Health management system, health management method, and program

The health management system improves authentication accuracy and reduces user burden by using electrocardiogram or pulse wave measurements for user authentication and health risk estimation, addressing inaccuracies in existing systems.

JP7788650B2Active Publication Date: 2025-12-19PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2024517889
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
Priority Date
2022-04-25
Filing Date
2023-03-10
Publication Date
2025-12-19
Estimated Expiration
2043-03-10

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing health management systems face inaccuracies in user authentication and impose a burden on users by using physical characteristics like weight for authentication, which are not suitable for health management data.

Method used

A health management system utilizing electrocardiogram or pulse wave measurements for user authentication, including a sensor, server, and information terminal, to improve accuracy and reduce user burden by estimating health risks based on these biometric data.

Benefits of technology

The system enhances authentication accuracy and reduces user burden by using electrocardiogram or pulse wave measurements, allowing for reliable health risk estimation and easy health management.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Patent Text Reader

Abstract

This health management system (200) comprises: a sensor (10) installed in an individual room space (80) which is provided for a user to use an apparatus (20); a server (100); and an information terminal (30). The sensor (10) measures an electrocardiogram or a pulse wave of a user who has entered the individual room space (80), and the server (100) comprises: an acquisition unit (121) which acquires the measured electrocardiogram or pulse wave of the user; an authentication unit (122) which authenticates the user on the basis of the measured electrocardiogram or pulse wave of the user; a calculation unit (124) which calculates the feature amount of the electrocardiogram or pulse wave of the authenticated user; an estimation unit (125) which estimates a health risk for the user on the basis of the calculated feature amount; and an output unit (126) which outputs information pertaining to the estimated health risk for the user. The information terminal (30) presents the user with the information pertaining to the health risk output by the output unit (126).
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Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a health management system, a health management method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, people have become more conscious of health management, and technologies have been proposed that allow users to easily manage their own health in their daily lives. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a networked biometric information collection and recording system for health management that authenticates a user based on their weight and can collect biometric information of an individual as they engage in daily activities. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 3539371 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, data indicating the user's physical characteristics, such as weight, is used for user authentication, which may result in inaccurate authentication for an unspecified number of users. In addition, the data used for authentication differs from the data used for health management, which may be a burden to the user.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention provides a health management system, a health management method, and a system that can improve the accuracy of personal authentication while reducing the burden on the user. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A health management system according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a sensor installed in a private space where a user can use equipment, a server, and an information terminal, wherein the sensor measures the electrocardiogram or pulse wave of the user who enters the private space, and the server comprises an acquisition unit that acquires the electrocardiogram or pulse wave of the user measured by the sensor, an authentication unit that authenticates the user based on the electrocardiogram or pulse wave of the user acquired by the acquisition unit, a calculation unit that calculates features of the electrocardiogram or pulse wave of the user authenticated by the authentication unit, an estimation unit that estimates the health risk of the user based on the features calculated by the calculation unit, and an output unit that outputs information regarding the health risk of the user estimated by the estimation unit, and the information terminal presents the information regarding the health risk output by the output unit to the user.

[0007] A health management method according to one aspect of the present invention is a health management method using a health management system that includes a sensor installed in a private space where a user can use equipment, a server, and an information terminal, wherein the sensor measures the electrocardiogram or pulse wave of the user who enters the private space, the server acquires the electrocardiogram or pulse wave of the user measured by the sensor, authenticates the user based on the acquired electrocardiogram or pulse wave of the user, calculates features of the electrocardiogram or pulse wave of the authenticated user, estimates a health risk of the user based on the calculated features, and outputs information related to the estimated health risk of the user, and the information terminal presents the information related to the health risk output by the server to the user.

[0008] A program according to one aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute the health management method. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The present invention provides a health management system and the like that can improve the accuracy of personal authentication while reducing the burden on the user. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of a health management system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a health management system according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an RR interval calculated from an electrocardiogram. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a PP interval calculated from a pulse wave. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an example of the operation of the health management system according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a detailed flow of step S03 in FIG. [Figure 7A] FIG. 7A is a diagram showing an example of a notification prompting the user to update the authentication data. [Figure 7B] FIG. 7B is a diagram showing an example of an authentication data update screen. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of information on health risks presented to the user. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing another example of information on health risks presented to the user. [Figure 10A] FIG. 10A is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen for user registration. [Figure 10B] FIG. 10B is a diagram showing an example of the authentication data setting and registration screen. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, component placement and connection forms, steps, and step order shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components not recited in independent claims will be described as optional components.

[0012] It should be noted that the drawings are schematic diagrams and are not necessarily strict illustrations. In addition, in the drawings, substantially the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions may be omitted or simplified.

[0013] (Embodiment) [1. Overview] First, an overview of a health management system according to an embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of a health management system according to an embodiment.

[0014] The health management system according to the embodiment authenticates the user based on the user's biometric information measured by a sensor 10 installed in a private space 80, and also estimates the user's health risk and presents information regarding the health risk to the user.

[0015] The private space 80 is a space in which a user uses the device 20 within the private space 80, and is a space partitioned by at least one of a wall, a partition, and a door, for example. For example, if the device 20 is a toilet seat, the private space 80 is a toilet stall.

[0016] The sensor 10 may be, for example, a contact-type sensor that measures the user's biometric information by physically contacting the user, or a non-contact-type sensor that measures the user's biometric information without physically contacting the user. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the sensor 10 may be provided in the device 20 (e.g., a toilet seat), or may be installed on a wall, ceiling, or handrail attached to a wall of the private space 80. For example, when the sensor 10 is provided in the device 20 or when the sensor 10 is installed on a handrail of the private space 80, the sensor 10 may be a contact-type sensor. Also, when the sensor 10 is installed on the wall or ceiling of the private space 80, the sensor 10 may be a non-contact-type sensor. In this case, the sensor 10 may be a radio wave sensor, an infrared sensor, or the like.

[0017] The user's biological information may be, for example, an electrocardiogram or pulse wave, but may also be an electroencephalogram, respiratory rate, blood pressure, sweat rate, or body temperature, or any combination thereof. In this case, the sensor 10 may be, for example, an electrocardiogram sensor or pulse wave sensor, but may also be an electroencephalogram sensor, respiratory rate, blood pressure sensor, sweat rate sensor, or body temperature sensor, or any combination thereof.

[0018] The user is authenticated by, for example, comparing biometric information such as an electrocardiogram or pulse wave measured by the sensor 10 with biometric information (hereinafter also referred to as authentication data) such as an electrocardiogram or pulse wave of the user that is registered in advance in a database (for example, an authentication database described later). Details will be described later.

[0019] The health risk may be, for example, the 3H risk (specifically, high blood pressure, hyperglycemia, and hyperlipidemia), but may also be the risk of premenstrual syndrome, mental disorders, or migraine, or any combination of these.

[0020] The information on health risk may include at least one of the following: the type of health risk (e.g., the above-mentioned 3H risk), the health risk level, which is the degree of the health risk, the change in the health risk level over a predetermined period of time, a frequency distribution of the health risk levels of multiple users of the same age as the user, and the user's position in the frequency distribution. Furthermore, the information on health risk may include, for example, advice for the user on improving lifestyle habits. The change in the health risk level over a predetermined period of time may be the change in the health risk level over a medium- to long-term period of time, such as one month, three months, six months, or one year. The predetermined period may be set appropriately by the user.

[0021] [2. Configuration] Next, the configuration of the health management system according to the embodiment will be described. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the health management system according to the embodiment.

[0022] 2, the health management system 200 includes a sensor 10 installed in a private room 80 where a user can use the device 20, a server 100, and an information terminal 30. The sensor 10, the device 20, the server 100, and the information terminal 30 may be connected to each other via communication. Each component will be described below.

[0023] 2 shows an example in which the sensor 10 and the device 20 are installed separately in the private space 80, but the device 20 may be equipped with the sensor 10 as in the example of FIG. 1. The contents explained in the overview above will be omitted or simplified.

[0024] [Sensor] The sensor 10 is installed, for example, in a private space 80 where a user uses the device 20, and measures the electrocardiogram or pulse wave of the user who enters the private space 80. More specifically, the sensor 10 is an electrocardiogram sensor or a pulse wave sensor, but is not limited to this. The sensor 10 may be a contact sensor or a non-contact sensor.

[0025] Although FIG. 2 shows an example in which the sensor 10 is installed separately from the device 20 in the private space 80, the sensor 10 may also be provided in the device 20. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the sensor 10 may be installed on the handrail of the device 20 (e.g., a toilet seat). In this case, the sensor 10 may come into physical contact with the user to acquire the user's electrocardiogram or pulse wave.

[0026] Furthermore, for example, when the sensor 10 is installed separately from the device 20, the sensor 10 may be installed on a wall or ceiling of the private space 80, or on a handrail attached to a wall (see, for example, FIG. 1). In this case, the sensor 10 may acquire the electrocardiogram or pulse wave of the user without physical contact with the user or by physical contact with the user.

[0027] [device] The device 20 is installed in the private room 80 and used by the user. The device 20 is, for example, a toilet seat, but is not limited to this. For example, the device 20 may be a device such as a handrail that can be grasped with both hands or a bicycle handlebar.

[0028] [Information terminal] The information terminal 30 is a portable information terminal such as a smartphone, a wearable device, or a tablet device, and is used by a user. The information terminal 30 presents, for example, information about health risks output from the server 100 and notifications to the user. The information about health risks has been described above, so a description thereof will be omitted here. The notifications include, for example, a notification urging the user to update authentication data and a notification urging the user to use the device 20.

[0029] Furthermore, the information terminal 30 may, for example, accept an instruction from a user and output the accepted instruction to the server 100. For example, when the information terminal 30 accepts an instruction from a user to update authentication data, the information terminal 30 may output the update instruction to the server 100.

[0030] [server] The server 100 acquires the user's electrocardiogram or pulse wave measured by the sensor 10, authenticates the user based on the acquired electrocardiogram or pulse wave, calculates feature quantities of the authenticated user's electrocardiogram or pulse wave, and estimates the user's health risk based on the calculated feature quantities. The server 100 outputs information about the estimated health risk to the information terminal 30.

[0031] The server 100 includes, for example, a communication unit 110, an information processing unit 120, a storage unit 130, and a model generation unit 140.

[0032] [Communications Department] The communication unit 110 receives biosignals such as electrocardiograms or pulse waves of a user who has entered the private space 80, measured by the sensor 10, as well as instructions from the user received by the information terminal 30. Specifically, the communication unit 110 is a wireless communication circuit that performs wireless communication, but may also be a wired communication circuit that performs wired communication. The communication standard for communication performed by the communication unit 110 is not particularly limited.

[0033] [Information Processing Department] The information processing unit 120 performs various information processing operations, such as user authentication, health risk estimation, output of information related to health risks, output of notifications to the user, and updating of user authentication data. Specifically, the information processing unit 120 may be realized by a microcomputer, a processor, or a dedicated circuit. The information processing unit 120 may also be realized by a combination of two or more of a microcomputer, a processor, and a dedicated circuit.

[0034] The information processing unit 120 includes, for example, an acquisition unit 121, an authentication unit 122, a management unit 123, a calculation unit 124, an estimation unit 125, and an output unit 126.

[0035] The acquisition unit 121 acquires, for example, the electrocardiogram or pulse wave of the user measured by the sensor 10.

[0036] The authentication unit 122 authenticates the user based on, for example, the user's electrocardiogram or pulse wave acquired by the acquisition unit 121. More specifically, when the acquisition unit 121 acquires the user's electrocardiogram or pulse wave (in other words, measurement data), the authentication unit 122 selects authentication data that has the highest similarity to the user's electrocardiogram or pulse wave (so-called measurement data) from a plurality of pieces of authentication data that are the electrocardiograms or pulse waves of a plurality of users pre-registered in the authentication database 131. Then, for example, the authentication unit 122 authenticates the user when the similarity between the selected authentication data and the user's electrocardiogram or pulse wave (so-called measurement data) is equal to or greater than a first threshold (for example, 80 points out of 100), and does not authenticate the user when the similarity is lower than the first threshold (for example, 80 points).

[0037] The management unit 123 manages, for example, user information related to the user. The user information includes, for example, user identification information (for example, the user's registered ID (identifier)), registration information (for example, the user's name, gender, age, application ID, device 20 ID, etc.), authentication data, measurement data (for example, biological information such as an electrocardiogram or pulse wave), and health risk estimation results. For example, when the user is authenticated a predetermined number of times by the authentication unit 122, the management unit 123 outputs an instruction to the calculation unit 124 to calculate an RR interval or a PP interval. The RR interval is an example of a feature calculated from an electrocardiogram, and the PP interval is an example of a feature calculated from a pulse wave. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an RR interval calculated from an electrocardiogram. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a PP interval calculated from a pulse wave. The RR interval is the interval between temporally adjacent R waves in an electrocardiogram (so-called electrocardiographic waveform) (see FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b)). The PP interval is the interval between P waves that are adjacent in time in a pulse wave (see FIG. 4). For example, the management unit 123 associates the RR interval or PP interval calculated by the calculation unit 124 and the health risk estimated by the estimation unit 125 with the user's identification information and stores them in the history database 132, acquires information related to the health risk based on the history database 132, and outputs the acquired information related to the health risk to the information terminal 30 via the output unit 126. Note that the information related to the health risk has been described above, so a description thereof will be omitted here.

[0038] For example, if the history database 132 for a user has not been updated for a predetermined period of time, the management unit 123 outputs a notification to the information terminal 30 via the output unit 126, urging the user to use the device 20.

[0039] For example, if the user is not authenticated by the authentication unit 122 and the similarity is equal to or greater than a second threshold (for example, 60 points out of 100), the management unit 123 outputs a notification to the information terminal 30 via the output unit 126 urging the user to update the authentication data.

[0040] For example, based on an instruction to update the authentication data output from the information terminal 30, the management unit 123 updates the user's authentication data with the electrocardiogram or pulse wave of the user newly measured by the sensor 10.

[0041] The calculation unit 124 calculates, for example, a feature amount of an electrocardiogram or a pulse wave of a user authenticated by the authentication unit 122. More specifically, the calculation unit 124 calculates, for example, an RR interval or a PP interval from an electrocardiogram or a pulse wave acquired by the acquisition unit 121. For example, upon acquiring a calculation instruction output by the management unit 123, the calculation unit 124 calculates an RR interval or a PP interval based on a predetermined number of electrocardiograms or pulse waves used in a predetermined number of authentications.

[0042] The estimation unit 125 estimates the health risk of the user based on, for example, the feature amount calculated by the calculation unit 124. More specifically, the estimation unit 125 estimates the health risk of the user based on the RR interval or the PP interval calculated by the calculation unit.

[0043] For example, the output unit 126 outputs information about the user's health risk estimated by the estimation unit 125 to the information terminal 30. The output unit 126 may also output information about the user's health risk obtained based on the history database 132 to the information terminal 30. For example, the output unit 126 may also output notifications to the information terminal 30, such as a notification urging the user to update the authentication data and a notification urging the user to use the device 20.

[0044] [Storage] The storage unit 130 is a storage device that stores, for example, a control program executed by the information processing unit 120. For example, the storage unit 130 may store an authentication database (for example, the authentication DB in FIG. 2), a history database (for example, the history DB in FIG. 2), a model 133, and the like. Specifically, the storage unit 130 is realized by a semiconductor memory, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or the like.

[0045] The authentication database 131, for example, registers the user's electrocardiogram or pulse wave measured by the sensor 10 as authentication data in association with the user's identification information. For example, the authentication data of a plurality of users is registered in the authentication database 131. Furthermore, for example, the evaluation data registered in the authentication database 131 may be overwritten and saved with the user's electrocardiogram or pulse wave newly measured by the sensor 10 based on an instruction from the user to update the evaluation data. This updates the authentication data of the user in the authentication database 131.

[0046] The history database 132 stores, for example, the RR interval or the PP interval (so-called feature amount) calculated by the calculation unit 124 and the health risk estimated by the estimation unit 125, linked to the user's identification information. For example, the history database 132 stores, for multiple users, the feature amount of each user and the estimated health risk, linked to the user's identification information.

[0047] The model 133 is, for example, a machine learning model generated by learning the correlation between the RR interval or PP interval and a health risk. The model 133 is a function model (e.g., a logistic function) or a typical neural network (NN) that uses features related to heart rate variability extracted from the RR interval or PP interval as input and probabilistically calculates a health risk. The features related to heart rate variability include features in the time domain, the frequency domain, and the nonlinear domain. The storage unit 130 may store learning data (not shown in FIG. 2) used to generate the model 133. The learning data is generated, for example, by adding information indicating a health risk (e.g., the type and degree of health risk) to electrocardiogram or pulse wave data (time-series numerical values) for a predetermined period of time (e.g., 60 seconds).

[0048] An authentication model (not shown) used for user authentication may also be stored in the storage unit 130. For example, the authentication model receives one beat of an electrocardiogram waveform as input, determines the similarity at the image level, and outputs the similarity with the authentication data of multiple users registered in the authentication database 131.

[0049] [Model generation section] The model generation unit 140 may generate the model 133 by, for example, machine learning using training data. The model generation unit 140 uses the training data to learn to optimize the parameters of the model. That is, time-series numerical data of the electrocardiogram or pulse wave of the training data is input to the model, and parameters are determined so that the difference between the output value of the model and the true value of the health risk is minimized for all training data, thereby generating the model 133 that outputs the health risk of the user. The model generation unit 140 is usually processed offline in advance.

[0050] [3. Operation] Next, an example of the operation of the health management system 200 according to the embodiment will be described. Fig. 5 is a flowchart of an example of the operation of the health management system 200 according to the embodiment. Here, an example will be described in which the device 20 is a toilet seat and the sensor 10 is provided in the device 20, as shown in Fig. 1.

[0051] When a user enters private space 80 and places his / her hand on sensor 10, for example, sensor 10 measures the user's electrocardiogram or pulse wave (S01). At this time, the measurement time by sensor 10 is, for example, 10 seconds. Sensor 10 transmits the electrocardiogram or pulse wave (hereinafter also referred to as measurement data) measured in step S01 to server 100 via communication (not shown in FIG. 5).

[0052] Next, the acquisition unit 121 of the server 100 acquires the measurement data received by the communication unit 110 (S02). Upon acquiring the measurement data, the acquisition unit 121 outputs the acquired measurement data to the authentication unit 122 (not shown in FIG. 5).

[0053] The authentication unit 122 authenticates the user based on the measurement data acquired by the acquisition unit 121 in step S02 (S03). Step S03 will now be described in more detail with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a detailed flow of step S03 in Fig. 5.

[0054] When the measurement data is acquired by the acquisition unit 121 in step S02, the authentication unit 122 refers to the authentication database 131 and compares it with a plurality of pieces of authentication data, which are electrocardiograms or pulse waves of a plurality of users pre-registered in the authentication database (S11). At this time, as described above, the authentication unit 122 may use an authentication model (not shown in FIG. 2) to output a similarity for each of the authentication data of the plurality of users.

[0055] Next, the authentication unit 122 selects the authentication data having the highest similarity to the measurement data from among the authentication data of a plurality of users stored in the authentication database 131 (S12).

[0056] Next, the authentication unit 122 determines whether the similarity between the measurement data and the authentication data selected in step S12 is equal to or greater than a first threshold (S13). If the authentication unit 122 determines that the similarity is equal to or greater than the first threshold (Yes in S13), it authenticates the user as associated with the authentication data selected in step S12 (S14).

[0057] On the other hand, if the authentication unit 122 determines that the similarity is not equal to or greater than the first threshold (in other words, lower than the first threshold) (No in S13), it does not authenticate the user (not shown in FIG. 6). In this case, the management unit 123 determines whether the similarity between the measurement data and the authentication data selected in step S12 is equal to or greater than the second threshold (S15). If the management unit 123 determines that the similarity is equal to or greater than the second threshold (Yes in S15), it outputs a notification to the information terminal 30 via the output unit 126, urging the user to update the authentication data, and the information terminal 30 presents the notification to the user (S16). In this case, the health management system 200 stops the process of estimating the health risk for the user. Then, when the server 100 receives an instruction from the information terminal 30 to update the authentication data from the user, the health management system 200 performs the authentication data update process.

[0058] Here, the authentication data update process will be specifically described with reference to Figures 7A and 7B. Figure 7A is a diagram showing an example of a notification prompting the user to update the authentication data. Figure 7B is a diagram showing an example of an authentication data update screen.

[0059] When the information terminal 30 receives a notification urging the user to update the authentication data output from the output unit 126 of the server 100, the information terminal 30 presents the notification to the user. For example, the information terminal 30 may present the notification to the user by displaying image information including images and text on the display unit, or may present the notification to the user by outputting audio information from a speaker in addition to the display. For example, as shown in FIG. 7A , the information terminal 30 displays a notification urging the user to update the authentication data on the display unit. Then, when the information terminal 30 receives an update instruction input by the user, for example, via a touch panel, it outputs the update instruction to the server 100. At this time, the information terminal 30 may present the user with a notification that measurement by the sensor 10 will begin.

[0060] 7B, when the sensor 10 measures the user's electrocardiogram or pulse wave, the information terminal 30 may present, for example, user registration information (e.g., registration ID, user name) to the user. When the information terminal 30 receives a confirmation instruction input by the user (here, an instruction to confirm the link between the user registration information and the authentication data), the information terminal 30 outputs the confirmation instruction to the server 100. When the server 100 updates the user's authentication data, the information terminal 30 may receive a notification that the update has been completed and present the notification to the user.

[0061] Referring again to Figure 6, on the other hand, if the management unit 123 determines that the similarity is not equal to or greater than the second threshold (in other words, lower than the second threshold) (No in S15), it determines that the user is not registered in the authentication database 131 (S17). In this case, the health management system 200 ends the process of estimating the health risk for the user.

[0062] Referring again to Fig. 5, the calculation unit 124 calculates a feature amount (specifically, an RR interval or a PP interval) of the electrocardiogram or pulse wave (so-called measurement data) of the user authenticated by the authentication unit 122 in step S03 (S04).

[0063] Next, the estimation unit 125 estimates the health risk of the user based on the feature amount (specifically, the RR interval or the PP interval) calculated by the calculation unit 124 in step S04 (S05).

[0064] Next, the output unit 126 outputs information about the health risk estimated by the estimation unit 125 in step S05 to the information terminal 30 (S06).

[0065] The information terminal 30 presents the health risk information output by the output unit 126 in step S06 to the user (S07). For example, the health risk information may include at least one of the following: a type of health risk (e.g., 3H risk, etc.); a health risk level (e.g., 0% to 100%) that indicates the degree of health risk; a change in the health risk level over a predetermined period (e.g., a medium- to long-term period); a frequency distribution of the health risk levels of multiple users of the same age as the user; and the user's position in the frequency distribution. More specifically, the health management system 200 may present the estimation result to the user each time a health risk is estimated, or may present the user with a change in the health risk level over a predetermined period by referring to the history database 132. The health risk information may also include advice on improving lifestyle habits, etc.

[0066] Here, examples of presentation of information on health risks will be described with reference to Fig. 8 and Fig. 9. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of information on health risks presented to a user. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing another example of information on health risks presented to a user.

[0067] FIG. 8 shows the transition of 3H risk level over one month. For example, 3H risk may indicate which of the 3H diseases (hypertension, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia) a person is likely to develop. FIG. 8 shows that the higher the risk level, the more likely a person is to develop a disease. The transition of 3H risk level may, for example, indicate the transition of the level of caution for any one of the 3H, such as hypertension.

[0068] FIG. 9 presents the monthly change in 3H risk level, the number distribution of 3H risk levels for people of the same age group as the user (e.g., in their 50s), and the user's position in the distribution. This allows the user to visually understand where the user's own 3H risk level is positioned among people of the same age group. Therefore, by presenting information about health risks to the user, the health management system 200 can provide an opportunity for the user to become aware of their own health, such as whether the user's own 3H risk level is higher than average or whether the health risk increases with age. Furthermore, because the frequency distribution has a unimodal shape, the user can visually compare and understand their own risk level with the average risk level, which may further increase the user's awareness of health risks.

[0069] [User registration process example] In the health management system 200, it is necessary to register the electrocardiogram or pulse wave of the user in advance in the authentication database 131. Here, the user registration process will be described. Fig. 10A is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen for user registration. Fig. 10B is a diagram showing an example of a setting registration screen for authentication data.

[0070] For example, as shown in FIG. 10A, a user who uses health management system 200 performs user registration using information terminal 30. For example, the user downloads an application for using health management system 200 to information terminal 30, and inputs a registration ID, user name, gender, age, and the like on a setting screen displayed on information terminal 30. At this time, identification information for device 20 (for example, the ID of device 20) may also be input on the setting screen. When the user touches a registration button displayed on the setting screen, a registration instruction is input to information terminal 30, and the user information and registration instruction are output to server 100.

[0071] When the management unit 123 of the server 100 acquires the user information, it causes the information terminal 30 to present a confirmation notification as to whether or not there are any errors in the user registration information, as shown in Fig. 10B, for example. When the management unit 123 of the server 100 confirms that there are no errors in the user information, it registers the user information in the authentication database 131. The user information may be registered in association with the user's registration ID, username, gender, age, the ID of the information terminal 30 (for example, IP address), the ID of the application, and the ID of the device 20.

[0072] The management unit 123 outputs a notification to the information terminal 30 indicating that the registration process of the authentication data will start, and causes the information terminal 30 to present the notification. When an execution instruction is input to the information terminal 30, the sensor 10 starts measuring the electrocardiogram or pulse wave.

[0073] [4. Effects, etc.] As described above, the health management system 200 comprises a sensor 10 installed in a private space 80 (e.g., a toilet) where a user uses equipment 20 (e.g., a toilet seat), a server 100, and an information terminal 30. The sensor 10 measures the electrocardiogram or pulse wave of a user who enters the private space 80. The server 100 comprises an acquisition unit 121 that acquires the user's electrocardiogram or pulse wave measured by the sensor 10, an authentication unit 122 that authenticates the user based on the user's electrocardiogram or pulse wave acquired by the acquisition unit 121, a calculation unit 124 that calculates features of the electrocardiogram or pulse wave of the user authenticated by the authentication unit 122, an estimation unit 125 that estimates the user's health risk based on the features calculated by the calculation unit 124, and an output unit 126 that outputs information related to the user's health risk estimated by the estimation unit 125. The information terminal 30 presents the information related to the health risk output by the output unit 126 to the user.

[0074] Such a health management system 200 can improve authentication accuracy by comparing the user's authentication data with measurement data at the waveform level of the electrocardiogram or pulse wave. Furthermore, the health management system 200 can reduce the burden on the user by authenticating the user and estimating health risks simply by measuring the electrocardiogram or pulse wave. Therefore, the health management system 200 can help the user to easily continue health management.

[0075] Also, for example, in the health management system 200, the device 20 (toilet seat) is equipped with the sensor 10, which measures the electrocardiogram or pulse wave by physically contacting the user.

[0076] Such a health management system 200 measures the electrocardiogram or pulse wave of the user when the user uses the device 20, thereby reducing the burden on the user.

[0077] Also, for example, in the health management system 200, the calculation unit 124 calculates the RR interval, which is the interval between temporally adjacent R waves, or the PP interval, which is the interval between temporally adjacent P waves, from the electrocardiogram or pulse wave acquired by the acquisition unit 121, and the estimation unit 125 estimates the health risk of the user based on the RR interval or PP interval calculated by the calculation unit 124.

[0078] In such a health management system 200, the health risk of a user is estimated based on, for example, an index related to blood pressure and fluctuations in the RR interval or PP interval, which are used as an index related to the autonomic nervous system, and therefore reliable estimation results can be obtained.

[0079] Also, for example, in the health management system 200, the server 100 further includes a management unit 123 that manages user information related to the user, and when the user is authenticated by the authentication unit 122 a predetermined number of times (e.g., seven times), the management unit 123 outputs an instruction to calculate the RR interval or the PP interval to the calculation unit 124, and upon receiving the calculation instruction, the calculation unit 124 calculates the RR interval or the PP interval based on the predetermined number (e.g., seven segments) of electrocardiograms or pulse waves used in the predetermined number of authentications (e.g., seven times).

[0080] Such a health management system 200 can shorten the measurement time (for example, 10 seconds) by measuring the electrocardiogram or pulse wave of the user when the user uses the device 20 in daily life. Therefore, the health management system 200 can help the user to easily continue health management.

[0081] Also, for example, in the health management system 200, the management unit 123 stores the RR interval or PP interval calculated by the calculation unit 124 and the health risk estimated by the estimation unit 125 in the history database 132, links them to the user's identification information, acquires information about the health risk based on the history database 132, and outputs the acquired information about the health risk via the output unit 126, and the information terminal 30 presents the information about the health risk output by the output unit 126 to the user.

[0082] Such a health management system 200 can accumulate historical information and present information about the user's mid- to long-term health risks to the user, thereby supporting the user in continuing health management.

[0083] Furthermore, for example, in the health management system 200, the information on health risk includes at least one of the following: type of health risk (e.g., 3H risk, premenstrual syndrome risk, mental health disorder risk, migraine risk, etc.); health risk level (e.g., displayed as 1% to 100%), which is the degree of health risk; changes in health risk level over a predetermined period (short-term or medium- to long-term period such as one week, one month, two months, six months, one year, etc.); frequency distribution of health risk levels of multiple users of the same age as the user (specifically, distribution of the number of people); and the user's position in the frequency distribution.

[0084] Such a health management system 200 can assist the user in understanding his or her own health risks from multiple angles.

[0085] Also, for example, the frequency distribution is unimodal.

[0086] Such a health management system 200 can help the user to easily understand the trends in health risks among people of the same age group and the user's own position in the frequency distribution.

[0087] Also, for example, in the health management system 200, if the history database 132 for a user has not been updated for a predetermined period (e.g., one week), the management unit 123 outputs a notification via the output unit 126 urging the user to use the device 20, and the information terminal 30 presents the notification output by the output unit 126 to the user.

[0088] Such a health management system 200 can assist the user in continuing health management.

[0089] Also, for example, in the health management system 200, when the acquisition unit 121 acquires the user's electrocardiogram or pulse wave (so-called measurement data), the authentication unit 122 selects authentication data that is most similar to the user's electrocardiogram or pulse wave from multiple authentication data that are the electrocardiograms or pulse waves of multiple users pre-registered in the authentication database 131, and authenticates the user if the similarity between the selected authentication data and the user's electrocardiogram or pulse wave is equal to or greater than a first threshold (e.g., 80 points), and does not authenticate the user if the similarity is lower than the first threshold.

[0090] Such a health management system 200 can perform authentication with high accuracy, for example, when comparing waveform data.

[0091] Also, for example, in the health management system 200, the server 100 further includes a management unit 123 that manages user information related to the user, and if the user is not authenticated by the authentication unit 122 and the similarity is equal to or greater than a second threshold value (for example, 60 points), the management unit 123 outputs a notification via the output unit 126 urging the user to update the authentication data, and the information terminal 30 presents the notification output by the output unit 126 to the user.

[0092] Such a health management system 200 can, for example, update authentication data at an appropriate time without imposing a burden on the user.

[0093] Furthermore, for example, in the health management system 200, when the information terminal 30 receives an instruction from the user to update the authentication data, it outputs the update instruction, and the management unit 123 updates the user's authentication data to the user's electrocardiogram or pulse wave newly measured by the sensor 10 based on the update instruction output from the information terminal 30.

[0094] Such a health management system 200 can reliably update authentication data because it measures the user's electrocardiogram or pulse wave anew using the sensor 10 after receiving an update instruction from the user.

[0095] The health management method is a health management method using a health management system 200 that includes a sensor 10 installed in a private space 80 for a user to use equipment 20, a server 100, and an information terminal 30, in which the sensor 10 measures the electrocardiogram or pulse wave of a user who enters the private space 80, the server 100 acquires the user's electrocardiogram or pulse wave measured by the sensor 10, authenticates the user based on the acquired electrocardiogram or pulse wave of the user, calculates features of the authenticated user's electrocardiogram or pulse wave, estimates the user's health risk based on the calculated features, and outputs information related to the estimated health risk of the user, and the information terminal 30 presents the information related to the health risk output by the server to the user.

[0096] This health management method can improve authentication accuracy by comparing the user's authentication data with measurement data at the waveform level of the electrocardiogram or pulse wave. Furthermore, the health management method can reduce the burden on the user by authenticating the user and estimating health risks simply by measuring the electrocardiogram or pulse wave. Therefore, the health management method can help the user to easily continue health management.

[0097] (Other embodiments) Although the embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments.

[0098] For example, in the above embodiment, an example of estimating 3H risk as a health risk has been described, but the present invention can also be applied to premenstrual syndrome risk, mental health disorder risk, and migraine risk. For example, the autonomic nervous state can be analyzed by calculating the RR interval or PP interval from the user's electrocardiogram or pulse wave and performing heart rate variability analysis based on the RR interval or PP interval. This makes it possible to estimate not only the 3H risk but also the premenstrual syndrome risk, mental health disorder risk, and migraine risk.

[0099] In the above embodiment, the health management system is realized by multiple devices, but it may also be realized by a single device. When the health management system is realized by multiple devices, the components of each system may be distributed among the multiple devices in any manner.

[0100] Furthermore, for example, the method of communication between the devices in the above-described embodiment is not particularly limited, and a relay device (not shown) may be involved in the communication between the devices.

[0101] In the above-described embodiment, the processing performed by a specific processing unit may be performed by another processing unit. The order of multiple processing operations may be changed, or multiple processing operations may be performed in parallel.

[0102] In the above-described embodiments, each component may be realized by executing a software program suitable for that component, or by a program execution unit such as a CPU or processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory.

[0103] Furthermore, each component may be realized by hardware. For example, each component may be a circuit (or integrated circuit). These circuits may form a single circuit as a whole, or each may be a separate circuit. Furthermore, each of these circuits may be a general-purpose circuit or a dedicated circuit.

[0104] Furthermore, the general or specific aspects of the present invention may be realized as a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, or as any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.

[0105] For example, the present invention may be realized as a server according to the above-described embodiment or a health management system equivalent thereto. Furthermore, the present invention may be realized as a health management method executed by a computer such as a health management system, or as a program for causing a computer to execute such a health management method. The present invention may also be realized as a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium on which such a program is recorded.

[0106] In addition, the present invention also includes forms obtained by applying various modifications to each embodiment that a person skilled in the art would think of, or forms realized by arbitrarily combining the components and functions of each embodiment within the scope that does not deviate from the spirit of the present invention.

[0107] (Addendum) Hereinafter, examples of inventions that can be obtained from the disclosure of this specification will be given, and the effects and the like that can be obtained from these inventions will be explained.

[0108] [Invention 1] The system includes a sensor installed in a private room where a user uses the device, a server, and an information terminal; The sensor measures an electrocardiogram or a pulse wave of the user who has entered the private space, The server an acquisition unit that acquires an electrocardiogram or a pulse wave of the user measured by the sensor; an authentication unit that authenticates the user based on the electrocardiogram or the pulse wave of the user acquired by the acquisition unit; a calculation unit that calculates a feature amount of the electrocardiogram or the pulse wave of the user authenticated by the authentication unit; an estimation unit that estimates a health risk of the user based on the feature amount calculated by the calculation unit; an output unit that outputs information about the health risk of the user estimated by the estimation unit; Equipped with the information terminal presents the information about the health risk output by the output unit to the user. Health management system.

[0109] [Effects of Invention 1] Such a health management system can improve authentication accuracy by comparing a user's authentication data with measurement data at the waveform level of electrocardiogram or pulse wave. Furthermore, the health management system can reduce the burden on users by authenticating users and estimating health risks simply by measuring electrocardiogram or pulse wave. Therefore, the health management system can help users easily continue health management.

[0110] [Invention 2] the device comprises the sensor, The sensor acquires the electrocardiogram or the pulse wave by physical contact with the user. A health management system according to invention 1.

[0111] [Effects of Invention 2] Such a health management system measures the user's electrocardiogram or pulse wave when the user uses the device, thereby reducing the burden on the user.

[0112] [Invention 3] the calculation unit calculates an R-R interval, which is the interval between R waves that are adjacent in time, or a P-P interval, which is the interval between P waves that are adjacent in time, from the electrocardiogram or the pulse wave acquired by the acquisition unit; The estimation unit estimates the health risk of the user based on the RR interval or the PP interval calculated by the calculation unit. A health management system according to invention 1 or 2.

[0113] [Effects of Invention 3] Such a health management system estimates a user's health risk based on, for example, an index related to blood pressure and fluctuations in the RR interval or PP interval, which are used as an index related to the autonomic nervous system, and therefore can obtain reliable estimation results.

[0114] [Invention 4] The server further includes a management unit that manages user information related to the user, the management unit outputs an instruction to the calculation unit to calculate the RR interval or the PP interval when the user is authenticated by the authentication unit a predetermined number of times; When the calculation instruction is received, the calculation unit calculates the RR interval or the PP interval based on a predetermined number of the electrocardiograms or the pulse waves used in the predetermined number of authentications. A health care system according to invention 3.

[0115] [Effects of Invention 4] Such a health management system can shorten the measurement time (for example, 10 seconds) by measuring the user's electrocardiogram or pulse wave when the user uses device 20 in daily life, which helps the user to easily continue health management.

[0116] [Invention 5] The management unit the RR interval or the PP interval calculated by the calculation unit and the health risk estimated by the estimation unit are stored in a history database in association with identification information of the user; obtaining information about the health risk based on the history database; outputting the acquired information on the health risk via the output unit; the information terminal presents the information about the health risk output by the output unit to the user. A health care system according to invention 4.

[0117] [Effects of Invention 5] Such a health management system can accumulate historical information and present information about the user's medium- to long-term health risks to the user, thereby supporting the user in continuing to manage their health.

[0118] [Invention 6] The information on the health risk includes at least one of the type of the health risk, a health risk level which is the degree of the health risk, a change in the health risk level over a predetermined period of time, a frequency distribution of the health risk levels of a plurality of users of the same age as the user, and a position of the user in the frequency distribution. 6. A health care system according to any one of inventions 1 to 5.

[0119] [Effects of Invention 6] Such a health management system can assist users in understanding their own health risks from multiple angles.

[0120] [Invention 7] The frequency distribution is unimodal. A health care system according to invention 6.

[0121] [Effects of Invention 7] Such a health management system can help users to easily understand the trends in health risks among people of the same age group and their own position in the frequency distribution.

[0122] [Invention 8] the management unit outputs, via the output unit, a notification urging the user to use the device when the history database for the user has not been updated for a predetermined period of time; the information terminal presents the notification output by the output unit to the user; A health care system according to invention 5.

[0123] [Effects of Invention 8] Such a health management system can assist users in continuing to manage their health.

[0124] [Invention 9] The authentication unit When the acquisition unit acquires the electrocardiogram or the pulse wave of the user, the authentication data having the highest similarity to the electrocardiogram or the pulse wave of the user is selected from a plurality of pieces of authentication data, which are electrocardiograms or pulse waves of the plurality of users pre-registered in an authentication database; If the similarity between the selected authentication data and the electrocardiogram or the pulse wave of the user is equal to or greater than a first threshold, the user is authenticated, and if the similarity is lower than the first threshold, the user is not authenticated. A health care system according to any one of Inventions 1 to 3.

[0125] [Effects of Invention 9] Such a health management system can perform authentication with high accuracy, for example, when comparing waveform data.

[0126] [Invention 10] The server further includes a management unit that manages user information related to the user, When the user is not authenticated by the authentication unit and the similarity is equal to or greater than a second threshold, the management unit outputs a notification via the output unit to prompt the user to update the authentication data; the information terminal presents the notification output by the output unit to the user; A health care system according to invention 9.

[0127] [Effects of Invention 10] Such a health management system can, for example, update authentication data at appropriate times without imposing a burden on the user.

[0128] [Invention 11] the information terminal further outputs an instruction to update the authentication data when the instruction is received from the user; The management unit updating the authentication data of the user with the electrocardiogram or pulse wave of the user newly measured by the sensor based on the update instruction output from the information terminal; A health management system according to invention 10.

[0129] [Effects of Invention 11] Such a health management system can reliably update authentication data because it measures the user's electrocardiogram or pulse wave anew using sensor 10 after receiving an update instruction from the user. [Explanation of symbols]

[0130] 10 sensors 20 equipment 30 Information terminal 80 private rooms 100 servers 121 Acquisition Department 122 Authentication Section 123 Management Department 124 Calculation Unit 125 Estimation part 126 Output section 131 Authentication Database 132 History Database 133 model 140 Model Generation Unit 200 Health Management System

Claims

1. The system includes a sensor installed in a private room where a user uses the device, a server, and an information terminal; The sensor measures an electrocardiogram or a pulse wave of the user who has entered the private space, The server an acquisition unit that acquires an electrocardiogram or a pulse wave of the user measured by the sensor; an authentication unit that authenticates the user based on the electrocardiogram or the pulse wave of the user acquired by the acquisition unit; a calculation unit that calculates a feature amount of the electrocardiogram or the pulse wave of the user authenticated by the authentication unit; an estimation unit that estimates the health risk of the user by inputting the feature calculated by the calculation unit into a machine learning model that is generated by learning a correlation between the feature and the health risk, the machine learning model inputting the feature and outputting the health risk; and an output unit that outputs information about the health risk of the user estimated by the estimation unit; Equipped with the information terminal presents the information about the health risk output by the output unit to the user; the calculation unit calculates the feature amount using electrocardiogram or pulse wave data for the predetermined number of times, on the condition that the user has been authenticated two or more times. Health management system.

2. the device comprises the sensor, The sensor acquires the electrocardiogram or the pulse wave by physical contact with the user. The health management system according to claim 1 .

3. the calculation unit calculates an R-R interval, which is the interval between R waves that are adjacent in time, or a P-P interval, which is the interval between P waves that are adjacent in time, from the electrocardiogram or the pulse wave acquired by the acquisition unit; The estimation unit estimates the health risk of the user by inputting the RR interval or the PP interval calculated by the calculation unit into the machine learning model. The health management system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The server further includes a management unit that manages user information related to the user, the management unit outputs an instruction to the calculation unit to calculate the RR interval or the PP interval when the user is authenticated by the authentication unit a predetermined number of times; When the calculation instruction is received, the calculation unit calculates the RR interval or the PP interval based on a predetermined number of the electrocardiograms or the pulse waves used in the predetermined number of authentications. The health management system according to claim 3 .

5. The management unit stores the RR interval or the PP interval calculated by the calculation unit and the health risk estimated by the estimation unit in a history database in association with identification information of the user. The health management system according to claim 4 .

6. the estimation unit estimates a health risk level, which is a degree of the health risk, as the health risk; The history database stores the health risk level of the user for a predetermined period of time, The output unit outputs, as information about the health risk, a transition of the health risk level over the predetermined period determined by the history database. The health management system according to claim 5 .

7. the estimation unit estimates a health risk level, which is a degree of the health risk, as the health risk; The history database stores the health risk level of the user as well as the health risk levels of other users, the output unit outputs, as the information on the health risk, a frequency distribution of the health risk levels of a plurality of users of the same age as the user, determined by the history database, and a position of the user in the frequency distribution. The health management system according to claim 5 .

8. the estimation unit estimates, as the health risk, a type of the health risk and a health risk level which is a degree of the health risk; The information on the health risk includes the type of the health risk and the health risk level. The health management system according to claim 1 .

9. The frequency distribution is unimodal. The health management system according to claim 7 .

10. the management unit outputs, via the output unit, a notification urging the user to use the device when the history database for the user has not been updated for a predetermined period of time; the information terminal presents the notification output by the output unit to the user. The health management system according to claim 5 .

11. The authentication unit When the acquisition unit acquires the electrocardiogram or the pulse wave of the user, the authentication data having the highest similarity to the electrocardiogram or the pulse wave of the user is selected from a plurality of pieces of authentication data, which are electrocardiograms or pulse waves of the plurality of users pre-registered in an authentication database; If the similarity between the selected authentication data and the electrocardiogram or the pulse wave of the user is equal to or greater than a first threshold, the user is authenticated, and if the similarity is lower than the first threshold, the user is not authenticated; The calculation unit If the user is authenticated, the RR interval or the PP interval is calculated; If the user is not authenticated, the RR interval or the PP interval is not calculated. The health management system according to claim 3 .

12. The server further includes a management unit that manages user information related to the user, When the user is not authenticated by the authentication unit and the similarity is equal to or greater than a second threshold, the management unit outputs a notification via the output unit to prompt the user to update the authentication data; the information terminal presents the notification output by the output unit to the user. The health management system of claim 11 .

13. the information terminal further outputs an instruction to update the authentication data when the instruction is received from the user; The management unit updating the authentication data of the user with the electrocardiogram or pulse wave of the user newly measured by the sensor based on the update instruction output from the information terminal; The health management system of claim 12 .

14. the device is a toilet seat, The sensor is provided on the toilet seat. The health management system according to claim 1 or 2.

15. A health management method using a health management system including a sensor installed in a private room where a user uses a device, a server, and an information terminal, the method comprising: The sensor measures an electrocardiogram or a pulse wave of the user who has entered the private space, The server Acquire the electrocardiogram or pulse wave of the user measured by the sensor; authenticating the user based on the acquired electrocardiogram or pulse wave of the user; Calculating a feature amount of the electrocardiogram or the pulse wave of the authenticated user; a machine learning model generated by learning a correlation between a feature and a health risk, the machine learning model inputting the feature to output a health risk, thereby estimating the health risk of the user; outputting information relating to the estimated health risk of the user; the information terminal presents the information about the health risk output by the server to the user; the server calculates the feature amount using electrocardiogram or pulse wave data for the predetermined number of times, provided that the user has been authenticated a predetermined number of times, which is at least two times; Health management method.

16. A step of causing a computer to execute the health management method according to claim 15, program.

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