Walking speed calculation device and walking speed calculation system

Abstract

The present invention provides a walking speed calculation device and a walking speed calculation system for appropriately and easily calculating a person's walking speed. [Solution] A walking speed calculation device 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes: an acquisition unit 21 that acquires location information indicating the position of the subject at each point in time during the period in which the subject is within the detection area of ​​the sensor 16; a selection unit 22 that identifies the relationship between the position of the subject at the start and end of walking and the detection area based on the location information, and selects specific location information indicating the position of the subject at each point in time during the target period within the area from the location information according to this relationship; and a calculation unit 23 that calculates the walking speed of the subject during the target period based on the specific location information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a walking speed calculation device and a walking speed calculation system, and particularly to a walking speed calculation device and a walking speed calculation system that calculate the walking speed of a target person based on information when the target person is walking within a set area.

Background Art

[0002] For the purpose of estimating a person's physical condition (specifically, walking ability, risk of falling during walking, etc.), the walking speed of a person may be monitored. In this case, accurate calculation of the walking speed is required in order to appropriately estimate the person's physical condition. Therefore, technologies for accurately calculating the walking speed have been developed, and as an example, the technology of Patent Document 1 can be cited.

[0003] In the technology of Patent Document 1, the walking of a person who is the measurement target is continuously measured, the walking cycle is calculated, the walking during which the walking cycle is stable is extracted, and the speed of the extracted walking is calculated.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] When extracting a period during which the walking speed and walking cycle are stable during the walking period as in the technology of Patent Document 1, it is necessary to specify that period, but the specifying work may be laborious. Further, when calculating the walking speed, for example, position information at each time point of the walking person is required. However, when the position information is acquired within a limited area such as the detection range of a sensor, it is necessary to select the position information during the period when the walking is stable in consideration of the area.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its objective is to provide a walking speed calculation device and a walking speed calculation system for appropriately and easily calculating a person's walking speed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The above problems are solved by the walking speed calculation device of the present invention, which is a walking speed calculation device for calculating the walking speed of a subject within a set area, comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires location information indicating the position of the subject at each point in time during the period in which the subject is within the set area; a selection unit that identifies the relationship between the position of the subject at the start and end of walking and the set area based on the location information, and selects specific location information indicating the position of the subject at each point in time during the target period from the location information according to the relationship; and a calculation unit that calculates the walking speed of the subject during the target period based on the specific location information. In the walking speed calculation device of the present invention configured as described above, information indicating the subject's position at each point in the target period during which walking is stable (specific position information) is selected from the acquired position information, depending on whether the subject is within the set area at the start and end of walking, and the subject's walking speed is calculated based on that information. This makes it possible to calculate the subject's walking speed appropriately and simply.

[0008] Furthermore, in the above-described walking speed calculation device, it is preferable that the calculation unit identifies the walking direction of the subject based on position information and calculates the walking speed in the identified walking direction. According to the above configuration, it becomes possible to appropriately identify the walking direction of the subject and to appropriately and simply calculate the walking speed in the identified walking direction.

[0009] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned walking speed calculation device, if both the subject's starting position and ending position are within the set area, it is preferable for the selection unit to set the period from a predetermined time prior to the midpoint of the period to a predetermined time after the midpoint as the target period, and to select specific location information from the location information. According to the above configuration, the walking speed of the subject can be calculated appropriately and simply in cases where the subject is within the designated area at both the start and end of walking.

[0010] Furthermore, in the above-described walking speed calculation device, if the subject's position at the start of walking is within the set area, and the subject's position at the end of walking is outside the set area, it is preferable for the selection unit to set the period from a predetermined time after the subject's walking start time to the end of the period as the target period, and to select specific position information from the position information. According to the above configuration, in cases where the subject is within the designated area at the start of walking and outside the designated area at the end of walking, the subject's walking speed can be calculated appropriately and simply.

[0011] Furthermore, in the above-described walking speed calculation device, if the subject's position at the start of walking is outside the set area, and the subject's position at the end of walking is within the set area, it is preferable for the selection unit to set the period from the start of the period to a predetermined time prior to the subject's end of walking as the target period, and to select specific location information from the location information. According to the above configuration, in cases where the subject is outside the designated area at the start of walking and inside the designated area at the end of walking, the subject's walking speed can be calculated appropriately and simply.

[0012] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned walking speed calculation device, if both the subject's starting position and ending position are outside the set area, it is preferable for the selection unit to set the entire above period as the target period and select specific position information from the position information. According to the above configuration, even in cases where the subject is outside the designated area at both the start and end of walking, the subject's walking speed can be calculated appropriately and simply.

[0013] Furthermore, the aforementioned problems are solved by the walking speed calculation system of the present invention, which is a walking speed calculation system for calculating the walking speed of a subject within a set area, comprising: a sensor that outputs a signal corresponding to the subject's position during the period in which the subject is within the set area; and a walking speed calculation device that can communicate with the sensor, wherein the walking speed calculation device includes: an acquisition unit that receives the output signal from the sensor and acquires position information indicating the subject's position at each point in time during the period based on the output signal; a selection unit that identifies the relationship between the subject's position at the start and end of walking and the set area based on the position information, and selects specific position information indicating the subject's position at each point in time during the target period from the position information according to the relationship; and a calculation unit that calculates the subject's walking speed during the target period based on the specific position information. According to the walking speed calculation system described above, it is possible to calculate the walking speed of a subject accurately and simply. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, the walking speed of a subject can be calculated appropriately and simply. This makes it possible, for example, to accurately estimate the physical condition of the subject from their walking speed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] This figure shows the configuration of a walking speed calculation system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This figure shows the relationship between the elapsed time from the start of the walking period and the distance walked. [Figure 3] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the function of a walking speed calculation device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This diagram shows the positions of various body parts of a subject moving within a designated area. [Figure 5] It is a diagram showing a first example of a procedure for specifying the walking direction. [Figure 6] It is a diagram showing a second example of a procedure for specifying the walking direction. [Figure 7] It is a diagram showing a third example of a procedure for specifying the walking direction. [Figure 8] It is a diagram of a walking speed calculation flow according to one embodiment of the present invention (Part Ⅰ). [Figure 9] It is a diagram of a walking speed calculation flow according to one embodiment of the present invention (Part Ⅱ).

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] <<Regarding One Embodiment of the Present Invention>> Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, this embodiment) will be described with reference to the attached FIGS. 1 to 9. This embodiment relates to a technique for calculating a person's walking speed, and more specifically, to a technique for calculating the walking speed from the position of a person at each time point during the walking period.

[0017] In addition, in this specification, the concept of "device" includes a single device that exhibits a specific function by itself, as well as a combination of a plurality of devices that are distributed and exist independently but cooperate (coordinate) to exhibit a specific function.

[0018] Also, since the basic information processing technologies (communication / transmission technologies, information acquisition technologies, recording technologies, information processing technologies, information analysis technologies, sensing technologies, and visualization technologies, etc.) for realizing the content of this embodiment are well-known technologies, the description thereof will be omitted.

[0019] In this embodiment, a walking speed calculation system (hereinafter referred to as the walking speed calculation system 100) is constructed for the purpose of calculating the walking speed of a subject. As shown in Figure 1, the walking speed calculation system 100 mainly consists of a walking speed calculation device 10 and a sensor 16. The subject is the person whose walking speed is to be calculated, and in the following explanation, unless otherwise specified, it will be assumed that there is only one subject.

[0020] Sensor 16 is installed in room R, more specifically near the ceiling of room R as shown in Figure 1. In this embodiment, sensor 16 is a millimeter-wave sensor that measures the position of objects and people within its detection area. The detection area of ​​sensor 16 is set within room R and unfolds in a conical shape below sensor 16 as shown in Figure 1. Here, the detection area of ​​sensor 16 corresponds to the setting area of ​​the present invention. In other words, in this embodiment, the setting area is provided in the room and occupies at least a part of the interior space of room R. The size of the detection area is not particularly limited, but for example, the diameter of the bottom of the conical detection area (more specifically, the part located on the floor of room R) may be set to several meters.

[0021] Sensor 16 is equipped with multiple input / output antennas. Each antenna emits a measurement wave towards the detection area, and by receiving the measurement wave reflected by each antenna (i.e., the reflected wave), it measures the position of objects present in the detection area and outputs a signal corresponding to the measured position. Furthermore, if a person is present in the detection area, sensor 16 outputs a signal corresponding to the position of each part of the person. In addition, during the period in which the person is present in the detection area, sensor 16 measures the position of the person (specifically, the position of each part of the person) at each point in time during that period and outputs a signal corresponding to the measured position of the person.

[0022] Sensor 16 performs the above measurements (sampling) at regular intervals and outputs a signal each time a measurement is performed. The output signals from sensor 16, in particular the signals output by sensor 16 during the period when the subject is within the detection area, are used to calculate the subject's walking speed. The measurement period (sampling period) of sensor 16 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to set it to a period suitable for calculating the subject's walking speed.

[0023] The walking speed calculation device 10 is a device that performs a series of information processing to calculate walking speed. As shown in Figure 1, it can communicate with the sensor 16 via a network and can receive output signals from the sensor 16.

[0024] The walking speed calculation device 10 consists of a computer, specifically a PC (Personal Computer), workstation, or server. The walking speed calculation device 10 may consist of a single computer or multiple computers in a parallel, distributed configuration. Furthermore, if the walking speed calculation device 10 is configured as a server, that server may be an ASP (Application Service Provider), SaaS (Software as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a Service), or IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) server. In this case, when the necessary information is input from the client terminal, the server performs various processes and calculations based on the input information, and the calculation results are output to the client terminal. In other words, the functions of the server constituting the walking speed calculation device 10 can be utilized from the client terminal.

[0025] As shown in Figure 1, the computer comprising the walking speed calculation device 10 includes a processor 11, memory 12, communication interface 13, storage 14, and output device 15.

[0026] The processor 11 is composed of, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit), an MCU (Micro Controller Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), a TPU (Tensor Processing Unit), an NPU (Neural Network Processing Unit), or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The memory 12 is composed of semiconductor memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory).

[0027] The communication interface 13 may be configured, for example, as a network interface card or a communication interface board. The computer constituting the walking speed calculation device 10 can communicate data with other devices connected to the internet or a mobile communication line, etc., via the communication interface 13. Furthermore, as described above, the computer constituting the walking speed calculation device 10 communicates with the sensor 16 via the communication interface 13 and receives output signals from the sensor 16.

[0028] The storage 14 consists of, for example, flash memory, HDD (Hard Disc Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), FD (Flexible Disc), MO disk (Magneto-Optical disc), CD (Compact Disc), DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), SD card (Secure Digital card), or USB memory (Universal Serial Bus memory). The storage 14 may be built into the computer main unit that constitutes the walking speed calculation device 10, or it may be attached to the computer main unit as an external device.

[0029] The output device 15 consists of, for example, a display, speaker, or printer, and outputs the results obtained when the processor 11 performs predetermined calculation processing, for example, the calculation result when calculating walking speed. The user of the walking speed calculation device 10 can check the results of each process, for example, the calculation result of walking speed, through the output device 15.

[0030] Furthermore, the computer constituting the walking speed calculation device 10 has software installed, including an operating system (OS) program and an application program for calculating walking speed. When these programs are read and executed by the processor 11, the computer performs its function as the walking speed calculation device 10, specifically by executing a series of information processing related to the calculation of walking speed.

[0031] <<Outline of the method for calculating walking speed in this embodiment>> Conventional methods for calculating walking speed involved a 10-meter walking test, in which subjects walked 10 meters. This test included a preparatory walking section (auxiliary walking section) of approximately 1-2 meters before and after the 10-meter walking section (main walking section). This was done to stabilize the walking speed in the main walking section. Furthermore, it is known that the walking speed in the main walking section correlates with the subject's physical condition (specifically, walking ability and risk of falling while walking).

[0032] On the other hand, in a typical room R (indoor space), it is not possible to secure a sufficient walking section, and the section may be only a few meters long. However, according to the inventors' research, even in such cases, the walking speed of the subject when walking that section correlates with the subject's physical condition.

[0033] Furthermore, as can be seen from Figure 2, when walking in an indoor space, it was found that the walking speed stabilizes at top speed, except for the first gait (one gait cycle) immediately after starting to walk and the last gait (one gait cycle) immediately before ending. One gait (one gait cycle) in the case of bipedal locomotion means moving the left foot and the right foot forward one step at a time. Figure 2 shows the distance traveled by the right foot, left foot, and center of gravity during walking. The horizontal axis represents elapsed time (seconds), the left vertical axis represents the absolute value of the distance traveled (mm), and the right vertical axis represents the relative value of the distance traveled, with 5000 mm set as 1.

[0034] From the above, it can be concluded that, even without providing an assisted walking section, a stable walking speed, i.e., a top speed, can be obtained when walking in an indoor space, except for the first step immediately after starting and the first step immediately before ending. In other words, the stable walking speed of the subject can be calculated during the period when the time for the first step immediately after starting and the first step immediately before ending walking is excluded from the period when the subject is walking in room R.

[0035] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the subject's position is measured at each point in time during the period in which the subject is within the detection area of ​​the sensor 16 (hereinafter referred to as the "area period"). For the reasons mentioned above, a period within the area period during which the subject is expected to walk within the detection area and whose walking speed is considered stable (hereinafter referred to as the "target period") is identified. Then, from the subject's position measured at each point in the area period, the position during the target period is selected, and the subject's walking speed during the target period is calculated based on the selected position (more specifically, the change in position).

[0036] The target period varies depending on the location of the subject at the start and end of walking, or more specifically, whether the subject is within the detection area of ​​sensor 16 at the start and end of walking. For example, if the subject is within the detection area at both the start and end of walking, the target interval is a predetermined period within the area period (specifically, a few seconds before and after the midpoint of the area period). On the other hand, if the subject is outside the detection area at both the start and end of walking, the entire area period becomes the target interval.

[0037] <<Regarding the functions of the walking speed calculation device according to this embodiment>> Next, the configuration of the walking speed calculation device 10 according to this embodiment will be explained again from a functional standpoint. As shown in Figure 3, the walking speed calculation device 10 has an acquisition unit 21, a selection unit 22, a calculation unit 23, and an output unit 24. These functional units are realized through the cooperation of hardware equipment provided by the computer constituting the walking speed calculation device 10 and a program (i.e., software) installed on that computer. The following describes each of the functional parts.

[0038] (Acquisition Department) The acquisition unit 21 acquires location information indicating the position of the subject at each point in time within the area. In this embodiment, the acquisition unit 21 receives an output signal from the sensor 16 and, based on the output signal, identifies the position of the subject within the detection area of ​​the sensor 16, thereby acquiring the subject's location information. The location information includes information about the time when the subject was at that position (more precisely, the time when that position was measured by the sensor 16, hereinafter also referred to as the measurement time).

[0039] In this embodiment, as described above, the sensor 16 is a millimeter-wave sensor, and the acquisition unit 21 identifies the position of a person (specifically, a subject) within the detection area of ​​the millimeter-wave sensor by analyzing the output signal from the millimeter-wave sensor. Known methods can be used to identify the position of a person based on the output signal from the millimeter-wave sensor. One example will be explained with reference to Figure 4. The sensor 16, which is a millimeter-wave sensor, measures the positions of objects and people within its detection area, and more specifically, as shown in Figure 4, it can measure the positions of multiple points (measurement points) corresponding to various parts of objects and people. In Figure 4, each measurement point is represented by a white circle.

[0040] The measurement results for the position of each measurement point are expressed in three-dimensional coordinates, specifically in XYZ coordinates where the X and Y directions are horizontal and the Z direction is vertical. Therefore, when a subject moves within the detection area, the XYZ coordinate values ​​in the measurement results for two or more measurement points set for that subject change over time. Taking this situation into account, two or more measurement points whose XYZ coordinate values ​​change over time can be considered as a point cloud representing the subject. In this embodiment, the position measured for one representative point (hereinafter referred to as the representative point) from this point cloud is used as the position of the subject.

[0041] The representative point may be, for example, the point with the largest Z-coordinate value in the point cloud, i.e., the measurement point corresponding to the top of the subject's head. Alternatively, the median or mean value of the measurement results (XYZ coordinate values) of each position in the point cloud may be used as the measurement result for the representative point's position. In the following, we will explain using the case where the measurement point corresponding to the top of the subject's head is used as the representative point.

[0042] The acquisition unit 21 acquires positional information indicating the location of a representative point at each point in time within the area period, i.e., the location of the top of the subject's head, by following the procedure described above. Note that the representative point is not limited to the location of the top of the subject's head; for example, it may be the lower limb (specifically the lower leg) of the subject. In that case, the difference in height between the point with the highest Z coordinate and the point with the lowest Z coordinate among the point cloud, i.e., the difference in Z coordinate values, is calculated, and the point whose Z coordinate value is approximately 1 / 3 of that difference is used as the representative point (i.e., the point indicating the location of the lower leg).

[0043] (Selection Department) The selection unit 22 identifies the relationship between the subject's position at the start and end of walking and the detection area of ​​the sensor 16, based on the position information acquired by the acquisition unit 21. Specifically, the selection unit 22 determines whether the subject's position at the start and end of walking is within or outside the detection area.

[0044] To determine whether the subject's starting position is within the detection area, for example, the acquisition unit 21 identifies the position of the representative point at the first measurement point and the position of the representative point at the second measurement point during the period within the area, based on the position information acquired by the acquisition unit 21, i.e., information indicating the position of a representative point at each point in time within the area. Then, the interval (distance) between the two identified positions at the measurement points is calculated, and if this interval is greater than or equal to a threshold, it is presumed that the subject was already walking at the first measurement point during the period within the area and entered the detection area from outside the area. In other words, it is determined that the subject's starting position is outside the detection area. Conversely, if the above interval is less than the threshold, it is presumed that the subject was standing or sitting within the detection area at the first measurement point during the period within the area and then started walking within the detection area. In other words, it is determined that the subject's starting position is within the detection area.

[0045] To determine whether the subject's position at the end of their walk is within the detection area, a procedure similar to the one described above can be used. Specifically, for example, the position of a representative point at the last measurement point during the period within the area and the position of a representative point at the measurement point immediately preceding it are identified. Then, the interval (distance) between the two identified measurement points is calculated. If this interval is greater than or equal to a threshold, it is presumed that the subject was walking at the last measurement point during the period within the area and had moved from within the detection area to outside the detection area. In other words, it is determined that the subject's position at the end of their walk is outside the detection area. Conversely, if the above interval is less than the threshold, it is presumed that the subject was standing or sitting within the detection area at the last measurement point during the period within the area, and in other words, it is determined that the subject's position at the end of their walk is within the detection area.

[0046] The selection unit 22 then selects specific location information from the location information acquired by the acquisition unit 21, based on the determination result of the above relationship, namely whether the subject's starting position and ending position are within the detection area. Specific location information refers to information indicating the subject's position at each point in the target period within the area, more specifically, the position of a representative point corresponding to the top of the subject's head. The procedure for selecting specific location information from the location information will be explained in a later section. In addition, specific location information, like location information, also includes information about the time (strictly speaking, the measurement time) when the subject was at the location indicated by the specific location information.

[0047] (Calculation section) The calculation unit 23 calculates the walking speed of the subject during the target period based on the specific location information selected by the selection unit 22. More specifically, in this embodiment, the calculation unit 23 first identifies the walking direction of the subject during the target period based on the location information acquired by the acquisition unit 21. The method for identifying the walking direction from the location information is not particularly limited, but for example, the position of the subject at each point in time within the area period indicated by the location information (more specifically, the position of a representative point) is plotted in the XY coordinate space as shown in Figure 5. Then, as shown in Figure 5, the difference between the coordinate values ​​(X1, Y1) of the point indicating the position at the earliest measurement point within the area period and the coordinate values ​​(Xn, Yn) of the point indicating the position at the last measurement point within the area period is calculated. From this difference, the vector of the subject's walking direction during the area period can be determined, and it is possible to identify in which direction the subject walked within the detection area of ​​the sensor 16.

[0048] Furthermore, an improved method can be used to more accurately determine the walking direction of the subject during the target period. For example, similar to the method described above, the subject's position at each point in time during the period indicated by the location information is plotted in the XY coordinate space, and then, as shown in Figure 6, a straight line approximating the change in the subject's position over time (hereinafter referred to as the regression line for convenience of explanation) is obtained using the least squares method. Subsequently, based on this regression line, the point indicating the position at the earliest measurement point and / or the point indicating the position at the last measurement point within the period are corrected. Specifically, a straight line is drawn from the point to be corrected parallel to the Y axis toward the regression line, and the coordinate value of the point to be corrected is modified (interpolated) so that it intersects with the regression line (the white circle shown in Figure 6). Then, the difference is calculated from the corrected point, and the subject's walking direction can be determined from this difference.

[0049] Furthermore, the method for determining the regression line described above is not limited to the least squares method; principal component analysis may also be used, as shown in Figure 7. Additionally, the walking direction may be determined not only for the walking direction within the area period, but also for the walking direction within the target period. In this case, specific location information indicating the subject's position at each point in time within the target period can be used to determine the walking direction using the same procedure as described above.

[0050] After identifying the walking direction as described above, the acquisition unit 21 calculates the walking speed in the above walking direction based on the identified position information, i.e., the position of the subject at each point in the target period. Specifically, it determines the time difference Δt between the earliest measurement point and the last measurement point in the target period, and the interval d between the positions of the subject (more precisely, representative points) at these two measurement points, and calculates the value of d / Δt as the walking speed. If the position of the subject at the earliest measurement point and the position of the subject at the last measurement point are corrected by the method described above, it is preferable to use the corrected position to determine the interval d.

[0051] (Output section) The output unit 24 outputs the subject's walking speed, specifically the walking speed during the target period, calculated by the calculation unit 23, through the output device 15 of the computer constituting the walking speed calculation device 10. For example, the output unit 24 may display the calculated walking speed on a display or the like. The output unit 24 may also output the subject's physical condition estimated from the walking speed along with the calculated walking speed. Specifically, the calculated walking speed may be input to a machine learning model that estimates the subject's physical condition from the walking speed to obtain an estimated result of the subject's physical condition, and the obtained estimated result of the subject's physical condition may be displayed on a display or the like.

[0052] <<Regarding the walking speed calculation flow according to this embodiment>> Next, the walking speed calculation flow, which is an information processing flow using the walking speed calculation device 10 described above, will be explained with reference to Figures 8 and 9. The walking speed calculation flow employs the walking speed calculation method of the present invention and proceeds according to the flow shown in Figures 8 and 9. In other words, each step in the flow shown in Figures 8 and 9 corresponds to each element that constitutes the walking speed calculation method of the present invention. The processing flows shown in Figures 8 and 9 are merely examples, and unnecessary steps may be deleted, new steps added, or the order of steps rearranged, without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0053] In the walking speed calculation flow, the subject walks a certain distance within room R. For at least a portion of this period, the subject walks within the detection area of ​​sensor 16. In other words, at least a portion of the time the subject is walking within room R corresponds to the period in which the subject is within the detection area. Furthermore, a portion of the period in the detection area is considered the target period, which is the period during which the subject's walking speed stabilizes. Furthermore, while the subject is within the detection area (i.e., during the period of being within the area), the sensor 16 measures the subject's position at regular measurement intervals and outputs a signal corresponding to the measurement result.

[0054] The walking speed calculation flow starts when the subject starts walking, and thereafter, each step in the walking speed calculation processing flow is performed by the processor 11 of the computer that constitutes the walking speed calculation device 10. Specifically, the processor 11 communicates with the sensor 16, receives the output signal from the sensor 16, and determines the subject's position at that time based on the output signal. This process is repeated as needed throughout the area period, so that the processor 11 (more precisely, the acquisition unit 21) acquires the subject's position information at each point in time during the area period (S001).

[0055] Next, the processor 11, based on the location information acquired in S001, identifies the relationship between the subject's position at the start and end of walking and the detection area. Specifically, the processor 11 determines whether the subject has started walking and whether the subject is inside or outside the detection area at the start of walking (S002). If the subject is walking within the detection area, the processor 11 then performs the steps from S003 onward related to calculating the walking speed.

[0056] Next, the processor 11 determines whether the subject has finished walking and whether the subject is inside or outside the detection area at the time the subject finishes walking (S003). Whether the subject is walking within the detection area and whether the subject is inside or outside the detection area can be determined by the procedure described above.

[0057] Then, after the subject has finished walking, the processor 11 determines the subject's walking direction during the period within the area based on the location information acquired in S001 (S004). The processor 11 also selects specific location information from the above location information that indicates the subject's position at each point in the target period, according to the relationship between the subject's position at the start and end of walking and the detection area (S005). Specifically, the processor 11 determines one of four selection patterns based on the determination results of steps S002 and S003, and selects specific location information according to the determined selection pattern.

[0058] Referring to Figure 9, to explain in more detail, if both the subject's starting and ending positions are within the detection area (Yes in S011 and S012), the processor 11, or more precisely, the selection unit 22, sets the period from a predetermined time t prior to the midpoint of the area period to a predetermined time t after the midpoint as the target period (S014). To put it simply, the target period is set to t seconds before and after the midpoint of the area period (t is any real number). The midpoint of the area period is the middle point of the area period, and the predetermined time t is any time, for example, it may be the time corresponding to one walking cycle. Then, the processor 11 (selection unit 22) selects information indicating the subject's position at each point in the target period set as described above, i.e., specific position information, from the position information acquired in S001.

[0059] If the subject's position at the start of walking is within the detection area, and the subject's position at the end of walking is outside the detection area (Yes in S011 and No in S012), the processor 11 (selection unit 22) sets the period from a predetermined time t after the subject's walking start time to the end of the period within the area as the target period (S015). The predetermined time t is any time, for example, it may be the time corresponding to one walking cycle. Then, the processor 11 (selection unit 22) selects specific position information from the position information acquired in S001 that indicates the subject's position at each point in time within the target period set as described above.

[0060] If the subject's position at the start of walking is outside the detection area, and the subject's position at the end of walking is within the detection area (No in S011 and Yes in S013), the processor 11 (selection unit 22) sets the period from the start of the in-area period to a predetermined time t prior to the subject's end of walking as the target period (S016). The predetermined time t is any time, and may be, for example, the time corresponding to one walking cycle. Then, the processor 11 (selection unit 22) selects specific position information from the position information acquired in S001 that indicates the subject's position at each point in time within the target period set as described above.

[0061] If both the subject's starting and ending positions are outside the detection area (No in S011 and S013), the processor 11 (selection unit 22) sets the entire period within the area as the target period (S017). Then, the processor 11 (selection unit 22) selects specific position information from the position information acquired in S001 that indicates the subject's position at each point in time within the target period set as described above.

[0062] Returning to Figure 8, after selecting specific location information, the processor 11 (more precisely, the calculation unit 23) calculates the subject's walking speed during the target period based on the specific location information, and more specifically, calculates the walking speed in the walking direction identified in step S004 (S006). Subsequently, the processor 11 (more precisely, the output unit 24) outputs the calculated walking speed of the subject (S007), and displays the calculated walking speed result on a display, for example.

[0063] The walking speed calculation flow ends when the above series of steps are completed. According to the procedure described above, the subject's walking speed can be appropriately calculated using location information (specific location information) during the period when the walking speed is stable. As a result, the estimation accuracy when estimating the subject's physical condition from their walking speed can be improved. Furthermore, according to the procedure described above, specific location information is selected from the location information based on the relationship between the subject's position at the start and end of walking and the detection area of ​​the sensor 16. This allows for the selection of specific location information using a relatively simple procedure. As a result, walking speed can be calculated more easily. Furthermore, following the procedure described above, the walking direction of the subject can be identified, and the walking speed in that identified direction can be calculated appropriately and simply.

[0064] <<Regarding other embodiments>> Although one embodiment of the walking speed calculation device, walking speed calculation system, and method of using the present invention has been described above, the above embodiment is merely an example to facilitate understanding of the present invention and does not limit the present invention. In other words, the present invention can be modified and improved without departing from its spirit. Furthermore, it goes without saying that the present invention includes equivalents thereof.

[0065] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a millimeter-wave sensor was used as the sensor 16 for measuring the position of the subject, but it is not particularly limited as long as it can measure the position of the subject who is within the set area, and a position sensor other than a millimeter-wave sensor may be used. In addition, a means other than the sensor 16 that can identify the position of the subject may be used, such as GPS (Global Positioning System), and the information obtained from the GPS may be acquired as position information together with the measurement results of the sensor 16.

[0066] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the walking speed calculation flow is started when the subject starts walking and ends when the subject stops walking. However, it is not limited to this, and the walking speed calculation flow may also be started when the subject starts walking within the detection area, or when the subject starts walking outside the detection area and enters the detection area. Also, the walking speed calculation flow may end when the subject finishes walking within the detection area, or when the subject walks out of the detection area.

[0067] Furthermore, while the above embodiment calculates the walking speed when the subject walks inside room R (i.e., indoors), the invention is not limited to this, and the walking speed calculation device and walking speed calculation system of the present invention can also be used to calculate the walking speed when the subject walks outdoors. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0068] 10 Walking speed calculation device 11 processors 12 memory 13. Communication Interfaces 14 Storage 15 Output devices 16 sensors 21 Acquisition Department 22 Selection Department 23 Calculation Section 24 Output section 100 Walking Speed ​​Calculation System Room R

Claims

1. A walking speed calculation device that calculates the walking speed of a subject within a set area, An acquisition unit that acquires location information indicating the location of the subject at each point in time during the period in which the subject is within the designated area, A selection unit that identifies the relationship between the subject's position at the start and end of walking and the designated area based on the location information, and selects specific location information from the location information that indicates the subject's position at each point in time during the target period, according to the relationship. A walking speed calculation device comprising a calculation unit that calculates the walking speed of the subject during the target period based on the specified location information.

2. The walking speed calculation device according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit identifies the walking direction of the subject based on the position information and calculates the walking speed in the identified walking direction.

3. If both the starting position and ending position of the subject are within the designated area, the selection unit sets the period from a predetermined time prior to the midpoint of the period to a predetermined time after the midpoint as the target period, and selects the specific position information from the position information, as described in claim 1, the walking speed calculation device.

4. The walking speed calculation device according to claim 1, wherein if the subject's position at the start of walking is within the designated area and the subject's position at the end of walking is outside the designated area, the selection unit sets the period from a predetermined time after the subject's start of walking to the end of the period as the target period and selects the specific position information from the position information.

5. If the subject's position at the start of walking is outside the designated area, and the subject's position at the end of walking is within the designated area, the selection unit sets the period from the start of the period to a predetermined time prior to the subject's end of walking as the target period, and selects the specific position information from the position information, as described in claim 1, the walking speed calculation device.

6. If both the starting position and ending position of the subject are outside the designated area, the selection unit sets the entire period as the target period and selects the specific position information from the position information, as described in claim 1, for the walking speed calculation device.

7. A walking speed calculation system that calculates the walking speed of a subject within a set area, A sensor that outputs a signal corresponding to the location of the subject during the period in which the subject is within the designated area, The system includes a walking speed calculation device capable of communicating with the aforementioned sensor, The aforementioned walking speed calculation device is An acquisition unit that receives an output signal from the sensor and acquires location information indicating the position of the subject at each point in time during the period based on the output signal, A selection unit that identifies the relationship between the subject's position at the start and end of walking and the designated area based on the location information, and selects specific location information from the location information that indicates the subject's position at each point in time during the target period, according to the relationship. A walking speed calculation system comprising a calculation unit that calculates the walking speed of the subject during the target period based on the specified location information.

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