Measurement device, control method, and control program

Abstract

The invention provides a measurement device, a control method, and a control program capable of reducing the processing load of a processor and suppressing the delay of processing such as measurement. A measurement device according to one aspect of the present invention is provided with: a main MCU (18) that performs measurement on the basis of biological data obtained by a sensor; a communication IC (14) that wirelessly communicates with the information terminal (5); and a non-volatile memory (14a) connected to the communication IC (14). Furthermore, the main MCU (18) sequentially transmits the biological data obtained by sensing by the sensor to the communication IC (14) without performing delivery confirmation, causes the communication IC (14) to write the biological data to the nonvolatile memory (14a), and receives result information relating to writing of the biological data to the nonvolatile memory (14a) from the communication IC (14) after the sensing is completed. The communication IC (14) transmits the biological data written in the nonvolatile memory (14a) to the information terminal (5).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a measurement device, a control method, and a control program. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a biological information measurement device is known, which includes a communication unit for wirelessly communicating with an external device such as a personal computer, and can transmit the measured biological information to the external device (Patent Document 1). In addition, a sphygmomanometer is known, which can store the pulse wave detected by a blood pressure estimation unit and the blood pressure value calculated based on the pulse wave in association with the measurement date and time in a storage unit, output the stored data from an output terminal to the outside, and can display the signal level of the pulse wave through a timing graph (Patent Document 2).

[0003] Prior Art Documents

[0004] Patent Documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-061663

[0006] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-098003 Summary of the Invention

[0007] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0008] According to the biological information measurement device of Patent Document 1, the measured biological information can be transmitted to an external device. In addition, according to the sphygmomanometer of Patent Document 2, it can clearly show what kind of pulse wave is detected by the blood pressure estimation unit and what kind of characteristic points of the detected pulse wave are used to estimate the blood pressure value, so that the subject himself / herself can confirm whether the blood pressure value is estimated normally. However, in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, there is no description about reducing the processing load of the processor that writes the measured biological information into the memory or reads the measured biological information from the memory and transmits it to an external device.

[0009] The present invention is completed in view of such a situation, and an object thereof is to provide a measurement device, a control method, and a control program that can reduce the processing load of the processor and suppress delays in processing such as measurement.

[0010] Solutions to the Problems

[0011] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention adopts the following configuration. (1)

[0013] A measurement device includes:

[0014] A first processor that performs measurements based on biological data obtained by a sensor;

[0015] A second processor that performs wireless communication with an information terminal; and

[0016] A memory connected to the second processor;

[0017] The first processor sequentially sends the biological data obtained during the sensing of the sensor to the second processor without performing delivery confirmation, and causes the second processor to write the biological data into the memory.

[0018] After the sensing is completed, the first processor receives result information related to the writing of the biological data into the memory from the second processor.

[0019] The second processor sends the biological data written into the memory to the information terminal.

[0020] According to (1), by separately providing a second processor for wireless communication from the first processor that performs measurements based on biological data, the processing load for sending biological data such as pulse wave data to an information terminal can be dispersed to the second processor, thereby reducing the processing load on the first processor. As a result, delays in measurements and other processes performed by the first processor can be suppressed. In addition, by the first processor sequentially sending the biological data obtained during sensing to the second processor without performing delivery confirmation, and causing the second processor to write the biological data into the memory, the speed of transferring biological data from the first processor to the second processor can be increased. In addition, the processing load on the first processor during sensing can be reduced. Further, after the sensing is completed, by sending result information related to the writing of the biological data into the memory from the second processor to the first processor, even in a configuration where the above delivery confirmation is not performed, the first processor can identify the writing result of the biological data into the memory. It should be noted that the pulse wave can be either a pressure pulse wave obtained by measuring changes in the pressure applied to a blood vessel or a volume pulse wave obtained by measuring changes in the blood volume in a blood vessel. (2)

[0022] The measuring device according to (1), wherein

[0023] The result information includes information indicating the number of the biological data received by the second processor from the first processor.

[0024] As shown in (2), as result information related to the writing of biological data into the memory, preferably it is the number of biological data received from the first processor. (3)

[0026] The measurement device according to (1) or (2), wherein

[0027] , the result information includes information indicating the number of the biological data for which the writing by the second processor to the memory has failed.

[0028] As shown in (3), as the result information related to the writing of the biological data to the memory, preferably, it is the number of the biological data for which the writing to the memory has failed. (4)

[0030] The measurement device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein,

[0031] before the sensing, the first processor sends an instruction to start saving to the memory to the second processor,

[0032] after the sensing, the first processor sends an instruction to end saving to the memory to the second processor;

[0033] the result information is included in and sent in a response signal for the instruction to end the saving sent from the second processor to the first processor.

[0034] According to (4), by including the result information related to the writing of the biological data to the memory in the response signal for the instruction to end the saving and sending it from the second processor to the first processor, even in a configuration where the above delivery confirmation is not performed, the first processor can identify the writing result of the biological data to the memory. (5)

[0036] The measurement device according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein,

[0037] the first processor sends the biological data together with flag information indicating that no delivery confirmation is performed to the second processor.

[0038] According to (5), it is possible to identify that no delivery confirmation of the biological data is performed based on the flag information. (6)

[0040] The measurement device according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein,

[0041] the first processor designates an address in the memory as the writing destination for the second processor, and causes the second processor to write the biological data to the memory,

[0042] The first processor designates an address of a read source in the memory for the second processor, causing the second processor to read the biological data from the memory and send it to the information terminal.

[0043] According to (6), a configuration is adopted in which the first processor designates an address of a memory connected to the second processor to give instructions for writing, reading, and sending biological data to the second processor. Therefore, there is no need for flow control or delivery confirmation at the interface (such as UART: Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter) between the first processor and the second processor, and the forwarding speed of biological data to the information terminal can be increased. In addition, the second processor only needs to be able to write information to a designated address in the memory, read from, and send information from a designated address in the memory. Therefore, a simple configuration can be adopted for the second processor. In addition, through the instruction to the second processor, the first processor can flexibly write biological data to the memory, read biological data from the memory, and send the read biological data. However, it is also possible not to perform processing with a large load such as writing, reading, and sending processing of biological data by the first processor itself. Therefore, the processing load of the first processor can be reduced as described above. (7)

[0045] The measuring device according to (6), wherein,

[0046] The memory has an area allocated for the biological data,

[0047] The address of the writing destination and the address of the read source are addresses in the area.

[0048] According to (7), by setting an area in the memory where information other than biological data is not written, interference between the writing of biological data based on an instruction from the first processor to the second processor and the writing of other information by the second processor can be suppressed. (8)

[0050] The measuring device according to any one of (1) to (7), wherein,

[0051] The memory cannot be accessed from the first processor.

[0052] According to (8), compared with a configuration in which the first processor and the second processor share a single memory, access processing can be decentralized to achieve high speed. (9)

[0054] The measuring device according to any one of (1) to (8), wherein,

[0055] The biological data is pulse wave data.

[0056] As shown in (9), as the biological data measured by the measuring device, for example, pulse wave data is preferably used. (10)

[0058] According to the measuring device described in (9), wherein

[0059] The first processor outputs a blood pressure measurement result based on the pulse wave data.

[0060] According to (10), the first processor can wirelessly transmit the pulse wave data to the information terminal and output the blood pressure measurement result. (11)

[0062] According to the measuring device described in any one of (1) to (10), wherein

[0063] The memory is a non-volatile memory.

[0064] According to (11), a large amount of biological data can be stored with a low-cost configuration. (12)

[0066] A control method is a control method of a measuring device

[0067] The measuring device includes:

[0068] A first processor that performs measurement based on biological data obtained by a sensor; a second processor that performs wireless communication with an information terminal; and a memory that is connected to the second processor;

[0069] The first processor sequentially sends the biological data obtained during the sensing of the sensor to the second processor without confirmation of delivery, and causes the second processor to write the biological data into the memory.

[0070] After the sensing ends, the first processor receives result information related to the writing of the biological data into the memory from the second processor.

[0071] The second processor sends the biological data written into the memory to the information terminal.

[0072] According to (12), by separately providing a second processor for wireless communication from a first processor that performs measurements based on biological data, the processing load for transmitting biological data such as pulse wave data to an information terminal can be distributed to the second processor, thereby reducing the processing load on the first processor. As a result, delays in processes such as measurements performed by the first processor can be suppressed. Further, by having the first processor sequentially transmit the biological data obtained during sensing to the second processor without performing delivery confirmation, and having the second processor write the biological data to a memory, the speed of transferring biological data from the first processor to the second processor can be increased. In addition, the processing load on the first processor during sensing can be reduced. Further, after sensing is completed, by transmitting result information related to writing of the biological data to the memory from the second processor to the first processor, the first processor can identify the writing result of the biological data to the memory even in a configuration where the above delivery confirmation is not performed. (13)

[0074] A control program, which is a control program for a measuring device,

[0075] The measuring device includes:

[0076] A first processor that performs measurements based on biological data obtained by a sensor; a second processor that performs wireless communication with an information terminal; and a memory connected to the second processor;

[0077] The first processor sequentially transmits the biological data obtained during sensing by the sensor to the second processor without performing delivery confirmation, and causes the second processor to write the biological data to the memory,

[0078] After the sensing is completed, the first processor receives result information related to writing of the biological data to the memory from the second processor;

[0079] The second processor transmits the biological data written to the memory to the information terminal.

[0080] According to (13), by separately providing a second processor for wireless communication from a first processor that performs measurements based on biological data, the processing load for transmitting biological data such as pulse wave data to an information terminal can be distributed to the second processor, thereby reducing the processing load on the first processor. As a result, delays in processing such as measurements performed by the first processor can be suppressed. In addition, by having the first processor sequentially transmit biological data obtained in sensing to the second processor without performing delivery confirmation, and having the second processor write the biological data to a memory, the speed of transferring biological data from the first processor to the second processor can be increased. In addition, the processing load on the first processor during sensing can be reduced. Further, after sensing is completed, by transmitting result information related to writing of biological data to the memory from the second processor to the first processor, the first processor can identify the writing result of biological data to the memory even in a configuration where the above-described delivery confirmation is not performed.

[0081] Advantages of the Invention

[0082] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a measurement device, a control method, and a control program that can reduce the processing load on a processor and suppress delays in processing such as measurements. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0083] Figure 1 FIG. is a diagram showing an information management system including the measurement device of the present invention and an information terminal that wirelessly communicates with the measurement device.

[0084] Figure 2 FIG. is a diagram showing a sphygmomanometer as an example of the measurement device.

[0085] Figure 3 FIG. is a diagram showing an example of the information terminal being connected to a network.

[0086] Figure 4 FIG. is a block diagram showing the configuration of the measurement device.

[0087] Figure 5 FIG. is a block diagram showing the configuration of the information terminal.

[0088] Figure 6 FIG. is a sequence diagram showing the operations of the main MCU, communication IC, and non-volatile memory in the measurement device.

[0089] Figure 7 FIG. is a diagram showing an example of biological data measured by the measurement device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0090] Hereinafter, an embodiment of one aspect of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

[0091] §1 Application Example

[0092] <The information management system 100 applying the present invention>

[0093] Figure 1 The information management system 100 includes the measuring device 1 of the present invention and an information terminal 5 that performs wireless communication with the measuring device 1.

[0094] The measuring device 1 includes a biological data measuring device that measures biological data such as body weight, body composition, blood pressure, pulse, heart rate, body temperature, blood glucose, or blood oxygen saturation. The measuring device 1 includes a measuring sensor for measuring a measurement target quantity. Among the measurement target quantities of the measuring sensor, biological data such as body weight, body fat percentage, blood pressure value, pulse rate, heart rate, body temperature, blood glucose value, or blood oxygen saturation are included corresponding to the measuring device 1. In addition, the measuring device 1 is a non-wearable measuring device. A non-wearable measuring device refers to a measuring device that is not wearable. A wearable measuring device refers to a measuring device that is carried by being worn on the user's body (such as a pedometer). For example, the measuring device 1 (non-wearable measuring device) is a measuring device such as a weighing scale, a body composition analyzer, a weighing body composition analyzer, or a sphygmomanometer that is used in a state of being set on the ground or a table. The measuring device 1 transmits the measured biological data as the user's measured biological data to the information terminal 5 through wireless communication.

[0095] The information terminal 5 stores the measured biological data received from the measuring device 1 in a data storage unit in the information terminal 5. In addition, the information terminal 5 can also perform wireless communication with external devices other than the measuring device 1 and store the information obtained from the external devices in the data storage unit in the information terminal 5. The information terminal 5 is an information processing device that analyzes various information obtained from the measuring device 1 and other external devices. The information terminal 5 is, for example, a terminal with a display such as a smart phone, a tablet terminal, a notebook computer, a desktop computer, or a wearable terminal. The information terminal 5 can also be set to obtain measured biological data from a specific measuring device 1. The specific measuring device 1 for obtaining measured biological data can also be pre-registered in the data storage unit of the information terminal 5.

[0096] Figure 2 It is a diagram showing a sphygmomanometer 1A as an example of the measuring device 1. The sphygmomanometer 1A is an example of a biological data measuring device, measures the blood pressure (pressure pulse wave data) of a user, and outputs the measurement result to the user. In addition, the sphygmomanometer 1A transmits the measurement result as the user's measured biological data to the information terminal 5 through wireless communication. For example, the sphygmomanometer 1A includes: a main body 21; a cuff 22 that can be wrapped around the user's upper arm; and an air tube 23 that connects the main body 21 and the cuff 22. Figure 2In the example, the cuff 22 is separate from the main body 21, but the cuff 22 can also be integrated with the main body 21.

[0097] Figure 3 FIG. is an example showing the information terminal 5 connected to the network. As Figure 3 shown, the information terminal 5 can be connected to the cloud server 90 via a wide area network N such as the Internet. The information terminal 5 can also send the measured biological data stored therein to the cloud server 90 via the wide area network N, and manage the measured biological data of the user W in the form of a database in the cloud server 90. In addition, the information terminal 5 can also acquire the measured biological data managed in the cloud server 90 via the wide area network N and use the acquired measured biological data.

[0098] §2 Configuration Example

[0099] <Configuration of the measuring device 1>

[0100] Figure 4 FIG. is a block diagram showing the configuration of the measuring device 1. The measuring device 1 includes: a display unit 11 capable of displaying various information; an operation unit 12 for a user to operate; a measuring unit 13 for measuring biological data and the like; a communication IC (Integrated Circuit) 14 for communicating with an external device; a non-volatile memory 14a connected to the communication IC 14; and an antenna 14b for communication. In addition, the measuring device 1 includes: a RAM (Random Access Memory) 16 for temporarily storing information; a main MCU (Micro Controller Unit) 18 for controlling the overall operation of the device; and a non-volatile memory 18a connected to the main MCU 18. The main MCU 18 is an example of the first processor of the present invention. The communication IC 14 is an example of the second processor of the present invention. The communication interface between the main MCU 18 and the communication IC 14 uses an interface such as UART, for example.

[0101] The display unit 11 is constituted by, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display. The operation unit 12 is a user interface for accepting user operations such as buttons and touch panels. The buttons include buttons physically provided on the measuring device 1 and virtual buttons displayed on the display unit 11.

[0102] The measuring unit 13 includes sensors for measuring biological data such as body weight, body composition, blood pressure, pulse, heart rate, body temperature, blood glucose, and blood oxygen saturation. The measurement content varies depending on the measurement object of the measuring device 1.

[0103] The non-volatile memory 14a is a recording medium that stores parameters, control programs, and biological data measured by the measuring unit 13, which are required to implement specified functions. The non-volatile memory 14a is constituted by, for example, a flash memory. A biological data area is provided in the non-volatile memory 14a for storing biological data. The biological data stored in the non-volatile memory 14a is managed by the communication IC 14.

[0104] The communication IC 14 implements specified functions by executing control programs. For example, the communication IC 14 can perform short-range wireless communication by executing the communication program stored in the non-volatile memory 14a. The communication IC 14 communicates according to, for example, the BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy (registered trademark): Bluetooth low energy) standard. The communication IC 14 transmits an advertisement signal for wireless communication to a plurality of unspecified external devices during a periodic period by broadcast communication. The communication IC 14 transmits, for example, the name and attribute information of the measuring device 1 included in the advertisement signal. The BLE communication performed by the communication IC 14 is, for example, communication using a 2.4 GHz frequency.

[0105] In addition, the communication IC 14 can manage biological data by executing, for example, a management program stored in the non-volatile memory 14a. The biological data is the biological data of the user measured by the measuring unit 13.

[0106] For example, the communication IC 14 performs a writing process of writing the measured biological data into the non-volatile memory 14a. In addition, the communication IC 14 performs a reading process of reading biological data from the non-volatile memory 14a. The communication IC 14 writes the biological data into the non-volatile memory 14a according to a write instruction signal sent from the main MCU 18 to the communication IC 14, and reads the biological data from the non-volatile memory 14a according to a read instruction signal. The communication IC 14 performs a writing process and a reading process of biological data on the biological data area of the non-volatile memory 14a. Information other than the biological data written according to the write instruction signal from the main MCU 18 is not written in the biological data area. The biological data area is a dedicated area that can be used by the main MCU 18 in the area provided in the non-volatile memory 14a.

[0107] In addition, the communication IC 14 performs the following transmission process: using the antenna 14b, it wirelessly transmits the biological data read from the non-volatile memory 14a to, for example, the information terminal 5. The communication IC 14 performs the transmission process of biological data according to a transmission instruction signal sent from the main MCU 18 to the communication IC 14.

[0108] The RAM 16 is composed of semiconductor devices such as DRAM (Dynamic RAM) and SRAM (Static RAM), temporarily stores information, and also operates as a working area for the main MCU 18.

[0109] The non-volatile memory 18a is a recording medium that stores parameters required to implement a specified function, a control program, and address information of a biological data area in the non-volatile memory 14a connected to the communication IC 14. The non-volatile memory 18a is composed of, for example, EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory). It should be noted that in this example, the non-volatile memory 14a is configured independently of the communication IC 14, but for example, the non-volatile memory 14a can also form a single module with the communication IC 14.

[0110] The main MCU 18 implements a specified function by executing a control program. For example, the main MCU 18 can perform measurement based on biological data obtained by the measurement unit 13 by executing a measurement program stored in the non-volatile memory 18a.

[0111] In addition, the main MCU 18 can issue management instructions for the measured biological data by executing, for example, a management instruction program stored in the non-volatile memory 18a. For example, the main MCU 18 sends a write instruction signal to the communication IC 14. The write instruction signal specifies the address of the write destination in the biological data area of the non-volatile memory 14a and causes the communication IC 14 to write the biological data to the non-volatile memory 14a. The main MCU 18 sequentially sends the biological data obtained in the measurement by the measurement unit 13 to the communication IC 14 together with the write instruction signal. The main MCU 18 sequentially sends the biological data to the communication IC 14 without receiving a response signal from the communication IC 14 for the biological data sent to the communication IC 14, that is, without performing delivery confirmation of the biological data. The sequential sending of the biological data means dividing the biological data as time-series data at fixed time intervals and sending it sequentially. When the main MCU 18 sequentially sends the biological data divided at fixed time intervals, it sends it without performing delivery confirmation each time (for example, in a streaming manner). The main MCU 18 adds flag information indicating that delivery confirmation of whether the biological data is delivered is not performed to the biological data and sends it to the communication IC 14. For example, the main MCU 18 sends 18 bytes of biological data to the communication IC 14 every 32 milliseconds (msec).

[0112] In addition, the main MCU 18 sends a read indication signal to the communication IC 14. The read indication signal specifies the address of the read source in the biological data area of the non-volatile memory 14a, and causes the communication IC 14 to read the biological data from the non-volatile memory 14a. It should be noted that the address specification for writing and reading can be, for example, the specification of the start address of writing and reading in the biological data area of the non-volatile memory 14a and the specification of the size of the write information and read information, or the specification of the start address and end address of writing and reading.

[0113] In addition, the main MCU 18 can instruct the transmission process of the communication IC 14 by executing, for example, a transmission instruction program stored in the non-volatile memory 18a. For example, the main MCU 18 sends a transmission instruction signal for transmitting an advertisement signal for wireless communication (BLE communication) during a periodic period and a transmission instruction signal for transmitting the biological data read from the non-volatile memory 14a to an external device such as the information terminal 5 to the communication IC 14. When the measured biological data is written to the non-volatile memory 14a, read, or transmitted to an external device, the main MCU 18 only sends an instruction signal including the address specification of the non-volatile memory 14a to the communication IC 14. Moreover, it is configured that the communication IC 14 that has received the instruction from the main MCU 18 executes the write process of the biological data to the non-volatile memory 14a, the read process of the biological data, and the transmission process to the external device. That is, the main MCU 18 is configured to be able to indirectly access the non-volatile memory 14a via the communication IC 14, but cannot directly access the non-volatile memory 14a.

[0114] In addition, the main MCU 18 sends a save start instruction signal to the communication IC 14 before the sensing of the biological data. The instruction signal instructs the start of saving the biological data to the non-volatile memory 14a. In addition, the main MCU 18 sends a save end instruction signal to the communication IC 14 after the sensing of the biological data. The instruction signal instructs the end of saving the biological data to the non-volatile memory 14a. In addition, the main MCU 18 receives result information related to the writing of the biological data to the non-volatile memory 14a from the communication IC 14 after the sensing of the biological data ends. The result information is sent in a response signal for the save end instruction sent from the communication IC 14 to the main MCU 18. The result information includes information indicating the number of received biological data that the communication IC 14 has received from the main MCU 18 and information indicating the number of failed biological data that the communication IC 14 has failed to write to the non-volatile memory 14a. It should be noted that the result information can also be information indicating the number of successful biological data written to the non-volatile memory 14a.

[0115] In addition, the main MCU 18 outputs a biological measurement result based on the measured biological data, such as a blood pressure measurement result based on the plethysmogram data, by executing, for example, an information output program stored in the non-volatile memory 18a. The main MCU 18 causes, for example, the display unit 11 of the measuring device 1 to display the blood pressure measurement result in the form of a screen. In addition, the main MCU 18 may output the blood pressure measurement result from the measuring device 1 in the form of voice, or may wirelessly transmit it to the information terminal 5.

[0116] <Configuration of Information Terminal 5>

[0117] Figure 5 FIG. is a block diagram showing the configuration of the information terminal 5. The information terminal 5 includes: a display unit 51 capable of displaying various information; an operation unit 52 capable of being operated by a user; a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor 53 for detecting a position; and a first wireless communication unit 54 and a second wireless communication unit 55 for communicating with external devices. In addition, the information terminal 5 includes a RAM 56 for temporarily storing information, a data storage unit 57 for storing information and programs, and a controller 58 for controlling the operation of the entire terminal.

[0118] The display unit 51 is constituted by, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display. The operation unit 52 is a user interface for accepting user operations such as buttons and touch panels. The buttons include buttons physically provided on the information terminal 5 and virtual buttons displayed on the display unit 51. The GPS sensor 53 is a sensor for detecting the current position of the information terminal 5.

[0119] The first wireless communication unit 54 is a communication unit for performing cellular communication, and is, for example, a circuit (module) capable of communicating according to standards such as 4G (4th Generation Mobile Communication Technology), 5G (5th Generation Mobile Communication Technology), and LTE (Long Term Evolution: registered trademark). In addition, the first wireless communication unit 54 is a communication unit for performing wireless LAN (Local Area Network) communication, and is, for example, a circuit (module) capable of communicating according to standards such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The second wireless communication unit 55 is a communication unit for performing short-range wireless communication, and is, for example, a circuit (module) for communicating according to the BLE standard.

[0120] The second wireless communication unit 55 obtains the biological data of the user measured by the measurement device 1 by, for example, performing BLE communication with the communication IC 14 of the measurement device 1. The second wireless communication unit 55 receives the advertisement signal transmitted from the communication IC 14 of the measurement device 1 by performing scanning. The second wireless communication unit 55 identifies the measurement device 1 based on the received advertisement signal, and sends a connection request to the measurement device 1 when a communication connection is desired. It should be noted that after the measurement device 1 sends the advertisement signal, it waits for a connection request within a specified time. When a connection request is received within the specified time, it stops sending the advertisement signal and switches to one-to-one connection communication with the connection request sender.

[0121] The RAM 56 is composed of semiconductor devices such as DRAM and SRAM, temporarily stores information, and operates as the work area of the controller 58.

[0122] The data storage unit 57 is a recording medium that stores parameters, control programs, and measured biological data obtained from the measurement device 1 required to implement specified functions. The data storage unit 57 is composed of, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD) and a semiconductor storage device (SSD).

[0123] The controller 58 implements specified functions by executing control programs. It should be noted that in this embodiment, for example, a management application software for information terminals is pre-installed in the data storage unit 57 as a control program, and the controller 58 implements specified functions by executing this management application software. For example, the controller 58 controls the second wireless communication unit 55 to receive an advertisement signal by performing scanning when the management application software for information terminals is started. The controller 58 controls the second wireless communication unit 55 to send a connection request to the measurement device 1 and obtain measured biological data from the measurement device 1 when an advertisement signal from the measurement device 1 is received.

[0124] §3 Operation Example

[0125] <Operation Example of Measurement Device 1>

[0126] Next, with reference to Figure 6 , the operation example of the measurement device 1 will be described. Figure 6 is a sequence diagram showing the operations of the main MCU 18, communication IC 14, and non-volatile memory 14a in the measurement device 1. It should be noted that in this example, hereinafter, the measurement device 1 is set as the sphygmomanometer 1A, and the biological information measured by the sphygmomanometer 1A is set as the pressure pulse wave data for description.

[0127] Assume that the cuff 22 of the sphygmomanometer 1A is worn on the user's upper arm, and the measurement start switch is pressed.

[0128] First, the main MCU 18 accepts the pressing of the measurement start switch (step S11). Next, the main MCU 18 sends a save start instruction signal indicating preparation for writing start to the communication IC 14 (step S12).

[0129] Next, in response to the save start instruction signal received in step S12, the communication IC 14 performs a save start process for starting writing to the non-volatile memory 14a (step S13). Next, the communication IC 14 sends a response signal notifying that the save start process has been completed to the main MCU 18 (step S14). The response signal includes a result code indicating that the save start process has been completed.

[0130] Next, when receiving the response signal in step S14, the main MCU 18 sends an erase instruction signal for erasing the data in the non-volatile memory 14a to the communication IC 14 (step S15). The erase instruction signal includes the specification of the address and size of the area to be erased in the non-volatile memory 14a.

[0131] Next, in response to the erase instruction signal received in step S15, the communication IC 14 performs a process of erasing the data in the indicated area, for example, sector by sector (step S16). The communication IC 14 repeatedly performs the erase process for each sector according to the size of the indicated erase area. The erase process for each sector means that, for example, when observed from the communication IC 14 side, first, the communication IC 14 sends an erase instruction for each sector to the non-volatile memory 14a and receives a response indicating that the erase instruction has been complied with (a response indicating that one sector has been erased) from the non-volatile memory 14a. Next, the communication IC 14 sends a read request for reading the erased one sector to the non-volatile memory 14a, and after receiving a response (read data of one sector) that satisfies the read request from the non-volatile memory 14a, performs verification and ends. Next, the communication IC 14 sends a response signal notifying that the erase process has been completed to the main MCU 18 (step S17). The response signal includes a result code indicating that the erase process has been completed, the address of the erased data in the non-volatile memory 14a, and the data size.

[0132] Next, when the response signal is received in step S17, the main MCU 18 pressurizes the cuff 22 and starts the measurement of pressure pulse wave data (step S18). Next, the main MCU 18 sends a write instruction signal to the communication IC 14, and this write instruction signal is used to cause the communication IC 14 to write the measured pressure pulse wave data into the biological data area of the non-volatile memory 14a (step S19). The write instruction signal includes a flag indicating whether to perform the transmission of the delivery confirmation of whether the pressure pulse wave data has been delivered (for example, the transmission in the streaming mode), the address of the non-volatile memory 14a to which the pressure pulse wave data is to be written and its data size, and the pressure pulse wave data to be written. The transmission of the pressure pulse wave data in this write instruction is performed sequentially by dividing the pressure pulse wave data measured by the measurement unit 13 at fixed time intervals.

[0133] Next, in response to the write instruction signal received in step S19, the communication IC 14 performs a write process, that is, writes the pressure pulse wave data sequentially sent from the main MCU 18 to the specified address in the biological data area of the non-volatile memory 14a for each of the sequentially sent pressure pulse wave data (step S20). The write process for each of the sequentially sent pressure pulse wave data means that, for example, when observed from the communication IC 14 side, first, the communication IC 14 sends a write instruction for each of the pressure pulse wave data sequentially sent from the main MCU 18 to the non-volatile memory 14a, and receives a response indicating that the write instruction has been complied with (a response indicating that the pressure pulse wave data has been written) from the non-volatile memory 14a. Next, the communication IC 14 sends a read request for reading the written pressure pulse wave data to the non-volatile memory 14a, and after receiving a response (the read pressure pulse wave data) that satisfies the read request from the non-volatile memory 14a, performs verification and ends.

[0134] Next, when the measurement of the pressure pulse wave data ends (step S21), the main MCU 18 sends a save end instruction signal indicating the process for ending the write to the communication IC 14 (step S22).

[0135] Next, in response to the save end instruction signal received in step S22, the communication IC 14 performs a save end process for ending the write to the non-volatile memory 14a (step S23). Next, the communication IC 14 sends a response signal notifying that the save end process has been completed to the main MCU 18 (step S24). The response signal includes a result code indicating that the save end process has been completed, the number of received pressure pulse wave data by the communication IC 14 from the main MCU 18, and the number of failed pressure pulse wave data that failed to be written to the non-volatile memory 14a.

[0136] The transmission process for sending the pressure pulse wave data written to the non-volatile memory 14a from the sphygmomanometer 1A to the external information terminal 5 is performed, for example, after the measurement of the above-mentioned pressure pulse wave data is completed. In this case, the main MCU 18 sends a transmission instruction signal for sending the pressure pulse wave data to the communication IC 14. The transmission instruction signal includes the specification of the address and its size of the pressure pulse wave data to be sent in the non-volatile memory 14a. Then, the communication IC 14 reads out the pressure pulse wave data from the non-volatile memory 14a according to the received transmission instruction signal from the main MCU 18, and sends the read pressure pulse wave data to the information terminal 5 through wireless communication. The communication IC 14 sends the result information (such as the number of receptions, the number of failures, etc.) related to the writing of the pressure pulse wave data to the information terminal 5 together with the pressure pulse wave data.

[0137] §4 Measurement data example

[0138] <Measurement data of measuring device 1>

[0139] Figure 7 This is a diagram showing an example of biological data measured by the measuring device 1. In this example, an example of the pressure pulse wave data measured by the sphygmomanometer 1A is shown. As Figure 7 shown, the pressure pulse wave data 40 is measured as a continuous conduction wave with a substantially fixed periodicity. The measured pressure pulse wave data 40 is sent from the main MCU 18 to the communication IC 14. The main MCU 18 divides the measured pressure pulse wave data 40 at fixed time intervals and sends it to the communication IC 14 in sequence.

[0140] As described above, the main MCU 18 of the measurement device 1 sequentially transmits the biological data obtained in the sensing by the measurement unit 13 to the communication IC 14 without performing delivery confirmation, and causes the communication IC 14 to write the biological data into the non-volatile memory 14a. After the sensing of the biological data is completed, the main MCU 18 receives the result information related to the writing of the biological data into the non-volatile memory 14a from the communication IC 14. In addition, the communication IC 14 reads out the biological data written into the non-volatile memory 14a and transmits it to the information terminal 5 by wireless communication. According to this configuration, by separately providing the communication IC 14 for wireless communication from the main MCU 18 that performs measurement based on biological data, the processing load for transmitting biological data such as pressure pulse wave data to the information terminal 5 can be dispersed to the communication IC 14, thereby reducing the processing load on the main MCU 18. As a result, the delay in processing such as measurement performed by the main MCU 18 can be suppressed. In addition, the main MCU 18 sequentially transmits the biological data obtained in the sensing to the communication IC 14 without performing delivery confirmation, and causes the communication IC 14 to write the biological data into the non-volatile memory 14a, thereby increasing the speed of transferring the biological data from the main MCU 18 to the communication IC 14. In addition, the processing load on the main MCU 18 during sensing can be reduced. In addition, after the sensing is completed, by transmitting the result information related to the writing of the biological data into the non-volatile memory 14a from the communication IC 14 to the main MCU 18, the main MCU 18 can recognize the writing result of the biological data into the non-volatile memory 14a even in the configuration without performing the above-mentioned delivery confirmation.

[0141] In addition, according to the measurement device 1, the result information related to the writing of the biological data into the non-volatile memory 14a includes information indicating the number of received biological data received by the communication IC 14 from the main MCU 18 and information indicating the number of failed biological data for which the communication IC 14 has failed to write into the non-volatile memory 14a. Therefore, for example, when an external device such as the information terminal 5 receives the biological data from the communication IC 14, the biological data can be appropriately analyzed based on the result information (number of received, number of failures) received together with the biological data.

[0142] In addition, according to the measurement device 1, the result information related to the writing of the biological data into the non-volatile memory 14a is included in the response signal for the instruction indicating the end of storage and is transmitted from the communication IC 14 to the main MCU 18. Therefore, even in the configuration where the biological data is sequentially transmitted without performing delivery confirmation, the main MCU 18 can recognize the writing result of the biological data into the non-volatile memory 14a.

[0143] In addition, the main MCU 18 of the measurement device 1 designates the address of the write destination in the biological data area of the non-volatile memory 14a for the communication IC 14, causes the communication IC 14 to write biological data into the non-volatile memory 14a, designates the address of the read source in the biological data area of the non-volatile memory 14a for the communication IC 14, causes the communication IC 14 to read biological data from the non-volatile memory 14a, and causes the communication IC 14 to wirelessly transmit the biological data read from the non-volatile memory 14a to an external device such as the information terminal 5. According to this configuration, a configuration is adopted in which the main MCU 18 designates the address of the non-volatile memory 14a connected to the communication IC 14 and gives instructions for writing, reading, and transmitting biological data to the communication IC 14. Therefore, there is no need for flow control and delivery confirmation at the interface between the main MCU 18 and the communication IC 14, and the forwarding speed of biological data to the information terminal 5 can be increased. In addition, as long as the communication IC 14 can write information to the designated address in the non-volatile memory 14a, read information from the designated address in the non-volatile memory 14a, and transmit it, a simple configuration can be adopted for the communication IC 14. In addition, through the instructions to the communication IC 14, the main MCU 18 can flexibly write biological data into the non-volatile memory 14a, read biological data from the non-volatile memory 14a, and transmit the read biological data. However, it is also possible not to perform processing with a large load such as writing processing, reading processing, and transmission processing of biological data, etc., by the main MCU 18 itself. Therefore, the processing load of the main MCU 18 can be reduced as described above.

[0144] In addition, the measurement device 1 has a biological data area allocated for storing biological data in the non-volatile memory 14a. Moreover, the biological data stored in the biological data area is configured to be managed by the communication IC 14 and cannot be accessed from the main MCU 18. According to this configuration, information other than biological data is not written in the biological data area. Therefore, interference between the writing of biological data based on the instructions from the main MCU 18 to the communication IC 14 and the writing of other information by the communication IC 14 can be suppressed. In addition, compared with the configuration in which the main MCU 18 and the communication IC 14 share a non-volatile memory, the access processing can be decentralized to achieve high speed.

[0145] §5 Variation

[0146] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, but the above description is merely an example of the present invention in all aspects. Various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the following changes can be made. It should be noted that hereinafter, for the same components as those in the above embodiments, the same reference numerals are used, and the same points as those in the above embodiments are appropriately omitted from the description. The following modification examples can be combined as appropriate.

[0147] In the above embodiment, when writing the measured biological data into the non-volatile memory 14a and reading from the non-volatile memory 14a, the main MCU 18 designates the addresses of the write destination and read source in the non-volatile memory 14a and sends the biological data to the communication IC 14, but it is not limited thereto. For example, the main MCU 18 may also send the biological data to the communication IC 14 without designating the addresses of the write destination and read source of the biological data in the non-volatile memory 14a. In this case, the communication IC 14 manages the addresses for writing and reading the biological data in the non-volatile memory 14a.

[0148] In the above embodiment, a configuration in which the biological data is pulse wave data and pressure pulse wave data is acquired as the pulse wave data has been described, but the measuring device 1 may also adopt a configuration in which volume pulse wave data is measured as the pulse wave data.

[0149] In the above embodiment, the non-volatile memory 14a has been described as the memory connected to the communication IC 14 (second processor), but the memory connected to the communication IC 14 (second processor) is not limited to the non-volatile memory 14a, and may also be a volatile memory or the like.

[0150] As described above, various embodiments have been described, but the present invention is of course not limited to the above examples. Those skilled in the art can obviously think of various change examples or correction examples within the scope described in the claims, and these change examples or correction examples are of course also understood to belong to the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, the respective components in the above embodiments can be arbitrarily combined without departing from the gist of the invention.

[0151] It should be noted that this application is based on a Japanese patent application (Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-017657) filed on February 8, 2023, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0152] Description of Reference Numerals

[0153] 1: Measuring device;

[0154] 1A: Sphygmomanometer;

[0155] 5: Information terminal;

[0156] 11, 51: Display unit;

[0157] 12, 52: Operation unit;

[0158] 13: Measurement unit;

[0159] 14: Communication IC;

[0160] 14a, 18a: Non-volatile memory;

[0161] 14b: Antenna;

[0162] 16, 56: RAM;

[0163] 18: Main MCU;

[0164] 21: Main body;

[0165] 22: Cuff;

[0166] 23: Air tube;

[0167] 40: Pressure pulse wave data;

[0168] 53: GPS sensor;

[0169] 54: First wireless communication unit;

[0170] 55: Second wireless communication unit;

[0171] 57: Data storage unit;

[0172] 58: Controller;

[0173] 90: Cloud server;

[0174] 100: Information management system.

Claims

1. A measuring device, comprising: A first processor that performs measurement based on biological data obtained by a sensor; A second processor that performs wireless communication with an information terminal; and A memory connected to the second processor; The first processor sequentially sends the biological data obtained during the sensing of the sensor to the second processor without performing delivery confirmation, and causes the second processor to write the biological data into the memory; After the sensing ends, the first processor receives result information related to the writing of the biological data into the memory from the second processor; The second processor sends the biological data written into the memory to the information terminal.

2. The measuring device according to claim 1, wherein The result information includes information indicating the quantity of the biological data received by the second processor from the first processor.

3. The measuring device according to claim 1, wherein The result information includes information indicating the quantity of the biological data for which the second processor fails to write into the memory.

4. The measuring device according to claim 1, wherein Before the sensing, the first processor sends an instruction to start saving to the memory to the second processor; After the sensing, the first processor sends an instruction to end saving to the memory to the second processor; The result information is included in a response signal sent from the second processor to the first processor for the instruction to end the saving.

5. The measuring device according to claim 1, wherein The first processor sends the biological data together with flag information indicating no delivery confirmation to the second processor.

6. The measuring device according to claim 1, wherein The first processor designates an address of a writing destination in the memory to the second processor, and causes the second processor to write the biological data into the memory; The first processor designates an address of a reading source in the memory to the second processor, and causes the second processor to read out the biological data from the memory and send it to the information terminal.

7. The measuring device according to claim 6, wherein The memory has an area allocated for the biological data; The address of the writing destination and the address of the reading source are addresses in the area.

8. The measuring device according to claim 1, wherein The memory cannot be accessed from the first processor.

9. The measuring device according to claim 1, wherein The biological data is pulse wave data.

10. The measuring device according to claim 9, wherein The first processor outputs a blood pressure measurement result based on the pulse wave data.

11. The measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein The memory is a non-volatile memory.

12. A control method, which is a control method of a measuring device, The measuring device comprises: A first processor that performs measurements based on biological data obtained by a sensor; a second processor that wirelessly communicates with an information terminal; and a memory connected to the second processor; The first processor sequentially sends the biological data obtained during the sensing of the sensor to the second processor without performing delivery confirmation, and causes the second processor to write the biological data to the memory; After the sensing is completed, the first processor receives result information related to the writing of the biological data to the memory from the second processor; The second processor sends the biological data written to the memory to the information terminal.

13. A control program, which is a control program for a measuring device, The measuring device includes: A first processor that performs measurements based on biological data obtained by a sensor; a second processor that wirelessly communicates with an information terminal; and a memory connected to the second processor; The first processor sequentially sends the biological data obtained during the sensing of the sensor to the second processor without performing delivery confirmation, and causes the second processor to write the biological data to the memory; After the sensing is completed, the first processor receives result information related to the writing of the biological data to the memory from the second processor; The second processor sends the biological data written to the memory to the information terminal.

Images