JP2023065808A - Information provision device, information provision method, and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide information for promoting mental support of an object person using biological data on a body of the object person.SOLUTION: An information provision device includes a provision part for generating display information including information for visualizing at least a degree of stress of an object person on the basis of a heartbeat variable parameter, which is an index indicating an activity of an autonomic nervous system acquired from biological data on a body of the object person obtained with a biological sensor worn by the object person, and providing the generated display information to a user device operated by the object person or a user device operated by a user related to the object person.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to an information providing device, an information providing method, and a computer program.

Conventionally, techniques for estimating human emotions have been proposed (see Patent Literature 1, for example). In the technology described in Patent Document 1, the type of emotion that the user has is expressed based on the feature amount calculated from the web page and the feature amount of the user's biosignal acquired during the browsing period of the web page. Output information as estimation results.

JP 2014-222397 A

Since the user's emotion estimated as described above is based on the user's biological signals, it can be said that the user's own physical state is expressed. In recent years, a lot of stress occurs even in daily life so as to be called a stress society. Therefore, it is conceivable that some people unwittingly carry stress and become depressed. Therefore, there is a demand for a technique that can encourage the subject to receive mental support using biomedical signals obtained from the user.

In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a technology capable of providing information for encouraging mental support of a subject using biometric data relating to the subject's body.

In one aspect of the present invention, based on a heart rate variability parameter, which is an index representing the activity of the autonomic nervous system obtained from biometric data related to the subject's body acquired by a biosensor worn by the subject, at least generating display information including information for visualizing the degree of stress of the subject, and displaying the generated display information to a user device operated by the subject or a user device operated by a user related to the subject; An information providing device comprising a providing unit for providing to.

One aspect of the present invention is the above information providing apparatus, wherein the providing unit provides the display information including image information representing the degree of stress of the subject and advice according to the degree of stress of the subject. , to a user device operated by said subject.

One aspect of the present invention is the information providing apparatus described above, wherein the users related to the target person are users who can view each other's situations in a community service, and the providing unit includes: The display information including image information representing the degree of stress of the subject is provided to a user device operated by a user associated with the subject.

One aspect of the present invention is the information providing apparatus described above, further comprising an emotion estimation unit that estimates an emotion representing the degree of stress of the subject using the heart rate variability parameter, wherein the emotion estimation unit includes: The emotion of the subject is estimated by comparing the value of the heart rate variability parameter and the value of the heart rate variability parameter associated with the emotion.

An aspect of the present invention is the above information providing apparatus, wherein the heart rate variability parameter includes at least SDNN (Standard Deviation of the Normal to Normal Interval), RMSSD (Root Mean Square of the Successive Differences) or CVSD (Coefficient of variation of successive differences equal to the rmssd divided by mean_nni), and the emotion estimator includes any value of the SDNN, the RMSSD, or the CVSD, and the SDNN, RMSSD associated with the emotion Or by comparing with any value of CVSD, the emotion associated with a similar value is estimated as the subject's emotion.

One aspect of the present invention is the information providing apparatus described above, further comprising an emotion estimation unit that estimates an emotion representing the degree of stress of the subject using the heart rate variability parameter, wherein the emotion estimation unit includes: Estimate the subject's emotion using a trained model configured to input heart rate variability parameters and output information about the subject's emotion.

In one aspect of the present invention, based on a heart rate variability parameter, which is an index representing the activity of the autonomic nervous system obtained from biometric data related to the subject's body acquired by a biosensor worn by the subject, at least generating display information including information for visualizing the degree of stress of the subject, and displaying the generated display information to a user device operated by the subject or a user device operated by a user related to the subject; It is a method of providing information to

In one aspect of the present invention, based on a heart rate variability parameter, which is an index representing the activity of the autonomic nervous system obtained from biometric data related to the subject's body acquired by a biosensor worn by the subject, at least generating display information including information for visualizing the degree of stress of the subject, and displaying the generated display information to a user device operated by the subject or a user device operated by a user related to the subject; A computer program for causing a computer to execute a providing step of providing to.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY According to the present invention, it is possible to provide information for encouraging mental support of a subject using biometric data relating to the subject's body.

It is a lineblock diagram showing the system configuration of the information service system in a 1st embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a specific configuration of a user device according to the first embodiment; FIG. It is a figure which shows the concrete structure of the information provision apparatus in 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows one specific example of the user information table in 1st Embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing one specific example of an emotion estimation table in the first embodiment; FIG. It is a figure which shows one specific example of the state definition table in 1st Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing of the information providing system in the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of information displayed on a screen of a display unit of a user device operated by a user who is a friend of the user of the user device; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a specific configuration of a user device according to the second embodiment; FIG. It is a figure which shows the concrete structure of the information provision apparatus in 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a specific example of a user information table in the second embodiment; FIG. It is a figure which shows one specific example of the response information table in 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the content of the response displayed on the screen of the display part of a user device. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing of the information providing system in the second embodiment;

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
(overview)
In the present invention, first, the heart rate variability parameter of the subject is obtained using the biometric data of a person from whom the biometric data is to be obtained (hereinafter referred to as the "subject"). A heart rate variability parameter is an index representing activity of the autonomic nervous system (eg, sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves). A lower heart rate variability parameter value can be regarded as a stress state, and a higher heart rate variability parameter value can be regarded as a relaxed state. The stress state represents a state in which the sympathetic nerves are in a tense state, and the relaxed state represents a state in which the parasympathetic nerves are in a tense state. In the following description, as indexes representing heart rate variability parameters, SDNN (Standard Deviation of the Normal to Normal Interval), RMSSD (Root Mean Square of the Successive Differences), CVSD (Coefficient of variation of successive differences equal to the rmssd divided by mean_nni).

SDNN is an index representing the activity state of the entire autonomic nervous system including both sympathetic nerves and parasympathetic nerves, and is calculated, for example, by obtaining the standard deviation of heartbeat intervals. RMSSD is an index representing the activity state of the parasympathetic nervous system, and is calculated, for example, by obtaining the root mean square of the difference between consecutive adjacent heartbeat intervals. A decrease in RMSSD represents a decrease in parasympathetic activity. CVSD is a coefficient of variation, and is calculated, for example, by dividing RMSSD by the mean heartbeat interval.

Next, in the present invention, the emotion of the subject is estimated using the obtained heart rate variability parameter of the subject. In the present invention, the subject's emotions include, for example, normal emotions, negative emotions (desirable things do not occur), negative emotions (undesirable things do not occur), positive emotions (undesirable things do not occur), Use the 5 emotions of positive emotions (desired things happen). Thus, the subject's emotion represents the subject's degree of stress. A normal emotion indicates that the subject is normal-minded. That is, the normal state represents neither positive emotion nor negative emotion.

A positive emotion means a state in which the subject's mood is elevated. Here, as an example, positive emotion (undesirable things do not happen) means that the subject is in a state of relief, and positive emotion (desirable things happen) means that the subject is happy. It means that there is Negative emotion means a state in which the subject's mood is depressed. Here, as an example, negative emotion (desired things do not happen) means that the subject is in a state of sadness, and negative emotion (undesirable things happen) means that the subject is in pain. means

Next, in the present invention, for example, an icon indicating the emotion is selected in order to visualize the estimated emotion of the subject. The icon uses an icon image with a facial expression to explicitly indicate the subject's emotion. Then, in the present invention, information that visualizes the subject's emotions is provided to a user device operated by the subject or a user device operated by a person related to the subject. With such a configuration, a person related to the target person can grasp the target person's emotions from the icon, and can provide mental support to the target person.
A specific configuration for realizing the above processing will be described below.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing the system configuration of an information providing system 100 according to the first embodiment. The information providing system 100 includes a plurality of biosensors 10 (for example, biosensors 10-1 and 10-2 in FIG. 1), a plurality of user devices 20 (for example, user devices 20-1 and 20-2 in FIG. ) and an information providing device 30 . The biosensor 10 and the user device 20 are connected by wire or wirelessly. The wireless communication may be, for example, short-range wireless communication (eg, Bluetooth®). Note that FIG. 1 shows a case where there are two biosensors 10 and two user devices 20, but the information providing system 100 may include three or more biosensors 10 and user devices 20. good.

The biosensor 10 acquires biometric data of a subject. The biosensor 10 associates the acquired biometric data with information on the date and time when the biometric data was acquired, and transmits the acquired biometric data to the user device 20 . The biometric data is information about the subject's body, and includes, for example, the subject's heart rate, heartbeat waveform data (e.g., electrocardiogram), body temperature, voice output level, blood pressure, and pulse. The biosensor 10 is a wearable sensor, and may be, for example, a shirt-shaped sensor or a watch-shaped sensor.

For example, the biosensor 10-1 acquires biometric data of a subject who operates the user device 20-1. For example, the biosensor 10-2 acquires biometric data of a subject who operates the user device 20-2.

The user device 20 transmits biometric data acquired by the biosensor 10 to the information providing device 30 at a predetermined timing. The predetermined timing may be, for example, the timing at which the user device 20 acquires the biometric data, or may be the timing at which the biometric data for a certain period of time is acquired.

User device 20 communicates with other user device 20 via network 40 using a community service provided by information providing device 30, a so-called SNS (Social Networking Service) (hereinafter referred to as “provided communication service”). communication between The SNS provided by the information providing device 30 is, for example, a communication service that enables communication by chat with at least users who have become friends. Therefore, the user device 20 can communicate with other user devices 20 through the network 40 by exchanging sentences. Here, a friend means a user who is registered with another user of each user device 20 in the provided communication service so that they can view each other's situation.

Furthermore, the user device 20 displays information based on the biometric data of users who have become friends on the friend list display screen in the provided communication service. The information based on the user's biometric data is, for example, the heart rate of the user who has become a friend, an icon indicating the user's emotion, and the like. The user device 20 is configured using an information processing device such as a smart phone, a mobile phone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, or a notebook computer. The user device 20 is, for example, a device operated by a subject.

The information providing device 30 provides the provided communication service to each user device 20 . Each user device 20 can use the provided communication service by installing the provided communication service application provided from the information providing device 30 . The information providing device 30 provides each user device 20 with display information for displaying information based on the biological data of the subject. The display information includes at least icon information and heart rate information. The information providing device 30 is configured using an information processing device such as a personal computer, for example.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a specific configuration of the user device 20 according to the first embodiment. The user device 20 includes an operation unit 21 , a display unit 22 , a communication unit 23 , a storage unit 24 and a control unit 25 .

The operation unit 21 is configured using existing input devices such as a keyboard, pointing device (mouse, tablet, etc.), touch panel, and buttons. The operation unit 21 is operated by the user when inputting user instructions to the user device 20 . The operation unit 21 may be an interface for connecting an input device to the user device 20 . In this case, the operation unit 21 inputs to the user device 20 an input signal generated by the input device according to the user's input.

The display unit 22 is an image display device such as a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display, or the like. The display unit 22 displays, for example, information regarding the provided communication service. The display unit 22 may be an interface for connecting an image display device to the user device 20 . In this case, the display unit 22 generates a video signal for displaying the user device 20 and outputs the video signal to the image display device connected thereto.

The communication unit 23 communicates with other devices. For example, the communication unit 23 communicates with the biosensor 10 and the information providing device 30 . The communication unit 23 receives biometric data transmitted from the biosensor 10 . The communication unit 23 transmits the biometric data to the information providing device 30 . The communication unit 23 receives display information transmitted from the information providing device 30 .

The storage unit 24 stores an application program 241 , biometric data 242 and display data 243 . The application program 241 is a program (for example, a program for using the provided communication service) executed by the control unit 25 . Execution of the application program 241 by the control unit 25 enables the user of the user device 20 to use the provided communication service. The biometric data 242 is the subject's biometric data obtained from the biosensor 10 . The display data 243 is data displayed when the provided communication service is used, and includes display information obtained from the information providing device 30, for example. The storage unit 24 is configured using a storage device such as a magnetic storage device or a semiconductor storage device.

The control unit 25 controls the user device 20 as a whole. The control unit 25 is configured using a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory. The control unit 25 realizes the functions of the acquisition unit 251 , the communication control unit 252 and the display control unit 253 by executing the application program 241 .

Some or all of the acquisition unit 251, the communication control unit 252, and the display control unit 253 are implemented by hardware (including circuitry) such as ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), PLD (Programmable Logic Device), and FPGA. It may be realized, or may be realized by cooperation of software and hardware. The program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Computer-readable recording media are portable media such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs and CD-ROMs, and non-temporary storage media such as hard disks built into computer systems. The program may be transmitted over telecommunications lines.

Some of the functions of the acquisition unit 251, the communication control unit 252, and the display control unit 253 do not need to be installed in the user device 20 in advance, and are realized by installing an additional application program on the user device 20. good too.

Acquisition unit 251 acquires various types of information. For example, the acquisition unit 251 acquires the biometric data and display information received by the communication unit 23 .

The communication control section 252 controls communication by the communication section 23 . For example, the communication control unit 252 controls transmission timing of biometric data obtained by the acquisition unit 251 .

The display control section 253 controls display on the display section 22 . For example, the display control unit 253 analyzes the display information obtained by the acquisition unit 251 and causes the display unit 22 to display screen data according to the analysis result.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a specific configuration of the information providing device 30 according to the first embodiment. The information providing device 30 includes a communication section 31 , a storage section 32 and a control section 33 .

The communication unit 31 communicates with other devices. For example, the communication unit 31 communicates with the user device 20 . The communication unit 31 receives biometric data transmitted from each user device 20 . The communication unit 31 transmits display information to the user device 20 .

The storage unit 32 stores an application program 321 , a user information table 322 , an emotion estimation table 323 and a state definition table 324 . The application program 321 is a program executed by the control unit 33 . By executing the application program 321 by the control unit 33, the information providing device 30 can realize the function of calculating the heart rate variability parameter of the subject, the function of estimating the emotion of the subject, and the function of providing display information. The user information table 322 is a table in which information on subjects is registered. The emotion estimation table 323 is a table in which information for estimating the subject's emotion is registered. The state definition table 324 is a table in which states of subjects corresponding to emotions of the subjects are defined. The storage unit 32 is configured using a storage device such as a magnetic storage device or a semiconductor storage device.

The control unit 33 controls the information providing device 30 as a whole. The control unit 33 is configured using a processor such as a CPU and a memory. The control unit 33 implements functions of an acquisition unit 331 , a heart rate variability parameter calculation unit 332 , an emotion estimation unit 333 and an information provision unit 334 by executing the application program 321 .

Some or all of the acquiring unit 331, the heart rate variability parameter calculating unit 332, the emotion estimating unit 333, and the information providing unit 334 may be implemented by hardware (including circuitry) such as ASIC, PLD, and FPGA. Alternatively, it may be implemented by cooperation of software and hardware. The program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Computer-readable recording media are portable media such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs and CD-ROMs, and non-temporary storage media such as hard disks built into computer systems. The program may be transmitted over telecommunications lines.

Some of the functions of the acquisition unit 331, the heart rate variability parameter calculation unit 332, the emotion estimation unit 333, and the information provision unit 334 do not need to be installed in the information provision device 30 in advance, and an additional application program is installed in the information provision device 30. It may be realized by being installed in

The acquisition unit 331 acquires various types of information. For example, the acquisition unit 331 acquires biometric data received by the communication unit 31 .

The heart rate variability parameter calculator 332 calculates heart rate variability parameters based on the biological data acquired by the acquirer 331 . For example, the information providing device 30 calculates the heart rate variability parameter of the subject using the electrocardiogram included in the biometric data.

The emotion estimation unit 333 estimates the subject's emotion based on the heart rate variability parameter calculated by the heart rate variability parameter calculation unit 332 and the emotion estimation table 323 stored in the storage unit 32 .

The information providing unit 334 acquires icon information, which is information indicating the subject's emotion, based on the emotion estimation result obtained by the emotion estimation unit 333 and the state definition table 324 . The information providing unit 334 generates display information including icon information and heart rate information, and provides the user device 20 with the generated display information.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a specific example of the user information table 322 in the first embodiment. A user ID (main), address information, biometric data, icon information, and friend information are associated and registered in the user information table 322 . The user ID (main) represents identification information for identifying a user (target person) who uses the provided communication service. The address information represents the e-mail address registered with the provided communication service by the user identified by the user ID (main). Note that the address information may include the MAC address of the user device 20 . By registering the MAC address of the user device 20, the provided communication service can be made available only when a specific user device 20 is used. This can improve security. The biometric data represents the biometric data of the user identified by the user ID (main). The icon information represents an icon indicating the emotion of the user identified by the user ID (main).

The friend information represents information about friends of the user identified by the user ID (main). The friend information includes a user ID, biometric data, icon information and message information. The user ID in the friend information represents identification information for identifying users who are friends of the user identified by the user ID (main). Biometric data in the friend information represents biometric data of users who are friends. The icon information in the friend information represents an icon indicating the emotion of the friend user. The message information represents messages sent and received between the user identified by the user ID (main) and the user who is a friend.

When the biometric data and icon information of the user with the user ID (main) are updated, the biometric data and icon information with the same user ID in other records are also updated. That is, among the friend information associated with the user ID of the user whose friend is the user whose biometric data and icon information have been updated, the biometric data and the biometric data of the same user ID as the user whose biometric data and icon information have been updated Icon information is updated. For example, when the biometric data and icon information of the user with the user ID (main) “AA” are updated, the friend information of the record of the user with the user ID (main) “BB” who is friends with the user with the user ID “AA” Of these, the biometric data and icon information of the user with the user ID "AA" are updated.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a specific example of the emotion estimation table 323 in the first embodiment. The emotion estimation table 323 includes a plurality of records in which heart rate variability parameters and emotion values are associated with each other. In FIG. 5, the values of SDNN, RMSSD and CVSD are shown in the heart rate variability parameter item of the emotion estimation table 323 . Emotions in the emotion estimation table 323 represent candidate emotions to be estimated as the emotions of the subject. Emotion is estimated according to the value of the heart rate variability parameter. In FIG. 5, as emotions, normal state, negative emotion (desirable does not occur), negative emotion (undesirable does not occur), positive emotion (undesirable occurs), positive emotion (desirable 5 emotions are shown. As shown in FIG. 5, values of SDNN, RMSSD, and CVSD are associated with each emotion.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a specific example of the state definition table 324 in the first embodiment. The state definition table 324 is composed of a plurality of records in which each value of icon information is associated with an emotion. Emotions in the state definition table 324 represent candidate emotions that are estimated as the subject's emotions. The icon information represents an icon that is an index representing the associated emotion. In FIG. 6, an icon with a face is shown as the icon information, but the icon information need not be limited to an image of an icon with a face. For example, image information such as symbols and characters may be used as icon information.

FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing of the information providing system 100 according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 7, the emotion of the user of the user device 20-1 is estimated based on the biometric data of the user of the user device 20-1, and the emotion of the user of the user device 20-1 is estimated for the user of the user device 20-2. A configuration for providing the information shown will be described.

The acquisition unit 251 of the user device 20-1 acquires the biometric data transmitted from the biosensor 10-1 (step S101). Acquisition unit 251 stores the acquired biometric data in storage unit 24 . The communication control unit 252 controls the communication unit 23 to transmit the acquired biometric data to the information providing device 30 . The communication unit 23 transmits the biometric data to the information providing device 30 under the control of the communication control unit 252 (step S102). The communication unit 23 attaches the user ID of the user of the user device 20-1 to the biometric data and transmits the biometric data. Note that the processing of steps S101 and S102 is executed each time biometric data is acquired.

The communication unit 31 of the information providing device 30 receives the biometric data transmitted from the user device 20-1 (step S103). Acquisition unit 331 acquires the biometric data received by communication unit 31 . Acquisition unit 331 stores the acquired biometric data in storage unit 32 . Specifically, the acquisition unit 331 reads the user information table 322 from the storage unit 32 and selects a record corresponding to the user ID given to the biometric data from among the records of the read user information table 322 . The acquisition unit 331 stores the acquired biometric data in the biometric data item of the selected record.

Since this biometric data is the biometric data of the user with the user ID (main), the acquisition unit 331 adds the biometric data to the item corresponding to the user with the user ID (main) in chronological order and saves it. Furthermore, the acquiring unit 331 adds the biometric data to the biometric data item of the record corresponding to the user ID assigned to the biometric data in the friend information item in chronological order and stores the biometric data.

The heart rate variability parameter calculator 332 calculates the heart rate variability parameters (SDNN, RMSSD and CVSD) using the electrocardiogram included in the biological data for the predetermined period when the biological data for the predetermined period is stored in the storage unit 32. (Step S104). Normally, noise may occur when measuring an electrocardiogram. Therefore, the heart rate variability parameter calculator 332 may calculate a weighted average of the electrocardiograms before calculating the heart rate variability parameters in order to remove noise from the acquired electrocardiograms. The heart rate variability parameter calculator 332 outputs the calculated heart rate variability parameter to the emotion estimator 333 .

The emotion estimation unit 333 estimates the emotion of the user of the user device 20-1 based on the heart rate variability parameter calculated by the heart rate variability parameter calculation unit 332 and the emotion estimation table 323 stored in the storage unit 32. (Step S105). Specifically, the emotion estimation unit 333 compares the calculated values of SDNN, RMSSD and CVSD with values of SDNN, RMSSD and CVSD for each emotion registered in the emotion estimation table 323 .

For example, the emotion estimation unit 333 compares the calculated SDNN value with the SDNN value for each emotion. For example, the emotion estimation unit 333 compares the calculated RMSSD value with the RMSSD value for each emotion. For example, the emotion estimation unit 333 compares the calculated CVSD value with the CVSD value for each emotion. The emotion estimating unit 333 acquires each emotion judged to be similar based on the comparison results of the values of SDNN, RMSSD and CVSD. Here, it is assumed that the criteria for determining similarity are set in advance. For example, the emotion estimation unit 333 may determine similarity when the difference between the calculated value and the value registered in the emotion estimation table 323 is less than a threshold. Note that if there are multiple values determined to be similar in one index, the emotion estimation unit 333 may select the value with the smallest difference.

The emotion estimation unit 333 acquires at least one emotion information and at most three emotion information through the above process. The reason why information on three emotions at maximum is acquired is that one emotion is selected by SDNN, one emotion is selected by RMSSD, and one emotion is selected by CVSD. After that, the emotion estimation unit 333 estimates that the emotion with the largest number of votes among the acquired three emotions is the emotion closest to the current emotion of the subject. Emotion estimating section 333 outputs the emotion estimation result to information providing section 334 .

The information provision unit 334 selects an icon indicating an emotion based on the estimation result output from the emotion estimation unit 333 and the state definition table 324 stored in the storage unit 32 (step S106). Specifically, the information providing unit 334 refers to the state definition table 324 and selects icon information associated with the emotion included in the estimation result. The information providing unit 334 stores the selected icon information in the icon information item of the record corresponding to the user ID assigned to the biometric data. If the icon information has already been saved, the information providing unit 334 updates the icon information by overwriting the already saved icon information with the information of the newly selected icon.

Further, the information providing unit 334 saves in the item of icon information of the record corresponding to the user ID given to the biometric data in the item of friend information. If the icon information has already been saved, the information providing unit 334 updates the icon information by overwriting the already saved icon information with the information of the newly selected icon. Thereby, the icon information in the friend information item can be updated.

The processing from step S101 to step S106 is executed each time biometric data is acquired. Therefore, the latest biometric data and icon information are registered. Assume that the user of the user device 20-2 operates the user device 20-2 to access the provided communication service (step S107). In this case, the communication unit 23 of the user device 20-2 transmits information including the user ID of the user of the user device 20-2 to the information providing device 30. FIG.

The communication unit 31 of the information providing device 30 receives information transmitted from the user device 20-2. The information providing unit 334 acquires the user ID included in the information transmitted from the user device 20-2. The information providing unit 334 refers to the user information table 322 and acquires a record corresponding to the acquired user ID. The information providing unit 334 acquires biometric data and icon information registered in the acquired record, and various types of information registered in the item of friend information. The information providing unit 334 generates display information including the acquired information (step S108). The information providing unit 334 provides the generated display information to the user device 20-2 (step S109).

The communication unit 23 of the user device 20-2 receives the display information transmitted from the information providing device 30 (step S110). The display control unit 253 causes the display unit 22 to display a screen based on the display information received by the communication unit 23 . The display unit 22 displays a screen based on the display information under the control of the display control unit 253 (step S111). For example, a screen as shown in FIG. 8 is displayed on the display unit 22 of the user device 20-2.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of information displayed on the screen of the display unit 22 of the user device 20-2 operated by the user who is a friend of the user of the user device 20-1.
Friend information 51 is displayed on the screen of the display unit 22 of the user device 20-2 shown in FIG. 8 based on the friend information included in the display information. FIG. 8 shows a case where information 51 of six friends is displayed as an example. An image display area 52, an icon display area 53, and a heart rate display area 54 are displayed in the information 51 of each friend. The image display area 52 is an area where the profile image of the friend (target person) is displayed. The user can identify the friend by viewing the image displayed in the image display area 52 . The icon display area 53 is an area where icon information (image information representing the degree of stress) corresponding to the friend's emotion is displayed. The heart rate display area 54 is an area in which the friend's heart rate information is displayed.

As shown in FIG. 8, icon information and heart rate information are displayed for each friend. Thereby, the user can refer to the icon information and heart rate information to find the depressed user at an early stage, and can send a message to the depressed user. For example, when the user selects (presses) friend information 51, the screen shown in FIG. 8 is switched to a screen for chatting. Note that the display control unit 253 may display a pop-up when there is a friend showing icon information representing negative emotions.

In the information providing system 100 according to the first embodiment configured as described above, the information providing device 30 estimates the emotion of the subject based on the heart rate variability parameter obtained from the biometric data of the subject. The information providing device 30 acquires icon information for visualizing the estimated emotion, and a user who is a friend of the target person operates display information including at least the acquired icon information and heart rate information. Provided to the user device 20 . As a result, the user who is a friend of the target person can grasp the current state of the target person only by looking at the icon information displayed on the screen. This makes it possible to respond according to the subject's current condition. For example, if the target person is depressed, the user can communicate with the target person by message, phone call, or the like. As a result, it becomes possible to provide psychological support to the subject. In this way, the information providing device 30 in the information providing system 100 can provide information for prompting mental support of the subject.

The information providing device 30 provides the user device 20 with the subject's emotion based on the biometric data obtained from the subject as a simple icon. In this way, the information providing device 30 can provide the user of the user device 20 with information that makes it easy to understand the subject's emotions. As a result, the user of user device 20 can easily understand the emotions of the subject.

(Modified example of the first embodiment)
The information providing device 30 may be configured to estimate the user's emotion using a trained model obtained by machine learning. When configured in this way, the information providing device 30 uses a trained model trained to output information about the user's emotion with heart rate variability parameters obtained from the user's biometric data (e.g., electrocardiogram) as input. You can use it.

In the above embodiment, the emotion estimation unit 333 is configured to compare the calculated SDNN, RMSSD, and CVSD values with the SDNN, RMSSD, and CVSD values for each emotion registered in the emotion estimation table 323. Indicated. The emotion estimator 333 may be configured to estimate the subject's emotion based on at least one of the indicators of SDNN, RMSSD and CVSD. Processing in such a case will be described by taking as an example a configuration in which the emotion estimating unit 333 estimates the subject's emotion based on the SDNN among indicators of SDNN, RMSSD, and CVSD. The emotion estimation unit 333 compares the calculated SDNN value with the SDNN value for each emotion. The emotion estimating unit 333 acquires emotion information determined to be similar based on the comparison result of the SDNN values. Note that if there are multiple values determined to be similar in one index, the emotion estimation unit 333 may select the value with the smallest difference. The emotion estimation unit 333 estimates that the emotion indicated by the acquired emotion information is the emotion closest to the current emotion of the subject. When the emotion estimating unit 333 estimates the subject's emotion based on two of the SDNN, RMSSD, and CVSD indicators, the same processing as in the case of using three indicators is performed.

In the above embodiment, the information providing device 30 is configured to calculate heart rate variability parameters based on biological data, but the user device 20 may be configured to calculate heart rate variability parameters based on biological data. . In such a configuration, the user device 20 may include the heart rate variability parameter calculator 332 and the information providing device 30 may not include the heart rate variability parameter calculator 332 . The user device 20 transmits heart rate variability parameters and biological data to the information providing device 30 . The information providing device 30 estimates the user's emotions using the heart rate variability parameters obtained from the user device 20 .

In the above embodiment, the information providing device 30 estimates the user's emotion and selects an icon according to the estimation result. However, the user device 20 may be configured to estimate the user's emotion. . In this configuration, the user device 20 may include the emotion estimation unit 333 and the emotion estimation table 323 , and the information providing device 30 may not include the emotion estimation unit 333 and the emotion estimation table 323 . The user device 20 transmits the user's emotion estimation result and biometric data to the information providing device 30 . The information providing device 30 selects an icon according to the estimation result using the estimation result of the user's emotion obtained from the user device 20 .

The information providing unit 334 includes, in the display information, an instruction to display a pop-up for notifying the user that there is a friend showing icon information representing a negative emotion when there is a friend showing icon information representing a negative emotion. may be provided to the user device 20.

An API (Application Programming Interface) relating to the functions of the information providing apparatus 30 may be provided to cooperate with existing SNS (for example, Twitter (registered trademark), LINE (registered trademark) Facebook, etc.). This makes it possible to visualize the subject's emotions even in the existing SNS. Therefore, convenience can be improved.

(Second embodiment)
In the second embodiment, the information providing device has a chatbot function and provides the user device with a response according to the emotion estimated based on the biometric data transmitted from the user device. The system configuration of the information providing system 100 in the second embodiment is basically the same as in the first embodiment, but in the second embodiment, at least one biosensor and at least one user device may be provided. . Differences from the first embodiment will be described below.

The user device 20a uses the chatbot function provided by the information providing device 30a to display on the screen the content of the response from the information providing device 30a according to the subject's emotion. The content of the response according to the subject's emotions is advice according to the degree of stress of the subject. If the emotion is a positive emotion, it is preferable that the content further raises the subject's mood. Note that the content of the response is not limited to the above, and may be the content of recommending an action that can bring about a change in feelings.

As described above, the user device 20a in the second embodiment can provide mental support to the target person by using the chatbot function instead of the provided communication service. The user device 20a is configured using an information processing device such as a smart phone, a mobile phone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, or a notebook computer, for example. The user device 20 is, for example, a device operated by a subject.

The information providing device 30a provides a chatbot function to the user device 20a. The user device 20a can use the chatbot function by installing an application for implementing the chatbot function provided by the information providing device 30a. The information providing device 30a provides the user device 20a with display information including response content corresponding to the emotion of the subject. In the second embodiment, the display information includes at least response content, icon information, and heart rate information. The information providing device 30a is configured using an information processing device such as a personal computer, for example.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a specific configuration of the user device 20a according to the second embodiment. The user device 20 a includes an operation unit 21 , a display unit 22 , a communication unit 23 , a storage unit 24 a, a control unit 25 a and a speaker 26 . The configuration of the user device 20a differs from that of the user device 20 in that it includes a storage unit 24a and a control unit 25a instead of the storage unit 24 and the control unit 25, and in that it additionally includes a speaker 26. FIG. Other configurations of the user device 20 a are the same as those of the user device 20 .

An application program 241a, biometric data 242, and display data 243 are stored in the storage unit 24a. The application program 241a is a program (for example, a program for using the chatbot function) executed by the control unit 25a. By executing the application program 241a by the control unit 25a, the user of the user device 20a can use the function of the chatbot. The storage unit 24a is configured using a storage device such as a magnetic storage device or a semiconductor storage device.

The control unit 25a controls the entire user device 20a. The control unit 25a is configured using a processor such as a CPU and a memory. The control unit 25a implements the functions of the acquisition unit 251, the communication control unit 252, the display control unit 253, and the audio output control unit 254 by executing the application program 241a.

Some or all of the acquisition unit 251, the communication control unit 252, the display control unit 253, and the audio output control unit 254 may be implemented by hardware (including circuitry) such as ASIC, PLD, and FPGA. However, it may be realized by cooperation of software and hardware. The program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Computer-readable recording media are portable media such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs and CD-ROMs, and non-temporary storage media such as hard disks built into computer systems. The program may be transmitted over telecommunications lines.

Some of the functions of the acquisition unit 251, the communication control unit 252, the display control unit 253, and the audio output control unit 254 do not need to be installed in the user device 20a in advance, and an additional application program is installed in the user device 20a. It may be realized by

The voice output control unit 254 causes the response content included in the display information acquired from the information providing device 30a to be voice-output via the speaker 26. FIG.

The speaker 26 outputs the content of the response by voice under the control of the voice output control section 254 .

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a specific configuration of the information providing device 30a according to the second embodiment. The information providing device 30a includes a communication section 31, a storage section 32a and a control section 33a. The information providing device 30a is different in configuration from the information providing device 30 in that it includes a storage section 32a and a control section 33a instead of the storage section 32 and the control section 33 . Other configurations of the information providing device 30 a are the same as those of the information providing device 30 .

An application program 321, a user information table 322a, an emotion estimation table 323, a state definition table 324, and a response information table 325 are stored in the storage unit 32a. The response information table 325 is a table in which response contents corresponding to estimated emotions are registered. The response information table 325 includes, as response content, a message for asking the subject according to the emotion estimated based on the biometric data. The storage unit 32a is configured using a storage device such as a magnetic storage device or a semiconductor storage device.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a specific example of the user information table 322a in the second embodiment. User IDs, address information, biometric data, and icon information are associated and registered in the user information table 322a. The user ID represents identification information for identifying a user (subject). The address information represents an e-mail address registered in the information providing device 30a by the user identified by the user ID. Note that the address information may include the MAC address of the user device 20a. By registering the MAC address of the user device 20a, the service can be made available only when a specific user device 20a is used. This can improve security. The biometric data represents biometric data of the user identified by the user ID. The icon information represents an icon indicating the emotion of the user identified by the user ID.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a specific example of the response information table 325 in the second embodiment. Icon information and response content are registered in the response information table 325 in association with each other. The icon information represents an icon indicating the subject's emotion. The response content represents the content provided to the subject according to the subject's emotion.

In the example shown in FIG. 12, one response content is registered for each of the icon information items I1 to I5. Note that the number of response contents registered in association with icon information is not limited to one, and may be plural. The icon information I1 is an icon indicating that the subject's emotion is in a "normal state", and the icon information I1 has a response content such as "Is that so? Drinking herbal tea will help you get rid of fatigue." Content is associated. In other words, the information providing device 30a is shown to provide a response such as "Is that so? Drinking herbal tea will help you get rid of your fatigue" to the subject who is in a normal state.

The icon information I2 is an icon indicating that the target person's emotion is "negative emotion (desired things do not occur)", and the icon information I2 is associated with a response content such as "Let's take a deep breath". there is That is, the information providing device 30a is shown to provide a response with content such as "Let's take a deep breath" to calm down the subject who is feeling negative (desired things do not occur).

The icon information I4 is an icon indicating that the target person's emotion is a "positive emotion (undesirable things do not occur)", and the icon information I4 is associated with a response content such as "Let's have fun". ing. In other words, the information providing device 30a is shown to provide a response with content such as "let's have fun" in order to improve the feeling of the subject who has a positive feeling (no undesirable things happen). .

Returning to FIG. 10, the description of the information providing device 30a is continued.
The control unit 33a controls the entire information providing device 30a. The control unit 33a is configured using a processor such as a CPU and a memory. By executing the application program 321, the control unit 33a implements the functions of an acquisition unit 331, a heart rate variability parameter calculation unit 332, an emotion estimation unit 333, and an information provision unit 334a.

Some or all of the acquiring unit 331, the heart rate variability parameter calculating unit 332, the emotion estimating unit 333, and the information providing unit 334a may be implemented by hardware (including circuitry) such as ASIC, PLD, and FPGA. Alternatively, it may be implemented by cooperation of software and hardware. The program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Computer-readable recording media are portable media such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs and CD-ROMs, and non-temporary storage media such as hard disks built into computer systems. The program may be transmitted over telecommunications lines.

Some of the functions of the acquisition unit 331, the heart rate variability parameter calculation unit 332, the emotion estimation unit 333, and the information provision unit 334a do not need to be installed in the information provision device 30a in advance, and an additional application program is installed in the information provision device 30a. It may be realized by being installed in

The information providing unit 334 a acquires icon information, which is information indicating the subject's emotion, based on the emotion estimation result obtained by the emotion estimation unit 333 and the state definition table 324 . Further, the information providing unit 334a acquires response content corresponding to the emotion based on the acquired icon information and the response information table 325. FIG. The information providing unit 334a generates display information including the icon information, the acquired response content, and the heart rate information, and provides the generated display information to the user device 20a.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of response content displayed on the screen of the display unit 22 of the user device 20a. An icon display area 53, a heart rate display area 54, a message display area 55, and an audio reproduction selection area 56 are displayed on the screen of the display unit 22 of the user device 20a shown in FIG. The icon display area 53 is an area where icon information corresponding to the subject's emotion is displayed. The heart rate display area 54 is an area where information on the subject's heart rate is displayed. The message display area 55 is an area in which the content of the response to the target person is displayed. The audio reproduction selection area 56 is a selection area for audio reproduction of the content of the response to the subject.

For example, by operating the user device 20a and selecting (pressing) the audio reproduction selection area 56, the target person can switch between audio reproduction and stop of the response content.

FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing of the information providing system 100 according to the second embodiment.
The acquisition unit 251 of the user device 20a acquires the biometric data transmitted from the biosensor 10 (step S201). Acquisition unit 251 stores the acquired biometric data in storage unit 24 . The communication control unit 252 controls the communication unit 23 to transmit the acquired biometric data to the information providing device 30a. The communication unit 23 transmits the biometric data to the information providing device 30a under the control of the communication control unit 252 (step S202). The communication unit 23 attaches the user ID of the user of the user device 20a to the biometric data and transmits the biometric data. Note that the processing of steps S201 and S202 is executed each time biometric data is acquired.

The communication unit 31 of the information providing device 30a receives the biometric data transmitted from the user device 20a (step S203). Acquisition unit 331 acquires the biometric data received by communication unit 31 . The acquisition unit 331 stores the acquired biometric data in the storage unit 32a. Specifically, the acquisition unit 331 reads out the user information table 322a from the storage unit 32a, and selects a record corresponding to the user ID assigned to the biometric data from among the records in the read user information table 322a. The acquisition unit 331 stores the acquired biometric data in the biometric data item of the selected record.

The heart rate variability parameter calculator 332 calculates the heart rate variability parameters (SDNN, RMSSD and CVSD) using the electrocardiogram included in the biological data for the predetermined period when the biological data for the predetermined period is stored in the storage unit 32a. (Step S204). The heart rate variability parameter calculator 332 outputs the calculated heart rate variability parameter to the emotion estimator 333 .

The emotion estimation unit 333 estimates the emotion of the user of the user device 20a based on the heart rate variability parameter calculated by the heart rate variability parameter calculation unit 332 and the emotion estimation table 323 stored in the storage unit 32a (step S205). The emotion estimation unit 333 outputs the result of emotion estimation to the information providing unit 334a.

The information provision unit 334a selects an icon indicating an emotion based on the estimation result output from the emotion estimation unit 333 and the state definition table 324 stored in the storage unit 32a (step S206). The information providing unit 334a saves the selected icon information in the icon information item of the record corresponding to the user ID assigned to the biometric data. If the icon information has already been saved, the information providing unit 334a updates the icon information by overwriting the already saved icon information with the information of the newly selected icon.

Next, the information providing unit 334a acquires response content corresponding to the emotion indicated by the selected icon based on the information of the selected icon and the response information table 325 (step S206). The information providing unit 334a generates display information including the content of the response, the biometric data of the subject operating the user device 20a, and the icon information (step S207). The information providing unit 334a provides the generated display information to the user device 20a (step S208).

The communication unit 23 of the user device 20a receives the display information transmitted from the information providing device 30a (step S209). The display control unit 253 causes the display unit 22 to display a screen based on the display information received by the communication unit 23 . The display unit 22 displays a screen based on the display information under the control of the display control unit 253 (step S210). For example, the display unit 22 of the user device 20a displays the screen shown in FIG. The voice output control unit 254 causes the speaker 26 to output voice corresponding to the content of the response in accordance with the operation of the subject (step S211).

In the information providing system 100 according to the second embodiment configured as described above, the information providing device 30a estimates the emotion of the subject based on the heart rate variability parameter obtained from the biometric data of the subject. The information providing device 30a acquires icon information for visualizing the estimated emotion, and the target person operates the display information including at least the acquired icon information, heart rate information, and response content according to the emotion. provided to the user device 20a. As a result, the subject can grasp his or her current state from the icon information, and can obtain advice. For example, when the target person is depressed, the information providing device 30a provides the display information including the content of concern for the target person as the response content, and the target person relaxes by seeing the provided response content. can do. As a result, it becomes possible to provide psychological support to the subject. In this way, the information providing device 30a in the information providing system 100 can provide information for prompting mental support of the subject.

(Modification of Second Embodiment)
The user device 20a and the information providing device 30a may be modified in the same manner as the device with the same name shown in the first embodiment.

In the above-described embodiment, the information providing device 30a has a configuration in which the response content is provided regardless of whether the subject is in a normal state, a positive emotion, or a negative emotion, but the information providing device 30a It may be configured to provide response content only in the case of negative sentiment.

The information providing device 30a stores in advance the situations and behaviors during a happy time and relaxation time, and when the target person has a negative emotion, the information providing device 30a stores the previously saved situations and behaviors during a happy time and relaxation time. It may be configured to recommend.

The information providing device 30a may be configured to recommend actions (e.g., listening to specific music, watching movies, etc.) that a person in the same state (e.g., negative emotion) has done in the past to relax. good.

The information providing device 30a may be configured to provide response content or action according to the emotion selected by the user. For example, when a user who wants to relax during an interview operates the user device 20a to input an instruction to relax, the information providing device 30a provides information on response content or behavior that will help the user relax.

In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the content of the response corresponding to the emotion is the same regardless of the target person is shown, but the information providing device 30a may be configured to change the content of the response depending on the target person. . When configured in this way, the information providing device 30a is configured to collect and learn information such as preferences and behaviors of each user, and provide response contents that match the preferences of each user. For example, as a method of collecting information such as preferences and behaviors of each user, information such as preferences and hobbies of each user may be input. good too. When using a community service SNS, it is conceivable to collect information such as preferences and hobbies of each user from exchanges of messages with friends, postings, and the like.

The first embodiment and the second embodiment may be combined. In other words, the information providing device 30a may perform the same processing as the information providing device 30 in the first embodiment by providing the provided communication service in addition to the processing in the second embodiment. In this case, the user device 20a also performs the same processing as the user device 20 in the first embodiment in addition to the processing in the second embodiment.

(Other application examples of the first embodiment and the second embodiment)
The configuration shown in the first embodiment or the second embodiment can be applied to, for example, call center operators, office workers, telecommuters, athletes, and the like. For example, if the configuration in the first embodiment is applied to a call center operator, the friend may be another call center employee (eg, colleague or boss). As in the first embodiment, the information providing unit 334 provides display information including icon information indicating the emotion of the target person to the friend, so that the call center employee can status can be grasped. Such a configuration enables mental care of the subject. For example, when a call center operator handles many complaints, the burden on the mind becomes heavy. With the configuration of the first embodiment, it is possible to visualize the load of the target person, so appropriate support can be provided. As a result, it is possible to reduce the turnover rate due to mental load.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and design and the like are included within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

Reference Signs List 10, 10-1 to 10-2... Biosensor 20, 20a, 20-1 to 20-2... User device 21... Operation unit 22... Display unit 23... Communication unit 24, 24a... Storage unit, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 25, 25a... Control part 26... Speaker 30, 30a... Information provision apparatus 31... Communication part 32, 32a... Storage part 33, 33a... Control part 40... Network 251... Acquisition part 252... Communication Control unit 253 Display control unit 254 Audio output control unit 331 Acquisition unit 332 Heart rate variability parameter calculation unit 333 Emotion estimation unit 334, 334a Information provision unit

Claims (8)

Based on the heart rate variability parameter, which is an index representing the activity of the autonomic nervous system obtained from biometric data relating to the body of the subject obtained by a biosensor worn by the subject, at least the degree of stress of the subject is determined. a providing unit that generates display information including information for visualization, and provides the generated display information to a user device operated by the subject or a user device operated by a user related to the subject;
An information providing device. The providing unit provides the display information including image information representing the degree of stress of the subject and advice according to the degree of stress of the subject to the user device operated by the subject.
The information providing device according to claim 1. The user related to the target person is a user who can view each other's situation in the community service,
The providing unit provides the display information including image information representing the degree of stress of the subject to a user device operated by a user associated with the subject.
The information providing device according to claim 1 or 2. further comprising an emotion estimating unit that estimates an emotion representing the degree of stress of the subject using the heart rate variability parameter;
The emotion estimation unit estimates the emotion of the subject by comparing the value of the heart rate variability parameter and the value of the heart rate variability parameter associated with the emotion.
The information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The heart rate variability parameter includes at least one of SDNN (Standard Deviation of the Normal to Normal Interval), RMSSD (Root Mean Square of the Successive Differences), or CVSD (Coefficient of variation of successive differences equal to the rmssd divided by mean_nni). includes
The emotion estimation unit compares the value of any one of the SDNN, the RMSSD, or the CVSD with the value of any one of the SDNN, RMSSD, or CVSD associated with the emotion, and estimating the emotion as the subject's emotion,
5. The information providing device according to claim 4. further comprising an emotion estimating unit that estimates an emotion representing the degree of stress of the subject using the heart rate variability parameter;
The emotion estimating unit inputs the heart rate variability parameter and estimates the subject's emotion using a trained model configured to output emotion information.
The information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. Based on the heart rate variability parameter, which is an index representing the activity of the autonomic nervous system obtained from biometric data relating to the body of the subject obtained by a biosensor worn by the subject, at least the degree of stress of the subject is determined. An information providing method for generating display information including information for visualization, and providing the generated display information to a user device operated by the subject or a user device operated by a user related to the subject. Based on the heart rate variability parameter, which is an index representing the activity of the autonomic nervous system obtained from biometric data relating to the body of the subject obtained by a biosensor worn by the subject, at least the degree of stress of the subject is determined. A providing step of generating display information including information for visualization, and providing the generated display information to a user device operated by the subject or a user device operated by a user related to the subject;
A computer program that causes a computer to execute

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