Control device and control system

Abstract

The present invention comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires biological information pertaining to movement of a site of a user; a reception unit that receives, from a controlled device controlled by a control signal based on the biological information, a signal pertaining to the control status of the controlled device; and a transmission unit that transmits, to the user, the control status of the controlled device by giving a stimulus to the user on the basis of the signal pertaining to the control status received by the reception unit.

Description

Control device and control system

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device and a control system that controls a controlled device using biological information.

[0002] In recent years, advances in communication devices have made it possible to control devices from outside using devices equipped with communication functions. The control status of the controlled device is transmitted to the device that sent the control signal, allowing the controller to grasp the status.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method of controlling an external device using a cordless telephone, and the control status of the external device is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit of the cordless telephone's base unit or handset, or is indicated by a flashing button, etc.

[0004] Patent document 2 also discloses a method of controlling traffic lights by using a dedicated terminal to send a request signal to extend the green light duration of the traffic light, and the traffic light control status is displayed on the LCD screen of the dedicated terminal or notified by voice.

[0005] JP 2007-267322 A JP 2004-046852 A

[0006] However, in Patent Document 1, the control status of the external device is notified by a liquid crystal display or a flashing light, so the cordless telephone must be placed in a position where it can be seen by the user who controls it. Therefore, if the cordless telephone is in a position where it cannot be seen, it is difficult for the user to check the control status.

[0007] Furthermore, in Patent Document 2, the control status of the traffic light is notified by the LCD display on the dedicated terminal or by voice from the dedicated terminal, so it is difficult to check the control status if the LCD cannot be seen in the dark or if the voice cannot be heard in a crowded area.

[0008] The technology disclosed herein has been developed in consideration of the above, and aims to provide a control device and control system that makes it possible to grasp the control status of a controlled device even in situations where it is difficult to confirm the control status of the controlled device visually or audibly.

[0009] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the control device according to the technology disclosed herein is characterized by having an acquisition unit that acquires biometric information regarding the movement of a user's body parts, a receiving unit that receives a signal regarding the control status of the controlled device from the controlled device controlled by a control signal based on the biometric information, and a transmission unit that transmits the control status of the controlled device to the user by giving a stimulus to the user based on the signal regarding the control status received by the receiving unit.

[0010] In addition, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the control system related to the technology disclosed herein is characterized by having an acquisition device that acquires biometric information regarding the movement of a user's body parts; an information processing device that generates a control signal based on the biometric information acquired by the control device; a controlled device that is controlled based on the control signal generated by the information processing device and transmits a signal regarding the control status; and a transmission device that receives the signal regarding the control status from the controlled device and transmits the control status of the controlled device to the user by giving a stimulus to the user based on the received signal regarding the control status.

[0011] According to the technology disclosed herein, it is possible to grasp the control status of a controlled device even in a situation where it is difficult to visually or aurally confirm the control status of the controlled device.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a biometric information acquisition device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the change over time in the intensity of a stimulus given to a user by a transmission mechanism of a biometric information acquisition device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a control system including a biometric information acquisition device according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a control system including a biometric information acquisition device according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a control system including a biometric information acquisition device according to an embodiment. Schematic diagram of a biometric information acquisition device according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of a contact-type sensor unit according to an embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of a contact-type sensor unit according to an embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram explaining a procedure for calculating an external force in a contact-type sensor unit according to an embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram explaining a procedure for calculating an external force in a contact-type sensor unit according to an embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the configuration of a transmission mechanism according to an embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the change over time in the intensity of a stimulus given to a user by a transmission mechanism according to an embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an integrated configuration of a sensor unit and a transmission mechanism according to an embodiment.

[0013] The following describes the embodiments in detail, but the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments as long as it does not depart from the gist of the present invention.

[0014] FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a biological information acquisition device 100 as a control device according to this embodiment.

[0015] The biometric information acquisition device 100 includes a biometric information detection unit 101, a biometric information transmission unit 102 as a transmission unit, a reception unit 103, and a transmission mechanism 104 (transmission device) as a transmission unit.

[0016] The biometric information detection unit 101 detects and acquires biometric information related to the user's movements from one or more locations on the user. The biometric information transmission unit 102, which serves as a transmission unit, transmits the biometric information detected by the biometric information detection unit 101 to the information processing device 110. The reception unit 103 receives a signal related to the control status from the controlled device 120. The transmission mechanism 104 (transmission device), which serves as a transmission unit, transmits the control status to the user based on the received signal related to the control status.

[0017] The biometric information detection unit 101 is composed of sensors that detect biometric information related to the user's muscle movements, skin and tongue movements, etc. The biometric information detection unit 101 is, for example, an acceleration sensor and an angular velocity sensor that detect the user's mouth and tongue movements. The biometric information detection unit 101 may also be an acceleration sensor, an angular velocity sensor, or a myoelectric potential sensor that detects the user's mouth and tongue movements. The biometric information detection unit 101 may also be an acceleration sensor, an angular velocity sensor, or a tactile sensor that detects the user's mouth and tongue movements.

[0018] The acceleration sensor is a sensor that detects acceleration and outputs data or a signal corresponding to the detected acceleration. The angular velocity sensor (gyro sensor) is a sensor that detects angular velocity and outputs data or a signal corresponding to the detected angular velocity. The tactile sensor is a sensor that outputs data or a signal corresponding to a force or the direction of the force transmitted to the sensor. The acceleration sensor, angular velocity sensor, and tactile sensor in the biometric information detection unit 103 may be integrated.

[0019] The biometric information detection unit 101 is installed in a position where it can detect the movement of the user's mouth and tongue. The biometric information detection unit 101 is installed around the user's mouth. Specifically, the biometric information detection unit 101 is installed on the user's lower jaw, cheek, throat, under the ear, etc. The biometric information detection unit 101 may be installed in a position other than the above-mentioned positions as long as it is a position where it can detect biometric information related to the movement of the mouth and tongue.

[0020] The bioinformation detection unit 101 may use a myoelectric potential sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, an optical sensor, a pressure sensor, or the like. Specifically, the bioinformation detection unit 101 may be an acceleration sensor and an angular velocity sensor with a myoelectric potential sensor or a pressure sensor incorporated therein. The bioinformation detection unit 101 may also be one with a geomagnetic sensor incorporated therein. The bioinformation detection unit 101 can also acquire information related to skin movement and muscle movement at the same position.

[0021] The acceleration sensor and angular velocity sensor in the biometric information detection unit 101 can detect movements other than the movement of the mouth and tongue, such as the user's blinking and head movement.

[0022] The biometric information transmission unit 102 transmits the biometric information acquired by the biometric information detection unit 101 to the information processing device 110. The biometric information is provided with additional information related to time information (clock information). The biometric information transmission unit 102 can transmit the biometric information and the time information to the information processing device 110. The biometric information transmission unit 102 is connected to the information processing device 110 wirelessly via wireless LAN communication such as Wi-Fi or short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), or via a wired connection such as a USB cable or HDMI (registered trademark).

[0023] The receiving unit 103 receives a signal relating to the control status from the controlled device 120. The receiving unit 103 is connected to the controlled device 120 wirelessly via wireless LAN communication such as Wi-Fi or short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), or via a wired connection such as a USB cable or HDMI (registered trademark). The control status of the controlled device 120 includes start / stop of the controlled device, start / drive / stop of a mechanical drive unit, start / operate / stop of an electrical unit, and the like, but is not limited to these as long as it indicates the status of the controlled device.

[0024] The receiving unit 103 and the biometric information transmitting unit 102 may be configured as independent components, or the receiving unit 103 and the biometric information transmitting unit 102 may be integrated into one component.

[0025] The transmission mechanism 104 converts the signal corresponding to the control status of the controlled device 120 sent from the receiving unit 103 into a signal recognizable by the user and transmits the signal to the user. The transmission mechanism 104 transmits the signal to the user by applying a stimulus to the user. For example, the vibration of an electric motor, a piezoelectric actuator, or electrical stimulation by EMS is used to stimulate the user to exercise their muscles. FIG. 2 shows an example of the temporal change in the intensity of the stimulus applied to the user by the transmission mechanism 104. The temporal change in the intensity of the stimulus applied to the user by the transmission mechanism 104 may be, for example, a triangular wave pattern 201, a rectangular wave pattern 202, or a sine wave pattern 203. The stimulus intensity and the interval between the patterns do not need to be constant. Furthermore, the pattern may be a sum or product of two or more of these waveform patterns, or a combination of two or more of these waveform patterns.

[0026] The transmission mechanism 104 stops transmitting biometric information to the user while the biometric information detection unit 101 is detecting biometric information. Furthermore, while the transmission mechanism 104 is transmitting biometric information to the user, the biometric information detection unit 101 does not detect biometric information. In other words, while the transmission mechanism 104 is transmitting biometric information to the user, the biometric information detection unit 101 stops acquiring biometric information. This prevents the biometric information detection unit 101 from erroneously detecting vibrations caused by the transmission mechanism 104.

[0027] Furthermore, the transmission mechanism 104 is disposed at a position at least a predetermined distance away from the biological information detection unit 101. By adopting such a positional relationship, it is possible to prevent the biological information detection unit 101 from erroneously detecting vibrations caused by the transmission mechanism 104.

[0028] 3 shows an example of the configuration of a control system including a biometric information acquisition device 100 as an acquisition device according to this embodiment, an information processing device 110, and a controlled device 120. The information processing device 110 receives a signal from the biometric information acquisition device 100 and generates a command. The controlled device 120 receives and drives the command from the information processing device 110. Note that in FIG. 3, the same components as those in FIG. 1 are designated by the same numbers, and a description of the components described in the description of FIG. 1 will be omitted.

[0029] The biological information detected by the biological information detection unit 101 of the biological information acquisition device 100 is sent to the information processing device 110 via the biological information transmission unit 102 .

[0030] The information processing device 110 has a biometric information receiving unit 111, a determination unit 112, and a control signal transmitting unit 113. The biometric information receiving unit 111 receives the biometric information transmitted from the biometric information transmitting unit 102. The determination unit 112 compares the biometric information transmitted from the biometric information receiving unit 111 with pre-registered control signal information and outputs a matching result. The control signal transmitting unit 113 transmits the signal from the determination unit 112 to the controlled device 120.

[0031] The information processing device 110 may be, for example, a smartphone, a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, or the like, but is not limited to these.

[0032] The biometric information receiving unit 111 is connected to the biometric information transmitting unit 103 wirelessly via wireless LAN communication such as Wi-Fi or short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), or wired via a USB cable, HDMI (registered trademark), or the like.

[0033] The determination unit 112 determines which of a plurality of pieces of pre-registered control information the biometric information sent from the biometric information receiving unit 111 corresponds to. Here, the control information is information about the operation of the controlled device to be controlled.

[0034] The determination algorithm in the determination method uses a trained model with an architecture configured by a neural network. The trained model is a model obtained by using, as training data, biometric information regarding the movement of the user's body parts and predetermined control information corresponding to the biometric information regarding the movement of the user's body parts. The information processing device 110 has a memory unit (not shown) that stores the trained model. The determination unit 112 has a function of making an estimation using the trained model.

[0035] The trained model is a model generated using a deep learning convolutional neural network (CNN), a recurrent neural network (RNN), or a transformer. A model derived from a CNN, an RNN, or a transformer may also be used.

[0036] The determination unit 112 selects a pre-registered control signal corresponding to the determined control information. The control signal is a signal that instructs the start or stop of the controlled device 120, the start, drive, or stop of a mechanical drive unit included in the controlled device 120, the start, operation, or stop of an electrical unit, etc., and is not limited to these as long as it indicates the operation of the controlled device 120.

[0037] Control signal transmitting unit 113 transmits the control signal selected by determination unit 112 to controlled device 120. Control signal transmitting unit 113 is connected to control signal receiving unit 121 of controlled device 120 wirelessly using wireless LAN communication such as Wi-Fi or short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), or wired communication such as a USB cable or HDMI (registered trademark).

[0038] The controlled device 120 has a control signal receiving unit 121, a control unit 122, and a control status transmitting unit 123. The control signal receiving unit 121 receives a control signal transmitted from the control signal transmitting unit 113 of the information processing device 110. The control unit 122 controls the operation of a mechanical driving unit and an electrical unit included in the controlled device 120. The control status transmitting unit 123 transmits the control status of the controlled device.

[0039] Control unit 122 controls the start, operation, and stop of mechanical driving units and the start, operation, and stop of electrical components included in controlled device 120 in accordance with the control signal sent from control signal receiving unit 121. Mechanical driving units include driving components such as motors and linear sliders. Electrical components include display components such as monitors and audio components such as microphones and speakers. Control unit 122 grasps the control status of controlled device 120 by monitoring changes in physical quantities such as the voltage applied to components, the amount of current flowing through components, the drive amount of components, and the temperature of components.

[0040] The control status transmission unit 123 transmits the control status grasped by the control unit 122 to the biometric information acquisition device 100. The control status transmission unit 113 is connected to the receiving unit 103 of the biometric information acquisition device 100 wirelessly via wireless LAN communication such as Wi-Fi or short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), or via a wired connection such as a USB cable or HDMI (registered trademark).

[0041] The receiving unit 103 of the biometric information acquisition device 100 receives a signal relating to the control status from the controlled device 120. The control status of the controlled device 120 includes start / stop of the controlled device, start / drive / stop of a mechanical drive unit, start / operate / stop of an electrical unit, and the like, but is not limited to these as long as it indicates the status of the controlled device.

[0042] The transmission mechanism 104 converts the signal corresponding to the control status of the controlled device 120 sent from the receiving unit 103 into a signal that can be recognized by the user and transmits it to the user. The transmission mechanism 104 transmits the signal to the user by a method that stimulates the user. For example, a method that stimulates the user to exercise their muscles by vibration of an electric motor or electrical stimulation by EMS is used.

[0043] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control system of this embodiment.

[0044] The biometric information acquisition device 100 acquires biometric information relating to the movement of a user's body part by detecting it using the biometric information detection unit 101 (S100).

[0045] The biological information detected by the biological information detection unit 101 of the biological information acquisition device 100 is transmitted to the information processing device 110 via the biological information transmission unit 102 (S101).

[0046] The biometric information transmitted by the biometric information transmitting unit 102 is compared with pre-registered control information by the determining unit 113 provided in the information processing device 110, and a corresponding control signal is selected (S102).

[0047] The corresponding control signal selected in S102 is transmitted from the control signal transmitting unit 113 to the controlled device 120 (S103).

[0048] Controlled device 120 that has received the control signal is controlled by control unit 122 to perform an operation based on the control signal. Controlled device 120 transmits a signal indicating the control status of the controlled device to biometric acquisition device 100 (S104).

[0049] The transmission mechanism 104 provided in the biosignal acquisition device 100 transmits the control status of the controlled device 120 to the user based on the signal indicating the control status sent from the controlled device 120 and received by the receiving unit 103 in S104 (S105).

[0050] (Example) Next, a control system according to the example will be described. An outline of a control system including a biometric information acquisition device 500 according to the example is shown in Fig. 5. In the example, a smartphone 510 is used as the information processing device 110, and a camera 520 is used as the controlled device 120. In the example, the biometric information acquisition device 500, the smartphone 510, and the camera 520 are connected wirelessly.

[0051] A schematic diagram of a biometric information acquisition device is shown in Figure 6. The biometric information acquisition device 500 is powered by a battery (not shown). The biometric information acquisition device 500 is worn on the user's ear. The biometric information acquisition device 500 is composed of a first biometric information detection unit 501 and a second biometric information detection unit 502 as acquisition units, a transmission / reception unit 503, and a transmission mechanism 504 as a transmission unit. The first biometric information detection unit 501 and the second biometric information detection unit 502 are composed of contact-type sensor units.

[0052] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of a contact-type sensor unit 700. As shown in FIG.

[0053] The sensor unit 700 is composed of a circuit board 703 on which a magnetic sensor IC 701 and an inertial sensor IC 702 are mounted, an elastic body 704, a permanent magnet 705, and a contact member 706. The inertial sensor IC 702 has a built-in detection unit for detecting three-axis acceleration and three-axis angular velocity. The contact member 706 is a member that comes into contact with the skin.

[0054] An elastic member 704 is disposed between the circuit board 703 and the contact member 706. The elastic member 704 is deformable by an external force applied between the contact member 706 and the circuit board 703. Flexible materials such as silicon gel, synthetic rubber, and sponge can be used, or a metal or resin spiral spring can also be used.

[0055] A permanent magnet 705 is fixed to the contact member 706 side of the elastic member 704. The magnetic sensor IC 701 detects the relative displacement between the permanent magnet 705 and the magnetic sensor IC 701. The magnetic sensor IC 701 is an element having four magnetic field detection points inside. Alternatively, a three-axis geomagnetic sensor capable of detecting the direction of a magnetic field vector may be used. Using the output from the magnetic sensor IC 701, a downstream signal processing circuit (not shown) detects the three-dimensional displacement of the magnet, and the external force is calculated from the detected displacement amount.

[0056] FIG. 8 shows another example of the configuration of the sensor unit 800, in which an optical tactile sensor is used.

[0057] The sensor unit 800 is composed of a circuit board 810 on which two-segment photodiodes 807a and 807b and an inertial sensor IC 802 are mounted, an elastic body 804, a light-emitting element 809, and a contact member 806. The inertial sensor IC 802 has built-in detection units for detecting three-axis acceleration and three-axis angular velocity. The contact member 806 is a member that comes into contact with the skin.

[0058] An opening member 811 and an elastic member 804 are disposed between the circuit board 810 and the contact member 806. The elastic member 804 is deformable by an external force applied between the contact member 806 and the circuit board 810.

[0059] A light-emitting element 809 consisting of an LED is fixed to the contact member 806 side of the elastic member 804. 24-segment photodiodes 807a and 807b are light-receiving elements each having a light-receiving surface divided into two. The aperture member 811 has openings 830a and 830b in the optical path between the light-emitting element 809 and the 24-segment photodiodes 807a and 807b. Using the outputs from the 24-segment photodiodes 807a and 807b, a downstream signal processing circuit (not shown) detects three-dimensional displacement of the light-emitting element 809, and calculates external force from the detected displacement amount.

[0060] Here, a procedure for detecting the amount of movement of the light-emitting element 809 due to an external force and calculating the external force will be described. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the movement of the light-emitting element 909 and the movement of the projected spot 940 when a vertical external force is applied. The distance between the spot pair formed by one light-emitting element 909 changes depending on the ratio of the distance between the light-emitting element 909 and the openings 930a and 930b to the distance between the openings 930a and 930b and the light-receiving IC surface. When a force is applied in the surface direction, the light-emitting element 909 moves downward, reducing the distance between the light-emitting element 909 and the openings 930a and 930b. As a result, the center-to-center distance between the spot pair increases. The vertical external force can be estimated by calculating the distance between the center position coordinates of the spot pair.

[0061] 10 is a schematic diagram showing the movement of the light-emitting element 1009 and the movement of the projected spot 1040 when an external force in the shear direction is applied. When the elastic body 804 is subjected to an external force in the shear direction via the abutting member 806, the light-emitting element 809 moves in an in-plane direction. As a result, the center of the central position of the spot pair moves in the direction opposite to the external force. The external force in the shear direction can be estimated by calculating the average value of the central position coordinates of the spot pair.

[0062] 6 is pressed against the cheek and under the chin of the user. By bringing the first biological information detection unit 501 and the second biological information detection unit 502 into contact with the user's skin, the first biological information detection unit 501 and the second biological information detection unit 502 can detect biological information.

[0063] The first biological information detection unit 501 and the second biological information detection unit 502 are connected to the transmission / reception unit 503. The biological information detected by the first biological information detection unit 501 and the second biological information detection unit 502 is transmitted to the smartphone 510 by the transmission / reception unit 503.

[0064] A receiving unit 511 in the application of the smartphone 510 receives the biometric information detected by the first biometric information detecting unit 501 and the second biometric information detecting unit 502. A determining unit 512 determines, using a trained model, whether the received biometric information is a specific action for controlling the camera 520, and transmits the determination result as a control signal wirelessly from a control signal transmitting unit 513 to a control signal receiving unit 521 included in the camera 520.

[0065] The camera 520 operates under the control of a control signal received by a control signal receiving unit 521. The operation status is wirelessly transmitted from a control status transmitting unit 523 of the camera 520 to the transmitting / receiving unit 503 of the biometric information acquiring device 500.

[0066] The control status of the camera 520 received by the transmitter / receiver 503 is sent to the transmission mechanism 504. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of the transmission mechanism 504 of the embodiment. The transmission mechanism 504 generates mechanical vibrations in a motor 1101. A weight 1103 is attached asymmetrically to a rotating shaft 1102 of the motor 1101. When the motor 1101 rotates, a centrifugal force acts on the weight 1103, and because the weight 1103 is attached asymmetrically to the rotating shaft 1102, the motor 1101 also vibrates. The motor 1101, rotating shaft 1102, and weight 1103 are housed together in a case 1104. The case 1104 is located near the user's temples, and when the motor 1101 rotates, the case 1104 vibrates and is transmitted to the user. Note that the transmission mechanism 504 is not limited to the eccentric motor described above, and a resonant linear actuator, a piezoelectric actuator, or the like may also be used. Alternatively, the device may be one that encourages the user to exercise their muscles by applying electrical stimulation using EMS.

[0067] The transmission mechanism 504 is driven according to a pre-registered drive pattern in accordance with the received control status. For example, when taking a picture with the camera 520, the user presses the shutter and moves their lips. The lip movement is detected by the biometric information detection unit 501 and the biometric information detection unit 502 and sent to the smartphone 510 as biometric information. The biometric information sent by the smartphone 510 is compared with a pre-registered trained model, a control signal corresponding to the shutter is selected, and sent to the camera 520. The camera 520, which has received the control signal, captures an image in accordance with the control signal from the control unit 522. When the image capture is completed, the control signal transmission unit 523 sends a signal corresponding to the completion of image capture to the transmission / reception unit 503 of the biometric information acquisition device 500. The signal received by the transmission / reception unit 503 is sent to the transmission mechanism 504, and a current flows according to the drive pattern 1200 shown in FIG. 12, driving the transmission mechanism. This allows the user to recognize that the image capture is complete.

[0068] In the above-described example, the transmission mechanism 504 is configured as a separate entity from the first biometric information detection unit 501 or the second biometric information detection unit 502, but it may also be configured as an integrated unit 1301 as shown in FIG. 13 .

[0069] In the integrated unit 1301, a metal part 1303 with a diaphragm structure is bonded to an abutment member 1302. A piezoelectric element 1304 is bonded to the surface of the diaphragm structure part of the metal part 1303 opposite to the abutment member 1301, thereby constituting a unimorph type piezoelectric unit. The electrode part of the piezoelectric element is connected by a conductor to a circuit board 1305, which is connected to a drive circuit 1306 and a detection circuit 1307.

[0070] The integrated unit 1301 can switch between the detection and transmission functions by switching the connection destination of the piezoelectric element 1304 between the drive circuit 1306 and the detection circuit 1307 .

[0071] During detection, the detection circuit 1307 detects the charge generated by the piezoelectric effect in response to the external force and acquires it as biometric information. During transmission to the user, the drive circuit 1306 applies a drive signal to the piezoelectric element 1304, generating vibrations due to the inverse piezoelectric effect. This integrated design allows for the device to be made smaller.

[0072] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the present invention.

[0073] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-070110, filed April 23, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0074] 100 Biometric information acquisition device 101 Biometric information detection unit 104 Transmission mechanism 110 Information processing device 120 Controlled device

Claims

1. A control device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires biometric information regarding the movement of a user's body parts; a receiving unit that receives a signal regarding the control status of a controlled device from the controlled device, which is controlled by a control signal based on the biometric information; and a transmission unit that transmits the control status of the controlled device to the user by giving a stimulus to the user based on the signal regarding the control status received by the receiving unit.

2. The control device according to claim 1, further comprising: a transmitting unit that transmits the biometric information to an information processing device that generates the control signal based on the biometric information.

3. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission unit is located at a position at least a predetermined distance away from the acquisition unit.

4. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit stops acquiring the biometric information while the transmission unit is transmitting the biometric information to the user.

5. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission unit transmits the control status to the user by vibrating based on a signal relating to the control status.

6. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission unit transmits the control status to the user by encouraging the user to perform muscle exercises.

7. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission unit is configured integrally with the acquisition unit.

8. A control system comprising: a biometric information acquisition device that acquires biometric information regarding the movement of a user's body parts; an information processing device that generates a control signal based on the biometric information acquired by the control device; a controlled device that is controlled based on the control signal generated by the information processing device and transmits a signal regarding the control status; and a transmission device that receives the signal regarding the control status from the controlled device and transmits the control status of the controlled device to the user by giving a stimulus to the user based on the received signal regarding the control status.

Images