Condition improvement system, condition improvement method, condition improvement device, and condition improvement program

Abstract

The aim is to provide information on places where users can improve their condition. [Solution] A state improvement system including a terminal device and a state improvement device connected to the terminal device via a network, wherein the state improvement device has an input receiving unit that receives input of biometric information obtained from a user linked to the terminal device and environmental information of multiple locations, and an output unit that, when it is determined that the user's state estimated based on the biometric information is a state requiring improvement, outputs to the terminal device improvement environment information stored in a storage unit and information of a location to improve the user's state selected based on the environmental information of multiple locations, and the terminal device displays the information of a location to improve the user's state obtained from the state improvement device on a display device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a state improvement system, a state improvement method, a state improvement device, and a state improvement program.

Background Art

[0002] For example, an area-by-area environment providing system for providing an environment for each of a plurality of areas, which detects the arousal level of individuals or the like belonging to each area and provides a preferable environment for each area based on the arousal level and a preferable arousal level determined according to the work content of the individuals or the like, has been conventionally known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The above-described conventional technology provides an environment in which the arousal level of an individual or the like becomes a preferable arousal level determined according to the work content of the individual or the like, and does not consider providing information on a place for improving an individual's state.

[0005] The present disclosure aims to provide information on a place for improving a user's state.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The disclosed technology is a state improvement system including a terminal device and a state improvement device connected to the terminal device via a network, wherein the state improvement device includes an input receiving unit that receives input of biometric information obtained from a user linked to the terminal device and environmental information of multiple locations, and an output unit that, when it is determined that the user's state estimated based on the biometric information is a state requiring improvement, outputs to the terminal device improvement environment information stored in a storage unit and information of the location that improves the user's state, selected based on the environmental information of the multiple locations, the terminal device displays the information of the location that improves the user's state, obtained from the state improvement device, on a display device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] It can provide information on places where the user's condition can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of the system configuration of the condition improvement system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of the hardware configuration of a condition improvement device. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of an improved environment database according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of the environment database in the first embodiment. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of a user database in the first embodiment. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of the history database in the first embodiment. [Figure 7] This diagram illustrates an example of the functions of each device in the first embodiment of the condition improvement system. [Figure 8] This is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the first embodiment of the condition improvement system. [Figure 9] This is the first figure showing an example of the display of the terminal device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10]This flowchart illustrates an example of the processing performed by the state estimation unit and the necessity determination unit. [Figure 11] This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing in the location selection section. [Figure 12] This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing in the location selection section. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] (First embodiment) The first embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the system configuration of the condition improvement system of the first embodiment.

[0010] The condition improvement system 100 of this embodiment includes a condition improvement device 200, a terminal device 300, and an environmental information providing device 500. The condition improvement device 200, the terminal device 300, and the environmental information providing device 500 are connected via a network such as the Internet. The terminal device 300 may also communicate with a wearable terminal 400, for example, via Bluetooth®. The terminal device 300 acquires biometric information of the user linked to the terminal device 300 from the wearable terminal 400 and transmits it to the condition improvement device 200.

[0011] The wearable terminal 400 is worn, for example, by a user utilizing the condition improvement system 100. The wearable terminal 400 has a biosensor and acquires biometric information of the user wearing the wearable terminal 400 and transmits it to the terminal device 300. The biometric information in this embodiment includes, for example, information indicating the user's heart rate, pulse rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and body movement. The biometric information may also include information about the user's facial expression, facial temperature distribution, voice, blinking, and eye movements, which are linked to the terminal device 300. The information about the user's facial expression, facial temperature distribution, voice, blinking, and eye movements, which are linked to the terminal device 300, may be acquired based on a facial image of the user captured by the imaging device of the terminal device 300.

[0012] The terminal device 300 of the present embodiment is operated, for example, by a user who uses the state improvement system 100. The terminal device 300 may be, for example, a smartphone, a tablet computer, a notebook personal computer, or a desktop personal computer.

[0013] The environmental information providing device 500 of the present embodiment provides environmental information of a plurality of locations where the user can move to the state improvement device 200. The environmental information providing device 500 is, for example, a sensor that measures environmental information of a plurality of locations. The sensor measures environmental information such as the air environment, lighting environment, or sound environment of the location.

[0014] For example, a sensor that measures the air environment measures the temperature, humidity, or air flow of the location as environmental information. For example, a sensor that measures the lighting environment measures the illuminance of the location as environmental information. For example, a sensor that measures the sound environment measures the loudness of the sound audible at the location as environmental information.

[0015] The state improvement device 200 of the present embodiment includes an improvement environment DB (Database) 210, an environment DB 215, a user DB 220, a history DB 230, and a state improvement unit 240.

[0016] The improvement environment DB 210 is a database in which improvement environment information for improving the state of a user determined to be in a state requiring improvement is stored. The improvement DB 215 is a database in which environmental information of a plurality of locations where the user can move, provided from the environmental information providing device 500, is stored.

[0017] Also, the user DBs 220 is a database in which user information indicating the attributes of the user of the terminal device 300 is stored. Note that the user of the terminal device 300 is, in other words, the subject for whom it is determined whether state improvement is necessary based on biological information. The history DB 230 is a database in which history information indicating the history of processing by the state improvement unit 240 is stored for each user. The details of each database will be described later.

[0018] In this embodiment, the state improvement unit 240 estimates the user's state based on the user's biometric information acquired from the terminal device 300. Specifically, the state improvement unit 240 determines an index value indicating the degree of the user's state represented by each of several items that indicate the user's state, and estimates the user's state according to the index value of each item.

[0019] The status improvement unit 240 then determines whether the estimated user status requires improvement. If it determines that improvement is required, the status improvement unit 240 refers to the improvement environment DB 210 and selects improvement environment information from the improvement environment information stored in the improvement environment DB 210 to improve the user status.

[0020] The state improvement unit 240 refers to the environment DB 215 and selects at least one location from the environmental information of multiple locations accessible to the user obtained from the environmental information providing device 500 that approximates the improved environmental information that improves the user's state. The method for selecting the environmental information that approximates the improved environmental information is to use an existing method, such as a method that uses Euclidean distance to calculate the similarity between data.

[0021] The status improvement unit 240 outputs information about the selected location to the terminal device 300 and displays it on the terminal device 300. In this way, the status improvement unit 240 can provide the user with information about a location that can improve the user's status.

[0022] Furthermore, the status improvement unit 240 stores information including indicator values ​​for multiple items indicating the user's status, the results of estimating the user's status, the results of determining whether the user's status requires improvement, and the results of selecting a location to improve the user's status, as historical information in the history DB 230.

[0023] Thus, in this embodiment, it is determined whether the user's condition, estimated from biological information, requires improvement, and if it is determined that the condition requires improvement, information on a location to improve the user's condition is displayed on the terminal device 300. Therefore, according to this embodiment, information on a location to improve the user's condition can be provided to the user.

[0024] In the example shown in Figure 1, the terminal device 300 included in the condition improvement system 100 is set to one unit, but the number of terminal devices 300 included in the condition improvement system 100 is not limited to one unit and may be multiple units.

[0025] Furthermore, in the example shown in Figure 1, the state improvement device 200 has an improvement environment DB 210, an environment DB 215, a user DB 220, and a history DB 230, but is not limited to this. The improvement environment DB 210, environment DB 215, user DB 220, and history DB 230 may be partially or entirely provided in devices other than the state improvement device 200. Moreover, the state improvement device 200 may be implemented by multiple information processing devices. In other words, the functions of the state improvement unit 240 may be implemented by multiple information processing devices.

[0026] Next, with reference to Figure 2, the hardware configuration of the condition improvement device 200 of this embodiment will be described. Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the condition improvement device.

[0027] The condition improvement device 200 in this embodiment includes a processor 201, memory 202, auxiliary storage device 203, I / F (Interface) device 204, communication device 205, and drive device 206. The hardware components included in the condition improvement device 200 are interconnected via a bus 207.

[0028] The processor 201 has various computing devices such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The processor 201 reads various programs (for example, state improvement programs, etc.) into memory 202 and executes them.

[0029] Memory 202 has main memory devices such as ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory). The processor 201 and memory 202 form a so-called computer, and the computer realizes the various functions described above by the processor 201 executing various programs read from memory 202.

[0030] The auxiliary storage device 203 stores various programs and various information used when those programs are executed by the processor 201. For example, the improvement environment DB 210, environment DB 215, user DB 220, and history DB 230 are implemented by the auxiliary storage device 203.

[0031] The I / F device 204 is a connection device that connects to the operating device 261, the display device 262, etc. The I / F device 204 receives operations from the administrator (not shown) of the status improvement device 200 via the operating device 261. The I / F device 204 also outputs the processing results and presents them to the administrator of the status improvement device 200 via the display device 262. The communication device 205 is a communication device for communicating with the external device 265 via the network 264.

[0032] The drive device 206 is a device for setting the recording medium 263. The recording medium 263 includes media that record information optically, electrically, or magnetically, such as CD-ROMs, flexible disks, and magneto-optical disks. The recording medium 263 may also include semiconductor memory that records information electrically, such as ROMs and flash memory.

[0033] The various programs to be installed in the auxiliary storage device 203 are installed, for example, when the distributed recording medium 263 is set in the drive device 206, and the various programs recorded on the recording medium 263 are read by the drive device 206. The various programs to be installed in the auxiliary storage device 203 may also be installed by downloading them from the network 264 via the communication device 205. The hardware configuration of the terminal device 300 may be the same as in Figure 2, so its explanation is omitted.

[0034] Referring to Figures 3 to 6, the databases of the condition improvement device 200 of this embodiment will be described.

[0035] Figure 3 shows an example of the improvement environment DB of the first embodiment. The improvement environment DB 210 of this embodiment is stored in advance by the administrator of the condition improvement device 200 in the auxiliary storage device 203 of the condition improvement device 200, or in an external device 265 that can be read by the condition improvement device 200 via the network 264.

[0036] As shown in Figure 3, the improvement environment DB210 of this embodiment may be provided for each of the multiple items indicating the user's state. More specifically, the improvement environment DB210 may be provided for each of the multiple items indicating the user's state that is subject to the determination of whether improvement is necessary. In the example in Figure 3, among the multiple items indicating the user's state, fatigue, tension, drowsiness, concentration, and relaxation are shown as items that are subject to the determination of whether improvement is necessary.

[0037] In Figure 3, the Improvement Environment DB210 corresponding to the item "Fatigue" is designated as Improvement Environment DB210-1. The Improvement Environment DB210 corresponding to the item "Tension" is designated as Improvement Environment DB210-2. The Improvement Environment DB210 corresponding to the item "Drowsiness" is designated as Improvement Environment DB210-3. The Improvement Environment DB210 corresponding to the item "Concentration" is designated as Improvement Environment DB210-4. Furthermore, the Improvement Environment DB210 corresponding to the item "Relaxation" is designated as Improvement Environment DB210-5. In other words, the Improvement Environment DB210 includes Improvement Environment DB210-1, 210-2, 210-3, 210-4, and 210-5, which correspond to the items fatigue, tension, drowsiness, concentration, and relaxation, respectively, that indicate the state for which improvement is to be judged.

[0038] The improvement environment information stored in each of the improvement environment databases 210-1, 210-2, 210-3, 210-4, and 210-5 includes, as information items, an item indicating the user's status, an indicator value corresponding to the item, and an improvement environment associated with each indicator value, and these are all associated with each other.

[0039] For example, the Improvement Environment DB210-1 stores information about the improvement environment associated with the item "fatigue," along with an index value indicating the degree of fatigue. The improvement environment is information that describes the environment, such as the air environment, lighting environment, or sound environment, that improves the user's state of "fatigue."

[0040] The air environment refers to environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, or airflow in a location. The lighting environment refers to environmental conditions such as illuminance in a location. The sound environment refers to environmental conditions such as the loudness of sounds heard in a location.

[0041] Improvement Environment DB210-2 stores improvement environments associated with an index value indicating the degree of tension for the item "tension". Improvement Environment DB210-3 stores improvement environments associated with an index value indicating the degree of drowsiness for the item "drowsiness". Improvement Environment DB210-4 stores improvement environments associated with an index value indicating the degree of concentration for the item "concentration". Improvement Environment DB210-5 stores improvement environments associated with an index value indicating the degree of relaxation for the item "relaxation".

[0042] The Improvement Environment DB210 shown in Figure 3 is just one example of how improvement environment information can be stored. The improvement environment information in this embodiment is not limited to the example shown in Figure 3. For example, the improvement environment is not limited to the air environment, lighting environment, or sound environment shown in Figure 3, and it is sufficient to include at least one type of environment. In addition, the multiple items indicating the user's state may include "normal" as an item indicating a state that is not subject to the determination of whether improvement is necessary. Details of the item "normal" will be described later.

[0043] Figure 4 shows an example of the environment database in the first embodiment. The environment database 215 in this embodiment stores the environments of multiple locations that the user can move to, provided by the environment information providing device 500. As shown in Figure 4, the environment database 215 in this embodiment stores the environment for each of the multiple locations that the user can move to, from "Area 1" to "Area 5".

[0044] The environmental information stored in the environmental DB215 includes items indicating the location and the environment of the location, with each item being associated with another. The environment of the location is information indicating the environment, such as the air environment, lighting environment, or sound environment of the location. For example, the environment of the location is not limited to the air environment, lighting environment, or sound environment shown in Figure 4, and it is sufficient to include at least one type of environment. The environmental DB215 shown in Figure 4 is an example of how environmental information is stored. The environmental information in this embodiment is not limited to the example shown in Figure 4.

[0045] Figure 5 shows an example of a user database in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the user database 220 is stored in advance by the administrator of the status improvement device 200 in the auxiliary storage device 203 of the status improvement device 200, or in an external device 265 that the status improvement device 200 can read via the network 264.

[0046] User DB220 includes information items such as User ID, Name, Age, Occupation, Email Address, and Biometric Information Storage Location, with the "User ID" item being associated with the other items. In this embodiment, user information in User DB220 is information that includes the value of the "User ID" item and the values ​​of the other items. In other words, user information is information that indicates the user's attributes.

[0047] The value of the "User ID" field is an example of identification information used to identify the user of terminal device 300. The values ​​of the "Name," "Age," "Occupation," and "Email Address" fields indicate the name, age, occupation, and email address of the user identified by the User ID.

[0048] The value of the item "Biometric Information Storage Location" indicates the storage location of the biometric information obtained from the user identified by the user ID. The biometric information may be stored in a storage device such as the auxiliary storage device 203 of the state improvement device 200, or it may be stored in a storage device provided outside the state improvement device 200.

[0049] Note that Figure 5 is an example of user information showing user attributes. The information showing user attributes is not limited to the example shown in Figure 5. The information showing user attributes may include items other than those shown in Figure 5, or it may include some of the items shown in Figure 5. Specifically, User DB220 may include items that show user preferences, etc.

[0050] Figure 6 shows an example of the history database in the first embodiment. The history database 230 in this embodiment may be provided for each user, as shown in Figure 6. In addition, the history database 230 in this embodiment may accumulate history information for each user each time processing by the state improvement unit 240 is executed.

[0051] The history DB230 in Figure 6 includes information items such as user ID, processing date and time, indicator value, estimated result, improvement requirement, and selected location information, with the "user ID" item being associated with the other items. The history information in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 6, is information stored in the history DB230, including the value of the "user ID" item and the values ​​of the other items.

[0052] The value of the item "User ID" is an example of identification information used to identify the user of terminal device 300. The value of the item "Processing Date and Time" indicates the date and time when the status improvement unit 240 performed processing. In other words, the value of the item "Processing Date and Time" includes the date and time when the user's status was estimated, the date and time when it was determined whether the user's status required improvement, or the date and time when information on the location to improve the user's status was output.

[0053] The "Indicator Value" item represents a degree of the user's state calculated based on biometric information, and is associated with the items fatigue, tension, drowsiness, concentration, relaxation, and normal. Fatigue, tension, drowsiness, concentration, relaxation, and normal are just examples of multiple items that indicate the user's state.

[0054] The "Fatigue" value is an index value that indicates the degree of fatigue of the user, calculated based on biometric information; a higher value indicates a higher level of fatigue. The "Tension" value is an index value that indicates the degree of tension of the user, calculated based on biometric information; a higher value indicates a higher level of tension.

[0055] The "Sleepiness" value is an index value that indicates the degree of sleepiness of the user, calculated based on biometric information. A higher value indicates that the user is feeling very sleepy. The "Concentration" value is an index value that indicates the degree of concentration of the user, calculated based on biometric information. A higher value indicates a higher level of concentration, while a lower value indicates a lower level of concentration (a state of distraction).

[0056] The "Relaxation" value is an index value that indicates the degree of relaxation of the user, calculated based on biometric information. A higher value indicates a higher degree of relaxation. Similarly, the "Normal" value is an index value that indicates the degree to which the user maintains a normal state, calculated based on biometric information. A higher value indicates that the user is in a normal state, maintaining a normal condition. In other words, a normal state for a user means that the user is not experiencing high levels of fatigue, high levels of tension, strong drowsiness, high levels of concentration, or high levels of relaxation, and does not require improvement.

[0057] The value in the "Estimated Result" column indicates the estimated state of the user based on each indicator value. The value in the "Improvement Required" column indicates whether the estimated state of the user requires improvement. Specifically, if the value of the "Improvement Required" column is "Required," it indicates that the user's state requires improvement. Conversely, if the value of the "Improvement Required" column is "Not Required," it indicates that the user's state does not require improvement (improvement is unnecessary).

[0058] Furthermore, the value of the item "Selected Location Information" indicates the location selected to improve the user's condition when it is determined that the user's condition requires improvement, based on the improvement environment information in Figure 3, the environment information in Figure 4, and the history information in Figure 5.

[0059] For example, as shown in Figure 6, if the user's "tension" item value of "5" is determined to be a state requiring improvement, then an improvement environment corresponding to the "tension" item value of "5" ("air environment a6, lighting environment b6, sound environment c6, ...") is selected from the improvement environment DB210 in Figure 3, and as a location with an environment similar to that improvement environment, the value of the "location" item "second area" is selected from the environment DB215 in Figure 4, for example. The state improvement device 200 of this embodiment can improve the user's state of high tension by moving the user to the "second area," a location that is expected to have an effect in improving the user's state of high tension.

[0060] Furthermore, if, for example, the user's "drowsiness" item value of "5" as shown in Figure 6 is determined to be a state requiring improvement, then an improvement environment corresponding to the "drowsiness" item value of "5" ("air environment a9, lighting environment b9, sound environment c9,...") is selected from the improvement environment DB210 in Figure 3, and as a location with an environment similar to that improvement environment, for example, the "location" item value "5th area" is selected from the environment DB215 in Figure 4. The state improvement device 200 of this embodiment improves the state of a user who is experiencing strong drowsiness by moving the user to the "5th area," a location that is expected to have an effect in improving the user's strong drowsiness. Note that the history information in Figure 6 is just an example. The items included in the history information are not limited to the example in Figure 6.

[0061] Next, with reference to Figure 7, the functions of each device in the condition improvement system 100 of this embodiment will be described. Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functions of each device in the condition improvement system of the first embodiment.

[0062] The condition improvement unit 240 of the condition improvement device 200 in this embodiment includes an input receiving unit 241, an output unit 242, a storage control unit 243, a condition estimation unit 244, a necessity determination unit 245, a location selection unit 246, a selected location information acquisition unit 247, and a performance recording unit 248.

[0063] The input receiving unit 241 receives various types of information for the condition improvement device 200. Specifically, the input receiving unit 241 receives biometric information from the terminal device 300. In addition, the input receiving unit 241 receives environmental information from the environmental information providing device 500 for multiple locations that the user can move to.

[0064] The output unit 242 outputs various information from the state improvement device 200. Specifically, the output unit 242 outputs information to the terminal device 300 about a location that improves the user's state as selected by the location selection unit 246. In this embodiment, the output unit 242 may also apply the location information acquired by the selected location information acquisition unit 247 to a pre-prepared text template or the like to create a natural-sounding text before outputting it to the terminal device 300.

[0065] The storage control unit 243 controls the storage of various types of information. Specifically, the storage control unit 243 manages the storage of biological information and environmental information received as input by the input receiving unit 241.

[0066] The state estimation unit 244 estimates the user's state based on biometric information. Specifically, the state estimation unit 244 calculates index values ​​for each item indicating the user's state multiple times based on the biometric information, and calculates the average value of the index values ​​for each item. Next, the state estimation unit 244 estimates the user's state to be the state corresponding to the item with the largest average value among the average values ​​of the index values ​​for each item. Details of the processing of the state estimation unit 244 will be described later.

[0067] The necessity determination unit 245 determines whether the user's state estimated by the state estimation unit 244 is a state that requires improvement. Specifically, the necessity determination unit 245 determines that the state requires improvement if the index value of the item identified by the state estimation unit 244 is above a preset threshold.

[0068] In this embodiment, when the necessity determination unit 245 determines that the user's condition requires improvement, the location selection unit 246 selects an improvement environment based on the estimated user's condition from the improvement environment information stored in the improvement environment DB 210, as shown in Figure 3. The location selection unit 246 also selects an environment that approximates the improvement environment that improves the selected user's condition from the environment information stored in the environment DB 215, as shown in Figure 4, and outputs location information for that environment. Details of the processing of the location selection unit 246 will be described later.

[0069] The location information acquisition unit 247 acquires information about the location selected by the location selection unit 246 from the environment DB 215. The performance recording unit 248 records the results of the processing by the state estimation unit 244, the necessity determination unit 245, and the location selection unit 246 in the history DB 230. In other words, the performance recording unit 248 stores history information including the estimation result by the state estimation unit 244, the determination result by the necessity determination unit 245, and the selection result by the location selection unit 246 in the history DB 230.

[0070] Furthermore, the terminal device 300 includes a communication unit 330, an information acquisition unit 340, and a display control unit 350.

[0071] The communication unit 330 controls communication between the terminal device 300 and external devices. Specifically, the communication unit 330 controls communication between the terminal device 300 and the status improvement device 200, and communication between the terminal device 300 and the wearable terminal 400.

[0072] The information acquisition unit 340 acquires the user's biometric information from the terminal device 300. Specifically, the information acquisition unit 340 acquires biometric information received from the wearable terminal 400 via the communication unit 330. Alternatively, the information acquisition unit 340 may acquire image data from, for example, an imaging device of the terminal device 300 and use that as biometric information.

[0073] The display control unit 350 controls the display on the display device (e.g., a display) of the terminal device 300. Specifically, the display control unit 350 causes the display device of the terminal device 300 to display information about a location to improve the user's condition, which has been received from the condition improvement device 200. Note that the display device on which the display control unit 350 displays information about a location to improve the user's condition is not limited to the display device of the terminal device 300, but can be any display device that is connected to the terminal device 300 and can be controlled by the display control unit 350. For example, if the wearable terminal 400 is equipped with a display device, the information about a location to improve the user's condition may be displayed on the display device of the wearable terminal 400, or the information about a location to improve the user's condition may be displayed on a display device of a device other than the terminal device 300 or the wearable terminal 400.

[0074] Furthermore, the environmental information providing device 500 includes a communication unit 510 and an information acquisition unit 520.

[0075] The communication unit 510 controls communication between the environmental information providing device 500 and external devices. Specifically, the communication unit 510 controls communication between the environmental information providing device 500 and the condition improvement device 200.

[0076] The information acquisition unit 520 acquires environmental information from multiple locations, for example. Specifically, the information acquisition unit 520 transmits the acquired environmental information from multiple locations to the condition improvement device 200 via the communication unit 510. For example, the information acquisition unit 520 measures environmental information such as the air environment, lighting environment, or sound environment from multiple locations accessible to the user, and transmits it to the condition improvement device 200 via the communication unit 510.

[0077] Figure 8 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the condition improvement system according to the first embodiment.

[0078] In step S701, the information acquisition unit 340 of the terminal device 300 acquires the user's biometric information from the wearable terminal 400. In step S702, the communication unit 330 of the terminal device 300 transmits the acquired user's biometric information to the state improvement device 200. The terminal device 300 transmits the biometric information in association with the user ID associated with the terminal device 300 to the state improvement device 200.

[0079] In step S703, the input receiving unit 241 of the state improvement device 200 receives biometric information input from the terminal device 300. The storage control unit 243 associates the biometric information received by the input receiving unit 241 with the user ID and stores it in the storage location indicated by the biometric information storage location in the user DB 220.

[0080] In step S704, the state estimation unit 244 of the state improvement device 200 estimates the user's state using biometric information. In step S705, the necessity determination unit 245 of the state improvement device 200 determines whether the estimated state requires improvement or not. Details of the processing of the state estimation unit 244 and the necessity determination unit 245 will be described later.

[0081] Figure 8 shows the operation of the condition improvement system 100 when, in step S705, it is determined that the estimated user's condition requires improvement.

[0082] If the estimated user status is determined to be a status requiring improvement, the location selection unit 246 of the status improvement device 200, in step S706, refers to the improvement environment information shown in Figure 3 stored in the improvement environment DB 210 and selects an improvement environment based on the user status. In step S707, the location selection unit 246 selects an environment similar to the selected improvement environment from the environment information shown in Figure 4 stored in the environment DB 215 and outputs the location information of that environment. Details of the processing of the location selection unit 246 will be described later.

[0083] In step S708, the location information acquisition unit 247 of the condition improvement device 200 acquires information about the location selected by the location selection unit 246. The output unit 242 of the condition improvement device 200 outputs the location information selected by the location selection unit 246 to the terminal device 300.

[0084] In step S709, when the display control unit 350 of the terminal device 300 receives location information from the communication unit 330, it displays the location information on the display device.

[0085] Figure 9 is the first diagram showing an example of the display of the terminal device in the first embodiment. Figure 9 shows the case where the terminal device 300 is a smartphone. The screen 301 shown in Figure 9 has a display area 302. The display area 302 in Figure 9 displays a message that includes information indicating the user's state transmitted from the state improvement device 200, "You appear tense," and information about a place to improve the user's state, "Please move to the second area to relieve tension."

[0086] Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to make the user aware of the user's condition that has been determined to require improvement, and to provide the user with information on places where the user's condition can be improved.

[0087] Note that the display example in Figure 9 is just one example, and the message may also be displayed on the terminal device 300 in a pop-up format. In this embodiment, the terminal device 300 may display a reception notification when it receives information from the status improvement device 200 about a location to improve the user's status, and the message may be displayed when the user selects the reception notification. The message may also be displayed using, for example, the notification function of an application that is pre-installed on the terminal device 300.

[0088] In step S710, the performance recording unit 248 of the condition improvement device 200 stores history information in the history DB 230, which includes the estimation result by the condition estimation unit 244, the determination result by the necessity determination unit 245, and the location selection result by the location selection unit 246. In other words, the condition improvement device 200 records in the history DB 230 the results of providing location information to improve the user's condition. If location information is not transmitted to the terminal device 300, the performance recording unit 248 stores history information in the history DB 230, which includes the estimation result by the condition estimation unit 244 and the determination result by the necessity determination unit 245.

[0089] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing by the state estimation unit and the necessity determination unit. Figure 10 shows details of steps S704 and S705 in Figure 8.

[0090] In step S801, the state estimation unit 244 of the state improvement device 200 extracts the user's biometric information acquired from the user DB 220 over a certain period of time. Specifically, for example, the state estimation unit 244 extracts the user's biometric information acquired over a 5-minute period of time.

[0091] In steps S802 to S806, the state improvement unit 240 calculates an index value for each of several items indicating the user's state from the user's biometric information extracted in step S801. In this embodiment, the state estimation unit 244 uses the heart rate included in the biometric information to calculate an index value indicating the degree of the user's state for each item.

[0092] In step S802, the state estimation unit 244 calculates an index value for the item "fatigue" from the extracted biological information. The calculated index value for the item "fatigue" is stored in the history DB 230 by the performance recording unit 248. For example, the state estimation unit 244 calculates the average value of heart rate included in the extracted biological information and compares the calculated average value with the average value from the previous time the heart rate was calculated. The state estimation unit 244 may then calculate the fatigue index value such that the value increases as the average heart rate calculated this time increases compared to the average heart rate calculated last time.

[0093] In step S803, the state estimation unit 244 calculates an index value for the item "tension" from the extracted biometric information. The calculated index value for the item "tension" is stored in the history DB 230 by the performance recording unit 248. For example, the state estimation unit 244 may calculate the user's tension index value according to the heart rate included in the extracted biometric information. The state estimation unit 244 may also calculate the tension index value such that the value increases as the user's tension increases.

[0094] In step S804, the state estimation unit 244 calculates an index value for the item "sleepiness" from the extracted biometric information. The calculated index value for the item "sleepiness" is stored in the history DB 230 by the performance recording unit 248. For example, the state estimation unit 244 may convert the fluctuations in heart rate intervals included in the extracted biometric information into frequencies and calculate the user's sleepiness index value based on the converted frequency fluctuations. The state estimation unit 244 may also calculate the sleepiness index value such that the value increases as the user's sleepiness increases.

[0095] In step S805, the state estimation unit 244 calculates an index value for the item "concentration" from the extracted biometric information. The calculated index value for the item "concentration" is stored in the history DB 230 by the performance recording unit 248. For example, the state estimation unit 244 may calculate the user's concentration index value based on the time-series data of heart rate fluctuations included in the extracted biometric information. The state estimation unit 244 may calculate the concentration index value such that the value increases as the user is more concentrated and decreases as the user is more distracted.

[0096] In step S806, the state estimation unit 244 calculates an index value for the item "looseness" from the extracted biological information. The calculated index value for the item "looseness" is stored in the history DB 230 by the performance recording unit 248. For example, the state estimation unit 244 may convert the fluctuations in heart rate intervals included in the extracted biological information into frequencies, and calculate the user's looseness index value based on the converted frequency fluctuations and the user's posture and movements. The state estimation unit 244 may calculate the looseness index value such that the value increases as the user's posture is seated for a longer period of time or as they repeat monotonous movements for a longer period of time.

[0097] In step S807, the state estimation unit 244 calculates an index value for the item "normal" from the extracted biometric information. The calculated index value for the item "normal" is stored in the history DB 230 by the performance recording unit 248. For example, the state estimation unit 244 may calculate the user's normal index value using the high-frequency and low-frequency components of the heart rate fluctuation time series data included in the extracted biometric information. The state estimation unit 244 may also calculate the normal index value such that the value increases as the user maintains a more normal state.

[0098] Furthermore, the order in which the index values ​​for each item are calculated is not limited to the order shown in Figure 10, and they may be calculated in any order. Also, the method of calculating the index values ​​for each item described above is just one example and is not limited to this. Moreover, the process of calculating the index values ​​for each item may be executed in parallel after the biological information is acquired in step S801.

[0099] Furthermore, the index values ​​for each item in this embodiment may be values ​​that have been processed so that their relative magnitudes can be compared on the same axis.

[0100] In step S808, the state estimation unit 244 determines whether the number of times the index value for each item has been calculated has reached a predetermined number. In other words, the state estimation unit 244 determines whether a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the acquisition of the user's biometric information began. If the number of times the index value for each item has been calculated is less than the predetermined number, the state estimation unit 244 returns to step S802.

[0101] When the number of times the index value for each item has been calculated reaches a predetermined number, the state estimation unit 244 proceeds to step S809. In step S809, the state estimation unit 244 calculates the average value of each index value. More specifically, the state estimation unit 244 extracts the user's biometric information every 5 minutes and calculates the index value for each item. When the number of times the index value for each item has been calculated reaches 12, it calculates the average value of the 12 index values ​​for each item. In this way, the state estimation unit 244 can calculate the index value for each item indicating the user's state every 60 minutes by calculating the average value of the index value for each item.

[0102] In step S810, the state estimation unit 244 identifies the item among the items indicating the user's state that has the largest average value of the indicator values ​​calculated in step S809, and uses the state indicated by the identified item as the result of estimating the user's state.

[0103] Specifically, for example, the state estimation unit 244 estimates the user's state to be fatigued if the average value of the fatigue index among the average values ​​of the index calculated in step S809 is the largest. Also, the state estimation unit 244 estimates the user's state to be very sleepy if the average value of the drowsiness index among the average values ​​of the index calculated in step S809 is the largest. Also, the state estimation unit 244 estimates the user's state to be normal if the average value of the normal index among the average values ​​of the index calculated in step S809 is the largest.

[0104] In step S811, the state estimation unit 244 determines whether the result of the estimation in step S810 is other than the normal state. In other words, the state estimation unit 244 determines whether the user's state is a state that is subject to the determination of whether improvement is necessary. In this embodiment, the normal state is not subject to the determination of whether improvement is necessary.

[0105] If the estimation result indicates a normal state, the state estimation unit 244 proceeds to step S710 shown in Figure 8. The performance recording unit 248 stores the history information in the history DB 230 where the value of the item "Estimated Result" is "Normal".

[0106] In this embodiment, for example, if the amount of user biometric data acquired in step S801 is insufficient and the average value of the indicator values ​​for each item cannot be calculated, the history information indicating that the estimation result is in a normal state may be stored in the history DB230. In this embodiment, if the amount of user biometric data is insufficient, history information indicating that fact may be generated and stored in the history DB230.

[0107] In step S811, if the estimation result is anything other than a normal state, that is, if the user's state is subject to a determination of whether improvement is necessary, the necessity determination unit 245 of the state improvement device 200 proceeds to step S812. In step S812, the necessity determination unit 245 determines whether the average value of the indicator values ​​of the items identified in step S810 is equal to or greater than a preset threshold.

[0108] Here, the pre-set thresholds may be set for each item by the administrator of the condition improvement device 200, and are used to determine whether the user's condition indicated by each item is a condition that requires improvement. In other words, the necessity determination unit 245 determines whether the user's condition requires improvement.

[0109] If the average value of the indicator values ​​for the items identified in step S810 is less than a preset threshold, the necessity determination unit 245 determines that the user's condition does not require improvement and proceeds to step S710 in Figure 8. In step S710, the performance recording unit 248 stores in the history DB 230 historical information in which the value of the item "Estimated Result" becomes the user's condition estimated in step S810 and the value of the item "Improvement Necessity" is "No".

[0110] If the average value of the indicator values ​​for the items identified in step S810 is equal to or greater than a preset threshold, the necessity determination unit 245 proceeds to step S813. In step S813, the necessity determination unit 245 instructs the location selection unit 246 to select an improvement environment, and proceeds to step S706 in Figure 8. In steps S706 and S707 in Figure 8, the location selection unit 246 performs the processing shown in Figure 11, for example.

[0111] Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing in the location selection section. Figure 11 shows details of steps S706 and S707 in Figure 8.

[0112] In step S901, the location selection unit 246, instructed by the necessity determination unit 245 to select an improvement environment, identifies the item identified in step S810 as an item indicating the user's condition requiring improvement. In step S902, the location selection unit 246 reads the index value of the item identified in step S810 from the history DB 230.

[0113] In step S903, the location selection unit 246 refers to the improvement environment information shown in Figure 3 stored in the improvement environment DB 210 and selects an improvement environment based on the item indicating the status of the user requiring improvement identified in step S901 and the index value read in step S902.

[0114] In step S904, the location selection unit 246 refers to the environmental information shown in Figure 4 stored in the environment DB 215 and selects a location in the environment that is similar to the improved environment selected in step S903 from the environmental information shown in Figure 4.

[0115] Here, with reference to Figures 3 and 6, the process shown in Figure 11 will be explained in detail. In the example in Figure 6, at 10:35 on December 5, 2022, the item with the largest average index value is "Tension". Therefore, as an estimation result of the state estimation unit 244, "Tension" is stored in the history DB 230. Also, at 10:35 on December 5, 2022, the index value of the item "Tension" which indicates the user's state is "5".

[0116] In step S901 in Figure 11, the location selection unit 246 refers to the history information shown in Figure 6 and identifies the item "Tension," which indicates the user's condition requiring improvement. In step S902, the location selection unit 246 reads the index value "5" for the item "Tension," which indicates the user's condition.

[0117] In step S903, the location selection unit 246 can select an improved environment "air environment a6, lighting environment b6, sound environment c6,..." based on the improved environment information shown in Figure 3, the item "tension" which indicates the user's state, and the index value "5" for the item "tension".

[0118] In step S904, the location selection unit 246 selects a location "second area" with an environment "air environment A2, lighting environment B2, sound environment C2,..." that is similar to the improved environment "air environment a6, lighting environment b6, sound environment c6,..." selected in step S903, from the environmental information shown in Figure 4.

[0119] Here, among the environmental information shown in Figure 4, the environment of location "Area 2" ("Air Environment A2, Lighting Environment B2, Sound Environment C2,...") is described as being the environment that most closely resembles the improved environment ("Air Environment a6, Lighting Environment b6, Sound Environment c6,...").

[0120] Furthermore, in the example in Figure 6, at 16:00 on December 5, 2022, the item with the largest average index value is "drowsiness." Therefore, as an estimation result of the state estimation unit 244, drowsiness is stored in the history DB 230. Also, at 16:00 on December 5, 2022, the index value for the item "drowsiness," which indicates the user's state, is "5."

[0121] In step S901 of Figure 11, the location selection unit 246 refers to the history information shown in Figure 6 and identifies the item "drowsiness" which indicates a user condition requiring improvement. In step S902, the location selection unit 246 reads the index value "5" for the item "drowsiness" which indicates a user condition.

[0122] In step S903, the location selection unit 246 can select an improved environment "air environment a9, lighting environment b9, sound environment c9,..." based on the improved environment information shown in Figure 3, the item "drowsiness" indicating the user's state, and the index value "5" for the item "drowsiness".

[0123] In step S904, the location selection unit 246 selects a location "5th area" from the environmental information shown in Figure 4, which is an environment "air environment A5, lighting environment B5, sound environment C5,..." that is similar to the improved environment "air environment a9, lighting environment b9, sound environment c9,..." selected in step S903.

[0124] Here, among the environmental information shown in Figure 4, the environment of location "Area 5" ("Air Environment A5, Lighting Environment B5, Sound Environment C5,...") is described as being the environment that most closely resembles the improved environment ("Air Environment a9, Lighting Environment b9, Sound Environment c9,...").

[0125] In this embodiment, the accuracy of estimating the user's state can be improved by estimating the user's state using multiple items. Furthermore, in this embodiment, information on where to improve the user's state can be provided to users who are determined to be in a state requiring improvement.

[0126] (Second Embodiment) The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it selects an improved environment based on the estimated user status and information obtained from the external device 265. In the following description of the second embodiment, the differences from the first embodiment will be explained, and components having the same functional configuration as the first embodiment will be assigned the same reference numerals as those used in the description of the first embodiment, and their explanations will be omitted as appropriate.

[0127] The input receiving unit 241 of the condition improvement device 200 receives input of information such as user schedule information or weather information from the external device 265. For example, the external device 265 is a device that manages and provides user schedule information. Alternatively, the external device 265 is a device that manages and provides weather information.

[0128] Figure 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing of the location selection unit. Figure 12 is similar to the flowchart in Figure 11, with some exceptions. Steps S1001 and S1002 are the same as steps S901 and S902 in Figure 11. In step S1003, the location selection unit 246 reads information such as the user's schedule information or weather information obtained from the external device 265.

[0129] In step S1004, the location selection unit 246 refers to the improvement environment information stored in the improvement environment DB 210 and selects an improvement environment based on the item indicating the status of the user requiring improvement identified in step S1001, the index value read in step S1002, and the information read from the external device 265 read in step S1003. The improvement environment information in the second embodiment is information that associates the status of the user requiring improvement, the index value, and the information read from the external device 265 with the improvement environment.

[0130] For example, the location selection unit 246 selects an improvement environment that improves the user's condition, taking into account not only the user's condition requiring improvement identified in step S1001 and the indicator values ​​read in step S1002, but also information read from the external device 265.

[0131] For example, if the information read from the external device 265 is schedule information, the location selection unit 246 can take into account the user's subsequent schedule and select an environment that will improve the user's condition. For example, before an important meeting, the location selection unit 246 may prioritize selecting an environment that reduces drowsiness. Also, for example, before a vacation, the location selection unit 246 may prioritize selecting an environment that increases concentration. Furthermore, if bad weather is forecast, the location selection unit 246 may prioritize selecting an environment that increases concentration so that the user can return home earlier.

[0132] In this embodiment, a user who is determined to be in a state requiring improvement can be provided with information on a location to improve their condition, taking into account information obtained from an external device 265, such as the user's schedule and weather information.

[0133] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the configurations shown in the above embodiments, including combinations with other elements. These aspects can be modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention and can be appropriately determined according to their application. [Explanation of symbols]

[0134] 100 Condition Improvement System 200 Condition Improvement Device 210 Improvement environment DB 215 Environment DB 220 User Database 230 History DB 240 Condition Improvement Unit 241 Input Reception Section 242 Output section 244 State Estimation Unit 245 Necessity judgment part 246 Location Selection Section 265 External device 300 terminal devices 400 wearable devices 500 Environmental information provision equipment

Claims

1. A condition improvement system including a terminal device and a condition improvement device connected to the terminal device via a network, The aforementioned condition improvement device is An input receiving unit that receives biometric information acquired from a user linked to the terminal device, and environmental information from multiple locations, If the user's state estimated based on the biometric information is determined to be a state requiring improvement, the output unit outputs to the terminal device information for improving the user's state, which is selected based on the environmental information of the multiple locations and the improvement environment information of the multiple locations, when it is determined that the user's state requires improvement. It has, The aforementioned terminal device is The information about the location where the user's condition is improved, obtained from the condition improvement device, is displayed on the display device. Condition improvement system.

2. The aforementioned condition improvement device is If the user's state estimated based on the biometric information is determined to be a state requiring improvement, the location selection unit selects improvement environment information from the storage unit based on the user's state, and selects at least one location information that approximates the selected improvement environment information for improving the state. The condition improvement system according to claim 1, further comprising the above.

3. The aforementioned input receiving unit acquires information from an external device, The location selection unit selects improvement environment information from the storage unit to improve the user's state based on the estimated user state and information obtained from an external device. The condition improvement system according to claim 2.

4. The information obtained from the external device includes the user's schedule information or weather information for the multiple locations. The condition improvement system according to claim 3.

5. The aforementioned condition improvement device is A state estimation unit estimates the user's state based on a plurality of items indicating the user's state and corresponding index values ​​calculated based on the aforementioned biometric information, A necessity determination unit that determines whether the user's condition requires improvement using the estimated items indicating the user's condition and corresponding index values, A condition improvement system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising the above.

6. The input receiving unit receives input of environmental information for the multiple locations from an environmental information providing device that provides environmental information for the multiple locations to which the user can move. A condition improvement system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

7. The environmental information providing device includes sensors for measuring environmental information at the multiple locations, a device for managing the user's schedule information, or a device for managing weather information at the multiple locations. The condition improvement system according to claim 6.

8. A condition improvement method using a condition improvement system that includes a terminal device and a condition improvement device connected to the terminal device via a network, The aforementioned condition improvement device, The terminal device accepts input of biometric information obtained from users linked to it, as well as environmental information from multiple locations. If the user's state estimated based on the aforementioned biometric information is determined to be a state requiring improvement, the improvement environment information for improving the state stored in the memory unit and the information of the location selected based on the environmental information of the multiple locations for improving the user's state are output to the terminal device. The aforementioned terminal device The information about the location where the user's condition is improved, obtained from the condition improvement device, is displayed on the display device. Methods for improving the condition.

9. A condition improvement device connected to a terminal device via a network, An input receiving unit that receives biometric information acquired from a user linked to the terminal device, and environmental information from multiple locations, If the user's state estimated based on the biometric information is determined to be a state requiring improvement, the output unit outputs to the terminal device information for improving the user's state, which is selected based on the environmental information of the multiple locations and the improvement environment information of the multiple locations, when it is determined that the user's state requires improvement. A device for improving the condition of a state.

10. A condition improvement device connected to a terminal device via a network, An input reception step that accepts biometric information obtained from a user linked to the aforementioned terminal device, and environmental information from multiple locations. If the user's state estimated based on the biometric information is determined to be a state requiring improvement, an output step is performed to output to the terminal device the improvement environment information for improving the state stored in the memory unit and the information of the location selected based on the environmental information of the multiple locations for improving the user's state. A state improvement program to enable execution.

Images