Abdominal circumference estimation device and abdominal circumference estimation program

Abstract

To reduce the effort required for a subject to measure the abdominal circumference.SOLUTION: An information processing device includes: a thickness estimation unit that estimates the thickness of an abdominal part on the basis of Z-coordinate values of a surface of the abdominal part obtained from point-cloud data acquired from the front with respect to the abdominal part of the subject standing with his / her back to a wall and Z-coordinate values of a surface of a wall obtained from the point-cloud data; a width estimation unit that, together with the point-cloud data and using the estimated thickness of the abdominal part, estimates the width of the abdominal part; and an abdominal circumference calculation unit that calculates, as the subject's abdominal circumference, an ellipse perimeter length from the estimated thickness of the abdominal part and the estimated width of the abdominal part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to an abdominal circumference estimation device and an abdominal circumference estimation program for estimating the abdominal circumference of a subject. [Background technology]

[0002] Under the "Specific Health Checkups and Specific Health Guidance" that began in April 2008, eligibility for specific health guidance is determined based on the degree of abdominal obesity. To determine the degree of abdominal obesity, abdominal circumference is measured. Traditionally, abdominal circumference was measured using a tape measure. However, when "Specific Health Checkups and Specific Health Guidance" are conducted online, examinees must prepare a tape measure and wrap it around their own abdomen to measure their abdominal circumference. Preparing a tape measure and wrapping it around their own abdomen to measure is a time-consuming task for examinees, so reducing the labor required to measure abdominal circumference is an important factor in popularizing "Specific Health Checkups and Specific Health Guidance." Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] The purpose is to reduce the effort required for subjects to measure their abdominal circumference. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] The information processing device according to this embodiment includes a thickness estimation unit that estimates the thickness of the abdomen based on the Z coordinate value of the abdominal surface obtained from point cloud data acquired from the front of the abdomen of a subject with their back to a wall and the Z coordinate value of the wall surface obtained from the point cloud data; a width estimation unit that estimates the width of the abdomen using the estimated abdominal thickness together with the point cloud data; and an abdominal circumference calculation unit that calculates the perimeter of an ellipse as the abdominal circumference of the subject from the estimated abdominal thickness and the estimated abdominal width. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0005] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 shows an example of an abdominal circumference estimation system including an information processing device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the position of the portable information processing terminal relative to the subject when acquiring point cloud data in the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a side view showing the posture of the subject when acquiring point cloud data in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a guide screen displayed on the portable information processing terminal in the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a hardware configuration diagram of the information processing device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a functional configuration diagram of the information processing device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a supplementary diagram for explaining the umbilicus identification processing unit and thickness estimation processing unit in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a supplementary diagram for explaining the width estimation processing unit of FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the abdominal circumference estimation process performed by the information processing device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a gap information management table stored in the storage device of FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a body type information input screen displayed on the portable information processing terminal in the first embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a plan view showing the position of the portable information processing terminal with respect to the subject when acquiring point cloud data in the second embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a guide screen displayed on the portable information processing terminal in the second embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a supplementary diagram for explaining the thickness estimation process by the information processing device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 15]FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the procedure of an abdominal circumference estimation process performed by the information processing device according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0006] Hereinafter, a first embodiment and a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The information processing devices according to the first and second embodiments have a function of estimating the abdominal circumference of a subject using point cloud data relating to the abdomen of the subject. In the first embodiment, an example will be described in which the abdominal circumference estimation process is performed using one type of point cloud data relating to the front of the abdomen. In the second embodiment, an example will be described in which the abdominal circumference estimation process is performed using two types of point cloud data: point cloud data relating to the side of the abdomen and point cloud data relating to the front of the abdomen.

[0007] In the following description, components having substantially the same functions and configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be given only when necessary.

[0008] The information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 shows an example of an abdominal circumference estimation system including an information processing device 1 according to a first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the abdominal circumference estimation system includes an information processing device 1 according to the first embodiment (hereinafter simply referred to as the first information processing device 1) and multiple portable information processing terminals 2 owned by multiple subjects, each of which is connected to the first information processing device 1 via a network 9 such as the Internet. The portable information processing terminal 2 is an information processing terminal such as a smartphone or tablet, equipped with a 3D sensor 21 for acquiring point cloud data relating to the field of view. An application program for determining the degree of abdominal obesity is installed in the portable information processing terminal 2. Execution of the application program executes various processes related to the estimation of abdominal circumference. The various processes include a process for displaying a guide screen for acquiring point cloud data, a process for displaying an input screen for inputting body type information, a process for transmitting the point cloud data to the first information processing device 1, and a process for displaying the abdominal circumference estimated by the first information processing device 1.

[0009] The 3D sensor 21 typically includes a dot projector that projects an infrared beam onto a field of view, an infrared camera that receives the infrared beam projected from the dot projector and reflected by an object within the field of view, and a calculation processor that calculates the distance to the object from the time difference between when the infrared beam is projected and when it is received by the infrared camera. The 3D sensor 21 generates 3D point cloud data relating to the field of view by scanning the infrared beam horizontally and vertically. Of course, the 3D sensor 21 is not limited to the above-described time-of-flight (TOF) sensor, as long as it can acquire point cloud data relating to the object (the object's surface) in a non-contact manner. For example, the 3D sensor 21 may be a so-called stereo matching sensor that includes two cameras that simultaneously capture images of an object from different directions and calculate the distance to the object based on parallax information obtained from the captured images.

[0010] A method for acquiring point cloud data in the first embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 2, 3, and 4. Figure 2 is a plan view showing the position of the portable information processing terminal 2 with respect to the subject when acquiring point cloud data in the first embodiment. Figure 3 is a side view showing the posture of the subject 80 when acquiring point cloud data in the first embodiment. Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of a guide screen displayed on the portable information processing terminal 2 in the first embodiment.

[0011] 2 and 3, in order to estimate the thickness of the abdomen from one type of point cloud data relating to the front of the abdomen (hereinafter referred to as front data), the front data is acquired with the subject 80 in a position with his / her back against a wall 90. For example, the position with his / her back against the wall 90 means a position in which at least the back and buttocks are pressed against the wall 90.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 2, the subject 80 places the portable information processing terminal 2 at a position Pf in front of the abdomen of the subject 80, and performs an operation to acquire point cloud data using the three-dimensional sensor 21. At this time, it is desirable that a guide screen be displayed on the portable information processing terminal 2, which guides the subject 80 in the posture required to appropriately acquire point cloud data related to the front of the abdomen. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, a rectangular imaging frame 510 corresponding to the field of view of the three-dimensional sensor 21 is displayed on the guide screen 500. The imaging frame 510 displays a marker 511, which is a target for the subject 80 to align the position of the navel, a first guide line 513, which is a target for the subject 80 to align the vertical axis (midline) of the body, and a pair of second guide lines 514, 515, which are targets for the subject 80 to align the left and right ends of the abdomen. The portable information processing terminal 2 is placed at a position Pf in front of the abdomen of the subject 80, and its orientation is adjusted so that the navel of the subject 80 overlaps the marker 511, the midline overlaps the first guideline 513, and both left and right ends of the abdomen overlap the pair of second guidelines 514, 515. This sets a field of view range for the front of the abdomen of the subject 80 for the three-dimensional sensor 21. The three-dimensional sensor 21 scans the field of view range in the horizontal and vertical directions to generate point cloud data 100 (hereinafter referred to as front data 100) for the front of the abdomen of the subject 80. The front data 100 generated by the three-dimensional sensor 21 is transmitted from the portable information processing terminal 2 to the first information processing device 1 together with a request to calculate abdominal circumference.

[0013] Each of the multiple points included in the front data has coordinate information on the X axis, coordinate information on the Y axis, and coordinate information on the Z axis as information indicating its position in three-dimensional space. Here, the X axis is defined as an axis parallel to the horizontal direction in the field of view, the Y axis is defined as an axis parallel to the vertical axis in the field of view, and the Z axis is defined as an axis parallel to the depth direction (also referred to as the viewpoint direction) of the field of view. The origin of these coordinate axes is the viewpoint position of the three-dimensional sensor 21. In other words, the Z coordinate value of a point included in the front data corresponds to the distance in the depth direction from the three-dimensional sensor 21 and is also referred to as a depth value. In the front data, the X axis corresponds to the axis parallel to the width direction of the abdomen, the Y axis corresponds to the axis parallel to the height direction of the abdomen, and the Z axis corresponds to the axis parallel to the thickness direction of the abdomen.

[0014] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the information processing device 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the information processing device 1 serving as an abdominal circumference estimation device has a processor 11. A RAM 12, a ROM 13, a storage device 14, and a communication interface 17 are connected to the processor 11 via a system bus 10. The processor 11 is configured by, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The RAM 12 functions as the main memory, work area, etc. of the processor 11. The ROM 13 stores a BIOS (Basic Input Output System) and an operating system program (OS) executed by the processor 11. The storage device 14 stores an abdominal circumference estimation processing program for realizing the abdominal circumference estimation processing, and various data required for the abdominal circumference estimation processing. The various data required for the abdominal circumference estimation processing include point cloud data related to the front of the abdomen of the subject 80, a calculation formula for the circumference of an ellipse for calculating the abdominal circumference from the abdominal thickness and width, and the like. Various data such as the abdominal circumference estimation processing program stored in the storage device 14 may be recorded on a removable medium (non-temporary storage medium) such as a USB and distributed to the user, or may be distributed by being downloaded to the portable information processing terminal 2 via a network.

[0015] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration diagram of the information processing device 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the processor 11 executes an abdominal circumference estimation processing program stored in the storage device 14, thereby functioning as a receiving processing unit 111, a transmitting processing unit 112, a memory processing unit 113, a navel identification processing unit 114, a thickness estimation processing unit 115, a width estimation processing unit 116, and an abdominal circumference calculation processing unit 117.

[0016] The receiving processing unit 111 receives the frontal data together with the abdominal circumference calculation request from the portable information processing terminal 2 via the communication interface 17. The transmitting processing unit 112 transmits the abdominal circumference calculated by the abdominal circumference calculation processing unit 117 to the portable information processing terminal 2 via the communication interface 17. The frontal data is stored in the storage device 14 by the storage processing unit 113.

[0017] The navel identification processing unit 114 uses the front data to identify the center of the navel region of the subject 80 within the field of view. Details of the navel identification processing by the navel identification processing unit 114 will be described later.

[0018] The thickness estimation processing unit 115 uses the frontal data to estimate the thickness of the abdomen of the subject 80. The thickness estimation processing by the thickness estimation processing unit 115 will be described in detail later.

[0019] The width estimation processing unit 116 uses the frontal data and the thickness of the abdomen estimated by the thickness estimation processing unit 115 to estimate the width of the abdomen of the subject 80. The width estimation processing by the width estimation processing unit 116 will be described in detail later.

[0020] The abdominal circumference calculation processor 117 estimates the abdominal circumference of the subject 80 based on the abdominal thickness estimated by the thickness estimation processor 115 and the abdominal width estimated by the width estimation processor 116. Typically, the abdominal circumference is estimated by utilizing the fact that the cross-sectional shape of the abdomen is approximately elliptical. The abdominal circumference calculation processor 117 calculates the perimeter of the ellipse as the abdominal circumference of the subject 80, with the abdominal thickness as the minor axis of the ellipse and the abdominal width as the major axis of the ellipse.

[0021] Hereinafter, the navel identification process by the navel identification processor 114 and the thickness estimation process by the thickness estimation processor 115 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a supplementary diagram for explaining the navel identification processor 114 and the thickness estimation processor 115 in Fig. 6. First, the navel identification process performed by the navel identification processor 114 will be described. The navel identification processing unit 114 identifies the navel region that is recessed from the surroundings within the field of view based on the Z coordinate value obtained from the front data, and identifies the position coordinate value of the center point of the navel region based on the XY coordinate values ​​obtained from the front data.

[0022] For example, the center point of the navel region is identified using the following procedure. First, the navel identification processor 114 creates a line profile related to the Z coordinate value for each Y coordinate value. Next, the navel identification processor 114 calculates the difference between the Z coordinate values ​​of two adjacent points on the line profile, identifies two boundary points (first and second boundary points) where the absolute value of the difference is equal to or greater than a first threshold as the left and right end points of the abdomen, and identifies the point inside between the two boundary points on the line profile as a point corresponding to the abdominal region. Next, the navel identification processor 114 sequentially calculates the difference between the Z coordinate values ​​of two adjacent points on the line profile, moving from the first boundary point to the second boundary point, and identifies a first change point where the absolute value of the difference is equal to or greater than a second threshold and the polarity of the difference value changes. Similarly, the navel identification processor 114 sequentially calculates the difference between the Z coordinate values ​​of two adjacent points, moving from the second boundary point to the first boundary point, and identifies a second change point where the absolute value of the difference is equal to or greater than the second threshold and the polarity of the difference value changes. Then, the point between the two transition points on the line profile is identified as the point corresponding to the navel region. Finally, the navel identification processor 114 identifies the center point of the navel region from the multiple points corresponding to the navel region based on the XY coordinate values.

[0023] 7, the navel identification processor 114 calculates the difference in Z coordinate values ​​between two adjacent points on the line profile 101, and identifies two boundary points 101d and 101t where the absolute value of the difference is equal to or greater than a first threshold as the apparent left and right end points of the abdomen. The navel identification processor 114 calculates the difference in Z coordinate values ​​between two adjacent points on the line profile 101 from the first boundary point 101d to the second boundary point 101t, and identifies a first change point 101k where the absolute value of the difference is equal to or greater than a second threshold and where the polarity of the difference value changes. Similarly, the navel identification processor 114 calculates the difference in Z coordinate values ​​between two adjacent points on the line profile 101 from the second boundary point 101t to the first boundary point 101d, and identifies a second change point 101m where the absolute value of the difference is equal to or greater than the second threshold and where the polarity of the difference value changes. The navel identification processor 114 then identifies points 101k, 101l, and 101m between the two transition points 101k and 101m on the line profile as points corresponding to the navel region. By performing similar processing on the other line profiles, multiple points 101k, 101l, 101m, 102l, and 103l corresponding to the navel region are identified. The navel identification processor 114 then identifies the center point 101l of the navel region based on the X and Y coordinate values ​​of the multiple points 101k, 101l, 101m, 102l, and 103l corresponding to the navel region. For example, the navel identification processor 114 calculates an average value from the minimum and maximum X coordinate values ​​of each of the multiple points 101k, 101l, 101m, 102l, and 103l corresponding to the navel region, and an average value from the minimum and maximum Y coordinate values. Then, navel identification processor 114 identifies the point closest to the point represented by the average X coordinate value and the average Y coordinate value as the center point of the navel region. Of course, the center position of the navel region may be represented by the point represented by the average X coordinate value and the average Y coordinate value. Note that center point 101l of the navel region in Figure 7 corresponds to center point R of the navel region in Figure 8, and two boundary points 101d and 101t in Figure 7 correspond to points G and F at the left and right end points of the abdomen in Figure 8, respectively.

[0024] Next, the abdominal thickness estimation process performed by the thickness estimation processing unit 115 will be described. The thickness estimation processor 115 calculates the difference between the Z coordinate value of the abdominal surface obtained from the frontal data and the Z coordinate value of the surface of the wall 90 as the thickness of the abdomen. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the thickness estimation processor 115 performs processing similar to that of the navel identification processor 114 to identify the center point 101l of the navel region and point 101b corresponding to the surface of the wall 90. For example, points other than those between the two boundary points 101d and 101t on the line profile, that is, points outside the boundary points, are identified as points corresponding to the wall surface, and one of these, point 101b, is identified as the point corresponding to the surface of the wall 90. The absolute value (|Zb-Zl|) of the difference between the Z coordinate value Zl of the center point 101l of the navel region and the Z coordinate value Zb of point 101b corresponding to the surface of the wall 90 is then calculated as the thickness Dth of the abdomen. The Z coordinate value of the center point 101l of the navel region is an example of a Z coordinate value of the surface of the abdomen, and the Z coordinate value of the point 101b corresponding to the surface of the wall 90 is an example of a Z coordinate value of the wall surface.

[0025] Hereinafter, the abdominal width estimation process performed by width estimation processing unit 116 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 shows a horizontal cross section of the abdomen passing through the center point of the navel region. In FIG. 8, point C corresponds to the viewpoint of the three-dimensional sensor 21. Point R is the center point of the navel region, and corresponds to point 101l in FIG. 7. Point F is a point at the left end of the abdomen in the horizontal cross section passing through the center of the navel region, and corresponds to point 101t in FIG. 7. Point G is a point at the right end of the abdomen in the horizontal cross section passing through the center of the navel region, and corresponds to point 101d in FIG. 7. A roughly elliptical frame 80 shown by a dotted line represents the abdominal circumference of the actual subject 80.

[0026] For example, the width of the abdomen is estimated by the following procedure. First, width estimation processor 116 defines an ellipse as the cross section of the abdomen using the frontal data, assuming that the cross-sectional shape of the abdomen can be approximated by an ellipse. Specifically, width estimation processor 116 sets the center point of the ellipse to point O, which passes through center point R of the navel region from point C and is half the thickness Dth of the abdomen (in the depth direction) from center point R of the navel region. Then, ellipse A is defined as an ellipse that passes through point F, with the center point of the ellipse at point O, the major axis (line segment PQ) of the ellipse having length a, and the minor axis (line segment SR) of the ellipse having length b.

[0027] The width estimation processing unit 116 creates an equation of a tangent to the ellipse A, with the point F on the ellipse A as the tangent point. The equation of the tangent can be expressed as shown in Equation (1) using the length a of the major axis of the ellipse A, the length b of the minor axis of the ellipse A, the center point O (Xo, Zo) of the ellipse A, and the point F (Xf, Zf).

[0028]

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[0029]

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[0030]

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[0031] Hereinafter, the procedure of the abdominal circumference estimation process according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of abdominal circumference estimation processing by the information processing device 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 9, the reception processing unit 111 receives point cloud data (frontal data) acquired from the portable information processing terminal 2, the point cloud data being related to the abdomen of the subject 80, from the front (S11). The navel identification processing unit 114 identifies the center point of the navel region of the subject 80 based on the Z coordinate value obtained from the frontal data (S12). The thickness estimation processing unit 115 calculates the difference between the Z coordinate value of the center point of the navel region and the Z coordinate value of the wall region as the abdominal thickness of the subject 80 (S13). The width estimation processing unit 116 calculates the abdominal width of the subject 80 using the frontal data and the abdominal thickness calculated in step S13 (S14). The abdominal circumference calculation processing unit 117 calculates the perimeter of an ellipse as the abdominal circumference of the subject 80 from the abdominal thickness calculated in step S13 and the abdominal width calculated in step S14 (S15). The transmission processing unit 112 transmits the abdominal circumference calculated in step S15 to the portable information processing terminal 2 (S16). As a result of the processing in step S16, for example, the abdominal circumference is displayed on the portable information processing terminal 2 as the measurement result of the abdominal circumference.

[0032] According to the information processing device 1 of the first embodiment, the abdominal circumference of the subject 80 can be estimated using point cloud data (frontal data) acquired from the front of the abdomen of the subject 80 with his / her back to the wall 90. One feature that achieves this is that the cross-sectional shape of the abdomen can be approximated to an ellipse, and the abdominal circumference can be approximated to the circumference of the ellipse. The minor axis of the ellipse used to calculate the circumference of the ellipse corresponds to the thickness of the abdomen, and the major axis of the ellipse corresponds to the width of the abdomen. Therefore, the abdominal circumference can be estimated by calculation as long as the thickness and width of the abdomen are known. Another feature is that the subject 80 was made to stand with his / her back to the wall 90 when the point cloud data was acquired. In reality, point cloud data related to the front of the abdomen of the subject 80 who does not have his / her back to the wall 90 can estimate the abdominal width of the subject 80, but cannot estimate the abdominal thickness. This is because point cloud data related to the front of the abdomen of the subject 80 who does not have his / her back to the wall 90 does not include information related to the abdominal thickness. However, if the point cloud data is related to the front of the abdomen of the subject 80 standing with his / her back to the wall 90, the thickness of the abdomen can be estimated from the difference between the Z coordinate value (depth value) of a point corresponding to the surface of the abdomen and the Z coordinate value of a point corresponding to the surface of the wall. Due to the above two features, the subject 80 can obtain abdominal circumference measurement results from the information processing device 1 simply by placing the portable information processing terminal 2 equipped with the 3D sensor 21 in front of the subject 80 and inputting an instruction to acquire point cloud data to the portable information processing terminal 2. Because it is only necessary to scan the abdominal circumference using the 3D sensor 21 of the widely used portable information processing terminal 2, the subject 80 can easily obtain abdominal circumference results anytime and anywhere, compared to measuring abdominal circumference using a tape measure. Furthermore, the point cloud data needs to be acquired only once using the portable information processing terminal 2. As described above, the information processing device 1 according to the first embodiment can reduce the labor required for the subject 80 to measure abdominal circumference.

[0033] The method for identifying the center point of the navel region is not limited to the above. For example, a two-dimensional image representing the distribution of brightness values ​​corresponding to Z coordinate values ​​within the field of view may be created from the front data, and the center point of the navel region within the two-dimensional image may be identified based on the brightness values. Of course, the center point of the navel region may also be identified by creating a two-dimensional image representing the color distribution within the field of view from the front data, where each of the multiple points comprising the front data has XYZ position information as well as RGB color information, and then performing image processing such as pattern matching on the created two-dimensional image.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 3, when a subject 80 stands with his or her back to a wall, a gap of several centimeters may occur between the waist of the subject 80 and the wall 90. Therefore, the thickness estimation processing unit 115 may calculate the thickness of the abdomen by subtracting a value corresponding to the gap between the wall and the waist of the subject 80 from the difference between the Z coordinate value of the surface of the abdomen and the Z coordinate value of the surface of the wall. This allows for more accurate calculation of the abdominal circumference. The value corresponding to the gap between the wall and the waist of the subject 80 may be a fixed value or a variable value. If the value is a variable value, it is desirable that the value corresponding to the gap be determined based on body type information representing the body type of the subject 80. In this case, it is preferable that a gap information management table in which gaps are associated with body type information of the subject 80 is pre-stored in the storage device. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the gap information management table manages gender, age, height, weight, and gaps. The four items of gender, age, height, and weight are examples of body type information. The body type information may be composed of two items, height and weight, as long as it includes at least height and weight, or may be composed of three items, height, weight, and gender. Furthermore, the body type information may be composed of five or more items, including the above four items plus another item such as country name. The gaps managed in the gap information management table are the average gaps of multiple subjects 80 having corresponding body type information. As shown in FIG. 11 , the portable information processing terminal 2 displays a body type information input screen 400. The input screen 400 displays input boxes 401, 402, 403, and 404 corresponding to gender, age, height, and weight, respectively. When the user inputs the gender, age, height, and weight and operates the registration button 410, the body type information of the subject 80 is transmitted from the portable information processing terminal 2 to the first information processing device 1. The receiving processor 111 receives the body type information of the subject 80 from the portable information processing terminal 2 via the communication interface 17. The thickness estimation processing unit 115 refers to the gap information management table to identify a gap corresponding to the body type information of the subject 80, and calculates the abdominal thickness Dth by subtracting the identified gap from the difference between the Z coordinate value of the abdominal surface and the Z coordinate value of the wall surface. Of course, the gap may not be determined based on the body type information of the subject 80, but the subject 80 may directly determine the gap.For example, multiple options with different gaps may be displayed on the screen of the portable information processing terminal 2, and the gap corresponding to the option selected by the subject 80 may be used in the calculation, or an input box for inputting the gap may be displayed on the screen of the portable information processing terminal 2, and the gap input by the subject 80 may be used in the calculation.

[0035] The abdominal thickness calculation method described above assumes that the wall surface is perpendicular to the Z-axis (depth direction). However, even if the wall surface is not perpendicular to the Z-axis, the thickness estimation processor 115 can estimate the abdominal thickness using the frontal data. For example, the thickness estimation processor 115 extracts multiple points corresponding to the wall surface from multiple points included in the frontal data based on the Z coordinate values. Next, the thickness estimation processor 115 assumes that the equation of the two-dimensional plane corresponding to the wall surface is ax+by+cz+d=0 and derives coefficients a, b, c, and d that minimize the distance between the extracted multiple points and the two-dimensional plane. Finally, the thickness estimation processor 115 uses the center point of the navel region and the equation of the two-dimensional plane corresponding to the wall surface to calculate the abdominal thickness Dth as the distance (line segment RH) from the center point of the navel region (point R in FIG. 8) to the intersection point (point H in FIG. 8) of the two-dimensional plane and the perpendicular line drawn from the center point of the navel region to the two-dimensional plane.

[0036] In the abdominal circumference estimation process according to the first embodiment, the thickness and width of the abdomen are estimated using one type of measurement data, point cloud data (frontal data) acquired from the front of the abdomen, and the ellipse perimeter is calculated as the abdominal circumference from the estimated abdominal thickness and width. However, instead of estimating the abdominal thickness using the frontal data, the thickness of the abdomen may be estimated using point cloud data (side data) acquired from the side of the abdomen. In other words, the abdominal circumference may be estimated using two types of measurement data, point cloud data (frontal data) acquired from the front of the abdomen and point cloud data (side data) acquired from the side of the abdomen.

[0037] An information processing device 1′ according to the second embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 12 to 15. The only difference between the first and second embodiments is the method for estimating abdominal thickness. Therefore, the second embodiment will mainly be described with reference to the thickness estimation process, which is a difference from the first embodiment. Specifically, since the second embodiment requires acquisition of lateral data, acquisition of the lateral data will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13. Furthermore, the thickness estimation process performed by the thickness estimation processing unit 115 of the information processing device 1′ according to the second embodiment (hereinafter simply referred to as the second information processing device 1′) will be described with reference to FIG. 14. Then, the procedure for abdominal circumference estimation processing performed by the second information processing device 1′ will be described with reference to FIG. 15. Note that the second information processing device 1′ has the same hardware configuration as the first information processing device 1 shown in FIG. 5, and therefore its description will be omitted. Similarly, the second information processing device 1 has the same functional configuration as the first information processing device 1 shown in FIG. 6. However, since the processing performed by the thickness estimation processing unit 115 is different, the details of the thickness estimation processing unit 115 will be described later, and descriptions of the other components will be omitted.

[0038] Hereinafter, a method for acquiring point cloud data in the second embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 12 and 13. Fig. 12 is a plan view showing the position of the portable information processing terminal 2 with respect to the subject 80 when acquiring point cloud data in the abdominal circumference estimation process according to the second embodiment. The point cloud data is acquired by the portable information processing terminal 2 held by the subject 80. As shown in Fig. 12, the subject 80 is placed at a position Pf in front of the abdomen of the subject 80, and an operation for acquiring point cloud data is performed using the three-dimensional sensor 21. The subject 80 is also placed at a position Ps to the side of the abdomen of the subject 80, and an operation for acquiring point cloud data is performed using the three-dimensional sensor 21. At this time, the portable information processing terminal 2 In this case, it is desirable to display a guidance screen that guides the subject 80 in the correct posture so that point cloud data relating to the front and side of the abdomen can be appropriately acquired.

[0039] 13, when acquiring frontal data, a first guide screen 500 is displayed on the portable information processing terminal 2, and when acquiring side data, a second guide screen 600 is displayed on the portable information processing terminal 2. The first guide screen 500 corresponds to the guide screen 500 in FIG. 4, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. The second guide screen 600 displays a rectangular imaging frame 610 corresponding to the field of view of the three-dimensional sensor 21. The imaging frame 610 displays a first guide line 611, which is a target for the subject 80 to align with a horizontal plane passing through the navel, a second guide line 613, which is a target for the subject 80 to align with the vertical axis (center line) of the body, and a pair of third guidelines 614, 615, which are targets for the subject 80 to align with both the front and rear ends of the abdomen. The portable information processing terminal 2 is placed at a position Ps lateral to the abdomen of the subject 80, and its orientation is adjusted so that the navel of the subject 80 is aligned with the first guideline 611, the vertical axis of the body is aligned with the second guideline 613, and the left and right end points of the abdomen are aligned with the pair of third guidelines 614, 615. This sets a field of view range for the side of the abdomen of the subject 80 for the three-dimensional sensor 21. The three-dimensional sensor 21 scans the field of view range to generate point cloud data 200 (side data 200) for the side of the abdomen of the subject 80 placed within the field of view range. The side data 200 generated by the three-dimensional sensor 21 is transmitted from the portable information processing terminal 2 to the second information processing device 1′ together with a request to calculate an abdominal circumference.

[0040] Each of the multiple points included in the front data and side data has coordinate information on the X axis, coordinate information on the Y axis, and coordinate information on the Z axis, which indicate its position in three-dimensional space. Here, the X axis is defined as an axis parallel to the horizontal direction in the field of view, the Y axis is defined as an axis parallel to the vertical axis in the field of view, and the Z axis is defined as an axis parallel to the depth direction (also referred to as the viewpoint direction) of the field of view. The origins of these coordinate axes are defined as the viewpoint position of the three-dimensional sensor 21. In other words, the Z coordinate value of a point included in the front data and side data corresponds to the distance from the three-dimensional sensor 21. In the front data, the X axis corresponds to the axis parallel to the width direction of the abdomen, the Y axis corresponds to the axis parallel to the height direction of the abdomen, and the Z axis corresponds to the axis parallel to the thickness direction of the abdomen. In the side data, the X axis corresponds to the axis parallel to the thickness direction of the abdomen, the Y axis corresponds to the axis parallel to the height direction of the abdomen, and the Z axis corresponds to the axis parallel to the width direction of the abdomen. To distinguish between the XYZ axes in the front data and the XYZ axes in the side data, the X, Y, and Z axes in the front data are written as the X1-axis, Y1-axis, and Z1-axis, respectively, and the X, Y, and Z axes in the side data are written as the X2-axis, Y2-axis, and Z2-axis, respectively.

[0041] The abdominal thickness estimation process performed by the thickness estimation processor 115 will be described below with reference to FIG. 14. The thickness estimation processor 115 estimates the abdominal thickness of the subject 80 using the lateral data. For example, the abdominal thickness is estimated using the following procedure. First, the thickness estimation processor 115 creates a line profile related to Z coordinate values ​​corresponding to the Y coordinate value of the center point of the navel region. Next, the thickness estimation processor 115 calculates the difference between the Z coordinate values ​​of two adjacent points on the line profile related to Z coordinate values, and identifies two boundary points where the absolute value of the difference is equal to or greater than a first threshold. Finally, the thickness estimation processor 115 calculates the abdominal thickness based on the X coordinate values ​​of each of the two identified boundary points.

[0042] 14, the thickness estimation processor 115 creates a Z-coordinate value line profile 201 whose Y2-axis coordinate value is Yr, sequentially calculates the difference in Z-coordinate values ​​between two adjacent points on the line profile 201, and identifies two boundary points 201g, 201p where the absolute value of the difference is equal to or greater than a first threshold as the anterior and posterior abdominal endpoints. The absolute value of the difference (Xg-Xp) between the X2 coordinate value Xg of the anterior abdominal endpoint 201g and the posterior abdominal endpoint Xp is estimated as the abdominal thickness Dth.

[0043] Hereinafter, the procedure of the abdominal circumference estimation process according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of abdominal circumference estimation processing by the information processing device 1 according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 15, the reception processing unit 111 receives point cloud data (frontal data) acquired from the front of the abdomen of the subject 80 and point cloud data (side data) acquired from the side of the abdomen of the subject 80 from the portable information processing terminal 2 (S21). The navel identification processing unit 114 identifies the center point of the navel region of the subject 80 based on the Z coordinate value obtained from the frontal data (S22). The thickness estimation processing unit 115 estimates the thickness of the abdomen of the subject 80 based on the Z coordinate value obtained from the side data (S23). The width estimation processing unit 116 calculates the width of the abdomen of the subject 80 using the frontal data and the abdominal thickness estimated in step S23 (S24). Abdominal circumference calculation processing unit 117 calculates the perimeter of an ellipse as the abdominal circumference of subject 80 from the abdominal thickness estimated in step S23 and the abdominal width calculated in step S24 (S25). Transmission processing unit 112 transmits the abdominal circumference calculated in step S25 to portable information processing terminal 2 (S26). As a result of the processing of step S26, for example, portable information processing terminal 2 displays the abdominal circumference as the measurement result of the abdominal circumference.

[0044] According to the information processing device 1 of the second embodiment, the abdominal circumference of the subject 80 can be estimated using point cloud data (frontal data) acquired from the front of the abdomen of the subject 80 and point cloud data (side data) acquired from the side of the abdomen of the subject 80. One feature that achieves this is that the cross-sectional shape of the abdomen can be approximated to an ellipse, and the abdominal circumference can be approximated to the circumference of the ellipse. The minor axis of the ellipse used to calculate the circumference of the ellipse corresponds to the thickness of the abdomen, and the major axis of the ellipse corresponds to the width of the abdomen. Therefore, the abdominal circumference can be estimated by calculation as long as the thickness and width of the abdomen are known. This feature allows the subject 80 to obtain an estimated abdominal circumference from the information processing device 1 simply by scanning the front and side of the abdomen with the 3D sensor 21 installed in the portable information processing terminal 2. Because it is only necessary to acquire the abdominal circumference using the widely available portable information processing terminal 2, the subject 80 can easily acquire the abdominal circumference anytime and anywhere, compared to measuring the abdominal circumference using a tape measure. Therefore, the information processing device 1 according to the second embodiment can reduce the effort required for the subject 80 to measure the abdominal circumference.

[0045] In the first embodiment, the front data had to be acquired with the back to the wall 90, but in the second embodiment, there is no such restriction on the location. Therefore, from the viewpoint of not having to choose the location from which point cloud data is acquired, the second embodiment is superior to the first embodiment. On the other hand, in the first embodiment, the subject 80 only had to perform one operation to acquire the front data, but in the second embodiment, the subject 80 must perform two operations, one to acquire the front data and one to acquire the side data. Therefore, from the viewpoint of the effort required to acquire point cloud data, the first embodiment is superior to the second embodiment.

[0046] In the second embodiment, the side data was used to estimate the thickness of the abdomen as the absolute value of the difference in X-coordinate values ​​between the end point corresponding to the anterior end of the abdomen and the end point corresponding to the posterior end of the abdomen. However, as described in FIG. 10 of the first embodiment, the absolute value of the difference in X-coordinate values ​​between the end point corresponding to the anterior end of the abdomen and the end point corresponding to the posterior end of the abdomen may be corrected based on the user's body type information, and the corrected result may be estimated as the thickness of the abdomen. For example, the absolute value of the difference may be multiplied by a coefficient (coefficient of 1 or more) according to the user's body type information to determine the thickness of the abdomen, or the absolute value of the difference may be added to a correction value (correction value of 0 or more) according to the user's body type information to determine the thickness of the abdomen.

[0047] As described in the first and second embodiments, one feature of the present invention is that the cross-sectional shape of the abdomen can be approximated by an ellipse. The ellipse perimeter is calculated using point cloud data related to the abdomen, and the calculated ellipse perimeter is used as the abdominal circumference. To calculate the ellipse perimeter, the point cloud data related to the abdomen is used to estimate the abdominal width as the major axis of the ellipse, and the abdominal thickness as the minor axis of the ellipse. Therefore, as long as point cloud data related to the abdomen is used, the method for estimating the abdominal width and abdominal thickness is not limited to the embodiments. For example, the method for estimating the abdominal thickness in the second embodiment can be used for estimating the abdominal width in the first and second embodiments. As shown in FIG. 7 , the width estimation processing unit 116 may use the frontal data to identify an end point Xt corresponding to the left end of the abdomen and an end point Xd corresponding to the right end of the abdomen, and estimate the abdominal width Dwi as the absolute value of the difference (Xt - Xd) between the X-coordinate value Xt of the end point Xt corresponding to the left end of the abdomen and the end point Xd corresponding to the right end of the abdomen.

[0048] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as within the scope of the invention described in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1...information processing device, 2...portable information processing terminal, 3...abdominal circumference estimation system, 9...network, 10...system bus, 11...processor, 12...RAM, 13...ROM, 14...memory unit, 17...communication I / F (communication interface), 21...3D sensor, 111...receiving processing unit, 112...transmitting processing unit, 113...memory processing unit, 114...navel identification processing unit, 115...thickness estimation processing unit, 116...width estimation processing unit, 117...abdominal circumference calculation processing unit.

Claims

1. a thickness estimation unit that estimates a thickness of the abdomen based on a Z coordinate value of a surface of the abdomen obtained from point cloud data acquired from the front of the abdomen of a subject with their back to a wall, and a Z coordinate value of a surface of the wall obtained from the point cloud data; a width estimation unit that estimates a width of the abdomen using the point cloud data and the estimated thickness of the abdomen; an abdominal circumference calculation unit that calculates an ellipse perimeter as the abdominal circumference of the subject from the estimated abdominal thickness and the estimated abdominal width; An information processing device comprising:

2. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the thickness estimation unit calculates the difference between a Z coordinate value of the surface of the abdomen and a Z coordinate value of the surface of the wall as the thickness of the abdomen.

3. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the thickness estimation unit calculates the thickness of the abdomen as a value obtained by subtracting a value corresponding to the gap between the wall and the subject's waist from the difference between the Z coordinate value of the surface of the abdomen and the Z coordinate value of the surface of the wall.

4. 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the corresponding value is a variable value that varies depending on at least height and weight.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the corresponding value is a fixed value.

6. a navel identification unit that identifies a center of an navel region of the subject based on a Z coordinate value profile obtained from the point cloud data, The width estimation unit In a horizontal cross section passing through the center of the specified navel region, an ellipse is defined, with its center point being a point that passes through the center of the specified navel region from the viewpoint of the point cloud data and is 1 / 2 the distance of the estimated thickness of the abdomen, and the ellipse passes through an end point on the left or right side of the abdomen obtained from the point cloud data, and has a length of the minor axis that is the estimated thickness of the abdomen; generating an equation of a tangent to the ellipse with the endpoint as a tangent point and an equation of a straight line connecting a viewpoint of the point cloud data and the endpoint, using the length of the minor axis of the ellipse and the length of the major axis of the ellipse as variables; 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the equation of the tangent and the equation of the straight line are set as simultaneous equations, and the estimated value of the abdominal thickness is substituted for the length of the minor axis of the ellipse, thereby calculating the length of the major axis of the ellipse as the abdominal width.

7. a thickness estimation unit that estimates a thickness of the abdomen of the subject using first point cloud data acquired from a lateral side of the abdomen; a width estimation unit that estimates a width of the abdomen using second point cloud data acquired from the front of the abdomen; an abdominal circumference calculation unit that calculates an ellipse perimeter as the abdominal circumference of the subject from the estimated abdominal thickness and the estimated abdominal width; An information processing device comprising:

8. a navel identification unit that identifies a center of an navel region of the subject based on a Z coordinate value profile obtained from the second point cloud data, 8. The information processing device according to claim 7, wherein the thickness estimation unit identifies left and right endpoints at which the Z value of the first point cloud data changes by more than a threshold value in a horizontal cross section passing through the center of the identified navel region, and calculates a distance between the left and right endpoints as the abdominal thickness of the subject.

9. a navel identification unit that identifies the center of the navel region of the subject based on a change in brightness of image data captured from the front of the abdomen of the subject, 8. The information processing device according to claim 7, wherein the thickness estimation unit identifies left and right endpoints at which the Z value of the first point cloud data changes by more than a threshold value in a horizontal cross section passing through the center of the identified navel region, and calculates a distance between the left and right endpoints as the abdominal thickness of the subject.

10. Computer, means for estimating a thickness of the abdomen based on Z coordinate values ​​of a surface of the abdomen obtained from point cloud data acquired from a frontal view of the abdomen of a subject with their back to a wall, and Z coordinate values ​​of a surface of the wall obtained from the point cloud data; means for estimating a width of the abdomen using the point cloud data and the estimated thickness of the abdomen; a program that functions as a means for calculating an ellipse circumference as the abdominal circumference of the subject from the estimated abdominal thickness and the estimated abdominal width.

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