Evaluation system and evaluation method

Abstract

This evaluation system includes a terminal device, a sensor attached to a body surface of a user, and a server device connected to the terminal device. The server device has: an information acquisition unit for acquiring information indicating an amount of salt ingested by the user; a concentration calculation unit for calculating a salt concentration in sweat of the user using a detection result of the sensor, after acquiring the information indicating the amount of salt ingested by the user; and a storage control unit for setting a reference value relating to the salt concentration in the sweat of the user, on the basis of the amount of salt ingested by the user and the salt concentration in the sweat of the user calculated by the concentration calculation unit, and storing the reference value in a storage unit in association with information for identifying the user.

Description

Evaluation system and method

[0001] The present invention relates to an evaluation system and an evaluation method.

[0002] Conventionally, techniques for determining a person's salt intake have been known. One example is a technique for collecting urine from a person for 24 hours a day and calculating the concentration of sodium ions in the 24-hour urine (Patent Document 1). Another example is a technique for determining the salt concentration in blood by collecting sweat samples and determining the amount of sodium secreted in the sweat (Patent Document 2).

[0003] International Publication No. 2022 / 168745 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-198577

[0004] The technique described in Patent Document 1 requires hospitalization at a specialized facility to collect 24-hour urine samples, which is not easy. Furthermore, because the concentration of sodium ions excreted in sweat varies from person to person, the salt concentration in blood described in Patent Document 2 cannot be used to determine the amount of salt intake in the human body.

[0005] The disclosed technology aims to make it easy for individuals to understand their salt intake.

[0006] The disclosed technology is an evaluation system including a terminal device, a sensor attached to a user's body surface, and a server device connected to the terminal device, wherein the server device has an information acquisition unit that acquires information indicating the amount of salt ingested by the user, a concentration calculation unit that calculates the salt concentration in the user's sweat using the detection results of the sensor after the user has acquired the information indicating the amount of salt ingested, and a storage control unit that sets a reference value for the salt concentration in the user's sweat based on the amount of salt ingested by the user and the salt concentration in the user's sweat calculated by the concentration calculation unit, and stores the reference value in a memory unit in association with information that identifies the user.

[0007] This allows individuals to easily understand their salt intake.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the system configuration of the evaluation system of the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of a server device. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the functional configuration of each device of the evaluation system. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a meal information database. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a measurement value database. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a reference value database. FIG. 7 is a first sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the evaluation system of the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a second sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the evaluation system of the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a third sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the evaluation system of the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display on a terminal device of the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a first sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the evaluation system of the second embodiment. FIG. 12 is a second sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the evaluation system of the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a third sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the evaluation system of the second embodiment. FIG. 14 is a first diagram illustrating an example of a display on a terminal device of the second embodiment.

[0009] First Embodiment The system configuration of an evaluation system according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the system configuration of an evaluation system according to the first embodiment.

[0010] The evaluation system 100 of this embodiment includes a server device 200, a terminal device 300, and a sensor 400. In the evaluation system 100, the server device 200 and the terminal device 300 are connected via a network.

[0011] The server device 200 is an example of an information processing device. The terminal device 300 may be, for example, a tablet terminal device or a smartphone as long as it has an imaging function. The sensor 400 of this embodiment is attached to the body surface of a user P associated with the terminal device 300 and collects a biological sample from the human body of the user P.

[0012] In the evaluation system 100 of this embodiment, one of the substances contained in the biological sample is set as the target substance, the concentration of the target substance is measured, and the health condition of user P is evaluated based on the concentration of the measured substance contained in the biological sample.

[0013] More specifically, in the evaluation system 100 of this embodiment, sweat collected from a human body is used as an example of a biological sample, and the salt concentration contained in the biological sample is used as a measurement target. Then, the evaluation system 100 of this embodiment determines whether the salt intake of user P is appropriate based on the salt concentration in the sweat collected from user P.

[0014] Here, in this embodiment, focusing on the fact that the relationship between the amount of salt ingested by the human body and the salt concentration in the sweat excreted from the human body differs from person to person, a standard value of salt concentration is set for each individual user to determine whether the amount of salt intake is appropriate.

[0015] In addition, in this embodiment, attention is paid to the fact that there is a certain delay before the amount of salt ingested by the human body is reflected in the salt concentration in the sweat excreted from the human body, and information indicating the amount of salt ingested by the human body over a certain period going back from the time the sweat was collected is obtained.

[0016] An overview of the evaluation system 100 of this embodiment will be described below.

[0017] In this embodiment, a user P to be evaluated is made to ingest a diet with a known salt content for a certain period of time. In the following description, a diet with a known salt content is referred to as a reference diet. The reference diet may be a diet calculated to provide an appropriate amount of salt intake per day. The appropriate amount of salt may be, for example, the amount recommended by the Japanese Society of Hypertension (7.5 grams for adult men and 6.5 grams for adult women) or less than 5 g per day as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).

[0018] The certain period in this embodiment is the period it takes for the amount of salt ingested to be reflected in the salt concentration in sweat, and specifically, is, for example, three days. Note that the certain period is not limited to three days, and may be three days or more.

[0019] User P uses terminal device 300 linked to himself / herself to transmit information about the reference meal he / she has ingested to server device 200. Furthermore, on the day after a certain period of time has passed since he / she ingested the reference meal, user P attaches sensor 400 to his / her body surface and performs a sweating action.

[0020] In this case, the amount of sweating may be very small. Examples of actions that cause sweating include showering, bathing, walking, etc., performed by the user P with the sensor 400 attached to the body surface. Note that actions that cause sweating are not limited to these and may include any actions in daily life.

[0021] When the user P sweats, the colorimetric reagent included in the detection unit 410 of the sensor 400 attached to the body surface of the user P develops color.

[0022] When the user P recognizes that the detection unit 410 has developed a color, the user P uses the imaging function of the terminal device 300 to obtain image data showing an image of the sensor 400 including an image of the detection unit 410, and transmits the image data to the server device 200. At this time, the sensor 400 may be peeled off from the body surface.

[0023] When the server device 200 receives the image data, it analyzes the color of the image of the detection unit 410 included in the image indicated by the image data, and calculates the salt concentration contained in the sweat collected by the sensor 400. The server device 200 then uses this salt concentration as a reference value for the salt concentration of the user P, and stores it in association with information identifying the user P.

[0024] In this embodiment, the salt concentration detected from sweat after ingesting an appropriate amount of salt is used as a reference value for determining whether user P's salt intake is appropriate or not, and is stored in association with information identifying user P.

[0025] Next, in this embodiment, the user P is made to eat a general diet for a certain period of time. A general diet may be a diet with no restrictions on salt content, such as a diet that the user P eats on a daily basis. In the following description, a general diet will be referred to as a regular diet.

[0026] User P eats a regular diet for a certain period of time, and on the day after the certain period has passed, attaches sensor 400 to the same part of his or her body surface as the part measured after eating the reference diet, and performs a sweating action.

[0027] Thereafter, when user P notices that the detection unit 410 has changed color, just as when he or she ingested the reference meal, user P peels off the sensor 400 from the body surface, acquires image data showing an image of the sensor 400 including an image of the detection unit 410 using the imaging function of the terminal device 300, and transmits the image data to the server device 200.

[0028] When the server device 200 receives the image data, it analyzes the color of the image of the detection unit 410 included in the image indicated by the image data, and obtains the salt concentration contained in the sweat collected by the sensor 400. In the following description, the salt concentration obtained after the user P ingests a regular meal may be referred to as a measured salt concentration value.

[0029] In other words, the measurement value in this embodiment indicates a salt concentration that reflects the amount of salt that user P ingests in his or her daily life.

[0030] Next, the server device 200 compares this measured value of the salt concentration with a reference value associated with the user P. Then, based on the comparison result, the server device 200 determines whether the daily salt intake amount when the user P eats a regular diet is appropriate or not, and notifies the terminal device 300 of the determination result.

[0031] In this embodiment, a reference value for the salt concentration of each individual user is set, and whether the user's salt intake is appropriate is determined based on this reference value. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to determine with high accuracy whether the user's salt intake is appropriate without being affected by individual differences in the salt concentration excreted in sweat. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the user does not need to visit a specialized facility such as a medical institution to determine their salt intake, and the user can easily determine their salt intake.

[0032] 1, the evaluation system 100 includes one terminal device 300, but the number of terminal devices 300 included in the evaluation system 100 is not limited to one. The evaluation system 100 may include any number of terminal devices 300.

[0033] Furthermore, although the sensor 400 of this embodiment uses a colorimetric reagent, this is not limiting. Any sensor may be used as the sensor 400 of this embodiment as long as it can collect sweat from the body surface of the user P and measure the salinity concentration. The sensor 400 may be, for example, a sensor that detects sweat components using an electrical signal.

[0034] The hardware configuration of the server device 200 of this embodiment will be described below with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the server device.

[0035] The server device 200 of this embodiment includes a processor 21, a memory 22, an auxiliary storage device 23, an I / F (Interface) device 24, a communication device 25, and a drive device 26. The hardware components of the server device 200 are connected to each other via a bus 27.

[0036] The processor 21 has various arithmetic devices such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), etc. The processor 21 reads various programs (for example, a learning program, etc.) into the memory 22 and executes them.

[0037] The memory 22 has a main storage device such as a read-only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM). The processor 21 and the memory 22 form a so-called computer, and the processor 21 executes various programs read onto the memory 22, thereby causing the computer to realize the functions of the server device 200, which will be described later.

[0038] The auxiliary storage device 23 stores various programs and various data used when the processor 21 executes the various programs.

[0039] The I / F device 24 is a connection device that connects an operation device 28 and a display device 29, which are examples of external devices, with the server device 200. The I / F device 24 accepts operations for the server device 200 via the operation device 28. The I / F device 24 may also output results of processing by the server device 200 and display them to an administrator of the server device 200 via the display device 29.

[0040] The communication device 25 is a communication device for communicating with other devices (in this embodiment, the terminal device 300).

[0041] The drive device 26 is a device for loading a recording medium 50. The recording medium 50 here includes media that record information optically, electrically, or magnetically, such as CD-ROMs, flexible disks, and magneto-optical disks. The recording medium 50 may also include semiconductor memories that record information electrically, such as ROMs and flash memories.

[0042] The various programs to be installed in the auxiliary storage device 23 are installed, for example, by setting the distributed recording medium 50 in the drive device 26 and reading the various programs recorded on the recording medium 50 by the drive device 26. Alternatively, the various programs to be installed in the auxiliary storage device 23 may be installed by being downloaded from a network via the communication device 25.

[0043] Furthermore, the hardware configuration of the terminal device 300 of this embodiment may be the same as that of the server device 200 except that it has an imaging device, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0044] Next, the functional configuration of each device included in the evaluation system 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0045] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the functional configuration of each device included in the evaluation system.

[0046] First, the functions of the terminal device 300 will be described. The terminal device 300 of this embodiment includes an input reception unit 310, a display control unit 320, an image capture control unit 330, and a communication control unit 340. Each of these units may be realized by a CPU of the terminal device 300 reading and executing a program stored in a storage device of the terminal device 300. Furthermore, a program (application) for realizing the function of each unit in the terminal device 300 may be distributed from the server device 200 and installed in the terminal device 300.

[0047] The input receiving unit 310 receives input of various information to the terminal device 300. The display control unit 320 controls the display of the display device of the terminal device 300. The imaging control unit 330 controls the imaging device of the terminal device 300. The communication control unit 340 controls communication between the terminal device 300 and the server device 200.

[0048] Next, a description will be given of the functions of the server device 200. The server device 200 of this embodiment includes a diet information database 210, a measurement value database 220, a reference value database 230, and an evaluation unit 240.

[0049] The diet information database 210 stores diet information about meals input by the user P. The measurement value database 220 stores salinity concentrations acquired from images of a sensor attached to the body surface of the user P. The reference value database 230 stores reference values ​​for each user. Each of these databases may be realized by the auxiliary storage device 23 of the server device 200, for example. Details of each database will be described later.

[0050] The evaluation unit 240 includes an information acquisition unit 241 , a storage control unit 242 , a period determination unit 243 , a salt intake calculation unit 244 , a concentration calculation unit 245 , a comparison unit 246 , and an output unit 247 .

[0051] The information acquisition unit 241 acquires various pieces of information input to the server device 200 .

[0052] The storage control unit 242 controls the storage of various pieces of information acquired by the information acquisition unit 241 in each database. Specifically, the storage control unit 242 stores the salt concentration in the sweat of the user P calculated by the concentration calculation unit 245 after the user P has ingested a reference diet for a certain period of time in the reference value database 230 as a reference value of the salt concentration in the sweat of the user P. Furthermore, the storage control unit 242 stores the salt concentration in the sweat of the user P calculated by the concentration calculation unit 245 after the user P has ingested a regular diet for a certain period of time in the measurement value database 220 as a measured value of the salt concentration in the sweat of the user P.

[0053] The period determination unit 243 determines whether a certain period has elapsed since the user P ingested the reference diet or the user P ingested the regular diet.

[0054] The salt intake calculation unit 244 calculates the amount of salt that the user P has ingested in a day from the dietary information acquired by the information acquisition unit 241 .

[0055] The concentration calculation unit 245 acquires color information of the image of the detection unit 410 from the image data of the sensor 400, and calculates the salt concentration in the sweat of the user P based on the acquired color information.

[0056] The comparison unit 246 compares the reference value calculated by the concentration calculation unit 245 and stored in the reference value database 230 by the storage control unit 242 with the measurement value calculated by the concentration calculation unit 245 and stored in the measurement value database 220 by the storage control unit 242.

[0057] The output unit 247 outputs various types of information to the terminal device 300. Specifically, the output unit 247 outputs to the terminal device 300 various notifications to be displayed on the terminal device 300, the results of the comparison by the comparison unit 246, and the like.

[0058] 3, the dietary information database 210, the measurement value database 220, and the reference value database 230 are provided in the server device 200, but this is not limiting. Some or all of these databases may be provided in devices external to the server device 200. In this case, the server device 200 and the devices external to the server device 200 are connected so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0059] 3, the evaluation unit 240 is implemented by the server device 200, but this is not limiting. The evaluation unit 240 may be implemented by a plurality of information processing devices. In other words, the server device 200 may include a plurality of information processing devices.

[0060] Next, the databases of the server device 200 will be described with reference to Figures 4 to 6. Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of a meal information database.

[0061] The meal information database 210 of this embodiment may be provided for each user. The meal information stored in the meal information database 210 is an example of information indicating the amount of salt ingested by a user. The meal information database 210 may include information items such as a user ID, date, time, and meal content. The value of the item "User ID" is identification information for identifying a user linked to the terminal device 300. The values ​​of the items "Date" and "Time" indicate the date and time the user ate a meal. Note that the date and time the user ate a meal may be the date and time when the terminal device 300 accepted input of information indicating the meal content, the date and time when the server device 200 received information indicating the meal content from the terminal device 300, or the date and time input by the user.

[0062] The value of the item "meal information" indicates the content of the meal consumed by the user. The value of the item "meal information" may be, for example, image data showing an image of the meal taken by the user using the terminal device 300. The value of the item "meal information" may also be information showing the menu of the meal or information showing the nutrient components contained in the meal. In this embodiment, the value of the item "meal information" may be any information that can be used to obtain the amount of salt for each meal.

[0063] In the example of FIG. 4, a user identified by user ID "1" ingested the standard diet for three days from 2024 / 6 / 10, and switched to a regular diet from 2024 / 6 / 14.

[0064] 5 is a diagram showing an example of the measurement value database. The measurement value database 220 of this embodiment may be provided for each user. The measurement value database 220 includes information items such as a user ID, date and time, and measurement value.

[0065] The value of the item "Date and Time" may be the date and time when a user identified by the user ID took an image of the sensor 400 including the detection unit 410, or the date and time when the server device 200 received image data showing an image of the sensor 400 including the detection unit 410 from the terminal device 300.

[0066] The value of the item "Measurement Value" is the salt concentration in sweat calculated based on an image of the sensor 400 taken after the user P has eaten a regular meal. In other words, the value of the item "Measurement Value" is the salt concentration detected from the user's sweat.

[0067] 6 is a diagram showing an example of a reference value database. The reference value database 230 of this embodiment includes information items such as user ID, name, age, sex, weight, and reference value. Note that these items are examples of items included in the reference value database 230, and the reference value database 230 is not limited to these. It is sufficient that the reference value database 230 includes user IDs and reference values.

[0068] The values ​​of the items "user ID," "name," "age," "gender," "weight," etc. are examples of user information input by the user. The user information may include login information for the user to log in to the evaluation system 100. The login information may be, for example, a user ID and password, or may be pre-registered biometric information of the user (fingerprint, face, etc.). When the login information is the user's biometric information, the user's biometric information may be used as a user ID for identifying the user.

[0069] The value in the item "reference value" is the salt concentration in sweat calculated based on an image of the sensor 400 taken after the user P ingests the reference meal.

[0070] Next, the operation of the evaluation system 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 7 to 9. Figure 7 is a first sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the evaluation system of the first embodiment.

[0071] In the evaluation system 100 of this embodiment, the terminal device 300 and the server device 200 perform a process of acquiring a reference value of the salt concentration in the sweat of the user P associated with the terminal device 300 (step S701). The process of step S701 will be described in detail later.

[0072] Next, the terminal device 300 and the server device 200 acquire a measurement value of the salt concentration in sweat of the user P linked to the terminal device 300 (step S702). More specifically, step S702 is performed after the user P has ingested the reference diet for a certain period of time. The details of the processing of step S702 will be described later.

[0073] Next, the server device 200 uses the comparison unit 246 of the evaluation unit 240 to compare the reference value obtained in step S701 with the measurement value obtained in step S702 (step S703), and outputs the comparison result to the terminal device 300 using the output unit 247 (step S704).

[0074] Upon receiving the comparison result, the terminal device 300 causes the display control unit 320 to display the comparison result (step S705).

[0075] Next, the process of acquiring a reference value by the evaluation system 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a second sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the evaluation system of the first embodiment. Fig. 8 shows details of the process of step S701 shown in Fig. 7.

[0076] In the evaluation system 100 of this embodiment, the terminal device 300 accepts an operation by the user P to start acquiring a reference value of the salt concentration in sweat, and sends a request to start acquiring the reference value to the server device 200 (step S801).

[0077] The server device 200 receives this request and causes the period determination unit 243 to set the variable n, which indicates the number of days for which the reference diet was ingested, to n=0 (step S802).

[0078] Next, the server device 200 transmits a request to input user information to the terminal device 300 via the output unit 247 (step S803).

[0079] The terminal device 300 receives the input request, causes the display control unit 320 to display a user information input screen, and causes the input receiving unit 310 to receive the input of user information (step S804). The terminal device 300 transmits the input user information to the terminal device 300 via the communication control unit 340 (step S805).

[0080] When the server device 200 acquires the user information via the information acquisition unit 241, the storage control unit 242 stores the user information in the reference value database 230 (step S806). Next, the server device 200 transmits a notification via the output unit 247 to the terminal device 300, urging the user to start taking the reference diet (step S807).

[0081] Upon receiving this notification, the terminal device 300 causes the display control unit 320 to display a screen prompting the user to start taking the reference meal and to input dietary information, and the input receiving unit 310 receives the input of dietary information related to the reference meal (step S808). Upon receiving the input of dietary information, the terminal device 300 causes the communication control unit 340 to transmit the dietary information to the server device 200 (step S809). Note that in this embodiment, dietary information may be input to the terminal device 300 and transmitted to the server device 200 each time the user P takes the reference meal.

[0082] When the server device 200 acquires meal information from the terminal device 300 using the information acquisition unit 241, the storage control unit 242 associates the acquired meal information with the user ID included in the user information acquired from the terminal device 300 in step S805 and stores the associated information in the meal information database 210 (step S810).

[0083] Next, the server device 200 starts counting the number of days for which the reference diet has been taken by the period determination unit 243 (step S811). Specifically, the period determination unit 243 sets the variable n set in step S802 to n = 1. The period determination unit 243 counts the number of days that have passed since the intake of the reference diet started, based on the dietary information input from the terminal device 300.

[0084] Then, the server device 200 performs the following processing from step S812 onwards when the period determination unit 243 determines that the variable n indicating the number of days over which the reference diet was taken is 3 or more and that the day is the day after three days have passed since the reference diet was taken. Note that, if the period determination unit 243 does not determine that the variable n indicating the number of days over which the reference diet was taken is 3 or more, the evaluation system 100 repeats the processing from step S808 onwards.

[0085] The server device 200 uses the salt intake calculation unit 244 to calculate the average daily salt intake from the dietary information for the day on which the reference diet was consumed (step S812). The dietary information in this embodiment includes the amount of salt for each meal. Therefore, the salt intake calculation unit 244 calculates the average daily salt intake for the period during which the reference diet was consumed by adding up the amounts of salt included in the dietary information for each meal consumed by the user P in one day.

[0086] Next, the server device 200 transmits, via the output unit 247, to the terminal device 300 a notification encouraging the user P to attach the sensor 400 to the body surface of the user P and to take action to induce sweating (step S813).

[0087] The terminal device 300 receives this notification through the display control unit 320, and displays a message prompting the user P to attach the sensor 400 and to take action to cause sweating (step S814). In response to this message, the user P attaches the sensor 400 to the body surface and takes action to cause sweating.

[0088] Next, the terminal device 300 causes the display control unit 320 to display a message prompting the user to take an image of the sensor 400 that has collected the sweat (step S815). The message displayed at this time may include, for example, content instructing the user to take an image after the color of the detection unit 410 of the sensor 400 has changed.

[0089] In response to an operation by the user P, the terminal device 300 causes the imaging control unit 330 to capture an image of the sensor 400 including an image of the detection unit 410 (step S816). At this time, the terminal device 300 may cause the display control unit 320 to display on the display device a guide image that guides the positional relationship between the terminal device 300 and the sensor 400 so that the image of the detection unit 410 is included in the captured image.

[0090] Next, the terminal device 300 transmits image data representing the captured image of the sensor 400 to the server device 200 via the communication control unit 340 (step S817). At this time, the image data transmitted from the terminal device 300 to the server device 200 may be assigned the user ID of the user P of the terminal device 300.

[0091] When the server device 200 acquires the image data by the information acquisition unit 241, the concentration calculation unit 245 analyzes the color of the image data and acquires the salt concentration in the sweat of the user P collected by the sensor 400 (step S818).

[0092] The processing of the density calculation unit 245 will be described below. The density calculation unit 245 of this embodiment extracts color information from the image of the detection unit 410 among the images of the sensor 400. Note that the color information of this embodiment may be, for example, the RGB values ​​of the image of the detection unit 410. Furthermore, the color information may include luminance indicating the brightness of the image of the detection unit 410, as well as color difference, hue, saturation, and value.

[0093] Next, the concentration calculation unit 245 analyzes the color information extracted from the image of the detection unit 410 to obtain the salt concentration in the sweat.

[0094] The concentration calculation unit 245 of the present embodiment may be realized by, for example, a trained model generated by machine learning using pre-created training data. In this case, the concentration calculation unit 245 may input color information extracted from the image of the detection unit 410 to the trained model and obtain the salt concentration in sweat output from the trained model.

[0095] Furthermore, if the relationship between the color and concentration of the colorimetric reagent is expressed by a simple regression equation, the concentration calculation unit 245 can use this regression equation and does not need to use a trained model.

[0096] Next, the server device 200 causes the storage control unit 242 to store the reference value of the salt concentration in sweat calculated by the concentration calculation unit 245 in the reference value database 230 in association with the user information of user P (step S819).

[0097] The above is the process of acquiring the reference value for determining whether the salt intake of the user linked to the terminal device 300 is appropriate. In this embodiment, the reference value for the salt concentration in the sweat of the user P can be set from the dietary information indicating the amount of salt ingested by the user P and the salt concentration in the sweat of the user P calculated by the concentration calculation unit 245.

[0098] Next, the process of acquiring measurement values ​​by the evaluation system 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a third sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the evaluation system of the first embodiment. Fig. 9 shows details of the process of step S702 shown in Fig. 7.

[0099] The server device 200 receives a login request from the terminal device 300 (step S901). Specifically, the server device 200 acquires login information from the terminal device 300. Next, when the server device 200 performs login processing for the terminal device 300, the period determination unit 243 sets the variable n, which indicates the number of days for which a regular diet has been consumed, to n=0 (step S902).

[0100] Next, the server device 200 transmits, via the output unit 247, a notification to the terminal device 300 encouraging the user to eat regular food (step S903).

[0101] Next, the server device 200 counts the number of days for which the regular food has been consumed by the period determination unit 243 (step S904). Next, if the period determination unit 243 determines that the variable n indicating the number of days for which the regular food has been consumed is 3 or more and that the day is the day after three days have passed since the regular food was consumed, the server device 200 performs the following processing from step S906 onwards. Note that if the period determination unit 243 does not determine that the variable n indicating the number of days for which the regular food has been consumed is 3 or more, the evaluation system 100 repeats the processing of step S904.

[0102] The processing from step S905 to step S910 in FIG. 9 is the same as the processing from step S813 to step S818 in FIG. 8, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0103] When the concentration calculation unit 245 calculates the salt concentration in the sweat in step S910, the server device 200 stores the salt concentration in the sweat as a measurement value in the measurement value database 220 in association with the user ID (step S911).

[0104] The above is the process of acquiring a measurement value that reflects the amount of salt intake when a user linked to the terminal device 300 consumes a regular meal.

[0105] In this way, the evaluation system 100 of this embodiment acquires the reference value and the measured value of the salinity concentration of the user P, compares the two values ​​using the comparison unit 246, and displays the comparison result on the terminal device 300 (see Figure 7).

[0106] A display example of the terminal device 300 of this embodiment will be described below with reference to Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing a display example of the terminal device of the first embodiment.

[0107] 10 displays information indicating the relationship between the salt concentration in sweat of user P and the date. On screen 301, the vertical axis indicates the salt concentration in sweat, and the horizontal axis indicates the date.

[0108] On the screen 301, a dotted line 302 indicates the reference value of the salt concentration in sweat of the user P. In the present embodiment, an image 302a is displayed that indicates a predetermined range centered on the reference value of the user P. This image 302a may indicate an appropriate range of the salt concentration in sweat.

[0109] Points 303a and 304a are also displayed on screen 301. Point 303a indicates the measured value of the salt concentration in sweat acquired on June 20th, after the reference value was acquired. Point 304a indicates the measured value of the salt concentration in sweat acquired on June 30th.

[0110] 10, the measured value indicated by point 303a is greater than the reference value indicated by dotted line 302 and also exceeds the upper limit of the appropriate range indicated by image 302a. Therefore, in this case, image 303b indicating that the salt concentration in user P's sweat exceeds the appropriate range is displayed in association with point 303a.

[0111] 10, the measured value indicated by point 304a is smaller than the reference value indicated by dotted line 302 and is also smaller than the lower limit of the appropriate range indicated by image 302a. Therefore, in this case, image 304b indicating that the salt concentration in user P's sweat is below the appropriate range is displayed in association with point 304a.

[0112] From the comparison of the standard values ​​for salt concentration in sweat for each user P with the measured values, it can be seen that as of June 20th, user P's salt intake was excessive, but by June 30th, user P's salt intake had fallen below the appropriate amount, indicating that user P had successfully reduced his salt intake.

[0113] As described above, according to this embodiment, the salt intake of a user can be calculated with high accuracy without being affected by individual differences in the salt concentration in sweat excreted. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the comparison result between the reference value of the salt concentration in sweat of each user and the measured value is displayed on the terminal device 300, so that the user can easily understand the salt intake.

[0114] Second Embodiment A second embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that an initial measurement value is acquired before a reference value is acquired, and dietary advice information is output. In the following description of the second embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be described, and components having the same functional configuration as those in the first embodiment will be assigned the same reference numerals as those used in the description of the first embodiment, and their description will be omitted.

[0115] FIG. 11 is a first sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the evaluation system according to the second embodiment.

[0116] In the evaluation system 100 of this embodiment, the terminal device 300 and the server device 200 perform a process of acquiring a measurement value (initial value) of the salt concentration in sweat of the user P associated with the terminal device 300 (step S1101). Note that the initial measurement value refers to a measurement value acquired before the reference value is acquired. Details of the process of step S1101 will be described later.

[0117] Next, the terminal device 300 and the server device 200 acquire a reference value of the salt concentration in sweat of the user P associated with the terminal device 300 (step S1102). The process of step S1102 is similar to the process of step S701 in FIG. 7, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0118] Next, the server device 200 uses the comparison unit 246 to compare the measurement value (initial value) obtained in step S1101 with the reference value obtained in step S1102 (step S1103), and outputs the comparison result to the terminal device 300 using the output unit 247 (step S1104).

[0119] The terminal device 300 causes the display control unit 320 to display the comparison result (step S1105). Note that the terminal device 300 does not necessarily have to display the comparison result here.

[0120] Next, the terminal device 300 and the server device 200 perform a process of acquiring a measurement value of the salt concentration in the sweat of the user P associated with the terminal device 300 (step S1106). The process of step S1106 will be described in detail later.

[0121] Next, the server device 200 calculates, using the salt intake calculation unit 244, a regression curve for determining user P's salt intake from the measurement value (initial value) obtained in step S1101, the reference value, and the measurement value obtained in step S1106 (step S1107).

[0122] Next, the server device 200 calculates, using the salt intake calculation unit 244, the salt intake of user P at the time the measurement value was obtained in step S1106, based on the measurement value obtained in step S1106 and the regression curve calculated in step S1107 (step S1108).

[0123] Next, the server device 200 uses the comparison unit 246 to compare the salt intake calculated in step S1108 with the salt intake contained in the reference diet (step S1109), and outputs the comparison result to the terminal device 300 using the output unit 247 (step S1110).

[0124] The terminal device 300 causes the display control unit 320 to display the comparison result (step S1111).

[0125] The process of acquiring the measurement values ​​(initial values) will be described below with reference to Fig. 12. Fig. 12 is a second sequence diagram showing the operation of the evaluation system of the second embodiment. Fig. 12 shows details of the process of step S1101 in Fig. 11.

[0126] In the evaluation system 100 of this embodiment, the terminal device 300 accepts an operation by the user P to start acquiring a measurement value (initial value) of the salt concentration in sweat, and sends a request to start acquiring the measurement value (initial value) to the server device 200 (step S1201).

[0127] Upon receiving this start request, the server device 200 transmits a request for inputting user information to the terminal device 300 via the output unit 247 (step S1202).

[0128] The processing from step S1202 to step S1209 in FIG. 12 is the same as the processing from step S803 to step S810 in FIG. 8 except that the meal is a regular meal, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0129] 8. Furthermore, the processes from step S1210 to step S1215 in FIG. 12 are the same as the processes from step S813 to step S818 in FIG. 8, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0130] When the server device 200 acquires the measurement value in step S1215, the server device 200 stores the measurement value in the measurement value database 220 in association with the user ID (step S1215).

[0131] Next, a process for acquiring measurements after user P has consumed a regular diet for a certain period of time will be described with reference to Fig. 13. Fig. 13 is a third sequence diagram showing the operation of the evaluation system according to the second embodiment. Fig. 13 shows details of the process of step S1106 in Fig. 11.

[0132] The processing from step S1301 to step S1303 in FIG. 13 is the same as the processing from step S901 to step S903 in FIG. 9, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0133] Furthermore, the processing from step S1304 to step S1314 in FIG. 13 is the same as the processing from step S808 to step S818 in FIG. 8 except that the reference meal is a regular meal, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0134] When the server device 200 acquires the salt concentration in the sweat in step S1314, the storage control unit 242 stores the acquired salt concentration in the sweat as a measurement value in the measurement value database 220 in association with the user ID (step S1315).

[0135] Next, a display example of the terminal device 300 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 14A and Fig. 14B. Fig. 14A is a first diagram showing a display example of the terminal device of the second embodiment. Fig. 14B is a second diagram showing a display example of the terminal device of the second embodiment.

[0136] A screen 301A shown in Fig. 14A is an example of a screen displayed on the terminal device 300 in step S1105 of Fig. 11. In the screen 301A, the vertical axis indicates the salt concentration in sweat, and the horizontal axis indicates the date.

[0137] On screen 301A, point 305a indicates the measurement value (initial value) of the salt concentration in sweat of user P obtained in step S1101. On screen 301A, point 305a indicates the measurement value (initial value) of the salt concentration in sweat obtained on June 5th, before the reference value was obtained. Also, image 305b on screen 301A is an image showing the magnitude relationship between the measurement value (initial value) and the reference value, and is displayed in correspondence with point 305a.

[0138] The screen 301A also includes a display area 307, in which advice information based on the result of comparing the measured value (initial value) with the reference value is displayed.

[0139] On screen 301A, the initial measurement value is greater than the reference value, indicating that user P's daily salt intake is excessive. A message indicating that the daily salt intake is high is displayed in display area 307.

[0140] In this way, by displaying the comparison result between the measured value (initial value) and the reference value on the terminal device 300, the user P can understand the amount of salt intake in his / her dietary life up to now.

[0141] Screen 301B shown in Fig. 14B is an example of a screen displayed on terminal device 300 in step S1111 of Fig. 11. Screen 301B displays point 305a indicating the measurement value (initial value), image 305b, as well as point 306a indicating the measurement value acquired in step S1106 and image 306b indicating the magnitude relationship between the measurement value and the reference value.

[0142] Screen 301B also includes a display area 308, which displays advice information based on the results of comparing user P's salt intake, calculated based on the measurement value indicated by point 306a and the regression curve, with the amount of salt contained in a standard diet.

[0143] In the example of FIG. 14B, a screen 301B displays advice information including the amount of salt that is lacking for user P as a result of comparing user P's salt intake with the amount of salt contained in a standard diet.

[0144] In this embodiment, by calculating a function showing the relationship between the salt concentration in sweat and salt intake in advance from the initial value and reference value of the measurement value, specific advice information regarding salt intake can be presented to user P.

[0145] In this embodiment, the advice information may include identifying foods with high salt content from the menu indicated by the dietary information and presenting them to the user, or presenting ingredients that should be added to increase salt intake.

[0146] This will help the user to take in an appropriate amount of salt, which will contribute to maintaining the user's health.

[0147] In the above-described embodiments, the user P is required to consume a reference diet for a certain period of time when acquiring the reference value, but this is not limiting. For example, the user P may input the amount of salt contained in the food consumed over a certain period of time (e.g., three days) into the terminal device 300, and the terminal device 300 may transmit the amount of salt consumed by the user P over the certain period of time to the server device 200. The server device 200 may calculate an average daily salt intake from the number of days that constitute the certain period of time and the amount of salt consumed by the user P over the certain period of time, and use this average and the salt concentration in the sweat of the user P on the day after the certain period has elapsed as the reference value. In this case, the server device 200 may store the salt concentration in the sweat of the user P on the day after the certain period has elapsed in association with the average daily salt intake.

[0148] The present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the above embodiments, but may be combined with other elements, etc. These aspects can be changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and can be appropriately determined depending on the application form.

[0149] This international application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-125798 filed on August 1, 2024, and the entire contents of Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-125798 are incorporated herein by reference.

[0150] 100 Evaluation system 200 Server device 210 Diet information database 220 Measurement value database 230 Reference value database 240 Evaluation unit 300 Terminal device

Claims

1. An evaluation system including a terminal device, a sensor attached to a body surface of a user, and a server device connected to the terminal device, wherein the server device has an information acquisition unit that acquires information indicating the amount of salt ingested by the user, a concentration calculation unit that calculates the salt concentration in the user's sweat using the detection result of the sensor after the user has acquired the information indicating the amount of salt ingested, and a storage control unit that sets a reference value for the salt concentration in the user's sweat based on the amount of salt ingested by the user and the salt concentration in the user's sweat calculated by the concentration calculation unit, and stores the reference value in a memory unit in association with information that identifies the user.

2. The evaluation system according to claim 1, wherein the amount of salt ingested by the user is the average daily amount of salt obtained when the user ingests a diet with a predetermined salt content for a certain period of time.

3. The evaluation system according to claim 1, wherein the amount of salt ingested by the user is calculated from information indicating dietary content input from the terminal device for a certain period of time.

4. The evaluation system of claim 2 or 3, wherein the server device has: a period determination unit that determines whether the certain period has elapsed since the information indicating the amount of salt intake by the user was acquired; and an output unit that, after the certain period has elapsed, outputs to the terminal device a notification that prompts the user to attach the sensor to the body surface and to sweat.

5. The evaluation system of claim 1, wherein the server device has an output unit that outputs to the terminal device the result of comparing the salt concentration in the user's sweat calculated by the concentration calculation unit using the detection result of the sensor with the reference value after the reference value has been stored in the memory unit.

6. The evaluation system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor has a detection unit that changes color in response to sweat, and the concentration calculation unit calculates the salt concentration in the sweat based on image data of the sensor that includes an image of the detection unit.

7. An evaluation system as described in claim 1, wherein the sensor has a detection unit that detects sweat using an electrical signal, and the concentration calculation unit calculates the salt concentration in the sweat based on the electrical signal.

8. An evaluation method using an evaluation system including a terminal device, a sensor attached to the body surface of a user, and a server device connected to the terminal device, wherein the server device: acquires information indicating the amount of salt ingested by the user; after the user has acquired the information indicating the amount of salt ingested, calculates the salt concentration in the user's sweat using the detection result of the sensor; sets a reference value for the salt concentration in the user's sweat from the amount of salt ingested by the user and the calculated salt concentration in the user's sweat, and stores the reference value in a memory unit in association with information identifying the user.

Images