JP2015146847A - Physical information acquisition apparatus, method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To ensure accuracy of a sensor for a wearable apparatus for acquiring various information.SOLUTION: A wearable physical information acquisition apparatus comprises: an imaging unit which captures and acquires an image of a user; a vital measurement unit for measuring vital information of the user; an information processing unit for processing the image captured by the imaging unit and the vital information measured by the vital measurement unit; and a display unit which displays information processed by the information processing unit. The information processing unit determines whether or not the measurement by the vital measurement unit or the physical condition of the user is normal, on the basis of the correlation between the image captured by the imaging unit and the vital information measured by the vital measurement unit, and displays a result of the determination on the display unit.

Description

  The present invention relates to a body information acquisition apparatus and method using an imaging apparatus and a measurement apparatus that can be worn on the body.

  In recent years, medical devices have been developed and computerized, and new health management devices and services have appeared. Specific examples include a sleep meter that measures the user's sleep and a service that shares the results of blood pressure measurement at home with a doctor on the cloud. In such an environment, devices that are worn and measured and recorded by users, so-called wearable devices, are attracting attention. This allows the user to always perform measurement without special action. Therefore, it is possible to easily observe not only a state at a specific time but also a continuous change in the state of the user. Thereby, it can be expected to obtain more useful information for health care. In particular, it can be said that the format in which the camera is worn, that is, the wearable camera, can sequentially record information viewed by the user, and thus the information is more useful.

  Wearable devices are often used for purposes other than medical use. For example, in Patent Document 1, the user's emotion is estimated using heartbeat, sweating, breathing, brain waves, and the like, and the information is tagged to the image, and this information is used to make the search later interesting. Presenting images. Further, in Patent Document 2, when recording video and audio, user's sensation information such as smell and touch is recorded, and at the time of reproduction, the information is reproduced at the same time. , Characters etc. are used as alternative means.

  Similar devices are also used for in-vehicle cameras. For example, there is a dozing detection device that uses a video to check whether a driver in the car is sleeping. In Patent Document 3, in order to improve the accuracy of the detection of dozing, in addition to the image of the camera, biological information, the traveling speed of the vehicle, and the life rhythm are taken into consideration.

Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2008-118527 JP 2010-130388 JP 2008-186263 A

  Such existing wearable device technology can be applied to medical applications. However, in the medical field, it is necessary to obtain more accurate and detailed information. For example, when measuring a pulse, erroneous measurement frequently occurs because the position is shifted for some reason even if the device is correctly attached, and a measurement signal is not sent correctly. To deal with this problem, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 do not perform a process of increasing the accuracy of various types of acquired information. In Patent Document 3, detection using biological information and an image is performed to improve the accuracy, but the accuracy of the measurement device itself is not guaranteed.

  In order to solve the above problem, the present invention includes an imaging unit that captures an image by capturing a user, a vital measurement unit that measures the vital information of the user, an image acquired by the imaging unit, and a vital measurement unit. An information processing unit that processes the measured vital information and a display unit that displays information processed by the information processing unit, the information processing unit measured by the image acquired by the imaging unit and the vital measurement unit Provided is a wearable physical information acquisition device that determines whether there is an abnormality in measurement by a vital measurement unit or a physical condition of a user based on a correlation with vital information, and displays the result on a display unit.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, when measuring a user's biometric information using a wearable apparatus, the accuracy of the measured data can be ensured.

It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of schematic structure of the physical information acquisition apparatus which concerns on a 1st Example. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process sequence of the information processing method which concerns on a 1st Example. It is a graph which shows an example of the pulse measurement result concerning the 1st example. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process sequence of the information processing method which concerns on a 2nd Example. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process sequence of the information processing method which concerns on a 3rd Example.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<First embodiment>
In the present embodiment, it is assumed that a pulse cannot be correctly obtained while exercising while measuring a pulse with a wearable device with a camera which is a body information acquisition device.

Configuration of Wearable Device FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a physical information acquisition apparatus according to the present embodiment. The physical information acquisition apparatus 100 includes an imaging unit 110, a vital measurement unit 120, an external environment acquisition unit 130, a correspondence information determination unit 140, an information processing unit 150, a display unit 160, and a recording unit 170.

  The imaging unit 110 is a camera for photographing a user and can acquire a moving image. One physical information acquisition device is provided with at least one camera. The vital measurement unit 120 is various measuring devices (specifically, a pulse meter, a thermometer, a sphygmomanometer, etc.) for acquiring the vital information of the user.

  The external environment acquisition unit 130 is a device (specifically, an accelerometer, a thermometer, or the like) that acquires data other than information that can be acquired by the vital measurement unit 120. The acceleration when the user is exercising, the outside air temperature, and the like can be acquired. The correspondence information determination unit 140 determines what information should be additionally acquired based on the information acquired by the imaging unit 110, the vital measurement unit 120, and the external environment acquisition unit 130 to improve the acquisition accuracy of the physical information. To do.

  The information processing unit 150 processes the image acquired by the imaging unit 110 and the information acquired by the vital measurement unit 120 and the external environment acquisition unit 130 to estimate the state of the user or determine whether the measurement is performed correctly. Or The processing result here is displayed on the display unit 160 shown below and simultaneously recorded in the recording unit 170.

  The display unit 160 is a display for displaying various information. Here, for example, warnings such as the value of the pulse being measured, a measurement error, and a suspicion of poor physical condition are displayed. The recording unit 170 records information acquired by the imaging unit 110, vital measurement unit 120 and external environment acquisition unit 130 and information processed by the information processing unit 150.

Processing Procedure FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the processing method in the physical information acquisition apparatus according to the present embodiment. First, in step S210, it is determined whether or not the pulse is being measured. This is determined by whether or not a signal is received from the vital measurement unit 120 to the information processing unit 150. If the measurement is being performed, the pulse of the user is acquired using the vital measurement unit 120 in step S220. The acquired pulse is recorded in the recording unit 170 and simultaneously sent to the information processing unit 150, where it is determined whether or not it is an abnormal value (step S230). If it is determined that there is no abnormality, the process returns to step S210 and the pulse is continuously measured. When the pulse measurement is finished, this processing is also finished at that time.

  When it is determined that the pulse is abnormal, it is determined whether the pulse is due to an abnormal physical condition of the user or whether the measuring device is abnormal, that is, the measurement is not performed correctly. For this purpose, in this embodiment, a user's face is photographed using a camera, and the facial expression is determined. Generally, it is known that when a pulse goes up, a facial expression is likely to be distorted. Using this correlation, when the value of the pulse meter shows an abnormal value, it is determined that the user's facial expression is normally measured if it is painful, otherwise it is not correctly measured . In addition, the following are mentioned as a concrete method of judging whether this facial expression is likely to suffer. For example, a normal face image is recorded, and the image is compared with the current image to determine how much difference there is. In addition, in this method of comparing images, a place where a change is easily made on the face when it becomes difficult may be analyzed, and a method may be taken in which a difference is focused on that portion. For example, change in how the mouth opens is analyzed. This can be achieved, for example, by collecting face images of a user or a large number of people in advance and learning the image group. Also, it may be determined whether or not the facial expression is likely to be suffered by previously registering a painful facial expression and calculating the degree of similarity with this image.

  In order to make the above determination, in step S240, the correspondence information determination unit 140 determines to add information from the imaging unit 110, and uses the imaging unit 110 to acquire a moving image showing the facial expression of the user. In step S250, the information processing unit 150 makes the determination.

  Here, if the pulse value is abnormal and the expression is likely to suffer, the information processing unit 150 determines that the physical condition is abnormal, and the process proceeds to step S260. In this case, the display unit 160 is used to warn the user that the physical condition is abnormal. At the same time, it is recorded in the recording unit 170 that a physical condition abnormality has occurred. After this processing, the process returns to step S220, and the same measurement and determination are continued.

  If the facial value does not seem to suffer even though the pulse value is abnormal, the information processing unit 150 determines that the measurement is not performed correctly, and the process proceeds to step S270. In this case, the display unit 160 is used to warn the user that the measurement is not performed correctly. In step S280, the information processing unit 150 tags the pulse value and the moving image with information indicating that the measurement is not performed correctly. At the same time, the fact that the measurement was not correctly performed is recorded in the recording unit 170. Thereafter, the process returns to step S210, and the process is continued until the measurement is completed.

  This determination may always be performed when an abnormal value is detected, but it is desirable to perform it when a value that is difficult to determine whether it is abnormal is measured in order to improve the efficiency of measurement and recording. For example, as shown in the graph 310 of FIG. 3, when the pulse shows a value exceeding 250, the above processing may not be performed and it may be determined that there is an abnormality in the immediate device. This is because it is unlikely that a pulse value exceeding 250 will appear in a state where it can be exercised. On the other hand, when the value of the pulse temporarily exceeds 170 as indicated by 320 in FIG. 3, the above processing is performed. This is because if the pulse value exceeds 170, it may appear suddenly for some reason. Thus, by deciding whether or not to perform the above processing according to the situation, the efficiency of the entire embodiment can be improved.

  As described above, the biological information can be recorded by the wearable device while determining whether or not the measurement is correctly performed.

<Second embodiment>
In the first embodiment, a case has been described in which the measurement result of the pulse meter becomes abnormally high although the user's pulse is normal. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, a case will be described in which the pulse rate cannot be measured correctly even though the user's pulse has an abnormal value. As the wearable device, the physical information acquisition apparatus 100 of FIG. 1 described above with respect to the first embodiment is used, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of a processing method in the physical information acquisition apparatus according to the present embodiment. First, in step S410, it is determined whether or not the pulse is being measured. This is determined by whether or not a signal is received from the vital measurement unit 120 to the information processing unit 150 as in the first embodiment. If the measurement is being performed, the pulse of the user is acquired using the vital measurement unit 120 in step S420. The acquired pulse is recorded in the recording unit 170 and simultaneously sent to the information processing unit 150, where it is determined whether or not it is a normal value (step S430). If it is determined that there is an abnormality, the process moves to step S240, and the subsequent processing in the first embodiment is executed.

  When it is determined that the pulse is not particularly abnormal, it is determined whether it is because the user is not abnormal or not measured correctly. Therefore, in step S440, the correspondence information determination unit 140 determines to add information from the imaging unit 110, and uses the imaging unit 110 to acquire a moving image that reflects the user's facial expression. In step S450, the information processing unit 150 makes the determination.

  Here, if the pulse value is normal and the expression is not likely to suffer, the information processing unit 150 determines that the physical condition is normal, returns to step S410, and continues measurement. If the expression is likely to suffer despite the pulse value being normal, the information processing unit 150 determines that the measurement is not performed correctly, and the process proceeds to step S460. First, a warning that there is a physical condition is displayed on the display unit 160, and then the process proceeds to step S470 to similarly warn the user that the measurement is not performed correctly using the display unit 160. In step S480, the information processing unit 150 tags the pulse value and the moving image with information indicating that the measurement is not performed correctly and that the physical condition is poor. The information is recorded in the recording unit 170. Thereafter, the process returns to step S410, and the process is continued until the measurement is completed.

  As described above, the biological information can be recorded by the wearable device while determining whether or not the measurement is correctly performed.

<Third embodiment>
A present Example demonstrates the case where the further information acquisition is performed after ensuring the correctness of a pulse measurement. As the wearable device, the physical information acquisition apparatus 100 of FIG. 1 described above with respect to the first embodiment is used, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the procedure of the processing method in the physical information acquisition apparatus according to the present embodiment. First, in step S510, it is determined whether or not the pulse is being measured. This is determined by whether or not a signal is received from the vital measurement unit 120 to the information processing unit 150 as in the first and second embodiments. When the measurement is in progress, the process proceeds to step S520 to ensure the correctness of the measurement of the pulse meter. This is synonymous with performing either or both of the processes of the first and second embodiments. After finishing this, it moves to step S530 and acquires a pulse value again.

  Next, it progresses to step S540 and it is judged whether the pulse is rising compared with the fixed time ago. This is performed by the information processing unit 150 comparing the pulse value stored in the recording unit 170 a predetermined time ago with the currently acquired pulse value. If there is no particularly noticeable rise here, the process returns to step S510 to continue the measurement. If an increase is observed, the correspondence information determination unit 140 determines to add information from the accelerometer as the external environment acquisition unit 130, and the process proceeds to step S550. Here, acceleration is acquired to identify the cause of the user's pulse rise.

  In step S560, the information processing unit 150 determines whether there is a large change in acceleration. If there is a significant change here, the process proceeds to step S570. Here, it is determined that the user is exercising and that the pulse has increased due to this, and this is recorded in the recording unit 170, and then the process returns to step S510. If there is no significant change in acceleration, the process proceeds to step S580, and the latest moving image recorded in the recording unit 170 is referred to. If the information processing unit 150 determines that the recorded moving image is greatly blurred, the process proceeds to step S590. Here, the user is immediately after exercising, and it is determined that the increase in pulse is due to the influence of the exercise that was performed until immediately before. That is, it is presumed that the moving image is blurred because of the exercise. And after recording this estimation result in the recording part 170, it returns to step S510.

  If the moving image is not blurred, the process advances to step S5100 to acquire a pulse change history from the recording unit 170. This is to determine whether the increase in pulse is due to tachycardia symptoms. The information processing unit 150 processes this history in step S5110. If the pulse rise estimated to be accompanied by no exercise has occurred frequently in the past, it is determined that the user suffers from tachycardia, and the warning is displayed on the display unit 160 in step S5120. At the same time, the determination result is recorded in the recording unit 170. If the same pulse rise is not present for the first time or is not present in the latest past, an accurate estimation cannot be made, and a warning that it is due to tension or poor physical condition is displayed on the display unit 160 in step S5130. The same recording is performed on the recording unit 170.

  As described above, more accurate estimation of physical information can be performed by the wearable device while ensuring the correctness of measurement.

<Other examples>
The present invention can also be realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various storage media, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or apparatus reads the program. It is a process to be executed. This program and a computer-readable recording medium storing the program are included in the present invention.

Claims (7)

An imaging unit that captures an image by capturing a user;
A vital measurement unit that measures user vital information;
An information processing unit that processes an image acquired by the imaging unit and vital information measured by the vital measurement unit;
A display unit for displaying information processed by the information processing unit,
The information processing unit determines whether there is an abnormality in the measurement by the vital measurement unit or the physical condition of the user based on the correlation between the image acquired by the imaging unit and the vital information measured by the vital measurement unit. A wearable physical information acquisition device that determines and displays the result on the display unit.   The physical information acquisition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vital information measured by the vital measurement unit includes at least a pulse. A recording unit for recording information processed by the information processing unit;
The physical information acquisition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording unit can tag a result of the processing by the information processing unit to a corresponding image acquired by the imaging unit.   4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an accelerometer, wherein the information processing unit determines a physical condition of the user based on an acceleration obtained by the accelerometer and displays the physical condition on the display unit. The physical information acquisition apparatus according to item 1. The vital measurement part measures the user's vital information,
When the measured vital information indicates an abnormality, an image is obtained by photographing the user with the imaging unit,
Based on the correlation between the acquired image and the measured vital information, determine whether there is an abnormality in the measurement by the vital measurement unit,
A physical information acquisition method comprising displaying and recording a result of the determination.   The program which makes a computer perform the body information acquisition method of Claim 5.   A computer-readable recording medium storing the program according to claim 6.

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