Control apparatus and method for controlling an environment based on bio-information and environment information

• US 7,224,282 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2004
• Issued: 05/29/2007
• 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): Wu; Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mehmood; Jennifer
• Application Number:
  US10/862,657
• Publication Number:
  US 20040263337A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,086 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.1, 340/825.19, 340/870.16, 340/870.17, 340/146.2, 340/500, 340/501, 340/539.26, 340/539.29, 600/306, 600/307, 600/346, 600/372, 600/382, 600/391, 600/481, 600/484, 600/485, 600/500, 600/502, 600/503, 600/508, 600/509, 600/529
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• 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: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/015 Input arrangements based on nervous system activity detection, e.g. brain waves [EEG] detection, electromyograms [EMG] detection, electrodermal response detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/06 indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

A sound, a video and/or other environments are proposed in tune with the physical condition of a user and a peripheral environmental condition such that it becomes possible for users to feel comfortable and to be satisfied with their sensibility. It is designed to produce an objective sound, video and/or other environments by inputting bio-information of a user such as breathing, pulse-beats and heartbeats or environment information such as weather, date and hour and ambient temperature, by comparing information with the accumulated information utilized in the past, or by setting a condition that the user desires.

Claims

1. A control apparatus comprising:

setting means for enabling a user to select a desired bio-information of the user to be measured and a desired environment information to be measured;

first input means for inputting the selected bio-information;

second input means for inputting the selected environment information; and

control means for comparing the selected bio-information which was previously obtained with the selected bio-information currently obtained from said first input means to obtain bio difference information, for comparing the selected environment information which was previously obtained with the selected environment information currently obtained from said second input means to obtain environment difference information, and for controlling the environment in accordance with the bio difference information and the environment difference information.

2. The control apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising reproducing means for reproducing a video signal and/or an audio signal, wherein said control means controls a reproducing condition of the video signal and/or the audio signal.

3. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the bio-information inputted from said first input means is one or more 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 or biochemical reaction.

4. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the environment information inputted from said second input means is one or more of 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 or a smell.

9. The control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

memory means for storing the bio-information inputted from said first input means and the environment information inputted from said second input means in a corresponding condition.

5. A control method comprising:

an enabling step for enabling a user to select a desired bio-information of the user to be measured and a desired environment information to be measured;

a first step for inputting the selected bio-information;

a second step for inputting the selected environment information; and

a control step for comparing the selected bio-information which was previously obtained with the selected bio-information currently obtained in said first step to obtain bio difference information, for comparing the selected environment information which was previously obtained with the selected environment information currently obtained in the second step to obtain an environment difference information, and for controlling the environment in accordance with the bio difference information and the environment difference information.

6. The control method according to claim 5 further comprising a reproducing step for reproducing a video signal and/or an audio signal, wherein a reproducing condition of the video signal and/or the audio signal is controlled in cooperation with said control step.

7. The control method according to claim 5, wherein the bio-information inputted from said first step for inputting is one or more 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 or biochemical reaction.

8. The control method according to claim 5, wherein the environment information inputted from said second step for inputting is one or more of 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 or a smell.

10. The control method according to claim 5, further comprising:

a storing step for storing the bio-information inputted from said first step for inputting and the environment information inputted from said second step for inputting in a corresponding condition.