Method for determining a user's state and device for performing said method - Patents.com

Abstract

According to one example, to determine the user's status, biometric information of a user using an electronic device providing an aerosol is measured from the electronic device, and the biometric information is received from the electronic device, and the user's current status can be determined based on the biometric information.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The following embodiments relate to a technique for determining a user's condition, and more particularly, to a technique for determining a user's condition based on a biological material of the user. [Background technology]

[0002] Recently, various methods for providing aerosol to a user have been developed. For example, the demand for aerosol providing devices such as electronic cigarettes and inhalers is gradually increasing. In addition, as the demand for such methods increases, various functions for use in the aerosol providing devices are continuously developed. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] One embodiment resides in providing a method for determining a state of a user.

[0004] One embodiment resides in providing a server that determines the state of a user. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In one embodiment, a method for determining a user status includes an operation of receiving biometric information from an electronic device including one or more biometric sensors that measure the biometric information of a user, and an operation of determining a current status of the user based on the biometric information, wherein the electronic device is a device that provides an aerosol to the user.

[0006] The operation of receiving the biometric information includes an operation of receiving the biometric information from a user terminal connected to the electronic device via short-range wireless communication, and further includes an operation of transmitting the determined current status to the user terminal, and the user terminal can notify the user of the current status by outputting the current status.

[0007] A first biosensor of the one or more biosensors may be located in a mouthpiece of the electronic device.

[0008] The first biological sensor can measure first biological information by detecting a target substance contained in at least one of liquid and gas contained in the breath of the user.

[0009] A second biosensor of the one or more biosensors may measure second bioinformation by measuring an electrocardiogram, a heart rate, or a blood oxygen saturation level of the user.

[0010] The operation of determining the current state of the user based on the biometric information may include an operation of obtaining standard biometric information of the user, and an operation of determining the current state based on the standard biometric information and the biometric information.

[0011] The standard physiological information may be a standard electrocardiogram, a standard heart rate, or a standard cortical saturation level of the user that is stored in advance.

[0012] The biometric information may be biometric information about the user in a state in which the aerosol has been provided.

[0013] The electronic device includes a mouthpiece, a reservoir for storing the aerosol, and a connecting passage connecting the mouthpiece and the reservoir, the reservoir including a valve whose state changes based on negative pressure applied by the user, and the aerosol can be supplied to the connecting passage within the reservoir by changing the state of the valve.

[0014] A first biosensor of the one or more biosensors may be disposed in the mouthpiece or the connecting passage.

[0015] The server for determining a user status includes a memory having a program for determining a user status recorded therein, and a processor for executing the program, wherein the processor receives biometric information from an electronic device including one or more biometric sensors for measuring the user's biometric information, and determines the user's current status based on the biometric information, and the electronic device is a device for providing an aerosol to the user.

[0016] The processor receives the biometric information from a user terminal connected to the electronic device via short-range wireless communication, determines the current state of the user based on the biometric information, transmits the determined current state to the user terminal, and the user terminal notifies the user of the current state by outputting the current state. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates a system for determining a state of a user according to an example. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to an example. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram of an electronic device according to another example. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a server according to an embodiment. [Diagram 5] 1 is a flowchart of a method for determining a state of a user according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] 1 is a flowchart of a method for determining a current state based on standard biometric information of a user according to an example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] The specific structural or functional description of the embodiments is disclosed for the purpose of illustration only, and may be modified in various forms. Therefore, the embodiments are not limited to the specific disclosed forms, and the scope of the present specification includes modifications, equivalents, or alternatives within the technical spirit.

[0019] Although terms such as first or second may be used to describe multiple components, such terms should be construed only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from the other components. For example, a first component may be named a second component, and similarly, a second component may be named a first component.

[0020] When a component is referred to as being "coupled" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that although it is directly coupled or connected to the other component, there may be other components in between.

[0021] The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this specification, the terms "comprise" or "have" and the like indicate the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, and should be understood as not precluding the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0022] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. Commonly used predefined terms should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning they have in the context of the relevant art, and should not be interpreted as ideal or overly formal unless expressly defined in this specification.

[0023] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description with reference to the drawings, the same components are given the same reference numerals regardless of the reference numerals, and redundant description thereof will be omitted.

[0024] FIG. 1 illustrates a system for determining a user's state according to an example.

[0025] According to one embodiment, the system 100 includes an electronic device 102 and a server 110. For example, the electronic device 102 may be an aerosol generating device. The electronic device 102 (or the aerosol generating device) may be named an inhaler device, an e-cigarette device, or a smoking stick. The electronic device 102, which is an aerosol generating device, will be described in detail with reference to Figures 2 and 3 below.

[0026] For example, the electronic device 102 may include a communication unit that performs cellular communication and is connected to the server 110 via the cellular communication.

[0027] According to an embodiment, the system 100 may further include a user terminal 105. For example, the user terminal 105 may be a mobile communication terminal or a wearable device. The wearable device may be, for example, a smart watch or smart glasses, but is not limited to the described embodiment.

[0028] For example, the electronic device 102 and the user terminal 105 may be connected via short-range wireless communication, and the electronic device 102 may be connected to the server 110 via the user terminal 105 .

[0029] The user may be provided with an aerosol generated by the electronic device 102. For example, the aerosol may be composed of a substance containing nicotine. As another example, the aerosol may be composed of a substance not containing nicotine. The substance of the aerosol may include water, a solvent, ethanol, a plant extract, a flavor, a flavoring agent, or a vitamin mixture. The flavoring agent may include, but is not limited to, menthol, peppermint, spearmint oil, various fruit flavoring ingredients, and the like. The flavoring agent may include ingredients that can provide a variety of flavors or tastes to the user. The vitamin mixture may include, but is not limited to, any of vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, and vitamin E mixed together.

[0030] According to one embodiment, the electronic device 102 can generate an aerosol using a substance in a cartridge inserted into the electronic device 102. The cartridge may be of gas, liquid, or solid type. The cartridge may be a canister. The electronic device 102 using the cartridge may be an inhaler device. The structure of the electronic device 102 that is an inhaler device is described in detail with reference to FIG. 2 below.

[0031] According to another embodiment, the electronic device 102 may generate an aerosol by applying heat to a cigarette or cartridge inserted in the electronic device 102. For example, the aerosol may be generated using a substance in a liquid-type cartridge or a solid-type cartridge in the electronic device 102. The manner in which the electronic device 102 generates an aerosol is not limited to the described embodiment. The structure of the electronic device 102 that generates an aerosol by applying heat to a cartridge is described in detail below with reference to FIG. 3.

[0032] According to an embodiment, the electronic device 102 may generate detection information for the electronic device 102 or a user using various sensors included in the electronic device 102. For example, the detection information may include biometric information of a user using the electronic device 102. The server 110 that receives the biometric information from the electronic device 102 may determine information on the user's health condition based on the biometric information, and provide a health care-related service to the user based on the information. As another example, the detection information may generate motion information of the electronic device 102. Hereinafter, a method for determining a user's condition will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6.

[0033] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to an example.

[0034] According to one embodiment, the electronic device 102 described above with reference to Figure 1 may be in the form of an inhaler device. For example, an electronic device 200 in the form of an inhaler device includes a housing 210, a mouthpiece 220, a connecting passage 222, a replaceable cartridge 230, a filling lever 240, a reservoir 250, a detection unit 260, a control unit 270, a communication unit 280, and a battery 290.

[0035] The housing 210 may be configured so that the replacement cartridge 230 can be inserted into the housing 210. For example, the housing 210 may include a transparent portion so that the remaining amount of the cartridge 230 can be shown to the outside. The transparent portion of the housing 210 may be named a revealing window.

[0036] A user can fill the reservoir 250 with the substance in the cartridge 230 via the filling lever 240. When the user presses the filling lever 240, the mechanical position of the cartridge 230 changes (e.g., is pushed up), and the substance in the cartridge 230 is spilled out in response to the change in position. The spilled substance may be stored in the reservoir 250. That is, the reservoir 250 can be filled by the user pressing the filling lever 240. For example, the substance filled in the reservoir 250 may be an amount that allows the user to inhale approximately 200 times.

[0037] According to an embodiment, the reservoir 250 may include a valve 252. When negative pressure is generated in the connecting passage 222 connected to the reservoir 250, a position of a piston connected to the valve 252 may change depending on the strength of the generated negative pressure, and the degree of opening of the valve 252 may be adjusted depending on the position of the piston. For example, when a user generates negative pressure in the connecting passage 222 through the mouthpiece 220, the valve 252 may be opened by the generated negative pressure, and a substance in the reservoir 250 may flow out to the connecting passage 222 through the opened valve 252. The substance flowed out to the connecting passage 222 may be an aerosol. The user inhales the aerosol through the connecting passage 222 and the mouthpiece 220. The user can adjust the amount of aerosol inhaled by adjusting the magnitude of the negative pressure. For example, when the user inhales strongly on the mouthpiece 220, a large amount of aerosol can be inhaled. When the aerosol is provided to the user in the above manner, droplets generated by the aerosol that is not inhaled may be reduced.

[0038] According to an embodiment, the detection unit 260 includes a first sensor capable of detecting biological information from a substance discharged from a user. When the user uses the electronic device 200, biological substances discharged from the user may flow into the electronic device 200 (e.g., the mouthpiece 220 and the connecting passage 222). For example, the biological substances may include gases contained in exhaled breath and saliva. A first sensor capable of detecting the biological substances may be disposed in the electronic device 200 into which the biological substances flow. For example, the first sensor may include at least one of a sensor capable of detecting a specific gas and a sensor capable of detecting a specific substance contained in a liquid such as saliva.

[0039] According to an embodiment, the detection unit 260 may further include one or more of a heart rate sensor, a blood pressure sensor, an electrocardiogram sensor, and a blood oxygen saturation sensor as a second sensor. For example, the second sensor may be exposed on the housing 210 or outside the housing 210 so as to be in contact with the user's skin. As a different example, the second sensor may include a sensor capable of measuring the user's body composition. For example, the body composition may include skeletal muscle mass, basal metabolic rate, body water mass, and body fat mass. When the user grips the electronic device 200, the user's body composition may be measured.

[0040] According to an embodiment, the detection unit 260 may further include a third sensor capable of measuring motion information of the electronic device 200, such as an acceleration sensor and an impact sensor.

[0041] According to an embodiment, the controller 270 may generally control the operations of the detector 260 and the communicator 280 connected to the controller 270. For example, the controller 270 may include at least one processor, which may be implemented as an array of a plurality of logic gates, or may be implemented as a combination of a general-purpose microprocessor and a memory storing a program executed by the microprocessor. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present embodiment may be implemented as other types of hardware.

[0042] According to one embodiment, the communication unit 280 can transmit data generated by the electronic device 200 to an external device (e.g., the user terminal 105 and the server 110) via cellular communication and / or short-range wireless communication. The data generated by the electronic device 200 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5 below.

[0043] The communication unit 280 includes, but is not limited to, Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication, a BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) communication unit, a Near Field Communication unit, a WLAN (Wi-Fi) communication unit, a Zigbee (registered trademark) communication unit, an infrared (IrDA, infrared Data Association) communication unit, a WFD (Wi-Fi Direct (registered trademark)) communication unit, a UWB (ultra wideband) communication unit, an Ant+ communication unit, and the like.

[0044] According to one embodiment, the battery 290 supplies power used to operate the electronic device 200. For example, the battery 290 may supply power necessary for the detection unit 260, the control unit 270, and the communication unit 280 to operate. The battery 290 may also supply power necessary for the display, sensors, motors, and the like included in the electronic device 200 to operate.

[0045] FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of an electronic device according to another example.

[0046] The electronic device 300 according to one embodiment includes a housing 310, a detection unit 360, a replacement cartridge (e.g., a solid type cartridge or a liquid type cartridge) 330, a coil 340, a control unit (not shown), a communication unit (not shown), and a battery 350. For example, the coil 340 can generate heat by receiving energy from the battery 350. The cartridge 330 can generate an aerosol using the heat generated by the coil 340. A user may inhale the generated aerosol through the mouthpiece 320 (or the tip portion).

[0047] The description of the detector 360, the controller, and the communicator according to an embodiment may be substituted with the description of the detector 260, the controller 270, and the communicator 280 described above with reference to FIG.

[0048] FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a server according to an embodiment.

[0049] According to one embodiment, the server 400 includes a communication unit 410, a processor 420, and a memory 430. For example, the server 400 may be the server 110 described above with reference to FIG.

[0050] The communication unit 410 is connected to the processor 420 and the memory 430 to transmit and receive data. The communication unit 410 may be connected to another external device to transmit and receive data. Hereinafter, the expression "transmitting and receiving "A" indicates transmitting and receiving "information or data indicating A".

[0051] The communication unit 410 may be realized by a circuit network within the server 400. For example, the communication unit 410 may include an internal bus and an external bus. As another example, the communication unit 410 may be an element that connects the server 400 with an external device. The communication unit 410 may be an interface. The communication unit 410 can receive data from an external device and transmit the data to the processor 420 and the memory 430.

[0052] The processor 420 processes data received by the communication unit 410 and data stored in the memory 430. A "processor" is a data processing device implemented in hardware having a circuit with a physical structure for performing a desired operation. For example, the desired operation may include code or instructions included in a program. For example, a data processing device implemented in hardware may include a microprocessor, a central processing unit, a processor core, a multi-core processor, a multiprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

[0053] Processor 420 executes computer readable code (eg, software) stored in a memory (eg, memory 430) and instructions triggered by processor 420.

[0054] The memory 430 stores data received by the communication unit 410 and data processed by the processor 420. For example, the memory 430 may store a program (or an application, software). The stored program may be a set of syntax that is coded to determine a current state of a user and is executable by the processor 420.

[0055] In one aspect, memory 430 may include one or more of volatile memory, non-volatile memory, and random access memory (RAM), flash memory, a hard disk drive, and an optical disk drive.

[0056] The memory 430 stores a set of instructions (eg, software) for operating the server 400. The set of instructions for operating the server 400 are executed by the processor 420.

[0057] The communication unit 410, the processor 420, and the memory 430 are described in more detail below with reference to FIGS.

[0058] FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a method for determining a user's state according to one embodiment.

[0059] The following operations 510-530 may be performed by the server 400 described above with reference to FIG.

[0060] In operation 510, the server 400 receives biometric information from an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102 of FIG. 1, the electronic device 200 of FIG. 2, and the electronic device 300 of FIG. 3). The biometric information may be information generated by a first sensor and / or a second sensor of the detector 260 of FIG. 2 or the detector 360 of FIG. 3.

[0061] According to one embodiment, when a disease develops or progresses, a substance that is generated may be a biomarker, and a sensor of the electronic device may detect the biomarker. The detected biomarker may be included in the biological information.

[0062] For example, the biological information may include whether or not a specific gas is detected in the user's breath and the concentration of the gas. As another example, the biological information may be whether or not a specific substance is detected in the user's saliva. As a further example, the biological information may further include at least one of the user's heart rate, blood pressure, electrocardiogram, and blood oxygen saturation.

[0063] According to an embodiment, the server 400 can receive motion information from the electronic device in addition to the biometric information. The motion information may be information generated by the third sensor of the detector 260 in FIG. 2 or the detector 360 in FIG. 3.

[0064] In one example, when the electronic device is not directly connected to the server 400, the electronic device may be connected to the server 400 via a user terminal (e.g., the user terminal 105 in FIG. 1 ) which is a mobile communication terminal. The user terminal may receive biometric information from the electronic device through an application installed on the user terminal and transmit the received biometric information to the server 400.

[0065] In operation 520, the server 400 determines the user's current state based on the biometric information.

[0066] According to one embodiment, the current state may include whether the user has a specific disease. For example, the specific disease may include oral disease and genetic disease. The genetic disease may include diabetes and dementia, but is not limited to the described embodiment. If the biological information includes detection information of a biomarker preset for a specific disease, the user's current state may be determined based on the detection information.

[0067] According to one embodiment, the current state may be a stress level of the user. For example, the stress level of the user may be determined based on at least one of the user's heart rate, blood pressure, electrocardiogram, and blood oxygen saturation. The method of determining the user's current state based on at least one of the user's heart rate, blood pressure, electrocardiogram, and blood oxygen saturation will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 6 below.

[0068] According to an embodiment, the server 400 can store a history for the user. For example, the history may be stored involving the user's current state and a decision time. The user can check his / her own health condition through the history.

[0069] In operation 530, the server 400 notifies the user of the current state. For example, the server 400 may transmit the determined current state to an electronic device, which may notify the user of the current state via a display, a speaker, and a vibration motor. As a different example, the server 400 may transmit the determined current state to a user terminal, which may output the current state to the user via an application.

[0070] According to one embodiment, although the above-mentioned operations 510-530 are described with reference to FIG. 4 as being performed by the server 400, operations corresponding to operations 510-530 may also be performed by a user terminal if the computing capability of the user terminal is sufficient.

[0071] 4, the above operations 510-530 are performed by server 400, but operations corresponding to operations 520 and 530 may be performed by the electronic device if the electronic device has sufficient computing power. The operation corresponding to operation 510 may not be performed by the electronic device.

[0072] FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a method for determining a current state based on standard biometric information of a user according to an example.

[0073] According to one embodiment, operation 520 described above with reference to FIG. 5 may include the following operations 610 and 620.

[0074] At operation 610, the server 400 obtains standard biometric information of the identified user. For example, the server 400 may identify the user via an identifier transmitted with the biometric information.

[0075] For example, the standard biometric information may be information regarding the user's standard electrocardiogram, standard heart rate, standard oxygen saturation, etc. The standard biometric information for the user may be measured in advance by the electronic device, and the results may be stored in the server 400. The standard biometric information may be measured in advance in various states of the user. For example, the standard biometric information may be obtained in a high stress state. As a different example, the standard biometric information may be obtained in a low stress state. As a further example, the standard biometric information may be obtained in a relaxed state.

[0076] In operation 620, the server 400 determines a current state based on the standard biometric information and the biometric information received from the electronic device. For example, the current state may be determined based on a similarity between the standard biometric information and the biometric information. The determined current state corresponds to a stress level of the user.

[0077] The method according to the present invention may be embodied in the form of program instructions to be executed by various computer means and recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The recording medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, and the like, alone or in combination. The recording medium and the program instructions may be specially designed and constructed for the purposes of the present invention, or may be well known and available to those skilled in the art of computer software. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes, optical recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, magneto-optical media such as floptical disks, and hardware devices specially configured to store and execute program instructions, such as ROMs, RAMs, flash memories, and the like. Examples of program instructions include not only machine code, such as that generated by a compiler, but also high-level language code executed by a computer using an interpreter, and the like. The hardware devices described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations shown in the present invention, and vice versa.

[0078] The software may include computer programs, codes, instructions, or any combination of one or more thereof, capable of configuring or instructing a processing device to operate as desired, either independently or in combination. The software and / or data may be embodied in any type of machine, component, physical device, virtual device, computer storage medium or device, or transmitted signal wave, either permanently or temporarily, to be interpreted by the processing device or to provide instructions or data to the processing device. The software may be distributed across computer systems coupled to a network, and may be stored and executed in a distributed manner. The software and data may be stored on one or more computer readable recording media.

[0079] Although the embodiments have been described above with reference to limited drawings, those skilled in the art may apply various technical modifications and variations based on the above description. For example, the described techniques may be performed in a different order than described, and / or the components of the described systems, structures, devices, circuits, etc. may be combined or combined in a different form than described, and may be replaced or substituted with other components or equivalents to achieve appropriate results.

[0080] Accordingly, other implementations, embodiments, and equivalents of the claims are intended to be within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. The method for determining the user state is as follows: receiving biometric information from an electronic device that includes one or more biometric sensors for measuring a biometric information of a user; determining a current state of the user based on the biometric information; Including, the electronic device is a device for providing an aerosol to the user; The electronic device comprises: A mouthpiece, a reservoir for storing the aerosol; a connecting passage connecting the mouthpiece and the reservoir; Including, When a negative pressure is generated in a connection passage connected to the reservoir, a position of a piston connected to the reservoir changes according to the strength of the generated negative pressure, and the reservoir includes a valve capable of adjusting an opening degree according to the position of the piston, A method of determining a user state, wherein the state of the valve is changed to supply the aerosol to the connecting passage within the reservoir.

2. The operation of receiving the biological information includes: receiving the biometric information from a user terminal connected to the electronic device via short-range wireless communication; The method further includes an operation of transmitting the determined current state to the user terminal; The method of claim 1 , wherein the user terminal notifies the user of the current state by outputting the current state.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein a first sensor of the one or more sensors is located in a mouthpiece of the electronic device.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the first sensor measures the first biological information by detecting a target substance contained in at least one of a liquid and a gas contained in the breath of the user.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein a second sensor of the one or more sensors measures second biological information by measuring an electrocardiogram, a heart rate, or a blood oxygen saturation level of the user.

6. The operation of determining a current state of the user based on the biometric information includes: An operation of acquiring standard biometric information of the user; determining the current state based on the standard biometric information and the biometric information; The method of claim 5 , further comprising:

7. The user condition determination method according to claim 6 , wherein the standard physiological information is a standard electrocardiogram, a standard heart rate, or a standard oxygen saturation of the user that is stored in advance.

8. The method for determining a user state according to claim 1 , wherein the biological information is biological information on the user in a state in which the aerosol is provided.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein a first sensor of the one or more sensors is located in the mouthpiece or the connecting passage.

10. A program for executing the user state determination method according to claim 1.

11. The server that determines the user state is A memory in which a program for determining a user state is recorded; A processor for executing the program; Including, The processor, receiving biometric information from an electronic device that includes one or more sensors for measuring a biometric information of a user; determining a current state of the user based on the biometric information; the electronic device is a device for providing an aerosol to the user; The electronic device comprises: A mouthpiece, a reservoir for storing the aerosol; a connecting passage connecting the mouthpiece and the reservoir; Including, When a negative pressure is generated in a connection passage connected to the reservoir, a position of a piston connected to the reservoir changes according to the strength of the generated negative pressure, and the reservoir includes a valve capable of adjusting an opening degree according to the position of the piston, A server, wherein the degree of opening of the valve is adjusted so that the aerosol is supplied to the connecting passage within the reservoir.

12. The processor, receiving the biometric information from a user terminal connected to the electronic device via short-range wireless communication; determining the current state of the user based on the biometric information; transmitting the determined current state to the user terminal; The server according to claim 11 , wherein the user terminal notifies the user of the current state by outputting the current state.

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