JP2024053578A - Anthropometric measurement device and method - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a human body measuring device and a measuring method that can measure the impedance and grip strength of a human body with one measuring device. [Solution] A measuring system 10 includes an upper body measuring device 12, a mobile terminal device 14 that can operate the upper body measuring device 12, and a server 18. The upper body measuring device 12 is provided with an electrode unit 26 and a pair of impedance measuring units 22R, 22L that measure the impedance of the body of a user who is holding the electrode unit 26, and a grip strength measuring unit 30 that is provided with a grip 34 that is displaced when the user holds it with their hand and measures the grip strength of the user who is holding the grip 34. The impedance measuring units 22R, 22L and the grip strength measuring unit 30 are provided in a main body housing 20. [Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a human body measuring device and a measuring method.

There are body composition measuring devices equipped with hand and foot electrodes to measure the user's body composition. In such body composition measuring devices, a gripping portion having hand electrodes is electrically connected to a main body having foot electrodes.

For example, Patent Document 1 describes a body composition measuring device that includes a hand electrode measuring device and a foot electrode measuring device, and that is capable of wireless communication between the hand electrode measuring device and the foot electrode measuring device.

Publication No. 3110829

Conventional body composition measuring devices only have the function of measuring body composition and body weight, and cannot measure other human body indicators. However, in recent years, there has been a demand for devices that can measure various indicators related to the human body, one of which is grip strength measurement.

The present invention aims to provide a human body measuring device and a measuring method that can measure human body impedance and grip strength with a single measuring device.

The human body measuring device of the first aspect of the present invention includes a pair of impedance measuring means, a first impedance measuring means and a second impedance measuring means, which are provided with an electrode unit and measure the impedance of the body of a user who is holding the electrode unit, a grip strength measuring means provided with a displacement unit that is displaced when the user holds the displacement unit in his/her hand and measures the grip strength of the user who is holding the displacement unit, and a housing in which the first impedance measuring means, the second impedance measuring means, and the grip strength measuring means are provided.

In this configuration, the impedance measuring means and grip strength measuring means are provided in the housing, so that the impedance and grip strength of the human body can be measured with a single measuring device.

The human body measuring device of the second aspect is the human body measuring device of the first aspect, in which the first impedance measuring means and the second impedance measuring means are columnar and can be held by a user, the first impedance measuring means is provided on a first surface, which is one of two opposing surfaces of the housing, and the second impedance measuring means is provided on a second surface, which is the other surface, and the first impedance measuring means is provided on the housing so as to be movable between the first surface and the second surface of the housing.

With this configuration, when impedance measurement is not performed, the size of the human body measuring device can be reduced by moving the first impedance measuring means to the second impedance measuring means side.

The human body measuring device of the third aspect is the human body measuring device of the second aspect, wherein the grip strength measuring means is columnar and can be held by a user, and may be provided on the second surface of the housing parallel to the second impedance measuring means. With this configuration, the size of the human body measuring device is reduced when the first impedance measuring means is moved toward the second impedance measuring means.

The human body measuring device of the fourth aspect is any one of the human body measuring devices of the first to third aspects, in which the first impedance measuring means and the second impedance measuring means may be provided at one end side in a predetermined direction of the housing. With this configuration, the user can hold the impedance measuring means by pressing the grip strength measuring means side of the housing and the side of the grip strength measuring means against the abdomen.

The human body measuring device of the fifth aspect may be any one of the human body measuring devices of the first to fourth aspects, further comprising a contact portion that includes a predetermined surface of the grip strength measuring means and a predetermined surface of the housing and that contacts the abdomen of the user, and may be configured so that when the user grips the electrode portion of the first impedance measuring means and the electrode portion of the second impedance measuring means with the contact portion in contact with the abdomen of the user, the angle between the user's torso and arm is constant. With this configuration, the measurement posture of the user during impedance measurement is stable. As a result, impedance measurement is always performed in the same measurement posture, and measurement errors in bioimpedance can be reduced.

The sixth aspect of the human body measuring device is any one of the first to fifth aspects of the human body measuring device, and the grip strength measuring means may be provided with a first member and a second member perpendicular to the displacement direction of the displacement section, and a load sensor may be provided between the first member and the second member. With this configuration, grip strength can be measured with high accuracy.

The seventh aspect of the human body measuring device is any one of the first to sixth aspects of the human body measuring device, and may include a switching means for switching between measurement by the impedance measuring means and measurement by the grip strength measuring means based on a control instruction from the information processing device. With this configuration, the human body measuring device can switch between measurements without providing an operation unit.

The eighth aspect of the human body measuring device is the seventh aspect of the human body measuring device, and the control instruction for switching between the measurement by the pair of impedance measuring means and the measurement by the grip strength measuring means may be transmitted by the information processing device when the user operates the information processing device. With this configuration, the measurement can be switched at any timing that the user deems preferable.

The human body measuring device of the ninth aspect may be the human body measuring device of the second aspect, further comprising a switching means for switching between measurement by the pair of impedance measuring means and measurement by the grip strength measuring means based on the position of the first impedance measuring means. With this configuration, measurements can be easily switched.

The human body measuring device of the tenth aspect is any one of the human body measuring devices of the seventh to ninth aspects, and further includes a power supply means for supplying power for measurement to the pair of impedance measuring means and the grip strength measuring means, and when the switching means switches the measurement from one measuring means to the other measuring means, the power supply means may stop supplying power to the one measuring means and supply power to the other measuring means. With this configuration, the human body measuring device can be made energy-efficient.

The human body measuring device of the eleventh aspect is any one of the human body measuring devices of the first to tenth aspects, and is capable of transmitting and receiving information to and from an information processing device, and the information processing device may include an evaluation means for evaluating the user's body based on the measurement results by the impedance measuring means and the measurement results by the grip strength measuring means. With this configuration, the user can recognize the condition of his or her own body.

The measurement method of the twelfth aspect of the present invention is a measurement method using a human body measurement device that includes a pair of impedance measurement means that are provided with electrode parts and measure the impedance of the body of a user who is holding the electrode parts, and a grip strength measurement means that is provided with a displacement part that is displaced when the user holds the displacement part and measures the grip strength of the user who is holding the displacement part, and includes a first step of supplying power to one of the impedance measurement means or the grip strength measurement means, a second step of performing measurement using the one measurement means, a third step of stopping the supply of power to the one measurement means and supplying power to the other measurement means, and a fourth step of performing measurement using the other measurement means.

The measurement method of the thirteenth aspect of the present invention is a measurement method using a human body measurement device that includes a pair of impedance measuring means for measuring the impedance of the body of a user who is holding the electrode portion, a grip strength measuring means having a displacement portion that is displaced when the user holds it with his or her hands and for measuring the grip strength of the user who is holding the displacement portion, and a housing in which the impedance measuring means and the grip strength measuring means are provided, and the user holds the impedance measuring means facing forward and brings the side of the grip strength measuring means and the end face of the housing into contact with the abdomen of the user to measure the impedance.

The present invention makes it possible to measure human body impedance and grip strength with a single measuring device.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a measurement system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is an external view of the upper body measuring device according to the embodiment, in which (A) shows a state in which the impedance measuring section is extended, and (B) shows a state in which the impedance measuring section is bent. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a measurement posture using the impedance measuring unit of the embodiment, where (A) is a top view and (B) is a side view. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the internal configuration of the grip strength measuring unit of the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of the upper body measuring device according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of the mobile terminal device according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of a measurement process by the upper body measurement device of the embodiment.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiment described below is an example of how the present invention can be implemented, and the present invention is not limited to the specific configuration described below. When implementing the present invention, a specific configuration according to the embodiment may be appropriately adopted.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the measurement system 10 of this embodiment.

The measurement system 10 of this embodiment includes an upper body measurement device 12, a mobile terminal device 14, and a server 18. In addition to these, the measurement system 10 may also include other measurement devices, such as a lower body measurement device that measures weight and lower body bioimpedance, and a pedometer that measures the number of steps taken by the user.

The upper body measuring device 12 is a device that measures the impedance of the upper body of a user (hereinafter referred to as "bioimpedance"). In this embodiment, the main body housing 20 of the upper body measuring device 12 is provided with an impedance measuring unit 22R, an impedance measuring unit 22L, and a grip measuring unit 30. As will be described in detail later, in this embodiment, the upper body measuring device 12 is provided with the impedance measuring unit 22R and the grip measuring unit 30 on the side surface 20R of the main body housing 20, and the impedance measuring unit 22L on the side surface 20L of the main body housing 20.

The impedance measuring unit 22R and the impedance measuring unit 22L are a pair of impedance measuring units 22 each having an electrode unit 26, which measures the bioimpedance of the body of a user who is holding the electrode unit 26. The electrode unit 26 has a current electrode for passing a current and a voltage electrode for measuring a voltage.

The housings 24R, 24L constituting the impedance measuring units 22R, 22L in this embodiment are each columnar so that the user can hold them, and a pair is provided on the side surfaces 20R, 20L of the main housing 20. An electrode unit 26 is provided on the surface of the housings 24R, 24L so that it comes into contact with the user's palm when the user holds the housings 24R, 24L. Here, according to a survey of the size data of Japanese hands conducted by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, the average hand width (the length between the joints at the base of the index finger and little finger) is 83.3 mm for men and 74.4 mm for women. In addition, since the hand width when the fingers are clenched in the palm (so-called fist state) is wider than the hand width when the fingers are open, it is considered that, for example, by making the longitudinal length of the electrode unit 26 about 10 cm, it can be suitably contacted with the palms of various users.

In this embodiment, the housings 24R and 24L are cylindrical with a circular cross section, as an example, but are not limited to this and may be other shapes as long as they are columnar and can be held by the user.

When performing impedance measurement, the user holds the housing 24R of the impedance measuring unit 22R with his/her right hand and the housing 24L of the impedance measuring unit 22L with his/her left hand. The upper body measuring device 12 then passes a current through the current electrodes and measures the voltage (potential difference) with the voltage electrodes to obtain the bioimpedance of the user's upper body. The measurement system 10 of this embodiment calculates body composition values such as muscle mass of the user's arms from the bioimpedance obtained by the impedance measuring units 22R and 22L.

In the following description, when there is no need to distinguish between impedance measuring unit 22R and impedance measuring unit 22L, they will be referred to as impedance measuring unit 22. Also, when there is no need to distinguish between housing 24R and housing 24L, they will be referred to as housing 24.

The grip strength measuring unit 30 is provided with a grip 34, which is a displacement unit that is displaced when the user grasps it with their hand, and measures the grip strength of the user grasping the grip 34. The housing 32 constituting the grip strength measuring unit 30 in this embodiment is columnar so that the user can grasp it, and is provided on the side surface 20R of the main housing 20 parallel to the impedance measuring unit 22R. The user grasps the housing 32 of the grip strength measuring unit 30 with one hand so that their fingers are positioned on the grip 34, and squeezes it with force. This causes the grip 34 to displace inward of the housing 32 (the direction in which force acts when gripped), and the upper body measuring device 12 measures the grip strength of the user.

In this embodiment, the housing 32 is, as an example, cylindrical with an elliptical cross section, but is not limited to this and may be of any other shape as long as it is a column that can be held by the user.

In addition, in this embodiment, the end of the housing 32 is connected to the end of the housing 24R of the impedance measuring unit 22R by a reinforcing member 36. As described below, the reinforcing member 36 maintains the rigidity of the upper body measuring device 12 when the side 32A of the grip strength measuring unit 30 is brought into contact with the abdomen of the user to perform impedance measurement, and prevents damage to the upper body measuring device 12.

In this way, the upper body measuring device 12 of this embodiment has an impedance measuring unit 22 and a grip strength measuring unit 30 provided in the main body housing 20 located in the center, so that the impedance and grip strength of the human body can be measured with a single measuring device.

As described above, the impedance measuring units 22R, 22L in this embodiment are columnar and can be held by the user. The impedance measuring unit 22R is provided on the side surface 20R, which is one of the two opposing surfaces of the main housing 20, and the impedance measuring unit 22L is provided on the other side surface 20L. The impedance measuring unit 22L is provided on the main housing 20 so as to be movable between the side surfaces 20L and 20R of the main housing 20.

That is, the impedance measurement is performed with the impedance measuring units 22R, 22L extended (deployed) on the side surfaces 20R, 20L of the main body housing 20 as shown in FIG. 2(A). Also, the impedance measuring unit 22L can be rotated 180° from the side surface 20L of the main body housing 20 toward the side surface 20R as shown in FIG. 2(B). In the bent state shown in FIG. 2(B), as an example, the side surface of the impedance measuring unit 22R abuts against the side surface of the impedance measuring unit 22L.

In this way, when the user is not performing impedance measurement, the size of the upper body measurement device 12 can be reduced by moving the other impedance measurement unit 22L to the side of one impedance measurement unit 22R. This reduces the storage space required for the upper body measurement device 12 and makes it easier to carry the upper body measurement device 12.

The pair of impedance measuring units 22R, 22L are provided at one end side (end surface 20B side) in a predetermined direction of the main body housing 20. On the other hand, the grip strength measuring unit 30 is provided at the other end side (end surface 20A side) in a predetermined direction of the main body housing 20. The "predetermined direction" here refers to a direction perpendicular to the user's abdomen when performing impedance measurement, as shown in FIG. 3 described later, and in this embodiment, it is the longitudinal direction of the main body housing 20.

In addition, the grip strength measuring unit 30 of this embodiment is provided on the main body housing 20 so that the side surface 32A of the housing 32 and the end surface 20A of the main body housing 20 form the same horizontal plane.

Here, Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the measurement posture when using the impedance measuring unit 22 of this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3(A), the user holds the impedance measuring unit 22 facing forward, and brings the side surface 32A (see Figs. 1 and 2) of the grip strength measuring unit 30 and the end surface 20A (see Figs. 1 and 2) of the main body housing 20 into contact with the user's abdomen (including the thighs and waist). The part including the side surface 32A of the grip strength measuring unit 30 and the end surface 20A of the main body housing 20 that comes into contact with the user's abdomen is called the contact portion 39.

The upper body measuring device 12 is configured so that when the user grasps the electrode portion 26 of the impedance measuring unit 22R and the electrode portion 26 of the impedance measuring unit 22L with the contact portion 39 in contact with the abdomen of the user, the angle θ between the user's torso and arms is constant. This stabilizes the user's measurement posture during impedance measurement, and as shown in FIG. 3(B), the angle θ between the user's torso and arms, i.e., the armpit opening angle θ, is always constant during measurement.

If the armpit opening angle θ differs for each measurement, this may cause errors in the bioimpedance. For this reason, the upper body measurement device 12 of this embodiment allows the user to always measure the bioimpedance in the same measurement position, as described above, thereby reducing measurement errors in the bioimpedance.

Here, the distance between the side surface 32A of the grip strength measuring unit 30 and the central axis of the impedance measuring unit 22 is L1 (see FIG. 2). In order to create a certain degree of opening angle θ when the user measures the bioimpedance, the distance L1 is, for example, about 10 cm. In this case, the distance L2 between the central axis of the main body housing 20 and the left end of the grip strength measuring unit 30 is, for example, about 18 cm, and the length L3 in the major axis direction of the main body housing 20 is 14 cm. The ratio of the distance L1 to the distance L2 may be, for example, 1:1.5 to 2, and the ratio of the distance L1 to the length L3 may be, for example, 1:1.2 to 1.5. The distance L1 may be approximately the same as the longitudinal length of the electrode unit 26 of the impedance measuring units 22R and 22L.

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the internal configuration of the grip strength measuring unit 30 in this embodiment.

In the grip strength measuring unit 30 of this embodiment, members 40A and 40B are provided so as to be perpendicular to the displacement direction of the grip 34 (the direction of the arrow in FIG. 4). A load sensor 42 is provided between members 40A and 40B. As an example, members 40A and 40B are long or rod-shaped metal members with high rigidity, and their length is longer than the grip 34. In this embodiment, there are two load sensors 42, which are provided at both ends of members 40A and 40B. Members 40A and 40B do not necessarily have to be long, and may be other shapes, such as a circular shape, depending on the shape of the grip 34.

The load sensor 42 in this embodiment is fixed to both ends of member 40A, but is not fixed to member 40B, and is positioned in contact with member 40B. Furthermore, member 40A is fixed to the housing 32 of the grip strength measuring unit 30 so that it will not be displaced even when force is applied. Meanwhile, member 40B is displaced toward the inside of the housing 32 (in the direction in which members 40A and 40B approach each other) in response to the displacement of the grip 34.

When a user places his or her fingers on grip 34 and applies force in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 4 to measure grip strength, the force is applied to grip 34 and member 40B. As a result, grip 34 and member 40B are displaced in response to the applied force, and transmit the force to load sensor 42. This allows the user's grip strength to be measured.

The grip strength measuring unit 30 of this embodiment detects force as a load by sandwiching the load sensor 42 between metal members 40A and 40B, i.e., rigid structures. This is to obtain an effect similar to that obtained by, for example, a weight scale sandwiching a load sensor between a floor and a rigid structure. That is, in the grip strength measuring unit 30, member 40A has an effect similar to that of a floor in a weight scale, making it possible to measure grip strength with high accuracy.

In addition, while a weight scale, for example, uses four load sensors 42, the grip strength measuring unit 30 of this embodiment uses two load sensors 42. The reason for this is to make the upper body measuring device 12 compact and lightweight, taking into consideration ease of use and storage. On the other hand, the reason there is not one load sensor 42 is that it would be impossible to receive the force physically stably. Regardless of the above reason, the load sensor 42 may be one or three or more.

Next, the mobile terminal device 14 shown in FIG. 1 is, for example, an information processing device such as a smartphone or tablet terminal equipped with a touch panel display 16. The mobile terminal device 14 is capable of transmitting and receiving information by wireless communication with the upper body measuring device 12. For example, the mobile terminal device 14 transmits control instructions to the upper body measuring device 12, and receives measurement results by the upper body measuring device 12 and displays them on the touch panel display 16.

In this way, the portable terminal device 14 of this embodiment is capable of operating the upper body measuring device 12. Specifically, the portable terminal device 14 transmits to the upper body measuring device 12 control signals indicating whether the power of the upper body measuring device 12 is on or off, and control instructions such as switching between impedance measurement and grip strength measurement.

In addition, application software for measurement (hereinafter referred to as the "measurement app") is installed in the mobile terminal device 14. The mobile terminal device 14 uses the measurement app to give operating instructions to the upper body measurement device 12 and display the measurement results.

The server 18 transmits and receives data to and from the mobile terminal device 14, and stores data received from the mobile terminal device 14. Specifically, the server 18 receives measurement results from the upper body measuring device 12 from the mobile terminal device 14 and stores them in chronological order for each user. The server 18 may also transmit the stored measurement results to the mobile terminal device 14 and display them on the touch panel display 16 using a measurement app.

Figure 5 is a functional block diagram of the upper body measurement device 12 of this embodiment.

The upper body measuring device 12 includes an electrode unit 26 and a load sensor 42, as well as a power supply unit 48, an impedance calculation unit 50, a grip calculation unit 52, a measurement switching unit 54, a memory unit 56, and a short-range communication unit 58. The functions executed by the impedance calculation unit 50, the grip calculation unit 52, and the measurement switching unit 54 are executed by a computing device included in the upper body measuring device 12 by starting a program, for example, but are not limited to this and may be realized by individual hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

The power supply unit 48 supplies power for measurement to the pair of impedance measuring units 22R, 22L and the grip strength measuring unit 30. Specifically, the power supply unit 48 supplies power to the measuring means used for impedance measurement and grip strength measurement, such as the electrode unit 26 and the load sensor 42.

The impedance calculation unit 50 calculates the user's bioimpedance based on the potential difference obtained by passing a current through the impedance measurement unit 22.

The grip strength calculation unit 52 calculates the user's grip strength based on the detection value output from the load sensor 42.

The measurement switching unit 54 switches between impedance measurement and grip measurement based on a control instruction (hereinafter referred to as a "switching instruction") from the mobile terminal device 14. Switching here refers to switching the power supply to the impedance measurement unit 22 and the grip measurement unit 30. When power is supplied to one measurement unit, power is not supplied to the other measurement unit. In other words, when the measurement switching unit 54 switches measurement from one measurement unit to the other measurement unit, the power supply unit 48 stops supplying power to one measurement unit and supplies power to the other measurement unit. This allows the upper body measurement device 12 to save power.

In this embodiment, as an example, the user operates the mobile terminal device 14, and the mobile terminal device 14 transmits a switching instruction. This allows the measurement to be switched without providing an operation unit in the upper body measurement device 12. In addition, the measurement can be switched at any timing that the user deems preferable.

The memory unit 56 stores the bioimpedance calculated by the impedance calculation unit 50 and the grip strength calculated by the grip strength calculation unit 52 in association with the user and the date and time of measurement.

The short-range communication unit 58 communicates with the mobile terminal device 14 using a wireless communication standard with a narrow communication range. As an example, the short-range communication unit 58 in this embodiment communicates with the mobile terminal device 14 using BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy), but is not limited to this and may perform wireless communication using other standards.

Figure 6 is a functional block diagram of the mobile terminal device 14 of this embodiment. The mobile terminal device 14 includes a body composition value calculation unit 60, an evaluation unit 62, an operation input reception unit 64, a monitor control unit 66, a memory unit 68, a short-range communication unit 70, and a wide-area communication unit 72. Each function executed by the body composition value calculation unit 60, the evaluation unit 62, the operation input reception unit 64, and the monitor control unit 66 is executed by a computing device included in the mobile terminal device 14 by starting a program, for example.

The body composition value calculation unit 60 and the evaluation unit 62 are also functions of the measurement app that the mobile terminal device 14 has.

The body composition value calculation unit 60 calculates the user's body composition value based on the bioelectrical impedance transmitted from the upper body measurement device 12. User information is used to calculate the body composition value. The user information includes the user's gender, weight, height, age, etc., which are required to calculate the body composition value. The user information is input via the measurement app and stored in the memory unit 68.

The body composition values calculated by the body composition value calculation unit 60 include, for example, fat percentage, fat mass, fat-free mass, muscle mass, visceral fat mass, visceral fat level, visceral fat area, subcutaneous fat mass, basal metabolic rate, bone mass, total body water percentage, BMI, intracellular fluid volume, extracellular fluid volume, etc. The body composition value calculation unit 60 of this embodiment calculates at least the muscle mass of the user's arm.

The evaluation unit 62 evaluates the user's body based on the measurement results from the impedance measurement unit 22 and the grip measurement unit 30. As an example, the evaluation unit 62 in this embodiment compares the muscle mass and grip strength of the user's arm. The evaluation unit 62 then classifies the relationship between muscle mass and grip strength for each user, and displays advice to the user according to the type via the touch panel display 16. Note that the relationship between muscle mass and grip strength is, for example, grip strength relative to muscle mass, and types include a high muscle mass but a weak grip strength, an average grip strength relative to muscle mass, and a low muscle mass but a strong grip strength.

The evaluation unit 62 may also evaluate the user's frailty based on the measurement results of the upper body measurement device 12, the bioimpedance of the user's lower body, and the like. Frailty refers to a state in which the body weakens with age, and in this embodiment, the user's frailty is evaluated based on the J-CHS criteria, as an example.

The operation input reception unit 64 receives touch actions made by the user on the touch panel display 16 as operation inputs for the mobile terminal device 14. The mobile terminal device 14 executes various controls based on the operation inputs. Note that the mobile terminal device 14 of this embodiment receives operation instructions, such as turning the power of the upper body measuring device 12 on and off and switching between impedance measurement and grip strength measurement, via the touch panel display 16.

The monitor control unit 66 controls the touch panel display 16 to display various images. For example, the monitor control unit 66 causes the touch panel display 16 to display the user's body composition value calculated by the body composition value calculation unit 60, the evaluation results by the evaluation unit 62, etc.

Furthermore, the monitor control unit 66 controls the touch panel display 16 to display various information set by the measurement app.

The storage unit 68 is, for example, a non-volatile memory, and stores various data, setting values, application programs, etc. The data stored in the storage unit 68 includes, for example, user information, measurement results sent from the upper body measuring device 12, body composition values calculated by the body composition value calculation unit 60, evaluation results by the evaluation unit 62, etc.

The short-distance communication unit 70 communicates with the upper body measuring device 12 using a wireless communication standard with a narrow communication range. In this embodiment, the short-distance communication unit 70 communicates with the upper body measuring device 12 using BLE as an example, but is not limited to this and may perform wireless communication using other standards. The short-distance communication unit 70 transmits operation instructions for the upper body measuring device 12 input via the touch panel display 16 to the upper body measuring device 12.

The wide-area communication unit 72 communicates with other information processing devices such as the server 18 using a wireless communication standard that has a wider communication range than the short-range communication unit 70. In this embodiment, the wide-area communication unit 72 communicates with the server 18 using Wi-Fi (registered trademark) as an example, but is not limited to this and may perform wireless communication using other standards.

Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of the measurement process by the upper body measuring device 12 of this embodiment. Note that in the example of Figure 7, the grip strength measurement is performed after the impedance measurement, but this is not limited thereto, and the impedance measurement may be performed after the grip strength measurement.

First, in step S100, the user logs in to the measurement app on the mobile terminal device 14.

In the next step S102, the user operates the measurement app, and a startup instruction for starting the upper body measurement device 12 is sent from the mobile terminal device 14 to the upper body measurement device 12.

In the next step S104, the user operates the measurement app, and an instruction to start impedance measurement is sent from the mobile terminal device 14 to the upper body measurement device 12. As a result, the power supply unit 48 of the upper body measurement device 12 supplies power to the impedance measurement unit 22. In addition, the measurement app displays a message encouraging the user to hold the impedance measurement unit 22R of the upper body measurement device 12 with their right hand and the impedance measurement unit 22L with their left hand.

In the next step S106, impedance measurement is performed by the impedance measuring unit 22. Specifically, the impedance calculating unit 50 calculates the bioimpedance based on the potential difference obtained by passing a current through the electrode unit 26 of the impedance measuring unit 22.

In the next step S108, the user operates the measurement app, and an instruction to switch from impedance measurement to grip strength measurement is sent from the mobile terminal device 14 to the upper body measuring device 12. As a result, the measurement switching unit 54 of the upper body measuring device 12 switches from impedance measurement to grip strength measurement. In response to this, the power supply unit 48 supplies power to the grip strength measuring unit 30 and stops the power supply to the impedance measuring unit 22. In addition, the measurement app displays a message encouraging the user to grip the grip strength measuring unit 30.

In the next step S110, the grip strength is measured by the upper body measurement device 12. Specifically, the grip strength calculation unit 52 calculates the grip strength of the user based on the detection value output from the load sensor 42. In this embodiment, the user measures the grip strength of their right and left hands a predetermined number of times, and the average or maximum value is taken as the user's grip strength.

In the next step S112, the measurement results (bioimpedance, grip strength) from the upper body measuring device 12 are transmitted to the mobile terminal device 14, and the mobile terminal device 14 receives the measurement results. The measurement results from the upper body measuring device 12 may also be stored in the memory unit 56 provided in the upper body measuring device 12.

In the next step S114, the body composition calculation unit 60 of the mobile terminal device 14 calculates the user's body composition value (muscle mass, etc.) based on the measurement results received from the upper body measurement device 12.

In the next step S116, the monitor control unit 66 controls the touch panel display 16 of the mobile terminal device 14 to display the measurement results (body composition value, grip strength) of the upper body measurement device 12 on the touch panel display 16. The measurement results also include the evaluation results by the evaluation unit 62.

In the next step S118, the memory unit 68 of the mobile terminal device 14 stores the measurement results of the upper body measurement device 12.

In the next step S120, the mobile terminal device 14 transmits the measurement results of the upper body measurement device 12 to the server 18, and the server 18 stores the measurement results.

The present invention has been described above using the above embodiment, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiment. Various modifications or improvements can be made to the above embodiment without departing from the gist of the invention, and forms with such modifications or improvements are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

In the above embodiment, a configuration has been described in which switching between impedance measurement and grip strength measurement is performed based on a control instruction from the mobile terminal device 14, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the measurement switching unit 54 may switch between impedance measurement and grip strength measurement based on the position of the impedance measuring unit 22L that moves between the side surface 20R and the side surface 20L of the main body housing 20.

In this case, for example, a switch mechanism may be provided in the main body housing 20 of the upper body measuring device 12, and impedance measurement and grip strength measurement may be switched by extending or bending the impedance measuring unit 22. That is, when the impedance measuring unit 22 is in an extended state (the state of FIG. 2(A)), the power supply to the impedance measuring unit 22 is turned on, and the power supply to the grip strength measuring unit 30 is turned off. On the other hand, when the impedance measuring unit 22 is in a bent state (the state of FIG. 2(B)), the power supply to the impedance measuring unit 22 is turned off, and the power supply to the grip strength measuring unit 30 is turned on.

In addition, the posture of the impedance measuring unit 22L, which is extended and bent, may be measured, and switching between impedance measurement and grip strength measurement may be performed based on this posture. Specifically, a sensor such as an acceleration sensor is provided inside the impedance measuring unit 22L. This sensor detects the posture of the impedance measuring unit 22L and gravity. Then, the sensor output values for the extended and bent states are stored in advance in the memory unit 56A of the upper body measuring device 12. The upper body measuring device 12 determines the posture of the impedance measuring unit 22L by comparing the output value of the sensor, which is measured periodically, with the stored output value. When the posture of the impedance measuring unit 22L is in the extended state, the power supply to the impedance measuring unit 22 is turned on, and the power supply to the grip strength measuring unit 30 is turned off. On the other hand, when the posture of the impedance measuring unit 22L is in the bent state, the power supply to the impedance measuring unit 22 is turned off, and the power supply to the grip strength measuring unit 30 is turned on.

In the above embodiment, the user operates the mobile terminal device 14 to transmit a switching instruction to the upper body measuring device 12, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, after the impedance measurement is completed, a switching instruction may be automatically transmitted from the mobile terminal device 14 to the upper body measuring device 12, and the grip strength measurement may be started.

In the above embodiment, the impedance measuring unit 22 and the grip measuring unit 30 are different measuring members, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the impedance measuring unit 22 and the grip measuring unit 30 may be integrated. In this case, for example, at least one electrode unit 26 of the impedance measuring unit 22 also has the function of the grip 34. The configuration of the grip measuring unit 30 described with reference to FIG. 4 is built into the impedance measuring unit 22.

In the above embodiment, the mobile terminal device 14 such as a smartphone has been described as an information processing device equipped with a measurement result display means, a body composition value calculation unit 60, an evaluation unit 62, etc., but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as an information processing device equipped with a display means, a body composition value calculation unit 60, an evaluation unit 62, etc., a dedicated mobile terminal device specialized for these functions may be added to the measurement system 10.

In the above embodiment, the mobile terminal device 14 is provided with the body composition value calculation unit 60 and the evaluation unit 62, but the present invention is not limited to this. The server 18 may be provided with the body composition value calculation unit 60 and the evaluation unit 62, and may calculate the user's body composition value and evaluate the user's body. In this embodiment, the mobile terminal device 14 obtains the body composition value and the evaluation result from the server 18 and displays them on the touch panel display 16.

In the above embodiment, the grip strength measuring unit 30 is provided on the side surface 20R of the main body housing 20 parallel to the impedance measuring unit 22R, but the present invention is not limited to this. The grip strength measuring unit 30 may be provided on the side surface 20L of the main body housing 20 parallel to the impedance measuring unit 22L. In this case, the impedance measuring unit 22R is movable between the side surfaces 20R and 20L of the main body housing 20.

The measurement system 10 may also include other devices in addition to the upper body measurement device 12 and the mobile terminal device 14. Examples of other devices include the pedometer or activity meter described above. These other devices are capable of sending and receiving data with the mobile terminal device 14 via short-range communication such as BLE. The mobile terminal device 14 then displays the measurement results of the other devices and the evaluation results calculated based on these measurement results on the touch panel display 16.

The upper body measuring device 12 may also be provided with a display means (display) for displaying measurement results, etc.

The upper body measuring device 12 may also be equipped with a wide area communication device. In this configuration, the upper body measuring device 12 transmits the measurement results to the server 18. The mobile terminal device 14 then receives the measurement results from the server 18 and calculates the body composition and evaluates the user's body.

10 Measurement system 12 Upper body measurement device 14 Portable terminal device (information processing device)
20 Main body housing (housing)
22 Impedance measuring unit (impedance measuring means)
30 Grip strength measurement unit (grip strength measurement means)
40A: Member 40B: Member 42: Load sensor 48: Power supply unit (power supply means)
54 Measurement switching unit (switching means)

Claims (13)

a pair of impedance measuring means, which are a first impedance measuring means and a second impedance measuring means, each of which is provided with an electrode portion and measures the impedance of a body of a user who holds the electrode portion;
a grip strength measuring means for measuring a grip strength of a user holding the displacement portion;
a housing in which the first impedance measuring means, the second impedance measuring means, and the grip strength measuring means are provided;
An anthropometric measuring device comprising: the first impedance measuring means and the second impedance measuring means are in the form of a column that can be held by a user, the first impedance measuring means is provided on a first surface that is one of two opposing surfaces of the housing, and the second impedance measuring means is provided on a second surface that is the other surface;
the first impedance measuring means is provided on the housing so as to be movable between the first surface and the second surface of the housing;
2. An apparatus for measuring an anthropometric profile according to claim 1. the grip strength measuring means is columnar and can be held by a user, and is provided on the second surface of the housing in parallel with the second impedance measuring means;
3. An apparatus for measuring an anthropometric profile according to claim 2. the first impedance measuring means and the second impedance measuring means are provided at one end side in a predetermined direction of the housing,
The grip strength measuring means is provided on the other end side of the housing in the predetermined direction.
3. The human body measuring device according to claim 1 or 2. a contact portion including a predetermined surface of the grip strength measuring means and a predetermined surface of the housing, the contact portion being in contact with an abdomen of the user;
3. The human body measuring device according to claim 1 or claim 2, configured so that when the contact portion is in contact with the user's abdomen and the user grasps the electrode portion of the first impedance measuring means and the electrode portion of the second impedance measuring means, the angle between the user's torso and arms is constant. The human body measuring device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the grip strength measuring means includes a first member and a second member arranged perpendicular to the displacement direction of the displacement section, and a load sensor is arranged between the first member and the second member. It is possible to transmit and receive information between the information processing device and the
2. The human body measuring device according to claim 1, further comprising a switching means for switching between the measurement by said impedance measuring means and the measurement by said grip strength measuring means based on a control instruction from said information processing device. The human body measuring device according to claim 7, wherein the control instruction for switching between the measurement by the pair of impedance measuring means and the measurement by the grip strength measuring means is transmitted by the information processing device when a user operates the information processing device. The human body measuring device according to claim 2, further comprising a switching means for switching between measurements by the pair of impedance measuring means and measurements by the grip strength measuring means based on the position of the first impedance measuring means. a power supply means for supplying power for measurement to the pair of impedance measuring means and the grip strength measuring means,
The human body measuring device according to claim 7 or claim 9, wherein the power supplying means stops supplying power to the one measuring means and supplies power to the other measuring means when the switching means switches measurement from one measuring means to the other measuring means. It is possible to transmit and receive information between the information processing device and the
3. The human body measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the information processing device further comprises an evaluation means for evaluating a body of the user based on a measurement result by the impedance measuring means and a measurement result by the grip strength measuring means. A measurement method using a human body measuring device comprising: a pair of impedance measuring means provided with electrode parts and measuring the impedance of a body of a user who is holding the electrode parts; and a grip strength measuring means provided with a displacement part that is displaced when held by a user's hand and measuring the grip strength of a user who is holding the displacement part,
A first step of supplying power to one of the impedance measuring means and the grip strength measuring means;
a second step of performing a measurement by the one measuring means;
a third step of stopping the supply of power to the one measuring means and supplying power to the other measuring means;
a fourth step of performing a measurement by the other measuring means;
A measurement method having the following characteristics. A measurement method using a human body measuring device comprising: a pair of impedance measuring means provided with electrode parts and for measuring impedance of a body of a user who holds the electrode parts; a grip strength measuring means provided with a displacement part that is displaced when the user holds the displacement part and for measuring grip strength of the user who holds the displacement part; and a housing in which the impedance measuring means and the grip strength measuring means are provided,
A measurement method in which a user holds the impedance measuring means facing forward and brings a side surface of the grip strength measuring means and an end surface of the housing into contact with the user's abdomen to measure the impedance.

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