Sound acquisition device, charger, information processing method and program

Abstract

To provide an information processing method, information processing system, and program capable of appropriately determining an abnormality of a user and notifying another person of the determination result when the user does not carry an apparatus.SOLUTION: An information processing method includes: determining that a hearing aid 10 as an apparatus is not carried by a user WP (step S200); allowing the hearing aid 10 to perform a sound collection operation using a microphone 20 when it is determined that the hearing aid 10 is not carried by the user WP (step S203); determining whether an abnormality is occurring in the user WP based on the sound collected by the sound collection operation (steps S204, S205); and notifying a pre-designated object person other than the user WP of the determination result via a web server SV (step S206).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention provides Sound acquisition device, charger, Information Processing Method oh and programs. [Background technology]

[0002] Various devices and systems have been proposed to monitor the health, living environment, safety, etc. of monitored individuals (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-196812 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Patent Document 1 describes a monitoring system that uses hearing aids. This monitoring system notifies a monitor of the safety of the hearing aid user based on the sound collected by the hearing aid.

[0005] However, hearing aids are not always worn by the user, and are often removed from the user's ear and turned off or charged on a daily basis. When such a user is not wearing the hearing aid, the hearing aid cannot collect sound, and there is a possibility that the user's safety cannot be confirmed and notifications cannot be made if necessary.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its object is to provide a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device using the same as that of the prior art. Collect or allow to collect sound when charging operation is being performed can Sound acquisition device, charger, Information Processing Method oh The purpose of this initiative is to provide opportunities and programs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A sound acquisition device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a rechargeable battery and a microphone, Even when the device is turned off and stored in the charger, When the charger is performing a charging operation on the rechargeable battery and the monitoring state is set, the charger receives a power supply from a system separate from the charging operation and performs a sound collection operation with the microphone. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, when the user does not carry the device, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not there is an abnormality in the user and notify the user of the determination result. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the electronic circuit of the hearing aid according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an electronic circuit of the charger according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the entire system when the hearing aid according to the embodiment is worn. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the entire system when the hearing aid according to the embodiment is not worn. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention applied to a monitoring system using a hearing aid and its charger will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] [composition] Figure 1 shows the overall configuration of the system according to this embodiment. The system includes a hearing aid 10 used by a user WP, a charger 30 for charging the hearing aid 10, a smartphone SP carried by the user WP, and a web server SV.

[0012] The smartphone SP is assumed to be a mobile device that the user WP can carry with them whether they are at home or out and about.

[0013] The hearing aid 10, the charger 30, and the smartphone SP are wirelessly connected to one another by a short-range communication technology such as BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy).

[0014] The smartphone SP is connected to a web server SV via a network NW including the Internet.

[0015] The smartphone SP is not limited to a general smartphone, but may also be various other information terminal devices such as a personal computer (PC), a tablet information terminal, etc. The smartphone SP uses pre-installed monitoring application software according to this embodiment to access a web server SV connected via a network NW, and can transmit and receive data to and from the web server SV.

[0016] When the user WP removes and stores the hearing aid 10 worn by the charger 30 while it is connected to a household power source, the charger 30 becomes electrically connected to the hearing aid 10 as shown in the figure, and the rechargeable battery built into the hearing aid 10 is charged accordingly. In this way, while the hearing aid 10 is being charged by the charger 30, the user WP cannot wear or carry the hearing aid 10. In this embodiment, for example, contactless power supply using electromagnetic induction is used, but a power supply method in which power supply terminals provided on both devices are directly connected may also be used. Furthermore, while the hearing aid 10 is being charged, a power supply operation is performed between the charger 30 and the hearing aid 10 separately from the charging operation to cause the hearing aid 10 to perform sound collection processing of the surrounding environment, and sound data collected by the hearing aid 10 is transmitted to the smartphone SP.

[0017] The smartphone SP uses the application software described above to transmit the sound data etc. transmitted from the hearing aid 10 to the web server SV via the network NW.

[0018] The web server SV is a server that has some kind of business partnership with the company that provides the aforementioned application software, or is operated directly by the company that provides the aforementioned application software. The web server SV performs monitoring processing to determine whether there is a high possibility that some kind of abnormality has occurred based on sound data, etc. transmitted via the smartphone SP. When the web server SV determines that some kind of abnormality has occurred, it notifies pre-registered contact persons that a possible abnormality has occurred in the user WP. The web server SV may also notify medical institutions, such as hospitals and fire departments, according to pre-registered notification requirements.

[0019] 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the electronic circuitry of hearing aid 10. Hearing aid 10 includes a sound processing unit 11, a control unit 12, a main memory 13, a program memory 14, a pulse sensor 15, a body temperature sensor 16, an acceleration sensor 17, a charge controller 18, a communication unit 19, a microphone 20, and a speaker 21, which are connected to one another via a bus line B1.

[0020] The sound processor 11 is an electrical circuit that, under the control of the controller 12, converts sound collected by the microphone 20 into an electrical signal, amplifies the signal using an amplifier, and outputs the signal as sound from the speaker 21. When the user WP is wearing the hearing aid 10, the frequency characteristics of the electrical signal of the sound collected by the microphone 20 are adjusted by performing frequency processing using a filter circuit in the amplifier, and the adjusted sound is output from the speaker 21. As frequency processing, the sound processor 11 performs amplification adjustment by varying the amplification factor for each frequency band. Specifically, as is the normal operation of a hearing aid, the sound processor 11 amplifies the electrical signal converted from the sound collected by the microphone 20 so that the sound pressure of sounds in the frequency range corresponding to human voice, for example, 100 Hz to 1000 Hz, is slightly higher than in other frequency ranges, and also amplifies the low- and high-frequency sides of the frequency range corresponding to human voice so that the sound pressure is slightly higher, thereby adjusting the frequency characteristics of the sound to be output.

[0021] Furthermore, under the control of the control unit 12, when the hearing aid 10 is stored in the charger 30, the sound processing unit 11 operates only the sound collection function of the microphone 20 and outputs digital sound collection data collected within the environment in which the charger 30 is installed. At this time, the sound processing unit 11 does not perform frequency characteristic adjustment processing on the acquired sound collection data, such as changing the amplification factor of some of the frequency bands described above.

[0022] The control unit 12 is composed of a processor that performs various signal processing, etc. Various integrated circuits such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) may be used as the control unit 12. In other words, various processors may be used in the hearing aid 10.

[0023] The main memory 13 may be, for example, a volatile memory such as a DRAM (Dynamic RAM) or an SRAM (Static RAM). The main memory 13 functions as the main storage device of the control unit 12. The program memory 14 may be, for example, a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory. The program memory 14 stores a startup program and an operating program for operating the hearing aid 10. The main memory 13 and the program memory 14 are not limited to these, and may be replaced with various types of storage devices.

[0024] Pulse sensor 15 is a sensor that detects the pulse of user WP from fluctuations in the amount of infrared radiation that accompanies fluctuations in blood flow at the ear wall inside the ear while the user WP is wearing hearing aid 10. Body temperature sensor 16 is a sensor that uses a thermopile or bolometer element to detect the body temperature of user WP from the amount of infrared radiation that indicates the amount of heat radiated at the ear wall inside the ear while the user WP is also wearing hearing aid 10.

[0025] Data indicating the pulse rate detected by the pulse sensor 15 and data indicating the body temperature detected by the body temperature sensor 16 are used as vital information of the user WP.

[0026] Acceleration sensor 17 is configured, for example, with an acceleration sensor capable of detecting acceleration in three mutually orthogonal axial directions. Acceleration sensor 17 detects the acceleration of an external force in the three axial directions applied to acceleration sensor 17 while user WP is wearing hearing aid 10. The detection results of acceleration sensor 17 are used as data indicating the movement of user WP.

[0027] The charge controller 18 is configured, for example, by a one-chip microcomputer including a processor, and is a controller dedicated to charging operations that mainly controls the amount of current flowing to the rechargeable battery (not shown), which is the built-in battery of the hearing aid 10, when the hearing aid 10 is stored in the charger 30 and the rechargeable battery is charged. If the hearing aid 10 is configured to perform contactless charging by electromagnetic induction while stored in the charger 30, the charge controller 18 can determine whether the hearing aid 10 is electrically connected to the charger 30 based on the current flow state of the contactless transformer that receives power from the charger 30. The result of this connection determination by the charge controller 18 is notified to the control unit 12, and information indicating whether the hearing aid 10 is connected to the charger 30 is shared on the hearing aid 10 side.

[0028] As described above, the communication unit 19 transmits and receives data to and from the charger 30 with which pairing has been set up in advance, for example, by using BLE (registered trademark) technology.

[0029] 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the electronic circuit of the charger 30. The charger 30 includes a charge controller 31, a control unit 32, a main memory 33, a program memory 34, a battery controller 35, and a communication unit 36, which are connected to each other via a bus line B2.

[0030] The charge controller 31 is an electrical circuit that, under the control of the control unit 32, controls the amount of power (amount of current) supplied to the rechargeable battery of the hearing aid 10 when the hearing aid 10 is stored in the charger 30. If the hearing aid 10 is configured to be charged contactlessly by electromagnetic induction when stored in the charger 30, the charge controller 31 can determine whether the hearing aid 10 is electrically connected to the charger 30 based on the state of current flow in the contactless transformer that supplies power to the hearing aid 10. The result of this connection determination by the charge controller 31 is notified to the control unit 32, and information indicating whether the hearing aid 10 is connected or not is shared on the charger 30 side.

[0031] The control unit 32 is configured with a processor that performs various signal processing, etc. Various integrated circuits such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) may be used as the control unit 32. In other words, various processors may be used in the charger 30.

[0032] The main memory 33 functions as a main storage device for the control unit 32. The program memory 34 stores a startup program and an operating program for operating the hearing aid 10. Battery controller 35 is configured, for example, by a one-chip microcomputer including a processor, and under the control of control unit 32, controls the charging and discharging operation of a battery (not shown) built into charger 30 that has a larger capacity than the rechargeable battery of hearing aid 10. The battery built into charger 30 is charged with a DC voltage (+5 [V]) that complies with, for example, the USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard.

[0033] As described above, the communication unit 36 ​​transmits and receives data to and from the hearing aid 10 and smartphone SP, which have been previously set up for pairing, for example, using BLE (registered trademark) technology.

[0034] The functional configuration of the hardware circuitry of the smartphone SP is omitted here, as it is assumed to be similar to that of a typical smartphone or other information terminal device. The smartphone SP has a communication unit capable of communicating with, for example, a 5G mobile phone communication network, and transmits sound data acquired by the hearing aid 10 to the server SV. The smartphone SP can switch between setting and canceling the monitoring state of the user WP using the hearing aid 10 using the application software for the hearing aid 10 described above. The setting or cancellation of the monitoring state switched by the smartphone SP is also shared with the hearing aid 10, the charger 30, and the web server SV as information recognized throughout the system.

[0035] [Operation] The operation of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

[0036] In this embodiment, regardless of whether the user WP is wearing the hearing aid 10 or not, the state of monitoring the user WP using the hearing aid 10 can be set using application software pre-installed on the smartphone SP.

[0037] 4 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the entire system when the hearing aid 10 is worn by the user WP. In the hearing aid 10, the charge controller 18 detects that the hearing aid 10 is being removed from the charger 30, notifies the control unit 12, and starts the processing of FIG.

[0038] At the beginning of the process, the control unit 12 of the hearing aid 10 repeatedly determines whether or not the hearing aid 10 is being worn by the user WP, for example, based on the outputs of the body temperature sensor 16 and the acceleration sensor 17 (step S100).

[0039] If it is determined from the outputs of body temperature sensor 16 and acceleration sensor 17 that hearing aid 10 is being worn by user WP (YES in step S100), control unit 12 determines that hearing aid 10 is being carried by user WP and controls sound processing unit 11 to cause hearing aid 10 to continue to perform its normal operation when worn on the body. This causes microphone 20 to collect sound, and the collected sound data obtained thereby is amplified by sound processing unit 11 taking into account the appropriate frequency band, and is output as a loudspeaker from speaker 21 (step S101). In addition, hearing aid control unit 12 notifies smartphone SP that hearing aid 10 is being worn by user WP.

[0040] Additionally, in a system including the hearing aid 10, it is determined whether or not the monitoring state is set on the smartphone SP (step S102).

[0041] If it is determined that the monitoring state is not set (NO in step S102), the control unit 12 of the hearing aid 10 skips the processing from step S103 onwards and returns to the processing from step S101. The result of the determination on the smartphone SP as to whether or not the monitoring state is set is transmitted from the communication unit of the smartphone SP to the communication unit 19 of the hearing aid 10 and the web server SV.

[0042] In addition, the web server SV recognizes that the monitoring state for the user WP using the hearing aid 10 has been temporarily canceled, and suspends the acquisition of sound data and other data from the hearing aid 10 via the smartphone SP.

[0043] Also, in step S102, if it is determined that the monitoring state is set (YES in step S102), the control unit 12 of the hearing aid 10 combines the sound collection data acquired by the microphone 20 with data indicating vital information detected by the pulse sensor 15, body temperature sensor 16, and acceleration sensor 17, and movement data indicating movement, and transmits this data to the smartphone SP.

[0044] While the hearing aid 10 is set to the monitoring state, the smartphone SP periodically acquires the collected sound data, vital data indicating vital information, and movement data indicating movement transmitted from the hearing aid 10 and transmits them to the web server SV (step S103). In this case, as described above, the frequency characteristics of the electrical signal of the sound acquired by collecting sound with the microphone 20 are adjusted by performing frequency processing using a filter circuit in the amplifier.

[0045] In the monitoring process for watching over the user WP, the web server SV comprehensively analyzes various data including collected sound data, vital data, and movement data based on an algorithm using a preset conditional expression (step S104).

[0046] In this case, for example, when the sound indicated by the sound collection data remains silent for a relatively long predetermined period of time (for example, 18 hours or more), when the value of the vital data or the change in the vital data is outside the range defined by the predetermined upper and lower limits, or when the user WP remains motionless as indicated by the movement data for the above-mentioned predetermined period of time, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred regarding the user WP.

[0047] On the other hand, if the sound represented by the sound collection data is not silent for the predetermined period of time, or if the value of the vital data or the change in the vital data is within a range defined by predetermined upper and lower limits, it is determined that no abnormality has occurred with respect to the user WP. The reason for determining an abnormality as described above is that if a silent state continues for a long period of time, no living sounds from the user WP have been generated for a long period of time, and the user WP may have collapsed. Similarly, if the user WP remains motionless for a long period of time, the user WP may have collapsed. Conversely, it may also be determined that an abnormality has occurred if a sound louder than a preset volume is generated. In this case, the generated sound can be sent to the server SV for analysis, allowing the details of the specific incident to be estimated.

[0048] The web server SV determines whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the user WP based on the analysis processing in the above step S104 (step S105). If it determines that an abnormality has not occurred in the user WP (NO in step S105), the process returns to step S100.

[0049] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S105 that an abnormality has occurred regarding the user WP (YES in step S105), the web server SV notifies the terminal of the pre-registered target person by sending message data indicating the determination result that an abnormality has occurred regarding the user WP (step S106). In this case, the target person's terminal may be a personal computer, smartphone, or landline phone, and the terminal receiving the notification may recognize the notification that an abnormality has occurred by an image displayed on the screen or by sound output from a speaker.

[0050] At this time, the location information of the user WP, which can be acquired by the smartphone SP, may also be reported. If the determination result in step S105 is NO, the determination result that no abnormality has occurred regarding the user WP may be notified to the subject in the same manner as in step S106.

[0051] In addition, the web server SV can send situation-specific voice data feedback to the hearing aid 10 that the user WP is supposed to be wearing, for example, data for a voice message such as "Should I call someone if you are feeling unwell?", and have the hearing aid 10 play back the voice message, thereby providing support to the user WP, thereby enabling more appropriate responses to be realized.

[0052] After executing the notification, in order to avoid causing confusion by making repeated notifications, the notification web server SV notifies the smartphone SP, charger 30, and hearing aid 10 to temporarily cancel the monitoring process for the user WP and return to normal operation (step S107), and then returns to processing from step S101.

[0053] Next, with reference to FIG. 5, the operation that is performed when the user WP removes the hearing aid 10 from the ear and stores it in the charger 30 will be described.

[0054] When the hearing aid 10 is placed in the charger 30 and non-contact charging by electromagnetic induction begins, the state of current flowing through the non-contact transformers built into the hearing aid 10 and the charger 30 can be recognized and determined by both the hearing aid 10 and the charger 30.

[0055] Note that even if the user WP places the hearing aid 10 in the charger 30 with the hearing aid 10 turned off, the control unit 12 of the hearing aid 10 will operate according to the process shown in Figure 5. Similarly, the control unit 32 of the charger 30 and the CPU of the smartphone SP will also perform the process of Figure 5 regardless of the power state of the hearing aid 10.

[0056] In the charger 30, the control unit 32 repeatedly determines whether the hearing aid 10 is stored in the charger 30 and electrically connected based on the power-on state of the charge controller 31 (step S200).

[0057] If it is determined that the hearing aid 10 is stored in the charger 30 and electrically connected (YES in step S200), then since the hearing aid 10 is electrically connected to the charger 30, it is determined that the hearing aid 10 is not being worn by the user WP, i.e., not being carried by the user WP, and the charging controller 18 and the charging controller 31 each continue to perform standby operations, including charging the rechargeable battery built into the hearing aid 10, as the normal operation for the hearing aid 10 (step S201).

[0058] Additionally, in the system including the charger 30, it is determined whether or not the monitoring state is set in the smartphone SP (step S202).

[0059] If it is determined that the monitoring state is not set (NO in step S202), the control unit 32 of the charger 30 performs the following step S 2 Skip the process from step 03 onwards and go to step S 2 The process returns to 01. The result of the determination on the smartphone SP as to whether or not it is in the monitoring state is transmitted from the communication unit of the smartphone SP to the communication unit 19 of the hearing aid 10 and the web server SV.

[0060] In addition, the web server SV recognizes that the monitoring state for the user WP using the hearing aid 10 has been temporarily canceled, and suspends the acquisition of sound data and other data from the hearing aid 10 via the smartphone SP.

[0061] Also, in step S202, if it is determined that the monitoring state is set (YES in step S202), the control unit 32 of the charger 30 causes the microphone 20 of the hearing aid 10 to perform a sound collection operation using a power supply system separate from the power supply system used to charge the rechargeable battery of the hearing aid 10, and causes the sound collection data acquired by the microphone 20 of the hearing aid 10 to be transmitted to the smartphone SP.

[0062] By providing separate systems for charging the rechargeable battery of hearing aid 10 and for supplying power for the sound collection operation performed by hearing aid 10 as described above, it is possible to perform the necessary operations of hearing aid 10 while avoiding unnecessarily extending the time required to charge the rechargeable battery of hearing aid 10.

[0063] While the hearing aid 10 is set to the monitoring state, the smartphone SP periodically acquires collected sound data from the hearing aid 10 and transmits it to the web server SV (step S203). As mentioned above, the collected sound data in this case is not subjected to the frequency characteristic adjustment process.

[0064] In the monitoring process for watching over the user WP, the web server SV executes an analysis process for determining whether the sound data is abnormal based on an algorithm using a preset conditional expression (step S204).

[0065] In this case, for example, when the sound indicated by the sound data remains silent for a relatively long predetermined period of time (for example, 18 hours or more), it is determined that an abnormality has occurred regarding the user WP.

[0066] On the other hand, if the sound represented by the sound collection data is not silent for the predetermined period of time, it is determined that no abnormality has occurred with respect to the user WP. The reason for determining an abnormality as described above is that if a silent state continues for a long period of time, it means that no daily sounds have been made by the user WP for a long period of time, and the user WP may have collapsed. Conversely, it may also be determined that an abnormality has occurred if a sound louder than a preset level is generated. In this case, the generated sound can be sent to the server SV for analysis, allowing the details of the specific incident to be estimated.

[0067] The web server SV determines whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the user WP based on the result of the analysis process (step S205). If it determines that an abnormality has not occurred in the user WP (NO in step S205), the process returns to step S200.

[0068] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S205 that an abnormality has occurred in the user WP (YES in step S205), the web server SV notifies the terminal of the pre-registered target person by sending message data indicating the determination result that an abnormality has occurred in the user WP (step S206). In this case, the target person's terminal may be a personal computer, smartphone, or landline phone, and the terminal receiving the notification may recognize the notification that an abnormality has occurred by an image displayed on the screen or by sound output from a speaker.

[0069] At this time, the location information of the user WP, which can be acquired by the smartphone SP, may also be reported. If the determination result in step S205 is NO, the determination result that no abnormality has occurred regarding the user WP may be notified to the subject in the same manner as in step S206.

[0070] The web server SV also calls the smartphone SP that should be located near the user WP, and if there is a response, it sends and outputs voice data feedback according to the situation, such as a voice message such as "If you are not feeling well, should I call someone?", thereby providing support to the user WP and enabling a more appropriate response.

[0071] Furthermore, the charger 30 may be provided with a speaker and its driving circuit, so that the web server SV may provide audio feedback to the user WP via the charger 30 without the need for a call from the smartphone SP.

[0072] After executing the notification, in order to avoid causing confusion by making repeated notifications, the notification web server SV notifies the smartphone SP, charger 30, and hearing aid 10 to temporarily cancel the monitoring process for the user WP and return to normal operation (step S207), and then returns to processing from step S200.

[0073] [Effects of the embodiment] As described above in detail, according to this embodiment, it is determined that the hearing aid 10 as a device is stored in the charger 30 and electrically connected (step S200 in FIG. 5), and if it is determined that the hearing aid 10 is not being worn by the user WP, i.e., not being carried, the hearing aid 10 is made to perform a sound collection operation using the microphone 20 (step S203), and based on the sound collected in the sound collection operation, it is determined whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the user WP (steps S204, S205), and the determination result is notified via the web server SV to a pre-designated person other than the user WP (step S206). As described above, even when the hearing aid 10 is not being carried, it is possible to appropriately grasp the status of the user WP and proceed to notification or other processing as necessary.

[0074] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the hearing aid 10 further comprises a rechargeable battery as a power source, and has a charger 30 for charging the rechargeable battery, and when the hearing aid 10 is electrically connected to the charger 30, it is determined that the device is not being carried (worn) by the user. As described above, the user's activity state can be understood without increasing the effort required to handle devices used in daily life.

[0075] Furthermore, in this embodiment, hearing aid 10 further includes sensors 15-17 that detect biometric information of user WP, and further determines whether hearing aid 10 is being worn by user WP (step S100 in FIG. 4), and if it determines that hearing aid 10 is being worn by user WP, causes hearing aid 10 to acquire biometric information of user WP from sensors 15-17 (step S103 in FIG. 4), and determines whether an abnormality has occurred in user WP based on the collected sound data and the acquired biometric information of user WP (step S104). As a result, the user's activity state can be more accurately grasped.

[0076] Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is determined whether or not hearing aid 10 is being carried (steps S100, S200), and the frequency characteristics of the sound collection data acquired by the sound collection operation are adjusted so that they differ between when it is determined that hearing aid 10 is not being carried and when it is determined that hearing aid 10 is being carried (steps S103, S203). As described above, particularly when hearing aid 10 is not being used by user WP, the sound collection operation is performed without adjusting the frequency characteristics to make it easier to hear human voices, so the surrounding situation in which hearing aid 10 is placed can be determined more accurately.

[0077] In this embodiment, the hearing aid 10 further includes a speaker 21 that outputs sound to the user, and when the subject is notified via the web server SV, preset audio information is also output to the user WP by the speaker 21. As described above, if the notification is a false notification and no abnormality has occurred in the user WP, it is possible to immediately proceed to processing to cancel the notification. Furthermore, even if the user WP actually has an abnormality, if the abnormality is relatively mild, it is possible to provide support for the next necessary action.

[0078] The system configuration shown in Figure 1 is an example of a client / server system in which the smartphone SP connected to the hearing aid 10 and charger 30 is the client, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the function equivalent to the web server SV may be performed by multiple devices distributed on a network using cloud computing technology.

[0079] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the web server SV has been described as determining whether there is an abnormality in the user WP from the sound collection data obtained by the sound collection operation of the hearing aid 10, but it is also possible to configure the system so that this determination is performed by the charger 30 or the smartphone SP, and any abnormalities are reported by an external device connected to the network NW, such as the web server SV.

[0080] Furthermore, in this embodiment, charger 30 is configured to be connected to a household power source so that it cannot be carried by user WP while hearing aid 10 is charging, but it may also be configured to be portable while hearing aid 10 is charging. That is, charger 30 itself may be equipped with a battery for charging hearing aid 10. In this case, even if hearing aid 10 is stored in and electrically connected to charger 30, there are cases where hearing aid 10 is carried along with charger 30. For this reason, for example, whether hearing aid 10 is being carried by user WP may be determined based on acceleration detected by acceleration sensor 17 provided in hearing aid 10. If the detected acceleration remains at a value of 0 (zero) for a predetermined period of time, it may be determined that hearing aid 10 is not being carried by user WP (that is, it is placed on a desk, etc.), and if the detected acceleration does not remain at a value of 0 (zero) for a predetermined period of time, it may be determined that hearing aid 10 is being carried by user WP.

[0081] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to systems including hearing aids, but can also be applied to devices that are in environments where the user is able to acquire sounds around them, whether indoors or outdoors, such as portable information devices such as smartphones and wearable devices such as wristwatches.

[0082] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made in the implementation stage without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, the embodiments may be implemented in appropriate combinations where possible, in which case the combined effects can be obtained. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments include inventions at various stages, and various inventions can be extracted by appropriately combining the disclosed multiple constituent elements. For example, if some constituent elements are deleted from all constituent elements shown in the embodiments, and the problem stated in the "Problem to be Solved by the Invention" section can be solved and the effect stated in the "Effect of the Invention" section can be obtained, the configuration from which these constituent elements are deleted can be extracted as an invention.

[0083] The inventions described in the original claims of this application are set forth below. [Claim 1] An information processing method in a system including a device equipped with a microphone and carried by a user, comprising: a determining step of determining that the device is not carried by the user; a sound collection step of causing the device to perform a sound collection operation using the microphone when it is determined in the determination step that the device is not carried by the user; an abnormality determination step of determining whether or not an abnormality has occurred regarding the user based on sound collection data, which is sound data collected in the sound collection step; a notification step of notifying a previously designated target person other than the user of the determination result by the abnormality determination step via a notification device; An information processing method comprising: [Claim 2] The device further includes a rechargeable battery as a power source, The system further includes a charger for charging the rechargeable battery; The determining step determines that the device is not carried by the user when the device is electrically connected to the charger. 2. The information processing method according to claim 1. [Claim 3] The device further includes a detection unit that detects biological information of the user, The determining step further determines that the device is attached to the user, The method further includes an acquisition step of causing the device to acquire biometric information of the user using the detection unit when it is determined in the determination step that the device is worn by the user, The abnormality determination step determines whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the user based on the sound collection data collected in the sound collection step and the biological information of the user acquired in the acquisition step. 3. The information processing method according to claim 1 or 2. [Claim 4] In the determination step, it is determined whether the device is carried, The sound collection step sets the sound collection data by adjusting the frequency characteristics of the sound data acquired by the sound collection operation so as to be different between a case where it is determined in the determination step that the device is not carried and a case where it is determined that the device is carried. 4. The information processing method according to claim 1. [Claim 5] the device further includes an audio output unit that outputs audio to the user, In the notifying step, when notifying the target person via the notification device, preset voice information is also output to the user by the voice output unit. 5. The information processing method according to claim 1. [Claim 6] The device includes an information processing device, An information processing system in which the device and the information processing device cooperate to execute the information processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 5. [Claim 7] A program for causing a computer to execute the information processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 5. [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] 10. Hearing aids 11...Sound processing section 12...Control unit 13...Main memory 14...Program memory 15...Pulse sensor 16...Body temperature sensor 17...Acceleration sensor 18...Charge controller 19…Communications Department 20...Microphone 21...Speaker 30…Charger 31...Charge controller 32...Control unit 33...Main memory 34...Program memory 35...Battery controller 36…Communications Department B1, B2...bus lines NW...Network SP: Smartphone SV...Web server WP…User

Claims

1. Equipped with a rechargeable battery and microphone, Even when the device itself is stored in a charger with its power turned off, the charger performs a charging operation on the rechargeable battery, and when a monitoring state is set, the sound acquisition device receives a power supply from the charger from a system separate from the charging operation and performs sound collection operations with the microphone.

2. Equipped with a rechargeable battery and a microphone, When a charging operation to the rechargeable battery is performed by a charger and a monitoring state is set, the charger receives a power supply from a system separate from that for the charging operation and performs a sound collection operation with the microphone; When the charger performs a charging operation on the rechargeable battery and the monitoring state is not set, the charger does not supply power to the microphone and the sound acquisition device does not perform the sound collection operation.

3. Equipped with a rechargeable battery and a microphone, When a charging operation to the rechargeable battery is performed by a charger and a monitoring state is set, the charger receives a power supply from a system separate from that for the charging operation and performs a sound collection operation with the microphone; A sound acquisition device that transmits sound collection data acquired by the sound collection operation to an information terminal device that has the monitoring state set.

4. A sound acquisition device described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the charging operation is performed as contactless charging between the charger and the sound acquisition device.

5. A sound acquisition device as described in claim 2 or 3, wherein the charging operation is performed while the device itself is stored in the charger.

6. A sound acquisition device as described in claim 2 or 3, which performs the sound collection operation when the charging operation is performed and the monitoring state is set even when the device is stored in the charger with its power turned off.

7. A sound acquisition device as described in Claim 3, wherein when the charger performs a charging operation on the rechargeable battery and the monitoring state is not set, power is not supplied from the charger to the microphone and the sound collection operation is not performed.

8. An information processing method in which, even when the device itself is stored in a charger with its power turned off, the charger performs a charging operation on the rechargeable battery of a sound acquisition device, and when a monitoring state is set for the sound acquisition device, the sound acquisition device receives a power supply from the charger from a system separate from the charging operation and performs a sound collection operation using the microphone of the sound acquisition device.

9. The computer of the sound acquisition device A program that, even when the device itself is stored in a charger with its power turned off, causes the charger to charge the rechargeable battery of the sound acquisition device, and when a monitoring state is set for the sound acquisition device, causes the sound acquisition device to receive a power supply from the charger from a system separate from the charging operation and perform sound collection operations using the microphone of the sound acquisition device.

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