Balance ability measurement apparatus, balance ability measurement method and non-transitory computer readable recording medium for recording balance ability measurement program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9766115-B2
Application number	US-201514849706-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 10, 2015
Priority date	Sep 12, 2014
Publication date	Sep 19, 2017
Grant date	Sep 19, 2017

Abstract

A balance ability measurement apparatus acquires load information on weight of a user as measured during a period of a stand-up movement which is a period of time from when the user starts the stand-up movement to when the user stabilizes standing posture. Based on the load information, the balance ability measurement apparatus calculates load change information on change in the weight of the user. Further, based on the load information, the balance ability measurement apparatus calculates left-right displacement information on displacement of the user in left-right direction. Based on the load change information and the left-right displacement information, the balance ability measurement apparatus calculates a balance ability evaluation value on balance ability of the user.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A balance ability measurement apparatus comprising:
acquisition circuitry configured to acquire unit load data measured by each of load sensors, and total load data obtained by summing the unit load data and representing weight of a user;
period setting circuitry configured to set, based on the total load data, a period of a stand-up movement which is a period of time from when the user starts the stand-up movement to when the user stabilizes standing posture;
load change information calculation circuitry configured to calculate, based on the total load data, a representative value of an amount of change in the total load data per unit time during the period of the stand-up movement;
left-right displacement information calculation circuitry configured to calculate, based on the unit load data, a representative value of an amount of change in the displacement of the user per unit time in left-right direction during the period of the stand-up movement; and
balance ability evaluation value calculation circuitry configured to calculate a balance ability evaluation value on balance ability of the user, based on the representative value of the amount of change in the total load data per unit time and the representative value of the amount of change in the displacement of the user per unit time in the left-right direction.

2. The balance ability measurement apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising
period calculation circuitry configured to calculate the period of the stand-up movement based on the total load data,
wherein the balance ability evaluation value calculation circuitry calculates the balance ability evaluation value based on:
the representative value of the amount of change in the total load data per unit time;
the representative value of the amount of change in the displacement of the user per unit time in the left-right direction; and
the period of the stand-up movement as calculated by the period calculation circuitry.

3. The balance ability measurement apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the balance ability evaluation value calculation circuitry calculates the balance ability evaluation value by using user information including at least one of gender, age and body size to weight:
the representative value of the amount of change in the total load data per unit time;
the representative value of the amount of change in the displacement of the user per unit time in the left-right direction; and
the period of the stand-up movement as calculated by the period calculation circuitry.

4. The balance ability measurement apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising the load sensors,
wherein the load sensors are arranged in the left-right direction.

5. A balance ability measurement method comprising the steps of:
acquiring load information on weight of a user as measured during a period of a stand-up movement which is a period of time from when the user starts the stand-up movement to when the user stabilizes standing posture;
calculating, based on the load information, load change information on change in the weight of the user;
calculating, based on the load information, left-right displacement information on displacement of the user in left-right direction; and
calculating, based on the load change information and the left-right displacement information, a balance ability evaluation value on balance ability of the user.

6. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium for recording a balance ability measurement program to cause a computer to perform a process comprising the steps of:
acquiring unit load data measured by each of load sensors, and total load data obtained by summing the unit load data and representing weight of a user;
setting, based on the total load data, a period of a stand-up movement which is a period of time from when the user starts the stand-up movement to when the user stabilizes standing posture;
calculating, based on the total load data, a representative value of an amount of change in the total load data per unit time during the period of the stand-up movement;
calculating, based on the unit load data, a representative value of an amount of change in the displacement of the user per unit time in left-right direction during the period of the stand-up movement; and
calculating a balance ability evaluation value on balance ability of the user, based on the representative value of the amount of change in the total load data per unit time and the representative value of the amount of change in the displacement of the user per unit time in the left-right direction.

7. The balance ability measurement apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising front-back displacement information calculation circuitry configured to calculate, based on the unit load data, a representative value of an amount of change in the displacement of the user per unit time in the front-back direction during the period of the stand-up movement,
wherein the balance ability evaluation value calculation circuitry calculates the balance ability evaluation value based on:
the representative value of the amount of change in the total load data per unit time;
the representative value of the amount of change in the displacement of the user per unit time in the left-right direction; and
the representative value of the amount of change in the displacement of the user per unit time in the front-back direction.

8. The balance ability measurement apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein the balance ability evaluation value calculation circuitry calculates the balance ability evaluation value by using user information including at least one of gender, age and body size to weight:
the representative value of the amount of change in the total load data per unit time;
the representative value of the amount of change in the displacement of the user per unit time in the left-right direction; and
the representative value of the amount of change in the displacement of the user per unit time in the front-back direction.

Assignees

• Tanita Seisakusho Kk

Inventors

• Sakai Yoshio
• Takehara Tomoko

Classifications

• A61B5/1036 Primary

  Measuring load distribution, e.g. podologic studies · CPC title

• G01G19/50

  having additional measuring devices, e.g. for height · CPC title

• A61B5/4023

  Evaluating sense of balance · CPC title

• G01G19/44 Primary

  for weighing persons · CPC title