Stimulation specification program, stimulation specification device, and stimulation specification system

Abstract

To specify stimulation imparted to an object person.SOLUTION: A stimulation specification program causes a computer (200 and 400) to execute pre-stimulation index acquisition processing for acquiring a pre-stimulation index on an object person; post-stimulation index acquisition processing for acquiring a post-stimulation index on the object person; correlation information acquisition processing for acquiring correlation information on a plurality of persons on a plurality of kinds of stimulation; and stimulation specification processing for specifying stimulation imparted to the object person on the basis of the pre-stimulation index acquired in the pre-stimulation index acquisition processing, the post-stimulation index acquired in the post-stimulation index acquisition processing, and a plurality of pieces of correlation information acquired in the correlation information acquisition processing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a stimulus identification program, a stimulus identification device, and a stimulus identification system. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, health consciousness has increased, and various devices and services that support the provision of health-related information have begun to be provided. In particular, the number of users who attach importance to the condition of their intestines as an index for managing their health is increasing. Patent Document 1 discloses a system that uses the user's abdominal sound information and previously prepared learning information to display the user's intestinal condition as an intestinal score. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2022 / 124190 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a system such as that described in Patent Document 1, a user needs to input information such as dietary details into the system to obtain information about the condition of his or her intestines. However, since there is a lot of information to be input, there is a problem that it is difficult for users to continue using the system. Therefore, in order to make the system easier to use, there has been a demand for, for example, a system that automatically identifies the contents of the stimuli received by the subject.

[0005] An objective of the present disclosure is to identify the stimulus presented to a subject. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The first aspect is directed to a stimulus identification program that causes a computer (200, 400) to execute a process of identifying a stimulus given to a subject. In the stimulus identification program, an index related to a bowel sound is defined as a bowel sound index, the bowel sound index before a predetermined stimulus is applied is defined as a pre-stimulation index, the bowel sound index after a predetermined stimulus is applied is defined as a post-stimulation index, and information indicating a relationship between the pre-stimulation index and the ratio of the post-stimulation index to the pre-stimulation index is defined as correlation information. In this case, the stimulus identification program causes the computer (200, 400) to execute a pre-stimulation index acquisition process for acquiring the pre-stimulation index related to the subject, a post-stimulation index acquisition process for acquiring the post-stimulation index related to the subject, a correlation information acquisition process for acquiring the correlation information related to multiple people for multiple types of stimuli pre-stored in a storage device (420), and a stimulus identification process for identifying the stimulus given to the subject based on the pre-stimulation index acquired in the pre-stimulation index acquisition process, the post-stimulation index acquired in the post-stimulation index acquisition process, and the multiple correlation information acquired in the correlation information acquisition process.

[0007] In a first aspect, a stimulus identification program causes a computer (200, 400) to execute a stimulus identification process. The stimulus identification process identifies a stimulus given to a subject based on a pre-stimulus index and a post-stimulus index related to the subject and a plurality of pieces of correlation information. Therefore, according to this aspect, the stimulus given to the subject can be identified.

[0008] In the second aspect, in the first aspect, a computer (200, 400) is caused to execute a bowel sound acquisition process for acquiring time series data of bowel sounds related to the subject, and a timing determination process for determining the timing at which the stimulus was applied to the subject based on the time series data of bowel sounds acquired in the bowel sound acquisition process.

[0009] In a second aspect, the stimulus identification program causes the computer (200, 400) to execute a timing identification process. The timing identification process identifies the timing at which the stimulus was applied to the subject based on the time series data of the bowel sounds. This makes it possible to identify the timing at which the stimulus was applied to the subject.

[0010] In a third aspect, when a stimulus identified in the above stimulus identification process in the first or second aspect is set as a specific stimulus, a result display output process is executed by the computer (200, 400) to output a signal for displaying result information including information on the specific stimulus on a display device (250).

[0011] In the third aspect, the display device (250) that receives a signal from the computer (200, 400) that performs the result display output process displays information on the identified stimulus, thereby making it possible to present the identified stimulus to the subject.

[0012] The fourth aspect is the third aspect, in which a computer (200, 400) is caused to execute an estimation process for estimating a post-stimulation index for the subject based on the pre-stimulus index for the specific stimulus acquired in the pre-stimulus index acquisition process and the correlation information for the specific stimulus acquired in the correlation information acquisition process, an effect determination process for determining the effect of the specific stimulus based on the difference between the post-stimulus index estimated for the specific stimulus in the estimation process and the post-stimulation index for the specific stimulus acquired in the post-stimulation index acquisition process, and a process for outputting a signal for displaying result information including the effect on a display device (250) as the result display output process.

[0013] In the fourth aspect, the display device (250) that receives a signal from the computer (200, 400) that performs the result display output process displays the effect of the identified stimulus, thereby making it possible to present the effect of the identified stimulus to the subject.

[0014] The fifth aspect is directed to a stimulus identifying device that identifies a stimulus given to a subject. The stimulus identifying device includes a processing unit (430) that, when an index related to a bowel sound is defined as a bowel sound index, the bowel sound index before a predetermined stimulus is given as a pre-stimulation index, and the bowel sound index after a predetermined stimulus is given as a post-stimulation index, and information indicating a relationship between the pre-stimulation index and a ratio of the post-stimulation index to the pre-stimulation index is defined as correlation information, acquires the pre-stimulation index related to the subject, acquires the post-stimulation index related to the subject, acquires the correlation information related to a plurality of persons for a plurality of types of stimuli pre-stored in a storage device (420), and identifies the stimulus given to the subject based on the acquired pre-stimulation index, the acquired post-stimulation index, and the acquired plurality of correlation information.

[0015] In the fifth aspect, the processing unit (430) of the stimulus identification device identifies the stimulus given to the subject based on the pre-stimulation index, the post-stimulation index, and a plurality of pieces of correlation information. This makes it possible to identify the stimulus given to the subject.

[0016] The sixth aspect is directed to a stimulus identification system. The stimulus identification system includes the stimulus identification device of the fifth aspect, a sound collection device (110) that collects abdominal sounds of the subject, and a display device (250) that displays information related to the identified stimulus.

[0017] In a sixth aspect, a stimulus identification system for identifying a stimulus applied to a subject can be provided. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a stimulus identifying system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the sound collection unit. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a terminal device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the server device. [Diagram 5]FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the correlation information. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the sound collection unit and the terminal device. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the server device. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a process for identifying a stimulus applied at each timing. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the stimulus identification process. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the process of determining the effect of each stimulus. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a correlation diagram for explaining the estimation process. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the effect determination process. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a result display screen displayed on the terminal device. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 4 of the first modified example. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 13 of the first modified example. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram of the second modified example corresponding to FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a diagram of the second modification corresponding to FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments shown below, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present disclosure. Since each drawing is intended to conceptually explain the present disclosure, dimensions, ratios, or numbers may be exaggerated or simplified as necessary for easy understanding.

[0020] The stimulus identification device (P) of this embodiment is a device that identifies a stimulus given to a subject. The stimulus here refers to a factor that affects the state of the intestines. The stimulus in this embodiment includes the intake of specified foods and drinks, various activities, etc. The foods and drinks include, for example, food, supplements, drinking water, etc. The activities include walking, yoga, etc. The stimulus identification device (P) of this embodiment is provided in the stimulus identification system (1). The subject is a user who uses the stimulus identification system (1) and is a person for whom a stimulus is to be identified.

[0021] (1) Stimulus Identification System As shown in Fig. 1, the stimulus identification system (1) includes a sound collection unit (100), a terminal device (200), and a server device (400). The sound collection unit (100) and the terminal device (200) are connected by wireless communication. The terminal device (200) and the server device (400) are connected to the Internet.

[0022] In the stimulus identification system (1) of this embodiment, abdominal sound data of the subject is acquired by the sound collection unit (100). The abdominal sound data acquired by the sound collection unit (100) is transmitted to the terminal device (200) by wireless communication and converted into bowel sound data. The converted bowel sound data is transmitted to the server device (400) via the Internet. The server device (400) identifies the stimulus given to the subject based on the received bowel sound data. The subject can visually confirm the information output from the server device (400) by using the terminal device (200).

[0023] (1-1) Sound collection unit 2, the sound collection unit 100 has a microphone 110 and a communication section 120. The microphone 110 corresponds to the sound collection device of the present disclosure.

[0024] The microphone (110) acquires (measures) data on abdominal sounds of the subject. The abdominal sounds referred to here are sounds emanating from the abdomen of the subject. Abdominal sounds include bowel sounds emanating from the intestines. In addition to bowel sounds, abdominal sounds also include sounds emanating from internal organs such as the stomach and sounds emanating from the flow of blood in the abdomen.

[0025] The microphone 110 is connected to the communication unit 120 via a wired or wireless communication line. The abdominal sound data acquired by the microphone 110 is received by the communication unit 120. The communication unit 120 outputs the abdominal sound data to the terminal device 200 via short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0026] The sound collection unit (100) of this embodiment is a small, portable unit. The sound collection unit (100) is attached so as to be in close contact with the abdomen of the subject. The subject attaches the sound collection unit (100) to his or her own abdomen, for example, while lying on bedding or sitting in a chair. In this way, data on the abdominal sounds of the subject is acquired by the sound collection unit (100).

[0027] (1-2) Terminal device The terminal device (200) is a terminal device operated by a subject. The terminal device (200) of this embodiment is a smartphone. The terminal device (200) may be a tablet terminal or a personal computer. The terminal device (200) includes a microcomputer and a memory device mounted on a control board. The memory device stores software for operating the microcomputer.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 3, the terminal device (200) includes a communication unit (210), a terminal storage unit (220), a terminal processing unit (230), an input unit (240), and a display unit (250).

[0029] The communication unit (210) performs wireless communication with the communication unit (120) of the sound collection unit (100). The communication unit (210) performs wireless communication with the server device (400). The communication unit (210) is connectable to the Internet. The communication unit (210) may be connected to the Internet via a communication line using high-speed wireless communication technology, or may be connected to the Internet via a wireless router. The communication unit (210) of this embodiment connects to the server device (400) via the Internet.

[0030] The terminal storage unit (220) stores predetermined information in the terminal device (200). The terminal storage unit (220) has an abdominal sound storage unit (221) as a functional component. The abdominal sound storage unit (221) stores time series data of abdominal sounds transmitted from the sound collection unit (100). In addition, the abdominal sound storage unit (221) stores information on the time when the abdominal sound time series data was measured together with the corresponding abdominal sound time series data. When the abdominal sound time series data for a predetermined period is stored in the abdominal sound storage unit (221), the abdominal sound time series data is transmitted to the terminal processing unit (230). The abdominal sound time series data may be immediately deleted from the abdominal sound storage unit (221) after being transmitted to the device processing unit (230), or may be held until a predetermined period has elapsed.

[0031] The terminal processing unit (230) performs a predetermined process in the terminal device (200). The terminal processing unit (230) has a bowel sound identification unit (231) as a functional component. The bowel sound identification unit (231) performs a bowel sound identification process. The bowel sound identification process is a process of identifying bowel sounds from the time-series data of abdominal sounds related to the subject transmitted from the sound collection unit (100) and extracting the time-series data of the bowel sounds.

[0032] Here, bowel sounds are generated by intestinal peristalsis. Peristalsis is a wave-like movement of the narrowed part of the intestine caused by repeated contraction and relaxation of the intestinal muscles. This peristalsis causes the contents of the intestine to move and produce sounds. In other words, bowel sounds are closely related to intestinal peristalsis. Therefore, by acquiring bowel sounds, it is possible to understand the state of intestinal peristalsis. And from the state of intestinal peristalsis, it is possible to understand the state of intestinal activity.

[0033] The bowel sound identifying unit (231) extracts time-series data of bowel sounds by known means. That is, the bowel sound identifying unit (231) may extract time-series data of bowel sounds from abdominal sounds by any means. The time-series data of bowel sounds extracted by the bowel sound identifying unit (231) is transmitted from the communication unit (210) to the server device (400) together with information on the time when the bowel sounds were measured.

[0034] The input unit (240) accepts various input operations from the subject to the terminal device (200). The input unit (240) in this embodiment is a touch panel of a smartphone. The input unit (240) may be a button (e.g., a keyboard) provided on the terminal device (200). The input unit (240) may be a microphone provided on the terminal device (200). When the input unit (240) is a microphone, the input operation is performed by voice acquired from the microphone.

[0035] The subject uses the input unit 240 to operate application software stored in the terminal device 200. By operating this application software, the subject can transmit a signal to the server device 400 to output information, and can display information output by the server device 400 on the display unit 250.

[0036] The display unit (250) displays various information to the subject. Specifically, the display unit (250) displays information output from the server device (400). The display unit (250) of this embodiment is a liquid crystal display of a smartphone. The display unit (250) of the terminal device (200) corresponds to the display device of the present disclosure.

[0037] (1-3) Server device The server device (400) is provided on the Internet cloud. In this embodiment, the server device (400) corresponds to the stimulus identifying device (P) of the present disclosure.

[0038] The server device (400) includes a microcomputer and a memory device mounted on a control board. The memory device stores software for operating the microcomputer. The server device (400) has installed therein a stimulus identification program of the present embodiment. The stimulus identification program causes the server device (400) as a computer to execute the processes described below. The server device (400) functions as a stimulus identification device (P) by executing this stimulus identification program.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 4, the server device (400) includes a communication unit (410), a storage unit (420), and a processing unit (430).

[0040] The communication unit 410 performs wireless communication with the communication unit 210 of the terminal device 200. The communication unit 410 is connectable to the Internet. The communication unit 410 connects to the communication unit 210 of the terminal device 200 via the Internet.

[0041] The storage unit (420) stores predetermined information in the server device (400). Specifically, the storage unit (420) stores a stimulus identification program for causing the processing unit (430) to execute a predetermined operation, and data necessary for the operation of the processing unit (430). The storage unit (420) includes at least one of a hard disk drive (HDD), a random access memory (RAM), and a solid state drive (SSD). The storage unit (420) of the server device (400) corresponds to the storage device of the present disclosure.

[0042] The storage unit (420) has, as functional components, a correlation information storage unit (421) and a user information storage unit (422).

[0043] The correlation information storage unit (421) stores a plurality of pieces of correlation information in advance. Each piece of correlation information is correlation information related to a plurality of people. Each piece of correlation information targets a different type of stimulus. Specifically, the correlation information storage unit (421) stores correlation information related to beer, correlation information related to capsaicin, correlation information related to yoga, and the like. Details of the correlation information will be described later.

[0044] The user information storage unit (422) stores user information. The user information is information in which identification information for identifying a subject who uses the stimulus identification system (1) is associated with information about the subject. Specifically, the user information includes information transmitted from the sound collection unit (100) and the terminal device (200) and information output from the processing unit (430). The information transmitted from the sound collection device (110) and the terminal device (200) includes, for example, basic information about the subject, time-series data of the subject's bowel sounds, information about the measurement time of the bowel sounds, and the like. The information output from the processing unit (430) includes, for example, the content of the stimulus given to the subject, the timing at which the stimulus was given, a pre-stimulus index and a post-stimulus index, which will be described later, and the like.

[0045] The processing unit (430) performs a predetermined process in the server device (400). The processing unit (430) has, as functional components, a bowel sound acquisition unit (431), a timing identification unit (432), a pre-stimulation index acquisition unit (433), a post-stimulation index acquisition unit (434), a correlation information acquisition unit (435), a stimulation identification unit (436), an estimation unit (437), an effect determination unit (438), and a result display output unit (439). The processing unit (430) functions as each of the above units by executing a stimulation identification program stored in the memory unit (420).

[0046] (2) Details of the processing unit The bowel sound acquisition unit (431), timing identification unit (432), pre-stimulation index acquisition unit (433), post-stimulation index acquisition unit (434), correlation information acquisition unit (435), stimulation identification unit (436), estimation unit (437), effect assessment unit (438), and result display output unit (439) of the processing unit (430) will be described.

[0047] (2-1) Bowel sound acquisition section The bowel sound acquisition unit (431) performs a bowel sound acquisition process. The bowel sound acquisition process is a process for acquiring time series data of bowel sounds related to a subject. In the bowel sound acquisition process of this embodiment, the bowel sound acquisition process acquires the time series data of bowel sounds received by the communication unit (410) and information on the measurement times of the bowel sounds corresponding to the time series data. The bowel sound acquisition unit (431) outputs the acquired time series data of bowel sounds and information on the measurement times corresponding to the time series data to the timing identification unit (432), and stores them in the user information storage unit (422) of the storage unit (420).

[0048] (2-2) Timing determination section The timing identification unit (432) performs a timing identification process. The timing identification process is a process for identifying the timing at which a stimulus was applied to the subject based on the time-series data of the bowel sounds acquired in the bowel sound acquisition process. In the timing identification process of this embodiment, the timing at which the stimulus was acquired is identified based on changes in parameters such as the number of bowel sounds per unit time, the amplitude of the bowel sounds, and the interval between bowel sounds in a predetermined time. Specifically, the timing identification unit (432) determines that a predetermined stimulus was acquired around the time when the change in the above parameters became large. Then, the timing identification unit (432) outputs the measurement time of the bowel sounds corresponding to the time when the change in the above parameters became large as the timing at which the predetermined stimulus was applied.

[0049] Here, the specified timing is specified as a certain period (for example, 10 minutes). Specifically, the timing specifying unit (432) outputs information that the predetermined stimulation was applied between 7:00 p.m. and 7:10 p.m. The timing specifying unit (432) outputs the output timing to the pre-stimulation index acquiring unit (433) and the post-stimulation index acquiring unit (434), and stores it in the user information storage unit (422) of the storage unit (420).

[0050] (2-3) Pre-stimulus index acquisition part The pre-stimulation index acquisition unit (433) performs a pre-stimulation index acquisition process. The pre-stimulation index acquisition process is a process for acquiring a pre-stimulation index related to the subject. In the pre-stimulation index acquisition process of this embodiment, a bowel sound index is calculated based on time-series data of bowel sounds before (specifically, immediately before) the timing identified by the timing identification unit (432), and a pre-stimulation index is acquired based on the calculated bowel sound index. In this way, the pre-stimulation index acquisition unit (433) acquires a pre-stimulation index based on a measurement value.

[0051] Here, the pre-stimulus index refers to the bowel sound index before a predetermined stimulus is applied. The bowel sound index is an index related to bowel sounds. The bowel sound index in this embodiment is the number of bowel sounds occurring per unit time (one minute) (so-called BS occurrence number).

[0052] In this embodiment, in order to improve the accuracy of the pre-stimulation index, the average value of the bowel sound index in a predetermined pre-stimulation period (e.g., 5 minutes) is used as the pre-stimulation index. That is, the pre-stimulation index in this embodiment is the average value of the number of BS occurrences per minute in the predetermined pre-stimulation period. The bowel sound index may be the length of bowel sounds per unit time (BS length), the interval between bowel sounds (BS interval), or the strength of bowel sounds (BS power). The pre-stimulation index acquisition unit (433) outputs the acquired information on the pre-stimulation index to the stimulation identification unit (436) and the effect determination unit (438), and stores it in the user information storage unit (422) of the storage unit (420).

[0053] (2-4) Post-stimulus index acquisition part The post-stimulation index acquisition unit (434) performs a post-stimulation index acquisition process. The post-stimulation index acquisition process is a process for acquiring a post-stimulation index related to the subject. In the post-stimulation index acquisition process, a bowel sound index is calculated based on time-series data of bowel sounds after (specifically, immediately after) the timing identified by the timing identification unit (432), and a post-stimulation index is acquired based on the calculated bowel sound index. In this way, the post-stimulation index acquisition unit (434) acquires a post-stimulation index based on the measurement value.

[0054] In this embodiment, in order to improve the accuracy of the post-stimulation index, the average value of the bowel sound index in a predetermined post-stimulation period (e.g., 10 minutes) is used as the post-stimulation index. In other words, the post-stimulation index in this embodiment is the average value of the number of BS occurrences per minute in the predetermined post-stimulation period.

[0055] The post-stimulation index acquisition unit (434) outputs the acquired post-stimulation index information to the stimulation specification unit (436) and the effect determination unit (438), and also stores it in the user information storage unit (422) of the storage unit (420).

[0056] (2-5) Correlation information acquisition unit The correlation information acquisition section (435) performs correlation information acquisition processing. The correlation information acquisition processing is processing for acquiring correlation information related to multiple types of stimuli from the correlation information storage section (421). The correlation information acquisition section (435) may acquire correlation information related to all types of stimuli stored in the correlation information storage section (421), or may acquire correlation information related to some of the stimuli stored in the correlation information storage section (421). The correlation information acquisition section (435) outputs all of the acquired correlation information to the stimulus identification section (436).

[0057] (2-6) Stimulus identification part The stimulus identification unit (436) performs a stimulus identification process. The stimulus identification process is a process for identifying a stimulus given to the subject based on a pre-stimulus index acquired in a pre-stimulus index acquisition process, a post-stimulus index acquired in a post-stimulus index acquisition process, and a plurality of pieces of correlation information acquired in a correlation information acquisition process. The stimulus identification unit (436) of this embodiment identifies a stimulus given to the subject for each of a plurality of timings identified by the timing identification unit (432). The stimulus identification unit (436) outputs information on all identified stimuli to the estimation unit (437) and the result display output unit (439), and stores the information in the user information storage unit (422) of the storage unit (420).

[0058] (2-7) Estimation part The estimation unit (437) performs estimation processing. The estimation processing is processing for estimating a post-stimulation index for the subject based on a pre-stimulation index for the subject acquired in the pre-stimulation index acquisition processing and correlation information for a specified stimulus (hereinafter, referred to as a specific stimulus) acquired in the correlation information acquisition processing. The estimation unit (437) outputs the estimated post-stimulation index to the effect determination unit (438) and stores it in the user information storage unit (422) of the storage unit (420).

[0059] (2-8) Effect assessment section The effect determination unit (438) performs an effect determination process to determine the effect of a specific stimulation based on a difference ΔZc between a post-stimulation index estimated for the specific stimulation in the estimation process and a post-stimulation index for the specific stimulation acquired in the post-stimulation index acquisition process.

[0060] The effect here refers to the intestinal response to the stimulus. The smaller the difference ΔZc, the lower the effect of the specific stimulus, and the larger the difference ΔZc, the higher the effect of the specific stimulus. In other words, when the difference ΔZc is small, it indicates that the stimulus given to the subject did not significantly change the subject's intestines. When the difference ΔZc is large, it indicates that the stimulus given to the subject actively changes the subject's intestines.

[0061] The effect determination section (438) outputs the determined effect to a result display output section (439), and also stores it in the user information storage section of the storage section (420).

[0062] (2-9) Result display output section The result display output unit (439) performs a result display output process. The result display output process is a process of outputting a signal for displaying the result information on the display unit (250) of the terminal device (200). The result information in this embodiment includes the specific stimulus, the timing at which the specific stimulus was applied, and the effect of the specific stimulus. The result display output unit (439) outputs the result information to the terminal device (200) via the communication unit (410).

[0063] (3) Correlation information Next, the correlation information will be described in detail.

[0064] The correlation information is information that has been created in advance based on data of bowel sound indices for multiple individuals before and after the application of a predetermined stimulus, and is created based on the results of an experiment conducted on multiple healthy individuals.

[0065] 5, the correlation information is information indicating the relationship between a pre-stimulation index Xa and a ratio R (R=Xb / Xa) of a post-stimulation index Xb to the pre-stimulation index Xa. In detail, the correlation information is a correlation diagram with the pre-stimulation index Xa on the horizontal axis and the ratio R on the vertical axis.

[0066] The pre-stimulus index Xa in the correlation diagram of this embodiment is the average value of the number of BS occurrences per minute in a predetermined pre-stimulus period (5 minutes in this embodiment). The post-stimulus index Xb in the correlation diagram of this embodiment is the average value of the number of BS occurrences per minute in a predetermined post-stimulus period (10 minutes in this embodiment). In other words, the indexes used in the correlation information are the same as the indexes acquired by the pre-stimulus index acquisition unit (433) and the post-stimulus index acquisition unit (434), respectively.

[0067] As shown in FIG. 5, in the normal region N in the correlation information, the ratio R tends to decrease as the pre-stimulation index Xa increases. In other words, in this correlation information, it can be said that there is a negative correlation between the pre-stimulation index Xa and the ratio R. This indicates that the intestinal activity after the stimulation is applied is affected by the intestinal activity state before the stimulation is applied. In addition, the region to the lower left of the normal region N in FIG. 5 is an area where the change in intestinal activity before and after the stimulation is applied is relatively small, indicating that the intestinal activity state is stagnant. On the other hand, the region to the upper right of the normal region N in FIG. 5 is an area where the change in intestinal activity before and after the stimulation is applied is relatively large, indicating that the intestinal activity state is overactive.

[0068] The correlation information when a strong stimulus that strongly acts on the intestines is applied as shown in FIG. 5(a) and the correlation information when a weak stimulus that does not strongly act on the intestines is applied as shown in FIG. 5(b) have a common negative correlation. However, the slopes of the lines in the correlation diagram are different for each stimulus. Therefore, each of the multiple types of stimuli has different correlation information.

[0069] (4) Operation of the stimulus identification system Next, the operation of the stimulus identification system (1) will be described.

[0070] In the stimulus identification system (1) of this embodiment, the subject operates a specific application stored in the terminal device (200), thereby allowing the subject to measure abdominal sounds in the sound collection unit (100), access the server device (400) via the terminal device (200), and check information output from the server device (400).

[0071] (4-1) Operation of the sound collection unit and terminal device As shown in FIG. 6, when a subject starts a predetermined application stored in a terminal device (200) to start the operation of the stimulus identifying system (1), step S1 is performed.

[0072] In step S1, the microphone (110) of the sound collection unit (100) measures abdominal sounds of the subject. Next, in step S2, the communication section (120) of the sound collection unit (100) transmits time-series data of the measured abdominal sounds (hereinafter referred to as abdominal sound data) to the terminal device (200). The abdominal sound data is received by the communication section (210) of the terminal device (200) via a wireless communication line.

[0073] Next, in step S3, the storage unit (420) of the terminal device (200) stores the received abdominal sound data. Next, in step S4, the terminal processing unit (230) of the terminal device (200) determines whether or not a predetermined period of abdominal sound data has been received. If so, step S5 is performed. If not, step S4 is performed.

[0074] In step S5, the terminal processing unit (230) of the terminal device (200) identifies bowel sounds related to the subject based on abdominal sound data related to the subject for a predetermined period of time, and outputs time-series data of bowel sounds related to the subject (hereinafter referred to as bowel sound data). Next, in step S6, the communication unit (210) of the terminal device (200) transmits the output bowel sound data and information on the time when the bowel sound data was measured (hereinafter referred to as measurement time information) to the server device (400). The bowel sound data and the measurement time information are received by the communication unit (410) of the server device (400) via the Internet.

[0075] The terminal device (200) of this embodiment continuously transmits bowel sound data to the server device (400) while the stimulus identifying system (1) is operating. The terminal device (200) may transmit bowel sound data to the server device (400) only when a command is received from the server device (400) while the stimulus identifying system (1) is operating.

[0076] (4-2) Operation of the server device As shown in FIG. 7, when the communication unit (410) of the server device (400) receives the bowel sound data and information on the measurement time, step S11 is performed.

[0077] In step S11, the processing unit (430) performs a bowel sound acquisition process. Specifically, the processing unit (430) acquires the received bowel sound data and information on the measurement time. The processing unit (430) then outputs the acquired bowel sound data and information on the measurement time to the timing identification unit (432) and stores the acquired bowel sound data and information on the measurement time in the user information storage unit (422) of the storage unit (420).

[0078] Next, in step S12, the processing unit 430 performs a timing specification process. Here, when multiple stimuli are applied to the subject, the processing unit 430 specifies and outputs each timing at which the multiple stimuli are applied. In other words, the processing unit 430 outputs multiple timings.

[0079] Next, in step S13, the processing unit 430 performs a process of identifying the stimulus applied at each timing. When a plurality of stimuli are applied to the subject, the processing unit 430 identifies the content of the stimulus for each of the timings identified by the timing identification unit 432. The process of identifying the stimulus will be described in detail later.

[0080] Next, in step S14, the processing unit 430 performs a process of determining the effect of each stimulus. Details of the process of determining the effect of a stimulus will be described later. When a plurality of stimuli are applied to the subject, the processing unit 430 determines the effect of the stimuli for all timings identified by the timing identification unit 432.

[0081] Next, in step 15, the processing unit (430) outputs a signal for displaying the result information. Specifically, the processing unit (430) outputs a signal for displaying the result information including the specific stimulus, the timing of the specific stimulus, and the effect of the specific stimulus on the display unit (250) of the terminal device (200). The information on the specific stimulus included in the output signal may be one or more.

[0082] (4-3) Processing to identify stimuli Next, the process of identifying a stimulus will be described with reference to Fig. 8 and Fig. 9. In the following process, a stimulus to be identified will be referred to as a target stimulus.

[0083] 8, in step S21, the processing unit 430 performs a pre-stimulation index acquisition process. Specifically, the processing unit 430 calculates and acquires, as a pre-stimulation index Y, the average value of the number of BS occurrences per minute in a predetermined pre-stimulus application section, based on the bowel sound data immediately before the timing identified by the timing identification unit 432 for the target stimulus.

[0084] Next, in step S22, the processing unit 430 performs a post-stimulation index acquisition process. Specifically, the processing unit 430 calculates and acquires, as a post-stimulation index Z, the average value of the number of BS occurrences per minute in a predetermined post-stimulation section based on the bowel sound data immediately after the timing identified by the timing identification unit 432 for the target stimulation.

[0085] Next, in step S23, the processing unit 430 performs correlation information acquisition processing. Specifically, the processing unit 430 acquires correlation information C related to multiple types of stimuli from the correlation information storage unit 421 of the storage unit 420. In other words, the processing unit 430 acquires multiple pieces of correlation information C.

[0086] Next, in step S24, the processing unit (430) performs a stimulus identification process. In the stimulus identification process, the target stimulus is identified based on a pre-stimulation index Y and a post-stimulation index Z related to the target stimulus and a plurality of pieces of correlation information C. Specifically, first, the processing unit (430) calculates a ratio Ry (R=Y / Z) of a post-stimulation index Z to a pre-stimulation index Y based on the pre-stimulation index Y and the post-stimulation index Z related to the target stimulus. Next, the processing unit (430) searches for correlation information C in which a point where the pre-stimulation index Y related to the target stimulus and the ratio Ry intersect is located in a normal region N among the plurality of pieces of correlation information C. Next, the processing unit (430) determines the stimulus corresponding to the found correlation information C as the specific stimulus.

[0087] For example, as shown in Fig. 9, a point (marked with a black square in Fig. 9) where the pre-stimulus index Y and the ratio Ry related to the target stimulus intersect is arranged for each of the multiple pieces of correlation information. In this example, the point where the pre-stimulus index Y and the ratio Ry related to the target stimulus intersect is located within the normal region N of the correlation information of stimulus A. Therefore, in this example, the target stimulus is determined to be stimulus A.

[0088] In this manner, the processing unit 430 identifies the stimulus given to the subject. When the timing identification unit 432 identifies a plurality of timings, the processing unit 430 repeats the process of identifying the stimulus as described above for all the identified timings. Note that the order of the processes of steps S21 to S23 may be reversed.

[0089] (4-4) Process to determine the effect of stimulation Next, the process of determining the effect of a stimulus will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0090] 10, in step S31, the processing unit (430) acquires a pre-stimulus index Y related to the specific stimulus from the storage unit (420). Next, in step S32, the processing unit (430) acquires correlation information C related to the specific stimulus from the storage unit (420). Next, in step S33, the processing unit (430) performs an estimation process. In detail, the processing unit (430) estimates a post-stimulus index Z' related to the subject based on the pre-stimulus index Y related to the specific stimulus and the correlation information C related to the specific stimulus.

[0091] In the estimation process, first, the processing unit (430) derives a ratio Ry corresponding to the pre-stimulus index Y from the correlation information C acquired. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 11, the processing unit (430) calculates the value of the vertical axis (ratio Ry) corresponding to the pre-stimulus index Y in the correlation diagram. Next, the processing unit (430) multiplies the pre-stimulus index Y by the ratio Ry to calculate a post-stimulus index Z' estimated for the specific stimulus (Ry x Y = Z'). In this way, the post-stimulus index Z' for the specific stimulus is estimated.

[0092] Next, in step S34, the processing unit (430) acquires a post-stimulation index Z related to the specific stimulation from the storage unit (420). Next, in step S35, the processing unit (430) performs an effect determination process. Specifically, the processing unit (430) determines the effect of the specific stimulation based on a difference ΔZc (ΔZc=Z-Z') between the estimated post-stimulation index Z' and the post-stimulation index Z calculated based on the measurement value.

[0093] In the effect determination process, the processing unit (430) of this embodiment determines the effect at four levels. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, when the difference ΔZc is smaller than a first value (e.g., 0), the effect is determined to be "0" (Yes in step S41). When the difference ΔZc is equal to or larger than the first value and smaller than a second value (e.g., 10), the effect is determined to be "1" (Yes in step S42). When the difference ΔZc is equal to or larger than the second value and smaller than a third value (e.g., 30), the effect is determined to be "2" (Yes in step S43). When the difference ΔZc is equal to or larger than the third value, the effect is determined to be "3" (No in step S43). Here, the first value is a value larger than 0. The second value is a value larger than the first value. The third value is a value larger than the second value. The number of effect levels is merely an example, and may be two, three, or five or more levels.

[0094] (5) Display of terminal device Next, the screen display of the terminal device (200) used by the subject in the stimulus identification system (1) will be described with reference to Fig. 13. The screen display described below is displayed on the display unit (250) based on the control of the terminal processing unit (230) of the terminal device (200).

[0095] 13, a result display screen (910) is displayed on the display unit (250) of the terminal device (200). The result display screen (910) includes a bowel sound index display section (911), a specific stimulation display section (912), a timing display section (913), an effect display section (914), a result graph display section (915), a result index change display section (916), and an advice display section (917).

[0096] The bowel sound index display unit (911) displays the current bowel sound index. The specific stimulation display unit (912) displays the specific stimulation (specific stimulation). The timing display unit (913) displays the timing at which each specific stimulation was applied. The effect display unit (914) displays the effect of each specific stimulation. The result graph display unit (915) displays the intestinal condition before and after the stimulation as a graph. The result index change display unit (916) displays the actually measured pre-stimulation index and the actually measured post-stimulation index. The advice display unit (917) displays advice regarding the stimulation.

[0097] The effect display section (914) of this embodiment displays the effects determined in the effect determination process. In this embodiment, an effect "0" is displayed as "-", an effect "1" is displayed as "+", an effect "2" is displayed as "++", and an effect "3" is displayed as "+++". Note that the effect display section (935) may display the effects in the form of a percentage (%) or may convert the effects into a score and display the effects.

[0098] (6) Features (6-1) The stimulus identification program of the present embodiment causes the server device (400) to execute a stimulus identification process for identifying a stimulus given to a subject based on a pre-stimulus index acquired in a pre-stimulus index acquisition process, a post-stimulus index acquired in a post-stimulus index acquisition process, and a plurality of pieces of correlation information acquired in a correlation information acquisition process. This makes it possible to identify the stimulus given to the subject.

[0099] Here, for example, when a subject uses a system that can obtain information about his / her intestinal condition by inputting information about stimuli such as meal contents, the computer executes the stimuli identification program of this embodiment to automatically identify the content of the stimuli given to the subject. This eliminates the need for the subject to input the content of the stimuli he / she has received into the system each time, and can save the trouble. Therefore, it is easy for the subject to use the system that can obtain information about his / her intestinal condition.

[0100] (6-2) The stimulus identification program of the present embodiment causes the server device (400) to execute a timing identification process for identifying the timing at which a stimulus was given to the subject based on the time-series data of the bowel sounds acquired in the bowel sound acquisition process. This makes it possible to identify the timing at which a stimulus was given to the subject.

[0101] By executing the stimulus identification program of this embodiment by a computer, the timing of the stimulus given to the subject is also automatically identified. Therefore, when using a system that can obtain information about the condition of one's intestines by inputting information about stimuli such as meal contents as described above, the subject does not need to input the timing of the stimulus that he or she received into the system every time, and can save the trouble. Therefore, it is easy for the subject to use the system that can obtain information about the condition of his or her intestines.

[0102] (6-3) The stimulus identification program of this embodiment causes the server device (400) to execute a result display output process that outputs a signal for displaying result information including information on the identified stimulus on the display device (250). Therefore, the display device (250) that receives a signal from the server device (400) that performs the result display output process displays information on the identified stimulus. This makes it possible to present the identified stimulus to the subject.

[0103] (6-4) The stimulus identification program of this embodiment causes the server device (400) to execute an estimation process for estimating a post-stimulation index for the subject based on a pre-stimulation index for the specific stimulus and correlation information for the specific stimulus, an effect determination process for determining the effect of the specific stimulus based on the difference between the estimated post-stimulation index for the specific stimulus and the measured post-stimulation index for the specific stimulus, and a result display output process for outputting a signal for displaying result information including the effect on the display device (250).

[0104] Therefore, the display device (250) that receives a signal from the server device (400) that performs the result display output process displays the identified effect of the stimulus, thereby making it possible to present the identified effect of the stimulus to the subject.

[0105] (6-5) The stimulus identification device (P) of this embodiment includes a processing unit (430) that acquires pre-stimulus indexes for a subject, acquires post-stimulus indexes for the subject, acquires correlation information for a plurality of people for a plurality of types of stimuli pre-stored in a storage device (420), and identifies the stimulus given to the subject based on the acquired pre-stimulus indexes, the acquired post-stimulus indexes, and the acquired plurality of correlation information. This makes it possible to identify the stimulus given to the subject.

[0106] (6-6) The stimulus identifying system (1) of this embodiment includes a stimulus identifying device (P), a sound collecting device (110) that collects abdominal sounds of a subject, and a display device (250) that displays information on the identified stimulus. This makes it possible to provide a stimulus identifying system that identifies a stimulus given to a subject.

[0107] (7) Variations The above embodiment may be modified as follows. In the following description, differences from the above embodiment will be mainly described.

[0108] (7-1) Variation 1 In this embodiment, the effect of each specific stimulus does not need to be displayed on the result display screen (910) of the terminal device (200).

[0109] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 14, in the server device (400) of this modification, the processing unit (430) may not have the estimation unit (437) and the effect determination unit (438) as functional elements. Therefore, in the operation of the server device (400) in this modification, the process of step S14 in Fig. 7 is not performed. As a result, as shown in Fig. 15, the result display screen (910) displayed on the terminal device (200) does not include the effect display unit (914).

[0110] (7-2) Variation 2 In this embodiment, the stimulus identification program may not execute the timing identification process. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 16, in the server device (400) of this modification, the processing unit (430) may not have a timing identification unit (432) as a functional element. Therefore, in the operation of the server device (400) in this modification, the process of step S12 in Fig. 7 is not performed. As a result, as shown in Fig. 16, the timing display unit (913) is not included in the result display screen (910) displayed on the terminal device (200).

[0111] In a case where the processing unit (430) of the server device (400) does not have a timing identification unit (432), the subject may operate the input unit (240) of the terminal device (200) to transmit information, for example, regarding the time of having a meal or the time of exercising, from the terminal device (200) to the server device (400).

[0112] Other Embodiments The above embodiment may be configured as follows.

[0113] In the stimulus identifying system (1) of the above embodiment, the stimulus identifying device (P) may be a terminal device (200) in which the stimulus identifying program of the above embodiment is installed. In this case, the stimulus identifying program is a program for causing the terminal device (200), which is a computer, to execute the processing performed by the above-mentioned stimulus identifying device (P). The terminal device (200) functions as the stimulus identifying device (P) by executing the stimulus identifying program.

[0114] In the stimulus identifying system (1) of the above embodiment, the bowel sound identifying process is performed in the terminal processing unit (230) of the terminal device (200), but the bowel sound identifying process may be performed in the processing unit (430) of the server device (400). In this case, the processing unit (430) of the server device (400) has a bowel sound identifying unit as a functional component.

[0115] In the stimulus identification system (1) of the above embodiment, if the information on the result display screen (910) displayed on the display unit (250) of the terminal device (200) is incorrect, the subject may be able to correctly correct the information on the result display screen (910) by operating the input unit (240) of the terminal device (200). In this case, the information inputted from the input unit (240) is transmitted from the terminal device (200) to the server device (400), and the correct information is stored in the storage unit (420).

[0116] Although the embodiment and the modified examples have been described above, it will be understood that various modifications of the form and details are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims. In addition, the elements of the above embodiment, modified examples, and other embodiments may be appropriately combined or substituted.

[0117] The descriptions "first," "second," "third," etc. mentioned above are used to distinguish the words to which these descriptions are attached, and do not limit the number or order of the words. [Industrial Applicability]

[0118] INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As described above, the present disclosure is useful for a stimulus identification program, a stimulus identification device, and a stimulus identification system. [Explanation of symbols]

[0119] 1. Stimulus Identification System 110 Microphone (sound collection device) 200,400 computers 250 Display section (display device) 420 Storage unit (storage device) 430 Processing section P stimulus identification device

Claims

1. A stimulus identification program for causing a computer (200, 400) to execute a process for identifying a stimulus given to a subject, The index related to bowel sounds is called the bowel sound index. The bowel sound index before the predetermined stimulus is applied is defined as a pre-stimulus index; The bowel sound index after the predetermined stimulation is applied is defined as a post-stimulation index; When information indicating a relationship between the pre-stimulation index and a ratio of the post-stimulation index to the pre-stimulation index is used as correlation information, Computer (200, 400), A pre-stimulation index acquisition process for acquiring the pre-stimulation index regarding the subject; a post-stimulation index acquisition process for acquiring the post-stimulation index for the subject; A correlation information acquisition process for acquiring the correlation information regarding a plurality of people for a plurality of types of stimuli pre-stored in a storage device (420); executes a stimulus identification process for identifying a stimulus given to the subject based on the pre-stimulation index acquired in the pre-stimulation index acquisition process, the post-stimulation index acquired in the post-stimulation index acquisition process, and a plurality of pieces of correlation information acquired in the correlation information acquisition process. Stimulus specific program.

2. A bowel sound acquisition process for acquiring time series data of the bowel sound of the subject; and a timing specification process for specifying a timing at which the stimulus was given to the subject based on the time-series data of the bowel sounds acquired in the bowel sound acquisition process. The stimulus identification program according to claim 1 .

3. When the stimulus identified in the above stimulus identification process is set as a specific stimulus, A result display output process is executed by the computer (200, 400) to output a signal for displaying result information including the information of the specific stimulation on a display device (250). The stimulus specifying program according to claim 1 or 2.

4. an estimation process of estimating the post-stimulation index for the subject based on the pre-stimulation index for the specific stimulus acquired in the pre-stimulation index acquisition process and the correlation information for the specific stimulus acquired in the correlation information acquisition process; an effect determination process for determining an effect of the specific stimulus based on a difference between the post-stimulation index estimated for the specific stimulus in the estimation process and the post-stimulation index for the specific stimulus acquired in the post-stimulation index acquisition process; and outputting a signal for displaying result information including the effect on a display device as the result display output process. The stimulus identification program according to claim 3 .

5. A stimulus identification device that identifies a stimulus given to a subject, The index related to bowel sounds is called the bowel sound index. The bowel sound index before the predetermined stimulus is applied is defined as a pre-stimulus index; The bowel sound index after the predetermined stimulation is applied is defined as a post-stimulation index; When information indicating a relationship between the pre-stimulation index and a ratio of the post-stimulation index to the pre-stimulation index is used as correlation information, obtaining said pre-stimulus index for said subject; obtaining said post-stimulation metrics for said subject; Acquiring the correlation information on a plurality of people for a plurality of types of stimuli pre-stored in a storage device (420); a processing unit (430) that identifies a stimulus applied to the subject based on the acquired pre-stimulation index, the acquired post-stimulation index, and the acquired plurality of pieces of correlation information. Stimulus identification device.

6. The stimulus identification device according to claim 5 ; A sound collection device (110) for collecting abdominal sounds of the subject; a display device (250) for displaying information regarding the identified stimulus. Stimulus Identification System.

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