JP2016126623A - Action support device, action support system, action support method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prompt to take an action according to a plurality of users' state.SOLUTION: An action support device includes: an acquisition unit 211 which acquires biological information obtained from the measurement of a user and showing a state of the user among a plurality of users forming a predetermined group; a determination unit 213 which determines the information regarding action in the group using the plurality of users' biological information acquired by the acquisition unit 211; and a notification unit 215 which notifies a predetermined address of the information determined by the determination unit 213.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for supporting behavior in a group of users.

  A technique for supporting user behavior based on information on the state of the user's body and spirit is known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system for an automobile that acquires biological characteristic information (physical condition, hunger degree, etc.) of a user who uses an automobile and provides hospitality information based on the acquired information.

JP 2007-212421 A

However, actions that a user can take are not limited to single actions. When a plurality of users are acting together, determining a subsequent action based on the state of a specific user may not necessarily produce a desired result for other users.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to be able to prompt actions according to the states of a plurality of users.

  The present invention uses an acquisition unit that acquires biometric information measured from a user and indicating a state of the user for a plurality of users constituting a predetermined group, and the acquired biometric information of the plurality of users, There is provided an action support apparatus including a determination unit that determines information related to an action in the group, and a notification unit that notifies the determined information to a predetermined destination.

The determination unit may determine an action recommended for the group based on biometric information of the plurality of users and determine information related to the action.
The determination unit may determine the information based on the priority of the plurality of recommended actions when there are a plurality of recommended actions.
The determination unit may determine the information using attribute information assigned to at least one of the plurality of users.
The determination unit may determine the information by further using at least one of a date and time, a schedule of the plurality of users, an environment around the plurality of users, and a relationship between the plurality of users.
The determination unit may classify the plurality of users into one of a plurality of subgroups using the biometric information of the plurality of users, and determine the information for each subgroup.

In addition, the present invention provides an action support system including a plurality of communication terminals each including a sensor unit that measures biological information indicating the state of each user, and the action support apparatus.
Further, the present invention provides a step of measuring biometric information indicating a user's state for a plurality of users constituting a predetermined group, and using the measured biometric information of the plurality of users, the behavior in the group There is provided an action support method comprising the steps of: determining information related to information; and notifying the determined information to a predetermined destination.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a step of acquiring biometric information measured by a user and indicating a state of the user for a plurality of users constituting a predetermined group, and the acquired biometric information of the plurality of users. Is used to provide a program for executing the step of determining information regarding the behavior in the group and the step of notifying the determined information to a predetermined destination.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prompt actions according to the states of a plurality of users.

The block diagram which shows the whole structure of the action assistance system 10 The block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the communication terminal 100 The block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the server apparatus 200 The block diagram which shows the functional structure of the server apparatus 200 The flowchart which shows the process which the server apparatus 200 performs

[Example]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an action support system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The behavior support system 10 is a computer system for supporting a user's behavior based on biological information. Specifically, the action support system 10 includes a plurality of communication terminals 100 and a server device 200, which are connected to each other via a network 300. Note that the communication terminals 100 are owned by different users. Further, the number of communication terminals 100 (that is, the number of users) may be two or more, and is not particularly limited.

  Here, the biological information refers to information indicating the state of the biological body (here, the user). The biological information is typically information obtained by directly measuring the living body or measuring a substance derived from the living body. Substances derived from a living body include exhaled gas, skin gas (gas released from the skin surface), blood, sweat, saliva, tears, and the like, but are not limited to those listed here. Biological information is information which shows the quantity and ratio of a specific ingredient contained in such a substance, for example.

  Specific examples of biological information include alcohol (especially ethanol), acetone, isoprene, ammonia, hydrogen, methane, nitrogen monoxide, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, contained in biological gas (exhaled gas or skin gas), Concentrations of methyl mercaptan, formaldehyde, benzene, toluene, noninal, acetaldehyde and the like can be mentioned. In addition, the biological information may include body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure value, blood glucose level, sweating amount, and the like.

  The biological information in the present invention is information having a correlation with the state of mind of the user. For example, the alcohol concentration and acetaldehyde concentration in the biological gas have a correlation with the user's sickness (drunkenness) state. Further, the acetone concentration in the biological gas has a correlation with the degree of hunger of the user. In addition, there are correlations between the concentration of sodium and chloride ions in sweat and dehydration symptoms, and the correlation between the amount of human herpesvirus DNA in the saliva and the number of viruses and physical and mental fatigue. Are known.

  The communication terminal 100 is an electronic device having a function of measuring such biological information. The communication terminal 100 is an electronic device that the user possesses and moves with the user, for example, a smartphone or a tablet. Alternatively, the communication terminal 100 may be a so-called wearable device that is attached to or attached to a user's clothes, accessories, glasses, or the like.

  The server device 200 is a computer device that receives biological information from the communication terminal 100 and executes predetermined processing based on the received biological information, and corresponds to an example of an action support device according to the present invention. The server device 200 has a main feature in that it supports a user's action in a group unit composed of a plurality of users. The group here may be determined in advance, but may change dynamically depending on the user's situation (position, state of mind and body, etc.).

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the communication terminal 100. The communication terminal 100 includes a control unit 110, a sensor unit 120, a communication unit 130, an operation unit 140, a display unit 150, and a positioning unit 160. In addition to the configuration shown in FIG. 2, the communication terminal 100 may include a vibrator and an LED (Light Emitting Diode) light as notification means for alerting the user.

  The control unit 110 is means for controlling the operation of each unit of the communication terminal 100. The control unit 110 includes an arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and an application processor, and a volatile and non-volatile memory, and controls the operation of each unit of the communication terminal 100 by executing a program.

  The sensor unit 120 is a means for measuring biological information. The sensor unit 120 includes, for example, a gas sensor for measuring a biological gas component, an ion sensor for measuring a sweat component on the body surface, a heart rate meter for measuring a heart rate, and the like. A part of the sensor unit 120 may be configured separately from the main body of the communication terminal 100 and configured to exchange data by wire or wirelessly. The specific configuration of the sensor unit 120 (that is, the type of sensor provided) may vary depending on the type of biological information to be measured.

  The communication unit 130 is means for transmitting / receiving data to / from an external device. The communication unit 130 includes, for example, a communication chip and an antenna, and transmits and receives data by performing modulation and demodulation according to a communication method with an external device. The external device here includes at least the server device 200. The communication unit 130 may transmit / receive data to / from other communication terminals 100. In this case, the communication unit 130 may communicate with the communication terminal 100 using a communication method different from that of the server device 200. For example, the communication unit 130 can communicate with another communication terminal 100 without using the network 300 by Bluetooth (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), or the like.

  The operation unit 140 is a unit that receives a user operation. The operation unit 140 is, for example, a keyboard (keypad), a mouse, a switch, or the like. The operation unit 140 may include a touch screen display.

  The display unit 150 is a means for displaying information. The display unit 150 is a liquid crystal display, for example, but may be one using a display element other than liquid crystal. Further, as described above, the display unit 150 may be configured as a touch screen display, that is, to have the function of the operation unit 140.

  The positioning unit 160 is a means for measuring the position of the communication terminal 100. The positioning unit 160 measures the position of the communication terminal 100 using a positioning function such as GPS (Global Positioning System), and outputs position information representing the measured position. The positioning function may use any known method, and is not limited to one using GPS. In the present embodiment, the position of the communication terminal 100 is substantially the same as the position of the user of the terminal. Therefore, it can be said that the position information output by the positioning unit 160 represents the position of the user.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the server device 200. The server device 200 includes a control unit 210, a storage unit 220, and a communication unit 230. The server device 200 may be realized by cooperation of a plurality of devices. For example, a function corresponding to the control unit 210 and the communication unit 230 and a function corresponding to the storage unit 220 may be configured separately. Good.

  The control unit 210 is means for controlling the operation of each unit of the server device 200. Further, the control unit 210 has a function of determining an action recommended to the user based on the biological information. The control unit 210 includes an arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU and volatile and non-volatile memories, and executes processing such as action determination by executing a predetermined program.

  The storage unit 220 is means for storing data. The storage unit 220 includes a storage medium such as a hard disk, and stores data (such as a program) used by the control unit 210. The storage unit 220 stores user data. The user data is information registered in advance by the user or information associated with the user, and includes attribute information according to the present invention. The user data includes biological information measured by the communication terminal 100 in addition to the attribute information. Further, as attribute information, in addition to an identifier (ID) for identifying a user, measurement date and time of biometric information, etc., the user's sex, date of birth (or age), height, weight, BMI (Body Mass Index), The body fat percentage, the amount of physical activity, the basal metabolism, the blood glucose level, the HbA1c value, and the like may be included, and further, the user schedule registered in the electronic scheduler, information from the electronic medical record, and the like may be included.

  Further, the attribute information may include data representing the relationship (human relationship) between the user and other users. The relationship here is, for example, a family, a spouse, a classmate (at school), or a colleague (at work). In addition, the relationship here includes a rank among users based on age and job title (in the organization).

  The communication unit 230 is means for transmitting / receiving data to / from the communication terminal 100. The communication unit 230 includes, for example, a NIC (Network Interface Controller) and the like, and exchanges data with the communication terminal 100 via the network 300. Note that the communication by the communication unit 230 may be wireless communication.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the server device 200. The control unit 210 of the server device 200 implements functions corresponding to the acquisition unit 211, the specifying unit 212, the determination unit 213, and the notification unit 215 by executing a predetermined program. The determination unit 213 further has a function corresponding to the determination unit 214.

  The acquisition unit 211 is a means for acquiring information. The information here includes at least biological information, but may include position information transmitted together with the biological information. The acquisition unit 211 acquires biological information via the communication unit 230. The acquisition unit 211 may associate the acquired biological information with the user and store it for a predetermined period. Furthermore, the acquisition unit 211 may store a plurality of pieces of biological information acquired repeatedly so that changes with time of the biological information can be determined. In addition, the acquisition unit 211 may perform the same process as the biological information on the position information.

  The specifying unit 212 is means for specifying a group to which the user belongs. The identifying unit 212 identifies the group to which the user belongs based on the location information of the communication terminal 100, the user's prior settings, schedule, information from SNS (Social Networking Service), and the like. If the group is determined in advance, the specifying unit 212 is not necessary.

  The determination unit 213 is means for determining information to be notified. The information determined by the determination unit 213 is information for supporting the behavior of the user in the group, and is information regarding the behavior recommended (recommended) to the user. Hereinafter, this information is referred to as “recommendation information”. The determination part 213 determines recommendation information using the biometric information measured from each user.

  The determination unit 214 is means for determining an action recommended for the group. The determination unit 214 determines an action to be recommended as an action in the group based on the biological information measured from each user. The actions here are, for example, “to take a break”, “to eat and drink”, and “go to a specific (or specific genre) store / facility”. Further, the action of “drinking” may be subdivided more specifically as “drink” or “take food or drink that is effective in relieving fatigue”. In addition, the store, facility, and food and drink related to behavior may be specified by specific proper nouns (product names, etc.).

  The notification unit 215 is means for notifying recommendation information. Specifically, the notification unit 215 performs notification by transmitting recommendation information to a predetermined destination via the communication unit 230. The destination of the recommendation information is at least one of the communication terminals 100 of the users belonging to the group corresponding to the recommendation information. The notification unit 215 may notify the recommendation information to the communication terminals 100 of all users belonging to the group corresponding to the recommendation information, but may notify the recommendation information only to the communication terminals 100 of specific users in the group. Good.

  The configuration of the action support system 10 is as described above. In the behavior support system 10 having such a configuration, the user moves or performs work while holding the communication terminal 100. At this time, the communication terminal 100 measures biological information while being held by the user, and transmits it to the server device 200. The communication terminal 100 may measure the biological information at a predetermined timing (for example, periodically), or may measure the biological information at a timing instructed by the user by an operation or the like. The transmission of the biological information may be performed all at once in the plurality of communication terminals 100 or may be performed at different timings. Further, the communication terminal 100 can also transmit the position information together with the biological information as necessary.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating processing executed by the server device 200 that has received the biological information. Here, it is assumed that the server device 200 is in a state where it can receive and refer to biometric information for the required number of people in advance before executing this process.

In step S <b> 1, the control unit 210 of the server device 200 specifies a group that is a unit for transmitting recommendation information. As a group specifying method, for example, the following method can be considered.
(1) Specify a predetermined group (2) Specify a group based on biometric information (3) Specify a group based on location information (4) Specify a group based on biometric information and location information

  In the specifying method (1), for example, the user sets a group to which the user belongs in advance. The communication terminal 100 transmits data corresponding to the setting by the user to the server device 200. By using this data, the server apparatus 200 can specify which user belongs to which group. For example, the user groups in advance users, family members, friends, and the like who act together. Moreover, when group identification is possible from schedule information, SNS, etc., you may refer to it.

  In the specifying method of (2), for example, the control unit 210 groups users who tend to share common biological information. In other words, the users whose biometric information shows a common tendency are users whose mental and physical states estimated from the biometric information show a common tendency. For example, the control unit 210 can determine that the users having a relatively high acetone concentration in the biological gas are hungry and classify the users who are hungry into the same group. Alternatively, the control unit 210 may determine that a user having a relatively high alcohol concentration in the biological gas is in a drunk state and classify the users in the drunk state into the same group. Further, the control unit 210 may classify the user into “a user who does not have an abnormality in the mind and body” and “a user who has some abnormality in the body and mind” by using a combination of multiple types of biological information.

  In the specifying method (3), for example, the control unit 210 groups users whose positions indicated by the position information belong to a predetermined range (that is, users who are close in distance). Alternatively, the control unit 210 may classify users (for example, passengers in a car) moving along a common route into a common group based on a history of position information.

  In the specifying method (4), for example, the control unit 210 groups users whose positions indicated by the position information belong to a predetermined range and whose biological information tends to be common. That is, the identification method (4) is a combination of the identification methods (2) and (3).

  Next, in step S2, the control unit 210 determines an action recommended for the group specified in step S1. For example, the control unit 210 determines a tendency of the mind and body as a whole group based on biometric information of users in the group, and recommends an action according to the determination result. Specifically, the control unit 210 estimates the state of mind and body of each user based on the biological information, and recommends an action corresponding to the state where the estimated number of people is the largest. For example, when it is estimated that the majority in the group is hungry, the control unit 210 recommends eating and drinking for this group.

  Note that the control unit 210 does not necessarily have to estimate the mental and physical states of individual users. For example, the control unit 210 performs a calculation such as an average on the numerical values of the biometric information of individual users, and a specific state is obtained when the calculation result (for example, the average value of the biometric information) exceeds a predetermined threshold It may be determined that

  Thereafter, in step S3, the control unit 210 transmits the recommendation information to a predetermined destination. The recommendation information is information for prompting each user in the group to perform the action specified in step S2. The recommendation information may be a specific (fixed) message determined for each action, or a message that changes according to the position of the user. For example, when recommending eating and drinking to the user, the control unit 210 may transmit a message such as “Would you like to eat together soon?”, But within a predetermined range from the user's position. A certain restaurant may be specified, and a message (such as an advertisement) or a map introducing the restaurant may be transmitted. Further, this message may include a discount coupon that can be used at the restaurant.

  Note that the control unit 210 does not necessarily transmit the recommendation information. For example, if the control unit 210 determines that there is no particular action to recommend as a result of referring to the biometric information of each user, the control unit 210 may not transmit the recommendation information. In this case, the control unit 210 may not determine the recommended action for a certain period.

  As described above, according to the action support system 10, action support for the user can be performed for each group. According to the behavior support system 10, for example, since it is possible to recommend a majority of actions in a specific group, the behavior of the group is encouraged to be easily supported by more users in the group. Is possible. Or according to the action support system 10, it is also possible to notify the same kind of recommendation information with respect to the user who has the common tendency of the state of mind and body.

  Further, according to the behavior support system 10, for example, when a group is acting with a predetermined user (friend, etc.), it is difficult to tell other users that they are hungry. In addition, it can be expected that the communication terminal 100 can prompt the user of the group to perform an action to eliminate the hungry state (without knowing who is hungry).

[Modification]
The above-described embodiment is an embodiment of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and can be implemented in other modes described below. In addition, the modification shown below can also be combined as needed.

(1) A priority may be set for an action recommended to the user. For example, actions related to physiological desires such as eating and drinking and rest should be prioritized over other actions. Therefore, higher priority may be set for such actions than for other actions. Further, when there are a plurality of actions that can be recommended for the group, the server device 200 may recommend any action based on the priority set for the plurality of actions. For example, when there are a plurality of actions that can be recommended for a group and the priority set for the plurality of actions is different, the server device 200 recommends an action with a higher priority to the group. Is possible.

(2) The server device 200 may further use information other than the user's biological information or position information in determining the action recommended to the user. Other information here includes the date and time of recommendation, the schedule of users in the group, the environment surrounding the users in the group (such as weather and road congestion), the relationship between users, and the user's food preferences User hobbies, user favorite places (amusement parks, shrines / buddhist temples, zoos, botanical gardens, aquariums, sports facilities, etc.) can be used. For example, when recommending a restaurant to the user, the server device 200 can search for restaurant business hours and control to recommend a restaurant within business hours at the time of recommendation.

  Further, the server device 200 determines behavior based on the relationship between users, for example, so that the state of mind and body of seniors or persons with high positions is prioritized, or the state of mind and body of a child is prioritized. It is also possible to determine the behavior. For example, even if it is estimated that there are few hungry people in the group, eating and drinking may be recommended if the hunger level of the person who should be prioritized is high. Moreover, the server apparatus 200 may prioritize the state of mind of the user whose attribute information satisfies a predetermined condition. For example, when a user whose current month (or current day) is a birth month (or birthday) is included in the group, the server device 200 may prioritize the state of mind of the user.

(3) After identifying the group in step S1 shown in FIG. 5, the server device 200 may further subdivide the users of the group into a plurality of groups. Such a subdivided group is hereinafter referred to as a “subgroup”. The server device 200 can further classify the users in the group based on the state of mind and body estimated from the biological information. For example, the server device 200 classifies users estimated to be hungry into a first subgroup, and classifies users estimated to be in a fatigued state to a second subgroup, and each subgroup. The recommendation information corresponding to may be determined and notified.

(4) The present invention can be used or applied to uses different from the above-described embodiments. For example, the present invention may consider a plurality of users (passengers) moving on a long-distance bus or the like as a group of groups and use them to determine the potential demand of these users. In this case, the recommendation information is notified to a user (driver, guide, etc.) different from the user (passenger) who is the measurement target of the biological information. For example, when it is estimated that a large number of passengers are hungry or fatigued, the server device 200 notifies the driver of recommendation information for prompting eating and drinking and a break.

  Further, the present invention can also be applied to a technique for measuring the volume of water (urine) in the bladder as biological information and notifying information according to the degree of urinary intention of the user. As a sensor for measuring such biological information, an ultrasonic sensor that transmits ultrasonic waves to the bladder and measures the amount of water in the bladder is known. For example, in the case where such a sensor is attached to a plurality of users, the present invention may perform notification according to the degree of urinary intention of each user. Specifically, when such a sensor is attached to a patient in a hospital, the server device 200 notifies the nurse of a patient whose urine volume in the bladder exceeds a predetermined threshold, or urine in the bladder. It is also possible to preferentially guide the toilet from a large amount of patients. Since there is an individual difference (particularly, a difference due to the physique) in the capacity of the bladder, the server apparatus 200 may normalize (correct) the capacity in the bladder measured by the sensor using the height and the weight. In addition, the biological information measured in this example is not necessarily limited to the urine volume of the bladder, and notification can be performed by combining other biological information.

  Further, the present invention can be applied to a technique for measuring the user's biological information, recording the food and drink taken by the user, and determining the influence of the food and drink based on changes in the biological information. For example, in a user in a certain group, when a characteristic change occurs in the biometric information of a user who has ingested a specific food or drink, it is possible to estimate that the cause of the change is in the intake of the food or drink. is there.

(5) The configuration for carrying out the present invention is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. For example, the present invention can be implemented even in a configuration that does not use the server device 200. In this case, any of the communication terminals 100 may have the configuration shown in FIG. In this case, the communication terminals 100 are configured to communicate with each other by short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth, and transmit / receive biometric information and the like.

  In addition to the behavior support device corresponding to the server device 200, the present invention includes a behavior support system including the behavior support device, a program for causing a computer (CPU or the like) to function as the behavior support device, a user behavior support method, and the like. It is also possible to provide this form. The program can also be provided in a form recorded on a recording medium such as an optical disk, or in a form that can be downloaded to a predetermined device via a network such as the Internet and used by installing the program.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Action support system 100 ... Communication terminal 110 ... Control part 120 ... Sensor part 130 ... Communication part 140 ... Operation part 150 ... Display part 160 ... Positioning part 200 ... Server apparatus 210 ... Control part , 211 ... acquisition unit, 212 ... identification unit, 213 ... determination unit, 214 ... determination unit, 215 ... notification unit, 220 ... storage unit, 230 ... communication unit, 300 ... network

Claims (9)

An acquisition unit that acquires biometric information measured from a user and indicating a state of the user for a plurality of users constituting a predetermined group;
A determination unit configured to determine information related to behavior in the group, using the acquired biological information of the plurality of users;
A behavior support apparatus comprising: a notification unit that notifies the determined information to a predetermined destination. The action support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines an action recommended for the group based on biometric information of the plurality of users, and determines information related to the action. The behavior support apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when there are a plurality of recommended behaviors, the determination unit determines the information based on a priority of the plurality of recommended behaviors. The behavior support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines the information using attribute information assigned to at least one of the plurality of users. 5. The determination unit further determines the information using at least one of a date and time, a schedule of the plurality of users, an environment around the plurality of users, and a relationship between the plurality of users. The action support apparatus according to claim 1. The determination unit classifies the plurality of users into one of a plurality of subgroups using the biometric information of the plurality of users, and determines the information for each of the subgroups. The action support apparatus according to Item 1. A plurality of communication terminals each including a sensor unit for measuring biological information indicating the state of each user;
An action support system comprising: the action support apparatus according to claim 1. Measuring biometric information indicating a user's state for a plurality of users constituting a predetermined group;
Using the measured biometric information of the plurality of users to determine information regarding the behavior in the group;
A behavior support method comprising: notifying the determined information to a predetermined destination. On the computer,
Acquiring biometric information measured from a user and indicating the state of the user for a plurality of users constituting a predetermined group;
Using the acquired biometric information of the plurality of users to determine information regarding the behavior in the group;
And a step of notifying the determined information to a predetermined destination.

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