SYSTEM, APPARATUS, METHOD, AND PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR MEASURING BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION

• US 20080076978A1
• Filed: 03/20/2007
• Published: 03/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kameyama, Kenichi, Suzuki, Takuji, Ouchi, Kazushige
• Application Number:
  US11/688,500
• Publication Number:
  US 20080076978A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/301
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/00 Measuring for diagnostic purposes radiation diagnosis A61B6/00; diagnosis by ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves A61B8/00; Identification of persons
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence

Abstract

An apparatus for measuring biological information of a user, the apparatus includes a sensor that measures the biological information; a storing unit that stores a measurement result obtained by the sensor; a communication state recognizing unit that recognizes a current communication state; a determining unit that determines a transmission timing capable of transmitting data to an information terminal, based on the communication state recognized by the communication state recognizing unit; and a transmitting unit that transmits the measurement result stored in the storing unit to the information terminal at the transmission timing determined by the determining unit.

Claims

1. A biological information measuring system comprising:

a measuring apparatus that measures biological information of a user; and

an information terminal that manages the biological information measured by the measuring apparatus, wherein

the measuring apparatus includes;

a sensor that measures the biological information;

a first storing unit that stores a measurement result obtained by the sensor;

a communication state recognizing unit that recognizes a current communication state of communication between the measuring apparatus and the information terminal;

a determining unit that determines a transmission timing capable of transmitting data to the information terminal, based on the communication state recognized d by the communication recognizing unit; and

a first transmitting unit that transmits the measurement result stored in the first storing unit to the information terminal at the transmission timing determined by the determining unit, and

the information terminal includes;

a first receiving unit that receives the measurement result from the measuring apparatus; and

a first analyzing unit that analyzes the measurement result received by the first receiving unit.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the measuring apparatus further includes:

a user state recognizing unit that recognizes a user state indicating a state of a living body of the user, based on the biological information measured by the sensor, and wherein

the first storing unit stores the user state recognized by the user state recognizing unit as the measurement result.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the measuring apparatus further includes:

a user state recognizing unit that recognizes a user state indicating a state of a living body of the user, based on the biological information measured by the sensor, and wherein

the first storing unit stores the user state recognized by the user state recognizing unit together with the measurement result,

the first transmitting unit transmits the measurement result and the user state to the information terminal at the transmission timing determined by the determining unit, and

the first analyzing unit analyzes the measurement result and the user state.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein

the first analyzing unit included in the information terminal performs a process that requires a larger amount of computation on the measurement result than a process performed by the user state recognizing unit.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the measuring apparatus further includes a deleting unit that deletes the measurement result from the first storing unit, when the first transmitting unit has transmitted the measurement result.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the sensor measures a body movement of the user,

the communication state recognizing unit recognizes whether communication is possible, based on the body movement measured by the sensor, and

the determining unit judges that a time at which the user is in a state of being able to communicate is the transmission timing.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the communication state recognizing unit recognizes an elapsed period of time since a predetermined time as a current state, and

the determining unit judges that a time at which the elapsed period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold value is the transmission timing.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the communication state recognizing unit judges whether the measuring apparatus is able to communicate with the information terminal, and

the determining unit judges that a time at which the measuring apparatus is able to communicate with the information terminal is the transmission timing.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the measuring apparatus further includes:

a user state recognizing unit that recognizes a user state of the user, based on the biological information measured by the sensor, wherein

the first storing unit stores the user state recognized by the user state recognizing unit together with the measurement result;

the measuring apparatus further includes;

a second storing unit that stores a transmission condition that is a predetermined condition and is related to the measurement result;

a judging unit that judges whether the measurement result satisfies the transmission condition stored in the second storing unit; and

a first controlling unit that determines whether at least one of the user state and the measurement result are to be transmitted, based on a judgment result obtained by the judging unit, and wherein

the first transmitting unit transmits the at least one of the user state and the measurement result determined to be transmitted by the first controlling unit, to the information terminal.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein

the information terminal further includes:

a third storing unit that stores the transmission condition; and

a second transmitting unit that transmits the transmission condition stored in the third storing unit to the measuring apparatus,

the measuring apparatus further includes;

a second receiving unit that receives the transmission condition from the information terminal, and wherein

the second storing unit included in the measuring apparatus stores the transmission condition received by the second receiving unit.

11. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a management server that is connected to the information terminal via the Internet and manages the measurement result, wherein

the information terminal further includes a transmitting unit that transmits an analysis result obtained by the first analyzing unit to the management server, and

the management server further includes;

a third receiving unit that receives the analysis result from the information terminal; and

a fourth storing unit that stores the analysis result received by the third receiving unit.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the information terminal further includes:

a call communication unit; and

a fourth transmitting unit that transmits a call receiving notification indicating that the call has received to the measuring apparatus, when the call communication unit has received a call, and wherein

the determining unit included in the measuring apparatus judges that a time when the call receiving notification has been received is not the transmission timing.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the information terminal further includes:

a call communication unit; and

a second controlling unit that disconnects the communication between the information terminal and the measuring apparatus when the call communication unit has received a call, and that re-connects the information terminal to the measuring apparatus when call communication of the call has been finished.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the first analyzing unit included in the information terminal analyzes an asleep/awake state of the user, and

the information terminal further includes:

a call communication unit; and

a third controlling unit that controls a call receiving operation of the call communication unit, based on an analysis result obtained by the first analyzing unit.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein

the third controlling unit sets the call receiving operation so that a vibrator is used, when the first analyzing unit has judged that the user is in the asleep state.

16. The system according to claim 14, wherein

the third controlling unit sets the call receiving operation so that a ring-tone is used, when the first analyzing unit has judged that the user is in the awake state.

17. The system according to claim 14, further comprising:

a fifth storing unit that stores analysis results, call receiving operations, and call communication partners in correspondence with one another, wherein

the third controlling unit sets the call receiving operation to a call receiving operation in correspondence with a call communication partner and the analysis result obtained at a time when a call has been received, based on a call receiving operation table.

18. An apparatus for measuring biological information of a user, the apparatus comprising:

a sensor that measures the biological information;

a storing unit that stores a measurement result obtained by the sensor;

a communication state recognizing unit that recognizes a current communication state;

a determining unit that determines a transmission timing capable of transmitting data to an information terminal, based on the communication state recognized by the communication state recognizing unit; and

a transmitting unit that transmits the measurement result stored in the storing unit to the information terminal at the transmission timing determined by the determining unit.

19. A measuring method in a biological information measuring system including a measuring apparatus that measures biological information of a user and an information terminal that manages the biological information measured by the measuring apparatus, the measuring method comprising:

measuring the biological information by using a sensor included in the measuring apparatus;

recognizing a current communication state by using the measuring apparatus;

determining a transmission timing capable of transmitting data to the information terminal by using the measuring apparatus, based on the communication state;

transmitting a measurement result stored in a storing unit that stores the measurement result obtained by the sensor by using the measuring apparatus, to the information terminal at the transmission timing;

receiving the measurement result from the measuring apparatus by using the information terminal; and

analyzing the measurement result by using the information terminal.

20. A computer program product having a computer readable medium including programmed instructions for measuring biological information of a user, wherein the instructions, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform:

recognizing a current communication state;

determining a transmission timing capable of transmitting data to an information terminal, based on the communication state; and

transmitting a measurement result stored in a storing unit that stores the measurement result obtained by a sensor to the information terminal at the transmission timing.