Walking state evaluation system and program

Abstract

A walking state evaluation system is provided with: an information acquisition means for acquiring walking information of a subject; a state evaluation unit that evaluates the walking state of the subject by comparing the walking information acquired by the information acquisition unit with ideal walking information; and an evaluation output means for outputting, as the ideal walking information, the evaluation results of the state evaluation means, information comprising a plurality of parameters including hip joint angles during walking in an ideal walking state, and information prepared for each hip joint angle across a prescribed range. The information acquisition unit acquires, as walking information of the subject, a plurality of parameters including a hip joint angle of the subject during walking, and the state evaluation unit evaluates a state of the subject by comparing the walking information of the subject with the ideal walking information including a hip joint angle identical to the walking information of the subject. And evaluating the walking state of the subject.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a walking state evaluation system for evaluating the walking state of a subject. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, the relationship between people's walking state and health status has attracted much attention. In order to clarify the relationship, various technologies for evaluating walking state have been proposed. For example, there is a technology that defines the walking state based on the angle of the hip joint and evaluates it (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-236663 Summary of the invention

[0006] Technical problem to be solved by the invention

[0007] However, walking puts a lot of strain on the body, and the quality of the walking state should have a great impact on the health state. Therefore, it is hoped that the walking state of a person can be evaluated from the perspective of whether it is suitable for maintaining a healthy state, but no evaluation from such a perspective has been conducted so far.

[0008] The present invention has been made to solve such a technical problem, and an object of the present invention is to enable evaluation of a walking state from the viewpoint of whether the walking state is suitable for maintaining a healthy state.

[0009] A first method for solving the above-mentioned technical problem is a walking state evaluation system, comprising: an information acquisition unit, which acquires subject walking information about the subject's walking state; a state evaluation unit, which evaluates the subject's walking state by comparing the walking information acquired by the information acquisition unit with ideal walking information about an ideal walking state; and an evaluation output unit, which outputs an evaluation result of the state evaluation unit, wherein the ideal walking information is information composed of multiple parameters including hip joint angles when walking in an ideal walking state, and is prepared for each hip joint angle over a specified range, the information acquisition unit acquires multiple parameters including hip joint angles of the subject when walking as the subject's walking information, and the state evaluation unit evaluates the subject's walking state by comparing the subject's walking information with the ideal walking information including the same hip joint angle as the subject's walking information.

[0010] When a person walks, the left and right legs mainly rotate with the hip joint as the center and move in a forward and backward manner. Therefore, how other parts of the body coordinate with the hip joint to move should have a greater impact on the quality of the walking state.

[0011] The applicant of the present application has conducted various analyses based on the walking state of the examinee in order to clarify this situation, and found the following tendency: the healthier the examinee is, the larger the hip joint angle indicating the movement of the hip joint is within a certain range, and the burden on the joints tends to increase for the examinee who is concerned about the health status. According to this tendency, it can be said that there is an ideal walking state that becomes the appropriate range of movement of each part commensurate with the hip joint angle, and the more it deviates from this ideal state, the greater the burden on each joint (especially the hip joint or knee joint, etc.).

[0012] In this way, a walking state with a heavy burden is likely to cause disharmony in various joints in the long run. When pain and discomfort occur with walking, the burden on other parts is increased by actions to protect them, or health concerns increase due to avoiding walking itself and being unable to maintain the muscle strength required for life. Therefore, in order to maintain a good health state, it can be said that walking in an ideal walking state with a small burden on the body is effective.

[0013] Therefore, it is desirable to encourage the subject to walk in a walking state that puts less burden on the body. However, to do this, it is first required to be able to grasp the difference between the subject's walking state and the ideal walking state.

[0014] In response to this requirement, in the above-mentioned walking state evaluation system, by comparing the difference between the walking state of the subject and the ideal walking state based on the hip joint angle, the walking state can be evaluated from the perspective of whether it is suitable for maintaining a healthy state. In this way, by outputting the evaluation result of the walking state, the difference between the walking state of the subject and the ideal walking state can be grasped, and as a result, the subject can be encouraged to walk in the ideal walking state.

[0015] In addition, as walking information, several parameters suitable for evaluating the walking state can be used in addition to the hip joint angle. As parameters suitable for evaluating the walking state, for example, stride length, knee joint angle, etc. can be used.

[0016] In this case, the above method may also be the second method shown below. In the second method, the ideal walking information is composed of a plurality of parameters including the stride length and the knee joint angle at the hip joint angle in addition to the hip joint angle, and the information acquisition unit acquires the stride length and the knee joint angle at the hip joint angle as the walking information of the subject in addition to the hip joint angle of the subject when walking.

[0017] This type of walking state evaluation system can evaluate the walking state by comparing the difference between the walking state of the subject and the ideal walking state based on the hip joint angle, stride length, and knee joint angle.

[0018] This method may also be the third method shown below. In the third method, the ideal walking information is composed of a plurality of parameters including the following parameters in addition to the hip joint angle: the stride under the hip joint angle and the knee joint angle under the hip joint angle, the stride under the hip joint angle being a value expressed as a percentage by dividing the stride by the height or leg length, the information acquisition unit acquires the stride under the hip joint angle, the height or leg length, and the knee joint angle as the walking information of the subject in addition to the hip joint angle of the subject when walking, and the state evaluation unit uses the value expressed as a percentage by dividing the stride by the height or leg length as the stride in the walking information of the subject when evaluating the walking state of the subject.

[0019] According to this type of walking state evaluation system, by dividing the stride length by the height or leg length and expressing the value as a percentage for evaluation, the influence of the height or leg length can be suppressed and the walking state can be evaluated more appropriately.

[0020] In addition, in order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, a walking state evaluation system of the fourth mode comprises: an information acquisition unit, which acquires walking information of the subject when walking; a state determination unit, which determines which of a plurality of predetermined modes of walking states the walking state specified by the walking information acquired by the information acquisition unit corresponds to; an evaluation determination unit, which determines, among the evaluation information corresponding to the plurality of modes of walking states, the evaluation information corresponding to the walking state determined by the state determination unit, as information including an evaluation of the walking state and a suggestion corresponding to the evaluation; and an evaluation output unit, which outputs the evaluation information determined by the evaluation determination unit.

[0021] According to the walking state evaluation system of the above aspect, the walking state is classified into a plurality of patterns according to the health state, and the pattern of the walking state of the subject is determined and evaluated, thereby reducing the processing load required for the evaluation.

[0022] Furthermore, the above-mentioned aspect may be a fifth aspect shown below.

[0023] In a fifth aspect, the walking state evaluation system includes an image acquisition unit that acquires image data of a subject's walking state, and the information acquisition unit acquires walking information including the subject's stride and hip joint angle based on the image data acquired by the image acquisition unit.

[0024] The applicant of this application focused on the tendency of the hip joint angle to become smaller when walking due to deterioration in health, aging, and lack of exercise that promotes hip joint extension in the daily lives of middle-aged and elderly people. The applicant conducted research on what parameters should be used to define the walking state with the hip joint angle as the axis, and discovered the usefulness of defining the walking state with the hip joint angle and stride length.

[0025] The usefulness mentioned here means that, in each of a plurality of subjects, the relationship between the hip joint angle and the stride length during walking has different tendencies between subjects with no health problems and subjects with some health problems, and the walking state can be evaluated based on the tendency. The applicant of the present application conceived of the above-mentioned structure as a result of creative research for using the tendency for the evaluation of the walking state.

[0026] In order to evaluate the walking ability, the walking state can be determined not only by the hip joint angle, but also by multiple parameters such as the knee joint angle. On the other hand, as the number of parameters increases, the processing load required for evaluation will increase. Therefore, as described above, being able to define the walking state and evaluate it by parameters such as the hip joint angle and stride length is suitable in terms of reducing the processing load required for evaluation.

[0027] Therefore, if it is a walking state evaluation system of the above type, by obtaining walking information including stride and hip joint angle as information on the walking state of the subject, it is possible to suppress the processing load required for the evaluation and effectively realize the evaluation of the walking state in relation to the health status. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 : is a block diagram showing the structure of the walking state evaluation system in the present disclosure.

[0029] Figure 2 1 is a schematic diagram showing a situation where a subject is photographed using a camera in the present disclosure.

[0030] Figure 3 : is a flowchart showing the procedure of the evaluation output process.

[0031] Figure 4 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a model of the skeleton of the subject included in the image.

[0032] Figure 5 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a page on which evaluation information is output.

[0033] Figure 6 1 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the status evaluation process.

[0034] Figure 7 It is a diagram showing a pattern of a walking state.

[0035] Figure 8 FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a page on which evaluation information is output.

[0036] Fig. 9 FIG. 2 is a diagram that models the skeleton of the subject included in the image.

[0037] Fig.10 Flowchart (2) shows the procedure of the status evaluation process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0039] (1) Overall structure

[0040] like Figure 1 As shown, the walking state evaluation system 1 includes an information generating device 10 that generates walking information about the walking of a subject, and a state evaluation device 20 that evaluates the walking state of the subject.

[0041] The information generating device 10 comprises: a control unit 11 for controlling the overall operation of the information generating device 10; a storage unit 13 for storing various data; a user interface (U / I) 15 for interacting with the user; a communication unit 17 for controlling communication with the state evaluating device 20; and a camera 19 for capturing images of the subject walking.

[0042] Among them, Figure 2 As shown, the camera 19 is installed at a position where it can capture the subject 100 walking from the side, captures the walking and generates image data. The image data represents each of a plurality of images that are continuous in time series.

[0043] The state evaluation device 20 includes a control unit 21 for controlling the overall operation of the state evaluation device 20 , a storage unit 23 for storing various data, a user interface (U / I) 25 for interacting with a user, and a communication unit 27 for controlling communication with the information generation device 10 .

[0044] In addition, in the present embodiment, the case where the information generating device 10 and the state evaluating device 20 are connected to each other so as to be communicable via the Internet 200 is exemplified, but the two may be directly connected to each other so as to be communicable.

[0045] (2) First Implementation Method

[0046] Here, various processing procedures of the walking state evaluation system 1 having the above-mentioned configuration will be described as a first embodiment.

[0047] (2-1) Evaluation output processing

[0048] First, based on Figure 3 Next, the evaluation output process performed by the control unit 11 of the information generating device 10 will be described. The evaluation output process is performed according to a program stored in the storage unit 13 and is started when an instruction for starting the evaluation output process is received via the user interface 15.

[0049] In the evaluation output process, first, image data is acquired from the camera 19 (s110). Here, in accordance with the timing when the subject crosses the imaging range of the camera 19, the control unit 11 sequentially issues imaging start and imaging end commands to the camera 19, and acquires image data representing a plurality of consecutive images captured in time sequence between the commands.

[0050] Here, the instructions to start and end shooting of the camera 19 may be manually issued at the timing of receiving a user's instruction via the user interface 15, or may be automatically issued based on changes in the image in the shooting range or detection results of a sensor (not shown).

[0051] Next, a specific image is extracted from the image data acquired in the above s110 (s120). Here, after the subject displayed in each image represented by the image data is skeleton-modeled, a heel-off image and a heel-contact image are extracted based on the position of the heel of the leg that is the observation object (the leg that comes to the heel front side in the image, hereinafter also referred to as the "observation limb") in the skeleton model.

[0052] The "heel-off image" refers to an image of the moment when the heel of the hip-joint-extended side of the observed limb of the subject walking leaves the ground surface, and the "heel-contact image" refers to an image of the moment when the heel of the hip-joint-flexed side of the observed limb of the subject walking contacts the ground surface. The image extracted in s120 is image data representing a set of heel-off images and heel-contact images that are sequentially displayed in time in the observed limb.

[0053] Here, images in which the heel of the observed limb is in a position corresponding to the heel-off state and the heel-grounding state are extracted as the heel-off image and the heel-grounding image from the image group captured by the camera 19. However, it is also possible to detect the heel-off state and the heel-grounding state of the subject when walking using a sensor (for example, a vibration sensor or an acceleration sensor provided on the subject or the road surface), and extract the images of the timing detected in this way as the heel-off image and the heel-grounding image.

[0054] Next, based on each image extracted in the above s120, the walking information of the subject is calculated (s130). Figure 4As shown, the subject's hip joint angle θc, stride length Ls, height Lt, etc. are calculated based on the heel-off image and the heel-on image extracted in the above s120. Figure 4 This indicates a state in which the observation limb in the heel-grounded state and the observation limb in the heel-off state are superimposed so that the rotation centers of the hip joints coincide with each other.

[0055] Here, the hip joint angle θc is calculated as an angle (θc=θc1+θc2), which is the sum of the hip joint extension angle θc1 (the angle formed by the axis from the hip joint to the knee and the vertical direction) of the leg in the heel-off state in the heel-off image and the hip joint flexion angle θc2 (same as above) of the leg in the heel-grounding state in the heel-grounding image.

[0056] In addition, the stride Ls is calculated as a distance (Ls=Ls1+Ls2), which is a sum of the heel-off distance Ls1 from the position of the subject's toes (the toes in the present embodiment) when the heel is off the ground along the front of the travel direction to the position directly below the hip joint, and the heel-grounding distance Ls2 from the position of the toes (the toes in the present embodiment) when the heel is on the ground along the rear of the travel direction to the position directly below the hip joint.

[0057] Here, the stride length Ls is calculated by focusing on the heel-off image and the heel-grounding image that are sequentially located in the observation limb, that is, the position of the toe in each state of the observation limb that is in the heel-off state and then in the heel-grounding state, but the stride length Ls may also be calculated by focusing on the toe of the observation limb and the toe of the opposite leg (hereinafter referred to as the "non-observation limb"). Specifically, the toe of the observation limb that is in the state of either the heel-off state or the heel-grounding state and the toe of the non-observation limb that is in any other state in an image that is close to the image of the state in time sequence are considered, and the calculation is performed in the same manner as described above.

[0058] In addition, the height Lt is calculated as a distance (Lt=Ll+Lb), which is a sum of the distance Ll obtained by averaging the lengths of each leg of the subject in each of the heel-off image and the heel-ground image and the distance Lb from the hip joint to the top of the head of the subject in each image (Lt=Ll+Lb).

[0059] Next, the walking information calculated in the above s130 is sent to the state evaluation device 20 (s140). The state evaluation device 20 is configured to receive the walking information, execute a state evaluation process described later, and send back evaluation information corresponding to the walking information.

[0060] When the walking information is transmitted in this way, the system enters a standby state until the evaluation information is sent back from the state evaluation device 20 (s150: No). After that, when the evaluation information is returned (s150: Yes), the evaluation information is output (s160), and the evaluation output process is terminated.

[0061] In this s160, if Figure 5 As shown, page data is generated in which the evaluation content Ie and the advice Ia included in the evaluation information are arranged in a predetermined format, and is output via the user interface 15 (for example, printed on a paper medium, displayed on a display, etc.).

[0062] In the evaluation output process of the present embodiment, after the heel-off image and the heel-contact image are extracted, the walking information of the subject is calculated based on these images. However, it is also possible to configure such that after the extraction of each image, it is checked whether these images are suitable for the calculation of walking information, and if not suitable, a process for reacquiring image data is performed, or the evaluation output process itself is terminated.

[0063] (2-2) Status evaluation processing

[0064] Next, based on Figure 6 Next, a description will be given of a process of a state evaluation process executed by the control unit 21 of the state evaluation device 20. The state evaluation process is a process executed according to a program stored in the storage unit 23 after the state evaluation device 20 is activated.

[0065] In the state evaluation process, first, the state is in a standby state until the walking information is received from the information generating device 10 (s210: No). Then, when the walking information is received from the information generating device 10 (s210: Yes), it is determined to which of the plurality of predetermined patterns of walking states the walking state specified by the walking information corresponds (s220).

[0066] Here, it is determined to which pattern of walking state the walking state specified by the walking information received in s210 corresponds to at least the stride ratio (Ls / Lt) obtained by dividing the subject's stride Ls by the height Lt and the hip joint angle θc.

[0067] Since a plurality of predetermined walking patterns are registered in a database stored in the storage unit 23, the determination is made based on the database. Figure 7 As shown in FIG. 1 , 16 patterns of walking states are registered according to the parameters, but walking states of fewer or more patterns may be registered.

[0068] Next, the evaluation information corresponding to the walking state determined in the above s220 is determined (s230). Here, the evaluation information corresponding to the walking state determined in the above s220 is determined in the predetermined evaluation information. The evaluation information is information including evaluation content of the walking state and suggestions based on the evaluation content (see Figure 5 ), since it is pre-stored in the storage unit 23 as information corresponding to the walking state respectively, the corresponding evaluation information is determined from here.

[0069] Then, after the evaluation information determined in the above s230 is sent back to the state evaluation device 20 (s240), the state evaluation process is terminated.

[0070] (2-3) Modification

[0071] As mentioned above, although the 1st embodiment of this invention was demonstrated, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment at all, As long as it belongs to the technical scope of this invention, it is a matter of course that various forms can be adopted.

[0072] For example, in the above embodiment, the walking information is obtained from the image data captured by the camera 19. However, the walking information may be obtained by a method other than capturing by the camera 19. Furthermore, the walking information may be obtained from outside the information generating device 10 via the communication unit 17 or the like.

[0073] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, a configuration is exemplified in which a stride rate obtained by dividing the stride Ls by the height Lt is used when determining which of the multiple patterns of walking states the walking state corresponds to (s220 of the state evaluation process). However, in this determination, the stride Ls itself may be used, or a value obtained by dividing the stride Ls by other parameters such as the length of the leg (hereinafter referred to as "leg length") or the length of the lower body may be used. Here, when the stride Ls itself is used, in order to suppress the influence of a major factor such as race on the ratio of the leg length to the height, a value multiplied by a predetermined coefficient corresponding to the major factor may be used.

[0074] In the above embodiment, the evaluation information is outputted via the user interface 15 of the information generating device 10. However, the evaluation information may be outputted via the user interface 25 of the state evaluation device 2 or transmitted from the state evaluation device 2 to an external device via the communication unit 27.

[0075] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the walking state evaluation system 1 is illustrated as a case where it is composed of two devices, the information generating device 10 and the state evaluation device 20. However, the walking state evaluation system 1 may also be a system composed of a single device having all the components of each device. In addition, the three or more devices connected so as to be communicable may be devices having all the components of each device in a distributed manner.

[0076] (2-4) Effects

[0077] According to the walking state evaluation system 1 of the above-described embodiment, the walking state is classified into a plurality of patterns according to the health state, and the pattern of the walking state of the subject is determined and evaluated, thereby reducing the processing load required for the evaluation.

[0078] However, the applicant of the present application focused on the tendency of the hip joint angle to become smaller during walking due to deterioration in health, aging, and lack of exercise that promotes hip joint extension in the daily lives of middle-aged and elderly people. The applicant conducted research on what parameters should be used to define the walking state with the hip joint angle as the axis, and discovered the usefulness of defining the walking state with the hip joint angle and stride length.

[0079] The usefulness mentioned here means that, in each of a plurality of subjects, the relationship between the hip joint angle and the stride length during walking has different tendencies between subjects with no health problems and subjects with some health problems, and the walking state can be evaluated based on the tendency. The applicant of the present application conceived of the above-mentioned structure as a result of creative research for using the tendency for the evaluation of the walking state.

[0080] In order to evaluate the walking ability, the walking state can be specified not only by the hip joint angle but also by multiple parameters such as the knee joint angle. On the other hand, as the number of parameters increases, the processing load required for evaluation increases. Therefore, as described above, being able to specify the walking state by two parameters and perform the evaluation is suitable in terms of reducing the processing load required for evaluation.

[0081] Therefore, the walking state evaluation system 1 of the above-mentioned embodiment can suppress the processing load required for the evaluation by acquiring walking information including stride length and hip joint angle as information on the walking state of the subject, thereby effectively realizing the evaluation of the walking state in relation to the health state.

[0082] (3) Second Implementation Method

[0083] Next, various processing procedures of the walking state evaluation system 1 having the above-mentioned configuration will be described as a second embodiment.

[0084] (3-1) Evaluation output processing

[0085] First, the processing procedure of the evaluation output process in this embodiment will be described.

[0086] In this evaluation output process, similar to the first embodiment, after s110 to s120 are performed, walking information of the subject is calculated based on each image extracted in s120 (s130). Here, the hip joint angle θc, stride length Ls, height Lt, leg length Ll, knee joint angle θk, etc. of the subject are calculated based on the heel-off image and heel-contact image extracted in s120 (see Figure 4 , Figure 8 ).

[0087] As the knee joint angle θk, two parameters are calculated, which are the knee joint extension angle θk1 formed by the axis formed by the thigh of the leg that is in the heel-off state (i.e., the leg on the extended side, the same below) and the axis formed by the calf, and the knee joint bending angle θk2 formed by the axis formed by the thigh of the leg that is in the heel-ground state (i.e., the leg on the bent side, the same below) and the axis formed by the calf. Here, the angle formed by the straight line extending the axis formed by the thigh toward the calf and the axis formed by the calf is taken as the knee joint angle, but the angle between the thigh and the calf (i.e., the angle formed by the axis formed by the thigh and the axis formed by the calf) can also be taken as the knee joint angle θk.

[0088] The leg length L1 is calculated as the average value ((L11+L12) / 2) of the sum Ll1 of the thigh length Llu1 and the calf length Lld1 of the leg in the heel-off state and the sum Ll2 of the thigh length Llu2 and the calf length Lld2 of the leg in the heel-grounded state.

[0089] Next, the walking information calculated in s130 (hereinafter also referred to as "subject walking information") is sent to the state evaluation device 20 (s140). After the walking information is sent in this way, the state becomes a standby state until the evaluation information from the state evaluation device 20 is sent back (s150: No).

[0090] After that, when the evaluation information is returned (s150: yes), the evaluation information is output (s160), and the evaluation output process is terminated. Fig. 9 As shown, page data is generated in which the evaluation content Ie and the advice Ia included in the evaluation information are arranged in a predetermined format, and is output via the user interface 15 .

[0091] (3-2) Status evaluation processing

[0092] Next, based on Fig.10, the processing procedure of the status evaluation processing in this embodiment is explained.

[0093] In the state evaluation process, first, the state is set to standby until the subject's walking information is received from the information generating device 10 (s210: No). Thereafter, when the subject's walking information is received (s210: Yes), walking information indicating an ideal walking state (hereinafter also referred to as "ideal walking information") is extracted based on the walking state specified by the subject's walking information (s250). Here, information having the same hip joint angle as the subject's walking information received in the above 210 (information that is consistent within a specified error range) is extracted from a plurality of types of ideal walking information prepared in advance.

[0094] In this embodiment, as ideal walking information, in addition to the hip joint angle when walking in an ideal walking state with little burden on the body, information consisting of a plurality of parameters including the stride length and knee joint angle at each hip joint angle over a predetermined range is prepared in advance (stored in the storage unit 23). Therefore, in this s250, the corresponding ideal walking information is extracted from this.

[0095] In addition, when walking, in order to alleviate the impact when the heel touches the ground, it is preferred to bend the knee joint appropriately. If the knee joint is extended, a large burden is generated centered on the knee joint. On the other hand, if the knee joint is bent to a degree greater than necessary, the joint cannot be fully active, and depending on the situation, a large burden is generated on other joints such as the waist or hip joint. In the present embodiment, from such a viewpoint, an ideal walking state is defined. Specifically, a triangle with the hip joint angle as the vertex angle and the ideal stride length under the hip joint angle as the base is used as a reference. In this triangle, a walking state in which the knee joint angles of the two legs on both sides of the vertex become ideal knee joint angles is an ideal walking state. When the knee joint extension angle θk1 is less than 10 degrees and the knee joint bending angle θk2 is less than 15 degrees, the knee joint angle is ideal.

[0096] Next, the subject's walking information received in the above s210 is evaluated based on the ideal walking information extracted in the above s250 (s260). Here, the parameters in the walking information of the two are compared, the size of the hip joint angle θc is evaluated, and the difference between the stride Ls and the knee joint angle θk is evaluated. After that, the evaluation information corresponding to the combination of these evaluation values ​​(the size of the hip joint angle θc, the difference from the ideal stride Ls, and the difference from the ideal knee joint angle θk) is allocated in the same way as the first embodiment.

[0097] Then, after the evaluation information indicating the evaluation result based on the above s250 is sent back to the state evaluation device 20 (s240), the present state evaluation process is terminated.

[0098] (3-3) Modification

[0099] As mentioned above, although the second embodiment of the present invention has been described, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment at all, and various modes can be adopted as long as they belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

[0100] For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, a case is illustrated in which the walking state is evaluated using the stride Ls included in the walking information. As the stride Ls, a value expressed as a percentage by dividing the stride Ls by the height Lt or the leg length Ll may be used. In this structure, the stride is also expressed as a percentage in advance for the ideal walking information, and in the state evaluation process, the stride Ls of the subject's walking information can be converted into a percentage for evaluation.

[0101] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, a case where the knee joint extension angle θk1 and the knee joint flexion angle θk2 are calculated as the knee joint angle θk in the evaluation output process is illustrated. However, as the knee joint angle θk, for example, an angle calculated as the average value of the knee joint extension angle θk1 and the knee joint flexion angle θk2 may be used, or any hip joint angle may be selected and used. In this configuration, the ideal walking information may be evaluated based on the knee joint angle θk calculated or selected as the same average value.

[0102] (3-4) Effects

[0103] As mentioned above, a walking state with a heavy burden is likely to cause disharmony in various joints in the long run. When pain and discomfort occur with walking, the burden on other parts is increased by actions to protect them, or health concerns increase due to avoiding walking itself and being unable to maintain the muscle strength required for life. Therefore, in order to maintain a good health state, it can be said that walking in an ideal walking state with a small burden on the body is effective.

[0104] Therefore, it is desirable to encourage the subject to walk in a walking state that places less burden on the body. However, in order to achieve this, it is first required to be able to grasp the difference between the subject's walking state and the ideal walking state.

[0105] In response to this requirement, in the walking state evaluation system of the above embodiment, by comparing the difference between the walking state of the subject and the ideal walking state based on the hip joint angle θc, the walking state can be evaluated from the perspective of whether it is suitable for maintaining a healthy state. In this way, by outputting the evaluation result of the walking state, the difference between the walking state of the subject and the ideal walking state can be grasped, and as a result, the subject can be encouraged to walk in the ideal walking state.

[0106] Furthermore, in the walking state evaluation system 1 of the above-described embodiment, the walking state can be evaluated by comparing the walking state based on the subject's hip joint angle θc, stride length Ls, and knee joint angle θk with the ideal walking state.

[0107] In the walking state evaluation system 1 of the above embodiment, when the value obtained by dividing the stride Ls by the height Lt or the leg length L1 and expressing it as a percentage is used for evaluation, the influence of the height Lt or the leg length L1 can be suppressed and the walking state can be evaluated more appropriately.

[0108] (4) Correspondence with the present invention

[0109] In the above embodiment, s110 in the evaluation output process is the image acquisition unit, s120 is the image extraction unit, s130 is the first calculation unit and the second calculation unit, and s160 is the evaluation output unit. In addition, s210 in the state evaluation process is the information acquisition unit, and s230 and s260 are the state evaluation units.

[0110] Description of Reference Numerals

[0111] 1: walking state evaluation system; 10: information generating device; 11: control unit; 13: storage unit; 15: user interface; 17: communication unit; 19: camera; 20: state evaluation device; 21: control unit; 23: storage unit; 27: communication unit; 100: subject; 200: Internet.

Claims

1. A walking state evaluation system, comprising: an information acquisition unit that acquires subject walking information regarding the subject's walking state; a state evaluation unit that evaluates the walking state of the subject by comparing the walking information acquired by the information acquisition unit with ideal walking information about an ideal walking state; and an evaluation output unit, outputting the evaluation result of the state evaluation unit, The ideal walking information is information composed of a plurality of parameters including the hip joint angle when walking in an ideal walking state, and is prepared for each hip joint angle in a predetermined range. The information acquisition unit acquires a plurality of parameters including the hip joint angle of the subject when the subject is walking as the subject's walking information, The state evaluation unit evaluates the walking state of the subject by comparing the walking information of the subject with the ideal walking information including the same hip joint angle as the walking information of the subject.

2. The walking state evaluation system according to claim 1, wherein: The ideal walking information is composed of multiple parameters including the stride length and knee joint angle at the hip joint angle in addition to the hip joint angle. The information acquisition unit acquires, in addition to the hip joint angle of the subject when walking, a stride length and a knee joint angle at the hip joint angle as the walking information of the subject.

3. The walking state evaluation system according to claim 1, wherein: The ideal walking information is composed of a plurality of parameters including the following parameters in addition to the hip joint angle: a stride length at the hip joint angle and a knee joint angle at the hip joint angle, wherein the stride length at the hip joint angle is a value expressed as a percentage by dividing the stride length by the height or the leg length, The information acquisition unit acquires, in addition to the subject's hip joint angle when walking, the stride, height or leg length, and knee joint angle at the hip joint angle as the subject's walking information. When evaluating the walking state of the subject, the state evaluation unit uses a value expressed as a percentage obtained by dividing the stride by the height or the leg length as the stride in the walking information of the subject.

4. The walking state evaluation system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The state evaluation unit compares the subject's walking information with the ideal walking information including the same hip joint angle as the subject's walking information to evaluate the size of the hip joint angle and to evaluate differences between parameters other than the hip joint angle. 5 . A program for causing a computer to function as each of the means according to claim 1 .

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