JP2010057540A - Body composition meter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a body composition meter making the direction of a holding part almost constant. <P>SOLUTION: The body composition meter includes the holding part having a display part and a grip part held by an examinee, a deck part on which the examinee stands and the cord for connecting the holding part and the deck part. The grip part is provided in a holding part body in a freely rotatable manner. When the examinee holds the grip part, the holding part body is rotated by the tension of the cord so as to turn the display part in a predetermined direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a body composition meter.

  In recent years, body composition meters that measure body composition (body fat percentage, etc.) have become widespread, and new functions have been added to body composition meters in order to increase commercial value. For example, such techniques are disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a body composition measuring device (body composition meter) having a holding part held by a subject, a base part on which the subject rides, and a cord connecting the holding part and the base part. The body composition meter disclosed in Patent Document 1 detects the length of the cord and the angle formed by the cord and the base when the subject holds the holding portion, and determines the body part (arm) from the length and the angle. Part, leg, trunk). By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to give an added value to the body composition meter that input of the length of the body part by the subject can be omitted.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a body composition meter having a camera for photographing a subject and a holding unit that the subject holds with both hands, and the holding unit is provided with a shutter button of the camera. ing. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to give the body composition meter an added value that the subject can confirm his / her body shape (appearance).

  However, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, since the length and angle to be detected depend on the orientation of the holding unit when the subject holds the holding unit, the length of the body part cannot be accurately calculated. There is.

  In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2, since the orientation of the camera depends on the orientation of the holding unit when the subject holds the holding unit, shooting may fail (for example, in the shot image) Only the upper half of the face is visible).

As described above, if the length of the body part is incorrect or if photographing fails, the subject cannot satisfactorily use the additional function. In addition, in the techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, in order to obtain an accurate body part length or to ensure that imaging does not fail, the subject must be aware of how to hold the holding unit. .
JP 2006-247209 A JP 2007-195744 A

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said situation, The place made into the objective is to provide the body composition meter which can make direction of a holding | maintenance part substantially constant.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following configuration.

The body composition meter of the present invention has a holding part having a display part and a grip part held by the subject, a base part on which the subject rides, and a cord connecting the holding part and the base part, and the grip The portion is provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the holding portion main body. When the subject holds the grip portion, the holding portion main body is rotated by the tension of the cord so that the display portion faces a predetermined direction. It is characterized by doing.

  According to this configuration, since the grip portion is provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the holding portion main body, when the subject holds the grip portion, the holding portion main body has a predetermined orientation due to the tension of the cord. Rotate to face. Thereby, the direction of the holding portion can be made substantially constant.

  It is preferable that a relative rotation angle between the holding portion main body and the grip portion is limited. With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the holder main body from rotating once.

  The holding unit further includes an imaging unit for imaging a subject, and the central direction of the viewing angle of the imaging unit is a direction inclined by 17 ° downward with respect to the normal direction of the display surface of the display unit It is preferable that With such a configuration, when the subject holds the grip portion and protrudes the arm forward, the imaging portion can reliably capture the subject's face.

  It is preferable that the cord is connected to the holding portion below the rotation axis of the grip portion. With such a configuration, the holding unit main body can be rotated as intended (so that the display unit faces a predetermined direction).

  It is preferable to further include a detecting unit that detects the length of the cord and a calculating unit that calculates the length of the body part of the subject based on the length of the cord. As described above, according to the body composition meter of the present invention, the orientation of the holding portion can be made substantially constant. Further, if the orientation of the holding portion is substantially constant, the angle formed by the cord and the base portion is substantially constant. Therefore, with such a configuration, the length of the body part can be calculated with high accuracy.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the body composition meter which can make direction of a holding | maintenance part substantially constant can be provided.

<First Embodiment>
The body composition meter according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Constitution)
First, a rough configuration of the body composition meter according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a rough configuration of a body composition meter according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the body composition meter according to the present embodiment includes a holding unit 101, a base unit 102, a cord 103 that connects the holding unit 101 and the base unit 102, and the like.

  The holding unit 101 includes a grip unit 111 and a display unit 112 held by the subject.

  The grip portion 111 is provided with bioimpedance measurement electrodes (hand electrodes 121 a to 121 d), and the bioimpedance is measured with the subject holding the grip portion 111. The grip portion 111 is provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the holding portion main body 131.

Specifically, a shaft portion 132 along the lateral direction of the holding portion main body 131 is provided so as to penetrate the holding portion main body 131, and grip portions 111 are provided at both ends of the shaft portion 132. In addition, the coefficient of friction between the holding portion main body 131 and the shaft portion 132 is reduced by using a bearing such as a ball bearing. Thereby, the grip part 111 can rotate smoothly with respect to the holding part main body 131.

  The rotating mechanism of the grip part 111 is not limited to the above mechanism. It is only necessary that the grip part 111 can rotate with respect to the holding part main body 131. For example, a shaft portion that protrudes from the side surface of the holding portion main body 131 may be provided on the holding portion main body 131, and the grip portion 111 may be provided so as to cover the periphery of the shaft portion.

  The display unit 112 displays a guide for making various settings before measurement of body composition, measurement results, and the like. As the display unit 112, a liquid crystal panel, an organic EL panel, or the like may be applied.

  The platform 102 includes a load sensor 122 for measuring body weight, bioimpedance measurement electrodes (foot electrodes 121e to 121h), and the like. The subject rides on the platform 102 when measuring weight and body composition.

  The cord 103 is provided so as to be extendable and retractable according to the distance between the holding unit 101 and the base unit 102. For example, the holding unit 101 or the base unit 102 has a reel for winding the cord 103, and when the distance between the holding unit 101 and the base unit 102 is shortened, the cord 103 is wound around the reel by the shortened amount. Taken. On the other hand, when the distance between the holding unit 101 and the base unit 102 is increased, the cord 103 wound around the reel is pulled out by the increased amount. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that tension is applied to the cord 103 when the subject holds the grip portion 111 and pulls out the cord 103.

  In the present embodiment, since the grip portion 111 is rotatably provided with respect to the holding portion main body 131, when the subject holds the grip portion 111 and pulls out the cord 103, the holding portion main body 131 is It is rotated by the tension of.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, since the code | cord | chord 103 is connected below the rotating shaft of the grip part 111 with respect to the holding | maintenance part 101, a holding | maintenance part main body can be rotated as intended. The rotation mechanism of the holding unit main body 131 will be described in detail later.

  Next, the configuration of the body composition meter according to the present embodiment will be described in more detail. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of functions and configurations of the body composition analyzer according to the present embodiment. Note that the same functions as those described with reference to FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  As illustrated in FIG. 2, the holding unit 101 further includes an operation unit 201, a power source 202, a storage unit 203, an impedance measurement unit 204, and a control unit 205.

  The operation unit 201 is an operation button for performing operations such as power on / off, start / interruption of measurement, and input of physical information (age, gender, height, etc.). The operation unit 201 may be provided on the display unit 112 as a touch panel type operation panel.

  The power source 202 is a power source for supplying power for driving the holding unit 101 and the base unit 102. The power source 202 may be a household power source or a battery.

  The storage unit 203 is a storage device that stores physical information (age, sex, height, etc.), measurement results, and the like. As the storage unit 203, various storage media such as a nonvolatile memory may be applied.

The impedance measurement unit 204 has a function of measuring impedance. In particular,
The impedance measurement unit 204 measures impedance by passing a minute current between the electrodes using the hand electrode and the foot electrode.

  The control unit 205 is a function that controls each function described above.

(Rotating movement of the holder body)
Hereinafter, the rotation operation of the holding portion main body 131 when the subject holds the grip portion 111 will be described in detail.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the grip portion 111 is provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the holding portion main body 131. Therefore, when the subject holds the grip portion 111, the holding portion main body 131 Rotate by tension. Specifically, the holding unit main body 131 rotates so that the display surface of the display unit 112 and the cord 103 are parallel (FIG. 3).

  According to the “AIST Human Body Dimension Database 1991-92 Manual” published by the Digital Human Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, the height of male youth is 187.7 cm at the maximum and 151.5 cm at the minimum. It is reported to be 171.4 cm. The arm length is reported to be 92.7 cm for the tallest person, 70.5 cm for the shortest person, and 81.9 cm on average. The height from the ground (when standing upright) to the position of the arm is reported to be 156.7 cm for the tallest person, 123.4 cm for the tallest person, and 140.2 cm on average.

  Using these data, the angle θ1 formed between the code 103 when the subject holds the grip portion 111 and the height direction of the person is calculated, and the angle θ1 is substantially constant (about 30 °) regardless of the person. It was confirmed that Specifically, the angle θ1 was calculated as 30.61 ° for the tallest person, 29.74 ° for the shortest person, and 30.29 ° on average. Since the code 103 and the display surface are parallel, the angle formed between the display surface and the human height direction is about 30 °. Thereby, since the display unit 112 (holding unit main body) faces a predetermined direction, the display unit can always face the subject's face.

  On the other hand, when the grip portion 111 is provided so as not to rotate as in the prior art, the code 103 and the display surface may not be parallel as shown in FIG. In order to turn it toward your face, you must hold the grip so that it faces that way.

  As described above, in the body composition meter according to the present embodiment, the display unit 112 can be directed in a predetermined direction by providing the grip unit 111 so as to be rotatable with respect to the holding unit body 131 (the holding unit). 101 can be made substantially constant).

<Second Embodiment>
In the body composition meter according to the first embodiment, no particular limitation was imposed on the relative rotation angle between the holding portion main body 131 and the grip portion 111. Therefore, in the body composition meter according to the first embodiment, there is a possibility that the holding body is rotated once. If the grip part 111 is freely rotated, there is a possibility that the grip part 111 may be worn or broken (particularly, a poor electrical connection between the hand electrode and the holding part main body).

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, a case will be described in which the relative rotation angle between the holding portion main body 131 and the grip portion 111 is limited in the body composition meter according to the first embodiment. Note that a description of the same configuration and the like as in the above embodiment will be omitted.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of a mechanism for limiting the rotation angle. The example of FIG. 5 is an example in which the shaft portion 51 protrudes from the side surface of the holding portion main body 131 and the grip portion 111 is provided so as to cover the periphery of the shaft portion 51. In the example of FIG. 5, a part of the grip portion is removed so that the surface around the shaft of the shaft portion 51 is exposed for a predetermined range (as much as it is desired to rotate). And the rotation angle is restrict | limited by the axial part 51 having the protrusion part 52 in the said exposure position. Note that the mechanism of FIG. 5 is merely an example, and any mechanism may be used as long as the rotation angle can be limited. For example, a part of the grip part 111 may not be removed so that the shaft part 51 is exposed. You may provide a notch in the surface of the grip part 111 in the side which contacts the axial part 51. FIG. And you may restrict | limit a rotation angle by providing the protrusion part 52 in the position corresponding to the said notch of the axial part 51. FIG.

  As described above, in the body composition meter according to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the holding portion main body 131 from rotating once by providing a restriction on the relative rotation angle of the holding portion main body 131 and the grip portion 111. it can.

<Third Embodiment>
This embodiment demonstrates the case where the holding | maintenance part 101 further has an imaging part for image | photographing a test subject in the body composition meter which concerns on the said 1st, 2nd embodiment. As the imaging unit, a digital camera including an optical system and an imaging element (CCD, CMOS sensor, etc.) may be applied. Note that a description of the same configuration and the like as in the above embodiment will be omitted.

  As described in the first embodiment, in the body composition meter as shown in FIG. 1, the display unit 112 is oriented in a predetermined direction by providing the grip unit 111 rotatably with respect to the holding unit main body 131. be able to. Therefore, when the subject holds the grip part 111, the imaging unit provided in the holding part 101 also faces a predetermined direction. In other words, when the imaging unit is attached to the holding unit 101, by defining the direction of the field of view of the imaging unit (the center direction of the viewing angle) in a predetermined direction, a captured image of a target location can be obtained with certainty. It becomes like this. In the present embodiment, the center direction of the viewing angle of the imaging unit is inclined downward by 17 ° with respect to the normal direction of the display surface of the display unit 112.

  According to the “AIST human body size database 1991-92 manual” described above, the height from the ground (when standing upright) to the position of the eyes is 177.7 cm for the tallest person, and for the shortest person. Reported 139.9 cm, average 159.6 cm. Using this data and the other data described above, the angle θ2 (see FIG. 6) formed by the extension direction of the arm when the subject holds the grip portion 111 and the line connecting the hand position and the eye position is obtained. As a result of the calculation, it was confirmed that the angle θ2 was substantially constant (about 13 °) regardless of the person. Specifically, the angle θ2 was calculated as 12.76 ° for the tallest person, 13.17 ° for the shortest person, and 13.33 ° on average. In addition, an angle θ3 (see FIG. 6) formed by the normal direction of the display surface and the arm extending direction is equal to θ1. Thereby, by setting the central direction of the viewing angle of the imaging unit to a direction inclined by 17 ° downward with respect to the normal direction of the display surface, the central direction of the viewing angle faces the eye of the subject, The subject's face can be reliably captured.

  As described above, in the body composition meter according to the present embodiment, the imaging unit so that the central direction of the viewing angle is inclined downward by 17 ° with respect to the normal direction of the display surface with respect to the holding unit. By providing this, the face image of the subject can be obtained with certainty (the face of the subject can be reliably captured by the imaging unit).

<Fourth Embodiment>
In the present embodiment, the body composition meter is based on the detection unit that detects the length of the cord 103 (for example, the length of the cord 103 between the holding unit main body and the base unit) and the detected length. A case will be described in which a calculation unit that calculates the length of the body part of the subject (length of arms, legs, torso, height, etc.) is provided. Note that a description of the same configuration and the like as in the above embodiment will be omitted. The calculation unit may be a function of the control unit. The length of the body part may be calculated by a method as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-247209.

  Any detector may be used as long as the length of the code 103 can be detected. For example, when the holding unit 101 or the base unit 102 has a reel for winding the cord 103, a rotation sensor may be used as the detection unit. Specifically, the rotation displacement of the reel may be detected as the length of the code 103 by a rotation sensor.

  As described in the first embodiment, in the body composition meter as shown in FIG. 1, the grip portion 111 is provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the holding portion main body 131, thereby forming the cord 103 and the human height direction. The angle θ1 can be made substantially constant. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the variation in the detected length, which is a problem in the conventional technique. As a result, the body part can be calculated with much higher accuracy than in the prior art.

  For example, in a conventional body composition meter, as shown in FIG. 7, the grip portion is held so that the display surface and the cord are parallel, and the grip portion is held so that the display surface is horizontal. Deviations (errors) occur in the length of the trunk (the length of the trunk and legs combined) and the length of the arms. Specifically, when the average value reported in the “AIST Human Body Dimension Database 1991-92 Manual” is used, the grip surface is held so that the code is parallel to the display surface, and the display surface is horizontal. When the grip portion is held so as to become, the length of the trunk portion is shifted by 10 cm or more. On the other hand, such a shift does not occur in the body composition meter according to the present embodiment.

  In addition, according to the body composition meter according to the present embodiment, the angle θ1 is substantially constant, so that it is not necessary to provide an angle sensor as in the prior art. Therefore, the structure can be simplified and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  As described above, according to the body composition meter according to the present embodiment, the length of the body part can be accurately calculated.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a rough configuration of the body composition meter according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the function / configuration of the body composition analyzer according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a rotation operation of the holding body in the body composition meter according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a subject holds a grip portion of a conventional body composition meter. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a mechanism for limiting the relative rotation angle of the holding body and the grip portion in the body composition meter according to the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the orientation of the imaging unit in the body composition meter according to the third embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a shift in the length of the body part that occurs in the prior art.

Explanation of symbols

51,132 Shaft part 52 Projection part 101 Holding part 102 Base part 103 Code 111 Grip part 112 Display part 121a-d Hand electrode 121e-h Foot electrode 122 Load sensor 131 Holding part main body 201 Operation part 202 Power supply 203 Storage part 204 Impedance measurement unit 205 Control unit

Claims (5)

A holding part having a display part and a grip part held by the subject;
The platform on which the subject rides,
A cord connecting the holding part and the base part;
Have
The grip part is provided to be rotatable with respect to the holding part body,
When the subject holds the grip part, the holding part main body rotates by the tension of the cord so that the display part faces a predetermined direction. The body composition meter according to claim 1, wherein a relative rotation angle between the holding portion main body and the grip portion is limited. The holding unit further includes an imaging unit for imaging the subject,
3. The body composition meter according to claim 1, wherein a central direction of a viewing angle of the imaging unit is a direction inclined by 17 ° downward with respect to a normal direction of a display surface of the display unit. .   The body composition meter according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cord is connected to the holding portion below a rotation axis of the grip portion. Detecting means for detecting the length of the cord;
The body composition meter according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising calculation means for calculating the length of the body part of the subject based on the length of the cord.

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