Chewing improvement suggestion system and chewing improvement suggestion program

Abstract

To provide a mastication improvement proposal system, a mastication improvement proposal program, and a mastication improvement proposal method, enabling proposal aiming at improving mastication functions of users.SOLUTION: In a mastication improvement proposal system 1, a control unit 2 comprises: a mastication-related information acquisition unit 21 acquiring the mastication-related information relating to a user's mastication motion; an improvement action determination unit 22 determining the improvement action for improving a masticatory function of the user based on the mastication- related information; and a notification unit 23 notifying the improvement action determined by the improvement action determination unit 22.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a mastication improvement suggestion system, a mastication improvement suggestion program, and a mastication improvement suggestion method that make suggestions aimed at improving a user's masticatory function. [Background technology]

[0002] Chewing food, swallowing, saliva secretion, etc. have a large impact on the brain and the entire body, and greatly affect mental and physical health and healthy lifespan. It is said that maintaining and improving the health of the oral cavity and pharyngeal area will ultimately extend healthy lifespan.

[0003] In particular, sufficient chewing of chewy food is said to be effective in extending a healthy lifespan, promoting physical and mental growth, activating the brain, improving motor function, preventing obesity, preventing aging, and maintaining sociality. It is known that insufficient chewing, such as eating food with a small number of chews, leads to a decline in the chewing function of developing children and oral frailty in the elderly (see Non-Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0004] [Non-Patent Document 1] Yoshinori Kobayashi, Commissioned Paper: Healthy Life Expectancy Created by Occlusion and Mastication, Ann Jpn Prosthodont Soc3, p189-219, 2011 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As described above, although it is known that chewing movements have an effect on health, it is difficult for users without specialized knowledge to determine how to improve their chewing movements. Moreover, since chewing movements are usually performed unconsciously, it is not easy for users to improve unconscious chewing movements.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a mastication improvement suggestion system, a mastication improvement suggestion program, and a mastication improvement suggestion method that can make suggestions aimed at improving a user's mastication function. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The chewing improvement suggestion system of the present invention is a chewing improvement suggestion system that makes suggestions aimed at improving a user's chewing function, and includes a chewing-related information acquisition unit that acquires chewing-related information related to the user's chewing movements, an improvement action judgment unit that judges improvement action for improving the user's chewing function based on the chewing-related information, and a notification unit that notifies the improvement action judged by the improvement action judgment unit.

[0008] In addition, the chewing improvement suggestion program of the present invention is a chewing improvement suggestion program that makes suggestions aimed at improving a user's chewing function, and causes a computer to function as a chewing-related information acquisition unit that acquires chewing-related information related to chewing movements, an improvement action judgment unit that judges improvement action for improving the user's chewing function based on the chewing-related information, and a notification unit that notifies the improvement action judged by the improvement action judgment unit.

[0009] In addition, the chewing improvement suggestion method of the present invention is a chewing improvement suggestion method that makes suggestions aimed at improving a user's chewing function, and includes: (1) acquiring chewing-related information related to the chewing movements of the user; (2) determining an improvement action for improving the chewing function of the user based on the chewing-related information; and reporting the improvement action determined in (2).

[0010] According to these configurations, suggestions can be made with the aim of improving the user's chewing function.

[0011] In addition, it is preferable that the chewing-related information includes measurement information measured from the user using a predetermined measurement method.

[0012] According to this configuration, since the improvement action is determined based on the objective measurement information measured from the user, the accuracy of the determination of the improvement action is improved.

[0013] In addition, the measurement method is preferably at least one of oral diadochokinesis, still image capture, video capture, bite pressure measurement, tongue pressure measurement, lip closing force measurement, electromyogram measurement, oral moisture measurement, chewing acceleration measurement, chewing-related position measurement, and breath odor measurement.

[0014] Oral diadochokinesis, still image photography, video photography, bite pressure measurement, tongue pressure measurement, lip closing force measurement, electromyogram measurement, oral moisture measurement, chewing acceleration measurement, chewing-related position measurement, and breath odor measurement are suitable measurement methods for determining improvement behavior.

[0015] In addition, it is preferable that the chewing related information further includes user information answered by the user.

[0016] According to this configuration, since the improvement action is determined based on the user information including the subjective information answered by the user, the accuracy of the determination of the improvement action is improved.

[0017] It is also preferable that the user information includes attribute information relating to an age of the user and answer information other than the attribute information.

[0018] The attribute information regarding the user's age and answer information other than the attribute information are suitable as information for determining improvement actions.

[0019] In addition, it is preferable that the user information includes attribute information regarding the gender of the user and answer information other than the attribute information.

[0020] The attribute information regarding the user's gender and answer information other than the attribute information are suitable as information for determining improvement actions.

[0021] In addition, it is preferable that the user information includes attribute information regarding the age and sex of the user, and answer information other than the attribute information.

[0022] The attribute information regarding the user's age and sex, and the answer information other than the attribute information, are suitable as information for determining improvement actions.

[0023] It is also preferable that the mastication-related information acquisition unit selects the measurement method based on the user information, and further acquires the measurement information based on the selected measurement method as the mastication-related information.

[0024] According to this configuration, the measurement method is selected based on the user information, so that it becomes easy to obtain measurement information suitable for improving the user's chewing function.

[0025] It is also preferable that the improvement action determination unit adjusts the determination of the improvement action based on the attribute information.

[0026] According to this configuration, the determination of the improvement action is adjusted based on the attribute information of the user, thereby improving the accuracy of the determination of the improvement action.

[0027] In addition, it is preferable that the user information includes at least one of information regarding the number of teeth, information regarding symptoms related to chewing, and information regarding lifestyle habits.

[0028] Each of the information regarding the number of teeth, the information regarding symptoms related to chewing, and the information regarding lifestyle habits is suitable as information for determining improvement actions.

[0029] In addition, the improvement behavior preferably includes at least one of chewing a specified food, chewing training using a specified training tool, specified chewing training exercises, chewing training based on chewing instructions, and visiting a dentist.

[0030] Chewing a predetermined food, chewing training using a predetermined training tool, predetermined chewing training exercises, chewing training based on chewing instructions, and visiting a dentist are suitable improvement actions for improving the user's chewing function.

[0031] It is also preferable that the improvement action includes chewing a specified food, and the improvement action judgment unit further judges, as the improvement action, at least one of hardness, adhesiveness, elasticity, and size that are appropriate for the food.

[0032] According to this configuration, chewing food that satisfies at least one of appropriate hardness, adhesiveness, elasticity, and size is suggested as an improvement action, and by the user chewing food in accordance with this suggestion, effective improvement of chewing function can be expected.

[0033] It is preferable that the improvement behavior determination unit further determines, as the improvement behavior, at least one of the number of chews and the amount of the food put in the mouth at one time when chewing the food.

[0034] According to this configuration, at least one of the number of chews and the amount of food put in the mouth at one time when chewing food is suggested as an improvement action, so that by the user eating in accordance with this suggestion, effective improvement of chewing function can be expected.

[0035] In addition, it is preferable that the improvement action judgment unit acquires at least one of the type, amount, and size of the food as food information, and judges, based on the chewing-related information and the food information, at least one of the number of chews and the amount of the food placed in the mouth at one time as the improvement action.

[0036] According to this configuration, when the user eats the food prepared by the user, the improvement behavior judgment unit acquires at least one of the type, amount, and size of the food as food information, and thereby it is possible to suggest a way of eating the food that is expected to improve the chewing function when the user eats the food prepared by the user.

[0037] In addition, it is preferable that the improvement behavior determination unit obtains the food information from an image of the food.

[0038] According to this configuration, when the user eats the prepared food, the improvement behavior determination unit can obtain food information simply by capturing an image of the food.

[0039] The notification unit acquires life pattern information indicating a life pattern of the user, and determines a timing for notifying the user of the improvement action based on the life pattern information.

[0040] According to this configuration, the user can take improvement action at an appropriate timing.

[0041] In addition, it is preferable that there are multiple pieces of chewing-related information, and each piece of chewing-related information has a weight set to represent a numerical value of its influence corresponding to each of multiple improvement issues that have been pre-set as issues to be improved in the chewing movement, and that the improvement action judgment unit sums up the weights of the chewing-related information that are judged to be problematic among the multiple pieces of chewing-related information for each of the multiple improvement issues, determines the improvement issue with the largest sum, and judges the improvement action based on the judged improvement issue.

[0042] According to this configuration, the improvement behavior determination unit can determine improvement behavior based on a plurality of pieces of mastication-related information. Effect of the Invention

[0043] The mastication improvement suggestion system, the mastication improvement suggestion program, and the mastication improvement suggestion method configured as described above can make suggestions aimed at improving the mastication function of the user. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0044] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a mastication improvement suggestion system that uses a mastication improvement suggestion method according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a graph showing an example of time-varying information in a simplified schematic manner. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a simplified schematic diagram of an example of a chewing movement path for right-biting. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a simplified schematic diagram of an example of a chewing movement path for left-biting. [Diagram 5] 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the mastication improvement suggestion system shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 6] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a chewing-related information acquisition process. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the association between a user's age and a time period of the user. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of a method for selecting a measurement method. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of a method for selecting a measurement method. [Figure 10] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an improvement action determination process. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a lookup table for evaluating answer information. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a lookup table for evaluating measurement information. [Figure 13] 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of a method for determining an improvement issue from an evaluation result of response information and an evaluation result of measurement information. FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a lookup table that associates improvement issues with improvement actions. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of life pattern information. [Figure 16] 7 is a flowchart showing another example of the operation of the mastication improvement suggestion system shown in FIG. 5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0045] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, components with the same reference numerals in each drawing are the same components, and the description thereof will be omitted. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a mastication improvement suggestion system that uses a mastication improvement suggestion method according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0046] 1 includes a control unit 2, a storage unit 3, a camera 4, a touch panel display 5, a speaker 6, and a microphone 7. The chewing improvement suggestion system 1 can be configured, for example, by a so-called smartphone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, etc. Note that the chewing improvement suggestion system 1 is not limited to the example including the camera 4, the touch panel display 5, and the speaker 6.

[0047] Furthermore, the chewing improvement suggestion system 1 does not need to be configured as a single device such as a smartphone, and may be configured from multiple devices. The control unit 2 may be configured from multiple devices. At least some of the storage unit 3, camera 4, touch panel display 5, speaker 6, and control unit 2 (or each unit constituting the control unit 2) may be located in different locations via a network.

[0048] For example, the camera 4, the touch panel display 5, and the speaker 6 may be disposed near the user, and the control unit 2 may be connected to the camera 4, the touch panel display 5, and the speaker 6 via a network. Alternatively, for example, the camera 4, the touch panel display 5, the speaker 6, and the control unit 2 may be disposed near the user, and the storage unit 3 may be connected to the control unit 2 via a network. Alternatively, the control unit 2 may not include the improvement behavior determination unit 22 described below, and the improvement behavior determination unit 22 may be configured by a server device connected to the control unit 2 via a network.

[0049] The storage unit 3 is a non-volatile storage device such as a flash memory, a hard disk drive (HDD), or a solid state drive (SSD). Lookup tables 31 to 35, which will be described later, are stored in advance in the storage unit 3. The storage unit 3 may store a chewing improvement suggestion program according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] The camera 4 is, for example, a camera such as a charge coupled device (CCD), a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), etc. The camera 4 transmits the captured moving image to the control unit 2 as a moving image image M.

[0051] The touch panel display 5 is an input / output operation device in which a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, and a touch panel are integrated. Note that a display device and an input / output operation device may be provided instead of the touch panel display 5. The input / output operation device may be a mouse or a keyboard. The touch panel display 5 receives user operations, transmits them to the control unit 2, and displays an image according to a signal from the control unit 2.

[0052] The speaker 6 outputs a sound according to a signal from the control unit 2 .

[0053] The control unit 2 is configured to include, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that executes a predetermined arithmetic processing, a RAM (Random Access Memory) that temporarily stores data, a non-volatile storage device, and peripheral circuits thereof, etc. The control unit 2 executes a chewing improvement suggestion program stored in the storage unit 3, thereby functioning as a chewing related information acquisition unit 21, an improvement action determination unit 22, and a notification unit 23.

[0054] The mastication-related information acquiring unit 21 acquires mastication-related information related to the mastication movement of the user. The mastication-related information includes measurement information measured from the user by a predetermined measurement method and user information answered by the user.

[0055] The measurement method may be at least one of oral diadochokinesis, still image capture, video capture, bite pressure measurement, tongue pressure measurement, lip closing force measurement, electromyogram measurement, oral moisture measurement, mastication acceleration measurement, mastication-related position measurement, and breath odor measurement. Note that other methods may be used as the measurement method. The mastication acceleration is the acceleration of the movement of the mouth during mastication, and may be, for example, the acceleration of the movement of a dynamic feature point described later. The mastication-related position is the position of a part that moves during mastication, and may be, for example, the acceleration of a dynamic feature point described later. The bite pressure measurement, tongue pressure measurement, lip closing force measurement, electromyogram measurement, oral moisture measurement, mastication acceleration measurement, mastication-related position measurement, and breath odor measurement may be performed by a bite pressure meter, a tongue pressure meter, a lip closing force measuring device, an electromyogram, an oral moisture meter, an acceleration sensor, a position sensor, and an odor sensor.

[0056] The user information includes attribute information related to the user's age and gender, and answer information other than the attribute information. The attribute information may be either the age or the gender. The user information does not need to include the attribute information.

[0057] The answer information, which is user information, includes at least one of information regarding the number of teeth, information regarding symptoms related to chewing, and information regarding lifestyle habits.

[0058] Information regarding the number of teeth may include, for example, the current number of teeth, the number of functional teeth (the number of functioning teeth), the presence or absence of caries that affects chewing, the number of baby teeth, and the number of permanent teeth.

[0059] Information regarding symptoms related to chewing may include whether or not the patient grinds their teeth, whether or not they have a sore jaw, whether or not they feel dry throat, whether or not they feel dry mouth, whether or not they feel dry lips, whether or not they feel dry mouth while eating, whether or not they feel dry mouth while sleeping, whether or not they have difficulty eating dry food, whether or not they have difficulty swallowing food, whether or not they spill food, whether or not they have an uneven chewing pattern, whether or not they have an appetite, whether or not they are bothered by bad breath, whether or not they chew for a long or short time, whether or not they keep their mouth open while eating, whether or not they stick out their tongue while eating, whether or not they usually have their mouth open, whether or not they snore, whether or not they bite down too hard, whether or not their jaw moves jerkily, whether or not their teeth are aligned properly, whether or not they have habits such as thumb sucking, whether or not they swallow whole, whether or not food remains in the mouth, whether or not they have problems with their tongue, and whether or not they choke while eating.

[0060] Information related to lifestyle habits that can be used includes the types of foods that can be eaten, the number of meals, the number of times teeth are brushed, the number of times gargling is done, whether meals and teeth are brushed regularly, and so on.

[0061] The user information may be information other than the above information.

[0062] The mastication-related information acquiring unit 21 can display, for example, predetermined request items on the touch panel display 5, and accept information input by the user in response to the request items by operating the touch panel display 5 as user information.

[0063] In addition, the chewing-related information acquisition unit 21 can acquire, as chewing-related information, video images M and still images G obtained by photographing an area including at least one of the user's mouth and the area surrounding the mouth with the camera 4 when the user is eating.

[0064] The mastication-related information acquisition unit 21 may acquire, for example, the number of times the user chews CT, interval information TW relating to the time interval between the user's chews, and the user's chewing movement path PW, etc., from the video image M. The mastication-related information acquisition unit 21 can acquire the number of times the user chews CT and the interval information TW, etc., as follows. The mastication-related information acquisition unit 21 detects facial feature points from the video image M. The facial feature points include dynamic feature points that move with the chewing movement, and static feature points that do not move with the chewing.

[0065] As the facial feature points, for example, the tip of the nose, the base of the nose, the corners of the mouth, the apex of the upper lip, the apex of the lower lip, the apex of the chin, points along the contour of the cheek near the masseter muscle, etc. As a method for detecting such feature points, various methods known as facial feature point detection techniques, such as an active shape model (ASM), an active appearance model (AAM), a constrained local model (CLM), etc., can be used.

[0066] The chewing-related information acquiring unit 21 may acquire the displacement amount X24 of the corner of the mouth position and / or the shape of the corner of the mouth as the chewing-related information by extracting the corner of the mouth as a feature point from the still image G or the moving image M. For example, the displacement amount X24 of the corner of the mouth position may be obtained by drawing a vertical line passing through the center of the lips with respect to the center line of the face, and using the distance between the vertical line and the position of the corner of the mouth. The chewing-related information acquiring unit 21 may further acquire whether the corner of the mouth is above or below the vertical line as the chewing-related information. In addition, the chewing-related information acquiring unit 21 may acquire information such as whether the corner of the mouth is raised or lowered, whether the right corner is raised more than the left corner, or whether the left corner is raised more than the right corner, from the shape of the corner of the mouth, as the chewing-related information.

[0067] Furthermore, the mastication-related information acquiring unit 21 may acquire the mouth opening amount X25 by extracting the apex of the upper lip and the apex of the lower lip as feature points from the still image G or the moving image M and measuring the distance therebetween.

[0068] The dynamic feature points may be, for example, the corners of the mouth, the apex of the upper lip, the apex of the lower lip, the apex of the chin, or a point along the contour of the cheek near the masseter muscle, while the static feature points may be, for example, the tip or base of the nose.

[0069] Furthermore, the mastication-related information acquiring unit 21 acquires, from the moving image M, time change information A indicating the time change of the distance L between the dynamic feature point and the static feature point.

[0070] Fig. 2 is a graph showing a simplified schematic example of the time-varying information A. The horizontal axis indicates time, and the vertical axis indicates distance L. Fig. 2 shows an example in which the dynamic feature point is the apex of the lower lip, and the static feature point is the tip of the nose. According to the time-varying information A shown in Fig. 2, it is possible to read the chewing movement from the chewing start point P1, which is the minimum peak of the distance L between the dynamic feature point and the static feature point, to the maximum opening point P2, where the distance L increases over time, and reaches the maximum peak, and then the distance L decreases, and reaches the chewing end point P3, which is the minimum peak.

[0071] The mastication-related information acquisition unit 21 acquires time-varying information A from the video image M, and counts the number of times the user chews CT from the time-varying information A. For example, the mastication-related information acquisition unit 21 can count the number of times the user chews CT by counting the period from a chewing start point P1 to a chewing end point P3 in the time-varying information A as one chewing movement.

[0072] Moreover, the mastication-related information acquiring unit 21 acquires the time change information A from the video image M, and acquires the interval information TW relating to the time interval of the user's mastication from the time change information A. For example, the mastication-related information acquiring unit 21 can acquire the interval information TW by measuring the time from the mastication start point P1 to the mastication end point P3 in the time change information A, that is, the time of one mastication, as the interval information TW. In this case, since the mastication end point P3 is also the start point of the next mastication, the interval information TW also indicates the time between mastications.

[0073] Furthermore, the mastication-related information acquiring section 21 can calculate a speed deviation X29, which is a deviation of the mastication speed, from the variation in the interval information TW obtained multiple times within a predetermined period.

[0074] The interval information TW may be information about the time interval between chewing by the user, and is not necessarily limited to the time for one chew or the interval between chewing. For example, the interval information TW may be a preset time, for example, the number of chews per minute. The interval information TW may be information about the time interval between chewing by the user, and may indicate whether the chewing is fast or slow.

[0075] Furthermore, the mastication-related information acquiring unit 21 may acquire the mastication movement path PW of the user from the moving image M.

[0076] 3 and 4 are explanatory diagrams showing an example of a masticatory movement path PW in a simplified schematic manner. The masticatory movement path PW shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 is shown on the XY plane of two-dimensional coordinates in which the left-right direction is represented by the X axis and the up-down direction is represented by the Y axis. The -X direction represents the right direction, and the +X direction represents the left direction. The masticatory movement path PW shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 corresponds to the trajectory of dynamic feature points during masticatory movement when a person's face is viewed from the front. Fig. 3 shows the masticatory movement path PW in the case of right-biting, where the right teeth are used to bite, and Fig. 4 shows the masticatory movement path PW in the case of left-biting, where the left teeth are used to bite.

[0077] It is known that the inclination of the chewing movement path PW differs between right-biting and left-biting, as shown in Figures 3 and 4. The chewing-related information acquisition unit 21 can acquire the presence or absence of biased chewing, such as right-biting or left-biting, based on the inclination of the chewing movement path PW.

[0078] The chewing-related information acquisition unit 21 can obtain the chewing movement path PW shown in Figures 3 and 4 by acquiring the relative coordinate positions of the dynamic feature points with respect to the static feature points from the video image M and plotting them on the XY plane.

[0079] The improvement behavior determination unit 22 determines improvement behavior for improving the user's masticatory function based on the mastication-related information. The improvement behavior includes at least one of mastication of a predetermined food, mastication training (training) using a predetermined training tool (oral function trading tool), a predetermined mastication training exercise (e.g., Patakara exercise), mastication training based on mastication instruction (e.g., motion training), and visiting a dentist.

[0080] The improvement behavior determination unit 22 can determine, for example, food attributes that are likely to lead to improvement of the user's masticatory function when the user chews the food or the way the user chews the food as improvement behaviors.

[0081] For example, at least one of hardness, adhesiveness, elasticity, and size can be used as the food attribute, and at least one of the number of times of chewing and the amount (number of pieces) of food put in the mouth at one time can be used as the food chewing manner.

[0082] Note that the present invention is not limited to an example in which food attributes are determined by improvement behavior determination unit 22. For example, a user may input food attributes as food information by operating touch panel display 5, and improvement behavior determination unit 22 may determine a way of chewing food as an improvement behavior based on the food information obtained by touch panel display 5 and the chewing-related information.

[0083] Alternatively, the user may take an image of the food using the camera 4, and the improvement behavior determination unit 22 may acquire food information from the captured image of the food. Then, the improvement behavior determination unit 22 may determine, as an improvement behavior, at least one of the number of chews and the amount (number of pieces) of food put in the mouth at one time when chewing food, based on the chewing-related information and the food information.

[0084] As a method for acquiring food information from an image, for example, image analysis using artificial intelligence can be used, and the technology disclosed in, for example, "https: / / book.mynavi.jp / manatee / detail / id=87654", "https: / / marvin.news / 6222", "https: / / www.itmedia.co.jp / news / articles / 1910 / 03 / news077.html", etc. can be used.

[0085] The notification unit 23 notifies the improvement action determined by the improvement action determination unit 22 by, for example, displaying it on the touch panel display 5 or outputting it as sound from the speaker 6.

[0086] The notification unit 23 acquires lifestyle pattern information indicating the lifestyle pattern of the user, and determines the timing for notifying the user of an improvement action based on the lifestyle pattern information. Examples of the lifestyle pattern information include wake-up time, breakfast time, commute time (going), lunch time, commute time (returning), dinner time, and bedtime. The notification unit 23 can acquire the lifestyle pattern information accepted by the touch panel display 5, for example, when the user operates the touch panel display 5 to input the lifestyle pattern information as described above.

[0087] Based on the lifestyle pattern information, the notification unit 23 can determine, for example, the time between the time to wake up and the time to go to bed, and a predetermined time before breakfast, lunch, and dinner, for example about 30 minutes, as the timing for notifying of improvement behavior, and can notify of the improvement behavior at the determined timing.

[0088] In this way, the user will eat a meal without a long gap after taking the remedial action, which is expected to improve the chewing function during meals.

[0089] In addition, if the improvement behavior determined by the improvement behavior determination unit 22 is, for example, chewing gummy candies or gum of a predetermined hardness, the notification unit 23 can determine a time during commuting time as the timing for notifying the improvement behavior, and notify the improvement behavior at the determined timing.

[0090] In this way, the user can effectively utilize his / her commuting time to carry out improvement activities, and as a result, the user does not need to spend time solely on improvement activities, improving user convenience.

[0091] Next, a description will be given of the operation of the mastication improvement suggestion system 1. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the mastication improvement suggestion system 1 shown in Fig. 1. In the following flowcharts, the same processes are given the same step numbers and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0092] First, the mastication-related information acquiring unit 21 executes a mastication-related information acquiring process to acquire the mastication-related information of the user (Step S1). Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the mastication-related information acquiring process.

[0093] First, the chewing-related information acquiring unit 21 displays a message such as "Please enter your age and gender" on the touch panel display 5, and acquires the user's age and gender input by the user operating the touch panel display 5 as attribute information (step S11). Note that the user may input a date of birth instead of the age as information related to age, and the chewing-related information acquiring unit 21 may calculate the age from the date of birth.

[0094] The chewing-related information acquiring unit 21 may acquire only one of age and sex as attribute information. Also, step S11 may not be executed, and the chewing-related information acquiring unit 21 may not acquire attribute information.

[0095] Next, the mastication-related information acquiring unit 21 prompts the user to answer a plurality of questions set in advance, for example, by sequentially displaying the questions on the touch panel display 5 (step S12).

[0096] Examples of questions that can be asked include the number of teeth the user has, the number of functional teeth, how easy it is to swallow, whether or not they have jaw pain, whether or not they have cavities, how many teeth have been treated, whether or not they have an abnormal bite, whether or not they are bothered by bad breath, whether or not they spill food a lot, whether or not they get thirsty easily, whether or not they cough easily, how wide their mouths are, and whether or not they eat regularly.

[0097] The chewing-related information acquisition unit 21 may set questions based on the age obtained as attribute information. Fig. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the user's age in association with the user's time period. As shown in Fig. 7, the user's age can be associated with each time period of "weaning food period to eruption of baby teeth", "baby teeth period", "change of baby teeth to permanent teeth", "up to adulthood", "up to pre-oral frailty", "pre-oral frailty to oral frailty", and "elderly people".

[0098] The chewing-related information acquisition unit 21 may set questions related to insufficient development of oral function when the user's age corresponds to the period of "weaning food period to eruption of milk teeth", "milk tooth period", "change of milk teeth to permanent teeth", and "up to adulthood". The chewing-related information acquisition unit 21 may set questions related to decline in oral function when the user's age corresponds to "up to pre-oral frailty" and "from pre-oral frailty to oral frailty".

[0099] For example, if the child falls within periods 1 to 3 shown in Figure 7, questions such as "Are they eating baby food?" and "Do they have any baby teeth?" can be set, but if the child falls within periods 4 to 7, it is not necessary to set "Are they eating baby food?".

[0100] In addition, if the patient falls within the period Nos. 3 to 5, a question such as "Do you have uneven chewing?" may be set, but if the patient falls within the period Nos. 1, 2, 6, and 7, it is not necessary to set the question "Do you have uneven chewing?". This is because, in the period Nos. 6 and 7, uneven chewing has little effect on the decline of the chewing function, but in the period Nos. 3 to 5, uneven chewing may affect the jaw pain or discomfort.

[0101] Also, if the patient falls within the period Nos. 1 to 3, it is not necessary to set the questions "Ease of swallowing" and "Jaw pain." If the patient falls within the period Nos. 1 to 4, it is necessary to set the question "Whether or not the patient swallows whole food." If the patient falls within the period Nos. 5 to 7, it is not necessary to set the question "Whether or not the patient swallows whole food."

[0102] Next, the chewing-related information acquiring unit 21 acquires answer information of the user's answers to the questions as chewing-related information (step S13). The attribute information and the answer information correspond to an example of user information.

[0103] Next, the mastication-related information acquiring unit 21 selects a measurement method based on the response information (step S14).

[0104] 8 and 9 are explanatory diagrams for explaining an example of a method for selecting a measurement method. For example, a lookup table 31 shown in FIG. 8 and a lookup table 32 shown in FIG. 9 are stored in advance in the storage unit 3.

[0105] 8 associates each question item with a judgment (judgment method: judgment result) of answer information for each question item, and a weight for each judgment result. The question items include the number of teeth of the user, the number of functional teeth, ease of swallowing, presence or absence of jaw pain, presence or absence of caries, number of treated teeth, presence or absence of abnormal bite, whether bad breath is a concern, whether food is often spilled, whether the throat gets dry easily, whether the throat coughs easily, and mouth opening size.

[0106] It should be noted that the questions shown in FIG. 8 are merely examples, and only a part of these questions may be used, or other questions may be used.

[0107] In the lookup table 31, a judgment threshold Ref1 is used to judge the number of teeth, a judgment threshold Ref2 is used to judge the number of functional teeth, a judgment threshold Ref3 is used to judge the number of treated teeth, and a judgment threshold Ref4 is used to judge the mouth opening. Appropriate values ​​are set in advance for the judgment thresholds Ref1 to Ref4 for the combination of age and sex obtained as attribute information.

[0108] In addition, the judgment thresholds Ref1 to Ref4 are not limited to the example in which they are set for a combination of age and gender, but may be set for age only, or for gender only, or may be set fixedly regardless of age or gender.

[0109] The chewing-related information acquisition unit 21 refers to the lookup table 31, and for example, if the "number of teeth X1" does not meet the judgment threshold Ref1, the judgment result of the "number of teeth X1" is set to "1", if the "number of functional teeth X2" does not meet the judgment threshold Ref2, the judgment result of the "number of functional teeth X2" is set to "1", if the "number of treated teeth X6" exceeds the judgment threshold Ref3, the judgment result of the "number of treated teeth X6" is set to "1", and if the "opening width X12" does not meet the judgment threshold Ref4, the judgment result of the "opening width X12" is set to "1".

[0110] Furthermore, the chewing-related information acquisition unit 21 refers to the lookup table 31, and for example, when "ease of swallowing" is difficult, the judgment result of "ease of swallowing" is set to "1", and when "ease of swallowing" is easy, the judgment result of "ease of swallowing" is set to "0." Furthermore, for other question items, the chewing-related information acquisition unit 21 judges the result to be "1" when the answer information is "yes", and judges the result to be "0" when the answer information is "no."

[0111] 9, each question item is associated with a corresponding risk item, and each risk item is associated with a corresponding measurement method.

[0112] Examples of risk items include chewing function, swallowing function, temporomandibular joint disorder, and oral care. In the lookup table 32, when the result of a question is "1", that is, when there is a problem, "1" is entered in the column of the corresponding risk item. For example, when there is a missing tooth, the column of oral care is "1", when there is an abnormality in the bite, the columns of chewing function, swallowing function, and temporomandibular joint disorder are "1", and when there is a tendency to feel thirsty, the columns of chewing function and oral care are "1". In addition, the lookup table 31 indicates the measurement method corresponding to each risk item with a circle.

[0113] The mastication-related information acquiring unit 21 calculates the total number of "1"s in the corresponding question items for each risk item in the lookup table 31, and selects the measurement method corresponding to the risk with the largest total number.

[0114] For example, if the problematic items in the answer information are "abnormal bite" and "easy coughing", the total value of the chewing function is 1, the total value of the swallowing function is 2, the total value of the temporomandibular joint disorder is 1, and the total value of the oral care is 0, so the swallowing function has the largest total value. In this case, the chewing-related information acquisition unit 21 selects oral diadochokinesis, video recording, and electromyogram measurement, which are associated with the swallowing function by the lookup table 31, as the measurement method.

[0115] Next, the mastication-related information acquiring unit 21 prompts the user to perform measurement using the selected measurement method, for example, by displaying a message on the touch panel display 5 (step S15). For example, when oral diadochokinesis, video recording, or electromyogram measurement is selected as the measurement method, the mastication-related information acquiring unit 21 displays messages such as "Please perform oral diadochokinesis, video recording, and electromyogram measurement" and "Please enter the results of these measurements."

[0116] Next, the mastication-related information acquiring section 21 acquires the measured information as mastication-related information (step S16).

[0117] For example, in the case of oral diadochokinesis, the user may repeatedly utter "pa", "ta", and "ka", and the microphone 7 may detect and count the sounds, so that the chewing-related information acquisition unit 21 may measure and acquire the number of times X21, X22, and X23 that the user utters "pa", "ta", and "ka" within a certain period of time, that is, the oral diadochokinesis. Alternatively, the user may perform the measurement of oral diadochokinesis himself, and input the measured number of times X21, X22, and X23 that the user utters "pa", "ta", and "ka" by operating the touch panel display 5.

[0118] For example, in the case of video recording, the chewing-related information acquisition unit 21 can acquire a video image M obtained by using the camera 4 to capture an area including at least one of the user's mouth and the area surrounding the mouth while the user is eating.

[0119] In this way, the measurement using the selected measurement method may be performed by the mastication-related information acquiring unit 21, or the user may input the measurement result to the mastication improvement suggestion system 1 as measurement information.

[0120] As described above, the chewing-related information is acquired through steps S11 to S16, and the process proceeds to step S2.

[0121] Next, the improvement behavior determination unit 22 determines an improvement behavior for improving the user's masticatory function based on the mastication-related information (Step S2).

[0122] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the improvement behavior determination process in step S2. First, the improvement behavior determination unit 22 evaluates the response information obtained in step S13 (step S21).

[0123] Fig. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a lookup table 33 for evaluating answer information. In the lookup table 33, answer information for each question item is associated with a judgment (judgment method: judgment result), weight, and evaluation result for each answer information. The judgment (judgment method: judgment result) is the same as in Fig. 8, so a description thereof will be omitted. Note that the answer information shown in Fig. 11 is an example, and only a part of it may be used, or other answer information may be used.

[0124] Each answer information is associated with a weight for each improvement task and an evaluation result. A plurality of improvement tasks are set in advance as tasks to be improved in chewing movements. For example, weights w1 to w12 corresponding to the improvement task "swallowing whole," weights v1 to v12 corresponding to the improvement task "decreased function, disorder," and weights u1 to u12 corresponding to the improvement task "arthropathy" are associated with each answer information.

[0125] The weight is a numerical representation of the influence of each piece of chewing-related information (answer information, measurement information) on each improvement issue, and a larger weight indicates a greater influence.

[0126] Also, the evaluation results A1 to A12 corresponding to the improvement subject "swallowing whole", the evaluation results B1 to B12 corresponding to the improvement subject "decreased function, disorder", and the evaluation results C1 to C12 corresponding to the improvement subject "arthritis" are associated with each answer information. The evaluation result is obtained as the product of the judgment result and the weight.

[0127] For example, if the answer information "number of teeth X1" is smaller than the judgment threshold Ref1, the judgment result will be "1", and the evaluation results will be 1×w1=w1=A1, 1×v1=v1=B1, 1×u1=u1=C1. On the other hand, if the "number of teeth X1" is equal to or larger than the judgment threshold Ref1, the judgment result will be "0", and the evaluation results will be 0×w1=0=A1, 0×v1=0=B1, 0×u1=0=C1.

[0128] For example, if the answer information "dental caries" is "present," the judgment result will be "1," and the evaluation results will be 1×w5=w5=A5, 1×v5=v5=B5, 1×u5=u5=C5. On the other hand, if the answer information "dental caries" is "absent," the judgment result will be "0," and the evaluation results will be 0×w5=0=A5, 0×v5=0=B5, 0×u5=0=C5.

[0129] A judgment result of "1" means that each piece of chewing-related information (answer information, measurement information) has a problem, and a judgment result of "0" means that each piece of chewing-related information (answer information, measurement information) has no problem.

[0130] Due to space constraints, three examples of improvement issues have been given: "Swallowing whole," "Decreased function, discomfort," and "Arthropathy." However, the improvement issues are not limited to these and may be other improvement issues, or other improvement issues may be added. Similarly, judgments, weights, and evaluation results may be associated with the other improvement issues.

[0131] Furthermore, instead of the user inputting the mouth opening amount X25 as answer information, the mouth opening amount X25 may be acquired as measurement information from a still image G or a moving image M as described below.

[0132] The improvement action judgment unit 22 can refer to the lookup table 33 stored in the storage unit 3, for example, to obtain the evaluation results A1 to A12, B1 to B12, and C1 to C12 for each piece of answer information.

[0133] Next, the improvement action judgment unit 22 evaluates the measurement information obtained in step S16 (step S22). Fig. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a lookup table 34 for evaluating the measurement information. In the lookup table 34, the measurement information for each measurement method is associated with the judgment (judgment method: judgment result), weight, and evaluation result for each measurement information.

[0134] In the lookup table 34, a judgment threshold Ref21 is used to determine the number of times "pa" is pronounced X21 in oral diadochokinesis, a judgment threshold Ref22 is used to determine the number of times "ta" is pronounced X22 in oral diadochokinesis, and a judgment threshold Ref23 is used to determine the number of times "ka" is pronounced X23 in oral diadochokinesis.

[0135] Determination thresholds Ref24 and Ref25 are used to determine the deviation amount X24 of the mouth corner position and the mouth opening amount X25 obtained from the still image G or the moving image M. The determination threshold Ref24 is a threshold for evaluating the distance between the position of the mouth corner and a perpendicular line that passes through the center of the lips relative to the center line of the face, based on the deviation amount X24 of the mouth corner position.

[0136] Instead of obtaining the mouth opening amount X25 from the still image G or the moving image M, the user may input it as answer information.

[0137] The chewing frequency CT and the speed deviation X29 obtained from the moving image M are judged using judgment thresholds Ref28 and Ref29.

[0138] The judgment thresholds Ref21 to Ref29 are preset with appropriate values ​​for the combinations of age and sex obtained as attribute information. The improvement behavior judgment unit 22 executes judgment for each piece of measurement information using the judgment thresholds Ref21 to Ref29 according to the attribute information.

[0139] The improvement action determination unit 22 executes a determination for each piece of measurement information using the determination thresholds Ref21 to Ref29 according to the attribute information, and thus the determination of the improvement action is adjusted based on the attribute information.

[0140] In addition, the judgment thresholds Ref21 to Ref29 are not limited to the example in which they are set for a combination of age and gender, but may be set for age only, or for gender only, or may be set fixedly regardless of age or gender.

[0141] The method for obtaining the judgment result "1 / 0" from each measurement information is substantially the same as the method for obtaining the judgment result "1 / 0" from the response information in the lookup tables 31 and 33 in FIG. 8 and FIG. 11, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

[0142] It should be noted that the measurement information shown in FIG. 12 is merely an example, and only a part of it may be used, or other measurement information may be used.

[0143] In the lookup table 34, the weights and evaluation results for each improvement task to be improved are associated with each piece of measurement information. For example, weights w21 to w29 corresponding to the improvement task "swallowing a whole thing", weights v21 to v29 corresponding to the improvement task "decreased function, poor condition", and weights u21 to u29 corresponding to the improvement task "arthropathy" are associated with each piece of measurement information. In addition, evaluation results A21 to A29 corresponding to the improvement task "swallowing a whole thing", evaluation results B21 to B29 corresponding to the improvement task "decreased function, poor condition", and evaluation results C21 to C29 corresponding to the improvement task "arthropathy" are associated with each piece of measurement information.

[0144] For example, if the measurement information "number of pas X21" is smaller than the judgment threshold Ref21, the judgment result will be "1", and the evaluation results will be 1 x w21 = w21 = A21, 1 x v21 = v21 = B21, and 1 x u21 = u21 = C21. On the other hand, if the measurement information "number of pas X21" is equal to or greater than the judgment threshold Ref21, the judgment result will be "0", and the evaluation results will be 0 x w21 = 0 = A21, 0 x v21 = 0 = B21, and 0 x u21 = 0 = C21. Similarly, evaluation results corresponding to each piece of measurement information are obtained.

[0145] The improvement action determination unit 22 can refer to, for example, a lookup table 34 stored in the storage unit 3 to obtain the evaluation results A21 to A29, B21 to B29, and C21 to C29 for each piece of measurement information.

[0146] Next, the improvement action judgment unit 22 judges improvement issues from the evaluation results A1 to A12, B1 to B12, and C1 to C12 of the response information obtained in step S21 and the evaluation results A21 to A29, B21 to B29, and C21 to C29 of the measurement information obtained in step S22 (step S23).

[0147] Fig. 13 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of a method for determining an improvement subject from the evaluation result of the response information and the evaluation result of the measurement information. As shown in Fig. 13, the improvement action judgment unit 22 calculates a total value SA by summing the evaluation results A1 to A29 corresponding to the improvement subject "swallowing whole food", calculates a total value SB by summing the evaluation results B1 to B29 corresponding to the improvement subject "decreased function, disorder", and calculates a total value SC by summing the evaluation results C1 to C29 corresponding to the improvement subject "arthropathy".

[0148] Then, the improvement action determination unit 22 selects the improvement issue with the largest total value from among the improvement issues "swallowing whole," "decreased function, disorder," and "arthropathy." In this way, the improvement action determination unit 22 can determine the improvement issue from the evaluation results of the response information and the evaluation results of the measurement information.

[0149] Next, the improvement action determination unit 22 determines an improvement action based on the improvement task determined in step S23 (step S24).

[0150] Fig. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a lookup table that associates improvement tasks with improvement actions. According to the lookup table 35 shown in Fig. 14, the improvement tasks "swallow whole," "cannot chew," and "continue to chew" are associated with the improvement action of chewing food such as jelly, gum, and jerky, which is behavior number 1.

[0151] The improvement task "deterioration of function, discomfort" is associated with the improvement action of performing training using an oral training device (chewing training using a specified training device), which is action number 2.

[0152] The improvement task "deterioration of function, disorder" is associated with the improvement action of performing the Patakara exercise, which is action number 3. The Patakara exercise corresponds to an example of a predetermined chewing training exercise.

[0153] The improvement issues "decline in function, disorder" and "impact on the jaw" correspond to the improvement action of performing motion training, which is action number 4. The motion training corresponds to an example of chewing training based on chewing instruction.

[0154] Action number 5, the improvement action of receiving treatment from a dentist (visiting a dentist), is associated with the improvement issues of "arthropathy" and "inability to swallow."

[0155] For example, if the improvement issue determined in step S23 is “deterioration in function, malfunction,” the improvement action judgment unit 22 can determine that action numbers 2, 3, and 4, which are associated with “deterioration in function, malfunction” by the lookup table 35, are improvement actions.

[0156] In the example of behavior No. 1, for example, for foods such as jelly, gummies, jerky, etc., a plurality of types of foods corresponding to the above-mentioned food attributes are prepared in advance, and the improvement behavior determination unit 22 can determine and decide, as the improvement behavior, for example, chewing a type of food corresponding to the food attributes determined as described above. In the example of behavior No. 1, it is expected to have the effect of increasing the number of chews by the user and improving the length of chewing time.

[0157] In this case, it is preferable that the improvement behavior determination unit 22 identifies the target food and determines and decides, as the improvement behavior, at least one of the number of chews and the amount (number of pieces) of food put in the mouth at one time.

[0158] In the example of behavior number 1, the food may be any food selected by the user. Then, in steps S34 and S35 described later, food information may be obtained from an image of the food, and at least one of the number of times the food is chewed and the amount (number of pieces) of food put in the mouth at one time may be determined as an improvement behavior.

[0159] In the example of behavior number 2, the improvement behavior determination unit 22 can determine and decide that training using an oral function training tool is the improvement behavior. In the example of behavior number 2, an effect of improving the user's chewing irregularity can be expected. As the oral function training tool, for example, Peko Panda (registered trademark) manufactured by JMS Co., Ltd. can be used.

[0160] In the example of behavior number 3, the improvement behavior determination unit 22 can determine and decide on a training known as the Patakara exercise as an improvement behavior. The Patakara exercise trains the muscles required for eating by pronouncing "pa," "ta," "ka," and "ra." In the example of behavior number 3, an effect of improving the modulation of the user's chewing can be expected.

[0161] In the example of behavior number 4, the improvement behavior determination unit 22 can determine and decide motion training as an improvement behavior. In the example of behavior number 4, it is expected to have the effect of improving the user's chewing modulation, chewing method, and chewing habits. As the motion training, for example, training using the chewing guidance system described in Patent Application No. 2020-184914 can be used.

[0162] In the example of behavior number 5, when it is determined that treatment is necessary, the improvement behavior determination unit 22 determines that receiving treatment from a dentist is the improvement behavior. In the example of behavior number 5, improvement through treatment is expected.

[0163] The improvement behavior determination unit 22 can sum up the weights of the chewing-related information determined to be problematic among the multiple chewing-related information for each of the multiple improvement problems by steps S21 to S23, and determine the improvement problem having the largest sum. Furthermore, the improvement behavior determination unit 22 can determine the improvement behavior based on the determined improvement problem by step S24.

[0164] After determining the improvement action as described above, the improvement action determination unit 22 proceeds to step S3.

[0165] Next, the notification unit 23 acquires life pattern information indicating the life pattern of the user (step S3). Fig. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the life pattern information.

[0166] Next, the notification unit 23 determines the notification timing for notifying the improvement behavior based on the lifestyle pattern information obtained in step S3 (step S4). For example, according to the lifestyle pattern information shown in Fig. 15, the notification unit 23 can determine the notification timings to be 11:30 and 19:30, which are 30 minutes before lunch time excluding breakfast time and 30 minutes before dinner time, since 30 minutes before breakfast time is before wake-up time. The notification unit 23 can also determine the notification timings to be 8:30 and 18:30, which are during commuting hours.

[0167] It is not necessary to execute steps S1 to S4 every time. The improvement action determined in step S2 and the notification timing determined in step S4 may be stored in the memory unit 3, and thereafter, only steps S5 and S6 may be executed.

[0168] Next, the notification unit 23 checks whether the notification timing determined in step S4 has arrived (step S5), and if it is not the notification timing, waits until it arrives (NO in step S5). On the other hand, when the notification timing arrives (YES in step S5), the notification unit 23 notifies the user of the improvement action determined in step S3, for example, by displaying it on the touch panel display 5 or by outputting it as a sound from the speaker 6 (step S6).

[0169] This makes it possible to provide the user with suggestions aimed at improving their chewing function.

[0170] Next, a description will be given of another example of the operation of the mastication improvement suggestion system 1. Fig. 16 is a flowchart showing another example of the operation of the mastication improvement suggestion system 1 shown in Fig. 5. In the example shown in Fig. 16, a user prepares food and starts the mastication improvement suggestion system 1 at a timing desired by the user.

[0171] First, the mastication-related information acquiring unit 21 and the improvement behavior determining unit 22 execute steps S1 and S2, similarly to FIG. 6, to acquire mastication-related information and determine improvement behavior.

[0172] Next, the improvement behavior determination unit 22 checks whether or not the improvement behavior determined in step S2 includes "chewing food" (behavior number 1) (step S33). If the improvement behavior includes "chewing food" (YES in step S33), the improvement behavior determination unit 22 displays a message encouraging the user to take an image of food, such as "Please take an image of food," on the touch panel display 5.

[0173] Then, when the user captures an image of the food with camera 4, improvement behavior determination unit 22 acquires food information from the captured image of the food (step S34). Specifically, improvement behavior determination unit 22 acquires at least one of the attributes of the photographed food, such as hardness, adhesiveness, elasticity, and size, as food information.

[0174] Next, the improvement behavior determination unit 22 determines, based on the chewing-related information and food information obtained in steps S1 and S34, at least one of the number of chews and the amount (number of pieces) of food put into the mouth at one time as an improvement behavior when chewing food (step S35). For example, when the age of the user included in the chewing-related information corresponds to the period of "weaning food period to eruption of milk teeth", "milk tooth period", and "change of milk teeth to permanent teeth", the improvement behavior determination unit 22 can increase the number of chews and reduce the amount of food. When the age of the user corresponds to the period of "up to adult age" and "up to pre-oral frailty", the improvement behavior determination unit 22 can decrease the number of chews and increase the amount of food. When the age of the user corresponds to the period of "elderly", the improvement behavior determination unit 22 can increase the number of chews and decrease the amount of food as the user gets older.

[0175] On the other hand, if "chewing food" is not included in the improvement behavior in step S33 (NO in step S33), the improvement behavior determination unit 22 proceeds to step S36 without executing steps S34 and S35.

[0176] Next, in step S36, the notification unit 23 notifies the user of the improvement action determined in steps S2 and S35, for example, by displaying it on the touch panel display 5 or by outputting it as sound from the speaker 6 (step S36).

[0177] This makes it possible to provide the user with suggestions aimed at improving their chewing function.

[0178] Note that step S11 may not be performed and attribute information may not be acquired. Also, steps S12 and S13 may not be performed and response information may not be acquired. Also, step S14 may not be performed and the user may select the measurement method. Also, steps S14 to S16 and S22 may not be performed and in step S23, improvement issues may be determined from response information without using measurement information.

[0179] Furthermore, the notification unit 23 does not need to acquire life pattern information, and does not need to determine the timing of notifying the improvement behavior. Furthermore, the improvement behavior determination unit 22 is not limited to the example of acquiring food information from an image of the food. Furthermore, the improvement behavior determination unit 22 does not need to acquire at least one of the type, amount, and size of the food prepared by the user as food information, and does not need to determine the improvement behavior based on the chewing-related information and the food information.

[0180] In addition, the improvement behavior determination unit 22 does not have to determine, as an improvement behavior, at least one of the number of times of chewing and the amount (number of pieces) of food put in the mouth at one time, and does not have to determine, as an improvement behavior, at least one of the appropriate hardness, adhesiveness, elasticity, and size of food. In addition, improvement behavior is not limited to chewing a predetermined food. [Explanation of symbols]

[0181] 1. Chewing improvement suggestion system 2. Control section 3 Storage section 4. Camera 5 Touch panel display 6 Speakers 7. Mike 21 Chewing-related information acquisition unit 22 Improvement Action Judgment Department 23. Information Department 31~35 Lookup table A. Temporal change information A1~A29, B1~B29, C1~C29 Evaluation results CT Chewing frequency G Still Image L distance M Video Images P1 Chewing starting point P2 Maximum opening point P3 End point of chewing PW Chewing movement pathway Ref1~Ref29 Judgment threshold SA, SB, SC total value TW interval information u1~u29,v1~v29,w1~w29 weights X1 Number X12 opening amount X2 Functional teeth number X21, X22, X23 Number of times X24 corner of mouth X25 opening amount X29 Speed ​​deviation X6 Number

Claims

1. A chewing function improvement suggestion system that makes suggestions for improving a user's chewing function, a chewing-related information acquiring unit that acquires chewing-related information related to the chewing movement of the user; an improvement action determination unit that determines an improvement action for improving the masticatory function of the user based on the mastication-related information; a notification unit that notifies the improvement action determined by the improvement action determination unit, The chewing-related information includes measurement information measured from the user by a predetermined measurement method and user information answered by the user, The mastication improvement suggestion system, wherein the mastication-related information acquisition unit selects the measurement method based on the user information, and further acquires the measurement information based on the selected measurement method as the mastication-related information.

2. A chewing function improvement suggestion system that makes suggestions aimed at improving a user's chewing function, a chewing-related information acquiring unit that acquires chewing-related information related to the chewing movement of the user; an improvement action determination unit that determines an improvement action for improving the masticatory function of the user based on the mastication-related information; a notification unit that notifies the improvement action determined by the improvement action determination unit, The improved behavior includes chewing a predetermined food; The improvement action determination unit further determines, as the improvement action, at least one of hardness, adhesiveness, elasticity, and size that are appropriate for the food.

3. A chewing function improvement suggestion system that makes suggestions aimed at improving a user's chewing function, a chewing-related information acquiring unit that acquires chewing-related information related to the chewing movement of the user; an improvement action determination unit that determines an improvement action for improving the masticatory function of the user based on the mastication-related information; a notification unit that notifies the improvement action determined by the improvement action determination unit, The notification unit acquires lifestyle pattern information indicating a lifestyle pattern of the user, and determines a timing for notifying the user of the improvement action based on the lifestyle pattern information.

4. A chewing function improvement suggestion system that makes suggestions aimed at improving a user's chewing function, a chewing-related information acquiring unit that acquires chewing-related information related to the chewing movement of the user; an improvement action determination unit that determines an improvement action for improving the masticatory function of the user based on the mastication-related information; a notification unit that notifies the improvement action determined by the improvement action determination unit, The chewing-related information is plural, A weight is set in each of the chewing-related information, the weight being a numerical value representing an influence degree, corresponding to each of a plurality of improvement issues that are set in advance as issues to be improved in the chewing movement, The improvement action judgment unit sums up the weights of the chewing-related information that is judged to be problematic among the multiple chewing-related information for each of the multiple improvement issues, determines the improvement issue with the largest sum, and judges the improvement action based on the determined improvement issue.

5. 5. The mastication improvement suggestion system according to claim 2, wherein the mastication-related information includes measurement information measured from the user by a predetermined measurement method.

6. The chewing improvement suggestion system according to claim 1 or 5, wherein the measurement method is at least one of oral diadochokinesis, still image capture, video capture, bite pressure measurement, tongue pressure measurement, lip closing force measurement, electromyogram measurement, oral moisture measurement, chewing acceleration measurement, chewing-related position measurement, and breath odor measurement.

7. The mastication improvement suggestion system according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the mastication-related information further includes user information answered by the user.

8. The mastication improvement suggestion system according to claim 1 or 7, wherein the user information includes attribute information related to an age of the user and answer information other than the attribute information.

9. The mastication improvement suggestion system according to claim 1 , wherein the user information includes attribute information related to a sex of the user and answer information other than the attribute information.

10. The mastication improvement suggestion system according to claim 1 , wherein the user information includes attribute information related to the age and sex of the user, and answer information other than the attribute information.

11. The chewing improvement suggestion system according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the improvement action determination unit adjusts the determination of the improvement action based on the attribute information.

12. The chewing improvement suggestion system according to any one of claims 1 and 7 to 11, wherein the user information includes at least one of information regarding the number of teeth, information regarding symptoms related to chewing, and information regarding lifestyle habits.

13. The mastication improvement suggestion system according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the improvement behavior includes at least one of chewing a predetermined food, chewing training using a predetermined training tool, predetermined chewing training exercises, chewing training based on chewing instructions, and visiting a dentist.

14. The mastication improvement suggestion system according to claim 2 , wherein the improvement action determination unit further determines, as the improvement action, at least one of the number of chews and the amount of the food put in the mouth at one time when chewing the food.

15. The improvement action determination unit: Acquire at least one of the type, amount, and size of the food as food information; The chewing improvement suggestion system according to claim 2, which determines, as the improvement action, at least one of the number of chews and the amount of the food placed in the mouth at one time when chewing the food, based on the chewing-related information and the food information.

16. The chewing improvement suggestion system according to claim 15 , wherein the improvement action determination unit acquires the food information from an image of the food.

17. A chewing improvement suggestion program that makes suggestions aimed at improving a user's chewing function, the chewing improvement suggestion program causing a computer to function as the chewing-related information acquisition unit, the improvement action judgment unit, and the notification unit of the chewing improvement suggestion system described in any one of claims 1 to 16.

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