Heart Rate Trend Approximation for Digestion Finish Time
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for measuring acetone concentration, used to estimate food digestibility, are not portable enough and require acetone removal after each measurement, making real-time digestibility monitoring challenging.
Innovation Solution
An information processor that uses heart rate data from a wearable device to estimate digestibility by calculating a first-order approximation line based on heart rate trends before and after meals, correcting for eating speed, and specifying digestion completion time to provide real-time digestibility feedback.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If acetone concentration is measured to estimate digestibility, then measurement precision is improved, but device portability and ease of operation deteriorate due to size and acetone removal requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/chemical acetone measurement system with a physiological parameter-based system (heart rate, body temperature, activity level). This substitution eliminates the need for portable chemical sensors and acetone removal mechanisms, achieving both accurate digestibility estimation and device portability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces multiple physiological parameters (heart rate, body temperature, activity level) as intermediary indicators that correlate with digestion state. These intermediaries provide indirect but accurate measurement of digestibility without requiring direct chemical analysis, thus enabling portable implementation.
2Productivity
If acetone concentration is measured continuously, then real-time digestibility monitoring is achieved, but acetone accumulation and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces continuous chemical measurement with periodic physiological parameter collection. Heart rate, temperature, and activity data can be continuously or periodically obtained without chemical consumption or accumulation, eliminating the need for acetone removal systems while maintaining real-time monitoring capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables continuous monitoring of digestibility through ongoing collection of physiological parameters. Unlike acetone measurement that requires periodic clearing, physiological parameters can be monitored continuously without accumulation issues, providing uninterrupted real-time feedback.
3Speed
If heart rate data is collected at specified time intervals, then measurement frequency is improved, but data processing complexity increases due to trend calculation and correction requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary calculations during data collection, such as identifying peak heart rate values and calculating time intervals between meals and peak values. This preliminary processing simplifies subsequent digestibility estimation and reduces the complexity of real-time data analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the digestion process into distinct phases based on heart rate patterns (rising phase, peak phase, declining phase). By dividing the continuous digestion process into discrete segments with characteristic heart rate profiles, the system simplifies the analysis of complex physiological data.
Data Source
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AI summary
[Object] To provide an information processor, a digestibility estimation method, an information processing system, and a digestibility estimation program that are capable of providing a service corresponding to a digestibility of consumed food to a user in real time. [Solution] An information processor for estimating a digestibility of food consumed by a user includes: a first receiver for receiving a plurality of pieces of heart rate information measured at specified time intervals from a heart rate signal measurement device carried by the user; a second receiver for receiving information of a meal start time and a meal finish time of the user; a line calculation unit for calculating, based on a trend indicated by the plurality of pieces of heart rate information, in which the heart rate rises with time after meal and then drops, a first-order approximation line that approximates the trend; a correction unit for correcting the first-order approximation line based on a trend indicated by the plurality of pieces of heart rate information in which the heart rate rises with time during meal and then drops; a time specification unit for specifying a digestion finish time indicating the time when digestion of the food is completed, based on the corrected first-order approximation line and the heart rate at the meal start time; and a digestibility estimation unit for estimating the digestibility at the current time based on the meal finish time and the specified digestion finish time.