Music provision system

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a music provision system that can more effectively select music on the basis of biometric information regarding a user in order to improve the physical condition of the user.　[Solution] The abovementioned objective is achieved by a music provision system 1 equipped with a biometric information acquisition device 100 for acquiring biometric information from a user U, a music selection device 200 for selecting and providing a musical composition on the basis of the biometric information Ib acquired by the biometric information acquisition device 100, and a music output device 300 for outputting the musical composition provided by the music selection device 200, wherein the music provision system 1 is characterized by the following: comprising an enjoyment effect information registration means for registering, for individual musical compositions, enjoyment effect information indicating the amount of change in the biometric information of a user who has enjoyed a musical composition; additionally being configured so that the amount of improvement in the biometric information of the user U is calculated from the biological information Ib acquired from the user U by the biometric information acquisition device 100; and by comprising a music selection means that compares the calculated amount of improvement and the enjoyment effect information registered by the enjoyment effect information registration means and selects a musical composition to be provided to the user.

Description

Music provision system

[0001] The present invention relates to a music providing system, and more particularly to a music providing system that selects music based on biometric information of a user.

[0002] It is known that music affects the human brain and autonomic nervous system, and has various effects on the body. Therefore, various systems are known that select music based on the user's biological information acquired by a measurement device, and provide music that is suited to the user's physical condition.

[0003] For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a music providing system that acquires a user's heart rate using a pulse sensor, and selects and plays songs with a slower tempo as the user's heart rate increases. According to this music providing system, songs with slower tempos are provided as the user's exercise load rate increases. As a result, the user can learn the physical load status from the tempo of the music, which encourages the user to exercise at an appropriate load (pace).

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-63265

[0005] However, while conventional music provision systems select songs based on the user's biometric information acquired by a measurement device, it is unclear how each selected song affects the user's biometric information. Therefore, there is room for improvement in selecting songs that have a positive effect on the user's body based on the acquired biometric information.

[0006] In addition, in recent years, with people becoming more health conscious due to the COVID-19 pandemic, attention has been focused on the health and therapeutic effects that music has on the mind and body, and there is a demand for a music delivery system that can select music more effectively to improve users' physical condition.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve such problems, and aims to provide a music provision system that can select music more effectively based on the user's biometric information in order to improve the user's physical condition.

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, a first invention provides a music provision system comprising: a biometric information acquisition device that acquires biometric information from a user; a music selection device that selects and provides music based on the biometric information acquired by the biometric information acquisition device; and a music output device that outputs the music provided by the music selection device, wherein the music provision system comprises: appreciation effect information registration means that registers, for each piece of music, appreciation effect information that indicates an amount of change in the biometric information of the user who has listened to the music; and music selection means that is configured to calculate an amount of improvement in the user's biometric information from the biometric information acquired from the user by the biometric information acquisition device, and that selects music to be provided to the user by comparing the calculated amount of improvement with the appreciation effect information registered by the appreciation effect information registration means.

[0009] According to the first aspect of the present invention, the music providing system is configured to calculate an improvement amount of the user's biometric information from the biometric information acquired from the user, and selects music to provide to the user by comparing the calculated improvement amount with the appreciation effect information registered by the appreciation effect information registration means, so that music optimal for improving the user's physical condition can be provided based on the user's biometric information, taking into account the effect of the music to be selected on the user's biometric information. This allows for more effective music selection based on the user's biometric information to improve the user's physical condition.

[0010] The second invention is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration of the first invention, the music selection means is configured to calculate the improvement amount by finding the difference between the numerical value of the biometric information acquired from the user and the numerical value of the ideal biometric information registered in advance, and further, the numerical value of the ideal biometric information is configured to be correctable based on information indicating environmental factors around the user.

[0011] According to the second aspect, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, it is possible to select music taking into account environmental factors around the user, thereby enabling more effective music selection.

[0012] The third invention, in addition to the configuration of the first or second invention, further comprises an improvement degree evaluation unit that evaluates the degree of improvement in the user's physical condition due to the provision of music, and is characterized in that, when the amount of change in the numerical value of the user's biometric information after music output differs from the amount of change in the biometric information indicated by the appreciation effect information registered by the appreciation effect registration means, the improvement degree evaluation unit is configured to update the appreciation effect information based on the amount of change in the numerical value of the user's biometric information after music output.

[0013] According to the third invention, in addition to the effects of the first or second invention, the configuration makes it possible to select music that reflects the amount of change in the biometric information of the user who actually listens to the music, thereby enabling more effective music selection that suits the user's tastes.

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a music providing system that can perform more effective music selection based on the user's biometric information in order to improve the user's physical condition.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a schematic functional block diagram showing the overall configuration of a music providing system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the data contents of the user information database of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the data contents of the music information database of FIG. 1. FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) are diagrams showing the data contents of music analysis information contained in the music selection information database. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of an appreciation effect registration process. FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b) are diagrams showing the data contents of appreciation effect information contained in the music selection information database. FIG. 7 is a program showing the processing flow of music providing processing.

[0016] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, the overall configuration of a music providing system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

[0017] <Overall Configuration of Music Providing System> Fig. 1 is a schematic functional block diagram showing the overall configuration of a music providing system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, the music providing system 1 includes a biometric information acquisition device 100 that acquires biometric information Ib from a user U, a music selection device 200 that selects and provides music based on the biometric information Ib acquired by the biometric information acquisition device 100, a music output device 300 that outputs the music provided by the music selection device 200, and an operation terminal 400 that accepts user operations and is capable of inputting and outputting various information.

[0018] As will be described in detail later, this music providing system 1 is configured such that a biometric information acquisition device 100 acquires biometric information Ib from a user U, a music selection device 200 selects and provides music that is optimal for improving the physical condition of the user U based on the biometric information Ib acquired from the user U, and the music selected by the music selection device 200 is output from a music output device 300. This allows for more effective music selection based on the biometric information Ib of the user U in order to improve the physical condition of the user U. Each component of the music providing system 1 will be described in detail below. There may be multiple users U, in which case a biometric information acquisition device 100, a music output device 300, and an operation terminal 400 may be provided for each user U.

[0019] <Biometric Information Acquisition Device> The biometric information acquisition device 100 acquires biometric information Ib from a user U. Here, the biometric information Ib in the present invention refers to physiological and anatomical information possessed by a living organism (user), and includes, for example, information such as heart rate, pulse, pulse wave, electrocardiogram, electromyogram, respiratory rate, brain wave, body temperature, height, weight, and blood pressure that can be detected and measured using electrodes and / or other sensors, measuring instruments, etc.

[0020] The biometric information acquisition device 100 includes a biometric information input device 110 that accepts input of biometric information Ib through operation by a user U, and a biometric information measurement device 120 that measures the user U's body and acquires the biometric information Ib.

[0021] The biometric information input device 110 is an information processing device that accepts input operations from the user U, and is, for example, a smartphone, tablet, mobile phone, personal computer, etc. Alternatively, it may be a household electrical appliance with a built-in microcomputer (for example, a refrigerator, television, washing machine, toilet equipment, etc.). The biometric information input device 110 is configured to accept input items such as the user's age, gender, weight, and a questionnaire about their physical condition. The biometric information Ib input to the biometric information input device 110 is transmitted to the music selection device 200 (described later) via the network NW together with the user U's identification information. Note that the operation terminal 400 (described later) may also function as the biometric information input device 110.

[0022] The biological information measuring device 120 is an electronic measuring device that measures the user's body to acquire biological information Ib, such as a pulse monitor, electrocardiograph, thermometer, or blood pressure monitor. These may be wearable devices that can be attached to the user's body. Furthermore, the biological information measuring device 120 may be a non-contact vital sensor that can remotely measure heart rate and respiratory rate using microwaves or millimeter-wave radar. The biological information Ib measured by the biological information measuring device 120 is transmitted to the music selection device 200 (described later) via a network NW, along with identification information of the user U. The operation terminal 400 (described later) may also function as the biological information measuring device 120. The biological information measuring device 120 may also be a household electrical appliance incorporating a microcomputer, as long as it is capable of acquiring biological information Ib.

[0023] <Music Output Device> The music output device 300 functions to output music provided by the music selection device 200 (described later), acquires music performance data (described later) from the music selection device 200 via the network NW, and outputs the data as music. The music output device 200 includes a music performance data processing mechanism and an audio output unit such as a speaker or earphones. Note that the operation terminal 400 (described later) may also function as the music output device 300.

[0024] <Operation Terminal> The operation terminal 400 is a multi-function information processing terminal (mobile terminal) such as a smartphone, personal computer, or tablet. Alternatively, it may be a household electrical appliance incorporating a microcomputer (e.g., a refrigerator, television, washing machine, or toilet equipment). Although not shown, the operation terminal 400 includes an operation unit that accepts various operations from the user U, a display unit that can display various information, an audio output unit that can output audio, and the like. The operation terminal 400 is also capable of downloading and executing application programs from the cloud CL via the network NW. That is, by downloading a specific application program, the operation terminal 400 can also perform the functions of the bioinformation input device 110, the bioinformation measurement device 120, and the music output device 300 described above. Operation information input to the operation terminal 400, together with the user U's identification information, is transmitted via the network NW to the music selection device 200 (described later). The operation terminal 400 is also capable of acquiring various information from the music selection device 200 via the network NW and displaying specific screens and outputting audio (including music).

[0025] <Music selection device> The music selection device 200 is an information processing device that includes a CPU that performs arithmetic processing and a memory that can read and write information necessary for the arithmetic processing, and the configuration shown as functional blocks in Fig. 1 is realized by the CPU operating in accordance with various control programs stored in the memory. For example, the music selection device 200 is a personal computer, a server device, etc.

[0026] The music selection device 200 includes a processing area 200a for processing various information and a storage area 200b for storing various information. The processing area 200a includes a user information registration unit 210 for registering user information indicating various information about the user U, a music registration mode execution unit 220 for executing the music registration mode, and a music provision mode execution unit 230 for executing the music provision mode. That is, the music selection device 200 includes a music registration mode in which information about music to be provided to the user U is registered, and a music provision mode in which music is selected from the music registered in the music registration mode based on biometric information Ib acquired from the user U and music is provided. Note that the user U is configured to be able to switch between the music registration mode and the music provision mode as appropriate by operating the mobile terminal 400, but the switching method is not limited thereto. The mobile terminal 400 may be configured to automatically switch to the music provision mode when biometric information Ib is acquired from the user U.

[0027] The system includes a processing area 200a for processing various types of information and a storage area 200b for storing various types of information. The processing area 200a includes a user information registration unit 210 for registering user information, a music registration mode execution unit 220 for executing the music registration mode, and a music provision mode execution unit 230 for executing the music provision mode.

[0028] The memory area 200b also includes a user information database 240 for storing user information, a music information database 250 for storing music information, a music selection information database 260 for storing music selection information, and an ideal biometric information database 270 in which ideal (or target) biometric information values ​​are recorded.

[0029] The user information registration unit 210 accepts an input operation via the operation terminal 400 and, based on the input information, acquires registration information (user information) such as a profile of the user U. The acquired registration information of the user U is registered in the user information database 240.

[0030] 2 is a diagram showing the data contents of the user information database 240 of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the user information includes, for example, a user ID for uniquely identifying multiple users U, their name, age, musical experience indicating whether they have experience playing music and their listening habits (e.g., how many hours per week they listen to music), responses to a physical questionnaire, and records of past biometric information Ib acquired from the user ID. User information can be registered as needed, for example, by having the user U input the necessary information into the operation terminal 400 by executing a user registration application downloaded to the operation terminal 400. In addition, the biometric information Ib is recorded for each user U over time in the user information database 240 together with information on the date and time of acquisition each time biometric information Ib is acquired from the user U.

[0031] 1 , the music registration mode execution unit 220 is a program that executes a music registration mode that registers information related to music to be provided to the user U. In other words, the music registration mode is a control mode that executes music registration processing, and the music registration processing is started by, for example, a predetermined operation on the operation terminal 400. The music registration mode execution unit 220 includes a music information registration unit 221, a music analysis unit 222, and an appreciation effect registration unit 223.

[0032] The music information registration unit 221 is a program that performs the function of registering music information including various information related to music, and executes music registration processing. Note that the data content of the music information registered by the music registration processing is configured to be obtained, for example, from the cloud CL via the network NW or from a readable / writable disk medium or the like.

[0033] 3 is a diagram showing the data contents of the music information database 250 in FIG. 1. A plurality of songs to be selected are registered (stored) in the music information database 250 through a music registration process. As shown in FIG. 3, the music information includes, for example, a music ID for uniquely identifying the plurality of songs, the titles of the songs (song names), music score data (digitized scores), and music performance data (digitized information required for playing the songs). More specifically, the music score data includes, for example, image data representing the music score, MusicXML data, JSON data, and CSV data, and includes information such as the music's measures, beats, key, chords, chord functions, tempo, and performance time. Furthermore, the music performance data includes, for example, MIDI data, audio data, and video data.

[0034] Returning to Fig. 1 , the music analysis unit 222 is a program that analyzes music registered in the music information database 250. Each time a new song is registered in the music information database 250, the music analysis unit 222 acquires music information from the music information database 250 and analyzes the acquired music information to create music analysis information for the registered song. The music analysis information created by the music analysis unit 222 for each song registered in the music information database 250 is registered (stored) in the music analysis information storage unit 261 of the music selection information database 250.

[0035] 4(a) and 4(b) show the data contents of the music analysis information included in the music selection information database 260. More specifically, FIG. 4(a) shows music analysis information (time series analysis) obtained by analyzing the musical score data in a time series, while FIG. 4(b) shows music analysis information (overall) obtained by analyzing the musical score data as a whole. As shown in FIG. 4(a), information such as the measure, beat, chord, previous chord, chord function TDS (Tonic, Dominant, Subdominant), previous chord function, tempo, etc., is broken down into data for each beat of the measure from the musical score data. This allows the appreciation effect registration unit 223 (described later) to create detailed data linked to the acquired biometric information Ib of the user U for each beat of the measure. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the frequency of chord appearance throughout the music is digitized. This makes it possible to associate the frequency of chord appearance throughout the song with the user U's biometric information Ib and turn it into data.

[0036] 1 , the appreciation effect registration unit 223 is a program that can register information indicating changes in the biometric information of the user U who has listened to a piece of music (hereinafter referred to as appreciation effect information) for each piece of music registered in the music information database 250. The appreciation effect registration unit 223 executes an appreciation effect registration process that registers the appreciation effect information through a predetermined operation of the operation terminal 400.

[0037] 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of the appreciation effect registration process. When the appreciation effect registration process starts, the appreciation effect registration unit 223 acquires music information of the music for which the appreciation effect is to be registered from the music information database 250 (step S1). Here, the music for which the appreciation effect is to be registered can be selected and determined by, for example, the user U operating the operation terminal 400. Alternatively, the music selection device 200 may automatically determine the music based on a predetermined rule.

[0038] Next, the appreciation effect registration unit 223 causes the music output unit 233 to output the music piece to be registered as an appreciation effect from the music output device 300 (step S2). During and after the audio output, the biometric information acquisition device 100 acquires biometric information Ib of the user U at predetermined time intervals (step S3).

[0039] Next, when the audio output of the music piece for which the appreciation effect is to be registered is completed (the performance time has ended), appreciation effect information is created based on the biometric information Ib acquired from the user U (step S4). The created appreciation effect information is stored in the appreciation effect information storage unit 262 of the music selection information database. Figures 6(a) and 6(b) are diagrams showing the data contents of the appreciation effect information included in the music selection information database 260. More specifically, Figure 6(a) shows appreciation effect information obtained by analyzing the biometric information in time series (time series analysis), and Figure 6(b) shows appreciation effect information (overall) obtained by analyzing the biometric information as a whole.

[0040] The appreciation effect information is generated by analyzing the appreciation effect of a song over time and by analyzing it overall. Furthermore, these data (information) are generated separately for each user U and for all users U. In the case of data for all users U, the values ​​stored in each item (the values ​​shown in each row in the case of FIG. 6 ) are average values ​​for all users U. Furthermore, these data can be registered multiple times for one song. In this case, in the case of data for each user U, the values ​​stored in each item are calculated as average values ​​taking into account past history, and in the case of data for all users U, the average values ​​taking into account past history are calculated and stored.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 6A , the data content of the appreciation effect information (time-series analysis) obtained by analyzing the biometric information over time may include, for example, recording the values ​​of each item of the biometric information Ib (e.g., pulse rate, blood pressure, body temperature, etc.) for each measure of the music piece for which the appreciation effect is to be registered. The values ​​may also be recorded more precisely, using beats as units. Furthermore, the values ​​may also be recorded at predetermined time intervals based on the playback time. Such a recording method may also be configured so that the user U can select and determine the method by operating the operation terminal 400. In the illustrated example, the items of the biometric information Ib are pulse rate, blood pressure, and body temperature, but may include only one item (e.g., pulse rate) or more items depending on the acquisition status of the biometric information Ib.

[0042] 6(b), the data content of the viewing effect information (time-series analysis) obtained by analyzing the entire biometric information is recorded by recording each item of biometric information Ib before viewing (which may be immediately after viewing begins) and after viewing (which may be immediately after viewing ends). Furthermore, the difference between the values ​​before and after viewing for each item of biometric information Ib is calculated and recorded as a value of the viewing effect.

[0043] When the appreciation effect registration unit 223 creates the appreciation effect information, it links it to the music information of the music for which the appreciation effect is to be registered, and stores (registers) the appreciation effect information (time series analysis) for each user U, the appreciation effect information (overall), the appreciation effect information (time series analysis) for all users U, and the appreciation effect information (overall) in the appreciation effect information storage unit 262 of the music selection information database (step S5).

[0044] 1 , the music provision mode execution unit 230 is a program that executes music provision processing in the music provision mode. That is, the music provision mode is a control mode that executes the music provision processing, and is started by, for example, a predetermined operation on the operation terminal 400.

[0045] 7 is a program showing the processing flow of the music provision processing. When the music provision processing starts, the music provision mode execution unit 230 acquires biometric information Ib from the user U (step S11) and determines an improvement item (step S12). An improvement item refers to an item of the biometric information Ib that the user U should improve (e.g., pulse, blood pressure, body temperature, etc.), and the item included in the acquired biometric information Ib becomes the improvement item. In other words, if the acquired biometric information Ib contains only pulse information, the pulse is determined to be the improvement item, and if pulse and blood pressure information is included, the pulse and blood pressure are determined to be the improvement items.

[0046] Next, the biometric information analysis unit 231 compares the biometric information Ib acquired from the user U with the ideal biometric information contained in the ideal biometric information database 270 (step S12). Here, the ideal biometric information is a record of ideal values ​​of biometric information for improving a physical condition, and for example, ideal (or target) values ​​of each item of the biometric information Ib (e.g., pulse rate, blood pressure, body temperature, etc.) are recorded by gender and age.

[0047] The biometric information analysis unit 231 compares the biometric information Ib acquired from the user U with the numerical values ​​of the ideal biometric information included in the ideal biometric information database 270 for each improvement item, and calculates an improvement amount for each improvement item, indicating the amount of improvement to be made in the biometric information Ib (step S14). This improvement amount can be calculated as the difference between the numerical value of each improvement item in the biometric information Ib acquired from the user U and the numerical value of the corresponding improvement item in the ideal biometric information. For example, if the biometric information Ib includes pulse and blood pressure information, and the pulse numerical value is 74 and the blood pressure numerical value is 120, and the pulse numerical value included in the ideal biometric information is 70 and 100, the improvement amount is calculated as -4 for the pulse item and -20 for the blood pressure item.

[0048] Next, the music selection unit 232 determines the output candidate music pieces to be provided to user U based on the improvement amounts for the improvement items calculated in step S14 by referencing information in the music appreciation effect information storage unit 262 of the music selection information database 260. More specifically, the calculated improvement amounts for the improvement items are compared with the appreciation effects in the appreciation effect information for each music piece, and music pieces whose numerical improvement effect values ​​are equal to or closest to the improvement amounts are determined as output candidates. That is, in the previous example, the improvement amount for the pulse item was -4, so the music piece whose appreciation effect value for pulse rate is -4, or, if -4 is not found, the music piece whose numerical improvement effect value is closest to -4 is determined as output candidates (for example, data is searched in the order of -3, -2, and -1). At this time, if appreciation effect information for that user U exists, the numerical value of that user U's appreciation effect information is referenced in the music selection information storage unit 262 of the music selection information database 260. If appreciation effect information for that user U exists, the numerical value of the appreciation effect information for all users U is referenced. Note that a configuration in which the numerical value of the appreciation effect information for all users U is always referenced is also possible.

[0049] Here, if there are multiple improvement items, the music selection unit 232 determines the output candidate music according to a preset priority order for the improvement items. This setting may be set arbitrarily by the user U or may be automatically set in accordance with a predetermined rule. The priority order of the improvement items may be determined by evaluating the importance of improvement based on the amount of improvement for each improvement item (for example, calculating a deviation value from a standard value). For example, if the priority order is set in the order of pulse, blood pressure, and body temperature, music whose improvement amount is equal to or closest to the appreciation effect for pulse is first determined as the output candidate. However, if multiple music whose improvement amount is equal to or closest to the appreciation effect for pulse is found, the next step is to determine, from among the multiple found music, music whose improvement amount is equal to or closest to the appreciation effect for blood pressure as the output candidate. In this way, the music selection unit 232 determines one output candidate music, but multiple music may be determined as the output candidate. In this case, the music output device 300 can be configured to output the candidate songs in order using the steps described below, and the order of the songs can be determined based on whether the amount of improvement for one or more improvement items is equal or closest.

[0050] Next, the music output unit 233 acquires music information of the music determined as an output candidate by the music selection unit 232 from the music information database 250, and audibly outputs the music determined as an output candidate from the music output device 300 (step S16). This allows for more effective music selection based on the biometric information Ib of the user U, thereby improving the physical condition of the user U. Note that if the music selection unit 232 has determined multiple output candidate songs, the music can be configured to audibly output the songs in descending order of priority.

[0051] Next, when the music output unit 233 completes audio output of the music from the audio output device 300 (ends performance), the improvement degree evaluation unit 233 evaluates the degree of improvement in the user U's physical condition. That is, after listening to music, biometric information U is acquired from the user U, and the actual improvement level of the user U's improvement items is evaluated. That is, the difference between the numerical value (amount of change) of the user U's improvement item and the appreciation effect of the appreciation effect information (in other words, the amount of change in the biometric information indicated by the appreciation effect information) is calculated, and the magnitude of this difference is evaluated. At the same time, the difference between the numerical value of the user U's improvement item and the numerical value of the ideal biometric information is also calculated and recorded for data analysis. At this time, if the numerical value (amount of change) of the user U's improvement item differs from the appreciation effect of the appreciation effect information, or if the difference is greater than a predetermined value, the appreciation effect information of the user U can be configured to update the appreciation effect information of the output music based on the numerical value (amount of change) of the user U's improvement item. Furthermore, if the difference between the numerical value (amount of change) of the improvement item for user U and the appreciation effect of the appreciation effect information is greater than a predetermined value, the music currently output for that user U can be excluded from the next music output candidates. With the above configuration, it is possible to provide music that is optimal for improving the user U's physical condition, taking into account the impact of the music to be selected on the user's biometric information Ib based on the user U's biometric information Ib. This allows for more effective music selection based on the user U's biometric information Ib to improve the user U's physical condition. Furthermore, it is possible to select music that reflects the amount of change in the biometric information of the user U who actually listened to music, enabling more effective music selection that suits the user's preferences.

[0052] Thereafter, it is determined whether music provision has ended (step S18), and if so, the music provision process is terminated. If music provision has not ended, the process returns to step S11, and music provision continues. The condition for music provision termination may be, for example, that the music provision mode is terminated by a predetermined operation on the operation terminal 400, or that the numerical values ​​of the improvement items of the user U match the numerical values ​​of the ideal biometric information as determined by the improvement degree evaluation unit 233 in step S17.

[0053] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above. The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. It goes without saying that the present invention can be modified appropriately within the scope of the technical concept.

[0054] <Providing music based on evaluation of physical condition> In the above embodiment, a configuration was described in which the music selection unit 232 determines output song candidates based on biometric information Ib acquired from the user U. However, it is also possible to configure the system to evaluate the physical condition of the user U using the following evaluation items and determine output song candidates based on the evaluation values.

[0055] [Evaluation item 1: Anger-Hostility (AH)] [Evaluation item 2: Confusion-Bewilderment (CB)] [Evaluation item 3: Depression-Dejection (DD)] [Evaluation item 4: Fatigue-Inertia (FI)] [Evaluation item 5: Tension-Anxiety (TA)]

[0056] For example, the evaluation items 1 to 5 can be calculated by conducting a questionnaire for the user U and assigning a score to the questionnaire responses, thereby calculating an evaluation value ranging from 1 to 100 for each item. The calculation can be configured so that the music selection device 200 acquires the input information when the user U inputs the questionnaire responses to the operation terminal 400 and calculates the evaluation value. The appreciation effect information storage unit 262 can be configured to acquire the questionnaire responses before and after listening to the music, thereby registering (storing) changes in the evaluation items 1 to 5 as appreciation effects, and the ideal values ​​of the evaluation items 1 to 5 are recorded in the ideal biometric information database 270. This allows the music selection unit 232 to determine output music candidates based on the evaluation items 1 to 5 acquired from the user U before music is provided. Note that the evaluation items 1 to 5 become improvement items for the biometric information Ib, and the amount of improvement is calculated for each. The music selection criteria of the music selection unit 232 can be configured to select music that is estimated to have the best degree of improvement, taking into account the amount of improvement and the appreciation effect.

[0057] <Correction Based on Environmental Factors> When music is provided by the music providing system 1, the values ​​of the ideal biometric information contained in the ideal biometric information database 270 may be corrected based on information indicating environmental factors surrounding the user U. Examples of information indicating environmental factors include weather (sunny, rainy, cloudy, etc.), air pressure, temperature, location (one's own room, kitchen, hotel, etc.), and noise level (decibels). The music selection device 200 can acquire such information via the network NW, for example, from input from the operation terminal 400 or information on the cloud CL. For example, when the weather is rainy, the music providing process is executed by subtracting -5% from the pulse rate and blood pressure values ​​and -3% from the body temperature values ​​contained in the ideal biometric information. When the temperature and noise level (decibels) are higher than a predetermined value, the music providing process is executed by adding +5% to the pulse rate and blood pressure values ​​and +3% to the body temperature, thereby taking into account the environmental factors surrounding the user U and enabling more effective music selection.

[0058] <Other> The biological information Ib may include information on hormones such as cortisol, oxytonin, and melatonin in saliva and blood, and information on NK cells in blood.

[0059] The music providing system 1 may be configured so that the user U can refer to the data contents of his / her own music appreciation effect information (time-series analysis) and music appreciation effect information (overall analysis) on the screen display of the operation terminal 400. This allows the user U to confirm the effect of listening to music on his / her physical condition, which can be used to improve and analyze his / her physical condition. Furthermore, the music selection device 200 may be configured so that, by operating the operation terminal 400, the range of bars that reflects (i.e., is used as effective) the music appreciation effect information (time-series analysis) and music appreciation effect information (overall analysis) for each song can be set (customized). This allows for good audio output of not only the entire song, but also part of a song (e.g., only the chorus).

[0060] 1 Music providing system 100 Biometric information acquisition device 110 Biometric information input device 120 Biometric information measurement device 200 Music selection device 300 Music output device 400 Operation terminal U User Ib Biometric information

Claims

1. A music providing system comprising a biometric information acquisition device for acquiring biometric information from a user, a music selection device for selecting and providing music based on the biometric information acquired by the biometric information acquisition device, and a music output device for outputting the music provided by the music selection device, wherein the music selection device comprises appreciation effect information registration means for registering, for each piece of music, appreciation effect information indicating an amount of change in the biometric information of the user who has listened to the music, and further comprises music selection means configured to calculate an amount of improvement in the user's biometric information from the biometric information acquired from the user by the biometric information acquisition device, and to select a piece of music to be provided to the user by comparing the calculated amount of improvement with the appreciation effect information registered by the appreciation effect information registration means, and further comprises music information registration means for registering music information including musical score data for the music, and is configured to create music analysis information including information regarding the bars and beats of the music from the musical score data included in the music information registered by the music information registration means, the appreciation effect information registration means is configured to register, based on the music analysis information, data in which the user's biometric information is recorded for each bar or beat while the music is being listened to, and data in which the user's biometric information is recorded before and after listening to the music, as part of the appreciation effect information; and the music providing system is configured to display the appreciation effect information registered by the appreciation effect information registration means on a user's operation terminal so that the user can confirm the information.

2. The music provision system according to claim 1, characterized in that the music selection device is configured to be able to set a range of bars that reflects the listening effect information for each song included in the registered song information.

3. The music provision system described in claim 1, characterized in that the music selection device acquires user identification information together with the biometric information from the biometric information acquisition device, the appreciation effect information registration means is configured to register data recording the biometric information for each user and for all users, respectively, based on the identification information acquired from the users, and the music selection means is configured to select music to be provided to users using data recording the biometric information of all users, if the appreciation effect information registered by the appreciation effect information registration means does not include data recording the biometric information of a user whose biometric information was acquired by the biometric information acquisition device.

4. The music provision system of claim 1, wherein the music selection means is configured to calculate the amount of improvement by determining the difference between the value of the biometric information acquired from the user and the value of ideal biometric information registered in advance, and further, the value of the ideal biometric information is configured to be correctable based on information indicating environmental factors around the user.

5. The music provision system of claim 1 or 2, further comprising an improvement degree evaluation unit that evaluates the degree of improvement in the user's physical condition as a result of the music being provided, wherein the improvement degree evaluation unit is configured to update the appreciation effect information based on the amount of change in the numerical value of the user's biometric information after music is output when the amount of change in the numerical value of the user's biometric information after music is output differs from the amount of change in the biometric information indicated by the appreciation effect registration means.

6. The music provision system described in claim 4, characterized in that the biometric information acquisition device is configured to be able to acquire biometric information relating to a plurality of improvement items from a user, and the music selection means is configured to calculate the amount of improvement for each of the improvement items, determine a priority for each of the improvement items based on the amount of improvement calculated for each of the improvement items, and select music to be provided to the user in accordance with the determined priority for the improvement items.

Images