Electronic device, pointer control method and program

Abstract

To express pulsation of a living body in a more intuitively graspable mode.SOLUTION: An electronic apparatus 100 includes a display part 140 for displaying information by a pointer, and a processing part 110. The processing part 110 controls the display part 140 so that the number of times of pulsation of a living body is acquired, and a pulsation cycle based on the acquired number of times of pulsation of the living body is displayed by the pointer.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic device, a pointer control method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, electronic devices such as wristwatches worn on the body have been developed that use sensors such as optical sensors to measure biological information such as pulse rate. Many of these electronic devices display pulse rate numerically, but even when the pulse rate is displayed numerically, it can be difficult to grasp how fast the heart is actually beating. To solve this problem, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a watch that allows the user to intuitively grasp the measurement results of the pulse rate. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-187356 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The watch disclosed in Patent Document 1 allows the user to intuitively grasp the pulse rate by adjusting the number of times the hands move per revolution to approximately the same as the pulse rate, i.e., by moving the hands at approximately the same cycle as the heartbeat. However, due to this mechanism, the higher the pulse rate, the smaller the angle by which the hands move, making it difficult to grasp the movement of the hands. For example, if the pulse rate is 180 bpm (beats per minute) or higher, the angle by which the hands move per revolution is only 2 degrees or less, making the movement of the hands very difficult to grasp.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to provide an electronic device, a pointer control method, and a program that can represent the heartbeat of a living body in a manner that is more intuitively understandable. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the electronic device according to the present invention is to a display unit that displays information using pointers; a processing unit; Equipped with The processing unit Obtain the number of heartbeats of the living body, The display unit is controlled so that the needle represents a pulsation period based on the acquired number of pulsations of the living body. death , Controlling the display unit so that a vibration amplitude represents a pulsation period based on the number of pulsations of the living body obtained by vibrating the pointer in a rotation of a reference rotation angle and a reverse rotation thereof; starting vibration of the pointer from a base position, which is a starting position of the vibration; The pointer is a second hand, the base position is a position corresponding to the number of seconds of the current time, The processing unit further comprises: The pointer is made to vibrate while displaying the number of seconds. . [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, the pulsation of a living body can be expressed in a manner that allows for more intuitive understanding. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of an electronic device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a PPG waveform. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an external appearance of an electronic device as viewed from the front. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the appearance of an electronic device from the rear side. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a pointer control process according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a pointer vibration thread according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing an example of how the pointer of the small hand display unit in the embodiment vibrates. [Figure 8] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of vibration of a second hand according to an embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an ECG waveform. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Electronic devices and the like according to embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals.

[0010] (Embodiment) The electronic device according to the embodiment is a wristwatch-type device, such as a smartwatch, that can measure the user's pulse rate by being worn on the user's wrist.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, electronic device 100 according to the embodiment includes processing unit 110, storage unit 120, sensor unit 130, display unit 140, operation unit 150, timer unit 160, communication unit 170, and output unit 180.

[0012] The processing unit 110 is configured with a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The processing unit 110 executes a needle control process (to be described later) and the like using a program stored in the storage unit 120. The processing unit 110 also supports multi-thread processing and can execute multiple processes in parallel.

[0013] The storage unit 120 stores programs executed by the processing unit 110 and necessary data. The storage unit 120 may include, but is not limited to, a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory, etc. Note that the storage unit 120 may be provided inside the processing unit 110.

[0014] The sensor unit 130 includes a PPG (Photoplethysmography) sensor configured with an LED (Light Emitting Diode) and a PD (Photodiode) to detect a pulse wave. However, the sensor unit 130 may include a sensor other than a PPG sensor as long as it includes a sensor that detects the pulse of a living body. For example, the sensor unit 130 may include an ECG (Electrocardiogram) sensor attached to the chest to detect a heartbeat. However, in this embodiment, the sensor unit 130 will be described as including a PPG sensor attached to the wrist.

[0015] The sensor unit 130 receives light emitted from an LED toward a living body and reflected within the body using a PD, and detects the intensity of this received light as a pulse wave biosignal. The processing unit 110 calculates the peak-to-peak interval (PPI) and pulse rate (heart rate) by analyzing temporal changes in the value (AD value) obtained by AD-converting the intensity of light received by the PD using an analog-to-digital (AD) converter. The pulse wave sensor 131 may also include an analog front end (AFE). Even if the intensity of light received by the PD (analog signal) is too weak to be AD-converted as is, the analog signal can be adjusted by the AFE to enable AD conversion.

[0016] The PPI obtained by a PPG sensor is the time interval from the peak value of the AD value to the next peak value, and is also called the BBI (Beat to Beat Interval). Furthermore, the PPI and BBI basically coincide with the RRI (RR Interval), which is the time interval between R waves in an electrocardiogram obtained by an ECG sensor. Of the PPI, BBI, and RRI, the term RRI is the most commonly used, and therefore, in the following explanation, both PPI and BBI will be referred to as RRI. Furthermore, since the pulse rate and the heart rate are basically the same, in the following explanation, the heart rate will also be referred to as the pulse rate.

[0017] Using the PPG sensor, the processing unit 110 can acquire a waveform 200 (PPG waveform) that indicates the temporal change in the AD value, as shown in Fig. 2, for example. The processing unit 110 can then acquire the peak time interval (RRI) by detecting peaks (maximum points) on the waveform 200. The time at which the waveform 200 reaches its peak is called the peak timing. Furthermore, since the pulse rate is the number of pulses per unit time (one minute), if the unit used to express the RRI value is seconds, the following relationship holds: Average RRI for one minute during which pulse rate was measured = 60 ÷ pulse rate Pulse rate assuming the same RRI continues = 60 ÷ RRI

[0018] The display unit 140 includes a display device such as physical hands, a liquid crystal display, or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display. The display unit 140 displays the pulse rate measured by the sensor unit 130, the time measured by the timing unit 160, and the like. The display unit 140 may also include physical hands (second hand, minute hand, hour hand) and a date indicator, as well as an analog time display unit using a motor driver, motor, and gear train mechanism. The display unit 140 may also display the analog time by displaying images of hands on a display device such as a liquid crystal display, rather than a physical analog time display unit.

[0019] The operation unit 150 is a user interface such as a crown or a push button switch, and receives operation input from the user. The processing unit 110 can acquire what operation input the user has performed based on the detection results of the rotation of the crown of the operation unit 150, the pressed state of the switches, etc. If the electronic device 100 is equipped with a touch panel integrated with the display unit 140, this touch panel also serves as the operation unit 150 and receives tap operations and the like from the user.

[0020] The timing unit 160 measures the time that the electronic device 100 displays on the display unit 140. The timing unit 160 also has a function as a timer that measures a specified time. The timing unit 160 may be configured by software that changes a value stored in a predetermined address in the storage unit 120 every predetermined time (for example, every second), or may be configured by dedicated hardware. The timing unit 160 may also be provided inside the processing unit 110.

[0021] The communication unit 170 is a communication interface for the electronic device 100 to communicate data with external devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets, PCs (Personal Computers), other smartwatches, etc.) and to acquire information from the Internet. The communication unit 170 may include, but is not limited to, a wireless communication interface for communicating via Bluetooth (registered trademark) or a wireless LAN (Local Area Network).

[0022] Output unit 180 includes a speaker and outputs voice announcements and sound effects. Note that electronic device 100 may include an LED (light emitting unit) or a vibrator (vibration unit) as output unit 180 instead of or in addition to a speaker.

[0023] 3, the electronic device 100 has an external display unit 140 on the front surface, which includes an hour hand 141, a minute hand 142, a second hand 143, a date indicator 144, a pulse rate display unit 145, and a small hand display unit 146. The electronic device 100 displays the time with the hour hand 141, the minute hand 142, and the second hand 143, the date with the date indicator 144, and the user's pulse rate with the pulse rate display unit 145. The small hand display unit 146 can display various information depending on the functions of the electronic device 100, and one of its functions is to represent the heartbeat by the vibration of the hand 147 (the vibration amplitude is rotation and counter-rotation of a reference rotation angle).

[0024] 3, the electronic device 100 has a crown 151 and push button switches 152 and 153 on the side to accept user operations. As shown in Fig. 4, the electronic device 100 has an LED and a PD as a sensor unit 130 on the back. The processing unit 110 calculates the RRI and pulse rate based on the temporal change in the received light intensity (AD value) detected by the PD of the sensor unit 130.

[0025] 2, the processing unit 110 extracts pulse times 201t, 202t, and 203t by detecting peak values ​​of the AD value, and obtains the intervals 211i and 212i between these pulse times as the RRI. The processing unit 110 also obtains the number of peak values ​​per minute as the pulse rate.

[0026] Electronic device 100 displays the pulse rate on pulse rate display unit 145 and represents the heartbeat by the vibration of pointer 147 on small hand display unit 146. Fig. 3 shows that the pulse rate is 76 bpm (beats per minute) displayed on pulse rate display unit 145 and the heartbeat is represented by the vibration of pointer 147. Pointer 147 rotates from the vibration start position (base position) to the position of the maximum point (peak position) and then rotates in the reverse direction, thereby representing the vibration with a vibration amplitude of the reference rotation angle.

[0027] 3 shows an example in which the starting position of vibration of the hand 147 is a base position (the position of the hand 147 in FIG. 3), and the processing unit 110 rotates the hand 147 from the base position to a peak position (the position of the hand 148 indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 3), and then rotates the hand 147 in the reverse direction from the peak position to the base position, thereby vibrating the hand 147 to represent the heartbeat. The speed (rotation speed) of the hand 147 during this rotation and reverse rotation may be changed according to the pulse rate. For example, the higher the pulse rate, the faster the processing unit 110 increases the rotation speed, making it easier for the user to intuitively grasp the rate of the pulse rate from the speed (period) of the vibration of the hand.

[0028] Furthermore, the base position and peak position do not have to be fixed positions. For example, by fixing the base position and increasing the reference rotation angle, which is the amplitude of the vibration (the angle between the base position and the peak position in the example of FIG. 3), the higher the pulse rate, the easier it is for the user to intuitively grasp the rate of their pulse rate from the magnitude of the vibration of the hands (amplitude of vibration).

[0029] Also, while FIG. 3 shows an example in which the heartbeat is represented by the vibration of the pointer 147 of the small hand display unit 146, the representation of the heartbeat is not limited to the small hand display unit 146. The electronic device 100 may represent the heartbeat with other pointers (e.g., the second hand 143). In this case, for example, the second hand 143 will no longer indicate the number of seconds of the current time while representing the heartbeat, but the time for representing the heartbeat is limited (e.g., only 0.2 seconds out of 1 second). Therefore, even if the heartbeat is represented by the pointer that displays the time, the user can check the time without any problems. Furthermore, if the heartbeat is represented by the pointer that displays the time, the electronic device 100 can represent the heartbeat even if it does not have the small hand display unit 146.

[0030] When the second hand 143 represents the heartbeat, the processing unit 110 sets the base position of the vibration to a position that indicates the current number of seconds. This allows the user to check the number of seconds of the current time with the second hand 143, even when the heartbeat is represented by the second hand 143. Also in this case, for example, the reference rotation angle may be increased as the pulse rate increases. This makes it easier for the user to intuitively grasp the rate of the pulse rate from the magnitude of the vibration (vibration amplitude).

[0031] Next, the needle control process, which is a process by which the electronic device 100 causes the needle to represent the heartbeat, will be described with reference to Fig. 5. This needle control process is started when the user instructs the electronic device 100 to represent the heartbeat with the needle via the operation unit 150. Furthermore, when the electronic device 100 is started up, this needle control process may be started in parallel with other processes.

[0032] When the hand control process starts, the processing unit 110 first starts the RRI calculation thread (step S101). The RRI calculation thread is a process executed in parallel with the hand control process, and when AD values ​​are input in a time series, it detects the maximum point (peak) of the AD value and outputs the most recent RRI value and the most recent peak timing (beat time) to the hand control process. Note that the RRI value and peak timing can be calculated using existing technology (for example, the technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-45319), so details of the processing of the RRI calculation thread will be omitted.

[0033] Next, the processing unit 110 starts a hand vibration thread (step S102). The hand vibration thread is also a process executed in parallel with the hand control process, and is a process that expresses a pulse according to the RRI value and peak timing by vibrating the hands. The process of the hand vibration thread will be described in detail later.

[0034] Then, the processing unit 110 causes the LED of the sensor unit 130 to emit light (step S103). The light emitted from the LED and reflected by the living body is received by the PD of the sensor unit 130, and the processing unit 110 obtains an AD value obtained by converting the intensity of the light received by the PD using an AD converter (step S104).

[0035] Next, the processing unit 110 inputs the acquired AD value into the RRI calculation thread (step S105). Then, the processing unit 110 determines whether or not an RRI value has been output from the RRI calculation thread (step S106). If an RRI value has not been output (step S106; No), the processing unit 110 returns to step S103.

[0036] If an RRI value is output (step S106; Yes), the processing unit 110 acquires the RRI value and peak timing from the RRI calculation thread (step S107).Then, the processing unit 110 inputs the acquired RRI value and peak timing into the hand vibration thread (step S108), and returns to step S103.

[0037] Next, the hand vibration thread will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Note that the parameters of the hand vibration thread are assumed to be preset as a reference rotation angle (e.g., 135 degrees), a reference vibration period (e.g., 0.2 seconds), a unit rotation angle (e.g., 1 degree), and a reference delay time (e.g., 2 seconds).

[0038] The reference rotation angle is the angle at which the hand rotates in response to the heartbeat (the angle corresponding to the vibration amplitude of the hand), and in the example shown in Figure 3, it is the angle when the hand rotates from the base position to the peak position. The reference vibration period is the time required for the hand to start rotating and reversely rotating from the base position, with the vibration amplitude being the reference rotation angle, and finally return to the base position, and is the period of the hand vibration. The unit rotation angle is the rotation angle per rotation of the hand in the hand vibration thread. The reference delay time is the time difference between the actual peak timing and the timing at which the hand reaches the peak position.

[0039] In this embodiment, since the hands are moved after the peak timing of the AD value is confirmed, a discrepancy (delay) occurs between the actual heartbeat and the vibration of the hands, but this discrepancy can be reduced by shortening the reference delay time. However, since a time delay from the actual peak timing to the timing when the RRI calculation thread outputs the RRI value and peak timing is unavoidable, it is considered practical to set the reference delay time to about 1 to 2 seconds.

[0040] When the hand vibration thread is started, the processing unit 110 first determines whether the RRI value and peak timing have been input from the hand control processing (step S201). If the RRI value and peak timing have not yet been input from the hand control processing (step S201; No), the processing returns to step S201. If the RRI value and peak timing have been input from the hand control processing (step S201; Yes), the processing unit 110 acquires the RRI value and peak timing (step S202).

[0041] Next, the processing unit 110 calculates the operating frequency (step S203). This operating frequency determines how often the hands are moved in the hand vibration thread. Specifically, the processing unit 110 calculates the operating frequency using the following formula. The reason why the reference rotation angle is multiplied by 2 is because the reference rotation angle needs to be moved back and forth during the reference vibration period. Operating frequency = (reference rotation angle x 2) ÷ unit rotation angle ÷ reference vibration period

[0042] Next, the processing unit 110 assigns "BaseToPeak" to a variable representing the current state (step S204). This variable represents the direction in which the pointer is currently attempting to rotate. Initially, the pointer is at the base position, and the processing unit 110 is attempting to rotate the pointer from the base position toward the peak position, so the value of the variable is set to "BaseToPeak."

[0043] Then, the processing unit 110 determines whether the current timing is the operating frequency timing (step S205). Since the processing unit 110 controls the hands to vibrate with a delay of the reference delay time from the actual pulsation, if the current time is before "peak timing + reference delay time - reference oscillation period ÷ 2", the processing unit 110 determines that the current timing is not the operating frequency timing. If the current time is "peak timing + reference delay time - reference oscillation period ÷ 2 + operating frequency × n" (where n is an integer greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to (reference rotation angle × 2) ÷ unit rotation angle), the processing unit 110 determines that the current timing is the operating frequency timing.

[0044] If the current timing is not the operating frequency timing (step S205; No), the processing unit 110 returns to step S205.

[0045] If the current timing is the operating frequency timing (step S205; Yes), the processing unit 110 determines whether the current pointer position is the peak position (step S206). If the current pointer position is the peak position (step S206; Yes), the processing unit 110 assigns "PeakToBase" to the variable representing the state (step S207), and proceeds to step S208.

[0046] On the other hand, if the current needle position is not the peak position (step S206; No), the processing unit 110 proceeds to step S208.

[0047] In step S208, the processing unit 110 determines whether the value of the variable representing the state is “PeakToBase.” If the value of the variable representing the state is not “PeakToBase” (step S208; No), the processing unit 110 rotates the pointer by the unit rotation angle (step S209) and proceeds to step S211.

[0048] If the value of the variable representing the state is "PeakToBase" (step S208; Yes), the processing unit 110 rotates the pointer backward by the unit rotation angle (step S210), and the process proceeds to step S211.

[0049] In step S211, the processing unit 110 determines whether the current pointer position is the base position (step S211). If the current pointer position is not the base position (step S211; No), the processing unit 110 returns to step S205.

[0050] On the other hand, if the current pointer position is the base position (step S211; Yes), the processing unit 110 returns to step S201.

[0051] Through the above-described hand control process and hand vibration thread, electronic device 100 acquires the number of heartbeats and controls display unit 140 to display the heartbeat period based on the acquired number of heartbeats using the hands. In other words, since the heartbeat is displayed by the vibration of the hands, the user can more intuitively grasp the heartbeat.

[0052] Furthermore, since the processing unit 110 starts rotating the hands from the base positions when the current time is "peak timing + reference delay time - reference vibration period ÷ 2," that is, half the reference vibration period before the reference delay time has elapsed from the beat time, the hands will be positioned at the peak positions when the reference delay time has elapsed from the beat time. Therefore, if the delay due to the reference delay time is ignored, the user can grasp the actual beat timing from the timing when the hands are positioned at the peak positions.

[0053] The manner in which the pointer 147 of the small hand display unit 146 vibrates through the above-described pointer control process will be described with reference to Fig. 7. In this example, it is assumed that the base position is set to the 3 o'clock direction, the reference rotation angle is set to 135 degrees, the reference vibration period is set to 0.2 seconds, and the reference delay time is set to 2 seconds.

[0054] Initially, the pointer 147a of the small hand display unit 146a is located at the base position, as shown at the top of Fig. 7. Then, assume that the RRI calculation thread outputs the value "RRI value = 0.8 seconds, peak timing = 9:00:00 seconds." Then, the processing unit 110 starts rotating the pointer 147 when the time becomes 9:00:1.9 seconds (= "peak timing + reference delay time - reference oscillation period ÷ 2").

[0055] Then, when the time reaches 9:00:1.95 (= "peak timing + reference delay time - reference vibration period ÷ 4"), the pointer 147b of the small hand display unit 146b rotates as shown in the second image from the top of Figure 7, and when the time reaches 9:00:02 (= "peak timing + reference delay time"), the pointer 147c of the small hand display unit 146c rotates to the peak position as shown in the third image from the top of Figure 7.

[0056] After that, the direction of rotation of the hands reverses, and when the time reaches 9:00:2.05 (= "peak timing + reference delay time + reference oscillation period ÷ 4"), the hands 147b of the small hand display unit 146b rotate in the reverse direction as shown in the second image from the top in Figure 7, and when the time reaches 9:00:2.1 (= "peak timing + reference delay time + reference oscillation period ÷ 2"), the hands 147a of the small hand display unit 146a return to their base positions as shown at the top of Figure 7.

[0057] In this way, in the small hand display unit 146, the pointer 147 vibrates with a vibration amplitude of the reference rotation angle and reverse rotation, making it easier to grasp the beat of the user's heart.

[0058] An example in which the second hand 143 is used as the vibrating hand instead of the hand 147 of the small hand display unit 146 will be described with reference to Fig. 8. In this example, it is assumed that the base position is set in the direction indicating the number of seconds of the current time, the reference rotation angle is set to 30 degrees, the reference vibration period is set to 0.2 seconds, and the reference delay time is set to 2.1 seconds.

[0059] For example, suppose that at 16:07:55, the RRI calculation thread outputs the value "RRI value = 0.8 seconds, peak timing = 16:07:54 seconds." Then, the processing unit 110 starts rotating the second hand 143 when the time reaches 16:07:56 (= "peak timing + reference delay time - reference oscillation period ÷ 2"). At this point, the second hand 143a is located at the base position (56 seconds, which is the number of seconds of the current time) as shown at the top of Fig. 8.

[0060] Then, when the time reaches 16:07:56.05 (= "peak timing + reference delay time - reference oscillation period ÷ 4"), second hand 143b rotates to the 58.5 second position as shown in the second image from the top of Figure 8, and when the time reaches 16:07:56.1 (= "peak timing + reference delay time"), second hand 143c rotates to the peak position (1 second) as shown in the third image from the top of Figure 8.

[0061] Thereafter, the direction of rotation of the second hand 143 reverses, and when the time reaches 16:07:56.15 (= "peak timing + reference delay time + reference oscillation period ÷ 4"), the second hand 143b rotates in the reverse direction as shown in the second image from the top of Figure 8, and when the time reaches 16:07:56.2 (= "peak timing + reference delay time + reference oscillation period ÷ 2"), the second hand 143a returns to the base position (the position at 56 seconds, which is the number of seconds in the current time) as shown at the top of Figure 8.

[0062] In this way, even if the second hand 143 represents the pulse, the electronic device 100 can display the correct number of seconds with the second hand 143 except for the period of the reference vibration cycle (0.2 seconds in the above example). Moreover, the vibration of the second hand 143 during the period of the reference vibration cycle allows the user to intuitively grasp the pulse.

[0063] In the above example, the reference delay time is set to 2.1 seconds because it is considered easier to understand if the number of seconds does not change between the start and end of vibration of second hand 143. If the number of seconds changes between the start and end of vibration of second hand 143, no particular problem will arise if processing unit 110 controls second hand 143 to end its reverse rotation when it has rotated backward to the position corresponding to the number of seconds of the current time.

[0064] In the above embodiment, it is assumed that the rotation speed of the pointer when it rotates from the base position to the peak position is the same as the rotation speed when it rotates in the reverse direction from the peak position to the base position, but the rotation speed may be changed midway.

[0065] Furthermore, the reference oscillation period may be changed depending on the RRI value. For example, Normal vibration period = RRI ÷ x (where x is any real number greater than or equal to 1) This means that the rotation speed of the hands is proportional to the pulse rate, making it easier to intuitively grasp the pulse rate based on the rotation speed of the hands.

[0066] In the above-described embodiment, processing unit 110 expresses vibration by starting the rotation of the hand from the base position, reversing the direction of rotation when the hand has rotated by the reference rotation angle (peak position), and stopping the rotation when the hand has returned to the base position. In this case, the center position of the vibration of the hand is the position where the hand has rotated by half the reference rotation angle from the base position, but the center position of the vibration expressed by the hand is not limited to this position.

[0067] For example, the processing unit 110 may express vibration by starting the rotation of the pointer from a base position, reversing the direction of rotation when it has rotated to half the reference rotation angle (peak position), reversing the direction of rotation again when it has passed the base position and rotated further in the reverse direction to half the reference rotation angle, and stopping the rotation of the pointer when it has returned to the base position again.

[0068] In this case, the processing unit 110 starts rotating the hands from the base positions when the current time becomes "peak timing + reference delay time - reference vibration period ÷ 4," and reverses the direction of rotation at the peak position (when the current time becomes "peak timing + reference delay time"). Then, when the current time becomes "peak timing + reference delay time + reference vibration period ÷ 4," the hands pass the base positions and reach a point where they have rotated in the reverse direction by half the reference rotation angle from the base positions at "peak timing + reference delay time + reference vibration period ÷ 2," at which point the processing unit 110 reverses the direction of rotation. Then, when the current time becomes "peak timing + reference delay time + 3 × reference vibration period ÷ 4," the hands return to the base positions, and the processing unit 110 stops rotating the hands.

[0069] In this example, the center position of the vibration of the needle is the base position, so depending on the waveform of the pulse, the processing unit 110 can express a pulse that feels less uncomfortable by the vibration of the needle.

[0070] Furthermore, the center position of the vibration of the hand is not limited to the position where the hand is rotated by half the reference rotation angle from the base position, or the base position. The processing unit 110 may vibrate the hand by setting a position where the hand is rotated by any angle less than or equal to the reference rotation angle from the base position as the center position of the vibration of the hand (reference vibration center position). In this way, the processing unit 110 can, for example, make the hand vibrate in a way that is more suited to the waveform of the heartbeat.

[0071] (Variation 1) In the above-described embodiment, the sensor unit 130 includes a PPG sensor and acquires a PPG waveform as shown in Fig. 2. However, the waveforms handled by the electronic device 100 are not limited to PPG waveforms. As a first modification, an embodiment is also possible in which the sensor unit 130 includes an ECG sensor, and the processing unit 110 acquires a waveform 300 (ECG waveform) as shown in Fig. 9 based on an AD value obtained by AD converting a voltage value output by the ECG sensor.

[0072] In this case, the processing unit 110 can also extract beat times 301t, 302t, and 303t by detecting the peak value of the AD value, and obtain the intervals 311i and 312i between these beat times as the RRI, as shown in Fig. 9. Therefore, the processing unit 110 can execute the above-mentioned processes (hand control process, etc.) even by using the ECG waveform.

[0073] In this way, even if the sensor unit 130 does not include a PPG sensor, if it includes another sensor (for example, an ECG sensor) that can detect the pulsation of a living body, the processing unit 110 can express the pulsation by vibration of the hands.

[0074] (Variation 2) Furthermore, the processing unit 110 does not necessarily need to calculate the RRI by analyzing the waveform. For example, as described above, the average RRI value can be calculated from the pulse rate using the following formula: Average RRI for one minute during which pulse rate was measured = 60 ÷ pulse rate Therefore, as a second modification, an embodiment is also conceivable in which an average RRI value is calculated from the pulse rate, and the pulse is expressed by the vibration of the hands based on this RRI value.

[0075] In Modification 2, instead of the RRI calculation thread described above, a pulse rate calculation thread is executed in parallel with other processing, and the pulse rate is periodically (at every pulse rate calculation interval) output to the processing unit 110. Since the pulse rate can also be calculated using existing technology (for example, the technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-58022), details of the processing of the pulse rate calculation thread will be omitted.

[0076] Then, each time the pulse rate is obtained, the processing unit 110 calculates the RRI value as "RRI = 60 ÷ pulse rate", adds this calculated RRI value to the most recent peak timing, sets the value obtained as the next peak timing, and inputs the RRI value and peak timing into the hand vibration thread.

[0077] By performing the process in this manner, even if the exact peak timing or RRI value is unknown, the processing unit 110 can express a natural pulsation by vibrating the hands based on the pulse rate.

[0078] (Other variations) Furthermore, the expression of heartbeats in electronic device 100 is not limited to the vibration of hands. Electronic device 100 may express heartbeats by, for example, outputting sound with a vibrationally changing volume using output unit 180. In this case, processing unit 110 starts outputting a small sound when the time reaches "peak timing + reference delay time - reference oscillation period ÷ 2," gradually increases the volume, maximizes the volume when the time reaches "peak timing + reference delay time," and then gradually decreases the volume until it stops outputting the sound when the time reaches "peak timing + reference delay time + reference oscillation period ÷ 2."

[0079] Furthermore, the electronic device 100 may include a vibration unit that vibrates the electronic device 100 as the output unit 180, and may express pulsation by varying the magnitude of the vibration by the vibration unit in an oscillatory manner. In this case, the processing unit 110, for example, starts a small vibration when the time reaches "peak timing + reference delay time - reference vibration period ÷ 2", gradually increases the magnitude of the vibration, maximizes the magnitude of the vibration when the time reaches "peak timing + reference delay time", then gradually decreases the magnitude of the vibration, and stops the vibration when the time reaches "peak timing + reference delay time + reference vibration period ÷ 2".

[0080] Furthermore, the electronic device 100 may include a light-emitting unit (e.g., an LED) as the output unit 180, and may express pulsation by oscillatorily changing the intensity of light emitted by the light-emitting unit. In this case, the processing unit 110, for example, starts a very dim light emission from the LED when the time reaches "peak timing + reference delay time - reference oscillation period ÷ 2," gradually increases the brightness of the LED, maximizes the brightness when the time reaches "peak timing + reference delay time," then gradually decreases the brightness, and stops the light emission when the time reaches "peak timing + reference delay time + reference oscillation period ÷ 2."

[0081] Furthermore, in addition to representing the heartbeat by the vibration of the hands, processing unit 110 may represent the heartbeat by using at least one of the above-mentioned sound, vibration, and light.

[0082] In the above-described embodiment, electronic device 100 has been described as representing the pulsation of the heart (heartbeat) or the pulsation of the arteries (pulse) by vibration of the pointer or the like, but the pulsation represented by electronic device 100 is not limited to the pulsation of the heart or the arteries. For example, processing unit 110 may detect the pulsation of the lungs (expansion and contraction of the lungs) using sensor unit 130 and represent the pulsation of the lungs by vibration of the pointer or the like.

[0083] Furthermore, electronic device 100 may increase or decrease the number of sensors included in sensor unit 130 as necessary, and processing unit 110 may express any biological pulse obtained from sensor unit 130 by vibration of the hands, etc.

[0084] Note that electronic device 100 can also be realized by a wearable computer that can be worn on the user's body, or a computer such as a smartphone, tablet, or PC that can acquire detection values ​​detected by sensors worn on the user's body. Specifically, in the above embodiment, the program for the pointer control process and the like executed by electronic device 100 has been described as being pre-stored in storage unit 120. However, the program may be stored and distributed on a computer-readable recording medium such as a flexible disk, CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), MO (Magneto-Optical disc), memory card, or USB memory, and the program may be read and installed on a computer to configure a computer that can execute each of the above-mentioned processes.

[0085] Furthermore, the program may be superimposed on a carrier wave and applied via a communication medium such as the Internet. For example, the program may be posted and distributed on a bulletin board system (BBS) on a communication network. The program may then be started and executed under the control of an operating system (OS) in the same way as other application programs, thereby enabling the above-described processes to be performed.

[0086] In addition, the processing unit 110 may be configured by any single processor such as a single processor, multiprocessor, or multi-core processor, or may be configured by combining any of these processors with processing circuits such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array).

[0087] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and includes the inventions set forth in the claims and their equivalents. The inventions set forth in the original claims of this application are set forth below.

[0088] (Appendix 1) a display unit that displays information using pointers; a processing unit; Equipped with The processing unit Obtain the number of heartbeats of the living body, controlling the display unit so that the needle represents a pulsation period based on the acquired number of pulsations of the living body; electronic equipment.

[0089] (Appendix 2) The processing unit and controlling the display unit so that a vibration amplitude represents a pulsation period based on the number of pulsations of the living body obtained by vibrating the pointer in a rotation of a reference rotation angle and a reverse rotation. 1. The electronic device described in Appendix 1.

[0090] (Appendix 3) The processing unit The greater the number of times the value is acquired, the faster the rotation speed of the pointer is increased. 1. An electronic device as described in Appendix 2.

[0091] (Appendix 4) The processing unit The reference rotation angle is increased as the number of times the reference rotation angle is acquired increases. 4. The electronic device according to claim 2 or 3.

[0092] (Appendix 5) The processing unit starting vibration of the pointer from a base position which is a start position of the vibration; 5. The electronic device according to any one of claims 2 to 4.

[0093] (Appendix 6) The processing unit A beat time, which is the time of the maximum point of the beat, is acquired; vibrating the pointer so that the pointer is positioned at a peak position, which is the position of the maximum point of the vibration, at a timing when a reference delay time has elapsed from the acquired beat time; 10. The electronic device described in Appendix 5.

[0094] (Appendix 7) The processing unit starting vibration of the pointer from the base position at a timing that is half a time of a reference vibration period before a timing that is a reference delay time from the acquired beat time; 10. The electronic device described in Appendix 6.

[0095] (Appendix 8) The processing unit changing the reference vibration period in accordance with the calculated number of times; 8. The electronic device according to claim 7.

[0096] (Appendix 9) The pointer is a second hand, the base position is a position corresponding to the number of seconds of the current time, The processing unit vibrating the pointer while displaying the number of seconds with the pointer; 9. The electronic device according to any one of appendices 5 to 8.

[0097] (Appendix 10) The processing unit vibrating the pointer so that the reference vibration center position is the center position of the vibration; 10. The electronic device of any one of appendices 2 to 9.

[0098] (Appendix 11) The pulsation is a pulse. 11. The electronic device of any one of appendices 1 to 10.

[0099] (Appendix 12) The processing unit acquires the number of pulsations of the living body per unit time. 12. The electronic device of any one of appendices 1 to 11.

[0100] (Appendix 13) A pointer control method for an electronic device having a display unit that displays information using pointers and a processing unit, comprising: The processing unit Obtain the number of heartbeats of the living body, controlling the display unit so that the needle represents a pulsation period based on the acquired number of pulsations of the living body; Pointer control method.

[0101] (Appendix 14) A computer of an electronic device having a display unit that displays information using pointers and a processing unit, Obtain the number of heartbeats of the living body, controlling the display unit so that the needle represents a pulsation period based on the acquired number of pulsations of the living body; A program that executes a process. [Explanation of symbols]

[0102] 100...electronic device, 110...processing unit, 120...memory unit, 130...sensor unit, 140...display unit, 141...hour hand, 142...minute hand, 143, 143a, 143b, 143c...second hand, 144...date wheel, 145...pulse rate display unit, 146, 146a, 146b, 146c...small hand display unit, 147, 147a, 147b, 147c, 148... pointer, 150... operation unit, 151... crown, 152, 153... push button switch, 160... timing unit, 170... communication unit, 180... output unit, 200, 300... waveform, 201t, 202t, 203t, 301t, 302t, 303t... beat time, 211i, 212i, 311i, 312i... interval

Claims

1. a display unit that displays information using pointers; a processing unit; Equipped with The processing unit Obtain the number of heartbeats of the living body, controlling the display unit so that the needle represents a pulsation period based on the acquired number of pulsations of the living body; Controlling the display unit so that a vibration amplitude represents a pulsation period based on the number of pulsations of the living body obtained by vibrating the pointer in a rotation of a reference rotation angle and a reverse rotation thereof; starting vibration of the pointer from a base position, which is a starting position of the vibration; The pointer is a second hand, the base position is a position corresponding to the number of seconds of the current time, The processing unit further comprises: vibrating the pointer while displaying the number of seconds with the pointer; electronic equipment.

2. The processing unit The greater the number of times the value is acquired, the faster the rotation speed of the pointer is increased. The electronic device according to claim 1 .

3. The processing unit The reference rotation angle is increased as the number of times the reference rotation angle is acquired increases.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The processing unit A beat time, which is the time of the maximum point of the beat, is acquired; vibrating the pointer so that the pointer is positioned at a peak position, which is the position of the maximum point of the vibration, at a timing when a reference delay time has elapsed from the acquired beat time; The electronic device according to claim 1 .

5. The processing unit starting vibration of the pointer from the base position at a timing that is half a time of a reference vibration period before a timing that is a reference delay time from the acquired beat time; 5. The electronic device according to claim 4.

6. The electronic device further includes a sensor unit, The processing unit The reference oscillation period is changed according to the number of times calculated based on the biological signal detected by the sensor unit. The electronic device according to claim 5 .

7. The processing unit vibrating the pointer so that the reference vibration center position is the center position of the vibration; The electronic device according to claim 1 .

8. The pulsation is a pulse. The electronic device according to claim 1 .

9. The processing unit acquires the number of pulsations of the living body per unit time. The electronic device according to claim 1 .

10. A pointer control method for an electronic device having a display unit that displays information using pointers and a processing unit, comprising: The processing unit Obtain the number of heartbeats of the living body, controlling the display unit so that the needle represents a pulsation period based on the acquired number of pulsations of the living body; Controlling the display unit so that a vibration amplitude represents a pulsation period based on the number of pulsations of the living body obtained by vibrating the pointer in a rotation of a reference rotation angle and a reverse rotation thereof; starting vibration of the pointer from a base position, which is a starting position of the vibration; The pointer is a second hand, the base position is a position corresponding to the number of seconds of the current time, The processing unit further vibrating the pointer while displaying the number of seconds with the pointer; Pointer control method.

11. A computer of an electronic device having a display unit that displays information using pointers and a processing unit, Obtain the number of heartbeats of the living body, controlling the display unit so that the needle represents a pulsation period based on the acquired number of pulsations of the living body; Controlling the display unit so that a vibration amplitude represents a pulsation period based on the number of pulsations of the living body obtained by vibrating the pointer in a rotation of a reference rotation angle and a reverse rotation thereof; starting vibration of the pointer from a base position, which is a starting position of the vibration; The pointer is a second hand, the base position is a position corresponding to the number of seconds of the current time, The computer of the electronic device further includes: vibrating the pointer while displaying the number of seconds with the pointer; A program that executes a process.

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