Wearable devices

Abstract

We provide a wearable device that allows for adjustment of the indoor atmosphere according to the risk of heatstroke. [Solution] According to the embodiment, the wearable device 100 includes a vital sign acquisition unit 120 that acquires the wearer's vital signs, an environmental information acquisition unit 110 that acquires environmental information about the environment around the wearer, and a calculation unit 150 that calculates an index value indicating the wearer's risk of heatstroke from the vital signs and environmental information, and generates operating state command information for an external cooling device 200 according to the index value.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a wearable device.

BACKGROUND ART

[0002] Vital signs indicating human life signs, that is, the most important signs for maintaining life, are generally grasped by measuring blood pressure, pulse, respiration, body temperature and the like. Devices that measure these vital signs are called "vital sign monitors" in the case of medical devices used in hospitals. As general commercially available vital sign monitors, wearable devices such as a sphygmomanometer for blood pressure, a clinical thermometer for body temperature, and a wristwatch type or a type attached to the chest or clothes for pulse are usually used.

[0003] Among the above-mentioned wearable devices, those that measure pulse rate and outer shell temperature (skin temperature, body surface temperature) as vital signs, or those that recently perform blood pressure measurement, sleep state monitoring and the like are common. These devices are often combined with sensors targeting ambient temperature, humidity, acceleration, angular acceleration (gyro), geomagnetism, atmospheric pressure (altitude) and the like in addition to vital signs. In addition, these devices are generally used for health management by monitoring daily activity amounts from exercise to sleep using accelerometers, angular accelerometers (gyros) and pulse sensors in particular. That is, for example, when the user is in a sitting state for a long time, the user is prompted to move, or the quality of sleep is reported.

[0004] Among various types of wearable devices as described above, some are provided with a wireless communication function and output data and states detected by the devices to a host system.

PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS

PATENT DOCUMENTS

[0005]

PATENT DOCUMENT 1

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] In recent years, average temperatures in Japan have been steadily rising. For example, the Japan Meteorological Agency's 2017 Heat Island Monitoring Report states that the average annual temperature in Tokyo has risen by 3.2 degrees Celsius compared to 100 years ago. In particular, the extreme heat of summer significantly increases the risk of heatstroke.

[0007] When room temperatures are high at night, it is difficult to effectively lower body temperature. Elderly people, in particular, have a lower metabolism and reduced ability to regulate body temperature through sweating, making them less sensitive to heat and thus increasing their risk of heatstroke. One possible solution is to leave the air conditioner on while sleeping at night. However, many people turn off their air conditioners when sleeping due to concerns about soaring electricity bills, health problems caused by air conditioning (such as catching a cold), or unfamiliarity with operating them. In such situations, elderly people in particular are more likely to suffer from heatstroke.

[0008] Furthermore, while it would be ideal if family members noticed and used air conditioning appropriately in such room temperatures, the rise of nuclear families means that many elderly people live alone. In such cases, the worst-case scenario is that the elderly person dies alone from heatstroke without anyone noticing.

[0009] The present invention aims to provide a wearable device that enables adjustment of the indoor atmosphere according to the risk of heatstroke. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] To achieve the above objectives, the wearable device according to the embodiment is characterized by comprising: a vital sign acquisition unit that acquires the wearer's vital signs; an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information about the environment surrounding the wearer; and a calculation unit that calculates an index value indicating the wearer's risk of heatstroke from the vital signs and the environmental information, and generates operating state command information for an external air conditioning unit according to the index value. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is an external view showing the appearance of a wearable device according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a wearable device according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram illustrating the operation of a wearable device according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] This graph illustrates the heat index table to conceptually explain the operation of the heat index correction unit of the wearable device according to the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Hereinafter, a wearable device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Here, parts that are identical or similar to each other are denoted by the same reference numeral, and overlapping descriptions are omitted.

[0013] Figure 1 is an external view showing the appearance of the wearable device 100 according to the embodiment.

[0014] As shown in Figure 1, the wearable device 100 has a main body 101 and a band 102 for securing the main body 101 to the wearer, so that it can be worn by the wearer. The wearable device 100 may be, for example, a wristwatch type worn on the wrist. Alternatively, the wearable device 100 may be a neck pillow type in which the main body 101 is built into a pillow (not shown).

[0015] In particular, elderly people may dislike the act of wearing, for example, a wristwatch-type device while sleeping. For this reason, a neck pillow-type device reduces the psychological burden of being conscious of wearing the device. In addition, while a regular pillow may impede accurate measurement due to tossing and turning during sleep, a neck pillow-type device enables stable measurement. Furthermore, the neck pillow-type device is also said to have the effect of preventing stiff neck from improper sleeping posture and improving sleep quality, and in combination with such incidental effects, it is expected to have the effect of increasing the purchasing motivation of elderly people in particular.

[0016] The main body 101 of the wearable device 100 is provided with an operation unit 170 operable with a finger, and a display unit 180 that displays information for the wearer. In the case of a neck pillow-type device, the pillow is configured in a form that allows the main body 101 to be checked as needed.

[0017] The display unit 180 is generally rectangular with rounded four corners. However, the shape of the display unit 180 may be other shapes. In addition, although FIG. 1 shows a case where the operation unit 170 is an operation button and the display unit 180 is a screen, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a form in which the operation unit 170 and the display unit 180 are integrated, such as a touch panel screen, may be adopted.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the wearable device 100 according to the embodiment.

[0019] The wearable device 100 includes an environmental information acquisition unit 110, a vital sign acquisition unit 120, a correction information acquisition unit 130, a storage unit 140, a calculation unit 150, a timer 161, an operation unit 170, a display unit 180, and an output unit 190.

[0020] The environmental information acquisition unit 110 has a temperature sensor 111 and a humidity sensor 112 to acquire environmental information of the wearer.

[0021] The vital sign acquisition unit 120 includes a pulse sensor 121 to acquire the vital signs of the wearer. The pulse sensor 121 is, for example, a pulse sensor. The pulse sensor is, for example, a Photoplethysmogram (PPG) that detects a pulse wave accompanying a heartbeat by measuring changes in blood volume in arteries and capillaries corresponding to changes in heart rate. Note that the pulse rate measurement method is not limited to this.

[0022] The correction information acquisition unit 130 includes a wearer characteristic acquisition unit 131 that acquires wearer characteristic data in order to correct the conditions of a heat index table described later according to the characteristics of the wearer. Here, the wearer characteristic data includes information related to the wearer's health condition, such as age, details of chronic diseases, degree of daily fatigue, normal pulse rate, and others. As a method for acquiring the wearer characteristic data, question items may be displayed on the display unit 180 for these items, and the wearer characteristic data may be acquired by inputting answers via the operation unit 170.

[0023] The storage unit 140 is a storage device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), or a flash memory. The storage unit 140 has a heat index table storage unit 141, a threshold storage unit 142, and an index value correspondence table storage unit 143.

[0024] The heat index table storage unit 141 stores heat index table data. The heat index table data will be described later with reference to FIG. 4.

[0025] The threshold storage unit 142 stores thresholds for determination. The thresholds include a vital sign threshold for determining the magnitude of the vital sign obtained by the vital sign acquisition unit 120, a heat index threshold for determining the level of the heat index described later, an index value threshold for determining the magnitude of the index value described later, and a threshold for determining the lower temperature margin.

[0026] The index value correspondence table storage unit 143 stores and retains an index value correspondence table that associates combinations of the determination result of the pulse rate magnitude and the determination result of the heat index level with index values.

[0027] Here, the indicator value is an indicator that shows the risk of heatstroke, for example, the heat stress level. The heat stress level is a numerical value that is estimated to correspond to the wearer's condition, among a range of values ​​that classify the level of physical stress the wearer experiences due to the environment. In this embodiment, the heat stress level is specifically expressed in five stages from "0" to "5".

[0028] The calculation unit 150 is a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The calculation unit 150 includes a heat index derivation unit 151, a heat index table correction unit 152, a comparison and determination unit 153, and an index value derivation unit 154.

[0029] The heat index derivation unit 151 derives the heat index based on the ambient temperature obtained by the temperature sensor 111 of the environmental information acquisition unit 110 and the ambient humidity obtained by the humidity sensor 112. The heat index is, for example, equivalent to the WBGT (Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature). However, the calculation target is not limited to the WBGT equivalent value; any heat index based on at least both temperature and humidity is acceptable.

[0030] The heat index table correction unit 152 corrects the contents of the heat index table using wearer characteristic data acquired by the wearer characteristic acquisition unit 131 of the correction information acquisition unit 130.

[0031] The comparison and determination unit 153 compares the heat index derived by the heat index derivation unit 151 with the heat index threshold, and compares the index value derived by the index value derivation unit 154 with the index value threshold.

[0032] In detail, the comparison and determination unit 153 compares the pulse rate measured by the pulse sensor 121 with the pulse rate threshold stored in the threshold storage unit 142. The comparison and determination unit 153 also compares the heat index derived by the heat index derivation unit 151 with the heat index threshold stored in the threshold storage unit 142. The comparison and determination unit 153 also determines whether the index value has increased or decreased.

[0033] Furthermore, the comparison and determination unit 153 determines whether or not to switch from cooling mode to dehumidification mode. The decision to switch to dehumidification mode is made based on whether or not the temperature reaches the lower limit in order to reduce the index value. Since dehumidification increases power consumption and is therefore undesirable from a cost perspective, the switch is only made when these conditions are met. The comparison and determination unit 153 also determines whether or not there is a margin of safety regarding the temperature relative to the lower limit.

[0034] The index value derivation unit 154 derives an index value using the index value correspondence table stored in the index value correspondence table storage unit 143, based on the comparison result between the heat index and the heat index threshold, and the comparison result between the pulse rate and the pulse rate threshold, as determined by the comparison determination unit 153.

[0035] The index value is an indicator used to adjust the operating state of the air conditioning unit 200 as a measure to mitigate the risk of heatstroke for the wearer. From a control perspective, the air conditioning unit 200 can be described as a means of maintaining the wearer's condition in a good state, that is, an operating unit in control engineering. The index value is derived based on the detection results of environmental information and vital signs generated by the operating state of the air conditioning unit 200, and is an indicator that shows the state of the controlled object from the perspective of heatstroke risk. It can also be considered as a control quantity processed as a feedback signal.

[0036] Therefore, the wearable device 100, as a control device using the air conditioning unit 200, maintains the wearer's condition in a safe state from the perspective of heatstroke risk.

[0037] The progress of each step in the operation of the wearable device 100 is performed by the calculation unit 150. For this purpose, the calculation unit 150 has a timer 161. The timer 161 counts from the time of the command output to the cooling device 200 and outputs a signal indicating the elapsed time at predetermined points up to each determination.

[0038] The operation unit 170 enables input operations for external inputs based on the display unit 180. The display unit 180 displays information for input operations and processing information. The operation unit 170 and the display unit 180 are mutual interfaces with the wearer. Figure 1 shows a case where the operation unit 170 is an operation button and the display unit 180 is a screen, but is not limited to this. For example, the operation unit 170 and the display unit 180 may be in the form of an integrated touch panel screen or the like.

[0039] The wireless communication unit 191 of the output unit 190 outputs a command signal to the wireless communication unit 201 of the air conditioner 200. Here, the command signal is a signal that commands the air conditioner 200 to start, stop, raise or lower the set temperature, switch between cooling mode and dehumidification mode, etc.

[0040] <Explanation of action> Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the operation of the wearable device 100 according to the embodiment. The progress of each step described below is performed by the calculation unit 150. The operation of the calculation unit 150's progress control will be described only as necessary, and otherwise omitted.

[0041] First, the wearer characteristics acquisition unit 131 of the correction information acquisition unit 130 of the wearable device 100 acquires wearer characteristics data (step S01). The heat index table correction unit 152 corrects the heat index table based on the wearer characteristics data (step S02).

[0042] Figure 4 is a graph of the heat index table to conceptually explain the operation of the heat index table correction unit 152 of the wearable device 100 according to the embodiment. The horizontal axis of the graph represents relative humidity (%), and the vertical axis represents temperature (°C).

[0043] The solid lines and diagonal lines indicate boundaries that represent normal levels. To the left of solid line A, i.e., the side with lower temperature and humidity, is the "normal" region, for example, where the heat index is 24°C or lower. The area between solid line A and solid line B is, for example, a "caution" area where the heat index is 25°C to 27°C. The area between solid line B and solid line C is, for example, a "severe caution" area where the heat index is 28°C to 30°C. The area to the right of solid line C, that is, the side with high temperature and humidity, is, for example, a "danger" area where the heat index is 31°C or higher.

[0044] The dashed lines indicate boundary lines that show the levels after correction performed by the heat index table correction unit 152. That is, solid line A shifts to dashed line A1, solid line B shifts to dashed line B1, and solid line C shifts to dashed line C1, each shifting towards the lower heat index. Alternatively, each boundary line shifts towards the lower temperature or humidity. The temperature or humidity range (shift width) of this shift is determined based on wearer characteristic data.

[0045] In Figure 4, point P is shown as an example, corresponding to the heat index derived by the heat index derivation unit 151 based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 111 and the humidity measured by the humidity sensor 112. Furthermore, a lower temperature limit Tmin is set for the wearer to prevent the ambient temperature from dropping too low. The value obtained by subtracting the lower temperature limit Tmin from the temperature at point P is called the lower temperature margin Tmargin. Here, the lower temperature limit Tmin is set based on information acquired by the wearer characteristics acquisition unit 131.

[0046] Here, wearer characteristic data includes, as mentioned above, age, pre-existing medical conditions, normal pulse rate, and other special information regarding the wearer's health status. Wearer characteristic data may be set by, for example, the wearer's primary care physician, taking these factors into consideration. Alternatively, wearer characteristic data may be determined based on information provided by a medical institution or medical administrative agency, which indicates a shift range corresponding to the degree of these factors.

[0047] Next, as shown in Figure 3, the wearable device 100 acquires information (step S03). Specifically, the temperature sensor 111 of the environmental information acquisition unit 110 acquires ambient temperature, the humidity sensor 112 acquires ambient humidity, and the pulse sensor 121 of the vital sign acquisition unit 120 acquires pulse rate information.

[0048] Next, the heat index derivation unit 151 derives the heat index based on the ambient temperature and ambient humidity obtained in step S03 (step S04).

[0049] Next, the index value derivation unit 154 derives the index value (step S05). Specifically, first, the comparison determination unit 153 compares the heat index with the heat index threshold, and compares the pulse rate with the pulse rate threshold. Based on these results, the index value derivation unit 154 derives the index value using the index value correspondence table stored in the index value correspondence table storage unit 143.

[0050] Next, the calculation unit 150 determines whether the K value is 1 or not (step S06). Here, the K value indicates the operating status of the air conditioning unit 200. A K value of 1 means that the air conditioning unit 200 is in operation, and a K value of 0 means that the air conditioning unit 200 is stopped.

[0051] If the calculation unit 150 does not determine that the K value is 1 (step S06 NO), that is, if the air conditioner 200 is stopped, the comparison determination unit 153 determines whether the index value is greater than the threshold (step S07). In other words, it determines whether the wearer's stress is high from the standpoint of preventing heatstroke and whether the air conditioner 200 needs to be started.

[0052] If the comparison determination unit 153 does not determine that the index value is greater than the threshold (step S07 NO), steps S03 to S07 are repeated.

[0053] If the comparison determination unit 153 determines that the index value is greater than the threshold (step S07 YES), the output unit 190 outputs a start command to the air conditioner 200 (step S08). As a result, the air conditioner 200 starts up. The calculation unit 150 also changes the K value to 1 (step S09).

[0054] The above-mentioned start command, as well as the stopping of the cooling unit 200, lowering the temperature setting, and changing to dehumidification mode, which will be explained later, will be collectively referred to as operating status command information. Furthermore, other items such as airflow and airflow direction may also be added to the operating status command information.

[0055] In step S08, a timer 161 operates, which has elapsed a predetermined amount of time since the start command to the air conditioner 200 was output. The comparison determination unit 153 then determines whether the index value has increased or not (step S10). Note that in step S06, if the calculation unit 150 determines that the K value is 1 (step S06 YES), i.e., if the air conditioner 200 is in operation, the process proceeds to step S10.

[0056] If the comparison determination unit 153 determines that the index value is increasing (step S10 YES), the comparison determination unit 153 determines whether or not to switch to dehumidification (step S11). Specifically, as described above, the comparison determination unit 153 makes the determination based on whether or not the minimum temperature condition has been reached. If the humidity is higher than a predetermined threshold, priority may be given to switching to dehumidification.

[0057] If the comparison and determination unit 153 does not determine in step S11 that a change to dehumidification should be made (step S11 NO), the output unit 190 outputs a command to the cooling unit 200 to lower the temperature setting because the temperature is higher than the minimum temperature requirement (step S13). As a result, the cooling unit 200 switches to an operating state with a lowered set temperature.

[0058] If the comparison determination unit 153 determines in step S11 that the system should be changed to dehumidification mode (step S11 YES), the output unit 190 outputs a command to the cooling unit 200 to switch to dehumidification mode (step S12). As a result, the cooling unit 200 switches to operating in dehumidification mode.

[0059] If the comparison determination unit 153 does not determine in step S10 that the index value has increased (step S10 NO), the comparison determination unit 153 determines whether or not the index value has decreased (step S14).

[0060] In step S14, if the comparison determination unit 153 determines that the index value has not decreased (step S14 NO), the output unit 190 outputs a command to the cooling unit 200 to lower the temperature setting (step S15). As a result, the cooling unit 200 switches to an operating state with a lowered set temperature.

[0061] After the transition to an operating state with a lowered set temperature of the cooling device 200 in step S13 and step S15, and the transition to the dehumidification mode of the cooling device 200 in step S12, the calculation unit 150 repeats steps S03 onwards after a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0062] In step S14, if the comparison determination unit 153 determines that the index value has decreased (step S14 YES), a choice is made as follows: whether to continue or stop the operation.

[0063] First, the comparison and determination unit 153 determines whether the temperature lower limit margin is greater than the threshold (step S16). That is, it determines whether the ambient temperature is close to the lower temperature limit for the wearer.

[0064] In step S16, if the comparison determination unit 153 does not determine that the lower temperature margin is greater than the threshold (step S16 NO), the comparison determination unit 153 determines whether or not to stop the cooling system 200 (step S17). Here, the determination of whether or not to continue operating the cooling system 200 in step S17 is set in advance.

[0065] In step S17, if the comparison determination unit 153 selects to stop the air conditioner 200 (step S17 YES), a stop command is output from the output unit 190 to the air conditioner 200 (step S18). As a result, the air conditioner 200 stops operating. Also, the calculation unit 150 sets the K value to 0 (step S19).

[0066] If the comparison determination unit 153 determines in step S16 that the lower temperature margin is greater than the threshold (step S16 YES), if the comparison determination unit 153 does not select to stop the cooling device 200 in step S17 (step S17 NO), and if the calculation unit 150 sets the K value to 0 in step S19, the calculation unit 150 returns the operation of the wearable device 100 to step S03.

[0067] <Explanation of effects> The wearable device 100 according to this embodiment, configured as described above, provides the following effects.

[0068] (1) The wearable device 100 can control the operating state of the air conditioner 200 according to an index value from the perspective of heatstroke risk. As a result, the wearable device 100, as a control device using the air conditioner 200, can maintain the wearer's condition in a safe state from the perspective of heatstroke risk.

[0069] (2) When controlling the operating state of the cooling unit 200, repeatedly starting and stopping the cooling unit 200 increases power consumption. Therefore, by lowering the temperature setting or switching to dehumidification mode, economical operation is achieved. As a result, power supply and demand are stabilized during the summer months.

[0070] (3) By adopting a neck pillow type design, the wearable device 100 can perform stable measurements and improve the wearer's sleep quality. As a result, the neck pillow type wearable device 100 is expected to particularly increase the willingness of elderly people to purchase it.

[0071] According to the embodiments described above, it is possible to provide a wearable device that can adjust the indoor atmosphere according to the risk of heatstroke.

[0072] [Other embodiments] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Furthermore, the features of each embodiment may be combined. Moreover, the embodiments can be carried out in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0073] 100...Wearable device, 101...Main unit, 102...Band, 110...Environmental information acquisition unit, 111...Temperature sensor, 112...Humidity sensor, 120...Vital sign acquisition unit, 121...Pulse sensor, 130...Correction information acquisition unit, 131...Wearer characteristics acquisition unit, 140...Memory unit, 141...Heat index table memory unit, 142...Threshold memory unit, 143...Index value correspondence table memory unit, 150...Calculation unit, 151...Heat index derivation unit, 152...Heat index table correction unit, 153...Comparison and judgment unit, 154...Index value derivation unit, 161...Timer, 170...Operation unit, 180...Display unit, 190...Output unit, 191...Wireless communication unit, 200...Cooling device, 201...Wireless communication unit

Claims

1. A vital signs acquisition unit that acquires the wearer's vital signs, An environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information about the environment surrounding the wearer, A calculation unit calculates an index value indicating the wearer's risk of heatstroke from the vital signs and environmental information, and generates operating status command information for an external cooling system according to the index value. An output unit that outputs the aforementioned operating status command information to the air conditioning unit, A wearable device characterized by having the following features.

2. The wearable device according to claim 1, characterized in that the vital sign acquisition unit includes a pulse sensor for measuring the wearer's pulse rate.

3. The environmental information acquisition unit includes a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature around the wearer and a humidity sensor for measuring the humidity around the wearer. The calculation unit derives a heat index from the temperature and humidity. The wearable device according to feature 1.

4. The calculation unit compares and determines the magnitude of the vital signs and the vital sign threshold, and the magnitude of the heat index and the heat index threshold, and derives the index value based on the combination of the results of these determinations. The wearable device according to feature 1.

5. The wearable device according to claim 1, characterized in that the operating status command information includes commands for starting, stopping, and lowering the temperature setting of the air conditioning unit.

6. The wearable device according to claim 5, wherein the aforementioned operating state command information further includes a command to switch to dehumidification mode.

7. A wearable device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it is a neck pillow type that is built into a pillow.

Images