Information processing device, program, nail system, and nail design selection method

Abstract

To provide an information processing device, a program, a nail system and a nail design selection method that can present a nail design fit for a user's physical and mental conditions.SOLUTION: A printer 1 comprises a controller 110 that acquires blood flow-associated biological information and determines a nail design to be presented for a user on the basis of the acquired biological information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 14

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, a program, a nail system, and a nail design selection method. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, nail printers that can apply nail designs such as colors and patterns selected by a user to fingernails are known. This type of technology is described in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 describes a nail printer technology that can eject droplets of ink or other liquid with high precision without test painting. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-18589 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventional nail printers such as those described in Patent Document 1 present a predetermined nail design to a user. Nails have the effect of calming the user's mind and increasing motivation. There was room for improvement in presenting a nail design based on the user's mental and physical state.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide an information processing device, a program, a nail system, and a nail design selection method that are capable of presenting nail designs that are more suitable for the user's mental and physical state. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, an information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: Measure blood flow fluctuations as biological information.The nail design may be provided to the user based on the collected biometric information. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an information processing device, a program, a nail system, and a nail design selection method that are capable of presenting a nail design that is more suitable for the mental and physical state of a user. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a nail print system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a printing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a printing unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration for executing a print process, among the functional configurations of a printing device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 5] 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a user terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. [Figure 6] 3 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration for executing a print process, among the functional configurations of a user terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining a measurement area set on the skin area of ​​a finger. [Figure 8] 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating how pulse wave information is obtained from the luminance values ​​of pixels within a measurement region. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating calculation of biological information from pulse wave information. [Figure 10] 13 is a table summarizing calculable biometric information, judgment thresholds corresponding to the biometric information, design options presented to the user, and mental and physical state estimation results. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a selection screen for presented nail designs. [Figure 12] 11 is a graph showing an example of a Lorenz plot calculated from pulse wave information. [Figure 13] 6 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of a process executed by a printing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] 6 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of a process executed by a printing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a printing device according to a first modified example of the present invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of a printing unit according to a first modified example of the present invention. [Figure 17] FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration for executing a print process, among the functional configurations of a printing device according to a first modified example of the present invention. [Figure 18] 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams illustrating the difference in pulse wave measurement results depending on whether or not the cuff is compressed. [Figure 19] 11 is a flowchart illustrating a part of the flow of processing executed by a printing device according to a first modified example of the present invention. [Figure 20] 13 is a flowchart illustrating a part of the flow of processing executed by a printing device according to a second modified example of the present invention. [Figure 21] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a nail print system according to a third modified example of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] [Outline of the embodiment] <Nail Print System> 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a nail print system S including a printing device 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the nail print system S includes a plurality of printing devices 1, user terminals 2 which are tablet terminals corresponding to each printing device 1, a network 3, and a server group 4.

[0011] The printing device 1 is a nail printer that prints nail designs such as colors, patterns, and designs on the nails of a user. There is no particular limit to the number of printing devices 1, and n (n is any natural number) printing devices 1 may be included in the nail print system S. In the following description, when the n printing devices 1 are described without any particular distinction, the alphabet at the end of the reference numeral will be omitted and they will simply be referred to as "printing device 1."

[0012] The printing device 1 of this embodiment measures the blood flow fluctuation of the user from the video and allows the user to select a nail design based on the measurement results. The printing device 1 prints the nail design selected by the user on the user's nail. The printing device 1 is also electrically connected to a user terminal 2 by wired communication or wireless communication to transmit and receive various information. The user terminal 2 is also connected to each server included in a server group 4 via a network 3 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0013] The network 3 is realized by, for example, the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a mobile phone network, or a combination of these.

[0014] The server group 4 includes various servers that cooperate with the printing device 1. For example, the server group 4 includes an authentication server for authenticating a user of the printing device 1. Also, for example, the server group 4 includes a nail design registration and distribution server in which nail design data for downloading by the user terminal 2 is registered. Furthermore, the server group 4 includes a measurement data storage server that stores user profile information. The user profile information includes setting information about the user and information such as the user's usage history of the printing device 1.

[0015] A nail design is a design applied to the nails of a user's fingers. For example, designs of colors, pictures, patterns, colors, characters, etc. are applied to the nails. Nail designs are not only artistic, but also have a psychological effect on the recipient, such as relieving stress and increasing motivation, depending on the impression given by the nail design.

[0016] 1 is merely an example, and servers having other functions may be included in the server group 4. Also, the multiple servers included in the server group 4 may be realized as separate server devices, or may be realized as a single server device.

[0017] <Printing device> Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a printing device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 2, the printing device 1 includes a processor, a central processing unit (CPU) 11, a read only memory (ROM) 12, a random access memory (RAM) 13, a bus 14, an input / output interface 15, an imaging unit 16, an input unit 17, an output unit 18, a storage unit 19, a communication unit 20, a drive 21, a power supply unit 22, a printing unit 32, and a pulse wave analysis unit 33.

[0018] The CPU 11 executes various processes according to a program recorded in the ROM 12 or a program loaded from the storage unit 19 to the RAM 13 .

[0019] The RAM 13 also stores data and the like necessary for the CPU 11 to execute various processes.

[0020] The CPU 11, ROM 12, and RAM 13 are connected to one another via a bus 14. An input / output interface 15 is also connected to this bus 14. An imaging unit 16, an input unit 17, an output unit 18, a storage unit 19, a communication unit 20, a drive 21, a power supply unit 22, a printing unit 32, and a pulse wave analysis unit 33 are connected to the input / output interface 15.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 3, the imaging unit 16 includes a camera 16a equipped with an optical lens unit and an image sensor, and a light 16b provided in a housing 32a (described later) for illuminating the inside of the housing 32a. The optical lens unit is composed of a lens that focuses light to capture an image of a subject, such as a focus lens or a zoom lens. The focus lens is a lens that forms an image of a subject on the light receiving surface of the image sensor. The zoom lens is a lens that freely changes the focal length within a certain range. The imaging unit 16 is also provided with a peripheral circuit that adjusts setting parameters such as focus, exposure, and white balance as necessary.

[0022] The image sensor is composed of a photoelectric conversion element, an AFE (Analog Front End), and the like. The photoelectric conversion element is composed of, for example, a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) type photoelectric conversion element. An object image is incident on the photoelectric conversion element from an optical lens unit. The photoelectric conversion element photoelectrically converts (captures) the object image, accumulates the image signal for a certain period of time, and sequentially supplies the accumulated image signal as an analog signal to the AFE. The AFE executes various signal processes, such as A / D (Analog / Digital) conversion, on this analog image signal. A digital signal is generated by the various signal processes, and is output as an output signal of the imaging unit 16. Such an output signal of the imaging unit 16 is appropriately supplied to the CPU 11, and the like. The illumination 16b is composed of, for example, an LED.

[0023] The input unit 17 is composed of various buttons, a microphone, etc., and inputs various information in response to user's instruction operations or voice instructions.

[0024] The output unit 18 is configured with a liquid crystal display or the like, and outputs images or videos corresponding to the image data or video data output by the CPU 11 .

[0025] The storage unit 19 is configured with a semiconductor memory such as a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), and stores various data.

[0026] The communication unit 20 performs communication control for the CPU 11 to communicate with other devices (eg, each server included in the server group 4) via the network 3.

[0027] The drive 21 is configured with an interface capable of mounting a removable medium 100. The removable medium 100, which is a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor memory, or the like, is appropriately mounted in the drive 21. The removable medium 100 may store various programs and various data such as image data and video data. Furthermore, the programs and various data such as image data and video data read from the removable medium 100 by the drive 21 may be installed in the storage unit 19 as necessary.

[0028] The power supply unit 22 is configured to be able to supply power to each unit of the printing device 1 by being connected to an external power source.

[0029] The printing unit 32 can print a nail design on the user's nail. As shown in Fig. 3, the printing unit 32 has a finger rest 32b on which the user places the finger 5, a sensor (not shown) that detects the finger 5 placed on the finger rest 32b, a nail design printing unit (not shown) that prints a nail design on the nail 5a, and a housing 32a that covers the finger rest 32b, the sensor, and the nail design printing unit. That is, in the printing device 1 of this embodiment, the nail design printing unit prints a nail design on the nail 5a of the finger 5 placed on the finger rest 32b.

[0030] The printing device 1 according to this embodiment recognizes the finger 5 placed on the finger rest 32b by a sensor. However, the printing device 1 may recognize the finger 5 based on an image captured by the camera 16a of the imaging unit 16, rather than using a sensor. For example, the printing device 1 may detect and recognize the skin color of the finger 5 in the captured image.

[0031] The pulse wave analysis unit 33 has a pulse wave analysis circuit capable of calculating pulse wave information by analyzing an image of the user's skin, etc. For example, when an image captured by the imaging unit 16 is input, the pulse wave analysis unit 33 calculates various types of bioinformation, which will be described later, via the pulse wave analysis circuit. In this embodiment, the image is analyzed by an image processing unit 111 of the control unit 110, which will be described later, to calculate the pulse wave information and various types of bioinformation, but the pulse wave analysis unit 33 may also calculate each of them.

[0032] Furthermore, in addition to the above-mentioned hardware, the printing device 1 may further include other hardware. For example, the printing device 1 may further include an output unit that is configured with a lamp, a speaker, a vibration motor, or the like and outputs light, sound, or a vibration signal.

[0033] Fig. 4 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration for executing a printing process among the functional configurations of the printing device 1 in Fig. 2. The printing process refers to a series of processes in which the printing device 1 displays a measurement result based on a change in biometric information acquired from a user.

[0034] First, the storage unit 19 that stores various information will be described. The storage unit 19 stores various data related to guidance in the process of screen display, information for performing measurements, information for displaying the measurement results, information showing the measurement results, information related to nail designs, a history of printing the nail designs, information related to printing processes, and the like. The above-mentioned various data may be stored only in the storage unit 19, or may be appropriately stored in the removable media 100 by the drive 21. Furthermore, each piece of information may be appropriately stored in a measurement data storage server included in the server group 4, or the like.

[0035] Next, each functional block that executes the print process will be described. As shown in Fig. 4, the control unit 110 of this embodiment has a video processing unit (video processing function) 111, an output processing unit (output processing function) 112, an input processing unit (input processing function) 113, a data processing unit (data processing function) 114, a determination processing unit (determination processing function) 115, a communication processing unit (communication processing function) 116, and a print processing unit (print processing function) 117.

[0036] The image processing unit 111 acquires information about the user (hereinafter referred to as "subject information") by analyzing the image captured by the imaging unit 16, the image including the user as a subject. The subject information is, for example, the color of each part of the finger 5 or the like in the user image, biometric information (sometimes called vital data) indicating the user's condition, and the like. Measurement is performed by analyzing the information (image) acquired by the imaging unit 16, so that biometric information can be acquired sequentially without contacting the user. Specific analysis of the image data by the image processing unit 111 will be described later. Furthermore, when outputting the acquired biometric information, the image processing unit 111 outputs the biometric information to at least the storage unit 19. As a result, the storage unit 19 stores a history of the acquired biometric information.

[0037] The output processing unit 112 performs control to display a moving image as a display image on the screen of the output unit 18. This allows the progress of the pulse wave measurement to be dynamically visualized and displayed in an easy-to-understand manner. The output processing unit 112 also performs synthesis processing to synthesize a guide image, measurement data, nail design, etc. For example, the output processing unit 112 performs control to display a synthesized image in which the user's finger 5 and an image showing the measurement result (such as a measurement result table or graph) are synthesized as shown in Fig. 9, or a preview image in which the user's finger 5 and a nail design image are synthesized.

[0038] Furthermore, the input processing unit 113 executes a process of accepting a user operation input to the input unit 17. For example, the input processing unit 113 accepts an operation to start a print process by the user via the input unit 17, and inputs it to the print processing unit 117.

[0039] The data processing unit 114 performs processing for printing a nail design based on the biometric information. For example, the data processing unit 114 acquires the biometric information calculated by the video processing unit 111. The data processing unit 114 outputs the acquired biometric information to the communication processing unit 116, which transmits the information to the user terminal via the communication unit 20. The data processing unit 114 also acquires information related to the nail design transmitted from the user terminal 2, and outputs a command signal to the printing unit 32 to print.

[0040] The determination processing unit 115 performs various determinations in the printing process based on various thresholds stored in the storage unit 19. For example, the determination processing unit 115 performs determination by comparing the biometric information calculated by the image processing unit 111 with a predetermined threshold, and outputs the determination result to the data processing unit 114.

[0041] The communication processing unit 116 performs processing for communicating with external devices. For example, the communication processing unit 116 communicates with an authentication server included in the server group 4. This authenticates the user who performs the print processing. The communication processing unit 116 also communicates with a measurement data storage server included in the server group 4 to update the profile information of the user in the print processing.

[0042] The print processing unit 117 performs processing to control the operation of the print unit 32 of the printing device 1. For example, when the print processing unit 117 receives a print start command from the control unit 110, it causes the print unit 32 to print a nail design on the user's nail 5a.

[0043] <User device> Next, an example of the user terminal 2 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the user terminal 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] The user terminal 2 of this embodiment is a computer including a CPU 51, a ROM 52, a RAM 53, a bus 54, an input / output interface 55, an input unit 56, an output unit 57, a storage unit 58, a communication unit 59, and a battery 60. Note that configurations common to or similar to those already described may be given the same names and detailed descriptions thereof may be omitted.

[0045] Next, a description will be given of the functional configuration of the user terminal 2. Fig. 6 is a functional block diagram showing a part of the functional configuration of the user terminal 2 according to this embodiment.

[0046] The control unit 70, which performs various controls of the user terminal 2, is realized by the CPU 51, which executes arithmetic processing. The control unit 70 of this embodiment has a communication processing unit (communication processing function) 71, an output processing unit (output processing function) 72, an input processing unit (input processing function) 73, and a print management unit (print management function) 74.

[0047] The communication processing unit 71 executes a process of exchanging various types of information with the server group 4 via the communication unit 59. The communication processing unit 71 also executes a process of exchanging various types of information with the printing device 1 via the communication unit 59.

[0048] The output processing unit 72 executes a process for displaying an image on the screen of the output unit 57. For example, when the communication processing unit 71 acquires biometric information transmitted from the printing device 1, the output processing unit 72 executes a process for displaying the biometric information on the screen of the output unit 57 in response to a command from the communication processing unit 71. In addition, when the communication processing unit 71 acquires nail design selection information transmitted from a nail design registration and distribution server of the server group 4 described below, the output processing unit 72 executes a process for displaying the nail design selection information on the screen of the output unit 57 in response to a command from the communication processing unit 71.

[0049] The input processing unit 73 executes a process of accepting a user operation input to the input unit 56. For example, the input processing unit 73 accepts information displayed on the output unit 57 in a touch panel as an input, and transmits a command to the output processing unit 72 to execute a process of switching the information displayed on the screen of the output unit 57, or the like.

[0050] The print management unit 74 transmits and receives information related to the print processing to and from the printer 1 via the communication unit 59. For example, when the print management unit 74 receives an input from a user to start printing, the print management unit 74 outputs a command to start printing to the communication processing unit 71, thereby causing the printer 1 to start the print processing via the communication unit 59.

[0051] [Analysis of video data] Next, analysis of video data in the printing device 1 will be described with reference to Figs. 7 to 9. Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a finger 5 placed on the finger placement table 32b in Fig. 3 and a region of interest (ROI) as a measurement region set in the skin region of the finger. Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram for explaining calculation of the luminance value of pixels in the region of interest ROI and display of the acquired pulse wave waveform. The thin line waveform shows the original pulse wave waveform, and the thick line shows the pulse wave waveform after band pass filtering. Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining calculation of biological information from measured pulse wave information. First, acquisition of video data analyzed by the video processing unit 111 will be described with reference to Fig. 7.

[0052] The image processor 111 recognizes the finger's outline, position, and skin area by performing tracking-related processing such as pattern matching of outlines and parts, and skin color identification, and detects a specific part area of ​​the finger. For example, the finger's outline and position are detected from a user's image in a video, and the finger area is automatically recognized. Then, the image processor 111 detects the condition of the detected part area, such as the skin color. Also, as shown in FIG. 7, the image processor 111 sets a region of interest (ROI), indicated by a dashed frame, on the base side of the nail 5a of the finger 5.

[0053] In this embodiment, the region of interest ROI is set on the skin other than the nail 5a. This is because the nail 5a is coated with a white base coat for position recognition, and the pulse wave cannot be measured. If the nail 5a is not coated with a base coat, the region of interest ROI may be set on the nail 5a. In this embodiment, the region of interest ROI is set in a predetermined range. However, the region of interest ROI does not have to be in a predetermined range. For example, the control unit 110 may automatically recognize the skin region in the video from the skin color and automatically set the range in which the region of interest ROI is maximum.

[0054] The image processor 111 extracts pulse waves from images by utilizing the property that hemoglobin in blood absorbs green light well, and obtains biological information related to blood flow such as pulse and pulse waves. The wavelength of the green signal is generally said to be 495-570 nm, and hemoglobin has a high absorption coefficient at around 500-600 nm. When blood flow increases, the amount of blood on the skin surface increases, and the amount of hemoglobin per unit time increases, so more green signals are absorbed by hemoglobin than before the blood flow increases. Therefore, the luminance of the green signal detected when the blood flow increases decreases. Note that when the image sensor of the image sensor 16 converts light to luminance, RGB filters are placed in front of the image sensor, and the luminance value of each pixel of RGB is calculated. In this case, the light that passes through the green filter becomes the luminance value. Even if the sensitivity of the image sensor is not flat with respect to wavelength, the above-mentioned filter can narrow the wavelength band to some extent, so that the green signal can be detected with high accuracy.

[0055] As shown in Fig. 8, the image processor 111 acquires pulse wave information based on luminance information included in the image information of the body in the image within the region of interest ROI. More specifically, the image processor 111 acquires the luminance of the green signal every unit time to acquire pulse wave information from the change in the luminance of the green signal over time. Note that the unit time is, for example, the frame rate of a moving image, and the luminance of the green signal can be acquired for each temporally consecutive image constituting the image.

[0056] Furthermore, the image processor 111 may similarly obtain the luminance of the red signal every unit time and subtract it from the green signal obtained every unit time to calculate the pulse wave information. The image processor 111 can obtain the pulse wave information from the time change in luminance obtained by subtracting the luminance of the red signal from the luminance of the green signal, thereby making it possible to improve the accuracy of the pulse wave information. In this embodiment, the operation from capturing an image of a target part of the user's body with the image capture unit 16 to the operation of obtaining the luminance of the green signal is described as the pulse wave measurement.

[0057] The pulse wave information also includes the amplitude PA. The waveform indicated by the thick line in Fig. 8 is a waveform in which the amplitude component is extracted by passing the original pulse wave waveform through a band-pass filter. The pulse wave analyzed from the video shows a periodic waveform that exhibits a waveform within a certain amplitude PA range. The amplitude PA of this pulse wave means the difference between the adjacent maximum and minimum values ​​of the pulse wave waveform. In other words, the amplitude PA means the difference between the maximum and minimum values ​​of the brightness of the green signal.

[0058] In addition, the range for acquiring the amplitude PA is preferably a region where there are no abnormal values ​​and the amplitude is stable. For example, when an abnormal value exceeding a preset threshold is detected, the pulse wave information is acquired so that the abnormal value is excluded. Alternatively, a message may be displayed indicating that the image could not be properly acquired during imaging, and appropriate pulse wave information may be acquired by re-imaging. Alternatively, the pulse wave after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of imaging may be used to calculate the amplitude. Alternatively, the amplitude may be calculated by removing abnormal values ​​from the pulse wave acquired within the predetermined time. In this way, various methods can be applied to calculate the amplitude.

[0059] Furthermore, the image processor 111 according to this embodiment can calculate various types of bioinformation, which will be described later, by performing frequency analysis, time domain analysis, etc., on the pulse wave acquired by image analysis, as shown in Fig. 9. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 10, it is possible to calculate physical and mental bioinformation such as LF / HF, SD (standard deviation) of FFI, variation change rate of Lorenz plot, change rate of pulse rate, change rate of PA, change rate of baseline, CVRR, and distortion time. Details of each bioinformation will be described later.

[0060] Furthermore, the printing device 1 according to this embodiment can estimate four mental and physical conditions by comparing various types of biometric information as indexes with the thresholds shown in Fig. 10, as shown in Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a table summarizing the biometric information that can be calculated by the printing device 1 according to this embodiment, the judgment thresholds corresponding to the biometric information, and the design options and mental and physical condition estimation results that correspond to the judgment results and are presented to the user.

[0061] For example, as shown in FIG. 10, LF / HF, SD (standard deviation) of FFI, the rate of change in the variance of the Lorenz plot, and the rate of change in pulse rate can be used to estimate whether the user's mental and physical state is tense or relaxed. The rate of change in PA and the rate of change in baseline can be used to estimate the quality of the user's blood circulation. The CVRR and strain time can be used to estimate the quality of the user's heart rate regulation function and the level of the user's blood pressure, respectively. Note that the thresholds shown in FIG. 10 are merely examples, and the values ​​and conditions can be changed as appropriate.

[0062] Furthermore, the printing device 1 according to this embodiment can present nail designs using three guidelines based on the estimated mental and physical state of the user, as shown in Fig. 11. The three guidelines include a guideline showing the user's mental and physical state through a nail design, a guideline showing a nail design that balances the user's mental and physical state, and a guideline showing a nail design that has the effect of maintaining health.

[0063] For example, in a guideline showing the user's mental and physical state through nail designs, if the user's mental and physical state is estimated to be tense, the printing device 1 presents a nail design in bright colors that express the tense state. If the user's mental and physical state is estimated to be relaxed, the printing device 1 presents a nail design in calm colors. Note that in this embodiment, the nail designs are mainly described in terms of color, but the patterns, patterns, and decorations may also be changed according to the estimated mental and physical state.

[0064] In addition, in the guideline showing nail designs that balance the user's mental and physical state, if the user's mental and physical state is estimated to be tense, the printing device 1 presents a nail design in calm colors that relieves tension. In addition, if the user's mental and physical state is estimated to be relaxed, the printing device 1 presents a nail design in bright colors that raises motivation.

[0065] In addition, in the guideline showing nail designs that are effective for maintaining health, if the user's blood pressure fluctuation is estimated to be high, the printing device 1 presents nail designs in subdued colors, and if the user's blood pressure fluctuation is estimated to be low, the printing device 1 presents nail designs in bright colors.

[0066] Furthermore, the printing device 1 can estimate the mental and physical state of the user using one index and decide on a design to present to the user. However, the printing device 1 may combine multiple indexes to estimate the mental and physical state and decide on a design. For example, the printing device 1 may estimate the mental and physical state for each of four items, namely, tendency to relax or tense, good or bad blood circulation, good or bad heart rate regulation function, and high or low blood pressure, and judge the results by majority vote or the like. Furthermore, the printing device 1 may select any one of the items to be used for judgment, instead of majority vote.

[0067] Also, items suitable for the processing power (resources) of the system to be implemented may be selected and determined. For example, in a printing device with low processing power, an index that imposes a large load when calculated may not be selected. Note that, in this embodiment, the index to be used for the judgment is set in advance, but the index to be used for the judgment may be set to be selected by the user.

[0068] In this embodiment, the user can set in advance which guideline will be used to present the nail design. In the printing process according to this embodiment, which will be described later, a guideline that indicates the user's mental and physical state in the nail design is selected. Note that the design guideline for the mental and physical state is not limited to the above three, and may be one of the three, or a guideline other than the above three. Also, the design guideline for the mental and physical state may be fixed without being selected by the user.

[0069] Next, each piece of biometric information will be described in detail. First, LF / HF is an index that indicates the fluctuation of the pulse interval of the pulse wave and indicates the tendency of the autonomic nerves. LF / HF is calculated by frequency analysis or the like. The larger the LF / HF value, the more the printing device 1 can determine that the user is more tense. Also, the smaller the LF / HF value, the more the printing device 1 can determine that the user is more relaxed.

[0070] Next, the standard deviation of FFI (Foot to Foot Interval) will be explained. FFI indicates the time interval between the bottom peaks of the pulse waveform, and the standard deviation of FFI is an index showing the degree of variation in the intervals of the pulse waveform. The smaller the standard deviation of FFI, the more the printing device 1 can determine that the user is more tense. Also, the larger the standard deviation of FFI, the more the printing device 1 can determine that the user is more relaxed.

[0071] Next, the variation change rate of the Lorenz plot will be explained with reference to FIG. 12. The variation change rate of the Lorenz plot is an index showing the tendency of the autonomic nerves. The variation change rate of the Lorenz plot is calculated as follows. First, the Lorenz plot will be explained. The Lorenz plot is a graph in which the interval between two successive pulse waves is plotted on one axis as the horizontal axis and the other axis as the vertical axis, and the variation in the pulse wave interval can be seen.

[0072] For example, when focusing on a certain k-th pulse wave, the interval between the k-th pulse wave and the subsequent pulse wave, the k+1-th pulse wave, is plotted on the vertical and horizontal axes of the graph, respectively. An example of such a plot is shown in Figure 12. The smaller the fluctuation in the interval between successive pulse waves, the more the points will be concentrated in the center. On the other hand, the greater the fluctuation in the interval between successive pulse waves, the more the points will be dispersed to the periphery.

[0073] Here, the variation of the Lorentz plot will be described. First, the Lorentz plot is evaluated numerically. In this embodiment, for example, the Lorentz plot is projected onto an orthogonal axis to be quantified, and the variation of the Lorentz plot is calculated. Specifically, in a graph of the Lorentz plot, the axis passing through the center of the distribution of data of each Lorentz plot and the point where k and k+1 are the same is set as the yx axis. Also, the axis passing through the center of the distribution of data of each Lorentz plot and perpendicular to the yx axis is set as the y-(-x) axis.

[0074] Each Lorentz plot of the data from 1 to 3 minutes is projected onto the two axes mentioned above, and the variance on the yx axis is σ(x) and the variance on the y-(-x) axis is σ(-x). In this case, the variance of the Lorentz plot is evaluated as the area of ​​the ellipse S = π × σ(x) × σ(-x). The larger the area of ​​the ellipse, the larger the variance, and the smaller the area of ​​the ellipse, the smaller the variance.

[0075] The variation change rate of the Lorenz plot is calculated by dividing the variation of the Lorenz plot during pulse wave measurement by the variation of the Lorenz plot in the normal state. In this embodiment, the memory unit 19 stores the variation of the Lorenz plot in the normal state in advance, and when calculating the rate of change of the variation of the Lorenz plot, the printing device 1 calls up the variation of the Lorenz plot in the normal state stored in the memory unit 19 and uses it for the calculation.

[0076] Furthermore, the control unit 110 estimates the mental and physical state of the user by comparing the rate of change in the variance of the Lorenz plot with a threshold value. If the calculated rate of change in the variance exceeds the threshold value, the printing device 1 can determine that the user is in a relaxed state. If the calculated rate of change in the variance is equal to or less than the threshold value, the printing device 1 can determine that the user is in a tense state.

[0077] Next, the rate of change in pulse rate will be described. The rate of change in pulse rate is an index showing the tendency of the autonomic nerves. The pulse rate is the number of times the heart beats within a specified time. For example, the number of times the heart beats in one minute is the pulse rate. The rate of change in pulse rate is calculated by dividing the pulse rate at the time of pulse wave measurement by the pulse rate in a normal state. In this embodiment, the memory unit 19 stores the pulse rate in a normal state in advance, and when calculating the rate of change in pulse rate, the printing device 1 calls up the pulse rate in a normal state stored in the memory unit 19 and uses it in the calculation.

[0078] Furthermore, the control unit 110 estimates the user's mental and physical state by comparing the rate of change in the pulse rate with a threshold. For example, if the rate of change in the calculated pulse rate exceeds the threshold, the printing device 1 can determine that the user is prone to tension. Also, if the rate of change in the calculated pulse rate is equal to or less than the threshold, the printing device 1 can determine that the user is prone to relaxation.

[0079] Next, the rate of change of PA (Pulse Amplitude) is an index showing the increase or decrease of the amplitude of the pulse waveform. The rate of change of PA can be calculated using the following formula. Rate of change of PA = (PA2 / PA1) (formula) PA1: Average value of PA measured under normal conditions PA2: The average value of the PA measured at a given time during the measurement The average value of the PA measurements in the normal state is measured in advance and stored in the memory unit 19 of the printing device 1. When calculating the biometric information, the control unit 110 calls up the average value of the PA measurements in the normal state from the memory unit 19 and performs calculations using that value. Furthermore, the smaller the rate of change in PA, the more the printing device 1 can determine that the user tends to have poor circulation. Furthermore, the greater the rate of change in PA, the more the printing device 1 can determine that the user tends to have good circulation.

[0080] Next, the baseline change rate is an index related to the state of blood circulation and can be calculated using the following formula. Baseline change rate = (BL2 / BL1) (formula) BL1: Baseline of pulse wave information in normal state BL2: Baseline of pulse wave information during measurement

[0081] Here, the baseline is the average value of converted brightness within a predetermined time. In this embodiment, the baseline of pulse wave information in a normal state is measured in advance and stored in memory unit 19 of printing device 1. When calculating biometric information, control unit 110 calls up the baseline in the normal state from memory unit 19 and performs calculations using that numerical value. If the rate of change in the baseline is equal to or less than a threshold, printing device 1 can determine that the user's blood circulation is poor. If the rate of change in the baseline exceeds a threshold, printing device 1 can determine that the user's blood circulation is good.

[0082] Next, we consider the meanings of baseline and PA. As mentioned above, the principle of extracting pulse wave information from the brightness of an image is to capture the temporal change in the brightness of green light absorbed by hemoglobin. Therefore, the baseline is considered to be roughly proportional to the average amount of hemoglobin in the target area during the measurement period. In other words, changes in the baseline can be interpreted as changes in the average blood volume at the measurement area. In contrast, since pulse wave amplitude itself indicates the pulsation of the pulse, changes in PA can be interpreted as changes in the strength of the pulsation.

[0083] In addition, when the control unit 110 according to the present embodiment calculates the variation change rate of the Lorenz plot, the change rate of the pulse rate, the change rate of the PA, and the change rate of the baseline, the control unit 110 stores data of the normal state in the storage unit 19 as a calculation standard. However, the data used as the calculation standard is not limited to this, and for example, the average value of users of the same age group or the average value of users of the same sex may be used. Furthermore, the image processing unit 111 may obtain data two or more times during the printing process, and use one of the obtained data as the calculation standard.

[0084] Next, CVRR (Coefficient of Variation of RR intervals) indicates the fluctuation of the pulse wave pulse intervals, and is an index indicating the state of the heart rate regulation function. The CVRR is calculated by frequency analysis of the pulse wave information, etc. The smaller the CVRR, the more the printing device 1 can determine that the user's heart rate regulation function is in a poor state. The larger the CVRR, the more the printing device 1 can determine that the user's heart rate regulation function is in a good state.

[0085] Next, the distortion time is an index showing the relative fluctuation of blood pressure. Moreover, the distortion time is the time lag between the pulse wave component and the waveform distortion component due to the fluctuation of blood pressure in the pulse wave information. The smaller the distortion time, the more the printing device 1 can determine that the user's blood pressure is high. Moreover, the larger the distortion time, the more the printing device 1 can determine that the user's blood pressure is low. Note that the above indicators are not the only ones, and the printing device 1 according to this embodiment can calculate various indicators showing the user's physical and mental state based on the acquired pulse wave information.

[0086] [Printing behavior] Next, the flow of the printing process will be described with reference to Figures 13 to 14. Figures 13 to 14 are flowcharts explaining the flow of the process executed by the printing device 1 of Figure 2 having the functional configuration of Figure 4. The printing process is started when the user operates the input unit 56 of the user terminal 2 to start the printing process while the user's finger is placed on the finger rest.

[0087] First, control unit 110 sets the measurement parameters of imaging unit 16 to preset initial values ​​as shown in Fig. 13 (step S10). The measurement parameters are settings related to the imaging of camera 16a of imaging unit 16. The settings are, for example, numerical values ​​related to settings such as exposure, focal length, and magnification of camera 16a, and brightness and luminance of the LED of lighting 16b. By appropriately setting the measurement parameters, noise in the image can be reduced, and the reliability of the measured pulse wave information can be improved.

[0088] Also, the brightness of the image may change depending on the skin color of the user being imaged. Therefore, when individual differences between users are expected, each measurement parameter may be set to a value appropriate for the user, rather than to the initial value. For example, in step S11, an image of the finger 5 on the finger placement stand 32b may be captured, and the set value may be changed based on the captured image of the finger 5. Furthermore, the control unit 110 may store the measurement parameters for each individual in an authentication server of the server group 4 via the network 3 at the timing of the end of the printing process, and may call up and set the measurement parameters from the authentication server when starting another printing process.

[0089] In this embodiment, the control unit 110 sets the measurement parameters each time a print process is started. However, the control unit 110 may store the set measurement parameters in the storage unit 19 and use the stored measurement parameters when performing a print process for the same user from the next time onward.

[0090] Next, the control unit 110 determines whether or not the user's finger 5 is detected by the sensor of the printing unit 32 (step S11). If the user's finger 5 is detected by the sensor (step S11: Yes), the control unit 110 sets the region of interest ROI on the finger (step S12).

[0091] Next, control unit 110 starts measuring the pulse wave by causing image capture unit 16 to start capturing an image of finger 5 (step S13). When pulse wave measurement is completed (step S14: Yes), control unit 110 calculates the S / N (Signal to Noise) value of the measured pulse wave information and compares it with a threshold value (step S15).

[0092] Here, the S / N value is an index for checking how much noise other than the pulse wave is contained in the measured pulse wave information. The smaller the S / N value, the more reliable the acquired video data can be determined to be. In this embodiment, the threshold is set to 0.7, and data with an S / N value of less than 0.7 is considered to be reliable data. Note that the threshold is not limited to 0.7 and can be set according to the purpose of the device to which it is applied.

[0093] If the S / N value is less than 0.7 (step S15: No), the control unit 110 causes the imaging unit 16 to readjust the measurement parameters such as the exposure of the camera 16a (step S17) and moves the process to step S11. On the other hand, if the S / N value is greater than 0.7 (step S15: Yes), the control unit 110 calculates data to be used for judgment from the biometric information shown in Fig. 10 (step S16). Next, the control unit 110 transmits the calculated biometric information to the user terminal 2 via the communication unit 20 in order to display the calculated biometric information on the user terminal 2 (step S18).

[0094] Next, the control unit 110 compares the calculated biometric information with a threshold value as shown in FIG. 14 to make a judgment (step S19). In this embodiment, LF / HF is used as an index for judgment, and a nail design that expresses the mental and physical state is determined and presented. For example, the control unit 110 judges the numerical value of LF / HF against the threshold value "1". If LF / HF exceeds the threshold value "1" (step S19: Yes), the control unit 110 transmits judgment information for creating and selecting a bright color group from the tag of the design data to the user terminal 2 via the communication unit 20 (step S20).

[0095] The control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 then sends a command signal to the nail design registration and distribution server of the server group 4 via the communication unit 59, causing the nail design registration and distribution server to transmit data of the nail design tagged with a bright color to the user terminal 2. The control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 uses the received nail design data to create multiple predetermined nail design groups. For example, data including two nail designs as shown in Fig. 11 is created. The number of nail designs is not particularly limited.

[0096] Furthermore, the control unit 110 transmits a design selection display command signal to the user terminal 2 via the communication unit 20 to display a selection screen for allowing the user to select a nail design (step S22).

[0097] The input processing unit 73 of the user terminal 2 accepts the nail design selection made by the user via the input unit 56. The control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 transmits information about the nail design selection to the printing device 1 via the communication unit 59.

[0098] The control unit 110 checks whether the communication unit 20 has received the selection information of the nail design (Step S23). If the communication processing unit 71 has received the selection information of the nail design (Step S23: Yes), the control unit 110 shifts the process to Step S24.

[0099] On the other hand, if LF / HF is equal to or less than the threshold value "1" (step S19: No), the control unit 110 outputs to the communication processing unit 116 and transmits judgment information to the user terminal 2 via the communication unit 20 to create and select a subdued color group from the tags of the design data (step S21).

[0100] The control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 then sends a command signal to the nail design registration and distribution server of the server group 4 via the communication unit 59, causing the nail design registration and distribution server to transmit data of the nail design tagged with a subdued color to the user terminal 2. The control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 uses the received nail design data to create multiple predetermined nail design groups.

[0101] Furthermore, the control unit 110 transmits a design selection display command signal to the user terminal 2 via the communication unit 20 to display a selection screen for selecting a nail design on the screen of the output unit 57 of the user terminal 2 (step S22).

[0102] The input processing unit 73 of the user terminal 2 accepts the nail design selection made by the user via the input unit 56. The control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 transmits information about the nail design selection to the printing device 1 via the communication unit 59.

[0103] The control unit 110 checks whether the communication unit 20 has received the selection information of the nail design (Step S23). If the communication processing unit 71 has received the selection information of the nail design (Step S23: Yes), the control unit 110 shifts the process to Step S24.

[0104] Next, the control unit 110 creates a preview image in which the selected nail design is superimposed on the captured image of the finger 5. The control unit 110 also superimposes a selection screen for whether or not to execute printing on the preview image. The control unit 110 also transmits the created preview image to the user terminal 2 via the communication unit 20 in order to cause the user terminal 2 to display the preview screen (step S24).

[0105] The control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 displays the received preview image on the screen of the output unit 57. In addition, a selection screen for whether or not to execute printing is displayed on the screen of the output unit 57 of the user terminal 2. When the user touches an option displayed on the screen, the control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 accepts selection information for whether or not to execute printing. The control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 transmits the selection information to the printing device 1 via the communication unit 59.

[0106] Next, the control unit 110 checks whether or not to execute printing based on the received selection information (step S25). If the selection information is a selection not to execute printing (step S25: No), the control unit 110 shifts the process to step S22. If the selection information is a selection to execute printing (step S25: Yes), the control unit 110 causes the printing unit 32 to print the selected nail design on the nail 5a of the user's finger 5. Next, the control unit 110 checks whether or not the printing operation by the printing unit 32 has been completed (step S26).

[0107] When the printing operation by the printing unit 32 is completed (Step S26: Yes), the control unit 110 sends a command signal via the communication unit 20 to the user terminal 2 to prompt the display of a selection screen to confirm whether or not to continue printing.

[0108] The control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 displays a selection screen for whether or not to continue printing on the screen of the output unit 57. When the user touches an option displayed on the screen, the control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 accepts selection information for whether or not to continue printing. The control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 transmits the selection information to the printing device 1 via the communication unit 59. Note that continuing printing may mean, for example, printing on the nail 5a of another finger 5 of the same user or use by another user.

[0109] The control unit 110 checks the received selection information as to whether or not to continue printing (step S27). If the selection information indicates a selection to continue printing (step S27: Yes), the control unit 110 transmits a command signal to the user terminal 2 via the communication unit 20 to prompt the display of a selection screen to check whether the user who will continue printing is the same user.

[0110] The control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 displays a selection screen for whether or not to continue printing on the screen of the output unit 57. When the user touches an option displayed on the screen, the control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 accepts selection information for whether or not to continue printing. The control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 transmits the selection information to the printing device 1 via the communication unit 59.

[0111] The control unit 110 checks the selection information transmitted from the user terminal 2 (step S28). If the selection information indicates that the same user will continue to print (step S28: Yes), the control unit 110 shifts the process to step S22. This allows the user to print nail designs on the nails 5a of other fingers 5 without having to go through processes such as setting measurement parameters.

[0112] On the other hand, if the selection information indicates that the user who will continue to print is not the same person (step S28: No), the control unit 110 transitions the process to step S10. This allows the control unit 110 to perform printing processing from setting measurement parameters for the new user. Next, a description will be given of the case where No is selected in step S27. If the selection input is a selection to end printing without continuing (step S27: No), the printing processing is ended. Note that in this embodiment, the processing from steps S19 to S28 shown in FIG. 14 is performed by the control unit 110 of the printing device 1, but it may also be performed by the control unit 70 of the user terminal 2.

[0113] The printing device 1 configured as above includes a control unit 110 that acquires biometric information related to blood flow and determines a nail design to be presented to a user based on the acquired biometric information.

[0114] As a result, the printing device 1 according to this embodiment can present a nail design that is more suited to the user's physical and mental state.

[0115] Furthermore, the control unit 110 acquires biometric information based on information relating to an image obtained by capturing an image of at least a part of the body. The biometric information is an image pulse wave.

[0116] This allows the printing device 1 according to this embodiment to acquire biometric information from the user without contacting the user.

[0117] Also, biometric information is obtained based on information relating to an image obtained by capturing an image of the user's finger.

[0118] As a result, the printing device 1 according to this embodiment can measure the pulse wave using images captured by a camera installed in the nail printer, which can lead to weight reduction and cost reduction by reducing the number of parts in the nail printer. Furthermore, the printing device 1 according to this embodiment can measure the pulse wave at the same time as printing the nail design with the nail printer. This allows the printing device 1 to reduce the time and effort spent on measuring the pulse wave. Furthermore, the part of the nail printer where the finger is placed is a place where external light, which is a cause of noise in the image pulse wave, is not incident. Therefore, the printing device 1 according to this embodiment can reduce noise in the image for measuring the pulse wave.

[0119] In addition, the control unit 110 determines the blood circulation state based on the biological information, and determines the nail design to be presented to the user based on the determined blood circulation state.

[0120] As a result, the printing device 1 according to this embodiment can provide a nail design that corresponds to the user's blood circulation state. For example, the printing device 1 can provide a nail design that expresses the user's blood circulation state. The printing device 1 can provide the nail design in subdued colors when the user has poor blood circulation, and in bright colors when the user has good blood circulation, allowing the user to recognize their mental and physical state.

[0121] In addition, the control unit 110 determines the user's state of tension based on the biological information, and determines the nail design to be presented to the user based on the determined state of tension.

[0122] As a result, the printing device 1 according to this embodiment can provide a nail design that corresponds to the user's state of tension. For example, the printing device 1 can provide a nail design that suppresses the user's manic depression and balances the user's mood. The printing device 1 can provide the nail design with calming colors when the user is in a tense state, and can provide the nail design with bright colors when the user is in a relaxed state, thereby contributing to balancing the user's mood.

[0123] In addition, the control unit 110 determines the state of the heart rate regulation function based on the biological information, and determines the nail design to be presented to the user based on the determined heart rate regulation function.

[0124] As a result, the printing device 1 according to this embodiment can provide a nail design according to the state of the user's heart rate regulation function. For example, the printing device 1 can provide a nail design that expresses the state of the user's heart rate regulation function. The printing device 1 can make the nail design in subdued colors when the state of the user's heart rate regulation function is poor, and make the nail design in bright colors when the state of the user's heart rate regulation function is good, allowing the user to recognize their mental and physical state.

[0125] In addition, the control unit 110 determines whether the blood pressure is high or low based on the biological information, and determines the nail design to be presented to the user based on the determined state of the blood pressure.

[0126] As a result, the printing device 1 according to this embodiment can provide a nail design according to the state of blood pressure. For example, the printing device 1 can provide a nail design that expresses the state of the user's blood pressure. For example, the printing device 1 can provide a nail design in subdued colors when the user's blood pressure is low, and in bright colors when the user's blood pressure is high, allowing the user to recognize their mental and physical state.

[0127] Furthermore, in the printing device 1 according to this embodiment, groups each consisting of a plurality of nail designs are preset, and the control unit 110 determines a group as the nail design to be presented to the user based on the biometric information.

[0128] This allows the printing device 1 to further reduce the time required to determine the nail design to be presented to the user.

[0129] [Variations] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the present invention includes modifications and improvements within the scope of the present invention that can achieve the object of the present invention. For example, the above-described embodiment can be modified to the following exemplary modifications. The following exemplary modifications can also be combined.

[0130] <First Modification> In the above-described embodiment, the printing device 1 calculates biometric information such as LF / HF, standard deviation of FFI, variation change rate of Lorenz plot, change rate of pulse rate, change rate of PA, change rate of baseline, CVRR, and strain time, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, by adding a cuff that compresses the finger and measuring the pulse wave when the finger is compressed and when it is not compressed, it is possible to calculate the blood volume from the pulse wave information before and after the finger is compressed. This allows the printing device 1 to present the user with a nail design that corresponds to the blood volume.

[0131] The hardware configuration of the printing device 1 according to the first modified example will be described with reference to Fig. 15. Note that configurations common to or similar to those already described may be given the same names and detailed descriptions may be omitted. Fig. 15 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the printing device 1 according to the first modified example of the present invention.

[0132] The printing device 1 of this embodiment is a computer including a CPU 11, a ROM 12, a RAM 13, a bus 14, an input / output interface 15, an imaging unit 16, an input unit 17, an output unit 18, a storage unit 19, a communication unit 20, a drive 21, a power supply unit 22, a printing unit 32, a pulse wave analysis unit 33, and a compression unit 34. Note that components that are common or similar to those already described may be given the same names and detailed descriptions thereof may be omitted.

[0133] The compression unit 34 has a cuff 34a formed of a long, thin bag-shaped cloth as shown in FIG. 16, and a pump unit (not shown) that sends air into the cuff 34a. FIG. 16 shows the cuff 34a wrapped around the finger 5 placed on the finger placement table 32b in the printing unit 32 of the printing device 1. The compression unit 34 can adjust the blood flow by inflating the cuff 34a and compressing the blood vessels of the finger 5 by making the pump unit send air into the cuff 34a while the cuff 34a is wrapped around the user's finger 5. In this embodiment, the finger is compressed by sending air into the cuff 34a, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the user's finger may be compressed by tying it with a tube or the like.

[0134] Next, the functional configuration of the printing device 1 according to the first modified example will be described. FIG. 17 is a functional block diagram showing a part of the functional configuration of the printing device 1 according to the first modified example. The control unit 110 that performs various controls of the printing device 1 according to the first modified example is realized by the CPU 11 that executes arithmetic processing. The control unit 110 of this embodiment has a video processing unit (video processing function) 111, an output processing unit (output processing function) 112, an input processing unit (input processing function) 113, a data processing unit (data processing function) 114, a judgment processing unit (judgment processing function) 115, a communication processing unit (communication processing function) 116, a print processing unit (print processing function) 117, and a compression processing unit (compression processing function) 118. Note that the same names may be given to configurations that are common or similar to those already described, and detailed descriptions thereof may be omitted.

[0135] The compression processing unit 118 can execute control to drive the pump unit of the compression unit 34 in response to a command to send air into the cuff 34a. For example, in this modification, when a pulse wave is measured while the user's finger 5 is compressed, the compression processing unit 118 receives a command to start compression of the cuff 34a and drives the pump of the compression unit 34.

[0136] FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the difference in pulse wave measurement results depending on whether or not pressure is applied to the cuff 34a. The upper diagram shows pulse wave measurement without pressure on the finger 5, and the lower diagram shows pulse wave measurement with pressure on the finger 5.

[0137] Specifically, the upper left diagram is a diagram showing the state of measurement when the pulse wave of the finger 5 is measured without compression. The upper center diagram is a diagram showing the state in which the region of interest ROI and the pulse waveform are superimposed on the image of the finger 5 during the pulse wave measurement without compression. The upper right diagram is a graph showing the baseline when the pulse wave is measured without compression of the finger 5. In this embodiment, the measured baseline is the normal baseline, and is calculated by subtracting the red signal R1 from the green signal G1, resulting in G1-R1.

[0138] Specifically, the left diagram in the lower part shows how the cuff 34a is inflated to compress the finger 5 and then the pulse wave of the finger 5 is measured. The hatched cuff 34a shows that the cuff 34a is in a compressed state. The center diagram in the lower part shows how the region of interest ROI and the pulse wave waveform are superimposed on the image of the finger 5 during pulse wave measurement in a compressed state. The right diagram in the lower part is a graph showing the baseline when the pulse wave is measured in a compressed state of the finger 5. In this embodiment, the baseline measured in a compressed state is used as the reference baseline, and the red signal R is subtracted from the green signal G to obtain GR.

[0139] As shown in the left diagrams in the upper and lower parts of FIG. 18, the pulse wave measurement performed by compressing finger 5 is performed under the same conditions except that the finger is compressed with cuff 34a. Also, as can be seen by comparing the center diagrams in the upper and lower parts of FIG. 18, the amplitude of the image pulse wave in the center diagram in the lower part is smaller than that in the center diagram in the upper part. In other words, it can be seen that the pulse wave amplitude is reduced by compressing finger 5 with cuff 34a. As shown in the left diagrams in the upper and lower parts of FIG. 18, even when comparing the calculated baselines, the baseline GR based on pulse wave information in a compressed state is smaller.

[0140] In this embodiment, the control unit 110 can calculate the increase in blood volume during pulse wave measurement relative to the blood volume in the reference state by subtracting the baseline (G-R) obtained by pulse wave measurement with compression from the normal baseline (G1-R1) obtained by pulse wave measurement without compression.

[0141] Next, a specific process of the first modified example will be described. Fig. 19 is a part of a flowchart explaining the flow of print processing by the printer 1. Steps S10 to S16 and steps S18 to S28 are common to one embodiment of the present invention, so the flowchart and detailed description will be omitted.

[0142] The description will begin with step S16 in Fig. 13. The control unit 110 calculates various types of biological information from the acquired pulse wave information (step S16). Next, the control unit 110 stores the generated biological information, for example, the calculated baseline (G1-R1) (step S100). Next, the control unit 110 drives the pump in the compression unit 34 to inflate air into the cuff 34a wrapped around the finger 5 and start compressing the finger 5 (step S101).

[0143] The control unit 110 acquires the compression value (pressure) in the cuff 34a from the compression unit 34, and checks whether the compression value exceeds a preset value (step S102). If the pressure value exceeds the set value (step S102: Yes), the control unit 110 causes the compression unit 34 to stop the pump operation and stop compressing the finger 5 (step S103). Next, the control unit 110 causes the imaging unit 16 to start capturing an image of the finger 5, and starts pulse wave measurement (step S104).

[0144] When the pulse wave measurement is completed (step S105: Yes), the control unit 110 causes the compression unit 34 to release the air in the pump and release the compression of the finger 5 (step S106). Various types of biometric information are calculated from the pulse waves measured in steps S104 to S105 (step S107). Next, the control unit 110 transmits the biometric information and a command signal to the user terminal 2 via the communication unit 20 to display the calculated biometric information on the screen of the output unit 57 of the user terminal 2 (step S108).

[0145] The control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 displays the calculated bio-information, for example the calculated baseline information (GR), on the screen of the output unit 57 based on the acquired bio-information and the command signal.

[0146] Next, the control unit 110 calculates the blood volume by subtracting the calculated baseline information (GR) from the stored baseline information (G1-R1) (step S109). Next, the control unit 110 outputs the calculated information and a command signal to the user terminal 2 via the communication unit 20 to display the calculated blood volume and the progress of the graph on the screen of the output unit 57 of the user terminal 2.

[0147] The control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 displays the calculated blood volume and the graph transition on the screen of the output unit 57 based on the acquired various information and command signal (step S110). Next, the control unit 110 transmits a command signal to the user terminal 2 to prompt the display of a selection screen for prompting the user to decide whether or not to end the print job for printing the nail design on the nail 5a.

[0148] When the control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 receives the command signal, it causes the screen of the output unit 57 to display a selection screen for asking whether to end the print job. When the user touches an option displayed on the screen, the control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 accepts the user's selection information. In addition, the control unit 70 of the user terminal 2 transmits selection information as to whether to end or continue the print job to the printing device 1 via the communication unit 59.

[0149] Next, the control unit 110 checks the selection information from the communication unit 20 (step S111). If the selection information is a selection not to end the print job (step S111: No), the control unit 110 stores the calculated biometric information in the storage unit 19 and transitions to step S18 (step S112). If the selection information is a selection to end the print job (step S111: Yes), the control unit 110 transitions to step S10. Thereafter, the same process as that of the above embodiment described with reference to FIG. 13 is executed.

[0150] As described above, the printing device 1 according to the first modification has a configuration for compressing the finger in addition to the embodiment of the present invention. The printing device 1 measures the pulse wave when the finger is pressed and when it is not pressed, and calculates the blood volume. This allows the printing device 1 to present a nail design according to the blood volume as a mental and physical state of the user.

[0151] <Second Modification> In the first modified example described above, the control to stop compression by the compression unit 34 in the printing process (step S102 in FIG. 19) is determined by comparing a preset value as a threshold value, but this is not limited to this. For example, control to stop is also performed when noise contained in the measured pulse wave exceeds a certain level. The noise contained in the pulse wave information is determined using the S / N value. Note that the printing device 1 according to the second modified example has the same configuration as the printing device 1 according to the first modified example, and the same names are used and detailed description is omitted.

[0152] A specific process of the second modified example will now be described. Fig. 20 is a part of a flowchart explaining the flow of print processing by the printer 1. In the flowchart of this modified example, steps S102 to S104 of the first modified example are replaced with steps S200 to S202, and other parts of the process are the same as in the first modified example, so the flowchart and detailed description will be omitted.

[0153] First, step S101 will be described. The control unit 110 drives the pump in the compression unit 34 to inject air into the cuff 34a wrapped around the finger 5 and start compression of the finger 5 (step S101). Next, the control unit 110 starts imaging the finger 5 in the imaging unit 16 to start pulse wave measurement (step S200). Next, the control unit 110 checks the S / N value of the acquired pulse wave information and the compression value (pressure) of the cuff 34a (step S201), and if the S / N value is less than 0.3 or the compression value exceeds a set value (step S201: Yes), the control unit 110 stops the operation of the pump in the compression unit 34 and stops compression of the finger 5 (step S202). After this, the same process as in the above-mentioned modified example with reference to FIG. 19 is executed. The threshold value of the S / N value is not limited to 0.3 and can be set according to each individual.

[0154] As described above, the printing device 1 according to the second modified example measures pulse waves with and without finger compression, and when calculating the blood volume, judges whether compression should be stopped based on the amount of noise in the pulse wave information. This enables the printing device 1 to perform more accurate pulse wave measurements and present nail designs that more accurately correspond to the user's physical and mental state.

[0155] <Third Modification> In the above-mentioned embodiment, the pulse wave information is acquired by analyzing the image of the finger, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the printing device 1 may acquire the pulse wave information by capturing an image of the face using a camera provided externally, separate from the printing device 1, as shown in FIG. 21, and analyzing the image of the face. The printing device 1 according to the third modified example is similar to the first embodiment, except that the imaging unit 16 is provided outside the housing of the printing unit 32, and the same names are used and detailed descriptions are omitted. Also, the specific processing of this modified example is common to the above-mentioned embodiment, so the flow chart and detailed descriptions are omitted.

[0156] As described above, in the printing device 1 according to the third modified example, pulse wave information is obtained from an image of the face, and biometric information is calculated. This increases the degree of freedom in designing the printing device 1. In addition, in this modified example, the printing device 1 captures an image of the face, but this is not limited to this. For example, the part to be imaged may be the user's leg or arm. In addition, in this modified example, the printing device 1 is equipped with a camera, but the image may be captured by a camera other than the imaging unit 16 that can be connected to the printing device 1.

[0157] In the present embodiment, the pulse wave information is acquired by analyzing the image of the finger, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the pulse wave may be measured using a sensor that combines an infrared light emitting element and an infrared light receiving element, or may be measured using a method that captures the volume change of the artery as a pressure change with a pressure sensor.

[0158] In the present embodiment, the nail design stored in the nail design registration and distribution server is downloaded to the user terminal 2 to determine the nail design to be presented to the user, but this is not limited thereto. For example, the user terminal 2 may generate a nail design according to the estimated mental and physical state. In the present embodiment, the nail design presented on the user terminal 2 is displayed and the user is allowed to select, but this is not limited thereto. For example, the printing device 1 may be provided with a screen display function and a selection input function, and the printing device 1 may display the nail design presented on the screen and allow the user to select. In the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to the printing device 1, but this is not limited thereto. For example, the information processing device according to the present invention may be the user terminal 2 or a server. The printing device 1 according to the present embodiment performs a process of printing the nail design and acquiring an image of a part of the body, detecting an image pulse wave, acquiring biometric information from the image pulse wave, and determining the nail design based on the acquired biometric information, but the process of determining the nail design may be performed on the user terminal 2 side or the server side.

[0159] That is, the nail system S may be configured to include a printing device 1 having an imaging unit 16 (acquisition unit) that acquires an image of at least a part of the user's body, a communication unit 20 that can transmit the image acquired by the imaging unit 16 to the outside, and a printing unit 32 that can print on the user's nails, a communication unit 59 that can communicate with the printing device 1, and a control unit 70 that determines the user's biometric information based on the image of at least a part of the user's body and determines a nail design to be presented to the user based on the determined biometric information. In this configuration, the printing unit 32 prints on the user's nails based on the nail design received by the communication unit 20 from the communication unit 59. Note that, in the above, the imaging unit 16 is included in the printing device 1, but the imaging unit 16 may be an imaging device separate from the printing device 1, or a camera included in the user terminal 2. For example, when an imaging device separate from the printing device 1 is used as the imaging unit 16, the imaging unit 16 may directly transmit information related to the image to the user terminal 2 or to a server after acquiring an image of at least a part of the user's body. In addition, when the camera of the user terminal 2 is used as the imaging unit 16, once the imaging unit 16 has acquired an image of at least a part of the user's body, the imaging unit 16 may transmit information regarding the image directly to the server, or the control unit 110 may directly determine the nail design based on the information related to the image of the user terminal 2 without transmitting the information to the server.

[0160] The above-mentioned series of processes can be executed by hardware or software. In other words, the functional configuration of FIG. 4 is merely an example and is not particularly limited. In other words, it is sufficient that the printing device 1 is provided with a function that can execute the above-mentioned series of processes as a whole, and the type of functional block used to realize this function is not particularly limited to the example of FIG. 4.

[0161] Moreover, one functional block may be configured as a single piece of hardware, a single piece of software, or a combination of both. The functional configuration in this embodiment is realized by a processor that executes arithmetic processing, and processors that can be used in this embodiment include those configured as single pieces of various processing devices such as single processors, multiprocessors, and multicore processors, as well as those in which these various processing devices are combined with processing circuits such as ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits) and FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays).

[0162] When the series of processes is executed by software, the program constituting the software is installed into a computer or the like from a network or a recording medium. The computer may be a computer built into dedicated hardware, or may be a computer capable of executing various functions by installing various programs, such as a general-purpose personal computer.

[0163] The recording medium including such a program may be constituted not only by the removable medium 100 in FIG. 2 that is distributed separately from the device main body in order to provide the user with the program, but also by a recording medium provided to the user in a state in which the program is preinstalled in the device main body. The removable medium 100 may be constituted, for example, by a magnetic disk (including a floppy disk), an optical disk, or a magneto-optical disk. The optical disk may be constituted, for example, by a CD-ROM (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), a Blu-ray (registered trademark) Disc, or the like. The magneto-optical disk may be constituted, for example, by an MD (Mini-Disk), or the like. The recording medium provided to the user in a state in which the program is preinstalled in the device main body may be constituted, for example, by the ROM 12 in FIG. 2 in which the program is recorded, or a hard disk included in the storage unit 19 in FIG. 2, or the like.

[0164] In this specification, the steps describing the program recorded on the recording medium include not only processes performed in chronological order, but also processes that are not necessarily performed in chronological order but are performed in parallel or individually. In addition, in this specification, the term "system" refers to an overall device composed of multiple devices, multiple means, etc.

[0165] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are merely illustrative and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention. The present invention can take various other embodiments, and further, various modifications such as omissions and substitutions can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention described in this specification, etc., and are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and their equivalents.

[0166] The invention as described in the claims of the present application as originally filed is set forth below. [Appendix 1] An information processing device comprising: a processing unit that acquires biometric information related to blood flow, and determines a nail design to be presented to a user based on the acquired biometric information. [Appendix 2] The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit acquires the biometric information based on information relating to an image obtained by imaging at least a part of the body. [Appendix 3] The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein the biological information is a video pulse wave. [Appendix 4] The information processing device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the processing unit acquires the biometric information based on information relating to an image obtained by capturing an image of a user's finger. [Appendix 5] The information processing device described in any one of appendices 1 to 4, characterized in that the processing unit determines a blood circulation state based on the biometric information, and determines a nail design to be presented to the user based on the determined blood circulation state. [Appendix 6] The information processing device described in any of Appendices 1 to 5, characterized in that the processing unit determines the user's state of tension based on the biometric information, and determines a nail design to be presented to the user based on the determined state of tension. [Appendix 7] The information processing device described in any of Appendices 1 to 6, characterized in that the processing unit determines a state of the heart rate regulation function based on the biometric information, and determines a nail design to be presented to the user based on the determined heart rate regulation function. [Appendix 8] The information processing device described in any of Appendices 1 to 7, characterized in that the processing unit determines whether blood pressure is high or low based on the biometric information, and determines a nail design to be presented to the user based on the determined whether blood pressure is high or low. [Appendix 9] Groups of multiple nail designs are predefined. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the processing unit determines the group as the nail design to be presented to the user based on the biometric information. [Appendix 10] A printing device having a first communication unit capable of communicating with the outside and a printing unit capable of printing on a user's nail; an information processing device including a second communication unit capable of communicating with the printing device, and a processing unit that determines biometric information of the user based on information regarding an image of at least a part of the user's body, and determines a nail design to be presented to the user based on the determined biometric information; The nail system is characterized in that the printing unit prints on the user's nails based on the nail design received by the first communication unit from the second communication unit. [Appendix 11] On the computer, A program that executes a processing function of acquiring biometric information related to blood flow and determining a nail design to be presented to a user based on the acquired biometric information. [Appendix 12] A nail design selection method executed by an information processing device, A nail design selection method including a processing step of acquiring biological information related to blood flow, and determining a nail design to be presented to a user based on the acquired biological information. [Explanation of symbols]

[0167] 1 Printing device 2. User terminal 70 Control section 110 Control section

Claims

1. An information processing device characterized by having a processing unit that measures blood flow fluctuations as biometric information and determines a nail design to be presented to a user based on the measured biometric information.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing unit acquires the biometric information based on information relating to an image obtained by capturing an image of at least a part of a body.

3. 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the biological information is a video pulse wave.

4. The processing unit, based on information about an image obtained by capturing an image of the user's finger, 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the biological information is acquired.

5. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the processing unit determines a blood circulation state based on the biological information, and determines a nail design to be presented to the user based on the determined blood circulation state.

6. 6. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit determines a state of tension of the user based on the biological information, and determines a nail design to be presented to the user based on the determined state of tension.

7. 7. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit determines a state of a heart rate regulation function based on the biological information, and determines a nail design to be presented to the user based on the determined heart rate regulation function.

8. 8. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit determines whether a blood pressure state is high or low based on the biological information, and determines a nail design to be presented to the user based on the determined whether a blood pressure state is high or low.

9. Groups of multiple nail designs are predefined. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing unit determines the group as the nail design to be presented to the user based on the biometric information.

10. On the computer, A program that executes a processing function of measuring blood flow fluctuations as biometric information and determining a nail design to be presented to a user based on the measured biometric information.

11. A nail design selection method executed by an information processing device, A nail design selection method including a processing step of measuring blood flow fluctuation as biological information and determining a nail design to be presented to a user based on the measured biological information.

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