Electronic device, information output method and storage medium

Abstract

The present invention provides an electronic device, comprising: a first output unit; and a processing unit, wherein the processing unit obtains information of a living body, namely, biological information, calculates the reliability of the biological information based on the obtained biological information, and outputs the biological information to the first output unit in an output method associated with the calculated reliability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to an electronic device, an information output method and a storage medium. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, electronic devices such as watches worn on the body have been developed that can use sensors such as optical sensors to measure biological information such as pulse rate. Such electronic devices can easily measure the biological information of the user (wearer), but on the other hand, due to usage methods such as not being firmly worn on the arm, the reliability of the measured biological information is reduced. Biological information with low reliability may have large errors, but if information with large errors is displayed, it may cause unnecessary anxiety to the user. Therefore, in the case of displaying information with high and low reliability, it is preferable to be able to grasp the reliability of the information. For example, Japanese Patent Gazette No. 2021-41088 discloses an electronic device and method that can also display the reliability of biological information when displaying biological information.

[0003] However, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-41088 Figure 6 As shown, since the biometric information and the reliability are displayed in different columns, the user only sees the column of the biometric information and cannot understand the reliability of the biometric information. In order to understand the reliability, the user also needs to see the reliability column.

[0004] The present invention has been completed in view of the above-mentioned actual situation, and its purpose is to provide an electronic device, an information output method and a storage medium that outputs biological information in an output mode that can simultaneously grasp the reliability of the biological information when the user grasps the biological information. Summary of the invention

[0005] An electronic device comprises: a first output unit; and a processing unit, wherein the processing unit obtains information of a living body, namely, biological information, calculates the reliability of the biological information based on the obtained biological information, and outputs the biological information to the first output unit in an output method associated with the calculated reliability.

[0006] A method for outputting information of an electronic device, the electronic device comprising a first output unit and a processing unit, wherein the processing unit obtains information of a living body, namely, biological information, calculates the reliability of the biological information based on the obtained biological information, and outputs the biological information to the first output unit in an output manner associated with the calculated reliability.

[0007] A computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer includes a first output unit and a processing unit, and is characterized in that the computer obtains information of a living organism, namely, biological information, calculates the reliability of the biological information based on the obtained biological information, and outputs the biological information to the first output unit in an output method associated with the calculated reliability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Figure 1 This is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of an electronic device according to an embodiment.

[0009] Figure 2 This is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of an electronic device as viewed from the front.

[0010] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of an electronic device as viewed from the back.

[0011] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing a first example in which the pulse rate display unit displays the pulse rate in an output format corresponding to the reliability thereof.

[0012] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing a second example in which the pulse rate display unit displays the pulse rate in an output format corresponding to the reliability thereof.

[0013] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing a third example in which the pulse rate display unit displays the pulse rate in an output format corresponding to the reliability thereof.

[0014] Figure 7 This is a diagram showing a fourth example in which the pulse rate display unit displays the pulse rate in an output format corresponding to the reliability thereof.

[0015] Figure 8 This is a diagram showing a fifth example in which the pulse rate display unit displays the pulse rate in an output format corresponding to the reliability thereof.

[0016] Fig. 9 This is a diagram showing a sixth example in which the pulse rate display unit displays the pulse rate in an output format corresponding to the reliability thereof.

[0017] Fig.10 This is a diagram showing another example of the front appearance of an electronic device.

[0018] Fig.11 This is a diagram showing still another example of the front appearance of an electronic device.

[0019] Fig.12 This is a diagram showing a seventh example in which the pulse rate display unit displays the pulse rate in an output format corresponding to the reliability thereof.

[0020] Fig.13 This is a table showing examples of various output methods when displaying the pulse rate.

[0021] Fig.14 This is a table showing an example of the magnitude of vibration when the pulse rate is displayed by the pointer.

[0022] Fig.15 This is an example of a flowchart of the pulse rate display processing according to the embodiment.

[0023] Fig.16 This is an example of a flowchart of the needle vibration process according to the embodiment.

[0024] Fig.17 This is an example of a flowchart of the countermeasure output process according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The electronic device and the like according to the embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0026] (Implementation Method)

[0027] The electronic device according to the embodiment is a watch-type device that can measure the pulse rate of a user by being worn on the wrist of the user, for example, a smart watch.

[0028] like Figure 1 As shown, the electronic device 100 of the embodiment includes a processing unit 110 , a storage unit 120 , a sensor unit 130 , a display unit 140 , an operation unit 150 , an output unit 155 , a timer unit 160 , a communication unit 170 , and a position acquisition unit 180 .

[0029] The processing unit 110 is composed of a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The processing unit 110 executes pulse rate display processing and the like described below using a program stored in the storage unit 120. The processing unit 110 supports multithreading and can execute a plurality of processes in parallel.

[0030] The storage unit 120 stores programs and necessary data executed by the processing unit 110. The storage unit 120 may include a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory, etc., but is not limited thereto. In addition, the storage unit 120 may also be provided inside the processing unit 110.

[0031] The sensor unit 130 includes a pulse sensor 131, an acceleration sensor 132, a pressure sensor 133, and a temperature sensor 134. However, the sensor unit 130 only needs to include at least one of each of the sensors (e.g., the pulse sensor 131) constituting the first detection unit for detecting biological information and the sensors (e.g., the pressure sensor 133) constituting the second detection unit for detecting information other than biological information, and may not include other sensors. In addition, the sensor unit 130 may include sensors other than the pulse sensor 131, the acceleration sensor 132, the pressure sensor 133, and the temperature sensor 134.

[0032] The pulse sensor 131 includes an LED (Light Emitting Diode) and a PD (Photodiode). The pulse sensor 131 receives light emitted from the LED to the biological body and reflected in the biological body through the PD, and detects the pulse based on the time change of the received light intensity. The processing unit 110 obtains the value (AD value) obtained by AD-converting the received light intensity in the PD through an AD (Analog-to-Digital) converter as a biological body detection value, and calculates the pulse rate based on the time change of the AD value. In addition, the pulse sensor 131 can also include an AFE (Analog Front End). Even if the received light intensity (analog signal) in the PD is weak and cannot be directly AD-converted, AD conversion can be performed by adjusting the analog signal using the AFE. In addition, since the pulse rate is basically consistent with the heart rate, the heart rate is also called the pulse rate.

[0033] The acceleration sensor 132 is a three-axis acceleration sensor that detects motion in three orthogonal axes. For example, when a user wearing the electronic device 100 moves, the processing unit 110 can obtain from the acceleration sensor 132 in which direction the user moves and at what degree of acceleration.

[0034] The pressure sensor 133 measures the pressure applied to the arm of the electronic device 100. For example, when the user wears the electronic device 100 on the wrist, the pressure sensor 133 detects a higher pressure, and detects a lower pressure when the user wears the electronic device 100 loosely.

[0035] The temperature sensor 134 includes, for example, a thermistor and a temperature measuring resistor, and measures the temperature around the electronic device 100 .

[0036] The display unit 140 includes display devices such as physical needles, a liquid crystal display, and an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display. The display unit 140 displays the pulse rate measured by the pulse sensor 131, the time measured by the timing unit 160, etc. In addition, the display unit 140 may also include an analog time display unit based on physical needles (second hand, minute hand, hour hand) and a date wheel, as well as a motor driver, a motor, and a gear train mechanism. In addition, the display unit 140 may also display the image of the needle on a display device such as a liquid crystal display instead of a physical analog time display unit, thereby performing analog time display.

[0037] The operation unit 150 is a user interface such as a handle or a button switch, and receives operation input from the user. The processing unit 110 can obtain what kind of operation input the user has performed based on the detection results of the rotation of the handle of the operation unit 150 or the pressing state of the switch. In addition, when the electronic device 100 has a touch panel integrated with the display unit 140, the touch panel also becomes the operation unit 150 and receives the user's click operation, etc.

[0038] The output unit 155 includes a speaker and outputs voice announcements and sound effects. In addition, the electronic device 100 may include an LED (light emitting unit) and a vibrator (vibration unit) as the output unit 155 instead of or in addition to the speaker.

[0039] The timing unit 160 measures the time when the electronic device 100 is displayed on the display unit 140. In addition, the timing unit 160 also has a function of a timer that measures a specified time. In addition, the timing unit 160 can be composed of software that changes the value stored in a predetermined address of the storage unit 120 every predetermined time (for example, 1 second), or can be composed of dedicated hardware. In addition, the timing unit 160 can also be set inside the processing unit 110.

[0040] The communication unit 170 is a communication interface for the electronic device 100 to communicate data with an external device (e.g., a smartphone, a tablet, a PC (Personal Computer), other smart watches, etc.), or to obtain information from the Internet. The communication unit 170 may include, for example, a wireless communication interface for communicating via Bluetooth (registered trademark) or a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), but is not limited thereto.

[0041] The position acquisition unit 180 receives satellite signals transmitted from GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites to acquire the current position of the electronic device 100. Since the position acquisition unit 180 cannot receive satellite signals indoors, the processing unit 110 can also determine whether the current position is outdoor or indoor based on whether the position acquisition unit 180 can receive satellite signals.

[0042] The electronic device 100 has an appearance such as Figure 2 As shown, the front side of the electronic device 100 includes an hour hand 141, a minute hand 142, a second hand 143, a date wheel 144, a pulse rate display unit 145, and a small hand display unit 146 as a display unit 140. The electronic device 100 displays the time through the hour hand 141, the minute hand 142, and the second hand 143, displays the date through the date wheel 144, and displays the pulse rate of the user through the pulse rate display unit 145. In addition, the small hand display unit 146 can display various information according to the function of the electronic device 100, and for example, displays the reliability of the pulse rate displayed by the pulse rate display unit 145.

[0043] In addition, if Figure 2 As shown, the electronic device 100 has a handle 151 and button switches 152 and 153 on the side to accept user operations. Figure 3 As shown, the electronic device 100 includes a pulse sensor 131 and a pressure sensor 133 on the back. The processing unit 110 obtains the pulse rate of the user based on the pulse signal detected by the pulse sensor 131 and obtains the pressure (contact pressure) of the user's arm through the pressure sensor 133.

[0044] The electronic device 100 obtains the user's pulse rate based on the temporal change in the received light intensity (AD value) obtained by the pulse sensor 131. At this time, if the electronic device 100 is not worn properly or the blood flow is low, the received light intensity decreases and the pulse rate acquisition accuracy deteriorates.

[0045] In the electronic device 100, the pulse rate is displayed on the pulse rate display unit 145, and the accuracy of the acquisition is represented by three levels of reliability index and displayed on the small hand display unit 146. Figure 2 In the example shown, the pulse rate is 76 bpm (beats per minute) and its reliability index is 2 (acquisition accuracy is fair). Figure 2 In the example of FIG. 1 , by displaying the pulse rate in digits (characters), the pulse rate can be easily grasped even when it is difficult to read the scale of the analog display.

[0046] like Figure 2As shown, in the electronic device 100 having the small needle display unit 146, the reliability index can be displayed on the small needle display unit 146. However, if the pulse rate display unit 145 is configured to display only the pulse rate, and the small needle display unit 146 is configured to display only the reliability index, the user cannot grasp the pulse rate and its reliability unless he or she checks the two display units, the pulse rate display unit 145 and the small needle display unit 146.

[0047] In the electronic device 100 , when the pulse rate is displayed on the pulse rate display unit 145 , it is displayed in an output format corresponding to the reliability index so that the user can understand the reliability index simply by checking the pulse rate display unit 145 .

[0048] For example, if the reliability index is 3 (good accuracy), then Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 1 , the pulse rate display unit 145 displays the pulse rate in large characters. Then, if the reliability index is 2 (the acquisition accuracy is normal), Figure 5 As shown in FIG. 1 , the pulse rate is displayed in medium characters in the pulse rate display section 145. Then, if the reliability index is 1 (acquisition accuracy is poor), Figure 6 As shown, the pulse rate display section 145 displays the pulse rate in small characters.

[0049] Figures 4 to 6 An example of indicating the reliability index of the pulse rate by the size of the text indicating the pulse rate is shown, but the output method when indicating the reliability index is not limited to the method based on the size of the text. The electronic device 100 may also indicate the reliability index by, for example, changing the presence or absence of the pulse rate display itself, or at least one of the attributes of the size, density, color, font, etc. of the text indicating the pulse rate. Thus, the user can understand the pulse rate and its reliability only by observing the pulse rate display unit 145.

[0050] In addition, the electronic device 100 may also display a mark indicating the reliability index in the pulse rate display unit 145. For example, when the reliability index is 3 (good accuracy), Figure 7 By displaying three marks, the reliability index is 3, as shown in the mark 201 of FIG. 2. Furthermore, when the reliability index is 2 (the acquisition accuracy is normal), as shown in FIG. Figure 8 As shown in the mark 202, the reliability index can also be represented by displaying two marks to indicate that the reliability index is 2. In addition, when the reliability index is 1 (acquisition accuracy difference), as shown in FIG. Fig. 9 As shown in the mark 203, the reliability index can also be represented as 1 by displaying 1 mark. Figure 7 to Figure 9 In the embodiment, the reliability index is represented by the number of marks, but for example, the reliability index may be represented by changing the size, density, color, type, etc. of the marks according to the reliability without changing the number of marks.

[0051] In the electronic device 100 that does not include the small hand display unit 146, the second hand 143 may be used to display the seconds while the pulse rate is displayed, and the reliability index may be displayed instead. Fig.10 As shown, the second hand 143 may also point to a direction with good reliability (e.g. Fig.10 The reliability index is displayed as 1 by the second hand 143 pointing to the normal reliability direction (e.g., the 3 o'clock direction) and the reliability index is displayed as 2. The second hand 143 pointing to the poor reliability direction (e.g., the 0 o'clock direction) can also be displayed as 1. By indicating the reliability index with a mark or a needle, the reliability index can be displayed more easily for the user to understand than when the reliability index is indicated only by an output method.

[0052] In addition, the display of the pulse rate in the pulse rate display unit 145 is not limited to digital display. Fig.11 As shown, the electronic device 100 may include a pulse rate display unit 145 that displays the pulse rate in analog form with a pointer 148. By displaying the pulse rate with the pointer 148, the user can visually grasp the magnitude of the pulse rate from the angle of the pointer 148 even if the user does not recognize numbers.

[0053] In the electronic device 100 that does not include the pulse rate display unit 145, the pulse rate may be displayed by the second hand 143 while the second hand 143 is not displayed. In this case, it is arbitrary how the pulse rate is associated with the scale (scale corresponding to 1 second). For example, if the step width when the second hand 143 rotates is set to 1 / 4 scale (second), and 1 scale (1 second) is associated with the pulse rate of 4 bpm, the scale of 0 to 60 seconds can be associated with the pulse rate of 0 to 240 bpm. In addition, if the step width when the second hand 143 rotates is set to 1 / 3 scale (second), and 1 scale (1 second) is associated with the pulse rate of 3 bpm, the scale of 0 to 60 seconds can be associated with the pulse rate of 40 to 220 bpm. In these cases, the user can visually grasp the magnitude of the pulse rate from the angle of the second hand 143 even if he does not recognize the numbers.

[0054] Furthermore, the reliability index of the pulse rate may be indicated by the vibration (shaking) of the pointer 148 (or the second hand 143). For example, the electronic device 100 may not vibrate the pointer 148 (or the second hand 143) when the reliability index is 3 (good accuracy), slightly vibrate the pointer 148 (or the second hand 143) when the reliability index is 2 (average accuracy), and greatly vibrate the pointer 148 (or the second hand 143) when the reliability index is 1 (poor accuracy), so that the user can grasp the reliability index. By changing the size of the vibration according to the reliability index, the user can visually grasp not only the pulse rate but also the reliability of the pulse rate.

[0055] In addition, the display of the pulse rate in the pulse rate display unit 145 is not limited to digital display or analog display. Fig.12 As shown, the pulse rate is displayed in a graph in the pulse rate display unit 145. By displaying the graph, the user can easily understand the time change of the pulse rate. In addition, when the display unit 140 of the watch-type electronic device 100 displays the graph, it may become a very small graph and difficult to see clearly, but the electronic device 100 can also send the information of the pulse rate and its reliability index to other devices such as a smart phone or a PC through the communication unit 170, and display the pulse rate in a graph through the other device.

[0056] Furthermore, when the electronic device 100 or the other device displays the pulse rate in a graph, the reliability index can also be represented by changing the presence or absence of drawing the graph itself, the type of line (solid line, dotted line, dashed line, etc.), the thickness (line width), the color, the concentration, etc. of the line drawing the graph.

[0057] For example, in Fig.12 In the figure, since the reliability index in time period tz1 is 3 (good accuracy), the graph is drawn with solid line 301, the reliability index in time period tz2 is 2 (average accuracy), the graph is drawn with narrow interval dotted line 302, the reliability index in time period tz3 is 1 (poor accuracy), the graph is drawn with wide interval dotted line 303, and the reliability index in time period tz4 is 3 (good accuracy), the graph is drawn with solid line 304. Thus, the user can grasp the change of pulse rate over time together with the change of pulse rate reliability over time.

[0058] The output methods corresponding to the reliability index of the pulse rate described above are summarized in the table. Fig.13. Among them, regarding the magnitude of the vibration of the pointer, various settings can be made for the frequency (vibration frequency) and amplitude (amplitude relative to the pointer) of the vibration of the pointer. However, if the reliability index is 1 (poor accuracy), the processing unit 110 sets the frequency of the vibration to a first vibration frequency (e.g., 3 Hz) and the amplitude to a first amplitude value (e.g., 2). If the reliability index is 2 (average accuracy), the frequency of the vibration is set to a second vibration frequency (e.g., 3 Hz) and the amplitude to a second amplitude value (e.g., 1). If the reliability index is 3 (good accuracy), the setting is set so that the pointer does not vibrate (amplitude is 0).

[0059] For example, Fig.14 The following example is shown: when the reliability index is 3 (good accuracy is obtained), the pointer is not vibrated; when the reliability index is 2 (average accuracy is obtained) or 1 (poor accuracy is obtained), the pointer is vibrated at a frequency of 3 Hz; when the reliability index is 2, the amplitude (amplitude) relative to the pointer at this time is set to ±1; when the reliability index is 1, it is set to ±2.

[0060] In addition, in this embodiment, although the output method in the case where the reliability index is divided into three stages, 1 to 3, is described, the number of stages of the reliability index being 3 is just an example. The accuracy can be differentiated more finely, and the number of stages of the reliability index can be set to 4 or more. In this way, the size and density of the text displaying the pulse rate can be set more finely, or the vibration frequency of the pointer displaying the pulse rate and the amplitude relative to the pointer can be set more finely. In addition, on the contrary, the reliability index can also be set to two stages, 1 (poor) and 2 (good).

[0061] In addition, the electronic device 100 can not only display the pulse rate in the pulse rate display unit 145 (first output unit) in an output mode corresponding to the reliability, but also display the reliability index in the small needle display unit 146 (second output unit). By displaying the reliability in the small needle display unit 146, the user can easily grasp the correspondence between the reliability index and the "output mode corresponding to the reliability". And, after grasping the correspondence, the user can grasp the pulse rate and its reliability at the same time only by observing the pulse rate display unit 145. In addition, the display unit that displays the pulse rate in an output mode corresponding to its reliability and the display unit that displays the reliability index can also be the same display unit.

[0062] Next, refer to Fig.15The pulse rate display process is described below, in which the electronic device 100 displays the pulse rate in an output mode corresponding to the reliability. The output mode may be set in advance (e.g., the size of the text) based on the specifications of the pulse rate display unit 145 of the electronic device 100, or may be changed by user operation. In the pulse rate display process, when the user instructs the electronic device 100 to display the pulse rate through the operation unit 150, the process is started. In addition, when the electronic device 100 is started, the pulse rate display process may be started in parallel with other processes.

[0063] When the pulse rate display process starts, first, the processing unit 110 makes the LED of the pulse sensor 131 emit light (step S101). The light emitted from the LED and reflected by the living body is received by the PD of the pulse sensor 131, and the processing unit 110 obtains an AD value obtained by converting the intensity of the received light in the PD through an AD converter (step S102).

[0064] Then, the processing unit 110 calculates the pulse rate and its reliability based on the AD value (step S103). In addition, the method of calculating the reliability of the pulse rate based on the AD value is arbitrary, for example, a method of calculating the reliability based on the size of the change in the AD value (the difference between the maximum and minimum values ​​of the AD value in a predetermined period (for example, 10 seconds)), the SN (Signal Noise) ratio, etc. can be considered. Since hemoglobin present in the blood has the property of absorbing light, if the blood flow is large, the light intensity (=AD value) in the PD becomes smaller, but if the change in the AD value is small, the difference in the AD value becomes smaller when the blood flow is large and small, and it is difficult to detect the pulse. Therefore, the smaller the change in the AD value, the lower the reliability of the pulse rate. On the contrary, the larger the change in the AD value, the more accurately the change in blood flow can be grasped, so the reliability of the pulse rate becomes higher. The same is true for the SN ratio. The larger the SN ratio, the more accurately the change in blood flow can be detected, so the reliability of the pulse rate increases. However, if the SN ratio is small, it is difficult to detect the pulse, so the reliability of the pulse rate decreases.

[0065] Next, the processing unit 110 converts the reliability into three levels of reliability indexes (step S104). The three-level conversion method is also arbitrary. For example, if the reliability is expressed as a numerical value of 0 or more and 100 or less, the reliability index is set to 1 when the reliability is less than a first threshold (e.g., 50), the reliability index is set to 2 when the reliability is greater than the first threshold and less than a second threshold (e.g., 80), and the reliability index is set to 3 when the reliability is greater than the second threshold.

[0066] Then, the processing unit 110 displays the pulse rate on the pulse rate display unit 145 in an output format corresponding to the reliability index (step S105 ), and returns to step S101 .

[0067] Through the above pulse rate display processing, the electronic device 100 calculates the reliability of the pulse rate and displays the pulse rate on the pulse rate display unit 145 in an output method associated with the calculated reliability. Therefore, the user can grasp not only the pulse rate but also its reliability just by observing the pulse rate.

[0068] Next, refer to Fig.16 The needle vibration process is described below, which is a process of displaying the pulse rate by vibrating the needle according to the reliability index of the pulse rate. The needle vibration process is performed in parallel with the above-mentioned pulse rate display process when the pulse rate display unit 145 displays the pulse rate by the needle and displays the pulse rate by vibrating the needle according to the reliability index of the pulse rate. In addition, the vibration frequency and the amplitude (amplitude) relative to the needle (such as Fig.14 The example shown in FIG. 1 is pre-stored in the storage unit 120 .

[0069] First, the processing unit 110 obtains the pulse rate and reliability index calculated in the pulse rate display process (step S201). Then, the processing unit 110 calculates the amplitude MAX and the amplitude MIN according to the following formula based on the pulse rate, the reliability index and the amplitude (amplitude) relative to the pointer (step S202).

[0070] Amplitude MAX = pulse number + "amplitude relative to the pointer" corresponding to the reliability index

[0071] Amplitude MIN = pulse number - "amplitude relative to the pointer" corresponding to the reliability index

[0072] For example, when the pulse rate is 100 bpm, the reliability index is 1, and the amplitude relative to the pointer is Fig.14 When the values ​​are shown, amplitude MAX = 100 + 2 = 102, amplitude MIN = 100 - 2 = 98.

[0073] Next, the processing unit 110 calculates the vibration operation frequency by the following equation based on the amplitude MAX, the amplitude MIN, and the amplitude relative to the pointer (amplitude) (step S203 ).

[0074] Vibration action frequency = (amplitude MAX - amplitude MIN) × 2 × vibration frequency

[0075] The vibration operating frequency refers to the frequency at which the pointer moves forward an angle corresponding to a pulse rate of 1. The reason why (Amplitude MAX - Amplitude MIN) is doubled is that the pointer moves back and forth between Amplitude MAX and Amplitude MIN once at the frequency set by "Vibration Frequency".

[0076] For example, when the amplitude MAX is 102, the amplitude MIN is 98, and the vibration frequency is 3 Hz, the operating frequency during vibration is (102-98)×2×3=24 Hz.

[0077] Next, the processing unit 110 fast-forwards the pointer to the position of the amplitude MAX or the amplitude MIN based on the current pointer position (step S204). Specifically, the processing unit 110 fast-forwards the pointer to the position of the amplitude MAX or the amplitude MIN that is closer to the current pointer position (in the case of the same, it can be either, but for example, the amplitude MIN). For example, when the current pointer position is 90, the amplitude MAX is 102, and the amplitude MIN is 98, the pointer is fast-forwarded to the position of the amplitude MIN.

[0078] Then, the processing unit 110 determines whether the current timing is the vibration operation frequency timing (step S205). If it is not the vibration operation frequency timing (step S205: No), the process returns to step S205.

[0079] If it is the vibration operation frequency timing (step S205: yes), the processing unit 110 determines whether the current pointer position is the position of the amplitude MAX (step S206). If the current pointer position is the position of the amplitude MAX (step S206; yes), the processing unit 110 substitutes "MaxToMin" into the variable representing the state (step S207) and proceeds to step S210.

[0080] If the current pointer position is not the position of the amplitude MAX (step S206; No), the processing unit 110 determines whether the current pointer position is the position of the amplitude MIN (step S208). If the current pointer position is the position of the amplitude MIN (step S208; Yes), the processing unit 110 substitutes "MinToMax" into the variable representing the state (step S209) and proceeds to step S210. If the current pointer position is not the position of the amplitude MIN (step S208; No), the processing unit 110 proceeds to step S210.

[0081] In step S210, the processing unit 110 determines whether the value of the variable representing the state is "MaxToMin". If the value of the variable representing the state is "MaxToMin" (step S210; Yes), the processing unit 110 rotates the pointer to the current position -1 (step S211), and proceeds to step S213.

[0082] If the value of the variable indicating the state is not "MaxToMin" (step S210; No), the processing unit 110 rotates the pointer to the current position + 1 (step S212), and proceeds to step S213.

[0083] In step S213, the processing unit 110 determines whether the current timing is the pulse rate update timing (step S213). If it is the pulse rate update timing (step S213: Yes), the processing unit 110 returns to step S201.

[0084] If the current timing is not the pulse rate update timing (step S213: No), the processing unit 110 returns to step S205.

[0085] Through the above needle vibration processing, the pointer vibrates based on the reliability index of the pulse rate at a frequency set as the "vibration frequency" and an amplitude set as the "amplitude relative to the pointer", with the current "pulse rate" as the center. Therefore, the user can grasp the pulse rate and its reliability index at the same time just by checking the pointer.

[0086] (Countermeasures to prevent reliability degradation)

[0087] As the reason why the reliability of the pulse rate is reduced, various factors can be considered, but basically, when the AD value is small, that is, when the light intensity in the PD is reduced, the reliability of the pulse rate decreases. There are several main reasons for the reduction of the light intensity in the PD, but the representative ones are inappropriate wearing pressure (too tight or too loose) and weak blood flow reflected by the LED light. In addition, in general, when a person feels cold, the blood vessels near the surface of the body contract and the blood flow becomes weak.

[0088] The electronic device 100 is equipped with a pressure sensor 133 and a temperature sensor 134, so it can use them to determine whether the wearing pressure is appropriate or whether the surrounding temperature is too cold. In addition, the electronic device 100 can obtain the current location's weather information (temperature, humidity, wind speed, etc.) from the Internet or the like via the communication unit 170, and calculate the perceived temperature outside the house, so it can also determine whether the calculated perceived temperature is too cold for the user. Therefore, when the reliability of the pulse rate is low, the cause of the reduced reliability can be inferred based on these determination results.

[0089] Reference Fig.17 , a countermeasure output process in which the electronic device 100 estimates the cause of the decrease in the reliability of the pulse rate and outputs a countermeasure to prevent the decrease in reliability is described. In the countermeasure output process, when the user instructs the electronic device 100 to output a countermeasure to prevent the decrease in reliability through the operation unit 150, the process starts. In addition, when the electronic device 100 starts or starts the pulse rate display process, the countermeasure output process can also be started in parallel with other processes.

[0090] When the countermeasure output process starts, first, the processing unit 110 determines whether the reliability value of the currently acquired pulse rate is less than the reference reliability value (assuming that the reliability value is a value greater than 0 and less than 100, for example, 50) (step S301). If the reliability value is greater than the reference reliability value (step S301: No), the process returns to step S301.

[0091] If the reliability value is less than the reference reliability (step S301; yes), the processing unit 110 determines whether the current user is performing vigorous exercise based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 132 (step S302). For example, if the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 132 (acceleration detection unit) is greater than the acceleration threshold, the processing unit 110 determines that the user is performing vigorous exercise.

[0092] Next, the processing unit 110 determines whether the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 133 exceeds the upper pressure threshold (step S303). The upper pressure threshold is a preset minimum pressure value at which the electronic device 100 is worn too tightly on the arm and the pulse sensor 131 may not be able to properly detect the pulse.

[0093] If the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 133 exceeds the upper limit of the pressure (step S303: yes), the processing unit 110 infers that the reason for the low reliability is that the device is worn too tightly, and causes the output unit 155 to output an instruction to relax the device, such as a voice announcement such as "Please relax your device" (step S304). At this time, if the processing unit 110 determines in step S302 that "vigorous exercise is being performed", the content suggesting that the high acceleration (exercise) may be the cause is included in the instruction content. For example, the voice announcement is set to "Please relax your device when exercising". Then, the process returns to step S301.

[0094] If the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 133 is below the upper pressure threshold (step S303; No), the processing unit 110 determines whether the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 133 is less than the lower pressure threshold (step S305). As the lower pressure threshold, the maximum pressure value at which the electronic device 100 is worn too loosely on the arm and the pulse sensor 131 may not be able to properly detect the pulse is pre-set.

[0095] If the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 133 is less than the lower limit threshold of the sticking pressure (step S305; yes), the processing unit 110 infers that the reason for the low reliability is that the wearing is loose, so that the output unit 155 outputs a notification such as an instruction to wear tightly, such as a voice announcement such as "Please wear it firmly" (step S306). At this time, if the processing unit 110 determines in step S302 that "vigorous exercise is being performed", the notification content includes content suggesting that high acceleration (exercise) may be the cause. For example, the voice announcement is set to "Please wear it firmly when exercising". Then, return to step S301.

[0096] If the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 133 is above the lower limit of the pressure (step S305; No), the processing unit 110 determines whether the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 134 is less than the temperature threshold (step S307). As the temperature threshold, the highest temperature (e.g., 10° C.) at which the user's blood flow decreases and the pulse sensor 131 may not be able to properly detect the pulse is set in advance.

[0097] If the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 134 is lower than the temperature threshold (step S307; yes), the processing unit 110 infers that the reason for the low reliability is that the temperature is low and the blood flow is reduced, so that the output unit 155 outputs a notification for increasing the blood flow, such as a voice announcement such as "Please warm up to warm up your body" (step S308). At this time, if the processing unit 110 determines in step S302 that "vigorous exercise is being performed", the notification content includes content suggesting that the large acceleration (exercise) may be the cause. For example, the voice announcement is set to "Do a good warm-up exercise before vigorous exercise". Then, return to step S301.

[0098] If the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 134 is above the temperature threshold (step S307; No), the processing unit 110 determines whether the current location is outdoors and whether the sensible temperature is less than the sensible temperature threshold (step S309). The processing unit 110 can determine whether the current location is outdoors by whether the location acquisition unit 180 can receive satellite signals. In addition, regarding the sensible temperature, the processing unit 110 obtains the climate data (temperature, humidity, wind speed) of the current location (obtained by the location acquisition unit 180) from the Internet through the communication unit 170, and calculates the sensible temperature based on the climate data. In addition, as the sensible temperature threshold, the highest sensible temperature (for example, 10°C) at which the user's blood flow decreases and the pulse in the pulse sensor 131 may not be properly detected is pre-set.

[0099] If the current location is outdoors and the sensible temperature is less than the sensible temperature threshold (step S309; ​​yes), the processing unit 110 infers that the reason for the low reliability is that the sensible temperature is low and the blood flow is reduced, and outputs a notification for increasing blood flow from the output unit 155, such as a voice announcement such as "Please warm up to warm up your body" (step S310). At this time, if the processing unit 110 determines in step S302 that "vigorous exercise is being performed", the notification content includes content suggesting that high acceleration (exercise) may be the cause. For example, the voice announcement is set to "Do a good warm-up exercise before vigorous exercise". Then, return to step S301.

[0100] If the current location is indoors or the sensible temperature is above the sensible temperature threshold (step S309; ​​No), the processing unit 110 determines whether the AD value obtained from the pulse sensor 131 is less than the AD threshold (step S311). As the AD threshold, a maximum value is set in advance at which the AD value is too small and the pulse rate may not be properly calculated.

[0101] If the AD value obtained from the pulse sensor 131 is less than the AD threshold value (step S311: Yes), the processing unit 110 infers that the reason for the low reliability is that the wearer is not properly worn, and outputs a notification urging the wearer to wear properly, such as a voice announcement such as "Please wear it firmly" from the output unit 155 (step S312). At this time, if the processing unit 110 determines that "vigorous exercise is being performed" in step S302, the notification content includes content suggesting that the acceleration is large (exercise) and may be the cause. For example, the voice announcement is set to "Please wear it firmly when exercising". Then, the process returns to step S301.

[0102] If the AD value obtained from the pulse sensor 131 is above the AD threshold value (step S311: No), the processing unit 110 infers that the reason for the low reliability is unknown, and outputs notifications such as instructions for general countermeasures from the output unit 155, such as voice announcements such as "wear appropriately, warm up your body" (step S313). At this time, if the processing unit 110 determines in step S302 that "vigorous exercise is being performed", the notification content includes content suggesting that large acceleration (exercise) may be the cause. For example, the voice announcement is set to "wear appropriately when exercising, do warm-up exercises well", etc. Then, return to step S301.

[0103] Through the above countermeasure output processing, the electronic device 100 infers the reason for the reduction in the reliability of the pulse rate, and outputs a notification associated with the inferred reason (for example, a countermeasure for preventing the reliability from being reduced), so that the user can improve the reliability of the pulse rate by following the output countermeasure. In addition, since the countermeasure is announced by sound, the user can grasp the countermeasure even if he does not confirm the display unit 140. In addition, since the judgment after step S308 is performed after it is determined in steps S303 to S306 that there is no problem with the wearing pressure, when multiple reasons are considered as the reason for the reduction in reliability, the user is first prompted to wear it correctly. As a result, even if there are multiple reasons, the reasons can be effectively eliminated one by one.

[0104] In addition, the electronic device 100 may also include a body temperature sensor for measuring the user's body temperature instead of the temperature sensor 134 for measuring the ambient temperature or in addition to the temperature sensor 134. In this case, in the countermeasure output process, the processing unit 110 determines whether the body temperature measured by the body temperature sensor is less than the body temperature threshold (for example, 35°C). Furthermore, if the body temperature is less than the body temperature threshold, the processing unit 110 infers that the reason for the low reliability is that the body temperature is low and the blood flow is reduced, and outputs a notification such as an instruction for increasing the blood flow from the output unit 155, such as a voice announcement such as "Please warm up to warm your body".

[0105] In addition, the electronic device 100 may also include a sound output unit that outputs effect sounds, and the reason for the reduced reliability is indicated by the type of sound output from the sound output unit. For example, when it is inferred that the wearing is too tight, an effect sound indicating that the wearing is tight (e.g., "beep") is output; when it is inferred that the wearing is too loose, an effect sound indicating that the wearing is loose (e.g., "beep") is output; when it is inferred that the temperature is low, an effect sound indicating that the temperature is low (e.g., "pop") is output, etc. By outputting effect sounds instead of voice broadcasts, the manufacturing cost of the electronic device 100 and the processing volume of the processing unit 110 can be reduced. Even with such a simple effect sound, if the user hears a sound such as "beep", he will take measures such as "It's loose, it seems better to wear it tighter."

[0106] In addition, the output in the electronic device 100 is not limited to the sound broadcast or the sound effect. For example, the electronic device 100 may also include a text display unit capable of displaying text, and the countermeasures are displayed in the text display unit. By displaying the countermeasures in the text display unit, the user can understand the countermeasures for preventing the reliability from being reduced even in a noisy environment or other conditions where the sound broadcast cannot be heard.

[0107] In addition, the electronic device 100 may also include a vibration unit that causes the electronic device 100 to vibrate as the output unit 155, and the reason for the reduced reliability is indicated according to the type of vibration of the vibration unit. For example, when it is inferred that the wearing is too tight, a vibration indicating tighter wearing (such as "single vibration") is performed; when it is inferred that the wearing is too loose, a vibration indicating looser wearing (such as "double vibration") is performed; when it is inferred that the temperature is low, a vibration indicating low temperature (such as "slow vibration") is performed, etc. By vibrating instead of sound broadcasting, the processing amount of the processing unit 110 can be reduced, and the user can take measures to prevent the reliability from being reduced even in noisy conditions such as noise.

[0108] In addition, the electronic device 100 may also include a light-emitting unit (e.g., LED) as the output unit 155, and the reason for the reduced reliability is indicated by the type of light emitted by the light-emitting unit. For example, when it is inferred that the wearer is wearing too tight, light is emitted to indicate that the wearer is wearing too tight (e.g., repeatedly emitting light for 0.1 seconds at intervals of 0.1 seconds); when it is inferred that the wearer is wearing too loose, light is emitted to indicate that the wearer is wearing too loose (e.g., repeatedly emitting light for 0.5 seconds at intervals of 0.5 seconds); when it is inferred that the temperature is low, light is emitted to indicate that the temperature is low (e.g., repeatedly emitting light for 1 second at intervals of 1 second), etc. By emitting light instead of sound broadcast, the processing amount of the processing unit 110 can be reduced. In addition, the user can take measures to prevent reduced reliability by confirming the type of light emission even in a noisy situation due to noise, etc.

[0109] In addition, if the electronic device 100 does not have the acceleration sensor 132, the processing of step S302 may not be performed. In this case, the notification content to the user in steps S304, step S306, step S308, step S310, step S312, and step S313 may not include content suggesting that a large acceleration (motion) may be the cause.

[0110] If the electronic device 100 does not include the pressure sensor 133 , the processing of step S303 to step S306 may not be performed.

[0111] If the electronic device 100 does not include the temperature sensor 134 , the processing of step S307 and step S308 may not be performed.

[0112] If the electronic device 100 does not include the communication unit 170 and the position acquisition unit 180 , the processing of step S309 and step S310 may not be performed.

[0113] In the above-described embodiment, the electronic device 100 calculates the pulse rate and its reliability based on the AD value obtained from the output value of the PD, and displays the pulse rate in an output method corresponding to its reliability, but the information output by the electronic device 100 is not limited to the pulse rate. For example, in the pulse sensor 131, the two wavelengths of infrared and red light can also be used to measure the oxygen saturation (SpO2) in the arterial blood, but its reliability will also be reduced under the same conditions as the pulse rate (for example, inappropriate wearing pressure). Therefore, the electronic device 100 can display the oxygen saturation in the user's arterial blood in an output method corresponding to its reliability, or output a countermeasure to prevent the reliability from decreasing.

[0114] Furthermore, the electronic device 100 can increase or decrease the number of sensors included in the sensor unit 130 as necessary, and can display any biological information obtained from the sensor unit 130 in an output format corresponding to its reliability, or output a measure to prevent a decrease in reliability.

[0115] In addition, the information obtained from the sensor unit 130 (for example, the AD value obtained from the pulse sensor 131), the pulse rate calculated based on the information from the sensor unit 130, the oxygen saturation in the arterial blood, etc. are biological information, but various information that can be calculated from this information (for example, stress level, vascular age) can also be said to be biological information. Furthermore, the electronic device 100 can also output these arbitrary biological information in an output method corresponding to the reliability thereof.

[0116] In this case, the reliability of the arbitrary biological information can also be calculated based on the reliability of the information used in the calculation (mostly information from the sensor unit 130 such as AD value), so the electronic device 100 can display the arbitrary biological information in an output mode corresponding to its reliability. In addition, since the reliability of the arbitrary biological information depends on the reliability of the information used for the calculation (such as AD value), the electronic device 100 can output a measure to prevent reliability reduction through the same processing as the above-mentioned countermeasure output processing.

[0117] In addition, the electronic device 100 may not necessarily output the biometric information in the form of a display on the display unit. The electronic device 100 may also output the biometric information in an output mode corresponding to its reliability, for example, by sound. As an output mode in the case of outputting by sound, for example, when the reliability of the biometric information is low, the electronic device 100 outputs the biometric information in an unclear sound, and when the reliability is high, the biometric information is output in a clear sound.

[0118] In addition, the electronic device 100 can also be implemented by a computer such as a wearable computer that can be worn on the user's body, a smart phone, a tablet computer, a PC, etc. that can obtain the detection value detected by the sensor type worn on the user's body. Specifically, in the above embodiment, it is described that the program such as the pulse rate display processing executed by the electronic device 100 is pre-stored in the storage unit 120. However, the program is stored in a computer-readable recording medium such as a floppy disk, a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), an MO (Magneto-Optical Disc), a memory card, a USB memory, etc., and distributed, and the program is read into a computer and installed, thereby constituting a computer that can execute the above-mentioned processing.

[0119] Furthermore, the program may be superimposed on a carrier wave and applied via a communication medium such as the Internet. For example, the program may be announced on a bulletin board (BBS: Bulletin Board System) on a communication network for distribution. Furthermore, the program may be started and executed like other application programs under the control of an OS (Operating System), thereby enabling the aforementioned processing to be performed.

[0120] In addition, the processing unit 110 may be composed of any processor such as a single processor, multiple processors, or a multi-core processor, or may be composed of any processor combined with a processing circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array).

[0121] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments involved, and the present invention includes the inventions described in the claims and their equivalents. The inventions described in the initial claims of this application are appended below.

Claims

1. An electronic device, characterized in that: Include: a first output portion comprising a needle; and Processing Department, The processing unit acquires information of a living body, namely, biological information, calculates reliability of the biological information based on the acquired biological information, and calculates a maximum position and a minimum position in a vibration range of the needle based on the reliability. After the needle moves to a position close to the maximum position and the minimum position, the first output unit displays the biological information by the position of the needle while outputting information related to the calculated reliability by vibration of the needle.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that: If the calculated reliability is less than a first threshold value, the processing unit sets the amplitude of the needle vibration to a first amplitude value, If the calculated reliability is equal to or greater than the first threshold, the processing unit sets the amplitude of the vibration of the needle to a second amplitude value.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first output unit displays the biological information in text.

4. The electronic device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The processing unit displays the biometric information on the first output unit in the form of characters with at least one attribute of character color, size, density, and font changed based on the calculated reliability.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first output unit displays the biological information in a graph.

6. The electronic device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The processing unit displays the biological information on the first output unit in the form of a line graph in which at least one attribute of a line type, a line width, a color, and a density of a line of the graph is changed based on the calculated reliability.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electronic device comprises a second output unit, The processing unit outputs the information related to the reliability to the second output unit.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The biological information is the pulse rate.

9. An information output method of an electronic device, the electronic device comprising: a first output unit including a needle; a processing unit, characterized in that: The processing unit acquires information of a living body, namely, biological information, calculates reliability of the biological information based on the acquired biological information, and calculates a maximum position and a minimum position in a vibration range of the needle based on the reliability. After the needle moves to a position close to the maximum position and the minimum position, the first output unit displays the biological information by the position of the needle while outputting information related to the calculated reliability by vibration of the needle.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, the computer comprising: a first output unit including a needle; a processing unit, characterized in that: The computer acquires information of a living body, namely biological information, calculates reliability of the biological information based on the acquired biological information, and calculates a maximum position and a minimum position in a vibration range of the needle based on the reliability. After the needle moves to a position close to the maximum position and the minimum position, the first output unit displays the biological information by the position of the needle while outputting information related to the calculated reliability by vibration of the needle.

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