to the following explanation.

[0021] The server 50 is capable of executing a first acquisition process. Here, the first measurement period is defined as at least a portion of the bathing period from when the bathing start is determined in the bathing determination process to when the bathing end is determined. In this embodiment, the first measurement period is the entire bathing period. In the first acquisition process, the server 50 extracts the subject's biological information BI during the first measurement period from the multiple pieces of biological information BI stored in the memory unit. Then, the server 50 acquires the average value of the blood oxygen saturation included in the biological information BI during the first measurement period as the first oxygen saturation.

[0022] The server 50 is capable of executing a second acquisition process. Here, the second measurement period is defined as at least a portion of the non-bathing period from when the bathing end is determined in the bathing determination process to when the bathing start is determined. In other words, the second measurement period is at least a portion of the period before and after the subject's bathing. In this embodiment, the second measurement period is the period from when the biosensor 20 is turned on before bathing to when the bathing start is determined in the bathing determination process. In the second acquisition process, the server 50 extracts the subject's bioinformation BI during the second measurement period from the multiple pieces of bioinformation BI stored in the memory unit. The server 50 then acquires the average blood oxygen saturation value included in the bioinformation BI during the second measurement period as the second oxygen saturation.

[0023] The server 50 is capable of executing a pulse data acquisition process. The pulse data acquisition process is a process for acquiring the pulse rate of the subject. Specifically, the server 50 extracts the subject's biological information BI during a first measurement period from the plurality of pieces of biological information BI stored in the storage unit. The server 50 then acquires, as a first pulse rate, the average value of the pulse rates included in the biological information BI during the first measurement period. The server 50 also extracts the subject's biological information BI during a second measurement period from the plurality of pieces of biological information BI stored in the storage unit. The server 50 then acquires, as a second pulse rate, the average value of the pulse rates included in the biological information BI during the second measurement period.

[0024] The server 50 is capable of executing a determination process. The determination process is a process for determining the subject's condition due to heart failure based on the first oxygen saturation value, the second oxygen saturation value, and changes in the pulse rate. For example, the server 50 determines that the subject's condition due to heart failure has worsened if both the first condition and the second condition are satisfied in the determination process. Furthermore, the server 50 determines that the subject's condition due to heart failure has not worsened if either or both of the first condition and the second condition are not satisfied in the determination process.

[0025] The first condition is that the first oxygen saturation value is smaller than the second oxygen saturation value, and the difference between the first and second oxygen saturation values ​​is equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold. The second condition is that the first pulse rate is greater than the second pulse rate by equal to or greater than a predetermined second threshold. The first and second thresholds can be determined as values ​​when a deterioration in the subject's heart failure condition is observed in an experiment or the like. For example, the first threshold is 4.5%. That is, the first threshold is a value set within the range of 4% to 8%. For example, the second threshold is 30 beats per minute.

[0026] The server 50 is capable of executing an output process. The output process is a process of outputting the determination result of the determination process. Specifically, in the output process, the server 50 outputs the determination result of the determination process to the mobile terminal 40 and the external terminal 60.

[0027] In this embodiment, the external terminal 60 is a PC installed in the hospital. Although not shown, the external terminal 60 includes a communication unit. In this embodiment, the communication unit communicates using a mobile phone communication network. The external terminal 60 can receive signals from the server 50 via the communication unit.

[0028] <Regarding the First Threshold> As shown in FIG. 2 , the blood oxygen saturation of a subject without a history of heart failure was measured in nine states, and the average value for each state was then calculated. The first state is the subject's average state for the entire day. The second state is the state when not bathing. The third state is the state while bathing. The fourth state is the state 30 minutes after finishing bathing. The fifth state is the subject's state after bathing and during the day. The sixth state is the state while sleeping. The seventh state is the state after waking up. The eighth state is the state during a 6-minute walking test. The ninth state is the state 30 minutes after the end of the 6-minute walking test. The 6-minute walking test is performed by the subject walking on flat ground for 6 minutes.

[0029] As shown in Figure 2, for subjects without a history of heart failure, the average blood oxygen saturation level was 95% or higher in each condition. In other words, for subjects without a history of heart failure, no significant drop in blood oxygen saturation was observed even during bathing.

[0030] As shown in Figure 3, the blood oxygen saturation of subjects with a history of heart failure was measured in nine states, and the average value for each state was calculated. The nine states are the same as those shown in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 3, the average blood oxygen saturation of the subjects was 95% or higher in states 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, and 9.

[0031] On the other hand, in the eighth condition, i.e., when the subject was walking for six minutes, the subjects' average blood oxygen saturation was below 93%. Thus, the experiment showed that subjects with a history of heart failure experienced a decrease in blood oxygen saturation during the six-minute walking test.

[0032] In the third condition, when the subjects were bathing, the average blood oxygen saturation of the subjects was below 91%. This indicates that for subjects with a history of heart failure, blood oxygen saturation decreased not only during the 6-minute walk test but also during bathing, to a level equal to or greater than that during the 6-minute walk test.

[0033] In the second state, i.e., when the subject was not bathing, the average blood oxygen saturation was 95.5% or higher. Therefore, when comparing the average blood oxygen saturation during bathing and the average blood oxygen saturation during non-bathing, a difference of 4.5% or more was observed. Based on these measurement results, it is preferable that the first threshold be set to a value within the range of 4% to 8%.

[0034] <Processing Executed by the Health Management System> An example of processing executed by the health management system 10 will be described with reference to Figure 4. First, the biosensor 20 attached to the subject is powered on. The biosensor 20 measures the subject's blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate as bioinformation BI every three minutes. The biosensor 20 transmits the bioinformation BI to the mobile terminal 40 each time it measures the bioinformation BI. Note that Figure 4 omits some of the transmission of the bioinformation BI from the biosensor 20 to the mobile terminal 40.

[0035] Then, every time the mobile terminal 40 receives the biometric information BI, it transmits the biometric information BI to the server 50 via the second communication unit. The server 50 stores the biometric information BI. Note that in FIG. 4 , part of the transmission of the biometric information BI from the mobile terminal 40 to the server 50 is omitted.

[0036] At a certain point in time, the subject starts bathing. That is, the subject enters the bathroom. The bathing detection sensor 30 detects that the subject has started bathing and transmits a detection signal to the mobile terminal 40 via the communication unit.

[0037] The mobile terminal 40 then transmits the received detection signal to the server 50 via the second communication unit. The server 50 then executes a bathing determination process by acquiring the detection signal from the bathing detection sensor 30. In other words, the server 50 determines that the subject has started bathing by acquiring the detection signal.

[0038] Here, the server 50 executes a second acquisition process and a pulse data acquisition process in response to the determination of the start of bathing. In the second acquisition process, the server 50 acquires the subject's blood oxygen saturation as a second oxygen saturation during a second measurement period, which is at least a part of the non-bathing period from when the previous bathing end is determined to be over until when the bathing start is determined. As described above, the second measurement period is the period from when the biosensor 20 is turned on before bathing until when the bathing start is determined in the bathing determination process.

[0039] In the second acquisition process, the server 50 first extracts the blood oxygen saturation level for the second measurement period from the acquired biological information BI. Then, in the second acquisition process, the server 50 acquires the average value of the extracted blood oxygen saturation levels as the second oxygen saturation level. Also, in the second acquisition process, the server 50 first extracts the pulse rate for the second measurement period from the acquired biological information BI as a pulse data acquisition process. Then, in the pulse data acquisition process, the server 50 acquires the average value of the extracted pulse rates as the second pulse rate.

[0040] Even after the server 50 determines that the subject has started bathing, the biosensor 20 continues to measure the subject's blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate as bioinformation BI every three minutes, just as it did before bathing. The biosensor 20 then transmits the bioinformation BI to the portable terminal 40 every time it measures it. The portable terminal 40 then transmits the bioinformation BI to the server 50 via the second communication unit every time it receives the bioinformation BI.

[0041] At a certain point, when the subject finishes bathing, i.e., when the subject leaves the bathroom, the bathing detection sensor 30 detects that the subject has finished bathing and transmits a non-detection signal to the mobile terminal 40 via the communication unit.

[0042] The portable terminal 40 then transmits a non-detection signal to the server 50 via the second communication unit. The server 50 then executes a bathing determination process by acquiring the non-detection signal from the bathing detection sensor 30. In other words, the server 50 determines that the subject has finished bathing by acquiring the non-detection signal. The server 50 then treats the period from when it is determined that the subject has started bathing to when it is determined that the subject has finished bathing as the first measurement period.

[0043] The server 50 executes the first acquisition process and the pulse data acquisition process in response to the determination that the bathing has ended. In other words, the server 50 acquires the subject's blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate during a first measurement period, which is at least a part of the bathing period.

[0044] In the first acquisition process, the server 50 first extracts the blood oxygen saturation level for the first measurement period from the acquired biological information BI. Then, in the first acquisition process, the server 50 acquires the average value of the extracted blood oxygen saturation levels as the first oxygen saturation level. Also, in the pulse data acquisition process, the server 50 extracts the pulse rate for the first measurement period from the acquired biological information BI. Then, in the pulse data acquisition process, the server 50 acquires the average value of the extracted pulse rates as the first pulse rate.

[0045] The server 50 executes a determination process. Specifically, the server 50 determines whether the first oxygen saturation level is smaller than the second oxygen saturation level by at least a first threshold value. That is, the server 50 determines whether the first condition described above is satisfied.

[0046] Furthermore, the server 50 determines whether the first pulse rate is greater than the second pulse rate by at least a second threshold value. That is, the server 50 determines whether the above-described second condition is satisfied.

[0047] In the determination process, the server 50 determines that the subject's heart failure condition has worsened if both the first condition and the second condition are satisfied. In addition, in the determination process, the server 50 determines that the subject's heart failure condition has not worsened if either or both of the first condition and the second condition are not satisfied. In this embodiment, "worsening of the subject's heart failure condition" includes not only deterioration itself but also signs of deterioration.

[0048] The server 50 executes an output process. The server 50 executes the output process by outputting the determination result of the determination process to the mobile terminal 40. For example, if the determination result is "the subject's heart failure condition has worsened," the server 50 transmits a first signal to the mobile terminal 40. Then, upon receiving the first signal, the mobile terminal 40 displays text, an image, etc. indicating that the subject's heart failure condition has worsened on a display of the mobile terminal 40. Furthermore, upon receiving the first signal, the mobile terminal 40 may display text, an image, etc. indicating that the subject's heart failure condition has worsened on a display of the mobile terminal 40, along with the text, an image, etc. indicating the above. Furthermore, for example, if the determination result is "the subject's heart failure condition has not worsened," the server 50 transmits a second signal to the mobile terminal 40. Then, upon receiving the second signal, the mobile terminal 40 displays text, an image, etc. indicating that the subject's heart failure condition has not worsened on a display of the mobile terminal 40. In the output process, the server 50 also outputs the determination result to the external terminal 60. Similar to the mobile terminal 40, the external terminal 60 outputs the determination result to a display that the external terminal 60 has or a display connected to the external terminal 60.

[0049] Effects of the First Embodiment (1-1) In the above embodiment, a determination is made regarding the subject's condition due to heart failure based on the first oxygen saturation level, the second oxygen saturation level, and pulse data. As described above, if the subject has a history of heart failure, changes occur in the biometric information BI between bathing and not bathing that are not observed in subjects without a history of heart failure. In the above embodiment, a determination is made regarding the subject's condition due to heart failure based on the first oxygen saturation level, the second oxygen saturation level, and the comparison result between the first pulse rate and the second pulse rate in the determination process. As a result, a worsening condition due to heart failure can be detected more accurately.

[0050] (1-2) In the above embodiment, the server 50 determines that the subject's heart failure condition is worsening if the first oxygen saturation value is smaller than the second oxygen saturation value and the difference between the first and second oxygen saturation values ​​is equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold value. In other words, it can more accurately determine that the decrease in blood oxygen saturation during bathing is due to a worsening heart failure condition.

[0051] (1-3) In the above embodiment, the first threshold is set to a value within the range of 4% to 8%. This range of the first threshold allows for more accurate assessment of the worsening of the condition of heart failure due to bathing, as described above.

[0052] (1-4) In the above embodiment, the server 50 determines that the subject's heart failure condition is worsening if the first pulse rate is greater than the second pulse rate by a predetermined second threshold or more in the determination process. In other words, it can more accurately determine that the change in pulse rate before and after bathing is a decrease due to heart failure.

[0053] (1-5) In the above embodiment, the server 50 executes the output process by outputting the determination result of the determination process to the mobile terminal 40. This allows the subject to check the condition of heart failure for themselves.

[0054] (1-6) In the above embodiment, the server 50 determines the start of bathing in the bathing determination process based on the bathing detection sensor 30 detecting a person after going from a non-detected state to a non-detected state. Furthermore, after determining the start of bathing, the server 50 determines the end of bathing based on the bathing detection sensor 30 going from a detected state to a non-detected state. By automatically performing the bathing determination process in this way, it is possible to prevent forgetting to input the timing as described above, resulting in more accurate determinations in the determination process.

[0055] Second Embodiment A health management system according to a second embodiment will be described below. Note that, in the following description, descriptions of the same components as those in the first embodiment will be omitted or simplified.

[0056] When the power of the biosensor 20 is on, the biosensor 20 measures the bioinformation BI at a predetermined interval, for example, every few tens of seconds. That is, the biosensor 20 detects the subject's blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate at the predetermined interval. The biosensor 20 stores the measured bioinformation BI in a memory unit. Then, the biosensor 20 transmits the bioinformation BI to the mobile terminal 40 each time it measures the bioinformation BI.

[0057] The server 50 is capable of executing a first acquisition process. Here, the first measurement period is defined as at least a portion of the bathing period from when the bathing start is determined in the bathing determination process to when the bathing end is determined. In this embodiment, the first measurement period is the entire bathing period. In the first acquisition process, the server 50 extracts the subject's biological information BI during the first measurement period from the multiple pieces of biological information BI stored in the memory unit. Then, in the first acquisition process, the server 50 acquires the average blood oxygen saturation level included in the biological information BI during the first measurement period as the first oxygen saturation level.

[0058] The server 50 is capable of executing a second acquisition process. Here, the second measurement period is at least a portion of the non-bathing period from when the bathing end is determined in the bathing determination process until when the bathing start is determined. In other words, the second measurement period is at least a portion of the period before and after the subject's bathing. In this embodiment, the second measurement period is the period from when the bathing end is determined until the biosensor 20 is turned off. The second measurement period also includes a timing that is a predetermined specific time after the bathing end is determined in the bathing determination process. The specific time is, for example, 30 minutes. In the second acquisition process, the server 50 extracts the bioinformation BI of the subject during the second measurement period that is closest to the timing 30 minutes after the bathing end is determined. Then, in the second acquisition process, the server 50 acquires the blood oxygen saturation included in the extracted bioinformation BI as the second oxygen saturation.

[0059] The server 50 is capable of executing a pulse data acquisition process. The pulse data acquisition process is a process for acquiring the subject's pulse rate. Specifically, in the pulse data acquisition process, the server 50 extracts biometric information BI from a pre-bathing period before the bathing start is determined in the bathing determination process. Then, in the pulse data acquisition process, the server 50 acquires the average pulse rate included in the biometric information BI from the pre-bathing period as the pre-bathing pulse rate. After detecting the end of bathing in the bathing determination process, the server 50 resets the determination after a predetermined period has elapsed. After the reset, the server 50 defines the period until the next bathing start as the pre-bathing period. Furthermore, in the pulse data acquisition process, the server 50 extracts the biometric information BI closest to the timing a predetermined time after the end of bathing is determined in the bathing determination process. Then, the server 50 acquires the pulse rate included in the extracted biometric information BI as the post-bathing pulse rate. In this embodiment, the specified time is 10 minutes. Note that "after the specified time" here includes the time when the specified time has elapsed and any time after the specified time has elapsed.

[0060] The server 50 is capable of executing a determination process. The determination process is a process for determining the subject's condition due to heart failure based on the first oxygen saturation value, the second oxygen saturation value, and changes in the pulse rate. For example, if both the first condition and the second condition are satisfied in the determination process, the server 50 determines that the subject's condition due to heart failure has worsened. Furthermore, if either or both of the first condition and the second condition are not satisfied in the determination process, the server 50 determines that the subject's condition due to heart failure is improving.

[0061] The first condition is that the post-bathing pulse rate is greater than the pre-bathing pulse rate by a predetermined reference value or more. The second condition is that the value obtained by subtracting the first oxygen saturation from the second oxygen saturation is equal to or less than a predetermined value set within the range of 3% to 4%. The reference value and predetermined value can be determined as values ​​when a deterioration in the subject's heart failure condition is observed in an experiment, etc.

[0062] <Regarding Reference Values> As described above, as shown in FIG. 2, in the case of subjects without a history of heart failure, the average blood oxygen saturation of the subjects was 95% or higher in each state.

[0063] As shown in Figure 3, for subjects with a history of heart failure, the average blood oxygen saturation of the subjects was 95% or higher in the first, second, fifth, sixth, seventh, and ninth states.

[0064] As mentioned above, in the third state, i.e., while the subject was bathing, the subject's average blood oxygen saturation was 91% or less. Furthermore, in the fourth state, i.e., 30 minutes after the subject finished bathing, the blood oxygen saturation was 94% or more and 95% or less. Therefore, when comparing the average blood oxygen saturation during bathing with the blood oxygen saturation 30 minutes after bathing, a difference of 3% or more and 4% or less was observed. Based on these measurement results, it is preferable that the standard value be set within the range of 4% or more and 8% or less.

[0065] <Regarding the Specific Timing> Using patients who had not previously been re-hospitalized for heart failure as subjects, we examined the distribution of pulse rate and blood oxygen saturation over several tens of minutes before bathing. Then, as shown in Figure 5, using the same patients as subjects, we calculated the standard deviation of the pulse rate and blood oxygen saturation values ​​for 30 minutes after bathing from the average values ​​on the distribution before bathing. In Figure 5, the dashed line indicates the pulse rate trend, and the solid line indicates the blood oxygen saturation trend. The reference value was the average value of the subject's measurements over several tens of minutes before bathing. In the graph shown in Figure 5, a pulse rate standard deviation smaller than zero indicates a value smaller than the average value before bathing. A pulse rate standard deviation greater than zero indicates a value larger than the average value before bathing. Furthermore, a blood oxygen saturation standard deviation smaller than zero indicates a blood oxygen saturation value smaller than the average value before bathing. A blood oxygen saturation standard deviation greater than zero indicates a blood oxygen saturation value larger than the average value before bathing.

[0066] As shown in Figure 5, when the subject was a patient with no history of rehospitalization due to heart failure, the standard deviation of the heart rate fluctuated between 0 and approximately 600 seconds, approaching 0. The standard deviation of the heart rate then became less than 1 at approximately 600 seconds, i.e., approximately 10 minutes. In other words, when the subject was a patient with heart failure with no history of rehospitalization, it was found that there was not a large discrepancy between the pulse rate 10 minutes after bathing and the pulse rate before bathing.

[0067] Furthermore, when the subject was a patient with no history of rehospitalization due to heart failure, the standard deviation of blood oxygen saturation fluctuated and approached zero from 0 to approximately 600 seconds. At approximately 600 seconds, or approximately 10 minutes, the standard deviation of blood oxygen saturation was close to zero. For this subject, the standard deviation of blood oxygen saturation also showed a value close to zero at approximately 1200 seconds, or approximately 20 minutes. In other words, when the subject was a heart failure patient with no history of rehospitalization, the blood oxygen saturation 10 and 20 minutes after bathing did not deviate significantly from the blood oxygen saturation before bathing. Furthermore, for this subject, the standard deviation of blood oxygen saturation started out negative during the period from 0 to 600 seconds, but sometimes showed positive values ​​along the way.

[0068] As shown in Figure 6, the standard deviations of pulse rate and blood oxygen saturation for 30 minutes after bathing were calculated for a patient who had previously been rehospitalized due to heart failure, as in the example shown in Figure 5. In Figure 6, the dashed line indicates the pulse rate trend, and the solid line indicates the blood oxygen saturation trend. The reference values ​​were determined in the same manner as in the example shown in Figure 5. For heart failure patients who had previously been rehospitalized, the standard deviation of the pulse rate was greater than 1 for approximately 600 seconds, i.e., approximately 10 minutes. In other words, for heart failure patients who had previously been rehospitalized, the pulse rate 10 minutes after bathing was relatively higher than the reference value, when the average pulse rate before bathing was used as the reference. Thus, comparing the pulse rate 10 minutes after bathing with the pulse rate before bathing revealed that in heart failure patients who had previously been rehospitalized and who are more likely to exhibit symptoms of heart failure, the pulse rate 10 minutes after bathing was higher than the pulse rate before bathing.

[0069] Furthermore, when the subject was a patient who had previously been re-hospitalized due to heart failure, the standard deviation of blood oxygen saturation was approximately minus 0.5 at approximately 600 seconds, or approximately 10 minutes. Similarly, for this subject, the standard deviation of blood oxygen saturation was also negative at approximately 1200 seconds, or approximately 20 minutes. Thus, it was found that in heart failure patients who had previously been re-hospitalized and are prone to developing heart failure symptoms, the blood oxygen saturation 10 and 20 minutes after finishing bathing was lower than the blood oxygen concentration before bathing.

[0070] Furthermore, for this subject, the standard deviation of blood oxygen saturation was generally negative for the period from 0 to approximately 600 seconds. In other words, if the subject was a heart failure patient who had previously been re-admitted to hospital, and the average blood oxygen saturation level before bathing was used as the standard, the blood oxygen saturation level 10 minutes after bathing ended was generally lower than the standard.

[0071] <Processing Executed by Health Management System> An example of processing executed by health management system 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Note that the mobile terminal 40, server 50, and external terminal 60, which are computers, execute each processing in cooperation to realize a health management method consisting of each processing.

[0072] First, the biosensor 20 attached to a subject who is a heart failure patient is powered on. The biosensor 20 measures the subject's blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate as bioinformation BI every few tens of seconds. The biosensor 20 transmits the bioinformation BI to the mobile terminal 40 every time it measures it. Note that FIG. 7 omits part of the transmission of the bioinformation BI from the biosensor 20 to the mobile terminal 40.

[0073] Then, every time the mobile terminal 40 receives the biometric information BI, it transmits the biometric information BI to the server 50 via the second communication unit. The server 50 stores the biometric information BI. Note that in Fig. 7, part of the transmission of the biometric information BI from the mobile terminal 40 to the server 50 is omitted.

[0074] At a certain point in time, the subject starts bathing. That is, the subject enters the bathroom. The bathing detection sensor 30 detects that the subject has started bathing and transmits a detection signal to the mobile terminal 40 via the communication unit.

[0075] The mobile terminal 40 then transmits the received detection signal to the server 50 via the second communication unit. The server 50 then executes a bathing determination process by acquiring the detection signal from the biosensor 20. In other words, the server 50 determines that the subject has started bathing by acquiring the detection signal.

[0076] Meanwhile, the server 50 executes a pulse data acquisition process in response to the determination of the start of bathing. In other words, the server 50 acquires the pulse rate during the pre-bathing period before the determination of the start of bathing as the pre-bathing pulse rate. Specifically, the server 50 extracts the subject's biometric information BI during the pre-bathing period stored in the storage unit. Then, the server 50 acquires the average value of the pulse rates included in the extracted biometric information BI as the pre-bathing pulse rate.

[0077] The biosensor 20 measures the subject's blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate as bioinformation BI every few tens of seconds, just as before bathing. The biosensor 20 then transmits the bioinformation BI to the portable terminal 40 every time it measures the bioinformation BI. The portable terminal 40 then transmits the bioinformation BI to the server 50 via the second communication unit every time it receives the bioinformation BI.

[0078] At a certain point, when the subject finishes bathing, i.e., when the subject leaves the bathroom, the bathing detection sensor 30 detects that the subject has finished bathing and transmits a non-detection signal to the mobile terminal 40 via the communication unit.

[0079] The mobile terminal 40 then transmits a non-detection signal to the server 50 via the second communication unit. The server 50 then executes a bathing determination process by acquiring the non-detection signal from the biosensor 20. In other words, the server 50 determines that the subject has finished bathing by acquiring the non-detection signal.

[0080] The server 50 executes a first acquisition process in response to the determination that bathing has ended. In other words, the server 50 acquires the subject's blood oxygen saturation during at least a part of the bathing period, a first measurement period. Specifically, the server 50 extracts the blood oxygen saturation during the first measurement period from the acquired biological information BI. The server 50 then acquires the minimum value of the extracted blood oxygen saturation as the first oxygen saturation.

[0081] Next, the biosensor 20 measures the subject's blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate as bioinformation BI every few tens of seconds, just as during bathing. The biosensor 20 then transmits the bioinformation BI to the portable terminal 40 every time it measures the bioinformation BI. The portable terminal 40 then transmits the bioinformation BI to the server 50 via the second communication unit every time it receives the bioinformation BI.

[0082] The server 50 executes the second acquisition process and the pulse data acquisition process when 30 minutes have elapsed since the end of bathing. In other words, the server 50 acquires the subject's blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate during the second measurement period, which is at least a portion of the period from when the end of bathing is determined to when the start of bathing is determined. As described above, the second measurement period is the period from when the end of bathing is determined to when the power of the biosensor 20 is turned off. Therefore, unless the power of the biosensor 20 is turned off within 30 minutes, the second measurement period includes the 30 minutes that are a predetermined time after the end of bathing is determined in the bathing determination process. Specifically, in the second acquisition process, the server 50 extracts the bioinformation BI of the subject during the second measurement period that is closest to the time 30 minutes after the end of bathing is determined. Then, in the second acquisition process, the server 50 acquires the blood oxygen saturation included in the extracted bioinformation BI as the second oxygen saturation.

[0083] Furthermore, in the bathing determination process, the server 50 acquires the pulse rate a predetermined time after the end of bathing has begun as the post-bathing pulse rate. The predetermined time is 10 minutes. In other words, the predetermined time is included in the second measurement period. Specifically, in the pulse data acquisition process, the server 50 extracts the biometric information BI of the subject during the second measurement period that is closest to the timing 10 minutes after the end of bathing has been determined. Then, in the pulse data acquisition process, the server 50 acquires the pulse rate included in the extracted biometric information BI as the post-bathing pulse rate.

[0084] The server 50 executes a determination process. The server 50 determines whether the value obtained by subtracting the first oxygen saturation level from the second oxygen saturation level is equal to or less than a predetermined value set within a range of 3% to 4%. The predetermined value is, for example, 3.5%. In other words, the server 50 determines whether the first condition is satisfied.

[0085] Furthermore, the server 50 determines whether the post-bathing pulse rate is greater than the pre-bathing pulse rate by a predetermined reference value or more, i.e., whether the second condition is satisfied.

[0086] In the determination process, the server 50 determines that the subject's heart failure condition has worsened if both the first condition and the second condition are satisfied. In addition, in the determination process, the server 50 determines that the subject's heart failure condition has not worsened if either or both of the first condition and the second condition are not satisfied.

[0087] The server 50 executes an output process. The server 50 executes the output process by outputting the determination result of the determination process to the mobile terminal 40. For example, if the determination result is "the subject's heart failure condition has worsened," the server 50 transmits a first signal to the mobile terminal 40. Then, upon receiving the first signal, the mobile terminal 40 displays text, an image, etc. indicating that the subject's heart failure condition has worsened on a display of the mobile terminal 40. Furthermore, upon receiving the first signal, the mobile terminal 40 may display text, an image, etc. indicating that the subject's heart failure condition has worsened on a display of the mobile terminal 40, along with the text, an image, etc. indicating the above. Furthermore, for example, if the determination result is "the subject's heart failure condition has not worsened," the server 50 transmits a second signal to the mobile terminal 40. Then, upon receiving the second signal, the mobile terminal 40 displays text, an image, etc. indicating that the subject's heart failure condition has not worsened on a display of the mobile terminal 40. In the output process, the server 50 also outputs the determination result to the external terminal 60. Similar to the portable terminal 40, the external terminal 60 outputs the determination result to a display that the external terminal 60 has or a display connected to the external terminal 60.

[0088] Effects of the Second Embodiment (2-1) In the second embodiment, the server 50 determines in the determination process that the subject's condition has worsened due to heart failure if the post-bathing pulse rate is greater than the pre-bathing pulse rate by a predetermined reference value or more. As described above, when the average pre-bathing pulse rate is used as the reference for heart failure patients without re-hospitalization and heart failure patients with re-hospitalization, the pulse rate 10 minutes after bathing is higher than the reference value. Therefore, with the above configuration, the influence of bathing can be taken into account in the determination.

[0089] (2-2) In the second embodiment, the server 50 determines that the subject's condition due to heart failure has worsened if the value obtained by subtracting the first oxygen saturation level from the second oxygen saturation level is equal to or less than a predetermined value set within a range of 3% to 4%. This determination allows for a more accurate assessment of whether the subject's condition due to heart failure is due to bathing, as described above.

[0090] 8, the health management system 110 includes a biosensor 120, a plurality of bathing detection sensors 130, a mobile terminal 140, a server 150, and an external terminal 160.

[0091] The biosensor 120 includes functions as a pulse oximeter, a temperature sensor, and an acceleration sensor. The biosensor 120 is a wearable device that can be attached to the fingertip or wrist of the subject. The biosensor 120 acquires four types of biometric information BI.

[0092] The biosensor 120 functions as a pulse oximeter, thereby measuring the subject's blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate as bioinformation BI. The biosensor 120 preferably calculates the blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate from the transmittance of red light and infrared light when the subject is irradiated with the light. The biosensor 120 functions as a temperature sensor, thereby measuring the subject's body temperature as bioinformation BI. The biosensor 120 functions as an acceleration sensor, thereby measuring the subject's acceleration as bioinformation BI. The subject's acceleration can be used to detect the subject's movements, such as the subject's number of steps.

[0093] Although not shown, the biosensor 120 includes a memory unit and a communication unit. The memory unit and communication unit may be configured as a single chip or module, or as separate chips or modules. The memory unit may include a read-only ROM, a readable / writable non-volatile memory, a readable / writable volatile memory, etc. This also applies hereinafter.

[0094] The storage unit stores the detected biometric information BI. The communication unit is capable of communicating with an external device. The communication method used by the communication unit is, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark). The biometric sensor 120 is capable of transmitting the biometric information BI stored in the storage unit to the external device via the communication unit.

[0095] The biosensor 120 is capable of executing an acquisition process. The acquisition process is a process of acquiring biometric information BI over time. As described above, the biosensor 120 is capable of measuring the subject's blood oxygen saturation, pulse rate, body temperature, and acceleration as the biometric information BI. The biosensor 120 stores the measured biometric information BI in a memory unit. Then, the biosensor 120 transmits the biometric information BI to the mobile terminal 140 each time it measures the biometric information BI.

[0096] The bathing detection sensor 130 includes a human presence sensor 131 and a flow rate sensor 132. The human presence sensor 131 is installed in the bathroom. The human presence sensor 131 is capable of detecting the presence or absence of a person in the bathroom. In other words, the human presence sensor 131 is capable of sensing a subject in the bathroom. The human presence sensor 131 is, for example, a pyroelectric infrared sensor that detects temperature changes of a heat source within a detection area. The human presence sensor 131 may also be incorporated into a light bulb or the like in the bathroom. Although not shown, the human presence sensor 131 includes a communication unit. The communication unit is capable of communicating with external devices. The communication method of the communication unit is, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0097] If the human presence sensor 131 detects that a person is in the bathroom, it transmits a detection signal to the mobile terminal 140. If the human presence sensor 131 does not detect a person in the bathroom, it transmits a non-detection signal to the mobile terminal 140. The human presence sensor 131 can transmit the detection signal and non-detection signal to the mobile terminal 140 via the communication unit.

[0098] The flow sensor 132 is attached to the shower in the bathroom. The flow sensor 132 can detect the presence or absence of a person in the bathroom based on detecting a flow rate equal to or greater than a predetermined specified amount. The specified amount is determined based on the shower flow rate during bathing confirmed through experiments, etc. Although not shown, the human presence sensor 131 is equipped with a communication unit. The communication unit is capable of communicating with external devices. The communication method of the communication unit is, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0099] If the flow sensor 132 detects that a person is in the bathroom, it transmits a detection signal to the mobile terminal 140. If the flow sensor 132 does not detect a person in the bathroom, it transmits a non-detection signal to the mobile terminal 140. The flow sensor 132 can transmit the detection signal and non-detection signal to the mobile terminal 140 via the communication unit.

[0100] In the third embodiment, the mobile terminal 140 is a smartphone owned by the subject. Although not shown in the drawings, the mobile terminal 140 includes a storage unit, a first communication unit, and a second communication unit. In the third embodiment, the communication method of the first communication unit is Bluetooth (registered trademark). The communication method of the second communication unit is a method using a mobile phone communication network. Therefore, the communication range of the second communication unit of the mobile terminal 140 is wider than the communication range of the first communication unit.

[0101] The mobile terminal 140 can acquire biometric information BI from the biometric sensor 120 via the first communication unit. The mobile terminal 140 can also acquire a detection signal and a non-detection signal from the bathing detection sensor 130 via the first communication unit. The mobile terminal 140 can store the biometric information BI, detection signal, and non-detection signal in a memory unit. The mobile terminal 140 can transmit the biometric information BI, detection signal, and non-detection signal stored in the memory unit of the mobile terminal 140 to the server 150 via the second communication unit.

[0102] Although not shown, the server 150 has a control unit, a storage unit, and a communication unit. Specifically, the control unit is a CPU. The communication unit uses a mobile phone communication network as its communication method. The server 150 executes various processes by executing programs stored in the storage unit. The server 150 can also transmit signals to the mobile terminal 140 by executing communication processes.

[0103] The server 150 is capable of executing a bathing determination process. The bathing determination process is a process for determining whether the subject has started bathing and whether the subject has finished bathing. The server 150 executes the bathing determination process based on the detection results of the two bathing detection sensors 130. Specifically, the server 150 determines that the subject has taken a bath by acquiring detection signals from both the human presence sensor 131 and the flow rate sensor 132. After determining that the subject has taken a bath, the server 150 determines that the subject has finished bathing by acquiring non-detection signals from both the human presence sensor 131 and the flow rate sensor 132. In other words, the server 150 executes the bathing determination process based on the detection results of the human presence sensor 131 and the flow rate sensor 132. Note that "the server 150 is executable" means that the control unit of the server 150 is executable. The same applies to the following explanation.

[0104] The server 150 causes the biosensor 120 to execute the acquisition process. As described above, the acquisition process is a process for acquiring the subject's bioinformation BI over time. The server 150 causes the biosensor 120 to execute the acquisition process in any one of a first measurement mode, a second measurement mode, and a third measurement mode. Each measurement mode will be described later.

[0105] In the pre-bathing period before the bathing start is determined in the bathing determination process, i.e., when the subject is in a pre-bathing state, the server 150 causes the biosensor 120 to acquire biometric information BI in the first measurement mode in the acquisition process. Specifically, the server 150 resets the determination after a predetermined period has elapsed since the end of bathing was detected in the bathing determination process. The server 150 then defines the pre-bathing period as the period from the reset of the determination until the next bathing start is determined. Note that this predetermined period can be set to a period ranging from several tens of minutes to several hours, for example. Furthermore, upon resetting the determination as described above, the server 150 transmits a first signal to the mobile terminal 140. The mobile terminal 140 transmits the first signal to the mobile terminal 140. Upon receiving the first signal, the mobile terminal 140 transmits a first mode signal to the biosensor 120. The biosensor 120 then begins measurement in the first measurement mode in the acquisition process. After the power of the biosensor 120 is switched from off to on, the biosensor 120 performs measurement in the first measurement mode unless it receives a mode signal from the mobile terminal 140. In other words, the first measurement mode is the measurement mode in the initial state of the biosensor 120.

[0106] Furthermore, during the bathing period from when the start of bathing is determined in the bathing determination process until the end of bathing is determined, i.e., when the subject is bathing, the server 150 causes the biosensor 120 to acquire bioinformation BI in the second measurement mode in the acquisition process. Specifically, when the server 150 determines the start of bathing in the bathing determination process, it transmits a second signal to the mobile terminal 140. Upon receiving the second signal, the mobile terminal 140 transmits a second mode signal to the biosensor 120. Then, the biosensor 120 starts measurement in the second measurement mode in the acquisition process.

[0107] Furthermore, in the post-bathing period after the bathing end is determined in the bathing determination process, i.e., when the subject is in a post-bathing state, the server 150 causes the biosensor 120 to acquire biometric information BI in the third measurement mode in the acquisition process. Specifically, when the server 150 determines that bathing has ended in the bathing determination process, it transmits a third signal to the mobile terminal 140. Upon receiving the third signal, the mobile terminal 140 transmits a third mode signal to the biosensor 120. Then, the biosensor 120 starts measurement in the third measurement mode in the acquisition process. As described above, the server 150 resets the determination after a predetermined period has elapsed since the server 150 determined that bathing has ended. Therefore, the post-bathing period is a predetermined period after the bathing end is determined in the bathing determination process.

[0108] The server 150 is capable of executing a determination process. The server 150 determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the subject's condition based on the progress of the biological information BI acquired in the acquisition process. The condition for determining that there is an abnormality in the subject's condition is, for example, that both of the following two conditions are satisfied: - The minimum value of blood oxygen saturation acquired in the second measurement mode and the third measurement mode is smaller than the average value of blood oxygen saturation acquired in the first measurement mode by a predetermined threshold or more. - The maximum value of pulse value acquired in the second measurement mode and the third measurement mode is larger than the average value of pulse value acquired in the first measurement mode by a predetermined threshold or more.

[0109] The server 150 is capable of executing an output process. The output process is a process of outputting the determination result of the determination process. Specifically, in the output process, the server 150 outputs the determination result of the determination process to the mobile terminal 140 owned by the subject and the external terminal 160.

[0110] In the third embodiment, the external terminal 160 is a PC installed in a hospital. Although not shown, the external terminal 160 includes a communication unit. In the third embodiment, the communication unit communicates using a mobile phone communication network. The external terminal 160 can receive signals from the server 150 via the communication unit.

[0111] <Regarding Measurement Mode> As described above, the biosensor 120 executes the acquisition process in any one of the first measurement mode, the second measurement mode, and the third measurement mode. The first measurement mode, the second measurement mode, and the third measurement mode include blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate as types of bioinformation BI to be acquired.

[0112] In the first measurement mode, the biosensor 120 measures blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate as bioinformation BI every five minutes. The biosensor 120 then stores the measured blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate in the memory. The biosensor 120 then transmits the blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate to the mobile terminal 140 after each measurement. The mobile terminal 140 then transmits the blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate to the server 150.

[0113] In the first measurement mode, the biosensor 120 measures body temperature as biometric information BI every five minutes. The biosensor 120 stores the measured body temperature in the memory. The biosensor 120 then transmits the body temperature to the mobile terminal 140 each time a measurement is taken. The mobile terminal 140 then transmits the body temperature to the server 150.

[0114] In the first measurement mode, the biosensor 120 measures the acceleration of the subject as biometric information BI every second. The biosensor 120 stores the measured acceleration in the storage unit. The biosensor 120 transmits the acceleration to the mobile terminal 140 every time a measurement is taken. The mobile terminal 140 transmits the acceleration to the server 150.

[0115] In the second measurement mode, the biosensor 120 measures blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate as bioinformation BI every second. The biosensor 120 then stores the measured blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate in the memory. The biosensor 120 then transmits the blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate to the mobile terminal 140 after each measurement. The mobile terminal 140 then transmits the blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate to the server 150.

[0116] In addition, in the second measurement mode, the biosensor 120 stops measuring the subject's body temperature. In addition, in the second measurement mode, the biosensor 120 stops measuring the subject's acceleration. In other words, in the second measurement mode, the subject's body temperature and acceleration are not measured.

[0117] As described above, the first and second measurement modes differ in the types of biological information BI to be acquired. Specifically, the first measurement mode includes body temperature as a type of biological information BI to be acquired, while the second measurement mode does not include body temperature as a type of biological information BI to be acquired. Furthermore, the first measurement mode includes acceleration as a type of biological information BI to be acquired, while the second measurement mode does not include acceleration as a type of biological information BI to be acquired.

[0118] The first and second measurement modes also differ in the frequency of measurement of the biological information BI. Specifically, the second measurement mode measures the blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate more frequently than the first measurement mode.

[0119] In this third embodiment, the measurement frequency of the biological information BI in the third measurement mode and the type of biological information BI acquired are both the same as those in the second measurement mode. In other words, the measurement frequency of the biological information BI and the type of biological information BI acquired are different between the third measurement mode and the first measurement mode. Furthermore, the measurement frequency of the blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate is higher in the third measurement mode than in the first measurement mode.

[0120] <Processing Executed by the Health Management System> An example of processing executed by the health management system 110 will be described with reference to Fig. 9 . First, the biosensor 120 attached to the subject is powered on. With the power on, the biosensor 120 performs measurement in the first measurement mode. Then, the biosensor 120 transmits the bioinformation BI to the mobile terminal 140 every time it measures the bioinformation BI. Note that Fig. 9 omits part of the transmission of the bioinformation BI from the biosensor 120 to the mobile terminal 140.

[0121] Then, every time the mobile terminal 140 receives the biometric information BI, it transmits the biometric information BI to the server 150 via the second communication unit. The server 150 stores the biometric information BI. Note that in Fig. 9, part of the transmission of the biometric information BI from the mobile terminal 140 to the server 150 is omitted.

[0122] Assume that the subject starts bathing at a certain point in time. That is, the subject enters the bathroom. The human presence sensor 131 detects that the subject has started bathing and transmits a detection signal to the mobile terminal 140 via the communication unit. The mobile terminal 140 then transmits the detection signal received from the human presence sensor 131 to the server 150 via the second communication unit.

[0123] Furthermore, the flow rate sensor 132 detects that the subject has started bathing and transmits a detection signal via the communication unit to the mobile terminal 140. The mobile terminal 140 then transmits the detection signal received from the flow rate sensor 132 to the server 150 via the second communication unit.

[0124] The server 150 executes the bathing determination process by acquiring the detection signals from each bathing detection sensor 130. In other words, the server 150 determines that the subject has started bathing by acquiring the detection signals.

[0125] Here, in response to the determination that bathing has started, server 150 transmits a second signal to mobile terminal 140. Upon receiving the second signal, mobile terminal 140 transmits a second mode signal to biosensor 120. Then, biosensor 120 receives the second mode signal.

[0126] After the subject begins bathing, the biosensor 120 starts measurement in the second measurement mode in response to the second mode signal. The biosensor 120 then transmits the bioinformation BI to the mobile terminal 140 every time it measures the bioinformation BI. The mobile terminal 140 then transmits the bioinformation BI to the server 150 via the second communication unit every time it receives the bioinformation BI. The server 150 stores the bioinformation BI.

[0127] Assume that the subject finishes bathing at a certain point in time. In other words, the subject leaves the bathroom. Flow sensor 132 detects that the subject has finished bathing and transmits a non-detection signal to mobile terminal 140 via the communication unit. Mobile terminal 140 then transmits the non-detection signal received from flow sensor 132 to server 150 via the second communication unit.

[0128] Furthermore, the human presence sensor 131 detects that the subject has finished bathing, and transmits a non-detection signal via the communication unit to the mobile terminal 140. The mobile terminal 140 then transmits the non-detection signal received from the human presence sensor 131 to the server 150 via the second communication unit.

[0129] The server 150 executes the bathing determination process by acquiring a non-detection signal from each bathing detection sensor 130. In other words, the server 150 determines that the subject has finished bathing by acquiring a non-detection signal.

[0130] Here, in response to the determination that the bathing has ended, the server 150 transmits a third signal to the mobile terminal 140. Upon receiving the third signal, the mobile terminal 140 transmits a third mode signal to the biosensor 120. Then, the biosensor 120 receives the third mode signal.

[0131] In response to the third mode signal, the biosensor 120 starts measurement in the third measurement mode. Then, the biosensor 120 transmits the biometric information BI to the mobile terminal 140 every time it measures the biometric information BI. Then, every time the mobile terminal 140 receives the biometric information BI, it transmits the biometric information BI to the server 150 via the second communication unit. The server 150 stores the biometric information BI.

[0132] Server 150 resets the bathing end determination a predetermined period of time after determining that the subject has finished bathing. Then, server 150 transmits a first signal to mobile terminal 140 in response to resetting the determination. Having received the first signal, mobile terminal 140 transmits a first mode signal to biosensor 120. Then, biosensor 120 receives the first mode signal. In response to the first mode signal, biosensor 120 starts measurement in the first measurement mode. Thus, after the subject has finished bathing and a predetermined period of time has elapsed, the measurement mode of biosensor 120 returns to the initial state of the first measurement mode.

[0133] Furthermore, the server 150 executes a determination process in response to resetting the determination. The server 150 determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the subject based on the transition of the biological information BI acquired in the acquisition process. In the third embodiment, the server 150 determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the biological information BI based on the blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate acquired in each measurement mode. The conditions for determining that there is an abnormality in the biological information BI are as described above.

[0134] The server 150 can execute an output process in response to determining whether or not there is an abnormality in the biometric information BI in the determination process. The output process is a process of outputting the determination result in the determination process. Specifically, in the output process, the server 150 outputs the determination result in the determination process to the mobile terminal 140 owned by the subject and the external terminal 160.

[0135] <Effects of the Third Embodiment> (3-1) In the third embodiment, in the pre-bathing period, the biosensor 120 acquires the biometric information BI in the first measurement mode. Furthermore, in the bathing period, the biosensor 120 acquires the biometric information BI in the second measurement mode. The first measurement mode and the second measurement mode differ in the measurement frequency of the biometric information BI and the type of biometric information BI acquired. In other words, this configuration allows the acquisition process to be performed under conditions favorable for acquiring the subject's biometric information BI in the special environment of bathing. Therefore, the above configuration makes it possible to prevent excess or deficiency in the acquired biometric information BI.

[0136] (3-2) In the third embodiment, the second measurement mode measures the biological information BI more frequently than the first measurement mode. This configuration allows the biological information BI to be acquired at a higher density while the subject is bathing than before the subject starts bathing. Therefore, changes in the biological information BI while the subject is bathing can be detected with high accuracy.

[0137] (3-3) In the post-bathing period, although the subject is not bathing, the biometric information BI is likely to fluctuate due to the influence of bathing. In the third embodiment, in the post-bathing period, the biometric sensor 120 acquires the biometric information BI in the third measurement mode. Furthermore, in the above configuration, the third measurement mode and the first measurement mode have different measurement frequencies for the biometric information BI and different types of biometric information BI to be acquired. In other words, with this configuration, the acquisition process can be performed under conditions favorable for acquiring the subject's biometric information BI in the special environment of after bathing. Therefore, with the above configuration, it is possible to prevent excess or deficiency in the acquired biometric information BI.

[0138] (3-4) In the third embodiment, the third measurement mode measures the biological information BI more frequently than the first measurement mode. This configuration allows the biological information BI to be acquired at a higher density after the subject has taken a bath than before the subject has taken a bath. Therefore, changes in the biological information BI after the subject has taken a bath can be detected with high accuracy.

[0139] (3-5) As described above, in the post-bathing period after the bathing determination process determines that the bathing has ended, the biological information BI is likely to fluctuate due to the effects of bathing. In the third embodiment, the second measurement mode and the third measurement mode have the same frequency of measurement of the biological information BI and the same type of biological information BI to be acquired. In this way, the biological information BI can be acquired in the post-bathing period at the same rate as in the bathing period.

[0140] (3-6) During bathing, the biosensor 120 may not be able to properly detect the subject's body temperature due to the influence of the hot water in the bathtub or the hot water from the shower. In other words, the body temperature measured by the biosensor 120 while the subject is bathing is unreliable and difficult to refer to as a parameter for determining whether or not there is an abnormality in the bioinformation BI. In the third embodiment, the second measurement mode does not include body temperature as a type of bioinformation BI to be acquired. This prevents an increase in the amount of data required to transmit the bioinformation BI and an increase in the amount of data stored in the memory unit of the server 150. Furthermore, by reducing the amount of data transmitted, battery consumption of the biosensor 120 can be reduced.

[0141] (3-7) The subject's acceleration is used to identify the subject's movements, such as the number of steps taken. On the other hand, it is unlikely that the subject will be walking or running while bathing, so there is little need to detect acceleration. In the third embodiment, the second measurement mode does not include acceleration as a type of biometric information BI to be acquired. Therefore, this configuration makes it possible to omit the acquisition of less necessary data.

[0142] (3-8) In subjects with a history of heart failure, blood oxygen concentration and pulse rate are likely to change between bathing and not bathing. In the third embodiment, the first measurement mode, the second measurement mode, and the third measurement mode include one or more types of bioinformation BI selected from blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate. Therefore, if the bioinformation BI includes one or more types selected from blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate, it is easier to determine abnormalities in the subject, specifically, abnormalities in the condition of heart failure, in the determination process.

[0143] (3-9) In the third embodiment, the server 150 executes the bathing determination process based on the detection results of a human presence sensor installed in the bathroom that can detect the subject and a flow rate sensor installed in the shower in the bathroom. Because the server 150 can determine when the subject starts bathing and when they finish bathing based on the detection results of the two bathing detection sensors 130, these determinations are less likely to result in erroneous determinations.

[0144] (3-10) In the third embodiment, the second and third measurement modes have the same content, but the server 150 transmits a third signal when it determines that bathing has ended. This allows the mobile terminal 140 and the biosensor 120 to determine that the period is the post-bathing period. If it is possible to determine that the period is the post-bathing period, the biosensor 120 and the mobile terminal 140 can, for example, label the acquired bioinformation BI as data from the post-bathing period.

[0145] <Modifications of First and Second Embodiments> The above-described first and second embodiments and the following modifications can be implemented in combination with each other within the scope of no technical contradiction.

[0146] <Examples of Modifications to the Overall Configuration> In the first and second embodiments, the mobile terminal 40 does not have to be owned by the subject. Furthermore, the output destination of the determination results is not limited to a smartphone, and may be any device capable of communication. In other words, the mobile terminal 40 may be replaced by a desktop computer or the like.

[0147] In the first and second embodiments, the communication methods between the biosensor 20, the portable terminal 40, the server 50, and the external terminal 60 are not limited to those described in the above embodiments. For example, the communication method may be one defined by various standards such as IEEE 802.11. Furthermore, the communication method is not limited to wireless communication. For example, the biosensor 20 and the portable terminal 40 may communicate via a wired connection. Furthermore, the biosensor 20 may not have a communication function with the portable terminal 40. In this case, for example, the biosensor 20 may be able to communicate with a cradle corresponding to the biosensor 20, and the cradle may be able to communicate with the portable terminal 40 via a wired connection. In this way, if the biosensor 20 does not have a communication unit for communicating with the portable terminal 40, the biosensor 20 can be designed to be correspondingly smaller.

[0148] In the first and second embodiments, the biosensor 20 is not limited to a pulse oximeter. The biosensor 20 may be any biosensor capable of measuring blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate. Furthermore, the biosensor 20 may be capable of detecting other parameters, such as body temperature and respiratory rate, in addition to blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate. Furthermore, the health management system 10 may include multiple biosensors 20, with one biosensor 20 measuring blood oxygen saturation and another biosensor 20 measuring pulse rate. For convenience, in the first and second embodiments, the term "pulse rate" refers to the number of pulses that can be counted due to cardiac contraction, and also includes the heart rate, which is the number of cardiac pulsations.

[0149] In the first and second embodiments, the biosensor 20 may start and end measurement of the bioinformation BI at timings other than when the power is turned on or off. For example, the biosensor 20 may start measuring the bioinformation BI when the server 50 transmits a measurement start signal via the mobile terminal 40. Furthermore, for example, the biosensor 20 may start measuring the bioinformation BI when it is determined in the bathing determination process that the subject has started bathing.

[0150] In the first and second embodiments, the measurement interval of the biosensor 20 is not limited to the examples of the above embodiments. The biosensor 20 may be configured to acquire bioinformation BI at any timing. The biosensor 20 may perform measurement at least once during the first measurement period and at least once during the second measurement period. For example, the server 50 may store blood oxygen saturation data from the second measurement period as a second oxygen saturation level and compare the second oxygen saturation level with a first oxygen saturation level measured on another day. In other words, the second acquisition process and the first acquisition process do not have to be performed on the same day.

[0151] In the first and second embodiments, the biosensor 20 does not have to transmit the biometric information BI to the mobile terminal 40 every time it measures the biometric information BI. The biosensor 20 may store multiple pieces of biometric information BI in a storage unit thereof and transmit the biometric information BI at predetermined intervals. The same applies to the mobile terminal 40. The mobile terminal 40 may transmit multiple pieces of biometric information BI together to the server 50.

[0152] In the first and second embodiments, the health management system 10 is not limited to one including the biosensor 20, the mobile terminal 40, the server 50, and the external terminal 60. Any of the components in the health management system 10 may be capable of executing the bathing determination process, the first acquisition process, the second acquisition process, the pulse data acquisition process, the determination process, and the output process. Furthermore, these processes may be executed by a single component or by separate components. For example, in the first embodiment, the biosensor 20 may execute the bathing determination process, the mobile terminal 40 may execute the first acquisition process, the second acquisition process, and the pulse data acquisition process, and the server 50 may execute the determination process and the output process.

[0153] <Modifications of the Bathing Detection Sensor and Bathing Determination Process> In the first and second embodiments, the bathing detection sensor 30 can be modified as appropriate as long as it can detect that the subject is bathing.

[0154] For example, the bathing detection sensor 30 may be an open / close sensor attached to the bathroom door that can detect whether the bathroom door is open or closed. In this case, the server 50 may determine, in the bathing determination process, whether the subject has started bathing based on the open / close sensor detecting that the bathroom door has switched from an open state to a closed state. Furthermore, in the bathing determination process, the server 50 may determine whether the subject has finished bathing based on the open state being detected by the open / close sensor for the first time after determining that the subject has started bathing.

[0155] Alternatively, for example, the bathing detection sensor 30 may be a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor installed in the bathroom. In this case, for example, the server 50 may determine the subject's start of bathing based on the fact that the positive change in temperature detected by the temperature sensor is equal to or greater than a predetermined first temperature change and the positive change in humidity detected by the humidity sensor is equal to or greater than a predetermined first humidity change during the bathing determination process. Furthermore, the server 50 may determine the subject's end of bathing based on the fact that the negative change in temperature detected by the temperature sensor is equal to or greater than a predetermined second temperature change and the negative change in humidity detected by the humidity sensor is equal to or greater than a predetermined second humidity change during the bathing determination process. The first temperature change, second temperature change, first humidity change, and second humidity change may be determined based on measurements of the changes at the start and end of bathing measured in an experiment or the like.

[0156] Alternatively, the bathing detection sensor 30 may be an acceleration sensor attached to the subject. For example, the acceleration sensor may be one installed in a wearable device such as a smart watch or a smart band. In this case, the server 50 may detect the subject's posture based on the detected value of the acceleration sensor in the bathing determination process, and determine the start and end of bathing based on the similarity between the detected posture and a predetermined posture during bathing.

[0157] Alternatively, for example, the bathing detection sensor 30 may be a flow sensor attached to the shower. In this case, the server 50 may determine whether the subject has started bathing based on whether the flow sensor detects a flow rate equal to or greater than a predetermined value during the bathing determination process. Furthermore, the server 50 may determine whether the subject has finished bathing based on whether the flow sensor detects a flow rate less than the predetermined value during the bathing determination process. The predetermined value may be determined by detecting an appropriate value through experiments, etc.

[0158] Alternatively, for example, the bathing detection sensor 30 may be a microphone installed in the bathroom. In this case, the server 50 may determine that the subject has started bathing based on the microphone detecting the sound of a shower during the bathing determination process. Furthermore, the server 50 may determine that the subject has finished bathing based on the microphone not detecting the sound of a shower for a predetermined period of time after detecting the sound of a shower during the bathing determination process. The shower sound may be detected by analyzing pre-recorded shower sounds and based on the analysis results. Alternatively, the shower sound may be determined to have been detected when the microphone detects a volume above a certain level.

[0159] Furthermore, for example, the bathing determination process may be performed by a configuration other than the bathing detection sensor 30. For example, the bathing determination process may be performed based on the usage status of a water meter, an electricity meter, or a water heater. For example, the subject may input a signal indicating that bathing has started to the mobile device 40 when starting to bathe. The subject may also input a signal indicating that bathing has ended to the mobile device 40 when finishing input. The mobile device 40 may transmit these signals to the server 50, and the server 50 may perform the bathing determination process based on these signals. With the configuration described above, the health management system 10 does not necessarily have to include the bathing detection sensor 30.

[0160] In the first and second embodiments, the human presence sensor serving as the bathing detection sensor 30 may be installed in the anteroom of the bathroom. In this case, as in the above-described embodiments, the server 50 may determine, in the bathing determination process, whether the subject has started bathing based on the human presence sensor going from a state of detecting a person to a state of not detecting a person to a state of not detecting a person. Furthermore, in the bathing determination process, after determining the start of bathing, the server 50 may determine whether the subject has finished bathing based on the human presence sensor going from a state of not detecting a person to a state of detecting a person.

[0161] The bathing determination process may be performed by combining the first and second embodiments and the above-described bathing determination methods. That is, in the bathing determination process, the start of bathing may be determined when multiple bathing start conditions are met.

[0162] The blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate for several tens of minutes after bathing change in a similar manner to those during bathing due to the effects of bathing. Therefore, for example, the server 50 may determine that the subject has finished bathing several tens of minutes after receiving the non-detection signal transmitted by the bathing detection sensor 30. In other words, the subject may be determined to be bathing for several tens of minutes after bathing. In this case, "after a specific time" refers to the time when a specific time has elapsed since the bathing determination process determined that the subject had finished bathing.

[0163] <Regarding Modified Examples of the First Acquisition Process> In the first embodiment, the first oxygen saturation level acquired in the first acquisition process is not limited to the example of the above embodiment, as long as it is a value based on the measurement results of the subject's blood oxygen saturation during the first measurement period. For example, the first oxygen saturation level may be the maximum or minimum value of blood oxygen saturation during the first measurement period. The first oxygen saturation level may also be an instantaneous value at a specific timing during the first measurement period. The first oxygen saturation level may also be the latest value of blood oxygen saturation acquired during the first measurement period. The first oxygen saturation level may also be a value obtained by performing statistical processing other than averaging blood oxygen saturation. This also applies to the second embodiment.

[0164] In the first and second embodiments, the timing of executing the first acquisition process is not limited to the examples of the above embodiments. For example, the server 50 may store the biometric information BI transmitted from the mobile terminal 40 and execute the first acquisition process at a predetermined time by calculating the average blood oxygen saturation level during the first measurement period. Furthermore, if the first oxygen saturation level is the latest blood oxygen saturation level of the subject during the first measurement period, the first acquisition process may be executed each time the biometric information BI is received from the mobile terminal 40.

[0165] In the first and second embodiments, the first measurement period is not limited to the entire bathing period from when the bathing start is determined to when the bathing end is determined, but may be only a part of the bathing period from when the bathing start is determined to when the bathing end is determined.

[0166] <Modifications of the Second Acquisition Process> In the first embodiment, the second oxygen saturation acquired in the second acquisition process is not limited to the average blood oxygen saturation of the subject during the second measurement period. The second oxygen saturation may be the maximum or minimum blood oxygen saturation value during the second measurement period. The second oxygen saturation may also be an instantaneous value at a specific timing during the second measurement period. The second oxygen saturation may also be the latest blood oxygen saturation value acquired during the second measurement period. The second oxygen saturation may also be a value obtained by performing statistical processing other than the average blood oxygen saturation. The second oxygen saturation may also be a fixed value derived from the subject's blood oxygen saturation during the second measurement period. This is also true in the second embodiment.

[0167] In the first and second embodiments, the second measurement period may be the entire bathing period from when it is determined that bathing has ended to when it is determined that bathing has started. In other words, the second measurement period may be the entire period excluding the first measurement period.

[0168] In the first and second embodiments, the timing of executing the second acquisition process is not limited to the examples of the above embodiments. For example, the server 50 may store the biometric information BI transmitted from the mobile terminal 40 and execute the second acquisition process at a predetermined time by calculating the average blood oxygen saturation level during the second measurement period. Furthermore, if the second oxygen saturation level is the latest blood oxygen saturation level of the subject during the second measurement period, the second acquisition process may be executed each time the biometric information BI is received from the mobile terminal 40.

[0169] <Modification of Pulse Data Acquisition Process> In the first and second embodiments, the pulse rate acquired in the pulse data acquisition process may be acquired during either a period when the subject is bathing or not bathing.

[0170] In the first embodiment, the first pulse rate acquired in the pulse data acquisition process is not limited to the average pulse rate of the subject during the first measurement period. The first pulse rate may be the maximum or minimum pulse rate during the first measurement period. The first pulse rate may also be an instantaneous value at a specific timing during the first measurement period. The first pulse rate may also be the latest pulse rate value acquired during the first measurement period. The first pulse rate may also be a value obtained by performing statistical processing other than averaging the pulse rate. This also applies to the second pulse rate. The same also applies to the pre-bathing pulse rate and the post-bathing pulse rate in the second embodiment.

[0171] In the first embodiment, the timing of executing the pulse data acquisition process is not limited to the example of the above embodiment. For example, the server 50 may store the biometric information BI transmitted from the mobile terminal 40 and execute the pulse data acquisition process at a predetermined time by calculating the average pulse rate during the first measurement period as the first pulse rate. Furthermore, if a representative value such as the first pulse rate is used as the latest value of the subject's blood oxygen saturation, the pulse data acquisition process may be executed every time the biometric information BI is received from the mobile terminal 40.

[0172] <Regarding Modified Examples of the Determination Process> In the first and second embodiments, the determination process is not limited to the examples of the above embodiments, as long as it determines the subject's condition based on heart failure based on the first oxygen saturation value, the second oxygen saturation value, and changes in the pulse rate. That is, the first and second conditions described in the first and second embodiments are not limited to the examples of the above embodiments. Furthermore, the determination process may be performed by combining multiple conditions related to the first and second oxygen saturation values ​​and multiple conditions related to changes in the pulse rate.

[0173] Furthermore, the "change in pulse rate" is not limited to a comparison between the first pulse rate and the second pulse rate, or a comparison between the pre-bathing pulse rate and the post-bathing pulse rate, but may be a change in pulse rate at at least two arbitrary timings. For example, the "change in pulse rate" may be a comparison between the maximum and minimum pulse rates measured during bathing, or may be the amount of change in pulse rate at an arbitrary time.

[0174] In the first embodiment, the value of the first threshold is not limited to the example in the above embodiment. The first threshold may vary depending on each subject and the subject's physical condition, situation, etc. Therefore, it is preferable that the first threshold be set individually for each subject or depending on the subject's physical condition, situation, etc. The same applies to the second threshold.

[0175] In the second embodiment, the specified time is not limited to 10 minutes. In the second embodiment, the specific time is not limited to 30 minutes. In the first embodiment, the timing of executing the determination process is not limited to the examples in the above embodiments. For example, the server 50 may execute the determination process at a predetermined time. Also, in the first embodiment, if the first oxygen saturation level, the first pulse rate, etc. are the latest values, the determination process may be executed each time the first acquisition process and the pulse data acquisition process are executed. With this configuration, it is possible to perform a real-time determination of the subject's condition based on heart failure.

[0176] In terms of determining the subject's condition based on heart failure, the determination process may be performed based only on the first oxygen concentration value and the second oxygen concentration value. That is, the determination process does not necessarily involve a determination based on a change in pulse rate. Furthermore, the pulse data acquisition process does not necessarily have to be performed.

[0177] <Modifications of the Output Process> In the first and second embodiments, the server 50 may execute the output process only for the mobile terminal 40 or only for the external terminal 60 .

[0178] In the first and second embodiments, the server 50 may output the biometric information BI together with the determination result. In the first and second embodiments, the output destination of the output process is not limited to the examples of the above embodiments, as long as it is a device capable of outputting the determination result in the determination process. For example, the output destination may be an alarm that notifies by at least one of sound, vibration, and light. Note that light notification includes the display of images and text on a display. Note that the owner of the output destination device does not matter. Furthermore, the output destination is not limited to devices with a notification function. It is sufficient that the server 50 can confirm that it has output to any device.

[0179] In the first and second embodiments, the mobile terminal 40 that receives a signal through the output process may notify the determination result by sound, vibration, etc. Furthermore, the mobile terminal 40 may output the determination result by one or more of sound, light, and vibration.

[0180] In the first and second embodiments, the timing at which the output process is executed is not limited to the examples of the above embodiments. For example, the server 50 may store the determination result in a storage unit and execute the output process at a predetermined timing. Similarly, the mobile terminal 40 that receives a signal transmitted by the output process may display the determination result at a predetermined timing.

[0181] <Modifications of the Third Embodiment> The third embodiment described above and the following modifications can be implemented in combination with each other within the scope of technical compatibility.

[0182] The information processing system described in JP 2022-164560 A includes a biological information acquisition unit, an event information acquisition unit, an abnormality detection unit, and an alarm unit. The biological information acquisition unit acquires biological information of a subject. The event information acquisition unit acquires event information as information relating to an event that affects the biological information of the subject. The abnormality detection unit detects an abnormality in the biological information based on the biological information and the event information. The alarm unit notifies the subject or the like of information about the detected abnormality.

[0183] Subjects whose biometric information is to be acquired engage in various activities in their daily lives. The risk of abnormalities occurring in the subject's biometric information varies depending on the type of activity. Nevertheless, if the same biometric information is always acquired regardless of the subject's activity, the amount of acquired biometric information may be excessive or insufficient. The information processing system described in JP 2022-164560 A does not take this into consideration at all, and therefore there is room for improvement.

[0184] From the viewpoint of preventing excess or deficiency in the amount of acquired biological information, the bathing determination process, the first acquisition process, the second acquisition process, the pulse data acquisition process, the determination process, and the output process in the first and second embodiments are not essential. As long as the acquisition process, the bathing determination process, and the determination process in the third embodiment can be executed, the health management system 100 can achieve the effect of preventing excess or deficiency in the amount of acquired biological information.

[0185] In the third embodiment, the mobile terminal 140 does not have to be owned by the subject. Furthermore, the output destination of the determination result is not limited to a smartphone, and may be any device capable of communication. In other words, the mobile terminal 140 may be replaced by a desktop computer or the like.

[0186] In the third embodiment, the communication method between the biosensor 120, each bathing detection sensor 130, the mobile terminal 140, the server 150, and the external terminal 160 is not limited to that described in the third embodiment. For example, the communication method may be determined by various standards such as IEEE 802.11. Furthermore, the communication method is not limited to wireless communication. For example, the biosensor 120 and the mobile terminal 140 may communicate via a wired connection. Furthermore, the biosensor 120 may not have a communication function with the mobile terminal 140. In this case, for example, the biosensor 120 may be able to communicate with a cradle corresponding to the biosensor 120, and the cradle may be able to communicate with the mobile terminal 140 via a wired connection. In this way, if the biosensor 120 does not have a communication unit for communicating with the mobile terminal 140, the biosensor 120 can be designed to be correspondingly smaller.

[0187] In the third embodiment, the biosensor 120 is not limited to a sensor that functions as a pulse oximeter, a temperature sensor, and an acceleration sensor. The biosensor 120 may be capable of acquiring at least one piece of bioinformation BI of the subject. The health management system 110 may also include multiple biosensors 120, with one biosensor 120 measuring blood oxygen saturation and another biosensor 120 measuring pulse rate. In the third embodiment, the term "pulse rate" refers, for convenience, to the number of pulses that can be counted due to cardiac contraction, and also includes the heart rate, which is the number of cardiac pulses.

[0188] In the third embodiment, the types of biometric information BI are not limited to the four examples in the third embodiment. In the third embodiment, the biometric sensor 120 may start and end measurement of the biometric information BI at timings other than when the power is turned on or off. For example, the server 150 may transmit a measurement start signal via the mobile terminal 140, causing the biometric sensor 120 to start measuring the biometric information BI.

[0189] In the third embodiment, the biosensor 120 does not need to transmit the biometric information BI to the mobile terminal 140 every time it measures the biometric information BI. The biosensor 120 may store a plurality of pieces of biometric information BI in a storage unit thereof and transmit the biometric information BI at predetermined intervals. The same applies to the mobile terminal 140. The mobile terminal 140 may transmit a plurality of pieces of biometric information BI to the server 150 collectively.

[0190] In the third embodiment, the health management system 110 is not limited to one including the biosensor 120, the mobile terminal 140, the server 150, and the external terminal 160. Any of the components in the health management system 110 may be capable of executing the acquisition process, the bathing determination process, the determination process, and the output process. Furthermore, these processes may be executed by one component or by different components. For example, in the third embodiment, the bathing detection sensor 130 may execute the bathing determination process, and the mobile terminal 140 may execute the determination process and the output process.

[0191] In the third embodiment, if the determination process is a process of determining an abnormality in a subject based on a transition of the biological information BI, the determination method and conditions for the determination are not limited to those in the third embodiment. Furthermore, the transition of the biological information BI may include a transition of at least one type of the biological information BI.

[0192] In the third embodiment, the output process does not have to be executed. For example, the output process may be executed only when a device such as the mobile terminal 140 requests output of the determination result.

[0193] In the third embodiment, for example, the subject may input a signal indicating that bathing has started to the mobile device 140 when starting to bathe. Furthermore, the subject may input a signal indicating that bathing has ended to the mobile device 140 when completing the input. The mobile device 140 may transmit these signals to the server 150, and the server 150 may execute a bathing determination process based on these signals. With the above-described configuration, the health management system 110 does not necessarily have to include the bathing detection sensor 130.

[0194] In the third embodiment, the bathing detection sensor 130 is not limited to the human presence sensor 131 and the flow rate sensor 132. For example, the bathing detection sensor 130 may be an open / close sensor attached to the bathroom door and capable of detecting whether the bathroom door is open or closed. In this case, for example, the server 150 may determine the subject's start of bathing in the bathing determination process based on the open / close sensor detecting that the bathroom door has switched from an open state to a closed state. Furthermore, the server 150 may determine the subject's end of bathing in the bathing determination process based on the first detection of the open state by the open / close sensor after determining the start of bathing.

[0195] The bathing detection sensor 130 may be a human presence sensor attached to the front room of the bathroom and capable of detecting the subject. In this case, the server 150 may determine, in the bathing determination process, whether the subject has started bathing based on the human presence sensor going from a state of detecting a person to a state of not detecting a person to a state of not detecting a person. After determining the start of bathing in the bathing determination process, the server 150 may determine whether the subject has finished bathing based on the human presence sensor going from a state of not detecting a person to a state of detecting a person.

[0196] The bathing detection sensor 130 may be an acceleration sensor attached to the subject. In this case, the server 150 detects the subject's movements based on the values ​​detected by the acceleration sensor in the bathing determination process, and determines the start and end of the bathing session based on the similarity between the detected movements and predetermined bathing movements. The acceleration sensor may also function as the acceleration sensor in the biosensor 120.

[0197] In this way, the bathing determination process may be performed based on the detection results of an open / close sensor attached to the bathroom door that can detect whether the bathroom door is open or closed, a motion sensor attached to the bathroom or bathroom anteroom that can detect the subject, or a flow sensor attached to the shower in the bathroom. However, the bathing determination process may also be performed based on the detection results of one or more of the above sensors. Furthermore, any sensor other than the above-mentioned sensors that can detect the subject's bathing may also be used as the bathing detection sensor 130. For example, the bathing determination process may be performed based on the detection results of a biosensor 120 attached to the subject that can acquire the subject's biometric information BI. In this case, for example, the server 150 may determine the subject's start of bathing in the bathing determination process based on the subject's body temperature rising by a predetermined value or more. Furthermore, the server 150 may determine the subject's end of bathing in the bathing determination process based on the subject's body temperature falling by a predetermined value or more. Furthermore, for example, the server 150 may determine the start of bathing based on the subject's pulse rate increasing by a predetermined value or more in the bathing determination process. Furthermore, the server 150 may determine the end of bathing based on the subject's pulse rate decreasing by a predetermined value or more in the bathing determination process. Furthermore, for example, the server 150 may determine the start of bathing based on the subject's oxygen saturation decreasing by a predetermined value or more in the bathing determination process. Furthermore, the server 150 may determine the end of bathing based on the subject's oxygen saturation increasing by a predetermined value or more in the bathing determination process. Furthermore, as described above, the bathing determination process may be performed based on the acceleration of the subject detected by the biosensor 120. That is, the bathing determination process may be performed based on the detection results of two or more of the biosensors 120 attached to the subject and capable of acquiring the subject's bioinformation BI, in addition to the open / close sensor, human presence sensor, and flow sensor described above.

[0198] <Example of Change in Measurement Mode> In the third embodiment, the biosensor 120 does not need to acquire the bioinformation BI in the third measurement mode. That is, the biosensor 120 may stop acquiring the bioinformation BI after taking a bath.

[0199] In the third embodiment, the first measurement mode and the second measurement mode may differ in at least one selected from the measurement frequency of the biological information BI and the type of the biological information BI to be acquired. That is, the first measurement mode and the second measurement mode may differ only in the measurement frequency, or the first measurement mode and the second measurement mode may differ only in the type of the biological information BI to be acquired.

[0200] In the third embodiment, the second measurement mode may measure the biological information BI at a lower frequency than the first measurement mode, or may measure the biological information BI at the same frequency as the first measurement mode. For example, if the type of biological information BI is one that is likely to fluctuate before bathing, the measurement frequency of the biological information BI in the first measurement mode may be higher than the measurement frequency in the second measurement mode, thereby preventing the biological information BI from being acquired excessively or insufficiently.

[0201] In the third embodiment, the first measurement mode does not necessarily have to include body temperature as a type of biological information BI to be acquired. Also, the first measurement mode does not necessarily have to include acceleration as a type of biological information BI to be acquired.

[0202] In the third embodiment, the second measurement mode may include body temperature as one of the types of biological information BI to be acquired. The second measurement mode may include acceleration as one of the types of biological information BI to be acquired.

[0203] In the third embodiment, the first, second, and third measurement modes may include one or more types of biological information BI selected from blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate as types of biological information BI to be acquired. However, as long as there is at least one type of biological information BI that is acquired in common in each measurement mode, blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate do not have to be included as types of biological information BI to be acquired in each measurement mode.

[0204] In the third embodiment, the second measurement mode and the third measurement mode may differ in one or more of the measurement frequency of the biological information BI and the type of the biological information BI to be acquired. As a result, the measurement frequency of the biological information BI in the third measurement mode may be the same as the measurement frequency of the biological information BI in the first measurement mode. Furthermore, the measurement frequency of the biological information BI in the third measurement mode may be lower than that in the first measurement mode. Furthermore, the type of the biological information BI acquired in the third measurement mode may be the same as the type of the biological information BI acquired in the first measurement mode.

[0205] In the third embodiment, if the measurement frequency of the biometric information BI and the type of biometric information BI to be acquired are the same in the second measurement mode and the third measurement mode, the transmission of the third signal and the third mode signal may be omitted.

[0206] In the third embodiment, the measurement mode in the initial state of the biosensor 120 is not limited to the first measurement mode. In the third embodiment, the measurement mode is not limited to the first measurement mode, the second measurement mode, and the third measurement mode. Furthermore, a measurement mode may be set. For example, during a predetermined period after bathing, the biosensor 120 may acquire bioinformation BI in the third measurement mode for the predetermined period, and then acquire bioinformation BI in a fourth measurement mode that is less frequently measured than the third measurement mode but more frequently measured than the first measurement mode.

[0207] In the third embodiment, the biological information BI in each measurement mode does not have to be measured at equal intervals. "The biological information BI is measured frequently" means that the number of times the biological information BI is measured per unit time is large.

[0208] <Supplementary Notes> The following describes the technical ideas that can be understood from the third embodiment and modified examples. [1] A health management system that executes an acquisition process for acquiring biological information of a subject over time, a bathing determination process for detecting the start and end of bathing of the subject, and a determination process for determining abnormalities in the subject based on a transition of the biological information, wherein the acquisition process acquires the biological information in a first measurement mode during a pre-bathing period before the start of bathing is determined in the bathing determination process, and acquires the biological information in a second measurement mode during a bathing period from the start of bathing to the end of bathing is determined in the bathing determination process, and wherein the first measurement mode and the second measurement mode differ in one or more selected from the frequency of measurement of the biological information and the type of the biological information to be acquired.

[0209] [2] The health management system according to [1], wherein the second measurement mode is a measurement frequency of the biological information higher than that of the first measurement mode. [3] The health management system according to [1] or [2], wherein the acquisition process acquires the biological information in a third measurement mode in the post-bathing period after the bathing end is determined in the bathing determination process, and the third measurement mode and the first measurement mode differ in one or more selected from the measurement frequency of the biological information and the type of the biological information to be acquired.

[0210] [4] The health management system according to [3], wherein the third measurement mode is a measurement frequency of the biological information higher than that of the first measurement mode. [5] The health management system according to [3], wherein the second measurement mode and the third measurement mode are the same in terms of the frequency of measurement of the biological information and the type of the biological information to be acquired.

[0211] [6] A health management system described in any one of [3] to [5], wherein the first measurement mode, the second measurement mode, and the third measurement mode include one or more types of biometric information to be acquired selected from blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate.

[0212] [7] A health management system described in any one of [1] to [6], wherein the first measurement mode includes body temperature as a type of biometric information to be acquired, and the second measurement mode does not include body temperature as a type of biometric information to be acquired.

[0213] [8] A health management system described in any one of [1] to [7], wherein the first measurement mode includes acceleration as a type of biometric information to be acquired, and the second measurement mode does not include acceleration as a type of biometric information to be acquired.

[0214] [9] A health management system described in any one of [1] to [8], which executes the bathing determination process based on the detection results of two or more of: an open / close sensor attached to the bathroom door and capable of detecting the open and closed state of the bathroom door; a human presence sensor attached to the bathroom or the bathroom's anteroom and capable of detecting the subject; and a flow sensor attached to the shower in the bathroom.

[0215]

[10] A health management system as described in [9], which executes the bathing determination process based on the detection results of two or more of the opening / closing sensor, the human presence sensor, and the flow rate sensor, as well as a biosensor attached to the subject and capable of acquiring the subject's biometric information.

[0216] BI... Biometric information 10... Health management system 20... Biometric sensor 30... Bathing detection sensor 40... Mobile terminal 50... Server 60... External terminal

Claims

1. A health management system that executes the following: a bathing determination process that determines when a subject starts bathing and when he or she finishes bathing; a first acquisition process that defines at least a portion of the bathing period from when it is determined in the bathing determination process that the bathing start has occurred as a first measurement period and acquires the measurement result of the subject's blood oxygen saturation during the first measurement period as a first oxygen saturation; a second acquisition process that defines at least a portion of the non-bathing period from when it is determined in the bathing determination process that the bathing end has occurred as a second measurement period and acquires the subject's blood oxygen saturation during the second measurement period as a second oxygen saturation; a determination process that determines the subject's condition based on heart failure based on the value of the first oxygen saturation and the value of the second oxygen saturation; and an output process that outputs the determination result of the determination process.

2. A health management system that executes the following: a bathing determination process that determines when a subject starts bathing and when he or she finishes bathing; a first acquisition process that defines at least a portion of the bathing period from when it is determined in the bathing determination process that the bathing start has occurred to when it is determined that the bathing end has occurred as a first measurement period, and acquires the measurement result of the subject's blood oxygen saturation during the first measurement period as a first oxygen saturation; a second acquisition process that defines at least a portion of the non-bathing period from when it is determined in the bathing determination process that the bathing end has occurred to when it is determined that the bathing start has occurred as a second measurement period, and acquires the subject's blood oxygen saturation during the second measurement period as a second oxygen saturation; a pulse data acquisition process that acquires the subject's pulse rate; a determination process that makes a determination regarding the subject's condition based on heart failure based on the value of the first oxygen saturation, the value of the second oxygen saturation, and changes in the pulse rate; and an output process that outputs the determination results of the determination process.

3. A health management system as described in claim 2, wherein in the judgment process, if the first oxygen saturation value is smaller than the second oxygen saturation value and the difference between the first oxygen saturation value and the second oxygen saturation value is equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold, it is judged that the subject's heart failure condition is worsening.

4. The health management system according to claim 3, wherein the first threshold value is a value determined within the range of 4% to 8%.

5. A health management system according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein in the pulse data acquisition process, the pulse rate during the first measurement period is acquired as a first pulse rate, and the pulse rate during the second measurement period is acquired as a second pulse rate, and in the determination process, if the first pulse rate is greater than the second pulse rate by a predetermined second threshold or more, it is determined that the subject's condition of heart failure is worsening.

6. A health management system according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein in the pulse data acquisition process, the pulse rate in the pre-bathing period before the start of bathing is determined in the bathing determination process is acquired as the pre-bathing pulse rate, and the pulse rate after a predetermined specified time has elapsed since the end of bathing in the bathing determination process is acquired as the post-bathing pulse rate, and in the determination process, if the post-bathing pulse rate is greater than the pre-bathing pulse rate by a predetermined reference value or more, it is determined that the subject's heart failure condition has worsened.

7. A health management system as described in any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the second measurement period includes a timing a predetermined specific time after the end of bathing is determined in the bathing determination process, the second oxygen saturation is the subject's blood oxygen saturation at the timing a predetermined time after the specific time, and in the determination process, if the value obtained by subtracting the first oxygen saturation from the second oxygen saturation is equal to or less than a predetermined value set within the range of 3% to 4%, it is determined that the subject's heart failure condition is worsening.

8. The health management system according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein the output process is executed by outputting the determination result of the determination process to a mobile terminal.

9. A health management system as described in any one of claims 2 to 8, wherein the bathing determination process determines whether the subject has started bathing based on the detection of a person by a human presence sensor installed in the bathroom, and after determining that the subject has started bathing, determines whether the subject has finished bathing based on the detection of no more people by the human presence sensor.

10. A health management system as described in any one of claims 2 to 9, wherein the bathing determination process determines whether the subject has started bathing based on the fact that a human presence sensor attached to the anteroom of the bathroom has gone from detecting a person to no longer detecting a person, and after determining that the subject has started bathing, determines whether the subject has finished bathing based on the fact that the human presence sensor has gone from not detecting a person to detecting a person.

11. A health management system according to any one of claims 2 to 10, wherein the bathing determination process determines whether the subject has started bathing based on an open / close sensor attached to the bathroom door and capable of detecting whether the bathroom door is open or closed, detecting a change from the open state to the closed state, and after determining the start of bathing, determines whether the subject has finished bathing based on the open state being detected by the open / close sensor for the first time.

12. A health management system according to any one of claims 2 to 11, wherein the bathing determination process determines whether the subject has started bathing based on the fact that a positive change in temperature detected by a temperature sensor installed in the bathroom has become equal to or greater than a predetermined first temperature change and the positive change in humidity detected by a humidity sensor installed in the bathroom has become equal to or greater than a predetermined first humidity change, and determines whether the subject has finished bathing based on the fact that a negative change in temperature detected by the temperature sensor has become equal to or greater than a predetermined second temperature change and the negative change in humidity detected by the humidity sensor has become equal to or greater than a predetermined second humidity change.

13. A health management system according to any one of claims 2 to 12, wherein the bathing determination process detects the posture of the subject based on the detection value detected by an acceleration sensor attached to the subject, and determines the start and end of bathing of the subject based on the similarity between the posture and a predetermined posture during bathing.

14. A health management system according to any one of claims 2 to 13, wherein the bathing determination process determines whether the subject has started bathing based on the detection of the sound of a shower by a microphone attached to the bathroom, and determines whether the subject has finished bathing based on the microphone not detecting the sound of a shower for a predetermined period of time after detecting the sound of the shower.

15. A health management method in which a computer executes the following: a bathing determination process for determining when a subject starts bathing and when he or she finishes bathing; a first acquisition process for designating at least a portion of the bathing period from when it is determined in the bathing determination process that the bathing start has occurred to when it is determined that the bathing end has occurred as a first measurement period, and acquiring the measurement result of the subject's blood oxygen saturation during the first measurement period as a first oxygen saturation; a second acquisition process for designating at least a portion of the non-bathing period from when it is determined in the bathing determination process that the bathing end has occurred to when it is determined that the bathing start has occurred as a second measurement period, and acquiring the subject's blood oxygen saturation during the second measurement period as a second oxygen saturation; a pulse data acquisition process for acquiring the subject's pulse rate; a determination process for making a determination regarding the subject's condition based on heart failure based on the value of the first oxygen saturation, the value of the second oxygen saturation, and changes in the pulse rate; and an output process for outputting the determination results of the determination process.

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