JP7415328B2 - Electronic devices, detection methods, and recording media - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electronic device, a detection method, and a recording medium.

Conventionally, technology has been used to detect biological information such as pulse and body movement by utilizing the light absorption characteristics of blood. For example, biological information can be detected by irradiating a living body with light of a specific wavelength and measuring the reflected light reflected within the living body.
Examples of such techniques are disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2. In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, a pulse wave meter measures a pulse wave by irradiating a fingertip with visible light. In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2, an earphone-type electronic device detects a pulse wave by irradiating the skin of the outer ear with infrared light, which is invisible light.

Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2017-18466 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-181909

However, when visible light is used as in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, the irradiated light from the light emitting part may leak from between the device and the body, which may bother the eyes of surrounding people.
On the other hand, when non-visible light is used as in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2, there is a risk that the detection results will be affected if sunlight or the like enters the light receiving section.

The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object of the present invention is to detect biological information in a method that is more suitable for the user.

To achieve the above object, an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes:
An electronic device worn by a user,
a first light emitting unit that irradiates light of a first wavelength that is visible light to the user's wearing part;
a second light emitting unit that irradiates light of a second wavelength that is invisible light to the user's wearing part;
a determination means for determining whether the user is in a public state;
A control means that performs control to switch which of the first light emitting means and the second light emitting means emit light with priority based on a determination result by the determining means;
light receiving means capable of receiving reflected light of the irradiation light emitted by the first light emitting means and the second light emitting means;
detection means for detecting biological information of the user based on the reflected light received by the light reception means;
It is characterized by having the following.

According to the present invention, biological information can be detected using a method more suitable for the user.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the mounting state and external configuration of a biological information detection device according to an embodiment of an electronic device of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a biological information detection device according to an embodiment of an electronic device of the present invention. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration for executing biological information detection processing among the functional configurations of the biological information detection device of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of biological information detection processing executed by the biological information detection apparatus of FIG. 1 having the functional configuration of FIG. 3. FIG.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[Installed state and appearance configuration]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the mounting state and external configuration of a biological information detection device 1 according to an embodiment of an electronic device of the present invention. The biological information detection device 1 is a device that detects a user's biological information by irradiating light of a specific wavelength toward a living body and measuring the reflected light inside the living body using the light absorption characteristics of blood. It is.

The biological information detection device 1 can be realized by general electronic equipment worn by a user. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8A, for example, it is assumed that this is realized by an earphone-type electronic device that is worn in the user's ear. The tip portion of the biological information detection device 1 is made of an elastic material such as silicon, for example. The user can wear the biological information detection device 1 by fitting this tip portion into his or her external auditory canal.
Further, as shown in FIG. 1B, a visible light irradiation section 16, an invisible light irradiation section 17, and a light receiving section 18 are arranged on the surface of this tip.

[Biological information detection processing]
The biological information detection device 1 having such an external configuration performs biological information detection processing. Here, the biological information detection process is a series of processes for detecting biological information in a method more suitable for the user by properly using a plurality of irradiation units.

Specifically, in the biological information detection process, the biological information detection device 1 causes the visible light irradiation unit 16 to emit light to the user's wearing part (in this case, the external auditory canal) to which the biological information detection device 1 is attached. Irradiates light of the same wavelength. Here, the light of the first wavelength is visible light.
In addition, the biological information detection device 1 uses the invisible light irradiation unit 17 to irradiate light of the second wavelength onto the user's attachment site (here, the external auditory canal) to which the device 1 is attached. Here, the light of the second wavelength is invisible light.
Furthermore, the biological information detection device 1 causes the visible light irradiation section 16 and the invisible light irradiation section 17 to emit light, and the light receiving section 18 receives the reflected light of the irradiation light. Then, the biological information detection device 1 detects the biological information of the user wearing the device based on the reflected light received by the light receiving unit 18 .

In this way, the biological information detection device 1 uses two different types of light: visible light and non-visible light. The reason for this will be explained.
Visible light generally has the property of being able to detect biological information with higher accuracy than non-visible light. However, as mentioned above, the irradiated light from the light emitting part may leak from between the device (here, the biological information detection device 1) and the body (here, the external auditory canal), which may be distracting to the surrounding eyes. There are cases. In this regard, if the biological information detection device 1 is a wristwatch-type device or the like that has a relatively large contact area with the skin compared to the area of the irradiation range, the irradiated light will be blocked by the contact surface of the device. Therefore, the effect of this light leakage is small. On the other hand, if the contact area with the skin is small, such as in the case of an earphone-type biological information detection device 1, for example, there is a possibility that light may leak and the ears may appear shiny to others. This is not a common situation for others, so they may feel uncomfortable. Further, the user who is the wearer may also feel stress due to being watched by others.

On the other hand, if it is non-visible light, humans cannot see the non-visible light, so problems caused by such light leakage in visible light do not occur. However, as described above, invisible light has a characteristic that if sunlight or the like enters the light receiving section, it may affect the detection results.

In this way, visible light and non-visible light each have different characteristics, and it is desirable to take advantage of the advantages of each.
Therefore, the biological information detection device 1 determines which of the visible light irradiation unit 16 and the non-visible light irradiation unit 17 is given priority based on predetermined conditions (for example, the user's irradiation switching operation or the user's situation). control to switch whether or not to emit light. For example, the biological information detection device 1 controls the light irradiation by selectively switching the main body that emits light from one of the visible light irradiation section 16 and the non-visible light irradiation section 17 to the other. Thereby, the biological information detection device 1 can selectively switch and use the irradiation of light of two wavelengths. For example, the biological information detection device 1 uses invisible light that is not visible in places where there are people around the user so that there is no problem of light leakage, and uses invisible light that is invisible to the user in places where there are no people around the user. It is possible to utilize the characteristics of two wavelengths of light and use them appropriately, such as by using visible light.

In this way, the biological information detection device 1 detects biological information by controlling the irradiation of light of two wavelengths, so it can be used in a more variety of ways than when controlling the irradiation of light of one wavelength. , biometric information can be detected. For example, accurate measurement can be achieved by switching between visible light and non-visible light depending on the surrounding environment. Further, the user can take measurements without hesitation without being aware of other people's eyes.
That is, the biological information detection device 1 can detect biological information in a method more suitable for the user.

[Hardware configuration]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the biological information detection device 1 according to an embodiment of the electronic device of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the biological information detection device 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a bus 14, and an input/output interface 15. , a visible light irradiation section 16, an invisible light irradiation section 17, a light receiving section 18, an input section 19, a storage section 20, a communication section 21, and a sensor section 22.

The CPU 11 executes various processes according to programs recorded in the ROM 12 or programs loaded into the RAM 13 from the storage unit 20.

The RAM 13 also appropriately stores data necessary for the CPU 11 to execute various processes.

The CPU 11, ROM 12, and RAM 13 are interconnected via a bus 14. An input/output interface 15 is also connected to this bus 14 . A visible light irradiation section 16 , an invisible light irradiation section 17 , a light receiving section 18 , an input section 19 , a storage section 20 , a communication section 21 , and a sensor section 22 are connected to the input/output interface 15 .

Here, as a premise for the description of the visible light irradiation section 16, the invisible light irradiation section 17, and the light receiving section 18, in this embodiment, it is assumed that a pulse wave is detected as biological information. The principle of detecting this pulse wave will be briefly explained. Arterial blood contains oxyhemoglobin, which has the property of absorbing incident light. Based on this characteristic, a pulse wave can be detected by measuring over time the amount of blood flow that changes with the pulsation of the heart. Furthermore, based on this pulse wave, it is also possible to calculate, for example, the pulse rate. The principles of detecting pulse waves using light and calculating pulse rate are common techniques and well known to those skilled in the art, so we will not go into further details here. The explanation will be omitted.

The visible light irradiation unit 16 emits light to irradiate the user's wearing part (here, the external auditory canal) with visible light of a wavelength suitable for detecting a pulse wave. The visible light irradiation unit 16 irradiates visible light with a wavelength suitable for pulse wave detection. For example, the visible light irradiation unit 16 irradiates visible light with a green wavelength of about 550 [nm].

The invisible light irradiation unit 17 emits light to irradiate the user's wearing part (here, the external auditory canal) with invisible light of a wavelength suitable for detecting a pulse wave. For example, the invisible light irradiation unit 17 irradiates invisible light with a wavelength corresponding to infrared light.

Each of the visible light irradiation unit 16 and the invisible light irradiation unit 17 is realized by, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) or a laser irradiator. In this case, the visible light irradiation section 16 and the invisible light irradiation section 17 irradiate light at a cycle of, for example, 100 [Hz].

The light receiving section 18 measures the intensity of the reflected light by receiving the reflected light of the irradiation light emitted by the visible light irradiation section 16 and the invisible light irradiation section 17. Further, the light receiving unit 18 outputs the measured intensity of the reflected light to the CPU 11. The light receiving section 18 is realized by, for example, a photodiode or a phototransistor.

The input unit 19 is composed of various buttons and the like, and inputs various information according to the user's instruction operation.
The storage unit 20 is composed of a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) or the like, and stores various information.

The communication unit 21 controls communication with other devices (not shown) such as a personal computer and a smartphone using, for example, short-range wireless communication based on a communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). For example, the communication unit 21 receives, from another device, an operation instruction from a user that is accepted by the other device. In addition, for example, the communication unit 21 transmits the detected pulse wave and the calculated pulse rate to another device. In this case, this other device functions as an operation reception section and a display section of the biological information detection device 1.

The sensor section 22 includes one or more sensors. In this embodiment, the sensor unit 22 includes a 3-axis acceleration sensor that detects acceleration in 3-axis directions and a GPS sensor that is compliant with GPS (Global Positioning System).
The sensor unit 22 detects acceleration in three axial directions using a triaxial acceleration sensor at every preset sampling period. The sensor unit 22 also detects latitude, longitude, and information indicating the position of the biological information detection device 1 (that is, the position of the user wearing the biological information detection device 1) based on radio waves received from a GPS positioning satellite. Detects altitude and current time. The sensor section 22 then outputs the detected information to the CPU 11.

Although the hardware configuration of the biological information detection device 1 has been described above, this hardware configuration is merely an example. For example, the sensor unit 22 can include various sensors other than the 3-axis angular velocity sensor and the GPS sensor (for example, an illuminance sensor, an air temperature sensor, a 3-axis angular velocity sensor, etc.). In addition, the biological information detection device 1 can include other hardware such as a microphone and a lamp.

[Functional configuration]
FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration for executing the above-described biological information detection process among the functional configurations of the biological information detection device 1 of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG.

When executing the biological information detection process, as shown in FIG. 3, in the CPU 11, a biological information detection section 111, a situation detection section 112, and an irradiation control section 113 function.

Furthermore, a biological information storage section 201 is set in one area of the storage section 20.
Including cases not specifically mentioned below, data necessary for realizing biological information detection processing is appropriately transmitted and received between these functional blocks at appropriate timings.

The biometric information storage unit 201 stores biometric information detected or calculated by the biometric information detection unit 111. In this embodiment, the biological information storage section 201 stores a pulse wave detected by the biological information detection section 111 and a pulse rate calculated by the biological information detection section 111 based on the pulse wave.

The biological information detection unit 111 detects the user's biological information (here, pulse wave) based on the intensity of the reflected light output from the light receiving unit 18 . The principle of detecting this pulse wave is as described above. Furthermore, the biological information detection unit 111 calculates the user's pulse rate based on the pulse wave detection result. Here, the pulse wave refers to the waveform of one pulse. Furthermore, the pulse rate refers to the number of pulse waves per minute. The pulse wave and pulse rate detected and calculated in this way are stored in the biological information storage section 201. The pulse wave and pulse rate are then transmitted from the communication unit 21 to another device, for example. The user can then refer to the pulse wave and pulse rate on the display section of the other device.

The method of using these pulse waves and pulse rates is not particularly limited. For example, a user may use RRI (RR Interval), which can be calculated based on the waveform peak of each detected pulse wave, as an index to measure the stress the user is under, or as an index to identify the sleep stage. You can use it. Further, the user can use the calculated pulse rate as an index indicating his/her own activity level. In this case, depending on the user's purpose, the user may wear the biometric information detection device 1 to detect biometric information at a predetermined time of the day, or may detect biometric information all day long, including at night while sleeping. The device 1 may be worn to detect biological information.

Note that the biological information detection unit 111 may transmit the detected and calculated pulse wave and pulse rate to another device in real time at the time of detection, without storing them in the biological information storage unit 201.

The situation detection unit 112 detects the situation in which the user wearing the biological information detection device 1 is placed. For example, the situation detection unit 112 determines whether the situation in which the user is in is a situation in which there are other people around the user and people are watching (hereinafter referred to as a "public situation"), or whether there are other people around the user. Detects whether the person is in a private situation and no one is present (hereinafter referred to as a "private situation"). Note that the situation detection unit 112 may detect that even if someone else is watching, the situation is a private situation as long as the other person is a person with whom you have a close relationship, such as a family member.

In order to detect such a situation, the situation detection unit 112 performs, for example, a determination based on position information and a determination based on behavior estimation.
First, determination based on position information will be explained. In the determination based on position information, the situation detection unit 112 determines the position of the biological information detection device 1 (that is, the position of the user wearing the biological information detection device 1) measured by the GPS sensor included in the sensor unit 22. Uses location information such as latitude, longitude, and altitude. For example, the situation detection unit 112 stores map information (not shown) in the storage unit 20 or the like. Then, the situation detection unit 112 identifies the location where the user is currently located by comparing the location identified based on the location information with this map information. The situation detection unit 112 then detects whether the user is in a public situation or a private situation based on where the user is currently located. For example, the situation detection unit 112 detects that the user is in a private situation if the current location is at home or the like, and detects that the situation is in a public situation if the user is in another location. Note that the location of the user's home or the like may be preset in advance according to the user's operation.

Next, determination based on behavior estimation will be explained. In the determination based on position information, the situation detection unit 112 performs behavior estimation based on the acceleration in the three-axis directions detected by the three-axis acceleration sensor included in the sensor unit 22. For example, if the acceleration value hardly changes for a predetermined period of time, the situation detection unit 112 infers that the user is sleeping. Alternatively, when the acceleration value fluctuates, the situation detection unit 112 determines whether the user is on foot, on a bicycle, or on a car or train, depending on the acceleration value. The behavior is estimated to be inside. For example, the situation detection unit 112 detects that the user is in a private situation when the behavior is estimated to be sleeping, and the situation is detected as a public situation when the behavior is estimated to be that the user is on the move. It is detected that Note that when the sensor unit 22 includes other sensors such as a three-axis angular velocity sensor, the detection results of these sensors are also used for behavior estimation, so that behavior estimation can be performed with higher accuracy.

In this way, the situation detection unit 112 can detect the situation of the user with high accuracy from two viewpoints by making a judgment based on location information and a judgment based on behavior estimation. . Note that detection based on location information and detection based on behavior estimation may be performed in combination. For example, if a determination based on location information identifies that the user is on a road or a park, and a determination based on behavior estimation indicates that the user is traveling by bicycle, the situation is determined to be private. Good too. For example, it is not possible to determine whether the situation is public or private just by being on the road or in a park, but if you are traveling on a bicycle, even if visible light leaks, it is difficult to attract attention, so it can be detected as a private situation. This is because there is no problem.

The situation detection unit 112 outputs the situation of the user detected in this way to the irradiation control unit 113.

The irradiation control unit 113 selects the main body that irradiates light from the visible light irradiation unit 16 and the invisible light irradiation unit 17 based on predetermined conditions (for example, the user's irradiation switching operation or the user's situation). Light irradiation is controlled by selectively switching from one to the other.
Specifically, when the irradiation control unit 113 receives a user's operation to switch irradiation to the input unit 19 or another device, the irradiation control unit 113 selects the main body that irradiates light from the visible light irradiation unit 16 and the invisible light irradiation unit 17. Alternative switching from one to the other. For example, if visible light is currently being irradiated by the visible light irradiation unit 16, the irradiation control unit 113 stops the visible light irradiation by the visible light irradiation unit 16, and also stops the visible light irradiation by the invisible light irradiation unit 17. Start irradiating light. On the other hand, if the invisible light irradiation unit 17 is currently irradiating the invisible light, the irradiation control unit 113 stops the invisible light irradiation by the invisible light irradiation unit 17, and also stops the visible light irradiation unit 17 from irradiating the invisible light. Irradiation of visible light by 16 is started.

Further, based on the detection result of the user's situation by the situation detection unit 112, the entity that emits light is selectively switched from one of the visible light irradiation unit 16 and the invisible light irradiation unit 17 to the other. . Specifically, the situation detection unit 112 causes the invisible light irradiation unit 17 to irradiate invisible light when a public situation is detected, and when a private situation is detected. In this case, the visible light irradiation unit 16 is switched to emit visible light.

For this purpose, the irradiation control unit 113 controls the visible light irradiation unit 16 when the situation detection unit 112 detects that the situation is public and the visible light irradiation unit 16 is currently irradiating visible light. At the same time, the invisible light irradiation section 17 starts irradiation of invisible light. On the other hand, if the situation detection unit 112 detects that the situation is private and the invisible light is currently being irradiated by the invisible light irradiation unit 17, the invisible light irradiation unit 17 At the same time as stopping the light irradiation, visible light irradiation by the visible light irradiation unit 16 is started.

As a result, the irradiation control unit 113 selects the visible light irradiation unit 16 and the invisible light irradiation unit 17 based on predetermined conditions such as the user's irradiation switching operation and the user's situation. Light irradiation is controlled by selectively switching from one to the other.

Note that, if necessary, the irradiation control unit 113 also performs control to switch various parameters of the light receiving unit 18 in conjunction with switching between the visible light irradiation unit 16 and the invisible light irradiation unit 17. For example, since the intensity of reflected light is weaker with invisible light than with visible light, when switching from visible light irradiation by visible light irradiation unit 16 to invisible light irradiation by invisible light irradiation unit 17, , the parameters are switched so that the sensitivity of measurement by the light receiving section 18 is increased. Note that two light receiving sections 18 are provided corresponding to each of the visible light irradiating section 16 and the invisible light irradiating section 17, and as the visible light irradiating section 16 and the invisible light irradiating section 17 are switched, these two light receiving sections The portion 18 may be switched and used.

[motion]
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of biological information detection processing executed by the biological information detection apparatus 1 of FIG. 1 having the functional configuration of FIG.
The biometric information detection process is started by turning on the power of the biometric information detection device 1 or by the user's operation to start the biometric information detection process on the input unit 19 or another device.

In step S11, the invisible light irradiation unit 17 starts irradiating invisible light. At this point, it is unclear whether the user is in a public or private situation, so in order to prevent light from leaking in a public situation, invisible light is irradiated instead of visible light. Start.

In step S12, the biological information detection unit 111 starts detecting biological information.
In step S13, the situation detection unit 112 starts detecting the situation in which the user is placed.

In step S14, the irradiation control unit 113 determines whether the user is currently in a public situation based on the detection result of the situation detection unit 112. If the user is in a public situation, the determination in step S14 is Yes, and the process proceeds to step S15. On the other hand, if the user is not in a public situation but in a private situation, the determination in step S14 is No, and the process proceeds to step S17.

In step S15, the irradiation control unit 113 determines whether the currently irradiated light is visible light from the visible light irradiation unit 16. If the visible light is from the visible light irradiation unit 16, the determination in step S15 is Yes, and the process proceeds to step S16. On the other hand, if the invisible light is not the visible light from the visible light irradiator 16 but the invisible light from the invisible light irradiator 17, the determination in step S15 is No, and the process proceeds to step S19.

In step S16, since visible light is currently being irradiated by the visible light irradiation section 16 in a public situation, the irradiation control section 113 changes the main body of irradiation from the visible light irradiation section 16 to the invisible light irradiation section 17. Switch to Thereby, the invisible light irradiation unit 17 performs the invisible light irradiation in a public situation, and it is possible to prevent the problem of light leakage. That is, it is possible to realize switching according to the detected user situation.

In step S17, the irradiation control unit 113 determines whether the currently irradiated light is invisible light from the invisible light irradiation unit 17. If it is the invisible light from the invisible light irradiation unit 17, the determination in step S17 is Yes, and the process proceeds to step S18. On the other hand, if the invisible light is not the invisible light from the invisible light irradiator 17 but the visible light from the visible light irradiator 16, the determination in step S17 is No, and the process proceeds to step S19.

In step S18, since invisible light is currently being irradiated by the invisible light irradiation section 17 in a private situation, the irradiation control section 113 changes the main body of irradiation to the visible light irradiation from the invisible light irradiation section 17. Switch to section 16. Thereby, visible light irradiation by the visible light irradiation unit 16 is performed in a private situation, and detection can be performed with high accuracy using visible light. That is, it is possible to realize switching according to the detected user situation.

In this case, in order to start detecting biological information as soon as possible, invisible light is irradiated in step S11, and detection of biological information is started in step S12, but this may be omitted. That is, based on the determination result in step S14, detection of biological information may be started after the visible light irradiation section 16 or the invisible light irradiation section 17 starts irradiation.

In step S19, the irradiation control unit 113 determines whether the current situation of the user has changed based on the detection result of the situation detection unit 112. That is, it is determined whether there has been a change from a public situation to a private situation or a change from a private situation to a public situation. If the current situation of the user has changed, the determination in step S19 is YES, the process returns to step S14, and the above-described process is repeated. On the other hand, if the current situation of the user has not changed, the determination in step S19 is No, and the process proceeds to step S20.

In step S20, the irradiation control unit 113 determines whether a user's operation to switch irradiation to the input unit 19 or another device has been received. If the irradiation switching operation is accepted, the determination in step S20 is Yes, and the process proceeds to step S21. On the other hand, if the irradiation switching operation is not accepted, the determination in step S20 is No, and the process proceeds to step S24.

In step S21, the irradiation control unit 113 determines whether the currently irradiated light is visible light from the visible light irradiation unit 16. If the visible light is from the visible light irradiation unit 16, the determination in step S21 is Yes, and the process proceeds to step S22. On the other hand, if the invisible light is not the visible light from the visible light irradiator 16 but the invisible light from the invisible light irradiator 17, the determination in step S21 is No, and the process proceeds to step S23.

In step S22, since visible light is currently being irradiated by the visible light irradiation section 16, the irradiation control section 113 switches the main body of irradiation from the visible light irradiation section 16 to the invisible light irradiation section 17. Thereby, the invisible light irradiation unit 17 irradiates the invisible light, and it is possible to realize switching according to the user's irradiation switching operation.

In step S23, since the invisible light irradiation unit 17 is currently irradiating invisible light, the irradiation control unit 113 switches the main body of irradiation from the invisible light irradiation unit 17 to the visible light irradiation unit 16. . Thereby, the visible light irradiation unit 16 performs visible light irradiation, and it is possible to realize switching according to the user's irradiation switching operation.

In step S24, the irradiation control unit 113 determines whether the conditions for terminating the biological information detection process are satisfied. The termination condition is, for example, that a user's operation to terminate the biometric information detection process on the input unit 19 or other device has been received. If the termination condition is satisfied, the determination in step S24 is Yes, and the process ends. On the other hand, if the termination condition is not satisfied, the determination in step S24 is No, the process returns to step S19, and the above-described process is repeated.

According to the biological information detection process described above, the biological information detection device 1 detects biological information by controlling the irradiation of light of two wavelengths, compared to the case where the irradiation of light of one wavelength is controlled. Therefore, biological information can be detected by more various methods. For example, accurate measurement can be achieved by switching between visible light and non-visible light depending on the surrounding environment. Further, the user can take measurements without hesitation without being aware of other people's eyes.
That is, the biological information detection device 1 can detect biological information in a method more suitable for the user.

[Configuration example]
The biological information detection device 1 configured as described above is worn by a user.
The biological information detection device 1 includes a visible light irradiation section 16, an invisible light irradiation section 17, an irradiation control section 113, a light receiving section 18, and a biological information detection section 111.
The visible light irradiation unit 16 irradiates light of a first wavelength (equivalent to visible light) to the user's wearing site.
The invisible light irradiation unit 17 irradiates light of a second wavelength (corresponding to invisible light) to the user's wearing site.
The irradiation control unit 113 performs control to switch which of the visible light irradiation unit 16 and the non-visible light irradiation unit 17 will emit light with priority.
The light receiving section 18 receives reflected light of the irradiation light emitted by the visible light irradiation section 16 and the invisible light irradiation section 17.
The biological information detection unit 111 detects the user's biological information based on the reflected light received by the light receiving unit 18.
In this way, the biological information detection device 1 detects biological information by controlling the irradiation of light of two wavelengths, so it can be used in a more variety of ways than when controlling the irradiation of light of one wavelength. , biometric information can be detected. Therefore, the biological information detection device 1 can detect biological information in a method that is more suitable for the user.

The irradiation control unit 113 controls the irradiation of light by selectively switching the entity that irradiates the light from one of the visible light irradiation unit 16 and the non-visible light irradiation unit 17 to the other.
Thereby, the biological information detection device 1 can selectively switch and use the irradiation of light of two wavelengths.

The irradiation control unit 113 controls light irradiation by changing the irradiation mode of the visible light irradiation unit 16 and the invisible light irradiation unit 17.
Thereby, the biological information detection device 1 can selectively use the irradiation of light of two wavelengths by changing the mode (for example, the brightness of the irradiated light according to the emission intensity).

The biological information detection unit 111 detects a pulse wave as the user's biological information based on the reflected light received by the light receiving unit 18.
Thereby, the biological information detection device 1 can detect pulses using more various methods than when controlling the irradiation of light of one wavelength.

It has calculation means for calculating the user's pulse rate based on the user's biological information detected by the biological information detection unit 111.
Thereby, the biological information detection device 1 can calculate the pulse rate using more various methods than when controlling the irradiation of light of one wavelength.

The irradiation control unit 113 controls the light irradiation by the visible light irradiation unit 16 and the invisible light irradiation unit 17 in accordance with the user's operation.
Thereby, the biometric information detection device 1 can detect biometric information in a method more suitable for the user, based on the user's selection.

The biological information detection device 1 further includes a situation detection section 112.
The situation detection unit 112 detects the situation in which the user is placed.
The irradiation control unit 113 controls the light irradiation by the visible light irradiation unit 16 and the invisible light irradiation unit 17 according to the situation of the user detected by the situation detection unit 112.
Thereby, the biological information detection device 1 can detect biological information in a method more suitable for the user, based on the user's selection.

[Modified example]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and any modifications, improvements, etc. that can achieve the purpose of the present invention are included in the present invention. For example, the above-described embodiment may be modified as in the following modification example.

<First modification example>
In the above-described embodiment, the situation detection unit 112 makes a determination based on position information using a GPS sensor and a determination based on behavior estimation using an acceleration sensor in order to detect the situation in which the user is placed. I was going. The present invention is not limited to this, and determination may be made using other sensors or the like in order to detect the situation in which the user is placed.

For example, the situation detection unit 112 may use an illuminance sensor that measures the illuminance around the biological information detection device 1. In this case, the situation detection unit 112 detects a public situation by determining that there is a possibility that there are people in the room when the surroundings are bright based on the measurement of the illuminance sensor, and detects a public situation when the surroundings are dark. A private situation may be detected by determining that the person is not seen.

Alternatively, the situation detection unit 112 may use a microphone that collects sounds around the biological information detection device 1. In this case, when a person's voice is collected by the microphone, the situation detection unit 112 determines that there are other people around and there is a possibility that there is a public situation, detects a public situation, and detects the person's voice. If no sound is collected, a private situation may be detected by determining that there are no other people around and the user is not seen.

Furthermore, the situation detection unit 112 may also use the current time, for example. In this case, if the current time slot is not late at night, the situation detection unit 112 determines that there is a possibility that there are other people nearby and detects a public situation, and the situation detection unit 112 detects a public situation when the current time slot is In the case of late at night, a private situation may be detected by determining that there are no other people around and the user is not seen.

Further, detection based on such various determinations may be performed in combination. For example, even if the current time zone is late at night, if it is determined that you are located on a road based on location information, there is a possibility that there are other people nearby. The public situation may be detected by making a judgment.

<Second modification example>
In the embodiment described above, the irradiation control unit 113 selects the main body that irradiates light from the visible light irradiation unit 16 and Light irradiation was controlled by selectively switching from one side of the invisible light irradiation unit 17 to the other. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the irradiation control unit 113 may irradiate both the visible light irradiation unit 16 and the invisible light irradiation unit 17 as main bodies that irradiate light. That is, the irradiation control section 113 may cause both the visible light irradiation section 16 and the invisible light irradiation section 17 to emit light at the same time. Based on predetermined conditions, the irradiation control unit 113 performs control to switch which of the visible light irradiation unit 16 and the non-visible light irradiation unit 17 should emit light with priority, by changing the mode of each irradiation. let Here, changing the mode of irradiation means, for example, changing the brightness of the irradiated light according to the emission intensity, the wavelength of the irradiated light, or the irradiation target range in the visible light irradiation section 16 and the invisible light irradiation section 17. It's about changing.

For example, when varying the brightness of the irradiated light according to the emission intensity as a mode of irradiation, the irradiation control unit 113 makes one brightness relatively higher than the other brightness.
More specifically, for example, the situation detection unit 112 detects three or more types of situations in which the user is placed, such as a public situation, a private situation that includes the possibility of a public situation, and a private situation. To detect. The irradiation control unit 113 causes only the invisible light irradiation unit 17 to emit light in a public situation, but it also causes the visible light irradiation unit 16 to emit light in a private situation. irradiate. Further, the irradiation control unit 113 changes each brightness based on the degree of possibility of a private situation. For example, as the possibility of a private situation increases, the brightness of the visible light irradiator 16 is changed to be higher than the brightness of the invisible light irradiator 17. Further, the irradiation control unit 113 similarly changes the brightness based on the user's irradiation switching operation.

In this way, the irradiation control unit 113 causes both the visible light irradiation unit 16 and the invisible light irradiation unit 17 to emit light simultaneously, and controls the irradiation of each of the visible light irradiation unit 16 and the invisible light irradiation unit 17. By changing the mode, it is possible to control which of the visible light irradiation section 16 and the non-visible light irradiation section 17 emit light with priority.
Therefore, according to this modification, it is an object of the present invention to detect biometric information using more various methods that are more suitable for the user.

In addition, the irradiation control unit 113 is not limited to this, and may perform control to switch which of the visible light irradiation unit 16 and the invisible light irradiation unit 17 should emit light with priority based on predetermined conditions, and further perform other functions. may be controlled.
For example, the light irradiation may be controlled by changing the irradiation mode of the visible light irradiation section 16 and the invisible light irradiation section 17, which are the main sources of light irradiation.
In this case, for example, the irradiation control unit 113 controls the visible light irradiation unit 16 to irradiate high-intensity visible light, the visible light irradiation unit 16 to irradiate low-intensity visible light, and to Control may be performed that includes not only switching the subject of light irradiation, such as irradiation of invisible light by the light irradiation unit 17, but also changing the mode of irradiation by the visible light irradiation unit 16.

In this case, for example, the situation detection unit 112 detects three or more types of situations in which the user is placed, such as a public situation, a private situation that includes the possibility of a public situation, and a private situation. May be detected. Based on this detection result, the irradiation control unit 113 performs control including not only switching the main body that irradiates light but also changing the mode of irradiation by the visible light irradiation unit 16, as described above. You can do it like this.

In this case, for example, as described above, the situation detection unit 112 detects the situation in which the user is placed, such as a public situation, a private situation including the possibility of a public situation, and a private situation. Three or more types of situations may be detected. Based on this detection result, the irradiation control unit 113 not only switches the subject that irradiates the light or changes the mode of irradiation of the subject that irradiates the light, but also changes the irradiation mode of the subject that irradiates the light, as described above. Control may also be performed that includes changing the mode of irradiation of any of the subjects.

<Third modification example>
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the object to which the present invention is applied is the earphone type biological information detection device 1 has been described as an example, but the invention is not limited to this. The present invention can be applied to electronic devices of other shapes, and generally to electronic devices worn by users. For example, the present invention can be applied to an electronic device having a shape such as a necklace shape or a bracelet shape, which may cause light to leak when the visible light irradiation section 16 emits light.

Further, as described in the above-described embodiment, communication may be performed with another device, and this other device may function as an operation reception unit or a display unit of the biological information detection device 1. In this case, this other device may partially realize the functions of the functional blocks included in the biological information detection device 1. For example, another device may perform sensing and behavior estimation in place of the situation detection unit 112, and transmit the results of this behavior estimation to the irradiation control unit 113 via communication.

In addition, the biological information detection device 1 is equipped with an operation reception unit and a display unit as hardware, and realizes a series of processes in biological information detection processing without requiring communication with other devices. You can. In this case, the operation reception section can be realized by, for example, various buttons and switches. Further, the display section can be realized by, for example, a small display, a lamp that blinks in response to the detection of a pulse wave, or the like. Note that in this case, the communication unit 22 may be omitted from the biological information detection device 1.

<Other variations>
The series of processes described above can be executed by hardware or software.
In other words, the functional configuration in FIG. 3 is merely an example and is not particularly limited. In other words, it is sufficient that the biological information detection device 1 and other devices have a function that can execute the above-mentioned series of processes as a whole, and what kind of functional blocks are used to realize this function is particularly shown in FIG. The example is not limited to.
Further, one functional block may be configured by a single piece of hardware, a single piece of software, or a combination thereof.

The functional configuration in this embodiment is realized by a processor that executes arithmetic processing, and processors that can be used in this embodiment include various processing units such as a single processor, a multiprocessor, and a multicore processor. In addition, it includes combinations of these various processing devices and processing circuits such as ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits) and FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays).

When a series of processes is executed by software, a program constituting the software is installed on a computer or the like from a network or a recording medium.
The computer may be a computer built into dedicated hardware. Further, the computer may be a computer that can execute various functions by installing various programs, such as a general-purpose personal computer.

A recording medium containing such a program is not only configured as a removable medium distributed separately from the device itself in order to provide the program to the user, but also provided to the user in a state that is pre-installed in the device body. Consists of recording media, etc. The removable media includes, for example, a magnetic disk (including a floppy disk), an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or the like. Optical disks include, for example, CD-ROMs (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory), DVDs (Digital Versatile Disks), Blu-ray (registered trademark) Discs, and the like. The magneto-optical disk is composed of an MD (Mini-Disk) or the like. Further, the recording medium provided to the user in a pre-installed state in the main body of the apparatus includes, for example, the ROM 12 in FIG. 2 in which a program is recorded, the hard disk included in the storage unit 20 in FIG. 2, and the like.

Note that in this specification, the step of writing a program to be recorded on a recording medium is not only a process that is performed chronologically in accordance with the order, but also a process that is not necessarily performed chronologically but in parallel or individually. It also includes the processing to be executed.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are merely illustrative and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention. The present invention can take various other embodiments, and furthermore, various changes such as omissions and substitutions can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and gist of the invention described in this specification and the like, as well as within the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents.

Below, the invention described in the original claims of this application will be added.
[Additional note 1]
An electronic device worn by a user,
a first light emitting unit that irradiates light of a first wavelength to the user's wearing part;
a second light emitting unit that irradiates light of a second wavelength to the user's wearing part;
A control means that performs control to switch which of the first light emitting means and the second light emitting means emit light with priority;
light receiving means for receiving reflected light of the irradiation light emitted by the first light emitting means and the second light emitting means;
Detection means for detecting biological information of the user based on reflected light received by the light reception means;
An electronic device characterized by having the following.
[Additional note 2]
The control means controls the irradiation of light by selectively switching the main body that irradiates the light from one of the first light emitting means and the second light emitting means to the other.
The electronic device according to supplementary note 1, characterized in that:
[Additional note 3]
The detection means detects a pulse wave as biological information of the user based on the reflected light received by the light reception means.
The electronic device according to supplementary note 1 or 2, characterized in that:
[Additional note 4]
a calculation means for calculating the pulse rate of the user based on the biological information of the user detected by the detection means;
The electronic device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 3, characterized in that:
[Additional note 5]
The control means controls irradiation of light by the first light emitting means and the second light emitting means in response to an operation by the user.
The electronic device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 4, characterized in that:
[Additional note 6]
Further comprising a situation detection means for detecting the situation in which the user is placed,
The control means controls irradiation of light by the first light emitting means and the second light emitting means according to the situation in which the user is detected by the situation detection means.
The electronic device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 5, characterized in that:
[Additional note 7]
As well as being worn by the user,
a first light emitting unit that irradiates light of a first wavelength to the user's wearing part;
a second light emitting unit that irradiates light of a second wavelength to the user's wearing part;
light receiving means for receiving reflected light of the irradiation light emitted by the first light emitting means and the second light emitting means;
A detection method performed by an electronic device comprising:
a control step of controlling which of the first light emitting means and the second light emitting means emit light with priority;
a detection step of detecting biological information of the user based on the reflected light received by the light receiving means;
A detection method characterized by having the following.
[Additional note 8]
The computer attached to the user,
a first light emitting unit that irradiates light of a first wavelength to the user's wearing site;
a second light emitting unit that irradiates light of a second wavelength to the user's wearing part;
A control means for controlling which of the first light emitting means and the second light emitting means emit light with priority;
light receiving means for receiving reflected light of the irradiation light emitted by the first light emitting means and the second light emitting means;
detection means for detecting biological information of the user based on the reflected light received by the light reception means;
What is claimed is: 1. A recording medium having recorded thereon a detection program that functions as a computer.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Biological information detection device, 11... CPU, 12... ROM, 13... RAM, 14... Bus, 15... Input/output interface, 16... Visible light irradiation part, 17... Invisible light irradiation unit, 18... Light receiving unit, 19... Input unit, 20... Storage unit, 21... Communication unit, 22... Sensor unit, 111... Living body Information detection unit, 112... Situation detection unit, 113... Irradiation control unit, 201... Biological information storage unit

Claims (8)

An electronic device worn by a user,
a first light emitting unit that irradiates light of a first wavelength that is visible light to the user's wearing part;
a second light emitting unit that irradiates light of a second wavelength that is invisible light to the user's wearing part;
a determination means for determining whether the user is in a public state;
A control means that performs control to switch which of the first light emitting means and the second light emitting means emit light with priority based on a determination result by the determining means;
light receiving means capable of receiving reflected light of the irradiation light emitted by the first light emitting means and the second light emitting means;
detection means for detecting biological information of the user based on the reflected light received by the light reception means;
An electronic device characterized by having. The control means controls the irradiation of light by selectively switching the main body that irradiates the light from one of the first light emitting means and the second light emitting means to the other.
The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The detection means detects a pulse wave as biological information of the user based on the reflected light received by the light reception means.
The electronic device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: a calculation means for calculating the pulse rate of the user based on the biological information of the user detected by the detection means;
The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The control means controls irradiation of light by the first light emitting means and the second light emitting means in response to an operation by the user.
The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The determining means determines whether the user is in a public state based on at least one of the user's location information and information on the user's behavior estimation result.
The electronic device according to claim 1 , characterized in that: As well as being worn by the user,
a first light emitting unit that irradiates light of a first wavelength that is visible light to the user's wearing part;
a second light emitting unit that irradiates light of a second wavelength that is invisible light to the user's wearing part;
light receiving means capable of receiving reflected light of the irradiation light emitted by the first light emitting means and the second light emitting means;
A detection method performed by an electronic device comprising:
a determining step of determining whether the user is in a public state;
a control step of performing control to switch which of the first light emitting means and the second light emitting means emit light with priority based on the judgment result of the judgment step;
a detection step of detecting biological information of the user based on the reflected light received by the light receiving means;
A detection method characterized by having the following. The computer attached to the user,
a first light emitting unit that irradiates light of a first wavelength that is visible light to the user's wearing part;
a second light emitting unit that irradiates light of a second wavelength, which is invisible light, to the user's wearing part;
a determination means for determining whether the user is in a public state;
A control means for controlling which of the first light emitting means and the second light emitting means emit light with priority based on a determination result by the determining means;
light receiving means capable of receiving reflected light of the irradiation light emitted by the first light emitting means and the second light emitting means;
detection means for detecting biological information of the user based on the reflected light received by the light reception means;
What is claimed is: 1. A recording medium having recorded thereon a detection program that functions as a computer.

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