Body composition analyzer, service system, measurement data transmission method, and measurement data transmission program

Abstract

To provide a body composition meter, a service system, a measurement value transmission method, and a measurement value transmission program with which measurement values are directly transmitted from the body composition meter to a server of a web service used by a user.SOLUTION: In a service system 10, a body composition meter 14 receives address information of a server 16 which is a transmission destination to which measurement values are to be transmitted, from a terminal device 12 on which an application, which provides a service to a user using measurement values provided by the body composition meter 14, operates. Also, the body composition meter 14 registers the received address information, for each user, and transmits measurement values to the server 16 associated with the registered address information. The application on the terminal device 12 provides the service to a user using the measurement values stored in the server 16.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a body composition monitor, a service system, a measurement value transmission method, and a measurement value transmission program.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, a system has been constructed that transmits measurement values of a user obtained by a body composition monitor to a server via a network and stores them. With such a system, users can use web services that use the measurement values of the body composition monitor.

[0003] For example, in the health management device described in Patent Document 1, a plurality of measurement devices and a server are connected via a network, and measurement values of one or more biological indicators indicating the biological information of a user are obtained, and these measurement values are transmitted to the server.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In a system such as Patent Document 1, it is normal for the server to which the measurement values are transmitted to be fixed, and a user can use a web service that uses the measurement values of the user provided by the server with the fixed transmission destination.

[0006] Incidentally, some users may desire to use other web services that utilize their measurement data, and these other web services may be provided by a server different from the server to which the data is sent. To achieve this, so-called inter-server communication was performed, where the inter-server communication took place between the inter-server server and the server to which the data was sent, and the inter-server communication took place to retrieve the user's measurement data stored on the inter-server server. Inter-server communication can be done through methods such as file transfer or APIs (Application Programming Interfaces), but preparation and agreements for inter-server communication require time and cost.

[0007] For example, if the body composition analyzer were to directly send the data to the server of the web service used by the user, it could be expected that the process of sending the measurement data to the web service server would be simplified, and user convenience would be improved.

[0008] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a body composition analyzer, a service system, a method for transmitting measurement values, and a program for transmitting measurement values ​​that can directly transmit measurement values ​​from the body composition analyzer to a web service server used by the user. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] A body composition analyzer according to one aspect of the present invention includes: communication means for receiving address information of a server to which the body composition analyzer's measured values ​​will be transmitted from a terminal device capable of communicating with the body composition analyzer; registration processing means for registering the address information received by the communication means; and transmission control means for transmitting the measured values ​​to the server with the address information registered by the registration processing means.

[0010] In this configuration, the body composition analyzer receives the address information of the server to which the measurement data will be sent from the terminal device, registers the address information, and directly sends the measurement data from the body composition analyzer to the server with the registered address information. Therefore, this configuration allows the body composition analyzer to directly send measurement data to the server of the web service used by the user.

[0011] In the body composition analyzer described above, the registration processing means may register the address information for each user. With this configuration, measurement values ​​can be sent to different servers for each user.

[0012] In the body composition analyzer described above, the registration processing means may register conditions for transmitting the measured values ​​to the server in association with the address information, and the transmission control means may transmit the measured values ​​that satisfy the conditions to the server associated with the address information. With this configuration, the user can transmit the measured values ​​they desire to the server.

[0013] In the above-described body composition analyzer, the conditions may also be based on the magnitude of the measured values.

[0014] In the above-mentioned body composition analyzer, the conditions may also be based on the date and time or day of the week when the measured values ​​were obtained.

[0015] In the body composition analyzer described above, the registration processing means may register the server selected by the user as the server to which the measured values ​​are transmitted. With this configuration, the user can easily change the server to which the measured values ​​are transmitted.

[0016] A service system according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a terminal device capable of communicating with a body composition analyzer, the body composition analyzer described above, and a server that stores the measured values ​​of the body composition analyzer.

[0017] In the service system described above, the terminal device may have an application that uses the measurements of the body composition analyzer, and the application may have a function to transmit the server's address information to the body composition analyzer.

[0018] The measurement value transmission method according to one aspect of the present invention includes a first step in which communication means provided in a body composition meter receives address information of a server that is a transmission destination of the measurement value of the body composition meter from a terminal device capable of communicating with the body composition meter, a second step in which the body composition meter registers the address information received by the communication means, and a third step in which the body composition meter transmits the measurement value to the server of the registered address information.

[0019] The measurement value transmission program according to one aspect of the present invention causes a computer provided in a body composition meter having communication means for receiving address information of a server that is a transmission destination of the measurement value of the body composition meter from a terminal device to function as registration processing means for registering the address information received by the communication means and transmission control means for transmitting the measurement value to the server of the address information registered by the registration processing means.

Advantages of the Invention

[0020] According to the present invention, measurement values can be directly transmitted from a body composition meter to a server of a web service used by a user.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a service system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram regarding an address information registration function and a measurement value transmission function in a body composition meter according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing server registration information according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of server address registration processing according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of measurement value transmission processing according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of a service system according to another embodiment.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0022] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiments described below show an example of implementing the present invention and do not limit the present invention to the specific configurations described below. In implementing the present invention, specific configurations according to the embodiments may be appropriately adopted.

[0023] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a service system 10 according to this embodiment. The service system 10 includes a terminal device 12, a body composition monitor 14, and one or more servers 16.

[0024] The terminal device 12 is an information processing device capable of communicating with the body composition monitor 14, and is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal device, a laptop personal computer, or the like. The terminal device 12 according to this embodiment functions an application using the measurement values of the body composition monitor 14. As an example, this application is a dedicated application (hereinafter referred to as "service dedicated application") that provides web services to the user using the measurement values of the user acquired by the body composition monitor 14.

[0025] Examples of web services include a diet service that gives diet advice to the user based on the measurement values, a fitness service that gives exercise suggestions to the user based on the measurement values, and the like. In addition, diet services and fitness services are provided by a plurality of different operators, and the user uses web services suitable for himself / herself.

[0026] The body composition monitor 14 is a biological information measuring device that measures the weight and bioelectrical impedance of a user, and measures biological information such as body composition values based on the weight and bioelectrical impedance. As body composition values, the body composition monitor 14 calculates a fat percentage, a fat mass, a fat-free mass, a muscle mass, a visceral fat mass, a visceral fat level, a visceral fat area, a subcutaneous fat mass, a basal metabolic rate, a bone mass, a body water percentage, a BMI, an intracellular fluid volume, an extracellular fluid volume, and the like. In the following description, the values of the weight and biological information measured by the body composition monitor 14 are referred to as measurement values.

[0027] Furthermore, the body composition analyzer 14 in this embodiment receives and stores user information such as the user's age, gender, and height from the terminal device 12. Note that user information may also be directly input into the body composition analyzer 14. In this embodiment, the body composition analyzer 14 is intended for use in a home setting and is assumed to be used not only by one user but also by multiple users.

[0028] Server 16 receives and stores user-specific measurement values ​​from the body composition analyzer 14. Server 16 also transmits the measurement values ​​to the terminal device 12 upon request from a service-specific application running on the terminal device 12, and displays them on the terminal device 12's display.

[0029] In this embodiment, the body composition analyzer 14 transmits the measured values ​​to the server 16. Therefore, the body composition analyzer 14 receives and registers the address information of the server 16, which is the destination of the measured values, from the terminal device 12. The server 16 address information is defined for each web service.

[0030] Therefore, the service-dedicated application of this embodiment has a function to send the address information of the server 16 to the body composition analyzer 14 (hereinafter referred to as the "address information transmission function"). The user uses the address information transmission function to send the address information of the server 16 corresponding to the web service to the body composition analyzer 14 for registration. The information sent (registered) to the server 16 includes, in addition to the address information, the conditions for sending the measured values ​​to the server 16 (hereinafter referred to as the "transmission conditions"), user information, and a dedicated encryption certificate corresponding to the web service. The encryption certificate is used when the body composition analyzer 14 encrypts and transmits the measured values ​​to the server 16.

[0031] Figure 2 is a functional block diagram relating to the address information registration function and the measurement data transmission function in the body composition analyzer 14 of this embodiment. The body composition analyzer 14 includes a short-range communication unit 20, a registration processing unit 22, a registration information storage unit 24, a transmission control unit 26, and a wide-area communication unit 28. Each function shown in Figure 2 may be executed by the calculation unit of the body composition analyzer 14 when a program is started, for example, or it may be implemented by individual hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

[0032] The short-range communication unit 20 communicates with other information processing devices such as the terminal device 12 using a wireless communication standard with a narrow communication range. In this embodiment, the short-range communication unit 20 communicates with the terminal device 12 using BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) as an example, but wireless communication may be performed using other standards. The short-range communication unit 20 receives from the terminal device 12 the address information of the server 16 to which the body composition analyzer 14 measurements will be transmitted, transmission conditions, and user information.

[0033] The registration processing unit 22 registers the address information of the server 16 received by the short-range communication unit 20. Here, "registration" refers to storing the address information in the registration information storage unit 24.

[0034] The registration information storage unit 24 is, for example, a non-volatile memory such as flash memory, and stores various user-related information such as address information.

[0035] The transmission control unit 26 controls the wide-area communication unit 28 to transmit the measured values ​​to the server 16, which has been registered by the registration processing unit 22. In this embodiment, the transmission control unit 26 transmits the measured values ​​to the server 16 when the transmission conditions are met.

[0036] The wide-area communication unit 28 communicates with other information processing devices such as the server 16 using a wireless communication standard with a wider communication range than the short-range communication unit 20. In this embodiment, the wide-area communication unit 28 communicates with the server 16 via a router using a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) as an example, but wireless communication may be performed using other standards. The wide-area communication unit 28 transmits the measurement values ​​of the body composition analyzer 14 to the server 16. Note that the body composition analyzer 14 is not limited to wireless LAN; it may also be equipped with a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card and communicate using 4G or 5G, etc.

[0037] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the server registration information stored in the registration information storage unit 24. The server registration information includes, as an example, items such as user number, service, address information, and transmission conditions. The user number is a unique number assigned to each registered user, and can be, for example, a number, an alphabet, or a combination thereof. The service is the name of the web service.

[0038] In this embodiment, the registration processing unit 22 registers address information for each user. This allows the body composition analyzer 14 to send measurement values ​​to a different server 16 for each user. The registration processing unit 22 also registers transmission conditions for sending the body composition analyzer 14's measurement values ​​to the server 16, associating them with the address information. The transmission control unit 26 sends measurement values ​​that satisfy the transmission conditions to the server 16 associated with the transmission conditions. This allows the body composition analyzer 14 to send the measurement values ​​desired by the user to the server 16.

[0039] In the example shown in Figure 3, the address information xxxxx is registered as User A's server registration information to receive the services of Fitness Service 1, and Tuesday is registered as the transmission condition. In other words, in order for User A to receive services from Fitness Service 1, the measurement values ​​taken on Tuesday are sent to the server 16 with the address information xxxxx.

[0040] Similarly, in order for user A to receive services from diet service 1, if their weight has increased since the previous measurement, the measured value is sent to server 16 with address information yyyyy.

[0041] Furthermore, in the example in Figure 3, in order for user B to receive services from fitness service 1, the measurement taken on Thursday is sent to server 16 with address information xxxxx. Also, in order for user B to receive services from diet service 2, if there has been a weight increase of more than a predetermined value since the previous measurement, or if there has been a weight decrease of more than a predetermined value since the previous measurement, the measurement is sent to server 16 with address information uuuuu.

[0042] As described above, the transmission conditions are not limited to conditions based on the magnitude of the measurement or conditions based on the date and time or day of the week when the measurement was acquired; various conditions may be registered. For example, a transmission condition such as "transmit all measurement values" may be registered. Alternatively, a transmission condition may be set to send data where an error occurred during measurement to a server different from server 16. This makes it easier for the manufacturer to analyze the error. Furthermore, the transmission conditions can be changed as needed by the user via a dedicated service application. In addition, the same transmission condition may be registered with multiple different address information.

[0043] The preset service address information zzzzz is the address information of server 16 to which measurement values ​​are sent when no user registration information is stored, and is pre-registered without being associated with a user. Note that if no registration information is registered, the measurement values ​​may not be sent to server 16. Furthermore, regardless of whether the address information of server 16 is registered or not, the measurement values ​​may be sent to the server with the preset address information zzzzz.

[0044] Furthermore, the server 16 to which the measurement values ​​are sent may be selected by the user. For this reason, the registration processing unit 22 registers the server 16 selected by the user as the server 16 to which the measurement values ​​are sent. This allows the user to easily change the server 16 to which the measurement values ​​are sent. Specifically, if the user wants to change the web service they use, or if the user wants to decide on the web service themselves based on the progress of their diet, the user will select the server 16 corresponding to the web service.

[0045] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of the server address registration process in this embodiment.

[0046] First, in step 100, the user downloads and installs a service-specific application on their terminal device 12 to receive the desired web service.

[0047] In the next step, 102, users register for the web service using a dedicated service app.

[0048] In the next step, 104, the user inputs the conditions for transmitting the body composition scale 14 measurements using a dedicated service app.

[0049] In the next step 106, the user sends the address information and transmission conditions of the server 16 to the body composition analyzer 14 using the address information transmission function of the service-specific application. The address information is pre-configured in the service-specific application.

[0050] When the body composition analyzer 14 receives address information and transmission conditions, the registration processing unit 22 stores them in the registration information storage unit 24, thereby registering each user. The registration processing unit 22 also adds the transmitted address information and transmission conditions to the server registration information, associating them with the user number registered in the body composition analyzer 14.

[0051] Next, the flow of the measurement data transmission process by the body composition analyzer 14 will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 5. In order to perform the measurement data transmission process, the server address registration process shown in Figure 4 must already be completed.

[0052] First, in step S200, the user enters their user number, which is pre-registered in the body composition analyzer 14, and measures their body composition using the body composition analyzer 14. As a result, the body composition analyzer 14 obtains the user's measurements.

[0053] In the next step, S202, the transmission control unit 26 performs conditional determination of the measured values. Specifically, the transmission control unit 26 refers to the server registration information stored in the registration information storage unit 24 to determine the server 16 that satisfies the transmission conditions.

[0054] In the next step, S204, the transmission control unit 26 transmits the measurement values ​​to the server 16 via the wide-area communication unit 28. The transmission of the measurement values ​​to the server 16 is encrypted, for example, using an encryption certificate. When the server 16 receives the measurement values ​​from the body composition analyzer 14, it stores the measurement values ​​in a predetermined memory area, associating them with the user.

[0055] In this embodiment, the body composition analyzer 14 receives address information of the server 16 to which the measurement data will be sent from a terminal device 12 on which a service-dedicated application that provides services to the user using the measurements of the body composition analyzer 14 is functioning. The body composition analyzer 14 then registers the received address information for each user and sends the measurement data to the server 16 of the registered address information.

[0056] Therefore, the body composition analyzer 14 of this embodiment can directly transmit measurement values ​​to the server 16 of the web service used by the user, without requiring a transmission process to send measurement values ​​to the server 16 via a terminal device 12, or a transmission process to send measurement values ​​to the server 16 via a predetermined server (inter-server cooperation).

[0057] Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments described above, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the embodiments above. Various modifications or improvements can be made to the embodiments above without departing from the spirit of the invention, and such modified or improved forms are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0058] In the above embodiment, a configuration was described in which measurement values ​​are transmitted from the body composition analyzer 14 to a server 16 corresponding to a web service, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, as shown in Figure 6, the measurement values ​​may be transmitted to the server 16 corresponding to the web service via a server 15 that is not related to the web service. Server 15 is, for example, a server whose purpose is to collect measurement values.

[0059] In the configuration shown in Figure 6, the measurements from the body composition analyzer 14 are transmitted from the body composition analyzer 14 to the server 15 and stored in the server 15. The measurements are then transmitted from the server 15 to the server 16, which is indicated by the address information, and stored in the server 16 as well.

[0060] As a specific example, the body composition analyzer 14 transmits the measured values ​​from the body composition analyzer 14 to a server 16 that corresponds to the transmission conditions or a server 16 selected by the user, via the server 15. The server 15 transmits the measured values ​​to the server 16 indicated by the address information attached to the measured values ​​transmitted from the body composition analyzer 14. In this example, since the body composition analyzer 14 stores the address information, the server 15 does not need to store the address information. Alternatively, the server 15 may store the address information and determine the server 16 to which the measured values ​​will be sent, depending on the transmission conditions or the user's selection.

[0061] Furthermore, although the above embodiment describes a configuration in which measurements from the body composition analyzer 14 are transmitted to the server 16, the present invention is not limited thereto. Measurements from other biometric information measuring devices, such as activity trackers, thermometers, blood pressure monitors, weight scales, and sleep monitors, may also be transmitted to the server 16.

[0062] The transmission conditions may also be determined according to the type of biometric information measuring device. For example, if the biometric information measuring device is a blood pressure monitor, the measured value is transmitted to a server 16 that provides medical services if the measured value is above a certain threshold. For example, if the biometric information measuring device is a sleep monitor, the measured value is transmitted to a predetermined recording server 16 if symptoms of sleep apnea are observed. In addition, if the sleep monitor detects that the user has left bed, a notification that the user has left bed may be transmitted to a predetermined notification server 16.

[0063] Furthermore, although the above embodiment describes a configuration in which the web services used by the user are provided by a service-specific application installed on the terminal device 12, the present invention is not limited to this. The web services provided to the user may, for example, be provided via a homepage displayed in a web browser. In this configuration, the application installed and functioning on the terminal device 12 is a web browser.

[0064] Furthermore, the server 16 that transmits measurement values ​​from the body composition analyzer 14 is not limited to a web service server; it could also be, for example, a server that configures the body composition analyzer 14.

[0065] Furthermore, the measurements obtained by the body composition analyzer 14 may be transmitted to the server 16 and also to the user's terminal device 12 via the short-range communication unit 20. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0066] 10 Service Systems 12 Terminal devices 14 Body composition monitor 16 servers 20. Short-range communication unit (communication means) 22 Registration Processing Unit (Registration Processing Means) 26. Transmission control unit (transmission control means)

Claims

1. A communication means that receives address information of a server to which the body composition analyzer's measured values ​​will be transmitted, from a terminal device capable of communicating with the body composition analyzer. A registration processing means for registering the address information received by the communication means, A transmission control means that transmits the measured value to the server of the address information registered by the registration processing means, Equipped with, The registration processing means registers the conditions for sending the measured values ​​to the server in association with the address information, The transmission control means transmits the measured value that satisfies the condition to the server of the address information associated with the condition. Body composition meter.

2. The body composition analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the registration processing means registers the address information for each user.

3. The body composition analyzer according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the conditions are based on the magnitude of the measured values.

4. The body composition analyzer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the conditions are based on the date and time or day of the week on which the measured value was obtained.

5. The body composition analyzer according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the registration processing means registers the server selected by the user as the server to transmit the measured values.

6. A body composition analyzer and a communication-enabled terminal device, A body composition analyzer according to any one of claims 1 to 5, A server that stores the measurements of the body composition analyzer, Equipped with, Service system.

7. The terminal device is capable of running an application that uses the measurements from the body composition analyzer. The service system according to claim 6, wherein the application has a function of transmitting the address information of the server to the body composition analyzer.

8. The first step involves the body composition analyzer receiving address information of a server to which the body composition analyzer's measured values ​​will be transmitted from a terminal device capable of communicating with the body composition analyzer, and the communication means provided by the body composition analyzer receiving this information. A second step involves the body composition analyzer registering the address information received by the communication means, A third step involves transmitting the measured values ​​to the server, which has registered the address information of the body composition analyzer. It has, The conditions for sending the measured values ​​to the server are registered in association with the address information. The measured value that satisfies the above conditions is transmitted to the server of the address information associated with the above conditions. Method for transmitting measurement values.

9. A computer equipped in a body composition analyzer that has a communication means to receive address information of a server to which the body composition analyzer's measurements are sent from a terminal device, A registration processing means for registering the address information received by the communication means, A transmission control means that transmits the measured value to the server of the address information registered by the registration processing means, and make it work The registration processing means registers the conditions for sending the measured values ​​to the server in association with the address information, The transmission control means transmits the measured value that satisfies the condition to the server of the address information associated with the condition. Measurement data transmission program.

Images