Action support device, action support method, and recording medium

Abstract

To predict an exercise amount to be consumed by taking into account a future estimate, in order to support a user's proper exercise and continuation thereof.SOLUTION: In an action support device, plan acquisition means acquires a user's target exercise amount in a prescribed period, and a prediction exercise amount that is an estimate of a future consumption exercise amount. Consumption exercise amount acquisition means acquires a user's consumption exercise amount for a prescribed period to present time. Total consumption exercise amount derivation means derives the user's total consumption exercise amount for a prescribed period, based on the prediction exercise amount and the consumption exercise amount. Action determination means compares the target exercise amount with the total consumption exercise amount, in order to determine an action to be recommended for the user from action options. Accordingly, the action support device can support a user's decision making related to exercise.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a device that promotes exercise in a user. [Background technology]

[0002] In order to maintain health and overcome lack of exercise, it is desirable to incorporate moderate exercise into daily life, such as increasing walking time and using stairs. Patent Document 1 describes that a predicted amount of exercise to be achieved is calculated by multivariate analysis using past steps and behavioral patterns, and that if the predicted amount of exercise to be achieved exceeds the target amount of exercise at the time of calculation, the process is terminated. Patent Document 2 describes that target calorie intake information is automatically calculated from the user's physical characteristics and attributes, and advice is given to increase exercise time based on the target intake information and consumption information. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-239115 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2007-094723 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the conventional technology, it is possible to present an exercise menu for a target amount of exercise estimated from attributes, etc., and to display the amount of exercise actually consumed, but it is difficult to consume the target amount of exercise as planned without error, and problems have arisen in that the amount of exercise consumed does not reach the target amount of exercise, or the amount of exercise consumed significantly exceeds the target amount of exercise. If the amount of exercise consumed significantly exceeds the target amount of exercise, a new problem has arisen in that the exercise is excessive for one's own physical strength, and the exercise cannot be continued.

[0005] One object of the present invention is to support a user in taking and continuing appropriate exercise by predicting the amount of exercise consumed taking into account future prospects. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, in one aspect of the present invention, a behavior support device includes: A plan acquisition means for acquiring a target exercise amount of the user for a predetermined period and a predicted exercise amount which is an expected future exercise consumption amount; an exercise consumption amount acquiring means for acquiring an exercise consumption amount of the user up to a current time point during the predetermined period; a total exercise consumption amount deriving means for deriving a total exercise consumption amount of the user for the predetermined period based on the predicted exercise amount and the exercise consumption amount; The computer further comprises a behavior decision means for deciding a behavior to be recommended to the user from among behavior options by comparing the target amount of exercise with the total amount of exercise consumed.

[0007] In another aspect of the present invention, a behavior support method includes: Acquire a target exercise amount of the user for a predetermined period and a predicted exercise amount which is an expected future exercise consumption amount; acquiring an amount of exercise consumed by the user up to a current point in time during the predetermined period; Deriving a total exercise consumption amount of the user for the predetermined period based on the predicted exercise amount and the exercise consumption amount; A behavior recommended to the user is determined from behavior options by comparing the target amount of exercise with the total amount of exercise consumed.

[0008] In another aspect of the present invention, a recording medium comprises: Acquire a target exercise amount of the user for a predetermined period and a predicted exercise amount which is an expected future exercise consumption amount; acquiring an amount of exercise consumed by the user up to a current point in time during the predetermined period; Deriving a total exercise consumption amount of the user for the predetermined period based on the predicted exercise amount and the exercise consumption amount; A program for causing a computer to execute a process of determining an action to be recommended to the user from action options by comparing the target amount of exercise with the total amount of exercise consumed is recorded. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, by predicting the amount of exercise consumption taking into account future prospects, it is possible to support a user in taking appropriate exercise and continuing it. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] The configuration of the behavior support system is shown below. [Diagram 2] 2 shows the hardware configuration of a user terminal and an action support device. [Diagram 3] 1 shows a functional configuration of an action support device in a first embodiment. [Figure 4] This is an example of an action plan. [Diagram 5] 13 is an example of a screen for encouraging an action and an output sound. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart of an action support process in the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 13 shows a functional configuration of an action support device in a second embodiment. [Figure 8] 13 is an example of a behavior prompting screen and an output sound in the second embodiment. [Figure 9] 13 shows a functional configuration of an action support device in a third embodiment. [Figure 10] 13 is an example of a notification. [Figure 11] 13 is a flowchart of an action support process in the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. [First embodiment] (composition) First, a first embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 shows the configuration of an action support system to which the action support device of the present invention is applied. The action support system 100 is a system that derives a predicted amount of exercise, which is an expectation of the future amount of exercise consumption, based on a user's action plan for a predetermined period of time, and proposes to the user appropriate actions as an exercise menu for achieving the consumption of a target amount of exercise.

[0012] In the action support system 100, the user terminal 1a and the user terminal 1b are connected to the action support device 20 so as to be able to communicate with each other via a network 5 such as the Internet. The user terminal 1a and the user terminal 1b are various information processing devices used by the same user, and in this embodiment, the user terminal 1a is a smartphone and the user terminal 1b is a wearable device. Here, the wearable device is assumed to be capable of acquiring the user's current location information, travel distance, amount of exercise consumed, number of steps, etc. Furthermore, the user terminal 1b is assumed to automatically transmit the user's current location information, travel distance, amount of exercise consumed, number of steps, etc. to the action support device 20 at a predetermined timing by being set in advance.

[0013] The action support device 20 is an information processing device that processes, stores, and transmits / receives various data. The action support device 20 aims to support the user's exercise and continuation by proposing actions in daily life as an exercise menu in order to consume a target amount of exercise. Examples of actions that consume an amount of exercise in daily life include walking during commuting and climbing up and down stairs.

[0014] Specifically, the action support device 20 acquires the user's action plan for a predetermined period from the user terminal 1a, and derives the user's target amount of exercise and a predicted amount of exercise, which is an estimate of the amount of exercise consumed in the future. The action support device 20 also acquires the amount of exercise consumed up to the present time in the predetermined period from the user terminal 1b, and derives the user's total amount of exercise consumed in the predetermined period based on the predicted amount of exercise and the amount of exercise consumed. The action support device 20 then compares the target amount of exercise with the total amount of exercise consumed to determine an action to be recommended to the user at the present time from the action options, and outputs the determined action to the user terminal 1a.

[0015] The action support device 20 is an information processing device that processes, stores, and transmits / receives various information, and is, for example, a server device, a personal computer (PC), a general-purpose tablet, etc. The action support device 20 has a user database (hereinafter, the database is also referred to as "DB") 27 and a map DB 28, which will be described in detail later.

[0016] 2(a) is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the user terminal 1a. As shown in the figure, the user terminal 1a includes an interface 11, a processor 12, a memory 13, a recording medium 14, a display unit 15, and an input unit 16. Note that the user terminal 1b is similar to the user terminal 1a, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted for the sake of simplicity.

[0017] The interface 11 transmits and receives data to and from the action support device 20 via the network 5. The interface 11 is used when transmitting various data to the action support device 20 and receiving various data from the action support device 20.

[0018] The processor 12 is a computer such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and controls the entire user terminal 1a by executing a program prepared in advance. The memory 13 is composed of a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The memory 13 stores the programs executed by the processor 12. The memory 13 is also used as a working memory while the processor 12 is executing various processes.

[0019] The recording medium 14 is a non-volatile, non-temporary recording medium such as a disk-shaped recording medium or a semiconductor memory, and is configured to be detachable from the user terminal 1a. The recording medium 14 records various programs executed by the processor 12. The display unit 15 is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or the like, and displays various information. The input unit 16 is, for example, a touch panel, which is used by the user to input various information.

[0020] 2(b) is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the action support device 20. As shown in the figure, the action support device 20 includes an interface 21, a processor 22, a memory 23, a recording medium 24, a display unit 25, and an input unit 26. These components, a user DB 27, and a map DB 28 are mutually connected via a bus.

[0021] The interface 21 transmits and receives data between the user terminal 1a and the user terminal 1b via the network 5. The processor 22 is a computer such as a CPU, and controls the entire action support device 20 by executing a program prepared in advance. The memory 23 is composed of a ROM, a RAM, etc. The memory 23 stores the program executed by the processor 22. The memory 23 is also used as a working memory while the processor 22 is executing various processes.

[0022] The recording medium 24 is a non-volatile, non-transitory recording medium such as a disk-shaped recording medium or a semiconductor memory, and is configured to be detachable from the action support device 20. The recording medium 24 records various programs executed by the processor 22.

[0023] The display unit 25 is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) that displays a predetermined image. The input unit 26 is, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, etc., and is used by an operator who manages the action support device 20, etc.

[0024] The user DB 27 stores information about the user, such as a password and user attributes, in association with a user ID that identifies the user. Here, the user attributes are information such as gender, age, height, and weight that are used to derive a target amount of exercise and an amount of exercise consumed.

[0025] The map DB 28 stores map information for displaying a map on the user terminal 1a. The map information includes road information, facility information, and the like in the area where the user is active. The road information includes, for example, intersection node data corresponding to an intersection, and road link data corresponding to a road with the intersection as an end point. In this case, the intersection node data includes the latitude, longitude, altitude, and the like of the intersection. The road link data may include the width, gradient, and condition of the road. The facility information includes location information (latitude, longitude) of the facility, and in the case of a facility such as a building, may include the number of floors and the presence or absence of means of transportation between floors (such as stairs, elevators, escalators, and the like). The map information also stores information regarding the means of transportation used by the user, for example, information regarding train and bus routes.

[0026] For ease of explanation, the action support device 20 has a user DB 27 and a map DB 28, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the type of DB and the data structure of the DB are arbitrary as long as the necessary data can be acquired.

[0027] 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the action support device 20. The action support device 20 functionally includes a plan acquisition unit 31, an exercise consumption acquisition unit 32, a total exercise consumption derivation unit 33, and an action decision unit 34, and is realized by the processor 12 executing a program.

[0028] The plan acquisition unit 31 includes an action plan information acquisition unit 41, a target exercise amount acquisition unit 42, and a predicted exercise amount acquisition unit 43. The predetermined period is a period that can be arbitrarily set by the user using the user terminal 1a, and is set to "one day" in this embodiment.

[0029] The action plan information acquisition unit 41 acquires action plan information related to a user ID, a password, and an action plan for a predetermined period from the user terminal 1a used by the user. FIG. 4 is an example of an action plan. The action support device 20 aims to consume the user's target amount of exercise through daily life activities, not through special exercise, so the action plan is composed of, for example, the time from leaving home to returning home, the action content leading to the consumption of the amount of exercise, and the destination. When the user inputs the time, the action content, and the destination as an action plan by a predetermined operation using the user terminal 1a, the user terminal 1a transmits the action plan information to the action support device 20. Specifically, in the case of an office job at a workplace, the user inputs "coming to work" and "leaving work" as the action content, as shown in FIG. 4(a), along with the respective times and destinations. On the other hand, in the case of a business trip, the user inputs not only "coming to work" and "leaving work" as the action content, but also "business trip" and "returning to work" as the action content, as shown in FIG. 4(b), along with the respective times and destinations.

[0030] The addresses and nearest stations of destinations such as the workplace, home, and business partners may be stored in advance in the user DB 27 or a specified DB in association with the user ID, or the user may input the addresses and nearest stations of the destinations as part of an action plan. The action plan can be reviewed and revised by the user at any time within a specified period.

[0031] The target exercise amount acquisition unit 42 acquires a target exercise amount for a predetermined period based on the attributes of the user. The acquired target exercise amount may be stored in the user DB 27 or a predetermined DB in association with the user ID. The target exercise amount is an exercise amount that serves as a guide for maintaining health. In this embodiment, a target exercise amount for a predetermined period is set in advance for each gender and age, and the target exercise amount acquisition unit 42 can acquire the target exercise amount based on the attributes of the user from the memory 23 or a predetermined DB.

[0032] In this embodiment, the amount of exercise is calculated from the intensity of exercise and the time for which the exercise was performed, as an example. At this time, the user's attributes can be reflected in the amount of exercise by changing the coefficient of the calculation formula for calculating the amount of exercise based on gender, age, weight, etc. Here, the exercise intensity is the physical strain felt when moving the body, and the exercise intensity for each type of exercise is determined in advance, such as 1 MET at rest, 3 MET for normal walking on flat ground, and 5 MET for fast walking on flat ground.

[0033] The predicted exercise amount acquisition unit 43 derives and acquires a predicted exercise amount, which is an expected future exercise amount consumed from the present time to the end of the predetermined period, based on the action plan for the predetermined period. Specifically, the predicted exercise amount acquisition unit 43 refers to the map DB 28, identifies the distance of the user's transportation means and route for the predetermined period from the action plan, and derives a predicted exercise amount from the present time to the end of the predetermined period. For example, in the case of an action plan as shown in FIG. 4(a), the predicted exercise amount acquisition unit 43 identifies the distance of the route traveled by foot in the round trip between home and workplace, and derives a predicted exercise amount from the walking time based on the exercise intensity and distance of normal walking. Also, in the case of an action plan as shown in FIG. 4(b), the predicted exercise amount acquisition unit 43 identifies the distance of the route traveled by foot between company A, company B, and company C in addition to the round trip between home and workplace, and derives a predicted exercise amount from the walking time based on the exercise intensity and distance of normal walking.

[0034] Since the predicted exercise amount changes from moment to moment, the predicted exercise amount acquisition unit 43 may acquire the predicted exercise amount at any timing, such as every minute or every 10 minutes, or may acquire the predicted exercise amount at the time of action decision, which will be described later.

[0035] The exercise consumption amount acquiring unit 32 acquires the amount of exercise consumed by the user in a predetermined period up to the present time. Specifically, the exercise consumption amount acquiring unit 32 acquires the amount of exercise consumed from the user terminal 1b, which is a wearable terminal. At this time, the exercise consumption amount acquiring unit 32 may acquire the amount of exercise consumed directly from the wearable terminal, or may calculate and acquire the amount of exercise consumed from the user's location information, movement distance, number of steps, vital information, and the like. Note that since the amount of exercise consumed changes from moment to moment, the exercise consumption amount acquiring unit 32 may acquire the amount of exercise consumed from the user terminal 1b at any timing such as every minute or every 10 minutes, or may acquire it when deciding on a behavior to be described later.

[0036] The total exercise consumption derivation unit 33 predicts and derives the total exercise consumption consumed by the user in a predetermined period based on the predicted exercise amount and the exercise consumption. Specifically, the total exercise consumption derivation unit 33 derives the total exercise consumption by adding up the exercise consumption amount from the start of the predetermined period to the current time and the predicted exercise amount from the current time to the end of the predetermined period. Note that since the total exercise consumption changes from moment to moment, the total exercise consumption derivation unit 33 may obtain the total exercise consumption at any timing such as every minute or every 10 minutes, or may obtain the total exercise consumption at the time of action decision described later.

[0037] The behavior decision unit 34 compares the target amount of exercise with the total amount of exercise consumed at a predetermined timing during a predetermined period, and decides and updates a new behavior to be recommended to the user from among the behavior options so that the total amount of exercise consumed matches the target amount of exercise. The behavior decision unit 34 creates behavior promotion information that promotes the determined behavior, taking into account the user's current location information and behavior plan, and transmits it to the user terminal 1a. As a result, the user terminal 1a can display a behavior promotion screen and output sound that promotes the determined behavior based on the behavior promotion information. In other words, the behavior support device 20 can propose the determined behavior to the user as an exercise menu.

[0038] Here, the action option is an option of an action for consuming the amount of exercise. In this embodiment, the timing when the action decision unit 34 decides on the action is when the user moves from the current location to the destination, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the user may arbitrarily specify the action. Specific action options include various actions that consume different amounts of exercise, such as normal walking in the shortest distance to the destination and fast walking in a detour to the destination, and can be arbitrarily set.

[0039] FIG. 5 shows an example of a behavior promotion screen and an output voice. Specifically, in the case of the behavior content shown in FIG. 4(a), the predicted amount of exercise per day is small because the user is working in an office, and in order to consume the target amount of exercise, the user needs to consume a large amount of exercise during the round trip between home and the workplace. Therefore, when the user moves from home to the workplace at the start of the predetermined period, the behavior decision unit 34 decides, from among the behavior options, "walk briskly to the destination" which consumes a large amount of exercise, as the behavior to be recommended to the user. Then, the behavior decision unit 34 creates behavior promotion information for encouraging the determined behavior in consideration of the location information of the user's current location and the behavior plan, and transmits the information to the user terminal 1a. Based on the received behavior promotion information, the user terminal 1a displays a behavior promotion screen showing a route from the home 30 on the map to Station E, which is one station away from the nearest station due to the long detour, as shown in FIG. 5(a). At this time, the user terminal 1a outputs a voice such as "To achieve the target amount of exercise, walk briskly to Station E, which is one station away from the nearest station." This voice may be displayed as a message on the screen.

[0040] On the other hand, in the case of the behavior content shown in FIG. 4(b), the predicted amount of exercise per day is high because the user not only works in the office but also walks around to make business trips, and if the amount of exercise consumed by the user during the round trip between home and the workplace is high, the target amount of exercise may be significantly exceeded. Therefore, when the user moves from home to the workplace at the start of the specified period, the behavior decision unit 34 decides that the behavior to be recommended to the user is "normal walking the shortest distance to the destination", which consumes less exercise, from among the behavior options. Then, the behavior decision unit 34 creates behavior promotion information to promote the determined behavior, taking into consideration the location information of the user's current location and the behavior plan, and transmits the information to the user terminal 1a. Based on the received behavior promotion information, the user terminal 1a displays a behavior promotion screen showing a route from the home 30 on the map to the nearest station, Station D, as shown in FIG. 5(b). At this time, the user terminal 1a outputs a voice such as "Today, walking around the business destination is scheduled, which will provide sufficient exercise. Let's walk to the nearest station, Station D." This voice may be displayed as a message on the screen.

[0041] In this way, since the behavioral support device 20 aims to ensure that the amount of exercise actually consumed by the user in a specified period of time matches the target amount of exercise without any excess or deficiency, if the total amount of exercise consumed is sufficient for the target amount of exercise, an easy behavior involving less exercise may be determined to be the recommended behavior and suggested to the user.

[0042] (Behavioral Support Processing) Next, a description will be given of the action support processing by the action support device 20. Fig. 6 is a flowchart of the action support processing by the action support device 20. This processing is realized by the processor 22 shown in Fig. 2(b) executing a program prepared in advance.

[0043] First, the user operates the user terminal 1a to input a user ID and password to log in to a predetermined site or start a predetermined application. As a result, the action support device 20 acquires the user ID and password. Then, the action support device 20 refers to the user DB 27 based on the acquired user ID, and acquires a target amount of exercise for a predetermined period based on the user's attributes (step S101).

[0044] Furthermore, the user inputs an action plan for a predetermined period from a predetermined site or application. As a result, the action support device 20 acquires action plan information of the user for the predetermined period (step S102). Based on the action plan included in the acquired action plan information, the action support device 20 derives and acquires a predicted amount of exercise from the present time to the end of the predetermined period (step S103). In addition, the action support device 20 acquires an amount of exercise consumption consumed by the user up to the present time during the predetermined period (step S104). Then, based on the predicted amount of exercise and the amount of exercise consumption at the present time, the action support device 20 derives and acquires a total amount of exercise consumption to be consumed by the user during the predetermined period (step S105).

[0045] The action support device 20 compares the target amount of exercise with the total amount of exercise consumed when the user moves from the current location to the destination, and determines an action to be recommended to the user from among the action options so that the total amount of exercise consumed matches the target amount of exercise. Then, the action support device 20 creates action promotion information to promote the determined action, and transmits it to the user terminal 1a (step S106). As a result, the user terminal 1a displays an action promotion screen and outputs sound to promote the determined action to the user based on the action promotion information. In other words, the action support device 20 proposes the determined action to the user as an exercise menu.

[0046] Then, the action support device 20 judges whether the predetermined period has ended (step S107). If it is judged that the predetermined period has not ended (step S107; No), the action support device 20 returns to the processing of step S101. On the other hand, if it is judged that the predetermined period has ended (step S107; Yes), the action support device 20 ends the action support processing.

[0047] In this embodiment, the user uses a smartphone as the user terminal 1a and a wearable terminal as the user terminal 1b, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the user may use only the smartphone as the user terminal 1a. In this case, the exercise consumption amount acquisition unit 32 cannot acquire the exercise consumption amount from the wearable terminal as the user terminal 1b, so it acquires the user's current location information, movement distance, number of steps, etc. from the smartphone as the user terminal 1a at any time and calculates the exercise consumption amount.

[0048] In this embodiment, the user inputs an action plan for a predetermined period from a predetermined site or application, and the action support device 20 acquires the action plan information. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the action support device 20 may acquire the action plan information from a predetermined schedule application or DB.

[0049] In the present embodiment, the target exercise amount acquiring unit 42 acquires the target exercise amount based on the user's attributes, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the target exercise amount may be acquired as a target exercise amount arbitrarily set by the user. In this case, the target exercise amount acquiring unit 42 may display the target exercise amount based on the user's attributes on the user terminal 1a for reference.

[0050] In addition, in this embodiment, the amount of exercise is calculated from the intensity of the exercise and the time for which the exercise was performed, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the amount of exercise may be calculated using any formula, or may be the amount of calories burned.

[0051] As described above, the action support device 20 can predict the future amount of exercise consumed in a predetermined period based on the action plan. Therefore, the action support device 20 can derive a more accurate total amount of exercise consumed by adding up the amount of exercise consumed up to that point in time and the expected amount of exercise in the future. This allows the action support device 20 to propose to the user an exercise menu of actions that consume the most appropriate amount of exercise at that point in time. By performing the proposed exercise menu, the user can consume a necessary and sufficient amount of exercise through daily life activities without the amount of exercise actually consumed falling short of or significantly exceeding the target amount of exercise.

[0052] In this way, the action support device 20 takes into account the action plan and suggests recommended actions to the user as an exercise menu at appropriate times, thereby incorporating health care into daily life and enabling the user to make reasonable exercise a habit.

[0053] [Second embodiment] Next, a second embodiment will be described. The action support device 20 of the first embodiment derives a predicted exercise amount by referring to the map DB 28 and specifying the user's means of transportation and the distance of the route to be traveled in a predetermined period from the action plan. However, the action support device 20x of the second embodiment derives a predicted exercise amount by referring to the map DB 28 and taking into consideration not only the distance of the route to be traveled but also environmental information such as changes in the load of the road surface condition within the route. For the sake of convenience, in this embodiment, only the points different from the first embodiment will be described.

[0054] The hardware configuration of the action support device 20x of this embodiment is the same as that of the action support device 20 of the first embodiment. As in the first embodiment, the map DB 28 stores map information including road information and facility information in the area where the user acts. In the second embodiment, the map DB 28 includes environmental information related to roads and facilities. Specifically, the road information includes, as environmental information, the road surface condition and the change in the load of the road surface condition. The road surface condition includes, for example, paved, bad road, slope gradient, footbridge, crosswalk, and the presence or absence of stairs. The load of the road surface condition is, for example, a numerical value set based on the difficulty of moving by normal walking, and a large numerical value is set for a slope with a large gradient, and a small numerical value is set for a paved, flat road surface. In addition, a large numerical value is set for stairs, and a small numerical value is set for escalators and elevators, compared to a flat road surface. In addition, the facility information includes, as environmental information, the presence or absence of stairs, escalators, elevators, and the like between each floor in the facility.

[0055] 7 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the action support device 20x. The action support device 20x functionally includes a plan acquisition unit 31, an exercise consumption acquisition unit 32, a total exercise consumption derivation unit 33, and an action determination unit 34x, and is realized by the processor 22 executing a program.

[0056] The plan acquisition unit 31 includes an action plan information acquisition unit 41, a target exercise amount acquisition unit 42, and a predicted exercise amount acquisition unit 43x. The predetermined period is a period that can be arbitrarily set by the user using the user terminal 1a, and is set to "one day" in this embodiment.

[0057] The predicted exercise amount acquisition unit 43x derives and acquires a predicted exercise amount, which is an expected future exercise amount consumed from the present time to the end of the predetermined period, based on the action plan for the predetermined period. Specifically, the predicted exercise amount acquisition unit 43 refers to the map DB 28, identifies the user's transportation means for the predetermined period, the distance of the route to be traveled, and the change in the load of the road surface condition on the route to be traveled from the present time to the end of the predetermined period from the action plan, and derives a predicted exercise amount from the present time to the end of the predetermined period. For example, in the case of an action plan as shown in FIG. 4(a), the predicted exercise amount acquisition unit 43 identifies the distance of the route to be traveled by foot in the round trip between home and the workplace, and derives a predicted exercise amount by multiplying the exercise intensity of normal walking and the time based on the distance. At this time, the predicted exercise amount acquisition unit 43x reflects a numerical value indicating the load of the road surface condition on the route to be traveled as a coefficient. As a result, the predicted exercise amount acquisition unit 43x can derive a predicted exercise amount for a route with a high load of the road surface condition as a large value, and a predicted exercise amount for a route with a low load of the road surface condition as a small value.

[0058] In this way, in this embodiment, since environmental information such as changes in the load of the road surface condition within the travel route can be taken into consideration, when there are multiple means of transportation with different loads of the road surface condition, various actions with different amounts of exercise consumed can be set as action options, such as selecting a pedestrian bridge instead of a crosswalk, or selecting an elevator instead of stairs. Therefore, in this embodiment, the action decision unit 34x refers to the map DB 28 based on the position information of the user's current location, and determines an action to be recommended to the user from the action options even when the user approaches a place where there are multiple means of transportation with different loads of the road surface condition. Then, the action decision unit 34x creates action promotion information that promotes the determined action in consideration of the user's action plan, and transmits it to the user terminal 1a. As a result, the user terminal 1a can display an action promotion screen that promotes the determined action to the user based on the action promotion information, and output a sound. In other words, the action support device 20x can propose the determined action to the user as an exercise menu.

[0059] FIG. 8 is an example of a behavior promotion screen and an output voice in the second embodiment. Specifically, in the case of the behavior content shown in FIG. 4(a), the user is working in an office and the predicted amount of exercise per day is small, and in order to consume the target amount of exercise, the user needs to consume a large amount of exercise during movement. Therefore, when the user approaches a place where either the stairs or the elevator can be used based on the location information of the user's current location, the behavior decision unit 34x decides that "use the stairs instead of the elevator", which consumes a large amount of exercise, is the behavior to be recommended to the user from among the behavior options. Then, the behavior decision unit 34x creates behavior promotion information that promotes the determined behavior in consideration of the user's behavior plan, and transmits it to the user terminal 1a. Based on the received behavior promotion information, the user terminal 1a displays a behavior promotion screen that indicates the use of stairs, as shown in FIG. 8(a), and outputs a voice such as "You will go up to the second floor from here. Use the stairs to achieve the target amount of exercise." This voice may be displayed as a message on the screen.

[0060] On the other hand, in the case of the behavior content shown in FIG. 4(b), the predicted amount of exercise per day is high because the user not only works in the office but also walks around to make business calls, and if the user consumes a lot of exercise while moving, the target amount of exercise may be significantly exceeded. Therefore, when the user approaches a place where either the stairs or the elevator can be used, the behavior decision unit 34x decides, from among the behavior options based on the location information of the user's current location, to recommend "use the elevator instead of the stairs," which consumes less exercise, as the behavior to be recommended to the user. Then, the behavior decision unit 34x creates behavior promotion information that promotes the determined behavior in consideration of the user's behavior plan, and transmits it to the user terminal 1a. Based on the received behavior promotion information, the user terminal 1a displays a behavior promotion screen that indicates the use of the elevator, as shown in FIG. 8(b), and outputs a voice such as "You will go up to the second floor from here. After this, you are scheduled to walk around to business addresses, which is sufficient exercise today. You may use the elevator for now." This voice may be displayed as a message on the screen.

[0061] The action support processing by the action support apparatus 20x is similar to the action support processing by the action support apparatus 20 in the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted for the sake of simplicity.

[0062] As described above, the action support device 20x can predict the future amount of exercise consumption in a predetermined period based on the user's action plan acquired in advance, taking into consideration not only the distance to the destination but also environmental information such as changes in the load of the road surface condition along the route. Furthermore, the action support device 20x can suggest various actions in daily life to the user as an exercise menu based on the environmental information.

[0063] [Third embodiment] Next, a third embodiment will be described. When a predetermined period ends, the action support device 20y of the third embodiment notifies the user to request an evaluation of the quality of the exercise level. Here, the quality of the exercise level is the physical strain felt for the actions proposed as an exercise menu by the action support device 20y within the predetermined period. Then, the action support device 20y derives a proposal to change the target exercise amount according to the result of the quality evaluation by the user. For the sake of convenience, in this embodiment, only the points different from the first embodiment will be described.

[0064] 9 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the action support device 20y. The action support device 20y functionally includes a plan acquisition unit 31, an exercise consumption acquisition unit 32, a total exercise consumption derivation unit 33, an action decision unit 34, a notification unit 35, and a goal change unit 36, and is realized by the processor 22 executing a program.

[0065] FIG. 10 is an example of a notification. When a predetermined period ends, the notification unit 35 transmits a notification as shown in FIG. 10 to the user terminal 1a to request the user to evaluate the quality of the exercise level. When the user terminal 1a displays the notification on the screen, the user selects an appropriate one from three levels of "hard," "appropriate," and "easy" by a predetermined operation, and presses the completion button 40. As a result, the user terminal 1a transmits the user's selection result to the action support device 20y as the result of the quality evaluation of the exercise level. Note that the notification shown in FIG. 10 is an example, and the format of requesting the user to evaluate the quality of the exercise level can be set arbitrarily.

[0066] The goal change unit 36 ​​acquires the result of the quality evaluation by the user from the user terminal 1a, and derives a change proposal for the target exercise amount of the user acquired by the target exercise amount acquisition unit 42 according to the result of the quality evaluation. For example, if the result of the quality evaluation by the user is "easy", the goal change unit 36 ​​derives a change proposal for increasing the target exercise amount for the next time. On the other hand, if the result of the quality evaluation by the user is "tough", the goal change unit 36 ​​derives a change proposal for decreasing the target exercise amount for the next time. When the change proposal for the target exercise amount is derived, the action support device 20y changes the target exercise amount stored in the user DB 27 or a predetermined DB in association with the user ID according to the change proposal, and proposes the changed target exercise amount for the next predetermined period to the user by displaying it on the screen or outputting a voice. As a result, the action support device 20y can propose a more appropriate action as an exercise menu according to the result of the quality evaluation by the user.

[0067] In this embodiment, the goal changing unit 36 ​​changes the target amount of exercise depending on the result of the quality evaluation by the user, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the exercise intensity of the action proposed as an exercise menu may be changed. For example, if the result of the evaluation by the user is "hard", it is possible to propose an appropriate action for the user without changing the target amount of exercise by lowering the exercise intensity of the proposed action and increasing the time for the action.

[0068] (Behavioral Support Processing) Next, the action support processing by the action support device 20y will be described. Fig. 11 is a flowchart of the action support processing by the action support device 20y. This processing is realized by the processor 22 shown in Fig. 2(b) executing a program prepared in advance.

[0069] First, the user operates the user terminal 1a to input a user ID and password to log in to a predetermined site or start a predetermined application. As a result, the action support device 20y acquires the user ID and password. Then, the action support device 20y refers to the user DB 27 based on the acquired user ID, and acquires a target amount of exercise for a predetermined period based on the user's attributes (step S301).

[0070] Furthermore, the user inputs an action plan for a predetermined period from a predetermined site or application. As a result, the action support device 20y acquires action plan information of the user for the predetermined period (step S302). Based on the action plan included in the acquired action plan information, the action support device 20y derives and acquires a predicted amount of exercise from the present time to the end of the predetermined period (step S303). In addition, the action support device 20y acquires an amount of exercise consumption consumed by the user up to the present time during the predetermined period (step S304). Then, based on the predicted amount of exercise and the amount of exercise consumption, the action support device 20y derives and acquires a total amount of exercise consumption consumed by the user during the predetermined period (step S305).

[0071] The action support device 20y compares the target amount of exercise with the total amount of exercise consumed at the time when the user moves from the current location to the destination, and determines an action to be recommended to the user from among the action options so that the total amount of exercise consumed matches the target amount of exercise. The action support device 20y then creates action promotion information to promote the determined action, and transmits it to the user terminal 1a (step S306). As a result, the user terminal 1a displays an action promotion screen and outputs sound to promote the determined action to the user based on the action promotion information.

[0072] Then, the action support device 20y judges whether the predetermined period has ended (step S307). If it is judged that the predetermined period has not ended (step S307; No), the action support device 20y returns to the process of step S301. On the other hand, if it is judged that the predetermined period has ended (step S307; Yes), the action support device 20y transmits a notification to the user terminal 1a requesting a quality evaluation of the exercise level (step S308). When the action support device 20y acquires the result of the quality evaluation from the user terminal 1a by the user's operation, it derives a proposal to change the target exercise amount according to the result of the quality evaluation (step S309) and ends the action support process.

[0073] The action support process of this embodiment is not limited to the first embodiment, but can also be applied to the second embodiment.

[0074] [First Modification] In the above-mentioned first embodiment, the user inputs the destination as the action plan, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the user may also input the route to the destination. In addition, the user may be able to freely change the route proposed by the action support device 20 on the action promotion screen as shown in FIG. 5, for example.

[0075] In this case, the predicted exercise amount acquisition unit 43 derives the predicted exercise amount in consideration of the route input or changed by the user. This allows the user's wishes, such as "I feel energetic in the morning, so I want to walk to Station E, which is one station away from the nearest station, when I go to work" or "I feel unwell in the morning, so I want to walk the shortest distance when I go to work," to be reflected in the action plan. Therefore, the action support device 20 can suggest to the user sufficient actions at appropriate times as an exercise menu, taking into consideration the user's wishes.

[0076] The action support device 20 may display an avatar on the route proposed by the action support device 20 on an action promotion screen as shown in Fig. 5. By having an avatar accompany the user on the route to the destination, the ideal action can be visualized, and the user can be encouraged to select a route with higher exercise effect.

[0077] [Second modified example] The action support device 20 may transmit an alert to the user terminal 1a to prompt the user to revise the action plan when the location information of the user's current location differs from the location information of the user indicated by the action plan at that time. Upon receiving the alert, the user terminal 1a displays a message such as "Has the action plan changed? Please revise the action plan" on the screen.

[0078] When the user modifies the action plan, the predicted exercise amount acquisition unit 43 derives the predicted exercise amount based on the modified action plan. Even if the user does not modify the action plan, for example, if the location information of the user's current location is not the business destination company A but the workplace, the predicted exercise amount acquisition unit 43 derives the predicted exercise amount by regarding the time period for the business visit to company A in the action plan as office work.

[0079] In this way, according to this modified example, even if the situation differs from the initial action plan, the action support device 20 can dynamically respond and suggest to the user an exercise menu of actions that are necessary and sufficient to achieve the target amount of exercise consumption each time.

[0080] [Third Modification] The user may operate the user terminal 1a to input the user's physical condition or mood of the day at any time from a specific site or application, and transmit the information to the action support device 20. When the action support device 20 acquires information on the user's physical condition, etc., it adjusts the target amount of exercise and the exercise intensity of the recommended action based on the information. Specifically, when the user's physical condition is not good, the action support device 20 reduces the target amount of exercise or the exercise intensity of the recommended action. In this way, by controlling the target amount of exercise and the exercise intensity of the recommended action, the user can make a habit of exercising at a reasonable level.

[0081] Furthermore, the user may operate the user terminal 1a to input meal contents at any time from a predetermined site or application and transmit the information to the action support device 20. When the action support device 20 acquires information about meal contents, the action support device 20 adjusts the target amount of exercise and the exercise intensity of the recommended action based on the information and taking into account the calorie intake. Specifically, when the calorie intake is high, the action support device 20 increases the recommended exercise intensity to increase calorie consumption compared to when the calorie intake is low. In this way, the action support device 20 can propose appropriate actions to the user as an exercise menu, taking into account the energy balance when the user has eaten too much, for example.

[0082] [Fourth Modification] In the first embodiment described above, the action decision unit 34 decides one action to be recommended to the user from a plurality of action options, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the action support device 20 may decide two or more actions to be recommended to the user from a plurality of action options. In this case, the action support device 20 transmits information on the plurality of recommended actions to the user terminal 1a and proposes them to the user as an exercise menu. In this way, the user can select and execute the most preferable action from the proposed exercise menu.

[0083] [Fifth Modification] Although not described in the first embodiment, a machine learning model may be used to determine an action recommended to a user. For example, the action support device 20 may construct a recommended action output model that, when a difference between a target amount of exercise and a total amount of exercise consumed is input, outputs an action optimized to compensate for the difference as an action recommended to the user. Teacher data is used to construct (generate) the recommended action output model. The teacher data is data in which input data input in learning the recommended action output model is associated with correct answer data corresponding to the input data. In this modification, the input data is the difference between the target amount of exercise and the total amount of exercise consumed, and the correct answer data is an action optimized to compensate for the difference between the target amount of exercise and the total amount of exercise. The action support device 20 trains the recommended action output model so as to output an action optimized to compensate for the difference based on the difference between the target amount of exercise and the total amount of exercise consumed input as input data. As a machine learning method, for example, a model using a neural network can be cited. According to this, the action support device 20 can determine an action recommended to a user based on an action output by the recommended action output model.

[0084] The above first to fifth modified examples are not limited to the first embodiment, but can also be applied to the second and third embodiments, respectively.

[0085] A part or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as, but is not limited to, the following supplementary notes.

[0086] (Appendix 1) A plan acquisition means for acquiring a target exercise amount of the user for a predetermined period and a predicted exercise amount which is an expected future exercise consumption amount; an exercise consumption amount acquiring means for acquiring an exercise consumption amount of the user up to a current time point during the predetermined period; a total exercise consumption amount deriving means for deriving a total exercise consumption amount of the user for the predetermined period based on the predicted exercise amount and the exercise consumption amount; a behavior decision means for deciding a behavior to be recommended to the user from among behavior options by comparing the target amount of exercise with the total amount of exercise consumed; A behavioral support device comprising:

[0087] (Appendix 2) The action support device according to claim 1, wherein the plan acquisition means acquires action plan information regarding the action plan of the user for the specified period, and derives the predicted exercise amount based on a distance along a route from the user's current location to a destination included in the action plan information.

[0088] (Appendix 3) The action support device according to claim 2, wherein the plan acquisition means acquires environmental information regarding a change in load of a road surface condition on a route from the user's current location to the destination, and derives the predicted exercise amount by taking into account the change in load of the road surface condition.

[0089] (Appendix 4) A notification means for notifying the user to request a quality evaluation of an exercise level by the user regarding the action recommended to the user; a target change means for deriving a change proposal for the target momentum in accordance with a result of the quality evaluation; 2. The action support device according to claim 1, further comprising:

[0090] (Appendix 5) 3. The action support device according to claim 2, wherein the action plan information includes a route to the destination specified by the user.

[0091] (Appendix 6) The action support device according to claim 2, further comprising an alert output means for outputting an alert prompting the user to revise the action plan when location information of the user's current location during a specified period differs from location information of the user based on the action plan information.

[0092] (Appendix 7) When location information of the user's current location during a predetermined period differs from location information of the user based on the action plan information, The plan acquisition means derives a new predicted exercise amount based on location information of the user's current location, The total exercise consumption amount deriving means derives a new total exercise consumption amount based on the new predicted exercise amount and the exercise consumption amount; 3. The action support device according to claim 2, wherein the action decision means decides an action to be recommended to the user from the action options by comparing the target amount of exercise with a new total amount of exercise consumption.

[0093] (Appendix 8) The action decision means uses a machine learning model trained to output an action optimized to compensate for an input of a difference between the target amount of exercise and the total amount of exercise consumed, and decides an action to be recommended to the user based on the action output by the machine learning model.

[0094] (Appendix 9) Acquire a target exercise amount of the user for a predetermined period and a predicted exercise amount which is an expected future exercise consumption amount; acquiring an amount of exercise consumed by the user up to a current point in time during the predetermined period; Deriving a total exercise consumption amount of the user for the predetermined period based on the predicted exercise amount and the exercise consumption amount; The behavior support method includes determining a behavior to be recommended to the user from behavior options by comparing the target amount of exercise with the total amount of exercise consumed.

[0095] (Appendix 10) Acquire a target exercise amount of the user for a predetermined period and a predicted exercise amount which is an expected future exercise consumption amount; acquiring an amount of exercise consumed by the user up to a current point in time during the predetermined period; Deriving a total exercise consumption amount of the user for the predetermined period based on the predicted exercise amount and the exercise consumption amount; A recording medium having recorded thereon a program for causing a computer to execute a process of determining an action to be recommended to the user from among action options by comparing the target amount of exercise with the total amount of exercise consumed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0096] 20, 20x, 20y behavior support equipment 5. Network 11, 21 Interface 12, 22 processors 13, 23 Memory 14, 24 Recording media 15, 25 Display section 16, 26 Input section 27 User DB 28 Map DB

Claims

1. A plan acquisition means for acquiring a target exercise amount of the user for a predetermined period and a predicted exercise amount which is a forecast of a future exercise consumption amount; an exercise consumption amount acquiring means for acquiring an exercise consumption amount of the user up to a current time point during the predetermined period; a total exercise consumption amount deriving means for deriving a total exercise consumption amount of the user for the predetermined period based on the predicted exercise amount and the exercise consumption amount; a behavior decision means for deciding a behavior to be recommended to the user from among behavior options by comparing the target amount of exercise with the total amount of exercise consumed; A behavioral support device comprising:

2. 2. The action support device according to claim 1, wherein the plan acquisition means acquires action plan information regarding the user's action plan for the specified period, and derives the predicted exercise amount based on a distance along a route from the user's current location to a destination included in the action plan information.

3. The action support device according to claim 2 , wherein the plan acquisition means acquires environmental information regarding changes in load of road surface conditions on the route from the user's current location to the destination, and derives the predicted exercise amount taking into account the changes in load of the road surface conditions.

4. A notification means for notifying the user to request a quality evaluation of an exercise level by the user regarding the action recommended to the user; a target change means for deriving a change proposal for the target momentum in accordance with a result of the quality evaluation; The action support device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

5. The action support device according to claim 2 , wherein the action plan information includes a route to the destination specified by the user.

6. The action support device according to claim 2 , further comprising an alert output means for outputting an alert prompting the user to revise the action plan when location information of the user's current location during a predetermined period differs from location information of the user based on the action plan information.

7. When location information of the user's current location during a predetermined period differs from location information of the user based on the action plan information, The plan acquisition means derives a new predicted exercise amount based on location information of the user's current location, The total exercise consumption amount deriving means derives a new total exercise consumption amount based on the new predicted exercise amount and the exercise consumption amount; 3. The action support device according to claim 2, wherein the action decision means decides an action to be recommended to the user from the action options by comparing the target amount of exercise with a new total amount of exercise consumption.

8. 2. The action support device according to claim 1, wherein the action decision means uses a machine learning model that has been trained to output an action optimized to compensate for an input difference between the target amount of exercise and the total amount of exercise consumed, and decides an action to be recommended to the user based on the action output by the machine learning model.

9. Acquire a target exercise amount of the user for a predetermined period and a predicted exercise amount which is an expected future exercise consumption amount; acquiring an amount of exercise consumed by the user up to a current point in time during the predetermined period; Deriving a total exercise consumption amount of the user for the predetermined period based on the predicted exercise amount and the exercise consumption amount; The behavior support method includes determining a behavior to be recommended to the user from behavior options by comparing the target amount of exercise with the total amount of exercise consumed.

10. Acquire a target exercise amount of the user for a predetermined period and a predicted exercise amount which is an expected future exercise consumption amount; acquiring an amount of exercise consumed by the user up to a current point in time during the predetermined period; Deriving a total exercise consumption amount of the user for the predetermined period based on the predicted exercise amount and the exercise consumption amount; A recording medium having recorded thereon a program for causing a computer to execute a process of determining an action to be recommended to the user from among action options by comparing the target amount of exercise with the total amount of exercise consumed.

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