Information processing device, program, and design selection method

Abstract

To provide an information processing device, a program, a nail system, and a nail design selection method which make it possible to present nail designs which are more suitable for physical and mental conditions of a user.SOLUTION: A printer 1 includes a controller 110 which acquires blood flow-associated biological information and determines nail designs to be presented to a user on the basis of the acquired biological information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 14

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a program, a nail system, and a nail design selection method.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a nail printer capable of applying a nail design such as a color or a pattern selected by a user to fingernails has been known. Patent Document 1 describes this type of technology. Patent Document 1 describes a technology of a nail printer capable of ejecting droplets such as ink with high accuracy without trial painting.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Conventional nail printers such as those described in Patent Document 1 present a predetermined nail design to the user. Nails have effects such as calming the user's mood and improving motivation. There was room for improvement in terms of presenting nail designs based on the user's mental and physical state.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object thereof is to provide an information processing apparatus, a program, a nail system, and a nail design selection method capable of presenting a nail design more suitable for the user's mental and physical state.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, an information processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is characterized by including a processing unit that acquires biological information related to blood flow and determines a nail design to be presented to a user based on the acquired biological information.

Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an information processing apparatus, a program, a nail system, and a nail design selection method that can present a nail design more suitable for the physical and mental state of a user.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

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[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] [Outline of Embodiment] <Nail Print System> FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing the overall configuration of a nail print system S included in a printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the nail print system S includes a plurality of printing apparatuses 1, a user terminal 2 which is a tablet terminal corresponding to each printing apparatus 1, a network 3, and a server group 4.

[0011] The printing apparatus 1 is a nail printer that prints a nail design such as a color, pattern, or motif on a user's nail. The number of printing apparatuses 1 is not particularly limited, and n printing apparatuses 1 (n is an arbitrary natural number) may be included in the nail print system S. In the following description, when the n printing apparatuses 1 are described without particularly distinguishing them, the alphabet at the end of the reference numeral is omitted, and they are simply referred to as "printing apparatus 1".

[0012] The printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment measures the blood flow fluctuation of a user from an image, and allows the user to select a nail design based on the measurement result. The printing apparatus 1 prints the nail design selected by the user on the user's nail. Further, the printing apparatus 1 is electrically connected to the user terminal 2 by wired communication or wireless communication, and transmits and receives various information. Further, the user terminal 2 is communicably connected to each server included in the server group 4 via the network 3.

[0013] The network 3 is realized by, for example, the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a mobile phone network, or a combination of these.

[0014] The server group 4 includes various servers that cooperate with the printing apparatus 1. For example, the server group 4 includes an authentication server for authenticating the user of the printing apparatus 1. Further, for example, the server group 4 includes a nail design registration and distribution server in which nail design data to be downloaded by the user terminal 2 is registered. Furthermore, the server group 4 includes a measurement data storage server that stores the profile information of the user. The profile information of the user includes information such as setting information regarding the user and the usage history of the printing apparatus 1 by the user.

[0015] Nail design is a design applied to a user's fingernail. For example, designs such as colors, patterns, motifs, hues, characters, etc. are applied to the nail. Nail design not only has artistic value, but also has effects on the mental state of the person with the nail design, such as relieving stress, improving motivation, etc. according to the impression of the nail design.

[0016] Note that the nail printing system S shown in FIG. 1 is only an example, and a server having other functions may be included in the server group 4. Also, the plurality of servers included in the server group 4 may be realized by separate server devices respectively, or may be realized by a single server device.

[0017] <Printing device> FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a printing device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the printing device 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11 which is a processor, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a bus 14, an input / output interface 15, an imaging unit 16, an input unit 17, an output unit 18, a storage unit 19, a communication unit 20, a drive 21, a power supply unit 22, a printing unit 32, and a pulse wave analysis unit 33.

[0018] The CPU 11 executes various processes according to a program recorded in the ROM 12 or a program loaded from the storage unit 19 to the RAM 13.

[0019] In the RAM 13, data and the like necessary for the CPU 11 to execute various processes are also appropriately stored.

[0020] The CPU 11, ROM 12, and RAM 13 are interconnected via a bus 14. An input / output interface 15 is also connected to this bus 14. The input / output interface 15 is connected to an imaging unit 16, an input unit 17, an output unit 18, a storage unit 19, a communication unit 20, a drive 21, a power supply unit 22, a printing unit 32, and a pulse wave analysis unit 33.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 3, the imaging unit 16 includes a camera 16a having an optical lens unit and an image sensor, and an illumination 16b provided in a housing 32a to be described later and illuminating the inside of the housing 32a. The optical lens unit is composed of lenses that collect light, such as a focus lens or a zoom lens, for imaging a subject. The focus lens is a lens that forms a subject image on the light-receiving surface of the image sensor. The zoom lens is a lens that freely changes the focal length within a certain range. The imaging unit 16 is also provided with peripheral circuits for adjusting setting parameters such as focus, exposure, and white balance as necessary.

[0022] The image sensor is composed of a photoelectric conversion element, an AFE (Analog Front End), etc. The photoelectric conversion element is composed of, for example, a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) type photoelectric conversion element. A subject image is incident on the photoelectric conversion element from the optical lens unit. Therefore, the photoelectric conversion element photoelectrically converts (images) the subject image, accumulates the image signal for a certain period of time, and sequentially supplies the accumulated image signal to the AFE as an analog signal. The AFE executes various signal processes such as A / D (Analog / Digital) conversion processing on this analog image signal. A digital signal is generated by the various signal processes and output as the output signal of the imaging unit 16. Such an output signal of the imaging unit 16 is appropriately supplied to the CPU 11, etc. The illumination 16b is composed of, for example, an LED.

[0023] The input unit 17 is composed of various buttons, a microphone, etc., and inputs various information according to the user's instruction operations and instruction voices.

[0024] The output unit 18 is composed of a liquid crystal display or the like, and outputs an image or video corresponding to the image data or video data output by the CPU 11.

[0025] The storage unit 19 is composed of a semiconductor memory such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), and stores various data.

[0026] The communication unit 20 performs communication control for the CPU 11 to communicate with other devices (for example, each server included in the server group 4) via the network 3.

[0027] The drive 21 is composed of an interface capable of mounting the removable medium 100. The removable medium 100 made of a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory or the like is appropriately mounted on the drive 21. Various programs and various data such as image data and video data may be stored in the removable medium 100. Further, the programs, image data, video data, and other various data read from the removable medium 100 by the drive 21 may be installed in the storage unit 19 as necessary.

[0028] The power supply unit 22 is configured to be able to supply power to each part of the printing device 1 by being connected to an external power supply.

[0029] The printing unit 32 can print a nail design on the user's nail. As shown in FIG. 3, the printing unit 32 includes a finger rest 32b for placing the user's finger 5, a sensor (not shown) for detecting the finger 5 placed on the finger rest 32b, a nail design printing unit (not shown) for printing a nail design on the nail 5a, and a housing 32a that covers the finger rest 32b, the sensor, and the nail design printing unit. That is, in the printing device 1 of the present embodiment, the nail design printing unit prints a nail design on the nail 5a of the finger 5 placed on the finger rest 32b.

[0030] Note that the printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment recognizes the finger 5 placed on the finger placement table 32b by a sensor. However, the printing apparatus 1 may recognize the finger 5 based on an image captured by the camera 16a of the imaging unit 16 instead of the sensor. For example, the printing apparatus 1 may detect and recognize the skin color of the finger 5 in the captured image.

[0031] The pulse wave analysis unit 33 includes a pulse wave analysis circuit capable of analyzing an image of the user's skin or the like and calculating pulse wave information. For example, when an image captured by the imaging unit 16 is input, the pulse wave analysis unit 33 calculates various types of biological information described later via the pulse wave analysis circuit. In the present embodiment, the video processing unit 111 of the control unit 110 described later analyzes the video and calculates the pulse wave information and various types of biological information, but the pulse wave analysis unit 33 may calculate them respectively.

[0032] In addition to the above-described hardware, the printing apparatus 1 may further include other hardware. For example, the printing apparatus 1 may be configured by a lamp, a speaker, a vibration motor, or the like, and may further include an output unit that outputs light, sound, or a vibration signal.

[0033] FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration for executing printing processing among the functional configurations of the printing apparatus 1 in FIG. 2. The printing process refers to a series of processes in which the printing apparatus 1 displays a measurement result based on a change in biological information acquired from the user.

[0034] First, the storage unit 19 that stores various types of information will be described. The storage unit 19 stores various types of data related to guidance in screen display processing, information for performing measurement, information for displaying measurement results, information indicating measurement results, information related to nail design, history of printed nail designs, information related to printing processing, and the like. Note that the above-described various types of data may be stored only in the storage unit 19, but may be appropriately stored in the removable medium 100 by the drive 21. Further, each piece of information may be appropriately stored in a measurement data storage server or the like included in the server group 4.

[0035] Next, each functional block that executes the printing process will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 110 of the present embodiment includes a video processing unit (video processing function) 111, an output processing unit (output processing function) 112, an input processing unit (input processing function) 113, a data processing unit (data processing function) 114, a determination processing unit (determination processing function) 115, a communication processing unit (communication processing function) 116, and a printing processing unit (printing processing function) 117.

[0036] The video processing unit 111 acquires information about the user (hereinafter referred to as "subject information") by analyzing the video including the user as the subject imaged by the imaging unit 16. The subject information is, for example, the color of each part such as the finger 5 of the user video, and biometric information (sometimes called vital data) indicating the state of the user. Since the measurement is performed by analyzing the information (video) acquired by the imaging unit 16, the biometric information can be sequentially acquired without contacting the user. The analysis of the video data by the specific video processing unit 111 will be described later. Further, when outputting the acquired biometric information, the video processing unit 111 outputs the biometric information to at least the storage unit 19. As a result, the storage unit 19 stores the history of the acquired biometric information.

[0037] The output processing unit 112 controls the display of a moving image as a display video on the screen of the output unit 18. Thereby, the progress of the pulse wave measurement and the like can be dynamically visualized and displayed in an easy-to-understand manner. The output processing unit 112 also performs a synthesis process of synthesizing a guide image, measurement data, nail design, and the like. For example, the output processing unit 112 controls the display of a synthesized video obtained by synthesizing the finger 5 of the user as shown in FIG. 9 and an image (measurement result table, graph, etc.) indicating the measurement result, and a preview video obtained by synthesizing the finger 5 of the user and a nail design image.

[0038] In addition, the input processing unit 113 executes a process of receiving an operation by the user input to the input unit 17. For example, the input processing unit 113 receives an operation to start the printing process by the user at the input unit 17 and inputs it to the printing processing unit 117.

[0039] The data processing unit 114 performs processing for printing a nail design based on biological information. For example, the data processing unit 114 acquires the biological information calculated by the video processing unit 111. The data processing unit 114 outputs the acquired biological information to the communication processing unit 116 and causes it to be transmitted to the user terminal via the communication unit 20. Further, the data processing unit 114 acquires information regarding the nail design transmitted from the user terminal 2 and outputs a print command signal to the printing unit 32.

[0040] The determination processing unit 115 performs various determinations in the printing process based on various threshold values stored in the storage unit 19. For example, the determination processing unit 115 makes a determination by comparing the biological information calculated by the video processing unit 111 with a predetermined threshold value and outputs the determination result to the data processing unit 114.

[0041] The communication processing unit 116 performs processing for communicating with external devices. For example, it communicates with the authentication server included in the server group 4. Thereby, the user who performs the printing process is authenticated. Further, the communication processing unit 116 updates the user's profile information in the printing process by communicating with the measurement data storage server included in the server group 4.

[0042] The printing processing unit 117 performs processing for controlling the operation of the printing unit 32 of the printing apparatus 1. For example, when the printing processing unit 117 receives a print start command from the control unit 110, it causes the printing unit 32 to print the nail design on the user's nail 5a.

[0043] <User Terminal> Next, an example of the user terminal 2 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the user terminal 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] The user terminal 2 of the present embodiment is a computer including a CPU 51, a ROM 52, a RAM 53, a bus 54, an input / output interface 55, an input unit 56, an output unit 57, a storage unit 58, a communication unit 59, and a battery 60. Note that, for components that are the same as or similar to those already described, the same names may be used and detailed descriptions may be omitted.

[0045] Next, the functional configuration of the user terminal 2 will be described. FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram showing a part of the functional configuration of the user terminal 2 according to the present embodiment.

[0046] A control unit 70 that performs various controls of the user terminal 2 is realized by a CPU 51 that executes arithmetic processing. The control unit 70 of the present embodiment includes a communication processing unit (communication processing function) 71, an output processing unit (output processing function) 72, an input processing unit (input processing function) 73, and a print management unit (print management function) 74.

[0047] The communication processing unit 71 executes a process of exchanging various information with the server group 4 via the communication unit 59. Further, the communication processing unit 71 executes a process of exchanging various information with the printing apparatus 1 via the communication unit 59.

[0048] The output processing unit 72 executes a process for displaying an image on the screen of the output unit 57. For example, when the communication processing unit 71 acquires biometric information transmitted from the printing apparatus 1, the output processing unit 72 performs a process of displaying the biometric information on the screen of the output unit 57 according to a command from the communication processing unit 71. Further, when the communication processing unit 71 acquires nail design selection information transmitted from the nail design registration and distribution server of the server group 4 described later, the output processing unit 72 executes a process of displaying the nail design selection information on the screen of the output unit 57 according to a command from the communication processing unit 71.

[0049] The input processing unit 73 executes a process of receiving an operation by the user input to the input unit 56. For example, in the touch panel, the input processing unit 73 receives, as input, the information displayed on the output unit 57, and transmits a command for executing a process of switching the information displayed on the screen of the output unit 57 to the output processing unit 72.

[0050] The print management unit 74 transmits and receives information related to print processing to and from the printing apparatus 1 via the communication unit 59. For example, when receiving an input for starting printing by the user, the print management unit 74 outputs a print start command to the communication processing unit 71, thereby causing the printing apparatus 1 to start print processing via the communication unit 59.

[0051] [Analysis of Video Data] Next, the analysis of video data in the printing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the finger 5 placed on the finger rest 32b in FIG. 3 and the region of interest (ROI) as a measurement region set in the skin region of the finger. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram for explaining calculating the luminance value of pixels in the region of interest ROI and displaying the obtained pulse wave waveform. The thin-line waveform indicates the original waveform of the pulse wave, and the thick line indicates the waveform of the pulse wave after passing through the band-pass filter. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining calculating biological information from the measured pulse wave information. First, the acquisition of video data analyzed by the video processing unit 111 will be described with reference to FIG. 7.

[0052] The video processing unit 111 performs processing related to tracking such as contour and part pattern matching and skin color identification, thereby recognizing the contour and position of the finger and the skin region, and detecting a predetermined part region of the finger. For example, in the video, the contour and position of the finger are detected from the user video, and the finger region is automatically recognized. Then, the video processing unit 111 detects a state such as the skin color of the detected part region. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the video processing unit 111 sets a region of interest (ROI) indicated by a broken line frame on the root side rather than the nail 5a of the finger 5.

[0053] In this embodiment, the region of interest (ROI) is set for the part of the skin other than the nail 5a. This is because the nail 5a is coated with a white base coat for position recognition and thus the pulse wave cannot be measured. If the nail 5a is not coated with the base coat, the ROI may be set for the nail 5a. Also, in this embodiment, the ROI is set within a predetermined range. However, the ROI does not necessarily have to be within a predetermined range. For example, the control unit 110 may automatically recognize the skin area from the skin color in the video and automatically set the range where the ROI is maximized.

[0054] The video processing unit 111 extracts the pulse wave from the video by utilizing the property that hemoglobin in the blood absorbs green light well, and acquires biometric information related to blood flow such as pulse and pulse wave. The wavelength of the green signal is generally said to be 495 - 570 nm, and hemoglobin has a high absorption coefficient around 500 - 600 nm. When the blood flow increases, the amount of blood on the skin surface increases and the amount of hemoglobin per unit time increases. Therefore, more green signals are absorbed by hemoglobin compared to before the blood flow increases. As a result, the luminance of the green signal detected when the blood flow increases will decrease. When the imaging element of the imaging unit 16 converts light into luminance, an RGB filter is arranged in front of the imaging element, and the luminance values of each pixel of RGB are calculated. In this case, the light passing through the green filter becomes the luminance value. Even if the sensitivity of the imaging element is not flat with respect to the wavelength, the wavelength band can be narrowed to some extent by the above-mentioned filter, so that the green signal can be detected accurately.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 8, the video processing unit 111 acquires pulse wave information based on the luminance information included in the body video information in the video within the ROI. More specifically, the video processing unit 111 acquires the luminance of the green signal every unit time and acquires the pulse wave information from the temporal change of the luminance of the green signal. The unit time is, for example, the frame rate of a moving image, and the luminance of the green signal can be acquired for each temporally consecutive image constituting the video.

[0056] Furthermore, the video processing unit 111 may also acquire the luminance for the red signal every unit time, and may calculate the pulse wave information by subtracting it from the green signal acquired every unit time. The video processing unit 111 can acquire the pulse wave information from the temporal change in luminance obtained by subtracting the luminance of the red signal from the luminance of the green signal, and can improve the accuracy of the pulse wave information. In addition, in the present embodiment, the operation of imaging the target part of the user's body by the imaging unit 16 to the operation of acquiring the luminance of the green signal is described as pulse wave measurement.

[0057] Also, the pulse wave information includes an amplitude PA. The waveform shown by the thick line in FIG. 8 is a waveform obtained by extracting the amplitude component by applying the original waveform of the pulse wave to a band-pass filter. The pulse wave analyzed from the video shows a periodic waveform with a waveform within a certain amplitude PA range. The amplitude PA of this pulse wave means the difference between adjacent maximum and minimum values of the pulse wave waveform. That is, the amplitude PA means the difference between the maximum and minimum values of the luminance of the green signal.

[0058] Note that the range for acquiring the amplitude PA is preferably an area where there are no abnormal values and the amplitude is stable. For example, when an abnormal value exceeding a preset threshold is detected, etc., the pulse wave information is acquired so that the abnormal value is excluded. Alternatively, a message indicating that the video could not be appropriately acquired during imaging may be displayed, and re-imaging may be performed to acquire appropriate pulse wave information. Alternatively, the pulse wave after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of imaging may be used for calculating the amplitude. Alternatively, the amplitude may be calculated by excluding abnormal values from the pulse waves acquired within a predetermined time. Thus, various methods can be applied for calculating the amplitude.

[0059] Furthermore, the video processing unit 111 according to the present embodiment can calculate various types of biological information described later by performing frequency analysis, time-domain analysis, etc. on the pulse wave acquired by video analysis as shown in FIG. 9. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, biological information of the mind and body such as LF / HF, SD (standard deviation) of FFI, variation rate of the scatter in the Lorentz plot, variation rate of the pulse rate, variation rate of PA, variation rate of the baseline, CVRR, and distortion time can be calculated. Details of each biological information will be described later.

[0060] Also, in the printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, by comparing various biological information as an index with the threshold values shown in FIG. 10, as shown in FIG. 10, four items of mental and physical states can be estimated. FIG. 10 is a table summarizing the biological information that can be calculated by the printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the determination threshold values corresponding to the biological information, and the design selections and mental and physical state estimation results presented to the user corresponding to the determination results.

[0061] For example, as shown in FIG. 10, LF / HF, the SD (standard deviation) of FFI, the variation rate of the Lorentz plot, and the variation rate of the pulse rate can estimate whether the user's mental and physical state has a tendency to be tense or relaxed. Also, the variation rate of PA and the variation rate of the baseline can estimate whether the user's blood circulation is good or bad. Also, CVRR and the distortion time can estimate the goodness or badness of the user's heart rate adjustment function and the level of the user's blood pressure, respectively. Note that the threshold values shown in FIG. 10 are only examples, and the numerical values and conditions can be changed as appropriate.

[0062] Also, the printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment can present a nail design as shown in FIG. 11 with three guidelines based on the estimated mental and physical state of the user. The three guidelines are a guideline for showing the user's mental and physical state with a nail design, a guideline for showing a nail design that balances the user's mental and physical state, and a guideline for showing a nail design that has an effect of maintaining health.

[0063] For example, in the guideline for showing the user's mental and physical state with a nail design, when it is estimated that the user's mental and physical state has a tendency to be tense, the printing apparatus 1 presents a nail design in a bright color that expresses a tense state. Also, when it is estimated that the user's mental and physical state is in a relaxed state, the printing apparatus 1 presents a nail design in a calm color. In the present embodiment, the nail design is mainly described in terms of color, but the pattern, motif, and decoration may also be changed according to the estimated mental and physical state.

[0064] In addition, in the guidelines indicating nail designs that balance the user's physical and mental state, when the user's physical and mental state is presumed to have a tendency to be tense, the printing device 1 presents a calm-colored nail design that relaxes the tension. Also, when the user's physical and mental state is presumed to have a tendency to relax, the printing device 1 presents a bright-colored nail design that raises motivation.

[0065] In addition, in the guidelines indicating nail designs that have an effect of maintaining health, when it is presumed that the user's blood pressure fluctuation is high, the printing device 1 presents a calm-colored nail design. Also, when it is presumed that the user's blood pressure fluctuation is low, the printing device 1 presents a bright-colored nail design.

[0066] In addition, the printing device 1 can estimate the user's physical and mental state based on one index and make a design decision to present to the user. However, the printing device 1 may also estimate the physical and mental state by combining multiple indexes and make a design decision. For example, the printing device 1 can estimate the physical and mental state for each of the four items of relaxation / tension tendency, blood circulation quality, heart rate adjustment function quality, and blood pressure level, and determine the results by majority vote or the like. Also, the printing device 1 may select any one of the items used for determination instead of majority vote.

[0067] In addition, items suitable for the processing capacity (resources) of the implemented system may be selected and determined. For example, in a printing device with low processing capacity, an index with a large load during calculation may not be selected. In this embodiment, the indexes used for determination are set in advance, but the indexes used for determination may also be set to be selected by the user.

[0068] In this embodiment, it is possible for the user to set in advance which guideline will be used to present the nail design. In the printing process according to this embodiment, which will be described later, a guideline indicating the user's physical and mental state with a nail design is selected. Note that the design guidelines for the physical and mental state are not limited to the above three, and may be one of the three, or may be guidelines other than the above three. Further, the design guidelines for the physical and mental state may be fixed without allowing the user to select them.

[0069] Next, the details of each piece of biological information will be described. First, LF / HF is an index indicating the tendency of the autonomic nerve by showing the fluctuation of the interval between the pulses of the pulse wave. Further, LF / HF is calculated by frequency analysis or the like. The larger the value of LF / HF, the more the printing device 1 can determine that the user has a tendency to be nervous. Also, the smaller the value of LF / HF, the more the printing device 1 can determine that the user has a tendency to be relaxed.

[0070] Next, the standard deviation of FFI (Foot to Foot Interval) will be described. FFI indicates the time interval between the bottom peaks of the pulse wave waveform, and the standard deviation of FFI is an index indicating the degree of variation in the intervals of the pulse wave waveforms. The smaller the standard deviation of FFI, the more the printing device 1 can determine that the user has a tendency to be nervous. Also, the larger the standard deviation of FFI, the more the printing device 1 can determine that the user has a tendency to be relaxed.

[0071] Next, the variation rate of the Lorenz plot will be described with reference to FIG. 12. The variation rate of the Lorenz plot is an index indicating the tendency of the autonomic nerve. The variation rate of the Lorenz plot is calculated as follows. First, the Lorenz plot will be described. The Lorenz plot is a graph plotted with one of the adjacent intervals between two consecutive pulse waves on the horizontal axis and the other on the vertical axis, and the variation in the pulse wave intervals can be observed.

[0072] For example, when focusing on a certain k-th pulse wave, the intervals between the k-th pulse wave and the subsequent (k + 1)-th pulse wave are plotted corresponding to the vertical and horizontal axes of a graph respectively. An example of such a plot is shown in Fig. 12. The smaller the fluctuation of the intervals between consecutive pulse waves, the more the points gather in the center. On the other hand, the larger the fluctuation of the intervals between consecutive pulse waves, the more they are dispersed around.

[0073] Here, the variation of the Lorenz plot will be described. First, the Lorenz plot is evaluated numerically. In this embodiment, for example, the Lorenz plot is projected onto orthogonal axes for quantification, and the variation of the Lorenz plot is calculated. Specifically, in the graph of the Lorenz plot, the center of the data distribution of each Lorenz plot and the axis passing through the point where k and k + 1 are the same are taken as the y - x axis. Also, the axis passing through the center of the data distribution of each Lorenz plot and orthogonal to the y - x axis is taken as the y - (-x) axis.

[0074] Each Lorenz plot of the data for 1 to 3 minutes is projected onto the above-mentioned two axes respectively, to obtain the variation σ(x) on the y - x axis and the variation σ(-x) on the y - (-x) axis. In this case, the variation of the Lorenz plot is evaluated as the area S = π×σ(x)×σ(-x) of an ellipse. The larger the area of the ellipse, the larger the variation, and the smaller the area of the ellipse, the smaller the variation.

[0075] The variation rate of the Lorenz plot is calculated by dividing the variation of the Lorenz plot during pulse wave measurement by the variation of the Lorenz plot in the normal state. In this embodiment, the storage unit 19 stores in advance the variation of the Lorenz plot in the normal state, and when calculating the variation rate of the Lorenz plot, the printing device 1 calls the variation of the Lorenz plot in the normal state held by the storage unit 19 and uses it for the calculation.

[0076] Further, the control unit 110 estimates the physical and mental state of the user by comparing the variation rate of the Lorentz plot with a threshold value. When the calculated variation rate of the variation exceeds the threshold value, the printing apparatus 1 can determine that the user has a tendency to relax. Also, when the calculated variation rate of the variation is equal to or less than the threshold value, the printing apparatus 1 can determine that the user has a tendency to be tense.

[0077] Next, the change rate of the pulse rate will be described. The change rate of the pulse rate is an index indicating the tendency of the autonomic nerve. Also, the pulse rate is the number of heartbeats within a predetermined time. For example, the number of times the heart beats in one minute is defined as the pulse rate. The change rate of the pulse rate is calculated by dividing the pulse rate at the time of pulse wave measurement by the pulse rate in the normal state. In the present embodiment, the storage unit 19 stores the pulse rate in the normal state in advance, and the printing apparatus 1 calls the pulse rate in the normal state held by the storage unit 19 and uses it for the calculation when calculating the change rate of the pulse rate.

[0078] Also, the control unit 110 estimates the physical and mental state of the user by comparing the change rate of the pulse rate with a threshold value. For example, when the calculated change rate of the pulse rate exceeds the threshold value, the printing apparatus 1 can determine that the user has a tendency to be tense. Also, when the calculated change rate of the pulse rate is equal to or less than the threshold value, the printing apparatus 1 can determine that the user has a tendency to relax.

[0079] Next, the change rate of PA (Pulse Amplitude) is an index indicating the increase and decrease of the amplitude of the pulse wave form. The change rate of PA can be calculated as follows. Change rate of PA = (PA2 / PA1) ··· (Equation) PA1: Average value of the measured values of PA in the normal state PA2: Average value of the measured values of PA for a predetermined time in the measurement The average value of the measured values of the PA in the normal state is measured in advance and stored in the storage unit 19 of the printing apparatus 1. When calculating the biological information, the control unit 110 calls the average value of the measured values of the PA in the normal state from the storage unit 19 and performs calculations using that numerical value. Also, the smaller the change rate of the PA, the more the printing apparatus 1 can determine that the user has a tendency towards poor blood circulation. Also, the larger the change rate of the PA, the more the printing apparatus 1 can determine that the user has a tendency towards good blood circulation.

[0080] Next, the baseline change rate is an index related to the blood circulation state. The baseline change rate can be calculated as follows. Baseline change rate = (BL2 / BL1) ··· (Equation) BL1: Baseline of the pulse wave information in the normal state BL2: Baseline of the pulse wave information in the measurement

[0081] Here, the baseline is the average value of the converted luminance within a predetermined time. Also, in the present embodiment, the baseline of the pulse wave information in the normal state is measured in advance and stored in the storage unit 19 of the printing apparatus 1. When calculating the biological information, the control unit 110 calls the baseline in the normal state from the storage unit 19 and performs calculations using that numerical value. When the change rate of the baseline is equal to or less than the threshold value, the printing apparatus 1 can determine that the blood circulation of the user is poor. Also, when the change rate of the baseline exceeds the threshold value, the printing apparatus 1 can determine that the blood circulation of the user is good.

[0082] Next, consider the respective meanings of the baseline and the PA. As described above, the principle of extracting the pulse wave information from the luminance of the video is to capture the temporal change in the luminance of the green light absorbed by hemoglobin. Therefore, it is considered that the baseline is almost in a proportional relationship with the average amount of hemoglobin in the target site during the measurement period. That is, the change in the baseline can be interpreted as a change in the average blood volume at the measurement site. On the other hand, since the pulse wave amplitude itself indicates the pulsation of the pulse, the change in the PA can be interpreted as a change in the strength of the pulsation.

[0083] Note that when calculating the variation rate of Lorentz plot, the variation rate of pulse rate, the variation rate of PA, and the variation rate of baseline, the control unit 110 according to the present embodiment stores data in the normal state in the storage unit 19 as a reference for calculation. However, the data used as the reference for calculation is not limited to this. For example, the average value of users of the same age may be used, or the average value of users of the same gender may be used. Further, the video processing unit 111 may acquire data two or more times during printing processing, and one of the acquired data may be used as a reference for calculation.

[0084] Next, CVRR (Coefficient of Variation of R-R intervals) indicates the fluctuation of the interval between pulse waves and is an index indicating the state of the heart rate regulation function. Further, CVRR is calculated by frequency analysis of pulse wave information or the like. The smaller the CVRR, the more the printing apparatus 1 can determine that the user's heart rate regulation function is in a poor state. Also, the larger the CVRR, the more the printing apparatus 1 can determine that the user's heart rate regulation function is in a good state.

[0085] Next, the distortion time is an index indicating the relative fluctuation of blood pressure. Further, the distortion time is the temporal deviation between the pulse wave component and the waveform distortion component due to the fluctuation of blood pressure in the pulse wave information. The smaller the distortion time, the more the printing apparatus 1 can determine that the user's blood pressure is in a high state. Also, the larger the distortion time, the more the printing apparatus 1 can determine that the user's blood pressure is in a low state. Note that the printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is not limited to the above indexes, and can calculate various indexes indicating the physical and mental state of the user based on the acquired pulse wave information.

[0086] [Printing operation] Next, the flow of printing processing will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 to 14. FIGS. 13 to 14 are flowcharts for explaining the flow of processing executed by the printing apparatus 1 of FIG. 2 having the functional configuration of FIG. 4. The printing processing is started by an operation to start the printing processing on the input unit 56 of the user terminal 2 by the user with the user's finger placed on the finger placement table.

[0087] First, as shown in FIG. 13, the control unit 110 sets the measurement parameters of the imaging unit 16 to preset initial values (step S10). The measurement parameters are setting values related to the imaging of the camera 16a of the imaging unit 16. The setting values are, for example, numerical values related to the settings of the exposure, focal length, magnification of the camera 16a, the brightness of the LED of the illumination 16b, luminance, etc. By appropriately setting the measurement parameters, the noise of the video can be reduced, and the reliability of the pulse wave information to be measured can be enhanced.

[0088] Also, the brightness of the video may change depending on the color of the user's skin or the like being imaged. For this reason, when individual differences are assumed among the users to be used, each measurement parameter may not be the initial value, and the parameters may be set according to the user. For example, in step S11, the finger 5 on the finger placement table 32b is imaged, and the setting value may be changed based on the image of the imaged finger 5. Further, the control unit 110 may save the measurement parameters for each individual to the authentication server of the server group 4 via the network 3 at the timing of the end of the printing process, and call and set the measurement parameters from the authentication server when starting another printing process.

[0089] In the present embodiment, the control unit 110 sets the measurement parameters every time the printing process starts. However, the control unit 110 may cause the storage unit 19 to hold the set measurement parameters, and use the held measurement parameters when performing the printing process for the same user in subsequent times.

[0090] Next, the control unit 110 determines whether or not the user's finger 5 is detected by the sensor of the printing unit 32 (step S11). When the user's finger 5 is detected by the sensor (step S11: Yes), the control unit 110 sets the region of interest ROI on the finger (step S12).

[0091] Next, the control unit 110 starts measuring the pulse wave by causing the imaging unit 16 to start imaging the finger 5 (step S13). When the pulse wave measurement is completed (step S14: Yes), the control unit 110 calculates the S / N (Signal to Noise) value of the measured pulse wave information and compares it with a threshold value (step S15).

[0092] Here, the S / N value is an index for checking how much noise other than the pulse wave is included in the measured pulse wave information. The smaller the S / N value, the more reliable the acquired video data can be determined to be. In this embodiment, the threshold value is set to 0.7, and data with an S / N value less than 0.7 is considered reliable data. Note that the threshold value is not limited to 0.7 and can be set according to the purpose of the device to which it is applied.

[0093] If the S / N value is less than 0.7 (step S15: No), the control unit 110 causes the imaging unit 16 to readjust the measurement parameters such as the exposure of the camera 16a (step S17) and shifts the process to step S11. On the other hand, if the S / N value exceeds 0.7 (step S15: Yes), the control unit 110 calculates the data to be used for determination among the biological information shown in FIG. 10 (step S16). Next, the control unit 110 transmits the calculated biological information to the user terminal 2 via the communication unit 20 in order to display the calculated biological information on the user terminal 2 (step S18).

[0094] Next, the control unit 110 makes a determination by comparing the calculated biological information with a threshold value as shown in FIG. 14 (step S19). In this embodiment, LF / HF is used as an index for determination, and it is set to determine and present a nail design that expresses the mental and physical state. For example, the control unit 110 makes a determination on the numerical value of LF / HF with respect to the threshold value "1". When LF / HF exceeds the threshold value "1" (step S19: Yes), the control unit 110 transmits determination information for creating and selecting a bright color group from the tags of the design data to the user terminal 2 via the communication unit 20 (step S20).

[0095] Then, the control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 sends a command signal to the nail design registration and distribution server of the server group 4 via the communication unit 59, and causes the nail design registration and distribution server to transmit the data of the nail design with a bright color tag to the user terminal 2. The control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 creates a plurality of determined nail design groups using the received nail design data. For example, data including two nail designs as shown in FIG. 11 is created. Note that the number of nail designs is not particularly limited.

[0096] Furthermore, the control unit 110 transmits a command signal for design selection display to the user terminal 2 via the communication unit 20 in order to display a selection screen for the user to select a nail design (step S22).

[0097] The input processing unit 73 of the user terminal 2 receives the selection of the nail design by the user to the input unit 56. The control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 transmits the selection information of the nail design to the printing device 1 via the communication unit 59.

[0098] The control unit 110 checks whether the communication unit 20 has received the selection information of the nail design (step S23). When the communication processing unit 71 has received the selection information of the nail design (step S23: Yes), the control unit 110 causes the process to proceed to step S24.

[0099] On the other hand, when LF / HF is less than or equal to the threshold value "1" (step S19: No), the control unit 110 outputs to the communication processing unit 116 and transmits determination information for creating and selecting a color group settled from the tags of the design data to the user terminal 2 via the communication unit 20 (step S21).

[0100] Then, the control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 sends a command signal to the nail design registration and distribution server of the server group 4 via the communication unit 59, and causes the nail design registration and distribution server to transmit the data of the nail design with a settled color tag to the user terminal 2. The control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 creates a plurality of determined nail design groups using the received nail design data.

[0101] Furthermore, the control unit 110 transmits a command signal for displaying a selection screen for selecting a nail design on the screen of the output unit 57 of the user terminal 2 to the user terminal 2 via the communication unit 20 (step S22).

[0102] The input processing unit 73 of the user terminal 2 receives the selection of a nail design by the user on the input unit 56. The control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 transmits the selection information of the nail design to the printing apparatus 1 via the communication unit 59.

[0103] The control unit 110 checks whether the communication unit 20 has received the selection information of the nail design (step S23). When the communication processing unit 71 has received the selection information of the nail design (step S23: Yes), the control unit 110 causes the process to proceed to step S24.

[0104] Next, the control unit 110 creates a preview video in which the selected nail design is superimposed on the captured video of the finger 5. The control unit 110 also superimposes a selection screen for whether to execute printing on the preview video. Further, the control unit 110 transmits the created preview video to the user terminal 2 via the communication unit 20 in order to display the preview screen on the user terminal 2 (step S24).

[0105] The control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 displays the received preview video on the screen of the output unit 57. Also, a selection screen for whether to execute printing is displayed on the screen of the output unit 57 of the user terminal 2. By touching the options displayed on the screen by the user, the control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 receives the selection information for whether to execute printing. The control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 transmits the selection information to the printing apparatus 1 via the communication unit 59.

[0106] Next, the control unit 110 checks whether to execute printing from the received selection information (step S25). If the selection information is a selection not to execute printing (step S25: No), the control unit 110 causes the process to proceed to step S22. If the selection information is a selection to execute printing (step S25: Yes), the control unit 110 causes the printing unit 32 to print the selected nail design on the nail 5a of the user's finger 5. Next, the control unit 110 checks whether the printing operation by the printing unit 32 has been completed (step S26).

[0107] If the printing operation by the printing unit 32 has been completed (step S26: Yes), the control unit 110 transmits, via the communication unit 20, a command signal for prompting the display of a selection screen to confirm whether to continue printing to the user terminal 2.

[0108] The control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 causes a selection screen for whether to continue printing to be displayed on the screen of the output unit 57. By touching the options displayed on the screen by the user, the control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 receives selection information on whether to continue printing. The control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 transmits the selection information to the printing apparatus 1 via the communication unit 59. Note that continuing printing is assumed to mean, for example, printing on the nails 5a of other fingers of the same user or being used by other users.

[0109] The control unit 110 checks the received selection information on whether to continue printing (step S27). If the selection information is a selection to continue printing (step S27: Yes), the control unit 110 transmits, via the communication unit 20, a command signal for prompting the display of a selection screen to confirm whether the user who continues printing is the same user to the user terminal 2.

[0110] The control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 causes the output unit 57 to display a selection screen for whether to continue printing on the screen. When an option displayed on the screen is touched by the user, the control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 receives selection information on whether to continue printing. The control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 causes the selection information to be transmitted to the printing device 1 via the communication unit 59.

[0111] The control unit 110 checks the selection information transmitted from the user terminal 2 (step S28). When the user who continues to print is the same user (step S28: Yes), the control unit 110 causes the process to proceed to step S22. As a result, the user can omit processes such as setting measurement parameters and print nail designs on the nails 5a of other fingers 5.

[0112] On the other hand, when the user who continues to print is not the same person (step S28: No), the control unit 110 causes the process to proceed to step S10. As a result, the control unit 110 can perform printing processing from setting measurement parameters for a new user. Next, the case of No in step S27 will be described. When the input of the selection is a selection to end without continuing printing (step S27: No), the printing process is ended. In the present embodiment, the processes from step S19 to S28 shown in FIG. 14 are performed by the control unit 110 of the printing device 1, but may be performed by the control unit 70 of the user terminal 2.

[0113] The printing device 1 configured as described above includes a control unit 110 that acquires biological information related to blood flow and determines a nail design to be presented to the user based on the acquired biological information.

[0114] As a result, in the printing device 1 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to present a nail design more suitable for the physical and mental state of the user.

[0115] Further, the control unit 110 acquires biological information based on information regarding an image obtained by imaging at least a part of the body. The biological information is a video pulse wave.

[0116] As a result, the printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment can acquire biometric information without contact with the user.

[0117] Also, biometric information is acquired based on information regarding an image obtained by imaging the user's finger.

[0118] As a result, the printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment can perform pulse wave measurement using an image obtained by a camera provided in the nail printer, leading to weight reduction and cost reduction by reducing the number of parts of the nail printer. Further, the printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment can perform pulse wave measurement in conjunction with nail design printing by the nail printer. Thereby, the printing apparatus 1 can reduce the time and labor required for pulse wave measurement. Furthermore, the portion of the nail printer on which the finger is placed is a location where external light or the like, which is a factor of noise in the video pulse wave, does not enter. Therefore, the printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment can reduce noise in the image for pulse wave measurement.

[0119] Also, the control unit 110 determines a blood circulation state based on the biometric information and determines a nail design to be presented to the user based on the determined blood circulation state.

[0120] As a result, the printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment can provide a nail design according to the blood circulation state of the user. For example, the printing apparatus 1 can provide a nail design representing the blood circulation state of the user. The printing apparatus 1 can make the nail design a calming color when the user has poor blood circulation, or make the nail design a bright color when the user has good blood circulation, enabling the user to recognize their physical and mental state.

[0121] Also, the control unit 110 determines the user's tension state based on the biometric information and determines a nail design to be presented to the user based on the determined tension state.

[0122] As a result, the printing device 1 according to the present embodiment can provide a nail design according to the user's state of tension. For example, the printing device 1 can provide a nail design that suppresses the user's mood swings and balances them. When the user is in a tense state, the printing device 1 can use a calming color for the nail design, or when the user is in a relaxed state, it can use a bright color for the nail design, which can contribute to balancing the user's mood.

[0123] In addition, the control unit 110 determines the state of the heartbeat adjustment function based on the biological information, and determines the nail design to be presented to the user based on the determined state of the heartbeat adjustment function.

[0124] As a result, the printing device 1 according to the present embodiment can provide a nail design according to the state of the user's heartbeat adjustment function. For example, the printing device 1 can provide a nail design that represents the state of the user's heartbeat adjustment function. When the state of the user's heartbeat adjustment function is poor, the printing device 1 can use a calming color for the nail design, or when the state of the user's heartbeat adjustment function is good, it can use a bright color for the nail design, which can enable the user to recognize their physical and mental state.

[0125] In addition, the control unit 110 determines the state of the blood pressure (high or low) based on the biological information, and determines the nail design to be presented to the user based on the determined state of the blood pressure.

[0126] As a result, the printing device 1 according to the present embodiment can provide a nail design according to the state of the blood pressure. For example, the printing device 1 can provide a nail design that represents the state of the user's blood pressure. For example, when the user's blood pressure is low, the printing device 1 can use a calming color for the nail design, or when the user's blood pressure is high, it can use a bright color for the nail design, which can enable the user to recognize their physical and mental state.

[0127] In addition, in the printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, a group consisting of a plurality of nail designs is preset, and the control unit 110 determines a group as the nail design to be presented to the user based on the biological information.

[0128] Thereby, the printing apparatus 1 can shorten the time for determining the nail design to be presented to the user.

[0129] [Modification Example] Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications, improvements, etc. within the scope that can achieve the object of the present invention are included in the present invention. For example, the above-described embodiment can be modified to be a modification example as exemplified below. Also, modification examples as exemplified below can be combined.

[0130] <First Modification Example> In the above-described embodiment, the printing apparatus 1 calculates biological information such as LF / HF, standard deviation of FFI, variation rate of Lorentz plot, variation rate of pulse rate, variation rate of PA, variation rate of baseline, CVRR, and strain time, but is not limited thereto. For example, in a configuration with an added cuff for pressing a finger, by performing pulse wave measurement when the finger is pressed and when the finger is not pressed, it is possible to calculate the blood volume from the pulse wave information before and after finger compression. Thereby, the printing apparatus 1 can present a nail design according to the blood volume to the user.

[0131] The hardware configuration of the printing apparatus 1 according to the first modification example will be described with reference to FIG. 15. Note that components that are common or similar to those already described may be given the same name and detailed description may be omitted. FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the printing apparatus 1 according to the first modification example of the present invention.

[0132] The printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is a computer including a CPU 11, a ROM 12, a RAM 13, a bus 14, an input / output interface 15, an imaging unit 16, an input unit 17, an output unit 18, a storage unit 19, a communication unit 20, a drive 21, a power supply unit 22, a printing unit 32, a pulse wave analysis unit 33, and a compression unit 34. Note that, for configurations that are common or similar to those already described, the same names may be used and detailed descriptions may be omitted.

[0133] The compression unit 34 includes a cuff 34a formed of an elongated bag-shaped cloth shown in FIG. 16, and a pump unit (not shown) that sends air into the cuff 34a. FIG. 16 shows a state in which the cuff 34a is wound around the finger 5 placed on the finger placement table 32b in the printing unit 32 of the printing apparatus 1. The compression unit 34 can adjust the blood flow by expanding the cuff 34a to compress the blood vessels of the finger 5 by causing the pump unit to send air into the cuff 34a with the cuff 34a wound around the user's finger 5. Note that, in the present embodiment, the finger is compressed by sending air into the cuff 34a, but it is not limited to this. For example, the user's finger may be tied and compressed with a tube or the like.

[0134] Next, the functional configuration of the printing apparatus 1 according to the first modification will be described. FIG. 17 is a functional block diagram showing a part of the functional configuration of the printing apparatus 1 according to the first modification. A control unit 110 that performs various controls of the printing apparatus 1 according to the first modification is realized by a CPU 11 that executes arithmetic processing. The control unit 110 of the present embodiment includes an image processing unit (image processing function) 111, an output processing unit (output processing function) 112, an input processing unit (input processing function) 113, a data processing unit (data processing function) 114, a determination processing unit (determination processing function) 115, a communication processing unit (communication processing function) 116, a printing processing unit (printing processing function) 117, and a compression processing unit (compression processing function) 118. Note that, for configurations that are common or similar to those already described, the same names may be used and detailed descriptions may be omitted.

[0135] The compression processing unit 118 can execute control to drive the pump unit of the compression unit 34 according to a command to send air into the cuff 34a. For example, in this modification, when performing pulse wave measurement with the user's finger 5 being compressed, the compression processing unit 118 receives a command to start compression of the cuff 34a and drives the pump of the compression unit 34.

[0136] FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the difference in pulse wave measurement results depending on the presence or absence of compression of the cuff 34a. The upper diagram shows pulse wave measurement in a state where the finger 5 is not compressed, and the lower diagram shows pulse wave measurement in a state where the finger 5 is compressed.

[0137] Specifically, the left upper diagram is a diagram showing the state of measurement when performing pulse wave measurement of the finger 5 in a non-compressed state. The middle upper diagram is a diagram showing a state where the region of interest ROI and the pulse wave waveform are superimposed on the image of the finger 5 during pulse wave measurement in a non-compressed state. The right upper diagram is a graph showing the baseline when performing pulse wave measurement in a state where the finger 5 is not compressed. In the present embodiment, the measured baseline is used as the normal baseline, which is calculated by subtracting the red signal R1 from the green signal G1, resulting in G1 - R1.

[0138] Also specifically, the left lower diagram is a diagram showing the state of measurement when performing pulse wave measurement of the finger 5 after inflating the cuff 34a to compress the finger 5. The diagram of the cuff 34a with diagonal lines drawn indicates that the cuff 34a is in a compressed state. The middle lower diagram is a diagram showing a state where the region of interest ROI and the pulse wave waveform are superimposed on the image of the finger 5 during pulse wave measurement in a compressed state. The right lower diagram is a graph showing the baseline when performing pulse wave measurement in a state where the finger 5 is compressed. In the present embodiment, the baseline measured in the compressed state is used as the reference baseline, which is calculated by subtracting the red signal R from the green signal G, resulting in G - R.

[0139] As shown in the upper and lower left diagrams of FIG. 18, the pulse wave measurement performed by compressing the finger 5 is performed under the same conditions except for being compressed by the cuff 34a. Also, as can be seen by comparing the central diagrams in the upper and lower sections of FIG. 18, it can be seen that the amplitude of the video pulse wave in the central diagram of the lower section is smaller than that in the central diagram of the upper section. That is, it can be seen that the pulse wave amplitude becomes smaller when the finger 5 is compressed by the cuff 34a. As shown in the left diagrams in the upper and lower sections of FIG. 18, even when comparing the calculated baselines, the baseline G-R based on the pulse wave information in the compressed state is smaller.

[0140] In the present embodiment, the control unit 110 subtracts the baseline (G-R) obtained from the pulse wave measurement with compression from the normal baseline (G1-R1) obtained from the pulse wave measurement without compression, thereby calculating the increased blood volume at the time of pulse wave measurement with respect to the blood volume in the reference state.

[0141] Next, the specific processing of the first modification will be described. FIG. 19 is a part of a flowchart for explaining the flow of the printing process by the printing apparatus 1. Since steps S10 to S16 and steps S18 to S28 are common to one embodiment of the present invention, the flowchart and detailed description thereof are omitted.

[0142] The explanation will be made starting from step S16 in FIG. 13. The control unit 110 calculates various biological information from the acquired pulse wave information (step S16). Next, the generated biological information, for example, the calculated baseline (G1-R1), is saved (step S100). Next, the control unit 110 drives the pump in the compression unit 34 to introduce air into the cuff 34a wound around the finger 5 and starts compressing the finger 5 (step S101).

[0143] The control unit 110 acquires the compression value (pressure) in the cuff 34 from the compression unit 34, and checks whether the compression value exceeds a preset set value (step S102). When the pressure value exceeds the set value (step S102: Yes), the control unit 110 stops the operation of the pump in the compression unit 34 and stops the compression of the finger 5 (step S103). Next, the control unit 110 starts imaging the finger 5 by the imaging unit 16 and starts pulse wave measurement (step S104).

[0144] When the pulse wave measurement is completed (step S105: Yes), the control unit 110 releases the air in the pump in the compression unit 34 and releases the compression of the finger 5 (step S106). Various biological information is calculated from the pulse wave measured in steps S104 to S105 (step S107). Next, the control unit 110 transmits the calculated biological information and a command signal to the user terminal 2 via the communication unit 20 in order to display the calculated biological information on the screen of the output unit 57 of the user terminal 2 (step S108).

[0145] Based on the acquired biological information and command signal, the control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 displays the calculated biological information, for example, the information (G-R) of the calculated baseline, on the screen of the output unit 57.

[0146] Subsequently, the control unit 110 calculates the blood volume by subtracting the information (G-R) of the baseline calculated from the stored information (G1-R1) of the baseline (step S109). Next, the control unit 110 outputs the calculated various information and a command signal to the user terminal 2 via the communication unit 20 in order to display the calculated blood volume and the transition of the graph on the screen of the output unit 57 of the user terminal 2.

[0147] Based on the acquired various information and command signal, the control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 displays the calculated blood volume and the graph transition on the screen of the output unit 57 (step S110). Next, the control unit 110 transmits a command signal to the user terminal 2 to prompt the display of a selection screen for determining whether to end the print job for printing the nail design on the nail 5a.

[0148] When the control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 receives a command signal, it causes a selection screen to be displayed on the screen of the output unit 57 asking whether to end the print job. By touching the options displayed on the screen, the control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 receives the user's selection information. Also, the control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 transmits selection information on whether to end or continue the print job to the printing apparatus 1 via the communication unit 59.

[0149] Next, the control unit 110 has the communication unit 20 check the selection information (step S111). If the selection information is a selection not to end the print job (step S111: No), the control unit 110 stores the calculated biometric information in the storage unit 19 and shifts the process to step S18 (step S112). If the selection information is a selection to end the print job (step S111: Yes), the control unit 110 shifts the process to step S10. Thereafter, the same processing as described in the above embodiment with reference to FIG. 13 is executed.

[0150] As described above, in the printing apparatus 1 according to the first modification, in addition to one embodiment of the present invention, it has a configuration for pressing a finger. The printing apparatus 1 performs pulse wave measurement with and without pressing a finger and calculates the blood volume. Thereby, the printing apparatus 1 can present a nail design according to the blood volume as the mental and physical state of the user.

[0151] <Second Modification> In the first modification described above, the stop control of the pressing by the pressing unit 34 in the printing process (step S102 in FIG. 19) was compared and determined using a preset set value as a threshold value, but it is not limited to this. For example, control is also performed to stop when the noise included in the measured pulse wave becomes a certain level or more. As a method for determining the noise included in the pulse wave information, determination is made using the S / N value. Note that the printing apparatus 1 according to the second modification has the same configuration as the printing apparatus 1 according to the first modification, and detailed description thereof with the same name is omitted.

[0152] The specific processing of the second modification example will be described. FIG. 20 is a part of a flowchart for explaining the flow of the printing process by the printing apparatus 1. The flowchart of this modification example is a process in which steps S102 to S104 of the first modification example are replaced with steps S200 to S202, and the processing of other parts is common to the first modification example, so the flowchart and the detailed description are omitted.

[0153] First, the explanation will be made from step S101. The control unit 110 drives the pump in the compression unit 34 to introduce air into the cuff 34a wound around the finger 5 and starts compressing the finger 5 (step S101). Next, the control unit 110 starts imaging the finger 5 by the imaging unit 16 and starts pulse wave measurement (step S200). Next, the control unit 110 checks the S / N value of the acquired pulse wave information and the compression value (pressure) of the cuff 34a (step S201). If the S / N value is less than 0.3 or the compression value exceeds the set value (step S201: Yes), the control unit 110 stops the operation of the pump in the compression unit 34 and stops compressing the finger 5 (step S202). Thereafter, the same processing as the above-described modification example with reference to FIG. 19 is executed. Note that the threshold value of the S / N value is not limited to 0.3 and can be set according to each individual.

[0154] As described above, in the printing apparatus 1 according to the second modification example, when performing pulse wave measurement with and without finger compression and calculating the blood volume, the control of stopping compression is determined by looking at the amount of noise in the pulse wave information. Thereby, the printing apparatus 1 can perform pulse wave measurement more accurately and can present nail designs more accurately according to the physical and mental state of the user.

[0155] <Third Modification Example> In the above-described embodiment, pulse wave information was obtained by analyzing the image of a finger, but it is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 21, the printing apparatus 1 may capture an image of a face by a camera provided externally separately from the printing apparatus 1, and obtain pulse wave information by analyzing the image of the face. Note that the printing apparatus 1 according to the third modification example is the same as the embodiment except that the imaging unit 16 is provided outside the housing of the printing unit 32, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted with the same reference numerals. In addition, since the specific processing of this modification example is common to the above-described embodiment, the flowchart and the detailed description are omitted.

[0156] As described above, in the printing apparatus 1 according to the third modification example, pulse wave information is obtained from the image of the face, and biometric information is calculated. Thereby, the degree of freedom in the design of the printing apparatus 1 is increased. In this modification example, the printing apparatus 1 captures an image of the face, but it is not limited to this. For example, the part to be imaged may be the user's foot or arm. In this modification example, the printing apparatus 1 includes a camera, but imaging may be performed by a camera different from the imaging unit 16 that can be connected to the printing apparatus 1.

[0157] In the present embodiment, pulse wave information was obtained by analyzing the image of a finger, but it is not limited to this. For example, the pulse wave measurement may be a measurement using a sensor that combines a light emitting element and a light receiving element of infrared light, or a measurement using a method of detecting a change in the volume of an artery as a pressure change with a pressure sensor.

[0158] Also, in this embodiment, although a nail design to be downloaded from the nail design registration and distribution server to the user terminal 2 and presented to the user is determined, it is not limited to this. For example, the user terminal 2 may generate a nail design according to the estimated mental and physical state. Also, in this embodiment, although the nail design presented on the user terminal 2 is displayed and the user is allowed to select it, it is not limited to this. For example, the printing device 1 may be provided with a screen display function and a selection input function, and the printing device 1 may display the nail design presented on the screen and allow the user to select it. Also, in this embodiment, although the present invention is applied to the printing device 1, it is not limited to this. For example, the information processing device according to the present invention may be the user terminal 2 or a server. The printing device 1 according to this embodiment has performed a process of determining a nail design based on the acquired biological information by detecting video pulse waves and acquiring biological information from video pulse waves in addition to printing the nail design and acquiring an image of a part of the body. However, the process of determining the nail design may be performed on the user terminal 2 side or the server side.

[0159] That is, the nail system S includes a printing device 1 having an imaging unit 16 (acquisition unit) that acquires an image of at least a part of the user's body, a communication unit 20 capable of transmitting the image acquired by the imaging unit 16 to the outside, and a printing unit 32 capable of printing on the user's nails, and a user terminal 2 having a communication unit 59 capable of communicating with the printing device 1 and a control unit 70 that determines the user's biometric information based on an image of at least a part of the user's body and determines a nail design to be presented to the user based on the determined biometric information. In this configuration, the printing unit 32 prints on the user's nails based on the nail design received by the communication unit 20 from the communication unit 59. Note that in the above description, the imaging unit 16 is provided in the printing device 1, but it is not limited thereto. The imaging unit 16 may employ an imaging device separate from the printing device 1, or may employ a camera included in the user terminal 2. For example, when an imaging device separate from the printing device 1 is employed as the imaging unit 16, the imaging unit 16 may directly transmit information regarding the image to the user terminal 2 or directly to the server after acquiring an image of at least a part of the user's body. Also, when a camera included in the user terminal 2 is employed as the imaging unit 16, the imaging unit 16 may directly transmit information regarding the image to the server after acquiring an image of at least a part of the user's body, or without transmitting it to the server, the control unit 110 may directly determine the nail design based on the information related to the image by the user terminal 2 as it is.

[0160] The above-described series of processes can be executed by hardware or by software. In other words, the functional configuration of FIG. 4 is merely an example and is not particularly limited. That is, it is sufficient that the printing device 1 is provided with a function capable of executing the above-described series of processes as a whole, and the functional blocks used to realize this function are not particularly limited to the example of FIG. 4.

[0161] Also, one functional block may be composed of only hardware, only software, or a combination of them. The functional configuration in this embodiment is realized by a processor that executes arithmetic processing. Processors that can be used in this embodiment include those composed of various processing devices such as single processors, multi-processors, and multi-core processors, as well as combinations of these various processing devices and processing circuits such as ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) and FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array).

[0162] When a series of processes are to be executed by software, the program that constitutes the software is installed in a computer or the like from a network or a recording medium. The computer may be a computer incorporated in dedicated hardware. Also, the computer may be a computer capable of executing various functions by installing various programs, for example, a general-purpose personal computer.

[0163] A recording medium containing such a program is not only constituted by the removable medium 100 in Fig. 2 distributed separately from the apparatus main body to provide the program to the user, but also constituted by a recording medium or the like provided to the user in a state pre-installed in the apparatus main body. The removable medium 100 is constituted by, for example, a magnetic disk (including a floppy disk), an optical disk, or a magneto-optical disk. The optical disk is constituted by, for example, a CD-ROM (Compact Disk - Read Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), a Blu-ray (registered trademark) Disc (Blu-ray disk), etc. The magneto-optical disk is constituted by an MD (Mini-Disk), etc. Also, the recording medium provided to the user in a state pre-installed in the apparatus main body is constituted by, for example, the ROM 12 in Fig. 2 in which the program is recorded, a hard disk included in the storage unit 19 in Fig. 2, etc.

[0164] Note that in this specification, the steps of describing the program recorded on the recording medium include not only the processes performed in chronological order along that order, but also the processes that are not necessarily processed in chronological order and are executed in parallel or individually. Also, in this specification, the term "system" shall mean the overall apparatus constituted by a plurality of devices, a plurality of means, etc.

[0165] As described above, some embodiments of the present invention have been explained, but these embodiments are merely examples and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention. The present invention can take various other embodiments, and furthermore, various changes such as omission and substitution can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention described in this specification, etc., and are also included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalent scope.

[0166] The invention described in the claims of the present application at the time of original filing is appended below. [Appendix 1] An information processing apparatus comprising a processing unit that acquires biological information related to blood flow and determines a nail design to be presented to a user based on the acquired biological information. [Appendix 2] The information processing apparatus according to Appendix 1, wherein the processing unit acquires the biological information based on information regarding an image obtained by imaging at least a part of the body. [Appendix 3] The information processing apparatus according to Appendix 2, wherein the biological information is a video pulse wave. [Appendix 4] The information processing apparatus according to Appendix 2 or Appendix 3, wherein the processing unit acquires the biological information based on information regarding an image obtained by imaging a finger of the user. [Appendix 5] The information processing apparatus according to any one of Appendices 1 to 4, wherein the processing unit determines a blood circulation state based on the biological information and determines a nail design to be presented to the user based on the determined blood circulation state. [Appendix 6] The information processing apparatus according to any one of Appendices 1 to 5, wherein the processing unit determines a tension state of the user based on the biological information and determines a nail design to be presented to the user based on the determined tension state. [Appendix 7] The information processing apparatus according to any one of Appendices 1 to 6, wherein the processing unit determines a state of a heart rate adjustment function based on the biological information and determines a nail design to be presented to the user based on the determined state of the heart rate adjustment function. [Appendix 8] The information processing apparatus according to any one of Appendices 1 to 7, wherein the processing unit determines a state of high or low blood pressure based on the biological information and determines a nail design to be presented to the user based on the determined state of high or low blood pressure. [Appendix 9] A group consisting of a plurality of nail designs is preset. The processing unit is an information processing apparatus according to any one of Appendices 1 to 8 that determines the group as the nail design to be presented to the user based on the biological information. [Appendix 10] A printing device having a first communication unit capable of communicating with the outside and a printing unit capable of printing on a user's nail. An information processing apparatus including a second communication unit capable of communicating with the printing device, and a processing unit that determines the biological information of the user based on information regarding an image of at least a part of the user's body and determines a nail design to be presented to the user based on the determined biological information. The nail system is characterized in that the printing unit performs printing on the user's nail based on the nail design received by the first communication unit from the second communication unit. [Appendix 11] In a computer, A program that acquires biological information related to blood flow and executes a processing function of determining a nail design to be presented to the user based on the acquired biological information. [Appendix 12] A nail design selection method executed by an information processing apparatus, The nail design selection method includes a processing step of acquiring biological information related to blood flow and determining a nail design to be presented to the user based on the acquired biological information.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0167] 1 Printing device 2 User terminal 70 Control unit 110 Control unit

Claims

1. An information processing device comprising: a processing unit that acquires biometric information related to blood flow, and determines a nail design to be presented to a user based on the acquired biometric information.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing unit acquires the biometric information based on information relating to an image obtained by capturing an image of at least a part of a body.

3. 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the biological information is a video pulse wave.

4. 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the processing unit acquires the biometric information based on information relating to an image obtained by capturing an image of a user's finger.

5. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the processing unit determines a blood circulation state based on the biological information, and determines a nail design to be presented to the user based on the determined blood circulation state.

6. 6. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit determines a state of tension of the user based on the biological information, and determines a nail design to be presented to the user based on the determined state of tension.

7. 7. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit determines a state of a heart rate regulation function based on the biological information, and determines a nail design to be presented to the user based on the determined heart rate regulation function.

8. 8. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit determines whether a blood pressure state is high or low based on the biological information, and determines a nail design to be presented to the user based on the determined whether a blood pressure state is high or low.

9. Groups of multiple nail designs are predefined. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing unit determines the group as the nail design to be presented to the user based on the biometric information.

10. A printing device having a first communication unit capable of communicating with an external device and a printing unit capable of printing on a user's nail; an information processing device including a second communication unit capable of communicating with the printing device, and a processing unit that determines biometric information of the user based on information regarding an image of at least a part of the user's body, and determines a nail design to be presented to the user based on the determined biometric information; The nail system is characterized in that the printing unit performs printing on the user's nails based on the nail design received by the first communication unit from the second communication unit.

11. On the computer, A program that executes a processing function of acquiring biometric information related to blood flow and determining a nail design to be presented to a user based on the acquired biometric information.

12. A nail design selection method executed by an information processing device, A nail design selection method including a processing step of acquiring biological information related to blood flow, and determining a nail design to be presented to a user based on the acquired biological information.

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