Body composition measuring device, body composition estimation device, system, and computer program

Abstract

To provide a body composition measuring device and a body composition estimation device capable of smoothly executing transition of a body composition value from a body composition value of an old body composition measuring device.SOLUTION: A second body composition measuring device includes: an acquisition unit 26 for acquiring a first body composition value obtained by a first body composition measuring device 10 in the past; a measuring unit 22 for measuring a body to obtain a second measurement value; an estimation unit 23 for estimating a second body composition value from the second measurement value by second calculation; a correction unit 27 for correcting the first body composition value and / or the second body composition value by a correction method according to one or a plurality of parameters to make the transition from the first body composition value to the second body composition value smooth; and an input unit 21 for receiving input for a user to designate one or a plurality of parameters.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a body composition measuring device that measures a body composition value, a body composition estimation device, system, and computer program that estimates a body composition value from body measurements. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a body composition measuring device that measures bioelectrical impedance between predetermined body parts and measures (estimates) body composition values ​​such as body fat percentage and muscle mass in combination with information such as height, weight, age, and sex. By storing body composition values ​​previously measured with this body composition measuring device and arranging them in chronological order, it is possible to check the transition of body composition values. Some body composition measuring devices have a function of storing such past body composition values ​​and displaying the transition of body composition values.

[0003] By checking the trends in body composition values, the user can take actions such as exercise and diet to improve or maintain their body composition values, or the user's trainer can provide guidance on actions to improve or maintain their body composition values ​​by checking the trends in body composition values.

[0004] The body composition is estimated by performing a predetermined calculation using the body measurement value (e.g., bioimpedance) and other information. The calculation formula for this estimation calculation may differ depending on the body composition measurement device. Therefore, when a user who is using a certain body composition measurement device switches to a new body composition measurement device, a relatively large discrepancy may occur between the body composition value obtained by the old body composition measurement device and the body composition value obtained by the new body composition measurement device. Even when the same body composition measurement device is used, when the calculation formula is changed or updated, a discrepancy may occur between the past body composition value and the new body composition value, as in the case of switching to a new body composition measurement device. In these cases, the user is confused because he or she cannot determine whether this relatively large discrepancy is due to a difference in the body composition measurement device or a change in his or her own body.

[0005] In addition, when a user whose specific body composition value obtained with an old body composition measuring device was showing a downward trend switches to a new body composition measuring device, the body composition value may end up increasing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-81439 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which weight measured by a body composition scale and a calculated body composition value calculated by the body composition scale are input into a smartphone, and body composition values ​​other than the calculated body composition value are derived on the smartphone; however, even with this technology, it is not possible to smoothly transition from the body composition values ​​of an old body composition measuring device to the body composition values ​​of a new body composition measuring device.

[0008] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a body composition measuring device and a body composition estimation device that can smoothly transition body composition values ​​from the body composition values ​​of an old body composition measuring device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] A body composition measuring device of one embodiment of the present invention has a configuration including a measurement unit that measures a user's body to obtain a second measurement value, an estimation unit that estimates a second body composition value from the second measurement value using a predetermined estimation method, an acquisition unit that acquires a first body composition value of the user that was previously obtained by another device, and a correction unit that corrects at least one of the first body composition value and the second body composition value using a correction method in accordance with one or more parameters in order to smooth the transition from the first body composition value to the second body composition value.

[0010] With this configuration, the first body composition value and / or the second body composition value are corrected so as to smooth the transition from a first body composition value obtained in the past using another device to a second body composition value obtained using a new body composition measuring device.

[0011] The body composition measuring device may further include an input unit that receives an input for designating the one or more parameters.

[0012] With this configuration, the parameters to be used for correcting the body composition value can be specified, so that the correction can be made in accordance with the intention of the user or any other person.

[0013] In the above-mentioned body composition measuring device, the acquisition unit may further acquire a first measurement value used by the other device to estimate the first body composition value, the estimation unit may estimate a past second body composition value from the first measurement value using an estimation method that is the same as the specified estimation method, and the correction unit may correct the first body composition value using the past second body composition value.

[0014] With this configuration, a past second body composition value, i.e., the body composition value that would have been obtained if estimated by the second calculation in the past, is estimated by the second calculation from the first measurement value of another device used in the past, and this past second body composition value is used to correct the first body composition value (for example, to become a value between the past second body composition value and the first body composition value actually obtained by the other device), thereby making the transition from the first body composition value to the second body composition value smooth.

[0015] In the above-mentioned body composition measuring device, the acquisition unit may acquire a plurality of first body composition values ​​having different estimation times, and the correction unit may correct the first body composition values ​​by weighting them so that the older the first body composition value, the smaller the degree of correction.

[0016] With this configuration, the first body composition values ​​obtained in a time series are weighted so that the degree of correction to the first body composition values ​​is smaller the closer to the present, and the first body composition values ​​are corrected, thereby making the transition from the first body composition value to the second body composition value smoother.

[0017] In the above body composition measuring device, the correction section may correct the second body composition value based on the first body composition value and the second body composition value.

[0018] With this configuration, the body composition values ​​of the new body composition measuring device are corrected, so there is no need to correct past body composition values, or the degree of correction of past body composition values ​​can be reduced.

[0019] In the above-mentioned body composition measuring device, the correction unit may correct the second body composition value by weighting so that the degree to which the second body composition value is corrected decreases as the time that has elapsed since the estimation of the first body composition value increases.

[0020] With this configuration, when correcting the second body composition value, the degree to which the second body composition value is corrected decreases the longer the time that has elapsed since the past first body composition value, so that the second body composition value can gradually approach the second body composition value estimated by the estimation unit over time.

[0021] In the above body composition measuring device, the parameters may include a parameter for designating whether to place importance on the first body composition value or the second body composition value.

[0022] With this configuration, the user can choose whether to place importance on the past first body composition value and tolerate a relatively rapid change from the first body composition value to the second body composition value, or to place importance on the second body composition value estimated by the estimation unit and suppress a relatively rapid change from the first body composition value to the second body composition value.

[0023] In the above body composition measuring device, the parameters may include a parameter for specifying the level of reproducibility of the fluctuation tendency of the first body composition value and / or the second body composition value before and after the correction.

[0024] With this configuration, the user can specify to what extent the past fluctuation trend of the second body composition value is to be reproduced.

[0025] In the above body composition measuring device, the parameters may include a parameter for specifying at least one of a start point and an end point of a period of the correction.

[0026] This configuration allows the range of correction to be specified. For example, the oldest first body composition value to be corrected can be specified as the starting point, and the newest second body composition value to be corrected can be specified as the end point. In particular, when specifying the end point of the second body composition value to be corrected, it is possible to specify how long the second body composition value should be corrected, or how smoothly the transition from the past first body composition value to the second body composition value should be. Note that both the starting point and the end point of the correction period may be specified, or only one of them may be specified.

[0027] A body composition estimation device of one embodiment of the present invention has a configuration including an estimation unit that estimates a second body composition value using a predetermined estimation method from a second measurement value obtained by measuring a user's body, an acquisition unit that acquires a first body composition value previously obtained by another device, and a correction unit that corrects at least one of the first body composition value and the second body composition value using a correction method in accordance with one or more parameters in order to smooth the transition from the first body composition value to the second body composition value.

[0028] With this configuration, the first body composition value and / or the second body composition value are corrected so as to smooth the transition from a first body composition value obtained in the past by another device to a second body composition value obtained by a new body composition measuring device.

[0029] A system of one embodiment of the present invention has a configuration including an acquisition unit that acquires a first body composition value of a user that was previously obtained by a first body composition estimation device, and acquires a second body composition value of the user that was obtained by a second body composition device, and a correction unit that corrects at least one of the first body composition value and the second body composition value using a correction method in accordance with one or more parameters in order to smooth the transition from the first body composition value to the second body composition value.

[0030] With this configuration, the first body composition value and / or the second body composition value are corrected so as to smooth the transition from a first body composition value obtained in the past by another device to a second body composition value obtained by a new body composition measuring device.

[0031] A computer program of one embodiment of the present invention, when executed on a computer of a body composition measuring device, is configured to cause the body composition measuring device to function as an estimation unit that estimates a second body composition value using a predetermined estimation method from a second measurement value obtained by measuring a user's body with a measurement unit of the body composition measuring device, an acquisition unit that acquires a first body composition value previously obtained by another device, and a correction unit that corrects at least one of the first body composition value and the second body composition value using a correction method in accordance with one or more parameters in order to smooth the transition from the first body composition value to the second body composition value.

[0032] With this configuration, the first body composition value and / or the second body composition value are corrected so as to smooth the transition from a first body composition value obtained in the past by another device to a second body composition value obtained by a new body composition measuring device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0033] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a body composition measuring device according to an embodiment of the present invention which is used in place of an old body composition measuring device and an old body composition measuring system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an external view of the second body composition measuring device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating the correction in the corrector of the second body composition measuring device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a graph showing body composition values ​​corrected by the second body composition measuring device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a graph showing another example of body composition values ​​corrected by the second body composition measuring device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for instructing correction parameters in the second body composition measuring device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an example of the influence exerted on the corrected first body composition value when the weighting function according to the embodiment of the present invention is adjusted. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an example of the influence exerted on the corrected first body composition value when the weighting function according to the embodiment of the present invention is adjusted. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining an example of the influence on the corrected first body composition value when the weighting function according to the embodiment of the present invention is adjusted. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an example of the influence on the corrected first body composition value when the initial value of the weight is adjusted according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11]FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of the influence exerted on the corrected first body composition value when the initial values ​​of the weights are adjusted according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining an example of the influence on the corrected first body composition value when the initial value of the weight is adjusted according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow in the second body composition measuring device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a graph showing body composition values ​​corrected by the second body composition measuring device according to the modified example of the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for instructing correction parameters in the second body composition measuring device according to the modified example of the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0034] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiment described below shows an example of the case where the present invention is implemented, and the present invention is not limited to the specific configuration described below. In implementing the present invention, a specific configuration according to the embodiment may be appropriately adopted. Note that in this specification, a device / system that measures the body (e.g., measures the bioelectrical impedance between predetermined parts of the body) to obtain body composition and obtains a body composition value by calculation from the measured value (e.g., by substituting the measured value into a predetermined regression equation) is referred to as a body composition measuring device / system, and a device / system that estimates body composition by acquiring measured values ​​from an external source without performing measurements is referred to as a body composition estimation device / system.

[0035] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an old body composition measuring device and a body composition measuring device according to an embodiment of the present invention that is used in place of the old body composition measuring device. In Fig. 1, a first body composition measuring device 10 is the old body composition measuring device, and a second body composition measuring device 20 is the new body composition measuring device, and it is assumed that a user who has been using the first body composition measuring device 10 will switch to the second body composition measuring device 20.

[0036] The present invention is not limited to the case where there are two body composition measuring devices, an old one and a new one, but for example, when a calculation method for estimating body composition, which will be described later, is changed or updated in one body composition measuring device, the body composition measuring device before the calculation method is changed is the old body composition measuring device, and the body composition measuring device after the calculation method is changed is the new body composition measuring device, and the present invention can be applied. In other words, the concepts of past measurement values ​​or body composition values ​​and new measurement values ​​or body composition values ​​in this specification include not only measurement values ​​or body composition values ​​obtained before and after switching when the body composition measuring device used is switched, but also measurement values ​​or body composition values ​​obtained before and after changing the calculation method.

[0037] The first body composition measuring device 10 includes an input unit 11, a measurement unit 12, an estimation unit 13, a storage unit 14, a display unit 15, and an output unit 16. The input unit 11 and the display unit 15 are configured as touch panels, and the input unit 11 is configured to allow the user to input various instructions in relation to the contents displayed by the display unit 15.

[0038] Similar to the first body composition measuring device 10, the second body composition measuring device 20 includes an input unit 21, a measurement unit 22, an estimation unit 23, a storage unit 24, and a display unit 25. The second body composition measuring device 20 further includes an acquisition unit 26 and a correction unit 27.

[0039] 2 is an external view of a second body composition measuring device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the first body composition measuring device 10 and the second body composition measuring device 20 are different types of body composition measuring devices, but since their external configurations are similar, the second body composition measuring device 20 will be taken as an example for explanation.

[0040] The second body composition measuring device 20 of this embodiment includes a platform 210 on which a user (subject) U stands at the bottom, and a touch display 240 on a main body 230 provided at the upper end of a support 220 rising from the platform 210. Right hand grip 260R and left hand grip 260L are connected to the main body 230 via cables 250. As shown in FIG. 2, the user U stands on the platform 210 and grasps the right hand grip 260R with his / her right hand and the left hand grip 260L with his / her left hand to measure his / her body composition. The measurement results are displayed on the touch display 240.

[0041] Electrodes 211a to 211d for the right front foot, right rear foot, left front foot, and left rear foot are provided on platform 210. Although not shown in Fig. 2, electrodes for the right palm and right fingers are provided on right hand grip 260R, and electrodes for the left palm and left fingers are provided on left hand grip 260L. Thus, second body composition measuring device 20 is provided with eight electrodes for contacting predetermined parts of the body.

[0042] The configuration of the second body composition measuring device 20 will be described below with reference to Figures 1 and 2. The input unit 21 and display unit 25 of the second body composition measuring device 20 are configured as a touch display 240, and the input unit 21 accepts various instruction inputs from the user U in relation to the display contents of the display unit 25. The measurement unit 21 includes the above-mentioned eight electrodes. These electrodes are divided into current-carrying electrodes and measurement electrodes, and the measurement unit 21 further includes a circuit for passing current through the current-carrying electrodes and a circuit for measuring the potential difference of the measurement electrodes.

[0043] The measuring unit 21 further includes a load cell for measuring the weight of the user U. The load cell is composed of a strain body made of a metal member that deforms in response to a load, and a strain gauge attached to the strain body. When the user stands on the platform 210, the strain body of the load cell is deflected by the user's load, causing the strain gauge to expand and contract. The resistance value (output value) of the strain gauge changes in response to the expansion and contraction.

[0044] The estimation unit 23 and the correction unit 27 are realized by the arithmetic processing device built in the main body unit 230 executing a predetermined computer program. The storage unit 24 is also built in the main body unit 230. The storage unit 24 is configured by a storage device such as an SSD or HDD. The storage unit 24 may be a portable storage medium that is detachable from the main body unit 230. The arithmetic processing device reads and writes information from the storage unit 24. The touch display 240 (input unit 21, display unit 25), the arithmetic processing device (estimation unit 23, correction unit 27), and the storage device (storage unit 24) may be integrated into a tablet computer. The computer program may be stored in the storage unit 24 in advance, or may be downloaded by the arithmetic processing device via a network and stored in the storage unit 24, or may be stored in the storage unit via a portable storage medium.

[0045] The acquisition unit 26 may be configured as an external connection interface provided in the main body 230, may be configured as a slot for a portable storage medium, or may be configured as a wireless or wired communication interface. In any case, it is possible to import information from the outside and pass it to the arithmetic processing device. Note that, like the acquisition unit 26, the output unit 16 of the first body composition measuring device 10 may also be configured as an external connection interface, may be configured as a slot for a portable storage medium, or may be configured as a wireless or wired communication interface.

[0046] The function of each unit will be described below with reference to Fig. 1. The input unit 11 of the first body composition measuring device 10 accepts various instruction inputs from a user. For example, the user can input operation instructions for the first body composition measuring device 10 via the input unit 11. Also, as described later, in order to measure body composition, it is necessary to input information such as the user's height, age, and sex, and this information can also be input from the input unit 11.

[0047] The measurement unit 12 measures the bioimpedance between predetermined parts of the user's body to obtain a measurement value. The measurement unit 12 also calculates the body weight from the difference between the output value of the load cell when no load is applied (zero point) and the output value when a load is applied. The estimation unit 13 estimates a first body composition value by a first calculation from the measurement values ​​obtained by the measurement unit 12 (the bioimpedance between each part and the body weight).

[0048] The measurement unit 12 has a current supply function that passes a weak current of a predetermined frequency from each current-carrying electrode to a predetermined part of the user U's body, a potential difference measurement function that measures the potential difference generated in the current path, and a bioimpedance calculation function that calculates the bioimpedance of the user's entire body and each body part based on the values ​​of such current and potential difference.

[0049] The measurement of the bioelectrical impedance of the entire body and each body part of the user U by the measurement unit 12 is performed, for example, as follows. (1) In measuring the bioimpedance of the whole body, a current is supplied using the left hand current-carrying electrode and the left foot current-carrying electrode, and the potential difference between the left hand measurement electrode in contact with the left hand and the left foot measurement electrode in contact with the left foot is measured along the current path that flows through the left hand, left arm, chest, abdomen, left leg, and left foot. (2) In measuring the bioimpedance of the right leg, current is supplied using the right hand current-carrying electrode and the right foot current-carrying electrode, and the potential difference between the left foot measurement electrode in contact with the left foot and the right foot measurement electrode in contact with the right foot is measured in the current path that flows through the right hand, right arm, chest, abdomen, right leg, and right foot. (3) In measuring the bioimpedance of the left leg, current is supplied using the left hand current-carrying electrode and the left foot current-carrying electrode, and the potential difference between the left foot measurement electrode in contact with the left foot and the right foot measurement electrode in contact with the right foot is measured along the current path that flows through the left hand, left arm, chest, abdomen, left leg, and left foot. (4) In measuring the bioimpedance of the right arm, current is supplied using the right hand current-carrying electrode and the right foot current-carrying electrode, and the potential difference between the left hand measurement electrode in contact with the left hand and the right hand measurement electrode in contact with the right hand is measured in the current path that flows through the right hand, right arm, chest, abdomen, right leg, and right foot. (5) In measuring the bioimpedance of the left arm, a current is supplied using the left hand current-carrying electrode and the left foot current-carrying electrode, and the potential difference between the left hand measurement electrode in contact with the left hand and the right hand measurement electrode in contact with the right hand is measured along the current path passing through the left hand, left arm, chest, abdomen, left leg, and left foot.

[0050] The estimation unit 13 estimates the body composition value of the whole body and each body part by applying a predetermined regression equation to the height of the user U inputted from the input unit 11, the weight measured by the measurement unit 12, and each bioimpedance measured by the measurement unit 12. This regression equation is stored in the estimation unit 13 for each age and sex of the user. The estimation unit 13 estimates the following body composition values: fat percentage, fat mass, lean mass, muscle mass, visceral fat mass, visceral fat level, visceral fat area, subcutaneous fat mass, basal metabolic rate, bone mass, total body water percentage, BMI, intracellular fluid volume, and extracellular fluid volume. The estimation unit 13 stores the above regression equation for each of these body compositions. The configuration for calculating the body composition value can be the same as that of a general body composition meter.

[0051] In the following, the measurement value obtained by measurement unit 12 is referred to as the first measurement value, the calculation for estimating the body composition value from the first measurement value in estimation unit 13 is referred to as the first calculation, and the body composition value estimated from the first measurement value by the first calculation is referred to as the first body composition value.

[0052] The display unit 15 displays each of the first body composition values ​​estimated by the estimation unit 13. The memory unit 14 stores each of the first body composition values ​​estimated by the estimation unit 13 together with information on the date and time of measurement for each user. The memory unit 14 also stores information on the first measurement value (bioimpedance and body weight) used to estimate the first body composition value in association with the first body composition value. In this way, the memory unit 14 stores the past first body composition value and the first measurement value together with the date and time for each user. The first body composition measuring device 10 can display the transition of the first body composition value of the user from the past by identifying the user.

[0053] The output unit 16 outputs to the outside the information including the body composition value, the measurement value, and the date and time of each user stored in the storage unit 14. The output method may be any of a method of transmission using an external connection interface, a method via a portable storage medium, and a method by communication.

[0054] The input unit 21, measurement unit 22, estimation unit 23, memory unit 24, and display unit 25 of the second body composition measuring device 20 have the same functions as the input unit 11, measurement unit 12, estimation unit 13, memory unit 14, and display unit 15 of the above-mentioned first body composition measuring device 10, respectively. Hereinafter, the measurement value obtained by measurement unit 22 will be referred to as the second measurement value, the calculation for estimating the body composition value from the second measurement value in estimation unit 23 will be referred to as the second calculation, and the body composition value estimated from the second measurement value by the second calculation will be referred to as the second body composition value.

[0055] The acquisition unit 26 acquires the information output from the output unit 16 of the first body composition measuring device 10. The acquisition method may be any of a method of transmission using an external connection interface, a method via a portable storage medium, and a method by communication.

[0056] The estimation unit 23 of the second body composition measuring device 20 estimates a second body composition value by a second calculation from the second measurement value obtained by the measurement unit 22, similar to the measurement unit 12 of the first body composition measuring device 10, and further has the following function: That is, the estimation unit 23 estimates a past second body composition value, i.e., a body composition value that would have been obtained if estimation had been performed by the estimation unit 23 of the second body composition measuring device 20 in the past, by performing a second calculation on the first measurement value obtained by the acquisition unit 26.

[0057] The correction unit 27 corrects the first body composition value using a correction method according to a plurality of parameters in order to smooth the transition from the first body composition value to the second body composition value. Specifically, the correction unit 27 corrects the first body composition value so that the first body composition value becomes a value between the first body composition value and the past second body composition value.

[0058] Fig. 3 is a graph for explaining the correction in the correction unit of the second body composition measuring device according to the embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 shows an example in which the body composition value is a body fat percentage (%). The broken line 103 is the first body composition value (body fat percentage) acquired by the acquisition unit 26 from the first body composition measuring device 10. The broken line 203 is the second body composition value (body fat percentage) estimated by the second body composition measuring device 20. In the example of Fig. 3, the user switched from the first body composition measuring device 10 to the second body composition measuring device 20 from June to July.

[0059] As shown in Fig. 3, the first body composition measuring device 10 and the second body composition measuring device 20 estimate different body composition values ​​even for the same user due to differences between the first calculation in the estimation unit 13 and the second calculation in the estimation unit 23 (for example, differences in regression equations) or differences between the measurements in the measurement unit 12 and the measurements in the measurement unit 23 (for example, differences in accuracy). In the example of Fig. 3, a user whose body fat percentage had been decreasing until June changed their body composition measuring device in July, causing a sudden increase in their body fat percentage.

[0060] Therefore, the correction unit 27 corrects the first body composition value so that the transition from the first body composition value (polygon 103) acquired from the first body composition measuring device 10 to the second body composition value (polygon 203) becomes smooth. For this purpose, the estimation unit 23 performs a second calculation on the first measurement value (bioimpedance and body weight) acquired from the first body composition measuring device 10 to obtain a body composition value estimated by the second calculation when the first measurement value is obtained, and sets this as the past second body composition value (polygon 203'). Alternatively, the estimation unit 23 may estimate a second measurement value that would have been acquired by the second body composition measuring device 20 from the first measurement value acquired from the first body composition measuring device 10, and obtain the past second body composition value from the estimated second measurement value by the second calculation. Then, corrector 27 corrects the first body composition value (polygon 103) so that the first body composition value approaches the past second body composition value (polygon 203').

[0061] Fig. 4 is a graph showing the first body composition value corrected by the second body composition measuring device according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 4, correction unit 27 corrects the first body composition value from the past toward the change date (July in the example of Fig. 4) so ​​that it gradually approaches the past second body composition value, and obtains the corrected body composition value (broken line 103').

[0062] Specifically, the correction unit 27 corrects the first body composition value by the following formula (1).

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[0063] In the example of Fig. 4, the first body composition value (polygon 103) was on a downward trend, but the corrected first body composition value (polygon 103') does not fully express this downward trend, and ends up looking as if there was almost no fluctuation. Therefore, correction unit 27 can calculate a corrected first body composition value that better reflects the fluctuation trend of the first body composition value (polygon 103).

[0064] Fig. 5 is a graph showing another example of body composition values ​​corrected by the second body composition measuring device according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the correction method in the example of Fig. 5, the fluctuation tendency of the first body composition value (polygon 103) remains more in the corrected first body composition value (polygon 103') than in the correction method in the example of Fig. 4.

[0065] The modification parameters for determining the modification method in the modification unit 27 are variable, and the modification unit 27 sets the modification parameters according to instructions from the user. The input unit 21 accepts instruction input from the user for specifying the modification parameters. The display unit 25 displays a screen for specifying the modification parameters for this instruction input.

[0066] 6 is a diagram showing an example of a screen (modification parameter instruction screen) for instructing a modification parameter in the second body composition measuring device according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the modification parameters include a parameter (hereinafter also referred to as a "variation tendency reproducibility parameter") that specifies whether to obtain smoother changes in past body composition values ​​or smoother changes in newer body composition values ​​by adjusting the reproducibility of the variation tendency in the modified body composition value (hereinafter also referred to as a "value reproducibility parameter"), and a parameter (hereinafter also referred to as a "value reproducibility parameter") that specifies whether to obtain a body composition value closer to that of the first body composition measuring device or that closer to that of the second body composition measuring device. These parameters are variable and can be set by the user.

[0067] 6, on the modification parameter instruction screen 61, the two types of modification parameters are represented by two orthogonal axes. The horizontal axis represents the fluctuation tendency reproducibility parameter, and the vertical axis represents the value reproducibility parameter. The user can simultaneously specify two types of modification parameters by specifying one point in this two-dimensional coordinate space (one specification operation).

[0068] 7 to 9 are diagrams illustrating examples of the influence of adjustment of the change tendency reproducibility parameter on the corrected first body composition value. The correction unit 27 sets the weighting function D(t) as follows in accordance with the designation of the change tendency reproducibility parameter.

[0069] 7, when the fluctuation tendency reproducibility parameter α is designated as 0, the modifying unit 27 sets the weighting function D(t) as a linear function. Specifically, when α=0, the modifying unit 27 sets the weighting function D(t) as shown in the following formula (2).

number

[0070] Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 8, when the fluctuation tendency reproducibility parameter is instructed to be in the negative direction, the modifying unit 27 sets the weighting function D(t) as a downwardly convex function. As the downwardly convex function, for example, an exponential function can be used, and in the case of an exponential function, the exponent can be made larger in the negative direction. In this embodiment, when α<0, the modifying unit 27 sets the weighting function D(t) as shown in the following formula (3).

number

[0071] Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 9, when the fluctuation tendency reproducibility parameter is instructed in the positive direction, the modifying unit 27 sets the weighting function D(t) as an upwardly convex function. As an upwardly convex function, for example, a logarithmic function or a function that increases logarithmically (i.e., the inverse function of formula (3)) can be used. In the case of a logarithmic function, the base can be made larger in the positive direction. In this embodiment, when α>0, the modifying unit 27 sets the weighting function D(t) as shown in the following formula (4).

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[0072] When the change tendency reproducibility parameter is instructed in the negative direction as shown in Figure 8, the changes can be smoothed for body composition values ​​measured on relatively old dates, compared to the case of Figure 7. On the other hand, when the change tendency reproducibility parameter is instructed in the positive direction as shown in Figure 9, the changes can be smoothed for body composition values ​​measured on relatively new dates, compared to the case of Figure 7.

[0073] In this way, when the fluctuation tendency reproducibility parameter (α) is negative (α<0), the weight function D(t) becomes a downward convex function in which the increase rate of the weight D increases with the passage of time, and a corrected first body composition value (polygon line 103') that follows the first body composition value (polygon line 103) for a longer distance is obtained, so that the correction parameter instruction screen 61 provides a guide "Fluctuation tendency reproducibility (data with an older measurement date)" in the negative direction of the horizontal axis, and when the fluctuation tendency reproducibility parameter (α) is positive (α>0), the weight function becomes an upward convex function in which the increase rate of the weight D decreases with the passage of time, and a corrected first body composition value (polygon line 103') that approaches the past second body composition value (polygon line 203') more quickly is obtained, so that the correction parameter instruction screen 61 provides a guide "Fluctuation tendency reproducibility (data with a newer measurement date)" in the positive direction of the horizontal axis. In other words, making the fluctuation tendency reproducibility parameter variably settable means that weighting is performed by the measurement date.

[0074] 10 to 12 are diagrams illustrating examples of the influence on the corrected first body composition value when the value reproducibility parameter is adjusted. The correction unit 27 sets the weighting function D(t) as follows in accordance with the designation of the value reproducibility parameter.

[0075] As shown in FIG. 10, when the value reproducibility parameter β (0≦β≦1) is designated as 0, the modifying unit 27 sets the initial value of the weight D to 0.

[0076] Also, as shown in Figure 11, when the value reproducibility parameter β is specified as medium, the modification unit 27 sets the initial value of the weighting D to be greater than 0, and increases the reproducibility of the fluctuation trend of the past second body composition value in the modified first body composition value compared to the case of Figure 10.

[0077] Also, as shown in Figure 12, when the value reproducibility parameter β is specified to a value larger than the example of Figure 11, the modification unit 27 makes the initial value of weighting D larger than in the case of Figure 11, and makes the reproducibility of the fluctuation trend of the past second body composition value higher in the modified first body composition value compared to the case of Figure 11.

[0078] Specifically, the modification unit 27 sets the weight Dαβ(t) by adding the value reproducibility parameter β to the weight Dα(t) in the equations (2) to (4), and uses this weight Dαβ(t) for modification.

[0079] When the value reproducibility parameter β is added to equations (2) to (4) for calculating the weight Dα(t), the equations for calculating the weight Dαβ(t) become the following equations (5) to (7). First, when α=0, the weight Dαβ(t) is expressed by equation (5).

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[0080] Moreover, when α<0, the weight Dαβ(t) is expressed by equation (6).

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[0081] Moreover, when α>0, the weight Dαβ(t) is expressed by equation (7).

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[0082] As is clear from formulas (3) and (6), when the horizontal axis parameter is specified in the positive direction on the correction parameter instruction screen 61 (i.e., when the fluctuation tendency reproducibility parameter α is specified as data with a new measurement date), the corrected first body composition value is more likely to reflect the "fluctuation tendency" of the past second body composition value. Such parameter adjustment is effective when emphasis is placed on the accurate tendency of recent fluctuations in the body composition value, for example, when training has started recently (close to the time of switching to a new body composition measuring device). Furthermore, even if there is an error in the first body composition value in the old body composition measuring device, the effect on the corrected first body composition value can be reduced.

[0083] As is clear from equations (4) and (7), when the horizontal axis parameter is specified in the negative direction on the correction parameter instruction screen 61 (i.e., when the fluctuation tendency reproducibility parameter α is specified as data from an older measurement date), the corrected first body composition value is more likely to reflect the "fluctuation tendency" of the past first body composition value. Such parameter adjustment is effective when emphasis is placed on accurate fluctuations in previous body composition fluctuations, for example, when training started a long time ago (far from the time of switching to a new body composition measuring device).

[0084] Moreover, when the vertical axis parameter is specified in the positive direction on the correction parameter instruction screen 61, the first body composition value after correction is more likely to reflect the "value" of the past second body composition value. Such parameter adjustment is effective when emphasis is placed on reflecting the value of a new body composition measurement device. That is, when the value reproducibility parameter β is increased, the past first body composition value (broken line 103') becomes closer to the past second body composition value (broken line 203'), which is the body composition value obtained by estimating the first measurement value through the second calculation. Moreover, by making the value reproducibility parameter β as positive as possible, the first measurement value may be made to overlap with the past second body composition value (broken line 203'), which is the body composition value obtained by estimating the first measurement value through the second calculation.

[0085] Furthermore, when the vertical axis parameter is instructed toward zero (no negative values ​​are taken) on the correction parameter instruction screen 61, the corrected first body composition value is more likely to reflect the "value" of the past first body composition value. Such an adjustment is effective when emphasis is placed on reflecting the value of the old device. In other words, when the value reproducibility parameter β is made smaller, the past first body composition value (broken line 103') becomes closer to the first body composition value (broken line 103) obtained from the first body composition measuring device 10.

[0086] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow in the second body composition measuring device according to the embodiment of the present invention. First, the acquisition unit 26 acquires a second body composition value and a first measurement value from the first body composition measuring device 10 (step S131). The estimation unit 23 estimates a past second body composition value from the first measurement value acquired by the acquisition unit 26 through a second calculation (step S132).

[0087] The correction unit 27 sets the weighting function Dαβ(t) using equations (5) to (7) in accordance with the input instructions received by the input unit 21 (step S133), and corrects the first body composition value in accordance with equation (1) (step S134).

[0088] As described above, according to the second body composition measuring device 20 of this embodiment, the first body composition value is corrected so that the transition from the first body composition value previously obtained by the first body composition measuring device to the second body composition value, which is the current body composition value, i.e., the progression of the time series data including the seam from the first body composition value to the second body composition value, becomes smooth (appears smooth), and the user can specify the correction parameters to be used for the correction, so that correction can be made in line with the user's intentions.

[0089] In the above embodiment, the first body composition meter side device 10 and the second body composition measuring device 20 have been described as individual devices, but each may be configured as a first body composition measurement system and a second body composition measurement system by combining multiple devices. Specifically, the measurement unit and the estimation unit may be configured as separate devices. In this case, the device including the estimation unit becomes a body composition estimation device. Furthermore, when a system is configured with multiple devices, some of the devices (for example, a device including a memory unit) may be provided on a network.

[0090] Also, for example, the body composition estimation system may be composed of a first body composition measuring device 10, a second body composition measuring device 20, and a server capable of communicating with these devices via a network. In this case, the server may include an acquisition unit that acquires a first body composition value from the first body composition measuring device 10 and acquires a second body composition value from the second body composition measuring device 20, and a correction unit 27. Also, the server may include an acquisition unit that acquires a first measurement value from the first body composition measuring device 10 and acquires a second measurement value from the second body composition measuring device 20, an estimation unit 13, an estimation unit 23, and a correction unit 27.

[0091] In the above embodiment, the user can specify two types of modification parameters, but the user may specify only one of the two. Alternatively, the user may specify three or more types of modification parameters. The user may specify a modification parameter other than the above.

[0092] In the following, a modified example will be described in which the start and end points of the correction period can be specified as correction parameters in addition to the above two correction parameters. The configuration of the second body composition measuring device 20 of this modified example may be the same as that of the second body composition measuring device 20 of the above embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2. In this embodiment, as in the above embodiment, not only the first body composition value obtained by the first body composition measuring device 10 but also the second body composition value measured by the second body composition measuring device 20, that is, the second body composition value estimated by the second calculation in the calculation unit 23 from the second measurement value obtained by the measurement unit 22 of the second body composition measuring device 20, is corrected.

[0093] The estimation unit 23 of the second body composition measuring device 20 estimates a second body composition value by a second calculation from the measurement value obtained by the measurement unit 22. The correction unit 23 corrects the second body composition value based on the latest (last) value of the corrected first body composition values ​​and the second body composition value estimated by the estimation unit 23. The user can specify the period for such correction as a correction parameter in the input unit 21 of the second body composition measuring device 20. In this modification, it is also possible to specify the point at which correction of the first body composition value starts, i.e., the oldest first body composition value.

[0094] Now, if the timing at which the correction of the second body composition value measured by the second body composition measuring device 20 is finished is Tend, and the timing at which the first body composition measuring device 10 is switched to the second body composition measuring device 20 is Tchange, then the period for correcting the second body composition value estimated by the estimation unit 23 is (Tend-Tchange), the latest (last) value of the corrected first body composition values ​​is C1'(Tchange), and the correction unit 27 corrects the second body composition value C2(t) estimated by the estimation unit 23 according to equation (8) to obtain the corrected second body composition value C2'(t).

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[0095] In addition, during the period in which the first body composition value is acquired, the first body composition value after correction can be acquired in the same manner as in the above embodiment. At this time, the weighting function D(t) is set to monotonically increase until Tend after switching to the second body composition measurement device, so that at the stage of Tchange, the second body composition value is not yet sufficiently close to the second body composition value. However, in this modified example, after Tchange, the second body composition value is corrected by formula (5), while gradually weakening the degree of correction, and the correction of the second body composition value is completed after a certain period of time has elapsed since the start of use of the second body composition measurement device 20.

[0096] Fig. 14 is a graph showing body composition values ​​corrected by the second body composition measuring device of the modified embodiment of the present invention. In the example of Fig. 14, from January to June when the first body composition value is acquired, the first body composition value is corrected by formula (1) in the same manner as in the above embodiment, and from July when the use of the second body composition measuring device 20 started, the second body composition value obtained by the estimation unit 23 is corrected, and the correction of the second body composition value is completed in October.

[0097] In this way, by correcting the second body composition value for a certain period of time after starting to use the second body composition measuring device 20, the transition from the first body composition value to the second body composition value (broken line 303) can be made smoother, which is particularly effective when there is a large deviation between the first body composition value and the second body composition value.

[0098] Fig. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a screen (modified parameter instruction screen) for specifying modified parameters in the second body composition measuring device of the modified embodiment of the present invention. In the example of Fig. 15, four modified parameters can be specified by three slide bars and four sliders. That is, in the modified parameter instruction screen 62, a slider 152 is provided on a slide bar 151 for specifying value reproducibility, a slider 154 is provided on a slide bar 153 for specifying variation trend reproducibility, and a slider 156 for specifying a modified start point and a slider 157 for specifying a modified end point are provided on a slide bar 155 for specifying a modified start point and a modified end point.

[0099] As described above, according to this modified example, the first body composition value is corrected in the same manner as in the above embodiment, and the second body composition value is also corrected for a certain period of time after starting to use the second body composition measuring device 20, thereby making the transition from the first body composition value to the second body composition value smoother.

[0100] By correcting the second body composition value in this modified example, the acquisition unit 26 may acquire only the latest first body composition value. Furthermore, the acquisition unit 26 may acquire the first body composition value by a user's input via the input unit 21, instead of acquiring the latest first body composition value from the first body composition measuring device 10. When the acquisition unit 26 acquires only the latest first body composition value, C1'(Tchange) in formula (5) may be set to the latest first body composition value.

[0101] In the above embodiment and modified example, the user is made to specify multiple dimensions, thereby specifying the correction parameters corresponding to each dimension. Alternatively, the user may be made to specify one dimension, thereby simultaneously specifying multiple correction parameters. For example, the correction parameter specification screen 62 may be made to specify one dimension, namely, "reproducibility of past data," and the above-mentioned fluctuation tendency reproducibility parameter α and value reproducibility parameter β may be set based on this specification. "Reproducibility of past data" can be considered as a one-dimensional specification on a line extending from the upper left to the lower right on the correction parameter specification screen 61 shown in FIG. 6.

[0102] Furthermore, in the above embodiment and modified examples, the modification parameters are changed continuously in response to the user's designated input, but the modification parameters may be set discretely, in which case the user's designated input on the modification parameter designation screen 62 may be continuous or discrete. Alternatively, the user's designated input may be a button switch. For example, the fluctuation tendency reproducibility parameter α may be selectively designated from among "slow" (weighting function is downward convex), "medium" (weighting function is linear), and "fast" (weighting function is upward convex).

[0103] As described above, the body composition measuring device can measure a plurality of types of body composition values. The second body composition measuring device 20 may be capable of setting correction parameters collectively for different types of body composition values, or may be capable of setting different correction parameters for each type of body composition value.

[0104] Furthermore, the first and second body composition measuring devices of the present invention may be either home use or commercial use installed in a sports gym or the like. For example, when the first and second body composition measuring devices are used in a sports gym, the user who specifies the correction parameters may be a staff member of the sports gym, and the user who measures the body composition may be a user of the sports gym. In other words, the user who specifies the correction parameters via the input unit 21 may be different from the user who measures the body composition using the body composition measuring device.

[0105] In the above embodiment, an example of improving the continuity of the body composition value is described assuming that an old body composition measuring device can be replaced with a new body composition measuring device, but the application of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be applied to a case where two body composition measuring devices are used in parallel. In this case, either one or both of the first body composition measuring device and the second body composition measuring device have the function of the above-mentioned correction unit 27, and the body composition measuring device having the correction function acquires body composition values ​​and measured values ​​from the other body composition measuring device, and the body composition measuring device having the correction function can correct the body composition values ​​acquired from the other body composition measuring device and / or the body composition values ​​calculated by itself in the same manner as in the above embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0106] 10. The first body composition measuring device 11 Input section 12 Measuring part 13 Estimation part 14 Display section 15 Storage section 16 Output section 20. The second body composition measuring device 21 Input section 22 Measuring part 23 Estimation part 24 Display 25 Memory section 26 Acquisition Department 27 Correction section

Claims

1. A measurement unit that measures the bioelectrical impedance of the user's body to obtain a second measurement value; an estimation unit that estimates a second body composition value from the second measurement value using a predetermined estimation method; an acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of first body composition values ​​including a body composition value of the user at a time point prior to the second body composition value, the body composition value having been acquired in the past by another device that measures the bioelectrical impedance of the user's body to obtain a measurement value and estimates a body composition value from the measurement value; a correction unit that corrects at least one of the first body composition value and the second body composition value using a correction formula including one or more parameters for correcting the first body composition value and the second body composition value to approach at least the other of the first body composition value and the second body composition value in order to smooth a transition from the plurality of first body composition values ​​to the second body composition value; A body composition measuring device equipped with the above.

2. The body composition measuring device according to claim 1 , further comprising an input unit that receives an input for designating the one or more parameters.

3. The acquisition unit further acquires a first measurement value used by the other device to estimate the first body composition value, The estimation unit estimates a past second body composition value from the first measurement value using an estimation method that is the same as the predetermined estimation method, The body composition measuring device according to claim 1 , wherein the correction unit corrects the first body composition value by using the past second body composition value.

4. The acquisition unit acquires a plurality of the first body composition values ​​having different estimation times, The body composition measuring device according to claim 3 , wherein the correction unit corrects the first body composition value by weighting with the parameter such that the older the first body composition value is, the smaller the degree of correction.

5. The body composition measuring device of claim 1, wherein the correction unit corrects the second body composition value by weighting it with the parameter so that the degree to which the second body composition value is corrected decreases the longer the elapsed time since the estimation of the first body composition value.

6. The body composition measuring device according to claim 4 , wherein the parameters include a parameter for specifying whether to place emphasis on the first body composition value or the second body composition value.

7. The body composition measuring device of claim 4 or 5, wherein the parameters include a parameter for specifying the degree of reproducibility of the fluctuation tendency of the first body composition value and / or the second body composition value before and after the correction.

8. The body composition measuring device according to claim 4 , wherein the parameters include a parameter for specifying at least one of a start point and an end point of a period of the correction.

9. an estimation unit that estimates a second body composition value from a second measurement value obtained by measuring the bioelectrical impedance of the user's body using a predetermined estimation method; an acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of first body composition values ​​including a body composition value of the user at a time point prior to the second body composition value, the body composition value having been acquired in the past by another device that measures the bioelectrical impedance of the user's body to obtain a measurement value and estimates a body composition value from the measurement value; a correction unit that corrects at least one of the first body composition value and the second body composition value using a correction formula including one or more parameters for correcting the first body composition value and the second body composition value to approach at least the other of the first body composition value and the second body composition value in order to smooth a transition from the plurality of first body composition values ​​to the second body composition value; A body composition estimation device comprising:

10. an acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of first body composition values ​​including a body composition value at a time point prior to the second body composition value of the user, which was acquired in the past by a first body composition estimation device that measures the bioelectrical impedance of the user's body to obtain a measurement value and estimates a body composition value from the measurement value, and acquires a second body composition value of the user acquired by a second body composition device; a correction unit that corrects at least one of the first body composition value and the second body composition value using a correction formula including one or more parameters for correcting the first body composition value and the second body composition value to approach at least the other of the first body composition value and the second body composition value in order to smooth a transition from the plurality of first body composition values ​​to the second body composition value; A system equipped with

11. When executed by a computer of a body composition measuring device, the body composition measuring device an estimation unit that estimates a second body composition value using a predetermined estimation method from a second measurement value obtained by measuring the bioelectrical impedance of the user's body with a measurement unit of the body composition measuring device; an acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of first body composition values ​​including a body composition value of the user at a time point prior to the second body composition value, the body composition value having been acquired in the past by another device that measures the bioimpedance of the user's body to obtain a measurement value and estimates a body composition value from the measurement value; and a correction unit that corrects at least one of the first body composition value and the second body composition value using a correction formula including one or more parameters for correcting the first body composition value and the second body composition value to approach at least the other of the first body composition value and the second body composition value in order to smooth a transition from the plurality of first body composition values ​​to the second body composition value; A computer program that functions as a

12. When executed on a computer, the computer is an acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of first body composition values ​​including a body composition value at a time point prior to the second body composition value of the user, which was acquired in the past by a first body composition estimation device that measures the bioelectrical impedance of the user's body to obtain a measurement value and estimates a body composition value from the measurement value, and acquires a second body composition value of the user acquired by a second body composition device; a correction unit that corrects at least one of the first body composition value and the second body composition value using a correction formula including one or more parameters for correcting the first body composition value and the second body composition value to approach at least the other of the first body composition value and the second body composition value in order to smooth a transition from the plurality of first body composition values ​​to the second body composition value; A computer program that functions as a

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