Communication apparatus and communication method

• US 7,199,708 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2004
• Issued: 04/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Makino, Kenichi, Takai, Motoyuki, Inoue, Makoto, Inoue, Akiko, Sako, Yoichiro, Terauchi, Toshiro, Miyajima, Yasushi, Shirai, Katsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): SWARTHOUT, BRENT
• Application Number:
  US10/863,440
• Publication Number:
  US 20050001727A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,029 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.12, 340/539.22, 340/539.26, 340/539.29, 340/539.13, 340/573.1, 340/693.5, 340/693.9, 340/870.16, 340/5.82, 600/300, 600/549, 600/323.1, 128/903, 128/898, 235/375, 235/492
• US Class Current: 340/539.12
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0242 adapted to measure environmental factors, e.g. temperature, pollution
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 2001/085 Partner search devices
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0211 Combination with medical sensor, e.g. for measuring heart rate, temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0453 worn on the body to detect health condition by physiological monitoring, e.g. electrocardiogram, temperature, breathing detecting, measuring or recording for diagnostic purposes A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72421 with automatic activation of emergency service functions, e.g. upon sensing an alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/903 Radio telemetry

Abstract

By providing bio-information and/or environment information between a pair of users, it becomes possible for the users to understand the situation or the feeling of each other more deeply and earlier. A communication system for exchanging the situations and the feelings of both the users is provided without performing optional communication operations, such as a telephone call and an e-mail. The condition or the situation on the transmitter side is to be judged and to be notified to the receiver side by inputting bio-information such as breathing, pulse-beats and heartbeats or environment information such as weather, date and hour, ambient temperature, or alternatively, by comparing, synchronizing and/or relating the bio-information and/or the environment information at present with respect to the bio-information and/or the environment information in the past. With respect to the situation of the receiver side, it is also notified similarly to the transmitter side.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus, comprising:

a bio-information sensor for measuring bio-information obtained from a human body;

an environment information sensor for measuring environment information;

communication means for comparing at least one piece of information in the bio-information and in the environment information with bio-information or environment information accumulated as past utilized data and for transmitting, to a transmission receiver, transmission data related to the past utilized data when the at least one piece of information coincides with the information in the past utilized data, and for transmitting newly produced transmission data when the at least one piece of information does not coincide with the information in the past utilized data;

means for recording bio-information and environment information periodically and for classifying and accumulating bio-information and environment information by time, wherein when the present bio-information and environment information of a user depart from the accumulated information at a predetermined time, a notification is sent to an emergency dial place.

2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein it is judged whether there is a periodical communication by analyzing a past communication history and when a situation occurs where a user cannot communicate when there is a periodical communication, a communication is made automatically to a periodical communication place.

3. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the bio-information detected by said bio-information sensor is at least one piece of information selected from the group consisting of information showing heartbeats, pulse-beats, breathing, blood pressure, a blood oxygen saturation, electrocardiograms, brain waves, sweating of skin, galvanic skin response, body movement, a magnetoencephalography, an electro-myography, body surface temperature, diameter size of a pupil, micro-vibration, and biochemical reaction.

4. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the environment information detected by said environment information sensor is at least one piece of information selected from the group consisting of natural information relating to date and hour, lunar age, ambient temperature, humidity, weather, atmospheric pressure, and the ebb and flow of tide, and ambient environment information relating to ambient noise, room temperature, and a smell.

5. A control method, comprising:

detecting at least one piece of information in bio-information and in environment information;

comparing the at least one piece of information with past accumulated information to obtain a comparison result;

producing transmission data according to the comparison result; and

transmitting the transmission data to a transmission receiver;

wherein the at least one piece of information is information of a user at a predetermined time, and when it is determined that the at least one piece of information departs from a condition at the predetermined time, transmission data is produced for notifying an emergency dial place; and

wherein it is judged whether these is a periodical communication by analyzing a past communication history and when it is judged that a user cannot communicate even though there is a periodical communication, transmission data for communicating with a periodical communication place is produced.

6. The control method according to claim 5, wherein the bio-information detected by said detecting step is at least one piece of information selected from the group consisting of information showing heartbeats, pulse-beats, breathing, blood pressure, a blood oxygen saturation, electrocardiograms, brain waves, sweating of skin, galvanic skin response, body movement, a magnetoencephalography, an electro-myography, body surface temperature, diameter size of a pupil, micro-vibration and biochemical reaction.

7. The control method according to claim 5, wherein the environment information detected by said detecting step is at least one piece of information selected from the group consisting of natural information relating to date and hour, lunar age, ambient temperature, humidity, weather, atmospheric pressure and the ebb and flow of tide, and ambient environment information relating to ambient noise, room temperature, and a smell.