FATIGUE ESTIMATION DEVICE AND ELECTRONIC APPARATUS HAVING THE FATIGUE ESTIMATION DEVICE MOUNTED THEREON

• US 20100137748A1
• Filed: 05/22/2007
• Published: 06/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), University of Tokyo
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), University of Tokyo
• Inventors: Nakamura, Toru, Nakagawa, Katsuya, Sone, Motoki, Struzik, Zbigniew, Yamamoto, Yoshiharu
• Granted Patent: US 8,926,531 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/595
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6887 mounted on external non-worn devices, e.g. non-medical devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/726 using Wavelet transforms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/06 indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms

Abstract

A body motion detection section (2) for continuously detecting the frequency of a user'"'"'s activity as an activity level is provided. The activity level detected by the body motion detection section (2) is outputted to a fatigue detection section (3) for estimating a user'"'"'s fatigue level on the basis of the activity level.

Claims

1-30. -30. (canceled)

31. A fatigue estimation device comprising:

activity level detection means for continuously detecting a user'"'"'s movement from a user'"'"'s body motion as an activity level,

the fatigue estimation device outputting, to fatigue level estimation means, the activity level detected by the activity level detection means, the fatigue level estimation means estimating a user'"'"'s fatigue level based on the activity level.

32. The fatigue estimation device according to claim 31, wherein

the fatigue level estimation means estimates a fatigue level by detecting whether or not there is a tendency that an continuously high activity level becomes low for several tens of seconds shorter than a time period in which the high activity level is detected.

33. The fatigue estimation device according to claim 32, wherein

the fatigue level estimation means detects the tendency of the activity level by statistically analyzing the activity level.

34. The fatigue estimation device according to claim 32, wherein

the fatigue level estimation means detects the tendency of the activity level after a long-term fluctuation component is removed from the activity level.

36. The fatigue estimation device according to claim 32, wherein

the fatigue level estimation means removes a long-term fluctuation component from the activity level by obtaining difference values of the activity level over time.

40. The fatigue estimation device according claim 31, wherein

the activity level detection means detects the activity level on a basis of acceleration of movements of a user'"'"'s entire body or a part of the body.

43. The fatigue estimation device according to claim 40, wherein

the activity level detection means detects the activity level on a basis of a temporal change in positional information of the user'"'"'s entire body or the part of the body.

44. The fatigue estimation device according to claim 40, wherein

the acceleration is three-dimensional acceleration of movements of the user'"'"'s entire body or the part of the body.

45. The fatigue estimation device according to claim 40, wherein

the acceleration is one-dimensional acceleration of movements of the user'"'"'s entire body or the part of the body.

46. The fatigue estimation device according to claim 40, wherein

the acceleration is acceleration of movements of a user'"'"'s wrist.

47. The fatigue estimation device according to claim 46, wherein

the activity level detection means is provided in a wristwatch.

48. The fatigue estimation device according to claim 31, wherein

the activity level detection means detects the activity level on a basis of positional information of a user'"'"'s entire body or a part of the body.

49. The fatigue estimation device according to claim 31, wherein

the activity level detection means detects the activity level on a basis of image information of a user'"'"'s entire body or a part of the body.

51. The fatigue estimation device according to claim 31, wherein

the fatigue level estimation means is provided in a server separated from the fatigue estimation device.

52. A fatigue warning device comprising:

a fatigue estimation device according to claim 31,

fatigue warning determining means for determining a degree of a fatigue level estimated by the fatigue level estimation means and determining whether to issue a warning concerning user'"'"'s fatigue, and

fatigue presenting means for presenting the warning on the basis of the determination of the fatigue warning determining means.

53. The fatigue warning device according to claim 52, wherein

the fatigue presenting means presents the warning at predetermined intervals.

54. The fatigue warning device according to claim 52, wherein

the fatigue presenting means presents the warning to someone who is not a person whose fatigue level is estimated by the fatigue level estimation means.

55. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a fatigue estimation device according to claim 31, or a fatigue warning device.

56. The electronic apparatus according to claim 55, further comprising:

transmitting means for transmitting, to an outside, estimated fatigue level information concerning the fatigue level estimated by the fatigue level estimation means.

57. The electronic apparatus according to claim 55, wherein

the electronic apparatus is a mobile phone.

35. A fatigue estimation device comprising:

activity level detection means for continuously detecting a frequency of a user'"'"'s activity as an activity level,

the fatigue estimation device outputting, to fatigue level estimation means, the activity level detected by the activity level detection means, the fatigue level estimation means estimating a fatigue level by (i) removing a long-term fluctuation component from the activity level by differentiating the activity level with respect to time and (ii) detecting whether or not there is a tendency that an continuously high activity level becomes low for a shorter time than a time period in which the high activity level is detected.

37. A fatigue estimation device comprising:

activity level detection means for continuously detecting a frequency of a user'"'"'s activity as an activity level,

the fatigue estimation device outputting, to fatigue level estimation means, the activity level detected by the activity level detection means, the fatigue level estimation means estimating a fatigue level by (i) obtaining a regression curve of the activity level, (ii) removing the regression curve from the activity level as a long-term fluctuation component of the activity level, and (iii) detecting whether or not there is a tendency of the activity level that a continuously high activity level becomes low for a shorter time than a time period in which the high activity level is detected.

38. A fatigue estimation device comprising:

activity level detection means for continuously detecting a frequency of a user'"'"'s activity as an activity level,

the fatigue estimation device outputting, to fatigue level estimation means, the activity level detected by the activity level detection means,

the fatigue level estimation means estimating a user'"'"'s fatigue level on a basis of the activity level and correcting an allowable range of the fatigue level to a predetermined range.

39. The fatigue estimation device according to claim 38, wherein

the fatigue level estimation means corrects the allowable range of the fatigue level to the predetermined range by using a function for changing an output value in response to a change of an input value in such a manner that the output value is changed with a higher sensitivity for an input value in a vicinity of a specific value, than for an input value which is not in a vicinity of the specific value.

41. A fatigue estimation device comprising:

activity level detection means for continuously detecting, as an activity level which is a frequency of a user'"'"'s activity, a number of times acceleration of movements of a user'"'"'s entire body or a part of the body changes,

the fatigue estimation device outputting, to fatigue level estimation means, the activity level detected by the activity level detection means,

the fatigue level estimation means estimating a user'"'"'s fatigue level on a basis of the activity level.

42. The fatigue estimation device according to claim 41, wherein

the activity level detection means detects the number of times the acceleration changes as a number of times the acceleration passes a predetermined threshold.

50. A fatigue estimation device comprising:

activity level detection means for continuously detecting a frequency of a user'"'"'s activity as an activity level,

the fatigue estimation device outputting, to fatigue level estimation means, the activity level detected by the activity level detection means,

the fatigue level estimation means estimating a user'"'"'s fatigue level on a basis of the activity level, and

actual fatigue level information obtained by asking a user about his condition corresponding to estimated fatigue level information estimated by the fatigue level estimation means.

58. A fatigue estimation method comprising:

detecting an activity level by continuously detecting a frequency of a user'"'"'s activity as the activity level by using activity level detection means provided in a fatigue estimation device, and

outputting the activity level detected at the activity level detection step, to fatigue level estimation means for estimating a user'"'"'s fatigue level.

59. A fatigue estimation program for executing a fatigue estimation method according to claim 58,

the fatigue estimation program causing a computer to execute the steps.

60. A computer-readable storage medium in which a fatigue estimation program according to claim 59 is stored.