Portable information terminal, information processing system, method for controlling portable information terminal, and program

Abstract

Conventional portable information terminals have a problem that it is difficult to obtain high-quality recording results when recording abdominal sound with a portable information terminal. A portable information terminal (6) capable of obtaining a recording result of high-quality abdominal sound, which is provided with two or more microphones, is used when a sound collection unit in the vicinity of any one of the two or more microphones is brought into contact with the abdomen of a user to record the abdominal sound of the user, and is provided with: a determination unit (47) that determines whether or not the abdominal sound of the user is recorded; determining whether a predetermined control condition related to the recording of the abdominal sound is satisfied; and a microphone control unit (48) that controls one or more microphones among the two or more microphones when it is determined that the control condition has been satisfied.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a portable information terminal with multiple microphones built in, an information processing system, a control method and a program of the portable information terminal. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, users have become more aware of their health. In such a situation, various devices or services are provided to provide support for information related to health or lifestyle. For example, the following patent document 1 describes the structure of a health management support system, which is configured to obtain and record the health management information of the user and output a message related to health management to the user based on the content.

[0003] In addition, the intestine (small intestine and large intestine) is known as one of the important organs as a site for digestion and absorption of nutrients and a site for symbiosis with intestinal bacteria. In recent years, along with the term "intestinal activity", the demand for intestinal health has increased.

[0004] Patent Document 2 listed below describes an analysis device that evaluates gastrointestinal motility for the purpose of diagnosing intestinal diseases based on acoustic feature quantities extracted from recorded data obtained by a non-contact microphone by a machine learning method.

[0005] In addition, the following non-patent document 1 describes that intestinal sounds are recorded for a long time using a low-cost and simple piezoelectric acoustic sensor device in order to effectively utilize them for the diagnosis of digestive organ diseases.

[0006] Patent Literature Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-041035 Patent Document 2: International Publication No. 2019 / 216320

[0007] Non-patent literature Non-patent document 1: Du, Summary of the invention

[0008] If the user's abdominal sounds are recorded, useful information can be obtained in terms of the user's health management, which can contribute to the user's health management. In particular, if the user's abdominal sounds can be recorded using a widely used portable information terminal such as a so-called smart phone, the user's health management can be easily performed. However, when recording abdominal sounds using such a portable information terminal, there is a problem that it is difficult to obtain high-quality recording results.

[0009] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a portable information terminal, an information processing system, a control method and a program for the portable information terminal, which can obtain a high-quality recording result of abdominal sounds.

[0010] However, in the conventional portable information terminal, when recording abdominal sounds using the portable information terminal, there is a problem that it is difficult to obtain a high-quality recording result.

[0011] The portable information terminal of the first invention is as follows, having more than two microphones, and is used when a sound collecting unit near any one of the more than two microphones is brought into contact with the user's abdomen to record the user's abdominal sound, and has: a judgment unit, which judges whether a prescribed control condition related to the recording of the abdominal sound is satisfied; and a microphone control unit, which controls one or more of the more than two microphones when it is judged that the control condition is satisfied.

[0012] With such a configuration, high-quality recording results of abdominal sounds can be obtained by controlling the microphone.

[0013] Furthermore, in the portable information terminal according to the second invention, in relation to the first invention, when it is determined that the control condition is satisfied, the microphone control unit performs on / off control of the one or more microphones.

[0014] With such a configuration, it is possible to obtain a recording result of abdominal sounds by turning on only necessary microphones.

[0015] Furthermore, in the portable information terminal according to the third invention, with respect to the first or second invention, when it is determined that the control condition is satisfied, the microphone control unit controls parameters related to the operation of the one or more microphones.

[0016] With such a configuration, the microphone can be operated so as to obtain a high-quality recording result of abdominal sounds.

[0017] Furthermore, a portable information terminal according to a fourth invention is as follows: with respect to any one of the first to third inventions, the microphone control unit acquires an identifier for identifying a model of the portable information terminal, and controls the microphone based on the acquired identifier.

[0018] With such a configuration, it is possible to perform control to obtain a high-quality recording result of abdominal sounds for each model of the portable information terminal.

[0019] Furthermore, a portable information terminal according to a fifth invention is as follows, with respect to any one of the first to fourth inventions, wherein the predetermined control condition is that the portable information terminal is in a predetermined preparation state for recording abdominal sounds.

[0020] With such a configuration, high-quality recording results of abdominal sounds can be obtained by controlling the microphone.

[0021] Furthermore, the portable information terminal of the sixth invention is as follows, regarding any one of the first to fourth inventions, the predetermined control condition is that in the recording of abdominal sounds, the sound information obtained by recording has satisfied a predetermined interruption condition.

[0022] With such a configuration, the microphone can be controlled so that a high-quality recording result of abdominal sounds can be obtained.

[0023] In addition, the information processing system of the seventh invention is as follows, comprising a portable information terminal involved in any one of the first to sixth inventions and an information processing device that can communicate with the portable information terminal, the portable information terminal has a terminal output unit, which outputs sound information obtained by recording the user's abdominal sounds using one or more microphones, and the information processing device comprises: a sound information acquisition unit, which acquires sound information; a bowel score acquisition unit, which uses input information including the sound information acquired by the sound information acquisition unit and pre-prepared learning information to acquire a bowel score related to the state of the user's intestine; and a bowel score output unit, which outputs the bowel score acquired by the bowel score acquisition unit.

[0024] With such a configuration, it is possible to output a bowel score related to the intestinal condition of the user using the high-quality recording result of abdominal sounds.

[0025] In addition, the control method of the portable information terminal of the eighth invention is as follows, the portable information terminal has more than two microphones, and is used when a sound collecting part near any one of the more than two microphones is brought into contact with the user's abdomen to record the user's abdominal sound, and comprises: a judgment step, judging whether a prescribed control condition related to the recording of the abdominal sound is met; and a microphone control step, controlling one or more of the two or more microphones when it is judged that the control condition is met.

[0026] According to the portable information terminal and the like according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a high-quality recording result of abdominal sounds. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing an overview of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a block diagram of the information processing device. Figure 3 is a block diagram of the portable information terminal. Figure 4 It is a perspective view showing the portable information terminal. Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example of a situation in which a user is recording abdominal sounds using the portable information terminal. Figure 6 This is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the information processing device. Figure 7 This is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the information processing device. Figure 8 This is a diagram showing a specific example of screen transition of the portable information terminal. Fig. 9 It is an external view of the computer system in the above-mentioned embodiment. Fig.10 is a block diagram of the computer system. Explanation of symbols 1-information processing system; 6-portable information terminal; 10-terminal storage unit; 11-sound information storage unit; 13-instrument identification information storage unit; 15-life information storage unit; 20-terminal receiving unit; 30-terminal acceptance unit; 40-terminal processing unit; 47-judgment unit; 48-microphone control unit; 60-terminal output unit; 61-touch screen; 70-terminal sending unit; 80-sensor unit; 81-first microphone; 82-second microphone; 83-third microphone; 91-acceleration sensor; 100-information processing device; 110-storage unit; 111-learning information storage unit; 115-user information storage unit; 120-receiving unit; 130-accepting unit; 140-processing unit; 141-sound information acquisition unit; 149-intestinal score acquisition unit; 161-intestinal score output unit; 170-sending unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Hereinafter, embodiments of a portable information terminal and an information processing system using the same will be described with reference to the drawings. In the embodiments, components denoted by the same reference numerals perform the same operations, and therefore duplicate descriptions may be omitted.

[0029] Furthermore, the terms used below are generally defined as follows. Furthermore, the semantics of these terms should not always be interpreted as the meanings shown here, but should be interpreted with reference to the description thereof when they are described separately below, for example.

[0030] Abdominal sounds refer to sounds emitted from the user's abdomen. Abdominal sounds may include, for example, intestinal sounds emitted from the intestines. In addition, abdominal sounds may also include sounds generated by blood flow in the abdomen (for example, abdominal aortic sounds) or sounds emitted from organs such as the stomach.

[0031] The sound information refers to information obtained from the abdominal sound. The sound information may be the recorded abdominal sound data itself, or data obtained by processing or editing the data.

[0032] Life information is information related to a user's living conditions. Life conditions may include various elements related to the user's actions, status, etc. For example, life information may include excretion relationship information related to the user's excretion status, dietary information related to the user's dietary status, and status activities related to living habits other than dietary status (referring to behaviors or actions that the user repeatedly performs in daily life). However, life information is not limited to this, but may also include information related to other elements, and may also include information related to only part of these elements. Furthermore, information related to each element of life information (excretion relationship information, dietary information, activity status information, etc.) may respectively include information related to more detailed elements.

[0033] Basic information is information related to the user's behavior or characteristics. For example, the basic information may include various information such as the user's height, weight, age, gender, body fat percentage, muscle mass, pulse rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, etc. In addition, the basic information may also include the user's answers to questionnaires, information generated based on the answers, and information about the user's past resume. For example, the answers to questionnaire items used for the diagnosis of people with intestinal disorders can objectively represent the user's physique. Basic information is, for example, information that is input in advance by the user, but is not limited to this. For example, it can also be information obtained through a wearable terminal carried by the user, or information obtained from an external database that records user information.

[0034] An identifier for a certain item is a word or symbol that specifically represents the item. Although the identifier is, for example, an ID, its type is not limited as long as it is information that can identify the corresponding item. That is, the identifier can be the name of the item it represents, or it can be a combination of symbols in a specifically corresponding manner.

[0035] Acquisition may include acquisition of items input by a user, etc., and may also include acquisition of information stored in its own device or other devices (which may be information that has been stored in advance or information generated by information processing in the device). Acquisition of information stored in other devices may include acquisition of information stored in other devices via an API, etc., and may also include acquisition of the contents of documents (including the contents of web pages, etc.) provided by other devices. In addition, acquisition of information by optical character reading for images may also include acquisition of information in a different format from the original information.

[0036] In addition, the acquisition of information can also utilize the so-called machine learning method. The utilization of the machine learning method can be done as follows, for example. That is, a learning machine (learning information) is constructed using the machine learning method, which takes a specific type of input information as input and outputs the type of output information you want to obtain. For example, more than two groups of input information and output information are prepared in advance, and the two or more groups of information are provided to a module for constituting a learning machine for machine learning to constitute a learning machine, and the constructed learning machine is accumulated in a storage unit. In addition, the learning machine can also be referred to as a classifier. In addition, as a method of machine learning, there are, for example, deep learning, random forest, SVM, etc., and the types are not limited. In addition, in machine learning, for example, functions in various machine learning frameworks such as fastText, tinySVM, random forest, TensorFlow, and various existing program libraries can be used.

[0037] In addition, the learning machine is not limited to being obtained through machine learning. The learning machine can also be, for example, a table that represents the correspondence between an input vector based on input information and output information. At this time, the output information corresponding to the feature vector based on the input information can be obtained from the table, or two or more input vectors in the table and parameters for weighting each input vector can be used to generate a vector that is similar to the feature vector based on the input information, and the final output information can be obtained using the output information and parameters corresponding to each input vector used in the generation. In addition, the learning machine can also be, for example, a function that represents the relationship between an input vector based on input information and information used to generate output information. At this time, for example, the information corresponding to the feature vector based on the input information can be obtained through a function, and the output information can be obtained using the obtained information.

[0038] The output of information is a concept that includes display on a display, projection using a projector, typing using a printer, audio output, transmission to an external device, accumulation on a storage medium, transmission of processing results to other processing devices or other programs, etc. Specifically, it includes, for example, display of information on a web page, transmission as an e-mail, etc., or output of information for printing.

[0039] The acceptance of information is a concept that includes the acceptance of information input from input devices such as a keyboard, mouse, or touch screen, the reception of information sent from other devices via wired or wireless communication lines, or the acceptance of information read from storage media such as optical disks, magnetic disks, and semiconductor memories.

[0040] Implementation

[0041] In this embodiment, a smartphone having two or more microphones is used as a portable information terminal. The portable information terminal is used when pressing on the abdomen to record intestinal sounds. When a predetermined control condition is satisfied, the portable information terminal controls one or more microphones. The following describes an information processing system 1 constructed using such a portable information terminal.

[0042] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing an overview of an information processing system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] In this embodiment, the information processing system 1 includes an information processing device 100 and a portable information terminal 6. The information processing device 100 and the portable information terminal 6 can communicate with each other via a network such as a local area network or the Internet. In addition, the configuration of the information processing system 1 is not limited thereto. The number of devices included in the information processing system 1 is not limited, and the information processing system 1 may also include other devices.

[0044] The user of the information processing system 1 can use the portable information terminal 6 to use the information processing system 1. The portable information terminal 6 can also be referred to as a terminal device. In the present embodiment, the portable information terminal 6 is a so-called smart phone. Furthermore, the terminal used as the portable information terminal 6 is not limited to such a smart phone. For example, a personal computer (PC) such as a notebook computer, i.e., a portable information terminal, can be used, and other devices such as a tablet-type information terminal device can also be used. In the following examples, although the case where a smart phone is used as the portable information terminal 6 is assumed for explanation, it is not limited to this.

[0045] Figure 2 is a block diagram of the information processing device 100 . Figure 3 2 is a block diagram of the portable information terminal 6.

[0046] like Figure 2 As shown, the information processing device 100 includes a depositing unit 110, a receiving unit 120, a receiving unit 130, a processing unit 140, and a sending unit 170. The information processing device 100 is, for example, a server device.

[0047] The storage unit 110 includes a learning information storage unit 111 and a user information storage unit 115 .

[0048] The learning information storage unit 111 stores previously acquired learning information. In the present embodiment, the input information is used as learning input information including sound information, and the output information is used as the value of a predetermined output indicator related to the activity state of the intestine, thereby producing learning information. For example, the learning information is generated using the so-called machine learning method as described above. Although the learning information is generated by the information processing device 100, for example, it is not limited to this. That is, the learning information storage unit 111 may also store learning information generated in a device other than the information processing device 100.

[0049] The user information is stored in the user information storage unit 115. In the present embodiment, the user information is information that matches the identifier for identifying the user who uses the information processing system 1, that is, the user identifier, with information about the user. The user information may include various information. For example, it may include information sent from the portable information terminal 6 used by the user, and information obtained from the user through the information processing device 100 as described later. For example, in addition to the basic information of the user, voice information or life information may correspond to the information sent from the portable information terminal 6 used by the user.

[0050] The receiving unit 120 receives information sent from other devices. The receiving unit 120 stores the received information in, for example, the storage unit 110. In this embodiment, the user uses, for example, the portable information terminal 6 to input information, etc., and sends it to the information processing device 100. The receiving unit 120 can store each sent information in the storage unit 110 in correspondence with the user identifier. In addition, as described later, in this embodiment, it is possible to receive sound information sent from each portable information terminal 6 and store it in the storage unit 110 in correspondence with the user identifier. And, when receiving this information from the portable information terminal 6, the receiving unit 120 can determine the user identifier of the user involved in the message based on the sent information.

[0051] The receiving unit 130 receives information inputted using an input means (not shown) connected to the information processing device 100. The receiving unit 130 stores the received information in, for example, the storage unit 110. The input means may be any one of a numeric keypad, a keyboard, a mouse, or a menu screen.

[0052] The processing unit 140 includes a sound information acquisition unit 141, a life information acquisition unit 145, a bowel score acquisition unit 149, and a bowel score output unit 161. The processing unit 140 performs various processes. The various processes are, for example, processes performed by each unit of the processing unit 140 as follows.

[0053] The voice information acquisition unit 141 acquires voice information of one user. In the present embodiment, the voice information acquisition unit 141 acquires voice information transmitted from the user's portable information terminal 6 and received by the receiving unit 120 .

[0054] The life information acquisition unit 145 acquires life information. For example, the life information acquisition unit 145 acquires information stored in the user information storage unit 115. In addition, the life information acquisition unit 145 may also acquire basic information of the user.

[0055] The intestinal score acquisition unit 149 uses input information including sound information acquired by the sound information acquisition unit 141 and learning information prepared in advance to acquire an intestinal score related to the state of the user's intestine. In the present embodiment, the intestinal score acquisition unit 149 acquires the value of a prescribed output indicator using the learning information stored in the learning information storage unit 111, and acquires the intestinal score using the value of the output indicator. As the prescribed output indicator, for example, at least one of the state of defecation and the number of intestinal peristaltic movements per unit time is used. The number of intestinal peristaltic movements can also be referred to as the frequency of intestinal sounds occurring above a prescribed level (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as the frequency of intestinal sounds).

[0056] Specifically, the intestinal score acquisition unit 149 acquires the intestinal score, for example, as follows. The intestinal score acquisition unit 149 uses the sound information and learning information acquired by the sound information acquisition unit 141 to acquire the intestinal state score regarding the defecation state (normal, diarrhea, constipation, etc.) and the intestinal movement score regarding the peristaltic movement of the intestine (frequency, etc.). In the present embodiment, the intestinal score acquisition unit 149 inputs the sound information acquired by the sound information acquisition unit 141 into the learning information by a machine learning method, thereby acquiring the value of the output index. Thereafter, the intestinal relationship score (intestinal state score and intestinal movement score) is acquired based on the value of the output index. The intestinal relationship score can be acquired as the intestinal score.

[0057] Here, in the present embodiment, the sound information input to the intestinal score acquisition unit 149 is a spectrum image represented in a predetermined form as a result of analyzing the sound data (which may also be processed data) obtained by recording abdominal sounds through Fourier transform or fast Fourier transform. Furthermore, the sound information may be the sound data (which may also be processed data) itself, or data converted in other forms. Using the sound information sent from an instrument that records abdominal sounds to the information processing device 100, the processing unit 140 may prepare such sound information input to the intestinal score acquisition unit 149. Furthermore, a spectrum image, i.e., sound information, may be prepared in advance in an instrument other than the information processing device 100, such as an instrument that records abdominal sounds, and the like, and the sound information may be sent to the information processing device 100.

[0058] Furthermore, the learning information generated by classifying the user information into several types that can classify the user can also be stored in the learning information storage unit 111 in correspondence with the identifier that identifies the type. In this case, the intestinal score acquisition unit 149 can also be configured to acquire the learning information of the type corresponding to the specific identifier determined based on the user information from the learning information storage unit 111, and acquire the intestinal relationship score using the learning information. In this way, a more accurate output result can be obtained.

[0059] The intestinal score acquisition unit 149 can also obtain the score of the element based on the value of various output indicators such as excretion, diet, activity status, etc. that are different from sound information, or various life information, and obtain the intestinal score by combining these. For example, the scores of each element can be obtained based on whether the value of the output indicator or the content of various life information meets the specified conditions. After that, the intestinal score acquisition unit 149 uses the obtained intestinal relationship score and the scores of other elements to obtain the intestinal score. For example, the intestinal relationship score or other scores are added or multiplied by a specified method, and the intestinal score can also be obtained by applying a specified calculation formula to calculate. In addition, the intestinal score can be obtained by using a learning machine that uses a machine learning method such as taking each score as input and outputting the intestinal score. Each score can also be used in the acquisition of the intestinal score on a standardized basis as needed.

[0060] The bowel score acquisition unit 149 accumulates the acquired bowel scores in the user information storage unit 115 in association with the user identifier.

[0061] The bowel score output unit 161 outputs the bowel score obtained by the bowel score obtaining unit 149. In the present embodiment, the bowel score output unit 161 outputs the bowel score and other information by, for example, sending the bowel score and other information to the portable information terminal 6, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the bowel score may be displayed on a display provided by the information processing device 100 in the form of text or images, and outputted.

[0062] The transmission unit 170 transmits information to other devices constituting the information processing system 1 via the network. The transmission unit 170 transmits information to the portable information terminal 6, for example. In other words, the transmission unit 170 outputs information to the portable information terminal 6, for example.

[0063] Next, the structure of the portable information terminal 6 is described. The portable information terminal 6 is a smart phone. In the information processing system 1, the portable information terminal 6 is used as a portable information terminal for recording the abdominal sounds of the user, and is also used as a terminal for outputting information related to the bowel score obtained by the information processing device 100 so that the user can confirm it.

[0064] like Figure 3 As shown, the portable information terminal 6 includes a terminal deposit unit 10, a terminal receiving unit 20, a terminal accepting unit 30, a terminal processing unit 40, a terminal output unit 60, a terminal transmitting unit 70 and a sensor unit 80. The sensor unit 80 includes a plurality of microphones 81, 82, 83 and an acceleration sensor 91.

[0065] The terminal storage unit 10 includes a voice information storage unit 11 , a device identification information storage unit 13 , and a life information storage unit 15 .

[0066] The sound information storage unit 11 stores the sound information (also referred to as recorded information) recorded by the sensor unit 80 of the portable information terminal 6. The sound information is sent to the information processing device 100 by the terminal sending unit 70, but it can be deleted from the sound information storage unit 11 when the sending is completed, or it can be stored until a predetermined period of time has passed, or it can be stored permanently until the user deletes it.

[0067] The device identification information storage unit 13 has the device identification information stored therein. The device identification information is, for example, information such as an identifier that can identify the type (model) of the portable information terminal 6, but is not limited thereto. The device identification information may also be, for example, an identifier that can identify the type of a device (for example, a hardware module that constitutes the microphones 81, 82, 83, etc.) included in the portable information terminal 6. Different information may not be written to the device identification information storage unit 13.

[0068] The life information is accumulated in the life information storage unit 15. Although the life information is sent to the information processing device 100 by the terminal sending unit 70, it can be deleted from the life information storage unit 15 when the sending is completed, can be stored until a predetermined period has passed, and can be stored permanently until the user deletes it.

[0069] The life information accumulated in the life information storage unit 15 may also include information input by the user or information based thereon. Such information may be, for example, information received by the terminal receiving unit 30 or information acquired by the terminal processing unit 40 by performing calculations based on the information received by the terminal receiving unit 30.

[0070] In addition, the life information accumulated in the life information storage unit 15 may also include measured values ​​or information based thereon. Such information may be, for example, information measured by the sensor unit 80, or information acquired by the terminal processing unit 40 by performing calculations based on the information measured by the sensor unit 80. In addition, information measured by a sensor device communicatively connected to the portable information terminal 6 and transmitted to the portable information terminal 6 may also be used.

[0071] The terminal receiving unit 20 receives information transmitted from the information processing device 100 or other devices via the network. The terminal receiving unit 20 accumulates the received information in the terminal storage unit 10, for example, and makes the terminal processing unit 40 and the like available.

[0072] The terminal acceptance unit 30 receives various input operations on the portable information terminal 6 by the user who uses the portable information terminal 6. For example, the operation is performed using the touch screen 61 or other operation buttons, but it is not limited to this. For example, the terminal acceptance unit 30 can also accept input operations based on sounds that have been input through the microphones 81, 82, and 83. It can also be considered that the terminal acceptance unit 30 accepts the information received by the terminal receiving unit 20 as information that has been input to the portable information terminal 6. That is, it can also be interpreted that the input of information to the portable information terminal 6 means that the information is indirectly input to the portable information terminal 6 by the user through other devices. In addition, the user provides information to the portable information terminal 6 by executing a program that automatically generates information or giving various information to the program to perform functions, etc., and this can also be regarded as the input of information to the portable information terminal 6.

[0073] The terminal processing unit 40 performs various processes. The various processes are processes performed by the various parts of the processing unit 140 using the various parts of the portable information terminal 6 as appropriate, for example, as follows.

[0074] In the present embodiment, the terminal processing unit 40 includes a determination unit 47 and a microphone control unit 48 which perform a predetermined function when recording the abdominal sounds of the user.

[0075] The determination unit 47 determines whether or not a predetermined control condition related to the recording of abdominal sounds is satisfied.

[0076] In this embodiment, for example, in the portable information terminal 6, the prescribed control condition may be that the device is in a prescribed preparation state for recording abdominal sounds. Being in a prescribed preparation state for recording abdominal sounds means, for example, that a prescribed application related to recording abdominal sounds has been started, or a prescribed flag related to recording abdominal sounds has been established, or that a prescribed instruction related to recording abdominal sounds issued by a user has been received, but the present invention is not limited thereto. It can also be said that being in a prescribed preparation state for recording abdominal sounds means that a prescribed state before recording abdominal sounds is started has been reached.

[0077] Furthermore, a prescribed flag related to the recording of abdominal sounds may be, for example, a flag indicating that the time for starting the prescribed recording has arrived, or a flag indicating a condition related to the surrounding environment (the volume of the ambient sound is detected to be less than a prescribed level or the posture of the portable information terminal 6 is a prescribed posture), etc., but is not limited to these.

[0078] Furthermore, receiving a predetermined instruction from the user regarding recording of abdominal sounds specifically means, for example, receiving an operation to start recording or receiving an operation to start preparation for recording, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0079] In addition, in the present embodiment, for example, in the portable information terminal 6, the prescribed control condition may be that a prescribed state is reached in the recording of abdominal sounds. Reaching a prescribed state in the recording of abdominal sounds means, for example, that a prescribed instruction related to the recording of abdominal sounds issued by a user has been received, or that the sound information obtained by recording the recording of abdominal sounds has satisfied a prescribed interruption condition, etc., but is not limited thereto.

[0080] The receiving of a predetermined instruction from the user regarding the recording of abdominal sounds specifically refers to, for example, receiving an operation for interrupting the recording, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0081] In addition, the sound information has satisfied the specified interruption conditions, for example, the size of the noise contained in the sound information exceeds the specified threshold, or the SN ratio (the ratio of the size of the noise to the size of the intestinal sound) is less than the specified threshold, or the posture of the portable information terminal 6 has been detected to be a specified posture, etc., but it is not limited to this.

[0082] Furthermore, for example, the sound (ambient sound) generated around the portable information terminal 6, which is recorded by 81, 82, 83, etc. as described later, electromagnetic noise, and the sound (also referred to as ambient sound) generated by the change of the contact state between the portable information terminal 6 and other objects (friction, contact, and separation, etc.) conforms to noise. In the present embodiment, the terminal processing unit 40 can also be configured to determine the noise in the sound information by the following prescribed method. That is, the terminal processing unit 40 is configured, for example, to determine the noise in the sound information according to the regularity of the sound. For example, it is detected whether the sound to be paid attention to is a sound with regularity, and whether the sound is noise is determined based on the result. The detection of whether the sound has regularity can be performed, for example, by the detection result of the interval of the sound, or by the result of Fourier analysis of the sound information. Generally speaking, since there are many cases where there is no regularity in the occurrence of intestinal sounds in abdominal sounds, it is possible to effectively distinguish intestinal sounds from noise in the sound information by determining regular sounds as noise. In addition, the determination of noise in the sound information is not limited to this, but can be determined by various methods. For example, the sound of a specified frequency band can be regarded as noise, or the noise can be determined by using learning information that can extract noise from the sound information. The terminal processing unit 40 can also be configured to use these methods in combination. In addition, the sound information can be appropriately sent to other devices (for example, information processing device 100, etc.), and the other devices perform specific processing related to the determination of noise. At this time, it can also be configured that the terminal receiving unit 20 receives the processing results of other devices, the terminal processing unit 40 determines the noise based on the received processing results, or performs processing based on the judgment unit 47 based on the received noise determination results.

[0083] When the determination unit 47 determines that the predetermined control condition is satisfied, the microphone control unit 48 controls one or more of the two or more microphones 81 , 82 , and 83 .

[0084] The control of the microphones 81, 82, and 83 may be, for example, a control to switch whether or not to validate the input of sound in the microphones 81, 82, and 83, i.e., an on / off control. Although the microphones 81, 82, and 83 may be individually on / off controlled, it is also possible to configure the on / off control to be performed for each group of two or more microphones. It can also be said that the on / off control performed on the microphones 81, 82, and 83 individually is a control to disable some of the microphones 81, 82, and 83. It can also be said that the on / off control performed on the microphones 81, 82, and 83 individually is a control to perform initialization processing on some of the microphones 81, 82, and 83 so that sound can be input.

[0085] In addition, the control of the microphones 81, 82, 83 may also be the control of parameters related to the operation of the microphones 81, 82, 83. The control of the parameters is the setting, change, deletion, etc. of the parameters, but is not limited to these. The parameters are, for example, the setting values ​​that determine the gain. That is, it can also be said that the control of the microphones 81, 82, 83 is the gain adjustment of the microphones 81, 82, 83. In addition, the parameters may also be, for example, the value that sets the automatic gain adjustment function (automatic gain control function) configured in a manner that can be performed by the terminal processing unit 40 to be effective or invalid. That is, it can also be said that the control of the microphones 81, 82, 83 is to set the automatic gain control of at least one of the microphones 81, 82, 83 as effective processing or as invalid processing. When the parameters for processing the sound detected by the microphones 81, 82, 83, for example, the connection or disconnection of the filter of the sound in the specified frequency band, or the parameters related to the adjustment related to the amplification of the sound in the specified frequency band, etc.

[0086] In the present embodiment, for example, when it is determined that the prescribed control conditions have been met, the microphone control unit 48 performs the following processing as a prescribed control. That is, the microphone control unit 48 performs the following control, and among the multiple microphones 81, 82, and 83, only a prescribed microphone for recording abdominal sounds is connected, and the other microphones are disconnected. In addition, for one microphone used for recording, the microphone control unit 48 turns off the automatic gain control function so as to increase the SN ratio of intestinal sounds to noise. Moreover, the prescribed control is not limited to this, and other forms of control can also be performed. That is, it can also be said that when it is determined that the prescribed control conditions have been met, the microphone control unit 48 controls one or more of the multiple microphones 81, 82, and 83 so as to appropriately record abdominal sounds.

[0087] Furthermore, the microphone control unit 48 can also obtain the device identification information such as the identifier for identifying the model of the portable information terminal 6 from the device identification information storage unit 13, and perform the prescribed control on the microphones 81, 82, and 83 based on the obtained identifier. For example, when the positions or numbers of the microphones 81, 82, and 83 differ depending on the model, the microphone control unit 48 can perform the prescribed control in a form pre-set for each model. In this way, high-quality abdominal sounds can be recorded for each model of the portable information terminal 6.

[0088] The terminal output unit 60 includes, for example, a display device, a touch screen 61. The terminal output unit 60 outputs information by displaying the information on the touch screen 61. The information output method is not limited to this, and may be output by sound from a speaker or the like.

[0089] The touch screen 61 functions as a display for displaying information and also accepts user operations. The touch screen 61 can also be understood as a part of the terminal acceptance unit 30. In addition, instead of the touch screen 61, a display device having only an information display function can also be used.

[0090] The terminal transmission unit 70 transmits the information acquired by the terminal processing unit 40 and the like, for example, via the network.

[0091] In this embodiment, the terminal output unit 60 can output the sound information obtained by recording the abdominal sounds of the user to the information processing device 100 using the terminal transmission unit 70 under the control of the terminal processing unit 40 .

[0092] The sensor unit 80 measures recording or measurement items using a plurality of microphones 81, 82, and 83, and outputs information such as obtained sound data or measurement values. The obtained information is accumulated in the terminal storage unit 10, for example. Here, although the measurement value is, for example, a value indicating the change of acceleration obtained by the acceleration sensor or a value indicating the change of air pressure obtained by the air pressure sensor, it is not limited to this.

[0093] In the present embodiment, the sensor unit 80 is provided with three microphones, namely, a first microphone 81 , a second microphone 82 , and a third microphone 83 .

[0094] Each microphone 81, 82, 83 is configured to detect sounds outside the portable information terminal 6. The terminal processing unit 40 is configured to use the sounds detected by each microphone 81, 82, 83 to record the sounds, detect a predetermined state, and accept instructions from the user. The portable information terminal 6 is configured to use such a plurality of microphones 81, 82, 83 to perform various controls and information processing, thereby enabling recording or sound detection with directivity or sensitivity suitable for a specific purpose. In addition, although the positions of each microphone 81, 82, 83 in this embodiment will be described in detail later, the specific configuration is not limited thereto.

[0095] The acceleration sensor 91 is provided to detect the acceleration of the portable information terminal 6. The terminal processing unit 40 can detect the acceleration of the portable information terminal 6 using the acceleration sensor 91. That is, the terminal processing unit 40 can detect the posture of the portable information terminal 6 when the portable information terminal 6 is substantially stationary.

[0096] Furthermore, the sensor unit 80 may also include, for example, a pulse sensor, an illumination sensor, a camera, a GPS, or other location information sensor that can determine a location. In addition, the sensor unit 80 may also be a timer that measures the passage of time. The portable information terminal 6 may also be configured to function as an activity meter for obtaining information related to the user's activity amount such as the amount of calories consumed and the number of steps taken, or information related to the user's living habits such as the time when the user wakes up, the time when the user goes to bed, and the commuting time. Furthermore, based on the measured values ​​obtained by the sensor unit 80, information related to the user's living environment such as the region where the user lives, the climate, and the noise environment may be obtained and accumulated in the terminal storage unit 10.

[0097] Figure 4 It is a perspective view showing the portable information terminal 6 .

[0098] In this embodiment, the portable information terminal 6 has a rectangular plate-shaped housing 6b. A touch screen 61 is disposed on one surface (hereinafter referred to as the front surface) of the housing 6b. Microphones 81, 82, and 83 are accommodated inside the housing 6b.

[0099] In this embodiment, the first microphone 81 is arranged near the end of the frame 6b. In the frame 6b, the portion near the first microphone 81 becomes the sound collecting portion 6c. The sound collecting portion 6c is, for example, an opening formed in the frame 6b so that the sound can be transmitted from the outside of the frame 6b to the first microphone 81, but it is not limited thereto.

[0100] In this embodiment, the sound collecting part 6c is arranged at the end of the frame 6b. It can also be said that the sound collecting part 6c is arranged at the side edge of the frame 6b with the surface where the touch screen 61 is arranged as the upper surface. In addition, it can also be said that the sound collecting part 6c is arranged at the side periphery of the frame 6b.

[0101] More specifically, the sound collecting unit 6c is located at the lower part of the portable information terminal 6. It can also be said that the sound collecting unit 6c is arranged at the lower edge of the frame 6b. An output port 6d of a speaker for calls is provided at the upper part of the portable information terminal 6. When the portable information terminal 6 is brought close to the user's head for a call, the output port 6d is arranged at the upper part close to the user's ear, and the sound collecting unit 6c is arranged at the lower part close to the user's mouth. In addition, in the present embodiment, it can be said that the lower side is the direction located at the lower side in the display screen or content displayed on the touch screen 61 when a conventional portable information terminal 6 is used.

[0102] The second microphone 82 is disposed, for example, near the upper portion of the housing 6b. The second microphone 82 is disposed, for example, near the output port 6d. The second microphone 82 is configured to detect sound entering the housing 6b from the front side of the housing 6b through the output port 6d.

[0103] The third microphone 83 is, for example, arranged near the back side of the frame 6b. The third microphone 83 is configured to detect sound entering the frame 6b from the back side of the frame 6b. In addition, an opening may be provided on the frame 6b corresponding to the third microphone 83 so that sound can enter the third microphone 83.

[0104] These microphones 81, 82, and 83 are controlled by the terminal processing unit 40 so that they function respectively according to the operation mode of the portable information terminal 6. For example, in the present embodiment, during a call, for example, the first microphone 81 is mainly used as a microphone for inputting the call sound emitted by the user. At this time, in order to detect the surrounding ambient sound and eliminate the sound detected by the first microphone 81 except the sound emitted by the user, the second microphone 82 or the third microphone 83 can be used. In addition, when the portable information terminal 6 is used to shoot a moving image, etc., in order to effectively record the sound from the range shot by the camera (not shown), an appropriate microphone among the microphones 81, 82, and 83 can be used.

[0105] In this embodiment, in order to record the abdominal sounds of the user, the first microphone 81 is used. For example, the abdominal sounds can be recorded using the portable information terminal 6 as follows.

[0106] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example of a situation in which the user is recording abdominal sounds using the portable information terminal 6 .

[0107] like Figure 5 As shown, in the present embodiment, the abdominal sounds of the user are recorded while the sound collecting part 6c near the first microphone 81 in the frame 6b is in contact with the abdomen of the user. At this time, it is preferred that the user is in a quiet state, for example, in a sitting posture such as sitting on a chair. It is preferred that the sound collecting part 6c is directly in contact with the skin of the abdomen. In addition, for adult users, the preferred contact part is a position that is only 9 cm away from the navel in any left or right direction. In the present embodiment, the user starts recording while pressing the sound collecting part 6c against the abdomen with a weak force. When the recording is performed for 60 seconds, the recording of the abdominal sounds ends. In addition, in order to obtain a higher quality recording result, it is preferred to hold the touch screen 61, i.e., the portable information terminal 6, in a posture that is approximately perpendicular to the plane tangent to the surface of the abdomen at the contact point of the sound collecting part 6c with the abdomen.

[0108] In the present embodiment, when the abdominal sounds of the user are recorded by the portable information terminal 6 in this manner, the microphones 81 , 82 , and 83 are controlled by the determination unit 47 and the microphone control unit 48 , for example, as follows.

[0109] That is, when the operation of starting the recording of abdominal sounds has been performed, the determination unit 47 determines that the predetermined control condition has been satisfied. That is, the predetermined control condition is, for example, that the operation of starting the recording of abdominal sounds has been performed.

[0110] In addition, when the determination unit 47 determines that the prescribed control condition has been satisfied, that is, when the operation of starting the recording of the abdominal sound has been performed, the microphone control unit 48 turns on the first microphone 81 and sets the automatic gain control function of the first microphone 81 to off. In other words, the microphone control unit 48 performs initialization processing for the first microphone 81 to record the abdominal sound. On the other hand, the microphone control unit 48 turns off the second microphone 82 and the third microphone 83 that are not used in the recording of the abdominal sound. In other words, the microphones that are not used for recording among the plurality of microphones 81, 82, and 83 are disabled. As a result, the abdominal sound is recorded using only the first microphone 81 to obtain sound information.

[0111] Furthermore, the control is not limited to this, and other microphones 82 and 83 may be used for recording abdominal sounds in addition to the first microphone 81. For example, the microphone control unit 48 may set the gains of the three microphones 81, 82, and 83 to predetermined setting values ​​suitable for recording abdominal sounds. In addition, the microphones 82 and 83 may be controlled in such a manner that information for eliminating ambient sounds from the recording result of the first microphone 81 is obtained from at least one of the microphones 82 and 83.

[0112] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, when recording the abdominal sounds of the user, the terminal processing unit 40 may also be configured to detect the environment in which the recording is performed, and perform processing related to the recording according to the detection result. For example, the terminal processing unit 40 may also perform detection related to the recording environment based on the sound information obtained by recording using the first microphone 81. The sound information used at this time may be sound information that has been recorded for the recording of abdominal sounds, or may be a recording of sound collected by the first microphone 81 before the recording of abdominal sounds. In addition, detection related to the recording environment may also be performed based on the sound information obtained by the second microphone 82 and the third microphone 83 that are not used in the recording of abdominal sounds.

[0113] More specifically, for example, the terminal processing unit 40 can also detect whether the environment is suitable for recording based on the level of noise in the sound information or the SN ratio of abdominal sound to noise. The terminal processing unit 40 can control the recording to be possible when the environment is suitable for recording, and can also control the recording not to be possible when the environment is not suitable for recording. The terminal processing unit 40 can also notify the user to improve the environment when the environment is not suitable for recording.

[0114] By performing such processing, a higher quality recording result can be obtained. Moreover, such processing can be performed based on the judgment result of the judgment unit 47 or the control of the microphone control unit 48, or can be performed without being affected by the judgment result of the judgment unit 47 or the control of the microphone control unit 48.

[0115] Next, an example of the operation of the portable information terminal 6 and an example of the operation of the information processing device 100 performed when the user uses the information processing system 1 involved in this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, for example, the user can connect to the information processing device 100 or receive information sent from the information processing device 100 through the portable information terminal 6, and use the information processing system 1 by running a predetermined application in the portable information terminal 6. In addition, the predetermined application may be, for example, a dedicated application that is run using information sent from the information processing device 100, or a web browser that displays a web application provided in the information processing device 100 as available for use.

[0116] In the present embodiment, the information processing system 1 is typically used as follows. That is, the user uses the portable information terminal 6 to record the sound of his or her own abdomen. In this way, the sound information is sent from the portable information terminal 6 to the information processing device 100, and the information processing device 100 obtains the bowel score. The information processing device 100 sends (outputs) the obtained bowel score to the portable information terminal 6. The portable information terminal 6 receives the bowel score and displays the information including the bowel score on the display device through the terminal output unit 60. Thus, the user can confirm the information related to his or her own intestine as a bowel score. When such an information processing system 1 is operated, the portable information terminal 6 and the information processing device 100 perform various actions, for example, as follows. The terminal processing unit 40 or the processing unit 140 performs control actions while using each part, thereby performing these actions.

[0117] Figure 6 This is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the information processing device 100 .

[0118] (Step S61) The terminal processing unit 40 receives an instruction to execute a recording function for recording abdominal sounds. For example, when an instruction to start a predetermined application program or an operation to select a predetermined operation mode is performed, the terminal processing unit 40 receives an instruction to execute the recording function.

[0119] In order to perform recording, the user sits on a seat and presses the sound collecting unit 6 c of the portable information terminal 6 against the abdomen.

[0120] (Step S62) The terminal processing unit 40 determines whether the environment is suitable for recording, that is, whether the detection of being in a suitable environment has been performed. Here, for example, when the size of the ambient sound is less than a specified value (specified condition), it is detected that it is in a suitable environment. If the detection of being in a suitable environment has been performed, the process proceeds to step S64, otherwise it proceeds to step S63.

[0121] Furthermore, the conditions for detecting that the device is in a suitable environment are not limited thereto, and the portable information terminal 6 may be substantially stationary or the portable information terminal 6 may be in a predetermined posture. In addition, the device may be detected as being in a suitable environment when any one of a plurality of conditions is satisfied.

[0122] (Step S63) The terminal processing unit 40 outputs a guidance display about not being in a suitable environment. For example, information is output to the touch screen 61. Then, the process returns to step S62. In addition, it is also possible not to perform such a process, but to continue to wait when the detection of being in a suitable environment is not performed in step S62.

[0123] (Step S64) The terminal processing unit 40 controls the portable information terminal 6 in a manner that can accept the start instruction from the user. For example, an operation button for starting the recording of abdominal sounds (for starting the recording as sound information) is enabled on the operation interface displayed on the touch screen 61. For example, the display state may be changed by making the inactive state appear or cancel, and the behavior when the operation button is operated may be changed.

[0124] (Step S65) The terminal processing unit 40 determines whether a start instruction from the user has been accepted. The terminal processing unit 40 waits until a start instruction is accepted, and if the start instruction has been accepted, the process proceeds to step S66. If the start instruction has been accepted, the terminal processing unit 40 determines that a predetermined control condition has been satisfied.

[0125] (Step S66) The terminal processing unit 40 controls the plurality of microphones 81, 82, and 83 so as to appropriately record abdominal sounds. In the present embodiment, as described above, the terminal processing unit 40 turns on the first microphone 81 and sets the automatic gain control function of the first microphone 81 to off (initialization processing). In addition, the microphone control unit 48 turns off the second microphone 82 and the third microphone 83 that are not used in recording abdominal sounds (implements invalidation).

[0126] (Step S67) The terminal processing unit 40 performs recording. The recording is performed using only the first microphone 81 that is turned on. The recording is performed only for a predetermined time (for example, 60 seconds) required for obtaining the score. Thus, the recording result of the abdominal sound is obtained.

[0127] Furthermore, during recording, a display about the recording status may be output to the touch screen 61 so that the user can visually recognize the output terminal processing unit 40. The display about the recording status may be, for example, a display indicating the progress status (e.g., a display indicating the remaining time or a progress bar, etc.). In addition, the display about the recording status may be a waveform indicating the content of the sound information that has been recorded, etc. By performing such a display, the user can easily maintain the static state required for recording high-quality abdominal sounds.

[0128] (Step S68) The terminal processing unit 40 transmits the voice information to the information processing device 100. If the voice information cannot be transmitted satisfactorily due to communication failure, a display may be made to suggest the user to move to another place or change the communication method.

[0129] Thus, when the sound information is transmitted to the information processing device 100, the information processing device 100 acquires the bowel score using the sound information, and information related to the acquired bowel score is transmitted from the portable information terminal 6 to the information processing device 100.

[0130] (Step S69) The terminal processing unit 40 determines whether it has received information on the score transmitted from the information processing device 100. The terminal processing unit 40 waits until the information is received, and if the information is received, the process proceeds to step S70.

[0131] (Step S70) The terminal processing unit 40 uses the received score-related information to output a display related to the bowel score, etc. to the touch screen 61. This allows the user to know his or her own bowel score or information related thereto, etc. Thereafter, a series of processing ends.

[0132] Furthermore, it is also possible to determine whether the abdominal sounds include intestinal sounds based on the recording results, and when there is an abnormality such as the sound determined to be intestinal sounds exceeding a predetermined volume, the user is notified of the situation, or a suggestion is made to re-record. The presence or absence of such an abnormality can be determined in the portable information terminal 6 based on the acquired sound information, or the sound information can be sent to the information processing device 100, and the result determined in the information processing device 100 can be fed back to the portable information terminal 6.

[0133] In addition, the detection of the suitable environment and the related processing (steps S62 and S63) may not be performed. In addition, the processing of step S66 may be performed when the recording function execution instruction has been accepted (an example of a predetermined control condition). That is, it may be performed after step S61.

[0134] Figure 7 This is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the information processing device 100 .

[0135] (Step S11) The processing unit 140 determines whether information transmitted from the portable information terminal 6 or the like has been received through the receiving unit 120. If it is determined that the information has been received, the process proceeds to step S12, otherwise the process proceeds to step S13.

[0136] (Step S12) The processing unit 140 identifies the user based on the received information, and accumulates the received information in the user information storage unit 115 in correspondence with the user identifier. For example, when the portable information terminal 6 sends life information, voice information, or device identification information in correspondence with the user identifier, the processing unit 140 accumulates the received information in the user information storage unit 115 in correspondence with the user identifier.

[0137] (Step S13) The processing unit 140 determines whether an opportunity for obtaining a bowel score has occurred. In other words, the processing unit 140 determines whether a condition for starting to obtain a bowel score has been met. If it is determined that an opportunity has occurred, the process proceeds to step S14. Otherwise, the process returns to step S11.

[0138] Furthermore, for example, the user's instruction to obtain a bowel score (sending of prescribed information corresponding to the instruction) through the portable information terminal 6 can be used as the above-mentioned trigger, but the trigger is not limited to this. For example, the arrival of a prescribed time or the receipt of new voice information or other life information can be used as the trigger when various conditions are met.

[0139] (Step S14) The processing unit 140 performs a score acquisition process via the intestinal score acquisition unit 149. The score acquisition process will be described later. The intestinal score or each element score is acquired via the score acquisition process and accumulated in the user information storage unit 115.

[0140] (Step S15) The processing unit 140 constructs information to be output using the acquired bowel scores, etc., through the bowel score output unit 161. In the present embodiment, information for indicating the bowel score and information for indicating each element score as a radar chart are constructed.

[0141] (Step S16) The processing unit 140 outputs the constructed information to the target user through the bowel score output unit 161. That is, the processing unit 140 outputs the constructed information about the bowel score and each element score to the portable information terminal 6 used by the user who is the target of score calculation through the transmission unit 170. As a result, the portable information terminal 6 that has received the information can display the bowel score and each element score.

[0142] Next, a specific example of recording abdominal sounds according to the present embodiment will be described while showing the screen transition of the portable information terminal 6 used by the user.

[0143] In the following specific example, it is assumed that the information processing system 1 provides a health support application for supporting the user to live a healthy life. The health support application accepts input operations related to the user's life information and provides the user with information useful for maintaining health. The user executes a predetermined application in the portable information terminal 6, and the portable information terminal 6 communicates with the information processing device 100, thereby realizing the health support application. Under the control of the terminal processing unit 40, the terminal output unit 60 displays the following screen example of the health support application.

[0144] The user can record his / her own abdominal sounds for obtaining a bowel score by performing a predetermined operation while executing the health support application.

[0145] Figure 8 It is a diagram showing a specific example of screen transition of the portable information terminal 6.

[0146] Figure 8 In step S91, a recording preparation screen 901 for recording in the health support application is displayed. The recording preparation screen 901 includes, for example, a display that guides the user to press the portable information terminal 6 against the abdomen after sitting down for recording. The user makes the prescribed preparations according to the display content of the recording preparation screen 901, and can start recording by operating the recording button 905.

[0147] In the example shown in the figure, the recording preparation screen 901 includes an environment information display 903 indicating the measurement result of the ambient sound and the detection result of being in a suitable environment. As a result, regarding the ambient sound, the user can easily know the information related to whether it is in a suitable environment and the magnitude of the ambient sound. In addition, the display form of the environment information display 903 can be changed when it is detected as being in a suitable environment and when it is not detected as being in a suitable environment. In addition, it can also be configured so that the operation of the recording button 905 can be accepted only when it is detected as being in a suitable environment.

[0148] When the recording button 905 is operated, the determination unit 47 detects that the control condition is satisfied, and controls the microphones 81, 82, and 83 for recording through the microphone control unit 48. Then, recording of abdominal sounds starts.

[0149] The user can start recording abdominal sounds by operating the recording button 905. Only the first microphone 81 used for recording abdominal sounds is used, and recording is performed in a state suitable for recording abdominal sounds. Therefore, a high-quality recording result can be obtained. In this example, since the recording of abdominal sounds is started in a state where it is detected that the environment is suitable, a higher-quality recording result of abdominal sounds can be obtained.

[0150] If the recording button 905 is operated, the screen transitions to the recording screen 931 (step S92). In the recording screen 931, a recording progress display 933 and a recording waveform display 934 are displayed as displays of the recording status. As the recording progress display 933, for example, a display indicating the remaining time and a progress bar indicating the progress degree are displayed, but it is not limited to these. The recording waveform display 934 is a waveform indicating the content of the sound information that has been recorded, and the user can recognize that the recording is in progress with a sense of reality.

[0151] In the example shown in the figure, the recording screen 931 includes a display related to the recording status, so that the user's attention during recording is drawn, and unnecessary activities of the user, which is one of the main causes of recording quality degradation, can be prevented. In addition, since the user can confirm the progress, he can wait for the recording to end with peace of mind.

[0152] When the recording is performed normally, the sound information is sent to the information processing device 100, and the intestinal score is sent from the information processing device 100 to the portable information terminal 6. If the portable information terminal 6 receives the intestinal score, it transitions to the result display screen 961 (step S93). The result display screen 951, for example, shows the intestinal score that has been obtained and information related thereto (for example, information showing a ranking classified by the degree of intestinal activity, etc.). By confirming the content of the result display screen 951, the user can recognize the objective evaluation related to the state of his or her own intestine and use it in daily life.

[0153] As described above, in the present embodiment, a portable information terminal 6 is used to control multiple microphones 81, 82, and 83 in a manner that uses microphones suitable for recording, and abdominal sounds are recorded on this basis. Thus, a high-quality recording result of abdominal sounds is obtained. In addition, the recording is processed based on the detection result of being in a suitable environment, so that a high-quality recording result of abdominal sounds can be obtained. When it is not in a suitable environment, a corresponding display is performed on the touch screen 61, so that the user can be prompted to record in a more suitable environment. Moreover, although the high quality of the recording result specifically indicates that the SN is relatively high, it is not limited to this. For example, it can also indicate that the level of abdominal sounds is high, the level of noise is low, or the state of other abdominal sounds (especially intestinal sounds) can be more clearly grasped.

[0154] The information processing device 100 uses high-quality sound information to obtain a bowel score related to the state of the user's intestines, and outputs the obtained bowel score, so that a bowel score that accurately represents the state of the user's intestines can be output. By outputting such a bowel score, the user can easily know objective information related to the state of his or her own intestines, which is information that can be easily grasped.

[0155] Furthermore, although it is preferred that the storage unit 110 and the terminal storage unit 10 are non-volatile storage media, they can also be implemented using volatile storage media. These respectively store information etc. that has been acquired in their respective devices, but the process of storing information etc. is not limited to this. For example, information etc. can be stored by a storage medium, information etc. sent by a communication line etc. can be stored, or information etc. input by an input device etc. can be stored.

[0156] In addition, the above-mentioned processing unit 140 or terminal processing unit 40 can usually be realized by MPU or memory, etc. Usually, the processing sequence of the processing unit 140 or terminal processing unit 40 is realized by software, and the software is recorded in a storage medium such as ROM. However, it can also be realized by hardware (dedicated circuit).

[0157] In addition, the input means that can be used to input information that can be accepted by the acceptance unit 130 or the terminal acceptance unit 30 may be any one of a numeric keypad, a keyboard, a mouse, a menu screen, etc. The acceptance unit 130 or the terminal acceptance unit 30 can be implemented by a device driver of an input means such as a numeric keypad or a keyboard, or control software of a menu screen, etc.

[0158] In addition, although the receiving unit 120 and the terminal receiving unit 20 are usually realized by wireless or wired communication means, they can also be realized by means of receiving broadcasts.

[0159] In addition, although the transmission unit 170 or the terminal transmission unit 70 is usually realized by wireless or wired communication means, it can also be realized by broadcasting means.

[0160] Furthermore, the information processing device 100 may be composed of one server, or a plurality of servers working in cooperation with each other, or may be an electronic computer built into other equipment, etc. Furthermore, the server may be a so-called cloud server, or an ASP server, etc., and needless to say, the server may be of any type.

[0161] In addition, part or all of the various parts provided in the information processing device 100 in the above contents may also be provided in the portable information terminal 6. That is, the portable information terminal 6 may also have part or all of the structure for realizing the functions related to the acquisition and output of the intestinal score as provided in the above information processing device 100. For example, the portable information terminal 6 may also be configured to obtain the intestinal score using the sound information recorded in the portable information terminal 6. On the other hand, part of the various parts provided in the portable information terminal 6 in the above contents may also be provided in the information processing device 100. That is, the information processing device 100 may also have part of the structure for detecting whether it is in a suitable environment as provided in the above portable information terminal 6. For example, the information processing device 100 may also be configured to detect the suitable environment using the sound information recorded in the portable information terminal 6, and send a recording start instruction to the portable information terminal 6 based on the result.

[0162] The processing in this embodiment can also be implemented by software. Moreover, the software can also be distributed by software downloading, etc. In addition, the software can also be recorded on a storage medium such as a CDROM and distributed.

[0163] Furthermore, the software that realizes the information processing device 100 in the present embodiment is the following program. That is, the program is a program that causes a computer to function as a sound information acquisition unit that acquires sound information related to the sound emitted from the abdomen of a user, that is, abdominal sound, a bowel score acquisition unit, and an output unit, the sound information acquisition unit acquires sound information related to the state of the user's intestines by using input information including the sound information acquired by the sound information acquisition unit and learning information prepared in advance, and the output unit outputs the bowel score acquired by the bowel score acquisition unit.

[0164] In addition, the software for realizing the portable information terminal, i.e., the portable information terminal 6 in the present embodiment, is the following program. That is, the program is a program for making the computer of the portable information terminal function as a judgment unit and a microphone control unit, the portable information terminal has two or more microphones, and is used when the sound collecting unit near any one of the two or more microphones is brought into contact with the abdomen of the user to record the abdominal sound of the user, the judgment unit judges whether a prescribed control condition related to the recording of the abdominal sound is satisfied, and when it is judged that the control condition is satisfied, the microphone control unit controls one or more of the two or more microphones.

[0165] other

[0166] Fig. 9 It is an external view of the computer system 800 in the above-mentioned embodiment. Fig.10 is a block diagram of the computer system 800 .

[0167] These figures show a configuration example of a computer such as the information processing device 100 that implements the above-described embodiment by executing the program described in this specification. The above-described embodiment can be implemented by computer hardware and a computer program executed thereon.

[0168] The computer system 800 includes a computer 801 having an optical disk drive, a keyboard 802 , a mouse 803 , and a monitor 804 .

[0169] In addition to the optical disk drive (ODD) 8012, the computer 801 also includes: MPU 8013; bus 8014 connected to the optical disk drive 8012, etc.; ROM 8015 for storing programs such as a boot program; RAM 8016 connected to the MPU 8013 and used to temporarily store application commands and provide temporary storage space; and a hard disk (HDD) 8017 for storing application programs, system programs, and data. Although not shown in the figure, the computer 801 may also include a network card that provides connection to a LAN.

[0170] In the computer system 800, the program for executing the functions of the information processing device and the like of the above-mentioned embodiment can also be stored in the optical disk 8101, and further transferred to the hard disk 8017 by inserting it into the optical disk drive 8012. Alternatively, the program can also be sent to the computer 801 via a network (not shown) and stored in the hard disk 8017. The program is loaded into the RAM 8016 when it is executed. The program can also be directly loaded from the optical disk 8101 or the network.

[0171] The program may not necessarily include an operating system (OS) or a third-party program that enables the computer 801 to execute the functions of the information processing device of the above-mentioned embodiment. As long as the program calls appropriate functions (modules) in a controlled form and only includes the command part that can obtain the desired result, it will be sufficient. How the computer system 800 works is well known, and a detailed description is omitted.

[0172] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned program, the sending step of sending information or the receiving step of receiving information does not include processing performed by hardware, such as processing performed by a modem or an interface card in the sending step (processing that can only be performed by hardware).

[0173] In addition, the computer that executes the above program may be a single computer or multiple computers, that is, centralized processing or distributed processing may be performed.

[0174] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, two or more components present in one device may be physically realized by one medium.

[0175] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, each processing (each function) can be implemented by a single device (system) through centralized processing, or can be implemented by multiple devices through distributed processing (in this case, the system composed of multiple devices performing distributed processing can be grasped as a whole as one "device").

[0176] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the handover of information between the constituent elements, for example, when the two constituent elements that perform the handover of the information are physically different, can be performed by the output of information from one constituent element and the acceptance of information from the other constituent element, or when the two constituent elements that perform the handover of the information are physically the same, it can also be performed by transferring from the processing phase corresponding to one constituent element to the processing phase corresponding to the other constituent element.

[0177] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, even if it is not clearly described in the above description, information related to the processing performed by each component may be temporarily or long-term stored in a storage medium not shown in the figure, such as information accepted, acquired, selected, generated, sent, received by each component and information such as thresholds, formulas, addresses, etc. used by each component in the processing. In addition, each component or an accumulation unit not shown in the figure may also accumulate information in the storage medium not shown in the figure. In addition, each component or a reading unit not shown in the figure may also read information from the storage medium not shown in the figure.

[0178] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiments, when information used in each component, such as threshold values ​​or addresses, various set values, etc. used in processing by each component, can be changed by the user, even if it is not clearly stated in the above description, the user can appropriately change this information, or may not change it. When the user can change this information, the change can be achieved, for example, by an unillustrated receiving unit that receives a change instruction from the user and an unillustrated changing unit that changes the information according to the change instruction. The acceptance of the change instruction by the unillustrated receiving unit can be, for example, acceptance from an input device, reception of information sent via a communication line, or acceptance of information read from a specified storage medium.

[0179] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made, and the modifications are also included in the scope of the present invention.

[0180] Some of the components or functions in the above-described embodiments may be omitted. Industrial Applicability

[0181] As described above, the portable information terminal according to the present invention has the effect of obtaining a high-quality recording result of abdominal sounds, and is useful as a portable information terminal and the like.

Claims

1. A portable information terminal having two or more microphones, and used when a sound collecting unit near any one of the two or more microphones is brought into contact with the abdomen of a user to record the abdominal sound of the user, wherein: The device comprises: a determination unit for determining whether a predetermined control condition related to the recording of the abdominal sound is satisfied; and a microphone control unit that controls one or more of the two or more microphones when it is determined that the control condition is satisfied.

2. The portable information terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that: When it is determined that the control condition is satisfied, the microphone control unit performs on / off control of the one or more microphones.

3. The portable information terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that: When it is determined that the control condition is satisfied, the microphone control unit controls parameters related to the operation of the one or more microphones.

4. The portable information terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that: The microphone control unit acquires an identifier for identifying the model of the portable information terminal, and controls the microphone based on the acquired identifier.

5. The portable information terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that: The predetermined control condition is that the portable information terminal is in a predetermined preparation state for recording abdominal sounds.

6. The portable information terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that: The predetermined control condition is that during the recording of the abdominal sound, the sound information obtained by the recording satisfies a predetermined interruption condition.

7. An information processing system comprising the portable information terminal as claimed in claim 1 and an information processing device capable of communicating with the portable information terminal, characterized in that: The portable information terminal includes a terminal output unit that outputs sound information obtained by recording the abdominal sounds of the user using the one or more microphones. The information processing device comprises: a sound information acquisition unit that acquires the sound information; a bowel score acquisition unit that acquires a bowel score related to the state of the intestine of the user using input information including the sound information acquired by the sound information acquisition unit and pre-prepared learning information; and a bowel score output unit that outputs the bowel score acquired by the bowel score acquisition unit.

8. A control method for a portable information terminal, the portable information terminal having two or more microphones, and being used when a sound collecting unit near any one of the two or more microphones is brought into contact with the abdomen of a user to record the abdominal sound of the user, wherein: The method comprises: a determination step of determining whether a predetermined control condition related to the recording of the abdominal sound is satisfied; The microphone control step controls at least one of the two or more microphones when it is determined that the control condition is satisfied.

9. A program, characterized in that it causes a computer of a portable information terminal to function as a determination unit and a microphone control unit, The portable information terminal has two or more microphones and is used when a sound collecting unit near any one of the two or more microphones is brought into contact with the abdomen of a user to record the abdominal sound of the user. The determination unit determines whether a predetermined control condition related to the recording of the abdominal sound is satisfied. When it is determined that the control condition is satisfied, the microphone control unit controls one or more microphones among the two or more microphones.

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