Posture correction system and posture correction method

Abstract

To provide a posture correction system, a posture correction method, and program, capable of correcting a user's posture.SOLUTION: A posture correction system 1 includes guiding means 3 for guiding user's cervical extension and thoracic spine extension by guiding a user's visual line to a higher position than a gaze area 2 that the user gazes.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a posture correction system, a posture correction method, and a program for correcting a user's posture. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a device that reduces eye strain by changing the relative height between a chair and a display, or the height of a desk or a display (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-267491 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the above-mentioned device cannot be expected to have the effect of correcting the user's posture. The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and a main object of the present invention is to provide a posture correction system, a posture correction method, and a program that can correct the user's posture. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention is to a guiding means for guiding the user's line of sight to a position higher than a gaze area where the user gazes, thereby guiding the user's cervical and thoracic extension; Posture Correction System is. In this aspect, an object for guiding the user's line of sight is disposed at a position higher than the gaze area; The guiding means may make the visual stimulus to the user by the object greater than the visual stimulus to the user by the gaze area. In this aspect, The guiding means may increase the visual stimulation of the object to the user, while simultaneously decreasing the visual stimulation of the gaze area to the user. In this aspect, the gaze area is a first display unit that the user gazes at, and a second display unit as the target is disposed at a position higher than the first display unit; The guiding means may make the visual stimulus to the user by the second display unit larger than the visual stimulus to the user by the first display unit. In this aspect, the visual stimulus is light; The guidance means may increase the visual stimulus to the user from the object by performing at least one of increasing the brightness of the light of the object to guide the user's gaze, flashing the light, changing the color of the light, and operating the light of the object. In this aspect, Further comprising a detection means for detecting the height of the user's head, When the guiding means determines that the height of the user's head detected by the detection means has fallen below a threshold, the guiding means may guide the user's line of sight to a position higher than the gaze area, thereby guiding cervical and thoracic extension of the user. In this aspect, The guiding means may guide the user's gaze to a position higher than the gaze area, and then increase the visual stimulus provided by the object guiding the user's gaze so that the cervical vertebrae of the user's neck are maintained in an extended state for a predetermined period of time or more. In this aspect, The user is seated in a chair, The guiding means may adjust the relative positional relationship in height between the chair and an object for guiding the user's line of sight, thereby directing the user's face upward and guiding cervical and thoracic extension of the user. In this aspect, The device further includes an electrical stimulation unit that applies electrical stimulation to the muscles of the user that perform cervical extension and thoracic extension, The guiding means may guide the user's line of sight to a position higher than the area of ​​gaze of the user, and may also control the electrical stimulation means to induce cervical and thoracic extension of the user by applying electrical stimulation to the muscles that perform cervical and thoracic extension of the user. In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention is to A posture correction method for inducing cervical and thoracic extension of a user by guiding the user's line of sight to a position higher than the user's gaze area. may be. In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention is to A program that causes a computer to execute a process of inducing cervical and thoracic extension of a user by guiding the user's line of sight to a position higher than the user's gaze area. may be. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a posture correction system, a posture correction method, and a program that can correct the posture of a user. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic system configuration of a posture correction system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an improper sitting posture. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration in which an object for guiding the user's line of sight is placed at a position higher than the display unit. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration in which a second display unit is placed at a higher position than a first display unit. [Figure 5] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic system configuration of a posture correction system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration in which the object is placed at a higher position than the display unit, while the seat of the chair is lowered. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Embodiment 1 Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic system configuration of a posture correction system according to this embodiment. The posture correction system 1 according to this embodiment corrects the posture of a user and can derive positive emotions, which will be described later.

[0009] Positive emotions are said to increase a person's sensitivity to happiness. Previous research has shown that positive emotions are derived from good posture, while negative emotions are derived from poor posture.

[0010] For example, as shown in Figure 2, forward head posture is an example of poor sitting posture. In this position, where the head is positioned forward relative to the trunk, a strong extension moment acts, causing excessive muscle tension in the head extensor muscles and upper trapezius muscles, leading to discomfort such as stiff shoulders. Working with visual display terminals (VDTs) requires long periods of work in a seated position, staring at an object and maintaining a constant gaze. This makes it easy for the head to become fixed in a forward position. Abnormal head positioning can be the starting point for an abnormal movement chain from the extremities of the body, changing spinal alignment. If this misalignment persists for a long period of time, it can spread to the entire body through compensatory and reversible movements. This type of head mispositioning can not only lead to negative emotions but also to physical discomfort.

[0011] In contrast, the posture correction system 1 of this embodiment is equipped with a guidance unit 3 that guides the user U's gaze to a position higher than the gaze area 2 on which the user U is gazing, as shown in Figure 3, thereby guiding the user U's cervical and thoracic spine extension.

[0012] This allows the user U to turn their face upward and change the angle of their head significantly, and the combined cervical extension movement of the upper and lower cervical vertebrae serves as the starting point of a movement chain, changing spinal alignment and correcting posture. For example, when the user U turns their gaze significantly upward, the angle of the user U's neck tilts significantly backward, causing the neck to tilt backward. Then, in order to maintain balance, the user U expands their chest, straightens their spine, and tilts their pelvis forward. This causes the user U's cervical and thoracic spine to be extended, and the user U's sitting bones are raised, resulting in good posture.

[0013] Correcting the posture can reduce the risk of back pain and stiff shoulders caused by poor posture in seated workers. Furthermore, the user U's gaze is naturally directed upwards, leading to correct posture without the user even realizing it. Correcting posture can then lead to positive emotions, which is expected to increase the user's sensitivity to happiness.

[0014] The gaze area 2 is, for example, the display screen of the display unit 2 that is gazed upon by the user U while seated. The display unit 2 is a liquid crystal display of a PC (Personal Computer) or the like, an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, or the like.

[0015] The guidance unit 3 is a specific example of the guidance means. As shown in Fig. 1, the guidance unit 3 has a hardware configuration of a typical computer including a processor 31 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an internal memory 32 such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory), a storage device 33 such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive), an input / output I / F 34 for connecting peripheral devices such as a display, and a communication I / F 35 for communicating with devices outside the device.

[0016] 3, an object 4 for guiding the gaze of the user U may be placed at a position higher than the display unit 2. The guidance unit 3 makes the visual stimulus to the user U by the object 4 greater than the visual stimulus to the user U by the display unit 2. For example, when guiding the gaze of the user U, the guidance unit 3 guides the gaze of the user U by making the luminance of the object 4 greater than the luminance of the display screen of the display unit 2, which is the gaze area 2.

[0017] The guidance unit 3 may first display the object 4 on the display unit 2 to attract the gaze of the user U, and then gradually move the object 4 upward, and finally move it to a position higher than the display unit 2, thereby guiding the gaze of the user U upward. The visual stimulus of the object 4 at a high position causes the user U to turn his / her face toward the object 4 above, thereby guiding the cervical and thoracic extension of the user U and correcting his / her posture.

[0018] The visual stimulus may be, for example, light. The guidance unit 3 may perform at least one of increasing the brightness of the light of the object 4 to guide the gaze of the user U, blinking the light, changing the color of the light, and operating the light of the object 4. Operating the light of the object 4 includes, for example, operating a light character of the object 4, moving the light of the object 4, etc. This increases the visual stimulus provided to the user U by the object 4, and can attract the gaze of the user U to the object 4.

[0019] The guidance unit 3 may control, for example, a projector or a pointer to project an object 4 such as any figure or character onto a screen or wall that is positioned higher than the display unit 2. The guidance unit 3 may also control a light device that is positioned higher than the display unit 2 and serves as an object, turning on or blinking light.

[0020] Note that a position higher than the display unit 2 is, for example, a position where the user U moves his / her gaze to that position and turns his / her face upward, thereby causing cervical and thoracic extension of the user U. Such a position may be experimentally determined and set in the guiding unit 3 in advance.

[0021] The guiding unit 3 may increase the visual stimulus to the user U from the object 4 and simultaneously decrease the visual stimulus to the user U from the display unit 2, which is the gaze area 2. For example, the guiding unit 3 may increase the luminance of the object 4 and simultaneously decrease the luminance of the display screen of the display unit 2, which is the gaze area 2, or may turn off the power of the display unit 2 to darken the display screen. Note that the guiding unit 3 may decrease only the visual stimulus to the user U from the display unit 2, which is the gaze area 2, while leaving the visual stimulus to the user U from the object 4 unchanged.

[0022] This further emphasizes the visual stimulation of the object 4 located at a high position, making it easier for the user U to turn their face toward the object 4 above, thereby more effectively inducing cervical and thoracic spine extension of the user U and correcting their posture.

[0023] Furthermore, the guidance unit 3 may increase the visual stimulus of the object 4 to the user U, and at the same time output sound from a speaker or the like located at a higher position than the display unit 2. This makes it easier for the user U to turn their face toward the object 4 located above due to the visual stimulus and sound of the object 4 located at a higher position, and it is possible to more effectively guide the cervical and thoracic spine extension of the user U and correct their posture.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 4 , the gaze area 2 is the first display unit 2 that the user U gazes at, and the second display unit 41 as the object 4 may be positioned higher than the first display unit 2. The guidance unit 3 increases the visual stimulus to the user U from the second display unit 41 compared to the visual stimulus to the user U from the first display unit 2. For example, the guidance unit 3 increases the brightness of the display screen of the second display unit 41 compared to the brightness of the display screen of the first display unit 2. This visual stimulus from the higher-positioned second display unit 41 causes the user U to turn his or her face upward toward the second display unit 41, thereby guiding the cervical and thoracic extension of the user U and correcting posture. Note that the first display unit 2 and the second display unit 41 may display the same content. This allows the user to continue viewing the same display content while correcting their posture.

[0025] The guidance unit 3 may, for example, at a set predetermined cycle or for a set time, make the visual stimulus to the user U from the object 4 greater than the visual stimulus to the user U from the display unit 2. This allows the cervical spine extension and thoracic spine extension of the user U to be guided at a set predetermined cycle or for a set time, thereby correcting posture.

[0026] When the guidance unit 3 determines that the height of the user U's head detected by a sensor 5 such as a camera has fallen below a threshold, it may guide the user U's line of sight to a position higher than the display unit 2, thereby guiding the user U's cervical and thoracic spine extension (Figure 1).

[0027] The sensor 5 is a specific example of a detection means. This makes it possible to automatically detect when the height of the user U's head falls below a threshold and causes the user U to lose posture, and to correct the posture by inducing cervical and thoracic extension of the user U.

[0028] When the guidance unit 3 determines that the height of the user U's head detected by a sensor 5 such as a camera has fallen below a threshold, it may guide the user U's line of sight to a position higher than the display unit 2 and may also notify the user U by an alarm device 6 that their posture has deteriorated.

[0029] The notification device 6 may notify the user U by, for example, changing the brightness of the display unit 2, turning off the power of the display unit 2, displaying the height of the head of the user U, or outputting sound or vibration. This not only guides the user U's line of sight, but also makes the user U aware that their posture has become poor and their head height has become low, and encourages them to more proactively raise their head.

[0030] After guiding the line of sight of the user U to a position higher than the display unit 2, the guidance unit 3 may increase the visual stimulus of the object 4 that guides the line of sight of the user U so that the extended state of the cervical vertebrae in the neck of the user U is maintained for a predetermined period of time or more. For example, the guidance unit 3 increases the luminance of the object 4 so that the extended state of the cervical vertebrae in the neck of the user U is maintained for a predetermined period of time or more. This allows the user U to maintain the extended states of the cervical vertebrae and thoracic vertebrae for a predetermined period of time or more, thereby more effectively correcting posture.

[0031] Next, a posture correction method according to this embodiment will be described. The posture correction method according to this embodiment induces cervical and thoracic extension of the user U by guiding the line of sight of the user U to a position higher than the display unit 2 on which the user U is gazing. As a result, by turning the face of the user U upward and significantly changing the angle of the head, the combined cervical extension movement of the upper and lower cervical vertebrae becomes the starting point of a movement chain, which changes the spinal alignment and corrects posture.

[0032] Embodiment 2 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic system configuration of a posture correction system according to this embodiment. The posture correction system 10 according to this embodiment further includes an electrical stimulation generator 7 that applies electrical stimulation to the muscles of the user U that perform cervical and thoracic extension.

[0033] The electrical stimulation generator 7 is a specific example of electrical stimulation means. The electrical stimulation generator 7 has electrodes 71 attached to muscle regions of the user U that cause the cervical and thoracic vertebrae to extend, and a power supply unit 72 that supplies power to the electrodes 71.

[0034] The electrical stimulation generating device 7 supplies electricity to electrodes 71 attached to the muscle parts of the user U, and applies electrical stimulation to tense the muscles that extend the cervical spine and the muscles that extend the thoracic spine, thereby performing cervical spine extension exercises and thoracic spine extension exercises.

[0035] As described above, the guidance unit 3 guides the user U's gaze to a position higher than the display unit 2 on which the user U is gazing, and controls the electrical stimulation generator 7 to provide electrical stimulation to the muscles that perform cervical and thoracic extension of the user U, thereby inducing cervical and thoracic extension of the user U.

[0036] For example, the induction unit 3 increases the brightness of the second display unit 41, which is located higher than the first display unit 2, which is the gaze area 2, and controls the electrical stimulation generator 7 to apply electrical stimulation to the muscles that perform cervical and thoracic extension of the user U, thereby inducing cervical and thoracic extension of the user U.

[0037] As a result, the visual and electrical stimulation of this high-positioned object 4 makes it easier for the user U to turn their face toward the object 4 above, more effectively inducing cervical and thoracic spine extension of the user U and correcting their posture.

[0038] The induction unit 3 may use the electrical stimulation generator 7 to provide electrical stimulation to the muscles that perform cervical and thoracic spine extension of the user U, and this electrical stimulation alone may induce cervical and thoracic spine extension of the user U and correct the user U's posture.

[0039] Embodiment 3 In this embodiment, the guidance unit 3 adjusts the relative positional relationship in the height direction between the object 4 for guiding the user U's line of sight and the chair, thereby directing the user U's face upward and guiding the user U's cervical and thoracic spine extension.

[0040] For example, the guiding unit 3 lowers the seat of the chair while maintaining the object 4 for guiding the line of sight of the user U at the height of the display unit 2. Alternatively, the guiding unit 3 may lower the seat of the chair while maintaining the height of the display unit 2 at which the user U gazes. As a result, the head of the user U is lowered by the amount that the seat of the chair is lowered relative to the object 4 or the display unit 2, and the user U naturally looks up at the object 4 or the display unit 2, which can induce cervical and thoracic spine extension of the user U and correct their posture.

[0041] 6, the guide unit 3 may lower the seat 8 of the chair while placing the object 4 for guiding the line of sight of the user U at a position higher than the display unit 2. This causes the user U to look up at the object 4 at a larger angle, and it is possible to more effectively guide the cervical and thoracic extension of the user U and correct their posture.

[0042] Furthermore, the guiding unit 3 may induce cervical and thoracic extension of the user U by bringing a predetermined object that causes discomfort and is placed in front of the user U's line of sight relatively closer to the user U. When a predetermined object that causes discomfort and is placed in front of the user U's line of sight is brought relatively closer to the user U, the user U will unconsciously pull their body back to try to distance themselves from it. At this time, the user U will tuck their chin and assume a posture that puffs out their chest, which will induce cervical and thoracic extension of the user U and correct their posture.

[0043] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as defined in the claims.

[0044] The present invention can also be realized by causing a processor to execute a computer program, for example, to perform the processing performed by the guiding unit 3.

[0045] The program can be stored and supplied to a computer using various types of non-transitory computer readable media. Non-transitory computer readable media include various types of tangible storage media. Examples of non-transitory computer readable media include magnetic recording media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (e.g., magneto-optical disks), CD-ROMs (Read Only Memory), CD-Rs, CD-R / Ws, and semiconductor memories (e.g., mask ROMs, PROMs (Programmable ROMs), EPROMs (Erasable PROMs), flash ROMs, and RAMs (Random Access Memory)).

[0046] The program may be provided to the computer by various types of transitory computer-readable media. Examples of transitory computer-readable media include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. The transitory computer-readable media can provide the program to the computer via a wired communication path such as an electrical wire or optical fiber, or via a wireless communication path.

[0047] Each component of the posture correction system 1, 10 according to each of the above-described embodiments can be realized not only by a program, but also in part or in whole by dedicated hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1 posture correction system, 2 gaze area (display unit), 3 guidance unit, 4 object, 5 sensor, 6 notification device, 7 electrical stimulation generator, 8 seat, 10 posture correction system, 31 processor, 32 internal memory, 33 storage device, 41 second display unit, 71 electrode, 72 power supply unit

Claims

1. A guide means for guiding cervical and thoracic spine extension of a user; a detection means for detecting the height of the user's head, The user is seated in a chair, When it is determined that the height of the user's head detected by the detection means has become equal to or less than a threshold, the guiding means lowers the seat of the chair while maintaining the height of the display unit that the user is gazing at, thereby directing the user's face upward to extend the cervical spine and the thoracic spine. Posture correction system.

2. 2. The posture correction system according to claim 1, The guiding means guides the user so that the cervical spine extension and the thoracic spine extension states of the user are maintained for a predetermined period of time or more. Posture correction system.

3. 2. The posture correction system according to claim 1, The device further includes an electrical stimulation unit that applies electrical stimulation to the muscles of the user that perform cervical extension and thoracic extension, The guiding means controls the electrical stimulation means in addition to the guidance by the chair to apply electrical stimulation to the muscles that perform cervical extension and thoracic extension of the user, thereby inducing cervical extension and thoracic extension of the user. Posture correction system.

4. The detection means detects the height of the head of a user sitting on a chair, When it is determined that the detected height of the user's head has become equal to or less than a threshold, the guiding means lowers the seat of the chair while maintaining the height of the display unit that the user is gazing at, thereby directing the user's face upward to extend the cervical spine and the thoracic spine. Posture correction method.

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